Click here for a list of weather descriptions, seasonal festivals, and a real time:site time conversion.
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!
Not all trainings had to be serious and mundane; Deimos knew that firsthand. Restlessness usually piqued into his conscious the moment boredom started to reign – so the soldiers were taken out of the barracks, and into one of the outermost squares of the Citadel, away from marketplaces and more crowded venues, for an opportunity of fresh air and widened space for impending incantations.
What started as ways to channel magic and harness power quickly devolved – the laughter of many soldiers and warriors eventually echoed along the intertwining lanes, roads, and pathways. It was clear some carvings had risen out of the ground via snow and ice, intentional targets (there were a wide variety of missing limbs, but especially headless) that could’ve been misconstrued as a new art exhibition, save for the occasional blast of enchantments streamlined through. Then there’d be a raucous explosion of laughter as a new snow ursur suddenly lacked a hind limb, or someone’s newfound enemy had lost their entire torso, toppling over into the snow to make something anew.
Shaking his head, but joining in just as badly as the rest of them, Deimos took a long breath, narrowed his eyes in speculation, before tilting his head. Contorting his magic into intertwined thresholds, eventually the earth, water, and fire manifested into a very caricature-esque version of a white dragon. “All right, try that one,” he rumbled, half a smile etched into his features as he stood and surveyed along the middle of the plain.
Never one to stray too far outside of the Citadel in the midst of Deepfrost, Nina meandered through the streets with Ember at her heels. Every now and then, the little fire sprite would dart away to chase a ningo or greet a neighbor, but it seemed to be on its best behavior today - it hadn't run off entirely, leaving Nina to follow behind, scandalized and mortified in equal measure. Or perhaps Ember simply knew that their destination would be worthwhile, for it didn't take long before the pair heard the shouts of glee coming from ahead, and the elemental bounced on ahead of its bonded to leap directly into the white dragon Deimos had just erected.
Nina resisted the urge to drop her head into her hand as she appeared alongside the Warden. "I am sorry about Ember," she said, embarrassment tinging her cheeks pink. "I do not believe a leash would be effective, and it takes advantage far too often -" Just then, the fire elemental popped out of the other side of the dragon, leaving a hole melted in its middle. The Keeper made a sound that might have been a sigh. "Ember," she hissed. "Come here."
A few outcries and warnings rallied, and the flow of magic began. The first few were efficient; arrays of incantations pulsing wildly into the midst of the carved dragon. Lightning buzzed, snapped, and crackled, taking off an ear, then earth plunged underneath, ensuring there was a rumbling accord that jostled the makeshift statue. But then thereafter accuracy seemed long-overdue – fire hastening off to sidelines and leaving a strip of melted snow into the ground, water missing and glancing upwards. Shaking his head, he snorted, still amused, before noticing another had plunged into its sanctity, but this flame was recognizable.
He could heard Nina coming up just as he was tilting his head at said Ember, watching the snowy follicles of the ivory serpent beginning to hasten a melting spree at the sprite’s mere existence within. “It is all right. It is meant to be destroyed.” A warning to follow then, half-entertained but also entirely truthful, directed at the elemental. “Best come out before they send in the next assaults.”
Ember was having the time of its life, or so it appeared as the elemental dropped from the back side of the dragon, hissing and spitting merrily as its flaming body left melted puddles in its wake. Somehow, it proved to be more obedient to Deimos than to Nina, quickly hastening back to its bonded's side just in time for the next onslaught to begin. "By the Flame, Ember," the young keeper sighed, snapping her fingers and pointing to the ground beside her, as though the fire sprite was a dog being called to heel. Fortunately, it chose that moment to listen, and it merrily crackled alongside her as it seemed to watch the activity with great interest.
Nina watched as the soldiers began to attack in earnest, lopping off bits and pieces of ice and snow. After a moment, the keeper cocked her head to one side. "I have rarely used my magic offensively," she commented. "I assume there must be more to it than simply flinging fire at an enemy?" Aiming, for one - thought Nina didn't think she'd have much difficulty with that bit. Her mastery over her fire was absolute (at least in her mind).
