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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 wind is at your back, the world is at your feet
Pulling herself onto the deck of the ship, Nova adjusts the shimmering silver clip in her blonde and pink curls. She's barely standing upright before she's throwing an exuberant and sparkling wave towards the Captain of the ship. "Hi Jack!! Thanks for letting us snag a ride!" Sharing an excited grin with Caly, she takes in the ship.
Nova giggles, bouncing her way across the wood paneling with so much energy that she's practically buzzing. Her green and yellow sweater is studded with stitchings of cute pineapples wearing cute googley eyes that wiggle when she moves, tracking the people around her while she beams over the upcoming journey. "This is going to be so much fun!"
Rotating her glittery pouch to her front, Nova opens it and plunges her arm into the void as she moves to Jack's side, looking for the bag of gummy candies she'd stuffed in beforehand. "Do you have snacks? I brought snacks. Do you think it'll take a long time to get to the Greatwood? I don't want Vespy waiting too long. Is it going to get cold? Should I put on a jacket?" More questions bubble to the surface, perhaps a bit overly eager for the rare opportunity to spend time with so many of her family members. Once they get going, she knows there will be no chance for them to leave - at least for a bit - and she plans to take full advantage.
It’s a bit of a strange thing – to know who the Ark was now and to step up on her boards. If her steps are a little lighter than usual, she pretends not to notice it. It’s an attempt to try and be herself and still somewhat gentle, trailing beside her sister as she glitters vibrant and unapologetic. She beams her father a smile, sunny and warm, lingering like the sunrise that leaves the rest of the Boondocks in clouds of fog as it heats up the moist ground for the morning. “Hiii.” She offers an easy wave, her blonde curls bouncing around her head as she drifts closer and offers coquettish little waves to the crew she knows.
As her sister starts sparking off a million questions, she snorts softly and adoringly, nudging her sister to snag a gummy candy that she tears in half. “I’d put on a jacket anyway given the winds ‘n whatever else.” She’s already dressed up in one, a warm sweater for the turn of the season, a fluffy and wool cream sweater with golden threading that sparkles as she parts from her sister to go and stand beside Jack, beaming up at him. “Mom’s helpin’ us upgrade our bracelets!” Not sure if they’ve explained it to him yet or not, but the reason for them tagging along for the ride. “Can we help somehow?” She asks once she’s swallowed down the other half of the gummy candy.
They have not explained to him yet, but luckily for the Marin sisters, Jack doesn't need it said out loud - though that's not to say it isn't appreciated when Caly pipes up anyway. The Ark is ready for departure, her decks clean, her rigging taut, her sails ready to snap out at his command. And whilst she isn't physically wandering the deck today, that isn't to say that she's not around, and Jack inclines his head in a nod that's a mix of greeting and appreciation for Caly's care and light footsteps.
"That so?" he says of their bracelets, turning up the collar on his Kingmaker coat in readiness for the Leafchange chill once they're airborne. "What'd you need to do?"
Glancing to Nova and her thousand questions, the Captain waits for her to run out of steam before considering a response, leaning casually against the wheel. "We're fast, but it'll be the best part of the day 'fore we see the woods," he explains. "I'm sure your brother ain't gonna be too bored waitin' - he finds trouble when he's idle."
As for what they can do, Jack nods towards Murphy on the lower deck, the dark-eyed first mate ready to give orders the second they're ready to move. "Follow his lead if you wanna be useful. Otherwise just hold on tight."
you're the last of a dying breed; write our names in the wet concrete
I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me
The wind is at your back, the world is at your feet
Still oblivious to the Ark's new sentience, Nova isn't intentionally careful of her footfalls like her sister, but she still seems to float and bounce around the deck like a swirling star refusing to be still. She hands her sister some gummies and shoves a few in her mouth as she reaches deeper into the bag to follow her sister's advice. It helps that she's excited to show off the fluffy pink jacket she'd made, the feathery texture fluttering what she throws it over her shoulders to let it swallow her and most of the peering pineapple eyes.
Jack's question hits like a bolt of lightning, Nova literally leaping at the opportunity to enlighten their dad on the specifications of their noble quest. Her hand raises to show off the silver starred bracelet dangling from her wrist, pride bubbling off her for having designed the pair. Their mom's love and affection shimmers from the magic when it catches the sunlight, her voice bright and chiming once she swallows the wad of sweets in her mouth. "We need to get somewhere fast and then see how big a region is!" Hence his speedy transport and advantageous view.
Satisfied with the provided answers, she grins and prepares herself for the journey ahead, imagining thoughts of glittering clouds and various colorful places passing below them. She'd originally planned to take a post at the railing or the crow's nest for optimal sightseeing, but Caly seems intent on 'helping,' and although Nova hates the idea of working, her eyes light up when she looks to Jack. The sparkles of her mind bleed into the air around her when she rushes forward to bounce in front of him, beaming with uncontained excitement. "Ooh ooh ooh!! Can I steer?!" It doesn't look that hard, and it sounds like so much fun that she keeps glancing between him and the wheel, ready to seize the opportunity - or find a creative way to convince Jack that he should let her.
