Characters: Daen, Kassara
Snatching the reigns of Jalen's horse, the man shakes his head. "Just because you finished your tack early doesn't mean you get to run off, Sturgis. Wait for the others." He shakes his head. "Assuming by the friendly manner, you're two of his cohort mates? Finally got some showing up to learn how to ride decent and proper?"
He motions for them to follow as he turns and walks back into the stables. Jalen's horse whinies at Daen and the boy speaks up again. "Yes. Burrich will help you tack up your horse and find one for you, he's taking us around the exterior of the city on a slow ride. We've been learning the best ways to care for our horses the last few weeks and he's decided to let us ride this time. He is the best constable in all of Lastwall, my father used to have him train our grooms."
Characters: Grimold
The question causes a long, quiet pause. The boy chews on his lip and he shakes his head first. Then after another pause he shrugs and nods. "Yeah..I don't know why I shouldn't tell you..the Crusader War college has a lot of magisters. A few teach special classes. I take classes with Magister Kromlinite Sprinkbottler and Magister Gennadius. Kromlinite focuses on illusion-type magic that might be useful and Gennadius teaches about..uhm..spherecasting, which is another way of casting spells. I..think there's another magister that teaches on how to use certain magical words to make your own spells or something, I don't know much about that though."
Wealday
To Elyssa
”I don’t mind a fight, Elyssa. I don't like a fair fight!” Zohruk quips as he heads out the door. "I'll catch up with you later!"
To Cilys
Zohruk waves off the girl's concern about possibly offending him. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure I'll hear worse in my time here," he smiles. "But a reputation? That just won't do...! Anyway, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Oathday
Offensive Alchemy class
Poor Elyssa, I don't think she deserved me...! Prior to this, the closest Zohruk had come to alchemy was overseeing transfer of shipments and payments between Rhoumok's smugglers and acolytes of the Black Tower. He'd known that the actual processes were going to be tricky, but this... in this first class, Zohruk doesn't want to make a move without Elyssa's approval. No matter what his note-taking process was in the other classes, here he's definitely being as thorough as he possibly can.
"Sir, what's the usual delivery method for this stuff, and how much will we need to burn Urgir down to the bedrock?"
Grimold nods, storing the information in the back of his mind. It might prove helpful for improving relations with Daen, if nothing else. "It sounds like you like to keep busy. They sound interesting, but I was not born with any magical talent. Can anybody learn, or is it something you have to be born with? I have heard stories of things like a seventh son of a seventh son, but I'm learning that there's more to magic than what the bards tell."
Kassie glances over at Daen and grins widely before grabbing his hand and pulling him after Burrich. "A ride? Yes! Its been an age since I've been riding properly. I used to have the nicest horse back at Firrine. I wanted to bring him, but mother wouldn't let me." Catching up to Burrich, Kassie drops Daens hand and peers into each stall as they pass, eager to see the quality of horses here in Vigil itself.
When he selects a horse for her she carefully follows his instructions to saddle and bridle the roan mare, glancing over to see how Daen's managing. "It'll be good to learn to do this myself." she comments. "Back at Firrine there were always stable-boys around who would do this for me, so I haven't really had that much practice at saddling a horse."
Characters: Zohruk
During alchemy, no one gives him grief for being slow. It seems despite the speed that others are pushing for, they have been at it for a little longer than Zohruk and appreciate carefulness. Here, as in many places in the Bonewatch, dedication and perfection are to be aimed for. Zohruk's question gets a snort and a small shake of the head from the instructor.
”Even with the entire stock the Knights of Ozem have it wouldn't be enough. It would take at least a hundred or more times..what we craft is for the missions the Knights find themselves often on rather than the front lines. We typically deliver them through ceramic containers that are sealed with wax to keep out air. Some prefer glass.”
He looks pointedly at Elyssa, who grins sheepishly and winks at Zohruk. ”Glass has style! Plus, you can see what you made at a glance.”
”We will work on your classification talents on a later date, pupil.” Despite the flat tone Bottger gives, its obvious through his interactions with much of the class that Elyssa is a favored pupil. She easily beats all the others in speed by nearly a full minute. The next closest is a feminine looking boy with dark skin and incredibly short black hair.
Characters: Grimold
”I don't think that's entirely true. But it sometimes is. And sometimes not. Magic's kind of complicated..a lot more so than Dazen really touches on in his general lectures. I think he wants to introduce everyone to the more traditional forms before getting into the complicated bits.”
Theodric looks down, scratching a finger along the table, tracing the old lines in its wood from forks and plates and spoons and other bored scrubs. He seems to have difficulty staying focused for long. ”Uh..traditional magic is like..what everyone knows about, you know? You either draw from the gods for divine magic or archangels or...really strong outsiders and stuff. Well..no one really knows where arcane magic comes from. Not really. Not like..specifically.”
He looks up now, his eyes gleaming. Theodric starts to talk quickly, his words stumbling over one another slightly but not so much as to prove him indecipherable. He also starts to speak a little louder as he gets into the subject. ”It's a true mystery, the Magisters say. We know some lifeforms are inherently magical and can draw upon magic without using the complicated formulas that scholars and wizards use. There are even some people who have traces of that magic in themselves and can use magic in similar ways to those monsters and otherworldly beings! But..but that doesn't really describe where that comes from, right? I mean, we know if you write this word with this amount of concentration, twisting your finger just this way and snapping with the right when the wind is blowing northwest during a cool day in Rova then you can conjure forth certain forces—or whatever. The formulas the Magisters use are incredibly, wizards really need a lot of concentration to pull off all those varied effects in all conditions. But..uhm..where was I? Oh oh, yeah. That doesn't describe where, it just describes how. Just because you do those things and something happens..where does the power for that come from? With divine magic we know it stems directly from a divine entity of some sort, with pact magic we know it stems from the inherent power of vestiges. But we're—they're—not sure exactly where all of that power comes from. All we know is that there's some sort of..primal magical source where all magic stems from, whether its arcane or divine or sphere or whatever.”
Here, Theodric trails off as he realizes he was speaking quite loudly. His cheeks colour and he glances around. Bryson, sitting nearby, is watching and obviously listening. Cilys and Kathleen are giggling to each other over something near the end of the table. No one else is around at this time of day.
”..I..uhm..I'm sorry. What..what were you asking?”
