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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!
As if Lena had reminded him of his manners, the Dragoon gave the other woman a sheepish grin and an offered hand. "Hi. I'm Zavien." He wanted to ask Tal how they knew each other but decided that they should probably save that for after they solved this 'murder.'
After the first round of interrogations, Zavien seemed to have more questions than answers. Narrowing his eyes, he considered the curiousness of Edith's answer. Why wouldn't she know who she was with? Did she spend that much time with Edgar? It made him wonder if they were looking at a love square instead.
Another question nagged at his mind and he looked back to the suspicious wife for the answer. "What is the story behind this?" He held up the pocket watch, the 'E' prominently etched into its metal. E for Edith? Or Edgar?
Zavien asks if Edith (suspect #1) if she knows anything about the pocket watch (clue #5).
Be like a solid tower whose brave height remains unmoved by all the winds that blow.
Tal beamed as his friends all introduced themselves to each other. It was good for Rhi to meet people from outside of the Shields once in a while! And Zavien and Lena were two of the nicest people he knew.
Unfortunately his smile faded quickly as they started questioning suspects and his initial stab at a guess turned out to be wrong. He glowered at Duke, trying to think of a better question - maybe Duke had been the one to owe Felix? - but before he could get the words out Rhi had come over to help. He flashed her a grateful glance and listened curiously to the questions Lena and Zavien were asking of their respective suspects. Their questions made a lot more sense than his own leap to a conclusion that turned out to be incorrect.
Deciding to keep his mouth shut for the moment, Tal ambled back to the body to pick up the Broken Bottle and examine it for signs that it maybe been used as a weapon, or if it had been broken by being dropped.
Tal goes back for Clue #1 (Broken Bottle)!
As they joined groups, Rhiannon accepted Lena's hand, then Zavien's, and replied, "Rhiannon. Nice to meet you." Even if the strangers were rather more cheerful than they had any right to be, in Rhi's opinion.
Her prior question to Duke yielded more information than Tal's, as the man said, Our families are old friends, so I've known Felix my whole life. I owed him a little money from a poker game a few nights back. I was planning to pay him back at this party, but not so sure I owe money anymore to a corpse.
Lena's question was a good one, and Rhi nodded approvingly before turning her attention to Edgar's response. Yes, I bought it, he told Lena, with a sheepish little smile. Rhi narrowed her eyes, immediately suspicious.
Zavien held up the pocket watch, and Edith blushed faintly as she said, I think it belongs to Edgar. She was not particularly forthcoming with more information, although the shared glance between the two was fairly incriminating.
Tal investigated the broken bottle. Upon further inspection, he may notice a shard of glass left in the chest of the 'body' that had been drawn in chalk upon the ground, almost as though it had been embedded in the body's chest. The label on the bottle identified it as expensive gin.
---
Round 4! You may keep interviewing (and we can keep going) or we can discuss our prime suspect and begin to make a guess at the murderer.
Lena, in full understanding that this was a game, didn’t lose her spark or cheer. “Thank you,” she nodded to Edgar, before coming back to the group.
Figuring they’d be whispering amongst themselves and sharing the information, she considered the options. “So far, I’m thinking its leaning more into the affair angle,” but if anyone else had any other notions, she was eager and ready to listen. “Edgar bought this,” showing the broach, presuming it was for Edith. “I wouldn’t be surprised if either he or Edith were around Felix and left it behind…” and she left those notions there – glancing at the others to see and hear what they thought.
--
Lena shares ideas with the group!
sunlight on mist; summer lightning your choices outweigh your substance
Accepting the introduction, Zavien returned to the 'murder' at hand. His own question hadn't yielded much more, only causing a slight headache at the strangeness of it all. He nodded along with Lena's assessment. The money angle seemed flimsy at best, but the 'love [insert shape here]' was extremely suspicious.
He tried to puzzle it out by talking, rubbing his hand over his stumbled chin with a frown. "Felix somehow ended up in the possession of Edgar's watch, the broach Edgar bought (presumably for Edith based on their trip to the jewelry store), and a letter from Judith to run away with her. We don't know anything about her though. Maybe she wasn't involved?" Uncertain, he continued with a theory, "Do we think Edgar got rid of Felix after he found out about the affair from the broach? Felix could have snagged the pocket watch as he died?" The idea wasn't concrete, making Zavien all the more confused. He waited to hear what the others might think.
Zavien shares his theory.
Be like a solid tower whose brave height remains unmoved by all the winds that blow.
Tal ambled back to rejoin the group and listened with interest to the clues that Lena and Zavien had gathered. Nothing he'd picked up had pointed at a love triangle, and his eyes widened in avid surprise as Lena displayed the broach. Pale eyes turned gratefully to Zavien as the Dragoon summed up their own clues and he started to nod vigorously in agreement. He tried to follow the twisting paths, talking out loud as he tried to make it all make sense to himself, even though it meant repeating what the others had just said.
"So... Felix's wife, Edith, she's been maybe havin' an affair with Edgar... and Felix, he was maybe havin' an affair with this Judith lady an' was gonna run away with her... leastwise, we found a ticket t'Torchline on 'im that'd fit with that letter y'mentioned," he added, nodding to Zavien. "Sounds like the money angle is a dead end. Uh... no offense," he added hastily, realizing the phrasing might be in poor taste, even if it was a game. "So... it's like ya'll said but..." He scowled and rubbed at the back of his neck fiercely as he offered the bottle. "This seems t'be th'murder weapon. Maybe th'club manager saw somethin'? But otherwise..." he hesitated, brows beetling as smoke nearly started pouring from his ears. "I think Lena an' Zavien are right. Why would so much o' Edgar's stuff be around th'body unless he was th'last person around Felix when he bit it? So maybe Felix confronted Edgar an' Edgar panicked an' whacked 'im with th'bottle? 's good gin," he added, a bit of a non sequitur. "Top shelf. Not cheap shit. But if someone's buyin' fancy broaches an' watches an' stuff, I bet they could afford it."
