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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 past few seasons had been a test of Noe’s patience. First it was the pouring rain and the memory mud. Then it was the wildfires and the heat. And now? Now they were back to rain. This time, though, the rain screamed. Noe hated it. Every time the lightning flashed, she imagined that she could see the faces of people she cared about, but they were in some kind of pain, wailing and shrieking into the sky.
Fortunately, today seemed to be less screamy. It was still dreary and overcast, and a thin drizzle fell upon the spooky backdrop of the Barrows, but the thunder and lightning had rolled out early that morning, leaving only that faint mist behind.
Noe strolled along a path out of Wrenzoak’s Refuge and into the Barrows, her head bowed to keep the rain out of her face. She wore a bright yellow rain jacket with the hood pulled up over her hair, and she walked with the kind of cadence that suggested she had somewhere to be. A new client had hired her recently to design a house for them out here, and though she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why they wanted to live among the tombs and crypts, she needed the business. So here she was to scout out the location.
She paused at a fork in the road. She thought it was to the left, but maybe she was wrong. Digging around in her pack, she began to search for the notes she’d taken on the location, hoping to clarify before continuing on her way.
Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise
Noe
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Noe.
There’s always something about this season in the Barrows specifically – where it feels like he’s being watched. It’s probably true, given the immense amount of spirits lingering around the area especially during Leafchange with all the graves and mausoleums. For now, though, Thorn’s on his own little trek, one that was originally intending to take him to the Refuge when a familiar face distracts him.
The yellow rain jacket she wears is one that stands out against the dull background of mist and fog and green rolling hills. Thorn himself is sporting a leather jacket, a cloth hood over his head that hardly blots out much of the rain but at least his torso remains warm and dry from the leather. “Noe!” He calls out as he sees her digging into her pack, rushing over toward his friend with a crooked smile to see her here. “I didn’t know you were gonna be out this way. What’cha up to?” Whatever he had in the Refuge could wait.
As Noe dug in her pack, a familiar voice called out a greeting. She looked up to find Thorn rushing over, and she quickly abandoned her search in favor of stepping forward to hug her friend. "Thorn!" she crowed. "It's good to see you!" Smiling vibrantly as she released him, she shrugged. "Oh, I'm designing a floor plan for a new client that lives out this way." She gestured to the fork in the road. "I'm just trying to find the location, so I can account for the terrain in my plans."
Returning to her bag, she dug through and finally pulled out a small worn journal and flipped to the right page. "Ah, so it's that way," she muttered to herself before pocketing the now-damp papers once more. "Are you busy?" she wanted to know. "It's just me out here, and the Barrows are super creepy. I'd love some company, if you have the time."
Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise
Noe
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Noe.
Hugging her back easily, Thorn’s smile hangs lopsided on his face as he perks up with her explanation. And for a moment, he’s almost forgotten about her being an engineer, so similar to the plan he’d had before he’d diverted into becoming a courtesan. Even still, he loved architecture and stories, loved to see what those clients of his came up with when it came to the fantastical places they’d turn the rooms into. “Oh awesome!” He chimes, shifting his jacket a little and his hood now that it doesn’t seem to be completely pouring. Still drizzling, though, unfortunately.
“Me? Nah. I’d love to tag along.” Then, because in the letters they’d shared before, he can’t remember if he’d mentioned it previously. “I might be able to help ya, too. I was an architect before I switched up careers.” Shooting her a wink, he turns to join her at her side so they can plot the path she needed to through the Barrows. “So what kinda plan are you thinking so far, without seein’ the terrain?”
"Ooooo, really?" Noe asked, interest sparking in her eyes. She couldn't recall if he'd told her that before, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to have his help - she was still developing her architectural style, her training having been more to do with structure than aesthetics. She might have asked what made him change career paths, but then she was distracted with his question about her plans.
"Well, they like the minimalist style," she said. "And they want a lot of natural light, so I'm thinking some big windows and maybe some strategic skylights." Peering up at the sky, she was rewarded by a drop splattering onto the tip of her nose. Scrunching her face, she huffed half a laugh. "I sketched out a couple of preliminary designs, but it was hard without seeing where it's going to go. They have a relatively small budget, so major excavation work is out. I have to work with the land, not against it."
Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise
Noe
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Noe.
