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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!
07-14-2024, 07:01 AM (This post was last modified: 07-16-2024, 03:14 PM by Maea.)
Maea
And I hope that you don't suffer But take the pain
The guildhall smelled of fresh lumber, paint and sawdust. Leaving the door open to let in the sweet Flowerbirth air, the sound of her heels echoed slightly in the stillness.
As far as she knew, no one had really come by since repairs finished on the building. The little shop was open occasionally, but no particular profits had been made and the hall was not yet the bustling gathering place and hub of activity she would like to see it become.
The first remedy to that would be to make herself at home, so that she was present whenever anyone responded to the invitations. Going upstairs, she unlocked the door to the guildmaster's office, and found the space to be a barren cell of a room. White fresh paint pricked her eyes, and from a large window overlooking the little garden lot on the back of the house, brilliant light streamed in onto a plain desk. That was it. Some empty shelves, a simple pin chair and a chest that was equally empty - that was the whole of it. Clearly Edmund had meant what he said about stepping back for her. He hadn't left so much as a scrap of paper.
Dust motes glittered in the air; sighing, Maea pulled a notebook from her coat pocket and began to jot down a list of things she would need to spruce this place up to her liking.
Welcome! This will be a PQ to help Maea decorate her new office. Let's begin with the characters showing up :)
You can always count on Charlie to show up wherever help is needed.
"Hellloooo?" Appearing in the open doorway of the guildhall with a spray of red flowers in her hands, the little ancient glanced around. Blinking several times to try and encourage her eyes to adjust to the softer lighting within, Charlie stepped over the threshold in the main hall. Everything looked incredibly official from what she could see, if not a bit new and untested. Though she wasn't entirely sure what the purpose of the guild was given that the world had largely already been explored and mapped, it all definitely looked good.
"Maea? It's me, Charlie." The blonde called, her tail swaying from side to side. Down the hall she could see what she thought was a kitchen, and up the grand staircase appeared to be a few more rooms, but she didn't want to just go wandering about with permission.
Charlie arrives with flowers!
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Hella golden retriever energy. Small unrefined horns made of ruby. Regular spade-shaped tail.
The Hollowed Grounds was slightly less wretchedly cold in Flowerbirth than it had been in Deepfrost, but Zefira still wasn't sold on the place as some kind of year-round home for an Ancient. Enough people had migrated here that she was doing her damnedest to give it a fair shake, but so far all she'd seen of it had made her want to shake the mud of the place from her feet.
Ah well.
"Adventure, hmmm?" she purred, following a ruby red tail inside. Perhaps the place would relieve the boredom of the drab little city and its drab little people, or at least it might have a fire she could warm herself at for a little while. The fancy central bonfire was admittedly lovely and its portal was delightfully convenient, but as for the rest?
Well. Maybe the Void would be an improvement in some regions, at least so far as adding a splash of color went. Pity the colors were all shades of purple and black, though.
Zefira fluffed up her fur coat and looked around with an artfully arched brow. "If you say so..." She flashed a fanged grin at the other women inside. "Zefira. Call me Zef. Nice to meetcha."
Zef arrives looking for a fire!
And I hope that you don't suffer But take the pain
Drawn out of her thoughts by the sound of voices downstairs, Maea's head came up and her expression brightened. Hurrying to the stairs, she peered over the bannister and grinned upon recognizing the priestess. And a friend?
"Charlie, hi! Come on up, You too, come in, make yourselves at home" she added to the unfamiliar face, extending her welcome to the stranger far more easily than she might have done a year ago. "Your timing is impeccable, I could use some opinions."
Waiting for them to join her on the second floor, Maea waved them both along to the office.
"Awful, isnt it," she lamented. "I need to spruce it up somehow, but all I can think of is some curtains... Got any other suggestions? I want it relaxing, without getring too informal."
Gazing hopefully at Charlie and - was it Zef she'd heard the tall lady say? - Maea picked her list back up again, ready to note down any ideas.
