Turn and Turn Again (Intro)

[Shoar]

A groan slipped out from Shoar as he sat down, his hand slipping down to tug one boot free. "Light blasted stones." he grumbled to himself, shaking free some loose gravel as he stretched his foot. They had been good boots, sturdy and strong, but the trip from his home had been a long one and had taken it's toll. "I'll have to replace them soon... At least I am near to my goal." He sighed again, pulling the boot back on and tugging his other one free. "Light knows it's taken me long enough..." he mused to himself, waggling his toes while he spilled the accumulated detritus before pulling the boot back on. He got to his feet, shifted the weight of his pack to ease the pressure on his shoulders and began walking again, taking a deep lungful of the fresh mountain air as he did so.

The trip had indeed been a long one. He had caught rides with friendly travellers when he could, but most of it had been spent on his own two feet. His parents, albeit reluctantly, had furnished him with some coin to see him through the trip and it was all but spent. The last night spend in a tavern had been an unusual expense, but given he was so close to his goal he had had an impulse to spoil himself. Sleeping in a proper bed and the desired effect and he was fully of energy, his stride quickly consuming the small distance to his goal. He could already see it ahead of him, at the end of the road.

When he got to the gates, he stopped for a second, his eyes taking in all that he could see. He had finally arrived - his long journey was finally over. His obviously stunned look attracted the attention of one of the guards, who inquired as to his business. "I have come to train to be a Warder." he said, drawing a snicker from the other guard. It was then that Shoar began to hear the clanging of steel on steel and the cries of victory. The guard gestured in the direction Shoar was now looking and he almost ran to the direction of the noises. When he arrived, he couldn't help but stare again. All around him were people carrying weaponry. Some fighting, some cleaning, some practising - all exactly what he had been looking for and what he had hoped to see.

He had arrived.

OOC: I took some liberties with some of the stuff because I'm not sure of the exact layout of the Tower... Let me know if I need to change anything

Shoar Daeran

[Bree]

The other guard jabbed the first roughly and viciously in the ribs and said, "Oi, you know well Mistress Bryne will skin ye if ye let one of her ducklings stray, Heb." The first guard grunted and turned to growl at the second. The second guard sighed heavily, "Fine," then he turned to the young man staring out toward the Warder Yards. "I'm Mordjen. Pleased to meet you. I will take you to where you need to be if you will follow me?"

Mordjen stepped out in front of Shoar and began taking comfortable but ground eating strides. As he walked he chatted amiably. The entrance road was somewhat long and Mordjen only went about half way down before veering off to the right and cutting across a field toward a large four or five story dormitory style building that faced the tall glass Tower itself. "I never tried to be a Warder meself. Me wife, Liz, Bless her... Well she would probably cry her self to sleep every single night if I told her I wanted to try to get meself bonded to some fancy lady Aes Sedai." Mordjen chuckled and then cleared his throat, stealing a glance at the young man striding with him. "No no, I watch the front gate and help carry fire wood when there are special occasions. That is more than enough connection to the One Power for me, yes sir. But if I could learn some of the ways of the Warders, like how they fight with their empty hands, I would very much enjoy learning that. I think it would make me better at being a Guard." Mordjen got lost in his thoughts for a moment and nodded at his feet as his pace slowed briefly.

"Anyway," Mordjen perked up, "Mistress Bryne said she would be seeing to inviting me and some of the boys to a class with her trainees so I am sure that will come about when it is right. Mistress Bryne is very good about things like that. She always wants to make sure that everyone in the Yards or associated with them has the chance to do their best." They were walking into the hard packed, dirt yard between three buildings spaced far apart now. To their immediate right as they passed it was a single story but barn sized building with few people around it. The men and women practicing various forms of fighting styles were spread from there all the way across the Yard to a matching building at the other end, equally untrafficked. To their left was the large dormitory hall and Mordjen turned them toward a large set of doors. "She has been death on people not helping new folks find their way properly to come see her or get signed up. If you feel like tellin her what happened with Heb, just try to remember, he is a trial for most and this Tower is probably the thing keepin him from findin an arrow with his name on it. He didn't mean any harm. I'll keep on him. The Mistress of Training's Office is upstairs," Mordjen pointed at a set of stairs to one side of the large lobby. There was a tiled floor and wood paneled walls and several tables and chairs occupied by the low conversations of groups of trainees.

