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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!
Between Lena and Sol's diligent guidance, they found themselves in another section of the woods, one Zavien hadn't visited before. His eyes attempted to focus on the new surroundings: the giant tree, the twisting roots, the suspicious looking plants.
However, before he could comment on the questionable flora, a staticky broadcast filtered through his mind, full of biting words that were so full of pain and annoyance that took a moment for him to understand their meaning, and even then, he froze in his tracks, looking to Lena. "Does that mean...?" Had they cured Dahlia? Was that even possible? He hadn't thought the Family to be close enough to humans for redemption of any kind. Suddenly he felt guilty, wondering if they should have been focused on saving the Family rather than fighting them.
As much as he wanted to ponder the morality of it all, a bigger question remained. Zavien's eyes widened, a mix of hope and fear trying to grapple for purchase in their green depths. "What does this mean for Stormbreak?" Even though Dahlia had stood in the seat of power, he doubted the other members would give up the city so easily. And even if they did... what remained of their home?
Life is getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.
To her, even as they meandered through the middle of the woods, the broadcast meant hope. Though Vox might have grieved for the loss of Dahlia, however they’d done so, Lena didn’t – her eyes rounding as she listened. Her hands didn’t tremble like the last. Her breathing calmed, long inhales drawing in the surrounding light and air, thoughts roaming a mile a minute. “I think…it means we can go home soon.”
Maybe not until they’d helped King’s End with things. Maybe not until everything was official and done. Maybe not until they’d found someone to help lead that wasn’t a part of the Family, twisted and turned asunder. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself, but the excitement couldn’t dim, not now.
A very small smile etched its way upon her features as she glanced at Zavien. “Do you think the rest will leave?”
"We get to go home." He said the words aloud, seeing how they tasted on his lips, the way they curled around his tongue, the way they echoed in the cavern of his heart with unmistakable hope.
A dumb smile spread across his face, any doubts unable to stop the glowing light that pulsed in his chest. He laughed, bright and weightless as a sunbeam through the leaves above them. Not even Lena's question could shadow the light, despite the unknowns and darker possibilities. He shook his head, nearly giddy as he said, "I doubt it, but Dahlia is gone." And whether that meant the rest of the Family would abandon Stormbreak or that they had a fighting chance, Zavien didn't currently care. This was a victory through and through.
Turning to Lena, he found the familiarity of her gaze and the ever-present reminder of Stormbreak in the brown of her eyes. He braced his hands around her face, leaning forward to press his forehead to hers, his smile disbelieving and yet full of faith as he whispered, "We're going home." It might not be tomorrow or the day after, but soon.
Life is getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.
Home had been such a blessing and then simultaneously an embittered curse for the past few weeks – King’s End refugees banding together to help another region anew. And while she was grateful for everything offered, she couldn’t help that pang of relief and longing beginning to thread through her. Home to her actual house and her gardens. Home to the Celestine. Home to the wonderful portions and pieces of old stone who held histories and stories far too vast for them to even comprehend.
A long sigh filtered thorugh her, as she pressed her forehead back to Zavien’s, placing a small kiss on his nose. “Which means we probably need to figure out leadership things,” and she winked, not sure if he could see it or not, nor if he’d want to address it. But it needed to linger there too, as much as the next thing she offered. “We should do something nice for King’s End – for letting us stay at all.”
Not even talking about the heavy 'what ifs' of leadership and plans could dampen his mood, although he'd much rather they be celebrating than plotting. However, he grinned at the kiss and what he assumed was just a playful wink with no deeper meanings. Straightening, he took her hand back in his, a pleased hum on his smiling face. "Hmm. Good point. I haven't spoken to Sohalia recently, so I don't know what her plans are." He knew she was living in Torchline, but that hadn't spoken recently about the plans to take back the city, so he wasn't sure if her desires had changed or not.
He ran his free hand through his hair, a disbelieving chuckle on his lips. "Geez. I owe Sunjata too much to ever repay, but you're right, maybe we can do something for the region." Glancing down at her, he smiled, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "Any ideas?" Other than doing the necessary and obvious thing of finishing the regional quest, Zavien hadn't the faintest idea of what an appropriate gift for a region would be.
Life is getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.
She couldn’t remember the last time she and Sohalia had a proper conversation about sovereignty; in fact, Lena was almost certain she’d probably avoided the topic altogether with the younger Attuned. She hadn’t wanted the suffering and anguish to meld in between everything else – so the unknown lapsed at her too. “Neither do I,” she agreed in honesty, shrugging her shoulders through it. If the Luminary wasn’t interested, they might need to do some deeper thinking on the subject.
Threading her fingers through his, she smiled, mind buzzing full of ideas. “Well, I’ve already got the herb garden started, so I can add to that and ensure there’s some pieces already growing for them.” Humming under her breath, she reflected on portions that she knew about with King’s End and Sunjata himself. “More training for any soldiers, courtesy of the Dragoons.” She winked, eyes going towards the sky as she mulled and thought. “And we can always ask.”
Sometimes it was hard to meet up with people from different regions, and even though Zavien had been trying to do better about it, recent events and distractions had made it nearly impossible. It didn't mean he couldn't feel the small twinge of guilt, hoping Sohalia wasn't in any trouble. There was also the small matter of Koa and whatever had transpired between them after their last discussion.
Leaving the unknown leadership conversation for later, Zavien focused more on the good that they could (hopefully) do in King's End. He rubbed his thumb absent-mindedly over her hand, considering her points as he hummed his approval. "Those are good ideas." The last suggestion especially made him laugh, another burst of light in the shadows of the canopy. "See? This is why I tell everyone you're the smart one." He gave her a playful wink, moving so that they could continue in their walk as he asked, "Where should we go now, fearless leader?"
Life is getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.
From what Lena knew and understood, Sohalia had sought refuge in Torchline; and given how protected it was, she fathomed it a justifiable decision. The Luminary had been on the run from the Family for a while now; all the efforts were justifiable. Between her and Koa though…the Attuned couldn’t much say. Which was why they likely needed to hold some discussions with one another, see where everyone was at on the front of Stormbreak and pending ideals once more.
She snorted and shook her head at his statements. “Why don’t we head further down here,” pointing with her free hand to another juncture and path along the trail. “And see if we can spot anything else. Then you can brainstorm some ideas in the meantime too.” She extended a wink back; an encouragement of sagacity in all his worldly experiences.
