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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!
Amhran, apparently, has quite the arm on him, and he surprises no one more than himself by smacking another ningo with a snowball and earning himself five hashbrowns points for future endeavours. Watching the birds squawk their displeasure as they're rained upon by pebbles, snow and magic, only once they've settled elsewhere (because obviously they aren't going to keep up the effort of flight to go very far) does he retrieve his stones once again, turning to head south with his companions.
"It does sound as though things are coming to a head, if they are trying to persuade people to stay out of the fight," he agrees, a soft frown on his face as he scatters more stones in the spaces left open by Deimos and Iskra. "At least we will be protected either way - as much as we can be, anyway." He gestures to the work they're currently doing and nods at the request to be careful; not that the Raeling usually strays far from Halo's borders.
“It sounded decent in theory, until you think about the long term.” If the Family would’ve abided by the actual grounds. If they were the last lands to be swallowed up. If Deimos simply ceased and desisted. But he refused those chains and diabolical means. They only had to finish up these portions, and he could return to Safrin, ensuring the Citadel was lodged away – then they could work their way along the Tundra lanes and valleys.
He tossed a few more rocks down, eyes glancing upwards at the walls themselves, at portions that had clearly been wearing away with time. The ningo were sparse along this wake, and he could divide his attention between stone portioning and subtle wall repair, stepping over to portion some earthen incantations into the worn away edges.
One very large and fat bird looked on with more intrigue and less evasion – clearly it hadn’t been bothered much – and the lads could irritate it if they so pleased, while the rest of their work persisted and continued.
The Sword nodded at Amhran, a shrug lifting through his shoulders to toss off some of the other multitudes threatening to cling. “Exactly. The Citadel will be shielded, and then we can go from there.”
--
Round Six!
Keep on chucking the stones and there’s one very fat ningo you can harass.
The idea of things coming to more of a head certainly isn't comforting, and if Iskra begins to fling rocks with a bit more enthusiasm, it's because it feels like time is even more of a commodity now that cannot be wasted. He'd thought perhaps he could get strong enough to do more, but he'd loitered too long in forests and darkness to offer much now. "Do you have everything you need?" Iskra asks with an edge of worry, glancing back at Deimos. "Enough flowers?" Something he can still assist with, should have been if not for his extended stay in Torchline, which given the outcome, he doesn't regret one bit. He's not certain how much longer they truly have to move freely about once barriers go up.
As they meander and place stones, Goose delivers him a ridiculously long stick, more like a felled branch than anything worthy of tossing. "Wow!" Iskra praises the hound as he bends down to take the tree limb. "That's quite the prize you've found." He pats the dog gently, each unaware of the plump bird, and strips a section of it off to chuck into the distance. Goose runs after it, but then veers away, distracted by something else in the distance. "I'll uh, pick that up later," Iskra reassures as the limb remains behind them like some storm-carried remnant. Goose will probably want it back anyway.
Stones and failed fetch
It's hard to tell the truth when you lie to yourself Always give too much of you to someone else I'm talkin' to you now like we're old friends It'll never be too late to start again
Intrigued by watching Deimos fix up the walls as they continue along their way - Amhran can't help but admire earth magic, being who he is - the Raeling absently scatters more stones until he realises Iskra is completing the task with much more enthusiasm. Picking up his own pace, he tilts his head towards the fat ningo before scoffing and (yes, immediately getting distracted) crouching to make a snowball.
"We will be able to harvest the lily I planted in The Climb next season," he says softly, not that he thinks even for a moment that Deimos would have forgotten. "And I can plant another then, too. Though I don't know where things will stand a year from now..." It isn't ideal for the lilies to take a full cycle through the seasons to come to fruition, but it's better than nothing, he supposes.
Tossing the snowball at the ningo perhaps a little harder than intended, Amhran is already turning away to watch Goose and his antics. "Perhaps he's found something better than a stick?" he ventures.
Making a mental note to check back over the stones and that portion of the wall later, he chucked a few more rocks to gather in the stead of the barrier, before turning his attention back to Iskra. “We need one more for Starfall,” given how they’d had to utilize another for the Dahlia venture. “Including yours,” winking at Amhran, because that was at least something they knew would be there – solid and steadfast, rather than relying on fortune and kismet.
He didn’t know where things were going to be a year out either – and he clenched his jaw at the thought.
The Raeling’s snowball launched directly at the ningo, and the bird, fairly stupid, was knocked in the head, and disappeared behind the wall within a flash – making enough noise to be heard on the other side as it landed in the snow. Deimos didn’t bother muffling his laugh this time either. Five more points to Amhran. Besides, it seemed Goose had his own system worked out.
Once they were done in this portion, there was only one remaining. “We can head east, and then wrap things up.”
--
Round 7!
Amhran has struck the bird and has racked up ten points. Head east with your bucket o’rocks! Any remaining birds nearby can be scored upon for additional points/bonus rounds.
06-28-2025, 11:50 AM (This post was last modified: 06-28-2025, 01:47 PM by Iskra.)
