Click here for a list of weather descriptions, seasonal festivals, and a real time:site time conversion.
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!
Food was the usual bribe for his sharp-toothed friend, but this time Hadama had put forth a solemn alternative: for the shark to improve their ability to defend themselves against the Void that had come to their shores in the shape of a Horror. One whose corpse had yet to be dealt with, but that he had left in Flora's capable - and Accepted - hands.
Usually when he traveled deep within the Maw's crater he did so fully shifted into his manta form, which was better able to resist the pressure. Today he traveled in the shape of a Hippocampus, however, the gold scars crossing his dark-scaled hide barely visible in the darkness of these depths. His ring and his armlet of armour, both Safrin-blessed, hung from a chain around his equine neck, resting against his broad chest as he swam. Exposing the armor to the depths was one of his tasks, but he could no longer control water in any form but this one.
As for the ring, it's faintly trailing constellation of stars in the water around him provided their illumination in the eternal midnight of the depths.
Have you ever used your magic to fight or hunt? he asked Kaiden first and foremost as they came to a halt in the darkness.
As Kaiden swam in their mer form, one thought repeated in their mind. Hadama was too shiny in the depths. It reminded Kaiden of the stories of the deep-sea creatures that glimmered to bait unsuspecting prey to their side. The King's armor wasn't helping. Still, a sea pony was far superior to a pretentious, fancy, one-horned land one. But the shark would have to let this one slide for now.
Something sheepish crept across the bond, No. I often forget that I have water magic now. Kaiden was in their shark shift most of the time and preferred to hunt with teeth and fin. After years of such a lifestyle, suddenly having magic was hard to wrap their mind around. Whenever they'd recently trained in their mer form, it had been with weapons to replace their teeth.
Sheepishness was not a state that was usually associated with Kaiden and Hadama took a moment to consider it before nodding his equine head slowly. Then it will take time to make it a weapon, he advised, knowing how impatient his friend could be. Or a defense. A protective backup while the mershark wielded more tangible weapons. But water magic harms the Void, as long as it is not ice. And it is more effective than a simple spear or sword. One without magic, at least.
The large head tilted, webbed ears flicking forward in curiosity as the Tidebreaker considered the lesson ahead and the one who would be learning it. He had long since learned that Kaiden was not one to take orders, but needed to make their own decisions. Today do you want to focus on using it to attack, or to defend? If the magic was as weak as he suspected attacking would be much more difficult than learning how to use localized vortices to deflect incoming projectiles, but it was Kaiden's decision on where to spend their time and energy.
Kaiden was annoyed to hear that it would take time, but it took time to learn to hunt so they could understand that magic would take a similar amount of effort. That didn't mean that they liked it. If they were anyone else, they'd regret only now starting on their magic. Kaiden didn't regret it. They hadn't needed their magic until now.
The mershark considered the options that Hadama laid out. Their first impulse was offense, but knowing the King, he wanted a different answer. But they didn't want to! Their tail thrashed before they sighed heavily. Grumbling, they conceded Defense. For the sake of food, they would make sure to grab double portions as a compromise.
06-20-2024, 08:18 PM (This post was last modified: 06-20-2024, 08:20 PM by Hadama.)
Hadama waited patiently, but with pleasure and pride at how long it took Kaiden to decide on their answer. It meant that the mershark was thinking and not merely reacting or choosing impulsively based on immediate gratification. However conflicted his friend was - the body language was clear enough - the eventual answer had the hippocampus tossing his head in approval, emerald eyes twinkling. Wise, he praised. Followed by: Defense will be quicker to learn. And to master. Something to ease the sting of doing what was smart instead of what was fun.
The question that followed gave the Tidebreaker pause, however. It had been several years since he had awoken his own magic. He considered how he had used it in those early days before answering. Will, he said slowly, and vision. See in your mind what you want the water to do, and then concentrate on it. Believe that it will obey you. He flicked his tail to move a little closer, the armored armlet on its chain around his neck floating with the motion and sending a fresh sparkle of starlight spreading out around them through the darkness from the ring. He lowered his head, concentrating on an area of water between them so that it began to rotate in a slow vortex the size of Kaiden's head. Like this.
