Posted intro, and it's open to everyone!

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Culture Shock

Teal shivered from a blast of chill wind. He hadn't felt it this cold since. Had he ever felt it this cold? Ebou Dar was always warmer than this, even in mid-winter, and the ocean was never freezing, though the wind could cut through you just like today.

He bundled up without success in the tattered rags that were his only earthly possessions, following the pair of much better dressed men to their "farm." Only, he had to cross through some strange doorway to do so, and as a result he had no idea where he was now.

It looked sort of like a farm. At least the fields did, some of them with rows of corn, other fields fallow. Yet curiously, in some places, fruit came from trees, some few of which Teal recognized from his homeland of Altara. But how did they bloom when it was so unearthly cold? And it wasn't the right season for fruit and flowers. Wouldn't they have long since lost their leaves, as trees were supposed to do this far north?

But for the most part, the "fields", such as they were, appeared barren, some with strange blackened craters strewn about. It looked as if it had been blasted by fire, but how, when there had been nothing to burn?

The gateway, the crops out of season, and the blast craters were only some of the first indications that something was seriously wrong here. The air crackled with static, as if lightning were to strike at any time. And in the distance, without a rain cloud in sight, Teal could have sworn he saw lightning bolts come down from the sky. What else could those strange flashes be?

Along the way, the men in black told him something he could just barely believe. That he could learn how to channel, and they were taking him to a place where he would be trained. Trained into what? he had asked.

A soldier, they replied. An Asha'man for the Dragon Reborn. What was an Asha'man? Teal had asked. They laughed, glancing at each other's collars for some reason unknown to Teal. Maybe they knew some joke about that, but they didn't feel like sharing. He would know soon enough, they said.

As they came closer to the "Farm", which increasingly bore no resemblance to any farm Teal had ever seen before, he could see a small village, with people bustling about. There were thatchers on the roofs, blacksmiths at their forges, butchers hacking meat; Teal even saw someone fletching arrows, though none of the predominantly black garbed denizens of the village even glanced at it.

Finally they arrived at a much larger building cleared away from the village. The men in black said it was the Citadel.

"The Citadel? Of what? This weird farming village is in the middle of nowhere! Why would it need a citadel?" he asked them.

They seemed bemused at his response.

"This is the Citadel of the Black Tower," one of them said stiffly, proudly, and then made a strange, silly face. "I just wish I didn't smell garlic all the time. . .Do you smell garlic, Pemberly? I know you do you're just not telling me."

The other one just rolled his eyes and muttered unintelligibly. Teal would not get a straight answer out of either of them. What on earth was this place? These men were practically insane!

"Where does one get food around here?" Teal asked. By the Light and Sea, he was starving!

"Food? Food, he says? Why, you channel your food, little soldier," said the first one, cackling at his own joke. The other grinned, but at least pointed out.

"You'll need a uniform, first. Go see someone over there about it," he waved his hand dismissively to the Citadel. The two men in black headed off, their job as recruiters clearly done.

Confused and bewildered, Teal decided he would go to the Citadel and find out if there was anyone in this place who could give him a straight answer. Close to the entrance, he saw a large tree that didn't look too far out of the ordinary, until he looked closer.

On the trees were human heads, some long decomposed from the elements into skulls. A crow had landed on a fresh one, pecking out the eyes. Too shocked to scream or stop walking, Teal practically bumped into the next person he saw, and asked reflexively,

"Why. . Uh. . .Where I get a uniform? And food??" he added to the stranger without really noticing who it was. The image of the bloody tree would not shake itself from his mind.

-Teal Fletcher,

lost in the madhouse

Thanks, Arlow! I think we might bring the bandit group back towards the end if you're ever interested.

And I posted. (grin) Good stuff.

I believe the delegation will have to continue to the Lord without me for a while. Kathleen and Sieve, if you're still around, are next up!

"I did not ask you, but I agree that if, and I stress if, the lady or lord hired such groups as these farmer's suggest, that they could possibly have been the groups we met on the way here. How ever, that is far to many if's based off the talk of angry men who seem themselves not to know for sure the details, to really give me much to go on here. Thank you for your report, Visar. And thank you for securing our safe passage through. Though I cannot guarantee any fate for those men. Be prepared to fight for our way back through if the talks with the lord this day do not work out in those farmer's favor."

