Turning Point

Balian gets his first set of orders

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This shining population center is considered the jewel of The Sylira Region. Home of the vast majority of Mizahar's population, Syliras is nestled in a quiet, sprawling valley on the shores of the Suvan Sea. [Lore]

Turning Point

Postby Balian Martell on June 27th, 2014, 2:38 am

Day 17 of Summer, 514


It had been more than two whole weeks since he was accepted into the order as a squire, and Balian felt no different than before. Sure, there was a grand ceremony at the garrison; words were spoken, oaths taken, and a sense of purpose had filled the day. But afterwards? Everything settled back to its usual routine, given no orders and was simply told was that his Patron knight would soon be along to begin his training in earnest. That was two weeks ago.

Instilled with a sense of purpose and a refusal to sit idly by, Balian took it upon himself to go to the garrison each morning and find something, anything that he could do to help out. Truth be told, he was restless and not just from waiting for his Patron Knight to finally arrive. He had been restless for several years now, looking out above the walls, to the outside and yearning to explore the world beyond. He had hoped that by joining the Order, he would at least be able to expand his horizons. Up until this point, it hadn't.

This morning was no different from the last several ones. He awoke early, however that in of itself was not unusual. In a community dedicated to farming, an early morning was one of the many constants. He groggily rose out of the warm embrace of his covers, walked over to a small pitcher of water that he kept on stand and poured himself a cup of water. Even though he was now a Squire, he still lived at home a small cottage near the garrison itself. Having received no orders to move into the squire dormitories at the garrison, his father, a knight himself, suggested that it must mean that whoever his Patron was to be was from the Castle itself, and that he would end up living there. That had gotten his hopes up.

He finished dressing himself, picking that day to wear his burgundy red tunic and brown pants. He hung the sword that his father had given to him as an heirloom; a bastard sword that had once belonged to his grandfather. The weight at his side was still unfamiliar and it managed to throw him off balance whenever he tried to run. The weapon looked ridiculous on him and he knew it. It was not that it was too big; proportionally it fit him about right. It was that no matter how confident he attempted to look, how sure of himself he appeared, anyone with any knowledge and experience could tell he was just a boy playing at knight. He could barely swing it, let alone kill a man with the weapon. It didn't help that the weapon itself was quite elegant; sporting a faint leaf type blade of middling length with an elegantly curved cross guard, a handle wrapped in brown leather, and round pommel. It was altogether out of place at his waist. But he was a Squire of the Order, set on becoming a Knight himself, so he strapped the weapon to his side nonetheless.

He was expecting another day spent at the garrison. Another day of helping out with pages, or at the stable, or where ever else the knights pointed to. Another day of waiting for his patron to arrive, another day of wondering if the Order had in fact forgotten that he existed.

It was then no small surprise that, as he stepped out the door of his home just as the early rays of Syna waxed the day anew, that he almost collided with a man in full armour reaching to knock at his door.
Last edited by Balian Martell on June 28th, 2014, 4:14 am, edited 9 times in total.
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Turning Point

Postby Balian Martell on June 27th, 2014, 4:17 am

Such was Balians momentum that in the half a tick it took to register a man mere inches infront of him, he could not hope to stop himself in his tracks. The best he could hope for was to pivet off his back foot to the side, and attempt to avoid collision all together. Surprisingly it almost worked. Almost. Unaccustomed to the weight of the sword as he was, his initial pivot was too strong, sending him off balance. As a result he ended up overcorrecting in the opposite direction, making him collide with the man’s left flank.

“ooghf”

He could not see what he was wearing, but simply from the feel of the impact, Balian assumed he was wearing at least chain mail, with some sort of padding underneath. Thankfully he wore a tabard over his armour, providing at least a thin layer between Balians face and the strong pieces of metal that protected the man’s body.

