The Dark Knights Guild

[Guest]

ooc: I look foward to writing with you all


IC

Jarlon stood at the entrance to the structure that held the guild of the Dark Knights, he was amazed at the sheer beauty of the place. House Maerret must of built this The Achadhiel thought to himself. Looking at the swelling line of potentials Jarlon could not help but be intimidated, from his conversations with his friend he was often told that the guild often turned more away than most.

Will I measure up? Can I complete this? The Achadhiel smiled in amusement trying to think positive. He was intruged as Dark Knights patrolled the grounds moving with such fluid grace, Jarlon could only hope to measure up. "Are you going to stand there all day!" said a bellowing voice in front of Jarlon breaking his thoughts. He noticed a guard at the entrance pillar motioning for him to get into one of the lines with various applicants.

As Jarlon moved into the line awaiting his turn he could not help but think how these last two days have been. He left the Maerret compound but 2 days before, as he stepped into the heart of Gulanander he couldn't help but being overwelmed. Most of his life was spent inside the House of Maerret, he could not remember a day he had ever had a chance to get out and explore the city.

He smiled as he remembered his encounter with the serving wench at the inn he had stayed. He was not normally fond of humans, but she had a bit of Sas to her which he found amusing. "Next" came a voice in front of him, Jarlon looked up in astonishment as the line before him seem to have melted away. Before him sat two Dark Knights, one was motioning to him. Taking a deep breath the Achadhiel made his way to the table.

[Torigm Khace]

The dark knight sitting at the table looked up at Jarlon, "Two Crowns will pay your way into the dark knights where the rest of your training is bought with blood, sweat, and tears. We take children and make them into adults. The take adults and make noble in the eyes of the gods. Pay your coins, state your name, and any declarations you may have before your time of silence begins."

This particular dark adhiel glared at Jarlon with vibrant blue eyes, dressed in silver chain with a dull silver blade positioned precisely next to him.

[Guest]

The open hostility was truely intimidating as Jarlon observed the glare. If I show weakness or any type of fear I'll be eliminated Jarlon thought to himself. In this particular culture weakness would not be tolerated.

Matching the glare with an amused expression Jarlon placed the 2 crown onto the table. "My name is Jarlon" explained the achadhiel. "I also wish to gain entrance to the guild" Jarlon stood motionless waiting for the knights response.

ooc: Sorry for the short reply I unfortuantly have to head into work shortly and need to get ready

[Torigm Khace]

"Good, you have begun training for the Dark Knights, a time of silence has begun. " A dark knight signals Jarlon to a group of other dark adhiel looking much like him. Before the relatively small group of young adhiel, an older dark adhiel in deep Crimson armor towered. His sheer size was imposing and it appeared as though he could crush the very stone beneath him with a swing of the large sword dangling from his side.

"I am Brogga, you master instructor for your time as a dark knight in training. The time of silence is a period of 24 candlemarks where you will shut up and listen or else I personally toss you into the waters below. There will be no talking at all inside that time. If you feel you have to clear your throat, you'd better make sure that no one is around.

"Silence is the first weapon we have against our enemies. When we can hear them and they cannot hear us, we know exactly where they are and what they are doing. The time of silence is there for you to learn. If you understand this, then nod, but don't utter a sound.

"The beginning of your class is to find your room and be silent for a tide. Think about why you are here, what you want to become, and observe your surroundings.

Brogga pulled his sword from it's scabbard and it was easily the same size as him. He etched a mark in the dust of the ground and then a second distinctive mark. "This," he pointed indicating the first, "is your dormitory, and this," he indicated the second mark, "is your floor. There are few enough of your that you can find a spare room there. When a tide has turned, go to the courtyard nearby, you'll see it filled with stones. Dismissed!"

Brogga sheathed his sword and marched off exiting the compound.

[Guest]

The gates of the Knight's compound looked cold and unwelcoming as Jhael approached. For once he was glad for the time of silence. He would not have to explain his embarrasment to any of his fellow knights. Unless, of course, they taught him the sign for shame.

With a shrug and a sigh he made his through the yard toward his next class. His gaze wandered over the new recruits arriving and he thought of his experience so far. Feeling chagrined, he knew what his most important lesson had been. Absently, his hand stroked the empty spot on his belt. He couldn't wait for his next class. He needed something to get his mind off his mistake.

[Torigm Khace]

Captain Vel'Dorn waited at the entrance of the dorm which his trainees were staying. Standing with him were all but 4 of his trainees. Jhael being one of them.

"So nice of you to return." Captain Vel'Dorn delivered his line in a well practiced rise and fall pitch of his voice, his eyebrow twitching up and down with the same rhythm. "Fall in line." followed quickly afterward with the low monotone that was also well practised.

