Prew's Enlistment Interview

[Prew]

The long journey from the Andoran border with Murandy westward to the Mountains of Mist was finally at an end. Guiding his stallion Albion to the gates of the Grey Tower, Prewtez d’Grayson dismounted before the two guards at the gate. Prewtez stretched his lanky, some would say gaunt, body and flipped back the hood of his riding cloak. His face was unremarkable, no one would call him handsome, but he did find his share of willing serving maids when the need arose. Perhaps it was his easy going manner. He was a hard man to anger but, when one did succeed in doing so, they would note the fire in his hazel eyes and the way the scar above his left eyebrow would almost seem to glow. His shoulder length hair was tied back with a leather cord, his cheeks clean shaven though a short beard covered his chin and a mustache his upper lip. Removing his riding gloves, Prewtez announced his name and his aim to the guards who, apparently, had been at odds.

One of the pair, a man calling himself Mordjen, offered to guide him where he needed to go. Prewtez looked around in hopes of spotting a groom to take the grey stallion but none were about. Resignedly, he handed the reins to the other guard, who scowled and offered no name, before hurrying to catch up with Mordjen. The man was eating up a lot of ground with his long strides while chattering away as if he and Prewtez were old friends. While nodding from time to time to show the man he was listening Prewtez took in the sights as they crossed the Warder Yards. He noted the buildings but his eyes were drawn to men and women practicing. He was familiar with many of the sword forms being used but the other styles of combat he observed intrigued him, especially the unarmed combat. Light but he could have used some of those moves a time or two in tavern brawls!

As the guard led him into through the doors of the building housing the Mistress of Training’s office Prewtez assured him he would not speak of Heb at all. In fact, Prewtez suspected the man was not nearly as bad as all that, certainly he couldn’t be as surly as Darce, a former brother in arms, was. As Mordjen pointed out the stairs and wished him luck with a pat on the shoulder Prewtez thanked the man. He liked the affable guard yet was not fooled by his demeanor. He suspected that if Mordjen thought he might mean harm to any here the man would have gutted Prewtez like a fish before he could even draw a blade.

Before climbing the stairs to Mistress Ubriel Bryne’s office Prew scanned the scene before him. Most all of the trainees here appeared to be younger than himself. The thought, not a new one, that he might be deemed too old for acceptance flashed across his mind. Only one way to find out, he decided, and took to the stairs. Walking down the hall he noticed it led to an office with the door standing open. Stopping for a moment, Prewtez straightened his cloak and rubbed his beard. Might as well get on with it, he was what he was, a one-time heir to a noble house, then a captain in the Queen’s Guards Horse but now a man without a purpose. Becoming a Warder would change all that, would give him all the purpose he could want.

Stepping up to the open door he announced himself with a slight bow. “Mistress of Training Bryne, I am Prewtez d’Grayson. I humbly offer myself as an applicant for Warder’s training.”

[Bree]

Do You Have What It Takes?

Ubriel sat the paper back on the top of the stack but lifted it again before letting go. Striking through the number there, she said, "Prewtez d'Grayson? That is an interesting name." Rounded to the next fifty higher, she wrote 450 beside the crossed out line. Making the mark of her initials she moved the page to the outgoing stack of papers and let it go, replacing the pen in the holder. Her eyes darted back to the man who had just entered. Simultaneously, every movement coordinated and sparing, she moved around the edge of the desk to her seat and gestured for Prewtez to be seated across from her. She didn't mind either way if he sat or stood but her own feet and particularly her lower back were prone to soreness if she didn't sit occasionally. At least, they were now. Then, she was somewhere in her fourth month of pregnancy and beginning to bulge a bit around the middle. So far, her uniforms did a passing fair job of hiding the fact from those she had not already told.

"Where are you from, Prewtez? What brings you to the Grey Tower for training? Why not the White or an army? What makes you interested in training here, to be a Warder?" She pulled a small ledger to her and flipped it open to the next open entry. Each page of these ledgers held the enlistment information of four recruits. She had commissioned them herself after her first week as Mistress of Training. The pages consisted of four blocks of information to be filled out and the pertinent bits copied to the four corresponding tags on the outer edge of each page. There was one tag left on this page.

As he spoke to answer her, she filled out the information. His name, origin, weapon of choice, level of experience and that he sought to be a Warder and not simply a Gaidin of the Tower. She estimated his uniform size, easy to do as all of the uniforms were adjustable fit in small, medium and large for men and women. A formal, dress uniform would be tailored later. Jotting down a room assignment and tearing the tag from the page, she listened intently.

