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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!
an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth a knife for the ribs
He hears it, the broadcast, just as he steps from the sand onto the boardwalk, Ronin halting on the very edges of Haulani with the setting sun at his back, its last rays bleeding out into the sky and across the water. With brows furrowed, the Knight considers this as the latest in a long line of fuck yous by the Family, and though the season where he might have reacted in a way that some would consider reckless (and they would be right to judge it thus) is over, he still feels the first crackles of fury heat through his blood.
Good for keeping him warm he supposes, his jaw set tight as he considers the colourful buildings sprawling ahead, the sea breeze tousling his hair. Shoving his hands in his pockets where they can ball into fists as they please, his trajectory into Haulani - where he'd been planning to go and pick up dinner to surprise his husband - has been completely forgotten.
Instead he turns his gaze skyward, to the area in the distance where the stars blot out if one squints in just the right way; the distant region of Stormbreak hovering high overhead. He might reach it in an hour or two if he flies as if hell itself is on his heels. He might head straight for the Tower as the force to bring it down rather than defend it, as he had done once upon a time.
Swallowing hard, he tears his eyes back towards the world around him. A nice fantasy. But reckless.
"Don't worry, White Knight. If you're too nervous to come and see me, I can make the first move." Dahlia appears - quite simply appears - pressed against Ronin's back, too quiet and too quick (and I should know, I rolled it) for him to react in time. For anyone passing, especially with their proximity and dusk masking the details of her face, it might appear that the Knight has picked himself up a sly lover; flush against him with her arms seemingly wound about his torso, it's a salacious little scene indeed.
Ronin, of course, will know the truth. Having plunged her claws clean through the thick material of his coat and through the fabric of his shirt beneath, her razor-tipped fingers press tantalisingly against the soft flesh right beneath his ribs, poised to sink in deep. "I know you wanted to storm my Tower, to parade inside and make a scene. I hope you don't mind if we do things a little more intimately," she continues, her voice a sensuous purr against his ear. Close enough to kill. Close enough to kiss, if she wills it.
"You must be very ruffled about what happened to Flora," she continues. "A shame, I agree. I like your daughter, you know. A lovely little treat, it was, when she invited me to meet with her. But I cannot let such open disdain for my Family's work to go unpunished. I daresay you can understand."
Sighing, the movement having her fingers press a little deeper into his flesh so that trickles of red might run, hot and sweet, down his torso, Dahlia continues. "And before you decide to call anyone to you, or start a fight, know that I know where the rest of your family is right now. All so conveniently in one place." She smiles, head turning in the general direction of The Hanged Man.
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth a knife for the ribs
Her voice has him seizing, half turning, before the press of that wretched body covers him, the cold bite of claws pricking his flesh. Feeling bile rise in his throat and his jaw almost creak with the effort of clenching it so tightly, Ronin swallows it down and manages half an inhale before she continues. And she manages to stay his silver tongue with every lick of venom that drips from her lips into his ear, rage blazing in his blue eyes that mingles with blatant confusion.
When had Flora met with Dahlia? And why?
Managing a full and shivering breath just as the Reaper makes an outright threat to his family, he follows the subtle turn of her head further into Haulani. "What are you talking about?" he hisses, his voice tight. His family are conveniently in one place? Unclenching his fists and resisting the urge to pull his hands from his pockets, his mind races to consider what he might do. "What the fuck do you want?" he whispers.
"Good boy," Dahlia croons, shifting with delight against him - and if that draws a little more blood, so be it. "See, I knew speaking with you would be productive. I daresay your husband would have started throwing punches by now." Sighing and considering his questions, she shrugs her shoulders. "It isn't about what I want, it's about what we - my Family and I - need, Ronin. A really simple thing for you and your beau, luckily - we just need you to do nothing."
Smiling, all but laying her head upon his shoulder, she breathes in the warm scent of fresh bread and sea salt that lingers upon him. "No flapping off to Halo to help rid it of our newest gift. No digging for lilies and roses and whatever else nature cooks up to try and hold us back. And absolutely no jaunts to Starfall, mm?" She gives him an encouraging squeeze. His torso will be coated with crimson beneath his shirt by now.
"Do that - or don't do anything, I ought to say - and your little family won't be bothered by mine." And at his confusion, she can't help but titter. "Ah, that's right. Your parenting skills are still a bit touch and go, aren't they? See, since nobody bothered to check up on your son after that dramatic little argument he had with Remi, your daughter took the liberty. Now they're both tucked up in Haulani like sitting ducks."
