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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!
Elizabeth took another bite of her blueberry muffin as she smiled at Deimos. "Thanks for being willing to train with me. I didn't think it would do me any good to just throw around lightning by myself." She laughed lightly, picturing herself out here alone, tossing bolts of lightning at trees. At least she probably wouldn't be bothered by any wildlife.
Her feet crunched in the permafrost as they made their way through the snowy field. The sun made the ground sparkle like diamonds had been scattered across it, almost blinding in its light. She didn't mind, casually snacking on her muffin as they found a suitable place to train. Looking up at Deimos, she asked, "Do you have an opposite magic that I could practice against? I've only really worked with Sah, and he used his own lightning."
The Warden nodded, polishing off his own muffin as he surveyed the Frostfields; ever scrutinizing and ready for something – years of warfare had taught him to be of the ‘constantly vigilant’ expertise. But he was willing nonetheless, offering his prowess and experience amidst training enterprises for most of his citizens, save for the ones that irritated him (and maybe then he just made everything that much more difficult – for his own amusements and spite). “It could have its moments. You would at least know your limitations.” Which was an important skill to hone – how far one could push, pull, cajole, or toss. Better to understand in the present, rather than in the middle of a life-or-death situation.
Which the Sword liked to prepare his constituents for, regardless. Caido unfurled a series of circumstances every day, and it wouldn’t do any good to be complacent and uncertain in the face of adversity.
His brow arched as they persisted into the permafrost and wide open tundra – another manifested and glorified arena for the day. The Barracks could’ve done some good, but closer quarters with fellow soldiers would’ve meant the unintended friendly fire aspect, and he was in no mood to be rushing everyone off to the infirmary or to snag at Zuriel when it came to electrical burns. “My Earth might be suitable.” Grounding anyway; could work as a shield should she toss the lightning in his direction. “For now, show me how far you can use it.” Then they could expand it to other means.
"That's true." She didn't mention that she'd spent plenty of time studying and assessing her own magic. It was the curiosity and will to understand that had her taking notes and measurements - ever the studious scientist. However, 'limits' were certainly something she hadn't explored, particularly her endurance or the effect her magic had against different elements. Hence their training.
Having had a similar idea on location, Elizabeth finally stopped in the middle of a flatter area of the field as she swallowed her last piece of muffin. She smiled at his suggestion, curious to see how her magic might hold up against the grounding properties of earth and soil. "That should work!" Her eyebrow raised at his request before she shrugged her shoulders. "Sure. I've measured my farthest strike to be about thirty feet." To prove as much, she picked a place at the edge of her range, raising her hands to summon the magic.
She'd found that she didn't need to have a source anymore, the lightning flowing freely through her body and beyond without so much as a conduit. It cracked through the air in a flash of light, striking the snow in a blast of force that echoed through the tundra, bits of charred snow fluttering down from the electric surge.
Given how Deimos had learned about limitations in a far more dangerous and impactful scenario, he thought it suitable for others to do the same in less treacherous designations. Not in life-or-death situations. Not in opportunities of distress. “You will know – though it will change as you grow and strengthen too. It comes as a tangible warning across your mind.”
But then he watched as the lightning skittered and scattered – summoned at her behest and no other need for sources. The charred remains were a worthwhile indication of her power, and he smirked; seeing where the practice with Sah had come in handy. The Sword didn’t have such elements, save for in his thunderbird form, so it was amusing to watch it reel and hover and then burn, reminiscent of Ru’s prior thresholds.
“Good. That has grown quite a bit since I have seen you use it last.” Thereafter though, his mind persisted in seeing how much they could unfurl and billow, strengthen and diminish – playing and altering the elements. “What if I start small, and we can test how much the ground can impact your lightning?”
From there, he unfurled a multitude of Earthen wares that stretched across the snow – visible mounds of soil, dirt, and loam; though only around ten feet or so, to see if she could either pinpoint, go around and control, or alleviate it just the same.
She wasn't sure what a 'tangible warning across her mind' would look like, but Elizabeth wasn't too eager to find out, certain that it would not be a pleasant experience. Frequent use of her magic left her tired and hungry, but if she pushed beyond that... would she even be able to move? Would her veins sing with the crackling of magic that ran rampant? Would she be able to sense her magic at all? It was something she'd have to find out sooner or later, whether for her own sake, or curiosity's.
Elizabeth accepted the compliment with a proud smile, tucking a strand of errant hair behind her ear. "Thanks." She couldn't necessarily claim she'd been 'working on it,' but it certainly felt like she'd grown more into her power in recent months.
