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!
The spirit descended silently, and Zavien gave it a grateful nod as no one else deigned to join the 'fun.' Watching from the sidelines, he began to relax a little. His ring stayed the same warmth it had since spotting Noe, and there didn't seem to be any risk of harm to the participants. It didn't mean he thought it was safe, but he began to wonder what other motives Pierce could have. Whatever it might be, apparently he didn't like having an audience.
Zavien tried to look calm as he was called out for his loitering, even as his shoulders tensed and his brows furrowed in thought. He had no desire to get caught up in whatever was going on, but something told him it would be worse to leave all these people at the mercy of Pierce. At least Koa was here, and he gave his friend a stoic nod of acknowledgement - an agreement that it was their duty to protect no matter what might occur.
He stepped forward, certain but reluctant as he looked to the brawler. "I'll play." It was hard to hide the hesitation as he accepted the strange hammer, gripping the trembling handle hard, like it was the manifestations of his anxious thoughts that he might be able to tame. Glancing again at Pierce, he slammed the weapon down so that he might finish with the nonsense.
Zavien joins the game...
Be like a solid tower whose brave height remains unmoved by all the winds that blow.
Oh this attempt is really fucking bad, especially after Vesper's incredible showing. And while visually, everyone is none the wiser to Calypso’s embarrassment, her brother would feel the flare of it tenfold. Her only saving grace is Nova, who she leans into the second that she squeezes her hand. “Thanks Nova.” She hums softly, flashing a soft smile to her as she waits for the next turn, hoping it goes better.
When it is and she steps up to swing, the hammer is handed to her and she also has the same thought as Nova, with more of a holy shit flourish to her thoughts. Testing it with her arms, Caly plants her feet a little better on the stone path and is careful as she draws it back, aiming to swing it down with a larger slam than the last one had been, hoping that it isn’t as poor as the last time.
Caly goes for round two!
Calypso
one-sided, it's pathetic how you think you're being smart
Koa's voice beside her made her jump. She hadn't been expecting to see him back in Stormbreak any time soon, at least not without Jude having written that he'd been able to talk some sense into the Dragoon. She glanced at him sidelong, her lips pursed as though considering. After a moment, as they waited their turn to play, she spoke. "Hey," she said. "Long time, no see." A pause, and then: "Can we talk after?"
When she stepped up to play, she returned Pierce's smile and made her attempt; it wasn't bad, and she sashayed back into the crowd with a grin. She felt a little thrill when Koa's attempt fell short of hers. "Off day?" she asked wickedly, her eyes sparking with a familiar mischief. Then she waited her turn for round two.
The hammer pulses in his grip like it’s breathing, like something inside is waiting. Vesper turns it over in his hands, watching the way it shudders and shifts, like it might bite if he holds it wrong. A brow lifts slowly. "Definitely not a regulation weapon," he mutters, mostly for Calypso ’s benefit as he catches the holy shit flaring through her mind. His smirk curves lazily. "You’re doing fine, Cal," he murmurs, voice pitched low and smooth enough to be just for her. "But if it makes you feel better, I’ll swing it hard enough for both of us."
Nova ’s hug had caught him off guard earlier, the weight of her sugar-sticky prizes still tucked awkwardly under one arm. He glances down at them now with a faint shake of his head, then back up as she skips away, asking Pierce about the hammer’s internals like she isn’t currently wielding a writhing chaos stick. Her laughter bubbles in the air, bright and unbothered, and Vesper’s mouth twitches at the corner—that’s my sister.
And then there’s Thalassa. The sway of her hips, the way she catches his gaze and sinks her teeth into her smile—it’s enough to drag heat through his chest. Her words, the wink, the eyes still smouldering with challenge... they hum in his mind like electricity on wet skin. "Every second," he answers simply, tossing the words after her as she moves into the shadows.
Now it's his turn.
Vesper adjusts his stance, feet firm on the stone, his grip shifting slightly to accommodate for the hammer's strange lurches. For a beat he just watches it, letting it squirm like a caged animal before swinging. There's no hesitation this time—just a sudden blur of motion as the demigod slams the hammer down in a clean, brutal arc. The sound is loud, the hammer rattling on impact, the internal weight shrieking up the track to hopefully ring the bell.
