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!
The golden dagger had been abandoned when he had heard Maea croak for help and in the fuss of searching for and destroying the corrupted delphinid bodies he had not chosen to backtrack to retrieve it. The axe had remained with him, however, and when he stumbled over the vambraces Hadama, too, began to put together a picture that he did not much care for.
It was unfortunate, that whatever warrior had braved the Woods had fallen into such misfortune.
He picked up the finely wrought armor and brushed the soil from their exterior so that they caught the light once more. Maea's voice had him drawing nearer to the pale Ancient and he looked at the glittering pile in her hands with professional interest as he evaluated the craftsmanship of the pieces on the top. "Mmh. I have found weapons along the trail, too. And these." He offered the armor to his friends in case either was interested in the gear. They seemed a bit small to fit his own forearms, but could be easily adjusted down to suit either of the Ancients.
Hadama offers the vambraces to the loot pile but does not take any of Maea's treasure.
He'll continue searching after Thal and Maea make their choices on what to keep!
With everyone in agreeance, Thal shifted and made her way to the skies again, her eyes taking in the way the sun was starting to lengthen the shadows of the trees. It made it hard to spot things under the canopy, and she had to glide lower over the treetops to maintain a good line of sight. At first, she thought her eyes might have been getting too tired, a piece of shadow reaching up towards her menacingly, causing her to swerve on instinct. As her wings shifted, she noticed the blue tinge of the fabric, suddenly feeling stupid for dodging a cloak.
Wondering if it might be time for a break, she coincidentally landed as Maea called out. The display of gold immediately catching her attention. Her eyes widened with interest, punctuated by the soft pad of her approaching feet. The offer to take some of the spoils was certainly tempting, her fingers itching to run through the pile of treasure; but it wasn't the most she'd ever seen (not even this week), and she could spot the familiar glint in Maea's eyes, the need. Call it weakness, call it friendship, she'd claim it was a preference of style. Whatever they thought, Thal waived a dismissive hand. "Finder keepers. It's all yours."
Her decision changed only when Hadama offered his own loot to the pile, because the vambraces on the other hand, were silver and beautifully crafted. "These on the other hand, I'll take." She would hate for them to go to waste, and she admired their excellent quality (minus the obvious wear) as she slipped them over her blouse to cinch them around her arms. Despite how well they fit, they wouldn't be a staple of her outfit - although she could be convinced to wear them on occasion as they caught the dying sunlight.
Thal shifted her black cloak to cover the glint of the vambraces, considering Hadama's words. It didn't seem like a 'coincidence,' and she worried someone with such nice gear wouldn't have gone down easily, which meant something else might be out there. Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms, giving them a tilt of her head. "Strange. I also found a tattered cloak. I'll keep my eyes peeled for any threats." When they were ready, she would shift and continue the search.
---
Thalassa accepts the vambraces and continues the search.
My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on the limb
Maea looked between the others, making doubly sure they really meant she could keep it all. When no doubt lingered in her mind, she tucked the stashed treasure into the inside pocket on her coat and didn't even try to suppress the giddy elation that followed upon the action. "Maybe we should stick closer together for a bit, just to be sure," she suggested, watching as Thalassa slipped on the vambraces. It felt better to be safe than sorry - people didn't usually scatter fine belongings like these around unless something serious was afoot.
Continuing onwards, Maea was beginning to think it was time to stop picking up anything else she found. Between the scarf and the glaive and the pocket full of gold, she felt every bit the adventurer, and cautionary tales from her childhood implied that fortunes often came before a very dramatic downfall.
Wrapped up in her own thoughts, while she paid attention to the ground and the periphery, she forgot the adventurers most common mistake: she didn't look up.
Hadama would notice something was amiss first out of the three. It was a clatter metal, like something small falling from the tall trees and the canopy that closed in over their heads. Looking down he might spot a glittering gauntlet among the swaying grasses, and there a sabaton came dropping down - was it raining armor pieces down upon him?
