Flashback [Antinous Training Grounds] A Squire & His Faith

[Vizayas]

Winter 41st, 514
Vizayas followed closely behind his patron, Ivan Gallager. They were headed to the Antinous Training Grounds today. Ivan had agreed to teach him a few things, since Vizayas had only been a squire for a week now. The wide oak doors to the training grounds stood open for them. He had only been here once before, during a basic tour. The light was almost blinding, but still they walked towards it. The inside of the castle was only lit by candlelight, and the occasional window if you were lucky. "So am I going to learn to hit things today, Ser Ivan? Or did you have something else in mind?" Vizayas said as he held his arm over his brow while his eyes adjusted to the searing white light, a smile cracking on his face.

"You're certainly in the mood to learn." Ivan observed. "That's a good trait to have in the order." The man stood a few inches taller than Vizayas, who was somewhat short. "We will be discussing the knighthood today. I know you have been looking to inquiring about your training, so we will begin that later today if there is time." The knight walked over to a stone ledge, ripe with overgrown grass. He patted the ledge with his hand. "Please, sit." Ivan beckoned.

Vizayas walked over and sat on the ledge next to Ivan. The knight looked to him, and began to speak moments after Vizayas looked comfortable. "You've only been in Syliras a short amount of time. It's been about a season, hasn't it?" Ivan said, asking for a reaffirmation.

Vizayas nodded, a pang of memory welling up from within and showing him glimpses of the events this past season. "Yes, I've been a squire for shorter than that." Vizayas said, turning to look at the ground. "I don't know a lot about the knights, but I've heard tales of kindness and adventure - protecting peace. That's why I'm trying to become a knight." He added, a hint of appreciation thrown in with his words. He turned to look at Ivan again.

"Today I'm going to teach you the history of the knights, and our gods." Ivan said. "First, history. I've spent a lot of time in the library of Syliras since I'm from Zeltiva and had to make up for that missing knowledge. As a result, I know quite a lot about the order. Do you know anything about how the order was founded?" Ivan said the question with a giddy rise in his voice. Vizayas simply shook his head, his eyes turning away for a moment in regret before returning his gaze. "Then that is where we will start." continued Ivan.

"The knights began a long time ago. There was an event called the Valterran." Ivan said, and Vizayas opened his mouth to speak a question. Ivan continued before he had the chance. "I don't know much about the Valterran, only that it caused great destruction and forced humanity to live in caves until the world calmed. There was no civilization, no food, no peace, no place to learn. People fought over food and shelter." Ivan said, allowing a moment for Vizayas to finally speak his thoughts.

"Sounds like an awful time to be alive." Vizayas said, trying to imagine a world where nobody had food or shelter. "It must have been like living in the wilds." He continued. "But what does this have to do with the knights?"

"The order was founded during that time, by two brothers, with help from a Konti seer. Lawrence and Leon Dyres, and the seer was called Nila. The name Dyres sounds familiar, yes?" Ivan asked, keeping Vizayas engaged in the lesson.

Vizayas was wracking his brains for a clue, but he came up dry. "Familiar, yes. I'm not quite sure where I've heard the name. Their ancestors still live today, I'm guessing?" Vizayas ended his answer with a question.

[Vizayas]

"Indeed. The current grandmaster of the order, Loren Dyres, is descended from Lawrence. I believe Leon married Nila, but their descendants are of Konti heritage." Ivan responded. "That may be a surprise, but there's more to the story." He stood up from the ledge and walked a few feet forward, then turned to face Vizayas. "The seer foresaw that the Dyres brothers would found a knightly order in this very location." He extended his arms outward, as if to demonstrate the significance of the ground he stood upon. "Leading the survivors of humanity, the three of them teamed up and established a city. Within this city, named Syliras, they established the knighthood. It would serve as a beacon of peace and justice to all, guarded by the knights for all these years." He took a deep breath. "And that's pretty much it. Any questions?"

Vizayas was still processing the story when Ivan asked his next question. "A few, definitely. What is a Konti, exactly?" He asked. It felt strange to ask a question that was so far flung from the original topic, but he was curious. He had seen them before, interacted with them on occasion. But they seemed special in a way he could not yet understand.

