Arrival and collapse (Open to ALL)

[Terron Merdoneth]

Seizing the Void, Tomas gradually sat up. He began to feel stronger. After a few minutes, he got up, got dressed and gathered his belongings. There wasn’t much (he was an orphan after all), and quickly, he found himself stepping through what seemed like a hole in the air, and into a roped off area with buildings all around, followed closely by the black coated Asha’man he had met earlier. Light! How far away from home am I? it’s not even the same time here! The Void shook under the shock. Desperately, he tried to hold it, but it was like trying to balance a ten ton boulder on his nose. It was hopeless. The pain that he had been trying to hold with the void crashed through when the void shattered, and he crumpled to the ground. The one thought he held to, was that no matter how much pain he was in, he would never cry again. He had lost too much of his life to that mistake already.

 

OOC: If you need to get some info on my character, just read my bio. http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5456

[Guest Faile1987]

OOC: Here to pick up a newbie. Welcome to the BT :D

 

IC: He didn´t want to do this. Didn´t want to be here. In fact there where at least a thousand places he would pefer to be for now, or feel more apt at. Yet he, like all those wearing the silver sword-pin marking him a Dedicated of the Black Tower, were obliged to assist the Recruiters, how they used to call themselves with the work they had to do. With guiding those new to the One Power, to Saidin and preserve them from a fate much worse than death, as some Asha´man liked to put it. Still teaching those new ones who mostly were too new to the One Power to even realize a bit what working with it meant, let alone master the taint lurking in all of them wasn´t the worst thing, when it came to teaching how to use it as a weapon, having to instruct them how to fight, to kill with their gift, their curse, that was another matter though and Ged still shuddered at the mere thought of the occassional lessons he had to give there. No, he could invision himself doing a lot of better things there, yet clearly taking part in this “mission of Recruitment†surely wasn´t one of them, maybe even worse than teaching as those they “recruited†didn´t even have a glimmer of a knowledge about what was awaiting them, what they were dragged into, willing or no.

 

Recruitment. A term actually used to describe the bargain of human life for pay. Life that´s signed up to fight in an army of which emperor ever in exchange for money. That´s how the Asha´man called their duty and obligation here and in some way they were right, he figured out. The army those who had the spark entered was that of the Dragon though, an army that wouldn´t last past Tar´mon Gaidon, if it lasted untill then that was and whose only pay was the offer of help. Help against the taint on Saiding lurking in each of them, only waiting to break out and corrupt or turn their body and mind entirely. Like a wasting disease, without a cure though and Ged didn´t wonder for the first time how far the wasting had advanced inside himself already, how long he still had to be fortunate enough to make his own decisions, claim to have control over his own mind, his own actions. But did he still? After all, what had he done or decided only of his own account lately? What had his life in the Black Tower been but a constant attempt to run away from what there was no escape? Was there any point in it in the first place or hadn´t they better end it before it began to avoid further madness and destruction only making people suffer in the end?

 

All of that randomly shooting through his mind, Ged still couldn´t find it in himself to completely neglect what he was supposed to do now though and noticing the young Cairhienin they had just rooted out, sensing his presence over some distance, stagger and fall down, eyes still wide and more than hinting the confusion – the horror? – he felt about what was just going on, the expression not fading from his face when they went through the gateway in order to render him to the Farm, getting him officially signed in, not really giving him a choice in that matter. It was all about live and sign in or refuse and die, simple that.

 

Not being able to bring himself to be as cold and seemingly uncaring as the others of their small recruiting group were, Ged finally dropped the blank mask of the void and stepped forward, supporting the staggering newcomer by nearly carrying him to stay on his feet, the sickness and fever that followed when someone had his first encounter with the rush of the One Power clearly visible in his way of carrying himself, let alone the heat of his skin under his touch, though that also could be due to nervousness or anger at what was happening to him as Ged felt that other than that and his apparent weakness and need of a bed to lay down, the men he was holding up was basically alright.

