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Theo teaches Sara the basic of using a long sword

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Syka is a new settlement of primarily humans on the east coast of Falyndar opposite of Riverfall on The Suvan Sea. [Syka Codex]

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Swordplay 101

Postby Sara on August 8th, 2017, 3:03 am

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Last edited by Sara on September 13th, 2019, 11:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Swordplay 101

Postby Theo Popcampio on August 10th, 2017, 6:05 pm

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I can't help it, fire's just that fun.

It was another beautiful day on the shorelines of paradise. Syna’s light was beating sweat off the faces of even those who were well shaded. Her reflection off the sands of Syka was blinding to those who were just greeting the day as Theo was. Theo stepped carefully down the steps of his bungalow, shielding his eyes from the brunt of Syka until he could adjust.

It was the morning, but Syka was already alive. The homey smell of smoked bacon perked Theo’s attention. A neighbour was cooking in a pan held above an open fire a few houses down. Following their lead, Theo circled his way around the coast to The Tidepool Bar he had been hearing about.

Theo listened to his senses as he walked, calming his mind and meditating on his surroundings, trying to tune out the comments of his own mind as best he could. By the bungalows, men were looking over their canoes, sanding off any algae or chips and plugging any would be holes with dried mud. There were children playing in the water, building sand castles, and nagging their mothers around the bay. And greeting the new day was a bandaged and refreshed akalak outside The Panacea, stretching his body and smiling as he embraced the light.

Patrons were rubbing their full stomachs as they exited the tidepool. A man wobbling across the wet wood stumbled into Theo as they passed, spinning off of him and towards the water. The drunk’s head splashed against the water right before Theo grabbed his shirt. ”Help me out.” Theo urged the man’s acquaintances, who rolled their eyes at the proposition. The fire spinner grabbed the man’s left arm with his own, and he squeezed the man’s wrist through his whole arm. ”Plant your feet against the wood,” Theo urged the man. His feet slipped as he tried to place them on the same time, but eventually he got hooked against the dock.

As soon as they were planted, Theo heaved the man up above and onto the dock, losing his balance in the process. Shifting backwards, he let go of the man’s arm and shirt as his feet shifted one at a time on his heels. A few steps and he too was standing at the edge of the deck, wobbling on the arch of his foot. Theo was swinging his arms forward to maintain his balance when one of them was caught and jerked forward. The drunk man had saved him. He looked at Theo with his cool blue eyes and braided goatee and gave a nod.

Inside The Tidepool, Theo found the barman shining his bar. ”Hello!” he called, opening his arms with a huge smile on his face.

”Greetings!” Theo replied with sarcastic enthusiasm. ”Just had to save one of your patrons from taking a swim out there.”

”That’s Marcus. Don’t be to hard on him, his girl was supposed to come ‘cross from Riverfall and she hasn’t turned up.” He said, returning to his bar shining.

”Got no room to judge, I’ve had more than my share to drink more than my share of times.” Theo laughed. ”You should tell him to talk to me about her, I came over on that boat, maybe I’ve seen her around. ‘Name’s Theo.” He extended his hair to the barman.

”And I’m Stu,” the barman said with a smile. He was a young man with wrangled black hair sporting a goatee. His grip was tight but his hands were soft. He came off as a kind man, he hadn’t judged Marcus either. ”What can I do for ya, Theo, a little ale to get that fire cooking?” He said, placing a mug on the counter.

”Sure, but Marcus was all the wakeup I needed, if you catch my drift. What do you got for grub?”

Stu filled the cup from his tap and placed in front of Theo. ”Well,” he began, scratching his head, ”we got some swordfish in yesterday.”

Theo sipped his drink, looking at Stu. He was suddenly nervous, Theo could tell. ”What about pork? I smelt pork when I was out on the walk up.”

Stu laughed. ”Ya got me, I’ve been smoking a pig since it was dark. Honestly, I had planned to keep the last few helpings for myself, but ya helped out Marcus so I’ll help you out too.”

It was good pork. Good at least for what happens when you smoke a whole hog, Stu told him. The barman told Theo that if he had enough time to get the animal butchered, the flavors could permeate the individual cuts better. Theo couldn’t complain about something he hadn’t known, but it made clear just how new Syka still was. Theo thanked Stu and left him money to cover his cost before leaving.

Back in the light, Theo could make out a man puffing on a pipe across towards the shoreline. Theo sniffed twice, and then with a long inhale breathed in the smell. Tobacco. How long it had been since Theo had a good smoke, and Theo knew just who had it.

Theo entered the Mercantile and looked for Captain Chaliva. Instead of noticing The Captain free, he noticed him dealing with another customer. A short brunette with a dolphin tattoo on her shoulder. Chaliva handed her a sword and she tucked it in her trouser leg. She was trying to hide the sword, but why? The Captain seemed to pay no mind to it, or perhaps he was preoccupied by other things and did not notice. Worse yet, she had gripped the sword awkwardly. She was curious.

Chaliva then turned his attention to Theo, and told him in a short manner he wanted a pipe and some tobacco. Rambling something at Theo, he caught no attention from the former squire, his eyes fixated on the girl. He quickly came back with Cyphrian tobacco and a pipe, telling Theo it was a traveler’s pipe and the cost. Without a thought, Theo forked over his forty GM, unintentionally buying the upsell.

The girl went down into the town as Theo received his goods, and Theo followed behind shortly after, keeping a safe distance. The young man hung on the stairway behind her as she lifted her sword from her leg and hung it on her belt. Why was she being so sneaky? Theo went down towards the alley as she turned behind a building towards the beach, and then shuffled his legs quickly to be at the corner of the building. Peaking his head out, he could see her.

