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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!
Light bloomed on the horizon. The first dawn after Long Night always felt special, and Maea had saved herself a good seat for this one. A headache turned her head into some ancient kind of drum, throbbing with dull insistence. She sipped slowly from a mug of herbal tea, seated on a low tidal cliff overlooking the eastern sea, thinking of as little as possible while she waited.
It had been a silvery hue at first, like a lighter nuance of black. In time, that had brightened into a pre-dawn blush of color splayed over the sky, and a cool wind had swept in over land. Like a sigh of relief, of grief over those who had not made it, of new beginnings.
Now as she watched, the sea was turning into a liquid gold and the outline of the sun's disc peaked over the horizon, swallowing up the faint speckle of stars in it's ascent. Raising her mug to honor Vi and Safrin, Maea let some of the liquid spill over the rim into her small campfire, including Dygra in her prayers; just to be safe, in case her matron was the jealous type. The liquid hissed and spat against smoldering embers, and the steam that rose smelled pleasantly of potpurri.
"Good morning, world," she mumbled, thinking herself alone with the wind and the sun and her lingering hangover. "Let's make it through another year, shall we?" Never a guarantee, it sometimes required both intent and determination to survive. She had plans for both, but it couldn't hurt to manifest it in speach, right?
Kaiden swam along the coast, feeling uneasy where they had typically felt safe. The lack of friends swimming in the water was distressing. Why had they had so readily helped Torchline block out the void? It had been incredibly mean of them and the mershark was regretting it by the moment. With every fish that swam past, missing the purple tint that it deserved, the more distressed the mer became. Surely there was a way to fix things?
Poking their head out of the waves, Kaiden just caught a stranger's words. Looking up, they grimaced, "The world's not going to hear you if you mumble. You'll have to scream pretty loudly for everyone to hear. Or just ask Vox. I'm sure he'd help." The mer hadn't spoken to the Family member since the man had been offering food and prizes. Kaiden should pay a visit to him soon.
Startled by the sudden voice, Maea looked around wildly for the speaker. For a moment she was afraid it was another one of the mental intrusions ‐ but the sound came from the outside, from the sea... Scrambling for the edge of the cliff, she poked her head over the rim and after some moment caught sight of a head bobbing with the waves. A mer? "Did you say that?" Please, let it be so. She wasn't ready to lose her mind just yet. "Uhm... why would I want to talk to Vox? Isn't that one... y'know. Of the Family?" As in, the invading enemy that kept violating her privacy by poking around in her head.
03-03-2025, 09:12 AM (This post was last modified: 03-03-2025, 11:38 AM by Kaiden.)
kaiden
There is no shame in survival
Only strength
Kaiden's nose crinkled, "Who else would have? There's no one here." What in the world was in that drink of hers, if she thought she was hearing random voices? The mer didn't want to know.
"Why wouldn't you want to talk to him? Yes, he's Family, and he's friendly. He hasn't hurt anyone either." The mershark puffed out their chest insulted on the Family member's behalf. Even if someone didn't like the Family, (which was foolish), Vox was far too kind to hate. "Or are you just prejudiced against him just for being what he is?" Kaiden has to speak slowly around the word, unfamiliar as it was. They didn't often read, usually only when forced or coerced. In exchange for a piece of fruit from the land, a merchant had made the mershark promise to read and excerpt from their novel and critique it.
They'd been incredibly annoyed when Kaiden had had to ask what half the words meant but still fulfilled their half of the bargain.
"You'd be surprised how often that isn't true," Maea murmured. Settling down on her belly, propped on elbows and with the mug nestled in her hands, she regarded the mer with sceptical interest. It was the first time she'd heard anyone say anything nice about the Family without a degree of coercion, and as hair-raising as it was, she had to admit... after seeing Vox for herself, the weirdness had not been followed up with anything cruel or dangerous.
Not yet, anyway.
"I'm not fond of anyone intruding on my mind," she argued reservedly. "It feels very much like a violation of privacy, and I would prefer that it stopped." Raising a pale brow at the bobbing head, she had to ask. "How come you're so unbothered by them? You're not worried about what would happen if they took over Caido?"
Kaiden could see her point and shrugged, "That's fair, I guess. But maybe he can't turn it off." The mer had no idea if that were the case but it was something that everyone who wasn't a Friend of the Family should consider before passing judgement. The mer couldn't and didn't want to turn off their sight or hearing. No one should be expected to do so, even if it was for the comfort of other people.
The woman's second question was strange and Kaiden didn't understand. Th mer thrashed their tail, leaning forward onto a rock to pull themselves more out of the water to lock eyes with the woman. "What do you mean? Why would I be bothered? They only hurt their enemies. Just don't be an enemy." It was easy and simple. Be a friend, not a foe. And then it wasn't 'taking over', it was just new leadership. Same as when Hadama and Flora became the rulers of Torchline. "How is it any different than someone born in Caido become a ruler? Or an Outlander?"
Face to face with the mer, Maea was a touch unsettled by their intense regard. The way they reasoned left an uneasy feel in her gut. "They are twisting our world with their void," she argued, frowning at Kaiden. "Not simply adding to our existing flora and fauna, but overtaking it completely. Is that not an invasion?"
Once upon a time Maea might have agreed that the influx of outlanders was problematic. But over the years she had changed her stance on that. "Neither Outlanders nor previous leaders have altered the nature of our world. Influenced it, sure, but never to this degree. I don't know about you, but I don't look forward to a future where everything I know and love has been erased or corrupted beyond recognition."
03-11-2025, 07:28 PM (This post was last modified: 03-11-2025, 07:28 PM by Kaiden.)
kaiden
There is no shame in survival
Only strength
Kaiden shrugged, "Other creatures invade each other's territories all the time. It's natural." How could anyone blame a group for simply trying to survive? The mer didn't see how it was different just because the Family came from beyond the stars. They might not understand why the Family needed to invade Caido, but Kaiden had full faith that it was necessary.
With a thrash of their tail, the mer's eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Then adapt. Become what you need to be to survive. Have who and what you love, do the same. Even if it's hard, it's not complicated." It had been so so easy. All Kaiden had had to do was just accept it. "You'll feel better if you do. Promise." It had felt like the weight of the world was taken from their shoulders and instead replaced by a gentle current for them to follow.
Maea stared at the mer, stunned into silence. A cold unease spread through her gut at the callous acceptance this person displayed towards the Void, the family, and even free will. Was Hadama aware that one of his people harbored such ideas? Not only excusing the invasion, but actually promoting the taint like it wasn't a plague raging through continents.
Setting her cup aside, the Ancient pushed herself up from her belly and stood. "We seem to be at an impasse," she murmured, "as neither of us appear interested in entertaining other ideas. I'll take my leave; I've no interest in arguing about this." Gathering up her belongings and dousing the fire with an application of will, Maea paused only long enough to give the mer a long, thoughtful look. "I hope this generous worldview of yours won't end up costing you anything that can't be replaced. I really do."
With a polite half bow towards the sea and the figure, Maea walked away. It was only later that she realized that she'd never learned the name of this merfolk; and by then, it was too late to fix her mistake.