Ivan shuffled his feet and looked to the sun, which was beginning to set. "Konti. They are a race comprised entirely of women with unblemished skin and white hair. They can breathe underwater, and often 'know' things due to a magic they get from the isle of Mura, and are sometimes born with, if that makes any sense. If I remember correctly, they tend to worship the gods Rak'keli and Avalis."

"Rak'keli, Avalas, Sylir. I definitely want to learn more about the gods." Vizayas replied. He began to wonder what it was like to breathe underwater, as he had never attempted it with his own magic. He was beginning to grow fascinated with these Konti women, since they seemed so close to their gods. Humans, they were almost never born with magic. He had to learn it.

"I will go over the gods with you shortly, but first-" Ivan turned to face Vizayas again. "We will discuss hierarchy." His eyes seemed to glaze over with distant thoughts a moment, silent for what seemed like an eternity to Vizayas before the man spoke. "Loren Dyres is grandmaster of the order. He is the man responsible for leading the knights. Second in charge, that's Petri Alvikal. He's Lord Knight. You met one of them in the interview to determine your training regimen. They each lead a certain number of forces separated into batalions led by different ranks of knights." He had tried to finish the entire thing in a single breath, but he couldn't. After a brief pause, he inhaled and kept going as Vizayas listened intently.

"From the bottom up, we will start with pages. These are the young children whom are training to be a squire, the sons and daughters of knights. Foreigners to Syliras often skip this step, becoming a squire immdiately. Pages are taught valuable information about Syliras' history, horses, and tactics. Some learn other things as well, even have responsibilities. Many of the higher ups were pages groomed for the knighthood. They are often looked after by Squires, to make pages more familiar with what is expected of them once they become thirteen years of age and move on to being one." He immediately moved on to the next subject. "Then we have the squires." Vizayas was familiar with the next rank he covered. From these words, he deduced that he wasn't far from a child in the eyes of the order.

Ivan reached out and touched Vizayas on the shoulder, as if trying to convey a sense of importance. "When you joined the order, you became a squire." The hand holding Vizayas fell away. "Squires are on their way to becoming a knight. They have to be vouched for by a Patron Knight, but I'm assuming you figured that out when you met me. A squire follows a planned training regimen carried out by their Patron Knight. They also look after any pages they wish, and learn with them. When a squire is ready to be knighted is first determined by their Patron Knight - that's me. It can be as quick as a few days, or take as long as a few years." He raised his eyebrow at Vizayas. "Any questions about the squirehood?" He asked.

[Vizayas]

Vizayas waited to finish mulling over the information he had just received before he responded. "Yes, could you tell me about my regimen again?" He asked. He felt as if he should already know this, but it helped to know what to focus his training on. Where he was lacking. Vizayas noticed Ivan grow slightly agitated at the question, but the man seemed to suppress those feelings the next instant.

"I have to teach you about the Knighthood, and how things work in Syliras. You want to fight with your hands and body, since that's what your magic relies on. So I have to find someone to teach you how to use your body as you would a sword. You need to go and hit a tree or something every day in your spare time until you can throw a good punch until I find someone for you." He took in a deep breath and exhaled in a long, drawn out sigh. "Then I have to teach you to use your magic responsibly. You seem to be pretty good at that, but I've got to make sure. I also have to help you come up with good and tactical uses for that magic, to assist your squad when you become a Knight yourself." The word 'I' was being thrown around a lot, but Vizayas figured he could count on his Patron Knight to push him in the right direction. It wasn't too suprising, but Vizayas took it upon himself to try and remember this time. "Where were we?" Ivan asked momentarly, before his mind caught up with him. "Ah, your freshly knighted Knight of the Knighthood." He seemed amused at his own wordplay.

"Your standard Syliran Knight comes in many forms. He can be a man carrying nothing but the words of Sylir in his mind as he goes about his knightly duties, seemingly mundane to all that know him. He can also be a man of the wilds, devoted to surviving in them and patrolling such lands to warn of or outright stop dangers approaching from therein. Lastly, there are Mage-Knights like myself. Any talent useful to the knighthood can often be rewarded as such provided they learn the basics of being a knight. We're all tools for peace. Mind, body, and soul." Ivan exhaled as a distant look crossed his eyes again, Vizayas listening for more information to devour like a hungry wild beast.

