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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!
Oh, how I've tried to get you out of my head And I lie broken in words I said
Even after years of solitude, Liam still kept the same routine every morning.
He rose early, with the sun, and went for a run through the Greatwood. His path varied by day; of course, everyone’s path through the Greatwood varied by day. He’d long since learned to steer clear of the Void creatures. They’d overtaken the region at some point, only to recede again. Rumor had it that there had been some kind of Void guardian in the woods, and that it had been felled.
After a run, he practiced combat. He’d seen too much of war to think that it would spare him even here, and so he trained religiously to stay in shape as much to stay capable with his weapons. Some mornings, he returned home to wield a sword against a much-used practice dummy. Some days it was hand-to-hand combat. Of course, without a sparring partner, he was getting rusty.
This morning was no different from any other. Liam’s path brought him to the Crimson Cataract, one of his favorite locales. There was something ethereal about the floating river that never ceased to amaze him. And running beneath it was… rejuvenating, somehow.
What he didn’t expect was to see a familiar face as he ran through the woods that morning, and Liam slowed to a walk as he approached. ”Noah?” he asked, hoping that the demigod remembered him from their brief meeting eons ago. If not, he was about to sound very, very stupid.
Never thought I'd walk on this street again Standing where it all began
So when the heavy hand of death is here to take me away
I'll be the solid grip of time
Noah had not expected to see any familiar faces on this trip.
The intention was to be quick — search for a flower and then head home. Both Marcus and Margot had begged to join him, but Noah was not ready to bring his children on missions just yet. They were still too young. While he was gone Ravenna had gotten it in her mind to visit Frey and age up, but Marcus and Margot were still in adolescence. He was sure he would need to have similar arguments with Ravenna despite her Frey-aged reality, but that would happen another day.
Snapping his head up, the demigod stopped. When his glacier eyes locked onto familiar ones — distant, faint, but friendly — he relaxed some. The muscles in his shoulders loosened and his fists unclenched (which he hadn’t noticed happened at all).
”Liam,” Noah breathed, stepping to close the distance between them, ”I’m glad to see you.” Alive and uninfected went without saying.
Oh, how I've tried to get you out of my head And I lie broken in words I said
Much to Liam’s relief, he was recognized, and he offered a small smile to Noah as he came to a stop beside the man. ”And I you,” he responded. Liam realized that he was, in fact, glad to see someone he knew. He’d spent so long living life as a hermit in the Greatwood that he’d nearly forgotten what it was like to have friends, and even if he didn’t know Noah quite that well, his presence was still a welcome relief from solitude.
”How are you?” the ex-soldier asked, his gaze roaming around the woods. Mornings were always his favorite, and Flowerbirth ones more so than any other season. There was something about the faint chill that lingered in the air, the bright sunlight dappling the ground as it streamed through the green leaves above, and the scent of new growth that always set Liam’s mind at ease.
Never thought I'd walk on this street again Standing where it all began
So when the heavy hand of death is here to take me away
I'll be the solid grip of time
It was a relief to see the man alive and well. If he had been in the Greatwood for as long as Noah assumed him to be, he had to fight for his survival with the touch of the void here for so long. He wondered, if only for a brief moment, if the accepted knew the demigod’s role in cleansing this place.
There wasn’t time to linger there, however, before Liam asked a question Noah hoped to avoid. Taking in a breath and letting it go with a sigh, ”Time has not been kind to me.” he answered truthfully. His eyes moved from the once-dragoon to the canopy above them and then scanned down to the undergrowth as a wave of discomfort rolled over him.
”I am here searching for Vi’s roses.” He said. ”Have you seen any?” It looked as if Liam had been here a while, at least by his clothes (which, unlike Noah’s, matched the region).
