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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!
Belial consumed more eggs, screeching and chortling every time, while the antics still rolled below. Deimos had just enough time to laugh at the massive snowball coming to swarm Koa, in the face, and duck down before the Dragoon’s returning volley, and by then he was still chuckling away, hidden by the armor. Erebos joined in, and it was a father and son peal of delight and amusements.
Koa’s next siege barreled over the top of the leviathan scales, landing squarely near Deimos’ right shoulder and sailed onwards. Too close for comfort, he maneuvered both of them over to the side, slightly more fortified and barricaded by one of his makeshift turrets and towers, before buckling down on actual warfare.
This time, he lobbed three, quickly and sufficiently, one right after the other, but pinpointed at different targets. The first, for the fort itself, the second, for anything along the sidelines, and the third, if the opportunity struck again, for Koa himself.
The next volley lands in a trio of whumps. One rattles the makeshift barrier, causing Koa to pull away from it with a "Hey!" The second whips past Pipsqueak's nose where she's stuck it out to investigate, earning an indignant squawk from the long catsnake. And the third sails over the rugged barricade to strike the Dragoon's shoulder, which Deimos will no doubt realize from the string of curses that the boy exclaims.
"We're running out of ammo back here!" Koa calls to the Warden, eyeing his dwindling snowball supply. The Greenwing doesn't last quite so many deep snowdrifts as the rest of Halo, especially where the trees provide natural coverage over clear ground. Time to get creative with his assaults.
Ducking down, Koa looks up at the snow-covered boughs that Belial has clearly decided not to shake and takes things into his own hands. Balling his braced hand into a fist, he punches out with a magically extended blow to some low-hanging branches above Deimos' head, dislodging a small drift of snow to fall down toward the father and son.
Deimos hadn’t considered a war of attrition; at least, not in Halo. But he’d been crafting his own from incantations, and so found it all the more amusing when the pangs and curses settled in. He hadn’t thought to glance up – not yet – for Belial was still there, eating eggs, providing insight whether he realized it or not.
“Does that mean you are conced-,” he nearly managed to shout out, save for the rumble of the branches overhead. Snorting, he moved to guard over Erebos, who, again, remained wholly and delightfully oblivious as he swung his fists out and moved snow almost nowhere. The boughs lost their collected pockets of frozen crystals as they descended upon Deimos, at least, who hadn’t bothered to cover himself with anything.
He laughed though, as it struck and clung to his jacket, shaking his head much like a dog in the aftermath. Just for that, he sprung back into the fold, grabbing at magic and offering a whole sheet worth of snow to hover, and slowly make its way towards the Dragoon’s fortification, intending to place it downward in a looming, hovering shadow, until it could contort and cover everything in a fine layer of dust and cold.
The interrupted shout is all Koa needs to confirm his gambit worked - well, that and the cracking sound of dislodged snow falling off the weighted boughs. He even risks popping his head above the wall in order to witness the triumph, cackling as a blanket of snow descends to encompass the Warden and his tiny squire.
Alas, retaliation is as swift as it is certain, and Koa's expression swiftly contorts from gleeful triumph to bemused terror as a shadow forms overhead. He only has time to tilt his face up (bad move) before the deluge is released, a magically configured blizzard descending directly into his tiny fortress.
Sputtering and laughing, Koa throws his hands above his head to protect himself from the worst of the deluge. "No more! We yield!" Pipsqueak seconds this notion, burrowing into the newly formed snowbank and snapping at the crystalline assault. They'd had a good run, but they know when they're beaten. Already Koa can feel the rivulets trying to bully their way beneath the neckline of his shirt.
Vengeance was quick and keen, and it was satisfaction to his senses to hear the deluge of snow meet its mark – sputtering, laughter, all concessions to the inevitable. With a wry smirk, he permitted his own head to peer over the top of the fortress, releasing Erebos from the constant hold, to which the toddler giggled and teetered, wobbling to peek around the corner with his own semblance of glee.
“You did well,” Deimos rumbled, eventually returning to his full height, once they were out of the proximity of the fortification, already beginning to peel the armor out of the snowy bulwarks. “And thank you for helping. That was amusing.” And a much more diverting option than some others that had been rampaging through his mind. “We can head back to the Citadel for a warm meal,” and he smiled down at his son, who also seemed delighted with the idea, before beckoning companions and Dragoons to follow suit.
