Obedience to a fault (ATTN Syl or Ata)

[Tigara]

The sun rose over the tops of the Sheinarian hills, snow capping the higher ones. Birds, coming out of their sleep, sang merry songs to the flowers, poking their heads through the thawing ground. Spring was a beautiful season, but Terra had never bothered to notice. She noticed little that she wasn’t told to notice. Crows circled over Terra and her mistress. Watching. Just two women crossing the Sheinarian back country. No, nothing suspicious at all.

 

The sun grew high by the time the pair stopped. Terra was sweating buckets under her cloak, but knew it would freeze to her if she took it off. Books said that the Borderlands were unforgiving. She found that contradictory, seeing how the Blight was always described as warm. The Blight was the more northerly of the two, yet it was warmer. That puzzled Terra, but she did not ever question anything. “Sit.” Her Mistress said, so Terra quickly crossed her legs and plopped on the squishy ground. She picked a long blade of grass and fiddled with it as her Mistress ducked behind the hill. Terra turned the blade of grass over and around and sideways for nearly fifteen minutes.

 

Her Mistress came up the top of the hill and beckoned her. “Come, Terra. There is someone you must meet.” Terra quickly sat up and ran up the hillside, brushing grass and dead leaves off her dress as she went. She reached the crest in a very timely manner, even if the hill wasn’t exceptionally tall. In fact, it was a rather small hill. Her mistress motioned for her to go down the hill, where a dark clad person stood. She took only a few steps down the hill before her boot caught on a protruding stone, and Terra tumbled down the hill. No sooner had she gotten to the bottom she was on her knees, face to the ground. “I’m so very sorry. I am very clumsy. I beg your forgiveness.” She hadn’t bothered to look at the figure, not knowing if she was being scowled at, or perhaps smiled at. She knew her Mistress would be scowling.

 

Terra Cyrene

 

[Sylvirci]

Liadin waited quietly in the hills just inside the Blight. She was wearing a deceptively cool cloak that gave the appearence of being thicker then it really was, with the hood drawn up so that only her face showed within. Not minding the heat or the lateness of the girl that was supposedly able to channel, she thought about what she had heard of this girl and how best to deal with her when she arrived.

 

Then the women bringing the girl crested the rise. Stilling her features with practiced ease she listened to the woman's report and then motioned for her to bring the girl. Watching the crest in interest she kept her face still and deviod of expression. She watched as the girl clumsily fell down the gentle hill to land at her feet in a most pleasing positon, that of submission.

 

Surpressing the smile from ever reaching her face she walked around the girl while carefully studying her. Liadin noted the lump on head temple and the hunch of her back and the demure demeaner which she seemed to do naturally. Stopping before the girl's downturned head she spoke softly yet with great authority,

 

"You may leave us now. Rise girl for I am not the Great Lord. You should learn that you are now one of his prized servants and as such should not bow to any but Him and his Chosen. While I will not demand bowing or scraping I will demand obedience while I teach you or you can die or worse, burn yourself out. Now Listen carefully, I will test you just to make sure you can channel. Then we will go to the Fortress where I can properly train you. Do you understand all this?"

 

Watching the girl rise, Liadin judged the reaction Terra would have to all that. Liadin was a beautiful woman with high and narrow cheekbones and a firm jaw set around piercing blue eyes, that right now showed no hint of emotion, only served to give her a stern and slightly forboding look that demanded instant obedience. Satisfied her remarks had done the job of giving the girl a little backbone she pulled a smokey crystal out of her cloak and hung it in front of Terra's face. Watching the girl, she prepared to test her and if need be shield her.Then she spoke again in that soft and hynotic voice,

 

" Look at the crystal and don't take your eyes from it. Now relax your mind and body, feel all your emotions and thoughts seep away while the light of the Great one enters you and fills you completely. All thoughts are gone to the wind and all that remain is that light, that reddish-gold light of our Great lord as it fills you and comforts you. Feel it give you new life and pleasure beyond your wildest dreams." She continued to speak softly of the light and the pleasures of it by heart, she had done this too many times not to be able to watch and feel things around her. Watching Terra she was soon rewarded by the glow of Saidar dimly glowing around the girl. Then the crystal's smokeyness started swirling gently and increased speed the longer she allowed the girl to feel Saidar.