Round 1
Suggest ways to make the office more personal! Striving for a balance between relaxing and official.
07-17-2024, 07:30 AM (This post was last modified: 07-17-2024, 07:31 AM by Zefira.)
Make herself at home? Why, thank you! Zef absolutely would!
She sauntered up the stairs like she owned the place, nosy and curious and not at all shy about showing it. Looking Charlie up and down with interest, she flashed the petite woman a hungry smile. "Charmed," she purred, but it would seem they needed to put in a little contribution to their hostess before she could explore further avenues in that direction.
Maea saved her the effort of voicing an opinion of the dreadfully boring office, but at the suggestion of curtains she snorted. "Aye, curtains for a start. Knock a big fireplace in that wall over there, or you'll be freezing your tits off in winter," he suggested, jerking her thumb at a non-window wall (dealer's choice!). "And for Dygra's sake, get some cushier chairs in here!" That little pin chair would do nicely for firewood once they'd got that sorted out!
Zef suggests adding a fireplace and some comfier chairs!
Spinning at the sound of a voice behind her, Charlie's jaw all but dropped with appreciation as she let her gaze rove up and up and up the taller ancient. Now, everyone was taller than Charlie, but far from it being a chip on her shoulder, the little ancient seemed to adore being around those who so starkly contrasted her own height. "Nice to meet you Zef," the priestess purrs, her tail swaying softly behind her.
The sound of Maea's voice has Charlie's blue eyes flashing with delight as she pulls her gaze away from Zefira and toward the stairs. "I love giving opinions!" She trills, and, rather than bounding up the stairs, Charlie instead darts!, appearing just next to Maea with a fanged smile as she waggles her dark eyebrows at Zef.
As for the room?
Peeping inside, she's inclined instantly to agree with Maea's assessment. "Definitely something cushier." She repeats, folding her arms across her chest and considering. "Maybe a sofa as well as some chairs? That way you can set the tone of whatever you want to talk about based on where you sit. If it's the desk it's official, but on a couch, it's..." Shrugging her shoulders, Charlie smiles. "Y'know, less stuffy. And definitely a little cart with drinks."
Charlie seconds comfier sitting! And suggests a little bar cart.
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Hella golden retriever energy. Small unrefined horns made of ruby. Regular spade-shaped tail.
And I hope that you don't suffer But take the pain
Startled and visibly impressed when Charlie Darted to her side, Maea greeted her with a warm smile. "Hi! How did you do tha - actually, tell me later, I want to listen properly." Greeting Zefira with a too formal, probably awkward handshake, she watched their reactions to the room and quickly hauled the pen back out.
Smiling to herself as she scribbled down the suggestions onto her list, she was pleased to find that most of the points would be immediately doable. Not the fireplace, perhaps - that required both materials and expertise she didn't have, and a lot more effort than she was willing to exert at the moment - but everything else could be easily procured.
"I love the idea of warming up the room," she told Zef appreciatively (and somehow managing not to look down at her tits, unfrozen and still present) "though I think a brazier will have to suffice for now. Do you think you would be able to find one for me? There's a smithy near the marketplace that usually has them."
Turning to Charlie, Maea offered the priestess a rueful smile. "Drinks would be a lovely addition... I just don't know what to offer. Could I bother you with gathering a selection for me, please?" It would also save her the pain of trying to find suppliers not located in the Last Whisper. "In the meantime I'll see if I can find some cushions, curtains and also a couch..."
She did feel a bit bad to ask her guests to run errands for her, but the flip side was being able to lounge comfortably with them once everything was put in order.
Round 2!
Zefira is asked to find a brazier in a nearby smithy.
Charlie is asked to pick out a selection of alcohol to offer to guests.
Maea will go hunt for cushions and curtains, and also a couch.
"Deal." Charlie chuckles, her tail waving delightedly. Whether or not she could teach Maea her new ability she wasn't entirely sure, but they couldn't certainly try!
