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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!
Tal worked quickly and efficiently, even if he was more used to butchering caribou than unicorns. Even so, he felt someone staring at him and he couldn't stop his shoulders from hunching in response. It wasn't the sort of thing he'd normally do... but at the end of the day, he'd rather take a part of the unicorn back to Ludo than touch the dragon.
That would hit way too close to home.
Using his Dagger to free the horn from the skull of the fallen Daemon, he half-listened in while the others talked. It was a good thing that they all seemed to get along, and he snuck a look at Aurelia in surprise at how easily command came to her. He was finally able to wrap his gory trophy in a towel from his Bag of Holding and tuck it away just as Hadama asked his question. Standing and dusting knees off, Tal nodded. "Another couple hours, I figure. I want t'get a good sweep out from th'Last Step, see if anythin' else is minded t'jump out at travelers." He paused, meeting everyone's eyes soberly. "An' now that it's gettin' dark, things might get even more dangerous. So be careful an' keep your eyes out. If everyone's ready, let's get goin' again."
Pick your marching order and stay alert! The sun is down and the dark is spreading over King's End, but the skies are clear and the moon is rising in the east, providing a little light between the Barrows. If you have a way to deal with the darkness and the deep shadows that are making the valleys between the hills treacherous, now would be a good time to bring it out!
You will never do anything in this world without courage.
His embarrassment still flushed under his skin, even as the others seemed quick to forgive his transgression. He nodded his head in understanding, hoping to make up for his mistakes later. Trying to move on from the topic, Zavien ran another hand through his hair, pointedly ignoring Tal's unsavory actions in favor of the others' conversation. It wasn't anything he could contribute to, magic and whatnot, but it was still interesting to hear.
Once they had determined that there was still more ground to cover, Zavien prepared to take the lead again, however the mention of the darkening sky had him looking up in concern. Pulling his pack from his shoulder, he spoke while he rummaged through. "I think I've got some matches and extra cloth if we want to make a few torches." It didn't take him more than a minute to produce the items, offering them to the others if they thought it would help.
Zavien takes the lead again and offers the option of making torches for a light source.
'Cause either I get there or don't, Those are both things that I know
Oh, the unicorn gathering? Aurelia had seen worse, and understood intrinsically that the horn was likely valuable. Whatever Talyson's business with Ludo was, it made perfect sense to harvest it - to her anyway. The world she came from, collecting valuable resources from animals was so vital to survival that she didn't even bat an eye.
Instead, she listened with eager interest as Hadama explained his ability to her. "Wow, that's quite a powerful ability then. Thank you for that!" Envy mixed with awe flickered in her green gaze for a moment. She sure wished she could do something like that but, she had her own strengths and magics so she wasn't too jealous.
She piped down as Talyson got back up to his feet and explained they still had some poking around to do. Her own face turned up towards the darkening sky for a moment, before Zavien was offering torches.
She shrugged and accepted one for herself, though she had no need for a match; she smiled and lit the cloth with her magic. Then, she followed close behind Zavien, staying on the look out even as the world around them grew darker and more foreboding.
Aurelia lights a torch from Zavien and walks right behind him, keeping an eye out.
Hadama inclined his head, accepting Aurelia's awe and gratitude with equal serenity. He hoped to train it to be stronger still, but at the moment it was enough to practice it and grow more comfortable with its current strengths and limitations.
Before he could voice his thoughts, however, Talyson had regained his feet and explained the plan, which had not changed much from earlier. The King nodded neutral agreement to the decision to press on into the darkness, though his emerald eyes found the rising moon and lingered there thoughtfully.
Usually he would use his trident to light his path, but since the weapon was in Zavien's hands at the moment, Hadama accepted one of the makeshift torches with murmured: "Thank you." He requested a light from Aurelia to set it ablaze and then took up his place in the rear once more. As they walked farther into the Barrows and the hills rose up around and behind them he was careful to look back often, guarding their six.
Hadama accepts a torch and brings up the caboose!