Thalassa would spot it too, a glint of metal amidst a pile of debris that could have been regular clothing - except the quality had been exceptional. And were those bones poking out of the armor?
Then, without so much as a sound, something big and heavy and ghastly in its tainted aura of purple and black dropped down from the branches above. It scraped past Maea who leaped aside with a startled gurgling sound as the void tainted river star scattered the remains of the unfortunate knight around and reached its many arms for something else to eat.
-------
Maea: found a creature Hadama: found treasure (attached to the remains of its previous owner) Thalassa: finds the ratty remains of clothing
Round 11: The party encounters a Void Riverstar! It drops down on the party from above; it missed Maea by a hair! What do you do?
Void River Stars (uncommon): The carnivorous River Stars, tainted by void energy, have become even more sinister. Their once vibrant appearance has faded into shades of deep black and purple. Now, instead of waiting for prey to step onto their centers, they actively seek out creatures, using void-infused tendrils to ensnare and drain the life force from their victims.
Void River star: 300/300 HP
Maea: 270/270 HP
Hadama: 760/760 HP
Thalassa: 120/120 HP
"Agreed." Not that they couldn't take care of themselves in the normal course of things, but he still remembered the not an owlbear that he had encountered in the Greatwood one LongNight, and the stories of other strange and oversized creatures that had occasionally appeared to ravage it. With immediate proof of something dangerous nearby - though they did not know when - Hadama was quietly relieved to keep everyone within arm's reach.
They moved forwards and he scanned the banks of the river for a hint of crimson, using his trident to idly test the ground ahead of his feet to avoid sinking into soft mud. He did not find a flower. Indeed, he nearly received a concussion as a gauntlet and sabaton landed within inches of him. He stepped back, brow furrowing slightly in mild surprise as he looked up higher to find the source--
And was given just enough warning to step back, sweeping his trident forward to dissuade any grasping arms. "Together," he called to his friends as moonlight flared wide around him, catching the Ancients in its glow and empowering their aim even as it sank like poison into the seastar's spiny hide.
Hadama uses:
Magic: Lunar Blessing | Can cause a burst of moonlight in a 30 ft radius that allows allies to roll with advantage for one round while damaging enemies. May be used 2 times per thread with a 2 post cooldown.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered (68 Damage)
Shrugging her shoulders at the decision to stick together, Thal followed behind the others, her eyes alert and hands hovering over her daggers. Something felt off about it all. She couldn't quite tell what, but all the clues pointed to something dangerous lurking in the woods, and when her gaze caught on the tattered remains of a suit of armor, suspiciously ivory pieces poking from within.
About to verbalize her growing apprehension, multiple things began to fall around them at once, Maea let out a strange sound that she might have laughed at if a too-many-armed purple creature hadn't been among the falling debris. Without Hadama's warning, she was already lunging back, her daggers suddenly in her hands. At least they'd found the presumed source. Not lingering on the thought too much, she let a single dagger fly, already preparing her magic to follow up the attack.
---
Thalassa throws one of her daggers at the Void River Star.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Flametouch Daggers | A pair of obsidian daggers licked with crimson along the blade edge. On hit, the daggers become wreathed in flame.
My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on the limb
Maea didn't hesitate. A fraction of a moment after the river star lands the thrust at it with her glaive, stabbing at the prickly hide and was rewarded with a peculiar gnashing screech.
The moonlight rolling off Hadama was devastating. In it's wake the dark tentacles curled up for moment, allowing Thalassa's dagger to strike through, and for a moment it looked like the creature was reconsidering its decisions, the way it twitched and winced. Was it giving up?
But no. It was only bracing itself. In lightning fast retaliation a trio of tentacles whipped out, a blind attack that Maea wasn't fast enough to dodge. She hissed with pain as one void-black coil caught around her leg, yanking her clean off her feet before it started dragging her towards it's gnashing center.
