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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 Sword had several options for maintaining his semblance under water; seal, bakunawa, or merely himself, and the latter was chosen precisely because some matter of churning the water contorted at his muscles, pulled him into a satisfactory designation of sea and salt and surf. Perhaps, at some point, he should’ve found a way to manifest a swimming pool into Halo without it freezing over – but that was a motion for the future.
Earlier trips with Evie had been wonderful, but not the entirety of the fathoms below; so while he careened headlong in facets of swimming long since taught and embedded, he contorted his Air magic around him. Breathing steadily, his form was streamlined and swift, sent downwards amongst a curious brand of architecture rising from the depths.
who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light we have always been deep, restless souls
Ronin doesn't often taken himself into the depths of the Underwater City, but when he does, he tries to opt for the use of a manta crystal rather than shifting into the colossal, terrifying leviathan that will undoubtedly cause a bit of panic for the residents. And so Deimos will find the Knight well on the approach to the city as he descends, Ronin partially shifting just enough to give himself better propulsion through the water with fronds and webbing, a crystal shining at his throat.
He's paused to admire a bit of architecture - some sculpture of what looks like a mer-form of Vi - when he notices the Sword, offering him a bright grin in greeting. Deimos, he calls with a nod. Never thought I'd find you this far down. How's it going? The last time he'd been anywhere close to underwater with Halo's Warden had been when they were fighting for their lives in the Maw, if he remembers correctly.
Hopefully things will be a little more relaxed, this time.
A greeting flickered and floated through his mind; and had he not instantly recognized the voice, and then the form immediately after, he might’ve relented to some inherent action. The sudden tension bled away for an inward snort, a shake of his head as he propelled further downward. I am trying this ‘relaxing’ thing. By striving to swim where curiosity demanded and implored; serving a purpose other than stretching muscles and unwinding limbs. There might not have been a need for the duality, but it was matter of convincing himself more than anything else. What brings you down here?
As for the how it was going, the Sword gave a brief shrug. All right. The springs should be done any day now. Which meant whomever was already infected could be healed…Before he realized maybe Ronin wasn’t talking about any official or political business, and then he nearly laughed. Family is doing well too. Everything fine with yours?
who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light we have always been deep, restless souls
Relaxing? You? I must be seeing things. Ronin's amusement tickles through the bond even as he rights himself where he's been admiring the statue, turning to swim towards Deimos and his clever use of air magic. I heard some of the merfolk needed a hand setting up a celebration of some kind. I don't know much about the world down here, so I thought it was probably a good thing to check out.
So far so tranquil, but he's heard the Spiral Marketplace can get quite bustling at certain times of the day. That's really good to hear, he says of the springs. Do you know of anyone who would need to use them right away? He very much hopes not in some ways, but at the same time, there's no denying how useful they will be.
As for himself and his own, Ronin nods and offers a boyish smile. All things considered. It's nice to be dealing with regular family dramatics rather than lifethreatening ones.
Probably will never happen again he joked; even if the notions were probably unfortunate. Stealing time here and there had become something of an anomaly, and if he wasn’t eventually forced by either Evie or someone else’s half-dozen reminders, he’d probably be cooped up in his office, working out plans and strategies that still wouldn’t see fruition. Propelling further if only to investigate and peer at the upcoming marketplace, his brow arched at Ronin’s explanation – it made sense, in some regard to the Sword. Why wouldn’t the Mer have celebrations.
As for any infected, his nose wrinkled briefly. Flora mentioned an Everest? But I do not know him. The only glimpse he’d been given was the man with Dahlia amidst that horrendous meeting, and the Attuned being in his head had been the least of his concern. I have not heard of any others, but I also do not know any outward signs or symptoms. Maybe it wasn’t as readily apparent as all the other diseases, blights, and plagues had been – much more defiant and subversive. A devious assault.
He did manage a brief laugh across the bond at the demigod’s explanation – uncertain over what he preferred but still probably the familial ones – leaving the ‘for now’ piece behind his teeth. Or regional ones.
who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light we have always been deep, restless souls
Snorting, the gesture sending a stream of bubbles from Ronin's nose and mouth, the Knight's self-deprecating shrug can only be one of agreement with Deimos. It had taken a very long time since he'd been able to relax more than once in a blue moon, after all, and though one could argue that what he's doing now isn't exactly relaxing either, it certainly beats preparing for war or wondering if Safrin was going to extract some sort of blood price from him in return for continued use of his powers.
