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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!
Liam’s efforts to shoo the snakes away were in vain. Despite his best efforts, the serpents wound their way up his legs, with one going so far as to climb and wrap itself around his torso and along his arm. Perhaps he should have been frightened, or annoyed, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel anything other than a vague bemusement. ”Well, this is inconvenient,” he said to the snakes, laughing softly to himself. All he needed now was for Maea to appear, to see him in this state. She’d laugh herself silly, he was sure.
Besides, he had work to do. He needed some way to remove the snakes from his body, or at least a way to work around them. Deciding to try and lure them with some food, he made his way carefully to the kitchen, where he procured a few bits or fruit and meat; then he returned to the branches outside, where he placed the food out of the way and tried to coax the snakes from his body.
—-
Liam tries to lure the snakes somewhere else with food!
A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion
Liam
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Liam.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
Fortunately for Liam, his partner was too wrapped up in the construction of the pulley to see his struggle at that moment. She paused her sawing to look over the sketch Niki showed her, gazing up at the wooden skeleton of what would eventually become a workshop. "Hm, let's go with the platform," she decided. "It should be convenient later too, when I need to move materials up and down; better it be stable and easy to operate. Tell me what else you need besides the wheels, and I'll go get it!"
In the tree above, the snakes seemed positively thrilled to not only get a tour of the house but a treat of lunch as well. Already inching towards the offered food, they slid off Liam's arms and legs and tangled around each other for warmth as they began to compete for the food. Sibilant hisses and the occasional warning lunge could be heard for a while before the pecking order was established; but while the snakes lingered among the branches long after the food had been devoured, they kept out of his way and allowed Liam to go back to work.
Round 5:
Maea approves creating a pulley system with a platform, and goes to get the rest of the materials Niki needs to build it. Time to get started and put theory into practice!
Liam succefully bribes the hanging snakes into leaving him alone, and is finally able to get back to work on the platform foundation! Now with an audience.
"A platform it is," Niki says with a smile, circling that part of his design and using a corner of the worktable to jot a few things down to accommodate for Maea's confirmation on the pulley. "We have plenty of rope, but we will need some lumber for the platform and a few other items to make the system work," he explains. Neatly writing a list of the supplies, as well as the places he's fairly certain they can be found, he tears the page from his notebook and folds it in half.
"As long as you are sure you do not mind. If you would prefer to stay here, I can go and get the supplies," he says, though he leaves it up to the Ancient to make the final decision. Either way, Niki will take himself away to measure out an appropriate length of rope and to eyeball a suitable, strong bough in the treehouse where they might situate the pulley without it interrupting the work that Liam is doing.
Niki gives Maea a list of supplies, measures out rope and selects a suitable bow for the pulley system to be located!
my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now I can feel the light shine on my face
The hanging snakes were food-driven, it seemed. As Liam settled his bribes on a nearby branch, they slithered from his arms and shoulders and into the tree, where they tussled briefly for the snacks before settling in to eat. Pleased with their acquiescence - and not bothered in the slightest by his new supervisors - the soldier turned to get back to work.
He'd nearly finished the foundation, and it was almost time to start laying the flooring. Once Liam had placed the last of the beams, he made his way down to procure more lumber, shooting Maea and Nikandr a smile as he gathered up some of the planks that would make up the base of the room. "How's it going down here?" he asked. If there was nothing they needed, he would get back to work, but it seemed only polite to check in since he was back down here anyway.
---
Liam finishes laying the beams, then goes to get planks for flooring, asking how Maea and Niki are doing as he does so.
A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion
Liam
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Liam.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
"I don't mind at all," Maea assured, snatching the note from Niki's hand before he could insist any further. "It's my job to ensure all the supplies are here, so just leave it to me." Not to mention, she would likely be quicker, given her ability to fly. There was plenty of work to do in the meantime, between sawing planks and building the platform, then starting on the framework for the walls... It was an ambitious idea to get all of it done in a single day, but she had faith in their ability to get through.
Hearing footsteps on the porch above, Maea turned to greet Liam with a smile as he came down to them. "Niki's a genius, so we're doing really well," she replied, throwing a playful grin at the young man. "I'm off to get supplies so we can make a pulley system for lifting up materials. Be careful up there - don't get hurt while I'm gone!" Pressing a kiss to her fingertips and touching Liam's cheek, she ducked low under the planks and shifted. Pale wings carried her off with the note clutched in the beak, leaving the boys to manage themselves in the meantime.
