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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!
ache first, but then let the cuts close spit out the blood
The Tundra called as it always did – long extensions of power and prestige, potential and prowess, precision marched and etched and sketched into each icy remnant. But rather than simply letting himself unfurl across its expanse in every liberating and delivering gesture, his methods embarked solely on patrol – on seeing what remained for portions and pieces of the vile infected.
Because eventually, they’d be gone. Destroyed. Broken apart, piece by piece, left behind by those who sought to sink their paralyzing ilk into the world. It’d be his own form of vengeance, persistent until the end, again and again, to ensure all of it was wiped out. The slate clean. The Family’s touches and fringes forgotten, back into dust and strangled out.
Long strides were followed by several more – his unicorn coming in close behind, while Belial soared overhead, capable of seeing if there were any nastier figments well ahead of the others. The Sword had already heard reports of void ursurs still going strong around a certain clutch of boulders and crag, so it made sense to him to appeal in those directions first – raising his head high as they embarked into cold winds and chilling depths – resolute and determined.
watch your body pull itself back together then let your soul do the same
07-08-2025, 09:22 AM (This post was last modified: 07-08-2025, 09:51 AM by Thalassa.)
Maybe it was a bit of a self-inflicted punishment, or maybe - No. It was definitely that. No doubts. Thal still struggled and ached with the hollowness of Pierce's departure. Despite his insistence that it wasn't her, Thal still wondered if there was something else she could have done, something to further the Family's cause so that Dahlia never would have been caught - never been 'cured'. The guilt along with the desperate need to feel anything other than the pain, had her stepping into the one place she should never go, where the snow was deadly and the winds cruel against her skin.
Gritting her teeth against the needles already pricking at her fingers, Thal pulled the thickest cloak she'd ever worn tighter around her body to seal in what warmth she could from the three layers of clothes she wore beneath. Yet it still wasn't enough, and she flared her fire in a cocoon around her, staving off the worst of the chill with the roaring flames.
Through the crunch of her boots and the bright light of her magic, she noticed a familiar figure patrolling ahead, a unicorn at his side. Her first reaction was to turn away, annoyance and frustration pleasantly heating her blood as she recalled that she didn't even know the bastard's name. They'd never gotten along, and when he'd blatantly dismissed her... she saw red for a moment.
Torn between trying to pester him and just flying away, a surprisingly obnoxious thought came to mind, an assignment that her goddess had given her that floated like a golden strand of purpose. It didn't take away the simmering dislike she had for him, but she could suffer through this cold and his presence for her own selfish reasons.
Moving slowly forward to meet him, she kept a healthy distance and nodded her head in greeting, her voice shaking traitorously as she asked, "Do you need... help with anything?" She nearly choked on the word, the offer feeling as strange to her as it probably felt to the man, but she had a quest to complete, and if it meant forgetting about Pierce's absence for a minute, she was reluctantly willing to assist.
ache first, but then let the cuts close spit out the blood
Belial’s sight overheard brought far more information than he’d sought; an Ancient, wandering in on the Tundra, apparently following them. Were it Danta, Asta, or Kiada, he would’ve paused – but given two out of the three would’ve sent some sort of note, and had a cloak he’d made specifically for them…his calculations were already in the midst. When it appeared to be someone he couldn’t even be bothered with, well, the Sword continued right on with what he was doing.
Long, sweeping strides persisted along the ice-packed wilderness. Some part of him wanted to see if she truly intended to keep meandering further and further out, or if this had been some play at pride or folly, a game in which she’d see how long she could last. Regardless though, he had better things to do than keep company with indifference.
The peryton went searching further, and so the Sword paused, waiting for the information to come forth. Only then would she have the opportunity to catch up, and when she did, Zuriel snorted, ears pinned, as Deimos took his time in turning his attention towards the Ancient. The inquiry itself was strange, and his only indication of surprise was a slight narrowing of his eyes, waiting for the trick, the ruse. His head tilted in its own vague way; much like many predators when assessing the hunt. “Depends.” If she was willing. Capable. “I am hunting down the remaining void creatures here.” If she didn’t like that, well, there could be options. “We have several trackers that have not returned yet either. Thought I would commit to both and see what became available.” He half-figured the latter had resulted from the former.
Then, whether or not she agreed, he began walking again, the companion ahead already pinpointing a location of void ursurs stalking something in the distance.
watch your body pull itself back together then let your soul do the same
It took her longer to catch up than she'd care to admit. Between her short legs, her recent stint of self-neglect, and the blistering cold that made her blood sluggish, she was annoyingly weak. She almost gave up on reaching him, a litany of reasons and excuses running through her mind, but just when she'd been about to turn away, he finally paused, giving her a chance to offer her assistance (gag).