Visar stood there silently, taking in the Aes Sedai's words. He had felt some sort of connection with the bandits, just trying to rebel against the authority that held them and attain freedom. He felt like he had betrayed them. No, this Aes Sedai, Kathleen, had already betrayed them in her words, if it was not convenient to spare them.

Useless. It was all useless. He had tried so hard to control himself, to do things the way they wanted him to, and yet it just wasn't good enough. Visar dropped back, found his horse, and rode the rest of the day in relative silence.

- - -

That night, they had camped just outside the Lord's manor, the Aes Sedai in one tent meeting to discuss how they would approach the Lord the next morning. They had not been invited, after all, and they had sent word ahead that they would be arriving. Best let the Lord worry for a night about Aes Sedai coming to his court.

Visar didn't care about that, too concerned with his own planning. Let the Aes Sedai plan their negotiations. They certainly did not need him around, the way he was treated almost as much a tool as the Lord they were about the manipulate with the Game the high lords and Aes Sedai played so well.

Visar had no such talents with words or with some secret Power. He had only his sword, his dagger, his bare fists. He was a killer, nothing more. He had started a killer, murdered a man in Tear over a night's gamble. And some day, someone else would kill him one day too. That's what happened to killers.

Why would an Aes Sedai ever want the likes of him? He could not even protect himself from his own darkness. Visar sat in his tent, waiting for his watch as the night and the fire burned on.

- - -

When it was time, Visar Falmaien--no, he was no longer worthy of that name! He was not 'freedom's bright flame' anymore. He was his father's son, the poor merchant's boy from Tear, who ran and ran, towards trouble and away from it,and now would run some more.

Vizrid Belar took one last look at the fire, the camp. He looked up to the stars, crystal clear lights. No moon visible tonight; that was good. What were the stars? Were they little lights the Wheel wove just so that there would not be total darkness when the sun fled? Were they specks of hope in the greater void threatening to engulf all of them?

Vizrid looked at the trees. Smelled them.

His freedom. His doom.

Without a sound Vizrid slipped into the night's welcoming arms.

-Vizrid,

a renegade.

I'm not either...

Are we assigned Power scores at some point or is that not necessary? I'm not going to assume my channeler can do much of anything for a while, maybe having a sort of block.

Arath or whoever's in charge in some way and sees this, do we need to wait for being assigned OP scores before we begin? (like it kinda was/is in the White Tower?) How does that work? I should probably check the wiki page at some point. . .

Anyway, Otpelk, why don't we both have an RP where we both arrive, separately at first, since we probably come in from different directions, and then our characters get grouped together for some sort of chore or exercise. I'll go ahead and start something and anyone who wants to can jump in, how about that?

Koras, or Grimm, you guys around?

Would either of you like to lead the exercise once we get to it? What do beginning soldiers do as part of their indoctrination?

Excellent!

"We need people of intelligence on this mission. . .quest. . .thing.

Where are we going?"

Or rather, how shall we begin? Any ideas?

After this stranger followed him for a while, Andre finally couldn't take the suspense anymore and whirled around.

Of course my bonded beat me to it :D

Yeah, feel free to start your intro thread and either Devon or I will attend to it shortly. Pleasure to meet you and welcome.

Hello my insane gentlemen in black!

My character, Teal Fletcher, is in business. How's our opening rp supposed to go? Is there any particular format for that, or just our character arriving?

Also, WHO will join me? In the thread? Come on, come on!

I edited the post I already made, sry shoulda mentioned that.

Visar has come back to the group to give his report.

Danke Danke!

(rushes off in crazy trenchcoat to steal doughnuts and cause mayhem)

Awesome! The above bio looks good to me, just waiting on official CC from Myst. Thank you everyone for working with me on this!

Could you replace this section:

The only time he dueled was with a girl, who defeated him because he didn’t want to hurt him.

She didn’t scar him, but forced him to tattoo his forehead, often a sign of shame among Altarans,

with the herb Thyme. Maybe if he had “courage” painted on his forehead at all times, he would

actually have some, she reasoned, and then proceeded to break his young heart and leave him for

a man with three dueling scars.

 

Growing up, it became increasingly clear to Teal that he was not welcome where he was. His

family was fed up with him not being decisive on picking his trade, and accused him of being

a lazy good-for-nothing carp. His friends, what few he had, increasingly shamed him for not

becoming a man and having the guts to duel like what was expected of him.

