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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!
"Thanks for keeping me company on my task." Zavien gave Deimos a large smile as they walked through the sweltering heat. His clothes were drenched, but it was probably better than it would've been in Longheat. It was also nice to share the suffering with a friend.
As the lava pits started appearing, twisting through their path, he didn't hesitate to pick a suitable place to kneel next to the bubbling liquid rock, eager to escape the overwhelming stuffiness of the Climb. Unsheathing his sword, he shrugged his shoulders. "I just have to burn the 'impurities' from the blade, so it shouldn't take long."
Zavien tried not to lean too far into the smoke and steam as he shoved the weapon into the molten lava. It sizzled and he tried to distract himself from the sweat dripping down his spine. "I feel like it's been forever since we last spoke. How have you been? How's the family?" He realized he still hadn't met Erebos or Evie, but it felt like he knew them anyways, especially with how lovingly the Warden spoke about them.
Life is getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.
The juxtaposition between Halo and the Climb was always jarring; but where he found the desert most unappealing, the hellhound ventures in his soul seemed to rather enjoy the mixture of fire and lava. So he looked particularly unbothered, even if he’d already swept up strands of his long hair into a makeshift bun, snorting at Zavien’s initial statement. “You are welcome.” Deimos was curious to see more of the haze anyway; the only place he’d frequented here lately had been Frey’s Breath – perhaps it was comforting, knowing that some thresholds stayed the same resilient conflagrations.
So he stood guard as Zavien went to dip the armament in the molten mixture, gaze sweeping along the cavern and pits as a predator would; searching for any aspects out of the norm, or wayward gore crows eager to make their mark. The only thing deterring him from full focus upon the walls and the scenery was the Dragoon’s inquiry, to which he could give a grin. “We are well, busy, but that is not out of the norm.” Pausing, his mind went over any recent circumstances. “Erebos is attempting to walk,” which granted a very proud and dignified father expression, before wrinkling his nose.
Head tilting, because he never craved yielding attention to himself, he placed it back upon the Accepted. “And you? How is Stormbreak doing?”
Wiping a line of sweat from his brow to keep it from trailing into his eyes, he laughed heartily at the news. "That's great! I'm sure he'll be getting into all sorts of trouble." Although hopefully it was only the good kind. Zavien would never wish for the boy to find his way unguarded facing down the Void, not that he ever expected his responsible parents to let such a thing happen. But kids had a way of getting into things without explanation. It was part of the magic.
The question returned to him felt harder to answer. He adjusted his hold on the hilt of his sword, hoping he only needed another minute or so. "Stormbreak is doing its best. And we haven't fallen out of the sky yet, so I'd say things aren't as bad as they could be." He gave Deimos a joking smile. In all honestly, he was starting to get suspicious of how quiet things were despite the leadership. He'd expected things to be worse. Tilting his head, he asked more seriously, "Have you noticed any new troubles?"
Life is getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.
If Erebos was anything like himself or Evie, the child would likely have to be supervised near-constantly. Unless he was sleeping. And even then, Deimos usually put Belial on resident guard duty. He gave a low rumble in his chest for agreement. “Most likely. He will keep us on our toes.” Along with everything else coinciding with Halo, and Caido at large. The Sword would prefer the more domestic and familial endeavors, but the duties never seemed to cease.
Arching his brow at Zavien’s other response, because unfortunately the Warden wouldn’t be surprised if the island fell out of the sky at any point either, his head tilted again, waiting for anything else. “Hm. I had thought with everything cleansed…,” his thoughts meandered away, not wanting to say them openly, or too straightforward, given the chance that there were some members of the Family more than capable of listening in. “Some individuals could have been weakened.”
As for any new troubles, machinations coiled around Sunjata and his latest idiotic exploits; wondering if that was a trial and tribulation simply reserved for Ronin, Remi, and himself for the moment. His gaze went down to the lava, then back to Zavien to register any recognition. “One of your fellow Dragoons found out someone else has been infected.” And he’d leave it at that – perhaps he already knew.
