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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 new town had turned out pretty nice, and though it was kind of quiet at the moment there were already people starting to trickle in to take up residence in the new homes and shops. The main problem was getting them from the Boondocks to Mourn, and though the road helped a lot there was something that would help even more.
"Th'bigger ships, they need t'dock pretty high up so their keels don't risk scrapin' ground," Tal was explaining to those who had gathered to help. There were quite a few, eager to increase New Haven's connection to the wider world, who were craning their heads to see the blueprints that were tacked up on a large board. "So first thing is buildin' a big tower t'support th'docks we'll end up buildin' out around it, like spokes on a wheel." He gestured to the area behind him. They were at the outskirts of the town, where there was plenty of room to build further out as needed. A large area had been marked with small flags and staked twine to indicate the proposed footprint of the tower.
A large amount of materials and supplies had already been brought in by wagon - Tal had assured them that the Archon was footing the bill - and more was arriving as they spoke, ensuring that they would have the raw resources needed for the project.
"Today we'll be focusin' on th'tower's foundations," he finished, nodding to the shovels, bags of concrete mix, and heavy stones quarried from the foothills of the Draig. "Any questions or suggestions afore we start?"
This is a PQ+ to build a skyport for King's End!
Please post your characters arriving and offering suggestions/asking questions if they have any!
He is footing the bill on moving so many things to make the Skyport a reality. But he’s also helping as well. Hotaru and he have spent much of the morning prepping and snagging more materials that they can carry from the main sector of Meadowreach, and once the time had come, he’d shifted to his dragon shift and Hotaru had climbed up onto his back with bags of material within her reach while Sunjata had snagged the much heavier crates in the claws of his shift.
So the trek to arrive had been easy, and he lands carefully yet far enough away to not damage the town he’s been working so hard on. The two large crates are sat down carefully before he’s lowering fully to the ground, letting Hotaru slip off his back before he shifts back to himself, stepping over toward her to snag one of the heavier bags she’d held onto while they arrived.
His hand settles at the small of her back even as his smile of greeting is shot toward Talyson and the groups of people helping. And without any questions, he simply helps deposit more of the material into the organization already started.
Sunjata arrives! He has no questions or suggestions but he has brought more material to help!
the flood
// where me and you can always hide //
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
The season’s warmth makes flying a pleasant experience, though she could have kept herself warm one way or another. Though she has no formal stake in the benefits the skyport’s creation will bring to King’s End, claiming ambivalence is a bit of a stretch. It may not be her region and it may certainly be no kingdom, but Hotaru will see it shine all the same.
As Sunjata shifts and they heft their own baggage onward to the group pile, Hotaru leans into him as they walk, the steady warmth of his hand at her lower back a familiar comfort. And, of course, a perfect opportunity to start early on one of their favorite pastimes - toeing the line of public displays of affection in front of Talyson.
She can’t help it sometimes, his lemon-pucker face is just so fun.
Dropping her bag down with the rest, the Valkyrie swans away from Sunjata only long enough to squeeze Talyson, heedless of how it dampens the courier’s commanding presence. “You've surely built more of these than the rest of us combined, so take the lead,” she assures, parting with a sharklike grin thrown over her shoulder as she adds, “just don’t let the power go to your head, okay?” Winking, she half-shifts a claw and rips open a bag one of the workers is struggling with, ready to get started.
- - -
Ru has now advice but helps move things in!
She doesn't care about your words or how you'll try and save her
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.
He had left much of Torchline's diplomacy to Flora in recent seasons, recognizing both her talent for it and her personal connections that smoothed the way. Now that things were beginning to shift, however, Hadama was making a renewed effort to reach out and rebuild the bridges that had been damaged the previous year. This week it meant accepting Talyson's request for help building a skyport in King's End; a task the Tidebreaker had some recent familiarity with in the wake of rebuilding Kaiholo after Starfall.
Admittedly, at the time he had been limited to helping from the water, but now he could hopefully provide assistance with the taller aspects of construction.
He offered a slight bow of welcome to Sunjata and Hotaru, his eyes warming to see his old magic instructor looking positively glowing with happiness in her new home. Then he returned his attention to Talyson, looking over the blueprints with an intent focus that yielded no questions. He merely waited patiently for the first tasks to be handed out.
