• Closed • Nir, Far, Wherever You Are.

[Nir'wei]

4th of Ashan, 719.

He'd been waiting for what felt like an eternity, since Xithyria had finally broken the news, but it was here. His Initiation. The final test of his skills before he became an official Lightning Knight, not just an initiate happening along adventures when his patron knight was off somewhere else. He still didn't quite know what he'd be asked to do, though he had many suspicions judging by the talk among older squires and younger knights. They all differed, depending on the different branch one chose to work under. Technically, since Xithyria was a Guardian, the more city-central force aimed at keeping the city's peace, he wasn't allowed to initiate the Justiciar's initiation ceremony, though he was allowed, and had chosen to be there for the official send-off, and to be present throughout observation as Nir's patron, moral support, and counsel should something go wrong. Unfortunately, they still needed a Justiciar to orchestrate the whole thing, and, well. Nir'wei only knew one of them.

And that was why he'd spent almost a full break so far pacing back and forth, stressing himself to no end, while Xithyria watched on with his scaled arms folded and a disapproving scowl settled over his face comfortably, like a familiar hat, while they waited for the drunken lout to make himself known. "Stop slouching," he growled eventually, barely tilting his chin down to regard the smaller man as he marched up as close to his face as he could get.

"Calm down? Really?" He was on the edge of screaming. Nothing like this had ever happened before, nothing even close. Signing up had been nothing more than signing a few sheets of paper. All his previous "initiations" had been dead-easy, since they were all for doing practically the same thing, and he had plenty of pre-trained animals to display as feats of prowess and competence, and those that didn't immediately accept him didn't take more than a break or two to see his skills in action before he was swooped in and signed up. No fuss, rarely any fighting or bargaining. This was an entirely different ball game. Unknowable. Impossible to prepare for. A single chance, and if he blew it, who knew when he'd next be given the chance to try again, if at all. Then what? Go back to scooping Storm Roc dung? What if they kicked him straight out of the Knights, finally seeing the truth, that beneath all those beasts that he used to cover his ineptitudes, he simply wasn't cut out for the job and he never would be?

The Ithecal knight had never been a source of comfort or support. Much as he would like to think that he was. However, clearly, he knew how to do it, even if he'd never shown an inch until then. Before Nir could return to pacing anxiously back and forth, a firm pair of hands clamped down over his shoulders, and the hulking lizard dropped down onto one knee so he could look Nir in the eyes with a piercing yellow gaze that could paralyse a thrall. "Calm down." Even after Nir had steadied his breathing and made to push him off again with a faintly muttered thanks, Xithyria refused to let go. "You'll be fine. You're ready." Just like that, Xithyria stood and the moment was over. Yet the words resonated over and over again within him, until the Justiciar finally arrived.

Their only previous instructions had been to meet just outside the edges of Rharne, beyond the reach of even the Dust Quarter. Merchants, travellers and many more strode around them with barely a glance, yet the monotonous buzz of idle chatter paused briefly when Valdayn Rangarian swooped in on unsteady wings, nearly barreling straight into a heavily-laden wagon before skidding to a stop in a thick puddle of mud right before them both and flourishing a wobbly bow. "Ah, 'scuse the interruptions, sirs. Had... well, better things t' attend to." Nir's stomach immediately started to drop again. Gods, this had been an awful mistake.

"Stalwart Rangarian." Technically, the two were of an even rank, but there was no question which one of them would come out superior if it came down to a comparison of seniority, let alone respect. Still, with the look Vald gave Xithyria, it almost seemed like he was ready to try his luck, until a glance his way seemed to resign him to his fate as he sucked up a sigh and puffed out his chest in a blatant mockery of the Ithecal's posturing.

The Avriel cleared his throat loudly. "Initiate Nir'wei." Despite himself, he straightened as well. "Are you ready to undertake the Justiciar Initiation."

"I am," he replied stiffly.

