What do you get when two ruthless assassins raise their daughter travelling through the wildest reaches of Caido? Take one look at Theea and you'll get a pretty good idea. Cheerful and tenacious in equal measure, and curious beyond all else, she began her journey on a mission to find those her mother once called family. And find them she did, soon rubbing elbows with demigods, leaders and even ghosts from the past. Her determination is resolute, her thirst for knowledge unmatched. We can't wait to see where her next adventure takes her!
Congratulations, Theea!
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!
Close on Vesper's heels, Nova arrives in a whirlwind of vibrant colors and glitter. She is coated in the results of her latest contraption, a mad-scientist kind of gleam in her eyes and shimmering sparkles in her wild pink and blonde hair. There's nowhere that the silvery pieces don't touch on her fluttering lavender and blue dress.
Stopping next to her brother, her smile could blind through the darkest of sunglasses. "I brought you a glitter bomb!" She raises it above her head (Lion King style), presenting it to Vox like it's the sun than he might hang in the sky, the clear orb making it easy to see the flecks hidden within. "It'll be so pretty!" And what other explanation does he need? It's glitter and everyone wants to see a giant shower of glitter, even strange staticky weirdos.
After all her recent interactions with the Family, Thal isn't inclined to turn down an invitation from Vox. She strolls into the field with the ease of a VIP at an afterparty, hands tucked into the dark black material of her pants. Her tail flicks behind her, a small bag hanging from her shoulder with a suspiciously round shape that bulges the fabric. She doesn't seem the least bit bothered by Dantalion's sudden nudity, shooting him a sharp grin at the stupidity of his joke. However, she thinks that Vox might like her gift a little more.
After all their talk of bodily organs and instruments, she smiles knowingly at him before sliding the bag from her shoulders into her waiting hands. The burlap burns with a flare of red fire that engulfs the fabric until it falls away in a fluttering of ash to reveal a skull; its ivory surface is riddled with natural orifices and small holes carved into the bone, menacing and beautiful in all the right ways - and questionable as to who it might have once been.
Flashing Vox a fanged smirk, she lifts it to admire the skull in the sunlight, very pleased with herself. "It's not quite a bone flute, but it'll still make pretty music when you drop it." Along with the fun crash of crushing bone at the end.
Thalassa brings a skull that whistles when dropped!
They'd come to King's End to escape the Family, and yet they seemed to follow with annoying persistence under the guise of 'games' and 'parties.' He doesn't let it fool him, his guard on full alert as he makes his way to the Last Step. People have already gathered, and Zavien wishes he could channel to protect them from any harm that may come - but after the battle in Hak Etme, he can feel the usual thread of the spirits and deities has run thin, drawn instead to cleanse the Void. He doesn't regret it, even if he wishes there was more he could do in this moment.
He searches for Koa and Kaisel in the crowd, hoping they might understand their role here as Dragoons. It's why he didn't put much thought into the item he'd brought - although it doesn't help that he has barely anything to spare in his refugee status. Turning to Vox, he gives a short nod, lifting his choice up for them to see. "A shoe." It's a plain sneaker with a small scorch mark on the side opposite a nibble. "Because Sol chewed my other one, so maybe you'd like to try this one." The golden dragon gives a small puff of smoke from his place next Zavien, his chest puffing with pride at his conquest.
Zavien brings the other a shoe to drop. >.>
Be like a solid tower whose brave height remains unmoved by all the winds that blow.
There's going to come a day when you feel better You'll rise up free and easy on that day
Koa hadn't been sure he'd come at first, but when Noe had declared her intention any doubt had been quickly quelled. He'd been nervous, of course, worried for how she'd take seeing Vox after everything she'd been through- but more than that he'd been proud of her, her bravery and fire that the Void had failed to quench.
It's good to see familiar faces: Zavien especially earns a grateful smile, with Pip trilling out to Sol in greeting. Others are recognized, but most of Koa's attention is focused on Vox. He glares at the eldritch bastard now, chin raised defiantly, a small smirk on his face. His hand is on Noe's shoulder, a subtle signal he trusts the fucker to clock.
From his pocket, Koa pulls out a pair of metal bracelets, chained together, the loops snapped. "Shackles," he explains, grinning despite the way looking at Vox causes his eyes to shake. "Broken. Like the ones you use to force people onto your Family. They're useless now."