“Yeah! My family was real big on it in Halo. The Mercer’s.” He explains, unsure if she’d heard of them before or not, but he tilts his head toward her while they walk with that playfully boyish grin. “I was supposed to follow ‘em and take over but it wasn’t really what I was interested in.” His nose wrinkles with this, before he’s settling in to hear her explain.
As they walk as the rain continues to fall, a little heavier now as one falls onto her nose and splatters and so Thorn whisks up some of his air magic, letting the magic bloom above them to create a buffer for the rain that might catch and prevent them from getting rained on immediately. “Gods, I love a good skylight.” He practically groans with the idea before a soft laugh leaves him. “I might know a good way to work around that. We had to be creative in Halo with all the mountains ‘n permafrost.”
Noe tilted her head. ”Oh, I’ve heard of them!” she exclaimed, eyeing Thorn with new appreciation. They were indeed popular in Halo, so much so that word of their capabilities had spread at least far enough for Noe to hear the name. She couldn’t quite fathom how someone could not be interested in architecture and the like, but that was neither here nor there. It was Thorn’s life to live, not hers. She just wondered if his separation from the family had hurt their relationship, or if they’d been supportive when he’d decided on a different path.
They walked on, rain beginning to fall once more. Noe smiled as Thorn put up a barrier of air magic, glancing at him gratefully. She was sick of all the rain, honestly, and it was nice to get to be dry for about half a second for once this season.
”Right?” she gushed, already picturing the light and airy home in her mind’s eye. As for Thorn’s help, Noe clapped her hands together eagerly. ”I’m all ears,” she told him. ”I’m definitely still learning some things, so don’t be shy. I’ll gladly take all the help I can get!”
Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise
Noe
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Noe.
Shooting her an easy grin as she explains she has heard of them, Thorn playfully puffs out his chest and sketches an overly dramatic bow. “Hawthorn Mercer, at yer service.” He straightens back up and continues to walk with the flare of air magic above them to keep the bulk of the rain away from them, chuckling softly.
Hearing about the plans for utilizing the landscape to the best of their ability, Thorn shoots a bright smile over at her. “Well y’can start with terracing. Stagger the floor levels ‘n build it into one of the mounds?” He starts off, humming a few notes of ideas as they come to him. “We’ll have t’see it, but some of ‘em around here have their own steps so the ground’s pretty flat already and you could totally fit a multi floor house in there.” His hands gesture out in front of him to show her the best he can without having a little sketch book with him, but it’ll be far easier to wait until they’re there before he can give her an accurate idea of what they’re working with that she can bloom her ideas into.
Noe laughed at the overly dramatic bow, dropping into a similarly silly curtsy that looked quite strange given that she was wearing pants. "So nice to formally meet you," she simpered, trying not to snicker. She'd never been one for formality, particularly not with someone she'd already befriended; she'd much rather be herself than try and be stuffy and snobbish.
In any case, they continued on their way, Noe considering Thorn's suggestions with a look of concentration. "I've read a little about terracing," she said. "But I've never tried it myself. Is it true that the mounds are haunted?" She'd heard tales, of course, but she never knew what was real and what had been morphed and shaped into ghost stories over time. "I'd hate to build something that ended up riddled with ghosts."
They arrived at a nice flat area bordered on two sides by large, rolling mounds. Noe double-checked her notes, then nodded to herself. "Here we are!" she announced, gesturing out at the land. "This is much better than I thought it'd be. It's kind of like a little miniature valley."
Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise
Noe
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Noe.
“You too.” Thorn chimes, before a laugh adorns the tones of his voice as she curtsies back to him. “Thorn’ll do though. Hawthorn’s too formal ‘n honestly it makes me wanna throw up.” Thorn’s nose wrinkles before he laughs brightly and shakes his head. The air magic continues to keep the rain away for the bulk of it as he descends into all the book knowledge he’s got, and as she questions whether the mounds are haunted, Thorn nods with a more mischevious grin.
“They are, but there’s certain spots in ‘em that are less likely t’have the ghosts just roamin’ around.” He offers, in case it helps. Like he might be a good judge for it the second they get where they’re going. Though it seems like something that comes up faster than he anticipates as Noe starts to slow and she double checks her notes before announcing that they were here.
Thorn brightens at the flat area, darting forward to inspect it a bit closer and eagerly. “Oh yeah, this’s gonna be so nice! And I’m pretty sure the mounds on either side aren’t part of the thick of the hauntin’s.” He turns to her and grins, his leather jacket dripping with rain water. "Won't even have t'use terracin' if you don't wanna."
"I don't think I can even imagine calling you 'Hawthorn,'" Noe snorted. "You know how, like, once you meet somebody and the name that they use is just the one you'll associate with them forever? Like, you could have introduced yourself as Jeremiah or something and that's all I'd ever call you ever again." Shaking her head, she waved her hand dismissively. "Thorn fits you much better." Like he'd said - it was less formal, less stuffy, and much more him.
At the news that some of the mounds are indeed haunted, Noe made a face. She wasn't sure where she stood on the topic of ghosts, but she'd rather not build something for her clients only to have them leave her a shitty review because the place was haunted.
As they arrived at the spot, Noe flipped over a few pages in her notebook and began to jot down some notes about the landscape. "That's awesome," she said of the haunting - or lack thereof. "Okay, this is so much better than I was picturing." She'd have to measure the flat area to be sure, but she was pretty confident that she was going to be able to do exactly what she'd originally envisioned.
Flipping pages again, she held out the notebook to Thorn. "Okay, so here are my original sketches." There were a few to choose from, all of which showcased a minimalist architectural style while still trying to incorporate the natural elements of King's End. "What do you think?"
Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise
Noe
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Noe.
“Ew, Jeremiah?” Thorn says with a brilliant laugh, one that’s vibrant and contagious. Not that he hates the name Jeremiah, but it certainly wouldn’t fit him – not like the name he has now, nickname included. But his grin lingers as he nods his head to agree that Thorn fits him much better – least of all for the tattoos that are hidden under his leather sleeves.
As they finally reach the place for the build, the rain starts to stop its heavy brush, but Thorn continues to keep the wind magic moving if only to alleviate the potential of ink spreading and ruining her sketches.
Moving back toward her from where he’d darted forward, Thorn is equally as excited as Noe is for this adventure and he leans into her space to peer at the sketches – the variety of them which was always a good start. Humming a little, his sea foam gaze flits up toward her with a thrill of excitement. “Love ‘em.” He confirms, before he’s tapping the second picture in the middle. “I think this one’ll get the good mix of King’s End’s own architecture but like… Modernized. Minimalistic, like yer goin' for.” She’d done a fantastic job at making the sketches, if how long it takes for him to decide between them all was any indicator.
Noe joined in the laughter, shaking her head at the very idea of Thorn being anyone other than who he was. "I know, right?" Nothing wrong with other names on the surface, of course, but apply them to someone they didn't fit, and all of the sudden they were horrendous.
With wind magic keeping them mostly dry, Noe wasn't shy in sharing her sketches with her friend. She glanced from the page to his face as he surveyed them, waiting anxiously for any input. She was an engineer, not an architect, so maybe her sketches would be horrible. She didn't know.
But then Thorn was complimenting them, bringing a faint, pleased blush to Noe's cheeks. "Thanks!" she chirped. "I liked that one best, so that works for me. Now I just need to take a few measurements, and I can send off my final proposal!" Excited by this turn of events, Noe tucked the journal back into her bag and began to dig around for a measuring tape. "I really need to get one of those bags of holding," she muttered under her breath. "Oh, here it is!" Pulling out the measuring tape, she grinned at Thorn. "Don't suppose you'd hold one end of this for me?"
Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise
Noe
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Noe.
Her sketches are lovely, honestly. And when he was an architect, the engineers he’d worked with had very little experience in drawing up the floor plans of houses. So it was a breath of relief to see just how hers had taken his own previous work into account, even if he wasn’t an architect anymore. Sometimes it was impossible to remove that part of him – the kind that loved and craved the unique features to varying spaces (which is why he’d always choose the House of Midnight over every other brothel).
“Ugh, right? They look so useful.” He whines a little, jealous quietly for everyone else’s bag of holdings he’d seen around. But she produces the measuring tape regardless and Thorn beams a grin at her as he starts to let the air magic drop off now that the books are away and they’ll be separated out enough to take the measurements it would be impossible to keep them from getting wet. “On it!” He chimes to her, hand lifting to his forehead to salute her.
He takes the measuring tape, now, and like a little puppet to be directed wherever Noe needs him to be, he goes.
