Soldier

Name:Edvar al'Given

Learning Saidin: Complete

Non Saidin Learning: Lessons of the Past

Free Roleplay: 1. Complete

Additional non requirements: 2 thousand word posts for WS levels.

He almost laughed as Sereth shook his head and commented on his choices of interest. First rule of combat he thought. Know your enemy. He nodded in agreement to Sereths next statement though. The world would hate them. No matter how much good they might do, the world would despise them all, just for being born with an ability others hadn't been born with.

The news of the recent failed attack by the Aes Sedai shocked him to the core. The White Tower, who all but ruled the world for three thousand years had attacked them and lost? And badly too by the sound of it. It seemed they actually held Aes Sedai prisoner here. Unbelievable.

Then Sereth was moving on though. He spoke briefly of the Aiel. The fabled black veiled Aiel. He had fought a few of the in Shienar and the legends of them didn't fall much short of the truth. They were unmatched in combat. The few times he had faced them he had fled after the battle because he had been forced to channel to defend himself from them. It was good to know they fought on the same side now.

It seemed that he knew little more of the Children though, then he himself had. They were most definitely enemies. They would have to face them sooner or later and he was not looking forward to it, though in truth, he despised them as almost everyone else seemed to.

Then he seemed to get a bit distracted and said "Now, if you have nothing else to say, you may leave. The man teaching you how to blow up boulders today isn't the most pleasant one, especially for those who are late to his class." He stood and thanked him for his time and the cold water, then hurried to the next class.

As agreed by upon by Jocelyn, I have made two posts, each one over 1000 words, RPing learning the sword. These posts do not count towards my Dedicated requirements, but towards my sword skill. Here is the link. http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,26454.0.html. So, if you approve Jocelyn, my Sword skill should now be a 5 instead of a 3.

I would like to join if I can make Dedicated by the time it starts.

He was tired. Not exactly physically tired, but mentally. He had pushed himself this day at boulder training. He had quickly learned to blow things up, something he had never done before. He had channeled until he couldn't channel anymore. Then they had let him go. He was restless though, so he had come here.

Balancing on the ball of one foot in the stance called Heron Wading in the Rushes, he could feel his leg shaking slightly from the effort, even wrapped in the Void, though it was almost as if it were someone else's leg shaking. When he could no longer hold himself up, he dropped into the fighting form called, a Falcon Stoops and immediately went back into the Heron stance, only on his other leg this time. He repeated this until he could no longer stand on either leg for more than a few moments. Then he took a short break, dropping down to rest on the balls of his feet.

He studied the others working in the area, their quick, flowing movements. He recognized many of the forms. Others, he didn't know of. These he studied even more, trying to commit the patterns to memory. It was difficult. He found that his mind was too tired for that sort of mental exercise. After a few moments, he stood and started pacing the area.

Finally, he found someone else practicing by themselves and approached the man. "Care to spar?" he asked. The man eyed him for a moment before shrugging and saying "Why not, I ain't got nuthin better to do right now."

Edvar frowned slightly at the mans uncouth speech, but had no time to consider it as the man charged him immediately in an all out attack. He defended as best he could, but after a few passes the man cracked him on the side of his face and kicked him hard in the gut, knocking him back. Dazed, he picked himself up off of the ground, wooden blade held carefully in front of him. He eyed the man warily. Despite his unkempt appearance and uncivilized accent, the man obviously knew how to use a sword. "You sure ya wanna go at it again?" the man said as he stood, preparing to face off with him again.

He didn't even bother to reply as he strode forward, though he was more cautious, better prepared than the last pass. He attacked the man, using the Boar to bear down on the man, but he easily beat aside the attack and struck the back of Edvars leg. As he lost his balance and began to fall, his ooponents blade swept around at struck him in the chest, slamming him into the dirt. "Is that all ya got?" he said mockingly. "We fight hard here, we fight with everythin' we got. If ya ain't prepared ta do that, then get yer self gone."

Edvar flushed in shame, but stood again, and set himself. "I am not leaving yet." he said. With a malicious grin on his face, the man once again charged him. Edvar stepped to the side, countering the attack, the man recovered too quickly though and met him, renewing his offensive. Gritting his teeth, Edvar held his own, staving off attack, after attack, after attack. It went on for several minutes, and the fellow lost his grin, the expression replaced by one of concentration. Finally, the man managed to strike his wrists, he immediately followed with a strike to his legs, then his face. As he stumbled back, the man stepped forward smoothly and smashed the hilt of the wooden sword into his face. His vision went red and he dropped his sword, clutching his face in pain.

