Nocking the Arrow (Solo)

by **Marcus Braeden** on March 29th, 2012, 10:13 pm

35th of Spring, 512 AV

Marcus felt something impact with his right leg, and his eyes flashed open. Light flooded his eyes, drawing a picture of his surroundings. He blinked twice, adjusting to the sudden transition from dark to light. Quickly he glanced around searching for the source of the impact, but first saw the sun perched high in the sky. He quickly turned his face away from the bright orb, and found himself looking up at a man. He couldn't make out who it was just yet, as he appeared dark against the light coming from the sun, but soon his eyes managed to solve the puzzle of who it was. A sword hung at his side, along with a bow and quiver, on his back. He blinked again, finally resolving that the man before him was his very own Patron Knight, Noah Kal'or. Noah lifted his foot again and swung it towards Marcus' thigh, making Marcus recoil.

"Nice of you to wake up Braeden. Nothing like a good ol' nap while the rest of the city works to rebuild what it has lost eh?"Noah quipped at Marcus. Marcus looked around once more. Citizens and Knights alike were scattered throughout the city. Some were searching through rubble, while others were working on repairs of various sorts. Men and women carried raw materials through the streets, stone, wood, food. Next to him sat a pile of lumber. Suddenly he remembered that he was carrying that would somewhere someone, but for the life of him he couldn't remember who. Marcus must have looked like the town bum, just lying there when everyone else was working. Suddenly, Marcus pounced up onto his feet. "Sorry Ser, I'll get right back to work!"He said as he turned around to pick up the wood he had seemingly abandoned.

Noah reached out, grabbing him by the shoulder, "Hold your horses there Braeden. Leave the wood, I've got different plans today. Of course I hoped you would be a decent enough person to get some work done before hand, but you slept that dream of mine away. But still, so much time down in the bunkers have left many squires without much formal training for a bit. So, I say it is about time we begin once again!"

"Training? Exactly what did you have in mind?" Marcus asked his superior. Inside Marcus was ecstatic. He had begun to wonder if were to spend the rest of his days rebuilding the city, and that would not get him anywhere near knighthood.

Noah walked over and picked up a bow and quiver of arrows that he had set down when he woke Marcus up. One after the other, he tossed them to Marucs, who clumsily caught each one. "Meet your new friends, Mr. Quiver, and Mr. Shortbow. I'll leave you three to get acquainted!" Noah said as he turned his back to Marcus, who simply looked at Noah with a dumbfounded look on his face. Noah spun back around, "Alright, now that you are all friends, follow me."

by **Marcus Braeden** on April 9th, 2012, 8:22 pm

As Marcus trailed his mentor through the broken streets of Syliras, he fumbled with his new equipment. It was a complicated task, weaving through pedestrians and attempting to hang a bow and quiver over your back. Eventually he managed to find a comfortable spot for his new "friends" as Ser Noah had called them. His bow string crossed his chest while the actual wooden part was secured on his back, on top of his quiver, which was fastened and stuck up at an angle over his right shoulder. But he would still need to somehow weave his shield into the mass of items he carried on his back, as he was instructed to leave it.

Once Marcus had started comfortably walking with all of his gear in placement he desired, Ser Noah began to quicken his pace. Marcus also quickened his pace, taking it as a sign to hurry up. But then it quickly turned into a jog, and then after that, Ser Noah took off in a full sprint. Marcus watched as he darted through the sea of people, twisting his body to make it through the crowd without much confrontation. "You have got to be petching kidding me!" Marcus muttered to himself as he raced after his mentor.

Marcus' armor clanged with each step he took, and his sword swung at his side, sometimes colliding with his armor. It was tough work running in full plate armor. His speed and mobility was drastically reduced. Normally he could probably manage to get through the crowd quite decently, but in this, there was no way it was going to be smooth. His fellow citizens constantly blocked his path, making stop and change direction. He did his best to keep Ser Noah in his sight, although with each moment, the squire was drifting further behind. He looked up and noticed his old place of employment, the Ironworks. It still stood after the storm, but his had taken some damage to its exterior. Marcus remembered the roads around the area, such as back alleys and the like. He used one in particular to avoid the crowds after work on the way to the Rearing Stallion.