A plump, round-bodied bird flaps down nearby with more enthusiasm than grace, followed immediately by several others. Ningos quickly claim every available perch, their fluffy forms puffed up against the cold as they wobble into place.
They chirp loudly and constantly, hopping from ledges to shoulders to packs with no sense of personal space. One pecks inquisitively at a strap while another settles somewhere inconvenient, blinking wide eyes as though daring anyone to object.
Even when shooed away, the Ningos only flutter a short distance off before returning, undeterred and endlessly persistent. Whether they eventually lose interest or continue their cheerful harassment, they show no signs of leaving quietly.
Ningo
Areas Found: Halo — Common
A fat all-white bird that produces high-quality meat. Its feathers are often used to line jackets and hats because of its insulating qualities.
Challenge Rating: Moderate
HP: 70 | To Hit: +20 | Dmg: 8 Movement: Walk 20 ft.; Fly 30 ft.
SPECIAL SKILLS
Down Harvest: yields premium meat and dense feather lining prized for winter gear; Alarm Waddle: when startled, a flock moves in unison with loud honks, distracting predators and masking allies’ movement; Winter Roost: tightly packed roosts share body heat, reducing exposure effects for nearby creatures
TRAITS
Insulating Down: exceptionally warm feathers ideal for cold climates; Cold-Hardy: unbothered by most natural cold and light snowfall; Snow Camouflage: all-white plumage blends seamlessly into winter terrain; Ground Forager: adept at finding seeds and shoots beneath crusted snow
ACTIONS
Peck: a quick defensive jab of the beak; Wing Flurry: a burst of wingbeats that kicks up snow and loose down to obscure vision; Warning Honk: a sharp call that alerts the flock and may startle approaching creatures
As Ember hastened away, the soldiers struck. One by one by one, the incantations flew, and this time they’d honed their skills into making much more of an impact. The sculpted dragon’s head fell clean off and decimated with a powerfully laden contortion of lightning, and the rest soon became diminished, damaged, and deceased under the perilous and fraught potentials of earth and snow. “Good!” he shouted out to the waiting soldiers, before beginning to summon another one.
Utilizing his earth and water skills, the combination of enchantments permitted another monster to rise from the ground, sculpted and whittled into the shape of a miniature frost giant. Not to make this one any easier, he then added his Air magic to the foray, making the target levitate and hover, maneuvering back and forth as they strived to get their abilities together on another fragment and decree. “Try that!”
His head tilted at the keeper’s inquiry, nodding at the commentary. “Accuracy and control are necessary with fire. Though, perhaps that is dependent on the situation,” he finished with half a grin nestled in the corner of his mouth; amusement at the hands and notions of potential. There was always arson, where one yearned and craved for absolute destruction, but other circumstances might have rendered to monsters and heathens amidst buildings – those no one intended to burn down. Surrounded by other individuals and allies. The list could go on and on in his calculated, war-experienced mind, but the lecture might not have much mattered if Nina’s had always been pinpointed on First Flame necessities. “Have you trained with it before?”
The dragon was rapidly destroyed. Ember bounced excitedly by Nina's heels, its countenance clearly ecstatic and eager to rejoin the fray. It was only Nina's silent order, firm and insistent, that kept the little fire sprite from bounding back into danger. Instead, Ember bounded around the keeper and the warden, seemingly needing to burn off energy that would otherwise be utilized in its imaginary battle.
The next sculpture to arise was a frost giant in miniature; air magic manipulated the target further into something that moved this way and that, unpredictable in its pathway. As Nina watched and Ember flounced, she considered the notions of accuracy and control - things that she had learned practically in the cradle, or at least as soon as her magic had become apparent. It was vital, with fire, to learn such things, lest one burn down everything one held dear.
