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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!
the truth is what remains the truth is what you save from the fire
Noah led the small group across the wind-scoured tundra. The frozen expanse of the Sea of Glass shimmered ahead, an endless plain of cracked ice and dark, deceivingly gentle waves. ”Stay close,” he warned, voice low, his breath frosting in the air. Not only were there void creatures everywhere, there were the typical dangers of the tundra, too.
In Halo, on the tundra, even simple tasks carried risk. He adjusted the pack on his back, the strap going across his chest. Each of them had a bag, and with them all full Noah thought that would be plenty. He looked to Ravenna and Elizabeth as they walked, then out to the tundra, silently thanking Vi that Venna hadn’t been on the beach several days ago.
you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently
The sunlight was warm, but it wasn't enough to combat the icy chill of the breeze when it swept over the water. Elizabeth pulled her jacket a little tighter, looking out over the stunning glittering sea with a sense of awe and appreciation. The dark waters made the crystalline ice structures that froze across its surface more obvious, and more beautifully deadly, the serpentine skeleton reaching out from its depths in warning.
She skirted the water's edge as she followed Noah, certain to heed his advice. Glancing to her side at the young woman, she shifted the bag on her shoulders to offer a hand. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Elizabeth." Her smile was warm and friendly, hoping that they might get along during their quest for stones.
Ravenna trudged along in Noah's wake, head down and lost in her own thoughts. Just like the others she was bundled up against the cold, and with a pair of dark-tinted goggles to keep the glare of sun on snow from blinding her snug over the face her expression was hard to read. One gloved hand rested on the back of the stout ram that followed her like a well trained dog, while the other held the strap of her shoulder bag in a death grip.
It took her a moment to register the outstretched hand. When she finally noticed, the girl jumped a bit and hurried to extend her own gloved palm. "Oh, hi. I'm Venna. Ravenna Hale." Pushing back raven locks that spilled out of her hood and caught on chapped lips, the girl was already drifting off again - though whether it was due to troubles or just the usual teenage lack of sleep and interest in holding a conversation was hard to say.
Don't talk like you know me when I don't even know myself
the truth is what remains the truth is what you save from the fire
Elizabeth’s voice, soft and steady, broke the quiet like a thawing breeze. It eased the tension in Noah’s shoulders. He glanced back in time to see Ravenna stirring, then reaching out, offering her name without being asked. With all of her angst built up against the world, she reminded him of the darkness within Korbin after Weaver’s death. She was still young, and Noah didn’t want her to grow up too jaded. This was a spark of hope.
Once they made it to where Noah thought they would have the most success, he stopped. They were close to the shrine. Noah adjusted the strap on his bag. “Fan out this way. Eyes sharp. Ears open.” he said, meeting each of their gazes in turn as he gestured to where he thought they would be the most fruitful. He gave a quick smile and a nod before kneeling to gather the first fragments.
you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn
Like a self-contained blizzard, a white dragon snarls overhead with an ursur clutched between its claws. Flying towards the high cliffs that no doubt are its home, it’s probably a good thing that it already has its dinner for the evening, lest you have become its meal.
You’ve encountered a White Dragon. This counts as a rare creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements. You may not kill your rare creature without admin permission.
White Dragons (Rare/mythical): Living in underground tunnels that are warded with ice and snow, white dragons hoard treasure and anything they deem beautiful. Often this means that one might find gold, gems, and frozen humans stored in their caves. They can speak the basic common tongue and can communicate telepathically with the attuned, though they are secretive, vain, and usually aloof and unhelpful.
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently
The girl seemed distracted, but Elizabeth kept her smile soft and inviting as she shook her hand lightly. "It's nice to meet you, Venna." Before she could ask after her life or interests, Noah was directing them on their mission, ever the diligent soldier and competent leader. She couldn't blame him. With the recent 'pool party,' tensions felt higher than before, the strain to protect Halo all the heavier on their shoulders.