Mordjen turned and clasped his hands behind his back and bounced up once on his toes. "She usually has open hours in her office from a couple of hours before High until a few hours before Low. If she doesn't happen to be there right then, there is usually a book with a pen you can scribble a request for a meeting and then come back. Right now, it is about four hours after Early so she probably is already there." Mordjen grinned broadly and nodded sharply once. It is good to welcome you to the Tower. Good Luck!" With that, Mordjen patted Shoar jovially on the shoulder and retreated the way they had come.

Ubriel was once again pacing around her office with the door and window both thrown wide open. She had a sheaf of papers in her hand and was trying to decipher the request it contained regarding warder trainers for the guardsmen who wanted to learn unarmed combat. Her hair was still damp from her post-ride bath and she had a full pitcher of chilled tea; a thing she had been teased for more than once. Eventually she strode to the corner of her desk and bent over it to scribble in the margin, "Offer combined ongoing training/sparring workshops for Gaidin and Guards." She had just straightened and exchanged the sheaf for a new report on Drin'far'ji boots when she heard the floor in the hall squeak to alert her that someone had turned the corner that led to no where but her own office.

[Shoar]

Shoar didn't say much as he followed the older man through the Warder Yards. He couldn't help it - it was all exactly as he had dreamed and he wanted to drink in as much of the experience as he could manage. Everywhere he looked, there were people training, exercising, working. Mock circles had been made up to watch sparring between two fighters - the larger the circle, the more skilled the fight. One in particular caught his eye, swords flashing and singing through the air. The movements were so impossibly fast Shoar's eyes could barely keep up with them.

Eventually they made it to a large building, a dormitory of some description from the looks of it. Shoar cast one longing glance back over his shoulder, then turned and followed the guard inside. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the lower light level, turning and looking around. The guard, Mordjen by name, indicated he should follow. He walked up the stairs with him, now listening and nodding as the other guard spoke. The man patted him on the shoulder and gave him a friendly smile before walking off. This was it. The moment Shoar had been waiting for. He took a deep breath and walked purposefully down the hallway.

He hesitated when he reached the door. Taking another deep breath, he knocked on the door. "Sh... Shoar Daeran, of Shienar. I have come to train in the ways of Gaidin and pledge my allegiance to the Tower." He had practised the speech in his head many times on the trip there - even now it sounded stupid to his ears and his cheeks burned red. He uncomfortably scratched one arm as he waited for an answer from within.

Shoar Daeran

[Bree]

Ubriel watched the young man approach the open door and rap on the frame. She listened to the sincerity of his introduction and straightened to face him fully. A smile broke across her face and she beamed a welcome at him. "Come in! You are welcome and well met! I am Ubriel Bryne, Mistress of Training here and I will be pleased to help you get signed up and your training underway." The sincerity of the new recruit was refreshing. Too many of her recent interviews tended to be with people that she suspected wanted less to do with the life of a warder and more to do with the power of the skill that could be gained by being trained in this Yard.

Stepping forward slightly, Ubriel gestured to one of the chairs in front of her desk and drew the young man into the room. Pulling the door to her office shut behind him, she spoke as she walked back to her own chair. "Now then, Tell me your name a little slower and where you are from. I will get it entered into the ledger and then you can tell me a little about what brought you here. What weapons have you studied and where? What makes you interested in the life of a Warder?" Ubriel opened the great ledger book and took up her pen, poised and ready to get to know her newest recruit.

OOC:
Take your time here and let your character think about the reasons for coming and his motivations. Ubriel will respond to what she is told but as for growing your story with us, let us hear your thoughts. This will also help me move the interview along

[Shoar]

Shoar stepped gingerly into the room, looking around as the woman introduced herself. "Ubriel Bryne..." he though to himself as he settled into the chair in front of her desk. He took his pack off and set it down on the ground with a heavy thud and waited for Ubriel to take her seat in front of him. She had already pulled open a ledger and lifted up her pen, looking at him expectantly. Shoar took a deep breath and said "My name is Shoar Daeran. I am from a small farm in Shienar, some distance away from Fal Dara. It is... was the only home I ever knew. I was the only child my parents had and I had few friends growing up... Save Kraan, my best friend."