Oh, how I've tried to get you out of my head And I lie broken in words I said
Liam frowned at that, his gaze sympathetic. He knew a little something about the world being unkind and unfair and perhaps even a little unappealing to be a part of, and though Noah didn’t divulge any details… With the presence of the Family and the Void, and all the usual dangers Caido had to offer, it was entirely possible that time had been unkind to the demigod in worse ways than the ex-soldier could even imagine. ”I’m sorry to hear that,” he said simply.
Their conversation did not linger over unpleasantries for long, however, and Liam glanced at the forest around them. ”The last - and only - time I saw one was years ago,” he said. ”It’s gone now, and I haven’t seen one since.” He paused. ”Many have come to look, however. If there are any, surely they will be found.”
Never thought I'd walk on this street again Standing where it all began
So when the heavy hand of death is here to take me away
I'll be the solid grip of time
”We really need them.” Noah said with a frown, hand coming up to smooth out his too-long beard. Noah was not yet privy to all of the goings on from the last two seasons, but even from before that they were searching for the flowers. Sighing, the hunter rolled his shoulders back and turned slightly back towards the once-dragoon.
Finally he turned his eyes to Liam for longer than a second, and noticed the sweat on his brow and the flush of his cheeks. ”Were you training?” He asked, the corner of his brow lifting slightly in inquiry. Noah hadn’t meant to interrupt anyone in their tasks or their schedules while he came to search for flowers, but it seemed to have happened anyway.
Oh, how I've tried to get you out of my head And I lie broken in words I said
”We do,” Liam agreed, something grim in the set of his mouth. He, too, had been largely removed from the goings-on of the past few seasons - the past few years, really - and yet even he knew of the great influx of people to the Greatwood searching for Vi’s Roses. He’d recently joined the hunt himself.
But he couldn’t spend all of his time hunting for roses, and he had to stay in shape in order to be able to be of use in the battles he felt certain were coming. ”I was,” he said. ”Would you care to join me?” He could always use the company, and having a partner with whom to train made it a bit less mundane, on the rare occasion that he was blessed with such a thing.
Never thought I'd walk on this street again Standing where it all began
So when the heavy hand of death is here to take me away
I'll be the solid grip of time
”That would be nice. A spar?” Noah asked. Knowing Liam would agree without having to give him much time (there were things that remained in the heart of a soldier even after they left their post). Looking round, Noah motioned for a relatively open area. Moving over, he shed his outermost layer and readied himself.
Noah looked Liam up and down, and did not care to hide it or try to place any veil over his intentions. He needed to take in everything he could have the ex-dragoon so that he could at least come into the spar with some semblance of a strategy. But, he needed to remember who he was too, and not take out his strength and speed on the man just because he could and his sparring partners lately have either matched or exceeded his abilities.
As Liam readied himself, too, Noah gave a firm nod and then moved forward to strike with a kick towards the man’s left side.
Oh, how I've tried to get you out of my head And I lie broken in words I said
Liam would have, in truth, been content with a variety of types of training, but a spar seemed the most reasonable given who his opponent was. As they prepared, Liam caught Noah sizing him up and hid a grin, for wasn’t he over here doing the exact same thing? Some things were simply so ingrained in one’s training that it was impossible to escape.
Noah was a demigod, and likely stronger than Liam even on his best day. The soldier hoped that his opponent wasn’t in the mood to spar too seriously, or he might come out of this in considerably worse shape than he’d gone in. As for his strategy, he’d just have to try and be quick, avoiding too much in the way of close combat. If Noah got ahold of him, he was done.
When they were both ready and squared up, Noah took the first strike. If anything, Liam had been expecting a punch, not a kick, and he didn’t quite get a block up fast enough. Noah hit him squarely in the ribs, and the soldier staggered to the side with an oomph as the air rushed from his lungs. Forcing in a breath, Liam took quick stock of the blow - no major injuries, thankfully - and stepped towards Noah with a right hook towards the chin.