 

And so one day, rather than face a man who had challenged him to a knife duel, Teal left the

city, taking only what little he possessed and could carry. He had a knife, but didn’t really know

how to use it other than for peeling potatoes and onions and such, and he had some decently

 

made leather boots.

With this?

The only time he dueled was with a girl, who defeated him because he didn’t want to hurt her.

She didn’t scar him, but did the same kind of damage, as she humiliated him in front of most of his friends in the city, calling him a good-for-nothing coward, among other things.

 

It became increasingly clear to Teal that he was not welcome where he was. His

family was fed up with him not being decisive on picking his trade, and accused him of being

a lazy good-for-nothing carp. His friends, what few he had, increasingly shamed him for not

becoming a man and having the guts to duel like what was expected of him.

 

And so one day, rather than face a man who had challenged him to a knife duel, Teal left the

city, taking only what little he possessed and could carry. He had a knife, but didn’t really know

how to use it other than for peeling potatoes and onions and such, and he had some decently

made leather boots.

 

He traveled for a few years, spending some time voyaging with a Sea Folk family who befriended him. When they parted ways in a less than satisfactory manner, Teal decided to have a tattoo done to remember them and their kindness. They had been almost a family and clan to him, and he would miss them. Their ship was called the Taym, and since that sounded a lot like a certain herb, Teal had the herb thyme tattooed on his forehead.

 

Next, having not found what he was looking for in the high seas, he traveled inland.

Ok, Arlow's not feeling well I think, so we're moving on. Kathleen: back you you!

Ok, sure! I can just edit that out that's fine. How should that be done to be the least hassle with everyone?

Thanks Achlys! That's exactly what I was looking for but couldn't remember for the life of me!

So, option one, I could just remove the "sign of shame among altarans" and just say that he got a tattoo.

option two, which is a bit of a long stretch, I could say he befriended some sea folk and travelled with them, and has the tattoo as a sign of that.

I did send option two to see if Arath would bite, though if it would be faster in the meantime to just fix option one real quick, removing the bit about tattoos being a cultural thing with Altarans (which I was pulling from my buttocks, sry about that).

I guess now I/we both have a couple choices lol, I didn't mean to make this as complicated as it got X_X

Ok,

I sent a bio to Arath (and a relevant segment to keyholder) with a "Teal got the tattoo from the sea folk" explanation (warning! it's long lol). I'll see if Arath's ok with it, then I guess he'll put it on here? Would you like a copy of the file as well to go over, Myst?

From the Altarans specifically, no, but I don't believe the practice is anathema to the culture, necessarily (and it is a PSW, why do cultures have to adhere EXACTLY to the very limited information we have of them in tBWB?). I was just trying to get away from the typical "has scar on his face from a duel" thing, or having no interesting facial features at all. I think that soldiers tattoo themselves in different regions (I seem to recall someone in the Band of the Red Hand having one on his arm? I could be wrong about that though but I'd need to find a reference to that.

What's the verdict on this so I can get started? Should I try the "spends time with Sea folk and gets a tattoo" route or drop the tattoo thing altogether?

I'd be cool with starting some sort of training once my character's bio is cc'd (waiting on a tattoo detail).

I'll warn you, he's a bit of a conscientious objector as far as violence is concerned, you'll have to beat it out of him somehow ;)

Yeah, having a tavern establishment would be awesome! Let me tell you what I think about it:

Tar Valon would be the choice if you're looking for the most active people I think, since you have lots of people frequenting there from the White Tower.

However, I'd love to see a scene be established in Caemlyn or Lugard; I'd personally suggest Caemlyn since it's a bit more well known and there are probably more PC'd Andoran characters than Murandians around. Caemlyn is also in a more central location, within travel distance for the north (Tar Valon and the borderlands) as well as the west and south and east. There's also the Farm nearby there, too.

Lugard could be very interesting and unique, though, since the city is usually more fragmented politically and it's a lot less stable. Crime would probably be higher, and an establishment with a certain, ahem, nightly reputation to uphold might do better culturally in Lugard where everyone is out to get a leg up on everyone else usually, than in Caemlyn where I always got the impression that most well-off people are more socially conservative and more "goody".

However, since Caemlyn is more accessible and more people are familiar of it since it's featured much more in the books (I don't recall Lugard ever being focused on in any of the books; even Far Madding and Tanchico got more page time) and more rp characters are both from around there or likely to visit (like the peeps in Tar Valon which is not too far away).

That's my $0.02, arguing for Caemlyn, though I'd also be cool with Tar Valon if that proves impractical, and Lugard should it prove popular.