The way Theo looked at it, he had some responsibility here. If she was up to no good, someone had to call her for it; if she had no idea what she was doing, Theo had to instruct her in some part. With this in mind, Theo turned his body from behind the building and issued his challenge: ”You, girl! What’re you doing with that blade?” Theo had his hand on the handle of the sword thrown across his back, ready to send it whistling from the scabbard at the first sign of danger.


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Swordplay 101

Postby Sara on August 11th, 2017, 11:49 pm

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Swordplay 101

Postby Theo Popcampio on August 13th, 2017, 11:08 pm

Image
I can't help it, fire's just that fun.

The girl whipped around, her long hair lagging behind as she turned so quick. She stood upright and attentive, but with an air of nerves about her. Her face told Theo she wasn’t even twenty years yet. The blue eyes and bronzed skin gave a sure indication that she came from the people of the pod. There was a certain confidence about her, but struck Theo as nervous, an unusual combination.

She recognized Theo, that much was obvious from her discernment. Without a word she stepped towards him and Theo gripped his blade tight, unhinging it from its scabbard. What was this little girl planning? Her eyes looked Theo up and down, trying to get a read on him, and Theo exchanged this look with his own inquisitive eye. She then opened her mouth, and much to Theo’s surprise she threatened him! He cackled at the thought. Had she known what she said? This girl had gall alright.

Before the Svefra could even complete her act her nerves betrayed her, and she slowly began to back away. Theo wasn’t just going to let her get away, if anything he had to chase her down. This thought came to a halt when she dropped her sheath to the floor. Theo snickered, playtime was over.

”Listen, I’m not going to hurt you. It’s obvious you’re no nefarious character; if you are, you’re the best actor I’ve met..” Theo began, the smile still lingering on his face. ”You look as green as the jungle from where I’m standing. Your grips too low on your blade and your face betrays you at every moment. You are no warrior woman. I doubt you’ve even swung a sword before. I’m not trying to hurt you, I’m trying to keep you from hurting yourself. Let me help you, you’re useless with that thing without some instruction anyway.”

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Swordplay 101

Postby Sara on August 14th, 2017, 2:43 am

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Swordplay 101

Postby Theo Popcampio on August 16th, 2017, 7:24 pm

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I can't help it, fire's just that fun.

Theo let his hands down as her body language became less tense. The girl still seemed out of sorts, but Theo did not need an explanation for her apprehension. Slowly she had released her blade and began approaching Theo. The spellsword had half a mind to prepare some res to knock her back in case this was part of some plot to get through his guard, but the girl had displayed some good faith and as such Theo put his defense into the back of his mind.

She stood barely three feet from Theo when she introduced herself as Sara, a Svefra. ”A svefra! I should have known, you look like you just fell off a boat. I didn’t know they let you break off from the pod so young, but what do I know? I can hardly keep above water in a lake.” Theo grinned.

”I’m Theo, a mercenary of sorts, but I’d hardly call myself avaricious.” Theo was intentionally withheld his magical talents, there was a time and place for everything, and for magic those were few far between. Magic, especially in a place like Syka where attitudes towards the occult could be as accepting as they could be rejecting, was best hidden for as long as possible.

”I’m a traveler by way of Riverfall this time, but I’m sure that you’re well bored of my past already.” Theo said in an attempt to escape formality. ”I got a tree I like to mark up with my blade by my shack, let’s see if you can add a few of your own.”

Theo began towards the beach, waving the girl to follow. It was only a short walk along the hot sands to his bungalow. Fortunately, his neighbours were not around: Theo was not trying to garner the reputation as the resident swordsmanship instructor. Such work was better left to the hands of more polite and boring men.

Theo drew his blade. ”To get off the ground, let’s start with some basic instruction. First Do as I say, not as I do: You need to learn the basics first, so some more advanced things you may see me doing might hinder your learning. Second, keep you scabbard on your hip: It’s way easier to draw and I just do this to look cool.” Theo held out the blade so that his grip was parallel to Sara’s view. ”You need to learn your grip first. A longsword like you got there is a hand and half blade, that means you can use it with one hand or two, but let’s work on your two-handed grip first because you’re probably not gonna be strong enough to swing it with one for some time.”

Theo rewrapped his left hand around the top of his grip. ”Grip the blade about a thumb away from the hilt with your dominant hand and place your non-dominant hand below it. Counterbalance the weight of the sword so you can it upright.” Theo flexed his grip and held the sword in front of him at sixty degrees. ”Keep your footing in mind. A good stance is from a squatting position, with your dominant foot in front,” Theo squatted, placing his left foot in front and squaring his hips. ”You want to always have a strong base so you can resist incoming strikes. Sit into your pose. Let me see your posture.”

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Swordplay 101

Postby Sara on August 21st, 2017, 1:13 am

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Swordplay 101

Postby Gossamer on April 22nd, 2018, 3:36 pm



This thread was reported to me as having a lot wrong with it for Syka's theme.

I see now why someone stepped up and had issues. First and foremost, GET TO KNOW THE THEME of the settlement. There are no cabins. There is no general store with a barrel full of used long swords you can STEAL on whim without a dice roll in chat or any sort of decent larceny skills. We have a very tiny Mercantile that most everything is ORDER ON DEMAND from which means you order something from them then wait for it to get made or brought in on The Veronica.

If you can't play within Syka's THEME then GET THE FUCK OUT. This thread is NULL AND VOID and will not be approved for any sort of grading unless significant changes by BOTH parties are made to reflect the theme of the city.

This is your second warning Sara. A third time I will boot you from the city and the remaining domains I control.

Goss


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