[OOC: Please give the first half of your post over to answering the questions above. Be sure to give origin, weapon of choice, and level of experience.]

Putting her pen down again, Ubriel said, "There are many things you must learn in the path to becoming a warder. Today you will start with signing the ledger to officially join us. There is no oath or contract involved. Any such thing would be contrary to the point of training in this place. This is simply your acknowledgment that you have understood the rules and that you do, indeed, wish to stay here and train with us."

[OOC: Please ask any further questions that you might have and then RP signing. This will complete your second post of six needed to qualify as an RR for promotion.
Welcome! ]

[Prew]

OCC: From what I've gathered, the time setting for The Grey Tower coincides with the WoT books. If I am too far ahead or behind timewise, I can gladly edit this response

Prewtez stood at rest, hands clasped behind his back, legs spread slightly apart, head held rigid and facing front. He watched the Mistress of Training working. As his former Commander of Horse had warned, the higher your rank the more papers to push. Prew doubted it was any different here than in the army, perhaps even more so. He relaxed his stance as she offered the seat across from hers. He gladly took it, hoping by sitting his knees would not shake. Light! thirteen years in the military and here he was as nervous as a new recruit! Well, should he be surprised by that? After all, that was what he supposed he was here in the Grey Tower.

Seeing the Mistress of Training open a ledger as she asked her questions, Prewtez began to answer as straight forward as possible. “First, as to my name, Mistress” he was unsure of exactly what title was proper here, certainly not ‘my lady’, the woman across from him might be tempted to slug him for such a gaff. She was obviously a soldier, and quite probably tougher than he was. He doubted anyone could achieve her rank without such ability. “My father was the head of House Northan of Andor. My mother I never met, she died giving birth to me. However, she was not the Lady Northan. At the time of my birth my father was a widower. That makes me a bastard son. But since my father only had two daughters, I was raised in his house to become his successor. That, changed,” Prew paused, reminiscing on the momentous event from his past, “That changed,” he repeated, “when my father remarried, some woman of a lesser house. It seems she was pregnant at the time because only seven months later she gave my father a son, a legitimate heir.” He paused to gauge Ubriel’s reaction, some people thought poorly of bastards, but he didn’t see her expression change, and so he plunged on.

“I was sent to Caemlyn, to my mother’s relatives, where I spent two years. Upon turning sixteen I enlisted in the Queen’s Guards, where I rose to the rank of Captain at the time of my discharge. I chose the name d’Grayson because I was neither a legitimate son nor one whose father was unknown. Neither white nor black, but grey.” He paused again, thinking of the irony of his name and that of this place.
“I suppose that might also help explain why I chose here, rather than the White Tower. Rumor has it that the White Tower is broken. I certainly know that the Amyrlin Elaida Aes Sedai is not a woman I could trust. I saw her often while we both were serving the Lion Throne. As for the army, that was my home for thirteen years, good years, but my brother called in a favor and had me discharged. It seems there are some who would have preferred me as lord, though light knows why. So I was discharged against my will and told to join the Hunt for the Horn of Valere. But I’m a solder, Mistress, not some blasted fool gallivanting across the countryside looking for something that most likely doesn’t exist. For years I helped protect Andor, and on a more personal level, the men under my command. I want to continue doing what I’ve been trained for. I want to offer my protection to one who might need it, an Aes Sedai. Gaidin of the Tower? Forgive me if I offend, but I have no desire to be tied to one place if I can help it. I am skilled with the sword, especially the long sword, which I have wielded for thirteen years. I am adequate with a short bow as well, but I know there is much the Tower, you, can teach me.”
The Mistress of Training must have been satisfied by his answers as she offered a ledger to sign.

“I understand the rules,” he told her as he signed his name to the ledger, “and that I won’t disappoint you.” He returned the pen and rose from his seat. “Now, if that is all that is required at this time, could you kindly tell me to whom I should report?”

[Bree]

Tour of the Yard

Ubriel watched her newest recruit sign the ledger and neatly tucked it away for her records. "Congratulations. You are now officially of the rank Drin’far’ji. Welcome to the Warder Yard."
She leaned forward and continued, "A word of caution. You may want to think carefully before calling your superiors b;asted fools. I was a Hunter before the Pattern sent me here. I believe in the prophecies of the Dragon and they say that the Horn of Valere will be found before the Last Battle. Now that the Dragon has declared himself, proven himself with the taking of the Stone and Callandor, the Dark One's hand can be seen in events across the face of the world and the Last Battle is coming. The Horn will be found whether we hunt for it or not." Relaxing again and hoping that she hadn't been too harsh while making her point, she continued. "You report to me for now. Once you begin lessons, you will have teachers that will be directly in command of you for those duties. You must realize something about this place. This is not an army. We are not regimented in that way. The Tower guard have those things; we have lateral ranking. Someone in authority over you for one thing may be your subordinate for another. There are three ranks below the three administrators of the Yard. Drin'far'ji, Ji'alantin and Gaidin are the ranks that you will aspire to progress through. In that order they will have authority over your training, but laterally there are only temporary assignments of authority. Is that clear?"

