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!
Mastered Item:
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Mastered
La Verbena | A personal skyboat (schooner) capable of travelling at 2x wagon speeds over most types of terrain. Can accommodate 2 people onboard during flight.
The Sword found himself doing a lot of staring, studying, and scrutinizing on this brief sojourn to Stormbreak. Between playing information broker and gathering some intel for his own region, he’d come face to face with a variety of this world’s multitudes, found them either compelling or off-putting, depending on the situation.
The gates before him, that Belial was now flying over, back around, and through over and over again, seemed to embody all the aspects of what used to be – how they’d craved to be cut off from the rest. Imperial and audacious, imposing and overbearing, as if all the wisdom had flocked here. He wondered how often they’d looked across bands of land and seen the Hollowed Grounds, locked away in its barriers – or if they’d cared at all. If they’d merely penned history down in their books and held their noses high and denied entry to those who’d never be like the Voice, no matter how many incantations ran through their veins.
He sighed, because none of those answers would be found here now, and it wouldn’t much matter. Sohalia and her cohorts had broken the last remnants of that apart, and the others who would’ve further buried their heads had dissipated and disappeared too.
“Come on,” he grumbled to the peryton as the creature landed upon one of the stone dragon’s heads, for there were other things to do besides glare at statues and monuments of old.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Zavien always enjoyed walking through the monolith gates, admiring the strong regal dragons that framed the passageway. Their wisdom and protective purpose were the only qualities he saw in their sightless, unblinking eyes. It brought his mind back to his own desires for a draconic companion. One day soon, he hoped and prayed with every passing. At the moment, he tore his eyes from their massive figures to find Deimos and his interesting companion. His eyes twinkled with curiosity and intrigue at the antlered, winged creature, but he tried not to stare too openly.
Approaching the gates, Zavien was unaware of Deimos's dour reminiscence. All he noticed was a friend traveling a path alone. And he couldn't have that, especially not in his own city. So with a bright smile and an energetic wave, he greeted the Warden. "Deimos! What brings you out here?" The City Gates weren't exactly at the top of everyone's list to visit. In fact, he only found himself out here on his way out to his usual training grounds of the Righteous Climb.
Laughing playfully, he asked, "Here for a rematch?" Considering their last bout had ended with Zavien flat on his butt in the dirt, he didn't think Deimos had much of a desire to reenact their previous spar with Ronin. Although Zavien had been training with the Dragoons, increasing his own skills remarkably. It might be nice to pit himself against a familiar opponent to assess his progress.
Mastered Item:
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Mastered
La Verbena | A personal skyboat (schooner) capable of travelling at 2x wagon speeds over most types of terrain. Can accommodate 2 people onboard during flight.
For whatever reason, Belial seemed in no hurry to go. He pouted and dragged his toes along the top of one of the dragon’s heads, clearly intending to take his sweet time, and perhaps in any other circumstances, Deimos might let him. It felt like a seditious little moment for a carnivorous deer to prance his way across sacred gates and places where he, and so many others, would’ve been captured, snagged, and mauled.
But a long sigh went through him instead of any encouragement of rebellious tendencies, and had another not approached and spoken his name, he probably would’ve snagged at the companion, tucked him under his arm, and off they would’ve gone. Instead, the Sword’s attention went straight to the Dragoon – Zavien – turning his form and nodding at the greeting. From what he could recall of his brief meeting with the man, he’d been kind enough, if a little exuberant; reminding him of a large dog, or the multitudes of younger soldiers in Halo’s barracks. “My companion enjoys your gates.” The peryton hooted loud and obnoxiously, and Deimos put on a rather forced, fake grin. “Otherwise, I was just trading void information.”
His brows furrowed at the insinuation though, and a prompt snort flickered through his chest. “Depends. Still working with a sword?”
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
A bright laugh echoed against the stone wall. "I see that!" He watched as the peryton rubbed the top of dragon's head lovingly(?). It brought a smile to his face, until the Void was mentioned, stuttering the motioned momentarily. Grimacing slightly, he said, "Yeah... there seems to be a lot of that going around." Not that he had a lot of information, but even his last conversation with Talyson had surrounded the Void.
