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!
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Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
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Hadama had been concerned about the spread of Void-tainted creatures well before LongNight, but he had been grimly dismayed to find that the Moana Pool had changed in the week since he had last visited it. The edges of the lagoon were ringed with Nether Veil Palms that left the beach enshadowed even at midday, and though the waters and shore were warming with the return of Flowerbirth there were tendrils of frost twisting across the sand betwixt roots and tide in the once-lovely place.
Violet-eyed lizards scampered up and down the trunks, fearless amidst the shadows and chill that gathered around the twisted palms and blending into the dark. The cursed grove would likely harbor worse if left unchecked, and Hadama tightened his grip on his trident as he considered the encroaching flora with eyes as hard and flat as the jewels their color recalled. The winds tugged at his hair, whipping a few tendrils from the steely braid, but for the moment the sun had broken through the clouds, casting the area into even starker lines of Void and not-Void.
"Your sphere did not seem to care for gravity," he rumbled to Seren. "Shall we try that first?"
Nether Veil Palm (uncommon): The once resilient palm now stands twisted, its fan-shaped leaves tainted by shadows. Dark tendrils reach out from its bark, creating an unsettling contrast to the once vibrant landscape. Touching the bark induces an unsettling feeling of coldness.
Abyssal Geckoloth (common): Formerly vibrant geckos, these creatures now bear darkened scales that absorb light. They move in eerie silence, and their eyes glow with void energy. Locals consider them harbingers of impending void events.
"As you say." Nothing much seemed to happen at first. The wind whipped Seren's dark hair as it always had, caressing her freckled cheeks and the youthful face that had lost some of its carefree exuberance. If anything, she seemed to stand more firmly on the ground than usual, and somewhere beneath her vibrant gaze a lizard had stopped moving. Pointing it out to Hadama, the starchild tilted her head aside with the barest hint of a frown; she didn't like the feeling of void so close.
"There. It seems to behave as any lizard might. I am not straining to hold it at all."
Watching him to see what he would do next, she could not quite shake a forlorn sense of loss within herself. Something had changed, and not for the better. A fracturing, a splintering - there was no word for it. Only a strange weariness that weighed down her limbs and had her struggling to see the point in this experiment.
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
07-05-2024, 09:52 PM (This post was last modified: 07-07-2024, 01:25 PM by Hadama.)
There was no experiment to be held today. That had all been done on Aumakua with all their allies - and some of their enemies - present. Today was simply for hunting and cleansing the area of as much Void as they could root out between the two of them. They did not know if the smoke from burning such a large grove of Void plants was dangerous or not, but it was not something that Hadama was inclined to test on them.
"Very good," he said, his deep voice quiet and kind as Seren immobilized the gecko. If she did not wish to use her power to kill he would not think less of her for it, but Hadama had too much to lose to allow himself the same courtesy. Still, the dimming of her previous exuberance worried him and he kept one emerald eye on her in concern. "I will deal with the corrupted palm trees."
And it was his gravity spikes that he called upon, his jaw tightening as he called down Safrin's most powerful gift to him on top of the first rank of shadowy palms, smashing them to kindling and then to splinters before he turned back to check on Seren's hold on the Geckoloth.
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
It was not so much that she couldn't, but rather that her ability was not designed for killing. Between that and a certain misplaced pity for the animal that had not asked to become a pawn in this warlike game of chess, she was disinclined to squash the poor thing.
Another option was using a different gift. Turning her gaze to the sky, a star fell towards her and coalesced into a starlit fox. This critter had no qualms about setting upon the geckoloth, and Seren was far more comfortable searching out more of them for her summon to dispatch.
"Is this making any difference?" she wondered softly, as Hadama returned to her. "It seems so miniscule against the scale of what we are up against."
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
The appearance of the fox caused steely brows to draw briefly upward, intrigued and impressed at the clever power, useful for so much more than mere destruction. He was a defender, but Seren was a lantern against the dark. Her light was in many ways even more important then his own brute strength.
"Mmh. It is hard to say right now," he admitted. "But a single grain of sand may be enough to tip the scales. If not today, then when the confrontation comes." Not unlike the War against the Voice, in which a few small pebbles within the Hollow Grounds had started a landslide.
He took a moment to rest and consider the next stretch of the Nether Veil grove, carefully planning the most efficient places to send his gravity spikes. Still, emerald eyes glanced briefly back to his fellow demigod with a flicker of concern. "Has something happened?" he asked quietly, remembering the laughing, confident young woman who had shared her starlight island with him and searching for her in the subdued Torcher who stood beside him now.
Looking back at the trail of little dead lizards left in her wake, the young demigod sighed. She wished she could believe that. It just seemed... so hopeless.
Hadama's question made her realize that she had been perhaps a bit too overt in her private despair however, and she put on a smile that almost matched the ones she usually wore.
"Oh no. Well, I am afraid, I suppose. Since you and I are of the few who possess gravity based abilities, it sort of suggests that we will end up in the middle of things, does it not?" Leaning down to gently ruffle the shimmering ruff of the fox, she pointed out another violet enemy for it to vanquish and smiled wearily as it took off with a soundless yip.
"It is a bit late to realize that I should have trained more. And yet, now that I will be needed, I really wish I could be more prepared."
A distant roar from out at sea held a note of protest, of reproach. Umbra thought she was perfectly fine - and for all that her companions support was heartening, Seren wondered if the dragon knew what they would be up against.
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
Whether or not her smile was convincing was hard to discern, though Hadama's concern seemed to lift slightly and he nodded in slow acknowledgment of her own supposition. "Mmh. For myself, yes." Having found the most advantageous places to strike he turned back to the twisted Palms and called his gravity spikes again, demolishing the rest of the grove in a few well-placed lances of goddess-blessed power.
"But it is as you said. Your gravity powers are not meant for harming others." He turned back to her as the fox bounded off, his gaze flicking after it for a moment before returning to rest gently on the starchild. "But it is not too late to train. Defending yourself. Staying alive. These are as important as hurting the Void. Or even moreso." He offered her his large hand, a solemn promise in his voice unlike the humor that had hidden in it when they had played with floating rocks up on her island. "It would be an honor to train together, Seren. Whenever you choose."
He was right, of course. It was not too late to begin training, and perhaps she was wrong to think that there was nothing that could be done to halt the violent tide that rose up against them, ready to break upon their shores. Again the dragon roared from across the sea, encouraging now, and this time Seren allowed her friend - both of them - to lift her spirits.
Accepting the king's hand in hers, her expression warmed at the offer. "You are a kind man, Hadama. Even though you are so busy... of course I will train with you. It will be fun - or at least we can make it fun. But let us complete this stretch of beach first!"
With a deep breath, Seren turned back to the beach, and the specks of infestation that littered it. Squaring her shoulders against the unpleasant nature of their chore, she nevertheless was determined to complete it. Perhaps that was all they really needed to do. Just one small task at a time, over and over again...
Ah, but she wondered. Whether a god's chosen really could afford the kind of priority where staying alive came first and above all else. It was something she would have to discuss with her parents.
Some other time, though. Because she thought she knew what either of them would say on that subject.
[FIN]
I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces Reaching the starlight and silver fields
