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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!
Given how the rescue of Mr. Matas had gone, Hadama opted not to pursue any potential meetings for the time being. But while he was in Stormbreak his feet inevitably took him towards the Celestine. When he had been a Mer he had sometimes come to the healing gardens on full moon nights to walk the paths and pray at the shrine, but he had not been back since the Void had descended upon Caido.
The change in the gardens was... unsettling. The soothing twilight now held the sinister whispers and raucous calls of violet-eyed ravens blacker than midnight, and though the various wounded denizens of Caido were still safely contained within their lush enclosures the gardens were no longer a place he felt safe or at peace with the world.
He paused in his slow walk along a wisteria-lined path, tilting his head to peer up into the branches where wings like scraps of living shadow flapped between the branches. Fresh tension slid down the line of his jaw and into his shoulders at the dreadful influence that permeated the air alongside the delicate scent of the blooming flowers. Murmured promises of doom and despair drifted down from the birds, who peered down at the Tidebreaker fearlessly as if mocking the trident that he leaned on like a walking staff.
Lena
Void Messenger (uncommon): Feathers as dark as the void they traverse, these ravens serve as messengers for the infected, carrying whispers tainted by the void's influence. To the uninfected, their cawing echoes with an otherworldly dread, an unsettling harbinger of impending darkness. Where their 4-wings cast shadows, anxiety follows, a manifestation of the void's unsettling grip.
A Caretaker’s work was never done – and so she’d begun her patrol once more. She could walk the paths with her eyes closed, attuned and akin to the memory of the natural bends and turns amidst the gardens, the beams of moonlight, the hues of lavender and bright sprigs of other blossoms. The animals were tended to; water, food, and medicine gathered, adhered, and remedied, before beginning her trek once more.
This one was different, but only in the pause of dread slipping through her shoulders; foreign, not entirely her own. The familiar stance of Hadama was nearby too – though even that held some peculiarity she couldn’t quite fathom, and while she hated like feeling she was walking on eggshells all the time, the notion didn’t go away as she approached. “Another one, hm?” A peaceful reverie nonetheless, followed by a sigh, as Mittens immediately surged behind her, and that’d be the last bit of tranquility they’d have as the companion roared at the bird. “What brings you here?” Her arms folded across her chest, eyes peeled upon the antics of the snowball and bird. Most stayed away now; given who Dahlia was and every other segment of their current reality. “I was surprised to see you in the Grotto the other day.”
The voice of the Caretaker was a welcome chime against the aura of dread from the Void-touched birds above and Hadama pushed down the unnatural anxiety they caused, at least for the moment. He tilted his head to watch her approach with quiet relief and nodded confirmation of the 'one' she spoke of. It did not seem necessary to ask which one.
The Void was well and truly entrenched in most places now.
Mittens went on the attack and Hadama watched in bemusement as the snowy terror took to the branches to harass the unwelcome Messenger and its dark whispers. "Mmh. I came to speak with Zavien. But the... timing was not right." Given the appearance of the Reaper on their rescue mission, it was a meeting that might best be held somewhere else entirely, when Zavien felt safe seeking the Tidebreaker out again. "And I wanted to visit the Celestine while I was in Stormbreak."
He looked around the beautiful environs that had always been shadowed, but now those once-peaceful shadows held the occasional bogeyman in black feathers. "Have you had more patients since the meteors fell?" Were the Void creatures sending more wounded animals than usual to the Celestine's care?
The bird seemed rather nonplussed by Mittens at first – until the snowball seemed to inflate itself, all the more larger and ominous, and the messenger seemed to hasten off to another set of branches, already on its way out.
With her companion not in any duress, her attention flickered back to Hadama – nodding at the insinuations of meeting with Zavien. She’d been the one to urge some kind of renegotiation over some ‘spying’ terms, considering the Dragoon had been the one to put himself at the most risk with little to gain from his efforts. Or maybe it was about something different. Regardless, Lena kept only to her own business, granting a small nod of sympathy at ruined attempts. “That was unfortunate and surprising,” she added without a notion as to why; she wouldn’t need to either. “But yes, welcome.” Then her head shook in response to his inquiry, another strange thing. “No – I’m not sure if it’s because the void creatures seem to be blending in with the others? Or if they’re not their target?” Or Dahlia’s appearance within Stormbreak itself – which could mean a whole host of things.
It was satisfying to watch the Void Messenger sent on its way, and Hadama inclined his head in respect to Lena's chaotic companion. Almost in one accord he and Lena turned their combined attention back to each other, and the Tidebreaker tilted his head in acceptance of her condolences over the dashed attempts at a meeting.
His serenely stoic expression did not falter as the Caretaker recounted her observations of her charges, though his gaze turned thoughtful as he considered what she surmised for the reasons that might be behind the lack of change. "Mmh. Either seems possible," he agreed slowly. As for what went unspoken he could only guess - but the purple whale in the room, however wickedly charming she could be, was not hard to add in to the equation.
He thought in silence for a few moments more before he refocused on the woman and her companion, aware that he was taking up the time of a woman who had a great deal to do amidst the Celestine's twilit paths. "If I can offer help with any aquatic patients, please feel free to call on me." His low voice was a quiet murmur as he offered the Caretaker a small bow.
