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!
10-14-2024, 11:51 AM (This post was last modified: 10-14-2024, 11:58 AM by Odd.)
After his last meeting with Safrin, Hadama had considered options for reducing the threat of the Void beyond Torchline's borders. Flora's success in the Oerwoud had been a much-needed infusion of hope into those who were resistant to the Void's influence across Caido, and the next closest source of Void influence - aside from Starfall, which the more powerful demigods were making inroads on - was the Feverlands.
A place that Torchline had a rather personal reason to clean up, since they had disposed of their last Void Horror there, encased by Frey in stone.
He glanced back to those who had agreed to come with him on this scouting mission to see what had become of their previous invader: Melita, always up for a fight, Aurelia, seeking to make up for lost time, and Thalassa, who had her own reasons for looking for trouble.
"Are we ready?" he rumbled quietly back to the others who had joined him in the small boat they had used to pass through the violet waters of the swamp. Even if he would have preferred his mermanta form, he was not inclined to risk swimming in that soup at the moment. With a final push of the oars the craft coasted into the mud near the Hanging Tree, sliding to a squishy stop so they could disembark.
And deal with whatever awaited them there.
Hadama has everything on his profile.
Type: Light | Style: Defensive | Level: Upgraded
StArmour | Armour created from owlbear down. When not in use, retracts as a silver serpentine bangle etched with constellation and can be activated telepathically. Blocks physical damage. Has a 3 post cooldown
Regional Score bonus: +11 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +11 should be included)
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.
they should have checked the ashes of the women they burned alive
Melita was always ready. For a fight, something stupid, or any combination thereof. If there was any lack of confidence nagging through her mind, precipitated by a time where she’d ultimately died because of so many alterations, then she pushed it far, far down the brink of her spine and out through her ribs. “Yeah,” she murmured instead, eyes glancing and studying the entirety of the world around them.
She hadn’t journeyed to the Feverlands in ages – but then again, she couldn’t think of many who readily volunteered to go into swamps on a regular basis. She wrinkled her nose at the purple wasteland, and stepped out of the boat and onto slightly firmer land, already beginning to snag at her weapons.
--
Melita has brought everything on her profile except her companions. She gets her bow and arrows ready.
Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Bowstring Bracelet | At first this bracelet appears only as a length of intricately braided bowstring, adorned with vinelike patterns and tiny, fanged charms. But with an arrow in hand, upon miming the action of knocking and drawing it, the user will feel a bow beneath their fingers, as if it was there all along.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Fire/Lightning/Ice Quiver | A magical quiver with two compartments. In one, it turns any arrow placed within into a flaming projectile when shot. In the other, the arrow becomes imbued with electricity. (Made by Remi)
because it takes a single wild ember to bring a whole wildfire to life
Having never been to the Feverlands, Thal had trouble figuring out what was normal vs the effects of the Void. She assumed most purple aspects were courtesy of their local pandemic; ugly violet flowers, creepy amethyst eyes, a blanket lavender hue that seemed to encompass her vision. It all attempted to instill a sense of dread in her, but she instead chose to rest her hand along the hilt of her dagger.
Glancing at the rest of the strange group, she wondered how they'd all ended up together. She'd been willing to help Hadama considering he'd done so much for her, but she wasn't exactly on 'friendly' terms with Melita, and she'd had no idea who this other woman was until just moments before. It was 'Aurelia,' right? No matter, as long as they didn't get in her way, Thal was looking forward to fueling her pyromaniac tendencies. 'Ready'? The real question was whether the Void was ready for her? The thought brought a mischievous smile to her face as she stepped off the boat onto the shoreline.
Thalassa has brought her daggers and a piss-off attitude.
Flametouch Daggers | A pair of obsidian daggers licked with crimson along the blade edge. On hit, the daggers become wreathed in flame.
hear those bells ring deep in the soul chiming away for a moment
Aurelia disembarked, her movements as precise as a predator stalking its prey. A flicker of defiance danced in her eyes, a stark contrast to the gloom that shrouded the purple-tinged swamp. She gave Hadama a firm nod. Her boots sank into the muck with a sucking sound, and her fingers twitched with a barely suppressed power. A smoldering heat coursed through her veins, ready to ignite at the slightest provocation. Her sword hung at her hip, though she doubted its utility against the creatures that lurked in this forsaken place. These days, her magic felt more potent.