Shoar leaned forward a little bit, looking at his hands. "I have not had any formal studies, Ubriel Bryne... Gaidar?" He quickly scanned the woman's face for any sign of annoyance, unsure if he got the honorific correct. "Kraan and I trained with what we could fashion out of old farming tools. Scythe blades attached to lengths of wood for swords and so forth. What I know, I learned from my Da for protecting the farm, so I can handle a staff without knocking myself out, or I learned from fighting with Kraan." He paused and a faint smile crossed his face. "Though my Ma also said my size was a weapon by itself, though I don't expect that counts for much here." He had seen people of all sizes fighting in the yards, all of whom displayed a level of skill Shoar could only dream about.

"As for your last question... I don't rightly know the answer to that, Ubriel Bryne Gaidar. When I decided I didn't want to be a farmer, well, that would have been after a visit to Fal Dara on my twelfth nameday. While there, I saw a contingent of soldiers - fresh from some battle, from the looks of them. There was one amongst their number, a... ranger or a scout. The way he moved... It reminded me of some of the wolves we'd sometimes see near the farm during harsher winters. Like he could go from a normal walk to a fight in a heartbeat. I won't lie that it didn't impress me. My Ma and Da saw it as well and tried to firmly guide me back to being a Farmer. I was GOOD at being a farmer, see. Ma and Da expected me to take over the farm one day. But they couldn't stop the thoughts flowing through my head. I hadn't ever considered a life apart from being a farmer until that visit."

He took a deep breath. The next part weighed heavily on his mind. "When I returned home, Kraan and I began practising in secret. He had always longed to do more then be a farmer, see, so he had plans to join the army when he was old enough. We spent years doing what we could in secret, trying to get better. Without a proper teacher it was difficult, but we were happy. Until Kraan disappeared and left a note saying he was coming here to learn to be a Gaidin. When I am settled in I would like to find him, if I may - I have not seen him in a fair few moons." Shoar straightened and faced Ubriel, matching her gaze. "My dream, see, was never to join the Army. I have always heard the stories of the Aes Sedai - the bad and the good, to be certain, but the good are what I choose to believe, what my family chooses to believe. My Ma always said to me that because I was bigger then most others, I should use that to protect them. I can think of no better way to do that then to dedicate my life to protecting those who are dedicated to protecting us all." He spread his hands. "I come with no money, no weapons and clothes that are just about ready to give out on me. What few belongings I have are in this sack. But if you will have me, Ubriel Bryne Gaidar, I will gladly dedicate my life to the service. I wouldn't be able to face my Ma and Da if I didn't try anything less then my all here."

OOC: At the moment Kraan never made it to the Grey Tower - I may expand on him in the future or ignore him, but as he never made it to the Grey Tower, noone will have heard of him.

Shoar Daeran

[Bree]

Ubriel listened intently and took notes here and there. At the name of Kraan, her brow furrowed and she noted to look for any mention of his visiting the Tower before her arrival. "I am very glad to hear of your sincerity. As for your equipment, clothes and belongings, training and such; don't give it a second thought. We will issue you a wardrobe of uniforms and some leisure wear. You will be provided a stipend to use to purchase minor things you might want from the town. We provide your room, food, all the necessities; you can earn the right to be given a horse through one of the classes offered if you so choose. There are many benefits you can earn while here."

She opened a drawer and took out a paper with a copy of the map of the Tower grounds on it. Passing it across the desk she said, "You will find that we offer as many classes as you want to take in many subjects. There are the various fighting styles, military and political history classes, geography, languages, herbology, horsemanship, wilderness and survival skills, Blight and Shadow Lore..." Ubriel trailed off and sighed deeply. "Of course if you are interested in something that we don't have a class available in immediately, there are archived classes and the Library is a treasure trove of information on almost anything you could want to know. There are practical study areas like the forges and the infirmary as well. I am sure that you will be able to find any training you are interested in. This map will help you know where to look for specific types of classes. Obviously weaponry and fighting styles in general are here in the yard but there is an obstacle course near the stables for horseback fighting. There is another off by itself for the archers." Ubriel pointed and indicated the various buildings of interest on the map http://www.grey-tower.net/Library/artwo ... tworkid=26.