The boy pauses for awhile, letting Grimold speak. Assuming Grimold repeats his question, he answers in a more reasonable way. ”Magister Dazen knows more..essentially you can learn different ways of harnessing that primal source.”
Characters: Daen, Kassara
Even with only some understanding of horses, the Bonewatch's animals are outstanding. They have powerful hindquarters rippling with muscle for jumping and quick maneuvers as well as short backs with strong bones and well-arched necks for layer armor upon. The wide eyes and large width between them are typically signs of a horse suited for warfare and charges. Like the best destriers, the Bonewatch's horses favor agility and strength over sheer size.
The bearded man grumbles under his breath and stands near Kassara's shoulder. ”No, you'll pinch the horse like that. No! Put the blanket on first. Haven't you learned anything in that fancy castle? Now pull the cinch gradually, this one likes to bloat and you'll go flying off if you don't...yes that's better..gentle. That's acceptable.”
He pulls a similar behavior with Daen, while Jalen looks onward smiling. Finally, the constable leads the two to a side door where his horse and the rest of the class are. Among them are white-haired Rhill and tall Adir as well as Basil from cohort three and Marcus from cohort two—who seem to be arguing about something. Adir waves to Kassara and moves his horse over to them, while Rhill joins but stays on Jalen's side away from the rest.
”Kassara! And Daen. I haven't seen you two here before? Just find your way to the stables, eh?”
Unlike her lack of skill at actually readying a horse to be ridden, when Kassie finally mounts her animal, a magnificent beast called Incitatus, she adopts the easy posture of a well-practiced rider, easily guiding the animal into the yard where she sees the other gathered scrubs and sighs inwardly at the site of Marcus and Basil. When Adir and the others come over, she grins "Well they certainly are very pretty horses" she laughs, "I didn't know all of you were coming top these classes. Yeah, Grimold told me about them the other day and its been such a long time since I went for a ride, and I thought, you know, that it might be a good idea to learn how to look after them myself rather than just relying on the grooms." she lowers her voice and glances over at Marcus and Basil. "Do they come here every time? Oh well, what're they arguing about anyway? Something to do with bloody Leo no doubt."
Grimold does his best to follow along with what Theodric is saying, but he just can't keep up. He nods along, interjecting an ah and a hmm where appropriate. Clearly, the boy is passionate about magic. Whatever else Theodric is driving at, Grimold gets the sense that maybe, just maybe, he could learn to use magic too. "So nobody knows where magic comes from? Not even the gods?"
After being directed to speak with Dazen for more information, Grimold smiles and claps Theodric on the shoulder as he stands to leave. "It was good talking with you. Good luck tomorrow, eh?" Noticing the girls giggling at the end, he wonders to himself, What could they be smiling about? Aren't they about to be scrubbed out? Maybe they know something I do not... On his way out of the dining hall, he wishes the girls luck as well.
The half elf is a bit wary of these high spirited horses. The only one he's ever ridden was the old grey mare they'd let him use whose name was Chernilla. She'd always seemed like an amiable horse to him, but he hadn't needed to out run anyone, he just needed to get there, and Chernilla did that. Getting yelled at while he put the saddle on was old hat for Daen, he didn't mind getting instruction. He was sure that all Kassie had to do was show the slightest frown and all the stable boys would try to get that smile back on as soon as possible.
He nodded at the members of his cohort as they made their appearance. It probably was the best choice he could have made in hindsight. He wouldn't have to worry about Leo approaching him with this many of his cohort around. He wondered if he still could do that trick his caravan leader had shown him on the way over from Brevoy.
He bounded up, throwing up one leg over the horse and landing neatly in the saddle. Not realizing if anyone was watching, he spoke to Jalen. "How long of a ride is it?"
Characters: Kassara, Daen
”Rhill's actually the one who found out about it. He told Jalen and I during the s econd week.” Adir glances over to Basil and Marcus and shrugs. ”I think they're actually arguing about what the best kind of cavalry sword is. Marcus seems to think an ax might be more effective, despite no one agreeing with him.”
Jalen's eyebrows rise a bit at Daen's fancy leap and he nods his head. ”I see you've been on a horse before! That's good luck, you should join us in the future as well. I've heard older scrubs say that Burrich sometimes gifts warhorses to scrubs who pass the last trial if they've finished his course.”
The Constable starts toward the iron gates when Grimold runs up, breathing hard from his sprint to the class. A handful of grooms quickly drag him into the stable and help him with a horse while the group waits near the gates.
Eventually, Burrich leads the group out of the large iron gates and through the cobbled streets. Avoiding more crowded areas, the procession causes more than a few Vigilants to stop and watch, a few clapping and calling out to the group. ”I am not sure how long. He said we planned to go around the city a few times, follow the path of the Steeplechase. You are actually lucky to join with us today. Usually we spend the day helping clean out the stables, checking on horses, and birthing hunting hounds. He does more than just teach about horse care.”
The area immediately around Vigil has been cut flat of hills and trees leading up to the moat surrounding its thick double walls. It is, after all, more of a bastion and fortress than a true city—with a population merely a fraction the size of the capitals of Cheliax or Taldor. Despite this, however, the city seems impenetrable from this side. Further in the distance, scatterings of hickory, chestnut and hazel trees stretch toward the sky. These trees are relatively young, no more than thirty or so years old from when Vigil last razed the countryside to provide clearer fire for scorpions and ballista. It's almost eerily quiet on the outskirts. There are no slums pressing against the walls nor even farms this close to the city as there are in Port Ice or every other city Daen has seen in Brevoy. The sight is familiar to Kassara, who knows Lastwall's farms tend to be further from the cities and no one would dare try building along the exterior of the walls due to the constant threat of raid and war.
Daen was glad to hear that it wasn't about Leo. Or even him for that matter. In his own mind, he wasn't important enough to make such a concern about him. Leo started everything, and Daen would just like to live in peace. "I'm of the opinion that the best cavalry sword is the one you are most comfortable using. Not every person has the same build or predilections. And it's far more useful to have something in your hand with which you are comfortable than something that is supposed to be superior with which you are less favorable." It was a mantra that he learned in training that seemed applicable in any situation, whether riding a horse or not.