 

Knowing it could get out of hand and not wanting the girl to be afraid just yet Liadin cleared her throat and broke the girl's concentration. Watching the girl blink away the effects of losing those addictive feelings she smiled inwardly, but never once did her expression change. She was just as unreadable as ever and completely devoid of emotion in her face and movements. Nodding once in approval and acceptance she motioned the girl to follow her.

 

Not waiting to see if she did, Liadin strode briskly away and her height of 5'9 made her form quickly disappeare beyong the next hill. Once there she got gracefully onto a strunning glossy black gelding and waited for the girl to sit upon the dark brown mare. Once seated she spurred the gelding into a light yet brisk run and turned her head as the mare caught up,

 

" You may ask whatever you like, but know there are some things I will not answer. We have about a two day ride depending on how well you can sit that horse so you might as well start learning what knowledge you can before the real training begins."

 

Liadin, NSW Dreadlady

 

OOC: Ok, first time I have played an NSW so enjoy. I will work us slowly to the Fortress, so use the alone time wisely! ;)

[Tigara]

Bow to only the Great Lord and His Chosen? 14 masters? And masters that wouldn't be in her presence nearly any of the time? How can that be? Terra's thoughts swam cirles round her head. The idea og not having one master to obey was freightening to her. Freightening because it was new. And what about confilcting orders? How could she obey an order to drink water and an order to not drink water?Her head began to throb.

 

Liadin pulled a crystal out of her cloak. It looked almost smokey. She concentrated fully on it, as the woman told her. Everything went into that crystal. And it almost looked as if the smoke was circling. How could that be? Was this that channeling she was supposed to be able to do? If it was, it felt wonderful! She had never felt so alive! Liadin cleared her throat, which broke her concentration. She was about to break into more apologies for not concentrating, but Liadin nodded before she could. Approvingly at that.

 

liadin disappeared behind the hill and Terra followed, not even looking at her Mistress. She was no longer her Mistress.  Liadin had just mounted a black, sleek horse, and there was a dark brown horse beside it. It must be for her. She had never riden a horse before. A pony, yes she rode that once or twice, but that was different. Horses were so much taller and less docile. But she was to obey. She took a run at the horse(which looked more like a waddle) and grabbed onto the other side of the horse. Her legs flailed madly trying to get up on the horse. She eventually hoisted herself up onot the horse's back and took hold of the reins. That hard part was over. She could stay on the horse.

 

Liadin had already set off at a considerable pace, so it took Terra some goading to get the mare to catch up. "You may ask whatever you like, but know there are some things I will not answer. We have about a two day ride depending on how well you can sit that horse so you might as well start learning what knowledge you can before the real training begins." Terra had never had much of an opinion before, so questions never crossed her mind. She always thought that she would be told what she needed to know. "Ummm, was what I did before with the crystal, was...was...that channeling?"

 

Terra Cyrene

[Sylvirci]

Liadin watched as the girl riding beside her gathered her thoughts to ask a question. Was she that lacking in self expression that she couldn't think of what to say? She waited with as much patience as she could manage. Just as her control was about to slip the girl hesitantly spoke her first question.

 

Thinking a moment on how to respond to this...meek child, she decided to be gentle yet demand she speak up. Forming the appropiate emotional mask was easy, the voice was a little more difficult but she finally felt she had it right and spoke thus, " Yes, but that was guided. It is a lot stronger when you actually have control of it as it runs through you. First you must learn the basics of it before you can channel it."

 

Preparing herself for a lesson from horseback, she sat her saddle in a more relaxed position before continuing, " It has many names such as One Power, the Source among others. For you it can be called Saidar, for that is what the female half of it is called. The men call their tainted half Saidin. Both halfs can be broken into five elements..." she went on to explain them in detail and how they were used to form weaves. How simple weaves could only require one elemental thread and the more complicated would need more threads. How the strength of ones abilities in the elements varied not only from woman to man but also from individual to individual.

 

She realized she had given the girl a lot of information so she stopped for a moment to let it sink in. Looking around she saw that it was getting darker out, so she stopped them and using Saidar she set up camp. She placed wards around and traps, when she was finished she approached Terra and bade her sit. Then she sat in front of her crossed-legged and began her first lesson in Saidar.