Through his blurred vision, he saw the man step forward, as if to finish him. In a panic, he realized that he no longer had his own blade to defend himself with. He was defenseless. No! he thought. With a silent snarl he sought the one thing with which he could still defend himself with. He saw the mans sword coming down towards him, but it was too late. He seized saidin and suddenly, a sword appeared in his hands. A sword made from Fire. The mans wooden sword the sword of Fire and went right through it. The top half of the sword fell harmlessly, but the part the man still held continued its downward momentum and his face flashed with pain as the newly sharpened edge scored a deep mark on his face.

The man stumbled back in surprise and he roared with rage, springing forward to take down his opponent. The man dropped what was left of the wooden sword and in his hands appeared a fiery sword of his own. He met Edvars attack as he stumbled backwards, but Edvar was lost in a haze of anger which surrounded the Void, enveloping him while leaving him untouched by it. For the first time in the whole fight, he went on the offensive. He could see the man beginning to sweat underneath his onslaught. No blade touched skin however. The man was good. Edvar knew that eventually he would wear down and then the man would take him out.

Then, out of nowhere, something struck him from the side. It was like an invisible hammer. Dazed, he picked himself up from the ground, looking around in confusion. Saidin was gone. An invisible wall blocked him from it and he beat against it, trying to protect himself. Then he spied his practice sword lying on the ground nearby, but as he dove for it, it flew through the air into his opponents hands. The man was eying him warily now. Without taking his eyes off of him, the man turned and went to pick something up. It was a black coat, like the one he still wore. Only, when he put it on, Edvar noticed that it bore not only the silver pin marking him as Dedicated, but the other one as well, the one Sereth had called the dragon pin, marking him as an Asha'man.

Edvar quickly dropped his gaze in embarrassment. "I apologize Asha'man. I was out of line. I....had no idea. I....didn't know." He shut his mouth. He was in trouble and he knew it. He feared he would be put out of the tower for a moment, but then he felt a strange warmth that quickly became an unbearable heat inside him. Then it was gone. He reached up, feeling at his face in amazement. His wounds were gone. He looked at the Asha'man, wondering what was going on, then, the man spoke again, his accent clearer now, his tone slightly respectful. "I must apologize for that. I had to push you, to see if you had the fighting spirit. You did well, though you still have much to learn of the sword. Now, go and rest. I Healed your wounds, but I'd imagine that you are quite fatigued after that. Perhaps we'll see each other again sometime."

The man calmly walked away, and for the first time, he noticed that many of the others that had been practicing, were now looking at him. How long were they watching? he thought. Putting his head down to hide the redness that suddenly stained his cheeks, he hurried away from the training grounds toward the Barracks. He was indeed tired after that, and quite sore, despite the strange Healing.

Soldier

Name:Edvar al'Given

Learning Saidin: complete

Non Saidin Learning: 0-

Free Roleplay: 1st Free Roleplay My side, 5 posts.

He nodded, it was good to know who your allies were. The Wolfbrothers and the Band would help them if need be, and they were in negotiations with the White Tower. He wondered about the others, but could only say for sure that the Shadow was their enemy. Possibly the Whitecloaks too. Then Sereth was speaking again.

He seemed to know a lot about the White Tower. The Reds confused him a bit though. Were Reds allies for fighting the Shadow or enemies for hating men like him? The Grays the Yellows and the Blues seemed useful, but it was the Green that caught his attention. They seemed to be kindred spirits in a way.  He seemed to remember meeting a Green once, but he couldn't place it. Maybe he would meet one again. It seemed probable in this line of work. The Browns and the Whites though seemed useless to him though, with Tarmon Gaidon on the horizon.

"Do you have any questions?I know a little more of the Ajahs, or should I continue?" Sereth said. "No." he replied. "I would like to continue. What has the White Tower been up to recently? And we still haven't spoken of the Aiel or the Whitecloaks." he paused. "Sorry. Its just that I think this is stuff I should know. Thank you for taking the time to go over this stuff with me." He wasn't exactly sure if Sereth had been told to teach him or he was doing it on his own, but he appreciated it nonetheless.

He seized saidin and grabbed the cup of ice with a flow of Air and took a sip to wet his throat. Then waited for the man to continue.

Edvar chuckled a bit. So, Novices wore white and Soldiers wore black. Though the two towers were so different, on some level they were so very similar. It seemed a huge joke to him. As he considered it though, it seemed to make a strange sort of sense. They sort of balanced each other. They were alike, yet different. He shook his head at the thought. It was a bit confusing. He determined that he would have to learn more about it, but for now, they had arrived where they were going.