The impact affected the younger man more, as to be expected, pushing him back almost to the point of falling over. The other proved to be more resilient, needing only to take a step back to compensate for the force of the collision. Once the Balian regained his composure, he straightened out his tunic and looked up at the man and for the first time got a good look at him. He was indeed wearing chain mail that covered his arms and presumably his torso. He wore a tabard over the metal links, pressed and clean, however Balian was able to pick out the frayed strand here and there. A sword, probably a long sword Balian guessed, hung at his waist, which he carried with the ease and assuredness of some one who knew exactly how to use such a weapon effectively. A pang of envy ran through him. the Mans face was lined with a thin beard, and he sported a full head of hair, however what really drew Balian’s gaze was the pin that he wore near the neckline of the cloth. A single sword, indicating a Knight of the order.
He already new the likely hood of the man being a knight, seeing the pin only confirmed his suspicion. Bowing as best he could, lowing his head and the upper half of his body 45 degrees and apologized to him. “Please forgive my clumsiness Ser, t’was not my attention to run into you.” A hint of desperation and fear tainting the younger man’s voice. The man took a second to look over Balian, his shoulders jumping slightly as he chuckled at the squires plea

“No need to worry, Squire Martell. The fault was mine, for interrupting a man in such hurry. You are Squire Balian Martell, are you not?” he said, his chuckles doing little to break his speech. The man’s voice was smooth and eloquent, and his words calmed Balian.

“Yes Ser, I am” he returned, coming out of his bow, Balian noticed that the knight was a few inches taller than him.

“Excellent! In that case I shall forget this little mishap, and present to you your new orders” As he spoke the words he produced a small roll of parchment from….somewhere that Balian did not know. He smiled as he handed him the roll, his voice cheerefull, yet formal. “You are to present yourself tomorrow at Garrison here at the outpost. Oh, and congratulations on becoming a squire, may Sylir watch over your training.” With a crisp nod and a smile, The knight marched off before Balian could even respond,let alone ask for his name.

Balian spared a few more moments watching the knight walk off before looking down to the piece of parchment. His excitement and adrenaline rose as he looked at it, It is as if the gods had answered his despair. Slowly unrolling it, he read the words to himself, standing there as the morning sun rose over the walls at his front doorstep.

Image


He read the note a second time. Then, he read once more, barely able to contain his enthusiasm. The fact that the note said the his Patron was coming to pick him up meant that she lived in Syliras. Finally, he would escape these high walls! He mulled over what the orders said. How did one address a female knight? Was it Ser? Or Sera? He resolved to ask his father that night when he returned from his patrols. In the mean time, he headed to the garrison. He was ordered to prepare himself for his patrons arrival, and that was precisely what he meant to do.
Last edited by Balian Martell on June 28th, 2014, 4:19 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Balian Martell
The young hunter
 
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Preparing for a new life

Postby Balian Martell on June 27th, 2014, 6:04 pm

The walk to the garrison was short, both on account of it not being too fat away from his cottage, but also due to his quick pace; the only outlet of his current excitement short of a full on sprint. No need get tripped and all bruised up the day before his Patron arrives. Balian wanted to be ready for the arrival, looking his best as to prove himself worthy enough to train. On order to that, he needed the proper equipment. So, towards the Garrison he went.

He arrived at the Western Wall, where he knew the armoury to be. This morning there were four guards at the weir, the gate that guarded the entrance to this side of the garrison; two knights and their squires, if he had to guess. He noted that the guards were devoid of the usual plate armour that has be associated with the Order. Instead they wore lighter chain mail. He was unsure why, but he guessed it had something to do with the rising heat.

He walked through the gates with the guards paying him little heed, he had become a common sight at the garrison these past two weeks after all. He past the stables and made his way to the stairs, knowing that the armoury was located on the second floor of the wall. Carefully he made his way up, containing his eagerness by taking the stairs only one step at time. He wanted to run up the stairs, taking them two steps at a time and if it were not for the unfamiliar sword at his hip, he would have. As it were, doing so would more likely than not result in him tumbling down the stairs and probably breaking his neck.

He finally reached the second floor after what seemed like an eternity, but was really more just a chime or two. The armoury was impressive. Suites of armour lined the walls, resting on the maniquins that bore them. Racks of weapons filled the space between the walls, as well as shelves that held a myriad assortment of tools, accessories and other related equipment. Balian stood for a second taking it in, before continuing through the racks. He was searching for Ser Toth, the Quarter Master in charge of the armoury.