 

" Now I have told you the basics, I will now show you how to call it. We aren't going to do anything with it right now. I am just going to show you how to call it and release it. Picture a rose bud, release all other thoughts except that bud. Now picture the light from earlier streaming into your mind and as the rays touch the bud it slowly begins to open. Feel the warmth as it falls upon that blooming rose but don't call it. Just let it wash through you and into the rose." she continued in that soft, hypnotic voice she had used before until she saw and felt the girl surrounded by Saidar. " You feel that? That is Saidar or the One Power hovering around you, do you feel the warmth, the sense of being more alive? Good, now let a little of it warm you and the rest wash around you. That's it, just a little. Ah! You can feel the strength and power of it but don't draw more. It is addictive, that sense of life and wholeness."

 

She watched carefully as Terra let that small trickle in and as it filled the girl she could see the color flush through her and the ears twitch from heightened senses. She knew those feelings well and she also knew the addictive power of it too. Again in that quiet voice she spoke, " Now, form clouds to block that light. Slowly let those clouds form until there is nothing but the clouds. It will feel like you have lost a big part of yourself and you will want it back. Fight it, keep focused on those clouds..." she continued until she felt the Source fade from the girl, saw the slumped form of loss.

 

Then she spoke kindly to Terra, " Terra you have just felt what it is that makes you special. Both the gaining and the losing of it. You are special to the Great Lord for this gift you posses, now you need to learn to be strong enough to control it! To do that you must know that you are no longer a meek and witless girl. You are Terra, future Dreadlady for the Great Lord! Now practice calling Saidar to you and then pushing it away a few more times. Remember though that if you get too tired you can lose control. If that happens you could lose this great gift or worse kill yourself. I will watch in case you grow weak now, but never try to touch the Power without myself or another Dreadlady present."

 

Liadin watched as Terra practiced a few more times and then saw she was too tired to continue. The sun had set a while ago so she told Terra quietly, " Stop, that is enough for now. Get some sleep. Unless you have any questions? We have a long ride ahead of us but I will answer any you may have."

 

Liadin, NSW Dreadlady

[Tigara]

Terra's eye were wide. Wide from the shock that she was special and from all the information she was being stuffed with. It was overwelming! But as her nature required, she did exactly as she was told. She closed her eyes and pictured herself as as small red rosebud. It almost hurt to think of herself that way, for she was not pretty in any way and had never thought of herself that way, either. Perhaps it would not be disobeying if it wasn't a pretty rosebud. A black rosebud with tattered petals and a thorny stem. It was hideous, yet elegant in it's own way.

 

She emptied her mind and pictured the light of the sun fall upon her black bud. She could feel it's warmth filling her and she had never felt so alive. It seemed like she could see, smell, hear, and feel everything better! It was so strong, and she had it in her. She grew afraid it would destroy her frail body. But it was so good! How could she not want it?

 

Her next instruction was to block the sun with clouds. She envisioned dark rolling thunderclouds coming over the sun, and then suddenly it was gone! That feeling of supercharged life was simply just gone! She wanted to remove those clouds and feel the warmth again, but she had been told not to. She could not disobey!

 

As instructed, she practiced a few more times and grew very tired. Not in body, but in mind. Liadin bid her to bed and Terra settled down and dozed off. It was another long day tomorrow...

 

 

Terra Cyrene

Considering disobedience and hating it.

[Liitha]

Liadin awoke the girl, it was just barely light on the sky, if it could be called so within the blight. "Time to get up, if you need to empty your water dont wander off to far, there are more dangers then you could imagine here, and be quick about it, we will eat in the sadle" she grinned her nose, the sooner and harder they rode the more likely they were to succeed in her schedule and minimize the time spent in this foul smelling place.

 

She waited till the girl was back before mounting, hoping that seeing how to would allow the clumpsy student to get an idea of how to actualy get on a horse in a timely maner. Reaching into her sadlebags she grabed a wraped package, she undid it and waited till the girl was mounted, then handed her some bread and dry meat. "Got to eat even if not in the most apetising soroundings, keep your strength up, channeling is tedious and drain you, especialy in the begining before you grown acustomed to it."

