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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!
'Tomorrow' did not bring about any hunting. It brought rain, a cold and steady downpour that soaked through everything and put a halt to any exploration or search for game. It chased springtime spirits back down into winter boots and shut fae and travelers alike into their huts and houses. Liam left the woods on some errand, and for a few days she was left to her own devices. Feeling restless and out of sorts, her mood grew testy as the bad weather dragged on. Sitting around when so much had to be done was frustrating, and with the turning of days the itch beneath her skin whispered of mounting bloodlust. Dark dreams returned for the first time since Maea had entered the Greatwood, and reached a culmen as a Flowerbirth storm broke out over the village. Wind and driving rain chased the Ancient from her forest camp, her belongings scattering and breaking while the ground flooded.
The tempest broke close to dawn, swift winds tearing the clouds apart and delivered another day of brilliant sunlight to the forest, but for once it did little to brighten her mood. Sodden and bedraggled after the rough night, Maea returned near mid morning to gather up the remnants of her camp. Not much remained. The bedroll and blankets could be cleaned and hung up to dry, but her tent was in tatters and the leather bag she'd carried across all regions of Caido had been ruined by water. Too many pieces of clothing had simply disappeared; the had found the shirt Alys had helped mend in a tree, and thankfully she had been wearing the armored dress, but only one boot had been recovered so far and she was slowly giving up on finding the trousers, and the kettle, and on salvaging the dripping clumps of paper that had once been letters from friends and acquaintances, saved up over two years.
Stepping through the wreckage in bare feet, Maea let out a cry of relief as she spotted a sole poking out from under a greening shrub. Scampering over, the leaned down and hauled out the second boot. Without thinking she held it up in triumph; and squawked as filthy water came rushing out, soaking through all the sleeve that had nearly dried. The sheer amount of water was appalling, and with a disgusted sound Maea tossed it carelessly in the direction of its mate.
At least she still had shoes. That had to count for something – though the optimism was strained, and faltered only a moment later. Gods, what a mess.
And I feel like my castle's crumbling down And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground
Liam had returned to the Greatwood to find it ravaged from a spring storm, and his thoughts had immediately gone to Maea and her camp. How had she fared against the winds and the rain?
He arrived at the campsite to find Maea throwing a boot towards its brother, and a sudden flash of guilt he couldn’t entirely explain surfaced. He should have been here. He could have invited her home, insisted upon providing a sturdier shelter than that offered by the now-destroyed tent. A fallen tree limb lay nearby, making Liam shudder - what if it had landed on the tent, where Maea might have been sheltering? Would he have returned to find yet another lifeless body that he couldn’t save?
Maea herself seemed fine, although if the way she threw her boot was any indication, her mood wasn’t likely to be as playful and light as it had been last he’d seen her a few days prior. Liam made his way over, picking his way through the wreckage while being careful not to step on anything that might be salvaged.
”Maea,” he called as he approached her side. ”Are you alright?”
And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down You don't wanna know me now
Looking up at the call of her name, she spotted Liam and offered him a brief wave of acknowledgement. He was a welcome sight, but for once she didn't have any smile to offer, not even to mitigate his concern.
"Hey. Yeah, I'm fine. Can't say the same for the camp." Turning in a slow circle, the scattered and broken things elicited a sigh, as bone weary as it was frustrated. "This was all I had, you know... All I owned fit in a travel chest, and the storm even sent that flying." Leaning down she picked up a scrap of wood. On one side it had traces of blue color still clinging to the fiber, a faded hue that spoke of age. The inside was raw wood that still smelled faintly of cedar, but was well beyond repair. Similar splinters could be found all over the ground, and by the root of a tree the lid had caught up in roots, hinges still clinging to what would have been the back side of the chest.
Grimacing faintly, Maea let the piece slip from her fingers, and shook her head as she turned more fully to look at the former dragoon. A brief inspection told her he was well, at least physically. "Welcome back. Did your travel go alright?" He was lucky to have missed the storm on the return journey.
