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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!
Against her better judgment, Sohalia had invited Flora for a picnic at the Sunken Gardens after finding herself unable to stay away from her friend for long, even if she was infected. It was all set up: a blanket on the grass, right by the edge of a drop off into the water, so that they could dangle their legs in if they chose; an array of Flora's favorite snacks; a bottle of white wine, already uncorked and with two glasses waiting to be filled. Soh herself was dressed comfortably in a cute floral ensemble and had tied her curls up in a ponytail, which cascaded over one shoulder in a golden wave. All in all, it was the perfect picnic, a picturesque location in which to dish the latest gossip.
And for Soh to check in on Flora. To see if Jack was still keeping his distance, or if there had been any movement on that front. She hadn't heard from Hadama or the captain, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to or not. What she wanted more than anything was for her best friend to be back to normal, but there was nothing she could do about that without a rose.
As Soh waited for Flora, she noticed that they wouldn't be alone. There were several other travelers who had taken up residence around the Sunken Gardens, enjoying the beautiful spring day. Soh watched them idly; one person seemed to be gearing up to swim, while a couple nearby cuddled under a large oak tree. She looked away before they got up to anything spicy, gazing instead at the water and some of the whisper fish that had come to say hello.
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
Flora approaches the Sunken Gardens with a pace that’s just slightly too brisk, an energy about her that’s as vibrant as it is slightly disheveled. Her hair, usually so meticulously styled, hangs in loose, untamed waves that suggest she might’ve rushed out the door—or perhaps skipped a few steps in her usual grooming routine. Her clothing is casual, a simple sundress that swirls around her knees, bright and floral, echoing the gardens around them but with a few wrinkles betraying a less than careful preparation.
Despite this, the moment she spots Sohalia, her face lights up with a radiant smile, the kind that reaches her eyes and seems to push aside any shadows that might linger there. "Soh!" she exclaims, her voice carrying easily despite the other side conversation going on. Her steps quicken, and when she reaches the blanket, she doesn’t sit down immediately. Instead, she bends over to envelop Sohalia in a warm, enthusiastic hug, nearly toppling over in her eagerness.
"Look at this setup! You’ve outdone yourself," Flora says as she finally settles down onto the blanket, her gaze sweeping over the array of snacks and the uncorked bottle of wine with genuine appreciation. She kicks off her shoes almost thoughtlessly and swings her legs over the edge of the drop-off, letting them dangle above the water.
Flora’s attention then drifts towards the other visitors in the gardens, noting their presence with a nonchalant shrug. "Seems we’re not the only ones with the idea to enjoy the day."
When Flora appeared, there was something just so slightly off about her appearance that Soh couldn't quite put a finger on. She was still stunning, but her hair was a bit disheveled, and her simple sundress a little wrinkled, and there was just a general wrongness that set Soh immediately on edge. Still, she hugged her friend fiercely, laughing as Flora nearly toppled over in her enthusiasm. If nothing else, at least that hasn't seemed to change. Joining Flora in tossing her legs over the edge, Soh grinned. "Well, you've always got my favorites, so I figured it was your turn to be spoiled."
Soh's eyes drifted across the Sunken Gardens, and she shrugged at Flora's observation. "It's a beautiful day," she pointed out. "And people don't really come to the Greatwood anymore. Makes sense to take some time to play the tourist." Then she leaned forward conspiratorially. "Just means that we'll have to share gossip quietly, unless we want to be overheard."
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
Flora chuckles, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she leans in, matching Sohalia's conspiratorial posture. "Oh, you know me, I'm all about the secrets today," she says, her voice dropping to a playful whisper. Her gaze briefly sweeps over the nearby picnickers, ensuring their privacy before she continues. "Besides, who doesn't love a bit of mystery with their cheese and grapes?"
She grabs a grape from the array of snacks and pops it into her mouth, her expression one of exaggerated delight as she savors the taste. "Seriously, Soh, this is perfect. You really do know how to make a day special." Her tone softens, infused with genuine warmth as she acknowledges her friend's efforts.
At Flora's playfulness, Soh made a noise that, in a less attractive girl, might have been labeled a snort. "It's the perfect combination, obviously." Soh selected a strawberry, ripe and red, and savored its sweetness. Pouring two glasses of wine, she handed one to the Doubletake as she took a sip of her own.
"Actually -" she started, fully intending to tell Flora about her run ins with Koa, when suddenly a shriek split the air. Soh was on her feet in a flash, tension in every line of her body. Images of the battle with the yeti and watching her own blood spray across the snow appeared in her mind's eye, and she shoved them aside as she looked around.
There - in the water. The person who'd elected to go swimming flailed from the depths, surrounded by what was clearly a pack of echo sharks. Odd, that they'd gotten so close, but they must have lured the person into the water - and Soh wasn't about to sit idly by when there was something she could do.
"I have to help them!" she told Flora, then jumped into the water.
Shifting rapidly, it was as a starknight swordfish that she sliced through the depths, straight for the pack of echo sharks and their prey.
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
As Sohalia leaps into the water, Flora's reaction is instantaneous if only because of how quickly the Luminary had sprung into action. Rather than jumping in, the queen reaches for her daggers. Her gaze sharpens, locking onto the echo sharks circling in the water, her mind calculating distances and trajectories in a split second. "I got your back, babe," Flora calls out. She positions herself at the edge of the drop-off, her body coiled with tension, ready to strike. With expert precision, she pulls out one of her feathered daggers, the blade glinting menacingly in the sunlight. Her fingers adjust on the handle, finding the balance point with practiced ease.