While she searched and collected what shiny stones she could find around the area, a sudden snarl echoed over the ice, vibrating the slippery surface beneath her feet. Elizabeth froze in her progress, glancing up with a sharp intake of breath to spot the white wings and trailing tail of a massive white dragon, a poor ursur dangling lifeless from its mouth.
She didn't move or breathe again until it had disappeared beyond the horizon, certain that it wouldn't exchange its prey for something fresher. Chuckling nervously, she looked to the others. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that." A little more distracted now, she returned to the task at hand.
Content to stay quiet and just do the job they had come here to do, Ravenna picked rocks as they caught her eye and stuffed them into the sack. Ramund shuffled along in her wake, bleating occasionally when he too found a glistening piece of material, though more often than not it turned out to be ice. Try explaining the difference to a sheep.
When a roar split the silence, the girl paled and flattened herself to the ground. Dread curled through her guts, her mouth dry as a desert - and even after the white beast had vanished from the sky she remained visibly shaken by the encounter. Shuffling over to Noah, she put a hand on his arm - because if she felt this way, then he would surely be twice as torn up. "Hey... it's gone now. Are you alright?"
Don't talk like you know me when I don't even know myself
the truth is what remains the truth is what you save from the fire
You feel paranoid until your warnings ring true.
It always goes that way.
The Forsaken grabbed at rocks and stones, beautiful in all different colors of gray and even some still covered in frost and snow. Every few minutes his eyes would lift to the horizon, scanning and careful. He didn’t expect what he saw, he didn’t expect what he heard.
Like lightning ripping through his body, he felt the panic. The demigod jumped to his feet and prepared himself in a breath — griffin wings sprang from his back, white feathers and fur running up his neck and mixing with his blond locks, and celestial light wrapped around his hands, the Vi-given bow and arrows ready to aim and fire.
But the dragon only flew, and Noah could see a limp ursur within its grasp. He didn’t release his breath until it was gone from his sight, far away. Ravenna stepped into him and he felt her hand on his arm. The celestial light disappeared and he spun to face her, glacier eyes dark.
Noah grabbed her and pulled her into his chest, giving her a tight squeeze as his wings curled around them. ”I’m okay.” He breathed into her dark hair, praising Vi that the dragon did not turn its sights on them. He felt the lump in his throat and he swallowed it down, visions of Weaver and Cordelia alike flashing in his mind.
Elizabeth returned to the collection of rocks, but Noah took more moments to compose himself and make sure Ravenna was steady before he let her go.
you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently
Her own reaction had been rooted in the appropriate caution afforded an unpredictable predator on the hunt, rather than past experiences or nightmares that burned against her chest. It was easier for her to laugh off the tension in her bones or the echoing silence of the Sea where no one had dared breathe in the dragon's presence. However, she didn't miss Noah's fluttering wings or golden bow, the horror that fogged across his eyes or the desperate embrace between him and Venna. She didn't know their relation, but something told her the demigod was desperate not to lose her too.
Elizabeth crouched to gather a few more stones, making sure to give them some privacy as she turned her back to the pair. They didn't need her digging questions or professional curiosity - no matter how much she begged to ask. Instead, she traveled a little farther away, just enough so she might not hear a whispered conversation as she collected the shimmering rocks that scattered the icy shoreline.
It always felt a little strange to hug Noah. Like a prick of guilt was reminding her of all the things he wasn't, while simultaneously being glad to be this lucky. He was the father she would never have, a link between a past she had never known and the future her real parents would never see. Seeing him scared was a frightening thing. The blackness of his eyes and the power of a god wrapped around his fists - it frightened her, because Ravenna was pretty sure those were not meant to protect her.
The few seconds she stole in the shelter of his wings were gone too soon. Then she gently pried herself free, with a crooked little smile. "Come on. Let's get back to work. Before it comes back." It probably wouldn't, and the remark was probably unnecessary. Maybe even cruel. But the last thing she needed was for him to get hung up on this encounter and lock her up in the Citadel.
