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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!
Guileless Son, I'll shape your belief And you'll always know that your father's a thief
Cat's vision suddenly was interrupted by a wall?! Her fingers slipped from Elizabeth 's cloak before the wall triggered high enough to yank her backwards and upwards. Cat wouldn't risk choking Elizabeth for her own safety. All in the moment, a "Huh?!" left her. It wasn't the most lady like charm that slipped from her, but more annoyance... Then, suddenly quiet.
Hearing her name being called, she looked up towards the sky. Hearing Amhran. A loud audible sigh left her, with a groan. "Yeahhhhhh. I'm fine." She looked up to him with a sheepish grin.
"How's the child?" Cat had been taking her over cloak off at this time, tossing a portion of it over the edge to either Amhran, or Elizabeth to snatch so she could jump up and over the wall. The cold a little bit more brisker, but not enough to penetrate her secondary cloak.
"If there's too much going on though, we risk injuring the child." She called over to Amhran.
Cat throws her cloak over the ledge for someone to grab so she can try and hop over the wall!
Catalina
And you won't understand the cause of your grief But you'll always follow the voices beneath
Everything went bad very quickly. A small tug of her cloak was the first clue as Catalina was immediately cordoned off from the rest of them by a wall of solid ice. Then Elizabeth noticed that the missing snow now revealed a series of intricately placed traps that were sure to cause them problems. Then she saw the infant starting to slide slowly down the ice, making her heart stop. Luckily, it didn't seem to go far, but their time was definitely running out.
Her concern for Cat decreased when she heard the woman confirm her wellbeing. Sure that Amhran was strong enough to assist with the makeshift rope (cloak), Elizabeth turned her attention to the precarious path before them. Although there were a lot of pressure points, she didn't think triggering them was the best idea. "I have to agree with Cat. I don't think we should trigger them and risk the child. But now that we can see them, we should be able to avoid them as long as we're careful. I'll focus on keeping the ice infant from falling. Once we get Cat out, we can make out way closer, avoiding the traps." Placing her telekinesis back around the slipping infant, she offered her assistance to the others before leading them carefully through the booby traps.
Elizabeth returns her telekinesis to the 'baby,' helps rescue Cat if they need it, then starts leading them carefully through the visible triggers.
to bring light to all of the dark places within you
Well, Deimos wouldn’t need to send Belial down to be a nuisance again – there was enough going on to keep the group on their toes. It was nice to see them not panicking, or throwing their magic around wildly; and genuinely cooperating coherently with plans bounding back and forth. They could probably teach several others, off the top of his head, a thing or two.
However, simply because they weren’t alarmed or perturbed didn’t mean things went well. Sometimes motions went like that – and better to learn that here, in the midst of purposeful training exercises, than to hasten into it in far more perilous situations. At the very least, hopefully some muscle memory would assist later down the road, should any of those circumstances come about.
So while Amhran and Catalina had an excellent plan in cloak tossing and pulling, the combination of strength wasn’t matching – or the Accepted simply slid down on an ill-timed portion. They could always try again, or strive towards a different method.
However, Elizabeth and her telepathy were of no hindrance; ample and potent, it successfully ensured the child didn’t falter any further, and in fact, moved back to its previous spot. Not out of danger yet, especially with the pitfalls around the ledge, but the motions had bought them more time.
--
Catalina is still stuck behind the wall.
Elizabeth has moved the ‘child’ back to its prior position.
It took some effort, but Elizabeth was relieved to see the infant returned to its previous position. Keeping her magic focused on giving them more time, she turned back to the others. It didn't seem like they'd made much progress getting Cat out of her ice cage. There didn't appear to be many other options for getting her out, but Elizabeth wasn't sure that abandoning the Accepted was a good choice in an exercise about teamwork.
Sidling up next to Amhran, she grabbed the cloak with him. "Cat! Try to climb at the same time we're pulling. On three!" Her eyes found her partner's and she gave him a determined nod. If their actions were in sync, it would make them that much more effective. Then her eyes found the solid blue of the ice wall and Elizabeth set her feet against its base to anchor herself. Taking a deep breath, she directed, "One...Two...Three!" Using mainly her leg muscles, she tried to help pull their teammate from her confinement.