The ride was glorious. The half elf relaxed as they spent their time out of the walls, catching the scenery and the stern fortress jutting out of the landscape in a proud fashion. The air seemed more breathable out here, and Daen made a mental note to attempt to get out here more often than he had. The last month seemed like an eternity, and had been quite stressful. But out here, it all seemed to melt away, if only for a moment.
He didn't understand something though, and he meant to get to the bottom of it. "What's this steeplechase? I was unaware that they ran."
Oathday
Offensive Alchemy class
Ril would love this stuff...
Yeah, she sure would. And if she was here, this half of the building would probably be strewn across the countryside by now. So don't think about that, focus on what's in front of you.
Zohruk does his best to be careful and thorough. The actual measuring out of compounds in the proper proportions, he doesn't make a move without double-checking his notes or awaiting a nod of approval from Elyssa. The physical task of mixing the compounds, though, he's a bit more confident in his method. There, you just want a steady hand. And that, you've got. Just like opening a lock...
"Ceramic or glass, either way, what's the risk of accidental impact? I'd hate to buy it because I got shoved against a wall, or an ogre sucker-punched me in the wrong spot. Not that there's, you know, a right spot for that."
After class, Zohruk makes a point of seeking out Elyssa. "I want to say thank you. Not just for slowly walking me through stuff you can probably do in your sleep. You've also been kind to a strange face, when you didn't really have to. I won't forget that."
As they leave the walls of the city Kassie smiles, feeling the confinement of the walls drop away. She relaxes into her saddle, easily moving with the big horses' rolling gait. Tilting her head up to the sun and half-closing her eyes she listens to her companions. Steeplechase?" she asks, "Do you think Burrich will let us have a race? Its lovely getting out from behind the walls but I'd love to have a bit of a gallop!"
Characters: Daen, Kassara, grimold?
Daen's opinions on weapons are, fortunately, not overheard by the two—who have finally moved on to discussing the view. Jalen shakes his head ruefully. ”I forget you are from Brevoy at times!
”Not even Kassara knows of what you speak, Jalen.” Adir replies, pulling his horse ahead of them. ”Nor I, for that matter.”
”The Steeplechase is in dedication to Sophronia, a Taldan Knight from before Lastwall was a nation. Hell, from before Vigil was a proper city. She built a chapel-shrine, part of which still rests in the harbor mouth of vigil. The chapel was not within the city's planned borders while it was being built and she grew very upset. The founders claimed the shrine would be protected by the great waters of the Path..but she disagreed.”
Jalen falls into a rhythm as he speaks, eyes set ahead on the hills and road they ride along. Burrich moving amongst the scrubs to check on their riding abilities.
”She thought to prove them wrong. Its said she leaped into the Path in full armor and swam across, demanded a watchknight give her his bow and, when he refused, she challenged him to a duel. She beat him at the duel and took his bow, firing a shot across the river and into her own rooms at the steeple. She then outran a dozen watchknights across a makeshift bridge over the river, cutting the bridge apart as she did and collapsing it into the waters. The story says Sophronia stole a horse and rode around the entire city before she was stopped by a superior officer and locked for a month in the stockade for disregarding orders. The steeple itself eventually was burned in an orc attack..so she was right in the end.”
He glances over at Daen and shrugs. ”The Sophronia Steeplechase is dedicated to her actions, as a sort of hero from legend. There are contests of archery, dueling, swimming, running and horse racing. I've seen large gold handed out for winning as well as awards, sometimes titles. The final race has many obstacles and the winners are allowed to carve their names into the steeple itself.”
Edging his horse up to Rhill, Jalen calls over his shoulder. ”We could try for a bit of a race when he's not looking!”
Rhill blinks his oddly wide eyes, his incredibly fine white hair floating in the wind like dandelion puffs.
”I would not race against Jalen, he's better at riding than he is fighting..”
Adir simply scoffs and lines up alongside Jalen, looking over at Daen and Kassara, grinning. ”Let us see who is the fastest.”
Characters: Zohruk
Elyssa bursts out laughing at the orc's concern, shaking her head. ”You'd be a fool to let that happen! Usually there's some knack to the design.” Glancing at the teacher, who simply nods his head for her to continue, she reaches into her bag and pulls out two small glass vials. The tops are covered in wax, but within is more than simply a single liquid. A dark reddish colour floats near the bottom, but a clear liquid separates that from a black liquid on the top. Pressed against the wax seal is a flat strip of metal.
”This one needs magnesium and a mix to finish the explosion. So, you press down on the seal which pushes the magnesium out and then throw. It mixes when you throw and after a second or so will explode! I suppose if an ogre punched you it could get all mixed up but the values would be all off due to exposure to air.”
She holds up the other, which is an opaque glass. ”This one operates similarly, but there's a spring trap holding a second glass bead inside. The bead has several holes in it—took me forever to perfect that part—and it has a timed release of powdered magnesium when pushed down into the bottle. So it'll take a moment to go off, but not enough to make a difference in a fight.”
After class, the girl curtsies awkwardly to Zohruk with a smirk. ”Why, you're very welcome, Orc from a far away land. Its only right to try and civilize the more barbaric of our class.” Her tone implies an impish playfulness. ”Besides, you've yet to make me angry.”
Grimold flushes as he reappears from the stable, having made the entire class wait on him. What's worse, Jalen is here. Daen and Kassie, too. He mumbles an apology to the group and, as they ride out, he stays to the back.
His horse, an older bay stallion, seems mild-mannered enough. The ride is a nice change of pace after learning to shoe and groom the horses last week. Grimold tries to stay far enough back from Jalen that he won't have to interact with him, but he's still close enough to hear the story about Sophronia. Perhaps they have a book about her in the library? His telling needs work, but that is a worthy tale. The tavern minstrels might even have a song or two about her.
Kassie can't help but laugh out loud. I haven't fought Jalen yet. Let's see how good he is in a race. Anyone up for a wager? How about the winner buys the next round at the Dragon?
Listening to the story of the steeplechase was interesting, and made him think that he would like to try it sometime. The idea of having a race when the teacher wasn't looking was reckless and pretty short sighted, but Daen wasn't about to stop them. Their enthusiasm will end up getting them in trouble some day, it's best they learn the hard way early, and not later on. As for Daen himself, he decided it might be a good idea to get some more horse lessons. And getting a warhorse at the end of the training period sounded good. Getting on the bad side of the teacher the first time he saw him might make for a bad impression and would color his decision to give out a horse later.
