Wards in the Springtime [attn: Craig/Zarayne]

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Welcome to the Gardens: one of the most tranquil areas of the Tower Grounds. Birds sing in the trees which line the wide paths between beautiful flower beds and serene lakes. There are benches to sit and listen to the waterfall, and there is neatly trimmed grass to lie on and rest. Novices and Soldiers as well as Warders in Training can be seen, sweeping the stone paths as Accepted and Dedicated study from books and relax under leafy trees.
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Re: Wards in the Springtime [attn: Craig/Zarayne]

Post by Roan » May 12th, 2017, 6:07 pm

Tia Tomosan
Tia Sedai, is it possible to unweave a ward? To pull free the individual threads and make the whole thing unravel?

The Green was pleased with the progress Zarayne had made thus far, and was just starting to think about the last ward she would show the Novice when the young woman asked a most unexpected question. Tia arched a brow as she looked to Zarayne with a slightly tilted head, “Is it possible to unweave a ward?”

With Tia, there was no serene facade so stereotypical of most Aes Sedai, at least when it came to day to day interactions. Going from a look of surprise to one of concentration, Tia offered Zarayne a shrug, “To be quite honest, I am not completely certain. Unweaving weaves is something I have not attempted, and for good reason, as it is extremely dangerous.

“As a Novice, I heard stories of channelers who burned out because they attempted to unweave something. There were those Novices who would try to unweave simple weaves, but even small weaves, if not handled properly, can have serious consequences. Are you asking because it is something you are interested in learning more of? Unweaving, that is?” Tia was genuinely curious for the question, though the responsible adult in her knew she should probably discourage Zarayne from pursuing unweaving.
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Re: Wards in the Springtime [attn: Craig/Zarayne]

Post by Craig » May 26th, 2017, 11:45 pm

Zarayne
Zarayne met Tia Sedai's gaze with an open curiosity. The scar tissue across her body was hidden from view by the novice's dress. She knew that Aes Sedai were not omniscient, yet she had still expected the Green to know about her previous misadventure with Unweaving.

"I attempted it once," Zarayne admitted. "I incurred much toh, but I have removed that obligation from my burdens. I am still interested in learning, however. It appears to be a hallmark of our people, but I wish to learn safely. No more... mishaps."

She had literally been through the fire and survived. Her toh had been paid, so there was no further reason nor excuse to avoid learning about the topic. Just with less house burning this time. Everything here was made of stone, so that was a plus.

"But there is a benefit to Unweaving, isn't there?" It was rhetorical. "You can't see the residues if the weaves have been undone?"
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

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Re: Wards in the Springtime [attn: Craig/Zarayne]

Post by Roan » May 27th, 2017, 12:48 am

Tia Tomosan
Tia arched a brow, looking rather remarkably like her Gaidin mother in that simple gesture. Tilting her head, she regarded her student and the Novice’s line of questioning. Reluctantly, the Aes Sedai nodded, “Well, yes. . .if you Unweave a weave, others will not be able to pick up on what you’ve done, and that could be considered a benefit, to be sure.” She furrowed her brows and looked out at the Weeping Willow that was perhaps her favorite tree in all of the Gardens.

The Aes Sedai was conflicted. On the one hand, she knew the dangers of Unweaving, and why it was discouraged among Novices. It was something she’d never pursued, but then reading residues was not really her strength either. She should discourage Zarayne from her curiosity around Unweaving, but at the same time, Tia understood the desire to learn all that you can about a topic. She had been voracious when it came to Cloud Dancing when she realized her natural talent for it, and it too was fraught with dangers.

Letting go a deep sigh, Tia looked back to Zarayne, “The Mistress of Novices might likely have my hide for not ordering you to drop the subject.” She paused and then gave a slight nod, “But I understand curiosity tends to drive us more than orders or rules at times. I would offer to help you, but Unweaving is something I have not attempted. I could perhaps inquire with some of my Sisters to see if any have a talent for it. . .and if they would perhaps be willing to tutor you on the subject.”
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Re: Wards in the Springtime [attn: Craig/Zarayne]

Post by Craig » June 2nd, 2017, 9:34 pm

Zarayne
Zarayne thought she should be thankful - she was actually thankful - but the sigh gave her a moment's pause. Tia Sedai should have discouraged her, but did not because of curiosity? That seemed too simple to be the truth, but a moment later that quirk of logic was forgotten. She could learn Unweaving in the Tower, if Tia Sedai was able to find her a tutor. Zarayne would never attempt to unweave alone again, but it was definitely going to be a perennial desire until she did actually succeed at it. Maybe she only had to do it once, but she had to do it nonetheless.

