[Squire Dormitories] Learning Syliras

by **Fallon** on November 29th, 2013, 5:11 pm

57th Fall 513AV

”So, what are you reading?”

There was a flinch as Fallon looked up from the page. The hand of her patron was before her, resting firmly on the table top. The squire’s form recoiled back slightly, her fingers pulling away from the heavy tome and its musky pages. For a while she simply stared, surprised almost by the worlds of her patron cutting through the silent air, before averting them down back to the page. Clearing her throat Fallon spoke, ”It’s on the history of Syliras.”

Leaning away she watched Sera Druva pull up a chair opposite her, the lips having been brought into a fine curl as she looked upon her squire. The rough bandages were pulled around her arms, covering and protecting the light burns that still existed there. The worst of the damage however had been lifted from her – it was just now a matter of rest and recovery as she somewhat refused to see the healer. Fallon returned her gaze to her patron, her lids pinching slight, ”Did you need something Sera?”
“Oh, no, no,” there was a wave of the other hand a simple gesture of brushing the question away, ”I’m just paying a visit. Just carry on with what you were doing.”

Blinking the squire looked back down to the page, her eyes scanning the previous paragraph once more. She needed to learn the city, she needed to grasp some form of being a normal human being once more after those events. There was only a shudder to that, her brow creasing slightly as she did. The knights needed her to. Least that was what she told herself. So what if it brought pleasure to the order on what she had achieved – she had still allowed herself to lose control and gain that title once more.

Wilding. Perish the thought. She rubbed her fingers together and turned the page carefully, only to meet another wall of text and a cough from her patron, ”So how are you feeling?”

There was a sharp inhale, her brow creasing as she stopped in her reading. She chewed her lip, a momentary pause as she looked down upon the same single word, ‘Peace.’ The squire forced her gaze to lift once more, a sombre look forming in her expression, ”I feel… uncomfortable.”
“How so?” Her patron leaned back in the chair and stared.
”Like… restrictive, cramped, tight and suffocating,” there was a pause, ”But the opposite at the same time. I feel alive. Reborn. Better.” She watched the flicker of confusion rest there for a moment, before a slow nod came. Fallon continued, ”Yet… Chaotic. Wild. I… it is confusing.”
“I bet it is,” Her patron clapped her hands together, ”We all have times when we dip into a wild sense. More so when younger. But, discipline and finding of balance will help in stabilising that. It will give you a rock to rest upon. And with that, it will be possible to carve and find peace within the world.”
“Yes… yes peace,” She gave a scrutinizing glare down to the book for a tick, ”With peace wounds can be healed and the world can rebuilt… right?”
“Very much so. Which is exactly what the knights of the order are trying to achieve.”
“You don’t exactly look like the masonry sort Sera,” there was a hover of a teasing tone there, which was answered only by a low snort of amusement. Lowering her gaze she returned to her book and learning, with Sera Druva still watching intently.
”So what do you know?” she asked, ”What has reading taught you today?”

by **Fallon** on November 29th, 2013, 5:12 pm

Pulling away she leaned back in her chair, her eyes lifting and looking across the table to her patron, ”Lots of things. Like the citadel when it was first made was constructed to hold only a few thousand. Now look at it, it’s massive.” There was a pause, the squire quietly thinking over what she had managed to read, ”Like, the Dyres district is the oldest in Syliras and well, everything was built around it I guess. I mean it sort of makes sense doesn’t it?”

Sera Druva simply nodded again, ”So which do you think is the newest district? Or the most recently constructed shall we say?”
There was a pause, her brow knitting together with thought. ”I don’t know? I mean… If I was to think about it logically, part of me wants to say it’s the Illythian District. Think about it, it can’t be the nettle because that’s pretty old too, just look at the structure of it.”
“Go on, I know there’s more to your reasoning.”
“It can’t be the Jordon district; the well and the stone garden have been there for near enough forever, right? So that takes that out the picture. We need the docks and warehouses; else we wouldn’t have been able to trade with other cities… I really can’t explain it further than that. It just makes sense.”
Even her patron had narrowed her eyes in contemplation for a long chime, the cogs obviously going round in her head. And whilst the pair simply sat in a joint thoughtful silence, things continued to go on round in their heads. Or at least until her patron spoke, ”Yes… Yes I can see that. Moving on? What else…”

The squire gave only a quick nod, her eyes averting down to the page and scanning the text. Chewing at her lip she read through the words, feeling the gaze of Sera Druva bore into her skull. There was a nervous swallow, her lips parting as she heard the next question from her patron, ”What are the laws of the city?”
There was a blink, ”Is this a test, Sera?”
“Yes. Let’s call it a test. After all, brute force and the ability to swing a blade about is not what the order is all about.”

Fallon tugged at her collar, the bandages stroking against her throat a moment of carefully consideration as to how to word her answer. Personal opinion had to be kept out of this after all. She drew in a deep breath and begun to answer, ”Everyone is remain civilized, live with honour and work hard for the greater good of the ci-“
“What is the greater good?”
“One that will aid in the well being of the city, to maintain the peace and allow civilisation to grow from the embers of the world?” There was only a wave of the hand to continue listing the laws of the city, ”Right… Well, every race is allowed if they’re polite, helpful and so on… guess that doesn’t include Zith? I mean, I haven’t seen any in the city itself, or any in the vicinity. At least, not ones that seemed friendly and weren’t trying to rip my face off.”
“That is Zith for you,” her patron sighed and pinched her brow. It was not exactly the nicest of topics, so quickly the squire moved on.