Round 6:
Maea is leaving to buy more supplies.
Choose between working together or separately, and whether you prioritise the platform or the pulley!
"Oh - alright," Niki says, finding the note leaving his hands the moment he'd written it out. He turns as Liam appears, offering a polite smile to the other man, even if the tips of his ears do turn pink to hear Maea generously describe him as a genius. "It just seemed like it would be a good addition even after the room has been constructed," he says with a modest shrug, before raising a hand in farewell to Maea as she soars away for the supplies.
"I have been helping to saw planks for the foundation and the flooring," he tells Liam once they are alone. "Maea took over when I was working on the pulley system, but I need to wait for the supplies before I continue, so shall we work on that?" He gestures to the planks that the Ancient had managed to saw before her departure and the worktable with the lumber and the saw. "I can keep providing you new flooring if you are happy to lay it."
Niki offers to help Liam lay the flooring upstairs by providing more planks for him to use!
my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now I can feel the light shine on my face
"A pulley system?" Liam asked with interest, offering a quick smile and a stroke of his fingers along Maea's cheek as she departed. "Sounds useful. But if we're stuck, then sure - flooring it is." While Nikandr worked on providing the planks, Liam took up an armful of the ones that the younger man had already completed and returned to his work. Laying planks was easier than installing beams - particularly since he had taken such care with his measurements and leveling - and time passed by quickly as he worked.
With each trip he made down below to gather more flooring, he offered Niki a kind smile and a word of thanks. It didn't take nearly as long to nail down the floorboards, and with Niki providing the materials, they finished in record time. Liam descended, a light sheen of sweat beading on his brow, with a cup of water for himself and one for Niki. "Water?" he offered, holding out the cool beverage. "Floor's all in. Maea should be back soon."
---
Liam accepts the help and lays the floor, then offers Niki some water while they wait for Maea!
A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion
Liam
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Liam.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
Now that Maea had been made aware of them, she saw rope and tackle all over the place. Big systems made to raise goods up and down from skyships, smaller ones to bring groceries in and out of homes and stores, and she watched with new interest how each seemed to work slightly different depending on the intended use. For the big ones with heavy load there were winches in place to lift the cargo, occasionally with counter balances, while others were entirely hand powered and lifted nothing bigger than a woven basket.
Following the suggestions on Niki's note, she found the wheels he had requested, some fastenings and a crank mechanism that seemed suitable for the platform bshe wanted, and brought it back home with the help of a chatty young fae who turned out to be far stronger than she looked.
The boys had been doing good work while she was gone. Shading her eyes against the sun, Maea inspected the finished platform above with an approving whistle and all but skipped up to her assistants (who seemed to be doing all the actual work, somehow. Oops?)
"You guys are amazing, that looks great!" Splaying her hands towards the added materials, she handed back the note to Nikandr and showed how all the items had been ticked off. "This really helped, I was able to find everything you wanted. If you direct us, Liam and I can do the climbing to get this thing in place." Once they'd rested enough, of course.
Round 7:
All the materials are gathered! Lets work together to get the pulley in place!
Liam sipped at his water, but before he could engage in much small talk with Nikandr, Maea all but skipped up to them, bright and bubbly and happy in a way that made Liam smile. It seemed that their next task would be to put in the pulley system that Niki had been working on. For his part, Liam simply waited for instructions on what to do. Now that it had been suggested, he had some ideas on how to make such a system work, but he wasn't about to step on Niki's toes by taking over. No, he would listen and learn and do as he was told - this time, anyway.
Once everyone was rested and ready to go, Liam began to carry whatever supplies were needed up to the platform above. It took a few trips, but he was happy to be the muscle and transport materials until told to do something else. It was a nice day for working outside, and he couldn't wait to see what their efforts would yield.
---
Liam waits for instructions, carrying supplies up to the platform until he's told to do something else.
A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion
Liam
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Liam.
"Ah, thank you," Niki says with a smile towards Liam as he approaches with water, the boy dusting the sawdust from his hands and seeming content to take five as they wait for Maea's return. He's retreated into the shade beneath the treehouse when she does arrive back, supplies in hand and a list to return. Smiling and accepting the paper to look it over, he gives a nod of affirmation.
"That sounds great. If you just give me a moment."