 

“Forget itâ€, Ged said, a hint of the coldness of the void still audible in his voice, though he did his best to soften it as he tried to calm the other one down at least a bit. “Just come with me and I´ll see to you getting the helpe that you need. Trust me.†The help that he needed? Oh yes, a name in the roll of Soldiers and a new black coat fitting the form of the young Cairhienin, that was the help he would be able to offer him aside from the weak promise to offer him the help he would need not to succumb to the torrent of the One Power, not to go mad and die before his time. Yet, did the other understand what this was about yet after all? Did he really know what was happening to him now? What would be the inevitable consequence of all of this? Ged´s heart suddenly sank at those thoughts as he suddenly saw himself in the role of the unfortunate person who had to reveal some crucial things to that boy holding on to his arm. The Light preserve me, Ged thought bleakly. Yet, what had to be done, had to be done. The time to shy back from the inevitable was long past.

 

OOC: Yeah...that´s the way poor Ged is...trying to pick up others but a really cheerful creature him ;)

[Terron Merdoneth]

OOC: Thanks! I saw the post for the Basic offence/defence class signup, but I was just too late. Maybe I'll find a class next month. :)

 

IC:

Light! What’s happening to me? It was bad enough that he was one of the few men who would break the world a second time, but did he have to collapse as well? I’ve just made a promise to myself never to show my weakness again, and here I am breaking it at the first opportunity. Snarling at his own weakness, Tomas heaved his body in a vain attempt to bring himself upright. Ok. I need to think. Pain coursed through his mind and soul, along with a hint of chaotic madness, lurking just out of sight, when he fumbled the Void, but took it in the end, forming as he had before that link to what he assumed must be Saidin, giving himself at least some energy. The oily surface of the Source surprised him, and made him almost throw up, but he held it. He opened his eyes, and took a stumble forwards. Noticing another man in a black coat with a strange pin on his collar, and an expression of –what, resignation?- , he struggled upright again, but he couldn’t hold it for long. He staggered forwards, but suddenly found his weight supported by the black coated man. Hating himself for it, he was grateful for the help. But he couldn’t accept. He had brought this, whatever it was, on himself. The other man must have noticed his perpetual snarl. “Forget it.†The man’s voice was cold, but not so cold to be unwelcome. “Just come with me and I’ll see to you getting the help that you need. Trust me.†Trust him? He’d been trusting people for his whole life, and what did he get out of it? No parents, a lifetime of pain and cruelty, and the clothes on his back. At least he was still alive. He could still feel the oily taint-like surface of Saidin, and he remembered the touch of madness that had come earlier. If there’s one thing I promise now, he thought, I’ll not give in without a fight. And if I do give in, I’ll just take myself to the Blight, and wreak my destruction there. But he could not help feeling just a little bit of fear at the thought of his own madness. He hardened his mind. Whether he was to go mad or not, the wheel wove as the wheel willed, not as he wished it to. Could he allow himself fear? If fear was a human emotion, he wasn’t sure how human he wanted to be. Resigned to the fact that at least for now, he couldn't stand alone, he allowed the black coated man to lead him away.

 

OOC: At this stage Tomas doesn't know what a Dedicated is, so he just sees "a man in a black coat with a strange pin on his collar"

[Guest Faile1987]

Ged surpressed a sigh of resignation when he more carried than guided the new boy they had just literally "picked up" and brough to the Black Tower to the farmhouse. Still holding the void in a tight grasp, exterior influences didn´t really affect him that much, yet he could sense the boy´s confusion underlined with apparent fear of what he was about to be drawn into now.

 

Not being of that kind of people who let others in the dark when seeing that they were afraid or dreaded what was to come on them, Ged remained silent though before getting the new one into the dim long corridors of the Farm, before he made him sit down or rather dumped him on one of the narrow benches in front of the M´Hael´s room as he wanted to know and clarify some things before they went on.

 

"I´m sorry for having dragged you off like that", Ged said genuine apologetically. "But it was neccessary, trust me it was. My name´s Ged Maevere by the way and I can tell you I like this as little as you do but the Black Tower is the only possibility for you to have a chance against the taint." Pausing, he took another breath, faintly realizing that he was speaking rather rash and almost incoherent. "Well, first things first. What´s your name and when did you first get into contact with the One Power? It...it can´t be that long past considering that state you´re currently in. I´ll see to you getting a bed and some rest after this, to be sure, but first we have to get that over and done with. But it won´t take long, no worries."

