Intro to Saidar (Open)

[Quibby]

IC: Liadin had never really liked having to deal with the new students.  It required patience, an ability to troubleshoot any issues the student was having, and a general willingness to be helpful.  She had some... difficulty with the last.  Ergo, when she was asked to work with the newest batch of trainees, Liadin had originally intended to decline the offer, and made herself clear on her reluctance.  Her superior then informed her that it was non-negotiable.  She'd accepted the task with a smile on her face and a plot for revenge in her heart.  However, that was neither here nor there.

 

Everything about Liadin seemed to sing of rank, from her garb to the way she stood to the way she looked at people.  Right now, that look was trained upon a small group of young women, looking about in curiosity or anxiety.  So this was what she was meant to work with.  Typical.

 

Catching the girls' eye, Liadin waved them over to the shade under the tree upon which she was leaning, waiting for her to finish whatever examinations she was making before saying, "Welcome to the Fortress.  My name is Liadin, and I'll be handling your training for awhile.  Before we get down to business, I want make something perfectly clear to all of you."  Liadin met each child's eyes, blue eyes seeming to bore into the very depths of their minds (or at least that's what she felt it was doing).  "Whatever life you led before now, whatever station you had in the world, whatever you were before stepping into this Fortress means absolutely nothing now.  Today, you start over, and if you survive- and I really do mean 'if'- you will be Dreadladies, sworn to serve the Great Lord."

 

Liadin gave the girls a moment to let her words sink in.  Some did not like the idea, and they often ended up irritating the older Acolytes, or even the Adepts.  They often didn't last a week.  Not even bothering to make sure that they new students understood, Liadin bid them to sit down upon the grass.  "Since we already know that you can channel, we can skip that part of the training and move right onto the actual work."  Joining her on the grass, sitting cross-legged across from her, Liadin said, "I want you to close your eyes.  Now, leaving your eyes closed, I want you to picture a rosebud in your mind.  Nothing else, just the rosebud.  Imagine every detail, everything about it, picture it as if you were looking at it right here, right now."  Liadin gave the girls a little bit to allow the image to fully coalesce in their minds.  "Good, now I want you to imagine sunlight shining upon the rose, warming it, giving life, inviting it to open up.  As this happens, allow the rosebud to open at its own pace.  Do not try to rush it, just let it happen.  Don't worry if you do not succeed the first time, the second time, the fifth time, or even the tenth time.  This will become easier with time."

[Raeyn]

 

Rendra glowered.  And pouted.  And glowered a bit more.

 

She'd been doing a fair amount of glowering and glaring since she found out that she could channel. <i>”I never asked for this,”</i> Rendra pouted silently, glaring at the girls talking to each other around her, <i>”I don't want to be a witch, I just wanted to learn to kill...”</i>

 

Her train of thought died off as she noticed everyone moving towards a woman leaning against a nearby tree.  Rendra slowly followed along, dragging her feet every step of the short trek.  The woman introduced herself as Liadin, and proceeded to babble about stations and service – boring stuff that didn't really mean anything to a hawker's daughter... though this Liadin woman did have a fearsome glare she turned on all her students to drive her blah blah words home.

 

Before her thoughts could drift back to useless pouting, Liadin gestured to them to sit down, “Since we already know that you can channel, we can skip that part of the training and move right onto the actual work."  The older woman joined them on the ground and continued, “I want you to close your eyes.  Now, leaving your eyes closed, I want you to picture a rosebud in your mind.  Nothing else, just the rosebud.  Imagine every detail, everything about it, picture it as if you were looking at it right here, right now."  Closing her eyes, Rendra snorted softly to herself, <i>“I'm no bloody rose... except maybe to... no, can't think about Aldric, I </i>can't<i>!”</i>

 

And yet somehow, her thoughts drifting to the dread Aldric relit a small fire in her heart, <i>“If I have to learn to be a with for now, I will... for him... I don't have to like it though.”</i>

 

<i>Picture the rosebud...</i>

 

She let her mind remember a rose that Aldric and her brother had stolen and given her a year or two back – it was red, tightly curled, and very fragrant.

 

<i>”Imagine every detail, everything about it, picture it as if you were looking at it right here, right now. “</i>

 

In her mind, she could always remember her treasure in that rosebud.  She had put it on the window ledge in a glass of water, and looked at it every day, studying the texture of the petals, the veins in the leaves...

 

<i>”Imagine sunlight shining upon the rose, warming it, giving life, inviting it to open up.”</i>

 

Rendra could remember how nice it was to spend the few spare moments she had while at home curled up in the warm rays of the sunlight, watching her flower.  She herself could envision it, out here in the great outdoors with the sunshine on her shoulder.  But all too soon, it had withered and died.. like all good things.  Her mind flashed to when she had found the first fallen petal, and the sense of warmth she had felt creeping up on her dropped away with the mental image.