He found him hunched over a table inspecting a weapon. As his back was partially turned to Balian, the young lad was not sure what exactly he held. “Ah…excuse me, Ser Toth” Balian spoke out, hoping to catch the older Knights attention. Having failed, he attempted a second time, this time a bit more forcefully. “Ser Toth?” at this the knight finally picked his head up from whatever he was inspecting and turned to face the arrival. Ser Toft was a grizzled man, his thick beard covering his chin and most of his beard, with streaks of grey accenting it. His disgruntled gaze latched onto Balian, his eyes betraying a certain amount of annoyance at having been interrupted, that is until he noticed the sword hanging from the squire’s hip. Balian swallowed, and attempted to calm his nerves. “I….I am Squire Martell, here to..get some equipment..?” He hoped his voice remained calm, having noticed the slight upturn in tone at the very end, turning his statement into a question. He held out the note that he had received that morning, as too collaborate his request. Without saying a word Ser Toth took the parchment unceremoniously from his hand and gave it a quick read. He glanced back up at Balian every few ticks, or to be more specifically at his sword. Putting down what Balian know realized to be an odd looking dagger, and handing back the roll back to Balian, Ser Toth finally spoke.

“Do you mind if I see that Sword lad?”
Last edited by Balian Martell on June 28th, 2014, 4:19 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Turning Point

Postby Balian Martell on June 27th, 2014, 6:05 pm

Balian stood dumbstruck for a tick or two. He was so unprepared for the question that he had no idea how to react. “The sword, can is see it?’ he asked again, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. Regaining his wits, Balian nodded and slowly drew the blade from the scabbard. The weapon was till heavy in hands and once it was fully drawn, he offered it to the old knight. He took it from the boy’s hands, one armoured hand grasping the upper part of the hilt, while the blade rested on the other. He stood there, seemingly weighing the weapon, as well as inspecting the craftsmanship. At last he sung the sword up, both hands now grasping the hilt, blade pointed up. The motion was so sudden that Balian jumped back in surprise. “A fine blade, this. Not just a bastard sword, but a proper hand and a half.” Balian stared at the knight, unsure of what to say, so he simply nodded in agreement, not really knowing the difference. Ser Toth lowered his gaze to the squire and spoke once more “Do you know how to wield this, boy?” “I..” No, I suspect not. Let’s start with this then. I’ll get you another blade, one that you won’t have to worry about destroying as you learn how to use it. It would be a shame, it would, if you were to damage this fine weapon simply because you don’t know how to use it.” He handed back his grandfather’s sword to Balian, who preceded to carefully sheath it once more as Ser Toft headed towards some rack browsing through an assortment of weapons. “Do you want a sword, or something else? Perhaps a hammer? Or maybe a Morningstar, eh? Nasty little suckers those are.” Before Balian could respond, he continued [b]“No, a traditional blade will do for, you can pick up another weapon later. Best you start with the basics. I’ll choose something along the lines of what you’re currently carrying. Nothing as fancy or as well made as that, mind you, but something that will get the job done all the same”[/b] He began to sift through a rack of sword, mumbling something to himself about sum such or another, not that Balian fully understood what he was saying. He was still woefully unfamiliar with the world that the Knights inhabited, and so he trusted that the older man would send him off with the appropriate equipment. He clearly had a passion for what he did.

“Aha! This should do nicely!” The old man exclaimed. He walked over to Balian and handed the sword to him, hilt first. “This is another bastard sword. The blade is of middling length, which will allow you to swing it just fine both outdoors and inside any hallway or building, and the handle is just long enough that you could grip it with both hands and add some extra power into your swings. Go on, test it, see how it feels.” The knight took a step back giving him room. Balian held the sword in font of him, both hands grasping the hilt. It was heavy, but not as much as the sword that his father gave to him. Carefully, he swung the sword at an imaginary foe, swinging downwards diagonally, severing the make believe enemy’s right shoulder. It felt good in his hands, but he was still clumsy with and he ended up scraping the floorboards before he managed to stop its momentum. The knight was right, it seemed perfectly suited for both indoor and outdoor fighting. His thoughts must have shown through his face because even before Balian could speak, Ser Toth was already half way through a sentence. “….and that’ll do you just fine.”

