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Character of the Season
Once known as the Butcher of Whitebrim, he's now The Butcher of Dygra, stepping forward as the first created demigod of the Ancients. There is no question that Astaroth casts an intimidating silhouette. Tall, domineering and dangerous, if looks could kill you'd be dead already, but to get up close and personal with the Grounds' resident cannibal tells a much different story. Dripping with charm and clad in only the finest attire, Asta is a gentleman monster, as polite as they come and committed to his role as security for the Dusklight and those who have earned his loyalty. Be careful of that smile, though - those teeth are sharp.
Congratulations, Asta!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
OG Skinning provided by Kaons, with functionality and many custom plugins made by Neowulf!
05-11-2026, 12:35 PM (This post was last modified: 05-11-2026, 12:52 PM by Nova.)
Nova
It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness.
Despite it being the literal desert, there's still an undertone of Deepfrost. The sun shines down, but the heat doesn't sink as deep. It feels muted, more pretty than functional - but maybe that's just Nova.
She stands at the railing of the skyship with Caly, looking out over Hak Etme without really looking at it, overlaying the disappointment in her mother's eyes on top of the bland scenery. Her arms wrap around her sides, clutching at the pieces of herself to hold them together, willing them to be stronger, to be better. But no matter how tightly she grasps, she still feels pathetic and weak, inadequate. Even with all the abilities and magic and determination, she'd failed. And worst of all, she failed their mom.
For once, she's quiet. No stream of words or thoughts flood towards Caly. No giggles or bright laughter. No magic flickering in the air around her. She's just - quiet. She silently stares at nothing, feeling numb and void.
She’s a shell of how she normally is. Ever since the day they’d gone to see their mother. And Caly notes it with each passing day with confusion and misunderstanding for how much they were the same – triplets, Nova and Caly should be two peas in a pod with the third their thankfully overprotective brother. But this venture was between them, standing at the rail with her fingers stroking along the bracelet that if she closes her eyes for just a few moments certainly feels the echo of their mother within.
She sighs quietly to herself, turning toward Nova and flashing her a sunshine smile that’s loads warmer than the Deepfrost sun against the desert of Hak Etme moving from below them. “It ain’t the end of the world, y’know.” She murmurs just to her sister, gesturing with an ivory gloved hand to the expanse of the desert below them. “Jus’ this one thing.”
It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness.
Caly's voice filters through the nothingness, sounding like it comes from somewhere farther away than right next to her. Nova feels her gaze fall, drifting from the distant horizon to the sand directly below them before settling there for a moment. At first, she doesn't say anything, taking in the words, knowing that her sister's right, but being unable to shove off the heavy cloak of failure dampening the world around her. Their mother had made it clear that nothing's changed, that this is nothing more than a stumble that doesn't define her. So why does it feel like every bit of confidence was shattered when her mom looked at her like that?
The sad blue of her eyes finally slides towards Caly only to quickly fall from her again as Nova rubs a hand down her arm. "I know."
She turns to look out at the desert again, trying to pay attention this time, even if her heart doesn't feel in it, even if she still has the subtle urge to cry. The dunes stretch far and wide, reaching out to the ocean like a cut of sand between the mountainous Draig Cordillera and their home of recent months, King's End. None of it really registers, a vague understanding flowing as she takes it in. Instead, she grapples internally, trying to correlate this bright, infallible person she's always believed herself to be with the one who can bring out that kind of disappointment and failure.
Her sister’s blue eyes drift toward her than fall away again, the quiet hollow I know only offering a means of a spark of frustration from Calypso – causing her to look back out over the rail of the skyship to peer out over Hak Etme as they pass over it in a much shorter fashion than they would having to walk across the entirety of it. She works her jaw, letting that flare within her, because as Nova’s sister she feels the right to be able to tell her how things are without it coming out as a judgement from a stranger, the way that Nova might be able to take it and listen.