Koa brings broken shackles as a middle finger to Vox
And float from branch to branch, lighter than the air Just when that day is coming, who can say?
Skip a levelling requirement (100x the requirement level. Skipping a requirement at level 2 costs 200, at level 10 costs 1000)
Skipping a req for level 4
Skip a levelling requirement (100x the requirement level. Skipping a requirement at level 2 costs 200, at level 10 costs 1000)
Skipping a req for level 4
He’s one of the later ones to arrive up the staircase of the Last Step. His nose wrinkling with the staticky feeling that Vox puts off, but otherwise joining the rest of the group. He sees Alys in the mix as well as Zavien, but he doesn’t wave or offer a smile, instead the courtesan nods his understanding of the mixed feelings that was currently feeling like the vibe of the entirety of the day.
So Thorn doesn’t bring anything that’s a slight to the Family. But what he does bring is a small orange squash, easy to carry for someone who’s strength is relatively weak, and when it’s his turn to step up to the edge and drop his item, he speaks with the same amount of thought that the rest of them had.
“A squash. ‘Cause I wanna be able t’eat pumpkin pie again.” Nobody would really get it, but Ludo’s demigod’s antics certainly still seem to have rankled the courtesan enough to go this far.
Thorn brings a squash!
thorn
— getting crucified, every time you cross my mind //
Static swirls in electric anticipation as the last of the wayward souls trickles in. Vox, now perched like a question mark at the base of the Last Step, clasps his fingered hands together with a snap. A second pair of gloves—slightly smaller, slightly screamier—claps in delayed echo from somewhere under his hat.
He pivots. Spins. Glitches. Then beams. "Ohhhh Caido, my little constellations of trash and trauma, what a turnout!" A balloon pops behind him. Probably on purpose.
"And now,”"he croons, "let’s see what your little monkey-mitts brought me to DROP!"
Vesper
"Maple seeds," Vox repeats, catching one mid-air and squinting at it. "Oh yes. Nature’s tiny propellers of doom. Subtle. Existential. Deceptively aerodynamic." He presses it to what might be a chin. "One question though—how many souls have these claimed in aerial combat? None? Shame." He waves a tentacle dramatically toward the stairs. "Off you go, Mr. Helicopter Emotions. Let the drop judge your seeds."
Jack
A silence. Vox stares at the bouncy ball. It bounces once on his palm. Then again. Then...up. His head follows it, unblinking. "It comes back?" he whispers. "Why?" Another pause. “"Jack...are you a wizard?" He tosses the ball high into the air. "Go. Go bounce your nonsense into the void. I’m sure it will respect you. "
Dantalion
Vox blinks slowly as Danta drops trou. "Ah. A classic Caido mating display," he murmurs, sincerely puzzled. "But...where are the rest?" He cups a hand around his mouth and calls into the trees, "Is there a second penis hiding behind a bush? No? Just the one? Odd." Then, to Danta: "Anyway. Bold. Chaotic. You get partial credit for audience trauma. Stairs. Now."
Colt
Vox eyes the hat. Then Colt. Then the hat again. "Oh darling, it’s got attitude. I love a good hat-drop. It says ‘party’s over, bitches’, but in a sultry way." A sniff. "Points for mystique. Bonus points for trauma proximity because of what happened at the last party. But yes, go! Ascend!"
Iskra
Vox crouches down beside Goose. "You. You I understand." He boops the dog on the nose. "You may lick me once." Then to Iskra: "Ah! A hammer. Delicious. Symbolic. Final." He lifts it and drops it to test the weight. "Yes. Yes. The drAmA. GO." A pause. "And if you get hurt, I am not responsible but will be entertained."
Aithne
"A what?" Vox says, blinking. "A hand-chief? What kind of tribal leader is that?" He snatches it and stares deeply into the cloth. "Does it command other fingers? Is there a wrist king too?" He drapes it over his own finger, which immediately begins to twitch like it's been possessed. "Oooooh, it’s a tiny ghost flag! I surrender to lint!" He flaps it dramatically. "Fly now, fabric dictator! Let the wind tell tales of your cotton conquest!"