"Go have fun. I'll be right here. I'm enjoying the view."
Characters: Kassara, Daen
It seems that Rhill is the only one of the cohort who has Daen's sense. Jalen, usually quite sensible, is showing far more excitability than normal. It could be the fresh autumn air, the lure of a challenge or something else. None know him well enough to easily know.
Adir, much like many of the young scrubs, is eager to prove himself. Jalen was seen as the best fighter in the cohort for a few weeks and although Daen successfully beat him, he is still seen as one of the best. The tall boy does, however, look a little sad that Daen would not be joining them—it seems he looked forward to testing himself in other ways against the current number one. Still, the sight of Kassara's yellow hair easily convinced him to join the race.
Example: Rhill and Adir decide to race for a mile. The terrain is low hills and plains with no obstacles. The target number is 53 with no DC's to be made. Rhill rolls a 12 plus his ride check of three for a 15, so he gains 15 points toward the target number. Adir rolls a five plus six from his ride so he gains 11 points toward the target number. They then each roll again with Adir scoring 14 and Rhill scoring 21. This leaves Adir with 25 points and Rhill with 36 points. They would continue to make checks until one of them reaches 53 points and is named the winner.
Burrich is busy helping Basil with a tangle of reigns. The boy seems to have no experience with riding and the constable is grumbling the entire time. Basil looks chagrined while his horse looks plain mad.
With the constable suitably distracted, Jalen lays down the rules. ”No interfering with another rider. We'll simply aim to race to the next gate, which is just over a mile or so. That's where we'll wait for Burrich and the others..and likely a lecture. We'll start when Rhill drops his hand.”
With his words spoken, Jalen waits, nodding his head to Rhill, who sighs and lifts a hand to signal the start of the run. When he drops his hand, Adir and Jalen take off down the road.
Oathday
Offensive Alchemy class
Zohruk examines the vials, handling them carefully, but with confidence. Being shown the mechanisms inside the vials does a lot to demystify it. Just be sure to always respect the chemistry, Zoh. As he hands them back, he says, "Okay, that is pretty slick. The guys in the Black Tower aren't exactly a chatty bunch, but judging by the way most of them can't count to ten without their toes, I'd guess the superior designs are on this side of the river."
Zohruk grins at Elyssa's choice of words with feigned outrage, grinning as he does so. "I don't plan on getting that civilized, Elyssa! Just sand down a few edges, maybe a fresh coat of paint. I think part of why my Chief sent me is 'cuz I'm pretty good about blending in. In Urgir, act like a thug. Here, act like a rosh-... like a human." Zohruk catches himself, and changes words.
Looking to change the subject, he asks, "So, how does a human girl come to blow stuff up for a living...?"
Characters: All
The day many of the scrubs have been waiting for with trepidation. The last day for at least two among you. Zohruk, barely introduced to the way the Bonewatch functions is thrown head-first into the chaotic and merciless training. Breakfast is a muted affair—everyone seems afraid to speak loudly except for Elyssa who is cursing at a servant for spilling egg all over her lap.
The arena is quiet when the group arrives and files in. Fisk stands with arms crossed in the center of the sandy ring and the cohort obediently forms a wide circle around him. To Zohruk's eyes, it seems something that they have done before. He waits for everyone to gather around before speaking. ”Welcome to the fourth week of challenges. There will be a few changes from the last week. You will not have a choice of selecting your weapon this day. We've studied and practiced numerous weapons these last few days and while I hardly expect all of you to be masters of them, I expect you to have a base understanding of each and every one of them. This is not the last challenge that will feature an element of randomness to it.”
A few among the cohort pale. Elyssa looks around frowning. Vorin looks thoughtful. Adir is grinning, as if he expected this. Jalen, unlike yesterday, is more his usual self and is expressionless. Most of the others look worried.
”In battle, you never know what may be thrown at you. As we discussed the first week..you may find yourself disarmed and may have to use whatever you can find. You may enter a location unarmed for various purposes only to need a weapon quick at hand, having to use what you can scrounge from your opponents..”
Pacing back and forth, Fisk speaks in a low growl. ”And I don't want to hear anyone complaining about it. That is the only rule this week. Use your magic, your skills and everything else you can think of. Nothing chosen should be unfamiliar to you.”
Ammo Drop
Arc Slinger
Blade Binder
Bludgeoner
Bound Hammer
Catch Off Guard
Cornugon Trip
Darting Viper
Demoralizing Lash
Dorn-Derger Master
Double Weapon Finesse
Dueling Cape
Elven Accuracy
Equipment Trick
Exotic Weapon Proficiency (May only select once, for a second weapon)
Firebrand
Focused Shot
Martial Versatility
Net Adept
Polearm Dancer*
Quarterstaff master
Rapid Reload
Sap Adept
Serpent Lash
Improved Shield Bash
Sliding Axe Throw
Sling Flail
Spiked Destroyer
Duelist
Throw Anything
Tripping staff
Thunder & Fang
Two-Weapon Fighting
Twin Thunders
Weapon Finesse
Whip mastery
Whip slinger
*The above feat is from the upcoming Dreamscarred Press's Path of War Expanded. The benefit reads: "You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with weapons from the polearm or spear weapon groups that are appropriately sized for you, even though they aren’t light weapons."
Oathday
As Jalen speaks Kassie's horse senses her excitement and begins dancing in place, eager to be allowed to run free. As they line up the mare's prancing becomes more pronounced but Kassie easily controls her, shortening the reigns and doubling them over. When Rhill's hand drops she lets out a whoop and the mare surges forward, Kassie crouching low over its neck, her long blonde hair trailing out behind her.
Characters: Kassara, Daen, Grimold(?)
Burrich turns at the sound of the hooves pounding on packed dirt and yells out behind the three. "What in the farking hells do you think you are doing?! GET BACK HERE WITH MY HORSES!" Basil winces, being so near to him and glances over to Daen with a glare. Marcus starts laughing. Rhill looks sheepish, then shrugs as he's not the one being yelled at.
Kassara, Adir and Jalen continue, however. Kassara pulls into the lead, but just barely in front of the other two.
Jalen and Adir struggle to keep up, not seeming to have a strong lead on one another.
