Solo Fighting With Relatives

Oryani searches for Scimitar training with some Chatakwe visitors

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Not found on any map, Endrykas is a large migrating tent city wherein the horseclans of Cyphrus gather to trade and exchange information. [Lore]

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Fighting With Relatives

Postby Oryani on October 7th, 2013, 12:49 am

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--Fall 22nd, 513 AV—

Oryani had heard that a pair of Chatakwe were teaching basic fighting skills near one of the pavilions… five gold mizas, from what she knew. She also knew that to move up in the Watch, she would have to learn some melee skills as well as her ranged ones, so this was a chance worth taking advantage of. She could always learn the basics of a certain weapon in one or two classes then figure it out on her own. She knew the general location, the Warstorm pavilion… which was only a few chimes walk from her own. She’d decided to walk rather than ride there, to give herself a chance to stretch her legs and warm up for whatever training she was getting herself into. As always, Khal walked calmly beside her, content to let his companion head to wherever she was ought to go.

Soon enough, she spotted a small group of people taking up a large expanse of short grass. There were weapons in hands and scattered around, a longbow here, and a curved sword she didn’t know the name of there. One of the Chatakwe men- identifiable by his dark hair and skin, even when his eyes were hidden, was sparring with a Drykas, both seemingly equal matched. It was funny to watch, one booted and broad shouldered, the other thin and light-seeming, his feet as bare as Oryani’s were. They didn’t need shoes that often, because of the convenient thick soles their feet had, unlike those of humans. Watching the spar for a few moments, she watched the Drykas attempt to lift his opponent in a throw, before stopping abruptly. He was surprised by the weight, most people were. Taking the chance as an opening, the Chatakwe slung an arm around the other’s neck and easily lifted him into a hip throw, sending the man crashing hard into the ground. Within seconds his arm was in a painful-looking lock, and the Drykas was tapping the ground franticly. Nearby, a reddish colored mare was whinnying, and if Oryani could see anything… she swore the horse was laughing.

Chuckling herself, she went and found the other Chatakwe, approaching him with Khal trailing faithfully behind. The man was sitting crosslegged away from the dueling pair, having been watching their fight with interest. He had a sheathed sword beside him, the leather banged up slightly, but sturdy looking. He raised an eyebrow at the Drykas’ approach, apparently surprised by her appearance. ”It is surprising to find a relative in such an odd location.” he commented dryly, not moving from his current seat. Oryani stood several meters away, a curved grin on her face. He spoke in flawless Tawna, and once again the woman thanked her mother for teaching her the language well. Sure, she might speak Common worse than that language, but… she really only needed Pavi. She could talk to this man in their native language.

In reply to his comment, Oryani shrugged, before answering in the same language. ”I am a Drykas. I was born in Ekytol, but I was young there. Now I live in the moving city.” Her speech wasn’t as fluid as she would have liked, more static and with more pauses to find the right word. Still, it was mostly understandable… unlike her Common. ”I was looking for training… with a weapon. Not a bow. A sword?” She wanted to get more to the point, rather than talk about their history. The man nodded, pushing himself to his feet gracefully, picking up his sheathed sword as he did so. ”I can train you in the Scimitar, if you like. Five gold mizas for a bell. I’m assuming you don’t have one of your own?” at a shake of her head, he nodded, before continuing with an introduction. ”I am Shoamati… and you are?” He cocked his head, waiting for an answer, and was given ”Oryani Darkeye.” She tossed him the five gold rimmed coins from a pocket, and awaited further training.
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Oryani
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Fighting With Relatives

Postby Oryani on October 7th, 2013, 12:31 pm

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After the introductions were done, the Chatakwe passed his scabbarded sword to Oryani. ”Draw it.” he ordered bluntly as she took it. The Drykas nodded, taking the leather container in one hand, and the hilt in another. She pulled, letting the steel slowly slide out of its well-oiled sheath. Since the blade was oddly curved, she had to adjust her movements to work with that, but soon enough ended up with a bright blade in her left hand, and a leather case in the other. ”You’re left handed.” her tutor commented with a raised eyebrow, gently taking both items from his student. Oryani nodded, remembering how she drew her bow with her left hand, whilst most others drew it with their right.

”I can teach that. Now… you want to hold your sword with the curve heading inwards. The purpose of a scimitar is to give you ease of cutting off heads and limbs, as the curved part makes the blow stronger. It’s not well suited to stabbing, instead slashing and cutting. Do you understand?” The woman nodded, comparing this to using one of her arrows in combat. If things got too close, she could always stab them with the sharp point. But this wasn’t for stabbing… It would be an interesting test to use it.

