Click here for a list of weather descriptions, seasonal festivals, and a real time:site time conversion.
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!
This is a state of grace This is the worthwhile fight
Lyra does not spend much time in bars - particularly not one as prestigious as the Hanged Man. But this is where one of her children insisted on meeting for a quick gift exchange during LongNight, so here she is.
She’s the odd woman out, to be sure, dressed not in the outrageous fashions of the many patrons who are here for the LongNight revelry, but in a simple, modest outfit of soft neutrals and dark jeans. She hugs a tall brunette in the corner, a girl whose quick smile and slender figure are the center point of a small gathering of young adults with whom Lyra does not quite fit in, and then bids her goodbye, LongNight gift given. With that task complete, Lyra makes her way over to the bar. She doesn’t drink much, but she could use something before departing for home.
The drunken clamor around her seems a little quieter by the bar, though that might just be because she’s getting used to it. When the bartender looks her way, she shouts her order - a glass of water, of all things - smiling almost apologetically at the doubtlessly strange request. Then she waits for it to be delivered so that she might drink it and go, eager to get him to her kids.
Love is a ruthless game Unless you play it good and right
LongNight has the Hanged Man packed to the rafters, the air thick with laughter and music, the clink of glasses and the hum of drunken conversations overlapping in a way that would be overwhelming if it weren’t so familiar. The bar itself practically pulses with life, and though Flora could let her staff handle the chaos, she’s never been the type to just sit back and watch.
Which is why, despite the crush of patrons demanding drinks and the occasional flirtatious attempt to tug her into the festivities, she’s the one who sweeps a glass of water off the counter, flashing the bartender a quick grin before slipping through the crowd with effortless ease.
"Alright, who the hell ordered—" She cuts off mid-sentence as her gaze lands on the woman waiting at the bar.
Not a local, that much is clear. The soft neutrals, the simple outfit, the lack of glitter or flashing jewelry that most LongNight revelers had embraced—it all makes her stand out in a way that’s almost ironic. She doesn’t quite fit the scene, and yet, something about her presence is deliberate. Unshaken.
Flora tilts her head, curiosity flickering through her features before she smoothly sets the glass down in front of the woman. "Hate to break it to you, babe, but I think you’re in the wrong bar if you’re trying to stay sober tonight," she teases, her grin playful but not unkind. Folding her arms against the bartop, she lifts a brow, clearly interested. "Not a fan of LongNight partying, or just not a fan of Torchline?"
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat Me and karma vibe like that
This is a state of grace This is the worthwhile fight
Lyra waits for her water, feeling perhaps a bit melancholy beneath her unruffled demeanor. She’s never been one for parties - not because she doesn’t like them, but because she never had the time. Now that she’s in her thirties, she’s afraid that she’s rather missed the boat on learning how to be a LongNight reveler, and she watches those packed into the Hanged Man with something like longing.
The blonde who appears behind the bar is familiar if only because all Torchline should know what their queen looks like, and for a moment, Lyra is humbled to be singled out for conversation. The girl is younger than she’d thought, and playful in a way that reminds Lyra of the children she’s raised over the years. So she laughs, accepting the water with a word of thanks. ”I just stopped by to give a friend a gift,” she explains. ”I have kids to get home to before they get into too much LongNight trouble.” If, of course, they haven’t snuck out already. ”I’ll be out of your hair in a few,” she adds with a wink. At the very least, she can be playful about her lack of interest in getting wasted tonight.
Love is a ruthless game Unless you play it good and right
Flora watches Lyra for a beat, her grin softening into something more knowing. The way the woman’s gaze lingers on the revelry, the flicker of something almost wistful beneath her easy tone—it’s not hard to clock. "Kids, huh?" She tilts her head, amusement threading through her voice. "Sounds like you’ve got your hands full." There’s a playfulness to the words, but also an underlying note of understanding. Because while Flora is certainly not responsible for any children (thank gods), she knows what it’s like to have people depending on her, to always have a reason to be the one in control, the one keeping it all together.
Flicking her gaze back toward the raucous crowd, Flora shrugs, drumming her fingers against the bartop. "Alright well I'll leave you to it." The queen murmurs breezily. "Though if you need a place that's a little bit quieter to wait things out if your friend doesn't show right away, just let me know." The Doubletake wouldn't just let a strange into the Thieves Guild, but there were other backrooms on offer, even if they weren't as decadent or lavish.
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat Me and karma vibe like that
This is a state of grace This is the worthwhile fight
Flora tilts her head, and Lyra grins. ”You’ve no idea,” she says wryly, taking a sip of her water. ”They’re teenagers - both seventeen - so, naturally, they know everything and I know nothing.” She laughs. ”Of course, I do know that Kieran is probably sleeping off the hangover he tried to hide this morning and Ella has probably snuck out by now, so…” She shrugs, no longer able to recall why she is in such a hurry to get back to a quiet house or hunt down a wayward teenager.
In any case, she looks to Flora contemplatively. ”Actually, if you have a second,” she says impulsively. ”What drink would you recommend for someone who doesn’t want to get wasted but wouldn’t mind a little something stronger for LongNight?”
Love is a ruthless game Unless you play it good and right
"Yeah, sounds about right," Flora says with a smirk. "The sneaking out part, at least. The hangovers... eh, maybe less so. I was more of a power through the pain kinda girl." A wink, as if to suggest that maybe she still is.
But when Lyra shifts gears, asking for a recommendation, Flora's smirk tilts toward something genuinely pleased. "Oh, finally, something I can actually help with," she teases, drumming her fingers against the counter before turning toward the shelf behind her, scanning the selection. "Alright, so, you don’t want to get wasted, but you also don’t want to just sip at water all night like some kind of tragic cautionary tale." She taps a finger against her chin, considering.
After a moment, she reaches for a bottle of something golden-hued, pouring a measure of it into a glass before grabbing a second bottle—this one a deep, ruby red. "This," she hums, swirling the first liquid in the glass, "is honeyed whiskey. Smooth, a little sweet, won’t knock you on your ass unless you really go for it." Then, she lifts the second bottle. "And this is spiced mulberry cordial. Gives it a little bit of a kick, but keeps it from being just whiskey, you know?" With an easy, practiced grace, she pours a splash of the cordial over the whiskey, watching the way the red bleeds through the gold before nudging the drink toward Lyra with a satisfied grin.
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat Me and karma vibe like that
This is a state of grace This is the worthwhile fight
Lyra waits for her drink patiently, listening as Flora explains what she’s making. She has to admit that there’s an art to bartending that she previously has not appreciated. When she finally receives the drink, she raises it in a toast to Flora before taking a sip. Her eyebrows shoot upward. ”Oh, that’s good!” she says, something like surprise coloring her tone. She’s not a big drinker (if that isn’t obvious), and what little she has tried in the past was nothing like this. This, she decides, is dangerous.
But just one drink won’t hurt, and then she’ll be headed home to check on her kids. And since Flora said this wouldn’t knock her on her ass… Lyra takes another sip and hums appreciatively. ”Thank you,” she says as her gaze roves over the celebrations taking place around her. ”I appreciate your help. I’ll have to keep this in mind for the future.”
With her drink in hand, Lyra basks in the festivities until she decides it’s time to go. Perhaps one day she will run into Flora again.
fin
Love is a ruthless game Unless you play it good and right