In the near distance, around another bend and of caverns, a roar can be heard – loud, potent, powerful. And were those flames, rounding along the corner?
That could be a black dragon: a pernicious beast of legend, ready, willing, and able to defend its home for little to no reason.
Maybe it would be best to go another way?
You’ve encountered a Black Dragon. This counts as an uncommon creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements. (You may not kill this creature without admin permission. )
Black Dragon (uncommon/mythical) - Black dragons of average size. Highly aggressive with fiery breath that can instantly melt most substances.
"Well, if you ever need a breather, I'm great with kids." His smile was wide and full of warmth, thinking of all the kids in Stormbreak who could vouch for him. Zavien wiped one hand on his pants as he replaced it with another on the weapon. It was starting to tread towards unbearable, but he kept up the conversation to tough it out a little longer.
At least it was easy to talk about Stormbreak. "That would be my hope as well, but I don't know if that's the case. We haven't seen much evidence to support whether it could be weakening... or a means to rally." Like most living beings, getting backed into a corner sometimes brought out the strongest, most violent responses. He didn't doubt that the Family could do the same if they wished. That included infecting others throughout Caido.
Only Everest came to mind as being infected, although he hadn't told Deimos that. Koa had held the ring recently though. It made Zavien wonder if he should've asked about it at breakfast. For now, he shook his head. "I know of one, but I wasn't aware there was another. It makes me concerned that there may be more we don't know about." Rubbing his finger over the ring on his hand, he sighed. "I haven't sensed any of my acquaintances being compromised, but if there's ever someone you suspect, let me know and I can search them out." The offer could turn out to be dangerous, but the information was important. He trusted Deimos to have good judgement on the matter.
When a roar echoed overhead, Zavien flinched, more than a little worried about their exposure on the open land. Finally pulling his sword from the lava, he looked closely at the glowing metal to make sure no impurities remained. Spotting none, he nodded to the Warden. "That might be a sign for us to head out. We finished what we came here for anyways." They could continue their conversation as they moved away from the dangerous black dragon lurking just around the corner.
Life is getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.
His brow remained arched at Zavien’s proclamation; not truly surprised, given the man’s temperament and disposition. He could see Erebos ruling the roost though, but kept the mental image to himself. “Thank you. I will keep that in mind.” He continued to keep watch as the discussion altered, witnessing the lava persist along the metal, before his eyes swept back upward and along the surroundings.
Perhaps Deimos had been too hopeful for Stormbreak’s case, or there hadn’t been enough evidence to make such a claim. And it’d be a desperate means to attack, grab, snatch, or seize, without proof or claim of their notions and presumptions. “Understandable.” He nodded, indicating the comprehension. “We will keep trying to collect the flowers then. With the Greatwood intact, we have Vi’s Roses as options now too.” And maybe, through other means, measures, and schemes towards Starfall, they’d have more information.
The Sword was already aware of Everest, due to Flora, and he nodded again, pondering how best to break the news. Contemplating, his head tilted again, until he opted to alter the composition of the magma below, and utilizing his fire incantations, spelt out the name amidst the flames, before allowing them to dissipate. “Me too. But he was the only one I have suspected.” And merely because of other statements said and moments not aligning. “There does not seem to be any overt signs – unless we have missed something.”
The roar was enough to pull him out of those ruminations anyway – form immediately going rigid, taut, and unyielding. “We can head this way,” he said with a sigh, thoroughly unimpressed with dragons, but still respecting their space after a multitude of experiences. His long strides kept him heading towards the opposing cavern path; knowing where it led from many other trips to the Climb.
Erebos would absolutely be the one in charge, but they would have fun nonetheless! And Sol would love to have a new friend closer to his own age. Zavien smiled when he didn't hear a 'no,' taking it as a win that kept his mood elevated despite the other more serious topics. "I'll do my best to keep an eye out for the flowers. Do we know where they are needed most?" It may not be safe to say aloud, but apparently the Warden has other tricks up his sleeves.