Listening eagerly to what was asked of her, the little blonde grinned. "You got it, babe!" Disappearing and reappearing outside of the room and then outside of the guildhouse, Charlie shifted that she might fly to the Last Whisper for supplies.
All in all, only modest amounts of enticing were needed in order to get the supplies she needed: One shopkeeper wanted a personal lesson from Charlie about how she worshipped, another wanted to look at her feet over tea, and the third happily accepted a few bits of ruby that she'd taken from the Climb. She even managed to bribe someone to help her bring everything back to the guild but offering to talk about his relationship problems the entire way.
Charlie brings back booze from the Last Whisper!
.
Hella golden retriever energy. Small unrefined horns made of ruby. Regular spade-shaped tail.
"Charlie, was it?" The dark haired Ancient looked positively anticipatory as her greeting was returned with an enthusiasm that was downright gratifying. Some might say that the ruby-horned Ancient was petite, but Zef was absolutely one of those who would use the term 'fun-sized' and mean it.
And she made suggestions that Zef could get behind. Cozier and with drinks close to hand? This was definitely someone she needed to get to know better. Their priorities were nicely aligned!
Then the tasks were handed out and one dark brow arched elegantly. "Hmm. Not the kind of brazier I usually buy, but I'll do my best," she drawled, tapping her modest chest with a wink. "Sit tight, sugarplum." Her own exit was far less magical than Charlie's, but her interest was well and truly piqued and the chance to spend more time with the pint-sized firecracker was enough to keep Zef focused on the task at hand.
At least the smithy was warm, and Zef fluffed her coat (as well as what was underneath it) as she entered, leaning on the counter with a fine disregard for personal space as she combined flirting and intimidation to get a steep discount on one of the charcoal burners on display. Implications and innuendo and a promise to come back later with a bottle of something potent soon had her packing a sturdy little brazier decorated with a bit of scrollwork and polished to a bright, brassy shine under one muscular arm.
The smith even threw in a bag of charcoal, sweet lady that she was.
Zef saunters back in with a brazier and a bag of charcoal!
And I hope that you don't suffer But take the pain
What could easily have been daunting and annoying chores turned into several delicious pieces of cake in good company. Between radiant beauty, sultry charm and dogged persistence, the three ladies managed to rendezvous back at the guild almost at the same time. In Maea's case, she arrived back with her arms full of cushions and cloth, while a pair of laborers hauled an overstuffed couch along in her wake. They set it down in front of the doors, nudged caps politely and then scurried off before anyone could ask them to carry anything else.
Casting a surly glance after them, Maea rolled her eyes in good humor. "You'd have thought I asked them to murder someone," she muttered. "Looks like you found what you were looking for! That's great, let's carry it all upstairs and start with the fun part." Holding back a curious desire to go through the finds then and there, Maea unceremoniously dropped her armful into the couch and looked hopefully at the others for some help. It was only a two-seated couch, but still a bit much for her to lift on her own.
Like... she could But why would she, when it was much more fun to work together?
Round 3. Let's bring the stuff up to the office and decorate!
1. Help Maea carry the couch upstairs! The stairs might prove a bit tight, careful not to drop it on your toes.
2. Hang pillows and fluff cushions! Or was it the other way around? Arrange the stuff and make the office cozy ~
Off the porters went, and Zef barely spared them a glance before her eyes lit on Maea and the promise of 'the fun part.' "By all means, let's get the party started," she purred. Deft fingers moved swiftly to undo the buttons on her coat, which she dropped onto the couch with the pillows. Underneath she exercised her Dygra-given right to bare arms, flexing her sculpted biceps in a deliberate display of showing off for the other two Ancients.
Grabbing the other end of the couch, she gave Maea a wink. "Ready when you are, Sugarplum!" At the pale Ancient's signal, Zef lifted her end of the couch, and if it wasn't with ease at least it wasn't with any particular difficulty. The tight corners might prove to be more of a challenge, but since she was working with another person it was just a matter of angling and occasional backing-up to get a better line of attack in the confined space of the stairs.
Zef helps Maea with the couch!