And I feel like my castle's crumbling down And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground
Her sigh was weary and frustrated, and Liam grimaced. There was nothing he could say or do to make this better, nothing that would bring back her lost belongings. What would he feel like, he wondered, if he lost all that he had remaining in the world? He couldn’t imagine it would be good; in fact, it might just be the thing that broke him.
”Let me help you clean up,” he suggested. ”Maybe there are some things that can be salvaged.” Not much, by the looks of things, but something, anything would be better than nothing.
He thought of his trip to Stormbreak, a crease appearing between his brows. ”It was fine, thank you.” It had been a short trip, long enough for him to see his family’s graves, leave flowers in their memory, and then return to the Greatwood. For so long, he’d thought of Stormbreak as home, but now… ”It was… strange. It was the first time I went home and it didn’t… feel like home.”
And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down You don't wanna know me now
"Thank you." It was a kind offer, and she accepted it without argument. That alone suggested what a blow this was; for Maea to not only need but actually want help it required something big. Something actually devastating.
Moving slowly, aimless at first given the sheer scale of the destruction, she went to arrange what items she'd found so far into a neater pile. Anything beyond saving would be heaped on another, to be burned once they were done. It was easier to do if she didn't think about what the fragments had once been; easier to focus her thoughts on Liam and his rootlessness while her hands busied themselves, despite the way it resonated within herself in this current situation.
"Mhm, I'm sorry hear it. Do you think that's because of the Family?" she asked him, "or is it more that you've put that chapter behind you?" The melancholy of realizing that 'home' had changed its meaning would be the same, though what to do with the knowledge would change depending on the cause.
And I feel like my castle's crumbling down And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground
Maea accepted his offer and Liam got to work, stooping to begin sorting through the wreckage. He gathered up what damaged goods he could find, beginning a small pile of rubbish that could be burned, once they were done, and a separate area where he laid out anything that might could be salvaged. The former was the larger of the piles by a long shot, and he winced faintly each time he had to place something there instead of the pile for saving.
”I’m not sure,” Liam said thoughtfully. ”I think… the Family might be part of it, but… previously, if I thought I could make any difference by going back to keep Stormbreak safe against them, I would have done it without question. But when I got there, I just…” He trailed off. His heart hadn’t been there, not the way it was before. But as for why and how it had gotten that way, Liam wasn’t sure.
He found a scrap of cloth that might once have been a shirt and tossed it on the burn pile. ”It’ll always hold a special place in my heart, and I’ll always go back to visit my family’s graves, but… it’s just not where I want to be.”
And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down You don't wanna know me now
Maea busied herself with gathering up the splinters of the chest and tossed them on the burn pile one by one. With less chaff scattered about it didn't look quite as messy, but the growing pile of broken and damaged things still hurt to look at. It was incredible how much trash there even was to collect, given how little she'd owned to begin with.
Gathering up the heart to drag the tattered canvas of the tent, Maea paused to gaze at Liam. It sounded to her like he really had moved on from the floating city. Whether he was healing from the grief as well she couldn't tell, but if he'd not only gone to visit his family's grave but also reached a conclusion like that, it seemed like he was making some progress.
"Where do you want to be, then? Do you know?" Bending to pick up a corner of the canvas, Maea began to haul on it, straining to make the waterlogged fabric budge. It was heavy, and quite unwieldy. "Here? Or maybe... you mentioned the Ouerwood before." Perhaps Liam too wanted to make a clean break. Or perhaps he'd already done so, without even noticing.
And I feel like my castle's crumbling down And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground
Liam made his way over to the tent, attempting to help in Maea’s quest to take it apart. Unfortunately, there was nothing there to salvage either. Perhaps a bedroll, from inside, but the tent itself was in tatters, just like the rest of the camp. It was on the tip of his tongue to offer her a place to stay, but it seemed she was determined to keep the conversation on him. Maybe that was her coping mechanism. Or maybe she just didn’t want to talk about it with him.