Leaning back in her chair once more, settling in and getting very comfortable, Ubriel asked, "Are there specific weapons or fighting styles you are most interested in studying? Perhaps a war axe or learning to use a shield?" Ubriel tried very hard not to influence her new recruits with her bias against the, in her opinion, overrated and overused sword, but once in a while she did find herself giving a plug for the axe or the staff. "Are there other subjects like history or maybe philosophy or mathematics that you might be interested in studying while here?" Ubriel held her pen to note the subject interest Shoar might express. Then she said, "I am going to make sure to help you find the training you need. All I need from you is a signature here," she indicated a blank space next to the place where she had printed his name. "This indicates that basically you really are here and you are making the decision to accept the room and the uniforms and that you agree to the rules." Offering the pen to him, she said, "We have had some recruits who use symbols for their names if they don't know how to spell them in a common language. It made me want a symbol for myself the first time I saw it really."

OOC: The next set of posts is going to take Shoar on a tour of the yard he walked through briefly on his way up and then you will have all your required posts for using this as a raising requirement. Ubriel is hoping that IF Shoar can't read and write, telling him about the symbols for names will be a good way to let him off the hook for it without embarrassing him. In case that wasn't obvious, I wasn't sure if his lack of formal training was in just fighting or in other educational subjects as well. It would be good to know. WoT world seems to indicate most people are literate so you don't have to feel like he should not be because he was a farmer.

[Shoar]

Shoar let out a gentle sigh of relief at the news that he would have his needs provided for. He had been planning to seek work if payment was needed for the training, but it was good to know he would be able to focus on his training completely. He listened intently as Ubriel spoke, mentioning all of the different things he could begin to study. He hadn't considered anything beyond swinging a sword until this point - thoughts of learning about diplomacy, herbs and a huge selection of other topics almost made his head spin. His Ma had taught him letters and numbers, because she had always said it's important for a man to know his letters and numbers. He enjoyed reading, though was a bigger fan of more physical activities.

"We tried making as many different kinds of weapons as we could make, but given what we had to work with our work was rough. I'd say I felt most comfortable with the scythe blades we'd fashioned into swords... Two of them, one in each hand. I'm also a fair hand with the staff and can work well with that. I'd also like to learn how to fight with my fists. As for the other topics... I'll be honest, I've never given a thought to them." He flushed slightly as he continued. "I didn't know what else was involved for a Warder beyond learning to fight. The stories don't mention much beyond that..." He reached over to take the pen from her hand, chewing his lip. "I guess... Herbology and Survival Skills would be a good start?"

He pulled the document closer to him and took a steadying breath. He signed his name, just as he had learned from his Ma, at the bottom of the document. He handed the document and the pen back to Ubriel and, try as he might, he couldn't help but let a grin bloom on his face. He had done it. He had survived the journey and become a trainee to the legendary Warders. For a brief second, images of his Ma and Da floated through his mind. The smile faltered and he said "Ummmm... Begging your pardon, Ubriel Bryne Gaidar, but is there a way to send a letter...? I only ask because I don't think I could focus if I didn't let my parents know I got here safe and sound." He stood up, gently pushing the chair back behind him. "It doesn't have to be right now, of course, but if it's possible I would greatly appreciate it." As he waited on his new Master, his thoughts went back to some of the topics they had discussed. "There are so many things I never even considered I might need to learn..."

