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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!
And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some
”Well, the most common thing I’ve seen on the beach itself are people swept out to sea by rip currents,” Lyra says. ”It’s kind of like you said - the locals know how to deal with them, but tourists often don’t, and they end up drowning or attacked by something in the water if we can’t get to them quickly enough.” She hates those cases, especially because so often it’s impossible to recover the bodies for their loved ones. ”But aside from that, we see a lot of folks stranded because they don’t know how to work a sailboat, or passing out far from civilization because of heat exhaustion, or just people plain getting lost.”
She could go on about the dangers of Torchline, but she doesn’t want to dominate the conversation, and she might have offered a different query or topic, but then Deimos asks again. ”I’m fairly well-versed in self-defense,” she says. ”Although I’ve been fortunate that I’ve rarely had to use it. I usually carry the kinds of things that would be helpful in multiple ways - so, like, hatchets, for example - and avoid extraneous weapons because I can move faster without the extra weight.” And she wants to figure out the best way to maximize those things she does carry, perhaps with the help of the gods - after her current quest is over, that is.
The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head The thunder of the drums dictates
Rip currents were something all their youths had been taught back on the Moonlit Tides; to be unaware was a certain death, and so he nodded at the implications, the connections of the ignorance and unknown, combined with curiosity, were a lethal conjecture. He snorted at the notions of stranded sailboats out along bays and waves though – all the semblances much the same, just the difference in terrain harking to similar outcomes – nature was cruel and unforgiving. “Ah, so you already know what happens to the unprepared,” at which he wrinkled his nose, a dry tone, carefully not laying blame on the person he was dragging upon the sled, but they all knew enough individuals to have settled into the same forefront.
As for self-defense, he was pleasantly surprised to hear she had some capabilities. He’d ended up protecting and shielding multitudes when they were supposed to be assisting him along the tundra; making it a difficult feat to manage everything simultaneously. “Understandable,” he nodded. “But if you end up working here, you may want to get something ranged,” because neither elements nor beasts cared about who was suffering…just what potentially they could rampage through.
The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead The rising of the horns, ahead
And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some
Lyra grimaces in response. ”Oh, yes. It’s why I try to be as prepared as I can be when I go out, and why I’m trying to learn before taking on any missions outside of Torchline.” Too many times had she seen what happened to the unprepared, and she was determined not to be one of them. If anything, she tended to overdo it when it came to researching and learning, so much so that it had taken her this long in life to even consider leaving Torchline, where she felt quite adept at dealing with the environment and its many hazards.
As for weaponry, Lyra considers this for a beat before asking, ”Do you have any recommendations? Something light, that wouldn’t take up much space or weight, and that’s fairly intuitive to use would be ideal.” There were always bows, of course, but that required arrows, and she already had enough equipment as it was. Perhaps there was something of a magical nature she could quest for, but she wasn’t quite sure what that might be.
The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head The thunder of the drums dictates
Deimos always tried to take the moments littered and grasped during training to emphasize appropriate responses to danger. How to defend. How to guard. How to dodge and preserve. How and when to strike, assault, siege; but no matter the experiences, sometimes it took the momentous, hazardous instances to hammer the knowledge through to certain individuals. The underlying problem was the potential for death; that despite everything managed, told, and practiced, one wrong move could spell disaster.
Which was why he always insisted upon preparation. His brow arched again at her question, but preferred the wanting of knowledge and sagacity, rather than those who wandered into the midst with naught upon them but an extreme lack of thought. “There are always bows,” he answered initially, mind going to the images of collected weaponry and armaments in the armory. “Darts. Slings. Knives. Javelins. Spears. You could make some collapsible and they would fold away into your other things.” There were limitations, of course; one would have to be wholly accurate with the latter, and be able to get them back with no issue. “I have known others to put a retrieval charm on them.”
The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead The rising of the horns, ahead
And isn't it just so pretty to think All along there was some
Lyra listens to the list of weapons, considering each and discarding a few. Of the options Deimos provides, knives and darts stick out the most to Lyra, particularly if spelled to be able to recall them easily. Small and easy to carry and conceal, they would fit her particular lifestyle the best - far better than something large and heavy, like a spear. ”I would need to practice with them a great deal,” Lyra muses aloud, eyes distant as she considers the implications. ”But perhaps knives. They seem the most fitting for what I need, given that they can be used in so many different ways.” Up close, from a distance (with a retrieval charm, of course), and even coated with poisons or sedatives if she’s creative enough. ”Thank you,” she adds. ”I will see to getting something made.”
In the meantime, though, they are approaching the Citadel, and Lyra is not keen to linger and take up even more of Deimos’s time - but she does want to ensure that her patients are seen to properly, so she glances back over the party one last time. ”Will you be alright when we are within the Citadel walls?” she asks. ”I can assist with further healing, if needed, but I don’t want to be in the way.”
The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head The thunder of the drums dictates
Armaments needed to be the right hands, the right mind. Sometimes necessity drove the matters more; but he nodded just the same, figuring she’d manage to discover what would accommodate her necessities. “You can practice in the barracks if you want. Plenty of weapons there.” With that, he glanced back at his men, most of whom seemed to be inspired in steps and motions as soon as the Citadel appeared much closer along the horizon now. Strides were longer, sweeping, and the sled easier to drag; he dug in sharper into the snow and tundra lines, equally content to find home near at hand.
At her inquiry though, he tilted his head, listening once more. “We will be fine. We have many medics,” his wife included – who would ensure they were all freshly mended and tended to. “Thank you for your help. I will let you know if anything comes up.” Rescue wise anyway – as long as she was equipped and ready. With that, they could persist into the stronghold of the winter fortress, one more successful venture conquered.
[FIN]
The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead The rising of the horns, ahead