Good. Kaiden didn't want to waste their time on something that would take ages to learn. They just needed the basics. Hadama explained the core concepts of magic, but it was hard to wrap their minds around it. Kaiden was still processing the concept of 'will' and 'vision' as they watched the King pause momentarily before the water reacted. Eying the sudden vortex, Kaiden reached out and poked it with a single finger. It still felt like normal water to them. Shouldn't magic water feel different?
Knowing that it was their turn, Kaiden skewed their eyes shut and focused, trying to envision the water around them moving. After a few long moments, nothing happened. The mershark's tail thrashed and they growled under their breath, I'm willing you to fucking move. Much to their annoyance, the water still didn't react. The shark's eyes snapped open, and they threw their hands up in frustration. This isn't working!
Just behind them, a small water spike came up and smacked a nearby fish, sending it back a few feet. The seabass sent the men a look of disdain as it swiftly swam away. Kaiden glanced behind themselves in confusion before glancing at Hadama. Did...did I just do that?
The vortex tugged at Kaiden's finger and followed it through the water as the shark pulled their hand away, but Hadama let it dissipate as his young friend put their full concentration into recreating the effect. Patience was not a word that he would use with Kaiden if he could help it, but when the mershark gave up on the exercise so quickly it was certainly tempting.
Hadama held his silence, however, as growls and then frustrated flailing met the lack of immediate success. It turned out to be not discipline and control that the shark needed, however, but strong emotion and simply the knowledge of what was possible. Watching Kaiden - and able to see the fish behind them, a flickering shape in the starry waters - Hadama lifted his equine head with interest as the water spiked into the bass.
Indeed, he confirmed, his mental voice warm with approval. It may be intention and emotion that are the keys to your magic. He considered the risks for long moments before nodding again, finned mane waving in the water. Try to use it again. On me this time, he encouraged, trusting in himself to be able to soak any damage there might be from such a small attack.
It was not the defense they had said they would work on... but any progress was good progress as far as the Tidebreaker was concerned.
Ok. Kaiden glanced at the now calm water with disbelief, half convinced it would sharpen and attack them next. They still weren't fully convinced even as Hadama gave his next instructions. They eyed the Demi-god for a heartbeat, but Hadama didn't back down. Kaiden nodded and rolled their shoulders to psych themselves up.
Closing their eyes, the mershark gritted their teeth with focus as they tried to replicate their attack. The water in front of them twisted, reacting slightly. They tried to focus on the water, envisioning it turning into a torpedo to shoot at Hadama. It looked like it'd work for a moment, as the water started to churn faster into a spiral and move towards the Demi-god. Kaiden peeked open one eye and the spiral collapsed and stretched out. The water unfolded yet somehow kept its forward momentum. It wasn't a spike that moved to hit Hadama but a wall of water to shove him backward.
The hippocampus watched the twisting water, his subtle approval and encouragement a warm current in the undertones of the Attuned bond. It was looking very promising indeed at first, but he saw the moment the miniature vortex collapsed - or rather, expanded, unfurling into a small wave that crossed the small distance between them.
Hadama braced himself, but the magic was of a low enough level that aside from a slight pressure on his chest as it hit and dissipated against the armored armlet there he seemed to only be lightly bruised. He considered the strike and flared his gills, drawing water in to expand his equine chest before expelling it again with a nod of satisfaction. Again, he rumbled, mindful of staying within Kaiden's short range. He remembered his own days of training with his basic magic, and the frustration of how it would dissipate when it was more than five feet away. Try not to lose the spiral.
06-30-2024, 11:14 AM (This post was last modified: 06-30-2024, 11:15 AM by Kaiden.)
kaiden
There is no shame in survival
Only strength
Kaiden felt Hadama's approval and tried to let it fuel their magic and determination. It was disappointing to see their plan fail, but they found some pride in the fact that they could use the magic on command. At least they now knew vaguely how to create a defensive wave of water. Maybe. Kaiden wasn't sure if they could repeat that mistake intentionally. The Demi-god seemed hardly, if at all, affected by the wave, which made the mer grumble. Not that they'd wanted to hurt Hadama, but it was a solid reminder of their weakness. They wanted to complain but Hadama was quick to demand that they repeat their attempt.
