Loosing oneself only to be found.

[Cainam]

Daniel's journey to Tar'Valon was uneventful. He took the route his father had suggested and when he saw the shining walls he was lost for words. He thought his father was embelishing when he told of the magnificence of the city. But he could now see his father did'nt even begin to do it justice. He rode down towards the village surrounding the city and decided to stay the night. He got a room and dinner at a local inn. That night he bathed and went to bed early and awoke just after first light.He ate his breakfast and went outside to the stables. He never really cared for others saddling his horse he always prefered to do it himself.He got his horse sadled and tied on his sadlebags. He mounted and rode towards the city.

 

His father had told him where to go and he rode through the city looking at all the beauty as he passed. As he approached the tower he steeled himself. Here you are Daniel the very first step into a life of service.He remember his fathers remarks as he left. "Daniel what you do now is not something to take lightly. Any man can go off and learn to fight with a sword or a bow. It takes a great man to give his life to a cause and to serve and protect others. I am proud of the man you have become." He took one last look up at the White tower and rode forward to the guards at the gate. "I am here to enlist in the ranks of the warders.". The guard looked him up and down and motioned him towards the yard."Go and speak to the master at arms." he said as he pointed to the center of the yard where Daniel could see people training. He walked his horse over and stood at the entrance to the yard. He paused for a minute and watched as others were practicing the forms,shooting bows, and some were even practicing fighting from horseback. He kept in the back of his head what his father had told him. His father told him to show respect and to go in willing to learn. Not to think he already knew it all. To be ready to admit that you can become better not that he was already the best. He took a deep breath and strode to a man standing watching others practice the forms."Excuse me. Where can i find the Master at arms." The man didnt even look in his direction he kept his eyes on his students and pointed to a building."Thank you." as he walked to the building and knocked on the door.

[devon]

Once again, Kalan was at his desk. A new desk. He had taken an axe to the previous one, tired of seeing the papers constantly piling up on it. The noise from his chopping had caused a panic, as pages outside thought he was under attack. When they opened the door and saw him flailing away at the inoffensive wooden table they became even more alarmed, thinking he was mad. Kalan wasn't mad. Well, he was mad, mad at the table, but not crazy. And if he was crazy, it was only slightly. Not enough to affect his ability as the Master at Arms. But that was neither here nor there. That was yesterday. Today when he arrived at his office, expecting to finally be free of his mahogany adversary, Kalan was dismayed to find a new desk sitting where the previous one had been, with twice the number of papers sitting on top of it! And so he sat. At his new desk. Filling out papers.

 

Kalan had made a decent amount of headway into the stack of paper when a knock sounded on his door. Normally, this would cause him to erupt into a towering rage, chewing out whoever dared disturb him, but not today. Today, Kalan was too angry to become upset and boil over. Putting his pen down, he almost seemed calm. Walking to the door, Kalan looked and moved like a man who had made himself one with the flame and achieved the void. Well, except for the vein that was in danger of bursting in his head. Or the knuckles devoid of blood as they gripped the handle of his sword. He was forced to sit in this flaming office every day by Commander Mia. Woe be to anyone who caused him to stay in it a minute longer then he had to. Taking a deep breath, Kalan opened the door to see a young man standing in front of him. Resisting the urge to reach out and grab the boy, Kalan stared daggers at him. "And what do you bloody want?"

[Cainam]

As Daniel stood waiting to enter he looked around the yard. He couldn't believe he was actually here. He imagined how many boys before him stood in this same spot when the door opened and and a man staring at him with obvious irritation said "And what do you bloody want?". Daniel took a small step back and looked the man up and down. "My name is Daniel Orshin and I’m here to become a warder. I was told to talk to the Master at Arms which I assume is you sir." Daniel bowed slightly with his hand across his chest and his hand on his hilt. "If I am wrong and I have come to the wrong building I do apologize and would just ask that you point me in the right direction." Daniel stood straight and looked over the man and was checking him for any weaknesses in case the man attacked him. The problem was Daniel couldn’t see any. The man had such poise and looked every bit confident he could handle this boy in front of him.

 

Daniel thought to himself that things were so different here compared to Saldaea. Daniel waited as the man seemed to look him from head to toe. And then the man motioned him inside. Daniel stood straight and proud as the man crossed the room and sat back at his desk. He had a huge pile of papers on his desk and when he sat down it was with what Daniel would perceive as regret at being behind the desk. Daniel could understand what the man was feeling. He was a fighter and he was now forced to fill out requisition forms and have to deal with raw recruits. Daniel now understood his irration and felt bad that he had interrupted the man. “Sir I didn’t realize that you were so busy. If there is a better time to come back I would be more then amenable to return?”

