[Antinous Training Grounds] Soulless Faith

by **Nayato** on May 22nd, 2014, 6:34 am

81st Day of Spring, 514 AV.
(Midday/12th Bell)

OOCWhile a squire training thread, I am also using it as a means to Acquiring an NPC ghost Companion through actual game play. Will submit the NPC write up to the HD when finished so I can use the NPC in other threads.

The loud clatter of steel striking steel wailed out in constant terrible shrieks. Nayato had no time to pay any attention to the knights and squires who stood around as onlookers to his training. In an actual battle, Cagus would have gone after Nayato and give him no room to really react, but this session was about reviewing his squire's skills. The muscularly stout knight watched as the Chaktawe stood in full plate armor with Khopesh at the ready above held his head.

Slashing downward, Nayato's blade continued on as the last second change became obvious, though too slowly for the speed that Cagus demonstrated. Taking a page out of his Patron's book, he lashed out at the knight with his left arm, aiming to slam his buckler shield into Cagus's chest. His arm was slow and tired. His smash was easily defended by the knight who greeted Nayato's bash with one from his own buckler. Of all the sounds of metal against metal, when the two shield connected it sounded like a loud bell had begun to ring.

Immediately after the bash, Nayato's buckler ricocheted off of Cagus's shield sending him off balance as his shield arm was lifted into the air. He couldn't find a proper footing as he stumbled to his left, guided by his flailing left arm and the weight of his armor. He could hear his patron laughing under the mans helmet before he lunged in with his Gladius sword. The knight stabbed forward with a controlled strike and touched the tip of his blade to Nayato's breast plate. It was more of a poke than a stab. The tip of his Gladius shoving the squire to push him further off balance until he fell heavily to the ground.

As he laid on his back, sprawled out among the grass of the simulated grove of trees on the training ground. The previous sound of steel signed the end of the spar. He let go of the hilt of his sword leaving it on the ground next to him. When he removed his helmet the refreshing air against his skin felt like a drink of soothing water in the desert.

"I think now is as good as any to take a break." Ser Cagus declare, as he held out a hand towards his squire. Nayato started to slowly raise his hand to accept the Knights aid when his attention was diverted by a simple sensation. His spine shivered from a cold wind when he smelt something in the air that didn't belong. Even as he laid there on the ground with a hand offered to him, he shifted his head to the side to let his obsidian gaze search for something. Anything.

His squires sudden lack of attention baffled the Patron enough to pull his hand back. "What so heavily captures your attention ? " Cagus questioned as Nayato eyes settled onto a far tree. It was then that Nayato saw it, or rather, her. The ghostly visage of a woman peaking out from behind a tree, her black dress like a shadow of silk that shifted around her translucent body. The ghost was only there for a tick before she vanished. By the time Ser Cagus glanced over to the trees direction he was utterly confused. Nayato turned back towards his Patron who had offered his hand in aide again. He took the mans hand then stood to his feet as he was helped up.

"Did you not see her Ser Cagus?" He said after picking up his sword to set it back into its scabbard. "See who? Who are you talking about? Did you hit your head man? Go get some water. We will resume your training in a few chimes."

"Yes Ser." He said with a nod then picked up his helmet, holding it under his right arm.

by **Nayato** on May 22nd, 2014, 7:43 am

If he had bothered to break it down properly then perhaps he could have informed Ser Cagus about the ghost, but the mind and the heart seemed to work entirely apart from one another at times, and one would rarely allow the other to be wholly true to itself. He had only just joined the knights. He was still learning their ways, and he was uncertain about their views on manipulating or 'interacting' with the dead. He knew that the city frowned on summoning, which was a magic so frowned upon that there was a governed law against it practice that he decided to wait to tell his Patron of his menial skill that attuned him to the dead.

