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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!
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Converging about the cliffs, soon after Seren’s funeral and strategizing with Sunjata, only gave him the slightest pause. His jaw clenched and he stared across the ocean wakes nestled and crashing into stone and crag, contemplating the rounds of anarchy spiraling before them. Multiple attacks over LongNight. Infected demigods. Destroyed springs. And likely more to come – and if things were not done, not taken care of, not sealed away and mauled, then they would just continue to fester, weaken, decay.
As was his habit, he took a long, long breath – trying to find a way to expel the rising tension and apprehension in his ribs. Going home, to Halo, to aspects so easily known, to slip away into the cold and tundra and family and simply never come out sounded vastly appealing. But he couldn’t; for there was too much to be done.
His eyes followed the horizon line as Belial extended his wings – coasting and ghosting over the thermals, until the peryton screeched, spotting Alys from his higher vantage point.
03-02-2025, 06:21 PM (This post was last modified: 03-02-2025, 06:21 PM by Alys.)
Alys
A familiar screech from above caught Alys's attention as she sat in the sand by the lighthouse, leaning back on her hands and turning her face into the sun. Her recent conversation with Mort - and getting to see Sascha again - had lifted her spirits, and although the ache of her missing bond was still there, she found it easier to go about her day. Rising to her feet and dusting herself off, Alys made her way down the beach to meet Deimos.
"Hey," she said, her brow creased with concern as she got within speaking distance. "Are you okay? What about Evie and Erebos and Amhran?" His letter had been concerning, to say the least, and there had been a funeral, apparently, though the name hadn't been one she'd been familiar with. Biting her tongue to stem the tide of questions, she looked her friend over quickly. While he seemed physically alright, his emotions were heightened: tension and apprehension radiated from him, and though he did a good job of concealing these notions, Alys had no choice but to acknowledge them through her magic.
funny how it all works out in the end you dance with the devil and you lose your head
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Belial’s screech had long since heralded Alys’s arrival, giving himself enough time to place an adequate mask over his features. Unbeknownst to him, however, that it scarcely mattered, and all those intertwining emotions, apprehensions, turmoil, and terror he kept so taut within his frame spilled out regardless.
Before he could ask her the same, especially after recent events in Halo, the loss of her companion, and recent assaults, the questions bombarded and leapt. He likely should’ve seen it coming; his own statements during the letter exchange had been purposefully brief, and so his jaw clenched only once. “They are all right.” He wouldn’t be here if they were in danger, ill, or injured, and he trusted the Evergreen to be safe and obstinate should anything happen while he was away. It didn’t mean he’d set aside all his worries though. “The healing springs were attacked and destroyed during LongNight – I am trying to let everyone know in case we find more infected.” And could potentially lead them to a Big God, rather than the broken stones in the Fangs. “How are you doing?”
Something in Alys relaxed at the news that Deimos’s family was alright, although her friend left his own state unspoken. She thought she could gather enough from the emotions he fought so hard to control to understand that he was decidedly not okay - but it was unlikely that talking about it was going to fix anything, not when he shouldered the responsibility for an entire region. Her heart ached for him, that he was having to carry the burden with very few people to share it with.
The news about the healing springs left Alys feeling stripped down and bare, and she stared at Deimos with shock. In the back of her mind, she had relied on the springs being there more, perhaps, than she had realized. If she was infected, at least Tal would be able to see it and take her to Halo, she’d thought; but now, with the springs gone…
Her thoughts began to spiral, and she almost missed Deimos’s query. ”I’m - I’m alright, all things considered,” she said after a beat. ”It’s just - hard to feel safe anywhere at the moment.” Even at home, where she’d never imagined they’d be attacked. Had they been targeted for her role in helping Halo, or for Tal’s in stopping the Void elsewhere? Or perhaps it had been a random attack, and it had nothing to do with either of them, although given past events, she thought that rather unlikely.
funny how it all works out in the end you dance with the devil and you lose your head
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Perhaps they’d all come to rely too heavily on the certainty of places and things. To believe it’d always be there, or they’d have the capacity to fend and fight. But if wars, and now the Family, had taught him anything at all, it was that sometimes the most bitter and rancorous circumstances still found everyone and everything, no matter how hard fought the battle. There would always be a cost. It was just difficult to carry the magnitude all the time – when there were so many other burdens tossed there.