She glared for a moment, doing her best to behave despite the chilly reception that made her uncontrolled shiver more obvious. No one seemed pleased to be out here, even the unicorn looking put off, but she was already here, and she was nothing if not stubborn. After grinding her teeth for a second - biting back the urge to argue about chasing off Void creatures - Thal nodded her head like it had been decided. "I can look for the trackers from the sky. Do you know where they were last seen or meant to be?" She had seen the peryton flying ahead, but knew her lyvern would be faster, and she figured he'd want to find the people to keep them from freezing to death.
He looked away, nonchalant in the face of her glare and existence. Regardless of her decision, his actions would follow in due course. When she seemed to contemplate and eventually make a choice, Belial had already pinpointed the ursurs, but was too far away to see if anything else was amiss – though they seemed to be sniffing and tracking on their own. “Void ursurs are over by that group of rocks,” he pointed to a portion of outcroppings thirty yards away, where the bears would tuck themselves within thresholds, not be spotted, not be seen, and likely try for an ambush, or already hone in on something they were following. “I suspect the trackers are nearby.”
So with that, he shifted; leaving her to coincide on her own options, as he took off across the plains of snow, hellhound endeavors easily sweeping upon portions of the unwinding tundra, Zuriel close behind.
Thal didn't say anything as the man laid out the information, making it clear that he wouldn't instruct her one way or another. She at least appreciated that much, giving a curt nod of understanding before glancing to where he'd pointed, watching as he shifted. It wasn't something she recalled seeing from him, having mainly noted the annoying levels of powerful magics he seemed to have at his disposal. However, Thal didn't linger on the thought long, flaring her fire in one final, simmering pulse before shifting to her lyvern form and taking for the sky.
She moved as quickly as she could, already feeling the binding chill of the wind. Her eyes scanned and her wings kept a brutal pace as if it might keep the ice and stone from forming on her wingtips. The ursur hideout was easy enough to spot, but she didn't care about the Void creatures and what they might be up to. Her priority was finding the people so she could get out of the cold as quickly as possible, hopefully with all her limbs intact.
By the time her nose was starting to frost and turn dangerously numb, a small blip of color amongst the white snow drew her eyes. Even from her height, Thal knew exactly what it was, recognizing the dark red black of frozen blood. She dove with a low roar of warning for the man who was running somewhere below. Her usually graceful landing was hindered by the ice and snow making her body feel like lead, instead coming down hard with a small grunt as she shifted again, fire blooming around her in pure survival instinct.
"Where are you? I'm here to help." Her voice called out, a chattering of her teeth making the words sharp. Letting out a low, quiet curse at the cold, she followed the trail of blood.
ache first, but then let the cuts close spit out the blood
His strides stretched easily and eagerly across the tundra plains; a mass of fervency and vehemence. He gave little thought or credence to the now lyvern – figuring if he ended the ursurs shortly, he’d be able to go assist with the people if she couldn’t. If the void cretins weren’t dealt with initially, they’d have more of a problem on their hands – he couldn’t deign striving to aid potentially wounded citizens while contending with the infected beasts simultaneously. Hence why Zuriel was with him.
He arrived at the rocks soon after, shifting back into his normal figure as he climbed to the top and left the unicorn below – waiting her turn. Narrowing his eyes and hiding behind a patch of rocks, he noted the animals, roaming about, closer and closer to a trail of blood.
That Thalassa had already pinpointed, calling out to the individuals hopefully hiding nearby. But there seemed to be no response, other than some vague movement amidst the outcropping’s shelter, which meant she’d need to investigate a little more, following the tracks to a little inlet of ice and stone.
Deimos, meanwhile, immediately launched a barrage of air magic to descend upon the ursurs. They roared in avid defiance, but the swathes of gusts and gales cut through like a knife.
watch your body pull itself back together then let your soul do the same
Not getting a response, she trekked on. "Shit," Thal muttered under her breath, watching hopeless as the air fogged in front of her face. She heated her flames a little more, following the trail even as she heard the roar of battle start behind her. The trackers had managed to escape into the rigid gap of ice and stone, partially obscured from the Void ursurs, enough to tend to the grievous wound on one.
The first was panicked and in obvious shock, a pale look on his face as he saw her round the corner. "I - I can't get it to stop." Their hands were pressed to the abdomen of the other, who moaned softly as blood seeped from three nasty gashes in her stomach. His efforts had still left a pool of red to form, melting into the snow beneath.
Thal let out a soft growl, releasing enough of her flames to step forward. "Move." It was gruff and daring him to argue - which he intelligently chose not to do. Sinking heavily to her knees on the rock, she reached forward to place her hands on the wound, feeling blood slip through her fingers with the motion. It was blissfully warm, easing the stone that was threatening to form at their tips, but part of her knew that this was a bad thing, that this person was going to die if she didn't stop the bleeding, and she was supposed to be helping right now.
Gritting her teeth, Thal found the openings beneath the blood before glancing up, bracing as she called forth her fire to cauterize the injury as best she could.
ache first, but then let the cuts close spit out the blood
Persistent and determined, the Sword loosened another potent barrage, unleashing torrents of winds and gales, slashing, assaulting, seething, until one bear fell with an anguished groan. He’d leave it there for now, focusing on the other as it began to tear his way, tusks striving to carve their way into the rocky outcropping. Which just gave him more of an advantage, as he continued to lay waste to the remaining beast.
