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!
"Liam?" A small fist bounded against the door, rapid like a heartbeat. A tone of pent up excitement could be heard even through the solid wood, breathless like one who had hurried and still gasped for breath. "Are you home? I have to show you something!"
It was late in the afternoon. Red had begun to kiss the horizon to the west as the sun descended towards the treetops. A golden light cast every surface in high contrast, rendering the world like a painter's vision or some magicians illusion. Standing on the dragoon's threshold with a bundle gently wrapped in her arms, Maea felt like she moved through a dream, like some spell had been cast over her and her head was wrapped in at least one layer of wool.
Surreal. When miracles sprung upon you out of nowhere, the entire world shifted abruptly to one side and nothing was ever quite the same again. She, who had never been good with change, found herself treading unfamiliar ground now, even though the Sidhe Village looked the same as ever. Was she the one who had changed, now that she had experienced the blue moon, the flying pig, the frozen over hellscape and spent all the luck that had been afforded her over two lifetimes? Unsure, she could think of no one better to share this with. If nothing else, she could at least ask Liam to pinch her, and if it made her wake up then she'd be in good company to vent her disappointment. Because, honestly... how could this be real?
Tell the tales of the trail of dead Lovers learned from slower hands
It was nearly sunset when there was a pounding on Liam’s door. He’d been making dinner - just a simple stew - and paused while chopping carrots as he heard a familiar voice through the wood. Frowning, he set aside his knife and wiped his hands on a towel; he tossed the towel over a shoulder as he strode quickly to the door.
When he opened it, it was to find Maea waiting impatiently, practically bouncing with excitement. Her pale form gleamed a reddish gold in the light of the dying sun, and he was struck once more by the ethereal beauty that seemed to emanate from within the Ancient. A soft smile played on his lips, even as confusion marred his brow. Had he forgotten some date, some agreed upon plans? Surely he’d have remembered?
He had not forgotten. It was she who broke the pattern they had fallen into, of searching the woods from morning to midday until they had to tend to practical things like work and food and other mundane tasks. And perhaps it could have waited until morning, but she felt as though she might actually burst unless she told him now, because tomorrow... who knew if tomorrow would even come, at this rate? All the order of the world was upended, and Maea couldn't take anything for granted.
Smiling ear to ear as he appeared in the doorway with a smile soft enough to make her blush, her head bobbed hastily to stave off any concern. "Yeah I'm fine. More than fine, actually - can I come in? You will not believe this if I just tell you." Shifting the mysterious bundle in her arms, she stole a curious peek past his shoulder to the space beyond the door. Delicious aromas wafted towards her and her stomach churned; she had forgotten everything about lunch, or even dinner, too absorbed in getting home to pay heed to such trivial things as food.
Tell the tales of the trail of dead Lovers learned from slower hands
Maea smiled up at him, and despite her hasty assurance, he found himself checking her over just to be sure - and, just as she'd said, she appeared unharmed. Unless, of course, she'd bumped her head. She'd never accepted his invitations before, and yet now she was inviting herself into his home. "Oh, uh - yeah, come on in," he said, perhaps a bit sheepish. He should have invited her in before she had to ask. Where were his manners?
Thankfully, he kept a clean house, so almost everything was in its place. The main living area was open concept, with a small but serviceable kitchen open onto a living room that held a small couch and two chairs. A table large enough for four was a sometimes painful reminder of the life he'd once led, when the table had been full and the company abundant. A hallway led off the living area towards the back of the cottage and the two bedrooms.
Shutting the door behind her, Liam eyed the mysterious bundle in her arms. "So... what is it I won't believe?" he asked, picking up on her infectious energy and waiting impatiently for a clue as to what this was about. The only thing he could think of was her search for Vi's Roses - but surely they'd searched the entire Greatwood thrice over by now, and they'd yet to find one. So that couldn't be it... could it?
Stepping across the threshold and bringing the door close behind her, she paused briefly to take in the space around her. Swaying gently, it struck her only in that moment that she had crossed a line somewhere; a mental one, as solid and absolute as the divide between inside and outside. When had she stopped being alarmed at the idea of looking past the shallow, the superficial, the polite facade that everyone wore in public whether they intended to or not? Here she was, seeing the other side; the laid back, the private, the kind of person Liam was when no one looked. He'd told her he could cook - of course he could, living alone for so long - yet seeing the half-cut vegetables on the counter and the pot that simmered away threw her off anyway. Suddenly she felt embarrassed for barging in like this; like she had any right to, just because they had called each other friends out loud.
But she was inside already, and turning back now was no option if she knew him as well as she thought. Braving the open floor, Maea brought her burden to the table and gently set it down. A long glance was cast towards Liam, and slowly she unraveled the miracle within.