Content to let Nova explain the requirements that their mother had granted them for enhancing their bracelets, Caly nestles into her jacket a little more with a brighter smile as she offers her little concession that her sister probably should put a jacket on. As Jack explains, she glances around to see just how she can help – not wanting to simply use her father in what instances she could, but to allocate some give and take between them.
“He is good at that.” She hums confidently about Vesper, her lips quirking into an amused grin. And as she spins a little to find the man in question – Murphy – she makes a beeline for him behind her sister, almost apologetic for the question that leaves Nova’s lips and unsure if they’ll even let her. “I’m flexible. Tell me where ya want me.” She hums to Murphy, rocking back on her heels as her arms hook together behind her back.
"That all? Well, fast I can do, an' you'll get plenty of views of King's End when we leave, an' the Greatwood when we land." Jack offers a roguish little half-bow. All in a day's work for this fine criminal. Caly departs soon after that, Murphy nodding back to her in greeting and pointing out places where she can help to keep ropes coiled and out of the way when the crew adjust the rigging, and also things that might (but shouldn't) go sliding about as they ascend.
As for Nova, Jack is gazing flatly across to the hybrid the moment she bounces in front of him, his hands on the wheel almost proprietary. "No." He smiles. "At least, not yet when we're gettin' skybound. Go swab a deck or scrub a board, then we'll talk." Once they're straight and steady and unlikely to go plummeting towards the ground, he means.
And unless there are any further complaints (even then, unlikely he's listening), the Captain whistles through his teeth and calls out the orders to get them into the sky. Rising into the air as if plucked from the sea by Safrin herself, The Ark's sails trail starlight as they snap open, dazzling onlookers below and creating choppy waves in her wake.
you're the last of a dying breed; write our names in the wet concrete
I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me
The wind is at your back, the world is at your feet
Clapping her hands together, Nova beams at Jack's playful bow. "Just as we thought! You're the best!" Two stones, one bird. Although she supposes getting to hang out with Jack would make it three stones.
The immediate refusal hits her sudden and piercing, crashing through the vibrant cascade of her thoughts in a moment of blaring and indignant disappointment. She opens her mouth to argue, planting her feet in preparation to convince Jack he has to let her try; but before she can, he adds the caveat, a smile, a glimmer of possibility. She latches onto it, eyes wide and bright with excitement as her own smile returns with a vengeance. "You promise?" He can't break a promise, and she wants nothing more than to try her hand at steering the massive ship. So before he can refuse, Nova bounces away, waving her hand with renewed energy. "I'll make it the cleanest deck ever!"
Already knowing where Chrisweeper lives, she gives him a sparkly wave and manages to procure a mop amongst the chaos. Finding a spot at the front of the ship, she uses a combination of magic and frantic, determined scrubbing in an attempt to eliminate every piece of evidence that someone had ever walked across it.
“S’why you were one of the first we thought of.” Caly teases her father, shooting him a brilliant grin before she’s departing to seek out Murphy. As he points to each task that she can help with, she tugs her jacket closer against her body and starts to move toward a spot where she imagines the ropes might begin to move the second they take to the sky.
And all the while she glances over at her sister to see that she isn’t too broken up about not steering and instead practically skips away to go and snag the things she’d need to swab the deck. And once the ship finally takes to the skies, she has the moment to truly appreciate it from within it up here on the deck – watching the starlight trickle through the sky almost like she was back up in Safrin’s stars. Feeling an exhale of relief, she turns in time to notice one of the ropes starting to try and uncoil itself, something she fixes right back into place before eyeing the others for anything that might suddenly spring loose.
"I know," Jack says with the sly ease of a man who truly believes it, and he pointedly does not promise anything as Nova dances away to get to work. Regardless, with both Marin sisters put to work the Captain can focus properly on getting them airborne, and soon enough the blue-green blur of the Boondocks is sprawling away beneath them. The skies are clear (for now, he's well-aware of the sudden strange showers of screaming rain), giving them a view of the region from the flat plains all the way to the Barrows and the surrounding hills.