Patting the hilt peeking out from his sheath, he ginned with pride. "Of course! I wouldn't fight with anything else." In all honestly, he hadn't trained with much else. Sure, the Dragoons had him practicing with shields and staffs and daggers and maces and spears and whatever else they could come up with (someone had thrown him a towel one day?), however, he hadn't shown promise with any of the other weapons. So they discarded them and chose to hone the basic skills he already had.
Remembering that Deimos had magic, he asked, "And you?" If the Warden chose to use his abilities, Zavien knew he'd have no chance. Especially not after he'd seen the Tournament. So he waited patiently to hear his fate.
Mastered Item:
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Mastered
La Verbena | A personal skyboat (schooner) capable of travelling at 2x wagon speeds over most types of terrain. Can accommodate 2 people onboard during flight.
A refusal had almost been on his teeth; much easier to negate any extra time spent amidst Stormbreak when there were hundreds of other duties and responsibilities firmly ensconced across his shoulders. But how many times had he been told to also embrace moments in time – not ones filled by burdens and roles? He knew the answer already – it’d been a rare occasion at best lately that he’d taken any instance, save for one or two days at the most throughout an entire season – to simply commit to something other than hunting, tracking, patrolling, gaining information, discussing Starfall –
And he liked fighting; armaments or not.
Trying to let all those apprehensions and trepidations peel away for one moment more, he created another wooden sword in the palm of his hand, similar to the practice blade from before. He had no intentions of piercing through Zavien. It’d be much in the same way as his fellow compatriots in the Halo barracks. Though the inquiry made his brow arch, and a smile curl in the corners of his mouth. “I train with many weapons,” and when he’d become one on his own – well. “Did you want instruction or simple practice?” He could easily do both.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
The question was an overwhelming relief. Maybe he wouldn't end up with too many bruises. But that still left him with 'instruction' or 'practice.' Giving a tentative smile, he bounced a little on his feet. "A little of both?" He glanced at the practice sword and ran a hand through his hair. "We could start with a light spar and you can stop me if you notice a mistake or somewhere I could improve?" That was putting a lot on the Warden, but he had no doubt that the man could handle it. And he couldn't pass up the prime opportunity for any shared knowledge.
Zavien pulled out his own wooden sword that had been strapped against his bag. He then set the remaining pack against the gate wall, bustling with barely contained energy and excitement. Smiling wide, he flicked the worn practice equipment to warm up his arm. Sinking comfortably into his familiar stance, he readied his sword and mind.
Mastered Item:
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Mastered
La Verbena | A personal skyboat (schooner) capable of travelling at 2x wagon speeds over most types of terrain. Can accommodate 2 people onboard during flight.
“Sure,” came on acceptance; as he conducted most instruction from via the sidelines as compatriots sparred one another, or in the midst of skirmishes himself, always analyzing, examining, and striving to find the calculated proportions – things that went well and orchestrated a deep sense of confidence, and things that went poorly, and made him wonder what had been going through their minds.
Rolling his shoulders, the Sword stretched as well – until he’d reached a careful, confident, and comfortable stance. “When you are ready,” granting Zavien the moment to have the first maneuver – it’d be much easier to analyze, support, and see what other skills the Dragoon had gained from the last spar – and perhaps more efficient, considering three of them had been fighting at once.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
He nodded in acceptance before steadying his breath and analyzing Deimos's stance. He didn't immediately see any weaknesses in the Warden. The man stood like he'd rarely been challenged by opponents; strong, solid, sure. It wasn't surprising considering the results of the tournament. But Zavien didn't expect to win. That wasn't his goal. He was here to practice and receive instruction. So, with that in mind, he cast aside any nerves and leapt into action.
His feet carried him forward quickly, holding his sword crossbody until he was within range. Lifting the wooden blade in a downward swing from the left. Zavien positioned his body as if the strike was going to be a feint, angling his hips like he would switch to a right lower attack instead. With any luck, Deimos wouldn't properly parry the first attack while anticipating the second. Dedicated to the assault nonetheless, he put most of his strength behind the movement.
Mastered Item:
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Mastered
La Verbena | A personal skyboat (schooner) capable of travelling at 2x wagon speeds over most types of terrain. Can accommodate 2 people onboard during flight.