With neither agreement nor discord, Lena couldn’t help but shrug. A thousand theories could swirl through her mind, but with nothing save for the endless walks of potential, they would remain just as that – conjectures, suppositions, and the veritable premises of something larger than themselves. Perhaps in time they’d be able to segment notions and knowledge from all of this, but at the moment she felt like she was meandering through stagnant water. “Hopefully we’ll figure it out eventually,” and she twined her fingers together, a comforting mechanism, as she watched Mittens continue to give chase to the messenger, the indignant squawking from both loud and clear in the otherwise still and tranquil area.
Uncertain of what else to say, for Hadama’s stoicism seemed to linger far longer, she smiled again, trying to fill the silence. “I take it Torchline is doing well?” He wouldn’t be here, traveling and traversing, if it weren’t. And somewhat of a rarity to gain any knowledge outside of Stormbreak's walls - not too many, and understandably so, seemed eager to share with a region ruled by the Family.
With the other offer, her eyes widened briefly. “Oh, thank you. I will let you know.” Most of the time she had it handled between her assistants, herself, and her own shifts, but it was nice to know there were always backups.
Knowing the importance of her job and how busy she must be, he had not intended to keep the Caretaker if she needed to be on her way. It was gratifying, then, when she chose to linger a while with him in the gentle twilight - though both the Messenger and Mittens were not precisely a relaxing background to their conversation. He would far rather that the companion send the Void-touched bird on its way, however; the sound of indignant croaking was far preferable to its earlier whispers of doom.
Her question was met with a warming of his emerald eyes as he turned his attention back to her and inclined his head in confirmation. "Yes." And this time his pause was less extended as he put his thoughts in order. "The Void-creatures can no longer enter Haulani or the Arclight. And we are working to protect our coast as well." Flora's recent gamble with the Reaper, however, drew a more solemn admission from the King. "Though even Rae and Vi cannot keep the Family from entering."
Her courtesy was met with a nod of satisfaction, but with the offer to help her patients acknowledged he focused on the Caretaker herself. He tilted his head to the side as he studied her briefly before looking back to Mittens and the chase. "How are you? I have been... concerned. After what has happened in the Feverlands and Oerwoud. That Stormbreak was less safe now."
Mittens was doing its job, more or less, and she’d prefer the indignant squawking over less than charitable means of void messengers and their abilities. When everything halted to a serene silence, her brows furrowed, but the snowball returned with a very proud look on its face, hovering above for moments at a time while she shook her head, and looked for a treat in her pockets.
Torchline’s defenses sounded wonderful and impeccable, and she was glad to hear their strength was unified and diligent. “That’s great news.” Finally finding a piece of jerky, she handed it off to Mittens, who greedily gorged as she listened to other problems. “That, however, does leave a concern.” Presuming the Old Gods had said so outright, her lips pressed together, mind contemplating.
Though she’d strived for some manner of planning and plotting, his next words caused it to pilfer away. Lena was becoming all too aware in the face of politics – where actions didn’t match the words. Not too worried about any of us, she wanted to say, if you were asking Zavien to spy. She hid all of it away, because she wouldn’t be so overtly cruel or callous, but the weight of the circumstance ate at her; that others were more than willing to use them as pawns. “Busy. But likely due to our leadership,” she didn’t say the name, in case of suddenly summoning her again, “We haven’t been overrun by anything.”
The return of Mittens drew a bow of gratitude from the Tidebreaker for the fearless snowball's efforts in driving out the Void from the Celestine. It allowed him to breathe easier and eased some of the tension from his shoulders as the peace of the gardens was finally allowed to return without the Messenger's fearful aura pressing down on them.
From good news to bad, all Hadama could do was relay what he knew. He inclined his head in troubled agreement to Lena's concerns, sharing them completely but not yet having a solution to the unique problems that the Family posed to Caido. "Mmh. Perhaps there will be an answer in the seeds from Hak Etme." Not knowing whether she had heard of the great tree he did not spend time with details that might be unnecessary to the Caretaker.
Nor did he did know what Zavien had shared of a pact that had gone silent after that first meeting, and could not address what she hid behind her own mask and for her own reasons. He could only listen to her words and consider them with quiet relief, if no little surprise. "I am glad to hear that," he murmured sincerely. Though if their leader was indeed the reason it was a mixed blessing. Still, silver linings were rare enough in the unsettled times they currently lived in.
“I hope so,” which felt like all she did some days; sighing slightly and granting Mittens another volley of treats. The little companion rallied quite proudly, floating above with a pleased and pompous look across its features. “If it’s anything like the past incidences,” where she’d read about blights and plagues, “then maybe it can halt or ward something off.” She’d do her part, planting and striving, continuing to try through the midst and murk.
Dusting her hands off, she inclined her head back towards the Tidebreaker. “I have some other things to attend to, but let me know if you need anything.” He’d be able to enjoy the Celestine in peace, and comfort, for the moment.
He had not experienced the earlier quests for floral cures either, but had likewise read about them or heard from others. He nodded in agreement, for at the moment it was the strongest hope they had for stemming the dark tide washing up on Caido's regional shores. At least the golden seeds seemed to hold an antithesis to the purple shadows stretching out from Starfall and the infected lands. A light against the darkness?
Time would tell.
He gave the Caretaker a respectful bow, and a second nod to the mighty Mittens. "Thank you for your time," he murmured. "I hope we will meet again soon." Her quiet presence was a soothing balm, and her kind nature showed through in her care for her charges. Charges that needed tending, and he had taken up enough of her day already. "Be well, Lena."