Sounds like fun and I wish you luck!

Hey Otpelk! Good to have you with us!

You're started as Weapon Skill 2. Carry on here with further requirements that you complete!

Format will follow:

Weapon Skill 2 to 3: Complete 1 Req

And you can edit your subject line as you go to help you/us keep track (Daniel Orshin - Trainee, WS 2->3)

Continue!

-Visar

Oh boy! A new toilet bowl! Just what I wanted to clean.

As long as I get my pills as a reward.

Cause Happy Time Larry says the pills make the phone calls go away

(phone calls)

OH NO it's THEM AGAIN!!!

(runs and hides)

(ooc: for your next posts, I want to see what your characters do when Visar is temporarily gone from the picture; have fun!)

Visar observed how things were going, even while occasionally participating in the gauntlet. Tris Grim ran through fast and dodging reasonably well, his slim, tall form very difficult to hit. He had natural speed and athleticism, that one, Visar thought. He had potential if he could develop it. Visar and another Warder in the Tunnel made sure that their hits landed, however, so Tris ended up with two hits.

"Alright, you got hit 2 times, Tris, good job! Two times around!" He said after checking the chalk marks. Tris dashed off to make his laps and return as part of the Tunnel. Then it was time for the next trainee. He did alright, too. Most of the trainees in the Tunnel were slow this morning, and were missing hits. Maybe they thought somehow that they were doing their friends a favor in return for not being hit as hard? Visar would have to make sure to change that.

This was a game against time, and usually the best they'd do was the first time. The hits and the running would add up, tiring most people out within minutes. Those who hit the most accurately would be spared the grueling Tunnel runs and laps, and those who dodged the best would have the best chance of not tiring out as quickly.

But everyone would get their turn. Visar called up another newcomer, a trainee named Daniel, to run through the Tunnel.

Daniel started off well, and while he might not have been the fastest, he had strategy in mind as he dodged blades he saw coming. Inevitably the odds of lathed swords coming in at him hit him, and hit him hard. Even so, Visar was impressed with the fact that even though Daniel was knocked down from blows, he managed to kick the lathed sword out of one trainees hand. While disarming wasn't part of the exercise, Visar thought how he used the disarming as a distraction to keep going a good strategy. This one had brains, and could use them in a fight, that was good.

Visar quickly checked if he was alright. Confirming this, he said,

"Alright, do your laps Daniel, good job!" He turned to the offending recruit. "You bloody carp! You dropped your sword, and you aimed for that guy's face! That's not safe for you or him; we're just aiming at the black vest! In punishment, you're gonna go through the gauntlet five times in a row!"

They waited for Daniel to get back to the gauntlet, and Visar tossed him the lathed sword the other had dropped.

The trainee about to run through five times had the audacity to give him an exasperated, horrified look, and reluctantly ran through the Tunnel, receiving his hits the first round, and then the second round without complaint. The third round he staggered and stumbled, the blows landing more heavily. The fourth, he got hit so hard in the chest he fell and couldn't continue. Visar stopped the drill and rushed over. The trainee had twisted his ankle in the fall and was having trouble breathing. Bruised, possibly broken ribs, Visar thought. He hated trainees to be severely injured on his watch, and that had just happened. He helped him up carefully and carried him out of the pitted sand of the Tunnel area.

Visar turned to the rest, looking concerned. "I'm taking him to the infirmary, make sure he's ok. You all continue with Chalk Tunnel till I get back. Take your hits and your laps on the honor system while I take him to the infirmary to get patched up! By the Stone, I'd better not see any of you slacking when I get back! Got it?"

While helping the injured trainee to the infirmary, Visar briefly scolded himself for not officially placing another Warder, or at least a Guardsman, in charge. What kind of trouble would the trainees come up with?

Hello! Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

I might be able to tweak the tattoo detail a little. As far as Altarans not having a distinct tatoo tradition: Would it be far-fetched to have Teal getting a tattoo from someone of the Sea Folk, or is that something they reserve for only their kind? Just a thought. Maybe during his travels he travels on board a sea folk vessel for a time and gets to know some of them? He is old enough to have travelled a little, and I can add that into his bio.

Just thought it would be cool for him to have some sort of unique defining feature, but I can sure think up of something else if this idea doesn't fly with you all.

Reading slowly (but savoring as I go) Queen of the Damned, by Anne Rice.