"Students. Your last test for this day, after which you will have earned your rest for the night and the blessed silence that sleep allows, " his eyes fell momentarily on a few specific students. "You are going to go for a run. In fact this is the route you will run every evening for a week. The route has been marked by one of the senior dark knights with markings like this."

Captain Vel'Dorn held up a piece of stone which was scored deeply and where it was scored a brilliant blue glared out at the assembled group. "You each will receive a similar stone, smaller that will allow you and only you to see the route markings. A technique taught to you later in your training. This is to help you build your strength, your stamina, and to help you familiarize yourself with your homelands. The Route will take you around the 3rd Tier."

Captain Vel'Dorn began handing out the stones and once a trainee's hands touched the stone. The brilliant blue score to the exit of the Dark Knight's guild became readily apparent.

"When you return, remember your silence and get your rest. Now Go!"

[Guest]

Jhael looked at the glowing blue stone in wonder. What an amazing object! Jhael turned the stone around and around in his fingers, examining the intricate azure lines. With his eyes, he followed the route depicted on the rock to his destination outside of the Guild.

In a dazed walk, Jhael made his way toward the door, still amazed at the simple beauty of the map. He took a deep breath and increased his pace to a jog. At least I don’t have my money pouch to carry with me.

Reaching the exit, Jhael increased his pace again. He was determined to set an aggressive pace but one that was achievable. He did not want to fail on this task. It had taken enough effort just to keep his mouth shut all day. The grand darkness loomed above him and he checked his route. Breathing deep and rhythmic, he headed off on his path.

OOC: Sorry Torigm, it’s been hectic preparing for my hiatus. Thanks for the patience!

[Tristam]

Once through the exit, a flash of blue guided Jhael off to right. Roughly half the trainees split off with him while the rest followed their own path to the left. Several of them sped on ahead eagerly trying to best the others. One of them actually made the sign for Catch as he passed. A few lagged behind either pacing themselves or unused to the excerise. A pair of students chose Jhael's middle ground and paced themselves to match him.

[Guest]

The rhythmic slap of his heels on the stone calmed the young adhiel. He could feel his leg muscles push with each stride, his toes extending his calves to their fullest with each step. He swung his arms in time, plodding forward . . .one and breathe and two and breathe and three and breathe, his mind began to control each movement. He pushed on and focused on the sights around him.

The caverns and tunnels of Gulanadur were at once inviting and imposing. The grand caverns rose endless into the space above Jhael. He could sense the weight of the earth above him but he did not fear it. Mentally he reached up and tried to sense the top, and then, the surface. He knew he could not, but he tried nonetheless. He imagined the weight of the stone and the soil, tried to see if he could pick out individual trees and rocks, to feel their isolated pressure on his back.

The walls blurred past him in luminescent purple, the lavender glow just lighting the path before his feet. He could feel the burn in his stomach now, a threshold he would have to cross if he were to continue. Back to the walls, look at the walls and don’t think about the pain.

Jhael willed himself into the darkness with the pack of fellow runners by his side. The flesh beneath his eyes seemed heavy and loose, preventing his focus. He did not know who was with him. He did not recognize those that had passed him. He was merely one in the group, caught in the rush of runners moving through the corridors. There was certain anonymity in this exercise and he enjoyed it. It helped concentrate on the world outside the pain that grew in his lungs and throat.

Though he appreciated running with the group, Jhael was still competitive. He new it wasn’t a race but he did not want to be last either. It was a race against himself, against his inner obstacles. Subconsciously, he increased his pace and began to pull away from the pack.

[Tristam]

The course was, as promised, a tour of Gulanadur. Blue flashes led them up bridges driving them ever upwards. As they passed through the middle layer the people shouted encouragement and gave sloppy imitations of the Dark Knight salute in their honor.

Blue flashes brought them to the upper layer and they weaved their way around mushrooms and boulders, farms and livestock and like the middle layer, the farmers here paused in their work to watch them pass and offered a wave or a call of support.

Blue flashes led them back down towards their new home and there Jhael'lin made his move. Two or three of the students broke with him and matched his pace though it was clearly a harder struggle for some of them. The rest hung back either too weak to consider going any faster or worried about the sound of deep breathing breaking the time of silence.

The Dark Knight's Guild hall came into sight and at the same time so did the second pack of students coming from the opposite direction. They too had started in a solid pack and now were a strung out line as the run seperated them by endurance. The trainee beside him gave Jhael'lin a look, a final challenge for a sprint to the finish.