Her words sent his eyes out across the coast, sharpened gaze honing in on the outline and isle of Starfall. His anger was a cold and muted one, but there, residing in his chest amidst the bones and filaments of trepidation, before turning his gaze back to her. Belial had long since landed along the coast and picked at his feathers; far more carefree where his bonded couldn’t be. “That is understandable.” These experiences were dastardly, piercing things, coming together in a puncturing onslaught with little repose in between. “I think we have to take those peaceful instances where we can.” Because they were far more fragile nowadays than anything else. "Most plans seem to be confined to looking for certain flowers," as a hint, in case she wanted to be of assistance, rather than waiting in agony.
Yearning to peel away from the layers of misgivings, his head tilted. “Was there something you wanted to work on?”
Alys thought back to the last peaceful day she’d had, back before the Void yeti and Sascha’s death and the attack in King’s End, and huffed a sound that could almost be called a laugh. Things had seemed so simple then, the future so certain. Now the only things that seemed inevitable was death and destruction.
”I’m looking forward to a trip to the Greatwood soon,” she said offhandedly, meeting Deimos’s gaze with a knowing look. ”We just had some business here before we went.” To search for flowers, and to stay away from home, where they no longer felt as safe as they did before. At least Sunjata and Hotaru had been freed of the Family’s influence and planned to make King’s End safer - or at least to try. Alys supposed they would have to return home to help with those efforts, if nothing else.
She forced a smile. ”I didn’t really want to work on anything,” she said honestly. ”I just wanted to check on you. Say hello. You know, what friends do,” she teased. ”But if you have time and want to do something, I’m open to suggestions.”
funny how it all works out in the end you dance with the devil and you lose your head
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Taking the hint, his features managed to soften into something a little less wooden and stony, a little more of himself unfurled, juvenile touches stuck in the corners of his mouth as it shifted into a vague smirk. His head tilted, more indulgent to amusements once they had gotten past the horrors of the past few months. “The Greatwood can be quite nice this time of year.” Teeming with wildlife and enigmas, and potentially harboring exactly what they needed for all the incoming storms. There might’ve been more opportunities there, rather than the limitations of Frey’s Breath.
Her response thereafter surprised him though, and then suddenly he felt a great shame; twisting his head away to stare at the shoreline again. “Sorry.” Recently interactions with so many others had seemed like nothing but transactions; information slung with ferocity and demise, before they were onto the next grating outlook. Or someone needed him for something. And he let them because responsibility and duty dragged at his spine until he was exhausted. One severe thing after another had rendered some of his friends completely distant – and then he wondered if he was being the same way too, simply because every day seemed to be raise further torment. In another time and place, he might’ve been lectured about how he used to strive for boundaries; necessities were now too firmly rooted once more. “I appreciate it.” And he knew it wasn’t easy for anyone to do – with him, anyway. Especially after all her latest woes too.
So before he felt the need to draw those walls upwards, he watched Belial in the distance, then snorted, trying to unwind from the blistering haze. “Mm. My air magic has increased lately,” to which he arched a brow in her direction again, somewhat amused – not certain when it had come about, just that he’d been capable of far more when they were dealing with the titan. “If you wanted to practice some magic.”
Deimos's sudden wave of shame took Alys by surprise, and as an apology left his mouth, the seer offered a gentle smile. She had no words of wisdom to offer him, not unless she wished to divulge that she could read emotions as easily as she could hear him speak - and she wasn't inclined to share that particular information, not when she feared it would make her friends uncomfortable around her.
"I've developed air magic recently," Alys said instead, focusing on something that they could use to help Deimos shake off the negativity of moments before. "It's not very strong yet, but I'd be happy to see what I can do with it." As though to demonstrate, Alys called up a breeze that twirled around her, tugging at her dark curls before dissipating. "And how to use it as a weapon rather than a party trick."
funny how it all works out in the end you dance with the devil and you lose your head
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Deimos wouldn’t want anyone to know of his feelings, unless he was willing to share – the sort of individual to keep everything tightly locked away, barricades and walls to fell and find, or leave entirely alone. For now though, he slammed the other notions aside, could relegate his mind to tangible materials and filaments in veins and ichor; aspects of incantations that would sweep aside and level, distort and destroy.
