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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!
11-06-2025, 10:59 AM (This post was last modified: 11-15-2025, 09:25 AM by Odd.)
Rain laces through the Wildwood in a soft but ceaseless curtain, each droplet caught in the glow of drifting will-o-wisps as if the forest itself were strung with liquid light. Beneath the canopy, the air hums with Flowerbirth; the wet sweetness of moss, the musk of bark drinking deep, and the ever-present squelch of the earth giving way underfoot. The Wildwood is never still at the best of times, but Flowerbirth has made it mischievous. Roots shift, paths double back, and every living thing seems to breathe a little louder.
This year, though, the Greatwood has become something of a running joke across Caido. Travellers swap muddy horror stories over pints, and merchants curse this season with the reverence usually reserved for gods. The culprit: memory mud. Sticky, sentimental, and far too alive for comfort.
It starts as a rumble beneath the trees. A shudder rolls through the soaked ground, followed by a low, sucking groan. From a clearing slick with rainwater, the Wildwood's mischief takes form. A creature heaves itself from the muck, immense and uneven, as if sculpted by an artist who lost patience halfway through. Its forebody swells into the rough suggestion of a dragon’s chest and wings, but the rest trails off into shapeless globs, melting and reforming as it moves. Where a head should be, twin hollows glow faintly gold, catching the light like trapped lanterns.
Around its lumbering bulk, smaller shapes squelch and roll through the underbrush. Little globs of half-formed creatures: dogs, birds, snowmen, all trying to remember what they were supposed to be. The forest itself seems to sigh in response, leaves trembling as the great mud-beast drags itself forward, each footfall leaving behind a puddle that hums with its own half-life.
Welcome to a SORT OF BIG GROUP KQ!
You will all arrive together, and based on level, the KQ will be split into a group taking on the Big Mud Monster and a group taking on its little counterparts. So you will all be in the same vicinity, but broken up into two threads to keep things balanced. There is no maximum on how many characters (who need KQs to level) can join.
You have 48 hours to post your character arriving. So that nothing is missed, please include a quick summary at the bottom of your post, including any items that you're bringing with you. Items on your profile are always assumed to be with you (unless stated otherwise), but anything else needs to be listed in your opening post or it will not count for future posts!
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding, but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters - join at your own risk!
They say I'm a dangerous man, better run fast as you can
It had been a somewhat amusing time – despite the mud. Able to avoid portions of it and not have a repeat of his return to the Grounds after LongNight, the butcher has been hunting in the woods. What had originally started as a thought became action – the what if becoming a hunt. So he follows in the shadows of the trees, until the earth shudders. Instantly on alert and losing his intended prey, the butcher straightens and takes note of the situation – trying to avoid the pooling mud around him. The threaded cane helps to keep his balance when the slick mud tries to bring him down.
Movement takes him through the deer paths within the Greatwood toward a larger pathway where he can see the lumbering beast and the smaller creatures as they make their approach. There’s no dread that makes its way into his stomach, only anticipation for a fight as he takes in the largest of them all – a poor mimicry of a dragon if he’s seen one.
Straightening himself and the dark rain jacket tight around him, the butcher prepares himself to take it on.
Astaroth arrives with everything in his profile at a distance away from the mud monster and its goons.
Non magical items he has with him are bandages in his pocket, and a roll bag in his other pocket that’s got a chef’s knife, a boning knife, and a serrated knife.
Citizenship Abilities:
The world is new to you, and you to it. During PQ/PQ+/KQs/Drops, you roll with advantage on luck-based rolls and receive an extra name during drops. (In order to use this, make sure to note the ability at the bottom of each post)
Regional Score bonus: +5 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +5 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
Crooked souls trying to stay up straight Dry eyes in the pouring rain
Noah left Halo with the cold still clinging to him, frost-bit air lingering in his hair and the seams of his cloak. The Greatwood was a shock of scent and color with damp leaves and warm loam. Birdsong here was in bursts rather than echoing silence and the white-noise rumble of rain covering over the forest was something different than the occasional springtime blizzard of home.