Tal agrees with Lena and Zavien that Edgar is awfully suspicious.
Rhiannon listened to the other's theories, nodding along. They seemed to be a sharp group, and she didn't disagree with any of their analyses. If this were a real investigation, she would have separated the suspects, asked them what happened, and then cross-referenced their stories to see where things aligned and where they didn't. But this was just for fun, and they'd gotten more of a tangled web of stories than anything concrete.
Still, she agreed that the affair angle was likely one to explore, if they had time, but it seemed like things were wrapping up. As other groups began to form around them, discussing their own clues and ideas, Rhi took charge. "Any of the items found around the body could have fallen out of Edgar's or Felix's pocket as they fought," she suggested, turning ideas over in her mind. "But it's helpful to know that the watch and broach were tied to Edgar. I'd say we're on the right track with Edgar. He also gave us the least information, which immediately makes me suspicious he has something to hide. If we're all agreed, we can make an accusation."
With everyone seemingly in concurrence, Rhi waved over the gamemaster. "We'd like to accuse Edgar," she said. "We think he was having an affair with Felix's wife, Felix found out, and there was a fight. The murder weapon was the bottle."
There was a momentary pause, and then the gamemaster cried, We have a winning group! Although, he added, Some of your details are a bit fuzzy. The gamemaster went on to explain that they were correct about the affair, but that there had been a more complex back story involving money owed, threats, and having to choose between ending the affair or paying back what was owed. It was all rather convoluted, if Rhi was being honest, but she supposed that murder was often that way.
With the game concluded, the other patrons began to return to their seats, grumbling that they hadn't won. "Well," said Rhi. "This was... something. It was nice to meet you both," she added to Zavien and Lena. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your night."
---
Yay, you guys got it right! It was Edgar. Leaving this up for a few days for exit posts, if you want!
Discussions and theories surrounded and pervaded, and the Caretaker found herself embroiled and amused by the spectacle, thoroughly embedded in the threads of all these tangled webs. Glad her life wasn’t so damned dramatic, she was content to wait as Rhiannon shared their theory to the gamemaster – then listening on restless excitement to discover they’d be correct. “We did it,” she whispered, mostly to Zavien, grin widening and not really caring that they hadn’t discovered every single detail. It’d been enough. Small victories weren't so easily had lately.
Proud smile worn, she nodded towards Rhiannon and Talyson. “Good work. Pleasant evenings to you too! Let us know if you’re ever in Stormbreak.”
sunlight on mist; summer lightning your choices outweigh your substance
Tal perked up proudly to hear that they had won, even if Zavien and Lena had done most of the heavy lifting with the clues, and Rhi had asked the suspects way better questions. He'd mostly been along as Team Mascot, but hey, he'd take what he could get! Finn probably would've been disappointed in his performance, but it had been ages since he'd assisted Stormbreak's Greatest Detective on a case.
The revelations of all the backstory elements caused his dark brows to beetle together in consternation as the multiple threads wove together as the complicated tale unfolded. "...Huh. Sounds like Felix was a real winner, too." Which was probably more realistic, actually. Everyone involved had been a little - or a lot - morally grey, it seemed. He shook his head and turned back to his friends, expression lightening from his thinking-scowl as Lena smiled at them. "Thanks, Lena! Great seein' y'both tonight!" He reached over to clap Zavien on the shoulder and gave his friend a grin before turning back to Rhiannon.
"I dunno about you, but all that deductin' made me hungry again. Wanna see what's on the dessert menu?"
Ears perked throughout the grand reveal, Zavien was more than happy with how much they'd been able to discover. Sure they hadn't gotten every detail right, but that didn't matter. They had caught the 'true culprit'. Grinning widely with his team, he took a moment to thank the actors for their hard work before gathering with the others. "Nice job team! I know who to call next time there's a murder in Stormbreak." His wink was enough to express that he was joking, even as he clapped Tal back on the shoulder. It had been great to see his friend again, and he made note to do so again soon.
Saying his goodbyes to the others and verbalizing their open invitation to Stormbreak, and his home, Zavien turned back to his lovely date, smiling warmly. "Well that was fun. I'd say we're more sleuth-y than we gave ourselves credit for. Maybe we should host one of these at the White Hart next time. Who got stabbed by one of the many antlers?" Bumping her lightly on the shoulder, he laughed at the thought, basking in their victory just a little longer.
Be like a solid tower whose brave height remains unmoved by all the winds that blow.
It had been a strange game, to be sure, but in the end, it had been fun enough. They bade farewell to Tal's friends, Rhi committing names and faces to memory in case they crossed paths again. She rarely left Halo, but she had plans to travel soon, and it would be nice to know some people out there in the great wide world.
As Lena and Zavien departed, Tal turned back to Rhi, and she rolled her eyes good-naturedly at her friend. "Are you always hungry? I thought you'd grown out of that," she teased. And yet, she was more than content to lead the way back to the bar, where they could hunt down a dessert menu and enjoy an evening of lighthearted sweets.
