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!
"Hear one positive and one negative accounts of the Voice, Safrin, Ludo, or Frey from 8 different characters who have met them personally:
? I would like to Skip with MP"
That's the price you pay Leave behind your heart and cast away
The Climb stretched around him in a furnace-red haze, broken only by the seething glow of lava and the jagged silhouettes of stone. Noah moved quickly, wary of the ground’s shifting heat. He didn’t have to stay on foot long, however.
He reached for the tether inside him, the one braided through his bones with divine thread. His stomach lurched faintly as magic coiled around his core, sharp and certain. Then he vanished.
In the blink of an eye, Noah stood in the underground chamber, boots scuffing damp stone. The ceiling arched high above, veiled in mist. Around him, the hot springs shimmered, their surfaces disturbed only by rising steam and the slow drip of condensation from stalactites overhead. he could hear faint voices of others searching deep within the caverns of the deep, hot water that soothed their bodies to the core. Like him, he assumed they were searching for lillies.
Just another product of today Rather be the hunter than the prey
What you're given, what you live in Darling, it finds a way to live in you
Lilies, roses, or something to take out frustrations on; at this point, Maea wasn't picky. It was becoming a habit to retreat to the Climb whenever she felt at a loss for direction, as though the fiery landscape provided her a reset point from whence she could regain her bearings. She prowled the dark tunnels of the Burrows in her molten tiger guise today, in no mood to strike up conversation yet too restless to just sit and brood. Normally the hot springs would provide a nice break from the dark and fiery streams of lava - but it hurt to see them, now that she was here without Liam.
Funny, that, how quickly she'd gotten used to having him around. Now his absence chafed more than his presence had before she learned to trust him, rubbing raw a spot close to the heart she'd thought too hardened to hurt anymore.
Padding past some visitors that murmured to each other in hushed voices, swatting aside a rock with an irate swipe of a paw, she didn't notice Noah until she was nearly upon him. Slowing into a near stop, the tigress considered just passing him by - and might have, if a deeply unpleasant pang of Void aura hadn't set her hackles rising.
In a heartbeat she was by his side, tail thrashing testily while pale golden eyes searched the shadows for the source of the taint. She could feel a menacing gaze, and not until the third time her eyes passed over the rock formation did she spot it - a Shadow Serpent, perfectly disguised against the dark rock and poised to strike.
Shadow Serpent (Uncommon): Once a Rock Slider, the Shadow Serpent now moves with an eerie grace, its scales tainted by void energy. It lurks in the shadows, ambushing prey with a venom that induces hallucinations and despair.
And your heart, love, has such darkness I feel it in the corners of the room
"Hear one positive and one negative accounts of the Voice, Safrin, Ludo, or Frey from 8 different characters who have met them personally:
? I would like to Skip with MP"
That's the price you pay Leave behind your heart and cast away
He hadn’t expected to see her. But the white, molten tiger was familiar—etched into memory from old quests and older debts, which kept Halo from having to resort to violence against a wild one. “Hello, Maea,” Noah started, his voice low, steady with recognition and warmth as she drew near. But something was wrong. Her posture was taut. Purposeful. The lash of her tail turned his head, and he followed her stare.
Noah did not see it at first. His eyes jumped to where Maea's fierce stare held, and he tracked back and forth until finally he saw it after shifting his eyes to that of a griffin. There. The shape unraveled from the landscape. It was slick-scaled, wrong-colored, and coiled like a bad omen. His nose wrinkled.
His hands moved on instinct. Fingers curled into air as if the bow was already there, and in a breath it was—light and thread and faith, pulled from nothing. The arrow shimmered like morning sun on ice. He loosed it. No hesitation. He watched as Vi's divine power sunk into scales and flesh and the void-touch snake writhed in pain, nocking another celestial arrow.
Just another product of today Rather be the hunter than the prey
What you're given, what you live in Darling, it finds a way to live in you
Noah was quick on the uptake, every bit the seasoned warrior, and his response was swift. As he let the magic arrow fly, Maea leaped after it to join the fight. The snake hisses and lashed out from the pain, void-tainted teeth coming for her throat. She slapped it aside with a heavy paw and sank her teeth into the muscled neck, nearly retching as poisoned blood welled up and filled her mouth.
Hauling backwards in an attempt to extend the dusky coils for Noah's arrows to find its mark, it became a tug-of-war between the animals; the serpent fighting its life, while the tigress fought to protect her friend, whether he needed her help or not. Their struggle drew the attention of the swimmers; faintly aware of their startled cries and hasty retreat, she spared them no attention, as it took every bit of focus to keep the serpent locked in her maw.
And your heart, love, has such darkness I feel it in the corners of the room
"Hear one positive and one negative accounts of the Voice, Safrin, Ludo, or Frey from 8 different characters who have met them personally:
? I would like to Skip with MP"
That's the price you pay Leave behind your heart and cast away
Noah was able to sink the second celestial arrow into the serpent as Maea held it, his eyes narrowed in on the target as it squirmed for a moment more in the tigress' grasp before falling limp. Thick, putrid purple blood spilled from its wounds and the demigod grimaced.
"Thank you, Maea." Noah said, lowering his arms as the divinely lit bow disappeared in whispers of sunlight. He sighed, closing his eyes for a second to roll his neck. "I hate those things." He had come down here for a lily, hoping to gain it as part of their arsenal. He opened his eyes again and looked to the tiger, then expressed it, "I came on a search."
Just another product of today Rather be the hunter than the prey
What you're given, what you live in Darling, it finds a way to live in you
One moment she was putting everything into the struggle against the serpent. The next, it slumped to the ground, limp and lifeless, and the tigress wasted no time in letting go. Dark blood stained her maw and with a look of utter disgust she began to wipe it with her paws. The taste of void made her nauseous, lacing her vision with crawling things and reaching shadows. She heard Noah's words, though had no real way of answering right away.
She simply flicked her tail in acknowledgement, then hastened past him and all but threw herself into the spring to cleanse herself off the taint. She wouldn't mind keeping him company for the duration of his search - but it would have to wait the few minutes it would take for her mind to clear. Gods, but that was the last time she set her teeth to anything that purple - a thoroughly unpleasant experience.
[FIN]
And your heart, love, has such darkness I feel it in the corners of the room
