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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!
03-10-2025, 09:38 PM (This post was last modified: 03-16-2025, 09:23 AM by Astaroth.)
if you could find your way inside you'd have to find a way to stay alive
Leaving the shrine and bolstered with the warmth from his favored goddess, the butcher prolongs his stay in the warmth of the Climb. Avoiding any previous spaces that might reflect memories he’d rather not recall too soon (quests aside and all that), he strides toward the hot springs, a space he hasn’t been to in some time, but one that he figures is worth the visit just in case after what had occurred in the Grounds over LongNight.
Having been woefully unprepared for a swim, the butcher initially seeks out his fyrhund shift when he feels a sparkle of something different. Something vastly changed from the typical shifts he’d always harbored under his skin. This one is new. So as he eyes the pools of the hot springs, he plucks that shiny new chord, and has a moment to inspect what exactly he’s become.
The first thing he notices are hooves where paws or claws typically reside. Then, as the echo of his hooves reverberates around the walls of the hot springs, he drifts close to the lightly rippling edge, garnering a glimpse at his reflection – of long, dark fur, surrounded by the air of fire from the multipronged antlers, so like his own but larger, extended, bright.
Needless to say, the butcher is delighted by this turn of events, and it bolsters his mood for drifting into the water, dark eyes peeled for any lilies of note.
Ever since her meeting with Hadama and Maea, Thal has been feeling somewhat excluded from everything. Sure, she's taking steps to make a place for herself in the world, but she hasn't really been 'accepted' into any of the inner workings. As a Captain, she isn't used to being the last person to know anything on her ship, but things feel different on land. People were becoming more secretive and hesitant to trust her. She couldn't necessarily blame them for that - she is a pirate after all - yet it frustrates her to be left so out of the loop.
If only to prove she can do something other than steal, Thal decides to spend her free afternoon stepping through the portal at the Grounds and into the Climb, eyes set on Frey's Breath and the elusive flowers that supposedly grow there. Her usual cloak is thrown about her shoulders, hair twisting down her back in rivulets as she steps into the heat of the familiar cavern. Her bootsteps stop short when she notices a peculiar glow through the clouds of steam. She narrows blue eyes, hands drifting to her daggers, fully aware that even though the Climb may be the 'home' of the Ancients, that didn't mean it was always safe.
if you could find your way inside you'd have to find a way to stay alive
It was relatively common for the hot springs to not be so desolate – so the feirw thinks nothing of the sound of approaching footsteps, not while the butcher’s too busy wading in the warmth of the springs in search for the lilies that he’d certainly seen more of an abundance of centuries ago. For now, though, he comes up empty, twisting himself to peer back at the figure that seems to have slowed, peering through the moving mist to find quite the familiar face.
Horns aflame, the butcher lowers his head slightly – the bottom of it brushing against the surface of the water before the deer turns around completely, heading back toward Thalassa, slowly as if not to startle her. There’s a certain kind of understanding in his gaze that he hopes is portrayed in the slow movements of his steps, waiting until he’s sure only his boots will remain wet when he hesitates shifting back into himself, waiting as if to see what the Captain might do, whether those daggers would find their way into his skin or if she'd also meet him halfway in this stalemate.
Between the waves of mist, she catches sight of the culprit, a feirw wading through the waters. The glow of its horns reflects on the surface that ripples around its thin legs, making the water look more like lava as it glances back at her. It seems strange to her, that it would choose to risk putting out its flames or encountering a violent Ancient in the populated springs, but Thal also hasn't seen many of the creatures before. Perhaps they're dumber than she might think. However, something in the way it moves, almost carefully towards her, its eyes deep with intelligent understanding, makes her pause.
Thal relaxes her arms, certain she could char the creature if it chooses to charge her as she steps slightly closer to it. There's a questioning in her eyes as she tilts her head, curious as to whether this is an Ancient or a particularly strange feirw without a sense of self-preservation.
if you could find your way inside you'd have to find a way to stay alive
It is a stalemate, and the butcher loosens a slow and calm breath – exhaling slowly from his nose before he starts to shift back into himself. Only his boots remain wet as he steps out of the edge of the springs toward Thalassa, the sharp grin in place as he inclines his head toward her. “Hello darling, I appreciate you not utilizing those on me – I’ve seen the damage you can do with them.” His grin sharpens a touch before a low hum of a chuckle leaves him.
It's a tired one, one that ends with a soft sigh as he glances back toward the springs and his ashen, spaded tail flits in a gesture that’s surprisingly unsure. “Would you care to look for some lilies with me? They appear to be quite the elusive flora.” His nose wrinkles, before he inclines his horned head back toward her – bearing antlers quite similarly to the feirw shift he’d just worn.
Whether or not she does want to, the butcher turns on his heel and starts to head out around the edge of the pool this time.