As she pulls away Kassie glances back laughing and shouts out.
Characters: Zohruk
Snatching a piece of sodium nitrate before it slips off of Zohruk's tongs, Elyssa tuts and shrugs. "Occasionally my dad would take me to the harbor to see fireworks. I was always fascinated with them...once I snuck away to investigate and...well, I've had an interest since. I mean, pretty fireworks are awesome. But when you blow something up with it?! That's better than magic."
Characters: All
Zohruk gets a chance, luckily, to see one challenge before he's called before Fisk. Aiden and Kathleen pair off in the circle, the scrubs spreading out to give plenty of room. Aiden steps forward, reaching into a bag and pulls out a number. Fisk glances at the number and nods before handing him a blunted one-handed mace made out of light metal. Kathleen, on the other hand, is handed a club that's about three feet long and almost half a foot thick. Aiden just stares with wide eyes at the weapon, his mouth gaping slightly as he walks nervously into the arena while Kathleen grins maliciously.
”Fight.”
The battle doesn't take long. A single blow from the giant club and Aiden is sprawled out on the floor, bleeding from the head. Fisk moves forward and heals him from a small wand. Fisk motions Zohruk forward.
”Each week, we allow scrubs to fight for positions in the cohort. The rules are as follows. Challenges begin with the lowest ranked scrubs first. You may challenge up to two times, but may only challenge someone within three rankings of yourself. For example, Aiden was last and could have challenged Kathleen or Cilys. If he beat one of them, he would take their rank and the loser would drop one rank—causing everyone below them to drop one rank as well. Since you are new, you have two choices. First, you may take the available open rank—spot nine. Or you may choose to challenge once—but may challenge anyone in the cohort.”
Fisk motions for Kathleen to come forward, for its her turn to challenge. ”Zohruk, you may go after Rhill has made his challenges.”
Kathleen skips over Cilys, choosing to fight the red-head ahead of her. This time, however, she ends up with a strange weapon called a manople. She slides the weapon over her hand with a frown, swinging it and punching it forward a few times. While they had practiced with all of the weapons in the racks, this wasn't one many spent much time with. Lond ends up with a two-handed greataxe with a wickedly curved blade that has been blunted. Either way, blows from the axe would hurt. Kathleen dodges around the weapon, punching and kicking at Lond as he lumbers after her, never seeming to get a touch in. Whatever the girl had been up to the last few weeks—she had been practicing. The match ends with Lond collapsing from a blow to the back of the knee, lifting his hand up in surrender.
Cilys, Eilidh's new friend, goes next. She decides to test her luck against the other girl. Unlike the other fights, the weapons chosen seem more on par this round. Cilys ends up with the weapon Aiden started with while Kathleen has a morningstar in one hand. Kathleen's lucky streak fails out as Cilys brings her low with a hilt-strike to the stomach. She chooses to challenge a second time and jumps after the kellid ranked above her now.
Drawing forth their slips of paper, Fisk actually lets out a laugh. Mind, its a single, humorless creation that sounds more like the sound forced from a donkey kicked by its owner for being too slow—but its a laugh nonetheless. The sound shocks half the cohort into abrupt silence, until they see the weapon choices. Fisk retrieves two massive hammers bearing spikes on either end of their heads—Varisian Earthbreakers. Returning to the field, he hands them over to the two. Lond grins, hefting the huge weapon while Cilys struggles to lift it properly. Fortunately, training kicks in and she uses it to deflect a huge swing—the sound of metal on metal twanging heavily across the room. After the great crash, Cilys actually drops the weapon and ducks in close, letting loose with a handful of punches to the chest and sternum. When Gideon steps back and swings at her, she dodges to the side and sweeps his legs out from under him, leaping on top of him and smashing his head back into the sand. Getting up and dusting sand off of her, she flashes a thumbs-up sign to Allie.
After the sheer success of the two girls, the boys under them seem to have a desire to regain their ranks. Lond challenges Kathleen to a rematch—one that she loses when he uses a lucerne hammer's superior reach to keep her at bay with her sap.
Gideon, not wanting to face Cilys again after that humiliating defeat, challenges the white-haired Rhill. Rhill's pale form moves into the arena, choosing a weapon and ending up with an ankus traditionally used to guide elephants in Vudra, but also used by some mercenaries that come from those regions and occasionally fashioned by orcish beast-herders. Gideon, like Lond, ends up with a lucerne hammer as well. He moves forward, knocking Rhill back with a heavy-handed blow. He picks up the odd weapon and uses it to knock the weapon out of Gideon's hands. As the tattooed barbarian growls and tries to pick it up, he kicks at his face and pushes him out of the way, grabbing onto it and bringing it around into his side—cracking a rib or two. Despite the way the fight is going, Gideon doesn't give up and rushes at Rhill, tackling him to the ground and kneeing him in the stomach. An elbow strike to the face ends the fight with Gideon on top.
Rhill chooses to challenge Theodric. The fey-like Rhill ends up with another peculiar weapon, a large scythe, while Theodric is fortunate enough to have a more reasonable longsword. Despite the smaller weapon, Theodric puts Rhill on his back after only a few seconds.
”Zohruk, name your challenge.”
Characters: Kassara, Daen
The Tilernos girl eggs her horse onward, dodging around the two boys and gaining a strong lead. Jalen looks surprised while Adir takes it as a further challenge and pushes his horse harder.
Oathday:
Kassie grins as she pulls away, easily pushing the mare to run faster still, accelerating even as she nears the finish line. As soon as she passes the gate she pulls the horse to a halt, both of them breathing heavily. Jumping down from the saddle she moves up to the mare's head, taking it in her hands and giving it a kiss on the nose. "Well done gorgeous!" as the other two horses come thundering through the gate she stands to the side, wearing a broad grin. "What kept you? Seems like I've been here an age!"
Oathday
Grimold doesn't notice what's unfolding until it's too late. He whips his head around to see what the commotion is about, just in time to see the three other cohort one scrubs galloping off. Naturally, Kassie is with them. Grimold merely shakes his head, glad that he managed to dodge that little bit of trouble. It gets Jalen out of the way for awhile at least.
Nudging his horse forward, he pulls up next to Daen. "Letting Kassie have all the fun without you, Daen?" He smirks at Daen, giving him a sideways glance.