And assuming everyone was, Tal ranged ahead of Zavien, leading the way and relying on the magic of his See-Right Goggles to pierce the night-darkness that had fallen over King's End. The moon was bright enough to lend a little aid as they continued their patrol and it rose higher overhead as an hour passed.
Things had gone well, if quietly, up to that point. The Barrows were alive with a chorus of chirps and the songs of insects but no further attacks were launched against them. Not until they were passing a very old section of Barrows, several worn down by centuries until they were notably smaller than the rest, was that peace broken. Or rather, the normal night-sounds faded to silence as they continued forward, passing into a small valley between three ancient mounds.
In the dancing shadows cast by the torches the openings of the three barrows were simply splotches of deeper darkness, easy to miss. Only Zavien caught sight of a strange play of firelight reflecting off of a depression in one of the hills in time to realize that it wasn't a mere dip in the landscape but was, in fact, an entrance to the inside of the burial mound itself.
And there was someone standing in it.
The young woman was pale and oddly monochrome, clad in a long white dress that complimented her long silvery hair. But as she hid in the shadow of the hollow hill and watched the little procession passing by her gaze grew sharp and her lips peeled back from teeth that looked even sharper.
It was the Barrow on the other side of the rough path that proved to be the most dangerous, however. Another pale shape flickered through the torchlight, moving swiftly as it lunged at Aurelia with outstretched hands that ended in claw-like nails. He was dressed in a fine alabaster suit, and there was a disconcerting translucent quality to his body as he attempted to get his hands around the woman's throat!
A pair of Villi have appeared!
Villi 1 has not yet acted.
Villi 2 is lunging at Aurelia!
Zavien saw it coming and can move AND act this round.
Talyson, Aurelia and Hadama have been caught by surprise and can only act OR move this round.
If they chose to move, Aurelia and Hadama can only do so at half-speed.
Villi (uncommon/mythical) - Often found haunting the tombs, Villis are the spirits of young lovers who died of heartbreak after being stood up at the altar. Usually appearing in groups of three, Villis are unable to rest quietly in their graves, and seek vengeance against those they perceive as being the source of their distress. They vanish at dawn and cannot appear during daylight hours.
You will never do anything in this world without courage.
Their progress didn't seem to last long before Zavien was spotting a pair of translucent beings. He'd never seen a ghost before, but he had a feeling this is what they would look like; vicious, vengeful creatures that lashed out at anything within reach. And that's exactly what they did as they party stepped within range. Not sure if the others had seen the danger, Zavien shouted a warning, "Incoming!"
Noticing the immediate threat, he stepped forward to intercept the one that appeared set on getting its claws around Aurelia's throat. Tal's earlier words echoed in his mind, and Zavien aimed the trident (and prayed), releasing a blast of its magic at the attacking creature.
Zavien shouts a warning and moves to attack Villi 2 with the trident! (Protecting Aurelia)
Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Startide Trident | A trident formed from coral and starlight. Can be used below or above the water. Shoots a blast of arclight water that's infused with starlight up to 10ft.
Regional Score bonus: +1 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc.
Despite being a demigod of Safrin, Hadama could not see in the dark. The moon and the torches helped, of course, but the valleys between the Barrows were still shadowed and his eyes saw as little as those of their party who lacked magical assistance (i.e. Tal's Goggles). Even after an hour of walking he remained alert, but it did him little good since he missed the initial appearance of the ghosts and only realized they were under attack when one charged Aurelia and Zavien called out a warning.
"I see him," he rumbled, turning his attention on the jilted groom that had appeared in their midst. It was the only Villi he could currently see, and so as Zavien moved to defend Aurelia Hadama reached for his power. If the Breaker could stop the ghost in its tracks, he would send a Gravity Spike into it to try and end the threat permanently.
Hadama chooses to attack without moving and uses a Gravity Spike against Villi 2!
Magic: Gravity Spike: the user borrows a sliver of the moon's power to summon up to three gravity lances that appear above a target within 60ft. Control is excellent.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
Regional Score bonus: +9 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +9 should be included)
'Cause either I get there or don't, Those are both things that I know
Zavien's urgent warning jolted Aurelia, her gaze snapping towards the figure that loomed toward her. The apparition, a Villi clad in an alabaster suit, was already upon her, its pale, clawed hands outstretched in a menacing lunge. Terror tightened Aurelia's chest as she gasped and met the Villi's chilling gaze, the depths of its eyes reflecting a murderous intent.
