Updated.

OOC: *bumps*

Martyn nodded at the directions he had been given, and walked out of the door again, closing it behind him to prevent a small gust of wind from stirring up the paperwork Salla had been immersed in. After that, he'd make his way over the Citadel grounds in a calm manner, not running, and occasionally slowing to take a closer look at the buildings used as barracks. Knowing the lay of the land would be important if he were to return here again one day, and if he ran, he might miss where he was supposed to be going to altogether.

Nevertheless, he managed to spot several buildings that looked a bit off compared to the ones that had been built in the fortress. Heading closer, he recognised the same sleek walls that were common at the Black Tower, a sign that they had been formed with saidin rather than a human hand. Regardless, this was where he needed to be. After a knock, the door was soon opened by another black cloaked man, this one carrying the symbol of a full ranked Asha'man.

- "Good morning, sir. I bring new orders, the Band is preparing to march."

He took out the letter Salla had given him, and showed the seal to the man. He was then led inside to wait while another was sent to fetch the leader of the embassy in the Citadel.

Martyn

Still bringing orders

- "Good to see you're awake... So, what happened last night?"

If Tris would look in the direction the voice was coming from, she would see a short, silver haired girl standing at the other end of the door. The red sleeve on her uniform made it clear that she was guarding the door to her cell, though her manner indicated that she was just eager to make some conversation while waiting for someone to come along and judge whether or not Tris was actually guilty of what she was accused with.

Saira looked at the commotion going on in front of her, not really sure what was going on. She had had Redarm duty last night, and though she had been too late to witness the woman being arrested she had been ordered to guard the prisoner until the end of her shift, which would likely be around the same time Tris would be called for official questioning.

Saira

Just wants to chat a little

Only assassin type persons i have as a character are Rebecca (Dreadlady) and Daciana (Wolfkin).

Daciana would have you for dinner (literally) and Rebecca wants to keep hidden that she's an assassin, so no luck on this end i'm afraid...

Handle: Jehaine

Character Name: Martyn Stonebridge (real name: Tavon Zaralyn)

Rank: Soldier

Link to Progress Thread: LINK

Best Form of Contact: PM, MSN, AIM

Remaining Reqs Needed For Advancement: None (block prevents raising ICly)

OOC: Saidin works differently than saidar, my dear Arath... Though Jerinia used different colors as well ;)

IC:

Aeryn arrived in the classroom in the nick of time, calmly closing the door behind her mere seconds before the bell chimed to signal the start of the next round of classes. As if nothing had happened, she walked to her chair at the very front of the classroom in a dignified manner, waiting for Claire to begin. The first thing the Aes Sedai had asked for was the essay she had told them to write, and she rose up to place hers on the desk.

Accepted Jerinia Zaralyn was entered into the Novice books in the year 950 NE. Though her relentless enthousiasm has been... problematic at best, she is currently still in the Tower, unable or perhaps unwilling to decide on an Ajah to join.

In order to aid her decision, she was given rare permission to head out to the Borderlands under the leadership of Loraine Sedai as an orientation trip of sorts. However, the group stumbled upon a Trolloc raid that was being led their way by Darkfriends, and in the fighting, Jerinia channeled more than she could handle trying to shield the Aes Sedai.

Once returned, the Accepted was found to still be able to channel, though at a much weaker power than before the incident. After the Yellow Ajah had inspected the connection, they concluded that her connection had been strained, but not severed. Over time, her channeling increased back to its normal state again with no adverse effects, and the incident has been catalogued by the Yellow Ajah accordingly.

Not quite what Claire had been looking for, but close enough. She had been reading the logs when she came across that entry, and Jerinia had been more than willing to fill out the blanks when she had asked for them. Though technically she had never actually burned out, it had been close enough to fit the parameters, or so she hoped. The second page was easier.

Meditation Exercise: On the Beach.

This exercise requires someone to imagine they are lying on a warm beach, the sun shining down on them. Closing their eyes, they imagine that they hear the beat of the waves crashing on the sand, yet being unsuccessful to drag it back out to sea. Whatever is dragged out, the changing tides replaces. This sinuous movement represents the idea that while everything seems to constantly change, in the long term the cycle remains as it's ever been, much like the Wheel as a whole. One can be sand or one can be waves, but in the end, the Wheel sees that there is balance between the two. Knowing this, one may conclude that no matter what happens, the Wheel keeps the situation under control, as it always has.

