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!
Entering Stormbreak again, after weeks of being away, was a strange experience. His mind had created various images of what tragedies might befall his city in his absence - people screaming, fires burning, purple haze, maniacal laughter. None of it compared to what he saw as he stepped of the skyship: nothing. His ring warmed against his hand at the various infected, but it appeared arguably the same as before he'd left. It was comforting and suspicious all the same, like something should be wrong, and not being able to see it just made him think something worse was lurking beneath the surface, an infected boil buried deep.
Zavien grasped Lena's hand, taking deep, measured breaths as they walked through the streets. His eyes scanned more, searching for anything that might confirm his fears as he tried to calm the racing of his heart. Despite Sol's growing size, he propped on Zavien's shoulders, offering simultaneous support and protection through small nudges or pulses through their bond. If his hands weren't otherwise occupied with Lena and his large pack, he'd have one rubbing along the warm scales to distract himself.
Swallowing against the bit of nausea twisting his stomach, Zavien gave Lena a forced smile, trying to instill some sense of casual calm. "Do you need to stop by your house first? Or should we head to the Celestine?" He knew she had plenty of work to catch up on, and he was already making steps to work through his quest from Vi after updating the Caretaker during their trip back. The god had stressed speed, and he didn't want to disappoint, although it was hard to focus on such tasks through the anxiety coursing through him.
reflect heavenly truth, the imagination not least.
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.
If Lena appeared apprehensive about the situation, she didn’t show it. Radiant determination and luminescent qualities had her looking particularly strong, sturdy, and stalwart, there in supportive steadfastness for Zavien. She wouldn’t blame him if the quiet walk of their world seemed bizarre; an underbelly of frustrating tactics and techniques they couldn’t fight against. But they had their own methods to the madness, and the Caretaker wasn’t going to varnish or hide away.
She squeezed his hand in return, warm and bright, as they meandered through the streets. “You okay?” She’d whisper on occasion, as they strolled amidst the walk of life that should’ve yielded him naught but familiarity and the signature of home. But the Family had its way of embedding anything into terror.
Then she shook her head, leading them on a path that intermingled amidst the Plaza and towards the stately gardens and enclosures. “No. We can go straight there.” The Celestine; with its calm, soothing touches, with its effervescent fringes, where everything would be fine. Given his apprehension, she continued chatting, light and airy, eyes flickering back and forth along the walk, while Mittens surveyed from hovering along her shoulder. “You certainly beat me in going to a shrine. How did it go?”
Squeezing her hand back, Zavien gave her a nervous smile. "Yeah... It's just... weird." That his fears hadn't manifested, that no one else seemed bothered by Dahlia's proximity, that he was home. It was all a little overwhelming, and he had to focus on Lena and Sol to reassure himself that everything was okay.
He nodded, familiar with the path she chose towards the Celestine. It, too, looked completely normal, no hints of purple or lurking dangers. Grateful for the distraction of conversation, Zavien's voice filled with awe. "It was amazing. Vi is... indescribable." A towering presence stronger than any leader or general, a god in every sense of the word. Blinking away some of the anxiety, he continued, "He made me feel so small and empowered at the same time. I'm still in shock that he answered." And that he'd received a quest. It was an honor and a burden, the need to succeed a heavy weight to bear.
reflect heavenly truth, the imagination not least.
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.
She wasn’t sure if he was going to bolt or simply remain, so she did her best to remain as a lifeline, as a tether, as a grounding, tangible portion to the earth they walked across. The Celestine was a welcome embrace just the same – the familiarity, the beauty, the wonder, sinking back into her veins in a calm, serene mannerism – every aspect of home that the Caretaker would materialize through her veins. A long, slow breath unfurled through her, and it was like breathing in the effervescence of their world – like miles and miles away from the scorched and vile stones lined near the Tower.
Leading them towards a small patch of another garden she’d been working on, she nodded at his descriptions – all apt, all poised, just as Vi himself would be – mind conjuring all the particulars. “Of course he’d answer you,” she smiled, and if it was a little coy, she didn’t much hide it. “Don’t you follow his beliefs?” Noble, virtuous, and good? She winked and wrinkled her nose, before settling them before the freshly laden loam. “Would here work?”
Similar to Lena, there was something about the Celestin that helped to calm the nerves in his chest. It seemed untouchable by the Family's influence, even if he knew that wasn't the case. But how could someplace so beautiful - so blessed by the gods - not feel like a safe haven?
He took a deep breath that filled every inch of his lungs, his heart lightening a shade so that the world felt a little less catastrophic. It even made his smile a little stronger in response to Lena's joke. Zavien shrugged his shoulders, squeezing her hand again as he winked back. "I certainly try to." And although it had been harder recently, he did everything in his power to uphold those values.
Sol leapt off his shoulders, sniffing around the soil as Zavien came to settle next to Lena. It looked like any old dirt to him, not familiar enough with planting to know how the location might impact the growth of the plant. As such, he let out a low chuckle, looking to her without the faintest clue what he was doing. "I guess so. You're the expert."
reflect heavenly truth, the imagination not least.
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.