Shoar Daeran

[Bree]

Ubriel watched Shoar sign the ledger and neatly tucked it away for her records. The order for his uniforms and boots and other necessities to be delivered to his rooms had been written up as they spoke and would be delivered while they were off on their tour. Things weren't exactly automatic yet but she had gotten them fairly well streamlined in her time in office. "There are a few ways to get a message out. You can always see the Fanciers and ask them to send a pigeon for you. There is a messenger or courier house in Hama Valon where there are usually two or three fellows that will escort a letter or a package for you. It can be pricey. Slightly less expensive but still requiring a fee is to hire a merchant caravan to carry a parcel for you. The postage fee with them is dependent on the merchant and the travel time varies greatly. The Fanciers never charge a thing though as long as you are kind to their pigeons."

Ubriel stood and smiled as she gestured toward the door and led the way on the beginning of the tour of the Yard. "Welcome to the Warder Yard. You are our newest Drin'far'ji and from this moment forward you are in training to reach the next level of Ji'alantin." Nodding with finality she opened the door and stepped through it. "Come with me, please.” She led the way back down stairs and out of the back of the building into an expansive yard with hard packed dirt and sparse grass where trainees and teachers were sparring or practicing or simply exercising in small groups, pairs or occasionally alone. “In these yards you will be tested and trained and beaten and built back up. You will need medical attention and you will cause others to need it. But you will learn.” Ubriel led them over to a group practicing unarmed combat styles. “One of the required lessons for all of our trainees is Unarmed Combat. A class is offered to get you started.” She gestured around at the other types of training happening loudly all over the yards. “You will need to choose another fighting style to train in. We recommend that you begin with the weapon that you intend to use as your primary. You mentioned two-handed sword training and that is a useful and relatively versatile style. You may want to consider dual wielding as your fighting style and learning the techniques of using several various styles of bladed weapon like a pudao or an axe or even a spear and then take up dual wielding as a trained combat style." Ubriel paused to allow him to take in the scene of the women and men fighting with long quarterstaves and other distance weapons and the group doing target practice with their ranged weapons. There were several groups of trainees practicing sword and shield melee as well as a few performing advanced techniques with more exotic weapons like the ones she had mentioned.

After a moment or so, Ubriel gestured to the right of them and led the way around the edge of the yard to a smaller building there. “This building is the weaponry hall. There are racks and racks of various sorts of weaponry, field and practice models, available for use. You will need to get the permission of the Master of Weapons or your mentor or teacher to remove any of them. If you want to just come in and look them over or even heft them, the hall is open during the day.” She stopped before the door and opened it, leading them inside.

The inside of the building was like a library. Instead of the stacks of books, there were rows and rows of sorted and arranged weaponry. One rack held nothing but a variety of two handed bastard swords and the rack next to it held the same sword in a practice variety. There were other racks with polearms of various types and another with axes. One held an assortment of short bows with their cousin longbows two racks over. All together they made for a shiny and dazzling spectacle.

[OOC: You can find more weapon descriptions http://www.grey-tower.net/Wiki/index.ph ... scriptions. If you are ever interested in something that you do not see a class or an available instructor for, PM me or any of the admin team and we can help you find the right way to find training.

I am going to go ahead and post the second half of this tour but I want you to respond to it in two separate posts please. That way, for RR purposes, you won't have any troubles.]

[Bree]

[OOC: Please respond to previous post before responding to this one. Please check to be sure you did not miss a post as I posted two at once. Thank you. ]

Ubriel nodded and smiled. “I myself came here with a quarterstaff. I thought I was good with it, but a few weeks here robbed me of that illusion. I have learned more than I ever thought was out there to learn. You will as well.” She clapped the Drin’s shoulder and gestured back outside. They crossed the practice yard to the opposite side and Ubriel said, “This is the armory. If and when you decide that you need any armor of any sort, this will be the place that you go to have it designed and fitted. The real forges for making armor on the Tower grounds are elsewhere but you won’t need to go there if you don’t want to.” Ubriel opened the door and led the way inside. She waved at an old man sitting in one corner in a very comfortable looking chair and polishing a breast plate. He seemed to ignore her entirely.

Lining the walls of the room they entered were various examples of full suits of armor of every type and style. There were leather and padded suits and jerkins, full and half plate, chain and scale mail and various types of helmetry all there for display and inspection. Ubriel grinned at the wonderment in the eyes of the new Drin. “Do you see anything you like?”