She hesitated, torn between the raw power of a tiger's senses and the advantages of her human form. A shiver ran down her spine as she partially shifted her eyes, nose, and ears, her senses straining to pierce their surroundings.
Aurelia gets off the boat and partial shifts her eyes, nose, ears to that of a tiger's to get a stronger sense of their surroundings (if that's groovy. If that's too many parts shifted, then she just shifts her ears).
Aurelia has brought:
- The sword Safrin gave her.
- Shield Bangle | A magical bangle created by Safrin, that through telepathic command will become a shield in the user's hand. The shield cannot be dented or damaged.
Regional Score bonus: +11 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +11 should be included)
feel your breath course frankly below see life as a worthy opponent
As you venture through the Feverlands, a flock of Gore Crows descends from the murky sky, their black feathers glistening red with dried blood. With wickedly sharp beaks and talons, they circle menacingly, their eerie caws echoing through the fog. One by one, they dive toward you, their gleaming red eyes fixated on their prey. The air fills with the sound of beating wings and haunting cries as the Gore Crows advance, their hunger driving them to attack.
As the Feverlands have been taken over by the Family, remaining in this area will be dangerous as the flora/fauna will continue to grow increasingly hostile toward you (unless you're a Friend of the Family). Remaining in this thread for a prolonged period of time will likely trigger a KQ.
You’ve encountered Gore Crows. This counts as a common creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements.
Gore Crow (common) - Twice the size of their more common brethren, gore crows boast wickedly sharp beaks and talons that could pierce even the hide of a dragon, and even sharper wit to boot. Preferring human meat, their inky black feathers often glisten red with their most recent feast. Traveling in small groups, their eerie caws of words like "Eyes!" and "Meat!" can be heard echoing across battlefields or haunting a hunter's trail. These fearsome birds with gleaming red eyes are not to be trifled with, for it is not uncommon for a gore crow to finish off injured prey.
The Hanging Tree, now twisted by the void’s violet infection, stood like a malevolent sentinel within the Feverlands. Its bark bled dark purple sap, and the ropes swayed as if alive, waiting to tighten around the throats of the unwary. Beneath its gnarled roots, the ground pulsed with a slow, rhythmic life, as if the very swamp obeyed the tree’s will.
Above, the sky darkened.
A gust of wind stirred the ropes into a mournful howl, summoning the crows. From the shadows of the tree’s branches, Gore Crows emerged, their black feathers glistening with blood. The void had given them purpose, and they obeyed with ravenous eagerness.
With a sharp caw, the first crow dived. The others followed, talons gleaming, eyes glowing red with hunger. They tore through the air like living arrows, descending upon the intruders without mercy. The tree’s ropes twitched, yearning for the blood that would soon be spilled.
The Hanging Tree groaned, its branches creaking as if remembering the weight of the dead, eager to claim more. The swamp stirred in response to the violence as a thick, purple fog tightened around the group like a noose. Together it and the growing murder of crows forced the group further into the swamp, toward the tree.
Welcome to the Key Quest. This is a hard Level 4 key Quest.
Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
Their welcoming party didn't seem very friendly as the murder of Gore Crows dove towards them, the purple fog closed in, and the tree appeared eager for them to approach; however, Thal felt the thrill of the hunt pulsing through her veins, ready to burn the world around her with a sharply fanged grin.
Without hesitating, she unsheathed her dagger, swiping it across a nearby tree trunk to ignite the blade before pulling the flames around her like a cyclone. She pushed the fire up and out, a shield against the fog and birds alike. As much as she would like to let it consume everything, she made sure to keep the heat away from the others. They might be useful for later, if there was anything left.
Thalassa uses one of her daggers to fuel her wall/shield/dome of fire, making sure not to hit the others.
Fire Manipulation: Can manipulate flames. Must be within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent
Type: Dark | Rank: Upgraded
Flametouch Daggers | A pair of obsidian daggers licked with crimson along the blade edge. On hit, the daggers become wreathed in flame.