Alys
Vox squints at the card. "Oooooh! A rectangle!" he announces with reverence. He flips it upside-down, sideways, and backwards. [as[y]"Did this fall off a cereal box? Is this how you choose mates in King's End? I like it. Randomised disappointment!" He holds it to his forehead like a spyglass. "I see..a giraffe. No, wait. That’s just your future." He flings it upward. "Off you go, Rectangle of Secrets! I hope you become an oracle or a coaster!"
Soren
He grabs the keys and immediately bites them. "Hm. Crunchy. Are these for a door?" He jangles them next to his head. "Are you a door?" He turns to the crowd. "What if Soren is just a very sad cupboard?" To Soren, he stage-whispers: "I bet if you screamed the right word into the ocean, these would open a feeling." He throws them upward like confetti for Soren to catch. "Go! Unlock despair! Or a janitor’s closet! Same thing!"
Callum
Vox turns the wallet over like it might bite him. "So ordinary. So drab. So very you." He licks it once. "Mm. Notes of bitterness. Overtones of avoidance."
"You’re lucky I collect boring feelings like bottlecaps. Go drop it. Let the void sort your vibe."
Liam
The bookmark is lifted and Vox sighs, long and low. "Oh, Liam." His voice is almost tender. He steps closer, leaning in with a static-crackle hum. "You brought papery grief. Doesn't it feel good to let it all go?" He presses his hands together, delighted. "Approved. Throw it with feeling."
Noe
Vox sees her. Stops breathing. Something deep in his glitchcore chest fractures. "Noe," he whispers, voice all wrong for the moment. "My sunrise in a scrapyard. My favourite wrench-shaped migraine." He steps forward, reaching out like he’s forgotten how to not reach for her. "I think of you often. Mostly when things smell like solder and betrayal." He swallows a small balloon of emotion. "That gear...it still works, you know. I can make anything fit. I can be anything for you." He steps back. "Go on. Drop it. I'll catch it."
Sohalia
Vox gasps when she reveals the crown. "IS THAT FOR ME?" He snatches it, places it on his head, and it immediately slips sideways. "I feel powerful. I feel like an angry vegetable." He blinks at her. He holds the crown up reverently, then he chucks it gleefully toward the top step. "Long live the overthrown! Up you go!"
Elizabeth
Vox takes the book with a reverent hush. "Knowledge...dropped. I understand." He flips it open, reads a line aloud. "In the year 589, Caido was...BORING." He snaps it shut. "Off you go, Professor Symbolism. Let’s see how far a library can fall."
Nova
He twitches visibly with delight. "A GLITTER BOMB! Darling Nova, my little detonation of personality—if this doesn’t blind a bird, I’ll eat my own aesthetic." He cradles it like a child. "You understand me. Go. Detonate beauty."
Thalassa
The skull is held aloft. Vox vibrates with glee. "Oh Thal, my tempest, my bony muse! It sings!" He presses the skull to his chest. "If I had nipples, they’d be erect with joy. Drop it. And may the whistle be a lullaby for lesser gods."
Zavien
The shoe. Vox frowns. Then slowly brightens. "One shoe? One dragon-chomped, scorched, probably stinky shoe? PERFECTION." He turns it over, sniffs. Gags slightly. "Yes. This is art. Sol has taste. To the stairs, darling. Let footwear meet freefall."
Koa
Vox’s eyes narrow. The shackles dangle. "Ohhh," he murmurs. "You brought bitterness and failure." He clicks the broken loop with a nail. "They don’t fit anymore, do they?" Tsk. "Up you go. Try not to break under the weight of your own metaphors."
Hawthorn
A squash. Vox stares. Then..."...Yes." A single tear rolls down a cheek that doesn’t exist. "Pie. Memory. Loss. Seasonal regret." He kisses the squash. "Drop it. The void craves carbs."
When all have presented, Vox lifts his arms high.
"Now! Let each of you climb the crooked stairs of the Last Step and drop your hearts, your hates, your jokes, your grief."
He lowers his arms.
Then lifts one hand to his mouth and calls out with a sudden, sharp ache: "NOE! I MISS YOU MOST WHEN MY TEETH FALL OUT IN DREAMS." A tremble in his tone. "Which is always. Which is often. Which is now."
A deep breath. Static resets.
Everyone, go up the stairs and drop your BEST THING TO DROP!