Joining Deimos to continue on the route down towards the Marketplace, Ronin finds himself suddenly lagging very much behind to hear Everest's name spill from his lips-- er, mind. That's my son's best friend, he says quietly. Unless there has been a sudden influx of people with strange, otherworldly names. He was named after an Outlander mountain, Ronin knows - that's what Tobi had told him over drinks one night.
Huffing out a laugh that no longer really reaches him, the Knight is troubled as they swim deeper into the Underwater City, only for his expression to turn suddenly curious. I know you said your family is well, but is your son... is... I mean, has he grown a lot lately? Raising his eyebrows, Ronin can only think of the tall, willowy man so often accompanying Deimos to meetings lately.
Making it a habit of finding some time for peace and quiet still hadn’t fully developed in Deimos’ repertoire – a majority of the time Evie could convince him into very brief sojourns, much like this one. But even these coordinated efforts still held the surrounding events at large, and he could feel himself stilling at the notions that this Everest had direct ties to Ronin’s family – other than streamlining through the sea, he went relatively silent for a few moments. I am sorry he offered instead; but maybe within this breadth and compounding efforts, the Attuned could still be convinced to travel to their mountainous region and cured. I am not certain if any infected will need to be persuaded either… He shrugged, because all of this was relatively new.
As much as the next inquiry, giving the Sword some amount of pause. Believing Ronin was simply asking about any recent developments or growth spurts with Erebos (which wouldn’t be surprising, given the Warden’s height), he contemplated all the other books he’d gone through and aligned to the infant’s alterations. He is growing all the time. Starting to roll over on his own too.
who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light we have always been deep, restless souls
Letting out a long sigh this time, the gesture sending just as many bubbles swirling up towards the surface, Ronin swims at a leisurely pace beside his friend, brows gently furrowed. No, I'm not sure either, he says quietly, shaking his head. Do you know if anyone else knows he's infected? Or rather who else knows, he ought to say. Either way, he plans to go back and talk to Remi about it, and those thoughts will be plain to read through the Attuned bond as well.
As the conversation turns back to Erebos, Ronin's I should hope so almost blurts from his lips, but he thankfully manages to cage it back. So he's still... a baby? he asks slowly, before realising he needn't be so cryptic. Remi and I were wondering if that young man who comes with you to meetings might have been him, he clarifies.
He took another leisurely stroke, muscles maneuvering easily and swiftly, before placing his feet firmly down on the sand, listening to the depths of Ronin’s frustrations with it all as well. Flora told me, but some of the Stormbreakers are aware too. Per his discussions with Koa and Zavien, as well as the Queen of Torchline, but he didn’t know how much farther the notations and information extended. Maybe it wouldn’t surprise him if the whole of the Stormbreak region had been largely infiltrated, given Dahlia, which was another unsettling contortion in his ribcage.
The shifting conversation made him blink rapidly, before laughing at the true nature of the inquiry. Yes. Erebos is still a baby. No rapid aging or advanced scenes at the helm of a shrine. That one is Amhran, one of Rae’s demigods. He’d half-hoped the youth would’ve introduced himself during one of the meetings, though now the Sword wondered if that should’ve defaulted to him. Next time, anyway. Rae gave Evie a plant to tend to for a season. Turns out he was the plant. A bizarre story, and he waited for a multitude of other questions, incapable of simplifying it in any other way.
who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light we have always been deep, restless souls
Raising his eyebrows to hear that Flora is also aware of the situation with Everest, Ronin can do little more than nod gently to Deimos and twist to let his own feet plant down in the sand, stirring it ever so slightly with the movement. Around them the Underwater City is visible in the near distance, and though he can't hear nearly as well unless he shifts himself further, he's sure there's distant music warbling through the water. Thanks for letting me know. I'll touch base with Remi, though I imagine if people in Stormbreak are also aware, it could be that Mateo already knows. Isla, though, might be a different story.
Deimos's laughter is a bit of a surprise, and for a second Ronin assumes the Sword is about to tell him that yes, in fact, the tall man at the meetings is Erebos, and he also just learned to roll over. Thankfully, he clears it up right away. Amhran, he repeats with a furrowed brow, before nodding and seeming more than happy to let the story go, bizarre as it absolutely is. Good to know that you're being kept on your toes, he does add, though, smirking. A plant demigod in Halo, though? That must have been an adjustment.
The distant music intertwined, and curiosity still stoked, despite the parsing and sharing of information occupying multitudes of his mind. His limbs carried him along the sand and water, the movements slower than they would’ve been upon land, but he drifted across, intending to reach the marketplace before long. Wish we knew how they are being infected… because then maybe there’d be a way of prevention.
