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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!
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
Melita was, if anything at all, a boundless, determined spirit. Of what, one might not want to say (haunted, depraved things or Ludo’s chaotic enterprises set forth in someone who really shouldn’t have ever had free rein on calamity)…but there she was, eyes narrowed and staring at a patch of poppy-like flowers.
Like, maybe they’d simply get up and get into her bag on their own.
Sighing, she contemplated the contents of her bag. It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought things through. She had grabbed some oven mitts – those were thick – some neat heat-resistant gloves from the market that she didn’t wholly trust, and then there was a couple sticks that she figured she could just bend a little and stab at the things…they’d come down eventually. “Okay,” she muttered to Sila and Fangorn, who wisely stood off to the side and looked at each other as if waiting to see who’d be the one dealing with a burnt Honeybee. “I’m going to try the sticks first.”
Koa doesn't love plants, but here he is, looking for them in a scorching hot volcanic waste in the sweltering heat of summer. Why? Because of friendship. Or maybe fear.
It's hard to tell, when Mel's involved.
"I mean, they are quite pretty," Koa remarks from his position off to the side with the companions, his head tilted curiously as he watches the Honeybee at work. He's halfway unbuttoned his grey linen shirt, and sweat beads over his bronze forehead. For once he's made no attempt to be chivalrous - he's happy letting her use her magical demigod powers to handle blisteringly hot blooms.
Pip, breather of fire and generally unafraid wyrmling, has no such qualms or concerns. Her inky body quivers excitedly beside Melita, crouched as she watches through inky eyes that reflect the crimson flower. Curious, she exhales a small plume of flame, growling low in frustration as the petals refuse to burn. Her tail whips the ashy ground, eliciting puffs of dust. How dare something not catch fire when she bids it to, the look she flashes Melita seems to say. You seeing this shit? The audacity.
When I kiss your lips I want to sink down to the bottom of the sea
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
Poking at the blossoms with a stick yielded nothing – at least, not caught up in flame – so Melita was content to start bashing against the stems, intending to loosen the plant’s hold on its own dangerous specimens. “Yeah. If I could have a shit ton without burning myself, that’d be fuckin’ awesome.” And then she could chuck them at her enemies. Or have a bunch in the house, taking up space as pretty and shiny and treacherous things should. Until they needed to be unleashed.
She paused for a moment as Pipsqueak came over, waiting to see what the dragon could do. When it became nothing, the Honeybee scoffed too, right alongside the beast. “Damn shame, right? Let me try this.” Then she whacked it wholeheartedly, until the plant seemed to flop over and extend the flower in a casual array. Melita snagged at it with her gloves, waiting for something non-heat resistant to billow through, but it seemed the merchant hadn’t been lying to her, and she plopped it readily in her bag, with a look of shock plastered on her face. “You need any?” She offered to Koa, glancing over her shoulder before going in for another attack.
Koa's not sure he's a fan of the idea of Mel having access to all the inflammatory flowers her gremlin heart desires, but this is why he's made a point to stay on the Honeybee's good side. He continues to watch unhelpfully as Pip and Mel continue their experimenting: Pip has escalated to trying to bite the petals off a flower, which results in her managing to swallow one down and promptly burping a pungent plume of smoke.
It shouldn't surprise anyone when she ultimately resorts to violence, landing a startling and sound whack on a flower that knocks it to its side. But it is a surprise, and Koa meets her shocked expression with a bemused one of his own. "That worked?" Guess the answer was indeed to carry a big stick.
As for whether he needs a flower? "Nah, I have enough fire risk with Pip around." The dragonling trills a note of protest, but quickly turns her attention to Mel. She's managed to snip a couple blooms with her sharp teeth and is very smug about it, her naturally fire resistant mouth uninjured by the ever-burning heat. "How many do you need?"
When I kiss your lips I want to sink down to the bottom of the sea
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
Melita would say it wasn’t terribly difficult to stay on her good side, but given her tempestuous edges and mercurial moods, this would probably not be a factual statement. Regardless, the gremlin-hearted demigod continued whacking with said stick, and acquiring what she could – though Pip was something like a godsend, aside from the burping smoke plumes.
”You’re incredible,” she offered to the dragon, wondering why she hadn’t thought of that, and giving credit where it was due. Sila floated down, perhaps inspired, biting at a few and sharing in the spoils. The Honeybee, still with gloves on, shuffled a few more daintily into the bag again.
She scoffed at the Dragoon’s statement though, as if it was some kind of whirlwind blasphemy. “Pff. You can never have too much fire.” Tilting her head, she counted out those already acquired. “Probably only a couple more, and then we can call it good.”
I know, Pip's preening croon seems to reply, the little dragon arching her sinewy back against Melita's leg, smugly delighted that someone appreciates her genius. Koa scoffs, nudging a pebble free with the toe of his boot and kicking it toward the wyrm. "You're gonna give her ideas," he cautions Mel, indulgence softening any real edges from his voice.
"So these are to add cannons to your ship, right?" Coming to kneel beside Melita, he leans in to inspect one of the flowers. "Seems like a pretty useful addition. Maybe I ought to see about getting a few commissioned for the Dragoons." Gingerly Koa reaches forward, grazing a finger over a petal only to pull it back with curse as heat singes his skin. "Ow." He puts the wounded digits to his lips to cool them, scowling at the offensive bloom.
When I kiss your lips I want to sink down to the bottom of the sea
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
“Nothing wrong with that,” she preached in return, casting a knowing look at Koa, signifying nothing and everything all in the singular glance. From there, all three of them (Fangorn excluded, who looked on from still a fair distance back, because he had no intentions of burning his vines on anything, thank you), snagged at a decent amount of blossoms, each with Melita being able to pluck at them with her gloves and shove them in the bag for safekeeping. She’d keep one or two out for the Dragoon to peruse, before tumbling them about with the others.
Peeling another away from the plant with her surefire stick, she nodded. “Mhm. I wanted a little firepower while I was on the move too,” as if this was a very sensible idea, rather than just really being inclined to go pew pew pew all the live long day.
Though she had to stifle a snicker as Koa placed his finger upon one – and then bit it back with a sigh instead. “None for you then?” Rising from her crouch, and figuring they’d done enough damage for the day, she shook her head. “That’s probably enough anyway. Thanks for the help,” she extended to Pip especially, before they could head off their way, back through the hellfire of the Climb itself.