"Thank you for escorting me, I would hate for you to be late to your next lesson. If it is anything like the White Tower you could be punished. Maybe when you are an Asha'men you can come and visit the White Tower, it would be good to see you for a little longer." the Aes Sedai said.

He smiled and said "It will be good to see you again too. I will come to visit you when I am able. Until then, take care of yourself." He waited until she had stepped through the gateway, he really had to learn to make one of them, and then turned and broke out into a run, holding his sword tightly at his side. He had indeed taken too long and would not be able to stop and clean up as he had intended. It had been well worth it, even if he got into trouble over it. He had never expected to see her again, but he was glad he had.

Edvar wondered if Sereth had been a gleeman or a Court Bard at one time. He sure seemed to talk like one. He seemed to enjoy it though, and he could hardly fault that, after all, it was rather fascinating. He stayed silent as Sereth became lost in thought. The man quickly snapped back though and apologized, his face carefully neutral. He wondered what the man had been thinking about that he wanted to hide, but he shrugged it off. He had enough to worry about for the time being.

He was a bit disappointed when the man said there was nothing more to learn of the Black Tower, but he knew that Sereth was right. It was, after all, fairly new. He remained quite attentive however, as Sereth described a bit about the Wolfbrothers. The story of Korum al Aemon al Caar especially interested him though. He had not heard of Manetheran until he had gone to the borderlands. There, it was a respected legend. He had thought though, that the last king of Manetheran, Aemon al Caar al Thorin, had died without an heir. It would seem that the heir had not had anything left to inherit though. A sad story that, but one worthy of respect.

He listened to the rest of what the man said about the Wolfbrothers, but already his mind was moving on to other stuff. "Tell me about the Band, and the White Tower. Though everyone knows of the Aes Sedai, most people seem to know little about them. I would thing that we should know as much as possible about them, being what we are." he said.

He waited outside the offices for her, feeling a bit like a fool, but waiting still. It wasn't long though, before she came back out. "Do you not have better things to do then wait for me." she said with a smile. He shrugged. "I have just finished a lesson my lady. I have another one to attend shortly, but I have a little time. Allow me to escort you back, then I will be about my duties."

She nodded and he turned and led the way. "I have been in the White Tower to long, as well as fighting in the borderlands I am afraid I do not know much about the Black Tower. What do the pins mean?" she asked. He nodded in understanding. He knew little of the White Tower himself, except what he had heard in whispered rumors and what Sereth had told him earlier. He suspected that much of what he had heard from rumor was only half true or even outright wrong.

"When a man first comes here, he gets a black coat." he said, tugging on his own collar. "When a man reaches a certain level in his skill, he is given the silver sword and called a Dedicated. When he reaches the next level of skill, he is given the dragon pin and called Asha'man. Any man with stuff on his sleeves is a commanding officer I suppose, not exactly sure about that part though." he finished with a slight grin for his own ignorance. "Is it the same for you in the White Tower? Or similar at least?"

He smiled as she laughed and said she understood how he felt, then shrugged uncomfortably at her confidence in him that he would make Dedicated soon. It would be difficult, perhaps the most difficult thing he had ever done. He hoped she was right though. After he asked after her, she suddenly became sad. So sad it seemed to radiate from her, and affect him as well. It seemed she was still feeling the loss of her Warder.

Then, she suddenly stopped and he turned in surprise as she said "You have grown more handsome." He felt his face burn at the unexpected compliment and he mumbled a reply, but wasn't even sure himself what he said. She laughed and started walking again. Then said "I hope someday that I will be able to find another warder, but not for a time yet. Never bond if you can help it, if you lose them the loss is almost more then you can bare."

He considered this, then replied "I hope that you someday find another Warder as well, and I shall remember what you said. Though I doubt anyone would want to Bond a man like me. No, I have little to fear in that regard." They continued walking a bit, and he started to recognize buildings. They were close now. As they turned down another street, she asked him what he had been doing the last few years. Well Rasheta, I continued to guard various merchant caravans until I heard of the Lord Dragons amnesty. Then I sailed to Tear and here I am, and here we are." he said as they arrived at the buildings he had been told were the offices. "I believe you will find what you are looking for here. I will wait for you until you return so that I may escort you back to where you came here."

He nodded, strangely reluctant to talk about it, but answering her question anyways. "We met almost four years ago, near the Blight. You had just lost your Warder my lady." She nodded and said "Your name is Edvar? I had forgotten you could channel. How do you like the Black Tower?"