[OOC: There is a fair bit of useful description of armor at http://www.grey-tower.net/Wiki/index.ph ... scriptions. Let me know if you need help finding a specific piece. If you want to write about actually visiting the forges, I have written of them being "past the building" or "Out at the forges" to keep it vague but always describe them as being out of the Yard and past the Tower proper a bit farther West not quite to the wood.]

Ubriel smiled, looking around and said, “You won’t really need to decide right away. Even the most dangerous training will only require you to wear a padded suit while participating.” She gestured and led them back outside. "I am going to show you to your new room now and then leave you to settle in. You can request a mentor to show you the ropes and ask them to give you a tour of the entire grounds if you like or you can explore on your own. The bell will sound for meal times but there is generally some kind of refreshment available in the Warder Hall dining area. Unlike the channelers, we work up the need for serious food and sometimes that means we need to eat in the middle of the night."

Ubriel chatted amiably as she led Shoar back up to the Dormitory and up the stairs. As they followed the thin, decorative rug running down the center of the tiled hall floor, Ubriel explained about the rules of co-ed dormitories. Trainees in the Yards were expected to be responsible for their own good decision making and to follow the rules of respect and politeness as well as the code of conduct. When they finally reached Shoar's room, half way down one hall, two doors from a cross hall, the door was open and several stacks of folded linens, uniforms and toweling had been deposited there. "You will not have a roommate. There is no need and I feel it is more conducive to well rested and well trained recruits to have some privacy. The door will lock from the inside but I and any of the other administration of the Yards will always have a key. Your key," she handed him a chain with two identical keys on it, "will lock and unlock the door from outside." Do you have any further questions for me?"

[OOC: Please post again just to say the thread is ended if you have no questions. If you have questions, we can go as long as you need to. ]

[Shoar]

As they exited the office, Shoar nodded and made a mental note to go and see these Fanciers. "Da should be making a trip to Fal Dara in the next few weeks... Hopefully he checks for messages while there." He shook the thoughts from his head. For now, he needed to focus on where they were going and what they would be seeing. As they woke, Ubriel spoke and Shoar listened. He had made it this far, he was not going to skip out on any of what lay ahead. He grinned at her mention of how tough the training will be. "We'll see..." He cast his gaze over the others learning how to fight with their fists and their feet. That did interest him, a great deal. They paused to watch a particularly brutal double palm strike that sent a trainee tumbling roughly to the ground. Shoar whinced in sympathy, then realised Ubriel had already moved on. He trotted to catch up, just in time to hear her speak about his desire to learn Dual Wielding. He nodded "That is what felt most comfortable to me, Ubriel Bryne Gaidar."

He recognised a few of the Quarterstaff forms being used, his Da having taught him how to fight with the staff. Enough to keep the farm safe, at least. He followed Ubriel into the weapon hall and had to stop himself short of gasping. Every weapon imaginable lined the walls and floors of the building, weaponry he'd never even dreamed of. Swords, maces, axes of every size and shape. He stepped forward under Ubriel's eye as she explained the rules of the Hall. He stopped in front of a rack of longswords, simple steel affairs with basic hilt and crossguard. He picked one up, testing the weight of it. It felt light in his hand, lighter then he expected. Heavier then the scythe blades he had used at home, but still light enough he could move it easily.

He put it back and walked down one of the rows, looking at everything he could find. Bows of all shapes and sizes lined one part of the walls, next to things that could only be the crossbows he had heard about. Axes were nearby, from single-handed to enormous battleaxes. But it was the weapons straight in front of him that caught his eye. made up of a wooden handle attached to a solid length of steel with a circular helm, it was a mace. He had read about them - they weren't often used but the heft looked right. He gripped it with his left hand, then turned and walked back to the longswords and selected one of the larger ones. This he gripped in his right hand, feeling the weight of each. A grin bloomed unbidden on his face. "This feels... right." He returned the weapons to their racks, making a mental note of each one. "I think... I think I might like to learn how to fight with a mace, Ubriel Bryne Gaidar." he said as they walked out of the hall.

Shoar Gaidin
Drin'far'ji