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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!
The allure of knowledge had always suited him – so he took an afternoon, Erebos strapped to his chest, to head towards the Archives amidst Stormbreak. Though he’d been given some glances at the child, or perhaps at himself threading through the pathways and spaces, he ignored them entirely, heading towards the history section. Intrigued, really, if the whole Starfall thing had ever occurred before.
Or if, much like the sudden inclusion of Outlanders before, it had simply always been something else.
While the baby slumbered in his sling, the Sword tilted his head and walked sedately, studying the lines of spines and tomes. Some had probably already done the same, but he’d like to know that he tried before giving up entirely, and relying upon the plans they’d made at the latest meeting.
The allure of knowledge was not wad had brought the Doubletake into the Archives that afternoon, but instead she'd hoped to find some of the newer maps that she knew Sohalia had been working on as a cartographer before she'd become queen.
The sounds of a baby cooing didn't really draw the Doubletake's attention, though the way several young women (and a good number of men as well), glanced up with their eyebrows raised and with whispered words shared excitedly between them. The Resurrected Sword, in the Archives? With a baby no less?
Snickering under her breath, the queen, much to the dismay of many who were working up the nerve to go and speak to the Warden, strolled comfortably over and waggled her fingers in Deimos' direction so as not to wake his baby. "Are you trying to put him to sleep, or yourself?" She wonders, nodding at the rather stuffy-looking section of books she found herself in.
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you
Deimos remained unaware he’d become the subject of some quick gossip and whispers, threading through the archives and finding nothing fitting. Truthfully, the history of Stormbreak itself didn’t give him any notions at the moment, still fitted with some bitterness and spite in the sentiments of their past, but he’d figured someone would’ve recorded something about Caido at large…
And then Flora was waggling her fingers nearby, and his brow arched. He ceased in his perusal for a moment, shifting only slightly so as not to jostle Erebos and awaken the youth – happy and content as the baby was most of the time, he didn’t want to persist in drawing attention to them with a potentially crying infant. “Flora,” he nodded and followed on a rumble, muffling the snort resounding through. “Keeping him asleep is a task,” though the thought of simply narrating and reading through the tomes to put the infant into absolute slumber had crossed his mind. “I was trying to see if something like Starfall had occurred before.” He shrugged, a minimal movement. “What brings you here?”
No doubt Deimos' presence would continue to spawn gossip about Halo's newest and hottest DILF, and while Flora's type did certainly seem to be attractive, unavailable, and older men, her presence at the Sword's side was born out of boredom rather than mischief. "Ahhh." The queen says quietly, nodding as if she understood this task perfectly well. "And? Any luck?" Her eyebrows raise hopefully.
As for why she was there? Sighing the Doubletake pushed a strand of hair away from her forehead. "Well, I was hoping for some maps made from up high. I wanted to...to sort of see if I could trace the spread of the void from where it started in the Feverlands." She explains in a stage whisper. "I can't get through Torchline, or at least, we're so close to having the entirety of our region protected, but Starfall is still right there. I don't know if the spread is sentient or if it's just following the path of least resistance."
If it was the former, it might turn around and go toward King's End, but if it was the latter, the mountains would likely be its next port of call.
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you
Ignorance in bliss then for the Sword, who didn’t care to be known for any of those things. He remained unsurprised by her reaction though, muffling another snort threatening to reverberate further if he wasn’t careful. “Only in Erebos’ napping abilities.” He didn’t think it was worth asking around either, if this was already a dead end.
Her own motivations gave him pause, because he’d been wondering where things would turn up next as well. As for maps, he did have one of those in particular – he’d been carrying it around in careful perusal to use on his own wandering Stormbreak tour. “I have one Sohalia made,” before she disappeared was left entirely unsaid, but he snagged it out of his pockets, unrolling it along a nearby table for Flora to study. “I can likely copy it.”
Thoughts of the spread had his nose wrinkling once more, because it had been a notion fresh on his mind with the latest provocations settling amidst Halo. “We had a much larger void ursur in the Tundra recently.” He wasn’t certain if it was a sign of inevitably, or just a random occurrence, but it had sent him into more patrols and designations of soldiers.
Snorting at that, Flora flashes the Sword a wry smile as she shrugs. "It was worth a try though." They'd all feel pretty foolish if the answer to their problems had been lurking in the Archives all this time, just waiting for someone to stumble upon it, only for no one to do it.