He wasn’t sure why that thought left a bad taste in his mouth, but it did nonetheless. They might not have known each other long, but he thought they were on their way to being friends, and friends, he thought, could rely on each other. He wanted to be that for someone, he realized: someone to be relied on, to be depended upon.
”I don’t know,” he answered honestly, thrusting those thoughts to the back of his mind. ”Here is… familiar. I just… think I’m finished being a hermit.” He’d been alone for so long, and where had it gotten him? Perhaps that was why he’d connected with Maea so quickly - he was simply starved for any attention, and she’d given it in spades. ”I want to be somewhere I can make a difference.” What that meant, though, remained to be seen.
And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down You don't wanna know me now
With another set of hands to help, the work of dismantling the tent was made far easier. Extracting whatever bedding she could find that wasn't ripped or hopelessly caked in mud – which turned out to be a blanket and the incredibly worn, barely stuffed pillow she had brought as a nod to Hadama and the promise to take better care of herself - the 'save' pile grew by two items, while the tent poles joined the canvas as more junk for the pyre.
"You are kind and generous, willing to work," she reflected, "so I don't doubt you'll be welcome wherever you decide to go." There was a slight pause. "Possibly I'd prefer you didn't choose to make a career in Halo; it would be difficult for me to visit." Though that was a very selfish way of thinking, and probably none of her business either. Given she hadn't even seen his home in the village yet, it sounded very presumptuous now that she thought about it.
And I feel like my castle's crumbling down And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground
Liam tossed the remnants of the tent onto the burn pile, a faint blush on his cheeks from Maea’s ready praise. Despite her outlook, it wasn’t a question of where he’d be welcomed as much as it was a question of where he wanted to be. He may have left Stormbreak behind, that much was clear, but none of the other settled regions called to him, either. Particularly not Halo, which he had to imagine was an abysmal place to spend Deepfrost. ”Not Halo, then,” he agreed, because he certainly didn’t wish to spend a life without the first real friend he’d made in years.
But if not Stormbreak, and not Halo… he wasn’t drawn to the Grounds, and though Torchline no doubt had its merits, he couldn’t see himself living a carefree life on the beach either. Perhaps King’s End, then; but he’d never been, so he had no way of knowing whether he’d like it or not. Whether he’d be accepted there, whether he could make a difference as he so desperately longed to do.
He supposed he could stay here, deep in the woods, but once Vi’s Roses were found, would people still want to be here, or would he return to life as a hermit? Was there anything he could do to change the Greatwood for the better, to make it a destination for people again?
”For now, we’ll just focus on finding a rose,” he said finally, turning his gaze to Maea. ”The rest will sort itself out.” Or so he hoped.
And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down You don't wanna know me now
Liam readily crossed the frozen region from his list and it made her feel better about the whole thing. Call her greedy, but she preferred to have access to the few friends she had. Be able to drop by, and know that letters got through even in the rough seasons. It garnered him the ghost of a smile, gone in a breath; but for a moment Maea's eyes had brightened, and it counted for something.
Unfortunately, with the end of the current topic, so too ended her distractions. With most of her belongings now sorted into two piles and the campsite restored to the condition it had been in before she arrived, Maea found it hard to see how anything would sort itself out from here.
Extending a hand, a spark grew upon her palm, and with a flick of the wrist she lit the pile of junk on fire. Everything was damp. It took time for wet cloth and sodden wood to catch, so she had to keep feeding it with energy until finally the heat rose enough to be self sustaining. Even then it hissed and spat, sending thick plumes of steam and smoke towards an innocent blue sky.
Maea sighed again. "I'm going to need to replace a lot of things... mainly clothes, for now." Dragging a hand through her hair, she glanced at Liam, hesitating before she finally asked. "Could I... ask for some help? I don't know where to find anything around here." With dwindling funds, she could use every contact and bargain she could find.
