The Grey Tower

Danos

“It’s a strong weapon.” Came a voice near where Damos tested the staff. The voice was deep but without the baritone echoes of a barrel chested man. Despite this, it spoke with an authority brought not by pride, but by experience. If the younger man turned he’d find the owner of the voice easily enough. Garren Brighteyes Gaidin, one of the more well known trainers of the Yards, stood nearby. Leaning over a fence, his body was neither large nor small, neither tall nor short, but it was strong and cut, as if from wood itself. His skin was tanned, and his hair (a once perfect brown, neither light nor dark) was now peppered with a sprinkling of brown and white wings behind his ears.

The lines of his face had been forged in times both happy and sad, but they stretched into the former as he smiled and pulled himself up and over the short wooden fence that served more as a boundary for over eager novices than any sort of protection. Planting soft soled and soundless boots into the sand on the other side of the fence, he straightened again. The scar running from his hair line to just above his five o’clock shadow stretched along with his smile. It had never been healed, but the slender slash across his tanned skin was old now, and no longer pained him. He had even gotten used to the tightness around his eye, mercifully missed by that old blade’s tip. “And versatile.” He added, nodding to the staff. “It has been said; ‘A man that rightly understands the staff may bid defiance, and laugh at any other weapon’.” He chuckled and nodded his head. “I’ve always believed those words to be true. I’ve fought swords, daggers, spears, even wild animals with a polearm. If you learned to wield it correctly, it will always provide you with protection.” He offered his hand to the younger man, more friendly than most fully raised. “Garren Gaidin.” He introduced himself. The form Gaidin Captain hadn’t really *had* to introduce himself in a long time, but he never supposed anyone would recognize him unless he had already met him. He was just that sort of a man.

Danos

Garren shook the young man’s hand with a strong grip and a surprisingly warm smile. Listening to the other, he lifted his brows when Damos told him of his Survival Test, and a large smile broke out over his face, the jaws parted in a way that at first looked threatening…until one thought of a friendly hound panting by the fire. His yellow hued eyes seemed to glint with humor as he nodded. “Had something like that happen to myself.” He said as he released the other’s hand. “Though mine was a Trolloc… Still have the dagger I forged, though, and the skull I brought back with me.” He patted an old dagger on his hip, chiseled from bone and hardened with age, even its handle self-made, though he had been given plenty of time since then to perfect it. He did not mention that the ‘skull’ had been a head when he brought it back, nor that he had been a little hot to trot about it all. He (like any wolf or wolfkin) did not react well around Twisted Ones.

“And as for your ‘size and strength’,” he said as he stepped back and took the proffered staff from the other’s hands, “That is not as important as some here would lead you to believe. What is important is your desire, and your natural ability. A small man, given time, passion, and teaching may learn to wrestle. A large man, given the same, can become more deadly with a dagger or bow than ever with a sword, or even his hands. What matters is the mind that wields the body, not the other way around.” He turned the staff in his hands, swinging it with a familiarity that spoke of experience. It seemed to glide in his embrace, and he nodded, handing it back. “It’s a good practice weapon.” He said, “It’s not perfect, but it’s good for the masses. It’s heavy, though. That is where your strength will come in handy. Anything lighter might fly from your hands, or be broken in a strong strike.” He looked up at the other and gave him that open jawed grin. “Personally, I prefer my hands, though I am almost as adapt at the dagger or the quarterstaff… Never did learn the sword…” He chuckled. “Though I’ll be Light Blinded if they didn’t try to force me….”

As Damos took the staff from him, if he did, Garren then proceeded to offer. “If you’re interested, I’d be willing to give you a few lessons in it. It’s a simple weapon to begin, a difficult one to Master… I think it’s worth it, however. When in a fix, it’s almost always possible to find a ‘stick’…”

Danos

Garren gave a low laugh when he saw the way the other eyed his dagger. Taking it out, he offered the hilt to him, holding it carefully. “The bone isn’t from the bone of the Trolloc I killed.” He said with a smile. “It’s just what I killed it with. The skull I have, intact, in my quarters.” He listened as the other gushed out, and gave the man a comfortable smile.

“Far, far North.” He told him. “I was sent into the Blasted Lands for my Test…It wasn’t the first time, nor was it the last, but it *was* the first time I encountered one alone…” He shook his head, then nodded. “And yes, they’re as big as they say. Mostly all muscle and killing lust wrapped inside small, violent little minds.” His lip lifted as he said this, seeming almost to growl, the blacks of his eyes (where a normal man would have whites) glistening darkly.

He calmed as talk turned to learning, and his aggression had never seemed actual anger, nor was it pointed at him. It seemed disgust, revulsion even, at the very idea of Trollocs. He smiled when the man accepted his offer of training, however, and nodded. “I can give you a quick lesson today.” He said, glancing up at the sun to check the time. “It’ll be enough to get you a little trained, though not enough to honestly call you competent. After that, I usually practice in the evenings before the dinner call. If you can arrange to meet me, any time you are able to attend we’ll continue your lessons.” He smirked some and added. “Come often enough and I’ll speak to your trainers to arrange permanent lessons. Deal?”

Danos

Garren gave a pleased smile and a nod. “Very well.” He said, turning as he spoke. Returning to the fence he had hopped before their meeting, he scooped his belongings off the ground. One large sack carried random sparring equipment; he had been training and teaching for so long that he had long ago learned to be prepared for any request, since most of the trainees didn’t have much time to go and fetch what they needed. The other was a food sack and canteen, which he placed to the side. And the final was looped through the straps of the large sack. It was dull grey metal, with holes at the end. A half foot taller than he was, it didn’t glimmer in the light, since that would give his position away at times. But the staff was strong, pure metal wrapped in cured and worn leather at certain points, and hard as…well…as steel. Giving it a quick spin, the air was filled with a whistler as air slipped through the holes in the top and bottom of the staff, giving it its appropriate name: Whistler.