"I have trained with my fire extensively," she said, head tilted to one side as she continued to observe. "But rarely for combat, and never among a group of other combatants. I do not believe my grandmother believed I would be engaging in fighting very frequently. Or perhaps she assumed that the lessons she had to teach could be applied to combat as well."
As he maneuvered the incantations in rapid succession, purposefully moving the sculpted frost giant in various directions, he watched the clamor of magic unwind. Some hit in perilous measures; the giant’s head was torn clean off from a rapid lightning strike, and one arm twisted beyond recognition into melted essences courtesy of water manipulation. Amused, he snagged at the fallen skull and made that fly around too, in case any of the soldiers wanted to match and march precision into the fray.
And if he permitted a ball of snow to detach from said sculpture for Ember to chase, then so be it.
Regardless of understanding a companion’s nuances, he found he was never quite certain with Nina. Very serious despite her youth, he had to half-wonder if that was what he’d been like, and perhaps the struggle had been candid on both sides of interactions. He’d meant combat, but she’d either taken affront and offense or held no jocular manner on the schism, so he drew silent, concentrated on the efforts. Only when the giant had been notched and knocked into bits and pieces, did he crumble them back together and contort the elements into a distinct ursur shape.
A rallying cry came from the warriors and he snorted. “Feel free to join in then,” if she so chose.
The frost giant, too, fell quickly enough under the machinations of the warriors - and Nina noted the small ball of snow that detached for Ember to chase, pursing her lips to hide a smile as her errant companion went bounding after the offering. She said nothing of it, instead allowing the fire sprite to continue its gleeful bounding, all the while keeping an eye on it to be sure it was not in the line of fire. It would be quite a shame for the silly being to be injured whilst trying to have a little fun.
Unaware of the inner workings of Deimos's mind - but not in the slightest offended by his line of questioning - Nina was content, for a moment, to watch as an ursur grew up where the frost giant had once stood. A rallying cry rose around them, and the warden invited Nina to join in. Raising a brow, she elected not to add her voice to those surrounding them, but she did unfurl her magic to join the fray.
Her fire appeared in the form of a whip-like line of flame. Cutting and precise, she wielded it with a mastery that spoke of hours spent honing her craft - and yet, there was a certain tentativeness to the strike she leveled towards the ursur's head, a slight awkwardness at using her magic for something other than tending the First Flame or telling stories or other such specific, niche things. For her part, she was glad to avoid hitting anyone or anything aside from her target, but her strike was almost too controlled, perhaps for fear of missing. The blaze clipped the snow-ursur's ear, leaving its head primarily intact.
And if she glanced sheepishly towards Deimos, as though searching for direction without knowing quite how to ask for it, then so be it.
Contorted back into silence, he carefully orchestrated the snow bound movements for Ember to be out of the way but still amused on its own terms, lofting and lobbing it either high or low along incessant and teasing motions. When Nina said nothing, he arched a brow, half-expecting her to drift off, so when the offer was taken and snagged, he granted an inward snort, watching as the whip of fire, perfectly controlled and contorted, smacked against the makeshift bear’s ear.
To his credit, he kept the laughter partially muffled, as if desperately trying to smother an ember, and it came out half-choked and perhaps hidden by the outcry of magic to follow and ensue. Regaining some of his composure, he waited until the volley of incantations ceased, with half of the ursur riddled and rankled with various holes, patched back together by the force of his water and earth, as it floated and roamed, as if living and breathing.
Making it churn its features back to the others and model a makeshift, but muted, roar, he tilted his head towards the Keeper. She hadn’t asked, and she’d probably rebuke it for said commentary, but as one who was always teaching and wanted those within his sanction to be able to defend themselves, it wouldn’t quite cease from his soul. “Accurate, but you will want to inflict damage on vital areas, rather than irritate it,” and he wrinkled his nose, encouraging amusement rather than shame or embarrassment. “Head. Chest. Legs. Somewhere to weaken or stop it altogether.”