He was a bit surprised and a bit elated that she remembered his name. "Yes, I can channel." he replied. "I only just arrived here the other day though. So far  its.....a bit overwhelming. I hope to learn quickly though and start putting my gifts to proper use."

Enough babbling he told himself. She's here on business. Shrugging uncomfortably, he thought about how to help her. She said she needed to check on some sort of progress. He recalled passing by some offices yesterday as Sereth showed him around a bit. He decided that he should probably take her there. "If you will follow me.....Rasheta, I will take you where you should be able to take care of your business."

She nodded and he started walking in the direction he hoped the offices were. "So.....how have you been since we last met? You look like your feeling much better than when we last saw each other." He closed his mouth tight, stopping himself before he made a fool of himself. He had always lived in fear of these woman, but this one had been different and he no longer had any reason to fear them. She had discovered his secret, but for some reason had kept it to herself, when she could easily have had him Gentled. Why? he asked himself as the walked down the crowded streets.

Edvar was on his way back from his lesson in history with Sereth. On his way back to the Barracks he idly realized that he was passing by the area where he had first come to this place. Others came and went through those strange doorways. Some opened to places around the world, others opened to blackness. He wondered briefly what the difference was. Both weaves were fairly complex and he doubted he could replicate them yet.

Suddenly, he noticed a woman dressed in green stepping out of one of them. It was odd seeing woman here at all. There were a few, but mostly men lived here. However, this one was different. For one, she had that ageless look on her face that he knew belonged to an Aes Sedai. There was something else though.....a memory. It tickled at the back of his mind and he struggled to recall. Then he did. It came to him abruptly, almost like a vision.

They were passing through Kandor on their way to Fal Dara in Shienar and they were closer to the Blight than any of them would have liked. He and the other guards of the merchant's train were more vigilant than normal, constantly searching the northern horizon for any signs of Shadowspawn. One of the others pointed and called out. They had seen something. Edvar scanned quickly and found what they had seen. A lone figure, stumbling wearily out of the Blight just ahead. He called out to two other men and they rode out to meet the traveler. As they rode he realized it was a fiery haired woman, she looked like she had been through much, and he could still see the wet tracks smearing her face from where she had been crying.

This was that very same woman. They had helped her to a town in Arafel, where she had booked passage to Tar Valon. He had never thought to see her again, but she stood now, before him again. Not knowing exactly what he was doing, he approached her and said "We meet again. Is there anything I can help you with Rasheta Sedai?" Yes....that was her name. Rasheta. And she had lost her Warder on that day, almost four years ago. He wished he could think of something more to say to her, but he seemed oddly flustered as her gaze fell upon him.

He started with the Shadow. An appropriate topic considering where they were and what their purpose was. It seemed he knew little of the forces of the Shadow however, and he actually seemed disappointed by this. Then he noticed that strange look on the mans face, the one he was beginning to associate with madness. A chill went down his spine, but he remained seated, and Sereth seemed to come back to reality.

The man continued and on these other subjects, he seemed incredibly knowledgeable and Edvar gave him his full attention. Even so, he had a hard time keeping up even though he had heard references to much of it in rumor. He had not, however, heard of these.....wolfbrothers. Golden eyes? Communicating with beasts? He kind of doubted it, but Sereth seemed convinced, even fascinated by it.

Then he moved on to the Black Tower itself. He had heard of the Dragon, and some of these False Dragons. He had even been in Saldaea when the False Dragon he had spoken of was rising in power. He had avoided that though, thinking that Aes Sedai would find them and Gentle them. It seemed, from the Dedicateds description though, that they had indeed tried, but had obviously failed.

When Sereth asked if he was thirsty, he shrugged, preferring to continue, but then paused as the man wove Water and created cups made of ice, filling them with water. He accepted the glass, but set it aside. "No, I find it quite fascinating." he said. "Please continue."

Waking in the barracks for the first time was a bit disorienting. For a moment, he had been unsure of where he was or why. He had quickly recognized the black coats the others in the barracks were wearing though. After washing in the basin and donning his own black coat, he had been about to leave and try to figure out what he was supposed to be doing when a messenger had arrived for him. He was to meet the Dedicated who had trained him yesterday, Sereth, by the forest where they had gone before.

It took him a little bit to figure out exactly where that was again, but now he approached the meeting place. He saw the man close by, standing beside a table and chairs, of all things. He was also smiling quite broadly. Calling out a greeting, the Dedicated motioned for him to take a seat as he himself sat in the other. Curious to see where this was going, he complied.