"Thank you Tia Sedai," Zarayne beamed with open warmth, but restricted her sentiment to only those words. The Green sister seemed human enough, but the novice didn't wish to risk upsetting the Aes Sedai underneath. Also, it probably wasn't wise to inquire about the Mistress of Novices punishing Aes Sedai. That didn't seem likely, surely? Did Aes Sedai punish Aes Sedai? It did happen amongst the Wise Ones, but they didn't have a single woman elected for such a duty. Then again, Aes Sedai didn't have ji'e'toh.

Zarayne returned to the point of the lesson and licked her lips nervously. "You said there was another ward for Shadowspawn? We aren't going to test that against Shadowspawn, are we?" 'I mean, there's no Shadowspawn here' was the rest of her unspoken question, but it showed on her face.
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

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Re: Wards in the Springtime [attn: Craig/Zarayne]

Post by Roan » June 3rd, 2017, 4:56 pm

Tia Sedai
Zarayne didn’t actually confirm whether she wanted Tia to find someone who knew how to Unweave. Was the ‘thank you’ Zarayne’s way of confirmation? Encouraging the Novice was likely a bad idea, but curiosity had a way of pushing people to do things they shouldn’t. If Tia could find someone to help the Novice learn while keeping her relatively safe, then so much the better, right? The Mistress of Novices likely wouldn't think so, but then what could she do to Tia?

Pushing the thoughts aside, Tia turned her attention back to the lesson at hand when Zarayne asked about the last ward. The Green sister shook her head “No, we won’t test it on Shadowspawn today, though keep in mind that vermin are often Shadowspan, and this ward will work just as well against them as it would against Trollocs. Now. . .watch.”

Tia embraced Saidar once again, moving her hands and fingers as she brought together threads of Air with slightly thicker flows of Fire, binding the two together in a way that hadn’t been done with the other Wards. Finally, she brought in threads of Spirit to anchor the other two, letting the Ward fall over the bench the Novice and Aes Sedai occupied.

“It looks more complex than it is,” Tia explained as she dropped the ward and began again, starting with Air. “You bind Air to Fire,” she continued, showing what she was doing with each step of the ward. “And once you’ve done that, you anchor them both with your thread of Spirit,” she finished, letting the ward fall into place once again. “I’ve made mine small, but you can make it as big as your strength with the One Power will allow you.”

The Aes Sedai released the Ward and nodded towards Zarayne, “Give it a go. Let’s see how you manage?”
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Re: Wards in the Springtime [attn: Craig/Zarayne]

Post by Craig » June 9th, 2017, 11:35 pm

Zarayne
As big as her strength allowed her? She honestly didn't know how strong she was, either in absolute or comparative values. They -- being the novices -- were always told to be careful when channelling, or else there was a risk of burning out. Sure she could sense other channellers, but judging prowess with saidar was still beyond her.

Tia Sedai had opted to cover the bench and that had been "small" in the Aes Sedai's own words. Could she ward a ten foot dome? Fifteen feet? She chose something in the twelve to thirteen feet mark, the apex of the dome interwoven with the branches of the tree they sat under.

It took time with such a huge ward to put in place the basic shell of Air. With saidar singing within her soul, she had no concept of the actual time elapsed but it felt like a short eternity. In contrast, the slightly thicker flows of Fire were easy to place, taking no more than ten seconds. The comparison in times were stark. She was grateful that Tia Sedai was not the impatient type.

Spirit took just as long as Air to add, but as the three different elements came together, holding onto the weave got progressively easier. In her mind's eye, the flows of the One Power were solidifying from water into ice, freezing into place. Soon her 'igloo' was finalised, the ward fully formed. It wasn't clear how strong the ward was, but it hadn't caused her to near that point where pleasure became pain. That was a warning sign that you were about to burn out.

Despite the apparent success of making the ward, Zarayne couldn't find a way to tie it off. Each time the weave seemed to weaken, threatening to completely unravel if she did not give it her full attention. Maybe it was inexperience, or maybe it was the hubris of making such a large shield against the Dark One. Eventually she just went for it, attempting to tie the ward off before it fell apart. Spirit vanished like mist in the dawning sun. The Air and Fire fell apart without its binding agent. Within three seconds, the entire ward had disappeared.
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

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Re: Wards in the Springtime [attn: Craig/Zarayne]

Post by Roan » June 10th, 2017, 4:31 pm

Tia Sedai
Tia held on to the Source as Zarayne worked to pull the weave together. The Aes Sedai was impressed with how big the Novice was making her weave, and stood ready to step in if it seemed the young woman was about to overextend herself. It took time, but Tia watched as Zarayne brought Fire and Air together before bringing spirit in as an anchor for the entire weave.