Never thought I'd walk on this street again Standing where it all began
So when the heavy hand of death is here to take me away
I'll be the solid grip of time
As his strike hit and Liam stumbled back, Noah didn’t let too much distance come between them. He moved in as Liam moved out, hands up ready to strike yet blocking his face. As the ex-dragoon regained himself and struck out, Noah dodged. He ducked slightly, and then quickly threw a jab into Liam’s now exposed rib cage. Thankfully the two men were matched in height so that Noah didn’t have to duck too low, and he was able to keep his balance. As he struck the hit, Noah kept moving himself forward. Ultimately it was an attempt to overwhelm the man’s balance and send him backward once more, staggering on the loamy soil.
Noah’s muscles started to warm with the movements. Not exertion — more along the lines of invigorating. It felt normal to be locked in a spar with an ally, training and readying themselves together for what was to come. Even if there were no magics or abilities being thrown around like in his typical spars with Hadama, or his several seasons of previous spars with Deimos, there was still a normalcy to it that somehow put a salve over a part of Noah he didn’t know was also hurting.
Oh, how I've tried to get you out of my head And I lie broken in words I said
Sparring had once been a matter of routine for Liam, and it was something that his body fell back into readily enough. When Noah's hit landed, he felt it, of course, but compartmentalized the sting into a box in the back of his mind to be surveyed later. For now, he focused only on the next strike, the next dodge, the next movement.
Although Liam's ribcage was exposed, he sidestepped quickly enough to avoid Noah's jab. Rather than continuing to go on the defense - which was where spars were lost, in Liam's experience - he stood his ground, aiming a punch of his own for Noah's side, before returning to a 'guard' position with his hands up to protect his face.
Never thought I'd walk on this street again Standing where it all began
So when the heavy hand of death is here to take me away
I'll be the solid grip of time
Noah’s jab connected with the air as Liam slipped to the side, his movements sharp and quick. A grin tugged at the corner of Noah’s mouth despite the fight. He didn’t hesitate as Liam countered, a swift strike aimed at his exposed side.
He was already moving before the punch fully materialized, his body twisting just enough to deflect the blow. The hit glanced off his ribs, leaving a sharp sting. Not enough to slow him, but enough to remind him that Liam was exactly what he knew — forever a soldier. Noah adjusted his stance, pushing into the shift, anticipating the next strike before it came, and sent his own as a kick towards Liam’s knee.
Oh, how I've tried to get you out of my head And I lie broken in words I said
Noah was already moving even as Liam started to throw his punch, dodging with a speed that was impressive even if the ex-dragoon had expected it. He was pleased to find that his blow glanced off Noah's ribs - that he'd managed to hit at all was exhilarating, but he didn't have time to stop and celebrate. Not when the spar was still going and Noah's foot was flying towards his knee.
Without time to fully dodge, Liam dropped his weight into a slight crouch, just enough that the kick missed his knee but connected with the muscle of his thigh. It smarted, but it wasn't as debilitating as a blow to the knee might have been. From his lowered position, he pushed up, aiming an uppercut at Noah's chin.
Never thought I'd walk on this street again Standing where it all began
So when the heavy hand of death is here to take me away
I'll be the solid grip of time
The kick vibrated through his boot as he made contact with the once-dragoon. A shadow of a smirk lifted the side of Noah’s lip, but within a breath it was gone. Liam’s first was coming towards his jaw fast and furious. Reacting quickly, Noah reeled backward and to the side. Having to get back of his feet back under him from his kick attack, Liam was able to land something. While his punch didn’t land with teeth-clattering force to Noah’s chin or jaw, it did graze across his ear and scrape up the side of his head.
”Nice shot.” Noah said, taking a few steps back still to get more distance between them. While he had not broken a sweat, it was a good spar. He let the whisper of the smirk come back, this time fuller and with more mischief than his body could have managed at the beginning of the spar. Then he suddenly rushed Liam, done not by the quickness of his feet, but aided by his magic. Appearing close enough to the man to see the shift of hues in his eyes, Noah struck with a powerful shoulder towards the man’s chest.