☆ has a pale star tattoo beneath his left eye, and freckle-sized constellations move across his skin
☽ hair changes from bleached blonde to brown
☆ telepathic: Sunlit Shadows | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 60ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Koa nods at Zavien, grateful to his friend for the foresight to protect others from this potential danger. He'd been so focused on Noe - and then Kaisel, because why not throw all his family into one danger zone - that he hadn't really contemplated the danger presented to others, much to his chagrin. At least Noe seems safe, and not ready to claw out his eyes. "Course," he answers quietly, nudging her with his shoulder. "At home, or wanna go to Salty's?" Maybe the setting of their favorite ice cream shop will soothe ruffled feathers even further.
Round one goes well enough; Koa isn't trying to win, exactly, though his pride is a little rankled as his hit has a very underwhelming effect. He takes his turn waiting for round 2, eyes sharp as he watches the others, listening to their grumblings that something is wrong with the hammer. Glancing at Zavien, he sends up his own quiet prayer - summoning a spirit to protect against any backlash or injury that could be suffered by the innocents.
And then he takes his turn.
Koa channels a spirit to protect the Drop participants, in case something goes wrong
Accepted Channeling: Allows an Accepted to channel a herald/demigod/spirit during a time of crisis (2x a season). Can be combined with other accepted channeling to increase power.
Type: Light | Rank: Upgraded
As Koa’s prayer whispered skyward, the air around the competition stand shifted—soft, golden, kind. From nowhere and everywhere at once, a warm breeze drifted through the square, curling around ankles and cheeks like the comforting brush of a familiar hand. The scent of summer rain and sea salt rode on its back, and laughter that had begun to fray with tension now lilted higher, steadied by something unseen. The spirit he summoned didn’t take shape—not exactly—but those sensitive to such things could feel it moving, gentle and protective, winding through the crowd with a watchful warmth.
Round two starts off well enough, the big surprises not quite happening in the first few rounds. Kaisel steps up and claims he’s got it this time and Pierce watches as it wobbles in the man’s hand. Hiding the smirk, when the dragoon slams the hammer down, he’ll find it reaches the halfway point up the weight. Thalassa is next, and Pierce continues to eye her, gaze lingering on her curves and her confidence as the hammer bobs in her hands too. While it isn’t a bell, it does go higher than Kaisel’s had just before. “Distracted?” Pierce smirks, his baritone voice a low hum for her ears as he crosses his arms and watches her go as Nova takes to the plate.
“There might be.” He hums with a playful grin toward Nova, glancing over toward Vesper and Calypso as they stand in line. His gaze snaps back to the hybrid as she swings the hammer, and perhaps it’s the sister’s curse as the weight lifts only barely above where Calypso had hit it the round before.
Watching with content – and a bit of cockiness – as Zavien finally joins the show, Pierce eyes him up easily, noting the hesitation and the way the man grips the hammer. The hammer slams down and it rises just below Kaisel’s score. “Not so bad, huh? Having fun?” Comes the snarky response, flashing Zavien a wink before he’s handing the hammer to Calypso to go next.
As the attuned steps up to the plate, perhaps Nova had transferred some of the luck to Calypso. Because as she resets her stance and Pierce takes in the noted changes, the young woman slams the hammer down and her score shoots up to the exact rung that Thalassa’s had hit previously. “Atta girl.” Comes the playful purr from Pierce, flashing her a wink as he takes the hammer and hands it to Noe where his gaze immediately softens a touch. A friend was a friend, after all. As Noe steps up, the hammer swings down and it seems as if she’s got quite the hang of the wobbliness of the hammer as her weight hits exactly where Calypso’s and Thalassa’s had before her.
Ah, but then it’s the shadow kid again, and Pierce eyes him curiously as he takes the hammer. It rises, wobbles before Vesper gains control over it, and when it slams down, Pierce is admittedly a little surprised when the weight shoots up, past everyone’s before them, to just under the bell – missing it by an inch. Whistling a little, Pierce smirks toward Vesper and takes the hammer and hands it off to Koa.
Expecting very little from the dragoon, especially with the last round, he does take note of the sudden warmth in the area, squinting toward Koa and Zavien in turn, before he watches as Koa strikes the weight and the wobbly hammer slams down, immediately shooting up even past Vesper’s to land just a millimeter away from hitting the bell. He lets his eyes linger on Koa a few moments longer before he collects the wobbly hammer. “Not bad.” Comes the playful rumble before he’s tossing this hammer to the side.