Oh, Deimos had been challenged – wars did that to anyone. But he’d also learned from multitudes, from training as a youth to the span of lifetimes he’d forged along the way. Each opponent had their own particular way of maneuvering, their favored styles, their preferred methods of striking or defending. They presented unique endeavors into his calculations, machinations, and methods; and he needed to be capable of adapting to a litany of situations.
So he analyzed and watched Zavien cross over stones and dirt, swinging downward, and striving to angle, catch the Sword off-guard by the wayward motions. He smiled, amused, as he caught the initial flurry, and stepped directly into the motion, making his body a blockade; taking the hit at a barely perceptual degree, rather than anything bruising or threatening.
From there, he stepped sideways, and swung to the left, driving a sharp, swift arc towards Zavien’s right shoulder.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Deimos's unflinching interception had Zavien stumbling slightly. The wood's 'thwack' echoed around the clearing. His feet lost their purchase for a moment due to the force and the odd angle. Obviously, the man hadn't been fooled by his attempts at deception, and now Zavien was paying for the antic.
The responding attack was swift, leaving him barely any time to redirect his own sword. He pointed his up, bracing to allow the weapon to protect his shoulder and let him step forward. Knowing that he couldn't compete with the Sword's strength, he tried to deflect the blow and throw his elbow forward towards the man's face, not really expecting it to land.
Mastered Item:
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Mastered
La Verbena | A personal skyboat (schooner) capable of travelling at 2x wagon speeds over most types of terrain. Can accommodate 2 people onboard during flight.
The stumble was enough to cause his brow to arch. “Do not let your opponent know you were surprised,” he rumbled; enough inclinations of shock rifling through Zavien’s movements. Confusion and bewilderment were not a good staple in any battle, be it a skirmish or war-torn frame.
The Dragoon seemed to recover decently enough though. It wouldn’t be the first time Deimos had an elbow launched towards his face, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Maneuvering his head and neck out of the way, he kept his form exactly where he was – having lost the motion as a youth before and having no inclination of repeating the circumstances (pain was a powerful teacher).
From there, he swung his sword around to Zavien’s ribs, waiting to see how he’d block the impending blow.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
Grimacing slightly at the rebuke, he steeled his expression and nodded. Although he hadn't done much more than stumble, a single misstep could be fatal in battle. He'd have to do better about keeping his stance no matter what situations may occur. Compromising his footing with a foolhardy attempt was a mistake to begin with.
Zavien didn't have a lot of options as Deimos's next strike came sweeping towards him. It was a hard blow to block considering his position. Pivoting his hips, he raised his sword to intercept then twisted to drag his wooden blade up towards his opponent's stomach. Keeping in mind his first attack, Zavien planted his feet firmly, preparing for impact.
Mastered Item:
Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Mastered
La Verbena | A personal skyboat (schooner) capable of travelling at 2x wagon speeds over most types of terrain. Can accommodate 2 people onboard during flight.
The Sword gave a slight smile at the response of altered stances. "Better." While he certainly hadn’t meant to offend, he’d have to remember his blunt, curt, and concise manner didn’t suit everyone; even if his soldiers withstood it time after time.
Thereafter though, he stood steadfast to take the blow. The blade pushed against him as he intercepted, and instead of stepping back, evading, or feinting, he opted to utilize the strength of his figure. Trapping the wooden training blades between the two of them, he pushed back into the Dragoon, intending to send him rallying elsewhere and to regain other postures or bearings.
we exhume our enemy's bones we are battling, hungry beasts
He could only grunt a thanks at Deimos's approval as the man pushed against the contact of their swords. A sliver of panic crept up, but Zavien kept his composure. Against the other man's strength, he didn't stand a chance, but he'd put himself in a difficult position and he didn't have a lot of options for escape. Gritting his teeth, a small smile played on his lips. Despite his obvious disadvantage, he was really enjoying himself. Sparring had always been a way for him to let go of his worries and he wouldn't let the unequal competition detract from the joy.
Placing one hand against the top of his 'blade,' he pushed against what would have been the flat side, trying to disrupt the overwhelming pressure a tiny amount. With that, he took a shuffled step to the side and twisted his torso. It just might be enough to push the Warden past him to disengage. Otherwise, Zavien fully expected to be grinded into the soil.
