Solo [ The Bronze Woods ] The Lost Cause

Holland finds himself lost in the woods and decides to practice

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Stretching northward along the coastline of the Suvan Sea, the Cobalt Mountains are the home of the Bronze Wood, numerous ruins, and creatures both strange and fantastical.

[ The Bronze Woods ] The Lost Cause

Postby Holland Rolandus on April 8th, 2015, 4:06 pm

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Summer 3rd 505 A.v [ Flashback ]

Today a harrowing summer wind rolled in, and sent chills throughout Hollands body. He felt as if he wandered about aimlessly. Lost and without any sense of direction; he gave up. The Mountains weren’t a place for a young fifteen year old teenager. Not one like Holland he had no experience in navigating through woods. He heard the blood curdling screams of nature, and didn’t like it one bit. Having been alone and felt isolated from the world he didn’t quite know how to react. He shouldn’t have been out and about today, and he should’ve listened to the tales his father told him about The Cobalt Mountains. Rolandor Rolandus told him that “Tis’ not a place for young men to be traveling alone.” Holland didn’t want to believe what was going on at the moment. He couldn’t even see very far and felt as if he was surrounded by a thick fog. He’d already lost any and all sense he had of direction, and couldn’t even think. Holland thought he would be able to turn around and walk away immediately. Yet, the more he thought about the fact that he’d walked this way for many bells. He knew that he wouldn’t simply be able to escape the wild-lands without some sort of obstacle standing in his way.


He turned about in a complete spherical motion. Following backward the several prints of his boots found within the soil. Attempting to track himself back to his initial location, and get back home to his father. Rolandor was much more of a man who believed in learning by experience. Holland knew he wouldn’t even be in trouble when he returned home. Trial and error was his fathers’ favorite method of teaching, and Holland hated every bit of it. Disciplinary action followed majority of everything else he did in his life. Yet, when it came to dangerous things of this nature his father didn’t care at all whatsoever. Holland was quite the rebellious child at heart, but he honored his fathers’ words. Holland looked about swiftly, making several observations about his surroundings. Making sure he paced himself to endure the incredibly long walk back home. Burning and stinging occurred in his heels as his feet grew numb from walking the incredibly long distance. The sheer ache was absolutely agonizing, and enduring the pain was far beyond him. Even if Holland had to crawl he would attempt making it home. Holland typically wasn’t the type of person to give up; especially if giving up potentially meant that he would die.

Holland carried no more then his rapier at his side that he constantly trained with. Holland thought of an idea rather swiftly. “Why don’t I train as I go so that I can both improve my endurance and my skills with this blade?” His conscious spoke as he clasped the hilt of his rapier. His right hand grasped hold of it in a strangulation, and he drew the blade from its scabbard immediately. Holland had already been training as of recent and got a feel for the light-weight steel. The full blade length extended 38.7 inches outward and the haft length in combination to that added an additional eight inches.

Hollands trembling hands held the rapier. For the first time he discovered that the weapon was not simply one handed. Holland coiled his right hands fingertips around the haft of the weapon. Whereas his left hands palm was placed beneath the pommel of the weapon. Holland swung once in a vertical cleaving motion the blade descended from heavenward to the ground below. The weapon collided with the dirt kicking up a bit of the sediment and vibrated within his hands. Holland felt the difference in force when he swung the blade like this.

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Holland Rolandus
The Wandering Sellsword
 
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[ The Bronze Woods ] The Lost Cause

Postby Holland Rolandus on April 8th, 2015, 5:03 pm

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Holland held on to the weapon tightly and clasped it within his hands. He attempted not to let go of the weapon as it vibrated so violently. He swung again, and this time he repeated the aforementioned motion. Holland allowed his emotion to get in the way of the swing. How dare his father dictate his life when Holland knew that only he could walk his own path? Why would he bother forcing Holland to walk the path that his father wanted him to walk? Anger struck Holland with the next swing, and he uplifted the weapon above his cranium. Before he rushed forward and planted his left foot in the ground directly before him.