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth a knife for the ribs
Ronin has been wrong - very wrong, evidently - about his temper and its ties to the seasons. Recklessness, it seems, all but runs in his blood these days, and given how much of it he can feel coating his ribs and her hands, gods, it's almost a relief to let loose. It isn't her ask that has him reeling, even if the idea of doing nothing has him burning with defiance. No, it's as she brings Mateo and Flora into it properly that he loses his grip on logic, his lips pulling back in a snarl.
"You already tried that," he reminds her, voice pitched low, "and it didn't work." Out in the Greatwood, where things had been dire only for them to turn it around. "Everything you do, we undo just as quickly. The Oerwoud, the Feverlands, the Greatwood. Give us until the end of Deepfrost and we'll have the sword back too, I'd wager."
Too furious to care that he's being foolish, he can only hope that he can distract and disorient the Reaper away from Haulani. Away from Torchline, if he can. Anything to put distance between them and his children.
Which is precisely why his projection appears behind her, swinging an unarmed strike to the back of her neck.
Ronin tries to deliver an unarmed strike to Dahlia using his Astral Projection. Whether or not he hits, he'll switch places with himself to get out of her grip.
Magic: Once More With Feeling (FEAT) | Twice per combat (e.g. KQs, PQ+s, PVP) Ronin may use two actions in one turn. Type:Light | Rank: Mastered
Magic: Astral Projection | Ronin can project a version of himself into another location. He can see, hear and speak in this space, and he can affect it physically, including combat situations. If the astral projection is damaged, it can no longer physically affect the space. He may only project as far as the sub-boards adjacent to his physical location - and only if he has previously visited the board. Type:Light | Rank: Mastered
Magic: Now You See Me | Ronin may switch places with his astral projection (when summoned). Requires a 1 post cool down. Type:Light | Rank: Mastered
Regional Score bonus: +13 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +13 should be included)
"Is that so?" Let it never be said that Dahlia can't be goaded, not that the Reaper isn't always in the mood for a little violence. "Got a few more feathers hiding in your pockets, have you, Knight? Your tricks have a limit - and I happen to know you've reached it until the end of this season." She feels the presence in the air behind her just before it strikes out - and Dahlia moves smoothly out of the way. Her claws rip and tear as she goes, but alas, it appears Ronin is far sneakier than he first appears, for the projection merely slips through her fingers like air.
"Unlike you to punch first and ask questions later. Have I touched a nerve, Ronin?" She straightens, grinning like a demon. "See, I can keep killing your children over and over again, and it won't bother me a bit. Can I say the same about you?" Darting forward, her claws flash like liquid night, eager to carve into his belly. "More to the point - can I say the same about your husband?"
Sighing dramatically, she hops back, whether or not the blow lands. "Forever hearing his dead children crying for help in his head. That's got to sting, no? Ah - you did ask me what I wanted though, didn't you?" She beams. "I did say no fighting. By rights, I could disappear right now and squeeze the life from your boy's pretty throat. But I've been itching for this."
Dahlia tries to take out Ronin's guts with her claws :D
Magic: Claws | Dahlia's fingertips become curved, elongated claws at will, counting as a Mastered weapon. Type:Dark | Rank: Mastered
Magic: First Blood | When an enemy is at full HP, physical attacks do x1.5 damage. Type:Dark | Rank: Mastered
Magic: Maker's Mark | On a successful physical attack hit, enemies are Marked for 3 turns. Type:Dark | Rank: Mastered
Magic: Mania (passive) | Dahlia's damage increases by 50% following every successful attack to the same target. Type:Dark | Rank: Basic
Regional Score bonus: +1 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +1 should be included)
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth a knife for the ribs
Remi had said she was fast - and gods is she fast.
Perhaps some part of him had thought he might be on par with it, that he might stand a chance at dodging out of the way, but as she lances forward, casual and deadly, he barely realises she's hit until the blood begins to gush from his torso. Gagging around the rusty taste suddenly in his mouth and clamping a hand over the wound for all the good it will do, Ronin is ashen faced not only at the devastation of Dahlia's claws, but at the truth in her words, too.
"Don't--" he almost begs - don't go to Haulani, don't take this out on them - but he's late off the mark on that as well, as it happens. Whether or not she goes for them after she's done with him though is anyone's guess, and gods but Ronin can't fucking risk it. "I'm sorry, I-- just don't. Leave them alone."
