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!
01-26-2025, 03:33 PM (This post was last modified: 01-26-2025, 03:33 PM by Hadama.)
Not all problems were world-ending threats. Some were more like day-disrupting inconveniences, and they weren't even the fault of the Void. Take Torchline's annual crab migration. Most years it was so small as to be barely noticed, but some years - and this was one - the migration was the result of a bumper crop of crabs that were ready to engage in a night of partying and debauchery that any Torcher could admire.
First, however, the crabs needed to make it from the inland portions of the islands to the shores. This was not an issue on the smaller islands, but when it came to Haulani things were more... complicated.
An hour before dawn Hadama stood at the northeastern edge of the city, a warmly knit sweater in dark blue with white polka dots covering his chest and arms and sturdy trousers warming his legs. His steely hair stood out, reflecting back the light of the circle of torches he stood beneath where a few others had already gathered. A carafe of hot coffee stood on a folding table for those that needed it; the noticeboard posting had specified the time and place for volunteers to gather, but it was not an hour of the day anyone other than fishermen usually saw.
But a few earlybird crabs were already beginning to totter sleepily out of the jungle, heading for the city and the ocean beyond...
This PQ is for volunteers to help Torchline's crabs make it safely through the city streets to the beaches where they'll spawn! What could possibly go wrong? It is a community service PQ and will satisfy the seasonal requirement.
I've done nothing wrong Except for all the atrocities
Melita, after her latest adventures and devastating blows, had opted to lay low. While assisting in crab migration wasn’t the most exciting or enlightening portion of her day (the Ludo aspects embedded in her rather preferred letting them loose and rampant; because it’d be funny and chaotic), but she arrived nonetheless.
With her companions alongside, figuring it’d be a good opportunity for them to stretch their legs and not be in any imminent danger. Maybe both could even have a little crab feast, if they were so inclined. A lot less jovial in her efforts, she gave half a smile and a wave to Hadama. “Hey. Here to help.” Or make things worse.
Nova skipped through the streets that were slowly brightening with morning light, excited to see what all the fuss was about a couple crabs. Her humming echoed in the emptiness, announcing her arrival before the flash of her blonde and pink hair. The gathering of people was small, but she didn't yet notice the demigod who'd left her limping home but a few weeks ago; instead, her nose caught the smell of coffee, leading her straight to the table offering refreshments.
Having been discouraged by her siblings to try coffee, Nova took it as a rare opportunity. She glanced around to ensure no one (important) was looking before snagging a warm cup for herself. A giggle erupted from her chest as she anticipated getting away with trying the beverage. Once she'd made sure there weren't any shifting shadows that might suggest her sneaky brother being nearby, she took a large gulp of the liquid. It scalded her mouth, causing her to let out a few blowing breaths to mitigate the damage, even hopping on her toes as if it might dissipate the heat into the rest of her body. Although unsuccessful, the rich taste was worth it, worming into her body like a blaze of fire. Her senses seemed to flare alive, everything brightening around her. Nova's eyes widened to take it all in, body tingling pleasantly. Why had her siblings been so against it? Coffee was like MAGIC.
Somehow more everything, the firework of a young woman bounced her way through the gathering group to spot the Mer King. Her voice was unencumbered by sleep or the necessity for 'quiet' in the early morning as she greeted the man, "Hi Hadama! How are you? Isn't it so cold out? I needed a whole second sweater. I wanted to go with red for the crabs, but it didn't match the blue I'd already picked. I like your blue sweater! Isn't that the same one you wore in the Greatwoods? It really does look good on you. It brings out the silver of your hair." Finally catching the fiery red hair of a certain demigod at the edge of her vision, Nova gasped dramatically, pointing her finger in unfiltered accusations. "You're the mean woman who bit me! That really wasn't nice. I was just enjoying the lightning and you tried to kill me." That may not have been completely true, but it certainly felt that way, and now she was here, where she lived. Did that mean... Narrowing her eyes, she clutched at her rainbow ombre sweater to protect her heart from the truth. "Are you following me now? Are you here to attack me again? Hadama," she looked to the man with wide eyes as she asked with a pinch of fear amongst the flurry of energy, "Is that allowed?"