Sunlit Shadows (mastered) | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 60ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Deadly Recall | Can recall 1, or 2, or 3 of her feathers to her hand, within a range of 30ft. Recalled daggers do 1/2 damage when recalled.
Rescue (Mastered) | Remi can bring a fellow Old God demigod to his side in a time of crisis for three concurrent posts. One use per thread. If the summoned demigod also has mastered this ability, they can remain until the end of the thread.
if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it
Vesper catches Jack ’s eye with a smirk, dry and lopsided as if amused by how their offerings—one born of shadowed reflection, the other of chaotic bounce—somehow make sense side by side. "Could make a game outta that," he murmurs, gesturing lazily at the bouncy ball. "See if it hits someone twice." Then again, knowing Jack's control over the elements, the captain could just make it hit someone twice.
And then Colt ’s at his side, all tension and grit and the faint scent of leather and defiance. He feels the brush of her elbow like a challenge and doesn’t move an inch. If Jack can hear her thoughts, Vesper doesn’t doubt he’ll get a hell of a show—though he keeps his own commentary to himself. Instead, he flashes her a grin that’s all sharp teeth and good humour. "So either you’re chasin’ trouble, or you’re just chasin’ me," he drawls under his breath, voice low enough to keep it private between them. "Unless you got another explanation for how we keep bumpin' into each other like this."
As Vox ’s voice rings out in all its unsettling cheer, Vesper shifts his gaze back toward the staircase, his expression flicking neutral again. That is, until he turns back to Colt, and with the same kind of casual bravado that could either be manners or an excuse to admire the view, he extends a hand in a sweeping gesture toward the steps. "Ladies first," he murmurs.
His shadows slither forward like loyal dogs, swirling around her ankles and the lowest steps—not invasive, not controlling, but watchful. Protective in a way he wouldn’t dare admit aloud. Once she ascends, he trails behind her. No hurry. When he reaches the top, he pulls out one maple seed between finger and thumb. With a flick of his wrist, he sends it spinning into the air, the little seed spiralling and dipping through the stillness like it’s dancing with gravity itself. Letting it fall as it will.
Vesp lets Colt go first and then drops his seed from the very top.
And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits
Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3
☆ has a pale star tattoo beneath his left eye, and freckle-sized constellations move across his skin
☽ hair changes from bleached blonde to brown
☆ telepathic: Sunlit Shadows | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 60ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Elizabeth watched each interaction with veiled interest, taking note of the tensions and longing and obvious approval that Vox's static somehow managed to portray. She found it fascinating, if not a little unsettling, although she didn't have much time to consider it before he was approaching her, plucking the book from her hands with his(?).
Smiling at his lack of interest in the history, she nodded her head in appropriate politeness. "Okay. Feel free to read it afterwards. Sometimes understanding our past helps us understand our current world better." A genuine recommendation if the Family planned on sticking around, because she knew the current viewpoint on them, and if they had any desire to change that, they might want to look to the past for answers.
With her sage advice imparted, Elizabeth waited her turn for the stairs, lifting the edge of her dress as she did her best not to trip. Only once she'd reached the top did she release her hold on the book, letting the pages flutter as gravity took hold.
Elizabeth drops the book.
The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.
Nova giggles at Vox's response, immensely pleased that someone appreciates her genius - although she might have preferred it to be someone other than the purple tentacled mess of a concept. Either way, she bounces, some of the glitter falling from her hair with the movement. "I hope you're hungry!" For aesthetic or words or whatever else he might eat.
He barely gives permission before Nova's racing up the stairs faster than a gale of wind. Glitter and giggles fall in her wake, dusting those behind her in the evidence of her excitement. She almost doesn't stop at the top, the momentum carrying her briefly over the edge before she rights herself and raises the orb above her head with all the flourish of a performer. "Feets your eyes!" And then she throws the bomb out into the air, casing air and illusion magic into the mix to throw the glitter as far and wide and bright as she can make it!
Nova drops her glittery bomb and uses her magic to add some pizazz.
The approval of her choice stirs a sharp smile, coated in the unmistakable purple swell of her thoughts, thick with Vox's proximity. A small chuckle escapes as he clutches the skull to his chest. "Glad you like it." Although she's eternally grateful that he doesn't have nipples for her to see.
