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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!
Running his eyes over the displays to help with the search, Zavien chuckled at the simplicity of it. "When I officially met Lena, she was buying lavender." He didn't mention that their first meeting had actually be on the Void battlefield of the Feverlands or how he refused to call it 'lavender' in front of her, preferring 'fluffy purple swords.' Instead, he smiled warmly, vision losing focus as he thought about their time together. "Now I think about her whenever I see it." His voice was full of soft gooey emotions as he rushed forward to look at the piece she'd pointed to.
The necklace had a gold pendant stem with small purple gems woven into the pointed shape of lavender. And it was perfect. Grin widening to a near-breaking point, Zavien looked up at Alys. "I think she's going to love it." There wasn't any doubt or worry left in his mind. He may not know Lena's jewelry preferences, but he didn't think she could find any reason not to like this one.
Alys smiled at the influx of softness through her magic. Perhaps things were still early for Zavien and Lena, but she wasn't sure there was a word for the soldier's emotions other than love. Affection seemed too... blase, too simple to embody the strength of Zavien's soft, gooey emotions. But the seer said nothing of it, simply noting, "That's sweet." She wondered how Zavien would give her the necklace; a bouquet of lavender would be pretty, would smell nice, and could be dried to give it longevity as a useful herb. Personally, it was the kind of thing Alys herself would love, as normal flowers would eventually die and fade from memory. Lavender was the kind of thing that would last.
In any case, the necklace she had pointed out had the man lighting up, excitement overwhelming his emotions. It was a beautiful, dainty gold piece with twinkling amethysts set into the metal. "It's perfect," the seer declared, and she didn't need her cards to tell her that Lena was going to think so, too.
She lifted a hand to wave over the store's patron, and he hurried to the case in front of them. Ah, the lavender? A wonderful choice! the shopkeeper beamed. He named a price, and Alys surreptitiously left them to haggle, her own eye drawn to a simple silver bracelet across the store.
Oh, I had a dream that you couldn't hear me screaming Trying to tell you everything but it wouldn't stop you leaving
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Accepting Alys's comments with a blushing smile, he shrugged his shoulders. 'Sweet' might be what she called it, but he was certain that other would probably call it 'sappy' or something less positive, not that he minded. He really like Lena, and he wasn't going to let anyone make him feel bad for it. Which made it all the better when his choice in necklace was affirmed. He hadn't thought about how he was going to give it to her, and had the seer asked, he would've been adorably confused, wondering why he'd have to give her a present with her present. But for now, he just beamed at the necklace, imagining it around the Caretaker's neck. Grinning, he nodded emphatically. "Then I have to get it."
Zavien wasn't much for haggling, and he certainly didn't know a fair price for such a necklace. So when the man named his price, he was already pulling out the money, counting it out to hand over. The man seemed satisfied with the exchange, carefully wrapping the necklace in a box with a purple ribbon on top. The Dragoon was nearly bouncing by the time the shopkeeper handed it over, giving him a beaming smile. "Thank you!"
Clutching the gift tightly in his fingers, he tucked it safely into an inner pocket of his jacket as he made his way back over to Alys. "Are you getting anything?" Zavien looked through the display case to the dainty silver bracelets there, very different from the gold dragon wrapped around his own wrist.
Alys waited patiently as Zavien haggled - or didn’t - with the shopkeeper, perusing the silver jewelry with a critical eye. She didn’t really need anything for herself - she had enough jewelry without adding to the collection - but it was nice to look, all the same. She’d always had an affinity for necklaces and bracelets and rings, often wearing multiples of each.
She noticed one bracelet, with a string of occult symbols pressed into the thin strip of metal, and waved over a shopkeeper to look at it more closely. By the time Zavien had finished his purchase, she was looking it over, her eyes alight with interest. ”This one is nice,” she said, showing him the almost runic symbols in the metal. ”I think I might get it.”
Oh, I had a dream that you couldn't hear me screaming Trying to tell you everything but it wouldn't stop you leaving
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Glancing down into the case, he looked at the options while the shopkeeper made his way over. There were plenty of simple silver chains mixed in with more intricate designs modeled after hearts, stars, or flowers. Some had gems while others were plainer. Even given a hundred guesses, he probably wouldn't have assumed Alys would pick the etched runes in a solid band.
Zavien waited patiently for the man to open the case then the seer to hold it up. He looked closely, trying to puzzle out if the symbols were words warped by his inability to read well, or some sort of strange foreign language. Squinting his eyes, he finally asked, "What do the symbols mean?"
Alys studied the bracelet, holding it up so that it caught the light. It was shiny, and as a woman with a crow’s mentality about sparkly objects, she was immediately enamored with the trinket. When Zavien spoke, Alys glanced his way. ”Hmm? Oh, the runes! I’m actually surprised to see them here,” she admitted. ”They’re a bit… unconventional. But each symbol has a specific meaning.”
She pointed to one symbol, which looked a little bit like an uppercase Y with a vertical line through the middle. ”This one, for example, is for protection. Runes are loosely based on an old alphabet that’s not used anymore, but they’re more symbolic than they are used for making words.” There were a string of symbols, each more intricate than the last, and Alys slipped the bangle onto her wrist with a happy sigh.
