[Rearing Stallion] Securing a Future (John Griffin)

[Marcus Braeden]

87th of Fall, 510 AV

Marcus had been to the Rearing Stallion several times since his first visit to the inn back in the summer. However this particular visit included something different then the previous visits, which were usually about getting a drink. This time he was seeking someone, someone he had met during his first visit to the inn, John Griffin. John had offered to help Marcus try to join the ranks of the Syliran Knights. Marcus had taken a few weeks to think about the offer but ultimately he made the decision to try and find John to discuss the idea further.

As usual the inn was dimly lit, however it was lighter than the first time he had walked into the inn. He had made several visits and his eyes were beginning to adjust the lighting in the inn. The inn wasn't terribly crowded so Marcus had little difficulty securing an open table. He ordered an ale, after all, one cannot just walk into an inn and just sit there waiting and watching. But that was all he could do, sit and wait to see if John would walk in through that door.

[John Griffin]

Garbed nearly identically as the day he met Marcus, John stepped into the tavern, a studded leather jerkin the only addition to his ensemble. The young knight blinked a few times to allow his eyes to adjust to the lighting in the Stallion, then did his customary sweep of the place, noting faces both familiar and new, as well as weapons. His eyes stopped on Marcus, and he waited until contact was made, then gave the young smith a smile and lifted a hand in greeting. John had been to the Stallion several times since they met, but either Marcus hadn't sought him out until now, or they had missed each other.

He strode over to the bar and ordered an ale, sliding a silver across the counter to the keep, and tried to remember the smithy's name. Micheal? Mark? Marcus? Marcus! He smiled, glad he had remember it, and grabbed the mug presented to him. Careful not to spill any as he wove through the crowd of patrons, John made his way to the table Marcus was sitting at, and took a seat across from him, smiling.

"Marcus. It's good to see you. Dare I presume you're here looking for me? Or did I just happen to catch you enjoying an evening at the Stallion?"

[Marcus Braeden]

Marcus had been watching the entrance for about ten minutes when John finally showed up. Marcus was just about to get up and greet him, however John acknowledged him so Marcus stayed put and just waited for John come over. John was wearing his usual attire including the sword on his belt that he was about ready to use on the Drunks they had the pleasure of meetings the last time they were at the Stallion. As John weaved in and out of the crowd in the Stallion, Marcus couldn't help but chuckled a little bit as John tried to keep his drink from spilling. Marcus took a drink of ale as John took a seat across from him.

"Just the man i wanted to see" Marcus grinned. "Yeah it's a little bit of both, i was hoping we could discuss a little bit more about knighthood over a glass of ale."

[John Griffin]

"Well, I'd be more than happy to discuss the Order with you. Did you have particular questions? Or just a general interest?" asked John before he started sipping at his ale. His eyes smiled just as his face did. He was always happy to find young men and women interested in joining the Knighthood. He'd had a prospective squire once, but the man had dissappeared without a trace. Who knew what had happened. A change of heart, maybe, or something more sinister. John might never know. Who knew, perhaps Marcus might be interested in becoming his squire...time would tell.

[Marcus Braeden]

Marcus took a sip from his ale before continuing the conversation.

"I suppose I have a general interest. I think i mentioned last time we met that i was a native of Ravok. I suppose my interest in joining the Knights comes from some of the twisted things i have seen. My brother and I both ran our father's smith after he died however I the longer i stayed the more uncomfortable I became. I was finally pushed over the edge when two men, dressed in black, entered our shop and demanded supplies for unspecified reasons. Now, at first my brother and I denied them but then they ended up getting violent, they drew their weapons and hacked an empty weapon rack to bits. At this point, I had thought about grabbing a sword and retaliating, however, I thankfully decided against it, as I would most likely have been killed, and we decided to give the bastards what they wanted. After they left I made a decision, I decided i needed to get out of Ravok. I tried to convince my brother to come, but he insisted on staying behind and managing the shop. So i managed to join up with a caravan and i then arrived at Syliras. My intent was to continue my weaponsmithing, but something in my gut kept on telling me to join the Syliran Knights. So here i am."

Marcus took another sip, realising how much he had just talked.