His right foot continued to travel forward into the thrust. The placement of the left foot gave him balance. The placement of the right foot aided him with adding force to the blow. Holland missed the thrust, and immediately decided upon using a recovery strike. Holland slammed the flat of the blade into the Tree, and struggled to as much as hold on to the weapon. Holland’s hands trembled once more and this time he dropped the rapier. Enraged and consumed by his thoughts Holland threw out a punch with his right hand. The fist collided with the Tree, and Holland screamed in pure agony. Having felt the pain of the connection and noticed that his knuckles were sliced up swiftly.

Aqua de vitae leaked from the damaged flesh, and the bark was of course the culprit. Holland learned that striking Tree bark in a fight wasn’t something he ever wanted to make the mistake of doing. He continued to walk about after which; having picked up the rapier and swung again. Despite just haven given himself a minor injury upon the knuckles. Making his way home and Holland swung the blade time and time again.

He attempted to focus on finding the fastest way to strike an opponent. Holland this time threw outward a horizontal slash. He swung from left to right in two swift motions. Holland followed up the “one-two” combination with a concluding thrust and extended out the full length of his arm. Light gleamed off of the steel as he moved about, and he paid close attention to that fact. Perhaps he could use the advantage of light bouncing off of his weapon in combat? Holland wouldn’t ever figure rather or not that was even possible out without a live target. Therefore what he thought to be possible was simply theoretical and not proven.

Holland began to stir up a conundrum of thoughts. Apprehensive were the absolutely mind boggling disturbing and twisted thoughts of his as per usual. Holland often times found his mind wondering off into places where it shouldn't have gone. Holland wished to some day become a mercenary, and be hired to destroy thieves and criminals. Yet, the order put a tight leash on that. Holland was not happy with the decisions the order made. He felt as if they were simply letting people think they had free will. Holland thought in a philosophical manner. “Perhaps the key to controlling a society is to control it through allowing them to think that they control themselves.” The illusion of control is what made people believe Syliras was peaceful.

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Holland Rolandus
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[ The Bronze Woods ] The Lost Cause

Postby Holland Rolandus on April 8th, 2015, 5:30 pm

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Holland finally made his way home, and immediately approached his father with a question. “Father, will you do me a favor and do battle with me so that I can learn more about how to swing this Rapier?” Rolandor replied with a simple sentence. “The question is do you truly want to learn about how your weapon is used? After all a weapon isn’t simply some tool of destruction. It is created through an art that has been around for quite some time. The art is called blacksmithing and it is the very reason you are wearing the armor I once possessed upon your body as we speak. Weapons do not kill, people are not bad nor are they good. There is no evil, and there surely isn’t any good in this world. In your lifetime you might come to think of people as evil. When they aren’t evil but there are villains, heroes, legends, and outcasts in society. You simply have to choose which one you will become in the future, boy. The question is what will you become, son?”

Holland took a moment to think before he even bothered attempting to reply.

He finally spoke after several chimes of thinking. “Father, I will be a hero, and I truly would like to be just like y--..” Holland was cut off immediately by his father.

“Just like who? Just like me? You do not want to be just like me, and no matter how hard you try you’ll never be just like me or any other person who lives and breathes. You are yourself, and you cannot be just like anyone else because of the fact that you are you. “His father spoke in a philosophical manner.

Holland replied “Father what does it mean to be a hero, and why did you choose to join that group. Why do you use your magic for that organization? Why waste your time following alongside the other people and being a “squire” or what ever that is?”

His father immediately spoke. “Because, Holland. I am a hero, and I do not fight nor do I use magic only for myself. I use magic for all of the people out there in society who are trying to make lives of their own. I fight to protect the people of Syliras alongside my patron. I fight and always will fight for as long as I live in order to spend my time protecting people like you. The young and foolish who hardly understand anything about what it means to be a hero. You want to be a hero? Then you will have to make sacrifices not only for yourself but for others. That is why I chose to join the order.”

Holland spoke again “So father, you being a member of the order i—“before being cut off again by his father.

Rolandor spoke “A sacrifice. “

Holland continued to deliver constant questions to his father only to be cut off countless times and grow tired of it. Holland wanted to know what it meant to be a hero, and yet his father only told him one thing.

“Being a hero means to be willing to give your life and all that you own up on a whim for the sake of another. Being a hero simply means that you won’t shy away or turn your head at a challenge when the time for battle arises. Being a hero means that you’ll rise to the occasion when someone tells you they’ve been done injustice. Being a hero means that you are the very definition of sacrifice. You are the very definition of conviction, and that you will always be that way, Holland.”