He tilted his head again, a slight smile looming in one corner of his mouth again. “If you want.” Pausing, his eyes cast back along the shore, before narrowing, and beginning to summon the elements embedded within his soul. They hummed and thrummed without complaint, swarming around a rock, before lifting it straight into the sky. “Air can be used for all sorts of purposes, I have found. Breathing underwater. Picking things up. Summoning storms. Distractions.” Marring anything void related.
Then he let the stone descend, but hurled in a different direction, giving Belial an instance to screech as he gave chase. “Try and lift something,” he arched his brow, encouraging.
Deimos’s lesson was well-received, even if Alys hadn’t intended for today to be about training. She supposed that in today’s climate - with so much unsure and out of control - it would be nice to have something to hold onto that he could do rather than simply sit and worry. So despite the urge to delve deeper into emotions - which she instinctively knew better than to try - she gave in to what was actually actionable.
Her friend had always motivated her as much as he had enraged her during their training sessions, so although his command was encouraging, she was alert for any tricks that might be coming. Not that she’d have minded much, not if it meant cheering Deimos from the gloom that seemed to cover them all. In any case, she summoned her wind magic, concentrating fiercely, and focused on a small rock at her feet. When she tried to lift it, it was with air spinning like a tiny tornado, and a rock that shuddered and trembled but did not rise.
funny how it all works out in the end you dance with the devil and you lose your head
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
Deimos had never been an individual to sit with his trepidations. He was much more prone to action, to striving forward and seeing what could be done, or busying himself with distractions so the gnarled, withered thoughts didn’t take root and hold down on his ribs for so very long. They would commit to some layer of maneuvers – with most tightly held over fortune and flowers, but for now, this would do.
Though as he lifted the rock and volleyed it around the air, letting Belial give chase to it as the peryton hooted and screeched along the salty, briny sky, his gaze went towards Alys’s endeavors. There were no tricks up his sleeve, not yet anyway, and he seemed intent on assistance rather than bombardment and boyish, juvenile irritation. He could see the air circulating and spinning, or the dust revolving around it rather, but the rock itself didn’t seemed terribly bothered. “Focus on the elements around it. To lift underneath.”
Alys spared a glance for Belial as he chased after the rock Deimos had launched, smiling sadly. If Sascha were here, she'd be keen to join in the fun, for all that she wouldn't be able to keep up. But perhaps one day, maybe not so soon, but eventually, she would be able to return. It was that thought that kept her from succumbing to the grief that she'd held at bay ever since that day she'd prayed to Mort and actually gotten a response.
Turning her attention back to the rock (and the air magic that had faltered with her concentration), she tilted her head to one side as she renewed her efforts. This time, she focused her air more directly beneath the rock, sending it this time shooting all of a millimeter into the sky. Still, it was an improvement over her efforts before, and as she struggled to hold it minimally off the ground, she looked to Deimos for further instruction.
funny how it all works out in the end you dance with the devil and you lose your head
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
what tried to destroy you didn't have the strength
The Sword opted for amusing the peryton, now lowering the rock so it skid over the surface of the land before rallying upwards again (Belial followed it dutifully, but not with any apparent wit or intellect). Hoping to train the companion as well as his friend, his eyes went back to Alys’s rock, fighting down the slight and sudden bombardment of amusement as the stone did maneuver upwards. Some motion was better than none at all, especially upon initial discovery and basics of the more subtle elements.
“I wonder if it is similar to how your telekinesis works?” She’d had that longer, as far as he knew, and might have more experience in how that particular one yielded. He didn't; air had been the only encompassing one clinging to his veins. “Or we can try something else.” Perhaps those portions simply weren’t ready for lifting – but for things around them; the salty wind, the birds floating idly by.
Alys considered this, allowing the rock to settle back against the ground. When she used her telekinesis, she lifted an item with hardly a thought, but doing so with air seemed so much harder. Perhaps it was in the nature of the magic - telekinesis was inherently designed for her to be able to move objects, but air naturally wanted to flow around obstacles. Maybe she had to shape it to do what she wanted, instead of just aiming and hoping for the best.
With that thought in mind, Alys shook her head. ”No - if air can be useful, I should work to hone it.” Biting her lip in concentration, the seer called upon her air again, this time trying to think of it like making a bowl of hard, flowing air and lifting. This time, the rock lifted easily, and she was able to pull it to chest height with only a bobble or two.
funny how it all works out in the end you dance with the devil and you lose your head
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