(Putting in Remi instead because I forgot about this and Flora has already done this SE)
Remi pulls his dark blue sweater tighter around his shoulders, the soft fabric offering scant protection against the Deepfrost that blankets Haulani's floating city. A knitted scarf, wrapped snugly around his neck, sways gently in the chilly breeze as he approaches the northeastern edge of the city, toward where Hadama had said he'd be. The circle of torches cast long, flickering shadows across his path, their warm glow a stark contrast to the biting cold that nips at his nose and ears.
As he neares, Remi inhales deeply, the familiar scent of saltwater mingling with the earthy aroma of morning. His eyes scan the budding crowd, spotting Hadama and Melita, before Nova 's vibrant hair catches the first fingers of dawn, adding splashes of colour to the otherwise muted scene and drawing his gaze.
A surge of frustration tightens his chest as he recalls Ronin's warnings about interfering with void-related matters. But of course, this wasn't void related, if not a little mundane, and so while aiding in a crab migration wasn't at the top of his list of things to do, it was something to do. Approaching the folding table, he offers a sleepy nod to his fellow demigods before pouring himself a cup of coffee.
Widening his eyes to hear Nova's accusations, Remi can't help but to hide a smirk behind the rim of his cup, his sea-glass stare dancing from Melita and then to Hadama as if wondering who was going to take a first crack at responding to the Marin-girl's accusations.
There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours
Code stolen from Queen Sky
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Hadama nodded a welcome to Melita, relief and warmth softening the serene planes of his face at seeing the Honeybee hale and home after hearing her name in the unwelcome broadcast from Halo. "Thank you," he murmured, taking a sip of his coffee before he inclined his head to Fangorn and Sila as well. A certain amount of snacking was only to be expected; they were here to protect the crabs from human negligence, not natural predators, after all.
Nova was not, perhaps, as stealthy in her approach to the coffee as she hoped. Something about the bright colors of her hair and the giggle she couldn't suppress worked against her attempts to pass unseen, but Hadama had not been informed of the coffee prohibition and he saw no reason to stop her.
A lesson they would all learn something from today, it seemed.
"Remi, welcome," he rumbled, surprised but pleased to see the Bastion up and about so early. The demigod's help was certainly appreciated, however, and it reminded Hadama of his last letter to Ronin. "Afterwards, may we spe--"
Whatever he was about to ask would have to wait as the caffeine hit Nova's system and the young woman was off to the races. Hadama blinked several times as the wave of words washed over him. He was not sure that she even stopped for breath until she gasped and he tensed, following her finger and expecting, perhaps, some member of the Family to have arrived--
But it was only Melita, and as the accusations flew Hadama turned back to Nova slowly and tilted his head to the side. His emerald gaze was calm in the face of her energy. "Melita has lived in Torchline for many years," he rumbled, each word a carefully-chosen, slow counterpoint to the hybrid's speedy chatter. "And she has come to help with the crab migration. If you are still concerned, you may help me with the preparations. And Remi can help Melita?" He turned to the Bastion with a questioning lift of a brow to see if that was acceptable. There was silent bemusement and something lighter hiding behind his emerald eyes, but not so much as a hint of it escaped into the Attuned bond.
"We will try to direct them through the main street. It is the widest, and has the most direct bridges. We will need to set up barricades here to funnel them. And others in the city itself to block off the cross streets." Both to keep the crabs headed in the right direction and to prevent cross-traffic wagons from rolling through and crushing or halting the migration.
The low barricades were stacked nearby, half-hidden in the dark until he gestured towards them. Though any magic that would help or cause more chaos was always an option.
Round 1: Raise the barricades!
One pair to work on the barricades on the northeast side of the city to help guide the crabs towards the main street
One pair to sat up barricades in Haulani to block cross streets. Luckily, hardly anyone is up yet, so you shouldn't run into too many problems this early.
I've done nothing wrong Except for all the atrocities
The sudden inclusion of the rather insipid and entitled woman flocking in made Melita roll her eyes; not in any kind of mood to deal with her rampant, dumbass shit. Especially her random tirade, leaving out specific details. The Honeybee wasn’t inclined to even address her at this point; she’d made her causes known the last time. Instead, she yawned, then waved to Remi, ignoring the caffeine influenced youth entirely. Wasn’t worth the effort today.
