Sigrid's Enlistment Interview (Attn: Sam)
Posted: July 7th, 2016, 3:00 pm
Mordjen
The grey-haired guard jabbed his sour-faced companion roughly in the ribs. "I swear, one day you're going ta let one of these pups stray, and you'll be out on yer arse Heb."
Heb grunted dismissively in response, meandering back to the guard post without a glance back. The grey-haired guard threw his hands up in exasperation with a loud sigh. "Fine," he muttered, turning to the new arrival. "The name's Mordjen. Pleased to meet you. I'll take you to where you ought to go. If you'll follow me, please?"
Mordjen stepped out in front, taking comfortable but ground-eating strides. As he walked, he chattered amiably with the newcomer. The entrance road was somewhat long, and Mordjen only went halfway down before veering off to the right. He cut across a field towards a large four- or five-story building. It looked like a dormitory, and faced the tall glass Grey Tower itself.
"I never tried t' be a Warder meself," Mordjen continued. "Me wife, Liz, bless 'er. Well, she would probably cry herself to sleep every single night if I told her I wanted t' try an' get meself bonded to some fancy Aes Sedai." The guard chuckled at that, then cleared his throat after stealing a glance at the woman striding alongside him. "No no, I watch the front gate, and help carry firewood when there are special occasions. That is more than enough connection t' the One Power for me, yes ma'am. But if I could learn some of the way of the Warders, like how they fight with their bare hands, I would very much enjoy learning about that. I think it would make me better at being a guard." Mordjen seemed to be lost in his own thoughts for a moment, his pace slowing briefly.
"Anyways," Mordjen perked up, "Master Darrow said he would be seeing t' inviting me and some of the boys to a class with his trainees. 'pparently there's a Blademaster for that now. Am sure that will come about when the time is right. Master Darrow always seems to be busy now he's back, but I think he's a goodly soul, proper head on his shoulders." They were walking into a hard packed dirt yard, between four buildings spaced far apart. To their immediate right was a barn-sized building all on a single story, with a few people around it. The men and women practicing various forms of fighting styles were spread from there all the way across the Yard. At the opposite end were two newer structures, made of unweathered stone, although the purposes of either was not evident from the exterior. Immediately ahead was the large dormitory hall, and it was towards that and a large set of doors that Mordjen led them. "Master Darrow is a good man, but a hard man too. Don't be letting on what happened with Heb back there, if you please. He's a trial for most, but this Tower is probably the only thing keeping him from finding an arrow wi' his name on it. He didn't mean no harm; I'll keep on at him. The Master of Training's office is upstairs." Mordjen pointed at the set of stairs that ran central through the large lobby. The foyer had a tiled floor and wood panelled walls, with several tables, chairs and benches set out, occupied by groups of trainees in the various greys of the Warder Yards.
Mordjen turned and clasped his hands behind his back, bouncing up once on his toes. "He usually has open hours in his office from a couple of hours before High, until a few hours before Low, if he's no out running an errand. If he doesn't happen t' be there right then, there is usually a book with a pen. You can scribble a request for a meeting, and then come back. Right now, it is about four hours after Early, so he is probably already there." The guard grinned broadly, and nodded. "It is good to welcome you to the Tower. Good luck!" Patting the newcomer jovially on the shoulder, Mordjen retreated back the way they had come.
Ravak
Heb grunted dismissively in response, meandering back to the guard post without a glance back. The grey-haired guard threw his hands up in exasperation with a loud sigh. "Fine," he muttered, turning to the new arrival. "The name's Mordjen. Pleased to meet you. I'll take you to where you ought to go. If you'll follow me, please?"
Mordjen stepped out in front, taking comfortable but ground-eating strides. As he walked, he chattered amiably with the newcomer. The entrance road was somewhat long, and Mordjen only went halfway down before veering off to the right. He cut across a field towards a large four- or five-story building. It looked like a dormitory, and faced the tall glass Grey Tower itself.
"I never tried t' be a Warder meself," Mordjen continued. "Me wife, Liz, bless 'er. Well, she would probably cry herself to sleep every single night if I told her I wanted t' try an' get meself bonded to some fancy Aes Sedai." The guard chuckled at that, then cleared his throat after stealing a glance at the woman striding alongside him. "No no, I watch the front gate, and help carry firewood when there are special occasions. That is more than enough connection t' the One Power for me, yes ma'am. But if I could learn some of the way of the Warders, like how they fight with their bare hands, I would very much enjoy learning about that. I think it would make me better at being a guard." Mordjen seemed to be lost in his own thoughts for a moment, his pace slowing briefly.