ISKRA
"You can grow them?" Iskra asks with a shock as he glances at Amhran. "I didn't think they could be gardened like that," he admits, though hearing it takes a year certainly makes all the aimless wandering of the woods seem appealing still.
Continuing to scatter stones like a farmer seeding a field, Iskra can't keep the smile from his face as the plump ningo vanishes behind the snowball. "Yeah," Iskra chuckles in response to Amhran, "another stick." The stick across the yard is always worth dropping yours for, is the green grass of the dog world.
One such new stick is promptly delivered to him via Goose as they meander East, and this time when Iskra takes the wet, chewed on thing, he arcs it end over end towards a nearby ningo on a fence. Goose sprints after it, wild with the chase, and hoping for the plump prize. Better than wasting the last of the special rocks, but hopefully he manages to knock the bird off or Goose's barks will start up again, half as mindless as the ningos some days.
s t o n e s + stick toss at a ningo
It's hard to tell the truth when you lie to yourself Always give too much of you to someone else I'm talkin' to you now like we're old friends It'll never be too late to start again
"Mmm? Oh - yes, I can." Amhran's smile is a little shy as he glances across to Iskra, giving him a subtle nod. "I'm a child of Rae, and this is one of my abilities. This Leafchange will be the first time it sees some use, though." Some fruition, he should say, but the Raeling is feeling the drag of a year between lilies as fervently as any of those searching the Climb and the Greatwood for flowers.
Still, at least there's a fat ningo being hit squarely in the head with a snowball to cheer him up, and he has to bite his lips into a thin line to stop from bursting out laughing at its squawking protest. With cheeks reddening at the effort to contain his amusement, he ducks his head down and vigilantly places his stones as he follows them east. Only as Goose finally returns does he seem able to properly hold a conversation again, Amhran grinning over his scarf at the canine.
"One would argue that it was a better stick," he says, "given how well you threw it."
Deimos smiled as the younger men bantered back and forth about abilities. If Amhran didn’t possess such skills, he wasn’t certain where they’d be – predictably, in a much larger bind than the present circumstances.
Not wanting to dwell further on the notions, he spread more rocks against the walls, snorting as Iskra’s thrown stick walloped another ningo and sent it flying – a decent amount of points in the Sword’s mind. The Warden wasted no time in conjuring another stone, certainly not one of the special ones, to give chase to another fat bird prowling around one of the kiosks nearby, indifferent as it bristled in dismay.
Before long though, they were back at the northern portions, having done their full lap around the Citadel walls. “You can put any extras out by the gates, and then come back over to the table. We can divide the rest of the food up.”
--
Round 8!
Disperse any remaining rocks along the borders and then take your food prizes!
"That's amazing!" Iskra says with a brightness touched by awe. His abilities have always felt meager and a bit useless, although his lack of study and practice is as much to blame, but still, Amhran can do something meaningful, and in a process that doesn't harm, only helps. It's everything Iskra wishes he could manage. Such is the benefits of being touched by a god, he supposes.
The work takes his focus back though, for the time being, as he dutifully places the stones in all the designated places to fulfill the barrier's ring. His successful stick toss and strike on the ningo results in a flurry of paws as Goose snaps after it, unsuccessful, so he retrieves the stick with a frustrated shake of his head. Iskra laughs out the side of his mouth at Amhran, "are you taking his side?" he accuses in jest, hand affectionately reaching for the returned stick to chuck it for the mutt once more.
Nearly empty, but back to the first stones they'd put down, Iskra nods back to Deimos and place his bucket of rocks where directed. Goose is immediately back at his side, sitckless (to ensure his mouth is free), as Iskra rummages at the food table for his prize.
stones placed, bucket returned, food had
It's hard to tell the truth when you lie to yourself Always give too much of you to someone else I'm talkin' to you now like we're old friends It'll never be too late to start again
"Oh! Thank you," Amhran says, feeling his ears turn pink and trying and failing to hide his smile. He picks up his pace to continue placing the last of their stones, seeming rejuvinated not just by the praise but also by the fact that he can see where they'd started, meaning that the banal task is almost over. It's been a stroke of luck that both the conversation and the mini-competition to strike ningo have made the time pass relatively quickly, but that doesn't mean he's not eager to see the back of it.
Laughing at Iskra's accusation, Amhran shakes his head solemnly, though the lie is written all over his face. "Never," he promises - but if Goose gets snuck a hashbrown or two at the table later, that's between him and the canine. In the meantime, able to sprinkle the last of his stones and return his bucket, the young demigod rolls his shoulders and sighs in relief. "Another game of rocks finished," he concludes, before following his companions back towards second breakfast.
Another game of rocks finished, indeed. Deimos sighed, the long, laborious tasks done. He could head to the shrine immediately after, ensure they were protected from the onslaught of the Family. Safety. Security. All he’d ever wanted for those in Halo. Now they’d have some vantage point in whatever was pending or looming their way.
“Thank you both for helping,” he granted again – before they started to pile the food onto plates and leftover constituents, ensuring everyone got ample pieces and portions to bring home. And if he managed to pilfer a large amount of hash browns and sandwiches for second breakfast and first lunch, then so be it. The efforts had been worth it.