Hadama must’ve known pairing them off would go sideways quickly, handling it far more diplomatically than the Ludo demigod ever could, or would. So she bounced and bounded over towards the Bastion, granting a salute before addressing the crab migration itself. “Do you want to handle the cross streets with me?”
--
Melita cannot be bothered with Nova and suggests a task with Remi.
Too locked on the image of her arch nemesis standing before her (even if Mel had yet to acknowledge it), Nova didn't hear much of Hadama's words. If she had, she might have been offended that he wasn't siding with her. But then the woman was turning away without a word, joining Remi.
Nova let out a huff of indignation, turning to Hadama. "I can't trust her. I'd prefer to work with you." Not one for diplomacy or decorum, she linked her arm with his, using her free hand to hold the cup of coffee tightly. "You know she really did try to kill me. She even drew blood. My siblings would not be happy to see her right now. Are you sure she won't try to attack me again? She seemed very determined last time and I barely escaped with my life. The wound on my side would surely have scarred without the fountain's water." Only pausing to take another sip of jittery juice, Nova tilted her head at the Mer King. "You seem a little quiet this morning. Are you not a morning person? Do you prefer night since it reminds you of my mom? You know it looks even prettier from the sky. The stars twinkle all the time, like diamonds with their own little lights on the inside. I've always wanted to make a bundle of them into a dress. It would be so pretty. All sparkly colorful. You know white is actually the combination of all colors?" She continued to ramble as they made their way towards the first location for their barricades, flitting from one topic to the next with the ease of a professional auctioneer.
Nova teams up with Hadama to guide the crabs to Main Street.
Remi, who'd been at the centre of enough drama surrounding his children as of late, merely raised his eyebrows as the tension grew between the Marin-girl and the Honeybee, watching the scene with a mixture of mild amusement.
"Friend of yours, I take it?" He chuckled as they headed toward the sidestreets, the warm scent of coffee mingling with the crisp air, his eyes flicking briefly toward where Nova and Hadama were heading off, before returning to Melita with a knowing smile.
He glanced at the distant crab migration, its sheer scale enough to warrant some attention, though not enough to quell the undercurrent of tension that had lingered in his muscles ever since Ronin had returned from Stormbreak. "I wonder if all this is because we don't have monsoon season anymore," he murmurs, glancing over his shoulder at Melita with a small shrug.
Remi goes with Mel!
There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours
Code stolen from Queen Sky
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
The group split up, with half the volunteers heading into town and half remaining on the northern edge. For those heading into town, things were still pretty quiet. The fishermen were heading down to the docks to begin the morning fishing but there wasn't much traffic yet and Melita and Remi were able to begin placing barricades without too much trouble. Remi's reputation preceded him and of the few early risers out and about no one was willing to argue with the Bastion when he set up a barricade. One look at his muscles and scars was enough to send any protesting merchant hurrying back to find another way around, and his barricades slotted into place between the buildings with ease. The first few dozen crabs to begin the trek into town didn't even seem to realize that the alleys he blocked were usually roads.
Melita, despite her striking hair and local reputation of her own, was not so lucky. One early farmer with a large cart loaded with winter produce was trying to cross the main thoroughfare and drove right through one of her barricades. He left it shattered behind him without slowing down, but finally drew his draft horse to a halt as he realized that the other streets leading off the main one were blocked. A few enterprising crabs, confused by the buildings and the shadows of the floating islands overhead, made a break for the opening. They shifted sideways, claws clicking impatiently as they rushed towards the alley. "Hey! What's going on?" the oblivious farmer barked at Melita, scowling fiercely beneath his broad straw hat. "I've got deliveries to make! How am I supposed to get all this to my customers with all this shit in the way?!"
And behind them, the first big wave was beginning to roll down main street, several dozen already peeling off from the main mass to follow their directionally challenged brethren.
Things were going a little better outside of the city. Hadama allowed his arm to be taken and listened with polite interest to the mile-a-minute observations of Safrin's daughter while he gently guided her towards their own stash of barricades. "Mmh," he offered in agreement at one point, but it was rather lost in the flood of words and he was content to let Nova keep up the conversation. He busied himself - and his partner - with placing barricades in the mouths of alleys and minor streets that petered out on the outskirts of town where the jungle encroached right up on the brick cobbles of Haulani. Hadama worked steadily and Nova was surprisingly (or not so surprisingly) swift, and as the first and second waves of the migration scuttled forward beneath the rising sun they followed the edges of the barricades and - more or less - allowed themselves to be funneled in the direction the pair desired.
"They are holding. Good." Hadama surveyed their work and nodded in satisfaction. "People will be waking up soon. We should go and keep them from taking short cuts over the barricades."
Round 2:
The barricades are mostly up, but Mel has run into an entitled farmer who just knocked one down and now some of the crabs are making a break for deeper into the city! His cart is also now stuck on main street and the first wave of crabs is heading towards it at a, er, energetic scuttle!
Hadama and Nova are heading into the city to try and keep anyone else from trying anything similar.
1. Deal with the farmer
2. Find a way to get his cart and horse off main street without killing (too many) crabs
3 and 4: Interact with NPC townsfolk to keep them from trying to cross the barricades into the oncoming crab tide
I've done nothing wrong Except for all the atrocities
Melita rolled her eyes at Remi’s statement; clearly not as amused as him, but then there were such a litany of circumstances afterward that she forgot her retort. “Oh, maybe,” but she wasn’t going to say she preferred monsoons – at least crabs were somewhat amusing.
Then, of course, came all the other nonsense. An intense bout of irritation soon began flowing through her as some local dumbass opted to just ignore the barricades. “It’s the crabs,” dumbass, she left out, making a sweeping hand gesture to the ones clearly vying for an escape. Tapping into the smallest amount of patience she had, and grinding her teeth while trying to appear friendly and amicable (it probably just came across as annoyed and peeved), she waved him towards the streets not currently occupied by crabs or barred. “Here, we can turn you around and I can show you where else to go.”
Nodding at Remi, she shrugged. “Want to see if we can get the crabs out of the way?” The thought of blasting them was at the forefront - but maybe the Bastion had better ideas.
Nova felt like she was filled with an infinite level of energy, flitting from task to task with the speed of light. Despite her activity level, she didn't seem to tire or slow, her babbling continuing like a flooded stream. Hadama's lack of responses didn't seem to bother or deter her. She could speak enough for the both of them. And when she somehow found herself talking about how explosives would help with the crab problem, it was probably for the best not to encourage her.
Glancing at the rising sun, Nova gasped. "People are just now waking up?! Why were they sleeping so long? Half the day has already passed. They really should have gotten up earlier to beat the rush of crabs. Maybe they should just stay home today. Call it a holiday or something. 'Sorry I couldn't make it to work. There was traffic with the crabs this morning.' You know? Like a snow day but for crabs? Don't they have holidays like that in other places? Like the running of animals or festivals? Honestly, they should just enjoy the show. Maybe people could paint a crab a fun color and see whose gets to the water first!" She stopped in her tracks, jumping up at the idea. "That would actually be SO FUN! It would be so colorful and people would know about the migration because they want their crab to win!" Nova continued to ramble on to anyone who would listen about how they should go home and plan their bets for next year's crab migration.
Nova tries to direct people away from the crabs! (And maybe convincing them to stay home.)
02-09-2025, 08:50 PM (This post was last modified: 02-09-2025, 08:50 PM by Remi.)
REMI
Had it been up to him, Remi might have just shrugged out his wings and flown the farmer and his horse and cart out of the way. Not unlike Melita he had little patience to offer even on a good day, and even less for someone acting entirely entitled and obstinate. But, like the Honeybee, he tried, channeling his inner Ronin and forcing a smile onto his lips. "I can promise going around will be far faster than trying to go the way you are." He agrees, nodding his head toward the oncoming wave of crabs.
Which, speaking of..
No longer able to rely on the broken barrier, Remi raises his eyebrows at Melita as he lets a shiver of his intended shift race across his skin; his arms became grayish and flat as suckers sprouted across his forearms before disappearing.