“Alright, who’s ready for round three?” He calls out, flashing a grin as he takes in the crowd. “And who likes surprises?” Imagining that everyone there did like surprises, the next hammer he withdraws from his fancy bag of tricks seems inconspicuous at first. It looks normal in Pierce’s hand, but as he hands it to the first to step up, they’d find that the hammer was incredibly light. He reaches over to the machine and swaps a switch, all lights and colors flaring to a vibrating rotation of purple and cream, numbers switching to a new layout. Now, rather than the highest number being on top, it sits at the bottom.
When the next person steps up, he hands them the hammer with a smirk of amusement and waits.
Round 3, last but not least: The hammer is light and the numbers are reversed. The swing will feel normal, but like you’re swinging a child’s hammer instead of a heavier, adult weighted one. Try to reach the bell again!
Despite her comfort with the movement, it gets away from her at the last second, the hammer shifting to subvert all the momentum she'd gathered. She contains a curse as it slips and the pin launches above the last man's. Although it isn't the worst display, Thal can't bring herself to be proud of the result. Luckily, she has something else to 'distract' her, and she offers the wiggling weapon back to Pierce without hesitation. Her shoulders come up in a shrug, a wolfish grin on her lips as she lays out the returning challenge. "Maybe I'm just wondering how you stack up against some of the others." There's a not-so-subtle approving glance towards Vesper before she meets Pierce's gaze again, her smile all dares and sizzling heat as she departs.
Thal catches the demigod's eyes again, her tail 'accidentally' brushing against him as she passes, blue eyes not missing a single thing - his lightning quick response to her, the bundle of colorful chaos under his arm, the soft words he shares with his sister, the strength of his strike. She soaks it all in, filing it with careful precision as information for later, pieces of a puzzle she's still working out.
Her turn comes again quickly, although she notes the difference in the game, analyzing how she might approach this next round. In the end, she decides to treat it the same as all the others - shooting for the high number. Taking the light hammer, she shoots Pierce another playful wink as she raises her arm. Keeping her blue eyes on him, she lets her arm fall gently to barely tap against the surface.
Her attempt is abysmal, and if Nova wasn't so entranced by the other factors of the game, her competitiveness might have flared. Instead, she lets out a small squeal as the hammer gives another big shake, inspecting it for a moment longer before giving it to Pierce. "If you're not going to use this after today, could I have it?" She bats her eyelashes up at him, a hopefully expression on her face as she expects him to act like all the other men, giving in to her every whim.
Vesper's hit is just what she'd expect from her brother, another cheer echoing around the space and a puff of glittering illusion starlight falling over his head on his victorious return. She shouts just as loud when Calypso succeeds in her second hit, hugging her sister and spinning in a twirling circle as she laughs. "That was amazing! I knew you could do it!"
Suddenly, the game shifts before her eyes, purple and cream flashing as the numbers change. Nova couldn't care less, too interested to find out what the next hammer will be like. "Ooh ooh! I love surprises!" She practically runs when her turn arrives, her hands flying up as the too-light hammer enters her grasp. "Woah! That's so cool! Is it hollow? Or magic?" Another sprinkle of bubbling laughter escapes as she steps up to the game, curious of how it feels like the weapon might float out of her grasp.
Not realizing caring that the objective might be different this time around, Nova braces her feet, sticking out her tongue in concentration as she lifts the hammer. When she slams it forward, she uses a bit of air magic in an attempt to give it more force, a trail of sparkles following the arc of the swing.
Nova hits as hard as she can! She supplements her strength with air magic (and a bit of illusion magic).
Air manipulation: Can manipulate the air. Must be within a 5ft radius, control is weak and unstable and requires concentration.
Type: Grey | Rank: Basic
He released a breath as he sensed the spirit wind through the crowd, grateful that Koa was similarly invested in their pledged purpose. It calmed some of the nerves running through his veins as he swung the hammer, so much so that he didn't balk from Pierce's teasing words. He gave the gamemaster a forcefully polite smile as he moved away, glad to release the possessed hammer. "Sure. Fun."
Rather than pay attention to his own standing or efforts, Zavien kept his eyes on the surroundings, still watching out for any tricks or traps. Hopefully, Koa's channeling would guard them from anything too severe, but he wouldn't think it guaranteed, his shoulders remaining stiff as he kept guard, subconsciously twisting the ring on his hand to make sure the temperature hadn't changed.
After a few others went their turn, he stepped up for the third round, silently hoping it might be the end of the fiasco. He didn't do anything fancy or risky. He accepted the hammer, tested its weight, then swung it down into the target, not paying any head to numbers or possible prizes.