As he walked away from Ser Cagus he could hear the man chuckling when he joined other knights for a pleasant conversation. He made his way over to the base of a tree where his backpack rested next to his bow, quiver, and waterskin. He sat down at the base of the tree with his back pressed against the bark as he enjoyed a drink of water. When a second shiver ran up his spine, that sudden feeling of a presence watching him, caused him to put his waterskin away and rummage through his backpack for supplies

He removed three things from his pack. A two pound sack of Buckwheat flour, sack of soft cheese, and sack of animal fat; Goat lard to be specific. He took a small piece of each of the items and put them in his mouth, chewing as he removed one of his gauntlets to expose his bare hand. He took out his dagger from the backpack to make a small cut along the palm, of his left hand. Purposely cutting his left hand so he could still use his right sword hand to train. The blood trickle out from the cut for a moment before he licked the cut, drinking of his own blood as he chewed the food that turned into bloody dough in his own mouth.

As he chewed, he began to concentrate on turning the dough into soulmist. Letting his eyes close as he leaned his head back to rest against the tree. With each chew he felt more relaxed as he listened to the sounds of rattling leaves. The sound helped him channel his thoughts to let his blood, his own djed within the dough, amalgamate with the three foods. Several chimes passed as he continued to chew until sensed that his soulmist was ready.

The quality of his soulmist was hardly a meal, but it was the best that he could do. He retrieved a clay bowl from his pack and held it in both hands. Once he opened his mouth a pale white gel leaked into the bowl. The soulmist held a faint but ethereal glow which held a unnatural coolness that even caused the bowl to grow colder. He set the bowl down in front of him to lure the ghost into showing itself.

"You are welcomed to join me spirit." He motioned a hand towards the bowl as he sat cross legged in front of it.

by **Nayato** on May 22nd, 2014, 8:22 am

The ghost manifested itself abruptly, still cautious and weary of the Squire, her eyes were set on the soulmist as if it were a drug that fogged her brain of anything else until it feasted. There was a drastic decrease in temperature when the ghost appeared closely to him.

He was surprised to find that the ghost appeared to be wearing full plate armor, not a dress like he had imagined before. 'It must have been swirling soulmist?' he thought to himself as ghost seemed to hover over the bowl. Her ethereal brunette's hair defying gravity as it floated upwards towards the sky. She looked into Nayato's eyes for reassurance that it was alright to eat before inhaling his soulmist into her being. Feasting on it and feeling stronger with every taste.

"What is your name?" He asked once the ghost had finished eating. "Jaleh. I think I was once called Jaleh?" Nayato opened his mouth to speak when he heard another voice call over to him. "Nayato, the breaks over. Get over..." Ser Cagus froze for a moment when he saw Nayato sitting in front of a ghost. Nayato looked towards Jaleh and smiled. "It seems I must return to my training now." Talking as he put his supplies back into his backpack then stood up from where he sat while slipping on his gauntlet. "Can I watch?... um Nayato?" She asked, her voice sweet to the ear. "I don't mind so long as you don't start any trouble. I may even make more food for you later and we can talk."

He left the visor to his helmet up when he put it on to walk over to his Patron. The ghost soon vanishing once Nayato's attention was diverted from her. "Okay, now I saw her." The knight said as his previous confusion now made sense. "So, my Squire is a Spiritist?" The knight mused softly, brushing his fingers slowly through his hair; rustling it up before putting his own helmet back on. "I'm not a mage, don't know much about magic so you can play with the dead in your own time. Lets get back to work." Nayato was happy that he afforded no weight to the matter. His patron accepting and allow it without a second thought.

by **Nayato** on May 22nd, 2014, 12:20 pm

“So far… it is good to see that you are aware of proper etiquette. You have listened well, and addressed me appropriately. This formality is highly appropriate, especially at the beginning of our relationship. Perhaps, in time, I will relax in some areas… but this is how it is to begin, Squire Nayato. Expect nothing less. Now, I have seen your skill with a sword and shield. And clearly you have some knowledge of magic. Tomorrow we shall review your riding skills and use of a bow. For now, lets us resume where we have left off. ”

When his patron took a fighting stance, Nayato emulated the man as best he could. He took a defensive stance with his buckler shield up on his left arm. The muscles through his back and arms sent sharp daggers of pain through his body as he took the position. He had been training for bells since sunrise only to find ever ache and twinge he had accumulated now showed that he had truly been working hard.