Thalassa’s gruff motions might’ve aided in some portions, but as she cauterized the wound, the tracker screeched and screamed as the fire raced and laced upon their stomach. The other immediately balked, beginning to protest and fumble around striving to find more bandages in his bag, or do something as the shrieks and howls echoed through the small gap.
Deimos heard it too, and sighed, knowing he’d have to decimate the creature soon – as it’d already turned its attentions towards the bellows and bawls.
watch your body pull itself back together then let your soul do the same
Cursing again under her breath, Thal did her best to work quickly around the screams and weak writhing. The smell of burning flesh and copper blood flooded her senses, making it difficult to tell whether the culprit was being drawn by the sounds, although she decided to assume it was.
She glanced up at the other tracker, a sneer on her lips as she fought off another shiver. "Either shut her up or watch for the ursurs. We're not going to die out here because you can't keep it together." He balked a little, nodding his head as he seemed to gather his faculties, shoving a hand over the woman tracker's mouth as he looked around frantically. It muffled the sounds enough that they weren't too obvious now, but Thal knew they weren't safe yet.
Unable to find anymore flowing blood, she pulled her hands from the wound to look towards the trail that had been left. The woman flopped back, unconscious but breathing, which was all the help Thal could give for the moment. She rose stiffly from the ground, gritting her teeth as the blood was already starting to wear off. "Keep an eye on her. I'll be back."
Stepping forward, Thal made her way out of the alcove and into the path of the ursur who was lumbering their way. A discouraging look from her - and the Friendly bond between them - had it slowing, leaving the Void creature open for Deimos to land a killing blow.
ache first, but then let the cuts close spit out the blood
The screaming had been all he needed. Already motivated by malice and menace, the shouting of his citizens was enough to unfurl and unleash an alarming amount of power, so when the bear even bothered to take several steps in their direction, it was already bound for nothingness. The wind and air barreled into it, stripped it down to minimal breaths and ragged sounds, until it dropped to the earth, gone, never to return.
Taking a long, deep breath, the Sword carefully came down from the rocks, with Zuriel quick to follow. His eyes narrowed at Thalassa seemingly either standing guard or watch, brow arching as he began to take those lengthy, precise strides into the alcove. “Thank you. I will take them home.” While the unicorn tended to the woman’s wounds and the other tracker made some other conversation, of which Deimos would have to be filled in on later, he only turned slightly, immediately setting the corpses nearby on fire – lingering notes of vengeance on the snow.
watch your body pull itself back together then let your soul do the same
As she suspected, the man had no issues, easily dispatching the hesitant Void ursur in a begrudgingly impressive display of magic. Her own magic reemerged around her, doing its best to create a cocoon that might protect her from the worst of the cold as she watched him approach.
"I'd offer to help more, but I'm not sure I'll make it much longer." Her fire flared again, trying to stave off the stone that began to creep through her veins. She considered dipping her hands in the blood of the bears before they were erupting in flames, leaving nothing but useless ash for her to rub her hands against.
Pursing her lips, she watched as the unicorn approached the injured tracker with charred wounds across her stomach. Thal gave a short nod of her head, preparing to shift. "Good luck, and - " tell her I'm sorry. The thought came but she clamped down on it, not quite willing to apologize for possibly saving the woman's life. Looking away from the two trackers hunkered in the snow, she said, "I hope she makes a fast recovery."
ache first, but then let the cuts close spit out the blood
He listened, head tilting, between the man nearby grabbing hold of the injured woman, gratitude and acknowledgment extending as Zuriel ensured everyone was tended and mended, before his gaze swung back to Thalassa. An understandable situation; he’d been surprised she’d been out here at all. So he nodded, and extended a fair amount of embers and fire towards her, figuring it’d aid in the process. “We will take her to the infirmary,” easily done; he could ensure both were fitted on his thunderbird form, and the unicorn would be able to follow and track underneath the larger avian form. “Good luck getting home. Thank you again,” he added, presuming she’d be able to shift into flight and head in that direction.
From there though, he had to attend to the others, and he gave her one last nod before advancing upon the rest of the scene, ensuring everyone comprehended the next course of actions.
watch your body pull itself back together then let your soul do the same
The increase in flames around her was a pleasant surprise that had her blinking at him. Thal wasn't used to being thanked. It sat strange against her chest, a small shift of discomfort as she nodded her head. At least the woman would get help, although she might argue that she deserved death for picking a fight with a Void ursur. But Thal didn't have time to discuss right vs. wrong when her limbs were getting heavier by the second.
She hesitated for a moment, like she might finally insist on getting his name, but he was already turning away, and she couldn't wait any longer. Then she was shifting, moving as quickly as her lyvern wings would carry her towards the safety of her ship and the warmth it would provide. She had a sudden thought that she should keep a barrel of blood on her ship for this particular reason.