Turning away properly, the Bastion took a deep breath as he shifted, utilizing his gargantuan limbs as a kraken to act as a new barrier to keep the crabs moving in their intended direction (and to ensure the farmer didn't try and bulldoze his way through).
Remi takes a deep breath and becomes a kraken, using his tentacles to guide the crabs on their way and to keep the farmer from fucking about any more.
There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours
Code stolen from Queen Sky
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Crabs? That's the stupidest thing I ever--" The scowling farmer followed Melita's gesture and his eyes widened as the rising sun illuminated the slowly approaching tide of shelled bodies and snapping pincers. "...Crabs." He repeated, dumbfounded enough that he only flinched a little when Remi krakened up nearby. The horse was far more survival oriented and snorted, lunging against its harness and jerking the cart into motion as it headed towards the first alley it could see. Luckily it happened to be one that Mel had indicated in her wave, even if the farmer was doing more swearing than steering. The wheels of the cart crushed several of the crabby vanguard on its way across main street, but it was safely off the road by the time the main force arrived.
Remi in his kraken form was a terrifying enough sight that most people would have avoided him by fleeing in panic if they weren't at least somewhat used to their former Governor's quirks. The crabs, unfortunately, were too small to fully appreciate his gargantuan, mythic shift. He might as well have been another building for all the interest they showed him, but by that same token they couldn't see an easy way around his blocking tentacles. The initial wave of would-be escapees paused on the threshold of freedom as a rubbery appendage formed a wall where a moment before they had seen a door. After some wavering they finally scuttled back to rejoin the main body of their brethren as the first large wave continued to roll down the street towards the shore.
Which left Hadama and Nova to keep the townsfolk at bay. The King was not above wielding his authority to simply order people back. He knew better than to leave Nova to her own devices for long, however. and he stayed close enough to listen to her stream of consciousness as it slipped from her lips without pause or filter. He nodded solemnly at her mention of making it an official holiday, wordless agreement rumbling from his throat. "Next year," he promised during a break for her to breathe, though next year the migration would hopefully be back to its usual, far more diminished numbers. It was her mention of crab 'races,' however, that made him pause and turn to look at her with new respect in his eyes. "That... is a very good idea," he concurred slowly. "And it is not too late this year. The day is still early." Despite what the caffeinated young Marin might think!
"Let us set up some stations along the route. I will gather the bookies," he added, emerald eyes gleaming with amusement for just what those bookies would think of being roused from their beds by the King of the Merfolk. For a new gambling opportunity, no less! "We will need someone to find some tables. Another to collect paint. And someone to spread the word." It might not spread as far this year, but everyone involved in cheering their crab on would help to keep others from 'interfering' in the migration by trying to hop the barricades!
Round 3: Make several crab painting stations along the migration route!
1. Find/make/steal some small tables to set behind the barricades at several alleys to create crab racing stations.
2. Find/barter/steal some small cans of paint in several colors to distribute to the stations.
3. Start spreading the word to drum up interest in Torchline's newest community service betting opportunity!
Hadama's response reminded her that people were actually listening to her vocalizations. Luckily, he agreed with her, and Nova's smile brightened to a blinding level. "Really?! You like the idea?!" She gave a little squeal and a spin, finishing off the coffee to free her hands for the new task. "That's so exciting! I wonder if we can find some glitter for the paint!" Because obviously she would be in charge of the paint.
Not waiting for the Mer King's response, Nova darted off down the street to find a paint store. As she passed people, the flood of words and information continued to bubble from her mouth, letting everyone know about the excitement to come. Once she'd found a store, she knocked annoyingly until the door opened to reveal an attractive young man. Nova fluttered her lashes around her glittering blue eyes, bouncing forward on the balls of her feet. "Hello! I'm helping with the crab races! You seem like such a stroooong, kiind man. Would you be willing to spare some paint for the project? I could make it worth your time." She gave him a playful wink, tilting her head in a way that said she already knew he'd agree. "And if you have some glitter, that would be amaaazing." Her eyes fluttered again as she twisted her body, excited to begin making the crustaceans more colorful. She could already see the rainbow in her mind, just waiting to be burst into reality.
Nova flatters a painter into giving her a wide array of paint colors.