Vald nodded. "You will be stripped of your weapons, your tools, your companions, any and all material possessions now." Xithyria stepped forward to remove his quiver, his bow, his sword, his dagger. The small collection of tools he'd packed into his pockets on the off-chance that he'd be allowed to keep some, but apparently even simple things like his hunting knife and waterskin wouldn't be allowed. Or, well. He thought not, until Vald produced his own and handed them over. Just a waterskin, a knife, and an axe for splitting wood though. Nothing more. Not even rope, or canvas for a tent? "These are the only three items you are allowed on your person. Attempting to use any others, whether found or offered, will result in disqualification." Shit, what? "You must spend three trials--" THREE TRIALS?! "--beyond the borders of Rharne's city, living from its land, as a true Justiciar would. You must hunt your own food, find your own water, build your own shelter, if needs be, fight off the beasts and people that should threaten you." Three full trials. Three full trials, with next to nothing of worth to his name but the clothes on his back. Thank Karem he'd not had the misfortune of being picked during Cylus, but still, it was quite a daunting prospect, even for him, with everything he owned completely stripped... including Greyhide, whom they knew could manifest at his side at will. Xithyria was in charge of watching over him, to make sure that never happened. For the first time in a long time, he'd be completely alone. "Do you understand and accept this, Initiate Nir'wei?"

His eyes darted from Xithyria to Vald and back again. "I do."

Vald's strict knightly demeanor vanished on a coin flip. "Heh, 'n that case, I'lls be seeing you in three trials tah pick yeh up." He even held up four fingers for emphasis. Surely he couldn't be drunk, even now? "Good lucks! I'lls be watchin' yeh, don't forget it." Despite the hard words, the final pat on the shoulder he gave was a friendly one, before turning back and stumbling through the mud back towards a suitable take-off spot. Xithyria was silent, a stone monolith of scales and scowls, but he flashed a brief, faint smile with a nod of his head before following suit, tugging on a leash afixed around Greyhide's neck for the purposes of keeping him close. Xithyria would take good care of him. Cold, Myrth, Squeak, Vabina, Jasper, Malice, all of them were likewise being held under lock and key for the duration of the test to make sure they wouldn't be sneakily aiding him.

Nir'wei watched them all until the bustling crowd swallowed them, and at last, he was alone. Three whole trials without them. Without anything. For a second time, the finality of it all struck him hard in the head, and he felt a pang of dizziness, confusion. Emptiness. Like he'd just been stripped of something incredibly dear. Several somethings, in fact. What was he supposed to do from here, which direction, what action? All the different possibilities he'd been planning up until this moment, running through in fantastical scenarios, had vanished in a puff of smoke from his mind now that the reality was here. Honestly, he didn't know how long he just stood and stared in the direction they'd all left, as if those three trials could pass right now and they'd return any moment. They didn't. Eventually, his mind seemed to grasp that, and he found himself turning and walking in the opposite direction, into the fields and the grassland beyond. Into the Stormlands.

It would be the single longest three trials of his young life.

[Geminius Rose]

"Gem, this isn't one of your greatest plans."

"Hmm."

"A change in environment won't make anything better."

"Hmm."

"...Are you even listening?"

"You done?"

She was right; this was not one of his better plans but Gem was running out of options. There was only so much he could do before it would all add up and he'd be dead. This certainly wasn't any kind of spiritual quest and was he displeased with the idea of learning something new? Not entirely, but walking out into the Stormlands with minimal experience - the bare minimum; "You're going to get yourself killed." - was a dumb idea. His only thought was to see one of those fire...things taking on the Lightning Knight. Maybe it would sear enough fear in him to pass out. That wouldn't count as sleeping, right? A reach, but one he was willing to make.

There would probably be something gained from trying this. Maybe a new solution he could figure out to dealing with the Nightmares that haunted him. A grounding point to keep him understanding what was reality and what was not. That last bit was a little harder to do with Qythraldi always around, a constant in both the dreaming and waking worlds. But he couldn't exactly just get rid of her, thus this: finding something relevant to his reality. He'd heard about the beasts made of fire that the Lightning Knights were stuck in combat with. How fiercely they fought.

