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!
Sighing, Thal rolls her shoulders, adjusting her cloak to block out more of the growing cold. She mutters a little profanity to herself, glaring to the cold, wet sky that's refused to give them a break this season. At least it's not screaming right now. Not that it's bothered her like some people, but it's nice to give her ears a break.
The same can't be said for her clothes.
Despite her jacket's resistance to water, the damp atmosphere has permeated the fabrics beneath, leaving her uncomfortably wet when she still has a few hours of business to do in the city. As she moves to pass the bonfire in the middle of the square, Thal pauses, tail flicking behind her as she debates stepping through to warm up for a minute.
Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Nova skips them closer to the center of the square, uncaring of the puddles her glittery yellow boots find. "Have you been to the bonfire before?! I hear the Ancients can jump into it and it takes them to the Climb!" She grins at Caly, jostling the hook of their arms as she guides them forward towards the blazing centerpiece that shimmers with a thousand colors.
Nova tilts her head to take it in, the bright light of the bonfire all the more obvious in the darkness of encroaching night. It reflects against the blue of her eyes, a near glowing effect as she admires the heat it gives off. "I wonder if I could get us through with my magic? Like if I keep the fire from touching us could we teleport too?" Part of her wants to try it just to see. She'd jumped over the fire in the Queen's Gambit. How different could this be?
To the center of the square they go, and Caly tightens her green rain jacket, interlined with golden thread and a few perfectly placed bright gold buttons. “I reckon I saw it durin’ the Blood Moon Festival but that’s ‘bout it.” Caly offers to her sister. Back then she hadn’t paid it much mind, but this time with the information that Nova tells her intrigues her tenfold – as does the Ancient that’s standing nearby it.
She recognizes her, the one that their brother had a… fling? With? She isn’t so sure anymore as it has been a little while since she’d heard anything about Vesper’s love life that hadn’t revolved around a rancher that’s up and fled their neck of the woods. “That’s cool, though.” The idea of the portal. But as Nova starts to suggest something like parting it with their magic to step through, Caly’s immediately confused, brows pinching as she glances over at her sister as if potentially worried about singing her clothes should they attempt it. “Maybe we can watch her an’ see if it’s worth it, first?” She asks.
Unaware of the audience she has, Thal continues to consider the fire, the heat seeming to beckon her silently forward with the promise of warmth and relief. She doesn't have to be anywhere for another twenty minutes, so she can certainly afford the trip - the one that takes less than thirty seconds to complete.
It doesn't take much more thought than that before she's tucking some of her blonde hair behind an igneous horn and stepping forward into the flames. They curl around her limbs, the latent magic tingling across her skin as it pulls Thal beyond the few steps she's taken. It embraces her with all the gentleness of a lover, transporting her from the miserable dampness of the Grounds into the welcome heat of the Climb, leaving behind any who may be watching.
The air grows suddenly, oppressively still around you. Caught in the eye of a storm you didn't know you were in, you almost wish for the shrieking cries, for thunderous wails of unrest.
Instead, it's a mournful, keening sound that sighs overhead, like a voice too tired to scream any longer. More human, perhaps, than any other voice in the storm, you're nevertheless relieved when it's gone.
You have encountered one of the Scream Rain SE serendipities! You may use this to complete requirement 1. of the seasonal event. Please note: this serendipity CANNOT be used for levelling purposes.
Gasping, she gives another energetic bounce that begs for attention from her sister. "Ooh! I didn't end up going to that! Was it fun?! Maybe I'll go next year!" She'd heard there was drama but that kind of chaos is always more fun to witness in person. It's not as fun hearing about someone falling down a flight of stairs as it is to watch it happen.
Nova notices the person Caly's referring to, taking in the blonde hair and dark horns that do nothing to soften the steely blue intensity of her gaze. She looks like someone who doesn't know what glitter or fun are, but the way she's looking at the fire makes Nova think they might just be lucky enough to witness the portal in use, and before long, she's stepping forward without fear or hesitation as if the deadly fire is nothing more than a cloth curtain she can part.
Surprisingly, she does just that.
The flames lick at her but fall away without resistance, absorbing her so completely that no part of her pokes onto the other side of the bonfire, as if she really has crossed into a portal of some kind.
Delighted by this display, Nova turns to rave about what they've seen when the sky suddenly wails. The world around them fizzes with electricity, the clouds lighting up with a crack of lightning and a mournful cry that echoes through her ears beneath her hands. Having dropped to a crouch in the cobblestone square, her eyes dart around, her heart pounding against her chest as she searches for a source. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Ice crystallizes at her feet, threatening to spread to wherever the threat is.
A cheshire grin is shot over toward her sister to hear her ask whether or not it was fun. And gods it so was – watching that one too tall Ancient turn into a monster and spook the fuck out of Kaisel had been one of her highlights lately. “It was a blast. You’ve gotta come with me next year.” It’s not said as a question but a plan – the intention of them venturing out here the next time there’s a gathering of chaos like that.
But her attention lingers on Thalassa and the way she considers the fire, the portal hidden within. And as Caly watches with her amber gaze as the fire drifts away from the flame and she steps through it and doesn’t come out the other side, Caly’s brows lift nearly to her bangs, turning to Nova to say something when the sky screams, cracking across the sky with a force that almost skitters across the cobblestones.