 

<i>”Allow the rosebud to open at its own pace.  Do not try to rush it, just let it happen.  Don't worry if you do not succeed the first time, the second time, the fifth time, or even the tenth time.  This will become easier with time. </i>

 

She sighed, and started again.  And again.  And again until she was able to feel a dribble of the Power suffuse her being.  In her shock, she immediately lost control, but it was a start.

 

 

[Liitha]

Liadin observed her students, making sure every one of them touched the source before continuing. "Now that you all felt it, lets continue on, I want everyone to let it flow in, and then push it away activly instead of loosing it." Now that the girls knew how to get hold of it it was so important that they learned to control themself, less they did something alone that would cost them their abilities or even life.

 

"The reason I do make you do this is because if you loose control to saidan it can be question what would be the kinder faith, a mere burn out or death." She looked at the students sternly, "We dont go around shielding the students, if you do not have self control then you will not survive training, you need a clear mind as much as anything in the shadow. I would advice you against trying to handle the one power without beeing fresh and clear of mind, as well as able to focus, unless you are with a teacher in which case do not question them pushing you even if you are tired. However i do expect you to practise on this till the next lesson, practise grasping, holding and leting go of saidar till it become as second nature, and we will meet again here in a weeks time, asuming you are still alive." She steped back and dismissed her students.

 

_________

 

A week was up and she was awaiting hers student patiently, by reports there had been no deaths this week, there where no place for fools or the weekhearted in the ranks of the dreadlords as such the week passed had been their first test to the acolyte. A test of willpower, and a mind who was clever enough to listen to reason and controll itself.

 

Seteling against the same tree as last week she started explaining of the one power, and the elements, as well as the futher perils of the one power and history. After an hour and a half with theory she moved on to the practical part of the lesson. "Now as i said there is 5 elements, fire.." she channeled red, green, yellow, blue and white strands as he spoke to illustrate. "..earth, wind, water and spirit, each have a faint color but more then anything you should be able to feel almost taste who is who." She waited for a nod.

 

"Okey now grasp saidar, it by now should give you no problems, then i want you to try and copy me." Slower this time she pulled on saidar and ever so slow separated the treads one at the time and leting go of one tread before taking another. As well giving time between each to allow his student to copy what she did. When she was sure his student got it down he grasped two treads and spun them around eachother into a spiral, then let go and did two others. "This is what i want you to use as practise untill next week, make spirals, make them in difrent combinations, and as you go stronger practise making more at once. Geting comfortable with drawing on the difrent elements, as well this would learn you which elements you find yourself stronger and weaker in."

 

ooc anyone walk in late just post 1 retro post, and 1 post to new class

[Raeyn]

 

It had been a tiring week, and Rendra had a feeling that exhaustion would be the watchword for some time.

 

She still felt unclean at learning that she was to be a bloody witch, and this warred with her delight in the Power - everything seemed sharper, clearer... more alive, even!  She was starting to understand the attraction of this channeling, but still...

 

It was yet another day in their training, and they once again were seated before Liadin in the shade of the same tree.  In spite of herself, Rendra listened attentively to the older woman's lecture about the Power. <i>"The witches I've heard tales of made it all seem easier than this!"</i> she thought emphatically.

 

Almost abruptly-seeming, Liadin channeled.  She demonstrated the Five Powers individually, to which Rendra and her classmates joined in with on the second demonstration.  The young Taraboner had a fairly easy time with Spirit, Air, and Water; these elements came very easily to her.  She found channeling Earth and Fire... not necessarily difficult, but not exactly easy either.  Both elements <i>did</i> come when she channeled them, but very weakly in comparision to the other three.  Rendra understood why - men had an easier time with Earth and Fire than women did, but that fact still annoyed her slightly.

 

Liadin game them time to practice feeling each element out before suddenly channeling two elements entwined, and then rapidly channeling two more elements entwined.  "This is what I want you to use as practice until next week, make spirals, make them in different combinations, and as you go stronger practice making more at once.  Getting comfortable with drawing on the different elements, as well this would learn you which elements you find yourself stronger and weaker in."

 

Rendra nodded, and let herself wander off a bit from the main group.  She found it easier to practice without the other girls distracting her, though her own thoughts did a fair enough job of that.  As she opened herself up to Saidar, she let her thoughts drift, <i>"Perhaps when they're done forcing me to learn how to use the Power, they'll let me train as an assassin like I wanted to.  I'm sure they will!"</i>  Her grip on Saidar slipped, and she grumbled an oath.  Opening herself up again, she found that Air and Spirit came easiest, so she twisted threads of those elements twine around each other.  Satisfied with that initial effort, she tried another combination, and another... and another.

