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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!
Tell the tales of the trail of dead Lovers learned from slower hands
The youths began their food fight in earnest, and Liam laughed a little at their antics, shaking his head. Oh, to be young and carefree again, amiright? Liam’s own meal disappeared quickly enough as he ate, with none of it dedicated to the food fight thus far. Instead, he kept one eye out for flying fare and the other on Hadama, with whom he continued to converse.
”Actually, yes,” he said, something in his eyes growing more animated suddenly. ”We made an accidental discovery at Fiat Lux that Maea and I think will come in handy with the gardening. I took it to Deimos for safekeeping.” He smiled. ”We will continue to hunt, as well. If we find more that could be useful, we’ll send word.” It wasn’t much, but it was the most that they could do at present, and that would have to be enough.
“Wha—?” I barely get the word out before Flora grabs my hand and pulls. One second I’m answering Remi and Ronin—my brain still trying to string words together like a normal person—and the next, I’m being herded across the sand like a sheep fleeing a smoked, sauce-slick war zone.
My eyes are wide, heart still hammering from the weight of them—from Remi’s wing curving like a shield in front of us, from Ronin glowing like some divine sun god at high noon. And then there's Flora, breezy as a summer storm, stacking a plate, like this isn’t a surreal fever dream wrapped in sun and smoke and family ghosts. I glance at Sohalia —wide-eyed, a little breathless, and smiling a little at the ridiculousness of the moment.
“Yeah, okay—good call,” I manage, glancing behind us just in time to see what might’ve been a whole pork shoulder sail through the air. “Definitely not how I imagined that going.”
Theea follows Flora and Sohalia!
Sah glances up as Talyson arrives, scooting his now empty plate over so that the courier has room to place his down on the table. Nudging the man's shoulder with his own, the hunter offers a tired smile. "Hey. I needed a change of scenery and figured I'd make the trip. How are you?" He'll probably have to catch Tal up about the incident later, but for now Sah just wants to relax.
Letting out a soft hum, Sah nods towards the Demi-god also sharing the table, "Zen, meet Talyson. Tal, meet Zen." He isn't sure how much the new Demi-god wishes to share about himself, if any at all, so he leaves the introduction to names.
It's then that the call for a food fight rings out and Sah can't help but let out a snort of laughter.
Zen's eyes narrow from behind his food as the stranger approaches. Sah seems to recognize the man, and the friendly greeting the two share is enough to have Zen relaxing somewhat. Still, it shows that the hunter is in lower spirits than he'd have expected at such an event. Minor concern fills the Demi-god, but he ignores it as introductions are made.
Talyson. Zen tucks the new name away for later, giving the courier a simple nod. He makes no further move to speak, and the cry from the crowd provides the perfect cover. A food fight?
The Demi-god finishes his meal and turns to watch the chaos erupt around him.
The food fight quickly escalates and Sah notes that some choose to make an exit and avoid the worst of it. While eyeing the madness, he notices someone throwing food in Talyson's direction. The Wild Thunder considers being kind and using his magic to block it for the courier, but instead just leans back so that he won't be caught in the crossfire.
Using his telekinesis to raise his plate and block a wayward bread roll, Sah cackles. "I swear, something always happens at these things." He settles in to watch, adjusting his shield as needed. And if a few unclaimed items from the trays of food join in the fray, who could possibly identify just which telekinetic user was responsible?
Although irritatingly loud, the fight is entertaining to watch, especially when people slip on the carnage or are hit with a lucky shot. Zen side-eyes Sah when he catches on to his silent mischief but doesn't out him. Instead, he ducks behind the hunter's improvised shield when a rack of ribs almost slams into his face.
It's all a bit too much for his tastes. Standing, the Demi-god pats Sah on the back before letting his newest magic take him. In a heartbeat and a dissipation of stardust, Zen vanishes. He appears further down the beach. From here, the party is just a roar in the distance, accompanied by pinprick lights. That's enough socialization for one day.