“I do hope you like the seat, we’ll have to take special care not to touch these when we practice." At the mans statement, he realized with a sense of wonder that the man had created the table and chairs with the Power. He briefly studied them before turning his attention back to Sereth.

“You are well on your way to learning Saidin, and from what I can tell, you are also learning the sword. You are becoming exactly what our Lord Dragon Reborn wants us to be; perfect weapons. Still, I want you and I to be more, much more. I will teach you a portion of what I know of history. I thought it might be fun, to let you ask questions though, what regions history would you like to know? Oh, and ‘none’ is not an answer.” The man said with a wink. “If it is within my knowledge to do so, I will answer any questions you have. So, ask away, soldier. It’s an order.”

He considered what the man had said and thought of what he knew on the subject already. "Well.." he said. "I think I have a pretty good grasp of the nations themselves and the general history of the world. What about organizations though? Perhaps I should know more about the Aes Sedai? Or the Whitecloaks? Are their others I should be concerned about Dedicated?"

After showing him to the Barracks the Dedicated left him. It seemed he had done well after all and would be staying around for a while. He now had mixed feelings about this. In all truth though, he knew this was his only real option. He had to learn to control it. That was the only way to survive. He would learn nothing more of that today though. The short period of training had left him with a growing ache in his head.

He entered the Barracks and eyed the black coated men warily. How many of them were going insane? How many already were? Trying to keep his distance somewhat, he found an empty cot and set his uniform on it, then went looking for a wash basin. After washing off his hands and his face, he returned and began to put on his new uniform.

As he buttoned up the black coat, he noted how good it felt. Somehow, just wearing the coat made him feel stronger and more prepared. He decided to go out and explore his new home.

The place, which Sereth had called the Farm, and also the Black Tower, was a considerably sized town. Considering all the men in black coats however, he decided that the Black Tower was a much more fitting name. If this place had once been a farm, it could no longer be considered one. Sereth had said that wearing a black coat meant that you could channel here. If that were true then there were literally hundreds of men here that could channel. He had never imagined that so many men had escaped the notice of the Aes Sedai.

After wandering aimlessly for a while, he came to a much more familiar site. A group of men practicing the sword. This was something he knew. Being a guard for various merchant trains in the borderlands, he had come to know the basics of sword fighting. He had never thought to advance farther though, but for some reason, the idea of possibly becoming a blademaster seemed more appealing than ever. He studied the men for a while, fascinated by the way they moved. The sword play he had learned was effective, but hardly graceful. These men moved as if dancing, though this dance could be quite deadly.

After watching for about ten minutes, he decided to start practicing himself. He went over to a rack filled with wooden practice swords and chose one. Giving it a few test swings, he decided that it was serviceable. He went into the stance he knew as Leaf Floating on the Breeze. It was a horizontal guard position with a form similar to The Falling Leaf. It was very versatile, making it an ideal form for beginners. After holding it for a second, he snapped into the technique called Lizard in the Thornbush, then returned to his original stance. Then he moved into Lightning of Three Prongs, once more returning to the stance. He repeated this process for several minutes until he noticed a man standing nearby watching him intently.

Stopping and turning to regard the man, he noticed a small smile on the mans face. As soon as he turned the man slowly started shaking his head and let out a small chuckle, then approached him. "Good basic form, but no where near quick enough. You have to push and pull on the handle at the same time." the man grabbed a wooden blade of his own and demonstrated the technique. "The idea is for the tip of the blade to move faster than your arms or your wrists. This adds not only speed, but power as well." Edvar nodded his head as he considered the mans words. It made sense to him. He gave it a few tries and noted the increased velocity of the practice sword. He grinned as the tip of the sword began to whistle through the air. Then he turned and thanked the man for the help. The man shrugged it off and asked "How many forms do you know Soldier? Not just those three I saw your practicing I hope?" Shrugging uncomfortably, he answered that he knew a few others.

The man looked up to the sky briefly, attempting to hide an exasperated smile. When he looked again at Edvar, he said "Show me what you know then." Eying the man warily, he began to demonstrate what he knew. Was the bloody man making fun of him or trying to help him? When he had shown the man all he knew, he stopped and waited to be told what to do next. The man was nodding to himself though, he seemed to be considering something. "Good basic techniques." he said. "With a little practice, they should serve you well for now. Your biggest problem right now is your balance though. And you need to work on quickening those wrists." He's trying to help out then Edvar decided.