Ubriel stood and smiled as she gestured toward the door and led the way on the beginning of the tour of the Yard. "Come with me, please.” She dropped the tag with the room order into a shallow basket on a table beside her door as she entered the hall. The system she had devised, with Illyria Sedai’s help, involved a simple Ward on that basket that resulted in a chiming sound emitted in Mistress Nel’s office. The stout and capable woman held a firm rein on the staff of the Warder Hall and she would answer that chime with a team sent to retrieve the order tag and prepare the room.

Ubriel led the way back down the stairs, through the great foyer, with the ancient symbol of Aes Sedai inlaid in the black and white marble of the floor, and out the back of the building. She continued her explanation as they walked, "I am the Mistress of Training and as such I will be responsible for overseeing your education in every facet. The Gadar Captain, Riahana Gaidar, is responsible for the training and continuing education of the unbonded Gaidin and Gaidar, and discipline where required. Once bonded, we all come under the purview of the Tower and the Mistress of Arms, Amayani Gaidar. She handles the general rule of law and order for the Yard. But until then, you are my trainee as Drin and once you have achieved Ji'alantin, as well. If you have problems, questions or wish to discuss your training or living conditions or if you have broken the rules, you come to me." Outside trainees and teachers were sparring or practicing or simply exercising in small groups, pairs or occasionally alone there in an expansive yard with hard packed dirt and sparse grass. “In these yards you will be tested and trained and beaten and built back up. You will need medical attention and you will cause others to need it. But you will learn.” Ubriel led them over to a group practicing unarmed combat styles. “One of the required lessons for all of our trainees is Unarmed Combat. A class is offered to get you started.”

She gestured around at the other types of training happening loudly all over the yards. “You will need to choose another fighting style in which to train. We recommend that you begin with the weapon that you intend to use as your primary. You may want to consider dual wielding or shield use as your fighting style; making use of your “off-hand” for secondary attack as well as defense Learning the techniques of using several various styles of bladed weapon like a pudao or an axe or even a spear can be very helpful when learning to fight against those weapons." Ubriel paused to allow him to take in the scene of the women and men fighting with long quarterstaves and other distance weapons and the group doing target practice with their ranged weapons. There were several groups of trainees practicing sword and shield melee as well as a few performing advanced techniques with more exotic weapons like the ones she had mentioned.

The teachers were obvious in the spars they observed, even when the opponents wore the same uniform. The more skilled fighter was the one who seemed to move slightly more effectively, land a few more strikes, need a little less time to rebound. That was the way of it. That was why they never stopped training. Even a blademaster could lose his edge without honing.

[OOC: The ranks for males are Drin’far’ji, Ji’alantin and Gaidin. The ranks for females are Drin’far’ji, Ji’dar and Gaidar. The correct term of address is to use the rank following the name of the person; ie: Ubriel Gaidar or Mistress Ubriel or Sharin Ji’dar or Mistress Sharin. You can find all the diagrams and maps of the Warder Yard here and Tower here.
Please describe your impressions as you walk out into the Yard and look around. Please discuss anything that catches your attention or that you have a question about. This will complete your third post of six needed to qualify as an RR for promotion.

[Prew]

OOC: I have a few questions regarding the setting as well as posting etiquette and raising requirements. Should I ask them here as an OOC, PM you with them, or is there a thread on the board in which to post them?

Prewtez cheeks colored as Mistress Ubriel admonished him. He made a mental note to watch what he said in the future around the Yard. Light but he needed to watch his mouth, no sense offending anyone if it could be helped. As the Mistress of Training proceeded to explain the different ranks Prewtez acknowledged to himself that he wasn’t in the Queen’s Guards any longer and the Yard was a far different place. Best to not compare his previous life with the one he had now chosen. He was a raw recruit with much to learn. As he followed Ubriel Gaidar down the stairs, across the foyer and out the door, listening as she continued to explain the hierarchy of the Warders’ Yard he smiled to learn that she would oversee his training. She had impressed him already as a straight-forward, no nonsense officer, the type he most admired.