 

After chewing her own portion down she swallowed with some water before offering the bottle to the new intiate. "You should use the time today to practise grasping and leting go of the source, once you have that down you can try this" she opened herself to the source, and draw on the elemental treads, illustrating as she explained their differences, and then showed how to spin them into spirals. "Just do not overstrain yourself either, its dangerous to channel if you do.." and she quickly listed some of the things that could happen, making sure to drive in how one could cause side effects, or worse yet burn oneself out.

 

"For now those are the things you will be using your time at the first week or so, when you have that all down, you will get a final class instruction on how to form actual usefull weaves. Its important you have complete control though, so when you feel you practised enough that you can multitask you may resume asking questions alongside doing your rehersals"

 

 

[Tigara]

The dreadlady awoke Terra and she got up immediately. She did her usual grooming, which wasn't much, took care of nature's call, then tried to get back on that cursed horse with far too long of legs. She tried to hop up, got her foot in the stirrup, then lost her balance and flipped upside down. She struggled a bit then her foot leg go of the stirrup and she plopped onto the dirty ground. She picked herself up, brushed her cloak off, and tried again. Foot in stirrup, hand on pommel, pulling up....not strong enough. once again, her back was on the ground and she was staring at the sky. She tried once more and through a series of awkward struggles, she did make it onto the horse.

 

The dreadlady handed her a packet of food after she was on and stable.Just some bread and dry meat. It was better than other meals she had had. She nearly shivered as she recalled some of the food she had eaten back in the slums. They rode on and she was given a few instructions. She did as ordered and practiced grasping and releasing the Source. It was difficult to do at first, especially the latter part, but it grew easier the more she did it. After she thought she had that part sorta down, she moved onto the elements. Three of them came along far easier than the other two. Liadin pointed them out to her as Air, Fire and Spirit. Water was a little harder and Earth a little harder than that, but all of them seemed close to the same amount of effort to use. They seemed...balanced.

 

She did that for a while and she started to feel some exhaustion. She took a break to ask questions. "Would you say that I am strong or weak in the Power? Which are the most useful elements? What is this Fortress like?"

[Liitha]

Liadin looked over at the girl as she broke silence, "Patience, you are not of full strength yet, strength will grow over the years as you develop, I think you will turn out of average strength when you reach your full potency." It was how it felt, but it was hard to know so early on, though the girls curent strength was an indication to her potential.

 

She allowed saidar to flow into her and used it to forse open a path through some dense brush so the plants wouldnt harm them, normaly anyone traveling or trying to through the blight would raise interest, but sertaint expert soldiers like the dreadlords and the higher assasins traveled protected. She herself had the one power she could relly on, though that alone was no gurantie to make it safely through the blight, no rather it was her oaths to the dark one, she had been to his lier, and while not sure she thougth there must be a conection to that which kept her safe.

 

She twitched her nose, even if it was somewhat silent, and it wasnt cold, it still smelled awfull. "As for the most usefull elements, its hard to say, females naturaly tend to be stronger in air and water, men in fire and earth, while spirit is sort of leveled. I'd say there is no fire or earth if you look to the real items that couldnt be damaged by water or wind if there is but enough strength of them. So it all comes down to knowing your strengths and how to use them in a good way."

 

With saidar roaming through her body her sences was heigthened, she tried her best to block out the smell, the upside was that in the horison she saw a black dot, the fortress, she let go of saidar and it disapeared as her sences dulled. "The fortress is of massive stone, its a challenge in your first few years, and not everyone survive it. Everyone is relativly safe there if they follow the rules, alliances and such are to be put aside, being caugth ploting rulebreaking will get you punished as its unaceptable, do not let it fool you though." she turned her head looking at the girl "plots still happen, just not as often, but some find the risk of the price worth it, specialy if they do think they can get away with it...so be sure to not put yourself in a situation where accidents may happen, a little carefullness is all it take though cause no one would dare openly trying to defy the rules, and I'd advice against engaging in such games if you have planes to survive your intiatehood." she paused to let it sink in, "there are more then enough other dangers for you to survive, if not to put yourself up against the council or teachers who all have experiences equaling to several of your lifetimes, get caugth and likelyhood is you will wish you were dead..hence I urge you to be smart and follow the rules of the sanctuary the fortress is to be for everyone, there will be lifetimes enough later on to play out revenge on your enemies outside the fortress walls."