She gave another quick smile, uncertain whether his comment was meant to ruffle; only mild discomfited – she’d only meant to cater to whatever his quest required. It hadn’t been her venture, and she certainly didn’t want to ruin the undertaking if there were specifics mentioned. Nodding then, she released his hand only to start gathering the tools in her basket, and begin unloading them so they could be utilized. “Did you want to plant anything in particular?” This patch had been selected because it’d been an odd and end mixture of things and herbs that hadn’t made it into any of her main portions – some seeds she’d collected on various journeys and tried to cultivate through familiar means, others simply beautiful and decorative.
Supposing he might have something, or nothing, in mind, she also snagged at a few satchels at her disposal, leaving them out for him to peruse while she began selecting a section for them to use. Amongst and amidst the images on the front were the ever pleasant lavender, sweetgrass, snow moss, and a trace of wildflowers, known to be popular amongst pollinators.
His hand flexed as he lost her warmth, trying to focus on the task at hand rather than the want to curl up with Sol and Lena. Instead, he watched as she arranged her equipment, taking note of the seeds and bulbs. It was hard to tell what they would become when they were random sizes and shapes with no indication of their future forms. He still looked closely like they might as he asked, "Do you have any fuzzy purple sword seeds? I've become quite fond of those." Zavien glanced up with a playful smirk, hoping she might appreciate that he wanted to instill some of them into the task from Vi, that he wanted to do it with her.
Content to get his hands dirty, to feel the work it would take to cultivate the plant, he dug his fingers into the soil. Sol tried to 'help,' although he did little but spread the mess over his golden scales. Zavien looked to Lena with an exasperated smile as he moved aside the dirt. "Do I need to dig very deep?"
reflect heavenly truth, the imagination not least.
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.
She pointed directly at the images on the front of each seed satchel – the indicator of exactly what they’d grow up to be – shaking her head, countering it with a serene smile. “Of course. Lavender it is, then.” Snagging at her trowel, she turned back to see he’d already dug into the dirt, so she sighed, pulling her hair upwards into a messy bun instead, and then placing her gardening gloves upon her hands.
She left the tool beside her, in case he felt the need, as she crouched beside him. “Maybe a little more,” she encouraged, gathering other materials close at hand – the watering can, the seeds themselves – monitoring and watching over the progress. “You want about this much space,” she indicated with her hands placed only modest means apart from one another, to give him a rough estimate.
Mittens, meanwhile, made squawking noises, probably to irritate or grasp Sol’s attention, while the humans worked on their planting structures.
Finally noticing the very clear images on the front of the packages, Zavien gave her a sheepish smile, especially as she pulled a pair of gardening gloves out. He probably should have thought about that before plunging his hands into the dirt, but he found that he enjoyed the feeling of it, like it was grounding him in the moment, letting him push aside any big world problems or concerns.
Nodding at Lena's advice, he narrowed his eyes at the hole he was digging. "Just a little more..." he mumbled. Then he dug his fingers in deeper, trying to match the depth she'd shown with her hands. Luckily, the soil was soft and moved easily away to make a decent sized hole. Zavien looked up for Lena's approval just in time to see Sol nip playfully at Mittens. Having sensed his companion's worries dissipating, the dragon was content to entertain the snowball in a game of snapdragon.
The Dragoon smiled before returning to the work covering his hands. "How long will this take to grow?" Not that he was inpatient (he was), but it would be important to know how long until he'd be able to complete the task and return to Vi.
reflect heavenly truth, the imagination not least.
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.
Lena arched her brows as he finally pinpointed upon the clear images, not saying anything, but giving enough of a grin to show she noticed. Then she played her role as supervisor, watching as he carefully, somewhat, curated the soil and loam to his liking. “That should work,” she noted, giving him the go-ahead – and opting to take out several of the seeds and place them in his palm – he should’ve done the honors, given it was his quest and all.
He probably wouldn’t like the answer she was about to give, but it was still simplistic and honest. “You’ll probably notice something sprouting in about a week or two,” which, while it wasn’t ideal, it was far faster than other portions and probabilities. “Unless you have a friend with some earth magic to move things along.” The Caretaker could only imagine how swiftly growth could be yielded in those regards – but she gave him another grin regardless, maneuvering the watering can closer to them as he sifted.
Accepting the seeds from her, Zavien dropped them into the dirt before gently pushing the soil over them. He let out a disappointed sigh, reaching for the watering can. "Ugh. Sadly not." Someone he knew probably had earth magic, but he wasn't certain enough to inconvenience them by asking them to visit Stormbreak just to help him bloom a flower.
Smiling, he bumped against her shoulder. "I guess I'll just have to come with you every day to check until it sprouts." And just as he said he would, Zavien visited the Celestine every morning at the break of dawn to care for the plant, watering and weeding the area in hopes of seeing any sign of success. Despite the days that dragged on, he tried not to lose hope, finding comfort in the work as a distraction from the rest of Stormbreak. He quickly understood why Lena enjoyed it so much. It helped give him a sense of peace again, the tension slowly leaving his body more with every day.
As the Caretaker had said, it took a little over a week for the seeds to sprout, small green shoots pushing up from the dirt to unfurl into the sunlight. When he'd noticed the tiny stems, he'd knelt by the dirt, a stupidly bright grin on his face as he admired the life he'd helped cultivate and grow, then promptly ran to Lena, laughing and smiling as he led her to the plot to see the fruits of his labor. In the following days, small purple buds began to form, and the lavender would be ready to bloom just in time for him to visit Vi again.
[FIN]
reflect heavenly truth, the imagination not least.
