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Character of the Season
Frail in body but dangerously quick of mind, Nikandr is the sort of character who proves that curiosity can be just as perilous as any weapon. A necromancer, inventor, and problem-solver with more ambition than self-preservation, Niki approaches the world like a puzzle box begging to be opened, even when what’s inside has teeth. Blunt, dry-witted, fiercely independent, and carrying a history best left partially buried, he has a knack for making even failure feel fascinating. Whether he’s raising the dead, moving across Caido to King's End, or experiencing a hangover for the first time, Nikandr brings a wonderfully strange spark to Caido, and we can’t wait to see what trouble his brilliant mind wanders into next.
Congratulations, Niki!
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!
You'd think there wouldn't be much to do for Torchline to get ready for Longnight, and whilst no, there's no biting cold to protect against and no shortage of food or medicine (or liquor), that doesn't mean they don't have their own version of preparation. Longnight is an excuse for a week-long party, after all, with bonfires scattered far across the coast - and for that many fires to burn consistently, you either need a lot of magic or a lot of firewood.
It's never too early to start collecting the latter, and so Ronin finds himself quite regularly combing the stretch of beach in front of where the Northaven is moored for driftwood and other suitable kindling. He's not the only one out here this morning either - a few children nearby are also grabbing up odd sticks, though they've recently been distracted in using the would-be kindling to make a flag and some turrets for a shell covered sandcastle.
Smirking to himself as he turns back to his own task, Ronin grabs at a larger bit of driftwood and begins to drag it up the beach towards the foliage, where the tide won't eat at it and it will have a proper chance to dry out. His feet are bare and his sweater pushed to the elbows, the Knight looking like a strange and castaway sailor as he plods across the soft sand.
09-01-2025, 10:59 AM (This post was last modified: 09-01-2025, 12:17 PM by Kaisel.)
Got a spark in your heart so strike it
His navy blue pull-over hoodie has large, bold font across the back that says 'HADAMA', and below it, in smaller and much more delicate type, 'the Tidebreaker' curls poetically. On the front, in paler blues and whites, an image of Hadama's stony face is depicted. It sits overtop his gray sweats, each an effort to fend off the chill that sweeps up from the cool sea. He is still wearing slides though, because fuck walking through sand in sneakers, it gets all up in the laces and the cracks and coats the inside permanently with beach glitter. He does however, have on toe socks to compete with the chill of the exposed shoe, designed to look like a shark is swimming up his ankle to bite his legs where it vanishes under the roll of his pants.
At his side he's lugging a wagon that looks more like a child's toy than anything else, but he's loaded it up with driftwood and twigs as he plods along. He'd told the town he'd help, so he's on driftwood duty, since his suggestion of stockpiling gummy worms didn't earn a lot of favorable responses. Occasionally, he stoops to pluck up a pretty shell or glint of sea glass, stuffing those treasures in his sweatshirt pocket, his collection giving his step a mild jingle.
He passes the kids and their castle with a wave, although he has to trade a few of his pieces for some seashells in order to make it past without being shot, which seems fair. He does pick up his pace though, not certain they wouldn't rush him from behind and take his entire wagon like some sort of seaside heist. "Hey!" he calls out when he sees Ronin, figuring another adult might make the children reconsider. He waves with one of his freshly claimed sticks, the seaweed still curled around it like a wet, limp, flag. "You got DD too?" he asks, a bit breathless from giving urgency to a very non-urgent wagon.
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Ronin hears the call of the children as they apparently force another beach-goer to pay their toll, a smile on his lips as he stoops for another bit (read: log) of driftwood. Only as he straightens back up does he hear Kaisel's call, the Knight turning and shielding his eyes against the morning sun to spot the boy lugging his cart and waving his own driftwood offering like a slimy flag.
"Hey," he calls back - and grins to the children over Kai's shoulder as well, as if to dissuade them from ransacking the cart with little more than a cheerful disposition and the knowledge that he's seen their faces and could likely locate their parents. "What's DD when it's at home?" he asks, hefting the log over one shoulder and starting to pull it towards the foliage where he's deposited the rest of the wood he's found so far.
"Driftwood... dragging?" He guesses with a grin over his shoulder. "There's a load more down there if you want to join me. Small enought to fit in your cart." He nods down the beach - away from the kids, thankfully.
09-01-2025, 12:28 PM (This post was last modified: 09-01-2025, 12:29 PM by Kaisel.)
Got a spark in your heart so strike it
"Close," he grins, eyebrows rising right along with the twig Ronin hoists up effortlessly. "Driftwood Duty," he declares in answer. "Although, I would also have accepted, Debris Drafting, or Dry Docking." Which, now that he's said the last one out loud, he actually wouldn't accept at all and scrunches up part of his face in disagreement, especially when conversation turns to loads. Small enough is helpful though.
