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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 Hollow Forest, no matter the time of day, always held a particularly eerie semblance to it. Awareness of what potentially lurked within the woods certainly didn’t help; and despite the fact that he knew he needed to remain calm, that bare modicum of dread had secured itself squarely along his spine. More than once, he extended a very long sigh, trying to keep his breath from seizing in his lungs; let the trepidation catch and snake, snag, elsewhere.
He figured Noah would be much the same; they’d both seen a great deal in their spans of war, battles, and whatever other skirmishes that had shaped Halo and Caido into what it was today. Leading a herd of luxere through it though, brought forth its own complications, and he certainly didn't want to draw either Amhran, Marcus, or their new charges into anything potentially alarming.
Watching as the trail narrowed, their flanking system wasn’t going to quite work the way it had through the open fields of the Greenwing. “We can stop here for a moment, and reorganize,” he offered, already dismounting from Zuriel, watching as the masses remained flanked on all sides of the reindeer, most of whom seemed happy to oblige in digging into the remains of the hay and apples in the vessel Amhran dragged. “Some can help refill the sled,” at which several were already untying the masses along their saddlebags, “and then we should start tying and leading most of them. The path is going to get narrower until we are out of the woods.”
--
Help refill the sled with apples and hay, tie/lead luxere to several NPCs and/or yourselves, or keep watch for anything nearby!
Without any of the trepidation of the more senior members of their little group, if anything Amhran is entranced by the Hollow Forest and its eerie choir. Were they not in the middle of something vital, he might have tried to linger for a while amid the strange trees and their melancholy song, trying to pick out harmonies or discern where particular notes were coming from. Alas, with luxere to lead and reorganisation to do, he does his best to ignore their surroundings in lieu of the tasks at hand.
Carefully dismounting his gelding - and grinning at the way the luxere immediately swarm the sled to help themselves to the goodies within, Amhran naturally adores the idea of being able to lead the creatures from a closer range. "I'll tie and lead a few," he offers already grabbing some rope and proceeding to carefully approach a few of them. Humming under his breath and bringing bribes in the form of apple slices, he'll tie as many as he's able.
Amhran opts to tie/lead a few luxere to himself, humming under his breath and offering them apple bribes to keep them sweet!
He adjusted his reins and nudged his mountforward to keep his place along the flank. The others were gathering into their formation, quiet and intent. The luxere moved in a loose cluster ahead, their antlers glowing faintly in the dimming light as they munched on the goods in the sled before the forest.
He swallowed. He wasn't sure how they were going to navigate the herd through there, but he had to trust that Deimos and Noah knew what they were doing. He was still slightly anxious, but gods, he wanted to see how this would go. He’d barely taken himself through the forest. The place was all twisting roots and strange echoes, a darkness that breathed.
“Alright,” he murmured under his breath, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Let’s see what happens next.” He dismounted and followed Amhran's lead by gathering some rope, and approaching the herd with caution, grabbing at the hummed tune in his throat.
Noah stood beside the others as Deimos’ low voice cut through the tension. They’d need to tie and lead a few of the luxere if they wanted the rest to follow without panicking. The forest was tight and its shadows were full of dangers. Dangers that Noah knew well, and that he knew would be interested by this many luxere all together in one place -- and easy meal, some might think.
Amhran and Marcus were already moving to the task. Ready and eager. Noah stepped closer, letting his attuned senses unfurl. He projected, steady and low, sending a calm confidence towards the luxere the boys reached for. He brushed against their instincts gently—cooling the spike of fear, slowing their breath, reminding them through shared instinct that these were not predators, just strange, clumsy herd-mates trying to guide them.
Noah tries to compel the luxere that Marcus and Amhran are trying to tie and keep them calm and steady.
Can compel like-minded animals for assistance (1 large, 3 medium, 5 small, from the same animal family)
While Deimos kept himself busy assisting with loading the sled back up again, and avoiding the wary, watchful eyes of some of the luxere, the rest seemed content with tying the glowing reindeer to portions of rope. Most were happy to oblige, bribed by snacks and lulled into the compelled portions, he combination of efforts by Noah, Marcus, and Amhran alike ensured the vast majority ambled along, ready to be affixed to saddles and hands. As long as the food was hastily arranged and the feelings calm, composed, they didn’t seem bothered by the forest.