Seeing the name in the lava, Zavien's eyes widened. He'd only met the demigod once but hadn't suspected a thing. It made him all the more concerned about identifying other infected people. At least he had the ring. "I see... is he interested in being cleansed?" That seemed to be the other issue. Even if they found more, how were they to convince them that being infected was something that needed fixing? As he thought more about the problem, he followed behind Deimos, keeping his sword ready at his side, both to let it cool from the lava and a possible defense against stray black dragons.
Life is getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.
Strides elongated along the cavern, familiar and formidable, undaunted and unbothered as the echoes and sounds of the dragon’s roar muted, then deafened altogether; seemingly out of its range. It gave him time to focus on the conversation, and the musings within it, rather than the context of potentially having to maul another cretin in their lair. “I think it would be wise to have some on hand, in case of…,” he dropped his voice off, shrugging his shoulders, uncertain how else to voice it and continue in the vague reaches and give nothing away. “More infestations, or other journeys.” Should the Family find another way to rid those worlds newly cleansed into something more devastating again, or any upcoming sojourns back to the hellish Starfall.
At the other inquiry, he snorted – the laugh reverberated slightly off the walls, and he quieted his intonations and rumbles. “No.” Not by the way Koa had stated it. “But I doubted any of them would be.” Everest had yet to come along – and Sunjata was going to be a whole different can of worms.
Zavien wasn't as relaxed as Deimos was within the cavern, eyes scanning his surroundings with his sword at the ready. The Warden's nonchalance helped, but it couldn't hurt to be cautious. Just as having more flowers at the ready could prove beneficial in the future. Nodding his head, he said, "I suppose it couldn't hurt. I'll let you know if I come in possession of any." Although he hadn't been lucky on his first venture, perhaps the Serendipity gods would favor him this time around.
On the topic of Sunjata, he wasn't surprised by the answer. He shook his head with disappointment, narrowing his eyes. "Sounds like this is more than just an infection of the body." Otherwise, why wouldn't they want to cure the infection? And it wasn't like they could force them into Halo's springs. What other options did they have? "Do you think eliminating the source would cure them?" Not wanting to say 'killing the Family' out loud, he looked to Deimos.
Life is getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.
No one should ever mistake Deimos’ nonchalance for disregard; his senses were heightened, his magic taut underneath the surface of his skin, and his abilities measured, strong, and potent. Nothing reckless, nothing emboldened, but certainty in his stride, a belief in all the wakes of power and prowess constantly coiled and tethered within his soul. He knew himself and his capabilities well, and he’d lead the way because of the possibilities they might encounter down the lines and caverns. “Thank you,” he offered by way of a quieter rumble, listening all the while as things continued to drift soundlessly away.
His eyes narrowed slightly at Zavien’s suggestion, pondering the semblances and notions as they reeled around his mind. “Past diseases here have been like that. Seemed to poison everything – especially one’s awareness.” The Sword, and many others infected with the second blight, had been quite literally out of their senses. The first had multitudes attacking their brethren. And though those had been Voice impacted; it wouldn’t surprise the Warden at all that this was another signature illness. Eliminating the “source” would take a lot; and given where they were now…likely to be the next step. “Potentially. Hence why we need more of the flowers. Much to garden,” he wrinkled his nose at the quip, but meant it just the same. “I think it would take cleansing the whole…area.” Starfall, essentially.
Not even considering that Deimos might have been one of those infected by the previous blights, Zavien shivered with undisguised discomfort. It was almost like brainwashing, and it was terrifying. He just had to hoped that it wouldn't come to that. Trying to push aside those depressing thoughts, he hummed softly, "Hmmm... I guess that's definitely something to keep in mind." Perhaps it would also haunt his dreams tonight and give him more to worry about for Lena's sake, but that was for future Zavien to mull over.
He nodded along with the plan. The only way to find out would be to cleanse Starfall and find out. Until then, there was much to do and many flowers to find. As they made their way farther out of the Climb, Zavien sighed loudly. "We're going to need a lot more gardeners..."
[FIN]
Life is getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.