"I'm doin' better," Tal assured Sah, tearing a hunk of meat from the ribs and giving it a few dutiful chews before swallowing it down quickly. "A lot better, actually, now that Sascha is back." He flashed his frenemy a smile that was, for once, bright and genuine before he turned his head to examine the man beside the hunter. He didn't recognize the face or name, but Caido was a big place so Tal just shrugged and gave Zenith a nod in return. "Hey, nice to meetcha."
Which, you know, was about time one of the youthful chaos gremlins decided to waste precious food and some personKoa launched an unprovoked attack on the Messenger. He was, in fact, off guard and had just come out to have a nice time before feeling so viciously attacked. Mash splattered across his shoulder and continued on its trajectory to daub Zenith as well, and he whirled around, scowling once more with his mouth full of a second bite of ribs that he hastily choked down. "Hey! Who th'fuck did that??"
Not waiting for a response, he chucked his chicken leg into the fray - not aiming for Kaiden directly, but headed close enough in the Mer's direction as to make no difference.
A brow rose at the mention of good gardening luck, and emerald eyes gleamed brightly as hope surged. "That is very good to hear," he murmured. "Deimos is a skilled gardener." Hadama trusted the Sword with both his life and his landscaping, after all. He would rest easier knowing that the Fiat Lux bounty was in good hands. "Thank you for letting me know."
And the conversation would have continued pleasantly from there if the FOOD FIGHT had not sparked such contentious behavior. The problem with Not Perceiving it was that Hadama was easy prey for hunters like Melita, whose sausage impacted his bare chest. He caught it as it started to slide, contemplating it for a moment and then raising his eyes to the demigod of chaos.
With deliberate slow precision he raised the sausage in a salute of gratitude and then took a bite of the gifted food.
And in the middle of the bright, hot day a soothing mist rose around him, easing sunburns and bug bites from those not engaged in combat. And ensuring that everyone within range and looking ready to rumble - now designated as enemies - would find their aims fouled in the next round.
Who knew where the messy projectiles would end up now?
Magic: Turn the Tide | Can cause a moonlit mist to rise in a 30 ft radius that heals allies while causing enemies to roll with disadvantage for one round. Has a 2 post cool-down between uses.
Type: Light | Rank: Mastered
Tal saw the King get targeted and winced. Sure enough, the big man didn't look like he was going to take it lying down. "Y'know what? Party's all yours," he graciously offered to Sah, scrambling to his feet and clutching his rack of ribs to his chest. "Have, uh... fun?" Because the thought of getting any more crap on his Vest was not in his planner for the day.
He ducked, dodged, weaved, and dipped his way over to the grill to pile a chain of sausage links onto a plate and another bird leg with a duck of his head at Ronin in thanks - his mouth too full of ribs to manage the words - and then retreated from the melee with his prizes. Treats for the companions back at the Peregrine and lunch for Alys secured, he made his escape from the fray under cover of the moonlit mist.
Alive, the girl - Theea - says. Somewhere in Torchline. Ronin's lips part as if to ask any number of follow up questions, his hand grasping for Remi's even as his gaze tries to roam beyond the shield of his husband's wings, as if Ashetta might be jogging down the shoreline just out of reach. Before he can say anything further, though, the chaos around them seems to bubble forth tenfold, and as Flora simply ushers the girl who would be his niece away, as if she hadn't been the one to simply drop her in their laps, the radiance that pours from his body turns into something splintering.
"I - we'll catch up with you soon. We live... you can... find us..." But the Doubletake is already leading her away, Ronin's jaw feathering as he glances fleetingly towards the Bastion before stepping free of him and out of the shadow of his wings. "A'right, that's enough!" he barks at the food fight in general, especially given that some people have already opted to duck out of proceedings. "Anything you throw better get cleared away, or believe me when I say I'll make you eat it - no matter how much sand it's covered in."
Whether his dad voice does much to calm proceedings is irrelevant - Ronin fully intends to follow through on his threat, and he's suddenly got a lot of time on his hands to make sure of it.