At least, not as much as some were disturbed by the Sword’s presence. The concern showed in their expressions as he approached two, and he kept the low rumble of the song maneuvering through his throat. “I know. I am sorry,” he mustered, before striving to bribe them with an apple while he slid ropes around their necks. Compulsion would only go so far, and some part of him hated to even have to use it.
But before long they were moving again – though, not without another distraction lurking in the midst. Rather than a constant, underlying threat, like the potential of massive, man-sized spiders, these were of the dimmer variety. Deimos had to heave a massive sigh the moment he saw the flock of ningo breezing through the pathway ahead, some clearly intent on landing upon the deer.
---
The group is back on the move and Deimos, Marcus, Amhran, and many other NPCs each have 1-2 deer tied along with them. What will you do about the ningo?
Thoroughly content with the way things have worked out, Amhran has tethered his luxere friends to the saddle of his gelding and is riding it once more as they proceed through the forest. He's just starting to relax into the rhythm of it again when the unsteady flap of wings draws his attention upwards, eyes widening at the flock of ningo. Every time he sees them fly he's struck by the impression that they really shouldn't be capable of it, and yet - here they are.
Realising they're looking for a landing spot on some of the luxere, Amhran reaches into one of his saddlebags to draw out a fistful of oats, flinging it off to one side in the hope that the ningo will follow the food and opt not to cause further problems for them. "Go on," he calls to the birds, "go get your snacks!"
Amhran tosses some oats off the path in the hope that the ningo will be directed there instead.
Able to catch, tie, and secure his luxere with little fanfare, Marcus gave a sigh before tugging their ropes back towards his horse. He had a woman accompanying hold his while he mounted up, and then assisted her with the same after he was secure in his saddle. One of his luxere balked slightly when his horse flicked its tail, but some shooshing and humming from Marcus brought it back under control in a few moments.
For the waves of trepidation that surged through the hybrid, seeing the ningo nearly made him laugh out loud. While he knew their presence did not detract from the danger of the rest of the forest, it was almost as if it was a wink from the gods that they might be ok, if only for a short time. He watched as Amhran threw some oats out and away from his horse and luxere. He watched for a second before just deciding to turn away, to move his horse and ponied luxere with their glimmering, glowering antlers to the other side of the demigod and his small herd.
Marcus simply keeps riding past them, trying to get to the other side of Amhran so as to not scatter his ningo-trap.
Satisfied with the aid Noah offered to the others, he took his own luxere under control. Tying them carefully, he started along the path with the others. Taking the horse that had been brought for him, with this being the first time the herd was in enough of a state to make the quick transaction, Noah swung a leg over the thick, black-coated steed.
He stayed near the rear of the group as they wound through the Hollow Forest, ears half-shifted to catch any signs of trouble from behind them or to each flank. His glacier eyes shifted towards Deimos, however, at the first sign of the fat white birds. He let out an immense sigh, annoyance rolling through the attuned bond with a metallic tinge. Nearly rolling his eyes out of his head, Noah kicked his horse up into a trot before telling the rest of them, "Let's move a little faster." as a suggestion.
Noah kicks his horse up into a trot and suggests they just push through faster
While Deimos was very close to simply setting the ningo ablaze, he also knew that wouldn’t be incredibly helpful to their current expedition. Amhran seemed to have the right idea, regardless, tending to the creatures rather than unfurling further issues. The birds happily thwarted their plans of landing upon the luxere, and simply glided downwards, munching upon the oats. Marcus, steering clear, tended to his flock of deer, ensuring nothing else was disturbed.
Alas, that was where the whole matter of tranquility upended.
Noah ‘s sudden insistence, while an understandable component if they were on any other quest, made the Sword’s brows furrow. “The whole point is to keep them calm -,” and he didn’t get to finish his sentence, before the wave and ripple started. At the quicker footsteps of the Attuned’s horse, then their following luxere, the rest of the herd snorted, hastened forward, and began to panic.
While Deimos could unleash his composure, the length of unperturbed, unruffled components, into his own tied luxere, he couldn’t reach everyone’s. One of the helpers lost theirs entirely, sweeping up the trail and running directly into Amhran’s horse (who, luckily, seemed very unbothered). Another rammed into Noah's deer, making them balk and sway, straining at the ropes. “Close in tighter,” he directed, trying to keep the reindeer stuck and nestled between comrades and herd members, while the others strived to snag at their lost brethren.
--
Close in tighter, help keep the deer calm, or assist in retrieving the two luxere running loose in between the group!
