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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!
With nothing to distract him, Talyson was able to focus on healing the burns on Hotaru's neck. While he worked, Maea proppedher head against Boreal's side and felt her pulse come down, slowly but surely, until she was finally able to sit up and meet the gaze of her friends.
Catching a glimpse of the last remnants of Hotaru's injuries and her singed clothing made her flinch and look away, guilt choking her to the point of nausea. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" Looking between the others, and at the place where they had been fighting, it was chillingto realize how close to the Temple they still were. If not for the snow they would see it looming over the rooftops.
"I can go on. How about you two? We could turn back, but..."
Honestly, the presence of Void infected animals this close to where people lived said a lot about the necessity of their hunt. The more they dealt with, the better it would be. But she wouldn't ask them to do anything they weren't happy to do. Especially not after making such a mess of things.
Round 9
Talyson successfully heals Hotaru!
Talyson: 480/500 HP
Hotaru: 228/228 HP
Maea: 135/135 HP
Boreal 50/50 HP
Maea offers a chance to head back. Decide what to do, and if moving on, where to go next.
"Just a couple scratches," Tal reassured Maea gruffly, sitting back and letting Boreal handle the post-battle triage of more spiritual wounds. "Nothin' that'll slow me down. An' don't worry about it. A Void Tangleweed got its tentacles on me once." He glanced over to Hotaru grimly, meeting her eyes over Maea's head as he spoke to the Valkyrie. "Fucked my head up pretty bad til Boreal burned it down. If it happens t'me, y'got my full permission t'freeze me again til I'm out o' it." Compel away, and he'd be grateful for it afterwards, even if it made things worse temporarily in the grip of nightmare hallucination.
The Voidweaver in the middle of town didn't really surprise the courier. It wouldn't be the first he'd run into within the town, but it did add a certain urgency to their task and he nodded sharply. "Count me in. I'm just gettin' started!" It wasn't his best boast considering how worried he still was about his friends, but Tal did his best to at least project confidence as he got to his feet and offered hands to his fellow hunters. "Should we start workin' our way towards th'Landin'? Lotta traffic on that road," he suggested for their next hunting ground.
Boreal rumbled her own smug agreement to continuing the hunt as she joined her human in standing back up and shaking herself in a clatter of wings and scales to settle everything back into place in preparation of round two.
Tal wants to keep moving on and suggests hunting their way in the direction of Jack Tar Landing to make it safer for travelers coming to town.
Talyson's healing washes over her swiftly, though the scales recede far more slowly, wary and quite literally burned by the experience. Not that it forces her from Maea's side. Hotaru can bear pain, and she's no stranger to having it inflicted by someone she cares about. The burned collar and sleeve of her shirt are scarcely any concern given her impressive wardrobe either.
"I'm alright. It wasn't your fault." Whatever nightmarish compulsions had gripped her seem to have retreated, leaving them with a new direction to pick - if any. Tal's grim expression and open willingness for her to use her compulsion has her humming quietly. "I don't like to use it on allies outside of training, but if it happens again I will do what I must." Though not to Maea, at least not until she receives similar consent.
Luckily, it seems they are both still willing to proceed, so Hotaru stands and idly dusts snow and debris off her knees. "I'm ready to keep going. Traffic will make hunting more difficult, but it's best to protect the busier areas." Meaning to say, they'd have to be careful not to draw civilians into the line of fire. With that in mind, Hotaru offers a hand up to Maea, ready to continue on down the path to Jack Tar Landing.
- - -
Ru is ready to continue on and agrees with Tal's direction.
So I find my spirit in the bottle
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Looking up to meet the eyes of her friends, Maea was at least somewhat reassured by their words. She might keep blaming herself in private, but for the time being a pale smile touched her lips, and she accepted Hotaru's hand up. Keeping it for a moment to squeeze her fingers in quiet gratitude, she looked between Tal and Frey's demigoddess. "I didn't know you could do that." Biting her lip, she considered."I can't say I like the idea... but it's better than hurting any of you. You have my permission too."
Scrubbing her face with snow-damp gloves brought some feeling back into her cheeks. With a deep breath and a few rolls of her shoulders to get rid of the tension, she visibly reset her mood - or tried to, at least - and huffed a perky "Alright! Let's do this." Then led the way in the direction of the main road towards Jack Tar Landing.