The piles of dirt appeared around them, and Elizabeth took note of their locations as she nodded her head. "Sounds good to me." Without waiting for another sign to begin, she readied her hands, drawing forth the magic to push it into one of the piles. It wasn't hard, it was as if it was drawn to the earth, sucking the power from the air into its soft embrace. The impact was still enough to send dirt spraying, but it didn't burn or sizzle, just winking out of existence.
Her head tilted, a look of contemplation on her face. "Interesting."
He watched, bearing down the fortitude of earth, as Elizabeth spread her lightning across the vantage points. The spray amused him, volleying and rallying in spurts, until nothing. “Have you ever been to the Levinsward in the Grounds?” He asked – seemingly out of the blue, but there was a reason for it.
Spreading his incantations further, until they were amplified into a twenty foot expanse, he permitted an invited her to extend those sparking, sizzling elements again, intending to see how much she could decipher and strive for in the pockets of loam. “We once tried to explore through there, before it was all open. Rather than walk across the fields during the constant lightning storms, we went underground.” And had therefore, been safe.
Until they came across a rogue unicorn herd and rescued them, but adventures were adventures.
Watching the dirt settle back into a semblance of a pile, Elizabeth tilted her head up to Deimos and his question. "I can't say I've had the pleasure, although I've heard it's as beautiful as it is dangerous." With her own magic, she could probably make it through unscathed, but for those without literal lightning in their veins, she figured it wouldn't be the most 'interesting' experience as 'terrifying.'
As she listened to his tale, she let out a low hum as she tried to picture the group pushing through the ground. "Hm. That's really smart. I'm assuming it worked?" At least in that it protected them from the lightning. Exploration was another factor entirely, something she considered as she launched a volley of electric strikes across the field.
The first was the control, watching again as it was absorbed into the soil without so much as a flicker. The second was an experiment, attempting to weave it between two of the piles, sensing as it was tugged forcefully into the soil when it got too close. The third and final shot was the real test as she tried to skirt the largest pile in favor of a smaller one. It took some effort on her part, but she managed to succeed in hitting her target, even if her hand ached against the force it took to keep it on the right path.
He watched again – deliberately setting portions up rather than fighting anything – a test of expansion and abilities before putting any fortitude, might, and bite behind it. The weaving earned her an arch brow, pondering if it was a certain style or just an exploration into abilities; but it danced, shimmered, crackled, and finessed its way into the loam before disappearing again, as if absorbed into the earth itself. “It is. And if you simply want to see the show,” meaning the electrical storms, “There is an inn and bar nearby.” Appealing in its own way – to bear witness to the chaos without being fully immersed in it.
Not that he would know, too often at home in the latter. “Yes – though we ended up rescuing a herd of unicorns rather than going much further. But it worked for what we wanted to accomplish.” Thereafter, he unfurled another range of dirt and soil again – hardening surface to be comfortable in the current environment. It would be the full capacity of his incantations’ span and scope – but certainly not the armaments and fervency behind it. “All right, see what you can do with that.”
She supposed it made sense to profit off the natural occurrence of a constant lightning storm, so she couldn't say she was surprised to hear of the thriving businesses despite the associated dangers. Nevertheless, it made her laugh. "I'll have to check it out!" And maybe take notes on what kind of people sought out the thrill.
As her magic calmed from the previous acrobatics, Elizabeth stretched out her hands, letting the sizzle settle under her skin again. Smiling up at Deimos, she said, "Well, that sounds like success to me." Specifically the part about the unicorns. She had a soft spot for the regal creatures. Partially because - as an unashamed girly girl - they're pretty.
At his command, Elizabth looked to his hardened structure of earth, already feeling that her lightning wouldn't stand a chance. It was like a wall, firm and unmoving. Yet she would never know if she didn't try, and she raised her hands to call forth the magic again. The lightning arced through the air, clattering against the wall with enough crackling force to chip away a small piece of the structure before scattering harmlessly along the surface. "Well, that was useless." Despite the words, her laugh was light and good natured, unbothered that she wouldn't be able to shatter walls with her lightning.
Making no means to define just who would seek out such things – after all, he’d been amidst the patrons recently – he allowed another small smile at their once difficult adventure. The unicorns had survived their trek back to safer quarters, and none of them had been mired or ruined – perhaps frustrated and at odds with one another over things.
Thereafter though, he watched as the lightning blended and arced, then chipped away at his earth, but otherwise left it wholly solid, strong, and stalwart. Grinning at her notions, he shrugged. “Would not have known unless you tried it – which is better out here than in a dangerous situation.” It was why he insisted on so many practicing; enhancing muscle memory, while also expanding on their experience, on seeing what worked and what didn’t, on what failed, faltered, and stumbled, or was what easy and successful.