And so, with a scrunched nose, Kaiden tried again. Focusing on the spiral of the water, a swirling mass formed before them as they willed the water to respond. The more annoyed they grew, the tighter the spiral became. As it sharpened into a point, they paused. How did one throw water? Just willing it to move hadn't let it keep its shape. This was making their head hurt. The abstract was too difficult. Kaiden raided their hands and shoved at their spinning torpedo. Much to their shock, it surged forward. The torpedo managed to keep its shape as it sped toward Hadama.
The mershark might have been grumbly but they had already begun making progress. Hadama suspected that Kaiden wouldn't be happy unless that progress was instantaneous rather than incremental, but they were already learning how to harness their magic in ways that might someday save their life. It was enough to make the training worthwhile and he encouraged his young friend to keep trying.
The second attempt was a marked improvement and the Tidebreaker watched intently as the spiral formed again. This time it maintained its shape and momentum, even if it needed a little push from its maker to get underway. Excellent, he praised, though he didn't brace himself for the impact. Instead he froze a thin section of seawater in front of himself as a shield, one that cracked into several satisfying sections as the water-torpedo struck it and dissipated.
Can you focus it for defense? The hippocampus's emerald eyes gleamed in the starlit swirl around him, a pair of icy spheres taking shape in the water near his head. They weren't solid all the way through, but Kaiden wouldn't know that unless one successfully struck them. Hadama moved back a little ways - giving Kaiden more time to react - and then sent one of the spheres moving on a slow but steady straight line right for their chest.
Kaiden watched as their attack was blocked. They reached out and tapped one of the frozen chunks as it floated by before eventually melting back into the warmth of the surrounding water. They glanced back over at Haddam as he spoke, Maybe?
The mershark's eyes widened as they were suddenly attacked. Indignation came off them in waves as they narrowed their attention onto the incoming projectile. Kaiden didn't have the armor or vitality that the Demi-god had, and they were reasonably wary of being struck by any attack from the King. Kaiden knew Hadama was likely holding back to avoid harming them, but the point still stood!
Scrambling in the time that they had, the mer focused on their magic as best as they could. Pouring their grievance into the water, they tried to solidify it. A thin layer of ice formed in front of them. It clearly wouldn't hold for long so Kaiden grabbed a nearby rock and braced for their shield to shatter so that they could toss their improvised weapon at the sphere.
Hardly sudden; Hadama rarely did anything suddenly, after all. His attack built slowly but with inexorable steadiness as his ammo was prepared, and when he did finally send one of the spheres at Kaiden it was slow enough for the mershark to dodge if they chose.
Much to the Tidebreaker's approval, they did not so choose.
Magic danced through the water between them and a fragile shield that was an echo of Hadama's previous defense solidified out of the sea. The hippocampus raised his head, gills flaring as he watched the mershark's ability with a fierce concentration unlike his usual calm countenance. The sphere was not, perhaps, quite as fragile as the shield but it nevertheless shattered when it struck, the two frozen constructs coming apart on impact so that the only thing that Kaiden's rock deflected were little shards of frozen water that were already melting under the pressure of the depths.
Can you do that again? the Tidebreaker asked with that edge of intensity still flavoring his mental voice. He paused to give Kaiden a chance to recover and reset themself before he gave his second sphere a nudge, sending it towards the mershark on a similar trajectory to the first.
Hadama's undivided attention wasn't new. Kaiden had never felt that the King's mind was elsewhere in any of their conversations. But this intense focus was new, and it made them wary. Had the Demi-god noticed something that they hadn't? I'll try. The mershark was slightly rattled but they took a breath and refocused. Their unease was surely clear through the bond but they hardly noticed with how preoccupied their mind was.
It became quickly apparent that Kaiden couldn't recreate it. As the second sphere approached, they managed to create a swirling mass of water in front of them. The swirl was strong enough to hopefully redirect an attack, but try as they might, no ice appeared. With only a small water barrier in place, they armed themselves with a second rock and braced for impact.
