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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!
She didn't mind the silence. If he needed to think about it, that's just how it was. Maea waited patiently, and hummed with painful understanding at the lack of answers when Liam did respond. "It will come to you," she told him softly. "I didn't know either for the longest time. Still don't, in many ways... but it gets easier."
Twisting around so she could stretch out on the ground, her flight of dragons sped into the campfire and evaporated in a hiss of sparks and smoke. Raising a hand to block the glare of the sun from her eyes, she considered the question for herself. "I want... my companion back. I want the magic I lost to be restored to me. I want... to plant roots so deep in this soil that nothing can tear me away. Some day, I want to be proud of who I am, not afraid or ashamed; conquer the darkness that comes with the goddess and control it, so that it can't control me. I want..." trailing off, she rolled her head over as far as the crescent-shaped horns allowed, and gazed at the soldier, the man, the friend by her side; "to spar with you some day. That might be interesting."
What would he make of her home-grown techniques and tendencies? What might it be like to face a seasoned soldier, well trained if perhaps a bit rusty? She didn't assume anything about his prowess or lack thereof, but her belly flipped at the thought of matching strengths and see who came out on top.
Maea's dragons returned to the campfire in a shower of sparks. Did she enjoy using her magic? Was it as much a part of her as his swordsmanship was a part of him? He wondered if she often summoned fire, and if it was out of necessity, as it was today, or for fun.
She stretched out alongside him on the ground, and for a moment he considered joining her; instead, he shifted to face her more fully, leaning on one hand. As she shared her wants, she painted a clearer picture of herself for Liam, and it was a vulnerability that he appreciated. One day, he hoped to be able to offer her the same courtesy.
Her last desire took him by surprise, and he laughed. "Any time," he said, smiling crookedly. "I make no promises as to my ability; I've grown rusty since I've been here. Sparring with a person is a little different from training by myself." It would be interesting to spar with her, to say the least, and depending on the abilities she used, he knew she would probably win. He was no match against her shifts or her magic, and he was certain there was more to her than those alone.
As for her other wants... there was little he could say or do to offer comfort. He could not bring her magic or her companion back. And while he saw nothing of her to be afraid or ashamed of, he also knew that there were pages in her story that he knew nothing about, and it was her opinion that mattered most in the end, anyway. Instead, he caught her eye. "If I can help in any way, I will," he promised.
Her returning smile was ever so slightly sharp, revealing the fangs in her mouth out of sheer anticipation. "Maybe I'll join you tomorrow morning then," she suggested - adding another plan to their growing list. It felt good. To need no huge reason to align her schedule with his, finding ample points of shared interest that let her spend time in his company. "I'd offer to do it now, but I want you steady on your feet for the first time..." It was a gentle tease, as she knew Liam's drunken state was a sore topic; but given that he seemed to be sobering up over over time, she hoped he was feeling less bad about it.
It went without saying that the willingness to help went both ways. Many of her own wants were lofty and hard to achieve; but among them were plenty of ones that would only require hard work and time to accomplish. "Thank you. I'll be counting on you, rest assured," she hummed, while gazing fondly at him across the narrow space. "You'll let me know when you figure out your own wants, right? I want to give back every bit of what I'll receive..." Not one to bear only accepting, or only giving; what she craved above all else out of this relationship was equality. To stand on equal ground as him, and know that she could protect his back just as well as he shielded hers.
She added that to her list of desires; Dygra would be pleased to know how greedy she had become.
"'The first time?'" Liam repeated, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Am I to gather this will become a regular thing?" His voice was teasing; he didn't really mind. It would be nice to spend more time with Maea, and to be able to hone his admittedly rusty skills at the same time. He did, however, appreciate that she didn't suggest now. Although he was much closer to sober as the day wore on, he certainly was in no shape to attempt to spar - although the results might be amusing to one of them, it certainly wouldn't be him. He wasn't sure his wounded pride could take another blow on the same day. "Tomorrow morning, then," he agreed.
Liam was not particularly good at being on the receiving end of things; he was much more willing to be giving than to take in return. Still, if Maea wanted to help him, then who was he to tell her no? If he was learning anything, it was that solitude was not a state he wanted to stay in for much longer, and though he knew he needed to branch out and meet other people, too, Maea would forever hold a special place in his heart for all that she had already done.
So he nodded. "You'll be the first to know," he assured her. "Right now, I'd settle for a bit less purple, you know what I mean?" And Maea was already making strides on that count, having found and delivered one rose to Flora.
She gave him her best innocent look, fluttering frosted eyelashes his way. "You said you were rusty... Changing that won't be done in a single day. I'm not bad, but I'm not that good." Just confident enough to think she could give him a challenge, but not so much that she considered it impossible to lose. Unlike the times when she faced Hadama, or Deimos, or even Talyson, here she had an opponent against whom she had a chance of winning - not that it was the point of a spar. It just helped make things interesting.
Snorting lightly, Maea nodded in fervent agreement that less purple would be an improvement. "Speaking of colors though, what should we do for Fiat Lux? It's coming up soon... Back when I was a kid my family either had a food stand or hosted sheep shearing contest. Not sure that's to the fae's liking though. I recall something about capturing the sun and telling stories when we first made contact with them, after the barrier fell from the Grounds."
Fiat Lux had admittedly been the furthest thing from Liam's mind, but it was a welcome change of topic from the heavier subject matter of their earlier conversations. Liam had always enjoyed spring, and the festival of Fiat Lux was a celebration of all the season entailed. It had been a while since he had attended such a celebration, but he remembered flowers, and food, and music, and fire. "Sheep shearing? Now, that, I would have liked to see."
He thought back over his time in the Greatwood. "I must admit, I've never done anything for Fiat Lux here. But I think good food and music is a place to start." Neither of which he thought the Fae would disapprove of. "There's space in the village square, and with everyone coming and going... the Fae might get on board with a festival, if we wanted to try and host one."
"Next time we're in the Climb I'll show you," she offered breezily. "It's been a while, but I believe I still know how it's done." She wouldn't mind some of that pyrina wool, either - fireproof clothing was a decided benefit for a fire proof being such as herself.
Considering the limited time they had to prepare and how the once popular festival seemed to have lost favor over the years, she had to agree that keeping it small might be for the best. Instantly on board with the project, she required no persuasion to start planning.
"Have you ever tried magna vermis?" she wondered, mentioning the giant earth worms that had been a staple leafchange fare in the Grounds. "I bet if we find enough of those it would easily keep people fed..." Unless they were too squeamish to try.
The transition to Fiat Lux preparations was welcome, leading them away from deeper, heavier topics. It was important, Liam had found in life, to balance one’s conversations in such a way. Too much introspection too fast could be overwhelming, especially for one’s friends. And the last thing he wanted to do was put too much of his own troubles on Maea.
Instead, they chatted about Fiat Lux, and planned for a small festival in the village square, and by the time Maea was warm and Liam was sober, and they’d gathered the elk from its place down the river, he felt much better about everything. And when he returned home that night, he found the small stash of whiskey that he’d kept in the cupboard and poured it all down the drain.