And I feel like my castle's crumbling down And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground
If he’d known that agreeing not to move to Halo would bring even a ghost of a smile to her face, he’d have mentioned it sooner. As it was, the expression was gone before Liam could blink, so quickly that he was scarcely even aware that it had been there. He resisted the urge to reach out and clasp her shoulder in solidarity. She’d lost everything, or near enough to everything as made no difference, and he wanted her to know that he was here to help, however she needed.
”Of course,” he agreed readily enough when she asked for his help. ”And… if you need somewhere to stay, I’ve got a spare room.” He paused, then added. ”There is also an inn, although I won’t vouch for how comfortable it might be.” Seeing as he’d never had a need to use it himself, he had no idea what state the rooms might be in - especially after having gone so long without travelers coming through regularly.
”Just let me know when you’re ready, and we can head into the village.”
And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down You don't wanna know me now
Indeed, Liam was kind. Occasionally too much so, because his ready generosity and willingness to share all that he had was difficult to accept for one who had made it an artform to avoid debts. If the offer to feed her had made her emotional, this invitation to move in, however temporarily, had Maea reeling. She hid it well, busied herself with tending the fire and ensuring that it didn't spread past its borders, all the while searching desperately for a way to decline that wouldn't be offensive. Or hurtful.
"Mh, that is... very generous," she murmured, wishing it felt less like some kind of trap than it probably was. "I'll think on it... and see if there's room at the inn. For now, though, I mostly just want a change of clothes."
It would take a while for the pyre to burn down. The Ancient didn't speak much in that time, seeming lost in thought. Brooding came closer to the truth. By rights it shouldn't be a problem to accept Liam's kindness, because aside from the brief period of time they'd known each other she had absolutely no reason to doubt him or his intentions. It wasn't even really that; just a churning in her gut without a label or name that flared up occasionally, leaving her a bit light headed. Or maybe nauseous? Somewhere between paralyzed and about to run, though the reason why eluded her. Mainly, Maea just felt... bad. Like a bad friend and a bad person, who kept making everything so bloody complicated all the time.
Only when the debris had been reduced to white ash and doused with water did she declare herself ready to leave. Tying up her belongings in a small bundle wrapped up in a blanket - not even an armful, even with the sodden boots included - she picked it up by the knot and nodded for Liam to lead the way. "Are we headed for the Bodega?" she asked, upon turning her back on the sad sight of ashes driftig on the wind.
And I feel like my castle's crumbling down And I watch all my bridges burn to the ground
Gods, but this woman was stubborn - or was she wary, and if so, why? For all that Liam had extended nothing but kindness, it seemed that she was still hesitant to take him up on it. He didn’t blame her, exactly - there were, after all, plenty of men who might attempt to take advantage in a situation such as this - but the rejection, however gentle, stung slightly just the same. ”After we’re done in the market, I’ll show you to the inn,” he said simply, his voice betraying nothing. All that really mattered, he supposed, was that Maea was safe and sheltered. It didn’t have to be with him.
They sat for some time as the burn pile smoldered, Maea in a brooding silence and Liam thoughtful beside her. Every once in a while he would poke at the embers, making sure there were no flickers of flame trapped underneath, where they could cause a forest fire if not properly tended. It wasn’t until Maea’s belongings were ash on the wind that she turned to him, prepared to head out, and it was with the utmost sympathy that Liam stood from where he’d sat nearby, stretching, to lead the way.
”Yes. Many of the merchants sell Fae items, but there are a few with wares that will fit you.” He’d made use of them several times to restock his own wardrobe. ”Im not sure how fashionable they are, but their clothes are comfortable, at least,” he added, trying for a levity that he didn’t quite feel. It was no small thing to lose all that one owned, and he wasn’t yet sure how to help Maea in this situation. Would she prefer humor, or merely someone to sit in silence with her while she mourned?
And you don't want to know me, I will just let you down You don't wanna know me now