The snow made the going slow, but fortunately a team of road workers had passed recently and the road proved easy enough to traverse. Drifts had piled high on both sides and left just enough space for two sleds or wagons to meet. The traffic was sparse but steady, the teamsters bundled up on the couches with reigns held by gloved hands. Some nodded to the trio as they passed, others focused stoically on plodding horses that snorted and nodded beneath their loads.
After one such team had disappeared around a bend in the road ahead, the terrified scream of a horse went up, and there were shouts from the people who had traveled with the cargo.
By the time the friends reched the scene, they would find the sled overturned in the middle of the road. The horse lay bleeding on the ground, and two men were desperately trying to fend off a massive Void Tangleweed that seemed hellbent on absorbing the animal. It loomed like a mass of whipping brambles, junk and eyeless intent in the black and white landscape, its purple aura too vivid to seem entirely real - but it was. Too nightmarishly real - and very dangerous.
Round 10
Going down the road, the group encounter a Void Tangleweed that's assaulting travelers! There is one horse and two men, and a sled that's blocking the road!
What do you do?
Void Tangleweed(uncommon - Hollowed Grounds): The normally spherical and sentient Tangleweed has been corrupted by the void. Its limbs, once resembling branches, now writhe with shadowy tendrils. Touching the Void Tangleweed not only induces numbness but also opens a temporary connection to the void, causing unsettling visions and hallucinations.
The thing was, he didn't like the feel of her Compulsion. He'd hated the way it locked him up during the tournament. But he trusted Hotaru to use it only to protect herself or him - from himself, if need be. And much like Maea, hurting his friends would leave much deeper wounds in him than any physical attacks. He nodded in relief when she agreed, and even found a wan grin as she agreed to keep going with them, even if he'd known she would.
And then they were off on their next mission! Boreal made a heavy running leap into the air to scout from above and soon enough they'd found the trouble they were seeking.
He took off with the other two when they heard the shout and sure enough, as if his earlier admission had called it into being, a Void Tangleweed was waiting for them around the bend. The courier groaned and heaved a long-suffering sigh as he unlimbered his Dagger.
"Hey! Leave 'em alone!" he hollered at the stupid weed. He scrambled up on top of the overturned sled and sliced at the void-tentacled nightmare, trying to get it away from the horse.
Tal gets on top of the sled and uses his Dagger on the Tangleweed!
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Special Delivery Dagger | A carefully crafted dagger veined with crimson markings, decorated with the foot of a blink hare. Upon making a stabbing motion in the air, the dagger may damage a target up to 30ft away from the user.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Honed by Nightmares | A curious silvery coating covers the Special Delivery Dagger. Causes extra physical damage at a Basic level.
Type: Grey | Style: Defensive | Level: Mastered
Rockhide Vest | An armoured vest flecked in black and white and lined with cool, fur-like material. This item blocks physical damage. Requires a 2 post cool-down between uses.
Hotaru squeezes Maea's hand back, looking between the two of them with a faint, grim smile. "It will only be for basic commands such as not moving, I promise." Perhaps that will put their minds further at ease. While her compulsion could certainly plant seeds the likes of Zariah's, Hotaru has yet to see the benefit of that, though she would have used it liberally in Helovia. It is far more powerful as an offensive measure in Caido.
When their journeying is interrupted, the wretched screams of the horse pierce through her head like a blunt stake, and Hotaru breaks out into a cold sweat that has her trembling. She launches herself toward them without a thought for her companions, needing to stop this, needing to save him this time.
It puts her at risk of being attacked herself, but she throws herself physically between the horse and the plant, hoping it might take advantage of the closer prey. She withdraws three spheres, launching them all from close range. Ru doubts she can compel a plant with no consciousness, but her veins itch with magic that simply isn't there, begging her to strike lightning or heal the poor horse that she can only see as Atlas.
- - -
Ru runs up as close to the horse as she can get to try and get between it and the tangleweed to either improve her attack chances or have the tangleweed go after her instead. Launches 3 spheres at close range.