Marcus cut to his right, setting his sights on the alley he used to traverse quite frequently. He hoped it would help him catch up to Ser Noah, but the chanced of it separating them further were quite high as well. The sun that shone over almost the whole of the city could not reach the spot where Marcus entered, apart from one area where the alley forked off. Marcus continued straight ignoring the fork in the road, and eventually found himself back in the sunlight, back in the crowd. But this time he had managed to find Ser Noah. He was still running, on the opposite side of the street but neither ahead or behind Marcus. Marcus cut across, causing a few pedestrians to yell obscenities at him, and finally met up with his Patron Knight.

"Ahhh why hello there Mr. Braeden. It's a fine day out isn't it? A great day for a run if I say so myself!"

Marcus gasped as he tried to talk whilst running. His cardio wasn't exactly prime. "I though...we were...doing archery!" Marcus breathed heavily as his words escaped his mouth.

"We are!" Ser Noah said as he stopped in his tracks. Marcus stopped somewhere ahead of Ser Noah, and looked back. They had arrived at the training grounds, and Marcus had not even noticed passing into them. Before them were several archery targets, some were standing while others were tipped over, awaiting someone to set them upright. Behind them were various stacks of hay, meant to catch any arrows that went astray.

"Alright, let's knock those arrows! Ser Noah exclaimed.

by **Marcus Braeden** on April 11th, 2012, 11:33 pm

"So, how would one nock these things" Marcus said as he waved an arrow around. Just try it out first. I want to see what you can do first. Maybe you are some sort of prodigy" Ser Noah responded in his sarcastic fashion.

Marcus did his best to match up the notch in the arrow with the string of the bow. That part alone took some doing, as the arrow had decided to be stubborn and fall out every time he lifted the bow. Once the arrow was secure, Marcus attempted to pull the bowstring back, but failed. It had been a lot harder to pull back than previously thought, he would actually have to put some strength in it. Everyone he has seen do it, had done it so effortlessly that he thought he could do it to. Marcus once again attempted it, and successfully did with ease. Perhaps his smithing experience had managed to develop some sort of muscle in his arms. Now it was time for the release, which Marcus suspected would be the easiest part. Just aim and release, right? Well that was what Marcus did and his arrow fell to the ground a few feet in front of him. He must have touched the bow string after the release, causing the loss of momentum.

"Yeah that was bad" Ser Noah said bluntly. "Nock it as you had done before, and begin pulling back on the bowstring as you lift the weapon to aim at your target. This will let the arrow remain secure. Release the bow string and let it launch the arrow, don't be afraid of it." he explained to the squire.

Marcus once again strung an arrow, doing as Ser Noah had instructed this time. He moved lethargically, making sure to get every step correct. He took aim at the target and released, making sure to not touch the bow. The arrow darted past his left hand and cut through the air. However, the target stood undisturbed, as the arrow had fallen from the air a few feet short and to the right of the target.

"Well you get the idea. Just keep practicing that and it will come together, well at least getting the distance will. We will work on your technique when you can actually get the arrow to the target. So for now, do it again" Noah said to Marcus.

Marcus went and fetched his arrow, and repeated, hoping for better results.

by **Marcus Braeden** on April 12th, 2012, 9:19 pm

With each shot that the squire took, the arrow would travel further and further. And every time there was a gain of some sort, Marcus would smirk a little, acknowledging that he was getting the hang of this thing called a bow. Eventually his arrows were travelling he full distance to the target in front of him. But another challenge lay of ahead of him and that was actually getting hitting the target.

Once Marcus had reached the distance through repetition of the same basic movement of nocking an arrow and releasing, Marcus now had to deal with his aim. Currently each arrow was flying left of the target and landing among the hay behind the targets, although one shot had somehow managed to clip the boarder of the target, which had stirred some excitement within Marcus. There was no wind, so the problem obviously lay within Marcus' technique. An obvious solution was to aim right, which would make up for the arrows flying left. But that was just a shortcut to the solution. A shortcut that Ser Noah was not happy with.