"And what would you suggest I do to fix these problems." The man wore no black coat, so he wasn't required to defer to him, but he seemed to know his way with a sword, so he decided to see what the man had to offer. "For balance, The Heron Wading in the Rushes is always good. Just remember not to use it in a real fight, it may get you killed." The man chuckled, but stopped at the slightly confused look on Edvars face. With a sigh, he assumed the stance himself, balanced on one leg with his sword overhead pointing down. "This is the heron stance." He put his foot down and considered Edvar a moment, then hefted his wooden blade. "You can practice that later though, for now, I want to see what you've got."

Edvar lifted his own blade, assuming the stance he had been practicing earlier, Leaf Floating on the Breeze. As soon as he was set, his opponent charged into him, swiftly beating his guard aside and kicking him in the stomach. Edvar collapsed, coughing and trying to force air back into his lungs. It only took him a matter of moments to recover, but it had seemed like an eternity. His opponent waited for him, unhurried and unworried. Edvar rose to his feet and lifted his sword back up, this time assuming the stance called Lion on the Hill. Once again, the man flowed towards him, but this time Edvar met him, and managed to hold him off. The man was good, it was all he could do to just defend against the man. And it didn't even seem as if the man was trying. Then, the mans blade slipped past his guard again and struck his shoulder, throwing him off balance slightly. His opponent took advantage quickly and redirected his swing, striking him in the side of the head.

Edvar stumbled back, losing his balance and landing on his rear. Shaking his head to clear it, he realized for the first time that his earlier tension from using the power had faded. The physical exercise must have helped out. Balancing the mental workout with the physical. He smiled at the thought and stood up once again, a wide grin on his face as he faced off with the man once again. As the man had said, he needed to work on his balance, though not entirely in the way he had meant.

Soldier

Name:Edvar al'Given

Learning Saidin: Part One 1 post, my side Part Two 4 Posts, my side

Non Saidin Learning: 0-

Free Roleplay: 0-

His face went a bit red as Sereth chuckled and made a small joke about his bowl, but he let it go as the man explained what he was to do next. He looked at the mesh of Spirit and then back at the Dedicated. He almost asked if the man were crazy to expect him to do that, but then checked himself and sighed slightly. Of course hes insane, he already as much as said so himself.

He crouched down on one knee to stabilize himself and get a better look at the weave. He started with Fire, being most adept at that element. He made it as thin of a flow as possible and began to slowly insert it into the small opening. After a few moments he managed to get it through. Breathing a small sigh of relief he began again, this time with Air. He found the going much harder this time. Within moments he began to sweat. A little further.....a little further. He paused to wipe the sweat from his brow and continued. After two or three minutes he managed to work it through.

He dared not stop though, the strain was already beginning to wear on him. He formed a thread of Earth, that seemed to come easily to him as well, though he had never really used it before. It took him almost a full minute just to get it through one of the many openings. Simply holding the other two was draining him quickly and he barely made any progress on this one. He kept at it though and made some headway. He was almost halfway through when it touched one of the strands of Spirit. He tensed, but to his relief nothing happened. His weave seemed to....displace the other one, but it went back into alignment as he corrected his own errant thread.

His breathing was coming heavy now, he felt his grip on the first two threads slipping. Hurriedly, he tried to push the thread through the rest of the way, but before he made it they all slipped out of his grasp and he was forced to release the power before it burned him where he stood. Gasping for air, he slowly stood and steadied his breathing. Wiping the sweat from his face, he turned to the Dedicated and waited to be told he wasn't good enough to stay. He fully expected to be put out for not being able to do it. He would have tried again, but he doubted he could even grasp hold of it again, let alone wield it. So he waited. He would do what he could, but he had never tried to use more than one thing at a time and it was so difficult. He never imagined it would be that hard.

Edvar felt a strong sensation of anticipation as the man said "Now, we will begin teaching you to do more than warm a bowl of soup." He barely refrained from rubbing his hands together as the man started channeling again. He saw five separate flows, it appeared to be just the five elements. Nothing special really. He recognized them all after having been channeling on his own for a few years now, but had only tried to use Fire and Air. Then the man began his true demonstration, pulling a small chunk of earth from the ground and shaping it into what appeared to be a brazier. Then fire and water, and finally, the man formed some sort of construct out of Spirit, though for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it did and was informed immediately after his conclusion that it did not, in fact, do anything.

Then he saw Sereth do something weird to the weave of Spirit, something he had never seen before. He couldn't quite figure it out and the man was speaking again so he turned to listen. It seemed that it was his turn now. After the man assured him that he would make sure nothing serious happened, Edvar attempted to emulate what he had done. He had never used Earth before, but nevertheless, he sent strands of the element into the ground and tried to pull the ground up with the threads. To his surprise a small chunk came up, loosening itself entirely from the ground. It was only about the size of his head, but he shrugged and glanced out of the corner of his eye at the Dedicated. The man gave no hint as to whether he had done well or not, so he continued.