His eyes took in the buildings around him, but were drawn to the tower itself. Was it Ogier-built? How long had it been here in the Mountains of Mist? Prewtez knew, of course, about the White Tower and had heard rumor of a Black Tower right there in Andor, but little had been said, mainly rumor and third hand accounts, of this Grey Tower. Yet he had been drawn to it, something deep inside of him had urged that he apply there and nowhere else. He could not channel, Creator be praised, so the Black Tower, if it existed, held no appeal. And the White? He had already explained to Ubriel Gaidar his reasons for not taking that direction.

As they strode across the hard packed earth, he watched the various training exercises, impressed. There, to the right, he saw several young men and women practicing with quarterstaves. To Prewtez’s mind, that was a weapon of villagers and farmers, one he had never used. And yet he could see the value in such a weapon as he watched the trainees. Farther on he took note of the sword training, glad to see that several of the forms with which he was familiar were being stressed. He hoped his previous training would make for quick advancement there. The unarmed combat training he observed was what intrigued him most. Watching the Gaidin, for the skill of the man marked him as one clearly adept in the art, instruct his students was breathtaking. The instructor moved as if the wind, as fluid as water as he blocked the attack of two students before taking each to the ground. Prew realized there was a lot he could learn from such a man. Across the way he noted a session involving spears. Though he had never actually met an Aiel, he could imagine even they might have been impressed by the sight of several students sparring with their instructor. Other students, or were they Gaiden of Gaidar, were practicing with weapons of which he had no knowledge, long curved blades atop poles the height of a man and half as much again, strangely curved swords, and shields used as weapons, not just for defense.

Finally, he smiled as he saw the archery range. Having trained some with a Shienaran while in the Guards, Prewtez counted himself as fairly competent with a short bow from horseback. But what he was seeing made him realize he still had much to learn about aim and accuracy. Even the Drin’far’ji appeared to be deadly accurate from two hundred yards.

Suddenly, it dawned on him what he had been feeling since entering the gates. He realized that he had come home.
“Ubriel Gaidar,” he asked formally, “When might I start my training?”

[Bree]

SHINY WEAPONS

After a moment or so, Ubriel gestured to the right of them and led the way around the edge of the yard to a smaller building there. “This building is the weaponry hall. There are racks and racks of various sorts of weaponry. Both field and practice models are available for use. You will need to get the permission of the Master of Weapons or your mentor or teacher to remove any of them. If you want to just come in and look them over or even heft them, the hall is open during the day.” She stopped before the door and opened it, leading them inside.

The inside of the building was like a library. Instead of the stacks of books, there were rows and rows of sorted and arranged weaponry. One rack held nothing but a variety of two handed bastard swords and the rack next to it held the same sword in a practice variety. There were other racks with polearms of various types and another with axes. One held an assortment of short bows with their cousin longbows two racks over. All together they made for a shiny and dazzling spectacle.

Ubriel saw the look on the Drin’s face, nodded and smiled. “I myself came here with a quarterstaff. I thought I was good with it, but a few weeks here robbed me of that illusion. I have learned more than I ever thought was out there to learn. You will as well.” Her smile turned into a sincere grin, remembering the pummeling she had taken when she met her first real instructor in the staff. She thought she could probably do most of the pummeling now.

[OOC: You can find more weapon descriptions here. If you are ever interested in something that you do not see a class or an available instructor for, PM me or any of the admin team and we can help you find the right way to find training. This will complete your fourth post of six needed to qualify as an RR for promotion.]

[Prew]

SHINY WEAPONS

Following Ubriel Gaidar into the weaponry hall, Prewtez stopped dead in his tracks. As his eyes took in the huge variety of killing tools he smiled in amazement. Oh, he had seen armories before, the Queen’s Guard had numerous of those. But not with such a variety of weapons. Swords, lances, short bows, and maces, those were the weaponry of the cavalry. He stepped to one rack and slid his fingers down the blade of a particularly beautiful bastard sword. “May I?” he asked and then took the blade from the wall and hefted it in his left hand. The balance was far superior to his own sword. What he had heard about the Hall apparently was true, nothing but the best for their warders.

Replacing the sword on the rack, he slowly walked from weapon to weapon, some familiar yet others completely unknown to him. His eye was drawn to a long, slim blade with an unusually long hilt. Testing it, he found it surprising light in weight and quick in motion, though it appeared to be more suited to slashing than to chopping, the latter a style he had grown accustomed to with the bastard sword.

Turning to the rack of polearms, Prewtez wondered aloud about a particular weapon unfamiliar to him. It had a curved blade atop what seemed to be, at least in length, a quarterstaff. What people used such a weapon? While the more compact staff might prove useful in certain situations he doubted the weapon could be used for thrusting.

