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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!
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
With plans in place, it should’ve gone smoother than their last interactions and attempts with Mrs. Took. There seemed to be other machinations at stake, however, as things went awry almost immediately.
Sah and his technique should’ve done wonders, but the flames truly erupted instead of curling and unfurling into that gentle warmth and glow, sparking and catching on a few shingles along the siding. Only when Deimos grimaced and used his Mastered Water for each portion, putting out the embers and contorting at the ice, did it cease to spread. With his eyes narrowed and nose wrinkled, a long sigh contorted through his lungs. “Your water magic can do the same in altering temperatures without the added risk,” he commented, in case the Wild Thunder wasn’t aware – since now they had some extra work ahead of them.
Even Elizabeth, who was only handling a bucket, had dilemmas and issues. It could’ve been ice or snow underfoot. It could’ve been a lapse in concentration. For what it was worth though, as the ice melted and cascaded into droplets, the vessel didn’t hold it well, and managed to splash all over herself and the ground.
Blinking, the Sword kept the tides of bewilderment at bay, but only just. “All right. Try again.”
--
Atrocious rolls mean this round is basically a redo. XD
The part that made her job difficult was the flash of flames. Being so close to the wall, concentrating on catching the water droplets, then getting a burst of heat in the face? Not helpful. As she pulled back from the warmth, her feet slipped on the water and ice combination, sending the bucket jostling in front of her. It would have been fine, if it hadn't sloshed all down the front of her shirt.
With a sharp intake of breath, Elizabeth leapt to her feet. The bucket dropped to the ground with a loud clang, splashing the rest of the water over the stones. An exhausted sigh was the only sign of her annoyance as she wrung out her clothes enough to keep it from seeping into her skin. Shaking her head, Elizabeth righted the container and knelt down again. With an encouraging nod to the others, she said, "Let's try that again."
Elizabeth tries again.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Sah grimaced when his flames worked too well. Thankfully, Deimos was able to contain the problem, but it was certainly embarrassing. He glanced down at Elizabeth with a furrowed brow, "Are you ok? I'm sorry about that."
His embarrassment quickly vanished as shock took over at the Sword's words. The Wild Thunder's eyes widened, and he whipped around, "It can?!" He had thought that the necessity of heat meant that it had to be fire magic. Though perhaps it should have been obvious with the capacity to create ice. Perhaps he'd been overthinking in that 'creating' ice by shaping water meant that the breakdown from ice to water required fire's 'destruction'.
Doubling down, he tried to get rid of the ice again, this time with water magic.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
He nearly stared at Sah in disbelief – but kept it tethered and under contortions with a very long, slow breath and a nod to follow suit. Shaking his head and wondering if the Wild Thunder should be taking some lessons at the Academy, they proceeded onward, in a much better condition this time.
Sah and Deimos melted, and Elizabeth caught the water cascading downwards. The bulge in the edges decreased dramatically, and without the burnt section, it might’ve looked new. They had another round to go on the other side of the building, however, but the Warden opted to change things up a little. “While we tend to the others, you can repair the siding,” he measured pointedly to the Abandoned. They were going to leave things better than when they had appeared; he didn’t think the owners would appreciate scorched pieces.
Then he and Elizabeth could round the corner and tackle the next blockade of ice, though this one seemed a good deal smaller than the initial outcropping.
--
One portion has been dealt with, and another to go! Sah needs to repair the siding he burnt, and Deimos and Elizabeth will work on the other side. No post order!
It was a relief to avoid the flash of heat this time around and it proved much more effective as the water flowed into the bucket. She also found it really amusing to overhear the mini magic lesson going on. Apparently, she wasn't the only one still learning about the unique potential of her abilities. Elizabeth had to hide her smile at the interesting exchange, which wasn't easy as she focused on holding the bucket in place, however, she made it work and the job was done before they knew it.
She accepted Deimos's instructions with an agreeing nod and went to follow him. As they passed, she gave Sah a sympathetic smile. It wasn't like he'd tried to cause any damage, but it was definitely important that they maintain the people's trust that they could solve their issues without making things worse. With that in mind, she refocused her mind on her own responsibilities. Holding a bucket was hard work after all. Not many people could do it was well as she did.
Elizabeth follows Deimos to the next section.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
08-13-2024, 08:41 PM (This post was last modified: 08-13-2024, 08:42 PM by Sah.)
Sah
Sah could practically feel Deimos' judgment, or at least what he perceived it to be. The Wild Thunder supposed he probably should experiment with his lesser-used elements in more non-combative scenarios. It was clear that he'd apparently missed a few general applications. Though could he really be blamed for not assuming from the get-go that he could quickly melt thick ice with just water? He hadn't known that he could warm it without using fire. Still, he was certainly embarrassed or not realizing beforehand.
That embarrassment only grew as Deimos pointedly mentioned his mistake. He'd already been intending to fix it, but having it pointed out sucked. Gritting his teeth, Sah just sighed heavily. Although he managed to give Elizabeth a small nod in gratitude at her clear sympathy. Though it only hurt his pride further.
Making a new siding piece wasn't difficult with creation magic and he set about removing the damaged one and replacing it. Sah went slow and tried not to make any further mistakes. His ego was already bruised, and another blow would be too much.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
A much smoother operation compelled and followed through; Sah’s creations were masterfully conducted and concocted, placed back along the wall as if nothing had ever been burnt or scorched. Elizabeth continued to have a knack at holding a bucket still. And Deimos melted the ice, permitting the siding to settle once more against the building. “There. That should do it,” he nodded, content with the outcome.