Ronin's brain kicks back in and he tries to backtrack :)
Regional Score bonus: +13 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +13 should be included)
"No, I'm sorry, Ronin," Dahlia purrs, her expression one of manic, indulgent rapture, as if the feel of his flesh beneath her claws is a high she's been chasing for seasons. "I'm sorry it had to come to this for you to understand where I was coming from. But you're right, you know." She advances on him, claws lancing out to carve deeply towards his neck and his shoulder.
"You've really made a mess of our plans these past few months. All those regions taken back, not to mention my hard work on Sunjata and Hotaru. And I'm still feeling very upset over it." Upset is an understatement, as it happens, her pent up energy all but vibrating in the air around her, her claws flexing and dripping crimson upon the ground. "So you'll excuse me for not accepting your apology just yet."
Dahlia attacks with her claws again!
Magic: Claws | Dahlia's fingertips become curved, elongated claws at will, counting as a Mastered weapon. Type:Dark | Rank: Mastered
Magic: Mania (passive) | Dahlia's damage increases by 50% following every successful attack to the same target. Type:Dark | Rank: Basic
Regional Score bonus: +1 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +1 should be included)
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth a knife for the ribs
The strike of her claws hits hard enough to have Ronin toppling over, the Knight hitting the boardwalk hard as more blood spurts from the line of muscle between his neck and shoulders. He's running rapidly out of hands to try and stem the flow of crimson from his wounds, trying to lever an elbow beneath himself to glare fruitlessly up at Dahlia. He should call Remi, he knows he should. One tug at that magic and he could bring his husband to his side and into the fight.
But then what, exactly? Dahlia whittles them down bit by bit until they're both out of luck, until they're both dead? Or she simply disappears to enact whatever violence trembles through her blood on someone else? On their children? It stays his magic, however much he knows his husband will rage at knowing he might have come to help. But as long as Dahlia is front and centre, she isn't anywhere else.
"What would be good enough?" he chokes, not knowing if he's trying to keep her talking or calm her down or just buy time for something. "You gave me your terms. I accept them. What else is there?"
He goes down and Dahlia is on him like a lioness upon prey, bracing a knee at either side of his ruined torso, her wild curls framing a pretty face made gruesome by the murder in her expression. "There's that silver tongue of yours," she grates, grasping his jaw tight enough to leave pinprick marks from her claws in their wake. "Gods it would be good to kill you." Sighing heavily, as if the restraint of drawing in the chaos that almost writhes around her like a living thing takes physical effort, she tilts her head at Ronin.
"But I'll give you this much - you make a good point, even when you're begging like a coward. So use every bit of that charm, White Knight, and you make sure everyone stays out of our way." Her smile isn't kind as she descends, as if this is not an action she takes pleasure in - not nearly like her other targets.
And so it isn't death she delivers to Ronin, but a kiss planted directly against his bloody lips, one that will leave her own stained red when she draws back.
Dahlia uses:
Magic: Sinner's Kiss | Any recipient of a kiss on the mouth from Dahlia is rendered Infected. Infected characters/creatures are very receptive to suggestions and directions from The Family, and are eager to please them. This effect grows stronger with proximity to members of The Family. Type:Dark | Rank: Mastered
let me put my lips to something
let me wrap my teeth around the world
an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth a knife for the ribs
He's convinced that she's about to remove his throat as she kneels astride him, and there's a miasma of guilt and fear and utter loathing in his eyes as he glares up at her. Never has he felt so helpless against an enemy, where every lick of his power does precisely nothing against it; where even the weapon he had been able to wield had been snatched from him like a toy from a child. Good for nothing, even if Dahlia kills him here, Ronin will be able to do little more than send a message to his husband and pray he gets to their children in time.
His brows flinch together in confusion as those claws bite into his cheeks and his jaw rather than his jugular, though, as she gives him an order, and before he can so much as ask what she means, her lips are upon his. To Ronin's credit, he fights it at first, the echo of Sunjata's warning suddenly flaring in his mind like an alarm, but all too quickly, the urge to struggle against her, against anything at all, fades into a warm and violet pool of calm.
Blinking up into Dahlia's face, one crimson coated hand coming up to touch his lips, he regards her with soft curiosity, as if wondering why he'd ever been afraid. "I understand now," he rasps, his throat dry, blood still pooling and seeping through the boards beneath him.