Elizabeth keeps her telekinesis on the 'infant' and helps with pulling Cat out.
to bring light to all of the dark places within you
"Oh - that is a good point," Amhran says with an easy nod of his head. Perhaps their successful teamwork also stems from the fact that none of their party are particularly stubborn or headstrong, the Raeling more than content to yield to a better idea without taking it personally. And so whilst Elizabeth works her magic on the child and the ledge, he does his best to assist Catalina, though unfortunately it seems as though his strength has been overestimated.
Still, as he receives assistance from Elizabeth, it's with a warm smile and a nod back to her that he seizes the cloak in his hands. "If you can reach the top, I may be able to help you over," he adds - considering his height and all that. Either way, on three Amhran utilises his upper body strength rather than his legs, relying on gravity and their combined efforts to help tug Cat to the top of her icy prison!
Taking Elizabeth's lead, Amhran also tries again to free Cat from behind the wall!
Guileless Son, I'll shape your belief And you'll always know that your father's a thief
She gave a quick nod of acknowledgment, though she knew they couldn’t see her through the ice. Her breathing steadied as she prepared for the next attempt, her body tense with anticipation.
Then, unexpectedly, Elizabeth joined in to assist Amhran, both of them now focused on freeing Catalina from the walls of ice. The sense of teamwork gave Cat a surge of hope.
"On your mark!" Catalina called out, her voice firm, ready to go along with Elizabeth's plan. She positioned herself again, gripping tightly to the cloak wrapped around the bars, preparing to use all of her strength.
The air felt tense, the cold biting at her fingertips as she waited for Elizabeth’s signal.
Then, it came: "Three!" Without hesitation, Catalina jumped up, throwing her weight into the motion. She grasped at the cloak, using her arms to pull herself upward while Elizabeth and Amhran heaved from the other side. The strain of the pull was intense, her muscles screaming in protest, but she kept going, her focus solely on breaking free from the confinement she was in.
Catalina listens to the timing, and jumps as they pull!
Catalina
And you won't understand the cause of your grief But you'll always follow the voices beneath
Let it be known and seen – an oriented goal worked wonders.
Because while Elizabeth certainly attempted a two-fold operation in securing the ‘baby’ and Catalina, her concentration could only veer towards one now. Her attempt at telekinesis didn’t quite reach the illustrious heights of previous trials, falling short and casting upon a few flakes of snow instead, it also didn’t cause the icy infant to falter any further.
The group efforts of Amhran and Catalina (with her monumental roll of nat 20) together with the Abandoned ensured that something was successful though, as the Accepted slid over the wall and down along the snow, back with her comrades. “Well done,” Deimos extended from his great heights, giving them credit where it was due.
Now, of course, they were still left with a dangling and precarious situation with the makeshift child, and trigger points all around the column. Decisions, decisions.
Guileless Son, I'll shape your belief And you'll always know that your father's a thief
Catalina had slid free from the icy prison that had held her in it's confinements. She had taken her cloak back that had acted as their leverage putting it back on. She had glanced back over towards Elizabeth and Amhran with a brief nod. "Thanks."
Glancing briefly up towards Deimos, she had nodded at him too. Now, her focus shifted completely back over towards the infant. This time, her gaze just to ensure that the infant didn't fall.
"Alright. Let's get goin' again, yeah?" Cat was determined for their celebration to not be long, as there was still an impending danger. The child was still at the ledge. It was a task that was masked as simple, but ... the disadvantage of not knowing all the triggers for each trap made it a little more dangerous. Especially with attempting to get ready to go again.
---
Cat is back with her team mates, and ready to start again.
Catalina
And you won't understand the cause of your grief But you'll always follow the voices beneath
Pleased to see Catalina back with them, Amhran offers her a kind smile and nods his head. "You are welcome," he says, before similarly turning back to the situation at hand. Elizabeth with her telekinesis would be their best bet in keeping the child safe, and he glances at the trigger points revealed as well. "Perhaps one of us should go first, and the others walk in their footprints?" he suggests. "That way, we will know that the way forward is safe."
And hopefully they will get a prior warning should they set off any new traps. "I can do it," he offers, feeling that it would be disingenuous to suggest danger without putting himself in it. "I will be tall enough to get the child once we reach the ledge, then."