Of course, that didn’t mean everything was entirely done – as suddenly there was a squeaking. The noise sounded familiar to the Sword’s ears, but he couldn’t quite place it for a few moments, furrowing his brows and tilting his head, not unlike a canine. “Do you hear that?” he mentioned to Elizabeth, because it wouldn’t be the first time he’d been privy to something uncanny and eerie without anyone else seeing or hearing the intangible lines.
So, as it was, Sah would likely rejoin the group striving to discover a certain noise in the area.
--
Search the surroundings for this strange noise!
Options are:
- in the grass/snow right beside the building
- the roof
- nearby windows
Satisfied with her bucket-holding skills, Elizabeth gave Deimos a smile before standing. Her arms stretched out to pull the tension from her aching muscles. Kneeling still for a long time would do that to a person. However, unlike the usual crack pop she expected from her body, a strange squeaking sound reached her ears. She froze to listen closer, nodding at the Warden's confirmation of the noise. "What is that?"
Curiosity led her around the side of the building. She tried to follow the noise, feeling like it might be coming from the longer grasses or patches of snow. Using her foot, she pushed aside possible hiding places to find the source of the sound.
Elizabeth searches the grass and snow!
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Pride still stinging, Sah rejoined the others only to quickly catch on that something was. Before he could ask what was wrong, the noise reached him. "What was that?" Elizabeth turned her attention to the ground, so the Wild Thunder once more scaled up onto the roof. He hadn't noticed anything beforehand, but it didn't hurt to give it a once over.
The Abandoned moved cautiously, not wanting to alert whatever was making the sound should it be up there with him. He let a gentle breeze flow over the shingles, trying to detect anything abnormal. If the source was on the roof, it was likely either a loose shingle or an animal.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
At least he wasn’t hearing things alone, but that meant there were other things going on. Furrowing his brows, Deimos went to utilize his domineering height along the windows, leaning his head in to listen to any noises along the glass, or briefly peer in. But all he could see were the working ovens and workers going back and forth, continuing to make their baked goods.
Sah ’s ventures along the roof produced nothing either; save for perhaps a clue of the intrepid infidels making the minor commotion. Little talon marks etched along the side of shingles, as if they’d been camping out there for a long while, and perhaps with a wide disposition…
But Elizabeth would discover the culprits single-handedly as she searched through the grass and snow – uncovering not only bits and pieces of stolen bread and crumbs, but a hole large enough to contain the interloper.
A very large ningo poked its head from its created opening in the bakery’s backrooms with a gleeful squeak again.
--
Share your discoveries and discuss what to do next! No post order!
Ningo (common): A fat all-white bird that produces high-quality meat. Its feathers are often used to line jackets and hats because of its insulating qualities.
With a sweep of her foot, Elizabeth spotted a spattering of crumbs amongst the snow. Maybe rats based on the squeaking? Feeling that she was closer, she peered around the area, scanning the edge of the building for any inconsistencies. And lo and behold, a hole appeared along the siding. Crouching closer, she was shocked when the white head and beak popped its head out. So definitely not a rat. In her surprise, she nearly fell backwards but was able to regain her balance before she took a tumble in the snow.
Elizabeth stayed put while calling out to the others, "Hey guys. I think I found our culprit." Cocking her head to the side, she kept her eyes glued to the creature, waiting to see what it might do. She'd hate to call the others over only to lose their target.
Elizabeth lets the others know where she found the ningo.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Sah walked along the roof for a moment before he spotted something in the corner of his eye. Bending down, he ran a hand over the small talon marks. He snorted as he recognized them as a ningo's and was about to stand up and report it when Elizabeth called out.
Looking over the edge of the roof, he saw that, sure enough, it was one a pesky bird. Sah carefully made his way down to ground level, moving slowly so as not to startle the bird in case it fled. "We can try to lure it with food and trap it with magic." The Wild Thunder didn't specify what to do with the bird after, but there were multiple opinions. They could drop it off at a ningo far, release it somewhere, or just have it for dinner.
~
Sah suggests luring it with food and trapping it.
the ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness
He couldn’t help but loosen one loud laugh as the notions became clear about who the culprit was. At the very least, ningos weren’t threatening; merely obnoxious, and as he shook his head, he surveyed the opening in the side, and anything else involved with the parameters. With the bird seemingly completely unbothered, it was going to have to be hastened off, and while there were multitudes of strategies, he’d let the others pick and choose. “Each of us can have a choice: driving the ningo away,” as it peered up at them with the widest and dimmest eyes known to mankind, “cleaning up the area, and patching in the hole.”
He'd let them have their pick of the lot first, half-wishing he’d brought Belial so the peryton could simply hunt it away.
--
Pick one of the following:
- drive the ningo away (or catch it, eat it, boil it in a stew, up to you!)
- clean up the area (it left quite a mess)
- patch the hole
As the others joined around, Elizabeth just watched the dull creature stare at her, nothing behind its beady eyes. Cocking her head, she considered their options. The pastries felt like days ago and she was quite hungry after all the work. She definitely wouldn't mind making a stew for the others.
Staying crouched, she runs her hands along her jacket to get the sparks ready. "I'll catch the trouble maker one way or another." Elizabeth lunged forward for the bird, trying to snag it in her arms, but fully prepared to short-circuit its brain if necessary.
Elizabeth tries to catch the ningo in her hands, but is prepared to fry it with lightning magic should she fail.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