”Now… when slashing, you want to tilt it sideways, with the outer curve facing your target. The inner part doesn’t actually have a sharp blade. After this, you swing it sideways using all your body strength. Actually turn your upper body as you do this.” Oryani understood this concept, having learnt it when drawing a bow. Arms were strong, but not as strong as your core. That’s why you want to use your core to hit, rather than just your arms. Explanation done, the Chatakwe passed the blade over to his student. ”Try it.” he commanded.

The Drykas took the weapon by its hilt, making sure all the angles were correct. She started in the basic position, weapon pointing up, before slowly lowering it and turning it at the same time. Then she swung her arms, turning her shoulders and waist as well to add extra power. By the end of the swing, her sturdy shoulder-wide stance had changed into most of her weight on one foot, and the other on the toe. ”Good… but keep speeding it up. And try and keep both feet firmly on the ground, else an opponent can easily cut you open. Try that forehand strike 50 times, then I’ll go over the backhand.” He backed up a few steps, clasped his hands behind his back, and waited for her to get to work. ”Oh, and since I’m not actually ‘teaching’ you how to fight right now, it doesn’t count for the bell.” He grinned widely, causing Oryani to wonder if he was saying that just because they were both Chatakwe, and he was giving her some lenience. She shrugged mentally, not really caring. If she didn’t feel like she was getting enough practice, she could always pay for another bell’s training, or just purchase her own scimitar and work on her strikes at home. She would do that if she actually took to the blade, otherwise… she’d just find another weapon to work on.


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Fighting With Relatives

Postby Oryani on October 10th, 2013, 9:12 pm

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Oryania hefted the weapon in her hand, before taking a sturdier stance. She forced her heels into the ground, determined not to repeat last time's mistake. She angled the scimitar upwards, before tilting it down slowly and swinging it right with all her strength. It moved relatively easily, but the motion with her arm felt... odd. She was used to pulling backwards, not sideways. She repeated the motion, this time trying to slow down her movements to add even more power into the blow. She knew she couldn't get this right the first time, and have both power and speed. That took practice. Lots of practice. She'd have to practice the swing enough so that the muscles in her arm remembered the movement, not just her brain. It was like her situation with a bow; she couldn't shoot from a moving horse, and her aim wasn't the best, but she could draw it easily. She'd done that enough times for it to be natural.

Instead of trying to obtain things she couldn't, the Chatakwe focused on finishing the last 48 swings. Up, tilt, swing. Up tilt, swing. The motion over and over was exactly the practice she needed, and she tried to remember all the information she had been given. By the end, her arm was slightly wobbly from the unusual exercise, and she'd pulled a muscle in her side by turning to far to fast. It now caused her a constant spike of pain, but the Drykas stubbornly ignored it. She was used to ignoring ailments of all kinds, with her poor health.

After all fifty had finished, the Chatakwe man nodded. What was his name again? Shoomie? Shoati? Something like that. It started with an 'S'. Well... she could just avoid saying his name. "Good job." he stated in Tawna, though his expression was blank. "You're getting the hang of it. Now for the backhand." He gently lifted the weapon out of her own hand, and Oryani realized her fingers were a little stiff. Her right hand was used to holding something of that shape... not her left. This was so different from archery! How would she ever learn two completely opposite weapons? Chuckling to herself, the archer shook her head. If all of the other Watch members could manage it, so could she. And she had to learn another weapon, or risk staying an apprentice the rest of her life. And that wouldn't be acceptable... and actually would be pretty stupid too. 'The oldest apprentice' they'd call her, unless she was eaten by a glassbeak or something because of her incompetence.

She forced the silly thoughts out of her mind, focusing on the task at hand. Her instructor had been watching with a raised eyebrow, not wanting to start an explanation with a daydreaming student. When the Drykas refocused, she realized her mistake and blushed, but Sho-something didn't say anything. Instead he took the blade in his left hand -good thing he could use it that way, or she'd have to flip this all around mentally- and started in an odd, complex position with one leg back. Oryani cocked her head at the stature, finding it oddly confusing, but knowing it was a little more... practical... than the basic one she'd been taught.