Zavien plays round 3.
Be like a solid tower whose brave height remains unmoved by all the winds that blow.
Vesper’s fingers twitch once around the grip, brows narrowing slightly as he tests the balance and realizes—immediately—this is a trap. Or a trick. Or both. A smirk curls at the corner of his mouth as the lights flare purple and cream, the reversed numbers painting a new puzzle in front of him. Of course the final round wouldn’t be straightforward.
"Crafty bastard," he mutters, just under his breath, more amusement than annoyance as he tosses the hammer once in his hand. The weight’s wrong, the swing will lie, but the principle remains. Don’t swing for the bell. Swing for the floor.
He waits just long enough to feel the slight buzz of Nova ’s magic still lingering in the air, eyes catching on the sparkling trail she’s left like a comet behind her. Vesper exhales, brief and sharp, then steps forward. He doesn’t hesitate. Doesn’t showboat. The hammer swings low—almost deceptively light—and then crashes down toward the bottom of the machine with unerring precision, his shadows flickering around his feet like an eager echo of motion. It’s a calculated move, but there’s force behind it too, honed and fluid, drawn from something lean and coiled beneath the demigod’s still frame.
Then he steps back, passing the hammer off to Thalassa with a wink.
Vesper uses his shadows to aid his hit!
☆ has a pale star tattoo beneath his left eye, and freckle-sized constellations move across his skin
☽ hair changes from bleached blonde to brown
☆ telepathic: Sunlit Shadows | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 60ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
// Ring around the rosie - Pocket full of posie //
Although getting rid of the pickle had helped his swing, it still lacked the oomph of most of the rest gathered here. The hammer had been trickier than he thought. He was happy to see Koa's nearly touch the bell though, and he gave out a loud, whooping yell and moved to thump his cousin on the back. He flashed a grin to Noe, who was also holding her own. He'd missed the quick conversation the pair had had, and he did his best to ignore the tension that was like a livewire through Koa. He, much like Pierce, was ready to embrace the carnival and enjoy it.
Lingering near his family, he watched some of the others step up to the newest challenge, hoping that by taking his time and assessing them a bit more he might gain an edge. Eventually though his attention span could stand it no longer, and he stepped up to take the feather-light hammer, startled when it's near weightlessness lie in his grip. It felt otherworldly, and Kaisel made a face at it. He'd noticed earlier the change in the lights and the numbers, and while most had still swung their hardest, Kaisel chose to do the opposite. Doing his best to hold the hammer-shaped air lightly in his fingers, Kaisel crouched down and with the faintest exhale, barely nudged the hammer over the pad. If the biggest number was on the bottom now, he theorized the lightest tap was actually the best, and that with such an airy hammer, a light tap was harder than you thought.
Kaisel breathes a tap onto the pad
Kaisel
// I'ma fucking blow all the ashes down //
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
Despite not being here to win, the competitive edge of Koa's nature is pleased indeed by his successful strike. Still, that isn't the purpose and he needs to focus, especially as Kaisel's loud enthusiasm rings within his ear. Again the Dragoon glances at Zavien, grateful for the warm sensation of spiritual protection that permeates the square. Nothing too awful had happened when Vox set up his table on the beach, and with no injures or accidents so far, Koa's beginning to think they have a good chance at getting out of this intact.
The flashing lights change, the numbers flipping; Koa raises a brow, his lips tight. Though he cannot help chuckling at his cousin's approach, shaking his head as the younger boy kneels before the anvil and gently brushes air across. "Interesting technique," he smiles to Kai, taking the featherlight hammer in turn. He tosses it between his hands a couple times, amused by its near-weightless nature, before swinging it down in a one-handed arc to land upon the weight.
While she wasn't the worst of the bunch by a stretch, Noe was disappointed to find that her second hit seemed a bit weaker than the first, perhaps because of the wobbly hammer. Koa had surpassed her that round, and she stuck her tongue out at him as he took his place back in the crowd.
The next hammer was lighter, and this time, Noe watched a bit before taking her shot. Kaisel's technique was, perhaps, the most intriguing; she shot him a grin as he barely tapped the hammer to the pad. It was a logical move; it would be interesting to see how it paid off.
Taking the hammer - and noting how much lighter it was than the others - Noe took her turn, shrugging before hitting the pad just as she had the first two times.