 

OOC: No worries, I´m just about to confuse him a bit ;) Welcome to the madness of the BT ;)

[Terron Merdoneth]

Letting himself be carried, rather than lead, was the one thing that Tomas would have really detested at any time but this. At least it meant he could keep his eyes open without having to worry about collapsing again. They appeared to be headed toward some sort of farm house. Why a farm house? Isn’t this supposed to be a Tower? For that matter, he couldn’t see any towers at all. Strange. Maybe the Black Tower was really a sham, or some sort of ploy in the Great Game. Then he remembered that hole in the air. Wherever he was, the people here could channel. Now they were travelling through the dark corridors of the farmhouse. Where were they going? Why? Surely things like this only happened in stories. Images remembered tumbled through his head. Huge glass columns. A glittering sword. A circle, half black, half white, forming the pupil of any eye he somehow knew to be his own... the fever pulled his mind down to the blackest depths of his soul.

 

He didn’t realize he’d closed his eyes until he was dumped on a bench outside a room. “I’m sorry for having dragged you off like that†the man who had, for reasons Tomas felt were probably rather more sinister than they appeared, “But it was necessary, trust me it was. My name’s Ged Maevere by the way and I can tell you I like this as little as you do but the Black Tower is the only possibility for you to have a chance against the taint.†Ged, if that really was his name, spoke quite quickly and was difficult to understand, but Tomas understood. “Well first things first. What’s your name and when did you first get into contact with the One Power? It...it can’t be that long past considering the state you’re currently in. I’ll see to you getting a bed and some rest after this, to be sure, but first we have to get that over and done with. But it won’t take long, no worriesâ€. All at once? “My name’s Tomas Deminshar. No House. I’m an orphan. I first came into contact with the One Power about... say, thirteen hours ago. What state am I in?†his eyes narrowed “I’ve heard of the Black Tower, but I haven’t seen any towers since I arrived. Who is in command here? What House rules here? Is this some ploy in the Great Game?†Thoughts tumbled through his head, shifting from subject to subject. “Curse the day my mother allowed my father that first flaming bloody kiss. What under the Light am I doing here? I should be on my way to the Blight to go mad and wreak havoc up there.†The shattered remains of his mind began to reassert themselves. “I’m sorry. If I have shown disrespect, I regret it. Could you please tell me what I’m doing here before I collapse again? It would be a great help.†Realizing he had lost the Void, he retook it, and waited.

 

OOC: Madness, you say? Excelent... *grins maliciously* fun, fun, fun...

[Guest Faile1987]

Blinking at Tomas´ outburst, Ged decided that maybe he had underestimated the current physical and mental state the about to be Soldier opposite him was in. Yes, maybe his blunt reaction, his bursting out that he had rather go to the Blight to go mad and die than staying here was due to that. Maybe. But hadn´t already the same or at leasdt very similar thoughts began to stir inside him? A rueful smile splitting his face, Ged recalled the time when he first set foot on the Tower grounds, suffering an equal, but more final collapse than Tomas, and yet waking up and realizing where he was had been the same for him in some way. Only that he had merely thought of killing himself, hadn´t even considered the option to go to the Blight. Yes, maybe, maybe this was a serious option, a possibility, ending your life with and honorable death...

 

Ged shook his head. As if wanting to shake the very memory of what he had just thought, of the thoughts that had occupied his mind before, he stood up, slightly pacing up and down in the corridor where he had sat Tomas on that bench waiting to get signed in. No, he was beyond those suicidal notiions. He had told that to himself so often now and yet, and yet they were coming back from time to time, the ideas of how much his death would relieve the world, take care for some of the vermin crawling on it being extinguished. But still, he had made another decision. He had chosen the life in the Black Tower and that for good reason. He wouldn´t let that build up on him now. Not now.

 

Remembering the murmured apology and the questions the other had asked him then, Ged nearly blushed in embarrassment about taking that long to figure out and battle down his own thoughts. No, he was here for other things than to succumb to his own mind again.