 

As the week progressed, she found that her initial opinion on things held - Spirit was easiest, and Air and Water almost as simple.  Fire and Earth were still harder, but they came all the same - just not as strongly.  By the end of the week, she found that her strongest combinations were ones that contained Spirit, Air and Water, though she could muster Fire and Earth to a very mild degree with any of them.  It was easier to do two or three strands at a time, but she had a feeling that it would be easier to do more complex weavings with more practice. 

 

And by the end of that week, Rendra felt almost at peace with having to learn what she was learning.

[Liitha]

Liadin awaited her student as the week was up. When the women arived she tested what they was able to do first, looking at the spirals and nodded in aproval. "Very well lets continue by learning you to do something constructive, a simple weave of each." She grasped saidar and drew on fire first, Up of her pocket did she seize a candle, she the tick blocky candle on the ground and used fire to light it, then put it out with a puff of air. As she finished she told her students to try the weaves, explaining it migth take a couple tries to get the webs just rigth as she had done it. Then setled back to study, only instructing with help when needed, and the class went on. Using earth and water both, she made a mudpile. And lastly had her student pic a flower weaving keeping around it, where she would need most spirit but also a tad of each of the other elements, such learning the girls to use them togheter.

 

"You now learned some very basic weaves, but still usefull ones at times, even small weaves can come in handy at times and should not be forgoten. Ligthing a candle like that put that to some paper or wood and you can have a base to make a fire, as well put it out with water after if need be. A muddy ground is slipery and if expanded can be a good way to slow down pursuers, and keeping can be used on food as well to keep it from roting. All these things usefull at moments that you in time wont come to think of using them less for if you lost the ability find how much you come to rely on them, which is another lesson to not forget how to rely on yourself without saidar. So please keep your flowers as a reminder. Class dismissed"

[Raeyn]

 

Rendra continued to keep herself apart from her classmates over the course of the week.  She wasn't feeling terribly socialable, and preferred to work on tapping <i>Saidar</i>.  The young woman still had her reservations with learning this witchcraft, but it was too fascinating for her to stop.

 

And so it was a slightly cheerful Taraboner that demonstrated her 'skill' with the Power when she reported in to Liandin for her final lesson.  Her spirals seemed to be getting easier to make, and a touch stronger, but she wasn't really too sure about it either.  <i>"For all I bloody know, I could be hallucinating this whole bloody thing!  But let's hope not..."</i> Rendra thought to herself as she sat down under the tree to watch the next phase of instruction.

 

 

"Very well, let's continue by learning to do something constructive; a simple weave of each element," Liandin spoke, and pulled out a candle.  She demonstrated lighting it with Fire and putting it out with Air, and then moved on to show how to make a mudpile, and a weave she called a Keeping, and then instructed everyone to try their hand at the weaves.

 

Rendra opened herself to the Power; it was quicker than when she started learning to channel a few weeks before, but not as quick as what their instructor could do.  Weaving fire, she poked the flow at the candle.  Nada.  Frowning, she tried to envision the little sphere that Liadin had channeled around the wick.  As her mind shaped it, a little sphere of Fire formed around the wick, and took to light.  With a smile, Rendra shaped a weave of Air like she had of Fire around the wick, and watched the tell-tale trickle of smoke signify that her efforts were succesful.

 

Next, she tried her luck at making a mudpile.  <i>"This should be easier, since it's sort of like doing the elemental blades!"</i> Rendra thought to herself as she weaved a little bit of Earth and Water at the ground.  Sure enough, a patch of mud started glistening at her.  <i>"Neat!</i> she thought to herself before wrinkling her nose a tiny, <i>"Gross, but neat... why would I need to know how to make mud with the Power?  Odd..."</i>

 

The final task was weaving a Keeping.  Taking a flower from the pile, Rendra smiled and thought about the rose analogy that had helped her find her way to <i>Saidar</i> in the first place.  The young Taraboner wasn't too sure about this weave, and watched some of the other girls try their hands at it first.  It seemed that everyone was having trouble trying to weave all the elements at once, but after a couple of tries they were getting it.  Sighing softly, Rendra reached out for <i>Saidar</i> again and focused on the flower.

 

It took a couple of tries, which goes without saying.  Rendra found herself having difficulty getting five flows to go at the same time, especially considering that the flow of Spirit was bigger than the other ones.  Still, she was pretty sure she had managed it after a few tries, and Liadin confirmed her success.

 

After they all did their weaves, Liadin brought them back around her and gave a final speech before dismissing everyone, "All these things are useful at moments that you in time won't come to think of using them less for if you lost the ability find how much you come to rely on them, which is another lesson to not forget how to rely on yourself without saidar. So please keep your flowers as a reminder. Class dismissed."

 

Rendra smiled slightly as she rose from the ground, twirling the flower between her fingers.  As she walked away, she thought to herself, <i>"Perhaps I won't let myself fully rely on </i>Saidar<i>; that would make me a witch, after all, but I think I can see where it might be of use, finally..."</i>

 

Rendra Harella

Less Upset about this Witchery Thing