------
Maea: hits
Hadama: hits
Thalassa: hits
Void River star: Aims for Maea and Hits
Void River star: 187/300 HP
Maea: 240/270 HP
Hadama: 760/760 HP
Thalassa: 120/120 HP
The moment her dagger landed, Thal was reaching for her magic deep within, but she didn't get a chance before it was striking out at Maea. She winced as the woman was ripped to the ground, slowly being pulled towards the fangs(?) at its center. Her arm instinctually reached out to grab at the Ancient's hand, trying to slow the creature's progress. "Maea! Hold on!"
As the words left her mouth, she clenched her teeth and dug her feet into the ground. Thal cast out her magic, the fire summoning her call instantly as she pushed it towards the River Star. Even if all it did was push the thing back, it might be enough for a retreat while Hadama got some hits in. At least Maea wouldn't be lunch (or was it more dinner time?).
---
Thalassa tries to pull Maea back while using her fire magic against the Void River Star.
Fire Manipulation: Can create and control flames. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
Everything was going well until, of course, it wasn't. The Void River Star would not have been allowed to leave alive, even if it had chosen to retreat, so perhaps it could not be blamed for choosing to try and take one of them with it. But it would be the last mistake it made.
Because if Thalassa's fire or Maea's retaliation did not finish it, Hadama would step forward, expression positively glacial as it attacked one of his friends.
Thal grabbed for Maea and Hadama reached not for moonlight but for the darkness at the moon's heart, gathering the gravity he borrowed from it above the predator's maw and then slamming down three lances in quick succession to shatter its fangs and turn the rest of it to pulp.
Magic: Hammer the Gap (FEAT) | When the ally before Hadama in the turn order successfully hits a target, Hadama gains advantage on his attack against it.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
Magic: Gravity Spike: the user borrows a sliver of the moon's power to summon up to three gravity lances that appear above a target within 60ft. Control is excellent.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on the limb
Flailing for something to grab hold of, Maea's hand connected with Thalassa's. A painful tug-of-war ensued between the ancients and the void infected seastar - painful for Maea, at least, as her leg felt close to ripping off and her arm was moments away from being yanked out of its socket. Gritting her teeth, she joined her flames with Thal's and blasted the creature with a scorching blaze that singed the outside of Maea's boots (not her toes, though, they were nice and toasty).
And then Hadama struck. They couldn't quite see what it was that impacted onto the beast, but the effect was immense. As though it had been stomped on by a giant's invisible boot, the blurple starfish seemed to flatten - once, twice, three times - and with a gurgling sound all its tentacles and shadowed tendrils went limp. Maea could scrabble back from it, her pulse raising and the void-touched leg feeling numb and awful - it wouldn't move right - until she was well out of reach.
Hanging on to life by a thread, the dying creature flailed weakly with its limbs, reaching for whoever was closest - but could not muster the strength to actually grab anyone else.
-------------
Maea uses mastered fire on the Void River Star.
Fire Manipulation: Can create and control flames. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
------
Maea: hits
Thalassa: hits
Hadama: hits
Void River star: missed
Void River star: 37/300 HP
Maea: 240/270 HP
Hadama: 760/760 HP
Thalassa: 120/120 HP
Thal didn't think Maea would mind a dislocated shoulder in place of being eaten, so she didn't relent in her pulling, fingers biting hard into the Ancient's wrist. Her muscles trembled with effort until she was suddenly thrown back with the release of its hold, the cause obvious in the crushing craters that pressed into the Void River Star.
Knowing quite well what Hadama's gravity spikes felt like (at minimal power), she almost held a kernel of sympathy for the thing. Almost. But it didn't take hold, and a rage of hot fire raised from her veins with a vengeance. Standing, she released the magic with a feral growl, wanting to see it blister before flaking into ash.
---
Thalassa blasts the Void River Star with more fire.
Fire Manipulation: Can create and control flames. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
The women went flying back - a short distance, at least - but the creature was not dead yet. A state that would soon be rectified, if Thalassa's fury had anything to say about it. Between the vengeance of the two Ancients it seemed as though the Void River Star would not be much longer for this world, and Hadama trusted his friends to have his back as he held out a hand to Maea.