Kaisel's eyes turn the way Ronin directs, and he nods, pivoting his wagon in a graceless struggle. "Oh yeah, sure!" Strong or not, all the little bits of wood are still a pain in the ass to gather, requiring time more than anything. "So, I just moved here," he says easily, like it didn't require completely shifting major parts of his life. "I heard there's a week-long rager," case in point, the kindling. "Aside from fires and drinks, anything to prepare for, like kids trying to take out your knees?" If his gaze darts back towards the sea urchins playing, it's not because he's scared of kids.
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
"Driftwood duty," Ronin clarifies with an animated raise of his eyebrows in response, "I should've guessed. Not sure about that last one, but I'll also take Debris Drafting." His nose scrunches of its own accord even as Kaisel's expression twists into something very similar. Dropping the log with its brother in the dry foliage, Ronin pads back across the sand in time to see Kai hauling the cart around. "Here, I can help," he offers, moving to the back of the cart to push it at the same time as Kaisel pulls.
"Ah, you did? Congratulations on never having to deal with a freezing cold Deepfrost again." He grins. "You'd be right about the rager. Longnight at Torchline is like nothing you'll ever see anywhere else." Once they've gotten the cart down the beach, Ronin helps to tug it to a stop, arranging the driftwood inside so they can fit more into it. He gestures along the stretch of coast behind them.
"You'll see bonfires all along here - only source of light on the beach," Ronin explains. "Some of the more keen ones will spend the whole week out here, stocking up on booze and bringing down blankets and pillows and tents. Make sure to stock up on food as well, though, if you decide to do that. There are people selling stuff, but they can be hard to chase down in the dark."
Wheels and sand don't exactly get along, especially once weight get's added to the mix, so Ronin's assistance with the cart makes a huge difference. So too would an investment in a better wagon, but that's a solution for a different day. A laugh huffs free at the congratulations, "yeah, might avoid a bruised tailbone for once this year, with no iced over streets to worry about." Although he would be visiting Stormbreak to continue to assist with repairs, so perhaps he just jinxed himself. The risk is significantly reduced, at least.
As they reach all the scattered driftwood pieces, Kaisel gathers them up steadily. He lifts each one for brief inspection, shaking off any small crabs or brittle stars still clinging to them. "Sounds like something worth seeing," he admits as he glances over at the stretch of beach, trying to picture a field of bonfires and yurts. Once Ronin's organized his collection he adds the new armfuls to it, careful to maintain the system that's been laid out. "Hopefully people still uh, leave to shower and shit." And the shit is rather literal, because unless everyone's running into the freezing water to drop their pants, the long festival sounds like it'll end in stinky mayhem before long. He's down to celebrate, but he's never quite seen a party last beyond a day or two, and with darkness stretching out long enough to keep bad decisions burning, it sounds like a future regret. "I'm guessing the details have all been worked out though, if it's tradition." Not just some music festival popping up in the desert, run by inexperienced hands, but other similarities are there.
One of the sticks he picks up he swings around like a sword, vanquishing some imaginary Longnight ruffian before placing it in the wagon. "Guessing most of the shopkeeps are there too, so probably have to prepare for it one way or another, yeah? Hopefully everyone's chill and gets along." Generally large crowds of people for extended periods of time, neighbors or not, tends to get rowdy, especially when drunk. Maybe he's too used to the Silk Houses though.
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
"No, but you might still end up with bruises depending on how you decide to spend Longnight. Falling in the sand is unforgiving if you can't see the rocks," Ronin says playfully, brushing the sand from his hands before joining Kaisel in the driftwood hunt. Between them they're able to work a lot more quickly, though the Knight does isolate a couple of obnoxiously large pieces that he'll drag up to the fringes of the beach with the others once they're done.
Humming his agreement - a sight worth seeing is an understatement - the Knight can't help the laughter that rumbles up in his chest at Kai's concerns. "I imagine most of them do, yeah. Or at the very least they end up splashing in the shallows at some point." He shrugs. "You get plenty of people patrolling the shores making sure no one does anything too stupid and breaking up fights if they happen. I might join them this year."
Grinning at the imaginary monster Kaisel slays, Ronin tilts his head. "Maybe you can too, if you're keen," he suggests.
"The patrols, or the fights?" he asks of joining, a grin sweeping in, because, yes. He definitely had not considered that he might be needed to police the event though, but that seems exactly like job for the low man on the totem pole, of which he's lucky he's not buried in sand for how low he is after moving into the ranks here. Good thing he's an adept climber.
With the loss of his sword, he picks up another new piece, one full of pockets that sand tumbles from in sheets. It looks more like braided wood. "I'm sure I will for some of it," he confirms as he holds up the wooden piece and stares down the sights of it towards Ronin. A crab warns him away with a raised claw, but a fierce shake sends it sailing before Kaisel deposits the firewood in the wagon. "I'm guessing not many want to, since they'd miss out on the party, but I wouldn't mind." Could help prove his commitment to the job, at the very least.