“Sooooo, why are ya actin’ like it?” She asks point blank, leaning on the railing before her head angles toward her sister while the wind whips at her golden waves. The chill doesn’t bother her, not with the promise of the fire in the braziers nearby to warm them up after, but her sleeves do get bunched into her palms to give her something to fiddle with as she waits for her sister’s response.
It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness.
Nova pulls her jean jacket a little tighter when a light breeze presses into her skin, her shoulders coming up to block the wind, her magic markedly quiet as if she deserves the bit of suffering. She purses her lips, trying again to focus on how fast they're moving, how far the borders of the region are, how long it will take for them to finish.
Caly's question draws her attention again, stirring something, forcing her to face the reality of her feelings. There's almost a spark, a frustration that flashes in her eyes as she looks to Caly. "Did you see the look on mom's face?" Her own memory returns to that moment - the disappointment that had fractured her heart and crumbled her confidence - and the frustrated spark turns liquid with sadness, her voice softening as she says, "I failed her." She adjusts the hold on her arms, gaze sliding back to the horizon with a morose mood she can't seem to shake.
She spies the flicker of annoyance and frustration in her sister’s face and it offers some semblance of relief. Because at least it was a different emotion rather than the husk she’s become. “Yeah, and?” She asks, clearly not taking it as intense as Nova has. She nibbles on her lip as she hears her sister continue, the deflation in the I failed her that still makes it sound like it was the worst possible result.
So, rather than give in to her, she remains leaning against the railing and peers out over the desert below, picking out the sunshine pools from this height. “So you failed once. Jus’ don’t let it happen again. S’not like she disowned you as her kid. She’s lettin’ ya try again.” Here, her own little frustration blooms in her as she tilts her head toward her sister and glances at her sidelong. “So are ya gonna fight to prove t’her you can do it or are ya gonna keep wallowin’?”
It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness.
The lack of understanding bites at the numbness, emotions snapping back in response. Her arms fall away into tight fists, teeth baring as she snaps, "I shouldn't need to try again!" A nearby couple glance their way, but Nova's gaze is on Caly, unable to get why she doesn't just know.
The initial shock gives way to a seething anger, face twisted into a grimace, a mixture of pain and disgust and too many emotions to name, coiling inwards. "I'm supposed to be strong. I'm supposed to get it right the first time. I'm supposed to be a good daughter." Everything else has always come naturally, and she's convinced herself that anyone who says otherwise is lying, but how could she fail the most important person in their lives? How can she still believe she's strong and powerful if she can't do this simple thing? And more importantly - Nova sucks in a doubtful breath. "How can mom still love me and look like that?" It felt like looking at a broken toy and still claiming to love it when it's nothing more than a useless pile of pieces, disappointed that it used to be something beautiful and fun.
The rage is something that’s easier to handle – because it’s an emotion at least rather than the husk of what she has been. So she plays the devil in this situation, letting her get angry at her instead, unable to help the soft little laugh that leaves her in disbelief as her sister says all the things she’s supposed to be.
“Nova.” She says, stepping forward to try and clasp her sister’s arms to give her wrists a squeeze. “Nothin’s so black an’ white. Jus’ cause you didn’t get this thing done doesn’t make you a bad daughter. I mean, gods, if the world was black ‘n white, you’d have no place t’fit in.” Raising her golden brows at her sister, she tilts her head. “She still loves ya. She just wants you to do better. So learn from it, stop sulkin’, an’ go kick ass. That’s all she’s askin.” She releases her sister and straightens up, pinning her with a golden gaze that’s strong as much as it is edged softly trying to help.
It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness.
The laughter immediately makes Nova feel silly and foolish, her anger crumbling as Caly reaches for her arms. She purses her lips, looking down at where their skin touches, grounding her in the moment and the words her sister says. Her mind tries to argue that Caly's wrong, that she doesn't know what it's like to fail their mom; but her sister has never lied to her, and Nova trusts that she wouldn't lead her astray now. The negativity bends under the sunshine warmth of her reassurance, color breaking through in the slight twitch of Nova's lips. Of course she wouldn't fit in a black and white world.