“Alright.” He said. “First thing’s first with a staff… Hand positioning. The way you hold your staff is one of the most important steps in learning it, and in this case it is even more important than footwork. Start by holding your staff out horizontally, so that it juts out to the left and right of your body.” He demonstrated with Whistler, arms extended. “There are three basic holds, the Normal Hold, the Narrow Hold, and the Wide Hold. The Normal hold is, of course, what you’ll normally be using. Divide the staff into three equal sections with your hands.” He did so, placing his hands so that there was equal distances of staff bare on all sections; bare staff, right hand, bare staff, left hand, bare staff.

Watching, he instructed if it was needed, until the other man got the positioning just right. “Now, your dominate hand goes beneath the staff, palm facing up. Your off goes on top of the staff, palm facing down. This allows for free motion. Hold it securely, but don’t squeeze to tightly, or you’ll restrict yourself. Just tight enough that it doesn’t slide, even when you begin to sweat. You need to place your dominate hand palm up because whichever hand is in this position is the control hand. It is the one you’ll most often use to lead the strikes, and you need the dexterity for now. Later, once you’ve got a few basic holds and strikes under your belt, I’ll start drilling you on either hands’ usage.” He watched the man, again instructing before going on.

“The other two are very similar; dominate palm up, off palm down. With the Narrow Hold you simply slide your hands together until you have one fist width between them. The Wide Hold you slide your hands outward until 2/3’s of the staff is between your grips…”


(Ok, now we're in the training section of the posts He's going to go through holds, foot stance, and a couple basic strikes. I need at least 200 words (seems to be easy for you) in response to each of my posts from now on. If Danos has problems, you may have Garren correct him here and there.)

Danos

Garren walked back and forth as the other went through each hand position. The young man did well, mimicking him and shifting the staff about slightly to get a feel for it. It was a good start…but this was only the beginning, some of the easiest of things to learn. As they went on, the difficulty would only grow. He regained his spot in front of Danos and nodded his approval. “Very good.” He said, a satisfied look in his black and gold eyes. “Your grip is tight without being choking, and your motions are fluid without being cocky. You show potential. Now, for the foot stances…”

“Though you’ll likely not find it surprising, foot stances are some of the most overlooked parts of learning any weapon, the staff not excluded. Since most focus on what to do with your arms and hands, younger students do not wish to ‘waste their time’ learning what to do with their feet. However, as I’m sure all your other Instructors have told you, a solid basis in foot positions can make or break any fighter. Foot stance is, in my opinion, more important than anything else….Your power comes from your spine, and your stances support that spine completely.” He held Whistler out in front of him, held at Normal Stance. “There are four types of basic stances, and most fall into these four types: Ready Stances, Power Stances, Motion Stances, and Balance Stances. They are all self-explanatory. We will begin with the Ready Stance called the “Front Stance”. It is a very basic stance, and if you’ve practiced unarmed you’ve likely learned it. Slide one foot slight in front of the other, toes pointing forward at a natural angle. Knees loose and ready to move, make sure your body is prepared without being ridged.” He demonstrated this, facing the other naturally, feet bouncing ever so slightly so that it seemed to be on the edge of true motion. “This stance allows one to be Ready, lending speed and preparation to its user. From there, you shift into any other stance.”

He slid his front foot forward drastically, so that his back leg was almost stretched taunt. It lowered his body weight by almost a foot. Toes still shifted forward, he kept his back straight up and down as he gazed at Danos. “This is the ‘Long Front Stance’.” He told him. “Very similar to the Front stance, but for the amount of distance between the feet, it is a ‘Power Stance’. This is one that you will often end a strike in, the motion of your body sliding forward transferring into the strike of your staff. Such as from an overhead strike or a front jab, where you want to move your bulk forward to place its strength behind the motions.”

He moved back into Front Stance, and then further, bringing his front foot up until only the ball of his foot and his toes lightly touched the ground. “This is the ‘Cat Stance’. You’ll notice it is very similar to ‘cat crosses the courtyard’. You are high up, alert, but also loose. Your body is ready to explode into motion at any given time. Keep your body straight, stay slightly bouncing in place. Cat Stance is a ‘Motion Stance’ because you’ll most often use it on the pathway to another stance. It promotes quick movements and stability. It is one of the most difficult of the beginning stances to master, because you can easy be pushed off balance if you use it at the wrong time.”

He returned his hands to Normal Stance on the staff and squared his feet. “This last one is called the ‘Horse Stance’. It is a ‘Balance Stance’ when used by beginners. While it can be used in combat, mostly to block overhead blows, its wide angle makes it difficult. At first I want you to avoid this stance in spars, but use it in private. Spread your legs apart so that each foot is slightly further than shoulder width. Point your toes straight forward, and lower your weight, bending the knees, until you seem to be sitting on nothing. You’ll notice almost immediately that your body tries to tip you backwards and off balance. If you manage the stance, you’ll almost instantly have to catch yourself from falling. To balance yourself, hold your staff out at half arms’ length, counterbalancing your position. Over time, the muscles in your calves and ankles will grow accustomed to the position, and you won’t have to balance in such a way. When you have reached that, I want you to start putting your hands behind your back instead.” He smiled softly. “But don’t worry, that will be months from now.” Still holding the stance, he went on. “I want you to practice this stance every night. If you cannot have your staff with you, hold your hands out a little further, palms facing away from you. Hold it for a half hour each night before bed.” He straightened again. “As you may have guessed, this is a ‘Balance Stance’ meant to teach you control over your own body.” He nodded for the other, waiting for Danos to demonstrate each stance he had just learned.