Hadama arrives to help and has no suggestions.
10-07-2024, 10:25 AM (This post was last modified: 10-07-2024, 01:31 PM by Talyson.)
Tal bobbed his head in awkward respect for the imposing King of Torchline when he saw Hadama looming over the back of the small crowd, but Sunjata no longer received that distant courtesy. Instead the Archon got a flicker of a grin and a wave, and his grin widened further when he spotted Hotaru at his leader's side. Sure, she was snuggling with Jata and it was waaay too early for that, but his nose only wrinkled a little at the display.
"Oh yeah? Well, I'm countin' on you t'keep everyone in line!" he whispered back to the Valkyrie as he leaned into her hug - but only for a moment. He had an image to maintain after all, didn't he? "Turns out I'm kinda shit at leadin'... I'll tell y'about it later." A conversation that would have to wait for dinner or afterwards, though hopefully they could find some time to catch up at some point in the week ahead when they weren't working.
And speaking of work...
"Right, so first thing is diggin' th'foundations good an' deep," he said, raising his voice to reach everyone again. "We want this tower t'be strong enough t'handle big freight comin' in by skyship. Once we get it dug down far enough we can start pourin' the concrete an' layin' the stone for its feet."
A couple of options this round, and NPCs will fill in the gaps:
Dig, dig, dig!
Prepare one or more of several cauldrons of concrete mix for next round
Anything else you think will be useful with your abilities!
It is one of his favorite past times, and he can already see the slight wrinkle on Tal’s face — but he lets Hotaru go to offer that hug to Talyson as he nods his head in greeting to Hadama, before he settles back and folds his arms across his chest, letting Talyson lead the whole of it. After all, the courier would likely get more use out of it than Sunjata did, given his shifts.
Speaking of his shifts, of course, the mention of digging sparks his interest and the Flood straightens up a little. “I’ll take digging.” He calls out, laying his claim on it and for any of the helpers that wished to aid him. There would be some room, of course, minimally though because as he steps over to the space marked for the hole, the Flood shifts to his dragon shift once more, utilizing large claws to dig into the earth, leaning in to drag more out to make it as deep as needed.
Sunjata chooses to dig! He uses his dragon shift.
the flood
// where me and you can always hide //
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Image to maintain? Oh, but Hotaru so loves to tarnish things…alas, she’s quite fond of Talyson, mischief and all, so he’ll receive a pass for the moment. The inherent flattery of his supposed dependence on her helps sweeten the pot too. “I never disappoint,” she assures, gleefully vague and with a sultry hint that is meant to prompt exasperation instead of intrigue as it so often does in the House of Midnight. Though her brow doesn’t wrinkle with concern (or delighted intrigue given what smells like drama) Tal will feel her embrace tighten for a brief second. “We’ll set a date after this, hm?” For now there’s work to do.
Hadama’s slight bow is met with a smile and a graceful twist of a half-curtsy so natural it’s like the Valkyrie is hours from her last high court and not decades. Quite removed from whatever drama had surrounded - or still yet surrounds - the Tidebreaker, Hotaru doesn’t single him out as a partner nor avoid him as she determines her options.
Half-shifting her arms into scales nearly draconic in nature, Ru easily hefts the concrete bags around as she sets about mixing ratios of water with the dusty sediment inside. It’s a precaution against the stubborn material sticking to her skin as she stirs and disperses clumps in the mixture, aiming to get at least two cauldrons completed (but admittedly given the amount of days reserved and the lack of pressing need, she’s not exactly inclined to rush while in such good company.)
- - -
Ru takes up mixing and aims to try and mix two cauldrons.
She doesn't care about your words or how you'll try and save her
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.
Hotaru was as graceful on land as a Mer in the sea, and Hadama appreciated her courtly manners before turning back to the task at hand. Or tasks, plural, as Talyson laid out the first of the day's requirements. Shifting dirt or mixing concrete slurry... a choice that did not easily lend itself to preference for the Mer. His magic abilities were not particularly useful for either undertaking, but he was more comfortable helping with the concrete. That, at least, he had experience with...