"Whoops, didn't mean to give ya my whole life story there." He chuckled.

[John Griffin]

The ale was absolutely delicious, and John continued to sip at it while he listened to Marcus' story. He was quiet and polite, not interrupting, but listening intently, his eyes on Marcus nearly the entire time, straying only once to glance around the room as he did habitually. Having been holding his mug in both hands, and leaning over the table, he set down the beverage once the tale was over, and sat back in his chair. "So, would you like me to just talk about the Knighthood? Tell you what comes to mind? Or did you have things you wanted to ask? And, of course, I'll have some questions for you later. I like to truly get the feel for someone's character when they're talking about joining up."

[Marcus Braeden]

Marcus looked up from his ale towards John. He hadn't really prepared many questions or any type of conversation for when he and John met again. He didn't know what kind of information that John was going to need. He knew a bit about the knighthood, mostly the basics but it was enough to get him interested.

"Well, I haven't really thought about any questions or anything. I suppose you could tell me a bit more about knighthood to start, if I have a question, i'll speak up." Marcus smiled and took another sip from his ale.

[John Griffin]

OOCSorry for the super late response, been having trouble finding motivation to write...

John put his hand on his chin, a pensive look crossing his face. "Hmmmm, where to start?" The hand left his chin and moved down to lay gently on his forearm. "The Knighthood is an order of soldiers dedicated to the revival of civilization. We are named for the slain god Sylir, god of Peace and Civilization, though we do not worship him, for such would be perverse. Instead we honor his memory, and follow gods such as Yahal, Eyris, and mine own god, Tyveth. These deities represent the virtues which the Order holds close to heart. Knowledge, wisdom, loyalty, good intentions, valor, justice, and honor. We are a Chivalric Order, and we safeguard those who cannot defend themselves, and seek to provide the innocent with shelter and protection."

John paused, a distant look in his eyes, as if he was as much talking to himself about the Order as to Marcus. "That is what the Order is being about. And to be a knight, you must be ready to fight and die for it." He paused again, letting the seriousness of his last statement sink in.

"I suppose if you want I could tell you a little about the history of the knights. Or our training methods. Or just a bit about the hierarchy. You tell me what you'd like to know."

[Marcus Braeden]

OOCNo problem mate

Marcus listened intentivly to John's brief overview of the knights. Marcus only knew the basics of the gods and was definitely not a holy man by any means. However at the very least Marcus recognized their existence and even relayed an occasional prayer. As John spoke, Marcus also began to form a few questions in the back of his mind. He let the "fight and die" part of John's small speech sink into him a bit as he took another swig of ale.

Marcus simply nodded keeping his face serious.

"I don't think any history will be necessary, if i do seek knighthood i am sure i will get plenty of that during training. However i am curious to know what the Order does...i mean outside of guarding Syliras." Marcus paused for a second. " And also i guess i would like to know about training. Always good to know what your getting yourself into before it's too late.

[John Griffin]

The young knight took a few sips of his ale, slowly and deliberately, before continuing along the desired topic of his companion. "We do so much more than guard Syliras," he stopped with a curious look on his face, then chuckled. "Well, I should say the Order as a whole does so much more. Guarding Syliras is pretty much all I do. But that entails keepings the peace and helping out residents and visitors alike, on top of actually being wary of outside threats. Like Ravok, for instance." His face darkened momentarily after mentioning the island city, then returned to normal. "The Order runs the city as well, and owns everything within. Many knights are administrators as much as they are warriors. There are many different branches that do many different things. Cavalry, infantry, foresters, scouts, even some archers. While we are all knights, many have different skill sets, and we waste none of them. Sure, we can all ride a horse and fight in heavy armor, but some find that their true talent lies in other fields, and the Knighthood puts them to good use."

"As for training, you can expect many things. Swordplay, care of horses, as well as riding them. Lots of physical exercise, shield use, how to use a lance or spear, or even a bow; Reading and writing if you can't already, history and war strategy and tactics. I trained for eight years to become a knight, so you can imagine there is alot of material. But I started as a child, and it usually goes much, much quicker as an adult. It is not unheard of for an adult squire to spend under a year before being knighted."