As one of the sharks darts dangerously close to Sohalia, Flora's arm snaps forward in a fluid, powerful motion. The dagger slices through the air, spinning end over end before striking the water with a sharp splash, mere inches from the shark's sleek body. The creature veers off, startled by the sudden intrusion into its path.
Flora doesn't pause to watch. She grabs another dagger, her eyes flicking between Sohalia and the struggling swimmer, her every sense attuned to the movement in the water. Another echo shark lunges, its movements quick and predatory, and again, Flora throws her dagger. This time, her aim is true, and the blade nicks the shark's fin, sending it scurrying away into the deeper water.
There's still the swimmer to contend with, and without the attuned bond Flora has no idea what it is her bestie has planned or what else she can do to help the Luminary.
An echo shark darted closer and immediately peeled off, one of Flora’s daggers having scared it off. Sohalia ignored it, her sleek body slicing through water to get closer to the flailing swimmer. She didn’t have a specific plan in mind, which, in retrospect, seemed like a questionable thing - but if she could get close to the swimmer, maybe she could protect him long enough for him to reach the shore.
The trick, of course, would be doing so without eliciting the rage of the echo sharks. As she approached, a few peeled off from the group to investigate the newcomer in the water, and Soh flicked her tail to surge past them. Her swordfish form was large enough that they weren’t inclined to attack her, it seemed, opting for the easier prey of the flailing swimmer, and they quickly surged back towards the poor man, who seemed to have gotten confused about which the shore was.
Soh forced her way through the echo sharks, cursing silently since there were too many for her to effectively compel them all away. Why did these things have to fun in packs?
When she’d gotten to the swimmer’s side, she used a fin to tap him in the right direction, beginning to all but push him in the direction of shore. Hopefully Flora could try to keep the bigger sharks from taking a chance on the swordfish; Soh wasn’t in the mood to get bitten today.
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
Flora watches from her perch, breath held tight in her chest as Sohalia’s sleek form slices through the water. The swimmer flails like a drunken fish, making himself exactly the kind of snack that drew the sharks closer, and Flora doesn’t dare blink as she lines up her next throw. "Come on, come on..." she murmurs under her breath, eyes tracking the glinting fins that fan out around Soh like knives in the water. A flicker of movement to her left draws her focus—one of the larger echo sharks swerving back in for a second pass.
The queen doesn’t hesitate. Her third feathered dagger spins from her hand with a smooth, sharp motion, and it thunks into the water just past the creature’s eye-line, a calculated near miss that sends another shock ripple through the predatory rhythm of the water.
"Stay off her, Flipper," she snaps, even though she knows the thing can’t hear her. Another shark tries to break from the group and Flora recalls her daggers all at once. She's not trying to kill them—it's doubtful she could with just her daggers—but she can damn well make the little bastards think twice about going after her friend.
With her daggers now back in her hand, Flora mutters a quick curse, eyes darting between Sohalia and the swimmer. They’re getting closer to the shore, gods willing, and all Flora can do now is buy them the final few seconds they need.
It was amazing, really, how clearly the thunk of Flora's daggers hitting the water traveled underwater. Soh heard another close by, then a flash of scales as one of the echo sharks flitted away. Soh would say one thing for Flora: even infected, she was a wonderful ally to have when in a pinch.
The idiotically flailing human finally seemed to grasp that the swordfish was trying to help him, and he floundered towards shore as Soh shoved him along from behind. They were growing closer to the shallows - and this would be the really tricky part, because Soh's form would easily become stranded in the shallower water, making her a target. As her movements became jerky, splashing water everywhere, she shifted back into her human form, doing her best not to inhale until her head had cleared the surface of the water.
Fortunately, she and the swimmer seemed to have made it far enough towards the shore that the echo sharks could no longer follow. As she shoved the man further towards dry land, Soh stood, knee-deep in water, and glared at the pack that floundered in the shallows. "Serves you right," she grumbled. "Now go bother someone else!"
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
Whether I'm gonna curse you out or Take you back to my house
"Gods, Soh!" Flora’s voice rings out from the shore, high and taut with adrenaline as she scrambles down the rocks toward the water’s edge. Her boots slip slightly in the damp sand, but she’s already stashing her daggers, sprinting the last few steps until the cold spray kisses her legs. She doesn’t care about the soaked hem of her pants or the flecks of salt catching in her curls. Her eyes are fixed on Sohalia, wild with worry despite the bravado she’s been leaning on like a crutch. "Are you okay?" she breathes, scanning the other woman for signs of injury, hands hovering like she might need to reach out but isn’t sure where. "No bites? No puncture wounds? No weird shark curses or lingering trauma?" This was the Greatwood after all.
Her gaze flicks toward the struggling swimmer now flopping inelegantly onto the sand, but she doesn't spare him more than a cursory glance. He’s alive. Mission accomplished.
"You scared the shit out of me," she mutters, voice still pitched high with the remnants of fear. Then, without waiting, she lunges forward to pull Sohalia into a soaking, saltwater hug, as fierce and fast as the tides. And with that, the moment hangs—somewhere between laughter and breathlessness, the kind of relief that only comes when danger has finally passed. The sharks churn uselessly in the shallows, the idiot swimmer coughs up half the ocean on the sand, and Flora just stands there, arm around her best friend, salt stinging her eyes, heart pounding a little too hard in her chest.
