Click here for a list of weather descriptions, seasonal festivals, and a real time:site time conversion.
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!
Deepfrost in Halo proved itself, again and again, to be a mighty, blistering force. That didn’t stop the citizens though – despite the inclination to perhaps hibernate their days away – and with the looming clarity of LongNight approaching, there was always something to do. With shorter daylight hours, most struck upon the peaks and pinnacles of sunrise, hoping to accomplish much during the morning.
This one was no different, save for the task itself. With people coming and going, moving in and out, there had been a few homes and lots left aside, either for renovation, restoration, or eventual demolition, too wasted away to be of much use. The project wasn’t much of the latter, nor the former, but riddled and rankled with what Deimos had been told were pests. When queried about the variety of such animals, the homeowner shrugged, having been vacationing for so long and only hearing movement through the channels of the house.
Ordinarily, the Sword might have even called upon the Monster Hunters to see what they could accomplish. But if his theory proved correct, it would’ve been a bit of overkill – and instead, figured there’d be a few roaming through Caido that might seek out the indulgence of destruction amongst the mystery and enigmas. Sending out messages to each land and posting them on notice boards about the aspects of ‘ridding a house of a problem’, he shrugged, departing to the place and time.
Notably, sitting in front of the pillars of the otherwise normal looking abode, amongst the sunshine, as a large, black hellhound. His companions hovered around as well, though notably Belial was soaring above the homestead, and Zuriel had taken to snorting and rolling her eyes as passersby.
--
Welcome to our Attuned/shift focused PQ+! Please have your character arrive already fully shifted and note anything else they’ll be bringing.
don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how i feel top of the world, but your world isn't real
King’s End felt more like a trial run for how fucking cold Halo was. And all the bundled clothes that the young attuned had that she could rotate through back home (the new home, she realizes), is all put on today. The cold bit hard and she wasn’t sure whether or not this was a good idea. But Nova was here and Deimos had always been nice – and one of their mother’s chosen – so she’s confident that they’ll be okay in the long run.
So, Caly, despite the bundles, has followed the advice that Deimos had granted and hopes that her tide jaguar’s body would offer enough warmth against the cold on the trek there to arrive in a pelt that blended in far too well than her sister’s – pale white with the golden, glittering spots of her leopard whorls, whiskers flickering in uncertainty as she trots up to the hellhound without any wariness. Deimos? She asks curiously through the attuned bond, curiosity and a very brief note of apprehension blooming in her chest and down the bond on the off chance she was wrong.
She'd been in Halo a few times before, but she's always pleasantly surprised by how much snow there is. Sure, the cold is annoying, but Nova doesn't mind when the world around them sparkles like ground glass. Her paws pounce in the larger piles, delighted giggles flowing through the bond on repeat between small gasps as she spots a new sight to grab her attention. This time, it happens to be a hellhound sitting patiently in front of a house.
It's not hard to see Nova coming. While her sister blends in like she was born from sunrise reflecting off a snowbank, Nova's black and rainbow pelt is the inverse speckled in so many colors that she can't help draw attention - not that she's trying to be stealthy.
When she sees Belial drifting above, she gives an excited hop that has her tail waving like a beacon behind her. Hi Belial! Twitching her ears like a waving hand, she looks to the hellhound and tilts her head, finding the looming and silent presence unmistakable. Hi Deimos! She trots confidently up to him, eyes glittering with the mischievous promise of 'destruction.'
Nova arrives in her Tide Jaguar shift, bringing with her an abundance of energy to share with everyone!
Deimos watched and waited, the constancy of his narrowed gaze sweeping along individuals walking through. Though he didn’t know either Calypso or Nova’s Attuned forms, they were unmistakable – not many tide jaguars ever ventured into Halo. Snorting, mostly out of amusement, he nodded at the inquiry flooding through the bond. Yes. Welcome, and thank you for coming. Belial trilled something below to Nova, while Zuriel looked vastly unimpressed, though given that was her usual address and features, the Sword paid no heed to it. The owner of this home is certain it has been taken over by some animals, though he did not identify what. I thought we could do a little investigating, with the insinuation there’d be destruction along the way – up the alley of all three constituents.
Beginning to move and nudge the door open so all three of them could step within the confines, the first thing noticeable was the distinct lack of niceties. Spartan in most aspects, furniture had been arranged and covered, with much less décor than most homes; cold, chilling, without a fire in the hearth to billow away the persistent chilling temperatures that pervaded through the region.