Sohalia's name has the queen flinching slightly, and though a cold wave of nausea spills through her belly, she does her best to ignore it. Helping Deimos has much as possible so he wouldn't have to disturb Erebos, Flora leans forward, nodding. "Yeah see, like this—" The vantage point Sohalia had made the map from, likely from a skyship or while she was shifted, easily showed the different bodies of water as well as the topography. Tapping on a swollen lake in the Feverlands, it was easy to trace it into the fingers of water in the Oerwoud, and the right to Torchline.
Lifting her eyes, having only ever seen drawings of Ursurs or worn coats made of their pelts (compliments of her mother), Flora couldn't imagine what facing one in person would be like, much less an infected variant of it. "Eeesh." She grimaces, shaking her head. "How long until you're done with your current regional quest, do you think?"
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you
No one could say that Deimos didn’t try; sometimes the sentiments and portions were successful, and others lingered and lumbered on into nothing. Instead of mulling over another notched but minimalistic failure, his eyes followed the pathways traced over the map, persistent over the track and trek Flora made. Torchline itself had always been at the heart of it all – far too close to Starfall, and building blockade after blockade. Halo had suffered from the initial plummet; the waves and sea rising, rising, rising. “I have wondered,” in his whispering musing, “if they intend to go for more for the Wilds instead of the regions. Taking those first and gaining more power.” He shifted lightly, ensuring Erebos wasn't stirred, before one finger pointed towards Hak Etme.
Would the desert fall next, if they weren’t careful and strong? Then what of the Climb? And if so, it’d be a steadier march to Halo.
His jaw clenched, eyes narrowing as he studied the map once more. “We have one portion left, and then we can work on something similar to what Torchline and the Grounds have done.” Unless another idea came to being.
"Until they take the regions." The queen interrupts a touch dramatically, but then, from what both Dahlia and Vox had said and implied, taking everything over was absolutely what they intended to do. "I...given how Dahlia kicked my dad's ass so easily, I can't imagine them somehow being stronger."
Glancing toward where Deimos pointed on the map, Flora nods. "That tree that appeared. You don't think...it's like..a trick or anything, do you?" Taking seeds and planting them all over Caido, only for walls of void plants to suddenly sprout come LongHeat?
Nodding, the queen bit the inside of her lip. "Well, having a place to heal is going to benefit us as well, so if we can help with anything, all you need to do is ask." If Deimos needed void critters stuffed into cages and sent to him on horseback, Flora would see it done.
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you
Flora could have her dramatics, but Deimos wouldn’t flicker into them. Instead, his jaw clenched slightly harder, and his eyes narrowed, as if studying the map more would ensure the answer to all their problems would simply pop out of it. They knew what they had to do, for now, and presently they were angling for fortune and luck, and passing information to those who would choose action and substance over whittling and wandering. “It is concerning,” especially for those, like himself, who would have to be journeying to Starfall shortly. “But if we can manage to reclaim some of these…,” then perhaps the Family would be weaker. If they could be strong and enduring against something new and foreign, rather than crumbling.
The tree had given him pause too, but some amount of trust had lingered in prior experiences – perhaps in regards to those like Vi, who had once told them to go forth and plant things intentionally. “I hope not.” He perused through the mental image of the pods he’d held and placed into the soil along the Barrows. “But they did not seem to have any sign of the void? And we have done similar things in the past.” He wouldn’t disregard her rightful concern, and rather strive for confidence in their actions – because if it was the former, then they would’ve committed some grave error. The spread would go even farther – an all-consuming substance.
At the offer, he tried to break out of the machinations and dread flooding through his mind again. “Thank you. It is appreciated.” And at least something to rely upon, when so many other sentiments felt wholly out of their grasp. "Let us know if Torchline needs anything." Though it seemed they were nearly completed after orb revelations and transactions.
"Yeah, no I know we have, it's just.." Vaguely Flora nods toward the shelves of books the Sword had previously been looking through. "Like you said, this doesn't seem to have ever happened before." Whatever they'd done against foes, in wars they'd merely fought against one another, might not be the standard for what they were up against now. But then again, what else was there to do?