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.
they should have checked the ashes of the women they burned alive
Oh, good. Slightly more malevolent and malicious gore crows – rather than the still shitty normal brand.
She would’ve paid far more attention to the Hanging Tree and all its profound nastiness had the flying shits not appeared. That’d be something they’d have to come back to and all that (maybe they could set everything aflame and call it good, eh?).
For now, she joined in Thalassa’s pursuits and snagged at her fiery arrows. She didn’t have anything at her disposal that would bear a certain weakness, with all those discoveries upon Seren’s little orb thing, but she knew Hadama did. She’d simply have to bolster more might into the vicinity. The Honeybee notched it quickly along her bow, and fired at the cluster of birds.
--
Melita launches at the gore crows with her fire arrows and bow.
Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Bowstring Bracelet | At first this bracelet appears only as a length of intricately braided bowstring, adorned with vinelike patterns and tiny, fanged charms. But with an arrow in hand, upon miming the action of knocking and drawing it, the user will feel a bow beneath their fingers, as if it was there all along.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Fire/Lightning/Ice Quiver | A magical quiver with two compartments. In one, it turns any arrow placed within into a flaming projectile when shot. In the other, the arrow becomes imbued with electricity. (Made by Remi)
Regional Score bonus: +11 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +11 should be included)
because it takes a single wild ember to bring a whole wildfire to life
hear those bells ring deep in the soul chiming away for a moment
The crows descended, a tempest of black feathers that filled the air with a cacophony of caws. Aurelia's heart pounded against her chest.
To her side, Thalassa was conjuring a shield of flame around herself. Aurelia took a cautious step back, keeping a respectful distance. She glanced at the woman's dagger, trying to gauge her strength. They had never met, but as the old saying went, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If there was any silver lining to the Void's darkness, it was the way it could unite people against a common foe.
As Melita fired arrows of fire from an invisible(?) bow, Aurelia raised her hands, her palms glowing with energy. A torrent of flame erupted above their heads, a cloud of heat designed to incinerate or deter the avian invaders. She hoped the crows would deem them too dangerous to pursue but, the Void had twisted their minds, making them unpredictable.
Aurelia summons a "cloud" of flames above their heads to try and burn the crows/scare them off.
Fire Manipulation: Can create and control flames. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
Regional Score bonus: +11 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +11 should be included)
feel your breath course frankly below see life as a worthy opponent
Hadama stepped out of the boat and into the bog, feeling the waters swirl uneasily about his ankles. For once the sensation did not reassure him, but he drew what strength he could from them nonetheless. They would need all the strength he could call upon as the gore crows descended and his companions raised fire to battle feathers and blood-slick talons.
But his attention was for the tree.
It was his first time seeing the Hanging Tree, and he did not think that he would like it even without the Void's influence. Now it pulsed and throbbed, bleeding violet violence from its corrupted heartwood, and the twisting of its ropes spoke of a dread hunger.
Holding his breath against the purple fog, Hadama summoned his Gravity Spikes and sent them lancing down into the base of the Hanging Tree.
Hadama holds his breath to avoid inhaling the fog, and uses Gravity Spike against the Hanging Tree (while his feet are in the boggy waters). StArmour is active.
Magic: Hydrated | (FEAT) Has Advantage while in water
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
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
Type: Light | Style: Defensive | Level: Upgraded
StArmour | Armour created from owlbear down. When not in use, retracts as a silver serpentine bangle etched with constellation and can be activated telepathically. Blocks physical damage. Has a 3 post cooldown
Regional Score bonus: +11 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc.
10-16-2024, 04:48 PM (This post was last modified: 10-17-2024, 04:35 AM by Court Official.)
As the Gore Crows dived with shrieks of hunger, Thalassa 's fire erupted in a swirling vortex around her, the heat pushing outward with a roar. Beside her, Aurelia raised her hands, adding to the inferno with a surge of magic that spiralled into the sky. The combined heat from the two fire-wielders was enough to force the crows to retreat, their circling attack breaking apart as the flames intensified. The icing on the cake, Melita 's arrow sliced through the smoke, finding its mark in two of the crows, knocking them neatly out of the air and serving as a warning to any others who thought of lingering.
But the tree had been watching, waiting.