He knew a little about Air, so he managed to carve the rock into a rough, bowl like shape, then he immediately set a ball of Fire inside of it. Water he thought. How in the Light am I supposed to use Water? Tentatively, he reached out with a strand of the element. After a moment, he began to notice that as each strand moved, it pulsed slightly. Face bunching up in consternation, he concentrated harder. Yes he thought. That must be it. There were tiny droplets of water in the air itself. What if I.... he carefully gathered some of them, one at a time. After a moment he had a ball of water about the size of his fist. He dropped it on the ball of fire and extinguished it.

Then he had only to replicate the construct that Sereth had kindly left for him, but it made no sense to him. After a few tries he had only managed to create a mangled jumble of threads that looked nothing like what the Dedicated had made. He released it and shrugged, looking to Sereth for the next part of his instruction.

Edvar followed Sereth through the town listening attentively to his explanation of the rank systems. He also confirmed the growing suspicion he had that many of these men were mad, or close to it. They made a brief stop at a small building with many customers going in and out. They entered and the Dedicated ordered a new uniform for him. Once they had it they left the shop and continued on.

They wandered away from the main area into a field devastated by untold powers. It looked like Tarmon Gai'don had been fought right there just a few hours ago, if not for the fact that the forest itself remained untouched. The Dedicated motioned for him to stay back and instantly, Edvar felt the same sense of power and menace from him as he had that other man, back in the Stone. His mouth fell open slightly as the man picked up a boulder as big as he was and spun it around their heads. He gave Edvar a little speech about how dangerous the power, saidin? could be. Halfway through the explanation however, he paused and the giant boulder suddenly exploded. Edvar quickly turned, dropping into a crouch and covering his head with his arms. When they didn't hit he looked up wonderingly and Sereth finished his speech.

He stood up again, feeling slightly ashamed of himself for reacting so, but it was swallowed by his fierce determination as the Dedicated eyed him up and down. He quickly calmed his tension from the incident and focused on what was said next. "I'll start you off on the path to controlling Saidin. First, I assume you know you can channel?" He nodded his head once in response and the man continued. "Good, now I want you to embrace the source, just a trickle at first. Then increase the amount, slowly. When the pleasure of channeling turns to pain, stop. If you don't, you could lose the ability to wield the One Power, permanently. You understand? Good. Begin."

Taking a deep breath to steady his mind he entered the ko'di. Floating in the emptiness, re reached out for the sickly light and it filled him. Following the Dedicateds orders, he pulled more. After a few moments he held the amount that he considered his limit. He knew from experience that the slight tingling he felt would quickly start to hurt him if he drew anymore. He eyed Sereth and said "Now what sir?" He assumed that this man would be in charge of him from now on. He would learn all he could from the man and hopefully, soon, he would be able to harness the great power it seemed everyone here possessed.

As soon as he stepped through the strange doorway, another man approached him. One wearing the same black coat and a silver sword pin on his collar. The man appeared to be Andoran, as he was. Though he had not considered himself Andoran until he'd spent some time in the borderlands. No, the world had forgotten his homeland. He too, had put it behind him well before coming here.

"Hello, I'm Sereth, Dedicated of the Black Tower, and formerly of Caemlyn, as if that mattered around here." he said, confirming his initial impression of the mans heritage. Dedicated he thought. That must be a rank of some sort. Perhaps that is what the silver sword represents. "Now, I'm sure you’re curious about this place. This is, as I'm sure you know, the Black Tower, but more often than not, we call it 'The Farm.' To be honest, I never bothered to ask why." the man, Sereth, continued,letting out a short laugh before nodding his head. Sensing that the nod was not meant for him, he turned just in time to see the strange doorway rotate closed behind him.

"Here, your stripped of anything that you once were, it doesn't matter if you are beggar or king, treat the others of your rank well, and your superiors with a great deal of respect. Some of us go a little mad with the power." Edvar nodded respectfully even as he noticed a strange look come over the mans face. He looked....almost....insane. For a moment. Then the man seemed to pull himself together and asked his name. He answered briefly, no need to go into any detail just yet.

Then the man, the Dedicated? said they were going to the Inn. Being used to following orders, he quickly followed. The man was explaining to him what was expected of him and he nodded his head in response. His mind wandered a bit though as they made their way through this Farm, or Black Tower, whatever it was called. He saw men everywhere, using the Power openly. Something he had never dared to do. Though he had known he could channeler for years now, he knew little of it. These men were doing things he had never before imagined possible.