So I find my spirit in the bottle
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Talyson successfully got the attention of the void-blighted Tangleweed. Distracted away from its intended meal, it litched out of the way of the slashing dagger, left both the horse and Hotaru be and came barreling towards the Messenger with tentacles flailing and Hotaru's projectiles exploding right at it's figurative heels. Lashing at the tall man with shadowy tentacles, he could thank his armor for avoiding another nightmare acid trip.
Seeing her friend assaulted by the plant creature, Maea moved around to get behind the thing, summoned fire into her hand and hurled it. Her target was much bigger this time, and the flames lashed the dark vines; a putrid black smoke began to rise and the thing let out a terrible groan like that of bending, sqeaking wood.
Round 11
Talyson missed
Hotaru missed
Maea hit
Tangleweed attacks Talyson and hits. Rockhide Vest absorbed all damage.
Talyson: 480/500 HP
Hotaru: 228/228 HP
Maea: 135/135 HP
He didn't understand why Hotaru raced past him and into harm's way, but Tal didn't have time to wonder about it because he drew the bastard's ire and it went straight for him, anyways. Which wasn't good and he let out an unheroic squeak as it lashed its tentacles at him, but it was better than either of his friends taking the blow.
Besides, his armor could handle it, and he threw a belated, silent prayer of gratitude to Ludo for its protection.
Which was about the time that an irate Boreal, upon seeing the nasty critter attacking her human, rained down a second blast of fire upon it from above after seeing how well Maea's fireball had worked.
"Y'can go fuck yourself," he informed the Tangleweed with angry bravado born of fear as soon as her realized that he wasn't descending into nightmares and madness. Or, well... maybe this was the nightmare, but at least it was a nightmare he could hit, and his dragon's fire only singed his eyebrows a little bit. He ducked down and used his dagger like a miniature branch lopper, cutting at short range with its Nightmare-Honed poison as he attempted to prune the void-infected dustbin down to size.
Boreal stays high up out of range and breathes fire down on it!
Tal hunkers down and cuts at it with his dagger again!
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Special Delivery Dagger | A carefully crafted dagger veined with crimson markings, decorated with the foot of a blink hare. Upon making a stabbing motion in the air, the dagger may damage a target up to 30ft away from the user.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Honed by Nightmares | A curious silvery coating covers the Special Delivery Dagger. Causes extra physical damage at a Basic level.
Hotaru doesn't think at all. The tangleweed moves away, and that's all that matters to her. Her heart pounds so hard in her ears she can't hear, which is likely for the best. She doesn't want to know if the poor horse is still screaming. Is it even still alive? Her hands shake, and past and present become blurry, and the flare of Boreal's fire makes Hotaru cry out senselessly, tears on her cheeks that she can't remember falling from her eyes as Aurelia's flames encompassing Atlas in his last moments - and the way it had come through the bond before it went utterly silent - replace what is truly happening.
She hurls another sphere forward, and lunges behind it with her dagger drawn before the flames fully disperse; all planning and teamwork lost to the terrifying urge to end it, fix it, rewrite a story she can't admit is already closed. And if it happens to pin the infected tangleweed between herself and Talyson it's merely a coincidence.
- - -
Ru launches another sphere then dives forward with her dagger toward Tal/Tangleweed.
So I find my spirit in the bottle
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Despite its large size the Tangleweed was rolypoly tumblywumbly and therefore its movements became hard to predict. It jiggled away from Talyson's dagger and narrowly missed the flames lashed by Boreal and Maea, only to have Hotaru's sphere hit it smack into its wriggly side. Ice colder than the Valkyrie's heart erupted over the plantimal and sliced through wriggly tentacly branches, severing some entirely whilst paralyzing others. Jostling erratically in pained fury, it lashed out at the nearest thing - which happened to be Maea - but she was able to dodge by ducking under it, and quickly rose back up to retaliate.
Round 12
Talyson/Boreal missed
Hotaru hit
Maea missed
Void Tangleweed attacked Maea and missed.
Talyson: 480/500 HP
Hotaru: 228/228 HP
Maea: 135/135 HP
Success is acrid on her tongue, madness a fuel of lightning that has no outlet anymore. She pursues the tangleweed relentlessly even when it switches targets, just as she had followed Aurelia into the fringes of the city. Single-minded, she lunges after the tangleweed to try and stab her dagger into it, hoping it will allow her to pin it down so it cannot continue to move so freely and worsen their chances of hitting it.