He kept to the familiar deer-paths toward where Liam and Maea lived, steps steady, pace unhurried. He had seen them during their housewarming party, but was coming back to spend time with Liam. Maybe they would hunt whatever springtime game was appropriate for the wood. Whatever they did, Noah was grateful for a chance to talk with Liam outside of a gathering of his friends.
But the forest shifted before he reached the next clearing.
The attuned felt something move even before the sounds lifted through the undergrowth. Then he heard it proper: heavy, sluggish, like wet earth breathing. Noah slowed. But then he scented them. Two familiar scents even in the rain. Damien, and Liam. Noah's stomach coiled at the thought of the younger Halovian being anywhere near where this creature was manifesting. Gritting his teeth, Noah slunk with a hunter's caution and experience towards where the creature rose and the people -- for better or worse -- gathered. He noted them each that he could see -- a tall, horned ancient, a slew of unfamiliar faces, a distinctly colored attuned, and his friend.
The creature hauled itself upward with mud sloughing from limbs too long to be natural, a jawshape almost draconic but drooping, and the once-demigod prayed Vi, be with us, before he readied himself for what was to come.
For his mantle may have been lifted, but the tug on his soul to protect others was branded from hot iron to his inner most being. So he doesn't just arrive. Noah starts. Pulling on his attuned measures, the Sentinel calls silently into the forest to compel the wildlife to pull the attention away from the forming group.
Noah arrives! He immediately uses Beastmaster to try and compel forest animals to distract the mud monsters from the forming group of people!
Beastmaster | can compel any sentient animals not marked with a for assistance (6 large, 12 medium, 20 small)
Type: Grey | Rank: Basic | Cost: (None)
Regional Score bonus: +13 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +13 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
The Wildwatch: Hunter’s Presence: Rolls with advantage against regular creatures (anything marked with a difficulty of Normal or below).
Maybe there was something about the mud monster that the Wildwood didn't like. Maybe that was why it was drawing them all together like this, herding them into danger. Or maybe this was some great trick of the Greatwood, some cruel joke of the gods, or fate, or whatever one believed in.
Either way, as Soh found herself among a growing group of people surrounding a giant monster made of mud, she could only stop and stare. Panic clawed up her throat as she remembered the last time she'd been a part of something like this. Tarak's loss clamored against her ribs as she considered shifting and running away. But the Greatwood was in danger, and this place held so many memories for her that she couldn't bring herself to flee. No, she would fight for it, if that was what it came to.
Noah was closest to her, and Soh gravitated towards the older man instantly, on high alert in case the mud monster or its army decided to attack. "What do we do?" she whispered, shifting uneasily on her feet.
---
Soh arrives and asks Noah what to do. She has everything on her profile and a basic glaive.
Regional Score bonus: +3 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +1 should be included)
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
Beware the darkness of dragons, Beware the stalker of dreams,
As the snow melted to mud and temperatures rose from debilitating to merely unpleasant, Maea emerged from her self-imposed hibernation with the drowsy contentment of someone who has slept well, ate well and generally caught up with themselves. Life, as it turned out, was pretty good if she allowed herself to slow down and actually live it. With Liam and their companions in the same space she didn't want for company, and so it was simply to stretch her wings and enjoy a bit of 'me' time that she had gone into the forest that day.
Shifted into the guise of a black dragon, the pelting rain ran off her scales as she coasted along above the trees. Looking for nothing in particular, merely breathing deep of the fresh air, she passed over a clearing without really paying attention to the squelching mud-monsters or the gathering crowd. Not until she'd passed it by did the unusual sight register; doubling back, Maea dipped a wing and fell into circling above the clearing, absorbing the sight and waiting to see what would happen. Many of the faces were familiar - even Astaroth, to her dismay - and when she spotted Liam among them, a throaty trill rumbled from her chest, mimicking what his two dragonets used to sound like. Just to avoid any confusion about who it was gazing out of the pale, nacreous eyes gleaming like moons against the dark scales.
Maea arrives in her Black dragon shift and circles above the clearing. She brings only what's on her profile. Companion is not present.