Rifling through the supplies, he spends a moment in the construction of two pulleys, setting the wheel into a fixed axis and ensuring one is capable of being tied firmly to one of the branches above. "If you could take this," he says, handing it to Liam along with a long length of rope, "and tie it where you would like the platform to arrive when you pull? Then feed the rope through the wheel and toss it down here?"
To Maea he glances at the leftover lumber. "We can stay down here for now and create a small platform for you to load items onto?"
Niki gives his instructions!
my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now I can feel the light shine on my face
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
"Okay, let's do it!" After helping Liam select a good spot for the rope, Maea looked forward to actually contributing to the work. Following the instructions she picked out suitable planks and began to shorten them into the correct length, before joining them together into a sturdy platform. Working together with Niki was fun, his presence just as easy and uncomplicated as Liam's, and it was incredibly satisfying to see their efforts bear fruit.
Not long after Liam returned up to the new platform, the end of the rope came snaking down towards them. Initially confused about how to assemble the whole thing, with Niki's help they were able to safely attach rope to platform and wheel until a medium-sized, fully functioning elevator could be hauled up and down the length of the tree.
"I love it," Maea declared, when the final adjustments had been made and the first load of lumber inched its way steadily upwards. "And perfect timing too, because we really need to get started on the walls. Do you want to catch a ride up after the lumber, Niki, or would you rather use the stairs?"
Round 8:
With combined efforts the pulley is successfully installed! Good job everyone.
Moving the project along, it's time to deal with the walls. Two people needs to erect the wall frame and the roof rafters, while the third begins to add the siding! Maea will take whatever task is left.
Taking the pulley from Nikandr, Liam made his way back upstairs to the platform above, where he selected a particularly sturdy branch to tie the pulley to. Then he passed the rope through and back down, and it wasn't long before they had their first load of lumber being pulled up using the new system. Liam had to admit that it was useful, and he was glad that they'd managed to put it together before they spent all afternoon hauling supplies up and down.
And then it was time for the walls. Liam headed up, pausing to lift Niki up if needed, and then got started on framing out the walls and rafters. Fortunately, this was fairly straightforward given that he'd gotten the platform they were working on so precisely level - but straightforward did not necessarily mean fast or easy. Indeed, it was quite the task to measure, cut, and assemble the frames before hoisting them into place, but he did the work without complaint. It was satisfying to see their creation coming to life before their eyes, and as Liam began to see the shape of what they were making, he only got more excited to finish it.
---
Liam works on framing the walls and rafters!
A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion
Liam
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Liam.
It's with a quietly content smile that Niki sees the makeshift elevator come to life, working steadily with Maea to ensure the platform for it is sturdy and attached firmly to the pulley system, enabling supplies to be hoisted without overbalancing or swaying into the treehouse by accident. And as the first of the lumber disappears up, he nods his approval. "Our test seems to have gone well, so I will happily be the first human to use it," he confirms.
Nodding his thanks to Liam as he helps to operate the pulley, Niki soon finds himself on the new level for Maea's extra room, peering out over the Greatwood from this new vantage point. "I can help to put up the siding," he confirms. "I will not be much use on the rafters, but I can certainly assist once the frame has been created." And he does just that, waiting for his two companions to ready the walls before he aligns the siding and fixes it in place.
Niki chooses to add the siding!
my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now I can feel the light shine on my face
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
For a hastily assembled construction crew, they did good work together. Perhaps because the job had been thoroughly researched and prepped before getting started, or indeed because of Nikandr's diligent checking of blueprints before they began a new step, so far they had avoided mistakes that would cost them time and energy to resolve. Liam seemed to have a real knack for carpentry too, because he got the wall frame assembled for two sides with minimal help from Maea, before she understood his processes and was able to pitch in for the rest.
The first snag arrived in the form of a branch that swung low across one corner of where the new room should be. The closer they came to that particular spot, the more obvious it became that either measurements were incorrect, or it had been missed entirely during the planning. It caused Maea no end of frustration as she began to haul up the roof rafters to stabilize the walls, and when she began to lay them out to check the distances, she realized it wasn't going to work.
"Guys... I need some help," she called, interrupting Niki's hammering and Liam's wrestling with a support beam. "This branch is in the way. Its too big to just remove without hurting the tree... What do we do?"
Round 9:
A branch is cutting diagonally across where one outer corner of the room should be! Suggest ways to either build the branch into the room OR build the room around the branch, accounting for the natural shifting during storms.