The efforts of both young women don't go unnoticed by the crew (though a few of them do almost trip over Nova and Chrisweeper a couple of times), and it's with gratitude that Murphy eventually tells them they can relax. The first mate goes to take the wheel from Jack after that, the Captain heading down onto the main deck to inspect their speed. "You wanna head up to the crows an' play lookout?" He glances to Caly. "Reckon between me an' pineapples, here, we can use magic to speed us up even more."
you're the last of a dying breed; write our names in the wet concrete
I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me
The wind is at your back, the world is at your feet
Despite the slight chill, Nova quickly removes her thick jacket that threatens to encumber her cleaning efforts. She'd offered to let one of the guys wear it, but he had surprisingly declined. Maybe he was finding that his own work kept him warm, like how the frantic scrub of her arms had her blood heating to keep the cold at bay. Her eyes narrow and tongue sticks out as she hums a bright working tune to pass the time. You'd think between the lingering sparkles in the air, the musical notes, and the vibrant green and yellow sweater that people would notice her, but Nova has to reprimand a handful of careless sailors who threaten to ruin her work. The glitter will eventually fade.
When Murphy and Jack finally announce that they've done enough, she jumps from her place on the deck like a cannon breaking free. Her magic is practically buzzing in the air, shimmering and whipping at her hair like a living force of its own, ready to play with the Captain. "YES! Let's do it!" Having never sped up a ship with magic before, she bounces to Jack's side, wiggling and fidgeting as she waits for him to show her what to do, blue eyes wide and expectant.
At this spot, Caly has a great vantage point while she ensures the ropes don’t become loose or airborne, and she watches with her due diligence until Murphy tells them they can relax that Caly slips over toward the rail on the edge of the ship to watch the trees and flatlands melt into the hills of King’s End.
Jack’s voice distracts her, glancing over from where she’s resting her elbows on the rail to look around before the question hits her and fills her with excitement at the prospect that’s easily hidden by the easy smile that graces her face. Of course, Jack would be able to notice the way it spikes through her, adrenaline already beginning to bloom. “I’m real good at playin’ look out.” She chimes to him with a mischievous grin that’s all Jack with an air of Safrin interlaced throughout. Shooting a wink to her sister after, the star tattoo scrunches with the movement. “Don’t have too much fun, sis.” She teases.
Pushing herself from the edge of the rail, she straightens and bounds over toward the ladder leading up to the crows nest, pushing up her sleeves to climb up it (and not trusting her sunstreak shift to not get lost with the speed of which the Ark is going), making it up to the top where the wind whips her golden curls and she positively beams like the sun from this vantage point, soaking it all in.
With Caly taking position as their scout, Jack is sure she'll yell if she notices anything interesting or dangerous that they ought to keep a note of, not that he's expecting anything beyond the occasional other ship drifting nearby. It gives him the opportunity to properly inspect their masts and their sails, Nova at his side and at full attention. "Since you got eyes in your head, you can see she's got three masts," he says, gesturing above them.
"Tallest one's in the middle, that's our main - she's got most of the power, so it's where you'll be directin' all your air magic. Then you got the fore an' the mizzenmast. That's what keeps us balanced and takes stress off the main." The fore is where Jack will be aiming, the Captain taking a few steps away with his hair already stirring at the tips as he calls on his magic.
"Jus' aim right centre of her sails and fill 'em as much as you can," he instructs. "An' then you can tell us if it feels like we're pickin' up speed," he adds, calling this latter part up to Caly.
you're the last of a dying breed; write our names in the wet concrete
I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me
The wind is at your back, the world is at your feet
Nova might have eyes in her head, but she's never counted the masts, so her gaze follows Jack's explanation, tilting and angling her head curiously to better see the three sails. Her hair shifts with the movement, pink brushing against starlight to take in the massive stretch of canvas. The concept sounds simple enough: push as much air as she can into the fabric to make them go extra fast.
Once he finishes his instructions, Nova snaps her hand to her forehead, her voice chiming bright over the deck. "YESSIR!!" She giggles, fizzing out of the pose as she rushes to get started. Feet spread across the wood paneling and hands splay at her sides when the wind starts to pick up. She grins wildly as it snags at her hair, picking up force until she shoves it forcibly into the sail. Her heart flies as fast as the magic she controls, the whirlwind around her a reflection of the freedom blasting through her mind when she leans into the element.
Content to be up on the crow’s nest with the wind whipping at her golden curls, Caly’s hands latch onto the rail as she feels the air start to shift, some additional edge between the thermals. It’s not unlike her sunstreak shift, she finds, for when flying solely based on her feathers, she feels uniquely in tune with the sky even if that shift was more of a runner than it was a flier.
At any rate, she watches the greenery around change and shift constantly, amusement flickering in her face to see as her father and sister go through a lesson – Nova’s sharp YESSIR impossible to miss even at this height. Stifling a soft laugh, she notes Jack’s comment and offers him a playful salute in a mirror of her sister. “Sure thing!” She calls down toward them.
And honestly, it doesn’t take that long for the wind to start to pick up between both abandoneds down below. Harboring no magic herself, she still sits in quiet awe of it as she watches clouds begin to pass a bit quicker, the whip of warm and cool breezes reaching her faster and faster. “We’re definitely pickin’ up speed!” She calls down to her family, beaming a sunshine grin from where she stands.
