Click here for a list of weather descriptions, seasonal festivals, and a real time:site time conversion.
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!
Sah was glad to be home, unaware of the heartbreak that loomed once he was back in Snowcloak. But for now, he stepped into a familiar shrine and knelt before the altar. Calling forth his magic, he created an intricate and delicate snow globe of a starry night and placed it down. With a bowed head he sent a silent prayer up to Safrin for luck during Deepfrost. With LongNight coming in the distance, he was wary that the Family would strike in further retribution for cleansing the different regions of Caido from their influence.
Once was done, the hybrid stood and made his way down the streets of the Citadel. A set of footsteps reached him and Sah recognized them after a moment. Sure enough, after turning a corner, there was Deimos. "Good morning!"
Deimos, busy as ever with the season’s end approaching, also remained entirely unaware of other painful atrocities looming in the background. He’d been waiting for a letter, of any sort, describing Ru’s whereabouts, and lingering on the notions of simply going out to explore and wander for himself.
He wasn’t far from the altar though, arranging another wood pile along his sled, before beginning to drag it upon one of the main routes. Sah’s greeting pulled him out of some other distracted thoughts, turning his head over his shoulder, looking for the familiar figure. “Sah,” he noted in return with a nod, long strides sweeping along the snowy, stony road. “What are you up to?”
"I was stopping by the shrine before heading home. It's been a... wild few weeks. How are you?" Wild was an understatement and Sah almost laughed as he said it. But before he could elaborate and inquiry as to what Deimos knew, he glanced down and grinned as the shadow at his feet rippled. Crouching down, the Wild Thunder scooped up the small pup that suddenly appeared. Standing he tucked his youngest companion under his chin, letting the pup watch Deimos from over his shoulder. "This is Frog. I met him in the Grounds." The shadowfang glanced up at the stranger with wide, white eyes.
"This is Deimos. He's a friend." Pack, he told the small wolf through their bond. Relaxing slightly, Frog leaned forward and sniffed the air, pawing at the Sword's direction.
Wild few weeks minimized the amount of work over the last moments of Leafchange. Coping with alterations in leading, and knowing he’d have to manage delegation far greater than he’d been doing, trying to navigate through advice thrown to Stormbreakers quite willing to take over the Family’s reign, healing those infected…it’d been a wonder any of them had breathed at all. Hence why he was out here, slightly delayed but still adhering to the work necessary to ensure Halo was fine and settled for the upcoming season. “Busy,” he snorted, as if that answer would never alter. “I will be happy to have some time to breathe. Eventually,” he shrugged, figuring at some point there would be less dramatics. Like a day or two.
He hadn’t noticed the companion nestled around Sah’s feet though – perhaps because he was so used to seeing so many around the Wild Thunder – that he couldn’t help but laugh as the pup came into view. “Another one? Congratulations.” He hadn’t known anyone to have three, and he could only imagine how much the bond buzzed through the other hybrid’s mind at any given hour. “Where did you pick this one up?” And as he walked, dragging the sled along, he snagged at treats from his pocket, offering them to the small wolf.
12-27-2024, 03:10 PM (This post was last modified: 12-27-2024, 03:11 PM by Sah.)
yet my blood renders me a King
Sah's lips twitched, "Understandable." if he'd been having a hectic season, he couldn't even imagine the weight on his Warden's shoulders. Thank Safrin he had only had to take up the mantle temporarily.
Deimos' laugh made Frog tilt his head, relaxing slightly against his bonded at the joyful sound. It gave the pup the confidence that he needed to accept the Sword's offered treats. "Yes. Another one. I found him near the shrine at the Black Lake. I felt compelled to explore around it and sure enough, this little one was waiting for me." Flashes of warm gold and gentle violet echoed through the bond and Sah couldn't help but press a kiss to Frog's head in response to the abstract surge of affection directed his way.
Stepping over a stray rock, he turned his attention back to Deimos, "I don't think I ever asked. How did you meet your companions? If that's something that you're okay sharing," Companion bonds were sacred, and Sah had no intention of prying if it was something too personal for his friend to share.
As he stopped at the first house, Deimos unloaded the wood, listening all the while to the tale, nodding along at appropriate intervals. “Interesting place for him to be,” but he didn’t know much about the Black Lake either; as that hadn’t been a part of the Grounds in the time he’d once lived there. Once the timber was appropriately stacked, he found that sufficient, before pulling the sled along again, further down the street to the next abode. “And at least it was not dramatic,” he wrinkled his nose; thinking over other bond stories he’d heard.
Sure enough, Sah seemed to want to know about his own. They weren't anything furtive or private; not like many other. things he kept close to his chest. “I think Zuri and I found each other. I had just escaped the Spire and went running to a shrine, trying to call Safrin for assistance.” Looking back, it was a wonder any of them had survived at all. “She came sprinting through the field at the same time, being chased by a landshark. I saved her from it, and in return she saved my arm,” as he surely would’ve lost it without her efforts. “Then she must have decided to stay.” He smiled, a little wistful and nostalgic, before snorting at the next. “Belial was a lot less dire – I chased after a screaming sound during the night. It was him, hunting a ningo.” He rolled his eyes, the affection still there.
"I think he wanted to be somewhere quiet, dark, and isolated." The pup had been newly orphaned and terrified. Sah couldn't blame him for seeking out somewhere where fewer people or animals would be.
