A Ride In The Countryside (Att: Ubriel)

[Prew]

There was crispness to the air as the early morning sun poked its rays through the open windows of the stalls. A perfect day for a ride, Prewtez d’Grayson thought as he adjusted the bridle in Albion’s mouth. No classes today, no chores until late afternoon, Light, but it would be good to get outside the Tower grounds for a while. Prewtez’s only time outside since his arrival here had been for his survival test and that certainly had been no pleasure jaunt! And it was even worse for his war horse. The beast had been confined to the paddocks and training grounds exclusively since their arrival weeks ago. How long had it been exactly? He had lost count, but by the way Albion nodded his head, eager to be ridden, Prewtez knew it had been a good while.

Placing the saddle on the saddle pad he reached under the horse and grabbed the girth. After tightening the straps, Albion stomping his hoof in irritation, Prewtez attached the horse bow and quiver he had borrowed from the armory. The Master of the Kitchens for the Warder Yard had told him fresh meat was always welcome. Perhaps Prewtez could get some practice today for his upcoming Mounted Archery class and bring back a deer or a brace of rabbits for the cook pots.

As he checked the saddle and bridle one last time Prewtez noticed he was not the only one preparing a mount. The Mistress of Training stood down the aisle, saddling her strawberry roan mare. Well, why not? He thought, approaching her and offer a salute.

“May the Light illumine you, Mistress,” he greeted her, “That is a fine looking mount you have there. I’ve heard the stable hands call her Peach, an odd name that, a poisonous fruit? “ He smiled and added, “May I inquire if you are preparing to ride for business or for pleasure? If the latter, would you enjoy some company? I could use a guide as this will be my first real time outside the walls.”

[Bree]

Ubriel straightened from checking the straps of her saddle and, with one hand on Peach's sturdy shoulder, turned with deliberate slowness to face the Ji. Her rounded abdomen pushed her tunic out noticeably beneath the sash that belted it just beneath her breasts. The unexpected pregnancy had slowed her somewhat but she had discovered that the malaise and fatigue of the first months had subsided and the excitement of her husband as he watched her middle grow was a precious experience that she was glad to be having. "Good morning, Prewtez." She smiled and idly stroked Peach's neck. "I honestly do not remember what possessed me to choose the name but it seems fitting for a battle pony. She is deceptively sweet and highly deadly." The grin that spread across Ubriel's face made her rosy cheeks twinkle. Peach tossed her head playfully and whickered, knowing when she was being talked about.

Ubriel checked her belt knife and the mesh bag she had hung from her saddle-horn and then swung herself into the saddle. Having resigned to actually using the stirrup to gain leverage to swing up, she was almost as spry as she had been before becoming pregnant. From her saddle, she eyed the bow Prew carried and said, "I am planning to forage some mushrooms. I saw patches of morel and oyster during my ride yesterday. It is in the forest between here and Hama Valon. There are rabbit runs criss-crossing the area if you are interested. My weapons of choice are a little harder to use with the extra bulk I am carrying in front these days so I would appreciate the company." Ubriel smiled again and patted her abdomen lightly. A not-so-subtle nudge under her hand made her tunic move visibly and fueled her grin. She enjoyed this very private interaction and exchange that she alone knew with her child. She and Zacharyn had of course been discussing names but for now, until they could meet face to face, Ubriel contented herself with calling her child Bump. Bump did not mind.

[Prew]

Light! The woman is with child! Why have I not noticed before this? He, of course, knew the answer. When he had first met the Mistress of Training she had not been showing yet, and when he last saw her, at his raising, she had been wearing her fan cloak. And to be honest, at the end of such a grueling ten days, Prewtez had not been noticing much of anything other than the ceremony itself. Still, he knew he was not the same man who had first come to the Grey Tower. That man had been angry, self-absorbed, focused inward upon himself. His survival test had changed him, fundamentally. Now he could feel her joy in her condition, she absolutely radiated it.

“I see you are riding for two, Gaidar, congratulations,” his face lit up with a broad smile, his sincerity obvious. As he swung himself up into the high cantelled saddle Albion snorted in anticipation. “Albion and I have not had the opportunity to explore the countryside yet. If you would be so kind as to lead the way to these rabbits…”

He allowed Ubriel to go first as he followed her out of the stable and the yard.

[Bree]

Ubriel inclined her head slightly and clucked her tongue at Peach. The horse began to amble in a swaying walk toward the front road out of the Tower grounds. Ubriel, not accustomed to using reins, let them fall loosely from one hand and closed her eyes as she swayed in the saddle. Quietly and idly rubbing her abdomen she hummed so softly even Peach twitched her ears to try to hear her better. She was content to let the quiet settle around them for a time.

Peach was accustomed to this quieter and more reserved Ubriel of late. She approved and tried to step lightly to show her approval. It had been a little difficult to convince her girl to calm down and keep herself and her little one safe at first. But she had begun to see the sense of it when the Bump had gotten bigger. Peach herself had no intention of ever having a colt of her own. Ubriel's baby would be quite enough for her.