Ice covers it and her sister covers her ears, and Caly reaches out to offer a warm, golden, steadying hand around her sister’s middle. “Jus’ the sky. Been screamin’ all season.” She confirms, shrugging, because it wasn’t that big of a deal to her from having heard it a few times before, even if this one had been particularly more keening.
Thal turns her head back as she steps through, faintly aware of the wailing from the other side of the portal. However, she's no longer in the Inner Quarter, and she breathes a sigh of relief to feel the heat of the Climb around her. The ashy atmosphere greets her with open arms, brushing against her damp cheek to dry it instantaneously.
Stepping towards the river of lava, Thal removes her outer cloak, exposing the under layers so the heat might similarly dry her clothes.
After a few minutes, she lets out another deep breath, lowering her hands towards the river in quiet appreciation before replacing her cloak once more over the clothes that are no longer damp. Then, without any further dallying or delay, she makes her way back through the bonfire and into the square. Heat still clings to her as she steps onto the cobblestones, any raindrops hissing before sinking into the hot fabric.
Tucking dried strands of blonde hair behind her dark horn, Thal reorients herself to the Grounds and where she needs to go next.
Nova doesn't need more convincing than that, squeezing her hold on Caly as she gives a shimmering bounce. "Deal!" The Blood Moon Festival doesn't know what glittery brand of chaos is in store for it next year.
The woman vanishes into the fire, allowing Nova to focus fully on the insanity that is the weather. Magic thrums in her veins, ready to stab at the threat, poised to curl protectively around them. It coats the cobblestones, the air around them dropping in temperature as she looks for the source, only to pause at Caly's reassuring hand. Looking incredulously to her sister - blue eyes wide as saucers - her jaw drops open. "It has?! Why?!" And why hasn't she heard it?
Glancing suspiciously to the sky, Nova stands, crossing her arms in front of her with an annoyed pout. "That's terrible." She's tempted to scream back just to prove how unimpressive it is, but then the blonde Ancient steps back into the square and she's suddenly pointing, drawing Caly's attention to her reappearance. "Oh look! She's back!"
Deal reaches her ears and Caly shoots her sister an amused smirk, before her attention is drawn to Thalassa and the way she starts to part the flames just enough to slip inside it – not like the fire would harm the Ancient anyway, but clothes wise – Caly gets it. Her attention only slips as the sky screams and her sister reacts to it, having her reach out for a steadying arm lest her sister let any variety of elements slip from her skilled fingertips.
“Best guess is the Mathair.” She shrugs, unsure of the real reasoning why but having heard the rumors in the Sunbean what exactly everyone else had been thinking of. She nods, though, to the mention of it being terrible, and with Thalassa now having stepped through the portal and not come out the other side, she glances back toward Nova with a small shrug.
It’s about then that the way Nova points catches her attention and she raises her brow, looking back over to see Thalassa step back through. Snickering slightly under her breath, Caly’s amber gaze flits back to her sister’s. “That was a quick trip.” She comments, her amusement lingering in her face.
Thal moves to leave when she spots a pair of girls watching her. She doesn't know how long they've been watching, or why but one is distantly familiar. Calypso. The last she'd seen her was a bar in Torchline, when she'd correctly suspected who her brother is. Which would make the shimmering girl next to her... Nova?
She doesn't know why they're here, or how she's been lucky enough to run into them, but considering it's been so long since she's seen Vesper, she doesn't really care even if it sparks a bit of curiosity. Ignoring it, Thal flashes them a wink and an antagonizing grin, tossing her head towards the fire as she steps away. "Whenever you're ready. The Climb is a lot nicer than here right now."
Although she'd love to see if the girls actually try jumping through the portal, she has better places to be. With a flick of her tail, she leaves them to it, walking down a side street towards her next order of business.
Soothing more of the ice in her veins, Nova scrunches her nose to hear the theory of the Mathair being the cause. "That's not very nice of her." She just hopes it stops at some point. She'd hate for this to be the newest variety of weather.
When the woman reappears and Nova points her out, they both look to watch the flames part. The Ancient is completely untouched, if not drier that before. Wherever she'd been for that short amount of time, it's obvious that it'd been warmer than here.
This time, she spots them, surprising Nova by calling them to jump through. Although often very trusting and gullible, alarm bells are ringing in her head, instincts on full alert from the wicked grin thrown their way. Add in the fact that the screaming rain has kind of ruined the vibe, and Nova places the bonfire firmly in her peripheral to smile at her sister. It's not especially bright, forced at the edges, wanting to put behind this awful experience. "I think I'd rather get a snack. You?"
“Yeah.” Caly murmurs, her nose wrinkling slightly before she shakes her head and realizes that Thalassa has spotted them. She surprises her sister, but Caly isn’t so startled, instead shooting her a sunny smile back that suggests just about as much fire as the Ancient can wield. The challenge Thal puts forth is one that Caly doesn’t plan on meeting, watching her start the trek away as her sister suggests a much better alternative as she turns away from the Ancient again.
A snack sounds lovely, though. “Yeah, I’m game. Heard about this bakery here, you wanna give it a try?” She asks, looping her arm with her sister’s before tugging her away from the bonfire toward the bakery in question, content to imagine what it was like to go through the portal rather than doing it herself.