Taking her bag and her ram, Venna sauntered off towards Elizabeth instead, with a pep in her step that was entirely fake yet very necessary. "Never a dull moment out here," she remarked, breezy and seemingly carefree. "Have you seen one before? Dragon?" Leaning down, she picked up a glistening rock and shoved it down the sack - imagined it to be the ursur gliding down a dragon's throat, and hoped it would choke on its dinner.
Don't talk like you know me when I don't even know myself
the truth is what remains the truth is what you save from the fire
Ravenna broke away from him and his breath caught, mind pulling backward to Cordelia, to fire and wings and the way loss carved itself into his spine. For a heartbeat, the world around him dulled. The wind muffled, frost shimmered like heat haze. He stood still, heart thudding like a war drum in his ribs.
Noah sighed and shook his head, grounding himself in the weight of the cold, in the scent of snow and stone. He rolled his shoulders as Venna stepped away. The others had kept moving, Venna and Elizabeth dedicated to the task at hand. He was glad for that. Grief had its place—but not here. Not now.
He flexed his fingers and returned to the rocks with deliberate focus. Each shard he picked up glinted faintly with starlight, as if Safrin’s presence lingered in the veins of the earth. It helped. The rhythm steadied him.
There would be time to reckon with ghosts. But today was for service, for purpose. And so he bowed his head and kept collecting what the goddess had asked of him.
But his ears stayed sharp, open, keen.
you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently
Her eyes found Venna as she skipped up alongside her. Elizabeth caught the little tells of the pretend enthusiasm, the darker hint in her eyes, the sharpness of her steps, the too-bright smile. She didn't say anything, but she made note of the unnecessary maturity in one so young, curious as to what had caused her to grow up so fast.
Keeping those thoughts to herself, Elizabeth smiled softly as she moved to pick up another stone. "Yes; a few, although some of them were companions." She hummed something warm and contemplative as she added, "I've only ever seen a white dragon one other time - while we were cleaning up after a particularly festive LongNight." Her chuckle was gentle and willed the cold air to bend into a cozy atmosphere.
Her fingers wrapped around a glassy blue stone, nonchalant as she returned the question. "What about you?"
Crouching down to sift bubbles of ice from frosted over rocks, Venna rubbed a few of them between her gloved hands, dropping the ones that were too plain back onto the ground while the ones with flecks of metallic sheen or quartz went into the bag.
"I see. That was the first one I've seen. The small ones might not be too bad... but I hate the big ones. " Green eyes made cold by carefully measured resentment glanced back at the empty horizon, as though half hoping it would come back so Noah could fight it. He might feel better for it, and she wouldn't have to be afraid of losing more family.
"Did it do anything, when you saw it..?" Hefting her sack to check her progress, Venna found it to be close to half full. Sitting back on her heels to stretch her back, she found herself doing what Noah did; scanning the horizon, squinting into the glare of sunlit snow in search of... something. Anything. People or animals or anomalies - whatever they might need to be cautious about.
Don't talk like you know me when I don't even know myself
06-17-2025, 08:23 AM (This post was last modified: 06-17-2025, 08:32 AM by Noah.)
Noah
the truth is what remains the truth is what you save from the fire
Noah moved steadily, gloved hands brushing frost from each stone before slipping the chosen ones into his bag. But even in the rhythm of gathering, his senses stayed sharp. He kept one ear tuned to the wind, the other to the crunch of footsteps—his and the others'. Eyes flicked to the horizon now and then. The Sea of Glass was too quiet for comfort in the aftermath of the dragon. Whatever had been it there scattered and hid, the Forsaken knew. But Stillness could be a warning just as much as peace.
”Hows it coming?” he called out to the girls, lifting the weight of his own bag. It was almost full. He crouched again, wings still present, and sroppped a few more stones into the leather as his glacier eyes flicked to Elizabeth and Ravenna. If they too were done filling their bags, they could head back to the Citadel as quickly as they came.
you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn
