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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!
Why do you stay until you see blood? Why does the weight fall upon us?
Liam cursed as his blade barely missed the preying orchid, leaving it alive to call for backup. Three more were quick to arrive, screeching like tea kettles as they rushed into the little clearing and towards the three humans. "We need to take them out before they can keep calling more!" he shouted, adjusting his grip on his Oakblade.
Then, stepping towards the preying orchid he'd originally targeted, he swung again, aiming to lop the thing's strange, flowered head off. This time, he called upon his sword's inherent magic, the blow growing faster and heavier with but a thought from him. Hopefully, this time the dice will favor him he'd manage to take it out so that they could focus on the rest - or at least debilitate it enough that it couldn't fight back.
---
Liam strikes at preying orchid 1 again!
Oakblade | When sheathed, this longsword feels as light as a feather, but upon being unsheathed, it instantly adjusts its weight to the wearer’s intent, allowing for devastatingly heavy strikes.
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic | Cost: Action
We're on the same side in the same war Why stay 'til you see blood?
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Liam.
Raining on me so damn long, but that's relief to a man who calls a desert home
It's a disappointing thing to see her arrow sink into what's already a corpse, Zavien not one to stand idly by. It's especially so when Liam's still wriggles about, but she'd expected Liam to do much the same as Zavien and leave her with a dead target. That it escaped is testament to how easily they dart about, and proof that a decision must be made to pick a target, the outcomes unknown in that moment.
If she's worried she won't have enough targets, that issue is soon remedied by the shrieks of the surviving flower. Colt winces at the noise, and reaches back to pull another sharpened arrow from her quiver. "I don't think we wanna know how many there are willing to answer that call," she says grimly, nocking her arrow. She lets her aim follow the scurrying path of one of the orchids, testing for speed, sporadic lurches, and wind before loosing her arrow towards irs brain.
Colt attacks orchid 5
The Pencil Sharpener | An earthen quiver that sharpens any arrow placed inside.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered | Cost: Action
The Wildwatch: Hunter’s Presence: Rolls with advantage against regular creatures (anything marked with a difficulty of Normal or below).
Colt
Still gripping the shovel that got me here, fear if I let go I might disappear
Received a Gilded Market wig from Remi that resembles her usual hair and is enchanted to stay on better than most wigs | has a reverse centaur tattoo on her left hand with the legs going down her pointer and middle fingers that looks like this.
They all seem to be in agreeance that they need to stop the plants from calling in more reinforcements, and Zavien takes that to heart as the new wave arrives. He steps forward, swiping his blade cleanly through the orchid leading the group. The sword glows, searing through it as the others rush past, the smell of burnt foliage beginning to permeate the air.
Liam manages to land a hit against the one who had run past Zavien, cleaving off a few petals that cause it to let out another screech, running back where it came from in a haphazard attempt at hitting Zavien. Meanwhile, Colt's arrow wizzes past to sink precisely into the center of another flower's head, stopping it before it can even enter the clearing. But the last flower - realizing that its friends have already fallen, let's out one final cry, running at Liam with vines flying, not a single one landing in its fury.
Rushing to Liam's aide, Zavien yells behind him "Colt! Watch our backs!" just as a sixth sentient plant answers the call to battle.
Zavien steps up to the new trio and attacks Preying Orchid 3!
Starblade | A sword that glows with inner starlight and burns on contact.
Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Upgraded | Cost: Action
Celestial Coating | A celestial coating on Starblade that adds mastered damage on the initial hit. Makes the blade glow with celestial light.
Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered | Cost: Other
- Zavien hits and kills Orchid 3!
- Liam hits Orchid 2!
- Colt hits and kills Orchid 5!
- Orchid 2 attacks and misses Zavien again!
- Orchid 4 attacks and misses Liam!
Zavien: 380 HP
Liam: 80 HP
Colt: 144 HP
Preying Orchid 1: 38 HP (dead)
Preying Orchid 2: 38 HP - 20 HP = 18 HP Preying Orchid 3: 38 HP - 90 HP (killed by Zavien)
Preying Orchid 4: 38 HP Preying Orchid 5: 38 HP - 40.5 HP (killed by Colt)
Why do you stay until you see blood? Why does the weight fall upon us?
Liam's blade managed to chop off a few petals this time, and he hurled a frustrated curse at the creature as it darted towards Zavien, sighing in relief as it missed its mark. That he'd failed to kill it was something that irked him - particularly given that the others were proving wholly more effective than he. Maybe he'd been idle for too long, trained alone too often without a target; maybe he was finally going soft.
But be that as it may, he had managed to injure the orchid, at least, and that was better than nothing. Rather than choose a new target, he advanced after the orchid he'd injured, taking careful aim before swiping quickly at it with his Oakblade, again leveraging the sword's magic to bring a heavier, faster blow down on the beast. With any luck, this time, he would fell the orchid completely, and then he could turn his attention to other targets.
---
Liam attacks Preying Orchid 2.
Oakblade | When sheathed, this longsword feels as light as a feather, but upon being unsheathed, it instantly adjusts its weight to the wearer’s intent, allowing for devastatingly heavy strikes.
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic | Cost: Action
We're on the same side in the same war Why stay 'til you see blood?
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Liam.
Raining on me so damn long, but that's relief to a man who calls a desert home
She doesn't waste time in nocking another arrow, arm held out and rigid. One eye pinches shut for aim, and she pivots her body as she sights down her arm, ready to let loose on another target. Getting rid of them quick enough to keep themselves from getting overwhelmed by the small, deadly things means they'll have to be faster than the screaming.
Unfortunately, they're so small and nimble, it's hard to keep sight of them as they dart in and about the brush. Mindful of where her allies are, not about to pierce them in undue haste, Colt winces as the alarm sound of another sounds off. "Gods damnit these fuckers are persistant," Colt snarls, spinning towards the summoning one. At Zavien's direction though she lifts both eyes, head turning, and se notices the way the foliage shivers beyond. "Got it!" she calls out, lining her arrow tip up towards the newest orchid and firing away.
Colt attacks orchid 6
The Pencil Sharpener | An earthen quiver that sharpens any arrow placed inside.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered | Cost: Action
The Wildwatch: Hunter’s Presence: Rolls with advantage against regular creatures (anything marked with a difficulty of Normal or below).
Colt
Still gripping the shovel that got me here, fear if I let go I might disappear
Received a Gilded Market wig from Remi that resembles her usual hair and is enchanted to stay on better than most wigs | has a reverse centaur tattoo on her left hand with the legs going down her pointer and middle fingers that looks like this.
While Liam focuses on his original target, Zavien lets Colt handle the newcomer, his own attentions narrowed on the frenzy of vines that dives after the ex-Dragoon. He lunges forward, sword flashing in another glint of shimmering light as it slices cleanly through the stem, leaving a bodiless pile of petals and gnashing teeth.
Meanwhile, Liam's sword smashes through the last bit of petals on the orchid who'd first escaped his attack. It obliterates the purple pieces, scattering them into the sand in a pummeled mess that leaves no time for further cries.
Similarly, Colt's arrow finds its target with deadly efficiency once again, hitting the last orchid with enough force that it flings backward into a nearby tree with a soft thwack that won't be calling for anymore reinforcements.
The sound echoes in the space as Zavien takes a deep breath through his mask. He looks to the others, taking note of the lack of injuries. Still, he can tell they're all a little shaken, and even if they've made it out unscathed this time, there's nothing to guarantee they'll be so lucky with twenty of those suckers running after them.
Zavien doesn't sheath his sword as he swipes a free hand across his damp forehead, still keeping his eyes on their surroundings as he says, "I think it's best we call it for now." He looks to the others again, knowing that they haven't achieved what they set out to do, but certain that it's the right move to retreat for now. Smiling behind the fabric, he nods his head. "We did a good job holding them off today. We can regroup, maybe get some more people to help or get some gods involved, then tackle it again now that we know what we're dealing with."
Laughing, he adds, "Either way, it's probably best we not set up camp here until those things are cleared out." He hates the idea of these suckers nibbling on him in his sleep, and he doubts the others want to risk that either.
Zavien attacks Orchid 4 with his sword!
Starblade | A sword that glows with inner starlight and burns on contact.
Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Upgraded | Cost: Action
Celestial Coating | A celestial coating on Starblade that adds mastered damage on the initial hit. Makes the blade glow with celestial light.
Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered | Cost: Other
- Zavien attacks and kills Orchid 4!
- Liam attacks and kills Orchid 2!
- Colt attacks and kills Orchid 6!
Zavien: 380 HP
Liam: 80 HP
Colt: 144 HP
Preying Orchid 1: 38 HP (dead) Preying Orchid 2: 18 HP - 20 HP (killed by Liam) Preying Orchid 3: 38 HP (dead) Preying Orchid 4: 38 HP - 90 HP (killed by Zavien) Preying Orchid 5: 38 HP (dead) Preying Orchid 6: 38 HP - 40.5 (killed by Colt)
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Congratulations! All the Preying Orchids are dead and no one has been hurt! The group has decided to call it a day and return with godly reinforcements at another time. <3