"Of course. We're a team." She was relieved to see Cat clamber over the ice wall, however, when she turned around, she noticed that her grasp on her telekinesis had slipped, letting the baby slide slightly down the structure. A sharp breath was the main indicator of her panic as Elizabeth quickly stretched her magic back to the entire purpose of their task. Giving the others a thin-lipped smile, she kept her eyes trained on the target, reluctant to lose focus again.
As they discussed moving forward, she found it difficult to think of any other routes. It seemed that they'd have to carefully pick their way though the traps, hoping they didn't trip any. Luckily, with them now exposed, it should be slightly easier. Nodding her head, Elizabeth said, "I think that's our best option right now. I'll bring up the rear."
Elizabeth adjusts her focus back on the 'infant' and follows behind the others.
to bring light to all of the dark places within you
They worked in tandem once more, and Deimos surveyed the scene, pondering how they’d get around the traps. There was certainly enough room if one was careful, and considering they’d already exposed the trigger points, it should’ve been relatively easy.
Alas, hence why this was a training exercise.
Amhran and Catalina were indeed meticulous in their attempts, sliding right around, avoiding the intentional pitfalls – and then Elizabeth snagged on one. Entirely by accident, of course, but they’d see that though they’d met their destination, the pillar holding the ‘child’ suddenly became a foot taller.
Luckily, they were all clustered at the column now, and the baby still dangled precariously there, just…a bit higher.
--
Oop – the group is at the pillar and has bypassed the other traps, but the baby is now about eight feet up.
10-02-2024, 06:15 PM (This post was last modified: 10-10-2024, 07:25 AM by Odd.)
Guileless Son, I'll shape your belief And you'll always know that your father's a thief
Hearing the sudden shift of the ice beginning to shift upwards, Catalina had grimaced a little. She wasn't sure just yet who or what would happen, but it wasn't a good sign. The red-haired woman looked around, seeing Amhran and Elizabeth still intact, a quick huff of relief leaving her lips. So they didn't get encased in an ice prison, or get catapaulted, or anything like that.... So that just leaves... Her eyes shifted up towards the infant, who... seemed to be much higher than the original height.
"I... Was it always this tall?" Cat asked curiously. Truth be told, she knew it wasn't - but... Man!
"The only idea that I can think of, is... One - we can have Elizabeth use her powers and slide the infant down - while the two of us can hold something under it to brace it and catch it... Orrrrr...." as she began sliding off her cloak again, she had it off just in case they went with the first idea. Thinking of the secondary possibility, she glanced over towards Amhran. "One of us can get on your shoulders since your tallest, and we can grab the infant. It... seems to be the safest idea."
Cat offers 2 solutions.
1) Have Elizabeth slide infant down, and land into the cloak that will be held by Cat and Amhran
2) Getting on Amhran's shoulders, and snagging the infant (seems to be the safest for the infant).
Catalina
And you won't understand the cause of your grief But you'll always follow the voices beneath
Having been focused mainly on the infant and being able to get it down from the pillar, Amhran is oblivious to the fact that the pillar has grown until they are right before it, and his puzzled expression alone is enough to show his thoughts. "It... I am sure it was not," he confirms to Catalina as she voices what he's thinking, glancing around to Elizabeth to see if she has any ideas. (Oblivious, of course, to the fact that she had accidentally triggered this series of events).
"I would be more than happy to have someone climb on my shoulders," he confirms with a gentle nod. "Perhaps you could, Cat? Elizabeth could use her magic to keep the infant steady - or us, if we get unbalanced." Leaning down, he offers himself as a suitable seat for whoever decided to implement the plan.
Similar to the others, Elizabeth was surprised to see how tall the pillar was. Maybe they'd underestimated? "I... don't know." She thought she'd felt her foot catch on something, but when she wasn't immediately encompassed in an ice cage, she'd dismissed the feeling as a shift of the snow. Now... she wasn't so sure.
Once Amhran had confirmed Cat's second idea, she nodded her head along. "That's a good idea. I'll keep things steady." Giving the others some distance, Elizabeth set her feet on solid ground. In an attempt for better control, she lifted her hands toward the infant, keeping her gaze steady with determination to succeed.
Elizabeth agrees with plan #2 and focuses her efforts on keeping the infant from falling in the wrong direction.
to bring light to all of the dark places within you