Hadama ’s Gravity Spikes shimmered into existence above the cursed tree, ripping into the void-corrupted wood with a sickening crack. The bark split open, oozing dark sap as the void’s corruption recoiled from the force of the magic. The Hanging Tree groaned a deep and terrible sound that reverberated through the swamp.
Its roots responded with fury.
With unnatural speed, thick roots surged up through the bog, twisting and writhing like serpents. One of them shot out toward Thalassa, wrapping around her waist in a (critical success)crushing grip. The root yanked her off her feet and slammed her into the swamp's muck with enough force to nearly throw her soul from her body.
Welcome to the Key Quest. This is a hard Level 4 key Quest.
Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
As much as Thal considered herself the hottest of the hot and the strongest of the strong, apparently she's also the frailest little Ancient. It started well enough with her flames frightening away all the little birds (with a little bit of help from the others), but then everything got turned literally upside down.
The vine had her in a near death grip, flipping her through the sky like a toy dragon that it then kindly decided to crash land into the swamp. Her breath was crushed from her lungs as her vision was overcome by darkness (and mud). She swore she heard more than one thing break, perhaps including her pride. Thal was too stunned to do more than grit her teeth against the pain while she tried to gather her bearings. In a moment of pure instinct and self-preservation, she clung to her stronger self, shifting into her lyvern and attempting to take to the skies.
Thalassa shifts into her lyvern form and tries to flee! (Sorry y'all!)
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.
they should have checked the ashes of the women they burned alive
Ohhhhhh time to shoot the tree. Nice.
With the gore crows turning tail, Melita sneered in defiance towards the big ass hanging hellhole. Watching Thalassa get walloped wasn’t great – and she was half-inclined to ponder if any of them had some sort of defense mechanism against giant roots – but as one who didn’t have a guard either, she’d have to voice it out loud. “Anyone have a way to block this thing? Or shield us?” She supposed it didn’t much matter on Thal’s end now anyway (as she took to the skies; the smuggler could only shrug – couldn’t quite blame her after that horrendous attack), but it'd be nice for the rest of them.
Then it was on again with her own assault, opting for her favored fire again for flavor. This time, she scurried behind a nearby rock, pinpointed her bow at the tree, and shot at it.
--
Melita scoots behind a rock and shoots a fire arrow at the tree.
Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Bowstring Bracelet | At first this bracelet appears only as a length of intricately braided bowstring, adorned with vinelike patterns and tiny, fanged charms. But with an arrow in hand, upon miming the action of knocking and drawing it, the user will feel a bow beneath their fingers, as if it was there all along.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Fire/Lightning/Ice Quiver | A magical quiver with two compartments. In one, it turns any arrow placed within into a flaming projectile when shot. In the other, the arrow becomes imbued with electricity. (Made by Remi)
Regional Score bonus: +11 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +11 should be included)
because it takes a single wild ember to bring a whole wildfire to life
hear those bells ring deep in the soul chiming away for a moment
Aurelia's eyes widened as she watched Hadama's strike bite into the tree. Dark, inky liquid—purple-black—oozed from the wound, and the ancient bark groaned, coming to life. When a twisting root flung Thalassa into the mud, Aurelia gasped, the sound stealing the breath from her lungs. She took a step forward, instinctively moving to help, but Thalassa was already scrambling to her feet, trying to flee.
Melita's voice cut through the moment, and Aurelia frowned. She'd never thought of fire as a defensive magic before, but Thalassa had used it to shield herself against the crows. Maybe she could do the same—only on a larger scale. Shifting behind Melita, she shot a glance at Hadama, motioning for him to follow.
"Stay close - I'll try to shield us with fire while you two keep attacking!"
With a final look to make sure her companions had enough room to move, Aurelia began conjuring flames from the earth. She kept them pushed outward, giving a wide berth—fifteen feet between them and the rising fire—as the flames climbed higher and higher. Her aim was a protective dome, a barrier of heat without suffocating them in its grasp.
Aurelia moves behind Melita, signals for Hadama to join them, and tries to create a protective dome of fire for her and her companions!
Fire Manipulation: Can create and control flames. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
Regional Score bonus: +11 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +11 should be included)
feel your breath course frankly below see life as a worthy opponent