He tilted his head, ears swiveling back and forth, waiting for the sounds of other creatures to embark – but nothing thus far. We can each take a floor, and let one another know if you see anything. Observations and discoveries first – and the information could pass through the Attuned bombardments.
--
Pick a floor to investigate! Deimos will take whatever is left.
1. Basement (piles of stored things including barrels of wine, boxes of freeze dried food, etc.)
2. First floor (including kitchen, dining and living room, bathroom, very sparse in anything but the necessary furniture)
3. Second floor (two bedrooms, bathroom, closets – mostly untouched and furniture covered)
Shuffling her paws in the snow, Nova perks at the information, excitement coursing down the bond at the mystery of it all. Sounds like fun! Her eyes find her sister's, glowing and bright in a moment of shared anticipation. It doesn't matter what they find inside, whether they have to kill one big monster or a thousand small ones, her claws and teeth are ready.
She follows Deimos inside, totally unimpressed with the decor and its lack of sparkles. It distracts her from their task for a moment, mentally renovating the place, but then he's giving instructions and she remembers the fun of finding whatever lies in wait. Without needing much more direction, she bounds for the steps, a bouncing storm of color barreling towards the upward portions of the house. I'll go upstairs! She's not quiet despite the soft fur of her paws and she bursts into the space above like a puppy on their first hunt, nose sniffing and eyes searching for whatever may be hiding beneath the furniture coverings.
10-09-2025, 07:36 PM (This post was last modified: 10-09-2025, 07:36 PM by Calypso.)
don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how i feel top of the world, but your world isn't real
Her sister’s hello to the Sword’s companion is as good a confirmation as hearing from the hellhound himself – her tail wagging slightly at the tip as she relaxes, flashing a feline smile toward the Warden. Say less. Caly chimes on the heels of her sister – and perhaps it’s her sister’s overabundance of her vibrant, energetic mood, but Caly’s already starting to feel better.
Her sister claims the upstairs once they’re inside, the tide jaguar steps in to see the rather mundane interior. It feels cold and empty and Caly – despite the mood she might be in – doesn’t like spaces that feel more like prisons than like homes. I’ll scout out the basement. She hums to Deimos, bounding away for the stairs that would lead her downstairs, ears perked and a stealthiness overtaking her paws.
And so they each took their pathways. Calypso ‘s venture into the basement would yield some intriguing results – once she wound her way through the darkness, around the barrels of stored portions, she’d be able to find bottles upon bottles, left haphazardly in an otherwise seemingly clean area. There were a few wrappers scattered elsewhere, some components of licked away chocolate and residue, and patches of fur – clues and hints, but to what, she’d have to choose to investigate further or leave behind.
Deimos threaded his way along the first floor, hound nose lifted, ears twitching, turning, and twisting with each sound. The kitchen was bare, yielding nothing, and so his eyes narrowed towards the living room, padding his way through. There, appeared a blanket, misshapen and not amidst the rest of the ivory sheets clinging to furniture, and as he sniffed around, a stranger smell – not one he recognized to anyone or anything in particular.
As Nova came along the upstairs corridor, her nose would catch upon a scent as well, likely leading her to an area by an open window in the first room – explaining the inhospitable feeling of cold rushing in, and a scattering of ivory feathers below. But then, ultimately, she’d come face to face with a familiar animal, known to many in Halo, as a flock of ningo stood upon the windowsill, gawking at her, heads tilted and ridiculous.
--
Everyone has made some discoveries! Keep investigating your area, react to the clues and/or report them out, etc.
The cold somehow feels worse when she's expecting the warm protection of the house, but Nova ignores it in favor of the game at hand. Her nose twitches, catching hints and clues that she's never experience before even if everyone in Halo knows of the birds. She crouches around furniture in search of the source, her muzzle shoving under coverings and between cushions like the animal might be burrowed within.
When she rounds the corner of a couch, she freezes, spotting the scattering of white feathers that lead her eyes to the open window and the ningos that sit there. Her ears flick in the briefest of warnings before she springs to life. Birds! Nova bounces forward, teeth on full display in a feline grin of excitement. It's a scary sight to say the least, all bounding muscle and glistening edges that don't scream 'friend' despite her obvious delight and desire to play with the winged creatures.
don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how i feel top of the world, but your world isn't real
She hops down the stairs into the basement, ears perked and paws soft and as quiet as she can manage on the cool floor. Her eyes make it easier to take in the area despite the darkness, the golden portions scanning across bottles and bottles – whiskers twitching at the mess. A few wrappers grant a small sniff from the attuned, which leads her to spot the patches of fur.