Suddenly, the Dedicated made a quick motion, drawing his attention back. "Just one moment, got to report that I have a new one." he said. Edvar nodded distractedly and went back to watching the men training. It was absolutely fascinating to him. Not just what they did, but the way they carried themselves. It was a bit overwhelming if the truth be known. This was what he would become. This was what he would be capable of. He found that he was quickly becoming filled with an intense desire to learn.

When the Dedicated, Sereth motioned him into the Inn and said "Now, any questions?" Edvar had only one thing to say. "When do I start?"

The Stone of Tear was an imposing structure. Even more imposing than the Aes Daishar Palace in Kandor. As big as a mountain he thought. As he walked along the wide road that lead to the imposing structure, he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose slightly at the smell of salt in the air. He recognized the smell from the time he had spent in Saldaea, near the Worlds End. That was the Aryth Ocean though. This was further south than he had ever been before. He had come by boat all the way down the Erinin from Arafel when he had heard of the amnesty.

He put his idle thoughts aside as he approached the gates of the Stone. Two guards stood at the entrance and he walked right up to them, trying not to feel to overwhelmed by the size of the fortress and the gravity of the situation he was putting himself into. "I have come for the Lord Dragons Amnesty." he said quietly. Years of keeping it secret made it difficult to say it even though he had made sure no one else was close enough to hear.

The guards exchanged an amused glance before the one on the left answered "Go on in, any servant can direct you were you need to go."

He walked through the open gates and past a room with more guards, wearing the black and gold uniforms of the Defenders in it and reached an intersecting hallway. Looking down each hall, he shrugged and turned right, heading down that way. After only a few minutes, he ran into a servant and stopped him, asking directions of the man. The man went slightly pale when he learned where he intended to go. After a moment, he replied "If you would follow me good sir, I will take you where you need to go." He followed the serving man down another corridor and up several flight of stairs. Then he was led through a maze of corridors and though he tried to remember where he was, he quickly became lost in the maze of passages. Finally though, he was led to a door where the servant bowed to him and made a quick retreat.

Taking a deep breath and gathering himself, he knocked on the door and opened it after hearing a gruff reply from inside. A man in a black coat sat behing a desk writing furiously. He was an older man, Murandian probably, and he had the look of a clerk about him with those spectacles on. He wore a silver sword pin on one collar and a gold and red creature on the other, the same creature that was on the banner that flew above the fortress. He closed the door behind him and stood silently as the man scribbled away.

After a moment though, the man set his quill down and folded his hands on the desk, studying him. "What can I do for you young man?" he said after a moment. His mouthed opened to reply, but nothing came out at first. Finally, he managed to say "I.....I'm here for the amnesty." He looked down for a moment, then met the mans gaze firmly and said "I can channel."

The man's eyebrows rose slightly as he said "Can you now? We don't get too many that already can. Go ahead and seize it for me then. Don't do anything with it, just seize it." He nodded and emptied himself of emotion, assuming the Void, or the ko'di as they called it in the borderlands. He reached out for the sickly light that loomed in the emptiness. The Power filled him and he struggled to hold on as he sought the his balance on the tides of fire and filth. When he had, only a few seconds later, he waited until the man nodded, and then released it. His stomach curdled slightly as the taint remained after he let go and he quickly suppressed the protest from his midsection.

The clerk stood from behind the desk and motioned for him to wait as he went into another room. After a moment, he returned with another man, roughly his own age and short, with slightly tilted eyes marking him as a Saldaean. This man only had the silver sword on the collar of his black coat. It must be a mark of rank or something. he thought. The new man eyed him a moment before ordering him to follow. So, he followed the man out of the room and down the corridor to another room close by. They entered and he looked around, confused. It was an empty room. He started to ask what in the Light was going on when he felt a sense of menace coming from the man. He can channel too! he thought. Then he shook his head. Of course he could, the man had probably come for the amnesty as well, he should have expected that there would be others here. It was just strange, he had never met another man who could channel.

Suddenly, light blazed into being in the center of the room and he jumped in surprise. It was a line, taller than he was and it seemed to rotate and widen at the same time. After getting over his initial shock, he studied it curiously. It seemed to be a doorway of sorts, but it opened into a forest. He looked at the Saldaean nervously and the man motioned exasperatedly for him to step through. He turned to look at the opening again and steeled his nerves. Carefully avoiding the edges of.....whatever it was, he stepped through.