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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.
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07-08-2025, 07:18 AM (This post was last modified: 07-08-2025, 07:19 AM by Zavien.)
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark
Zavien has never been to Aumakua, but with plans to train his cuff, he assumes that shifting sand beneath his feet wouldn't be helpful to the learning process. Luckily, the shoreline solidifies into grass - something mercifully soft for him to face-plant into this time - and the Leafchange sunlight shines down without the same vengeance as last season, the clear skies making it easy to spot Stormbreak in the distance, reminding him of all the work still to be done.
Glancing to the side, he offers Ronin a grin. "Thanks for agreeing to train with me. It's obvious I could use more, and I figured you wouldn't have a problem handling any of the punches I throw - not after you flicked me off like a raindrop." His laughter is warm and bright, no trace of embarrassment over the recent rodeo, although there does seem to be the hint of nerves in the shuffle of his feet and the shift of his eyes, like he has something else on his mind. But he doesn't say anything, as he finally stops on an open patch of grass, turning to face the demigod with another smile. "I think this spot is as good as any."
The real tragedy is men who are afraid of the light
"It's no problem - any excuse to burn off a bit of extra energy," Ronin assures Zavien, his steps sure and practiced as they head from shifting sands to soft grasses up towards the Aumakua. The place is as sacred and familiar to him now as it was when he was one of Safrin's chosen, especially now that his meetings with the goddess don't tend to end with creative punishment or awkward blackmail. "And I promise, no dragons this time."
Grinning and nodding agreeably at the patch of grass he's chosen, Ronin rolls his shoulders and cracks his knuckles. "Works for me. How do you want to do this? A typical spar, or is there something in particular you want to work on?" For the Knight's part, all of the unspoken things that burn in his blood are very carefully packaged away; it never bodes well to let his more unreasonable nature out around those who are unused to it.
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark
He smiles at the playful tease, certain that Sol would disagree from his exploring over the lighthouse. Still, he chuckles, giving Ronin a knowing look. "Thanks, although I don't think you'll need it anyways." Zavien knows he's gotten stronger since their last spar, but not nearly strong enough to stand a chance against a seasoned demigod like Ronin.
"I was tasked with using my cuff against someone. It helps to extend the range of my attacks." His finger comes up to tap against the small leather cuff on his wrist, the starlight shimmering lightly in the embossed scales. Other than a few small tinkerings before the battle, Zavien hasn't gotten a chance to actually use it, and the childish excitement in his eyes will be extremely apparent as he looks to Ronin. "I don't have a lot of practice with it, but sometimes just jumping into things is best." Adaptability and all that.
The real tragedy is men who are afraid of the light
"Nonsense - I never pass up an opportunity to better myself. I'm actually working on a training area here in Haulani. It might end up being a small guild if I get enough interest," Ronin says, grinning at the sweeping grasses around them. "Once it's finished it at least means there will always be a place to come and practice when you're in Torchline." For today, though, this will do. And the Knight has made use of much, much worse places.
So with the Aumakua keeping an eye on them, he hears Zavien out and nods both agreement and interest, blue eyes gleaming as he backs up and beckons for the other man to perform some show and tell. "Sounds like my kind of training. Alright, let's see how hard you hit and how far that thing goes," he suggests with a grin.
07-15-2025, 07:48 PM (This post was last modified: 07-17-2025, 05:43 PM by Zavien.)
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark
All for training and the many benefits it holds, Zavien beams to hear Ronin's plans. "That sounds fantastic! What kind of guild did you have in mind?" He imagines a fighting guild of some kind, but he supposes there are plenty of other options that need training of some kind.
Laughing, Zavien backs up a single step to make sure there's a good amount of distance between them. "Okay, but keep your expectations low." In fact, he'll be proud of himself if he lands a single hit, but it's worth the try, and Zavien falls into a comfortably familiar battle stance that's somehow a cross between boxing and sword fighting. Once he's sure that Ronin is ready, he starts out with a testing punch to the man's shoulder, keeping most of the speed and power, but focusing more on the effect than the damage.
1/4
The real tragedy is men who are afraid of the light
07-17-2025, 10:23 AM (This post was last modified: 07-17-2025, 10:33 AM by Ronin.)