Which was why this was a stupid idea because he was putting himself out there to be potentially mauled. It was still a little cold, not yet warming up to be the blazing heat of the coming seasons, and that made this even harder. He shoved his hands into pockets, using his shoulders to readjust the bag on his shoulder. It was a touch heavy, weighed down by a meager tarp and a sleeping roll. His daggers bobbed against his hip with each step, reminding him of their presence. At least he wasn't entirely defenseless. That...that would be a sad thought if it were the case.

"It'll be fine." He wasn't sure who he was assuring. Maybe it was Qythraldi because she was doing that chattering thing she did when she got nervous. Clack, clack, clack. In short succession the sounds came, veering in and out of range as she nervously flitted about. He offered the fairy a lopsided grin, a failed attempted at something more. "It'll be fine."

[Nir'wei]

Somewhere down the line, instinct kicked in. The wind buffeted against him with nothing to hold it back, his clothes thin and poorly insulated. Shivers rattled his teeth and he soon tucked both hands under his armpits, as if that could keep him warm as he picked up his pace. Where, though? Where was he even going? He couldn't go to the towns, couldn't look for shelter... he had no tent he could simply pitch and be done with it, nor did he have Greyhide to watch the campsite while he went out searching for supplies. His mind ran in circles, spinning faster and faster the more he tried to pull together a plan. A delayed realisation of just how little he had to work with; reflexively he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small hand-axe, weighing it in his fist. Enough to split some branches and make a fire, certainly... enough to split some larger logs and make a small hovel? Possibly. He tried it on the next fallen branch he came across, gripping the handle of the short axe in both hands and ramming it down through the midpoint. Neither the axe nor the branch broke, which was a good sign; several more hard swings and when the branch broke in half, he scooped up the pieces and carried them with him. And the next. And the next. And the next.

By the time he'd reached the first small scattering of trees that marked the first forest closest to the Stormlands, and adjacent to a vineyard of a name he couldn't pronounce, he had a sizable bundle resting over both shoulders of varying sizes, which he immediately dumped to the ground and begun arranging in height, longest to shortest. The longest still wasn't large enough, unfortunately, so he scavenged again... and when he couldn't find anything suitable, he scrambled up a tree to find a branch long enough to chop down with the hand-axe, grunting hard from the exertion and panting with effort, but at least he didn't feel cold anymore. Not until he started thinking about it again... and by that point, the only answer was to grit his teeth and push himself even harder, pounding at the branch, stamping on it until it cracked and bent, dangling from its stump by thick fleshy threads that forced him to cut them, one by one, growling to himself as his shoulders and back burned with effort.

When the limb finally snapped, he took a moment, wiping the gathering sweat from his brow. All this work, just for a place to sleep, huh? It'd been far too long since he'd been forced to do all the leg work, with no canvas to speed up the job, no tent poles... no rope!

Eventually, arranging the basic structure with one large beam propped up by the two next-largest in an uneven triangle, he settled the rest of his assorted branches down the length of the longest beam, creating a small tunnel-like hovel, covered with all the leaves he could strip from the branches he'd gathered and the rest from the ground as well, all shoved inside to make good insulation while the rest dabbled over the top would keep it semi-waterproof should the weather turn foul. It wasn't much, just about enough to squeeze inside with enough room to disappear entirely if he really pushed his feet down to the bottom...

The last few sticks he'd stripped away before building were assembled out front and turned into a small fire with a few good rubs from two sticks onto a small bed of broken-up leaves, leaving thin tendrils of smoke curving up above the treeline as he fed it more and more detritus. Not bad, for the first day... though, all that effort was starting to leave him thirsty, and a hard rumble of his stomach reminded him that he'd not eaten breakfast in all his excitement. "Ugh, crap."

[Doran]

Nir'wei:

Knowledge: -
Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

- - -

Comments: Loved the title of the thread!

I found Nir’wei’s thoughts about his upcoming initiation and his previous initiations quite interesting. I wish we would have gotten to find out what happened next – and what exactly those three trials beyond the border of Rharne were like. The description of Nir’wei constructing some sort of shelter and starting a fire was good though. As before, it would be great if you could also state your skill levels.

Enjoy your rewards!

Geminius, if you decide to unretire your PC (and have converted to the Wealth System – I noticed that you still use gn in your CS), let me know, and I’ll review your part of the thread!