"A Knight does not lead anyone aside from any squires they take on under their wing. They also take orders from anyone of a higher rank. Usually, they get orders from their Sergeant Knight. A Knight is not judged by his power alone, but also his capability to lead, interpret, and direct others. When they have demonstrated this capability, that is when they become a Sergeant Knight. With a higher title comes more responsibility, as there are lives at stake with the orders you give in a dangerous situation. Always stay one step ahead of the situation - or more if you can manage." Ivan realized he was trailing off into another subject, so he reigned himself in and changed the subject as Vizayas continued to try and remember everything said to him.

"A sergeant Knight leads five other knights in a unit called a wing. When they become a Stewart Knight, they lead ten wings. That's fifty knights! Leading so many people is a staggering prospect, considering many of us struggle to direct our squires, let alone fifty people with fifty needs, fifty personalities, fifty sets of skills, and the fifty seperate bonds you need to form with each and every individual to earn their respect. They are like your brothers, so should you lose one it would hurt. So many lives - forgive me, I'm branching off again." Ivan couldn't help speaking his thoughts at times, and Vizayas was the same way.

Ivan paused for a moment and looked at Vizayas, as if waiting for him to respond with questions. Vizayas noticed this and took it as his cue to begin to speak his own thoughts. "I can see how that's a lot of responsibility, and how it can be complicated. When I was younger, three kids looked up to me. I could barely keep them contained, all I could really do was push them in a certain direction and hope they went with it. As we grew older and closer, we listened to the words of one another more often. I don't really have any bonds of that sort yet." Vizayas said, remembering a certain incident involving an escaped horse in Alvadas that turned to disaster. The memory of that event amused him greatly, but they were reckless at that age. The information Ivan had given him would certainly help him to better understand the role of leadership.

"I'm sure you will form those friendships as you spend more time meeting people in the Knighthood. Meet everyone you possibly can, learn about them. The more connected you are, the easier it is to pull people together." He reached over and curled his arm around Vizayas, pulling him over into a quick but knowing hug. Vizayas found such social interactions highly awkward, so he stayed silent. "I guess now is a good time to go over the gods, and maybe discuss faith a bit."

[Vizayas]

Vizayas perked up at the idea. He was very interested in learning about the gods. "I'm assuming we are starting with Sylir?" He said. He had heard the name of the god thrown around a few times, and didn't know much about him.

"Sylir, god of peace and civilization." Ivan said. "For a long time, he was lost to us all. We knew about him in whispers, and many feared he was dead. Recently, he made his presence known again. So, I'll give it my best guess. He has a hand in civilization, so he represents the concept of people coming together for efficiency and protection. I bet as the god of peace, he's against war, so he may prefer that more peaceful means be taken should something threaten civilization." Ivan's words quieted down to a whisper. "But when we do have to fight, we leave an offering for Myri, the goddess of war."

Vizayas raised an eyebrow, giving Ivan a questioning glance. The Knights prayed to something that was the direct opposite of peace? And he said it as if it were taboo to mention, no less. Vizayas didn't know if he wanted to support war, though he certainly would want to be on the winning side provided the ideals were just. "I suppose it's an inevitability." He said quietly, in response. He didn't feel comfortable outright supporting her, and he assumed that indeed many knights felt the same way. In any case, he surmised Ivan probably wouldn't feel comfortable talking about her much more than he already had. Vizayas appreciated peace and civilization, for they were two essential things to him.

ivan began to speak again. "Then there's Tyveth. He represents a lot of things. Honor, Justice, Valor, Chivalry, Truth. Keeping people in the light, and having a good moral code while willing to act selflessly is what he's all about. See someone struggling to pull a cart because their horse went lame the day before? Helping them out is the right thing to do, and that's what his followers strive for. Many knights who worship him actively look for places where they can help, and never go back on their word. Some are even politicians, handling the law and making sure people are treated justly. They will make every effort to do good on a promise. They will also go out of their way to make sure a criminal gets what is coming to them. Chivalry is a bit of an art form, but you'll learn about it."

Vizayas thought Tyveth sounded quite respectable. A moral code? He sort of had one already. He didn't want to do anyone harm unless they were hurting others, and if someone was in need he would try and help. He was a clutz though, so sometimes that didn't pan out. To properly worship Tyveth, he now knew he would have to become respectable and strong as a knight. "I think I could do a lot of things Tyveth asks. It would be difficult to maintain, I'm sure there are a lot of situations where there is no right answer. How do I accomplish that?"