[Guest]

It took a moment for Broggo's words to sink in. The achadhiel nodded in understanding. Jarlon took a moment to memorize the markings on the ground and made his way down the path following the others in his group.
Broggo's harsh words were nothing new to the achadhiel but the manner in which it was spoken left little doubt in his mind that the instructor would carry out exactly what he said.

The Achadhiel found the building with the first marking and slowly made his way to the second floor along with the others in his small band. Seeing the mark on the door he made his way into the room. Finding a bed proved to be easy as the room was large with very little occupents.

Sitting on the edge of the bed Jarlon sat and observed the serenity of the grounds. As he continued to observe the achadhiel sat in silence contemplating if this was the life he really wanted. He remembered listening to his friends tales with awe and anticipation. But the realization that he was here was a little unnerving for the achadhiel.

Jarlon heard soft footsteps and noticed others from his room where making their way to the courtyard with the stones. The Achadhiel slowly stood up from his bed and looked outside one last time. He would remember this moment for the rest of his life. He made his way to the stones.

[Tristam]

Jarlon

Entrering the hallway he found five other trainees like himself. There was much futile gesturing and shrugged shoulders as they tried to communicate without speaking.

Jarlon and the rest found the exit into the courtyard easily. Out in the courtyard the dirt was pristine clean of stones as they were all bunched up on one end. Being this much closer to them, one could see that the pile was easily twice the height of an average Adhiel. This said quite a lot for the sheer volume of stones that had to have been piled into the far end of the courtyard.

The stones themselves came in all shapes and sizes. Some stones were small and regular, perfect for a game of catch or rockbat, while others were gargantuan and irregular, where many men would be hard pressed to even think about lifting the stone. How they got into the courtyard was not obvious.

"Why do the stones always fascinate the new recruits?" An amused voice greeted them. A tall adhiel came out from behind the pile of stones. He was in the uniform of the Dark Knight and carried a sword at his with a gold hilt. One of the recruits opened his mouth to speak and then quickly shut it. He started gesturing towards the rocks, but the Knight cut him off. "Don't bother. You'll make a sound in a few flickers and then I am honor bound to toss you like one of those rocks. If you pass the several tests, then you shall tackle this one. Stick to mastering silence for now. You can master stone soon enough." The Knight walked over and handed them each a scroll. "Here some basic hand symbols for you to learn. Might as well start learning them early. They will save your life one day."

[Guest]

Jhael caught the look of his nearest competitor. It was brief but it was a challenge nonetheless. Jhael did not react at first. He wasn't sure he wanted to compete. There was so little real value in it. The world would not change if he won, he struggled to imagine how even his life would change. Still, some instinctive desire crowded out his logic. He wanted to race, he wanted to win.

He returned the look and gave a small nod before transferring his remaining strength into the sprint. His head was lowered and his arms pumped furiously. He was pleased he had paced himself. Now, he would not lose. If only to prove to himself that he had the ability, he would not let this other adhiel win.

[Tristam]

The trainee beside him did nothing less and threw every bit of reserves into this last stretch of the race. A similar scene played out at the front of the second pack of students and as the two groups converged on the path before the guildhall, it became a four man race for the finish.

Swiftly it became a two man as Jhael'lin and one of the other group pulled ahead. Not that Jhael'lin really noticed. His eyes were on the goal, on the finish and nothing, not this adhiel, not his burning lungs and not his aching legs were going to keep him from it.

He crossed the gate to the Guild three lengths ahead of his nearest competitor and has the run of the far side of the yard to catch his breath and cool down.

OOC: Let's wind this down and pick up with him on the 20th.

[Guest]

The strides to the end of the yard shook his body with each slowing step. Jhael was elated that he'd won, but he did not show it. He had tested his body against internal and external pressures and his body had succeeded. He was very pleased but he was very out of breath.

His lungs heaving, he approached the other adhiel that had run with him. He put his hand on his shoulder in a friendly manner and nodded what would hopefully appear as a thank you. He had truly enjoyed the race and was sure he would the next time as well.

But, it seemed the day was over. The first day had been busy, but successful. He'd joined the Knights, lost his purse and been forced to keep his mouth shut all day. It was now time to turn in.

With a spring in his step and a smile on his face, the young Dark Knight headed off toward his room in the guild.

[Tristam]

OOC: Summary of time jump.


They were all allowed to collapse into blessed sleep and come the morning the time of silence was done. The days were filled with more lessons in the Dark Knight sign language. Only the instructor could speak during these lessons. They learned through immersion. They were no where near fluent in it but more and more complex thoughts were able to be conveyed as each mark passed. Each day ended with the run and a new route through the ways of Gulanadur.

[Tristam]

Thread Skilled.

Skills Awarded

Jhael'lin

Running Basic *
Language Silent Speech Basic *
Knowledge Dark Knight History Basic