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Holland Rolandus
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[ The Bronze Woods ] The Lost Cause

Postby Holland Rolandus on April 8th, 2015, 5:57 pm

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“Come on now boy, Hurry it up I don’t have time to waste! If you want to learn anything about how to swing your Rapier then let us begin. “

Rolandor spoke as he drew from his scabbard his own rapier. Unlike Holland’s, Rolandor possessed a rapier that was ornate. Eccentric and incredibly expensive with an elongated 48 inch length much like that of Hollands own. Rolandor possessed a rapier composed of pure silver. A weapon that shone magnificently in the luminous sun and immediately the lesson began.

Rolandor immediately lunged forward not even giving Holland the time to take up a stance. Attacking when Holland least expected it was quite the cheap and dishonorable tactic. Rolandor widened his eyes immediately as he threw outward an incredibly swift thrust toward Holland. Holland attempted to make a move, but it was already far too late. By the time Holland prepared his stance his father had already beaten him to the punch. The tip of his fathers’ rapier was already at his throat. Rolandor wondered why in the world Holland moved that slowly. Relentless in his judgement Rolandor spoke with disappointment in his voice.

“Holland, why are you moving slowly? Have I not gone over this with you? Expect your opponent to strike first, always. Don’t ever expect your opponent to be honorable, and don’t expect to be allowed to do something. If I can prevent you from doing something in a battle before you move then I will do just that. Strike me before I strike you. How hard is that to understand boy? Have you learned nothing? You are my son and you shall not show me weakness nor will you taint my name. Be the dishonorable fighter and attack me with all of the might you have within you boy. “

Spoke Rolandor as he scalded his son for being slow with his motions. Holland felt angered and immediately struck whilst his father concluded his speech. He threw out a thrust of his own, and fully extended his right arm. He attempted to catch his father off guard with the sudden attack. Rolandor reacted swiftly, and easily countered his sons’ weapon. Parrying the strike and redirecting Holland’s blade with ease reflexively. He spoke again in order to give Holland a lesson.

“Lesson two, parrying an opponents strike. When parrying a strike you will either have to strike the opponents blade or allow their blade to strike your blade. From there you need to push and attack their weapon to redirect it. That will only work depending on how much heavier their weapon is compared to your weapon. If they have a heavy weapon then you should counter attack rather then waiting on them to attack you or vise versa. Strike them and eliminate the opponents’ advantages before they can do anything at all.”

Spoke Rolandor as he watched Holland nearly lose his balance from being parried that hard. Holland attempted to hold on to the weapon and watched as it flew from his hand immediately.

Rolandor spoke again, and scoffed at the failed attempt Holland used to hold on.

“I disarmed you with a parry because your grip wasn’t proper on the weapon. When holding a rapier you do not strangle the damned thing. You hold it firmly so that when you are parried your weapon won’t vibrate. I’m sure that you have hit something you had no business hitting and felt that vibration. That vibration is the very thing that will make you lose your weapon in combat, and you want to avoid having that happen. “ Rolandor spoke again before he turned about and returned to the tent.

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Holland Rolandus
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[ The Bronze Woods ] The Lost Cause

Postby Katelyn Marks on April 22nd, 2015, 1:37 pm

Due Rewards


“After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
― Philip Pullman

 
Holland
Skills
➢ Observation +2
➢ Tracking +1
➢ Land Navigation +1
➢ Rapier +3
➢ Tactics +3
➢ Endurance +1
➢ Unarmed Combat +1
➢ Philosophy +2
➢ Socialization +1

Lores
➢ Tracking: Following Bootprints
➢ Land Navigation: Retracing Steps
➢ Rapier: Using Two-Handed
➢ Rapier: Parrying
➢ Life Lesson: Don't Punch Trees
➢ Rolandor: Sacrifice and Selflessness
➢ Tactics: Don't Expect Honor from Enemies

Comments: Your description with combat was pretty good as usual. Good job.

If you have any concerns or questions about your rewards please feel free to send me a message. Also, please edit your original grade request and mark it as graded. Thank you and enjoy!
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Katelyn Marks
Gingersnap
 
Posts: 350
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