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Fighting With Relatives

Postby Oryani on October 11th, 2013, 11:54 am

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The Chatakwe man started in that odd stance, his right leg back, and the dull edge of the blade angled flat almost at his shoulder. "Memorize this stance" he said bluntly, and Oryani did, noting down the positions of his arms and legs, so she could copy it later on. "Now... tilt your body back, and swing sideways again, using your entire body, and straightening your arm as you do so. Also, don't move your feet... you're not going to do any moving strikes until you're much better at this." He moved through the motion slowly, as the Drykas watched with a critical eye, wanting to get the movement right the first time. When he finished, he passed the blade to her and stated "You try"

Oryani nodded, and stood with one foot back, and angled her arm in the starting position. Then she swiped forward, attempting to turn her body as she did so... but she instinctively stopped the movement as soon as she'd started, as the movement of her weight had caused her to nearly fall backwards. Her tutor had also noticed, and chuckled. "You need to move your legs farther apart, sideways." he hooked her ankle with his foot and dragged it towards him, giving the Drykas a much steadier stance. She raised an eyebrow in surprise, having never considered this before. However, she didn't comment, and when Sho-something was out of the way, she once again swung the weapon slowly around.

This time she was able to twist her body as before, but still stay steady on her feet. When she successfully completed the swing, the Chatakwe man nodded and said "Again, fifty times." That instruction given, he took several steps back and let his student take up her challenge.

Once again Oryani practiced the fifty swings, to the shoulder, swing, and turn. She actually grew to love the stance she'd been shown, as it was incredibly sturdy, from all directions. If she bent and siffened her legs, the back supported the front and the rest of her body, meaning that if anyone pushed her from the front... they'd have to push up to move her. Down would just make her even more steady. She considered this with a smile as she finished the fifty rounds, her arm even more wobbly than ever. She just wanted to drop the blade and sit, but knew that wasn't an option. She was going to finish this bell... she'd paid for it, after all. Still, the muscle in her side still ached, and she'd pulled another in her upper arm, meaning that the last ten or so strikes she'd done had been painful, very very painful.


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Fighting With Relatives

Postby Oryani on October 11th, 2013, 12:25 pm

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Her tutor had watched all of the practice strokes with a barely visible smile, but nodded when Oryani turned to him afterwards. "Very good" he complimented, dipping his head for a moment. "I can see you're getting the hang of this. Now... that's all I can teach you for today. You bell is up" The Drykas glanced up in surprise, and saw that the sun had moved quite a bit further from where they'd started. It was sad to stop learning, but she'd gotten the hang of the basics, so... that worked out. She nodded and returned the scimitar with a thanks. A grin on her face, she walked away from the caravan, a plan in mind. Khal followed curiously, wondering what his companion had in mind next. He'd spent the last bell having a delicious meal of grass, like he always did when Oryani was busy.

They soon enough reached the Whetstone, a Ruby clan run business she knew sold weapons. She had no idea what a scimitar would actually cost, but was prepared to pay up to 50 gold mizas for it... though she hoped it didn't actually reach that far. She walked up to the first person she saw there- a burly looking young woman, and greeted her in Pavi. It was nice to get back to her usual language. "Good afternoon... I'd like to purchase a weapon. A scimitar, actually. Do you have any at the moment?" She cocked a head, and was answered with "Actually, yes! Let me get it..." The Drykas returned moments later with a blade quite similar to the one she'd just been using, though the handle was a much sturdier leather-wrapped contraption, and the blade was a little shinier and neater. "It's thirty gold mizas, since it's pretty rare. Can you afford it?" Oryani nodded at this- it was inside her budget. She quickly handed the coins over, before taking her new weapon with a grin. Now she'd actually be able to practice at home. But... not today. Her left arm still felt like it was going to fall off.

As she walked through the odd collection of tents, she passed by the caravan from Ekytol, before noticing something on sale there. A kit... purposefully made for grooming animals. It included brushes and scissors, and actually quite intrigued the Chatakwe. This was actually something she needed, for grooming Khal. She moved up to the stall keeper, and after a short discussion, purchased the kit for another 10 gold mizas... she still hadn't reached her budget, so she didn't feel that bad. Anyways, this would be very useful in the future...

ST noteI hope the prices are alright!

Also, 405gm have been deducted for the scimitar, the grooming kit, and the lessons. Thanks!


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Fighting With Relatives

Postby Khida on October 24th, 2013, 9:42 pm


Oryani


Skill Points
Weapon: Scimitar +3
  • Shoamati: scimitar-wielding Chatakwe
  • Put your whole body into a slash
  • Scimitar: better for slashing than stabbing
  • Skill comes with lots of practice
  • Stance: body square, heels anchored
  • Stance: feet wide for stability

Notes

A nice little training thread! Not a lot in the way of points because it was very basic principles, but a good grounding in lore on which to build that XP later. Please edit your request to show this thread has been graded.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding this grade.
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