To the shopkeeper, she smiled. ”I’ll take it.”
Oh, I had a dream that you couldn't hear me screaming Trying to tell you everything but it wouldn't stop you leaving
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Alys was obviously very familiar and passionate about the subject of 'runes,' rambling on like Lena when she talked about plants. It caused his mouth to creep up in a smile, politely giving her his attention with a raised eyebrow. "Interesting." If the first symbol alone meant 'protection,' he wondered what all of them together meant. Maybe protection against something? Or protection for something? The possibilities were nearly limitless. He may have asked her more, but then she was moving to purchase the bracelet.
Once she'd finished her own dealings with the shopkeeper, the Dragoon made his way to the door, opening it to allow her to exit first. Sol peeked his head around to give them a small puff of smoky impatience, but Zavien didn't rush her, smiling warmly as he asked, "How did you learn runes?"
Zavien, Alys decided, was a good listener - either because he was truly interested, or because he was polite. She wasn’t quite sure which, but she thought it might be a combination of both, if the mild interest she could sense with her magic was any indication. As she finished her dealings with the merchant and the pair prepared to exit the shop, the soldier surprised her by asking about the runes again.
”I’ve always been interested in such things, ever since I was a child,” she explained. ”There’s information in books, if you know which ones to read, and the Atheneum in the Hollowed Grounds had a variety of tomes on the tarot, runes - all sorts of things, really. I read what I could, and learned more from seers who came through where my family lived. Eventually, it all becomes second nature.” She perked up. ”I could recommend some books, if you’re interested.”
Oh, I had a dream that you couldn't hear me screaming Trying to tell you everything but it wouldn't stop you leaving
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Zavien listened closely, making his way outside for Sol to trot along beside him. The companion looked to Alys, intrigued by her flood of words that seemed to make the Dragoon smile. Chuckling, he shook his head at her offer. "As much as I'd love to, books aren't really my thing." When the letters twisted and swam before his eyes, he didn't feel inclined to spend his time trying to pin them down only to spend hours deciphering the simplest of sentences. He'd leave the words to Lena and other more intelligent people, keeping to his swords and battle strategies.
Taking another sip of his coffee, he mulled over her many words. "So, are they a form of magic then? Or a way to communicate?" If they were easier to read than words, he might be persuaded to learn more about them. Perhaps Lena was interested in learning a secret way to pass notes. He placed a hand over her gift again, not hiding the smile spreading across his face as he thought of her.
There was an undercurrent to Zavien’s curiosity that Alys couldn’t quite place; seeing as she couldn’t read minds, only emotions, she didn’t know what it related to. Was that a feeling of… inadequacy? That he wasn’t very good at something, maybe, or that he could be better? But she wasn’t even sure if it was something negative, really, and so she dismissed it. His feelings were his own, and she had no right to pry into them, anyway.
”I suppose they could be both,” she said thoughtfully. ”Mostly, they’re magical symbols, but they also communicate meanings. Like the bracelet - I can tell you that it’s meant to protect against negativity, among other things.” That was the thing about languages - they could be so many different things. Runes, she supposed, were just one more.
Oh, I had a dream that you couldn't hear me screaming Trying to tell you everything but it wouldn't stop you leaving
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Having long-since accepted his weakness, Zavien didn't feel any shame or animosity around reading. He was willing to work on it for Lena, but it wasn't something he'd ever felt was necessary for a warrior. When defending Stormbreak, he'd never thought he'd have to write an essay. So when Alys explained the symbols, his interest piqued purely with curiosity for their possible applications.
He glanced again at the bracelet, nodding his head. "That's a good thing to protect against." Gods knew they didn't need any more negativity right now. Zavien had always been a firm believer in optimism and the power of a smile, so it came easily as he sent it her way. "Maybe you could show me how to read them some time." A polite invitation to learn more.
His hand lingered over the gift still safely stowed in his pocket as he took another sip of his coffee. Excitement and a hint of apprehension flooded him, his smile widening. "Thank you again for the help. I can't wait to give this to Lena."
Curiosity was a more familiar sensation, and easily identifiable as it sparked in her magic, and Alys shared a smile with Zavien as she explained the runes on her new bracelet. ”I’d be happy to,” she said. ”It’s all quite interesting, really - or at least, it is to me.” Some people thought that runes and their ilk were silly and inconsequential, but Alys had long since seen their worth proven and was, therefore, a staunch believer in their power, even if it wasn’t like the magic typically seen as such throughout Caido.
Zavien’s attention shifted, though, and Alys realized that she’d taken up quite enough of his time. ”I’m sure she will love it,” Alys said warmly, repeating earlier sentiments as she prepared to take her leave. ”This was fun. If you ever need a shopping partner again, let me know.” And with a few more polite words of goodbye, Alys was off.
fin
Oh, I had a dream that you couldn't hear me screaming Trying to tell you everything but it wouldn't stop you leaving
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Emotional Telepathy | The user can read deep emotions of those within a 5 foot radius at will. Control is excellent. Note: "Deep emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Emotional Perception | The user can read surface level emotions of those within a 15 foot radius. Control is moderate. Note: "Surface level emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