It had been strange to write her thoughts like that. She was much more of a doer than a thinker, and after rereading what she had written it sounded almost like something a Tinker would have answered. Still, she had to admit it sounded pretty good, and as such she decided against redoing it in favor of something else more attuned to her character. The assignment was to find a calming exercise after all.

Once everyone had handed in their assignent papers, she followed the rest of class to the gardens. When she arrived, she stood there for a few seconds, taking a deep breath to take in the colors and sounds that coud be seen and heard. As Claire started to speak, she moved to sit down on one of the benches with the others, her behaviour befitting of the Lady she was.

Closing her eyes, she decided to follow the meditation exercise she had written down. Given that she had had good results with it during the first couple of classes, she decided to make the small alteration and see how that would work. Just allowing everything to just... slide off of her rather than standing there, tapping her foot waiting on it to arrive. Much to her surprise, saidar came easier then, faster than it had come before. She tried a couple of times, each time managing to hold onto saidar a little longer though it was clear from her reaction every time the glow would appear around her that she still needed to get used to the surge of feeling that rushed through her every time she succeeded in touching it.

Next came the threads. After a little break, she watched one of the other Novices -- Rochel, she believed her name was -- to finish, before standing up to glide over to Claire herself. The nature of the exercise was to recognise the elements used in the different threads, it seemed, and though they were hard to make out she could see the threads the rope had been woven from taking a closer look.

- "Water is Green, Earth is Brown, Fire is Red, Air is Blue and Spirit is White. The other Novice mentioned it, and you confirmed it by answering."

She touched out the threads before leaving though, trying to figure out what they felt like. One was slippery, Earth seemed to resist being moved whereas Water adapted to whatever shape the thread took easily. She didn't notice anything be particularly harder to move than the other though, but she figured that would likely come later, when her studies would be sufficiently advanced for her to notice the difference. With a curtsy, she returned back to her seat, waiting for the next person to take their turn.

Aeryn

Can make long posts too!

Attracted by the commotion in the Dome, Lucine walked through the corridor. The echo of her footsteps helped her in figuring out where the walls were, fortunately the Children liked their walls thick and sturdy. The source of the commotion was ahead, she thought she could hear fear in one's voice, and disgust in another's... Sniffing the air, she recognised the scent of Inquisitor Hamarind... And he didn't seem to be in a good mood.

Sighing, she walked closer, adjusting the blindfold that covered her ruined eyes in the process before feeling the ground ahead with her walking staff to see if there was anything lying on the floor in front of her she could trip on. She could guess the general shape of a room when she was in one, but small things such as a step or two was beyond her.

- "Good afternoon Inquisitor Hamarind, Child... Ravenswood, i believe Guion called you? What seems to be the problem?"

Her voice, calm and soft spoken, was a sharp contrast to the emotions that seemed to flood the room when she arrived. A slight smell of molten candlewax and the tinyest hint of something scorched in the air told her pretty much what had happened, but she was interested to hear them say it anyway. Not strong enough to bear the metal armor of the Inquisitors, she wore simple white robes, though they were not any less white than the cloaks of the Children were expected to be.

Lucine

Wondering if they'll tell her the truth.

Scylla felt her pockets, suddenly VERY aware that she was running out of knives fast. They were meant for juggling, for the sleight of hand tricks of her trade, and as such combat hadn't been their intended purpose. Oh, they worked allright, but the amount she carried was horribly inefficient when at the frontlines where she was now.

And then the Myrddraal appeared.

There was no way she would ever forget that cloak, undisturbed by the wind as it hung from the creature's shoulders. There was no way the pang of cold fear she felt in that one brief moment could be of anything other than one of the regiment leaders of the Shadowspawn that had been a part of Aginor's forces. As soon as she recovered, she sent a dagger aimed right between its eyes, but it dodged it almost casually before turning on a newcomer. A newcomer whose sight almost scared her more than the Myrddraal ever could have.

No...

...Not him...

Jon was still weak from the wound, he still needed to recover. And he was about to face this... this... thing so that she could escape. Stumbling at first, she started running for the fighters, using the precious time the Fade wasn't looking at her to cut herself a path through the Trollocs before her knives ran out. She didn't stand a chance against it, she knew that, but if she could break free, then Jon wouldn't have a reason to fight it, and they could both return to the safety of their own forces!

