Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
Waking from the dream Witnessing the smoke that's rolling in
A nod was all the confirmation she offered. As Hadama came to stand beside her, Maea began to move in slow, controlled patterns. Breaking down the kicks into steps to show how she shifted her weight between her legs, and turned, and the angle the leg should have and how to land again. While she heard the question, she took some time to answer.
When she finally did, it was with a scowl fierce enough to send brave men running. "Some. Not as much as I would have liked. The most reliable is that the taint spreads through direct contact. We suspected it, but now it's confirmed." Flora's injury and the need for divine intervention was put in a different light now. It made her wonder how the Void would affect humans; if they too would become aggressive and emit dreadful auras with a purple aftertaste.
"I still need to finish compiling the data, but that's the gist of it. What about you? Have you heard those... messages too?" And there it was. The source of her foul temper. Maea's tail slashed furiously behind her and the bit off the word like it left a foul taste in her mouth.
Above all, though, she looked scared.
The end is what you fear The scent of embers lingers in the air
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
It felt decidedly unnatural to rely on only a single leg to hold all of his weight, but Hadama was a quick learner. The more they practiced, the more steady his balance became and the more fluidly he was able to shift his weight. As his confidence grew, so did his ability to multitask, and to intersperse the lesson with other questions - albeit far less pleasant ones.
"Mmh. Indeed," he acknowledged the confirmation of their suspicions with something dangerously close to a frown threatening to crease his serene brow. "Thank you." For testing it; an unpleasant task that few would have willingly undertaken. And for sharing the knowledge freely afterwards.
He shifted his weight and lifted one leg in a slow extension, focusing more on his balance than on power for the moment. Her return question caused a tightness in his jaw and there was a long moment of silence as he pulled his 'kick' back and returned both feet to the floor before answering.
"I have." The words were short, sharp, and decidedly displeased. "They are... extremely unwelcome." Useful, perhaps, in disseminating information... if they could be trusted. But unwelcome all the same. He turned to look down at the pale warrior-scholar, taking in the discomfort in her body language.
Alas, he had little comfort to offer under the circumstances. "Safrin has asked me to learn more about this 'Family' the voice has mentioned," he rumbled at last. "And she has given me legs. At more than just the full moon," he clarified, still oblivious to how little Maea knew of the Mer.
Waking from the dream Witnessing the smoke that's rolling in
She could only nod in agreement. There was something so incredibly violating in having anything or anyone peer into her mind. From what she recalled of the voice - this Vox entity - it could do more than simply speak to them, and the whole concept made her shudder with revulsion. That Hadama felt the same was heartening, honestly, because while her knowledge of mer was limited, she did know that they shared in the Attuned bond, in some capacity. And if the Attuned disliked that kind of insight... then she wasn't wrong to feel the way she did.
Taking a closer look at Hadama, now that they were both standing still and opening up to conversation, she did notice the differences about it. It was subtle, just something in his posture and the tilt of his head, but it made her wonder what else Safrin had asked of him.
"That's a big task," she noted, her scowl softening into a look of concern. "Do you have any leads? The only one we really know anything about would be Dahlia, wouldn't it..."
The bold thing to do would be to just go to Stormbreak and talk to her, eye to eye. But Maea suspected that it was also among the more foolish things one could think to do. If she didn't like what one was saying... it could become dangerous very quickly.
The end is what you fear The scent of embers lingers in the air
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
"I have taken service with her," he said simply. The phrase was far too small to encompass all that she had given him or all that he had given her in return, but Hadama took comfort in understatement. "And it needs doing." A large task, yes, and a dangerous one, but that was the whole reason for demigods. To handle those tasks that fell between gods and mortals, and to give their best in the doing.
Though in this instance the task was indeed daunting, and their only lead now legitimately led a region and called herself 'The Reaper.'
"It would," he confirmed, and there was an unusually grim set to his jaw as he gave a single sharp nod. "So it will take some planning. Sunjata was going to test the Refuge on her, but I have not heard if he was able to do so." It had been some time ago, now, and in the flurry of preparing their regional quest, the minutiae of leading, his own personal search for one of Vi's Roses with Noah, and the pursuit of his answer to Safrin's offer he had lost track of just how much time had past since he'd heard from the Flood.
Hmm. Concerning.
Nor was he impulsive enough to go knocking on doors that might hide tide jaguars behind them. Not when those jaguars might be Voidsea Panthers in disguise.
Waking from the dream Witnessing the smoke that's rolling in
"You...? Oh." Understanding dawned on her after a moment. Demigod. Had it been to any other god or herald Maea would have congratulated him. But she knew bits and pieces of what had transpired between Safrin and some of her other followers - Ronin, Sunjata, not to mention Harper's doubts - and it silenced her tongue. Regarding Hadama as if she had never quite seen him before, she wondered what it was about the goddess that made men throw themselves at her. There had to be more to her than the fickle, selfish bitch she would have taken her for if she was mortal - and somehow she didn't think Hadama was the type to lose his brain in a ditch over a pretty face. Remi's bitterness and anger wouldn't simply let go of her though, the memory of it leaving her to hope that Hadama would be spared the kind of games others had been dragged into.
"Of course," she answered, willing to share her thoughts with anyone who showed interest on this subject. For all that Danta was easy to deal with as a ruler, his interests had little to do with the Void problem as a whole. "If there is anything I can do to assist you, do let me know." Not for Safrin's sake, though. Just for his.