As they approached the gate, Ubriel opened one eye and waved to Heb as they passed. The gruff and irreverent Tower Guard nodded back and Ubriel felt the corners of her mouth begin to lift slightly. Since she had created the combined training drills for her Ji and the Guards, many of them looked up to her like one of their own Captains. Just outside of the gates, off to the right side of the main road, Ubriel urged Peach to turn into a narrow gap between the trees of the forest. "About a mile from here, the trail opens out into a thinner wood. The mushrooms I am after are scattered there." Ubriel looked over her shoulder at the Ji riding with her. She had not had the opportunity to talk to him recently; not since he returned from his survival test actually. "How is your training going? Have you taken up any academic studies?"

Ubriel had resigned herself to the fact that most of her trainees would spurn any academic training but she still tried to encourage it. Her own studies of Shadow Spawn Lore and Blight Lore had served her well.

[Prew]

There was an extra bounce to Albion’s step as he followed Peach towards the gate. The warhorse normally ignored geldings entirely and mares except when they were in heat. Stallions were another matter and the grooms had been careful to keep him separated from some of the other warhorses. Perhaps the grey was sharing his rider’s mood, eager to be out of the Tower and into the countryside.

Prewtez watched as Ubriel waved to the guard, Heb. He gave the guard a nod as he passed, recognizing the man from some of the training sessions. One of his duties as a Ji was to help improve the fighting skills of the Tower Guards, and he approved of the idea. Though they were not seeking the fan cloak, many in fact had families , Prewtez knew that all would be needed come Tarmon Gai’don. It made sense to train those soldiers as thoroughly as possible.

As they left the main rode, Albion trotted up beside Peach. The horse was trained to neck rein and a touch so light a heavy bit was unnecessary. Prewtez smiled as he thought about the Gaidar’s question. His training was going quite well in his estimation but academic studies, ah, that was another matter.

“I have had the good fortune to train with the Gaidar Captain herself in improving my swordsmanship,” he answered, “As well as dusting off some of the rust from my archery skills. I feel I’ve made healthy progress with both weapons.” He paused, then continued, “As for academics, I confess that I’ve not found the time for a class yet. My personal studies have been devoted to reading all I can find about the shadow spawn though I still have trouble believing some of those creatures exist! Oh, we heard rumors of Trolloc attacks in the Two Rivers but, otherwise, Andor has been spared.”
Before coming to the Tower, he, like most of the Queen’s Guard, had believed such creatures as Trollocs and Draghkar were myths designed to scare children into behaving. But he knew better now, had talked with those who had actually fought such creatures.
“As for Blight Lore, I was hoping to take a class soon. I’ve heard there is an Asha’man who might be teaching one. Do you know of this, Mistress?”

[Bree]

Ubriel nodded and replied, "That would be Rory Asha'man. He is an intense teacher. He taught me. Tutored more like. He knows both subjects intimately. Myself, I was thinking of finding a study partner to learn about the tactics of the great battles since the Trolloc Wars. I was thinking of asking one of the Aiel to join me in my studies. Their particular tactics tend to be quite different from ours on this side of the Spine. They would have to be without any cavalry."

Ubriel spotted the bright white patches on the deadfall under the trees almost immediately as the woods began to thin. She dismounted and let the reins continue to hang loosely at the cantle of her saddle. Peach heeled her almost like a puppy as she moved toward the oyster mushrooms with her belt knife in hand. She methodically picked the most prime examples of the mushrooms and clipped them just above the trunk of the wood they were growing on then, with a flick of her wrist, dropped them into the mesh bag she dangled from her arm.

Glancing about her as she worked, she said, "I don't see any morels today. Maybe they are a little farther back." A skittering movement caught her eye and she made a gesture with a jut of her chin toward it, "Rabbit." She kept an open eye out for more as she harvested the mushrooms.

OOC: Do you want to go over any shadow spawn lore in this thread. I think I can get you that benefit if we are thorough in our exploration of the topic.

[Prew]

As Ubriel dismounted so did Prewtez. Removing the bit from Albion’s mouth so the horse could graze, he took his horse bow from where it hung by the saddle and slung the quiver of arrows across his shoulder. Reaching up, he withdrew an arrow and nocked it, though he did not draw the string yet. Riahana Gaidar had taught her class well.

“I shall inquire of this Rory Asha’man. Perhaps he’ll deem to accept me as a student. As for an Aiel study partner, Mistress, I don’t know. One of the veterans of my troop fought in the Aiel War. From what he told us of them, they don’t sound like the bookish sort.”

Hearing her say “Rabbit’, Prewtez spun, drew his bowstring and let fly the arrow. The animal flipped into the air, his projectile sticking from its side. He retrieved his arrow and tied twine arrowed the back legs of the kill, and walked to Albion. He tied the carcass to the back of the cantle and nocked another arrow. Pleased with his shot, he looked for another target as she continued to collect mushrooms.

