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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!
I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes
Ronin, evidently, is still operating under old trauma responses, because before he leaves for the Aumakua to call upon his new patron deity, he kisses Remi long and hard, and asks him to keep an eye on the clock case he doesn't come back in good time and needs rescuing. Then, under the bright light of dawn - another change, for he has rarely seen the lighthouse in daylight, the Knight approaches with his offerings in hand.
A white pillar candle, a vial of fountain water, a small pot of freshly sprouted sage and some fragrantly burning incense are set out upon the altar of a shrine he knows well, and though his hands shake a fraction, he steels himself and sits back upon his knees.
"Vi," he says, speaking the name into life with his eyes gently closed. "I petition a moment of your time, if you please."
Ronin would like to roll for Vi! If he doesn't succeed, I'd like to use his 1 x IC year pass to speak with daddy life.
"Then a moment of my time you shall have, White Knight."
Although Ronin hasn't specifically arranged them in this way, his offerings are suddenly at four equidistant places against the shrine, like points on a compass. Vi appears between them without pomp or dramatics; he simply is, dark eyes upon his supplicant demigod to hear what he has to say.
"You are planning an assault on Starfall." Ronin's thoughts are like an open book to the God of Life, the same as they have been to every herald and god he's spoken to since arriving on Caido. "Speak, then, of your plans."
Ronin has used his once per IC pass to speak with Vi.
I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes
Feeling a shiver pass over his skin as the God of Life arrives before him, Ronin blinks his eyes open and takes a long, deep breath before raising his gaze to Vi. As mercurial and solid a presence as he has ever been, only now (when his life is not literally on the line) can the Knight appreciate the gravitas the god carries with him. Whereas Safrin had always inspired passion and terror in equal measure, for the first time in a long time, Ronin feels grounded. Safe.
"Thank you," he murmurs, bowing his head once more and beginning. "After what happened to my husband when he visited the island, I've preached caution more than anything. But after the dreams that occurred over Longnight... I believe that as a group, taking all we have, we need to try." Might. It's not how Ronin likes to operate, but it's all he's got right now. "We all plan to meet later this season, to discuss our strategies. Not all demigods are strong enough to take on Starfall currently, but there are others still who have been through war, people I'd trust with my life."
Exhaling softly, he comes to the crux of the matter. "I've seen first hand what can happen to someone who sets foot on that island. Is there anything we might do to even the odds? To increase our chances of making it out of there alive?" Or even making it in alive?
Vi listens, patient as the ages and without emotion, though that does not mean he is unfeeling. (On the contrary - there is a reason for his stoic exterior, and so long as it is in place, Ronin might consider that all is well with the God of Life).
Nodding once, he steps down from the shrine and before his White Knight, reaching out to rest a large hand upon Ronin's shoulder. "One of those you mentioned has received similar information from Safrin. But this, in particular, will aid you in your attempt on the island. Go safely, and do not be reckless."
Silently the information transfers from deity to demigod, to be used as Ronin sees fit.
Honey has used critical plot info for this!
In order to create an area of safety within Starfall, you must obtain one of the following.
1. An item created via a Regional Quest with one of the Big Three gods. (This is similar to any RQs to create barriers against the void critters).
2. One (1) of Vi's Roses.
3. One (1) of Rae's Lilies.
These may be placed upon Starfall to create a 30ft x 30ft area where void creatures cannot enter. The Family will still be able to enter, but their abilities will not work. Once placed, the items cannot be moved again.
I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes
Vi's touch is not especially heavy, but gods if it doesn't feel as if the world has landed on his shoulders all the same. Pressing his eyes closed once more, the Knight bows his head and listens quietly to the information that shines through from his patron, trying hard to school his expression into something as impassive as the deity before him.
Of course, Ronin is not an impassive man - it's precisely why he'd been chosen by Safrin and why he has made as many mistakes as he has achieved victories - and when he opens his eyes again, his determination is clear in the set of his jaw. "Thank you," he says softly. "I'll make sure that we are prepared."
Removing his hand from the Knight's shoulder, Vi steps back and offers him little more than a curt nod in response to his assurances. Not one for empty praise or needless encouragement, Ronin will see himself rewarded by his own efforts, and really, those ought to be good enough given what they will entail.
Glancing out of the window of the Aumakua towards the Starfall Island, for a moment or so, a shadow does cross the mecurial god's expression, but it's gone before it really has a chance to take hold.
"The sooner this is done the better," he says softly, but before the Knight can inquire further, Vi is simply gone once more, vanished into the aether and leaving only warm sunbeams in his wake.