by **Fallon** on November 29th, 2013, 5:13 pm

”Everything in Syliras belongs to the knights, at least structurally. I mean, I don’t know how far that goes to personal possessions and the like. Anyway… because everything belongs to the knighthood, which means that if something gets damaged the knights receive some form of compensation?”
“I suppose that is one way of putting it,” the patron gave a stretch, ”We are the ones who decide the punishment after all.” There was a moment of silent regard to her patron’s words, her lips being wetted as she cleared her throat, ”Practice of magic is also…frowned upon? No. The dangerous sort that can do damage are frowned upon, reimancy being among them. What are the others?”
“Alchemy apparently. And definitely summoning,” the knight moved to inspect her nails, and then looked up to Fallon, ”They both have a tendency to make things a bit… messy. And the knights do not like mess and disorder.”
“Never would have guess that,” Fallon could not help but scoff at the comment. Even she knew the knights well enough to know that they were rather vengeful on magic that got out of hand, but the type was sometimes questionable. And it was a pool of knowledge that even Fallon was somewhat lacking in.

”I guess… mage knights are the exception?” There was only a nod in response to her question, the flick of the hand suggesting once more she carried on. ”Don’t commit violence, comes to mind, or anything remotely illegal for that matter. The order likes to deal a swift judgement and likes to stamp out such… sources as quickly as possible.”
Perhaps even in unnecessary ways, she silently mused. Even she knew of how they swiftly judged those at the scene of things. She looked away, her eyes focusing on the curl in the page. Perhaps it was the growing sense of pressure, or even the distinct feeling of the room closing in. This was the weight of the order, there were only so many of them to control one city, to protect its people and lead them onwards. It was necessary for them to be harsh. But then again, what of those beyond the walls? What of those who did not receive the protection of the knights. They were left to defend for themselves against the chaos beyond.
”Is something on your mind Fallon?”
The squire gave a flinch, her eyes looking up and meeting her patron. For a moment they waivered there, the brow knitting tightly and her fingers gently curling up, ”I… well yes.”
“Talk to me.”

It was said so easily. The invitation simply there for the taking. And so, perhaps reluctantly, the squire did as she was told.

”What of the world beyond Syliras?”
“What about it?”
“Well… surely there are people who need the knights too who exist beyond, right? People that need protection and the safety that Syliras offers, no? A shield for the people, a sword to cut away the chaos. Protect from harm, and to help build something… more?” She watched her patron smile, her lip curling, ”I won’t lie. Your heart is in the right place. But…” There was the shake of the head, a momentary look of sombreness growing upon the older woman, ”There are seven thousand – more or less – members in the order. Ignoring the fact we have the city to protect, just how far do you think we could seriously spread ourselves to make some form of a difference? Not all of our members are knights after all. Some are only pages. Children even,” there was a sharp intake of breath, ”It is an impossible task. More so when you consider the nature of some cities. Take Sunberth for example, they would hunt us down before either it was them or us dead. And what good would pointless slaughter and death do? Not a lot. If you wish to teach what is right, you must have your student alive.”

by **Fallon** on November 29th, 2013, 5:14 pm

“I… see your point Sera…” The squire frowned. It made sense, but even then she was still feeling slightly dissatisfied with the answer. The air only simply grew heavier after that, sapping almost of her answer and want for knowledge. Lips pursed into a line, the brow knitting slightly. Enthusiasm had been lost, no doubt her patron saw that, but it did not mean she was about to let up.

”Come. Focus on the task. Tell me more.”
“Right, more” She leaned back in her chair. Her fingers laced together, resting lazily upon her lap, her eyes staring up to the ceiling, ”Well… it’s the council of three that decide the punishment that is doled out. They have final say on what happens. Dealers of the punishment if you will. Most of the time it’s paying a fine or hard labour though… right?”
“Yes. Most of the time.”
“Most of the time?”
“Well… sometimes there are executions and other times there are exiles. But that rarely happens.”

Fallon could not help but wince at that snippet of information. Of course, it had to be that way. The knights could not offer any leeway in the city, for that was the price of keeping the peace. It was what was necessary for providing this sanctuary for the survivors of the world. She pinched at her brow, her mind slowly working through what had been said. There was no leeway really; if you had done something then you were to be punished for it – no doubt regardless of what actually occurred.

”And mage users? What happens to them?” she finally asked. She gave a long stare at her patron from underneath her palm, eyes burning slightly. She was one of the few knights that knew Fallon could project after all. Though even she herself kept the extent of her abilities behind closed lips.
”Depends on how far they’ve gone,” her patron looked at her, ”And I suppose really if they can be brought under control. If they are a ris-“
“I know, I get the idea,” she lowered her gaze and focused upon the book. The bitter taste hung only in her mouth for a chime or so, the sudden reluctance to continue conversing about it. Something that did not go unnoticed by her patron. Listening to the rattle of knuckles upon the table surface she looked once more at Sera Druva. The knight gave only a half smile as she stood, ”Chin up Fallon. Think of all the order achieves, all the succeed in doing. We protect and save these people from the dangers of the outside world. And by protecting them we are leading them on to build a new world, a new land that we can call home. It is people who commit crimes like this that are at risk of causing disturbance throughout the city and prevent it from growing.” Her patron gave only a definite nod, ”But enough of that. I’m sure you have plenty more to read up on.”

There was only silence as her patron left, her brow knitting into a frown and her eyes narrowing together. It was only as the dormitory door clicked shut, that the squire finally released a mumble, ”But what of those outside?”

by **Radiant** on December 3rd, 2013, 4:27 pm

njaa

Fallon :

Notes :

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.

Skill	XP Earned
Socialization	+1 XP
Reading	+1 XP
Philosophy	+2 XP

Completed [Squire Dormitories] Learning Syliras