[devon]

So the boy is sorry, huh? Not yet he flaming isn't. "Come in, lad. Of course I have time to deal with you. These papers will be here when we're done, although the same cannot be said for you. Let me guess, you wish to join the Warders? I don't know what sort of bloody dreams of glory you have and I don't flaming care. This isn't some gleeman's tale that you've walked into, but a professional military force. I do take it that your here to train in the Yards, yes?" The young man shook his his head in the affirmative and opened his mouth to say something, but Kalan held up his hand. "Did I give you permission to open your lips? well if I didn't, then why is your mouth open? The first thing you will need learn is to do what your bloody told. Now, walk with me."

 

Kalan grabbed his sword from behind the desk and led the recruit out of the office. He could tell the young man was confused, and even a little upset, but Kalan didn't care. Mia would probably be upset with him for leaving his work uncompleted, but this was more important. He was teaching! As the two of them walked out of the undecorated stone barracks, Kalan eyed the youth up and down. He was far too skinny, and looked softer than a bowl of porridge, but there was something about his eyes that suggested there was something more. "All right lad, tell me your name and what you are doing here?"

[Cainam]

As Daniel followed the man out barracks he saw the man glance over his shoulder and look him from head to toe. Daniel followed in silence walking with his head held high thinking to himself. Of course being a warder isn’t like a gleemans tale. I grew up seeing the good and the bad and Im still here. If this man is trying to make me quit he is sorely mistaken. He’ll quit before I do. He straightened a little and continued following the man who was leading him. As he walked he looked around the yard. As they walked passed by people training they seemed to size him up and the man leading him had the respect of most of the people Daniel could see. Daniel couldn’t help wonder where he was going and why these men seemed to not like him so much. He often was treated oddly by others because he was of noble birth. Of course he knew that most nobles abused their station and treated others poorly. But his parents had taught him to treat others how they had earned being treated and not by their station.

 

As he walked and was starting to get angry over the way he was being treated the man leading him said “Alright lad, tell me your name and what you are doing here.” Daniel took a second to collect himself. “My name is Daniel Orshin from Saldeae. I have came all this way to train to become a warder and no disrespect intended that is exactly what I plan to do. Now I do understand in a military unit you must obey and I will. I also know that you must try and root out all the candidates that are not capable of meeting the levels of expectation. But be assured I will meet those levels. I will train harder than any other recruit and I’m not asking for any special treatment. I’m just asking for the chance to follow the path I have chosen. Im sure you here dozens of tales a day by numerous people claiming how great they are and that you need them. I will not say that. I know I need training and that is why I am here. I can use a sword and not stab myself which is a start. I can fight with either hand equally well. I can read and write. I know the old tongue and can read it fairly well. As well as anyone can I guess. I do have some hand to hand training aswell.”

Edited August 26, 2011 by Otpelk Cainam

[devon]

OOC. Sorry for the delay!

 

"You can read the Old Tongue, huh?" Kalan started laughing. The lad was so serious he couldn't help but start laughing. In between great booming laughs, he managed to choke out a few words. "I'm sure that will come in handy if you ever get into a fight in a library. But watch out, you might catch yourself a fatal paper cut!" It was too much. Kalan bent over laughing at his own joke, his previous anger evaporating. "All right, lad. I'm sure you are the perfect scholar-warrior, ready to fight Trollocs with one hand and writing poetry with the other, all the while farting out a tune on a trumpet with your rear. But those smarts of yours aren't going to matter at all here if you can't bloody learn the basics of soldiering. You're right, it won't be easy, but trust me, you have no idea how flaming tough it is going to be." Kalan slapped a hand on the young man's shoulder as they arrived at another stone building.

 

This one was smaller than the place where that torture chamber masquerading as his office sat, but with just as many guards standing outside. He led Daniel inside, where stood thousands of weapons, pieces of armor, and shields of every variety. "Welcome to armory. First things first, we need to get you kitted out. You should go through the armory and select your pieces. Go with what feels natural, because you're going to have to deal with your weapons for the rest of your life. We'll beat in the knowledge of other weapons and you will learn to use just about anything, but your primary weapon is something special. I would say something sappy like how 'It chooses you,' but I'm no poet, so I'll just say don't you dare keep me waiting. Now grab some gear and report back to me."