Decisively NOT looking at the black cloaked Shadowspawn, hoping that the effects of its gaze would be less if she didn't make eye contact, she moved for the Trollocs next to it, thinning their numbers so she could hopefully slip through. For both their sakes...

Scylla

Trying to break up a fight

Sorry to hear that Tigs, hope everything straightens out soon. :(

Finally, i can fulfill the claim i made on the staff boards about this...

*points at new title* ^_^

Good luck Taya!

See? Dangerous... not cute... silly people

 

Dangerous??? ;D ;D ;D ;D

 

Dude even your self proclaimed dangerousness has cute overtones ;) 

Exactly.

Tay being dangerous is like a puppy gnawing on your finger. Sure, it hurts a little, but it's so cute looking you'll let it happen anyway.

Just a heads up, but i have a LoA this week.

As he accepted the reply, Martyn glanced at the seal, recognising what he had memorised before setting out on the journey. The woman matched the description he had gotten in both appearance and character, and the seal appeared to be in order as well, so he reached under his robes to pull out the second letter he had kept hidden from onlookers. This one appeared slightly worse for wear for logistical reasons, but much like the first letter the seal was still in pristine condition.

- "As you wish, commander. How many volunteers would you prefer the Black Tower to bring in?"

Though the question would possibly sound a bit odd to a less experienced commander, he was being serious. It was his army experience that told him the Band would have tactical command of this operation, and as such the volunteers that would be brought in would fall under Salle's command even if they were Covai and Arath themselves. And by extention, it was a fairly normal thing to ask just how big this additional detachment was going to be in order to optimise supplies and regiment sizes.

Martyn

Logistical planning is army work too

Jerinia beamed a smile at Maegan for the praise, resulting in a small boost of confidence on her behalf. The work in the kitchens hadn't been the only thing she had gotten herself 'sentenced' to for her latest series of accidents. Not like she had meant to trip and slam into an Aes Sedai, getting the elderly woman's arm broken in the fall, but Cormindhra Sedai had wanted to have a word with her at the time and she figured that if she ran the way there she wouldn't be late for class!

But that was neither here nor now, and she listened to the information Maegan offered her, storing it in a corner of her mind along with the other stuff she had heard about the Ajahs. Still, one thing bothered her about that explanation, that of putting male channelers on the same level as Darkfriends and Trollocs. Unlike them, male channelers hadn't chosen to be evil, it was because of the taint, right? Soo...

- "So why does the Red Ajah gentle men who can channel, instead of getting together and removing the taint from the male half? It sounds like... fighting the symptons rather than the core of the disease itself, doesn't it? Wouldn't it be simpler that way, removing the reason why they end up going mad in the first place?"

That was the one thing she didn't understand about the Reds, or any other Ajah for that matter. Aes Sedai were strong, it was said, and she was taught that a circle could have up to thirteen Aes Sedai in it. If one was amazingly strong, the power of thirteen of the strongest channelers combined would be able to do it... right?

Jerinia

Let's cleanse saidin!

ATTN: LoA moved up a week!

That means it starts this monday, and lasts until the next weekend. Just sayin' ;)

Just to be sure, but i wanted to wait until a few posts in before joining, to have you two get started already. Lucine would come to see what the noise was all about.

Sorry if there's been a misunderstanding due to me being unclear :P

OOC: Gah, keep forgetting about this one. That, and my LoA got in the way too...

IC:

Jerinia thought on the information Maegan had given her. The Blue Ajah was something she found intriguing, with one Aes Sedai saying they were all about plots and others like Maegan coming close to calling them reckless at times. It was making her curious as to what exactly they were, if even other Aes Sedai were left in the dark of what their Ajah was about. Sure, there had been differences of opinion between Aes Sedai of different Ajahs she had asked, yet none to the extent of how they saw the Blue Ajah. It was making her curious.

Another thing that made her curious was this apparent similarity between the Reds and the Greens. Where the Greens actively fought in the Blight against Trollocs and Shadowspawn, she knew the Reds to be in a fair share of battles as well, only against different opponents. While she, as a Borderlander, couldn't really compare men -- channeling or not -- with Shadowspawn, she suspected this was the similarity Maegan was touching on.