Fireday
Grimold watches the fights carefully as always. The unorthodox weapons make things a bit more... interesting. Some of the heavier weapons leave nasty-looking wounds, accompanied by all sorts of dramatic squelching noises and blood spatters.
He gives out a whoop for Theodric as he makes short work of the white-haired boy, falling silent when Fisk shoots him a glare. When Zohruk is called to make a challenge, Grimold's eyes flicker to the board, wondering what the half-orc would choose. I could have challenged anybody I wanted? Bah! Zohruk would be wise to take the number 9 spot and guarantee his stay for at least a couple more weeks, but he couldn't fault the half-orc if he had a grudge or two that demanded action. Only Rans stands between me and Jalen now.
Oathday
Zohruk suppresses a laugh at Elyssa's story, not wanting to lose concentration on the task at hand. "That's outstanding. If your help gets me through this coursework without giving this room a new skylight, I'll consider myself to owe your father a drink."
Fireday, at the Challenge
Zohruk eyes up the standings. As much as he relishes the idea of taking that Austyn down a notch, the open position right in the middle of the pack was just too tempting. "I'll hold that nine-spot down, Sir."
Another time, Tiny...
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Oathday
Daen shakes his head a bit at the impromptu race, reacting with a sort of resignation and a sigh at Basil's glare, especially since he'd been unaware that the half elf had even been there. When Grimold makes his comment, he nods at his fellow member of Cohort One giving him respectful attention. "I don't have to go looking for trouble in order to have fun. I'm full up with the trouble that seeks me out. I'm just here for a quiet ride and to get some fresh air. As for the race, this horse isn't mine. I'm not going to treat the man who let me borrow him with disrespect. I'm no noble with privilege or family ties to let me off easy or repay damages." Reaching down he patted his horse's neck gratefully. "I'm sure neither of us would mind a good run, but only when it's appropriate."
Fireday
Using different weapons than what he was used to would be a problem. He had a bit of speed that he liked to use with weapons, but it was the heavy ones that couldn't be used in such a way that bothered him. At least magic was still on the table. He'd prepared for this day with a couple spells that will hopefully allow him to fend off the challengers. He didn't have any more excuses. The challenges were coming today, it was just a question of whether or not his training was sufficient.
]
Characters: Kassara
The mare has speed and determination. Kassara's careful maneuverings easily convince the glorious creature to great speeds—driving her through the gates and to a heart-shaking stop before thundering through a surprised cabbage cart.
'Ey now! Watch oot where yer going, aye?” the outraged cabbage seller calls out, wrapping his arms protectively over the green vegetables. He grumbles as he pushes the cart down the road, shaking his head and speaking to himself about youth these days.
Adir and Jalen are fairly far behind when they catch up and enter the gates. Nearby, Vigilant guard look down upon the horses and call out greetings to the scrubs. One, most likely a former Bonewatch scrub himself, lets out a laugh. ”Oi! Old Burrich is going to rip you a new one fer taking off like that. We watched your race from the parapets. Good going, Tilernos!” It seems at least a few in the city know who Kassara is.
Adir bows to Kassara, kneeing his horse over. ”That was a good run, Kassie! You took off like an arrow! You've got to show me sometime. I'm an idiot on a horse, as you've seen. I can barely keep astride! ...Burrich's not going to be very happy.”
”The constable will eek out punishment seen fit for the breaking of expectation. I will take responsibility and apologize afterward..I do not know what came over me.” Jalen looks a bit pale, glancing toward the gates—far more worried than he was even when being bested by Daen. ”I suspect we'll be spending the rest of the day in the stables..and part of the weekend as well.”
The other boy lets out a groan and flails about. ”What?! The weekend? But tomorrow is the Day of Ascendance! There's a fair going on this whole weekend!”
”Such is what happens when we choose the moment.” Jalen simply says and turns his horse to face the gate. Adir hesitates and looks toward the Bonewatch, obviously considering just heading back but he follows Jalen's lead in the end.
Characters: Grimold, Daen
Watching the three head off down the road, Burrich growls loudly. ”Bloody pups. Think they know what they're doing. Look at that tall one, about to fall right off his bloody saddle!”
Burrich's faint accent and language make it apparent he's not originally from Taldor or Lastwall, having the grumbling Nirmathas sound to his words.
Basil shakes his head, looking at Daen, but doesn't say anything disparaging. Instead, he rides up alongside the constable. ”A good weather day fosters warmth in the young heart, Constable. I fear the very urge may have taken any of us were we more confident in our skills—alas this is but the first ride I have taken atop a horse and slowly I would take it, if you would. Perhaps you could provide any helpful aid to improve such?”
Despite the old-fashioned, and wrong, way of speaking he has, Basil seems to calm the older man. Burrich gathers the horses around himself with a whistle and starts to explain the finer points of riding as they head toward the gate.
When the rest of the class arrive, Burrich lays into the three races. He scolds them for being irresponsible, for risking his horses, and for acting like fools. He doesn't seem to care that two nobles are among them, he simply is concerned for the horses. After yelling at them for at least ten minutes, he directs them to spend the rest of the day cleaning the stables out—from top to bottom. The task will likely take the rest of the day plus an entire other day to complete. He details how the three will have to wash the cobblestones, repair the wooden stalls, clean out the rafters with ladders, clear the gutters, scoop the prodigious amounts of horse feces, move the feces carts down the road to where it is sold to those who bring it out to the farms for fertilizer and other sundry tasks attached to the cleaning operation.
Jalen simply takes the news expressionless while Adir scowls and frowns.
Characters: Zohruk
Austyn had been a bully. Eilidh scornful and distrustful. The Tribune dismissive and nervous. And yet, somehow, their attitudes seem to pale in comparison to what Zohruk has just done. It reminds me, quite strongly, of a time Yrrilka observed him speaking to a rather attractive orc from the ??? clan during Floodmeet. Much like magnesium igniting within the naphtha cocktails she had just been instructing him on completing, Elyssa erupts.
”My father is nothing but a worthless, power-hungry monster incapable of seeing the finer points of societal injustice beyond his idiotic mission to seek out those who commit crime irregardless of the cause or habits or anything relating to the actual offenses! He deserves nothing! Nothing at all! Not even the respect and prestige his position calls for. He should be laughed out of the vegiles and exiled from their corrupted ranks!” She then falls into a string of expletives and curses that compare to even some of his more foul-mouthed cousins in Belkzen could compete with. After a pause to take her breath, Elyssa finds herself standing on the s tool next to Zohruk and glowering down at him, her face purple from speaking too quickly to even breath.