RONIN
the white knight
"I wasn't sure if a training guild was such a thing," Ronin confesses with a chuckle, "so I might have to brainstorm a bit. I just wanted a place where people could learn from each other, and have the opportunity to pass on any martial skills they might have picked up. Who knows when we might need to use them again, right?" Because whilst things might be slowly sinking into peace again - and he's not sure whether to truly believe it despite it being true - conflict comes in all shapes and sizes.
Scoffing at Zavien's remark, Ronin shakes his head and settles into a casually defensive stance. "Give yourself some credit," he says, before the other man is on the move and, instinctively, the Knight pivots to the side to avoid the blow. The air whistles where the impact should have been, and his eyebrows raise in surprise. "That's impressive," he says - and because he has no intention of letting the other man get away without some dodge practice of his own, he darts forward to try and thwack him on the upper arm.
"I could've used something like that when I was hand-to-hand focused."
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark
Not well-versed in what qualifies as a 'guild,' Zavien doesn't see a problem with a training guild and he's nodding along as he seriously considers it. "That's a good idea. Maybe it can be an academy of sorts, where people can teach what skills they have or learn from others." He knows of the magical academy that was in Halo, but it might be beneficial for physical skills to be practiced in a learning environment.
He grins as they begin, preferring to have fun with it rather than wallowing in his lack of abilities. The praise is taken with a shrug of his shoulders, smiling even though it hadn't landed. "Thanks. I got the idea from Koa and Tal. It's supposed to extend weapon range as well." But then he's blinking and Ronin's suddenly in his space, throwing a hit towards his arm. He manages to brace for the attack, tucking his arm to absorb the impact that resonates through his side.
Zavien lets out a cross between a chuckle and a grunt, stepping back before throwing another punch from the arm that isn't throbbing, aiming for his flank this time.
2/4
The real tragedy is men who are afraid of the light
"Mm, exactly like that. A good friend of mine used to own a boxing ring in Haulani - I'm renovating the place as an arena for training," Ronin says with a quick nod, though it's admittedly a little more difficult to keep focused on their conversation now that they are actively sparring. Humming his approval to hear that Zavien's cuff allows him to extend reach with a weapon as well as the range of his punches, the Knight forced to twist in the air as he's targeted again, and this time the other man manages a glancing blow across his side.
Laughing as well as he springs back in the grass, he nods to Zavien and flashes him a boyish grin. "Unarmed I bet it'd take people by surprise if they try to get into a brawl with you," he adds - not that he's entirely certain if his sparring partner is even the type to get embroiled in fisticuffs.
He is today though either way, because Ronin is already lunging forward again, this time sweeping out a leg as if to try to steal away Zavien's balance.
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark
"Sounds like fun. Let me know if you need any help with the renovations." The words barely register as they're exchanging blows, smiles, and laughter, their spar more relaxed than most - not that he minds in the slightest.
Chuckling, Zavien nods his head and shifts the weight on his feet as he prepares for another attack."True. It'd be as much a physical weapon as a mental one." Acting as a surprise that might catch people off guard, giving him even more opportunity to strike. Although he's rarely one to start a brawl, Zavien always seems to find a reason to fight on another person's behalf, and he wouldn't mind having a small advantage in those spontaneous fights.
Distracted by the conversation, he doesn't see the leg sweep until it's too late. Bracing, Zavien lets his legs crash out from under him, choosing instead to twist and throw a last second punch at Ronin's chest.
3/4
The real tragedy is men who are afraid of the light
"I might take you up on that," Ronin says with a quick grin even as they continue to move around one another. "You can even join if you want. A guild's useless without members, right?" He already has a few people in mind, though really, in cases like this, the more really is the merrier.
Talking is both entertaining and an added distraction, as Zavien soon finds out to his detriment. Ronin winces to see the other man go crashing to the ground, not having expected to take him quite so thoroughly by surprise - but that, too, is quite a diversion. "Shit, are you alri--oof!"
Struck square in the chest this time - having been leaning down to offer his hand - Ronin is forced to stagger back, half coughing and half laughing. "Gods, if I hadn't tripped you I'd have thought that was on purpose!" he complains, circling around Zavien until he gets back on his feet before he lances forward to strike at his left side with his right fist.