With quick reaction speed, Zavien interposed himself between her and the spectral assailant, his trident raised in a defensive posture. She saw Hadama ready himself, his eyes gleaming with the latent power of his gravity magic. Time seemed to slow as Aurelia realized the gravity of the situation, her instincts screaming at her to act. So she raised her hands in front of her, her palms steady despite the impending doom.
And then, a blinding flash of light erupted from her palms, illuminating the darkness around the Villi for a mere moment. The sudden burst of magic startled her, a stark contrast to the familiar warmth of the fire magic she was accustomed to wielding.
Aurelia uses Flash Bang for the first time, targeting the Villi attacking her.
Magic: Flash Bang | Can target one opponent within 2ft and create a disorienting flash that gives that opponent disadvantage on its next attack. 2 post cool down between uses.
Type: Grey | Rank: Basic
Tal's Goggles pierced the shadows of the night and the Barrows, but he had to be looking in the right direction for them to do him any good. Instead, when he heard Zavien call out a warning he turned to face the incoming apparition along with everyone else--
And took a stab with his Dagger at the ghostly threat, praying that its Frey-and-Ludo blessed magic would be enough to pierce whatever protections intangibility afforded the incorporeal groom.
Perhaps he would have been better served by standing back and keeping an eye out, however, since the rest of the team had the encounter well in hand without him.
With the element of surprise gone, everyone was able to react swiftly to the unprovoked attack. Aurelia's Flash Bang went off as Zavien stepped in front of her, and the Dragoon proved to be an able defender. The Villi screeched in anger, blinded and lashing out wildly with his claws. This time the burst of Arclight Water from the trident struck home, however, splashing into its face and sending it reeling back in rage and pain.
Directly into the downward-lancing Gravity Spike. The spirit wailed as it shredded apart beneath the onslaught of divine magic, and Tal's attack sliced harmlessly through air where the ghost had been a mere moment before.
But the dead groom was not alone. As he was destroyed, the young woman who had been watching from the door of her own tomb behind them let out a howl of heartbreak and flew across the distance at the back of the party. She ignored Hadama to swipe at Aurelia with her own claws, but perhaps alerted by the wail the Torcher was able to dodge nimbly aside--
And directly into the grasping hand of the final member of the haunting trio as he pulled his incorporeal body up from the ground beneath her. No merely-old-fashioned finery adorned him, but furs and ancient armor of a forgotten era clothed the vengeful, long-dead lover.
Villi 1 is attacking Aurelia!
Villi 2 has been killed by Hadama!
Villi 3 is also attacking Aurelia! I'm so sorry
You will never do anything in this world without courage.
Their attacks were obviously disproportionate, the second villi being obliterated with an insane amount of overkill while the others were completely ignored. Despite that, Zavien couldn't deny the excitement that ran him through at a successful and helpful landed attack. The blast of water proved to be perfectly effective against the creature, and he felt like it made up for all the previous misses.
The elimination of the spectral being didn't deter the others. If anything, it emboldened them to pick on poor Aurelia. But Zavien was never one for bullying. Not sure if it would even work (but not particularly caring), he lunged forward with the trident, using it as the physical weapon it was against the villi attempting to hold the woman hostage.
Zavien attacks villi 1 with the trident!
Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Startide Trident | A trident formed from coral and starlight. Can be used below or above the water. Shoots a blast of arclight water that's infused with starlight up to 10ft.
Regional Score bonus: +1 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc.
It was swiftly apparent that they needed better coordination, as everyone focused on the first villi and failed to see the second. Hadama was given no time to linger over his successful destruction of the jilted ghost groom as two more apparitions appeared, as focused on Aurelia as the first had been. Zavien reacted before the Tidebreaker could assess the rapidly changing situation, but Talyson was still recovering from his failed attack and Hadama gestured at the younger man to draw his attention away from the one that the Dragoon had just sent a blast towards.