And it seemed wiser than potentially getting in the way of Sunjata's powerful claws as dirt was shifted in large clawfulls from the marked area.
He chose one of the other concrete stations, lending his back and biceps to the lifting of large buckets of water, bags of concrete mix, and stirring the resulting slurry.
Hadama joins the concrete crew!
Tal's grin made an encore performance as Sunjata made his offer. "I was hopin' you'd say that," the courier admitted with ill-concealed relief. The Flood's dragon-shape had made short work of the foundations for his house a year prior, and there was on reason to think that today would be any different. The courier patted his Archon's scaly leg in thanks as the dragon made his majestic way to the marked out area to begin the most difficult physical task. The soil was packed hard and dry from Longheat, but once Sunjata's talon's got a few feet down the earth became cool and moist and shifted more easily.
Except that he also began to run into large stones and even small boulders buried deep beneath the surface of Mourn's turf that slowed his progress.
Not that the mixing concrete was necessarily easier. It was just being done in a smaller scale since the cauldrons had been divided up so each crew had a more reasonable chunk of work to do. Tal waved gratefully at Hotaru and Hadama as they dove into the grueling task, though Hadama had his own difficulties to overcome. The morning wind was blowing down on the cauldron fires on his side of the deepening pit, snuffing them out or preventing them from getting the water warm enough to form the needed slurry.
Tal hussled around at first, giving directions and explaining the plan to late arrivals. It gave Sunjata time to clear out one section of the foundation area, however, and once the dragon had reached the needed depth the Messenger came over to lend a hand. He got a few helpers to assist in tamping and smoothing down the dirt, packing it tightly in the wake of Sunjata's claw marks so that it was clear and flat. "Alright, let's get th'first section poured!" he called up to Hotaru, who happened to be mixing the nearest pots of concrete without trouble.
Hotaru and Tal didn't have any issues this round, and are good to begin pouring the first section of the foundation!
Sunjata's progress has been slowed by some large stones/boulders, which will need to be removed before he can finish digging the foundation out.
The fires that Hadama and his neighbors were using to warm the concrete to a slurry aren't providing enough heat.
The dragon works and works, clawfuls of dirt and stone plucked from the hole. And for a while it seems to go quite well, until, of course, it doesn’t. And the Flood’s claws scrape against stone that seems large in comparison to what he’s been dealing with. So, thinking quickly and trying to ensure the people helping him understand, he unfolds his wings slowly to plant their points into the ground for added support, sticking both clawed hands within to try and utilize the tips of his claws to get the stones out.
It takes a little bit of time before he’s able to haul the stones out, but between his shift and his demigod strength, he manages to make it look effortless.
It’s about that time that the Flood manages to reach the depth required, withdrawing to move over to the next section, starting the process once again, but incapable of keeping his gaze from lingering on Hotaru each time he moves from spot to spot.
Sunjata gets the stones out using the tips of his claws from both hands and keeps digging in the sections required!!
the flood
// where me and you can always hide //
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Fire had always been something that had intrigued Hadama, ever since he was a boy sneaking to the surface to see the torches of the coast for the first time. He had learned to use it in the forge and, much later in life, in a kitchen made for preparing landwalker foods. But open bonfires, it seemed, still eluded his command.
After realizing that his crews were falling behind he called a few people to help him shift some of the piles of supplies over near his fires, using them to create windbreaks that would hopefully protect the guttering flames. He returned to his cauldron to continue stirring but asked two of his assistants to keep an eye on all of the fires on their side of the deepening foundations. If one started to flicker out they had orders to pull some more supplies over to increase the protection from the playful breezes.
Hadama shifts some of the building supply piles to create windbreaks for the fires on his side of the project and keeps stirring.
Luck or skill, it holds strong for Hotaru - for now. Her comrades can’t say the same, but the physical labor and strenuous toil will make its mark on all of them in time, she’s sure of that. For now she still gloats semi-privately, because why wouldn’t she?