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark
Content with having made his offer and Ronin's willingness to accept it, Zavien's already smiling as he shifts his weight during their spar. "I'd love to join - once we get Stormbreak back up and running." His priorities would always be on his city first, but he can't deny that he likes the sound of a training guild - gods know how determined he is to continue improving his skills, to grow strong enough to keep something like that from happening again.
The ground hits him hard, although the muscles he uses to brace keep him from taking any real damage, his arm flying out to land a punch to Ronin's chest. He's almost as surprised as the demigod, his eyes widening as he adjusts quickly to stand and make sure he didn't take things too far; but the words reassure him, and a bright laughter brackets the soft, playful groan he makes when his feet are back under him, his hand rubbing his back. "I'll take that as a compliment, but I couldn't have done it without you." After another chuckle and a knowing wink, Zavien plants his feet to receive the next attack, his stance loose and ready - if not a little sore.
When the fist comes to strike against his side, the Dragoon decides to step back, doing his best to use his increased range this time. He feels the echo of where the punch should have landed as he throws his own towards Ronin's shoulder.
4/4
The real tragedy is men who are afraid of the light
"Of course - I bet there's plenty to get on with up there," Ronin says with a smile that warms with nostalgia. "Let me know if you need any help with anything, by the way. I used to lead the place, so it's always been a bit of a soft spot for me." And he'd hate to see it fall into chaos, especially now that they've finally wrenched it out of Dahlia's grasp.
Scoffing at Zavien's remark - and he's still a little winded by the strike to his chest, don't get him wrong - Ronin refocuses on the fight at hand. "We'll call it some accidental teamwork, shall we?" He grins, forced into a brief chase as the other man hops back, the Knight twisting to avoid another punch to his shoulder. He's understandably wary of that increased range now, but as he overcompensates, he almost ends up thrown to the ground himself.
"Alright, alright," he huffs, holding up his hands before straightening up and stretching his arms above his head. "A little break, maybe? I'm all for hard training but I think we're a couple of punches shy from just falling in the dirt and calling it a day."
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark
Although surprised to hear about Ronin's past with Stormbreak, Zavien is immediately nodding his head, more than happy to accept any and all help. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." There's no hiding the ruined buildings, even if the collapsed government might be a little easier to disguise. But he doesn't have much time to linger on home as they're making their way through the spar.
His next punch doesn't land, but he's not too upset about it when he sees the demigod's overadjustment, letting out a breathy chuckle as he finally takes a moment to wipe dust from his pants and shrugs his shoulders of the ache starting there. "Works for me. There's already dirt mixing with my sweat." Zavien grins, feeling satisfied with the experimentation of his cuff and his new familiarity with its range. Still, he pauses, those other thoughts rising as he moves past the hesitation that's dispersed, knowing he can't go on without telling Ronin what's been on his mind.
"I'll be honest though, I had another reason for asking to meet with you..." Running a hand through his hair, his grin turns a little more sheepish. "I'm sorry about asking so much of you and the other demigods in the recent months. I can't imagine it's easy being ripped into a fight, and I hope you know that we really appreciate your help. After the fight in the Tundra..." He shrugs his shoulders, assuming he doesn't have to explain the unfortunate events and how dying has an effect on people. "I've been trying to fight smarter, and that usually means more manpower. I'm sorry if that's caused you any discomfort or frustrations." By the time he's done, there's a soft sincerity, a quiet intensity in his eyes that wills Ronin to understand - to forgive him for being too weak to do it on his own.
The real tragedy is men who are afraid of the light
"Oh, delightful." Ronin laughs, cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck now as they wind down from their sparring, the Knight relishing the cool breeze that comes to ripple through the tall grasses of the Aumakua. "Hm?" He turns back to Zavien as the man speaks of his ulterior motive, a brow raised, though as he explains, Ronin is already offering him a warm smile in return.
"Never, ever feel bad about calling on us," he tells him gently but firmly. "We were given our power by the gods to help people - I was, anyway. And I would much prefer to let dinner burn or have training interrupted or be dragged out of a nap if it means I'm keeping someone safe." Reaching out, he claps a friendly hand upon his shoulder.
"I appreciate you thinking about us, though. It's always nice to be treated as a person as well as a demigod," he says with a good-natured chuckle. "But I hope you never think twice when it comes to channelling me if you need me."