She steps down from it. The entire class is silent and staring. Bottger's eyes brows are raised—Zohruk suspects this is the most surprise he's shown in a long time from the way his face wrinkles with it. Before anyone can speak, Elyssa turns bright red and glares at Zohruk. ”Don't bring up my father.” She then, rather than abruptly fleeing as many might do in a similarly humiliated fashion, sits down and begins to work with renewed vigor. Without looking up, she snaps as one of the other scrubs dares to whisper a quiet “By the gods” to his companion. ”Don't even start or you'll see if you are ignitable as well.”
Characters: All
With Zohruk's place chosen, the rest of the lower ranked members go. Gideon challenges the pudgy and studious Bryson. Again numbers are chosen and each scrub picks their weapon. Each ends up with a shortspear in one hand, slowly circling each other. Gideon rushes forward and strikes high. The fatter scrub ducks low and jabs forward, striking Gideon in the stomach. As he does, Bryson also steps in close and places a hand against the other boy with a crackle of electricity. Failing his first challenge, Gideon loses the right to make a second.
Theodric chooses to challenge Adir—everyone is trying to increase their rank as much as they can. Unfortunately, the weapon choices seem against him. Theodric gains a klar, a peculiar Shoanti shield made from a metal lizard skull and a short blade. Adir, on the other hand, is fortunate enough to have a great zweihander sword from the far north. Adir comes in hard, scoring a strike against Theodric's shoulder. The dour boy drops his guard and retreats, lifting the shield up to deflect another heavy blow. Blow after blow lands—only to be deflected by the shield. Adir slowly forces Theodric back in the circle which moves with them until reaching the steps and dissolving into a half-circle around the two. Theodric runs up the stairs and leaps off, plunging toward Adir and smashing the shield into his face. Adir falls backward only to have Adir continue his press, slashing at the larger boy's legs and bringing him down with another bash to the chest.
With one success under his belt, Theodric aims to reach into the top ten. He calls out Vorin, who looks surprised at the normally depressed boy's vigor. Stepping into the ring, Vorin ends up with a large, curved blade from Qadira called a falchion while Theodric has only a light dwarven hammer. However, due to his recent success with the unfamiliar klar, Vorin is wary of the boy. Despite this, however, it takes only a few moments for Vorin to bring Theodric to his knees. The black-hared boy lets out a growl and stalks back to the circle, nursing a bloody cut that didn't heal fully from Fisk's wand.
Seeing Theodric wounded, Bryson challenges him. For once the fates seem to benefit Theodric. The slip he chooses grants him a trident to fight against Bryson with his heavy mace. Still, the magic the other boy can wield gives him an advantage. They move close and clash for a full minute, fighting back and forth. In the end, even with the wound and Bryson's magic, Theodric succeeds in keeping his new position of rank 12..for now.
Adir moves up and pauses, rubbing his recently shaved head and frowning. He glances from Theodric to Ardis. Ardis is a rank higher...and yet, Theodric has already had two fights and is still winded from them. Making his choice, Adir grips a light mace and enters the arena against Theodric with a cutlass complete with skull guard straight from the distant Shackles. Miraculously, Theodric wins the rematch!
Seeing how irate his erstwhile companion Allie had been with Zohruk—repeatedly, Ardis glances to her and smiles before naming the orc's name. '”I-I'll challenge the newcomer..Zooruk.”
Fisk glances at the slips and looks up, moving to the rack of training weapons and pulling out a curved sickle that's been shaped into a longer shape as well as a slim Qadiran scimitar. He hands the sickle to Ardis and the scimitar to Zohruk before moving back out of the arena.
Ardis squares up with Zohruk and the two circle one another.
Kassie stands grinning as the others approach, waving up at the guard and executing an elaborate bow at his congratulations. Even when Burrich arrives and begins laying into them she can't prevent smiling to herself, not at all contrite. Haven't had that much fun in weeks! Pitty about having to clean up the stables, but that can't possibly take too long!
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Oathday
Offensive Alchemy class
While Zohruk wasn’t prepared for an eruption like the one Elyssa let forth, he was certainly familiar enough with them. Well, familiar with Ril’s take on them, anyway. He prays briefly to the Mother that what worked with Yhrrilka will work here, Or she’s gonna jam one of those vials down my throat.
Zoh keeps a steady, neutral facial expression through the whole thing, and makes eye contact any time she Elyssa looks at him. Walk that line, Zoh. You’re not downplaying, and you’re not escalating; you’re just acknowledging.
”Don't bring up my father.”
”Okay.”
There’ll be a time later for apologies. Maybe. If I’m not about to eat a sulphur snack…
Assuming he lives that long, Zohruk goes back to his work to the best of his ability. If he gets to a point where he can’t move forward on his own, he sets it aside and simply goes over his notes, then after class inquires with Bottger about storage and/or disposal of unfinished materials.
Fireday, the Challenge
“I-I'll challenge the newcomer..Zooruk.”
Zohruk glowers at Ardis all the way into the ring. He hadn’t been in the greatest mood ever since Alchemy class the day before, and catching the hopeful glance Ardis shot to Allie, that was just perfect. If he wants to make a fight with me part of some halfassed courtship ritual with the girl, fine.
But it’s Zohruk, not Zooruk, you godforsaken halfwit…!
Zoh accepts the weapon from Fisk without ever taking his eyes off Ardis. After glancing down a moment to see what he’ll be using to carve a piece off the boy, a predatory smile creeps across his face. A scimitar, like she uses. There’s symmetry in that somewhere.
Ardis squares up with Zohruk and the two circle one another.
Zohruk hopes to end it quick. After circling a few steps to his left, Zohruk comes in with the blade low, sweeping upwards. ”Pol kolun!"
(against FF, yes?)