Having been thoroughly enjoying watching the ningo depart and chase after the oats he's scattered, Amhran turns to offer a grin towards Marcus - just as a luxere comes ramming into his gelding, jostling him considerably. "Wh--" The horse might be unbothered, but Amhran is hardly a seasoned rider, and whatever he decides to do has the lazy creature quite suddenly surging forward into a spirited trot.
"UH," he calls over his shoulder as the luxere with him also begin to keep pace, inadvertently creating a mini-herd on the run with Amhran at it's centre. "WHAT DO I DO?" He's yelling now, his voice growing comically more faint the further he vanishes into the Hollow Forest.
Amhran accidentally kicks his horse into a trot (lol) and breaks free of the herd with his tied luxere to go on an adventure.
While Noah always tried to be good, to do the right thing, every man made mistakes. This was one of his. In the momentary calm and control they had over the herd, Noah took advantage of that. He had to work to keep control of his luxere, the coiling muscles in his arm holding tight as he wrapped their ropes around the horn of his saddle, dallying them hard and close.
He could hear Marcus calling to Amhran instructions to sit up, pull back, breathe out, as he focused his compulsions once more on the luxere closest to him as he could manage. He maneuvered his horse in close as Deimos instructed, his physical strength holding his dallied luxere as he focused his attuned magics outward. "I'm sorry everyone, wrong call on my part. I took their ease in the moment for granted." He apologized through a grunt of effort.
Noah uses compulsion on the closest NPC luxeres as he can while dallying his own ropes off and holding his tight.
Trying to get to the other side of Amhran and away from the ningo worked well, for a moment, and he turned his head to see his father begin to trot up. Ready to follow his father into fire and brimstone, hurricane and storm, he nearly put his own mount to a trot. but then, Amhran's horse took off and he heard the sing-song voice shift to what he interpreted as panic.
"Sit back! Pull up! Heels off his ribs!" Marcus called after his friend, "Breathe out!" It was all that Marcus could do to help his friend as he turned his own horse broadside, trying to keep his dancing luxere between him and the others, nad not running out after the Raeling.
Marcus calls out instructions to Amhran and turns his horse broadside, trying to keep his luxere coralled between him and the others.
It felt foolish now to have worried about man-sized spiders, when the simple and clear mistakes they made on an ordinary basis now threatened further magnitudes. Deimos felt especially useless to Amhran from the back of the herd, jaw clenching, struggling to decipher composure from the instinctual urge to simply chase after the wayward Raeling and his crew. Luckily, Marcus seemed to have it in stride, based on the yelling and instructions ringing through the assemblage of moving pieces. Whether or not Amhran would be able to conduct said instructions was another thing.
Noah ’s compulsion brought some of the luxeres out of the fractious reverie, and the rest did their best to corral and piece together what they still had left. In the end, sanctioned off from the demigod’s wild adventure, the reindeer were forced to remain in the encircled means – agitated, but not much worse for wear.
“Can you go after him?” he asked another in front, assuring another could piece back into the missing portions of the formation, not permitting anymore escapees. While the fellow soldier broke off to ensure Amhran and his luxere came back in one piece, Deimos sighed, pilfering back the calm, rendering it through any reindeer nearby, despite the trepidation threatening to war with it in his veins. “We can keep heading up the path, at a walk, and they can catch up.” If not, he’d be ready for another tactic.
--
An NPC has gone off to retrieve Amhran and crew (if he can’t do it on his own), and the rest can continue at a calm pace towards the end of the trail. Keep singing, bribing with treats (someone else can pick up the sled rope if they'd like), or any other methods to keep the luxere from bolting around again.
"ALL AT THE SAME TIME?" Amhran's voice is a faint, panicky thing as it echoes back through the trees towards Marcus, and honestly, once he's no longer sitting on the back of a runaway (trotting) horse with a small cluster of luxere following behind, this will be hilarious. For now, though, he does his best to follow Marcus's instructions, particularly the breathing and keeping his heels off the gelding's ribs, and by some stroke of luck, he's actually come to a halt by the time the man Deimos has sent manages to catch up to him.
"I think I got it now," he's telling his escort when they return, cheeks red with cold and adrenaline, a smile spreading across his face as he spots the others. "I found the end of the trail once already I think," he says. "But it seems nicer to walk it with everyone else."
Amhran has managed not to disappear into the Hollow Forest for good!