“Now, about armour.” Toth gazed intently at the squire before him, and, as Balian had now come to expect, spoke before he could offer his own opinions. “Standard issue is for plate armour, however by the looks of you, you’d be crushed under all that weight.” Before Balian could utter a protest Toft was already moving, and of course, speaking. Gods the man can talk, he thought, as he just accepted his fate. Perhaps he could learn something if he paid close enough attention. “…lighter armour would do just nicely. Besides, with heat on the rise, this would be more bearable. Your Patron can move you up plate if they want, but for now I’ll just get you the standard light armour” Balian just nodded, and resigned himself to the older knights expertise.
Last edited by Balian Martell on June 28th, 2014, 4:23 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Balian Martell
The young hunter
 
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Turning Point

Postby Balian Martell on June 28th, 2014, 3:32 am

By the time that Balian walked out of the stairwell, walked past by the stables, and through the gates Syna’s path had passed its zenith for that day. The guards who were this mourning were still there on his way out, and seeing the squire go past, gave him a reassuring smile and a knowing look. He had not been Ser Toth’s first victim. The youthful and energetic spring that he had in his step that morning was now replaced with weariness. Not that he had lost any of his excitement, however spending the majority of the day with a man who seemingly took pleasure in heaping an insurmountable amount of both equipment and information on the inexperienced young man, and who didn’t let you squeeze two words in the entire time can be tiring. Balian was sure that if quizzed at that moment, he could tell you the distinguish between the different types of kite shields, and when to use each one. However he doubted that much, if any of that information would stick.

His steps seemed to have lost some strength for a second reason as well. Balian was now considerably heavier than when he first approached the garrison. The amount of equipment that the quarter master had layed upon him was too much for him to carry, so Balian did the only logical thing to do; he put it all on.

The process of actually equipping all the pieces of the Knights version of light armour took much longer than he had anticipated, and he was sure that he had at least one strap in the wrong place. But after the struggle, at least now Balian looked like a member of the order. One step at a time.

The armour itself was simple enough, considering, and offered him a surprising amount of movement. A chain mail shirt covering his tunic, with a simple tabard ontop of that, leather vambraces covering his forearms as well as a leather gardbrace over his left should shoulder. A pair of plate grieves protected his legs from the knee down. Slung on his back was the shield that knight had given him a medium sized wooden round shield covered in leather. On Balians request, on the rare occasion that he was actually to get a word in on the conversation Ser Toth had also loaned him a yew short bow, already strung, stained to a dark brown with a leather grip right below where the arrows were knocked. Balian wore the bow on his back beneath the shield protected as it was in is bow sheath attached to the small quiver with 20 arrows. Oh his hip hung the bastard sword that had initiated the entire ordeal, while he carried his grandfather’s sword in its sheath in his hand. From afar Balian struck quite the impressive figure.

He sure didn’t feel it. All the equipment encasing him felt alien. Like a second skin that did not quite fit. And it was heavier than what he was used to. He was reminded of that fact with each step he took home. He was glad that the Quarter Master had forgone giving him full Plate armour. He had no idea how he would have been able to walk around in that.

Finally arriving home, he stripped off the newly acquired armour and in his breeches began to pack for tomorrow. He wanted to have everything that he would need ready and made sure that it was organized tonight. He wanted to arrive early at the garrison, to await his Patrons arrival. He wanted to appear organized, so to impress her. And above all else…he did not want to look like a fool by forgetting anything.
To hunt, you need to know your prey just as well as you know yourself
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Balians Wilderness Journal
User avatar
Balian Martell
The young hunter
 
Posts: 193
Words: 113544
Joined roleplay: November 12th, 2013, 2:35 am
Location: Riverfall
Race: Human
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Turning Point

Postby Nightmare on July 5th, 2014, 7:11 pm

Image
Balian Martell

Skills:
1. Observation +3
2. Acrobatics +1
3. Rhetoric +2
4. Land Navigation +1
5. Socialization +1
6. Endurance +1

Lores:
1. Location: The Garrison
2. Bastion Toth: Quartermaster
3. How to wear light armour

Loot
1. Standard steel bastard sword on loan from the Sylirian knights
2. A steel chain mail shirt on loan from the Sylirian knights
3. A simple cotton tabard on loan from the Sylirian knights
4. A pair of leather vambraces on loan from the Sylirian knights
5. A leather guardbrace on loan from the Sylirian knights
6. A pair of steel plate grieves on loan from the Sylirian knights
7. A medium sized wooden round shield covered in leather on loan from the Sylirian knights
8. A yew short bow on loan from the Sylirian knights
9. A quiver on loan from the Sylirian knights
10. 20 arrows


Notes :
This was a fun little thread to read. A good start. Excellent job! Just a reminder, be careful of your word choice, I think your spellcheck replaced what you wanted to say with other words. I got the gist of it though. :)

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