 

She turned her head, and looked into the horison, if she squinted she thougth she could see the blackness against the horision now, so she pointed towards it "If you open yourself to saidar you may see better, it will still be dark before we reach it though"

[Tigara]

Terra was good at following rules. But the Fortress sounded rather ominous and dangerous. She hoped she could survive it. She really wasn't very tough. The streets of Tear nearly killed her, so what would she have to do to survive the Blight? She was told to embrace saidar and suddenly she could see a shape in the distance. It was exactly as it sounded. Dark, tall, and frightening. As hours passed, it grew to dark so see it, but lights in windows were visible to saidar-enhanced eyes. It was late when they got to the Fortress. The gate was closed. She looked to the Dreadlady in concern. "How will we get in?"

[Liitha]

Liadin shot a fireball up into the air "alert the servants that we are here, its hardly as they expect an asult from the lightfools, only those of high skill and rank travel the blight safely, and its well enough hidden here inbetween the hills." she turned her head and smiled slyly as the gate opened to admit them, servants waiting to take their horses. She grabed hold of one and let the other take both, ordering him to show the girl to a vacant room in the acolyte wings. "You will meet me in a weeks time in the libary to show me that you learned the spiralls, if you have I'll give you your first instructions in weave making, and then you will be ready to sign up to whichever classes you may desire within your level acolyte Terra" she nodded and started heading up the stairs in the oposite direction of where the servant waited to bring the girl.

 

ooc rp the inbetween and up to the point of the libary and where you have showed her the spiralls, and i'll continue next lesson from there.

[Tigara]

Terra let herself be lead to her rooms. They were very dark, but she didn't mind. She was happy with any form of roof over her head. She was too tired to channel, so she felt her way to her bed and fell into a deep sleep. The next morning she found her way into the mess hall after many stops for directions. She ate and found a quiet place to practice channeling.

 

Days later, she clumsily found her way to the library where Liadin would be waiting. Sure enough, she was there. She gave an awkward curtsy before speaking. "Good morning, Mistress Liadin. I have practiced all week."

[Liitha]

Liadan watched the girl perform the spirals, asking a couple of questions of difficulty to get a picture of the girls ability then nodded in aproval. She then aranged two parallell  lines of objects on a stone table "Now lets continue by learning you to do something constructive, a simple weave of each element." She grasped saidar and drew on fire first, she focused on the candle closest to herself and used fire to light it, then put it out with a puff of air. As she finished she told her student 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 was needed, and the class went on. Using earth and water both, she made a mudpile in a flowerpot in what would be her line of object. Lastly she had her student pic the flower from the pot, and showed her how to weave keeping around it, where she used mostly spirit but also a tad of each of the other elements, such learning the her student to use them all 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 air after if small by blowing it out, or later on you may learn how to quelch it with water. 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 are 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 flower as a reminder. Any further questions?"

[Tigara]

Taking her simple little flow of Fire, Terra extended it to the candle and tied it around the wick. It sparked, then went out. Liadin showed her how to tie it properly, then Terra tried again. Extending it, she lit the candle and a small, orange flame danced merrily on its wick. She grinned in pleasure at her small success. Now taking a flow of Air, she used it to simply puff the flame out. It took a couple tried to make the puff strong enough to blow the flame out, but it was easier than than lighting the fire.

 

Next she took the flows of Earth, which were much more difficult to work with, and made a bit of dirt in a small flowerpot. Using Water, she turned that pile of dirt into a cute, little mudpie. She reminisced on how long it had been since she had played with mudpies in the street of Tear where mud abounded. It had been years. She had been so small and so innocent. Snapping back to the present, she used her flow of Air as instructed and picked a flower. Awe filled her face as she was shown how to use all five of the elements in one weave. She was eager to try it. She took a few flows of Spirit and easily combined single flows of Fire and Air with it. The Water flow resisted, but eventually she made it conform to her whims. The earth one struggled more. It was like lifting something heavy. Beads of sweat ran down her dark brow as she wove the Keeping weave on her flower. She tied it off and heaved a sign of relief. "No ,Lady Liadin. I have no questions at this time. If it pleases you, may I leave? I am very tired from all this weaving." The dreadlady nodded, Terra awkwardly curtsied, then left the room.

 

Terra Cyrene

Tired

 

OOC: I guess we're done then! Yay! Thanks for stepping in, Liitha! *hugs*

[Liitha]

np ;)