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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!
Hunting blink hares, Alys decided, was an exercise in futility.
Perhaps it would have been easier if she'd been hunting to kill a blink hare. Then she might have been able to settle somewhere with her bow, content to wait for a hare to show itself in and among the rivers and streams woven between the trees and vines of the Oerwoud. But her task was to catch one. And she'd never tried to catch a wild animal before. Especially not one that could teleport.
But let it not be said that the seer was one to give up when the going got tough. No, she'd been at this for hours, trying one method and then another, and failing miserably at each attempt. At this particular moment, she cursed under her breath as she attempted to set up a snare. Gods only knew what kind of bait she would use to lure one of the creatures into her trap, but before she could get that far, she had to figure out how to make the damned thing work.
The blink hares had to be laughing at her.
This was going to take forever.
ALYS GLASSE
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Thal had never been one for patience. She wanted her foods and rewards immediately. If there was a little entertainment along the way, that was perfect for her. And luckily, hunting wasn't just a practice of patience. It involved skill, blood, and cunning. Most of which, she was more than adequate in.
So even as the elusive blink hares evaded her, she let herself pretend that she was just dragging out the thrill of the hunt, humming casually as she trailed behind their path, flicking her dagger. It sparkled in the little light that filtered through the canopy of trees, a deadly glint suggestive of her plants for the tiny beasts. If it was up to her, they wouldn't last much longer.
A quick glance identified a particularly tall tree perfect for watching for her prey. She gracefully leapt into its branches, scanning the ground as she settled against the trunk. Slicing her knife against the bark, she let the blade ignite to fuel her magic, waiting patiently for the hares to approach.
Alys, on the other hand, was a generally patient person. Oh, she hadn't always been - when she'd first left the Hollowed Grounds in search of a better life, she'd struggled as much as the next person with waiting for things to improve. She'd been particularly hard on herself and her magic, which had largely felt useless in comparison to the grand abilities of others she met along the way. Now, though, with several different magical abilities, and a life that she was happy with, she was more than content.
Wait - her magical abilities. Why hadn't she thought of that sooner?
Finally managing to set a snare that looked like it might work decently well, the seer retreated from sight, placing herself downwind of where she'd last seen the blink hares disappear through the brush. It just so happened that she hid directly beneath the tree that Thalassa had claimed, completely oblivious to the threat lurking above her. Unaware and entirely focused on her trap, she called upon her illusion magic, creating a blink hare of her own in an attempt to lure a real one into her trap.
ALYS GLASSE
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
With her higher vantage point, Thal finally noticed the other occupant of the forest. The woman appeared to be similarly invested in the capture of a blink hare, although she questioned whether it was to eat it considering the snare. Why catch something when you can just kill it? Curious and bored, Thal decided to keep her position hidden, choosing to 'help' the stranger if only to play with her later.
The illusionary hare had her raising an eyebrow in surprise, but she doubted it would be enough to entice the creature. Fear was a stronger motivator. So, as the bright white fur flashed in the corner of her eye, Thal grinned excitedly. Pulling from the flame of the blade, she sent a small fire near the tail of the prey, causing it to startle into the opposite direction, towards them. She continued to guide the fire through the undergrowth, pushing it closer and closer to the snare as it teleported in a zigzag pattern in a futile attempt to escape the heat licking at its heels.
At first, Alys didn't notice the flames. She was too focused on making her blink hare appear realistic, with all the right looks and sounds and smells. It was the smell of something burning that made her look up, the sight of the smoke that clued her in to the fact that the fire was moving - and fast - right towards her. Startled and more than a little concerned - after all, she had no way to fight the flames - she jumped to her feet right as the blink hare appeared from the brush, running from the fire.
The little rabbit hopped this way and that, disappearing and reappearing seemingly at random in something of a zig-zag as it burst into the open. It must have been terrified, the poor thing, for it didn't even seem to notice the seer as it fled the flames - right into the opening of the snare. With a faint snick, the rope slipped shut over the hare's foot, trapping it in place.
Now, a brighter human might have run for it, seeing as the fire was advancing. But Alys had trapped an innocent creature, and she wasn't about to leave it to its fate. Instead, she rushed towards the creature, yanking the dagger from her belt as she reached out to cut the blink hare free.
ALYS GLASSE
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
She got a sick satisfaction from seeing both hare and the woman scramble in panic. Especially as the snare snapped closed around the large rodent, eyes beady and wide with fear. Thal pulled the flame back to her dagger, twirling it in her hand as she remained leaned against the tree. She watched with rapt curiosity to see what the woman would do next, now that her prey was caught.
As she'd suspected, it appeared like there weren't any plans to actually eat the creature. What a waste. And Thal hated to waste a good meal.