[Cainam]

(ooc sorry for the delay. also if the weapon choice is a problem i can amend.)

 

As Daniel followed the Master at Arms he started laughing at the fact that Daniel was educated. Daniel was starting to feel like this man was goading him. Daniel just kept walking with his head held high and ignored the man picking at him. His father had always taught him that brains always beat brawn in a fight and tactics was what won the battles. But he also remember his father telling him to learn as though he was an empty book and that the lessons were being written as he progressed.

 

He came upon another building which was guarded and the Master at Arms led him inside. "Welcome to armory. First things first, we need to get you kitted out. You should go through the armory and select your pieces. Go with what feels natural, because you're going to have to deal with your weapons for the rest of your life. We'll beat in the knowledge of other weapons and you will learn to use just about anything, but your primary weapon is something special. I would say something sappy like how 'It chooses you,' but I'm no poet, so I'll just say don't you dare keep me waiting. Now grab some gear and report back to me." As Daniel took in the room it was amazing there were weapons and armor everywhere. Not only was there every kind of weapon and armor they were also arranged so precisely.

 

As Daniel walked down the rows of weapons he passed axes, pole arms, claymores and many other two handed weapons which he immediately dismissed. He passed down the next row where he found short swords, daggers and many other short range weapons. He paused for a minute looking around and didn’t see anything that called out to him. He passed by the long swords, bastard swords and other one hand weapons and stopped. There was an odd looking sword on a rack by itself. He picked it up and looked it over carefully. The blade was oddly thick for the weight of the sword but the balance and length seemed right for him. He noticed something on the hilt of the sword and he looked closer. It was a small clip and he flipped it with his thumb. The sword separated into to like blades and Daniel knew that it was perfect for him. He took a couple practice swings and tested the swords. They were perfect.

 

He then walked down the armor shelves and immediately veered away from where all the heavy armor was. He saw a pair of leather studded vambraces and tried them on. These would work for both the swords and the bow. He walked out of the building with the sword carried in the crook of his arm and the vambraces held in the other hand. He walked back to the Master at Arms and said to him “Im ready.”

Edited September 12, 2011 by Otpelk Cainam

[devon]

Kalan stared at the blade in Daniel's hand. It was like none he had ever seen before. It honestly looked like some sort of blacksmith's piece, with a clip that allowed the blade to split into two. He didn't know how well the thing would hold up as a single blade, since the pounding of steel on steel was sure to give it some problems, but as two blades it looked as deadly as anything. He moved over to a bin where some practice lathes stood and grabbed several. They were simple bundles of reeds, tied together with some added weights in them to make them more comparable to swords. They were safer to practice with than cold steel, but when you got hit with one they bloody hurt. Under his coat and shirt Kalan had a number of dark bruises from recent training sessions which still ached. He had become used to having them since he had been training all his life, but he remembered when he had first arrived at the yards. His trainer, a man by the name of Galo, had essentially ignored sword forms and had just beat him with the lathes, under the pretense of "toughening him up." The thought still brought a tear to his eyes as he remembered the good old days...

 

Shaking the thoughts of yesteryear from his head, Kalan grabbed the Daniel youth by the back of his collar and dragged him from the armory. He struggled at first, but quickly realized he couldn't escape from the old sword masters grip. "Ahh, come with me, we have a lot of important things to do! Don't drop your bloody sword, boy. Fah! Do you want to be thought of as some milk lapping singer-man, unable to anything useful such as carry your own damn equipment? I've got lot's to show you now that you have a sword! In the borderlands, that makes you a man, or so I've heard. Unless you are a woman, then you aren't a man, but I digress." Arriving at a dirt ring, Kalan heaved Daniel into the middle, who fell down with a crash of equipment. "Get up," Kalan said, and threw two lathes on top of Daniel. "Before we can start training you, we need to see just what you know already! Grab your practice blades and let's get to it!" Kalan leapt forward, bringing his "blade" crashing down on Daniel's shoulder. A smile crept up on Kalan's face. This day just got a little better.