Beware the talons of power and fire, Beware one who is not what she seems.
The forest erupts into motion at Noah ’s call. From the dripping ferns and root-latticed hollows, a small army of woodland creatures answers; foxes with sleek red pelts, badgers low and bristled, raccoons bright-eyed and chattering, even a pair of indignant skunks swishing their tails. In all, nearly twenty creatures burst from the undergrowth, their chorus of squeaks, growls, and hissing chatter rising against the steady rain.
The sound and motion ripple through the clearing, drawing the attention of the nearby mudlings like moths to flame. Both of the globular little beasts—all half-formed faces and dripping limbs—twist toward the noise, their movements sluggish but purposeful as they slop away from their targets in pursuit of the noisy intruders.
High above, Maea’s shadow cuts across the treetops—sleek black dragon circling through the mist—but she’s far too distant to provoke the behemoth’s focus. Instead, the great mud creature turns its molten-gold gaze toward Noah. The rain hisses against its back as it heaves up a massive arm, scooping a boulder-sized lump of itself mixed with stone and debris. With a roar that sounds like a landslide given voice, it hurls the mass toward Noah.
The projectile slams into the earth with a thunderous splash just shy of its mark, pelting the air with mud and shards of rock. The Behemoth’s aim falters, thrown off by the chaos of screeching foxes and snarling badgers darting between its feet.
Your randomly assigned posting order is Sohalia, Noah, Maea, Astaroth
Sohalia: 330/330 HP
Noah: 680/680 HP
Maea: 352/352 HP
Astaroth: 250/250HP
You have 24 hours to respond before you are skipped. Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
Before Soh could think, much less receive instruction from Noah, the behemoth was throwing what appeared to be a massive boulder of mud in the other Attuned's general direction. The Luminary ducked instinctively away from the spray of mud and rock, panic clawing at her ribs. She forced it down. Surely this couldn't be as bad as the Void Dragon in Stormbreak. Surely no one else would be lost. She'd die before she let that happen.
Straightening, her silver gaze locked on the behemoth. Reaching out through the Attuned bond, she searched for and found as many nearby birds of prey as she could, pulling them from whatever it was they were doing to assist in this battle. Her compulsion pushed the birds towards the Memory Mud Behemoth, where she instructed them to swarm its head, going for its glowing eyes and hoping that it would serve as a distraction for the others.
---
Soh compels 20 birds of prey to swarm the Memory Mud Behemoth, aiming to blind it or otherwise attack its head. She remains 30 feet away from the monster.
(Beastmaster) can compel any sentient animals not listed as mythical for assistance (6 large, 12 medium, 20 small)
Type: Grey | Rank: Basic | Cost: Other
Regional Score bonus: +3 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +1 should be included)
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Sohalia.
The monster, for as trudging and slow as it looked, moved with an impressive speed. Noah dodged to the side to avoid being squished by the thrown mud and stone. He gritted his teeth as he looked around, mind calculating what was going to be best. ”It’s mud! If you have fire, use it, and dry it up!” His voice was powerful and commanding amidst the chaos, but whether or not anyone listened was up to them. He heard Liam shouting too, and knew that the once-dragoon would also attempt to rally others to his strategies.
Moving quickly, skin burst forth feathers and his size increased exponentially. Standing slightly before Sohalia with wings flared to shield her from damage, the griffin opened his jaws and erupted a massive plume of flame towards the mud monster’s middle section — careful to avoid the birds Soh had called to its head, and the creatures he had called to its feet (though they would behind to flee any moment, now that he was shifted).
Noah says to use fire if you have it against the monster to dry it out, shifts into griffin form, and blasts fire at its middle section to avoid the compelled animals.
Magic: Griffin Ability | Fire Breathing
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered | Cost: Action
Regional Score bonus: +13 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +13 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
The Wildwatch: Hunter’s Presence: Rolls with advantage against regular creatures (anything marked with a difficulty of Normal or below).