Beginning to get restless, his mind spun to other possibilities and trials. “Want to see if you can get it through this?” All at once, his portions of earth magic began to rise, not unlike specks of dust and debris and stone, all clattering about in his makeshift cyclone, comprised of some air, they couldn’t levitate and wind around on their own – wild but controlled by him alone.
His point was valid and more than a little reasonable, making Elizabeth smile. "I suppose not." It made her think that maybe she should study more of her magic's reactions to other materials and magics. Even if she didn't plan to jump into battles, it might be helpful as a scientific reference for herself.
Suddenly, air, rock, and other earthen objects were whipping before her eyes. Her laugh echoed over the field, shocking in the face of a literal tornado in front of her. She gestured to it casually as she looked to Deimos. "I don't know exactly what you expect me to do against that, but I guess I'll give it a try." Shaking her head in disbelief - because she got the feeling she knew exactly how this was going to go - Elizabeth raised her hands again.
As he'd recommended, she tried to go through the swirling mess of chaos, throwing her lightning forward in an attempt to hit the ground on the other side. And as she'd expected, it immediately hit a piece of rock, smacking it out of orbit and into the snow before the electricity caught on another bit of soil and fizzled out. She could tell that if she kept feeding the magic, she might have a strong enough current to dispel most of the debris, but it wouldn't get her through until a clear path opened. So instead of sending more bits and pieces flying and potentially hitting one of them, Elizabeth lowered her hands and shrugged her shoulders helplessly at Deimos. "I guess that answers that."
“Try, is all,” he remarked with the barest glint of a smirk again; eyes flickering back to survey the scene. He’d seen mastered lightning do all sorts of damage – from death and carnage to moments of proximity to Mort’s Realm – and even though Elizabeth might not willingly seek out battles, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t come to her. War had a particular way of finding all of them – and certainly had the last time it severed and seared across the surface.
But then the static and sparks caught at the cyclone of rocks and dirt, and he watched with rapt amusement as one of the stones went flying off; unbothered by the sound and sight of it singeing, or that it ricocheted with such velocity. Too familiar with danger to bat an eye, he merely snagged at it with more earth and air, permitting it to return to the revolving chasm as Elizabeth’s incantations seemingly snuffed out.
Musing out loud, as he’d so often done with Hotaru when practicing her own sparking enchantments, he tilted his head, considering. “Wonder if you can aim it for the middle. See if you can add to the storm.” Or if it would simply cease to exist again, once it was too close to the maneuvering and shifting earth. On his whim and hunch, he contorted and controlled the rapacious edges again, unfurling so there was a clear section for her to utilize the sparking synapses.
Combining their powers was definitely an intriguing idea and Elizabeth watched as he made space within the tornado for her lightning to slip inside. She tilted her head, analyzing how best to approach it as she hummed softly to herself. "Hmm. Okay."
Her hands raised again, a look of concentration passing her face as she tried to picture going to the swirling mass rather than through. It meant pulling back on the intensity, letting it crackle from her fingers to his conjured magic. The bits of rocks and debris snagged at the electricity, pulling it up into the cyclone as it charged and zapped against various pieces. Because of the spread, the power was dispersed enough to weaken the force of each jolt, keeping the objects from flying out into the snow with unbiased force.
Pleasantly surprised by the reaction, Elizabeth continued to feed the force, watching as it turned the whirlwind blue and purple with the light that zipped inside. She noticed that if she increased her power, another rock would go flying, but if she lessened it too much, it got swallowed in the earthen magic. Once she found the happy medium, she held it as best she could, straining against the effort it took.
His own control kept most of the elements tethered and tied together in their rotating cataclysm, content to watch, arching his brow Elizabeth added her electricity into the barrage. She seemed to find the right spots for the magic to settle without bombarding and hollowing out the proportions, and eventually there was a pleasant hum of lightning rampaging through the cyclone of dust, dirt, and debris.
Amused, he only ensured it stayed for a few more minutes – glancing at her, she seemed honed in on concentration, and much longer might be prolonging some unfortunate side effects. “Good work. See – eventually you will be able to build this on your own.” Without anyone else’s influence – enchantments seared and capable in her scrutiny and machinations. “That is probably enough for today though,” and eventually relinquished the unfurled sediment – until it all drifted and dropped back to the ground. “I know I have things to do at home,” teasing her with a wrinkle of his nose; both of them likely had multitudes to work on wherever.