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
"Yes," Ronin says with a mischievous smile and a decisive nod. "Though I admit it'll get confusing if one second I'm dragging you out of a tousle and the next you're helping me stop a new one, so maybe avoid getting too fighty." Laughing warmly, he leans down to grab up a new bit of driftwood half buried in the sand - and he can't help but jump away a bit with it as Kaisel shakes the crab off his own find.
"You'd be surprised," he admits. "Though with this being the first Longnight since the Family left, I feel like things could get wild, any time you can spare will be appreciated." Depositing the wood in the wagon, Ronin pauses with a hand on the side of it. "Speaking of which - you were a dragoon, right? I've got a pet project you might be interested in, if you want to keep your skills sharp."
A rich laugh follows Ronin's answer and Kaisel shakes his head a bit. "I'm just saying, I bet whoever I'm punching deserves it, but fair enough." Much as he enjoys a good brawl, it's usually been on the training mat or the Silk House rings, where generally everyone has entered the fight intentionally and willingly. Not that some haven't been backed by a bit of anger or spite from time to time, nothing quite so drastic as a conflict spilling over at a party. With limited options for breaking up fights, except for the dance battle he conjured for an argument in Stormbreak once, he might end up swinging one way or another.
"Yeah, I'll do it," he agrees, smile softening with the weight of ensuring safety of this new group of people. Not much better use for getting stronger than exactly that though. He thumps another sandy log off on his thigh, absently keeping hold of it as Ronin pauses. "Yeah," he agrees, clearly confused. "Don't see what that has to do with pets though. I mean, I got my married pair of pet rocks and a plant, but anything else I'm not sure I'm your guy."
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
"It'll be too dark to confirm it either way," Ronin agrees with a smirk and a shrug of his shoulder. "Though I guess that means you should doublecheck before you throw a punch, in case they really don't deserve it." He grabs up a few more bits of driftwood to add to the cart, before glancing around as if to spy any more, but he thinks they've all but raked this part of the beach clear by now.
"I look forward to seeing you out there," he adds, nodding towards Kai, before his expression clouds with something that's really fighting to understand the boy's tangent, Ronin straightening up and tilting his head. "...Right. It was a figure of speech," he says slowly, biting back the smile on his face. "Anyway - what I mean to say is I'm starting a training grounds here in Torchline. A space where people can learn to spar, or just keep honing their skills, if you're want in."
He stares back a bit expectantly at Ronin, but the confusion that he finds there is one that echoes back in him. It's brief, just a wag of the 'brows, before Ronin tugs the thread apart and Kaisel's forced to a fool's grin. "Oooooooh," he says sheepishly, a hand running through his hair like it might reset his mind to something better. "That makes more sense," he agrees with a faint chuckle. Admittedly, last time they'd been dealing with a whole pack of maniacal dogs, so it's not really a stretch, right? Ronin could have a dog walking hobby or secretly enjoy training cats. Who knows what goes on in people's homes.
Moving swiftly past the dawn of realization, a speed that comes with the practice of doing so, Kaisel brightens considerably at the offer. Clearly someone noticed and appreciated his stellar muscles. "Hell yeah dude! I'm always down to train, that'd be so fire." He raises a hand towards Ronin, too angled to be a high five, clearly an offer for dapping up.
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
"Sorry not to be able to add anything further to your pet rock family," Ronin says with a grin, "though they're also welcome to stop by and train if that's what you feel is best." He almost regrets it as soon as he says it - images of said pet rocks flying towards opponents as they 'attack' flood his mind - but it's far too late now.
Either way, at least Kai seems to be on board, and the Knight is brightening as well before he raises his hand and has to really think for a moment, before slapping his fingers against the ex-dragoon's. "You could probably teach newcomers a thing or two as well, with everything you've already learned," he adds. "If you'd want to, obviously. I'll let you know when I'm getting the place up and running."
Although it's kind for Ronin to offer to include Steve and Ruby, they're far too invested in expanding their minds to be bothered with physical training. They've taken 'dumb as rocks' to heart and read an impressive variety of genres each day, from the back of cereal boxes to the encyclopedia of dragons, and every manner of novels and historical texts in-between. They might need a little pebble one day, but for now they're content to deepen their relationship and their understanding of the world.
The moment Ronin's fingers connect with his hand, Kaisel curls his over and yanks Ronin into a shoulder bump, his other hand clapping the man on the shoulder before he's leaning back with a grin, the whole ordeal finished. His expression reaches even new heights of awestruck excitement as Ronin suggests he teach someone, which implies he's seen as good enough to teach someone, which implies he's a badass. "I would totes level up some newbies!" he crows, standing a bit straighter. "I can teach 'em how to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge!" He's beaming, ad there's definitely no taking that back.
"Yea yea yea, let me know when it's ready and I'll be there. Lemme go drop this wood off for now. THANKS Ronin!" He leaves the more capable demigod with the larger pieces before turning to trot with newfound gusto up the beach, his wagon teetering along behind him, half on the edge of tipping over the entire time.
[FIN]
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