Pouring the foundation requires far more hands. The Valkyrie corrals a few workers to make them help in ferrying the buckets of concrete and pouring it while it’s still hot and malleable. “You four, start tapping and smoothing it!” Calling and directing is easier than pulling her own weight as the foundation starts to fill, but Hotaru does it anyway because she’s just that generous. Even if the rate at which she transports the buckets is far more leisurely, and she casts a sharp eye over the work being performed in the sparse moments between oversight and traveling for more materials.
- - -
Ru coordinates NPC hands to help with directing the concrete and smoothing/tapping it down while carrying some herself.
She doesn't care about your words or how you'll try and save her
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.
Sunjata was the embodiment of slow but steady, but there was no doubt that a dozen humans with shovels would have taken even longer - and struggled far more with the large stones that the dragon was able to extract without assistance. Once he had figured out a method for prying the stones out - and with some help from his crew, armed with long poles and crowbars - his pace picked up again and he was able to work through the rest of the tower's foundation.
Tal moved in his wake, his own crew having to rush to keep up once Sunjata hit his stride again. Caught between trying to keep pace with the dragon and trying to stay ahead of Hotaru's crew, the courier had his work cut out for him and he was soon sweating in spite of his Frostbite Cuff. He raced frantically along each new section with the tamping boards, and he only barely managed to keep out of the way of the concrete foundations that were being carefully poured.
Hotaru had a natural talent for leadership - and the admiration and crushes of no few of her crew - which kept her team moving. The sturdy foundation was going in smoothly, the Valkyrie's attention to detail keeping bubbles or flaws from forming in her pours. Her strength was a big help as well, moving the heavy buckets faster than any of the regular townsfolk could manage.
The work went even quicker when Hadama was able to join in. His cauldrons of slurry were finally able to heat up thanks to his windbreaks, and it timed out unexpectedly well with Sunjata's pace. The mer king would be able to start pouring his own concrete just as Hotaru was beginning to run low, freeing her to focus on tamping and smoothing. Tal took a few breaks to come over and show them both where hollow blocks needed to be placed in the concrete for future support posts.
As the last section was poured, Tal looked out over the pit that was now resembling a proper foundation and wiped some dirt from his cheek. "Right, we've definitely earned some lunch," he decided. They had worked through the cool morning and the Longheat sun was beginning to beat down on them with warm intensity. "Can let that stuff set up properly while we take a break. Then we can start workin' on some o' th'interior framin'."
Great job! The foundation is looking good, but it needs some time to set up and cure properly. It's well into afternoon now, but there's open-sided tents for shade and food provided by some of the new local vendors to people working on the skyport. Eat up and gather your strength for what's coming in a couple of hours, once the sun isn't quite so intense!
Once the stride hits, the Flood manages to breeze through it – digging section after section until none were needed any longer and he could step back to shift back into himself – abandoning the dragon mostly for the moment (he leaves his wings out to blot out the sun for anyone nearby that may be seeking some amount of shade). He finds himself sliding over toward Hotaru in the interim, helping her out on the smoothing and tampening front.
But then it’s lunch and Sunjata would be lying if he weren’t absolutely starving at this point in the day, and it’s with a crooked smile offered toward Talyson that a rumbling laugh leaves him in agreement. “Yeah we have.” Feeling a fairly large sense of accomplishment, he nods to the instruction and finally has a chance to deal with how dirty his arms have become from all of that digging.
It's not a problem, though. Far enough away from where his water magic wouldn’t interfere with the setting concrete, Sunjata conjures a large bubble of swirling water to wash his hands off in and anyone else looking to clean up before lunch. And only when he’s sure everyone who wanted to has had a chance to utilize it does he turn his attention elsewhere.
Sidling back over toward Hotaru, the Flood reaches out affectionately to press a soft and chaste kiss to her lips. “It’s like the sandcastles, huh?” Comes the playful tease accompanied by a wink as he withdraws, shielding the sun from hitting her skin too much. “So, what’re you thinking?” He asks shortly after as they approach the vendors with the myriad of food offered, nodding and murmuring his gratitude toward them for providing it, fully intending to get the Valkyrie a plate before himself.
Sunjata cleans up with some water magic and offers it out for anyone else to use should they want to clean up before he gets some food with Hotaru!
the flood
// where me and you can always hide //
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