Ronin seemed to be settled with the other bout of news, and since the Sword didn’t have a better way of explaining it, he snorted inward, beginning to see the outlining of several stalls and kiosks. Things are never dull, he assured with a roll of his shoulders, which would also indicate the lack of relaxing thing (not that he did well prior to the growth of his family, to be fair). He seems to be handling it. But I have taken him other places too. So he could see the scope of so many regions – though it’d be easier if others weren’t currently infested.
Reeling, unfortunately, back to that topic, his brows furrowed. Have you heard of anyone finding lilies yet? There was Hadama to consider with Ray’s old staff, but it made him wonder about any pending journeys to Starfall, timelines and limitations, and then if he’d have any opportunity to wander towards Frey’s Breath too. Before, ultimately, they all had to make their way towards the debauched area.
who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light we have always been deep, restless souls
You and me both, Deimos. Frowning to himself, their movements are slow, bounding and encumbered by the water, making them look unintentionally jovial despite the serious nature of the discussion. Perhaps that might be the next thing worth looking into. I don't suppose Ever was able to say how he got infected? He doubts it, given what he knows about the aviator (and what he doesn't know about the extent of the changes to his personality), but there's always a chance.
Kicking off from the sand as the marketplace starts to come upon them, it's far easier for Ronin to swim slowly than to moon-jump across the sea floor. (He probably looks a bit less stupid doing it, too). Well, I suppose you'd want to be well-adjusted if you're born as a grown-ass demigod into a situation like this, he concedes. Let us know if you need a hand with anything - with Amhran, or Erebos, or in general. I've got a feeling things are going to get horribly interesting soon enough. In that haha you're going to war again way.
As for the lilies themselves, though, Ronin shakes his head. Not yet, he says, of course unaware that his husband has just been given such a flower. How about you?
The whole situation must’ve struck anyone looking as bizarre - so he gave a simple nod towards the first outlying kiosk, to which the merperson’s eyes widened. Perhaps it wasn’t wholly commonplace for them to be wandering down in this midst, but Deimos managed a slight-less-than-a-grimace proportion to his features as he perused and glanced over the wares. All the while, Ronin’s notions glimpsed through his mind. Not that I am aware of, but I have never spoken to him directly. The bizarre warning about Dahlia during the meeting, and only through Attuned measures, didn’t count in the Sword’s book.
When nothing caught his eye, he swam/maneuvered towards the next stall – which seemed to be odds and ends of brushes and combs. Amhran being the topic of discourse gave the Warden pause – because he wasn’t entirely certain the younger man was well-adjusted, or had simply been thrown into the mess and was taking it all as normal. It’d be difficult to explain to him what routines and regularity constituted – when Caido was so out of balance at present. The offer was noted with a smile though. Thank you. It is appreciated. I think at this point we were all trying to do our best with what we have. Via information, experience, and the like, and the known portions of outlined futures that were looking somewhat dire and bleak. I was hoping the seeds we were all planting might buy us time… or at least a step in the right direction.
Lack of lilies gave him pause, for it’d been the same to anyone he’d asked. He shook his head, leaving the wildness of his hair to linger outwards in the undulating sea and take on a life of its own. No. Though I have yet to have an opportunity to go either. His part had been more in spreading information, mauling void creatures, and trying to train his citizens while galvanizing them to assist in the springs operations.
who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light we have always been deep, restless souls
Maybe Remi and I can look into it, Ronin mutters, of asking Everest directly about it. Or if not them, Isla could likely tease the information out. With a sigh that has another stream of bubbles tumbling up and up towards the surface, the Knight joins Deimos in perusing the first kiosk. The Mer are more used to seeing him - or at least used to seeing manta crystals rather than the air magic the Sword possesses, and Ronin spends a few moments examining rings set with seaglass.
Hear, hear, he echoes the sentiment - of doing the best they can with what they've got - and swims to the next stall to examine the wares. You never know, they might do some good yet. It takes time for seeds to grow, right? He doesn't have the greenest fingers, but he's reasonably sure that Mateo would agree.
When nothing catches his eye at this stall either, Ronin turns and finds a few Mer at the centre of the marketplace starting to set up for the aforementioned celebration. We've been a couple of times, but no luck, he says of the lilies. We'll just have to keep trying, I guess. He smiles back at Deimos.
I'm going to see if I can help out. Enjoy your shopping - don't relax too hard. He grins.