"Anyways," Mordjen perked up, "Master Darrow said he would be seeing t' inviting me and some of the boys to a class with his trainees. 'pparently there's a Blademaster for that now. Am sure that will come about when the time is right. Master Darrow always seems to be busy now he's back, but I think he's a goodly soul, proper head on his shoulders." They were walking into a hard packed dirt yard, between four buildings spaced far apart. To their immediate right was a barn-sized building all on a single story, with a few people around it. The men and women practicing various forms of fighting styles were spread from there all the way across the Yard. At the opposite end were two newer structures, made of unweathered stone, although the purposes of either was not evident from the exterior. Immediately ahead was the large dormitory hall, and it was towards that and a large set of doors that Mordjen led them. "Master Darrow is a good man, but a hard man too. Don't be letting on what happened with Heb back there, if you please. He's a trial for most, but this Tower is probably the only thing keeping him from finding an arrow wi' his name on it. He didn't mean no harm; I'll keep on at him. The Master of Training's office is upstairs." Mordjen pointed at the set of stairs that ran central through the large lobby. The foyer had a tiled floor and wood panelled walls, with several tables, chairs and benches set out, occupied by groups of trainees in the various greys of the Warder Yards.
Mordjen turned and clasped his hands behind his back, bouncing up once on his toes. "He usually has open hours in his office from a couple of hours before High, until a few hours before Low, if he's no out running an errand. If he doesn't happen t' be there right then, there is usually a book with a pen. You can scribble a request for a meeting, and then come back. Right now, it is about four hours after Early, so he is probably already there." The guard grinned broadly, and nodded. "It is good to welcome you to the Tower. Good luck!" Patting the newcomer jovially on the shoulder, Mordjen retreated back the way they had come.
In the moderately-sized office he called home, Ravak Darrow lounged in his leather-backed armchair, a ledger propped up on his lap. Behind him, a fire crackled in the large fireplace, set behind the Shienaran's chair and desk. Once he had preferred the cold, but a long year in the Three-fold Land had made him more accustomed to the heat. Not a beat of sweat sat on the Warder's face, although the room was as warm as standing in the sunlight on a summer's day. Using an iridescent quill, he made corrections and updated in his ledger, referencing various papers sprawled over his desk. A lot had changed in a year, but the Master of Training had new impetus to knuckle down and get on with his duties.
The room's furnishings had been carefully returned to their former glory. Everything was Shienaran in style, if not in manufacture. It was a lot easier to get imitations carved than to import furniture from the Borderlands. Hard edges and clean lines were everywhere, all built from solid oak. The desk had solid sides as opposed to spindly legs, so the lower half of the Master of Training was hidden from view. Two newer chairs sat on a Taraboner rug for the Gaidin's visitors. A weapon rack in one corner held Rav's weapons. His Tower-forged longsword was placed so that the Great Serpent on its crossguard was visible. Beside it rested a stout sword-breaker, a long quarterstaff made of silvery wood, and a simple longbow. There was a second table, covered in more sheets of paper being weighed down various throwing daggers. Lastly, a small stand held a teapot and cups.
Ravak undid another button on his shirt, so that it was only half done-up. The heat may not cause him to sweat, but he still felt it like everyone else. He pulled at his collar, revealing well-defined muscles underneath. He had joined the Yards as a slip of a boy. Now he drew the eyes of quite a considerable number of onlookers, especially now that he was unbonded. The reasons behind that dismissal were not public knowledge, although most drew conclusions from the length he had been away, and the lack of the Accepted he had disappeared with.
Ravak heard the floorboards outside of his room creak. Not everyone would pick up on that, but this was his office, and he was used to its quirks. He placed the ledger in a desk drawer, page marked by a letter opener, then sat up straight to greet the new visitor.
The room's furnishings had been carefully returned to their former glory. Everything was Shienaran in style, if not in manufacture. It was a lot easier to get imitations carved than to import furniture from the Borderlands. Hard edges and clean lines were everywhere, all built from solid oak. The desk had solid sides as opposed to spindly legs, so the lower half of the Master of Training was hidden from view. Two newer chairs sat on a Taraboner rug for the Gaidin's visitors. A weapon rack in one corner held Rav's weapons. His Tower-forged longsword was placed so that the Great Serpent on its crossguard was visible. Beside it rested a stout sword-breaker, a long quarterstaff made of silvery wood, and a simple longbow. There was a second table, covered in more sheets of paper being weighed down various throwing daggers. Lastly, a small stand held a teapot and cups.
Ravak undid another button on his shirt, so that it was only half done-up. The heat may not cause him to sweat, but he still felt it like everyone else. He pulled at his collar, revealing well-defined muscles underneath. He had joined the Yards as a slip of a boy. Now he drew the eyes of quite a considerable number of onlookers, especially now that he was unbonded. The reasons behind that dismissal were not public knowledge, although most drew conclusions from the length he had been away, and the lack of the Accepted he had disappeared with.
Ravak heard the floorboards outside of his room creak. Not everyone would pick up on that, but this was his office, and he was used to its quirks. He placed the ledger in a desk drawer, page marked by a letter opener, then sat up straight to greet the new visitor.
| OOC: Post Sigrid's perspective of the guard showing her to the Warder Hall, continuing into the Master of Training's office and her approach to the open door. |