 

"You are in Andor", he slowly began to answer the questions he was asked deciding to go on with more bright things than death and madness. "The Black Tower isn´t ruled by any House and the only rules that you obey are: Obey those above you in rank without questioning and never, never, you hear me, never channel of your own account, never do anything you aren´t supposed to do yet. You will be taught here, they will help you to try and stand up against the taint on Saidin, but the main part, the main effort and discipline has to come from yourself. You´ll have to proof yourself worthy in more than just a physical way and you´ll soon see what I mean" Ged paused when the heavy mahogani door in front of him suddenly opened to admit them to the M`Hael´s office to get Tomas signed in. "Well, here we go, just be truthful and show respect."

[Terron Merdoneth]

OOC: I've got no idea what to do when I get into the room, so i'll just leave off there... Isn't it supposed to be the Black Tower, not the Dark Tower?

 

IC: Tomas winced as Ged blinked in surprise, but felt a small twinge of relief as the man smiled and shook his head ruefully. The man was slow to reply, but Tomas was glad of the information. "You are in Andor. The Dark Tower isn´t ruled by any House and the only rules that you obey are: Obey those above you in rank without questioning and never, never, you hear me, never channel of your own account, never do anything you aren´t supposed to do yet. You will be taught here, they will help you to try and stand up against the taint on Saidin, but the main part, the main effort and discipline has to come from yourself. You´ll have to proof yourself worthy in more than just a physical way and you´ll soon see what I mean" No House? But didn't the Dragon Reborn command here? Surely, a man of such stature must have a house? At least he would learn to controll the Taint. That way he could at least learn a bit so that madness in the blight would be worth while...

 

Get cut off, as the heavy mahogany door swung silently open. "Well, here we go, just be truthful and show respect." Tomas felt a chill as he rose and entered the room. It couldn't be fear. Ruthlessly, he crushed the sensation, bringing cold, ruthless logic to his mind in an effort to hold off the final knowledge that he could channel. He hadn't really accepted it, but being in this place where nearly everybody could so obviously channel, about to enter a room that could quite possibly bring a final end to the only life he knew, he couldn't quite rid himself of the nagging doubt that he was as pure in his soul as he once was...Setting his mind, he stepped through the mahogany doors, prepared, at least in mind and soul, for whatever awaited him on the other side...

[Guest Dalinar]

Dalinar turned towards the door as it opened, his attention drawn away from the window which he had been gazing out upon the Tower grounds through while Niamh dictated the consequences of various accounts to him. It seemed he was going to have to look to new ones to keep the Black Tower's books balanced, with an ever greater influx of recruits arriving on a day by day basis.

 

"Thankyou, Niamh, we'll have to finish this later it seems," he said with an apologetic look. Niamh was very good at the work she did, took her work very seriously, and truthfully she did a far better job of things by herself without him interfering. However she seemed to like to run things by him and share all the details of the facts and figures that didn't mean a great deal to him anyway.

 

Arms folded comfortably across his chest, Dalinar didn't particularly cut the figure of the M'Hael at that moment in time. High cut black leather boots were comfortable more than intended to impress, plain black pants sported a stain from where he'd spilt some lunch if one were to look close enough, and the plain white shirt he wore was loosely tucked into the top of his pants, the collar laid casually open and the sleeves rolled back to his elbows.

 

A few fine lines crinkled the corner of his eyes, though hardly from age as Dalinar barely approached his twenty-seventh year, and his mousey-brown hair having recently been cut, was simply tucked back behind his ears and swept back from his face in a slight wave that ended at the nape of his neck.

 

Tall and lean in appearance, the M'Hael turned to greet the even taller guest to the room.

 

Sharp grey eyes took the scene in at a glance. Judging from the newcomer's guarded body language, civilian garb, and shadowed eyes Dali quickly surmised that he was a new recruit brought to be entered into the books.

 

"Welcome," Dalinar said with dry expansiveness, "to my little corner of the Tower. I am the M'Hael, the leader of the Black Tower, Dalinar. Of no House or reputable lineage, though such things have little meaning here in any case as I'm sure you'll soon find. Please Dedicated," Dalinar gestured welcomingly towards Ged, "Stay. It is often helpful to have a witness to these entrances to the Tower."

 

"Unless, that is," Dalinar quirked an eyebrow curiously in the stranger's direction, "My guess that this is your first time to the Black Tower is incorrect?"

 

Dalinarius Traachanshield

M'Hael

(Apologies for the delay)