[Cainam]

Daniel winced as the man slammed his practice sword down on his shoulder. Daniel stood slowly and slid his foot under his practice swords and kicked them one by one into his hands. He slowly turned towards the Master at Arms and raised his swords. He immediately after looking at his opponent launched into his attack. Kalan easily parried and dodged and then followed it up with his own attack. He smacked Daniel right between the eyes with the practice sword and followed up by sweeping Daniel off his feet. By the time it was all said and done Daniel was bruised and beaten from head to toe. Daniel got a few good shots in.Out of all the sword practice the Master at Arms barely broke a sweat and Daniel was tired and sore. The Master at Arms didnt make any wasted motions and was so fluid that he looked like he was dancing. It reminded Daniel of his times learning with his father. Now it dawned on him that his father had been taking it easy on him all along. Obviously Daniel could never beat his father in a sword fight but he didn't get beat nearly as bad as he did today. No wonder he told him to act as though he was an empty glass waiting to be filled.Daniel had been beginning to hate the master at arms for his harshness and his disapproval of Daniel but now he was beginning to respect the man. He knew that the man must have only been acting the way he was acting to make sure Daniel wasn’t going to be a washout or a waste of time. Or the flaming old man just hated everyone and was a miserable old hermit. But Daniel forced himself to believe the first. Between breaths Daniel looked up at the master at arms and winced at his aching muscles. He gave a small smile and nodded his head ”Thank you for the session sir.”

[devon]

"Session? This wasn't a flaming session! This was a test and you performed miserably! A gimped goat with a sword strapped to its back would have done better than you. Youth these days, soft as blasted cheese and just as useful in a fight. All right, lad. Pick yourself up and come with me. I think I've seen enough to know where you stand. You've got a lot of work ahead of you before you can consider yourself a member of this brotherhood. Pick up your stuff and follow me."

 

Kalan watched as Daniel grimaced his way around the training field, picking up his new belongings and falling in. Serves him right, interrupting his day like that. Although for the life of me, I can't remember just what I was doing that he interrupted. Whatever it was, I must have been enjoying it if I was this annoyed. Curse these trainees. Although this one was not that bad. Had some experience. Probably would be st the bottom of a Trolloc's cook pot if we took him to the Blight, but he should fit in with some of the trainees who have been here a bit. "What's taking so long, boy? Creator's Mercy, if you moved any slower I would think you were dead. Come along, we've got other tasks to do today." When the lad fell in the two of them took off, walking across the yards towards the trainee barracks.

 

The trainee barracks looked like every other building, which was by design in case the city was ever attacked. If invaders couldn't tell which building held the commanding officers and which the recruits at first glance, then you couldn't kill the officers. Inside, it looked the same as the outside, gray stone walls over a plain stone floor. No rugs covered the ground, nor were there paintings or tapestries on the walls, just small iron barred windows ever so often. Trainees walked the hallways and kept their heads down, not looking Kalan in the face. He didn't know why they ignored him, so he glowered at them in anger. Youth these days, always being rude. They walked up a stair case and down a hall when they arrived at a room with an open door. Inside were four beds, four chests, and a table with pitcher of water on it. Several cloaks hung on pegs on a wall, but otherwise the room was empty. "Here is your room. Your roommates are out doing something or another, but they should be back shortly. Meanwhile grab a bed, grab some food at the mess hall and get some sleep. You might have thought today was harsh, but I promise you it will only get tougher. Keep your head up and your ears open and you might get through this. And just so you know, your life belongs to the Tower now." Turning, Kalan left the room leaving the Guard's newest trainee standing in the room with his arms full. He chuckled. His mood was getting much better.

 

OOC. One last post wrapping up Daniel's feelings and you're done!

[Cainam]

As Daniel stood there battered and bruised the Master at Arms told him to gather up his things and to follow him. Daniel gathered up all of his things and followed him through the yard passed several buildings and up to a barracks. He led Daniel through the building and Daniel noticed other recruits who stared down at the ground as the passed. So Daniel wasn’t the only person the master at arms tortured apparently. As he made his way to a room that was as plain as the rest of the building.

 

As Daniel stood in his room he looked around. He watched as the Master at Arms left the room and Daniel stared at his back. He thought to himself Who bloody put itchweed in his small clothes. But in the same aspect Daniel couldn’t help but respect the man. He was harsh and rude but he knew his stuff.

Daniel put all his belongings neatly in the trunk and walked to the mess hall to get some food. On his way he passed many other recruits from the newest to those about to be promoted. He took in everything he could from today’s lessons and noted his mistakes and his success's. His major success he thought to himself with a small chuckle was that the Master at Arms didn’t manage to kill him. As he finished up his dinner he walked outside and took his horse to the stable. He brushed him down and gave him so oats. He walked back to his room and washed and lay down in his cot.

 

His journey had begun and much to the Master at Arms bloody disappointment Daniel wasn’t going anywhere.