Ivan straightened himself at the question, having been deep in thought while Vizayas asked it. "I can only guess that you will have to do what you think is right, if that makes any sense. Doing right by yourself is as good as doing right by another, is it not? You probably become a better, stronger person if you've got good morals." Ivan's answer gave Vizayas a lot to chew on. Doing right by himself? Did he mean making himself feel just? Do the gods really care about how you feel as opposed to what you do? They were all questions that he wanted to ask, but he guessed he would figure out more about them as time went on. He had a lot of time to pursue philosophy, so perhaps someone at the temple would have a good answer to that question?

Vizayas was still pondering inside his mind when Ivan continued to speak. "Moving on, there's Yahal. A lot of people in the order like him just as much as Sylir - he represents purity and faithfulness. His followers are very...involved with their faith. Even if they don't directly serve the temple. Staying true to a reighteous path while trusting in him to your last dying breath is what he will ask of you. I know someone who took a vow of celibacy in his name, for the sake of purity. I guess that's a good idea, considering women can be a lot of trouble." Vizayas could tell that Ivan didn't have as much faith in the gods. He seemed like a very practical man. Vizayas was practical, but he made a special place in his mind for faith.

"So, Yahal is quite the commitment then?" Vizayas remarked out loud.

[Vizayas]

" Yahal is a way of life that few are willing to commit to, so you might want to ask the Benshira of Eyktol who worship him fervently about him. They would probably know more about him than I do. " Ivan rubbed his brow. "Wow, have we done a lot of talking. I've given you a lot of knowledge today, which I'm sure is what Eyris would want. She's the goddess of knowledge, wisdom, history...I think I'm missing something. Ah, teaching. That's what I'm doing right now." Something inside him snapped, and his face contorted as if holding something back. Ivan broke out into a fit of loud, bumbling laughter.

"That's amusing! I'm teaching you about the goddess of teaching!" Ivan exclaimed, closing his eyes at the thought. Vizayas couldn't help but sense the humor in the joke, considering it was very practical humor. He, too, suppressed a laugh. He, too, failed at doing so. He let out a controlled giggle followed by a snort. Why was this so funny? Laughter was contagious.

Ivan and Vizayas both began to calm down, subjecting themselves to silence. After a few moments, he began to speak again. "You know, Priskil...she's the goddess of hope. She can be quite inspiring. I often think to her when times are looking dire, even if I don't beg her for help. She's said to keep watch for all the dark things in the world and warn of them. She's not a common goddess within the order, but a number of knights respect her I'm sure. I'm one of them." He changed the subject from Eyris to Priskil, but Vizayas didn't mind. Priskil sounded like the sort of god you would want on your side if you were in a bad spot. He wouldn't mind meeting her someday, considering how nice she sounded.

"You know, Ivan..." Vizayas said. "I've got faith of my own, but learning of all these other gods and goddesses has really enlightened me. There's a lot to think about, a lot of gods to learn about. I don't know if I can do right by them all, but these few seem to ask for all the right things. It's impossible to be perfect...but maybe with the right guidance I can polish myself to become someone important and meaningful. Rhaus speaks to me the most, but I'm very intrigued by Sylir, Tyveth, Priskil, Yahal, and Eyris. I think I would grow to love them, and have faith in them as much as I do Rhaus. There's a lot of them though, I don't know if I could represent them all with my thoughts and actions. I've always wanted to carve out my own fate. That's one reason I left Alvadas, since I never really felt in control of my life. At least here I can aspire to be something greater. If friendship, faith, wisdom and peace are concepts I can adopt as part of my being in the process, then that speaks to me. I very much wish to meet more gods one day, and I'm ashamed to admit that I would believe in them less if I had not had an experience of my own when I was younger. It's hard to believe in the immaterial, but once you begin to understand things get easier." Vizayas was on a sort of philosophical deluge. He felt crazy talking this way, but he looked to Ivan for input on what he said.

The words came swift and clear. Ivan spoke with a tinge of solitude lacing his voice. "Those are good concepts to strive for, but life is never that easy. The world will suck you up and spit you out a changed creature if you aren't careful. I think the best thing you can do is to be sound of judgement, and keep your head cool. It can be tough, as a mage. Sweet whispers can drive you crazy or at least make you think that you are. If you stick to the teachings of the Knighthood, you should be able to differentiate between the good and bad. If you rely on faith too much, then you might stroll blindly into something that will cause you to meet your end. Do you get what I'm trying to say?"