“Have you encountered any of the shadow spawn yourself, Ubriel Gaidar?” he asked, “Are they as fearsome as the books make them out to be?”

OOC: Sounds good to me. Hope this makes for a good opening for the topic.

[Bree]

Ubriel grinned thinking of her two Aiel friends here in the tower and said, "They are surprisingly studious. They covet books like a certain battle pony I know covets apples." Ubriel grinned at Peach and butted shoulders with her. She continued to shuffle through the underbrush and was rewarded for her plodding slowness with several more clusters of choice mushrooms. She considered the question of the fierceness of the shadow spawn for a moment and then said, "I have in fact encountered many of the shadow spawn. Not just the ones the gleemen tell tales of but the more twisted and random creatures that have been created by the touch of the shadow in the Blight. Blight Bears and cankerous vultures are two of the most recent foul things I have come upon. They seem to be more easily roused to anger and a great deal more aggressive generally."

Ubriel hefted her bag up and weighed the contents, judging that she had enough room for several more clusters. "What have you heard about the Blight? Do you know anything about why it is blighted and what the most common blighted creatures are?"

Ubriel was looking for Prew's level of knowledge about the way the Blight was effected by Shayol Ghul and why. Most people who knew about the seepage of the taint of the Dark One also knew something about the flora and fauna of the Blight. Once she identified gaps in his knowledge, she could fill them in.

OOC: Talk in broad strokes and that lets Ubriel fill in details and lead to the next broad topic.

[Prew]

Taking a seat on the ground near where the Mistress of Training was collecting fungi Prewtez took a quick glance over his shoulder. Albion and Peach were grazing peacefully nearby, horse and pony pointedly ignoring one another. Laying his bow in the grass beside him, but in easy reach should another rabbit suddenly appear, he listened attentively to Ubriel’s descriptions of some of the shadow spawn. Bears and vultures? Light! This was news indeed. The books he had studied devoted extensive descriptions of Trollocs, Myddraal, and Draghkar, as well as mention of grey men, but little else. It seems the authors had not ventured into the Blight themselves but only wrote about those creatures that crossed into the Westlands.

“I know only what I’ve read since being accepted into the Grey Tower, Mistress,” he answered. “I know that you and the other Gaidar and Gaidin have all been to the Blight as part of your Raising Test. I also understand we keep an outpost there, correct?”

Before she could answer, Prewtez reached for his bow and the arrow next to it and loosed a shot from his seated position.

“Burn it all! Missed,” he groused as the lucky rabbit bounded into the underbrush. He rose and stalked after his arrow. Retrieving it he retook his seat in the grass.

“I know I need to take a class on Blight lore, but I’d appreciate any knowledge you could share beforehand.”

OOC: I hope that is broad enough

[Bree]

Ubriel suffered a quick glance at the Ji as he retrieved his arrow and sat back down. "We do. We also take training patrols along the Border and I recommend that you join one before you are called to your test for the fancoth cloak. The experience will benefit you in your test." She stopped herself there and changed the tone of the topic before she gave away too much about that test. "Something that many of the authors on the subject of the Blight and Shadow Spawn focus on is the creatures that the majority of people are going to see. Trollocs and Myrddraal and the like. Something that you will have a more difficult time finding will be information on beasts and the plants inside the Blight. There is a beast that mimics a plant called a Stick. Sometimes you will see a swarm of them covering a dead tree and not realize that you are in danger until the tree begins to move and they have attacked you. Some of the trees have long tendrils of vines that will whip out and wrap around you as you pass them. Some secrete acidic juices that can burn you bad enough to melt through skin. Many of the leaves and barks of trees and bushes are covered in a disease that creates red blistering pustules. They release oozing goo filled with spores that can suffocate you or take root in your lung if you breathe it in and can kill you from the inside out. All of it stinks like grave rot." Ubriel made a face of disgust and shuddered. Pregnancy had brought out much of her more feminine mannerisms.

"Some of the creatures that survive the Blight don't look spoiled until you get too close. They may have an extra eye or an extra toe or teeth growing from their foreheads. Many are overly large and insane with diseases of the skin. Some are obviously creations of the Shadow. Worms are one such creature that does not leave the Blight. They are enormous and hugely deadly. They travel in packs of three or four usually. It is speculated that they are family groups but no one is certain. They do not travel up into the mountains of the Blight but where they do travel, they leave swathes of destruction with the ground turned and furrowed."

Ubriel laughed in triumph suddenly and crawled forward. "Morels!"

OOC: Good stuff. You should be able to earn the Shadow Spawn Lore Benefit from this thread without having to take a different class. Ask about something Prew knows. Offer some info or some rumor you heard about one of the major creatures and we can have a real back and forth.