He trusted that Aurelia would try to free herself, and so he turned his own attention on the first villi - the young woman who had gone from tragic to terrifying as she joined the fray with clawed hands and a banshee wail. "Talyson," he called, pointing to Villi 1. "Our attacks will not hit the others." Not if they aimed at the ghost who wasn't entangled with one of their group.
He gathered his power again, sending two Gravity Spikes lancing down at the feral bride, careful not to drop them too close to Aurelia or Zavien.
Hadama tells Talyson to focus on Villi 1 while Zavien and Aurelia deal with Villi 3!
He uses two shots of his Gravity Spike against Villi 1.
Magic: Gravity Spike: the user borrows a sliver of the moon's power to summon up to three gravity lances that appear above a target within 60ft. Control is excellent.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
Regional Score bonus: +9 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +9 should be included)
'Cause either I get there or don't, Those are both things that I know
Aurelia had little time to ask any questions about what she'd just done or if it'd helped, because just as soon as the creature was killed there were more popping up. A piercing scream, like a knife twisting through the air, tore through the silence. Aurelia's blood ran cold, and her heart pounded in her chest. "I'm sorry" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the din of battle. Quickly, she turned to try and maneuver out of the way of the bride as she lunged at her, only to run into another armor-clad Villi behind her.
Desperately she tried to pull away from the Villi, but his grip was like iron. With a cry of pain and fear, she lifted her hands, gathering flames in her palms. She unleashed a torrent of fire to engulf him in flames.
Aurelia tries to engulf Villi #3 in flames!
Fire Manipulation: Can create and control flames. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered
Regional Score bonus: +11 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +11 should be included)
The nightmarish scene was lit by flickering torchlight and starlight and little else. Zavien's and Aurelia's torches, dropped in order to use their respective weapon and magic, had guttered out without catching the dry grasses around them on fire, though Hadama's torch remained in the demigod's grip.
Tal didn't need the light, luckily, but he still bristled and scowled briefly at the King, even though the order made sense. "On it!" he called, shifting reluctantly away from the ancient warrior that had grabbed Aurelia in order to focus fire on the bride.
He cut at the spirit with his Dagger from a distance, following up on Hadama's attack and hoping he wouldn't hit too late to do any good again.
Luck was with him; the first Villi screeched another ear-piercing howl as the demigod's Gravity Spikes crashed through her, weakening her spirit form so that the swipe of magical steel finished severing her connection to the world. She faded with a whimper, dissipating into the dark so that only one revenant remained.
Aurelia 's fire magic engulfed Villi 3, forcing him to release her and sending him reeling back from the Torcher and directly into Zavien's watery blast. Charred and soaked, he turned raging eyes upon the Dragoon, seeing only an obstacle preventing him from taking his vengeance. He lunged at Zavien, claws outstretched to rake four chilling lines across the young man's chest. Ice seemed to seep into the mortal from the wounds, slowly freezing a path towards his heart.
Hadama and Tal hit Villi 1 and kill it!
Aurelia and Zavien hit Villi 3!
Villi 3 is still alive(?) and attacks Zavien!
A second villi fell, but the one that remained was clearly a far more fearsome creature. Hadama turned away from the bride as she came apart beneath Talyson's magic blade just in time to see Zavien being struck. Both his Torcher and his newest friend were sporting wounds that not even the dancing shadows and reduced light could hide, and the Tidebreaker strode towards them with nothing more than the torch in his hand.
And the power of his goddess.
Moonlight rose around him, drawn from the sky and magnified into a mist that spread cooling relief to Aurelia and Zavien. The Villi, however, would find its reactions hampered and slowed by the healing light. "Do not let up," he called encouragingly to his team mates.
Magic: Turn the Tide | Can cause a moonlit mist to rise in a 15 ft radius that heals allies while causing enemies to roll with disadvantage for one round. May be used 1 times per thread with a 3 post cooldown.
Type: Light | Rank: Basic
Regional Score bonus: +11 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +11 should be included)
