The beginning

[Josh Caudle]

Timestamp: 42th of Winter, 509 AV
Location: Greg Caudle house
Status: Open

Burning fire surrounds me as he run through the maze that is my house to escape the flames, that keep getting close to me after each second. As each second passes the flames get closer and closer and finally overtake me. Right before the pain of the burning touches...

Josh sit up quickly as he realize that it was just a dream, not just a dream the dream. The dream that he has been having since the night his parents died. He look around the room, well his room in his uncles house since my burned to the ground. By the looks of the amount of light in the room it is just after dawn. He get up and strech along with yawning, As he slowly walk over to the dresser and grab his pants and shirt and put them on, and walk to the door after putting on my boots and belting my sword. After walking into the kitchen finding his uncle making breakfest, "Goodmorning Uncle." he tell him. He replies with "Morning Boy." Josh and his Uncle relationship is very fragile, he took him in and cared for me after my parents death. He is a very good swords men and teaches Josh everyday after lunch in the art of swordmanship and then we go to work in his weapon forge till dusk. He hands the young man a plate of eggs and bacon with a grunt and eat slowly and quietly. After finishing Josh heads to the sink and washes the dishes and he tells him to head the libaray to due the studies as he heads to the forge. As Josh enter the libaray, he grabs the book The Art of the Sword which teaches many of the known sword from and and turns and pick up from page 253, which is where he left off and read all the way till lunch. At noon he places his bookmark in page 475 and head to his room to wash for lunch.

[Midnight]

42th of Winter, 509 AV

Whistling to himself merrily walking through a forested area, the sun warming his bare skin in spots as the rays break through the leaves, backpack and holster holding his balisong adorn his body. Sliding over his freshly cleaned brown skin moving through the brush being particular careful in his vulnerable state.

Finally stopping in a clearing surrounded by various fruit plants, small berries to nice big apples. “Time to earn breakfast!” Voice jolly, he draws his balisong, the outter handles hiding the silver blade.

Turning toward a bush full of berries, “Now Mid, don’t get greedy.” Smiling he flicks his wrist causing one of the wooden handles to swing open pulling the blade from hiding. It is only a short moment before he begins harvesting some morning berries. Wrist flicking and spinning the blade cleanly cutting the fruit off of their stems to gather on the soft dew covered ground.

With a slight flourish the balisong is brought back to its resting place, blade back in its hiding place. Kneeling down he collects his harvest inspecting the berries before popping them into his mouth. He finishes eating his share berries and thanks the plant. Still a tad hungry he decides, “I am going to climb a tree.”

Normally he would just fly up into a tree, but that would be too easy, he loves a challenge. But before tackling a tree he decides it would be in his best interest to at least put on some pants; slivers aren’t the best things to have down under. Walking to his pack and collecting his pants, sliding the scratch slightly torn rags up his legs and tied in place by a length of cord.

Now properly protected from the abrasive bark, he walks to a find a low sturdy branch. Finding one, he does some stretches. Flexing his arms and back making sure all of his muscles are awake. Twisting his back until it pops, forcing a satisfied sigh from the Kelvic.

Feeling limber he grips the branch lifting his body up, muscles flexing as they work to pull his lithe body up. Crawling up the side of the tree using the branches like a ladder. Stopping at a branch that has a nice ripe apple growing on it, jiggling the branch to see if he could get it to fall. Unsuccessful he wraps his legs around the branch and slowly walks himself along the underside of the branch. The branch bows slightly but holds firm, now within reach of the fruit, he uses a single leg to hold himself as he hangs like a possum. Using his strong muscles to contort his body so he can reach collect the fruit the 25 feet above the ground. Inspecting the fruit he notices no blemishes or apple worms, his eyes soon wander from the fruit to a spot a about 50 yards away from where he is. Seeing a house window he strains and looks within it seeing a young man reading a book.

“Curious, I wonder what he is reading.” Watching as he closes the book only glimpsing part of the title…

[Josh Caudle]

Timestamp: 42th of Winter, 509 AV

Josh opens the door his washroom and slowly washes his hands than his face. After drying off he heads down to the dining room and fixes himself a sandwhich and waits on his uncle. "Come boy", his uncle says as he enters the house.