- "Umm... Because they both fight a lot? The Greens in the Blight, and the Reds against false Dragons south of it?"

Jerinia

Has a feeling she is correct.

The guard seemed nervous for some reason, and Martyn made a mental note to not provoke the Commander any more than he would have any commander he had served under. Which meant, not at all. Assuming the Void for this purpose, he completely ignored the light of saidin as usual, knowing that even if he were to somehow want to channel for some Lightbegotten reason, the block would be mercifully keeping him from trying. A fact that he was thankful for more often than not.

"Enter."

As he walked into the room, the first thing he noticed was the steel bracer, it's defensive usefulness apparent, though outside of the Void it surprised him that such things were necessary within the heart of the Band itself. Still, one should always be careful he supposed, as the amount of people he had seen die to carelessness almost rivaled those dying to an enemy blade.

"Good day.  What business does the Black Tower have with the Band today, then?"

Pushing down the memories, he saluted, not wanting to waste time handing her the sealed message with the Dragon's orders written on them. Judging by the stack of papers on Salle's desk, she had more to do today. He did not try to read what was written on them, figuring the woman whose desk they were on wouldn't appreciate it any more than he would have if it had been done to him.

- "Greetings, Commander. The Dragon has sent me to deliver new orders to the Band, and i was told to await a reply to bring back to the Black Tower with me."

Placing the letter on the desk, he stepped back again, standing much like any soldier awaiting orders would have stood. Should Salle look, the seal would be complteely untouched, the letter in a better condition than even the most careful of messengers would have been able to transport it in, though if the female commander was familiar with the concept of Traveling she would know that it would have been unlikely that Martyn would have actually carried said letter for longer than an hour at best.

Martyn

You've got mail!

Melenis nodded as Saline commented on the pie she had baked, agreeing that it was indeed both liked and very much appreciated by the young Tower Guard. At the offer of being taught the recepy however, she found herself wincing painfully at the memory of her past attempts to cook something remotely edible. Cooking was a skill she had never quite mastered.

- "Eh, you're talking to the worst cook in Far Madding here. From past experience, if i manage to boil water, it's an improvement."

The worst thing was that she wasn't even exaggerating. It took her several tries to boil water, mostly because she added too much water so the fire went out as it boiled over, or add too little for the other ingredients to fit in. Light forbid the last time she had tried cooking meat, it seemed like months before the smell of smoke finally cleared out of the kitchen!

Melenis

Her cooking is deadlier than her weapon

Saira watched Rurak as he explained the principles of Clout Archery to her, following the arrows he had shot as the wind caught hold of them and placed them in the approximate area of the target. It looked like an odd way to fire given the amount of time she had spent getting the angle for a flat shot right, but she could understand the need for it to negate enemy shields. You couldn't really shoot a bow with someone swinging a sword at you.

Moving up to where Rurak stood, she made an approximation of just how far she would have to raise her bow. He had held it about at this angle... Nock... Release... She watched the arrow sail up, the wind starting to influence it far more than it had for a flat shot. While the arrow would have indeed landed in the same area as Rurak's arrows, the one factor that changed this was the difference of bows. The lieutenant was using a Two Rivers bow, whereas her bow was much smaller, and therefore its arrows would be equally slower as well. The arrow came back down, and it was only due to her keeping an eye on the arrow that she was able to jump back in time to avoid it.

- "...Okay, maybe a little less high up..."

She took another shot, at a much lower angle this time. Though the arrow landed near the target, the path of the arrow hadn't taken it as far up as Rurak's examples had, yet it was clear that she understood the basic principles. The only thing she would need was a little more strength to use a slightly larger bow.

Saira

Yup, still learning.

I write my posts in the fast reply box, do a quick check to see if any typos sneaked in, and then post them.

Blame school. My longhand writing is slow, always has been, and making a draft during a test meant i didn't have enough time remaining to finish the good looking version. A habit out of necessity, so to speak :)

Sure thing, you know where to find me.

Sounds good to me... Speaking of, can i post Jerinia's arrival there yet?

Intermediate Saidar is currently still underway, and i could replace Fire in the Sky with whatever you have in mind, or add to it if necessary.

...Knowing Demandred, he'd probably celebrate the anniversary of his own Turning, or the creation of Dragonmount a.k.a. death of Lews Therin.

Just my two cents though.