The Wild Thunder listened quietly as Deimos spoke of his companions. It seemed fitting that Zuriel would appear in a crisis while Belial was causing minor chaos. Chuckling softly, he shook his head. "None of mine were very dramatic. I found Lilly hiding in a bush, Pad stuck in a tree and now Frog by a lake." If four companions were possible, the younger hybrid wouldn't have been surprised if number four fell out of the sky and landed on him. Earth, plants, water, and sky. It seemed fitting.
Relatable was thought, but not shared; pulling the sled further to the next house. Pulling his hair up and out of his face, he then proceeded and persisted with unloading the sled, and placing the wood in a neat pile stacked upon the family’s doorstep. When Sah had nothing else to add on the Sword’s background and slightly traumatic events, Deimos grew quiet again, opting to be the listener rather than the storyteller.
“Probably a better approach,” he added eventually, wrinkling his nose. “Though I have never heard of anyone having three companions.” Head tilting, he glanced back at the newfound one. Maybe Sah was simply stretching the limitations and boundaries – testing the waters for future endeavors.
Sah had considered prying deeper into Deimos' stories, but after the season they'd had, he thought it'd be best to allow them a moment of peace without digging into darker memories. There would be enough time for rumination during next season's LongNight.
The Wild Thunder chuckled, nodding his head. "I haven't either. I didn't even think it was possible." His mind had already felt whole with Lilly and Pad. But the dark pup in his arms had filled a gap that he hadn't even been aware of. Speaking of the pup, Frog's head tilted as Deimos turned his attention to him. A soft yellow stirred in the bond as the shadowfang eyed the man curiously.
"You can say hi, Frog." Glancing up at Sah for a moment, the small pup leaned forward and disappeared into the shadow of his bonded's jacket before popping back up at his feet. Stepping forward Frog sniffed at the Sword, reaching out a paw and gently tapping one of Deimos' shoes.
Deimos never thought it impossible; Caido showcased a varying level of power differentials, events, consequences, and soaring heights every day. Simply because no one had three companions, before Sah anyway, didn’t mean it was an incapable and improbable feat, and one would have to wonder just how far the limits could or would be pushed. “I think we have all learned many things are possible here,” and he grinned, before pulling the sled further along to the next house, rinsing and repeating the gestures until that deck too was full.
He could imagine it was quite a busy time in Sah’s mind – between himself and the three canines. Not certain what he’d done to earn the newest’s attention, other than the treats earlier, he turned to glance at the young pup, brow arching, before seeing it at his shoes. Hello he offered through Attuned bombardments instead, mainly to see and gauge a reaction.
Sah snickered, "Fair point, indeed." Caido never ceased to surprise him with its ever-rotating surplus of wonders and horrors. As they passed the next house, he wondered just what Deepfrost would bring. Hopefully, a moment of respite.
Frog's ear twitched and a pale yellow/brown flickered through the bond at the unexpected voice in his head. Confused but curious, he tried to say his own version of a greeting, an array of abstract blues directed at the Sword. A warm chuckle left the younger hybrid as he listened in. "I'm not sure why, but he seems to communicate primarily in colors. At least for now." Maybe it was behavior that would change with time and maturity. Or perhaps Frog would ever remain painting in Sah's mind.
Respite, a true sanctuary and repose, after the constant flux of horrifying news, infested individuals, and other trials and tribulations would be a welcome thing. Whether or not it would last would come to pass – but in between all these other sentiments, Deimos would continue to try and find moments of rest. They just weren’t very forthcoming in his line of work.
Which he continued in, even now, stacking another portion of wood on a neighbor’s doorstep.
The greeting that corresponded to his own caused him to snort. “And have you deciphered what they are supposed to mean?” Blues were all well and fine, if they were understood, he supposed. What the companion represented and what the bonded thought could mean two entirely different things. Perhaps he was glad Zuriel and Belial were always forthright.
Frog walked alongside the two hybrids as his bonded spoke, "I'm getting there. It's taking some trial and error and I've been writing myself a guide. The good news thing is that I can usually feel echoes of the emotion itself alongside the colors. I'd be having a far more difficult time without that." Lilly and Pad predominantly communicated with images of what they wanted to convey as well as their emotions. It was usual when Lilly stepped in to help him translate Frog's needs when the pup introduced a new color. Pad found the entire thing ridiculous. Hopefully, he'd warm up to the younger canine soon.
At this point, Sah was already assisting Deimos with the wood and the sled was slowly emptying. "Do we need to go pick up more wood or is this the last of it?"
It all sounded complicated and difficult, but if Sah had it worked out for himself, then perhaps it didn’t much matter. “Understandable.” Maybe one day the companion would develop a more…tangible means of communication. Or they’d learn together.
As Sah announced the portions of the wood diminishing, Deimos snorted – he’d noticed, given the amount of work he’d been doing. “I have several more I need to get done.” There’d be trip after trip, interval after interval, until the citizens were content for the next few days. “You can go ahead. I will finish up on my own.” Shoving more portions back into the sled, he turned back from where he’d come – though he glanced over his shoulder, addressing the Wild Thunder once more. “We can train soon, if you would like.” Honing his new Accepted proportions might be of an interest to the newer hybrid.
And with that, the Sword gave a wave, before returning to the stack of timber.