Doubt trembles in her chest, still shouting that her mom can't love her and be disappointed at the same time. It weighs on her thoughts, her eyes a mix of suspicion and fragile hope when they raise to Caly. "That's it? She'll be proud again?"
Her reassurance seems to land, and for that Caly exhales a soft breath of relief as she sees it melt over her sister’s sullen face in understanding. And she meets her sister’s bright gaze with utmost confidence in her amber gold eyes, trying to keep her on the trend of hopeful rather than letting the suspicion take root. “’Course she will.” Caly answers with certainty, the conviction entering her gaze and lingering in her tone as she squeezes her sister’s arms.
“Life’s about learnin’. That’s what she taught us, remember?” She raises her brows at her sister as if challenging her to say she’s wrong – and what was life without failing occasionally to learn lesson after lesson and become the best at it?
It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness.
She borrows the certainty in Caly's eyes, nodding her head as she breathes in the faith necessary to push aside her own doubt. That's it. She just needs to do this one thing, to fix where she'd screwed up so her mom will be proud again. It's so simple. Look out at the region and she'll go back to being a daughter worthy of her mom.
Pursing her lips, Nova mutters, "I thought she was talking about other people." Not that she was supposed to learn or grow. How is she supposed to do that when she's already so awesome?
Was so awesome.
She has to earn that title back. Huffing a breath, Nova bumps her sister's shoulder in silent appreciation, color slowly leaking back into her as she raises her stubborn head to sweep her gaze over Hak Etme. "Fine. Let's get this over with so we can get home." Blue eyes turn sharp as they rake over the desert like they can scape her mother's approval from the sands, measuring and comparing to the regions and distances she's traveled before.
Snorting softly as Nova purses her lips and mutters, Caly’s grin spreads across her face like the first dawn after LongNight. “Goes fer us, too.” She reassures her sister – because she’s positive there’ll come a time where she fucks up too. But that was in the future, one that she’ll know only gets better if you stick through the mud and awfulness of everything to come out better from the other side.
Something she’s sure that Nova will start to understand and do, if she keeps this up.
With the bump to her shoulder, a soft chime of a laugh leaves her as she joins her sister at the rail of the Skyship, peering out over the desert, marveling a smidge at just how much faster this is than when they’d walked around below it. “Y’don’t have to tell me twice, sis.” Caly chimes, watching the world move below them.
It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness.
Caly's answer earns another pursing of her lips, obviously unhappy with the expectation that she should conform to the same standards as everyone else. "Well, that's just stupid," she huffs, lifting her chin as she looks out at the sandy region below.
Life seems to return to her bones, even her clothing beginning to ripple like time has begun to move as she steps forward to lean against the railing. It creeps by and she tilts her head. "This isn't as fun as the hot air balloon - or the Ark with our air magic." Both had their own kind of thrill that this particular skyship doesn't have.
Suddenly, Nova remembers that the ship is more than just a ship now, and she turns brighter than she has in days, spinning to look at Caly. Her eyes sparkle, excitement replacing the somber mood that had hung over her. "Did you meet her? Isn't she pretty?!"
“Yeah, it is.” Caly says with another golden laugh, glad to see more life and color injected into her sister. It wasn’t perfect, of course, but it’s gotten better, and at this rate Caly will take any help she can get. She remains leaning against the rail, peering out as her sister mentions the hot air balloon and the Ark and she snorts slightly. “I wasn’t on th’ hot air balloon. But the Ark was real nice.” She agrees – happy to take any trek she can on the ship for the familiarity of it.
But then her sister is whirling toward her and she looks over at her, seeing the sparkling excitement in her gaze. “The Ark? Yeah, she’s stunning.” Caly chirps back, grinning at her sister. “She’s real fun, too. I met ‘er at the rodeo.” She admits with a waggle of her brows and the amusing trouble that had transpired because of the woman.