Battle One; Ardis v Zohruk
Zohruk cries out and moves forward, the scimitar flashing in the light and smashing into Ardis. The blade, while dulled, still leaves a black bruise as it thwacks into the boy's chest. He stumbles backward, eyes narrowing and swings to the side, sweeping the weapon at Zohruk's side, the curved edge aimed for his ribs.
for
Fireday, the Challenge vs. Ardis
Zohruk's first strike didn't have enough force to drop Ardis, who takes advantage of Zohruk's unfamiliarity with the heavier blade to bring his weapon under, and catches him in the side where his armor doesn't cover. Ouch. Mother, guide my hand...
Zohruk brings the blade back down hard on the other boy's shoulder.
Sand shifts beneath feet. Steel clashes on steel. Ardis lifts his blade and tries to deflect the blow, but Zohruk slides around the curved edge and slams his into the boy's shoulder. The human grunts and struggles back, leaning into his back foot as blood trickles down his arm from under the thin leather armor. He pushes up against Zohruk's strike, trying to move closer to him to make use of the shorter, curved blade in his had. Eyes intense, face pale from weakness, the boy swings at the orc.
for
Ardis is close to falling, but intent not to give up. There's a tremble in his knees and his teeth are gritted against pain.
The duelist and the pyrotechnician face off in the arena. Elyssa's hands awkwardly grip a greatsword. Before entering the arena, she had gulped down something from a metal flask secreted under her armor. The result is familiar to those who have seen it before, although new to Zohruk (and possibly Grimold?). Her pupils narrow, forming into slits like a snakes. Scales spot up along her neck and around her eyes, lining the skin along her arms. Colorless, they are difficult to see against her skin.
Vorin's usual grin is absent, his face deadly serious. In his hands he holds a longbow held casually at his side, a quiver of only five arrows at his hip. One hand grips an arrow, ready to pull it into the quiver the moment Fisk allows them to start fighting.
Despite Vorin's advantage and readiness--Elyssa moves first. She darts forward, twisting in the air around an arrow that flies by her and slides up to Vorin, swinging the greatsword with both hands and letting out a warcry. Even as she does, the greatsword is let go and she smirks at the expression on Vorin's face as the blade swings past him and away. She crouches low and lashes out with a backfist. The surprise blow hits hard, knocking Vorin back a few steps. He recovers and takes a deep breath, slipping into a meditative stance. Stepping back, he pulls the string of the bow and fires an arrow straight at Elyssa. She tries to duck the blow, but lets out a serpentine hiss as it strikes her, the round edge impacting her in the face and snapping her head back. The arrow's strike knocks her clear off her feet and onto her back--ending the match in one blow.
Not content with a single win, Vorin chooses to challenge Grimold
Battle Two; running concurrently; Vorin v Grimold
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Fireday, the Challenge vs. Ardis
Zohruk manages to fend off Ardis’ next few attacks. He looks as bad as I feel. He knows this has to end, but Zohruk doesn’t just want to beat Ardis. He wants to break him.
He brandishes his weapon meancingly, as through gritted teeth, he snarls, "Zhur ek'zhuul!"
Fireday
Grimold cheers as he watches Theodric's winning streak, giving the other boy a thumbs-up after his final bout. When Ardis challenges, Grimold pays extra attention; it would be his first opportunity to see what the half-orc could really do. Moyer said the new players probably weren't orcs, so he should be a safe ally to have. Let's see what he's made of!
After Zohruk's brutal fight, Elyssa and Vorin put on a little show. He was surprised to see Elyssa drink from a flask before the fight began. Does she fight better when drunk? Remembering his own fight with her last week, he was surprised by her physical transformation. When Vorin wins with a point-blank shot to Elyssa's head, Grimold nods approvingly, but his smile slides off his face when he hears his name being called. Turning to examine the board, he suddenly feels stupid for forgetting that, just as he planned to make some challenges, those below could challenge him. He clenches his jaw a couple of times in annoyance, but steps forward to draw his lot.
Ardis v Zohruk
The orcish battle cry causes Ardis to flinch, his eyes widening. The grip on his sickle shaking slightly. The boy obviously has no idea what Zohruk is saying and reluctantly tries to overcome his fear by charging straight at Zohruk, disregarding any defense. for
In his nervous state, Ardis's blow is easily caught by the scimitar and deflected away.
Vorin v Grimold
Fisk retrieves the weapons and hands over a heavy mace to Grimold. The blunted flanges are curved along the metal head in a style commonly found in Ulfen weapons. Vorin, on the other hand, gets a thick, curved knife from the jungles of Garund.
The half elf noticed Grimold's cheer of Theoderic's victory. Perhaps the two had become friends somehow? Daen didn't know it was possible to be friendly with that one, but one thing was sure. He needed to get to the bottom of the issue with the rats. Perhaps Grimold would be able to get him more information concerning that issue, but it would need to be handled delicately. The more important thing was to see about these challenges. It would be tricky to keep his place, but at least he really only needed to worry about the three right below him. Unless there was an upset like there was when Daen ascended, it's likely they'd be the only ones to challenge him today.
Zohruk vs. Ardis
Zohruk sidesteps Ardis' panicked charge, and tries a backhanded cut to catch the boy in the back. He telegraphs his move badly, however, and the blow goes high as Ardis ducks.
Ardis v Zohruk
Ducking under the blow, Ardis aims low and swipes at the orc's legs. "Hyah!" Unfortunately, the thin blade just gets tangled up against Zohruk's legs and Ardis stumbles.
"Come on you two, show some style!" calls out Rans, smirking to Austyn who simply rolls his eyes. It seems that ones attempts to become friends with the other unlikeable boy are not as successful as Kassara's diplomacy with other members.
Zohruk vs. Ardis
As Ardis stumbles, Zohruk tries to crack Ardis in the back of the head with the pommel of the sword.
Ardis v Zohruk
Rans starts laughing and elbows Austyn, who finally cracks a smile. Both cease instantly when Fisk's dead eyes turn to them, his lips turning into a sneer.
Ardis ignores them and lifts his blade back up, the nervousness leaving his hands as he tries to land the last blow. He twists around Zohruk's weapon and spins around behind him, his blow deflected by the leather armor as he assumes a defensive position. for damage.
Ardis has used Combat Expertise to gain a bonus to defenses.
Kassie watches as the two combatants circle each other, keen to see how Zohruk handles himself in a challenge. The first few blows come hard and fast but then the fight devolves into a drawn out melee. Kassie circles around until she's next to Allie and surreptitiously reaches for her hand, leaning in and whispering. "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be OK."