Ubriel’s words drew his attention back to the woman. She was quite forthcoming in describing her own training. “I hope that I, too, can learn much here, Ubriel Gaidar,” he answered with a smile of his own. “When may I get started? Or is there more to show me? I suppose I should report to my quarters first?”

[Bree]

SHINY ARMOR

She clapped the Drin’s shoulder and gestured back outside. "You are in a hurry. We have one more very important place for you to visit before I can take you to your room." They crossed the practice yard to the opposite side and Ubriel said, “This is the armory. If and when you decide that you need any armor of any sort, this will be the place that you go to have it designed and fitted. The real forges for making armor on the Tower grounds are elsewhere but you won’t need to go there if you don’t want to.” Ubriel opened the door and led the way inside. She waved at an old man sitting in one corner in a very comfortable looking chair and polishing a breast plate. He seemed to ignore her entirely.

Lining the walls of the room they entered were various examples of full suits of armor of every type and style. There were leather and padded suits and jerkins, full and half plate, chain and scale mail and various types of helmetry all there for display and inspection. Ubriel grinned at the wonderment in the eyes of the new Drin. “Do you see anything you like?” Looking around and taking it all in again, she said, “You won’t really need to decide right away. Even the most dangerous training will only require you to wear a padded suit while participating.”

[OOC: There is a fair bit of useful description of armor here. Let me know if you need help finding a specific piece. If you want to write about actually visiting the forges, I have written of them being "past the building" or "Out at the forges" to keep it vague but always describe them as being out of the Yard and past the Tower proper a bit farther West not quite to the wood. This will complete your fifth post of six needed to qualify as an RR for promotion.]

[Prew]

SHINY ARMOR

"Forgive my eagerness, Mistress," Prewtez said as they entered the armory, noting the man in the chair, presumably an armorer, while at the same time taking in the impressive display of armor and gear, "It's just that, despite all that I see here, I've always believed a warrior survives on his or her quickness and skill. Often, the more armor one wears the less careful they become. Which is why I shall value the training I hope to receive here." He smiled at her hoping not to have offended, "Of course," he added, touching the scar above his left eye, "That is not to say a sturdy helmet might not have come in handy."

He surveyed the various pieces, fingering the stellar workmanship and then answered Ubriel Gaidar's question. "In the cavalry we wore armored breastplates, mail skirts split for riding, and armored greaves. I was always more comfortable in a padded leather jerkin which I used to wear as a scout. However, I am sure my mentors will instruct me as to what will be most suitable for the circumstances I might find myself in the future."

As for visiting the forges? Prewtez decided he was much more interested in the finished product than the process. That was not to say he might not change his mind at a future date, especially if there might be a specific piece he would need created.

"Where next, Mistress Ubriel?"

[ooc: That would be wonderful if we could get the final exchange in before I leave. However, I quite understand if we can't.]

[Bree]

This one will live here...

She gestured and led them back outside. "I am going to show you to your new room now and then leave you to settle in. You can request a mentor to show you the ropes and ask them to give you a tour of the entire grounds if you like or you can explore on your own. The bell will sound for meal times but there is generally some kind of refreshment available in the Warder Hall dining area. Unlike the channelers, we work up the need for serious food and sometimes that means we need to eat in the middle of the night."

Ubriel chatted amiably as she led the Drin back to the dormitory and down a hall. As they followed the thin, decorative rug running down the center of the tiled hall floor, Ubriel explained about the rules of co-ed dormitories. Drin’far’ji were generally kept too busy and tired to be caught in any romantic entanglements but there was a rule to discourage such anyway. All trainees in the Yard were expected to be responsible for their own good decision making and to follow the rules of respect and politeness as well as the code of conduct. When they finally reached the room, the door was open and several stacks of folded linens, uniforms and toweling had been deposited there. "You will not have a roommate. I feel it is more conducive to well rested and well trained recruits to have some privacy. The door will lock from the inside but I and any of the other administration of the Yard will always have a key. Your key," she handed over a chain with two identical keys on it, "will lock and unlock the door from outside. Do you have any further questions for me?"

[OOC: Ah! Ye of little faith. When I know a person is going to be quick to respond, I try to be as well. I love it.
You may end this thread with a simple description of your room or you may decide to carry on this thread for as long as you need to answer questions or explore IC. If you would like to accept a mentor, we can find and introduce you to one from here as well. If you would like to have Ubriel show you around other parts of the Grey Tower, just ask! This will complete all of the posts needed to qualify as an RR for promotion.]