Tilting her head, she let her voice carry down to the woman. "Were you planning to set my lunch free? After I worked so hard for it?" A dangerously fanged smile played on her lips, flashing bright in the firelight.
And just as quickly as it had appeared, the flame was gone, leaving Alys staring at the charred greenery and the panicked hare with a somewhat bemused expression, dagger in hand and mouth agape. Well, at least that solved the mystery of where the fire had come from - it had to be magic, if it evaporated into thin air like that. The question now was where it had come from.
Alys didn't have to wait long for the answer. A voice carried across the brush, drawing Alys's attention to a woman nearby with dark hair and brilliant blue eyes. But by far her most interesting feature was the blue-black tail that Alys spotted from behind the stranger. An Ancient, then - and a hungry one. Alys was suddenly quite nervous.
But she wasn't one to be cowed, and she raised a brow at the stranger. "After you worked so hard?" she asked nonchalantly, gripping her dagger a little tighter - just in case. The blink hare struggled and squealed in the snare. Alys ignored it for now. "If I remember correctly, I did the hard work."
ALYS GLASSE
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
The tightening of the woman's grip had Thal grinning further. She let the fire casually play across the blade and her fingers, running and twisting around them as if alive. Although her bloodlust wasn't screaming in her head, its constant presence made it desirable to satiate her growing hunger with something warm and coppery. It just made it more fun that this woman happened to stumble into her path.
A dramatically low hum of melodic consideration started in her throat, almost a purr of wicked satisfaction. "Oh, really? And you think your little illusion magic was going to be enough to lure the hare?" She leapt down from the tree, her feet barely making a sound in the undergrowth. Flicking her dagger in her hand, she circled the pair, her blue eyes gleaming with mischief. "Without my flames, you never would have caught the creature. But now you insult me by wanting to release it?" Thal clicked her tongue with disapproval. "How will we ever solve this transgression?"
What was a fun interaction for Thalassa was decidedly not fun for Alys, and as the Ancient leaped from the tree and stalked around her like a cat with a mouse, the seer watched her warily, growing more and more nervous as the minutes passed. As Thalassa openly mocked her illusion magic - which Alys had always been sensitive about - her cheeks heated and her grip tightened impossibly further on her dagger. She didn't like where this was going. She didn't like where this was going at all.
How had she gotten herself into this mess, without anyone around to even hear her scream?
She spared a glance for the blink hare, which seemed to have given up on escape and crouched against the soil, twitching and quivering in fear and exhaustion. It seemed cruel to leave it to its fate. For all she knew, the woman who circled them liked to play with her food, and Alys was loathe to allow the creature to suffer. She wasn't opposed to hunting - she'd hunted for herself, sometimes, back in Halo. If Thalassa wanted the poor thing for a meal, the seer didn't have a problem with that, per se... but she wasn't inclined to join the animal in death. And something about the way Thalassa watched her made her feel like such an ending was very possible in this scenario.
It took great effort for Alys to step away from the hare, gesturing to it with her blade. She struggled to sound nonchalant as she said, "By all means, don't let me get in your way." She prayed that Thalassa wouldn't see the way her fingers shook slightly as she sheathed her dagger. If she needed it again, her telekinesis would draw it and wield it in a flash, but she hoped that if she backed down, so, too, would the Ancient.
ALYS GLASSE
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Thal finally paused her stalking, scrutinizing the woman as she hummed thoughtfully. The words she spoke suggested acquiescence, but the tension of her body and conflicting concern of her eyes gave Thal the impression that it came with great difficulty. It made her smile curve higher. "Hmm. Maybe there is hope for you." However, someone who could be so easily frightened to go against their instincts wasn't a lot of fun to play with.
Letting her fire wink out, she made her way to the terrified blink hare, crouching to stare into the cage as she dismissed the woman. "I'll let you off the hook for now, but I expect better next time we work together." Her grin was sharp and confident. Caido was small, and she had no doubt they would cross paths again. Maybe the entertainment would last longer next time.
She waited until the stranger had left, keeping her eyes on the quivering creature. Sure, Thal could be cruel and snappish, but her enjoyment came from worthy opponents, ones who could fight back. This shivering mess of fur was anything but, its beady eyes nearly white with fear. The image tainted the moment with guilt and pity. Sighing, she briefly considered letting it go despite her previous words, yet the opportunity to dampen her growing bloodlust was too good. That didn't mean she had to prolong the hare's suffering. Glancing around to make sure the woman had gone, Thal whispered, "Don't worry. I'll make it quick." She then swiped her dagger across its jugular, lifting it out of the snare to suck the lifeblood from it. Whether it was still too scared to move, or resigned to its fate, the blink hare didn't fight.