He took a deep breath to stabilize his thoughts, then deliberately forced himself to work through the pain. Knowing how to move with his weapon and not injure himself was crucial to his current condition. One wrong move could cause him to trip or fall. He stood with his legs a shoulders width apart in a walking stance. Not so wide as to be 'too' stable, and not too close that he might easily lose his balance.

As both men stared each other down, the ghost named Jaleh floated inches above the ground towards the side of the spar as a spectator. "Ser, does it bother you that I practice spiritism or does she bother you?" Nayato couldn't help but ask, to which the knight shook his head in response. "No, ghost don't bother me. Neither does your choice of magic craft. However, you need to tell me if you practice Leeching, Summoning, Familiary, or Malediction?

As they spoke the ghostly woman floated inch by inch towards the two men.

With a deep breath he charged at his Patron with his khopesh raised high. This curved sword designed with the concept of combining the war axe and the sickle catching the gleam of a sunbeam during his attack. The sharp tip of the blade allowing it to slide around a shield and into the arm or any body of the person behind the defense. After effortlessly blocking several more of Nayato's blows, Ser Cagus had trapped the blade of the squires Khopesh with his gladius. With a swift and precise motion, he bashed his buckler shield against the end of his Gladius to help break the sword lock and roughly shoved Nayato to send him tumbling backwards.

Nayato could only describe Ser Cagus's next stream of attacks as an 'onslaught' of steel. He shifted his buckler shield up to halt a downward slash from his patron whos strike sent a rattle down through his shield arm which tingled at his bones. The strike was followed by a bash of the knights own buckler shield to the others shield, followed by another slash of a gladius sword. With each attack Nayato was forced to tuck his body behind his buckler and take a step backwards as he was forced into a tactical retreat. Only managing to swing his own sword upward during the middle of the Knights attack to force the man into a quick backwards dodge.

Jaleh eventually hovered next to the Squire when he regained his footing, she felt compelled to join them for some reason. It was a deep longing that she couldn't quite understand. The ghost then remained next to Nayato and took the same stance as him. She had no feet to stand or even a sword or shield, but the translucent woman copied Nayato. He looked towards the ghost as he spoke to the knight. "No, I do not practice any of those specific arcane Ser Cagus."

The unnatural chill in the air cooled the beads of sweat that fell down his body underneath his armor. It was both soothing and annoying to the squire who wanted to remain disciplined in the eyes of his Patron. “ Jaleh, can you please give us some space?” Her mind seemed elsewhere as she started to pantomime her use of a sword. Flailing her arm with invisible slashes of her nonexistent blade. “For Yahal!” She exclaimed. Her words were loud yet spoken with no passion. She said the words, but didn't know why she felt the urge to mention the god.

It was safe to say she wasn't expecting Nayato to break his combat stance and wave his sword in front of her face. It wasn't a good feeling, nor a comfortable position, but it gave her a small window of sanity and she found herself unable to remember what she was just doing. “Oh, sorry.” She said while floating back to a safe distance. Or rather, a distance that Nayato nodded was where he would like her to remain.

"She calls for Yahal God of Purity and Faithfulness. A curious sentiment coming from the dead. Yahal is one of the key gods of our Order, as I have said before. We worship him to remain pure and strong in our beliefs when faced against evil."

"Sorry about that Ser." He said as he retook his combat stance. "It seems to me that she has good intentions, but her faith looks to be... Lost. As if she is using that void as a reason to cling to life. I think she was a squire when she lived." They both looked to each other with intent to begin their spar.

"Of that I do agree. Now Attack."

"For faith and honor."

Nayato used the words as a salute to his Patron.

"For faith and honor, my Squire."

In the distance, Jaleh whispered the words to herself repeatedly to try and find there meaning. However, their meanings were hollow when she spoke them. It caused her to grow angry after a while and she vanished from sight in frustration to leave Nayato to his training. Even though others couldn't see her, she was still there watching Nayato closely.

NPC write up :

by **Radiant** on May 22nd, 2014, 1:55 pm

Nayato :

Notes :

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+2 XP
Socialization	+2 XP
Spiritism	+2 XP
Weapon: Khopesh	+2 XP
Weapon: Buckler	+2 XP
Endurance	+1 XP
Acrobatics	+1 XP

Completed [Antinous Training Grounds] Soulless Faith