Nioca

Nioca

Demographics
Controlled by:	Nioca
Species:	Human
Items and Abilities
Skills / Trades:	CRF Moderator. Has several priestly abilities, skilled with AvernumScript.
Items:	Crusader's Protectorate (now lost), Avenger

"Will, what comes to mind when I say Nioca?"

- Jewels

Nioca is a Moderator of Calamity Refuge Forums. He also is creating his citadel at Calamity Refuge.

Overview

Present at the forums almost since they came into being, Nioca quickly jumped at the opportunity to moderate the Blades of Avernum Board. His power has since expanded to include the Geneforge Board.

Physical Traits and Appearance

About 5'9", and weighing over 200 pounds. He wears robes which are typical of priests as portrayed in Avernum, usually with a light purple or red tint, but usually won't wear an ankh or cross. While not particularly strong, Nioca usually makes up for it with great reflexes, slightly above average intelligence, and divine prowess.

Mentality

Usually possesses a cool and collected demeanor, but also frequently gets bouts of excitement. He can usually remain calm under pressure, but can start making somewhat irrational choices. Also has small bouts of immaturity at times, and can sometimes demonstrate naïveté. Furthermore, he tends to heavily fixate on things that attract his interest, almost to the exclusion of all else. Also lacks a sense of time, and frequently over or underestimates the amount of time that has passed, usually drastically. This has worsened somewhat since the Time Fracture Incident, in which at one point he was actually seeing two separate timelines simultaneously.

Also tends to be a bit egocentric.

The Time Fracture Incident has since imparted on him a small fragment of the insane Nioca's personality; he's gained a sense of mischievousness, has less self-control when it comes to anger, and tends to regard things from a darker and more sinister viewpoint. However, the recent events in Ermaria have given him back a bit of perspective.

Residence

He has his own private citadel on Refuge Isle. Has also sent a letter requesting an office in the Admin Tower to w-dueck, but has yet to receive a reply.

Duties

Current duties include moderating the Blades of Avernum Board and the Geneforge forum. He also tries to defend Calamity Refuge, though this has been difficult.

Relationship with Others

Nioca generally maintains ambivalent relationships between him and other members. He usually will neither encourage or reject relations with another member, and will consider them neither friend nor foe; merely there. However, he trusts no one save himself and his shade companion Aryll. Notable relations include:

w-dueck

Some respect is held for w-dueck's generosity for allowing him to create his Citadel in Calamity Refuge, and as a figure of authority. However, his opinion of w-dueck has somewhat soured after discovering that w-dueck was using his noding powers to play God in Ermaria.

Vergil

Usually considered with mild distaste for his showiness and occasional lapses in judgment. After the Time-Fracture Incident, Nioca started to regard Vergil's origins and behavior with suspicion, along with his connection with Jewels. However, after the war in Ermaria, his priorities have shifted, and he merely considers Vergil to be very strange.

Jewels

Nioca used to get along well with Jewels. She used to get along with him as well, but the Time-Fracture Incident wound up damaging Jewels opinion of Nioca for some time. After it was almost over, and Jewels saved Nioca's sanity it appeared that the two would reconcile. However, it took a turn for the worst when an innocent prank almost turned into a physical show-down, and resulted in her attacking Nioca with a fireball. Her negative feelings toward him increased further still during the war in Ermaria, where he unknowingly committed a number of slights against her. This culminated in him attempting to kill her (though he didn't recognize it was her, due to her being a Fire Elemental).

After returning to the Refuge, Nioca apologized for past slights against her. It's unknown whether her opinion of him will improve as well.

Robsta

No unusual feelings are held by Nioca, but Robsta has a slight mistrust of Nioca. Nioca briefly hired Robsta as a bodyguard.

Abilities

Possesses a low-to-mid-level repertoire of Avernum priest spells, and is skilled at casting them. Is particularly skilled with the spells Smite and Summon Shade. Is also competent with a few Exilian priest spells, such as Sanctuary. Also has proficiency with AvernumScript, which has allowed him to place a dazzling array of traps in the Blades of Avernum Board. Somewhat technically skilled, and skilled with first-aid.

Possessions

A wardrobe of priestly robes. Also frequently carries a first-aid kit around.

Crusader's Protectorate

Main article: Crusader's Protectorate

Nioca used to carry a shortsword named Crusader's Protectorate. This dark blade is designed for priestly use; aside from amplifying a priest's powers, it also makes an expert swordsman out of any priest that wields it. Wounds caused by it will gain a dark purple aura and suddenly start hemorrhaging life force. While the effect is mercifully brief, it can cause severe distress, weakening, or even death of the person wounded. The same applies to demons and hellspawn, who seem particularly vulnerable to it. It also draws some of the life out of a dying enemy into the wielder.

Avenger

After losing Crusader's Protectorate, Nioca inherited Avenger from his fallen comrade Yirri. It's a broadsword that, once charged, can release a hyper-concentrated bolt of magical energy. Not much else is known about it, but Nioca has trouble wielding it.

NPC Acquaintances

Nioca has a few connections outside of Calamity Refuge. They are:

Aryll the Shade

Main Article: Aryll

A Guardian Shade, she effectively acts as both a servant and a bodyguard. Aryll is intrinsically linked to Nioca; they can communicate telepathically, and she can instantly teleport to his position no matter where Nioca is.

Aryll has two forms: Her Normal Form, in which she appears as a young woman, passable for a live human, and her Combat Form, in which she looks like any other shade, save for her fiery orange tint. In combat, Aryll is also far more powerful than an ordinary shade in combat. Aside from being able to withstand far more punishment, she also can dole out a considerably greater amount of damage with her claws. She also can fire rays of magical energy at a target from afar. Aryll cannot be killed or dispelled permanently; though she'll be disrupted for a few hours after enough punishment, Aryll will eventually return to Nioca's side.

Syla

A priestess from Ermaria, Syla used to have a relationship with Nioca. The relationship soured after Nioca abandoned Ermaria and became a Designer. However, after he rescued her from an execution and helped save Ermaria during the war, he has returned to her good graces.

Syla is more powerful than Nioca when it comes to priestly rituals, and can successfully hold her own in a battle of magic. However, she lacks any sort of melee skill whatsoever.

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