"Can you stand?" he rumbled, calling the mist to rise around them even before his friend answered. The tug-of-war that she had found herself in the middle of could not have been comfortable even if the Void River Star hadn't injured her in some way, but he did not like the look of how it had grabbed her leg.
If she accepted, he would help Maea stand and provide a steadying arm until she was healed. He assumed that she would want to burn the Star that had hurt her, and there was no reason she could not do both at the same time - both healing and harming - with a little help from her friends.
Magic: Turn the Tide | Can cause a moonlit mist to rise in a 30 ft radius that heals allies while causing enemies to roll with disadvantage for one round. Has a 2 post cool-down between uses.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on the limb
Sometimes karma arrives swiftly, and vengence can taste oh so sweet when served flaming hot with a side of violence. Still on the ground, it was Maea who delivered the deathstroke to the Void River Star, as her inferno of flame landed upon the creature a second ahead of Thalassa's. Fueled by pain and vindictive apprehension her fire ate through the tough skin until it cracked and peeled away, releasing a sweet aroma of cooked seafood - except a rancid sample, too infested by void to be at all palatable.
Hadama's gift of healing was a soothing balm that came as a welcome contrast to the uneasy aura of the dead creature. Accepting his hand and the aid in rising to her feet, Maea would have said 'no' to his question at first. She had not felt fit to stand on her leg. At the gentle touch of moonlit mist however, the aching bruises and nettled skin faded back to normal, and the pinched expression eased off her face. Even the shoulder and the fingermarks on her wrist from Thalassa's efforts vanished – though, Maea would have worn those proudly as proof that the pirate really did care.
"I – yeah, I can stand. Thank you. That was... close." Far too close for comfort, even with such excellent allies coming to her aid. Maea smiled at Hadama, dragging a hand through the mist he had created. "This might be my favorite of your abilities I've seen so far... It's beautiful."
------------
Maea uses mastered fire on the Void River Star
Fire Manipulation: Can create and control flames. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
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Maea: Crit hits! killing the monster
Thalassa: Hits
Hadama: Hits, heals Maea for 63 pts
Void River star: Missed
Void River star: 0/300 HP
Maea: 270/270 HP
Hadama: 760/760 HP
Thalassa: 120/120 HP
The rageful chaos of her efforts paused as the Void River Star shuddered and died in a silent scream. It wasn't as satisfying as she'd hoped it'd be, the moment passing too quickly, and the creature not suffering nearly as much as she thought it deserved. However, seeing Maea stand after being healed from Hadama's magic lessened some of her burning anger.
Content to let the others chat, she pushed some of the flames away as she gathered her dagger from the body, incinerating any lingering Void nastiness from it. Only when she'd sheathed it at her hip again did Thal dive back into the magic with a new purpose. Just like with the Delphinids, she was happy to melt the River Star into a pile of ashy nonexistence.
Hadama did not bother looking behind him, unruffled at the display of firepower from both Ancients after so long in their company. He focused instead on getting Maea back on her feet in a quiet display of trust that they would have his back and protect him while he offered aid. Neither woman disappointed, though Maea's compliment drew a warm smile from the Tidebreaker as she regained her footing and the mist faded away around the three of them.
Excluding the Void River Star - or what was left of it. Remains which were quickly being reduced further beneath Thalassa's diligent efforts.
"Thank you," he murmured to Maea with a graceful inclination of his head. Then he went to rejoin the captain at her work. Again, he could provide nothing in the way of magical assistance so he continued to gather dry wood to feed her flames to even greater heights until the Star was nothing more than ash on the wind.
He said his farewells to Maea and then offered Thalassa his arm with a tired shadow of a smile. "We should leave soon. When you are ready?"
Hadama provides fuel for the fire and offers to teleport Thalassa back to the HG.