Beware the darkness of dragons, Beware the stalker of dreams,
Voices rang out, fire bloomed in the haze, and as animals scurried in to assault the mud monsters, Maea angled herself downward and swept down towards the clearing, falling in behind the griffin she recognised as Noah's shift. Noticing movement towards the front of the behemoth, she drew in deep breath and expelled a great jet of flame from her throat, aiming for its sludge like rear end.
Once the cone of fire died out, she angled her head upwards again, coasted upwards and caused the treetops to sway and bend as her wings began to beat, working to regain elevation so that she could turn and come back around for a second pass. It was a bit tight, her size making it awkward to make tight turns, but the advantages of being able to attack from above made up for the inconvenience. As long as she didn't accidentally hit any of her allies... Alas, the only one she wouldn't mind inconveniencing was properly fireproof.
Maea dives into range over the clearing and breathes fire on the rear end of the mud monster. She then tries to regain altitude to come back for another pass next turn.
Black Dragon Type: Dark | Level: Mastered | Cost: Action | Mythical: Yes
Beware the talons of power and fire, Beware one who is not what she seems.
They say I'm a dangerous man, better run fast as you can
He waits a distance away as the creatures begin to make their choices – the smaller ones scattering off, leaving the larger one his main focus, and the butcher preps himself with a sharp grin of anticipation. The shadow of a dragon covers them briefly but the butcher doesn’t quite recognize Maea yet – just enough to know that it isn’t any of the dragons he does know.
Ah, but then there’s the forest’s creatures bolting through the trees, passing by him and leaving some wind in their wake just in time for the butcher to start moving and notice the large lump of mud and stone get thrown at someone in particular. Someone who directs him (or any fire users, he supposes) to use fire, but the butcher isn’t quite planning on starting outright with that.
Besides, it seems like the dragon’s got that covered. It gives Asta the perfect amount of time to get within range, snagging one of the knives from the roll pack in his pocket, slicing his arm through the sleeve to draw blood and aim his focus precisely at the mud monster – gritting his teeth through the hiss.
Asta gets within range and bloodbane’s the behemoth!
Bloodbane (Ancient): Can injure themselves for mastered damage to weaken others at a 1.5x their mastered level with a range of 30ft.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered | Cost: Action
The world is new to you, and you to it. During PQ/PQ+/KQs/Drops, you roll with advantage on luck-based rolls and receive an extra name during drops. (In order to use this, make sure to note the ability at the bottom of each post)
Regional Score bonus: +5 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +5 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
At Sohalia ’s command, the sky seems to answer; twenty hawks, eagles, and falcons dive through the mist in a storm of feathers and fury, pulled there by Sohalia's own mind. They streak toward the Memory Mud Behemoth with her in their minds, slashing and pecking at its dripping face, tearing gobbets of sludge free with every strike. Mud splatters in sheets beneath their talons, the creature’s molten-gold eyes blinking furiously beneath the onslaught.
Noah ’s voice cuts through the rain, urging fire, and before the echoes fade, his body twists and reshapes into that of a griffin. Wings flare, and his chest heaves as a plume of searing flame bursts from his beak, washing over the behemoth’s middle. The mud hisses and hardens where it strikes, cracks of steam and stone breaking across the creature’s body as chunks dry and fall away.
Overhead, Maea wheels through the rain in her dragon form, the black sheen of her scales flashing like wet obsidian. She dives, claws slicing the air, and breathes fire at the creature’s rear—but the shot goes wide, splashing harmlessly into the mud as she beats her wings to climb back into the storm for another pass.
Astaroth moves in close, shadows curling around his form as his attack strikes true; Bloodbane lashes forward, sinking into the behemoth’s thick body. The mud blackens around the wound, the corruption spreading like ink in water.
The behemoth roars, a sound like a collapsing hillside, shaking leaves loose from the trees. It swings its half-formed arms in fury, scattering several of Sohalia ’s birds in sprays of dirt and steam. The remaining flock wheels overhead, undeterred. Turning its bulk toward @Noah—the brightest, loudest threat—it lumbers forward, its body reshaping as it moves, though the clump of earth it lobs toward the griffin misses. With another low, grinding growl, it tears a boulder-sized chunk of itself loose and hurls it toward Sohalia.