She doesn't think about how it will surely make it harder for her companions to make their own attacks, or to avoid hitting the Valkyrie. It doesn't matter. This sort of trauma isn't one she has ever handled, one hardly ever triggered or remembered. She's utterly unprepared for it.
- - -
Ru lunges after the tangleweed and tries to sink her dagger into it to try and pin it down so they have better chances of attacks hitting.
So I find my spirit in the bottle
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
"Dammit, Ru!" the courier yelled as his best friend tried to fling herself into the Tangleweed's embrace again like she had some kind of self-destructive deathwish. Boreal let out a concerned croon as she circled back up, distressed at the Valkyrie's behavior and at her human's fear for his friend.
He could feel the weakness in his armor after the last attack and knew it still wasn't ready to take another blow, but what the hail was he supposed to do?
"Boreal!" He yelled for his companion as he jumped off the wagon and ran for the tangle of weed and women nearby. The dragon rumbled assent and turned on a wingtip, aborting her next blast of fire while Hotaru was so close to her intended target. Tal swore under his breath for the handful of seconds it took to close the distance and then tried to sink his own Dagger into the Tangleweed with a strangled yell of fear and bravado. "Hey! Over here, mulch-for-brains!"
...Did Tangleweeds even have ears? or brains??
Tal calls off Boreal's next attack!
He runs up close to the Tangleweed and attempts to stick it with his Dagger and keep its attention away from Hotaru!
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Special Delivery Dagger | A carefully crafted dagger veined with crimson markings, decorated with the foot of a blink hare. Upon making a stabbing motion in the air, the dagger may damage a target up to 30ft away from the user.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Honed by Nightmares | A curious silvery coating covers the Special Delivery Dagger. Causes extra physical damage at a Basic level.
Maea realized that Hotaru was leaping in front of the tangleweed at the last second and just barely managed to avoid torching her friend for a second time. But while her fire shot up into the sky and dissipated, the Valkyrie's dagger did exactly what she hoped it would. Stabbing through a tangle of twisting tendrils and getting stuck in the ice of the road, the Void creature was successfully immobilized.
A moment later the full force of Talyson's nightmare honed delivery dagger struck near the core of the plant creature. A deep gash opened up down its center, and a terrible groan sounded from it. Strange things began to litter the snow as it thrashed in an attempt to free itself; junk, the remains of animals, rocks and bramble all emanating a foul void aura - it spat a brick in Hotaru's direction that flew wide and missed her by a good distance.
"Ru, back up! Let's give it all we've got while it's still stuck, torch it!" Maea cried and drew herself up to pour all the fire she could summon at the beast.
Round 13
Hotaru hit
Talyson hit
Maea missed
Void Tangleweed attacked Hotaru and Missed
Talyson: 480/500 HP
Hotaru: 228/228 HP
Maea: 135/135 HP
Fucking fuckity fuck fucks, went the litany in Tal's head as he had to shift his feet around the purple bones and violet rocks that suddenly littered the ground around them, but all he yelled out loud was: "Dragonfire comin' in hot!" with an attempt to pull Hotaru back out of the blast radius. Not that it was a big blast radius - Boreal was big for a companion but still quite petite as dragons usually went - but he'd never hear the end of it if they scorched off the Valkyrie's sunlit hair!
Boreal dove in another strafing run, burning a line of fire to hopefully coincide with Maea's attack and Tal cut a hard slice with his Dagger as he danced back. Thankfully it had hit last time and between he and Ru they'd done some serious damage. Maybe with one more big push they could end the bastard!
Plus his armor was back up and running, so that was always made him feel more confident.
Tal tries to tug Hotaru a few feet back from the Tangleweed and slices at it with his Dagger!
Boreal rains down dragonfire on the Tangleweed!
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Special Delivery Dagger | A carefully crafted dagger veined with crimson markings, decorated with the foot of a blink hare. Upon making a stabbing motion in the air, the dagger may damage a target up to 30ft away from the user.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Honed by Nightmares | A curious silvery coating covers the Special Delivery Dagger. Causes extra physical damage at a Basic level.
Type: Grey | Style: Defensive | Level: Mastered
Rockhide Vest | An armoured vest flecked in black and white and lined with cool, fur-like material. This item blocks physical damage. Requires a 2 post cool-down between uses.