"Will do. I think Hadama wants to make it so that Vox can't keep sneaking up on us like he does." Flora says with a sigh, suddenly sounding like a bored teenager rather than a strategizing queen. "Did you hear he showed up on the beach with...gifts? Nothing actually useful, I got a piece of ice that immediately melted, but.." Clicking her tongue, the queen scowls.
"I hate hearing him in my head." Sure it kept her informed, but gods, couldn't he just send a letter like everyone else?
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you
The worries and frustrations were understandable; he had them every day as well. He just didn’t voice them. “So we are setting new precedents,” he noted with a nod of his head; likely to be penned down in the future in either way – from their failures, victories, and messes in between. And though he could picture the Family rambling through universes and worlds beforehand, it wasn’t as though they could simply ask some reaches of another universe. “At least we have some measures to try beyond the planting.” So even if they did wreck about on this portion, they had the finer particulars to stand upon. Whether time would be a factor once more didn’t make it past his teeth, but Flora was cunning enough to fill in the lines herself.
The news about Vox caused his brows to furrow, check in on Erebos still slumbering away, and release a very long breath. “I did not realize we could block them specifically.” It had seemed to be a lost cause. “Or is it some other method?” The gifts portion made his eyes narrow, head tilting as he listened. “Strange. Like he is experimenting and trying things we have done in the past.” Adapting? Assimilating? Trickery? Another discomforting notion settled into his ribs. “It is disturbing.” Like a taunting measure, pulling at strings and plucking around to see what shifted first. “I dislike not knowing how many of our enemy is out there either.”
"If nothing else, maybe we can at least write some things down so if it ever happens again.." Well, they wouldn't be spending hours in the archives wandering around looking for answers. Not that Flora thought either of them were particularly well suited to become archivists, but surely there was someone in each of their regions who might be able to keep track of things.
Shrugging a touch at that, Flora gives her head a small shake. "I don't know the specifics, it's something Hadama was asking Safrin about." Whether they'd have to block Vox out area by area or if there was some other way, the queen didn't have the answers to. "Honestly, that or trying to lull us into thinking he's not so bad? That they're not so bad? But it was like...like he understood the general idea of giving gifts, but got the details all wrong." Nibbling at the inside of her cheek, Flora lifts her gaze to Deimos and tilts her head. "I wonder if there's anything to that..." She murmurs softly as the thought begins to take root in her mind.
"Like, we know that they know things, but maybe they don't fully understand them, you know?"
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you
While Deimos often spent time journaling for the Monster Hunter’s Guild, he wouldn’t relent himself to detailing each and every parameter of their latest journeys. Too much action and restlessness in his blood to annotate those token notions; presuming someone else would be willing to take that charge on (hadn’t Maea been chronicling things?). So he nodded, pondering over those responsibilities, but leaving it to silence for now.
As Erebos slumbered on, he listened to the other portions and pieces Hadama had fixated on, and while the demigod certainly wasn’t on a list of the Sword’s favorites at the moment, he could at least snag and catch worthwhile exchanges. “That would make sense. They do not understand the customs and traditions here,” even while they tried to blend and camouflage, or break apart the seams. Pausing, his machinations began to stir again, head tilting, the following rumble persistent in his musing out loud. “Is there a way to take advantage of that?” In the time they had?
Tilting her head, Flora is inclined to say yes, though without knowing how to answer the inevitable question of how, she keeps quiet for a moment. "I mean...I wonder if there's a way to trick them." Her voice dips at that, her blue eyes glancing around furtively as if she might spy a crackle of purple or otherwise see Dahlia's lithe silhouette wandering about. "If we make things seem like something they aren't. You know, calling our meetings birthday parties or something like that, or I don't know, making them think our greatest weakness is vegetables."
It wasn't much, but then Flora had never thought of herself as a great strategist. If there was something to her idea, likely it would take someone else's cleverness to tease it out.
"My dads mentioned about the meeting that you all had." She continues. "Can I ask you something honestly?" Perhaps she had no right given how little she knew the Sword, and if he lied to her or misled her, that was on her for being naive. "Do you really think any of the leaders are going to waste the opportunity to defend their lands, and instead ask one of the gods for a flower?" Having reached level 12 and getting a big god chat The queen was not entirely convinced. "I doubt the Grounds will, and Stormbreak won't. King's End hasn't even started protecting themselves, probably because of the Refuge, so that just leaves you and I." Well, Torchline and Halo.
My house of stone, your ivy grows
And now I'm covered in you