Crimson flared to life, and all other colors of the room grew muted in comparison. A scent of damp earth filled the room, and sitting in the center of her dirty cloak, safely tucked into a mound of soil, sat a rose. Vibrant in red and gold, it was all their hopes come to life; if it had a fragrance, Maea imagined it was reminiscent of hope, and life, and something precious beyond words.
Mutely she just watched the soldier, a bewildered question in her eyes; was this real? Was she dreaming? Someone pinch her now or let her stay dreaming forever.
Tell the tales of the trail of dead Lovers learned from slower hands
Oblivious to the war being waged behind Maea's eyes, Liam watched as she walked towards the table to set her bundle down reverently. Curious, the soldier followed, and continued to watch as she slowly, painstakingly unwrapped it. And there, sitting on the middle of his kitchen table, sat a single rose with crimson petals and gold-tipped thorns. He'd seen its like only once before, and for a moment, he simply stared at it, disbelieving.
Then, suddenly, a brilliant smile blossomed across his face, and he turned to Maea with a whoop of delight. "Maea, you found it!" he all but shouted; caught up in the excitement, he reached to grab her around the waist, lifting her in the air and spinning around before abruptly realizing what he'd done and setting her gently back down, blushing furiously. "I - sorry, it's just - you - I can't believe it's real!" he exclaimed with a laugh that was both nervous and wondering in equal measure.
The exclamation startled her with its suddenness, the way it shattered the stillness and swept away any question she might have of this being some trick or illusion. And before she could react, strong hands seized her by the waist and she spun, or the room spun, gravity abandoning her for a dizzy dance that ended so abruptly she had to grab hold of Liam's arms to avoid toppling over. Shocked by the gesture - stunned, honestly, because aside from the occasional brief nudge they had barely ever touched before - she found herself laughing along with him, if only because she couldn't think of what else to do.
"I found it," she confirmed weakly, slowly relinquishing her hold on him. The red in his face matched her own, a blush as deep as the sunset outside the window, as scarlet as the petals of Vi's Rose on his kitchen table. "I was... hunting with Thalassa. A friend. And suddenly it was just there. Like it had never been anywhere else - but I swear, we must have walked past that spot a hundred times by now." Shaking her head with a bewildered look on her face, it was all she could do to gaze at the flower. Just like the house, this changed everything. Suddenly their hunt was over, the dire need that had nipped at her heels for weeks was gone. Like Thal has said, here was her ticket back to Torchline... and though the thought of seeing Flora's expression when she handed it over was satisfying, she felt no desire to linger in the tropical paradise.
"I thought... I actually didn't think I would ever see one," she admitted quietly, putting words on the thought for the first time since arriving to the forest.
Tell the tales of the trail of dead Lovers learned from slower hands
Liam kept a hand on her until he was sure she was steady, then quickly released her, still scarlet with embarrassment. It was rare that he should lose control of his ability to think in such a way, and he could only hope he hadn't scared her off with his rare display of glee. Fortunately, she began to explain where she'd found the rose, and as she talked, he started to relax. "If anyone was going to find one, it was going to be you," he told her. "No one has searched harder than you." And he was willing to bet that no one had wanted it quite as badly as Maea, if only to be able to shove it in Flora's face.
Turning to the rose, he considered it with a thoughtful expression. Now that she'd found it, would she still want to stay? Had accepting his offer to live in the Greatwood simply been a backup plan, something to fall back on if she never found the elusive flower that they'd spent hours hunting side by side? In many ways, Torchline was surely the better fit for an Ancient, after all, and the Greatwood still needed so much work. But she'd said she'd stay, and he had no reason to doubt her. It was just his own fears raising their ugly heads.
"What now?" he asked, glancing back to Maea. "I mean, I get what it's to be used for, but... please tell me you're not off to fight the Family on your own?"
In truth, she did feel rewarded by this find. For her action, for her choices, as though the appearance of the Rose was a confirmation that she was on the right track, doing precisely what she should be. Despite it being complete coincidence, Maea couldn't accept it as that. At the very least, finding what she had been looking for showed that it was possible to receive what she manifested. By venturing out in search of better things, they were finding her one by one. A home, a land, a friend, a hope to one day mend the yawning pit of loss in her soul...
As for what happened next, it was a question she had kept asking all the way here. Tugging a lock of hair behind an ear, she suppressed an impulse to inch closer to Liam, not quite clear on how cozying up to him would make it easier to decide.