The rock sails past her, shattering against a tree trunk with a crack that echoes through the forest. Mud splatters the ground, harmless but close enough to sting. The behemoth seethes in the aftermath, molten eyes flicking between the circling dragon and the burning griffin, its body steaming where Noah’s fire still lingers.
Your randomly assigned posting order is Sohalia, Noah, Maea, Astaroth
Sohalia: 330/330 HP
Noah: 680/680 HP
Maea: 352/352 HP
Astaroth: 202.5/250HP
You have 24 hours to respond before you are skipped. Remember to include a summary at the bottom of your post with all action taken. If weapons/upgrades/abilities/items/shifts/etc are used, please include their desc. from your profile at the bottom of your post as well.
REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters.
Sohalia's birds swarmed the mud monster, and she grinned fiercely at their successful attack, even as the behemoth roared its fury. She didn't wait to watch what they others did, though she was vaguely aware that there was suddenly a lot of fire in the area. Instead, she ducked as a boulder came flying towards her. It sailed wide, though, leaving her to stare the monster down.
She didn't have fire to contribute to the fray, but she could still attack. "I'm going to shift and attack it!" she yelled towards the group. "Try not to burn me!" Then she was shifting. Arms became wings, feet became hooves, and then she was airborne, swooping gracefully towards the monster's head. Praying that the others had heard her, she flew in low, trying to kick the Memory Mud Behemoth in its squishy head as she passed. Then she climbed, hoping to get out of range of any flaming attacks from the rest of the group.
---
Sohalia shifts into a pegasus, flies towards the monster, and tries to kick it in the head. Then she tries to fly higher to get out of the others' way.
Not everyone listened, but that was okay. They had made a dent. The mud monster roared as the onslaught of attacks came for it. Noah's glacier eyes caught the way it hurled parts of itself again to try and hurt them -- but he was satisfied about one thing, and that was that the monster was focused on him. While he didn't have the same stamina, grace, or immortality he had as a demigod, he was still strong enough to take the brunt of what this creature had to give better than he others, at his best guess. For sure better than the likes of Sohalia, Liam, or Damien.
Noah didn't like that Sohalia was going in closer to the fray, having just been missed by one of the creature's attacks, but he didn't have time to stop her. STAY HIGH! he roared over the attuned bond, voice firm and unwavering and leaving no room for argument. Then he rose up on his hind legs and flapped his wings in a taunt, trying to keep the mud monster's focus on him as he opened his jaws again and let another blast of flames go towards the creature's front legs, hoping to remove it's ability to grab and throw parts of itself.
Noah tries to keep the monster's focus on him by flapping his wings, then he aims fire at its front legs hoping to keep it from throwing parts of itself at them again.
Magic: Griffin Ability | Fire Breathing
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered | Cost: Action
Regional Score bonus: +13 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +13 should be included). Residents cannot be cursed at shrines in this region.
The Wildwatch: Hunter’s Presence: Rolls with advantage against regular creatures (anything marked with a difficulty of Normal or below).
Beware the darkness of dragons, Beware the stalker of dreams,
All of a sudden the air was filled with wings, and navigating through the crowded space above the clearing became a matter of concentration. As Maea regained altitude and came back around however, she also realized that Astaroth now was the only ally (well...) left in the immediate vicinity to avoid. First the pegasus flew in to attack the mud monster, then the griffin followed with fiery breath, and like a feverdream merry-go-round Maea fell in after Noah to let the dragon's superheated fire breath rush out towards the memory mud for a second time.
Tempting though it was to become distracted by the fight against the small fry, Maea made herself focus all her attention on her own target. Liam would be fine, he could take care of himself, and the least she could do to help was to bake this overzealous art-project until it crumbled apart.
Maea comes back around and breathes fire at the mud monster again.
Black Dragon Type: Dark | Level: Mastered | Cost: Action | Mythical: Yes
Beware the talons of power and fire, Beware one who is not what she seems.