The end is what you fear The scent of embers lingers in the air
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Her response to his announcement was decidedly... underwhelming, and Hadama tilted his head at her in curiosity. While he certainly knew that Safrin was not universally beloved, most of those he had sought advice from in the past year had dispensed their wisdom in regards to what life as a demigod was like and not about Safrin specifically.
"You do not approve?" he asked, curious as to the reason for her subdued response but also because Maea had become someone whose opinion mattered to him.
As for her willingness to help he inclined his head deeply in a partial bow, gratitude in every muscular line of him as he accepted her gift of knowledge and expertise in research. "Thank you. If you travel to the Climb on your way home, would you be willing to look for one of Rae's Lilies? I am told they are found near Frey's Breath." Now that the Greatwood had been corrupted, the Lilies were a safer route to pursue than Vi's Roses. "I would like to know if they have an effect on the Void's corruption."
Waking from the dream Witnessing the smoke that's rolling in
Picking at the knot to undo the wrap around her hands, Maea didn't quite meet his gaze. "It's your choice, and I can respect that," she responded slowly. "I've never met Safrin, so I can't speak out of personal experience... but much of what I have heard about her isn't very flattering." Teasing the end out of the knot, she began to roll the wrap off her left hand. "She tormented Sunjata for years. She interfered between Ronin and Remi's marriage. That's... not the kind of behavior I could respect in anyone. But for a goddess? Someone who holds power enough to alter people's lives on a whim?"
Shaking her head slowly, Maea looked up and met Hadama's gaze with a serious expression. "I'm sure you have your reasons for choosing her. I just don't understand what she could offer that lets anyone overlook the things she has done."
With one hand free, she repeated the process on her other hand and tossed the rolls into a basket with several others, where they belonged. "I don't mind going to the Climb," she went on, accepting his request without objections. It wasn't exactly on the way, but she thought it might be nice to warm up properly. The seasons were turning, and she was beginning to feel the weakness against cold as a stiffness in her joints. It took longer to get going in the mornings the colder it got.
The end is what you fear The scent of embers lingers in the air
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
He listened solemnly, learning some hot goss that he had not been privy to prior to this moment. He had heard only the most general rumors years later of what had transpired within the Grounds while the Barrier had existed. Even after it had fallen there had been little news in Torchline of the adventures occurring in other regions until the portals had come online... and even then, the portals had been no place accessible by Mer. Nor had most Mer - including himself - cared much at that time. They had little to do with the landwalkers in those days, and it wasn't until Remi, with Safrin's blessing, had dug the canals making Haulani accessible to his people that the doings of the landfolk had really become of interest to the Mer King at the time, and some of the younger ones.
Even after Hadama had begun visiting the shore, years after that, he had not been privy to the private lives and tribulations of the demigods, except at the most distant remove. "Mmh. I knew something of the... difficulties... between herself and the Flood," he acknowledged slowly. Indeed, Sunjata's fall from grace - and Torchline's leadership - was no secret. "Though not the details." He tilted his head, watching Maea remove her own wraps before beginning to pluck at his own. "I had not heard of the interference in Ronin's marriage." Emerald eyes were thoughtful as he slowly stripped the cloth from his knuckles. "I went to him for advice before I made my decision. He said he had no regrets in serving Safrin at that time." He had been frank about the negatives, but those had been the downsides of being a demigod to any deity and not Safrin specifically. But regrets? No. He had been firm on that.
He looked over to meet Maea's gaze with clear eyes, and then bowed his head in acceptance of her opinion. "Thank you," he said simply, grateful for her honesty, and for her willingness to help with his own experiment.
Waking from the dream Witnessing the smoke that's rolling in
Her eyebrows rose a bit. Had Ronin perhaps not had the same troubles as Remi? Was she misunderstanding something in the torrent of emotion she'd been allowed to perceive, while holding the Bastion's hand? This was the difficulty with building opinions based on second hand knowledge. She didn't have the whole picture, and she wasn't close enough to any of the people involved to ask such questions as would let her find out more.
"Is that so? That's good at least, then. I hope I'm mistaken, honestly. For your sake, and for anyone who gets involved with her." It would take more than that to assuage her misgivings, but Maea wasn't invested enough to go campaigning against a goddess.
Nodding briefly in response to Hadama's gratitude, she went to fetch her paraphernalia. With the old coat slung loosely over her shoulders and the usual bag carried in her arms, she managed to crack a faint smile at the new demigod. "Don't thank me yet. Save it for if I find something worth bringing back. In the meantime, stay safe, yeah? And keep an eye on the Feverlands; the swamp has been overrun. A dam has been put up to keep Void away from the sea, but I don't know how long it will hold."
The end is what you fear The scent of embers lingers in the air
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
He accepted her well wishes in the spirit they were given as he peeled away the last of the wrappings. "Thank you," he said simply. He was not completely naive to the shadows that sprung up from Safrin's light... but then, all of the heralds had their flaws. Even Rae had been somewhat less than comforting in their words, and Vi was a stern taskmaster. Where Dygra would fall in comparison remained to be fully seen, but he hoped for Maea's sake that the goddess she had chosen would be one that the pale woman could serve without regret.
A discussion for another time, however. The hour grew late and they each had places to be. "I will stay safe," he promised, a glitter of the old amusement returning to his eyes, though it was quickly extinguished at her final warning. "Mmh. I heard," he admitted with a faint grimace marring his serenity as he tilted his head to the side in explanation of the message they had all received. "Travel safely, Maea."