"Damn Braeden, you aren't blind in one eye are you?" He sarcastically quipped as another arrow landed among the straws of hay. Marcus sighed in response, and nocked another arrow. "Ok, nock an arrow and hold it. Don't release till I tell you." Marcus nodded and did as he was instructed, although we was not sure how long he could hold the bow string. "Come on, pull it all the way back to your jaw, Braeden" he said. He continued to watch Marcus' stance and other minor details that apparently had a large impact on the results. "Don't point your left foot forward. Point it to the side but not quite parallel with your other foot, and turn your body to face your target. And stand upright, I see some slouch" Ser Noah commanded. Marcus obliged, switching all of his body positions to fit Ser Noah's instruction.

"Ok, release the arrow with your three fingers all at the same time. If you don't it causes deflection. Also, follow through your shot by holding your position after you release the arrow. Dont lower your arm or become relaxed until the arrow has completely left the bow." Marcus released the arrow, doing everything he could to the best of his ability. However he must have lowered his arm too soon, as the arrow fell short of he target.

"I moved my arm too soon" Marcus stated realizing his error. "Yes you did, now try again."

by **Marcus Braeden** on April 16th, 2012, 2:39 am

Marcus secured another arrow to the bowstring and raised the weapon. He peered down the shaft of the arrow, lining it up best he could with the target ahead of him. His arms swayed slightly, making a perfect shot impossible, yet Marcus kept the arrow held firm, hoping a perfect moment would come. Minutes passed and Marcus had still not taken the short. Before that optimal moment arrived, Marcus' arms began to tire, and soon he released the arrow out necessity to rest his arms. He released, ignoring the technique he was taught. His instincts took over, trying to rest his arms. The arrow had once again flown off course and struck a barrel of hay.

Marcus sighed and rubbed his right arm, which had been holding the arrow in the bow. "Wow, I thought you would never shoot the damn thing. Try to release a bit quicker next time will ya? I nearly fell asleep" Ser Noah snickered at Marcus.

Marcus glanced towards his mentor and then back at his target. He reached back to his quiver, and slipped another arrow between his fingers. He nocked it, and pulled back using the muscles in his arms. They were still a slightly tired from Marcus' search for the perfect shot. He took aim, and once again he began to search for the perfect opportunity.

A minute passed and Ser Noah decided to step in, offering more advice "Look Braeden..." Marcus lowered the bow and turned toward's his mentor. "...there is no perfect opportunity. You could hold your arms completely still but there would always be something keeping it from being perfect. The wind, someone shooting back, exhaustion. So stop waiting and make do with what you have. Adapt" Ser Noah commanded.

Marcus nodded with slight grin, and returned to his firing posiition.

by **Marcus Braeden** on April 16th, 2012, 3:02 am

Once again he aligned his target using the shaft of the arrow as his reference. At the end of the shaft, the arrowhead, he could see his target. He was aiming for the center, but he would be happy if he could hit the thing. His arms preformed their usual routine of swaying, almost trying to sabotage Marcus' shot. Marcus took up his mentor's advice and ignored them. Marcus released the fingers that bound the arrow to the bow, and the arrow flew from the weapon. Marcus made sure that his own technique after the release was in appropriate form. He held his arm in place until the arrow was in mid flight, and then slowly came to a point of relaxation. Marcus then began his search for the arrow, to see where it had landed.

He gazed at the target and smile slowly spread across his face. It appeared as though the arrow had managed to avoid the hay this time around and instead hit the target. It was no bulls eye, but a hit was a hit and Marcus would take it. It had landed one ring in from the most outer ring.

"Alright let's pack it up. I think I got the point across. A simple introduction to archery before our trip. Run and go get the arrows, we have packing to do." Marcus nodded and sprinted across the archery field, picking up various arrows that had landed among the hay, dirt, and the sole one that had found itself stuck in the target. Marcus smiled as he plucked it from the ring.

by **Chevalier** on April 17th, 2012, 10:14 pm

Marcus

LORE

Sleeping on the Job
Knocking an Arrow
Proper Archery Stance
In Archery, Waiting is Tiring

EXPERIENCE

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	3
Running	1
Composite Shortbow	4
Body Building	2

Storyteller Notes

Secret :