Accepting the smooth bone back into her hands, Thal tosses it nonchalantly as she climbs the stairs. It gives haunting ghosts of whistles with each toss, hinting at the symphony to come. She flicks her tail in dismissal of the other inferior offerings. As her boot clips against the stone of the top step, she reaches out her hand like a promise of death and chaos, a smirk on her lips before she tips her hand to let the skull fall from her fingers.
When Vox comes close to admire his choice, Zavien's spine seizes, memories of Tal and what had happened at the pool party making anger rise in his chest. He desperately wants to strike out, to avenge his friend that he has no power to save, to protect these people from whatever the Family has planned -
But Zavien knows that it's too risky. They may have succeeded in Hak Etme, but he isn't strong enough to face them by himself, and there doesn't appear to be any current threat. So he goes along with it, nodding his 'appreciation' for the compliment despite having put very little thought in what he'd brought.
Once the others have gone, Zavien climbs the stairs, doing his best not to look down as he approaches the top. When he drops the tattered sneaker, he hears a small chirp of playful delight before the golden streak of scales dives for the shoe. "Sol! No!"
Zavien drops the shoe and does his best to keep Sol from retrieving it!
Be like a solid tower whose brave height remains unmoved by all the winds that blow.
06-15-2025, 07:53 PM (This post was last modified: 06-15-2025, 08:05 PM by Colt.)
COLT
Got a head full of noise About a hundred different things I'm tryna avoid I got a mind in the gutter Got trouble on one hand, a beer in the other
"Who's the one visiting at this moment?" she scoffs, one 'brow sketching up in disbelief for his audacity to try and call her out. He’s the one who keeps turning up so often it’s starting to feel like a routine weather pattern—cloudy, with a Vesper front rolling in. What hits too close to home for comfort is how his accusation isn’t entirely wrong, not that she'd ever admit it. Too many clear skies and she starts missing the storm.
Her gaze flicks to each additional person that gathers. Soren's wink is pointedly ignored—she'll happily drop him off the stairs instead if he edges any closer. Hawthorn earns a smile, but the rest, even the arrivals from Stormbreak she's come to recognize, are just quietly scrutinized. Better to have such a large crowd, she thinks—higher odds she'll make it out alright if the Family does use this opportunity as something other than this weird show and tell.
As Vox's haunting voice picks up, she listens attentively because who doesn't pay attention to clearly labeled directions. "If you say so sugar," she murmurs to Vesper's insistence, glancing up at the stairs with some measure of distrust. She climbs them steadily though, her steps easier to take when she notices the darkness linger at her heels. At the top, she drops her hat out over the edge because that definitely didn't already happen because of someone's inability to read.
Colt drops her hat off the edge.
Got the wind in my hair I got nowhere to go so I'm already there Can't say I would and I can't say I wouldn't If I don't come back, don't come lookin'
// "One more drink" I think I'm losing my head now //
A faint tail wag greets Vox as he crouches down to Goose's level, a sneeze erupting at the given boop. However, the stick remains, so Goose rapidly loses interest and wanders around the amassing crowd, nose to the ground on a hunt for a new stick, or anyone with food he might sneak when they aren't watching.
Iskra's breath eases when the dog wanders off unscathed, but now he's invested in what's happening, especially with the growing group at hand. He glances around for Melita, but doesn't see her. This chaos seems right up her ally, but likely she's already manifesting it elsewhere. His search does find Elizabeth though, and her offering of knowledge brings a small smile. It's very her. He makes his way up the stairs after her as Vox's instructions ring out, and as he drops his hammer over the edge, he fits back alongside her. "Hey," he greets. "Guessing that one is one of your least favorites given it might not survive the fall?"
Iskra drops his hammer and talks to Elizabeth about books
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Upgraded
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Aithne grinned as Soren joined the fray, sidling up to him to bump her hip into his playfully. ”This is wild,” she whispered as Vox responded to various others who had appeared before the girl and her friend. His reactions were absolute gold. Maybe it was being in Stormbreak while the Family was in charge, or maybe Aithne just liked chaos - but she was starting to see the appeal in being a Friend of the Family.
It was her turn, though, and Vox didn’t disappoint. Aithne giggled at the eldritch being’s confusion, taking the handkerchief back and ascending the steps in due course. When she’d reached the top, she waited for Soren to join her. ”Good riddance,” she muttered to him, smirking as she dropped the handkerchief and watched to see what would happen next.