[Vizayas]

Ivan made some really good points. Vizayas had forgotten that his mind could suffer from his magic. That would be a terrible thing, frightening to even think of in any detail for him. Those sweet whispers...magic...dangerous in almost every aspect. And even then, if he were supremely faithful it might end with him sacrificing his life for another. Was he really prepared to do that? Vizayas nodded slowly, staring at the dirt between his feet. "I'll keep what you said in mind. What you say rings true in my head, and your reasoning is sound. It's better to be aware, than to be blinded by faith. But, that would be a folly of my own making if I were to allow it to do such to me. I can be devout, but I think I can still differentiate between what is asked and what is required of me and make a decision between the two. It will be difficult, I'm sure. But...I have to try, right?"

Ivan crossed his arms, then leaned back and cupped his hand over his temple, rubbing it in irritated contemplation. "Everyone is different, Vizayas. Everyone has their own philosophy. You can try yours, and if it works out...that's good. You're young, the world is a big place. You've seen Alvadas, you've seen Syliras. There's so much more out there, just don't become too burdened by your ways. Live a little before you take upon your shoulders the burden of more than is asked of you."

"Alright." Vizayas said. It was intriguing to think about the world in that way - everyone's different and has their own philosophy. He could understand now why some seemed crazy. Philosophy was a wild thing, especially when it comes to religion. Ivan stood up again, this time looking as if he were prepared to leave.

"I have to go now. We can talk about it some more, if you wish. I don't know everything, so you're going to have to talk to other people and get their take on things if you want more details." He turned, and then paused for a moment. "Think over what you've learned. I'm arranging some combat training for you tomorrow." He said.

"Thank you. See you later!" Vizayas said. After a few moments, he was alone. It was just him and his thoughts. He began to go over what he had learned, today in his mind. The positions and ranks within the Knighthood, and the gods such as Priskil, Sylir, Tyveth, and Yahal. He focused on eliminating the distractions that became more prevalent, clearing his mind and thinking about everything to better cement it. He didn't want to forget anything he had learned today, it was all valuable - even the philosophy. He also learned what it meant to be a leader, the difficulties. His mind led him back to the god he had met, and how his adventure had finally begun to pan out. Rhaus, I'm going to give this everything I have. I will become something worthy of you. It starts today. And the rest of you... Vizayas' thoughts turned to his new gods. Gods he knew so little about, but gods he knew were real beings.

He too stood, alone but with more company than he had ever had. "The world as I know it so far is such a chaotic place, rife with murder and manipulation even in the places humanity has carved out for itself. I don't want to fall prey to it - I won't let myself fall! Hear me? Priskil, Sylir, Tyveth, Yahal! I won't let myself head down that path! Grant me strength so that I will not waver in the face of such trials..."

[Sayana]

Vizayas Skills: Skill EXP Socialization +3 Observation +2 History +2 Interrogation +3 Deduction +3 Leadership +1 Philosophy +3 Rhetoric +2 Meditation +1 Lores: Location: Antinous Training Grounds Syliran Knights: How they were founded Konti: Female race who are seers and can breathe underwater Konti: Worship Rak'keli and Avalis Syliran Knights: Heirarchy and responsiblies of each rank Syliran Knights: Different types of knights Leadership: A leader must look after those he leads Sylir: God of peace and civilization Myri: Goddess of war Tyveth: God of honor, justice, valor, chivalry, truth Yahal: Purity and faithfulness Eyris: Goddess of knowledge Priskil: Goddess of hope Dangers of blind faith Shield Points: Shield Points Earned Reason +1 Patron +4 Training Total: +5 Shield Points Comments : Wow that was a lot of lore. Great thread. That was quite the training session even though it was a lot of listening from Vizayas. Instead of storytelling, I awarded history since it semed more appropriate. Even though he was listening to the information and understanding it, it didn’t seem like he was really analyzing it the way a spy might. So I didn’t award intelligence. Also, I’m not sure if there’s much difference between logic and deduction so I stuck with the latter. There was a lot on your list for potential skills and some didn’t seem that actively used. Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request in the grade request thread. However, make sure to keep the link so that the DS can review graded threads with ease. If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to send me a message (like really, I’m all ears if you feel like I missed something). Enjoy.