With the weave in place, Tia thought the Novice was done, and was thus surprised when she started to try and tie the Ward off. It was clear Zarayne struggled to tie it off. Once she lost spirit, the rest of the ward fell. “You did quite well on the ward. As your first attempt with that particular ward, as big as it was, you did remarkably well. Obviously, tying wards off is essential, but perhaps you should start small and work your way up?

“It seemed you struggled to hold onto each of the weaves, especially Spirit, when you tried to tie it off. See if a smaller ward is more manageable, and it might be easier to tie off,” Tia encouraged. “Let’s see if that works for you?”
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Re: Wards in the Springtime [attn: Craig/Zarayne]

Post by Craig » June 12th, 2017, 10:03 am

Zarayne
Zarayne accepted the feedback with thanks. Recalcitrance was not one of her trademarks. Something smaller did seem sensible. This, time Zarayne made the ward large enough to cover the two of them and the bench, nothing else. A little over half the height of the previous ward, but a lot less of the One Power was needed to weave it.

The foundation of Air still took its time to come into place as Zarayne struggled against the normally female-orientated element of the One Power. With the ward's boundary so near, the novice could practically feel the threads. It made her feel more welcome in the Gardens, not that she ever thought of herself as an outsider. It was the resonance between Air and the Grey Tower that played those tricks in her mind.

Next was Fire. With its weaving brought the taste of sand and the feel of a cloudless sky. The clattering of numerous beaded bracelets rattled in her mind even as the Grey Tower reasserted itself. The Air and Fire didn't quite come together, but they were two parts of the same whole. Similarly, she was a part of the Grey Tower and of the Threefold Land.

Beautiful silver Spirit came easier this time, with Zarayne no longer needing to strain to keep the other elements in place. Spirit bound to the Air and the Fire, lessening the struggle, easing the burden on her control over the One Power. When the last of the Spirit came together, the Ward formed, briefly seeming to shimmer in acknowledgement of its completion.

This time it seemed less of a challenge to tie the weave off. The loose strands at the end of the dome came together, becoming one with other threads or with themselves. After ten, maybe fifteen seconds, Zarayne succeeded in tying off the ward. A question remained about how long it would last, but she had done as Tia Sedai had commanded.

"I did it," she proclaimed. That afforded her a delighted smile, even before the Green sister had offered any praise or scorn.
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

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Re: Wards in the Springtime [attn: Craig/Zarayne]

Post by Roan » June 15th, 2017, 7:57 pm

Tia Sedai
Tia held onto the Source and watched as Zarayne formed the ward once more. The smaller ward came together a bit faster, and a bit smoother, which meant her pupil was indeed learning. What’s more, Zarayne managed to tie it off. When she proclaimed she’d done it, Tia offered her a grin, “Well done! The weave will last a little while, though you’ll find that as you gain more skill with the One Power, your weaves may last a bit longer. They won’t last forever.

“As I understand it, it all comes down to your strength with the One Power and your skill. So if I were to do the same weave and tie it off, mine would last longer because I am a bit more practiced in Wards than you. That’s not to say you can’t improve, because you can given time and practice,” Tia explained, her grin becoming more of a warm smile once again.

“What I’ve gone through today is an overview of some of the more useful Wards. There are likely others that could prove useful to you, and the library is a good resource for learning more.” The Aes Sedai tilted her head somewhat, “I think our time may be nearly up, but I’m happy to answer any questions you might have?”
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Re: Wards in the Springtime [attn: Craig/Zarayne]

Post by Craig » June 19th, 2017, 8:35 am

Zarayne
Zarayne bathed in the praise, pleased at having succeeded, and happy to have a lesson go off without meriting punishment. She was also glad to have learnt something of practical use. Of course, she was a novice, so she couldn't practice without supervision. At least I have something to practice! And books to read. Reading wasn't her favourite pastime but this would be worth it.

Aside from the feelings of joy, Zarayne had been considering Tia Sedai's other words. She had questions, but did she have any that she wished to ask? When it came to Wards, Zarayne only knew as much as the Green sister had just taught her, and she really hadn't thought any further ahead about what she could do with them. She strained for a question, her brow knotting as she sucked on her lower lip.

"Can you make a Ward against people in general?" What she knew could alert her to another's presence, or hide herself and her voice from detection, but it didn't actually impede anyone coming near. The practical use for such a Ward wasn't clear, especially whilst she was in novice whites and barred for unsupervised channelling. "If there's a Ward that prevents Shadowspawn from coming near, is there one for people in general?"
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

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