And while she doesn’t really know what it is just yet, she shouts a mental note from the basement in the Attuned bond – unsure if Deimos would be able to hear it – but continues the investigation until she has eyes on something for certain rather than just guestimating. I’ve found fur from somethin’!
Caly continues her investigation and tries to yell up at Deimos through the attuned bond!
The Attuned portions spread through the house, and he inclined his head – tilting it vaguely as he studied the floor he was currently on, marking the possibilities and parameters. Something has been sleeping here, he mentioned through the bond to the others. His eyes flickered over the dust along the surroundings too – ignoring his own paws making marks upon the floor, and concentrating more of the bird-like tracks going back and forth.
Nova 's offer of the avian situation though had his eyes narrowing. Do you want help? He figured she’d be able to handle mostly anything given her form – but the notions were there just the same. The hybrid would find the ningo – given their ridiculous affinity for being dim – staring down at her. Only one, slightly larger than the others, seemed to narrow its eyes in some sort of challenge, not backing down from its perch on the windowsill.
Calypso, sharing her information, would find more in her wake too. Walking around the barrels and bottles would yield further wisdom – whether or not she’d know what to do with it was another thing. In the center of more wrappers were ivory feathers too, clustered together as if ripped out and plucked, leading and lending to a trail near the stairs.
--
Nova hasn’t intimidated the birds, and Deimos and Calypso have found more information!
She can hear the others and their discoveries in the other portions of the house, curious as to what all the hints might mean. They definitely don't point to the birds in front of her, perched uncaringly on the windowsill as she bounds towards them - unless they're hiding fur beneath their fluffy white feathers.
Nova doesn't care either way, just wanting to see them scatter and squawk in a game of chase.
Deimos's inquiry reaches her just as she's bouncing to the open window, giggles chiming down the bond. Nope! I got it! Then, without much of a thought for the warning glare of the largest ningo or any consequences that may result from her antics, Nova sits back on her hind legs and swipes padded paws towards the group, a playful REOWR! snapping from her lips.
don't talk 'bout me like how you might know how i feel top of the world, but your world isn't real
Hearing Deimos from the upstairs inform them that something’s been sleeping up there – Caly looks a little more intently at the tracks left behind amidst the trash. Spotting more wrappers and the new appearance of feathers, a part of her wonders if a much larger beast had been living in here, feeding off of the wrappers and the ningos that are likely up above.
She continues to dive further into her search, wondering if the dark crevices harbor the beasts that might have battled the birds, letting a low rumble of a growl slip from the tide jaguar’s throat as if it might spook whatever’s nearby to make an appearance – provided it’s down here at all.
Caly continues to search but growls a little to see if she can spook anything into her line of sight down there!
The ‘I got it’ was further sparked by a sudden noise; likely paws hitting the windowsill, as the birds gave way to Nova ’s impending swipe. The largest of the ningo simply flew over her, further into the house, while its constituents hastened in all directions – mostly out the window and towards the roof. The leader of the flock cooed back at the tide jaguar though, presenting either a challenge or some kind of mind game, fluttering over to one of the bedrooms and landing upon a bedpost.
Deimos sighed, hearing the noises and the declaration, trying to keep his patience wrapped and mottled – exploring further to keep his mind at ease. Maybe it was simply the birds, and once they cleared them out, it’d be nothing at all. But the semblance of fur left him pondering other circumstances – then he rounded the corner of the dining room, eyes narrowing again as he spotted dishes and utensils out. Plates are out of the cabinet too.
Though maybe neither of the girls would listen - Calypso was hot on the trail of something else. The growl spooked something out of the corner, below the stairs, squeaking, then shrieking, as she came upon a shuddering shrew, cleared away and out of his white feather-laden nest.
--
The birds are a nuisance and more discoveries have been made!
While the other members of her party are off being productive, Nova is finding her own tasks to be extremely important to their missions - and a lot more fun. Even though the birds seem to escape her, she makes it into a game, giggling as they scatter in all directions. A few follow her warning, fleeing the house, but others slip through her paw pads further inside.
She spins around, tail flicking as she watches the largest one claim the bedpost in the next room over. Her mouth curves in a feline grin. Then she's sprinting forward, weaving and jumping over covered furniture to chase down the bird. There's a gleam in her eyes, claws unsheathing to snag at the cocky creature when she leaps at it, determined to beat the smaller animal.