"On my own? No, of course not. I only promised to find a flower, not plant it. I've no business setting foot on Starfall. At least... not yet." But she didn't promise it would never happen. Sooner or later it might be necessary, whether she wanted to or not. "But... I do need to decide how to deliver this to Flora. Do I write a letter? Invite her over? Just show up..?" Calculating the effect of each possibility, she looked up at Liam. "If I were to go to Torchline to settle this, would you like to come with me?"
Tell the tales of the trail of dead Lovers learned from slower hands
Well versed in the art of war, Liam knew better than to attempt to extract a promise that Maea would not go looking for a fight. Even if she never set foot on Starfall, it was entirely possible that she would be caught up in any impending battles anyway, just because that was how war worked. Innocents were so often caught in the crossfire, to say nothing of those who wished to help but weren’t strong enough to be on the front lines. Like him.
Maea considered possibilities of how to get the flower to Flora, and when she looked up at him, Liam blinked with surprise. They were friends, of course, and he knew that should he go on a trip, he’d like her to come with him; but to hear that sentiment echoed was something surprising and unexpected. Warmth bloomed in his chest at the thought that she wanted him with her, and he smiled. ”I’d be glad to,” he said. ”When do you want to leave?” No hesitation, no questions - just a simple agreement, an eagerness to accompany Maea to see her quest through to the end,.
Her silly little heart fluttered at the immediacy of his answer, the acceptance to her invitation. Fine crowsfeet lined her eyes as she smiled fondly at him, her mouth quirking aside. "Tomorrow, if I could. But it will probably be a few more days - got to make sure queenie will be there to accept my bribe first." Gods, Maea looked forward to having this whole mess firmly in the past. And it was a comfort to know she wouldn't be facing Flora on her own. Laughable though it was, her stomach upended with unease, a dread near enough to fear that she worried about the outcome if she went alone. Like facing a schoolyard bully –
"Thank you. I'll be glad for your company."
Wrapping her arms about herself and rubbing her upper arm, the sigh that escaped Maea was soul deep and weary, relieved like one who was setting down a mountain's worth of burdens. Breathing in once more, she was reminded of the food simmering away, and that she had interrupted Liam in the middle of a chore."Anyway... What are you making?" she wondered, trying to guess from the contents on the chopping board.
03-21-2025, 09:22 AM (This post was last modified: 03-21-2025, 09:23 AM by Liam.)
Tell the tales of the trail of dead Lovers learned from slower hands
Liam’s returning smile was affectionate. He wasn’t sure exactly when he’d come to rely on Maea’s presence in his life - and how he’d done so as quickly as he had - but she was a very welcome addition to an otherwise largely solitary lifestyle. Even something as simple as having her in his home warmed his heart in a way he didn’t want to look at for too long.
Maea wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her upper arms, and Liam frowned. ”Are you cold?” he asked, glancing around the living room. He had put away most of the blankets, given that the season had changed and the weather had warmed, but he could still fetch one if needed.
Turning his attention back to the stew - which, fortunately, was very difficult to burn, he seemed to realize that he had indeed left dinner halfway done. ”Just some venison stew,” he said, making his way back to the counter. He picked up the knife he’d been using and resumed chopping the carrot, as though nothing particularly out of the ordinary had happened. ”Would you… care to stay for some?” he asked hesitantly. She’d never taken him up on the offer before, but today felt different. She was already here, after all.
"Not really cold, mostly I'm just tired. Feels like it's been a lot going on lately." Hovering near the table for a while as Liam went back to his chopping, her eyes never tired of feasting on the red flower.
It was the promise of heat near the fire that finally lured her feet to move. Slipping quietly into his space, she peered into the pot with some interest, while reaching her hands straight into the flames. The offer to stay for dinner was not unexpected - how many times har he offered by now, only for her to laugh and say later, some other time - but for once, the only hesitated before nodding slightly.
"Sure. I'd like that." A pause followed, tentative and nearly timid. "Can I help?"
Tell the tales of the trail of dead Lovers learned from slower hands
Despite her claims to the contrary, Maea seemed drawn to the flames at Liam’s back. Finishing his chopping, he watched as she approached, then stuck her hands directly into the fire. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to that - the casual way with which she handled flames, they way they danced over her skin like they were greeting an old friend.
He realized he’d paused, frozen, as he watched her, and cleared his throat uncomfortably as he picked up the chopping board and slipped the carrots into the pot of stew. ”Sure,” he said, holding out the board for her to take. ”There’s an onion over there you can chop, if you want. I’ll get some herbs and spices.”
It was an oddly domestic scene as they shared space in the kitchen, but Liam was struck by how peaceful and comfortable it was. Was it the rose’s influence that had them relaxing so, or was this just where their relationship had gotten to? Did it even matter?