They both walk to the combat room to start Josh's training. "Today we will finish your lessons on Tai'lak fighting style and your combat with your Sha'lak sword. Tomarrow will be your last day of study, you have learned all I can teach you Josh. Your on your way to being a great swordsmen and getting revenge on those who killed my sister." stated his uncle. They both grab their wooden mock Sha'lak weapons and begin their warm-ups. After their warmed up they both take their stancesand begin. Josh's stance is defensive, which allows him to defend while studing his oppenents weakness then striking. His uncle strikes and Josh blocks quickly and begins his striking with all points of his weapon, first with the end of the hilt then the sharp side of the blade as he moves closer and closer to his uncle. His uncle is slowly losing ground, with this gives a low sweeping kick taking out his uncles legs and then strikes for the killing both to the heart. "Very good boy, now help me you and begin your forms." states his uncle as Josh helps him up. "Yes uncle." Slowly Josh begin to work through the first to forms and works half way through the third. "Okay boy now to the forge." And with this they walk to the forge and begin the long process of forgeing the many weapon orders that come through...

[Gossamer]

Experience: 1 XP short sword Additional Notes: Next time, rather than say someone taught you something, write about them teaching you the art and techniques involved. This thread would have been able to qualify for far more XP if you had simply done more description. Remember, in good rp, don't tell us what you did, show us what you did.

[Josh Caudle]

As they walked through the doors to the forge, Josh was ordered to begin his work. Walking to his bellow, he began the hard, laboring job of work get the fires of the forge hot enough to smith the metal. Each blow from the bellow causes the fire to glow white hot. Blow after blow Josh worked, until his uncle ordered him to stop "Okay boy, the fire is ready. Hurry and get your gloves and apron on." Josh basically runs to get them on then rushes back. "Okay, do you remember what I taught you about the art of heating the metal?" Josh's uncle asked. "Yes uncle." Josh answered. Good, I would like you to take the raw iron and till the carbon is worked into it, and melt it to bars for me." Josh is scared, his uncle has let him smith bronze and iron daggers and knives, but never something this important. If he messes this up it will lose his uncle a lot of money and he will kill Josh. "Uncle are you sure, I’m not a very good smith." Josh asks. Yes Josh, you a very good smith, sometimes you rush things but you must have skill to make it in this world, after you get your revenge. You can't live by the sword your whole life." His uncle says. Josh thinks to himself again, this is the first time his uncle has called him Josh in a very long time; he must really believe I can do it. "Well get to it boy, we don’t have all day!" yelled Josh's uncle. Josh puts on his thick leather gloves and works the bellows some more to get the fire hotter, as the fire burns white hot, Josh grabs his tongs and with them grabs the lumps of iron and adds them to the fire. After the fourth lump of iron is added. He buries them in the coals, so that the carbon fuses to the iron. "Steady boy this is the most important part." states Josh's uncle. Josh pours out the melted metal and into bar form his uncle has laid out for him. "Now let it cool, them you will heat it again and hammer it into the sword blade, beware it will take many hours. So be ready." says his uncle.

Many hours pass and it is finally time for Josh's work to begin. Josh puts the bar into the fire, after he worked the bellow to get the fire hot again. Once the bars are red hot throughout he pulls it out and grabs his 5 pound hammer and strikes the bar. Josh works the bar striking then rotating, striking then rotating, over and over till the once square bar is now long and thinner. As the last stroke of the hammer hits Josh quenches the metal in mater to cool it. Once cooled he reheats the metal and begins hammering the edges of the square bar to give it the edge of a sword, with each strike the edge forms, once formed he begins to work on the point hammering a side then the next trying to give that once point. It is a long process taking many hours of striking and reheating and more striking. Once the edge and point is finish, Josh takes the blade and walks of to the grinding wheel. Still under the watchful eye of his uncle, he starts using the foot petal and begins another long process of sharpening the sword. With each strike to the wheel the edge becomes more dangerous. Two hours pass as Josh's uncle speaks "Ok boy, your jobs is done." he states after running his finger down the blade, "Now run up and wash up then off to bed. Don't for get that I have some errands to run tomorrow." Josh walks to his room and washes his face than hands, changes into his night clothes and hopes into bed before his head hits the pillow.