Tar Valon IC

[al'Lan Mandrag]

The servant mumbles to Cirelyn: "I was just picking up the practice swords to take them back to the armoury. One of the Gaidin wanted me to oil them."

Karan frowns but then turning to Alric mutters: "Well no. He looked like he was snooping."

[Ifni]

"All right. It sounds like this was a misunderstanding." Cirelyn tries to keep her voice quiet and soothing, although part of her still wants to berate Karan. But if the Blademaster finds out about this she imagines he'll be getting more than a lecture; roughing up a servant for doing his job seems like the kind of behavior the Tower discourages forcefully in its trainees. She smiles - hopefully reassuringly - at the servant boy, and repeats, "What's your name?"

She glances quickly at the ground to see if there's a bundle of discarded practice swords there, and then looks back up to study the youth's face for a moment, looking for the subtle signs of nerves and dishonesty. Admittedly, right now that's complicated by his very obvious fear at the accusation and Karan's presence.

Spoiler

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Sense Motive on the servant, to attempt to see if he's being honest.

(1d20+8)[10].

[Lentrax]

"Looked like he was snooping? That is a far cry from proof. And snooping is a far cry from thieving."

Alric starts hauling Karan off. He then stops and turns to the servant.

"Gathering practice swords requires going into the barracks? And why were the trainees not caring for their practice weapons themselves?"

[al'Lan Mandrag]

"Well some of the trainees had taken them in after practice. The Gaidin said they were meant to be returned to him for safe keeping."

Cirelyn

Spoiler

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He seems guilless

Alric hauls Karan away and he accepts without making a noise, though he still seems to be fuming inwardly.

[Lentrax]

Alric points at Koeil. "You, lad. You show me the way to the blademaster."

[Malak'ai]

Shaking his head and rubbing his jaw as Karan backs off. The blow hadn't been enough to bring lights to his eyes, but it certainly took him by sureprise.

Getting his senses back he hears the Atha'an Miere girl talking, only just catching what she says, "I'm fine Mistress, just caught me by surprise. Peace."

As he steps back over to Soryn, listening to the servant boy, he thinks, Practice swords in the barracks? Needing oiling?... The boy must have misheard. before Alric starts dragging Karan along, stopping and pointing to Koiel.
"Yes Gaidin." he says before turning towards Cirelyn and her friend, "Thank you for your concern Mistress. I hope this little... Scuffle hasn't ruined your walk for you and your friend." Blushing a little and looking at the ground he continues in a quieter voice, "I hope we see each other again soon." before quickly turning and running off after Alric Gaidin.

[al'Lan Mandrag]

Alric and Koeil

You find Domnick in his study in the main barracks, with his large oak desk covered in piles and piles of jumbled notes. A number of warders look at you strangely as you bring Karan through the corridors, but Alric's determined face is enough for them.

Spoiler

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This will be the last scene for today, so everyone feel free to wrap up your roll playing and then the drama will unfold...

[Malak'ai]

Koiel stands quietly as close to the door as possible after entering the Blademaster's study.
Light, hopefully Domnick Gaidin doesn't think I had anything to do with Karan acting like a fool.

[Lentrax]

"Domnick. I caught this young man here," he gestures at Karan, "roughing up a servant who was in the barracks. Karan accused the servant of being a thief without proof."

Alric keeps speaking. "Further, when this young man, this time he gestures at Koeil, "attempted to stop Karan, he was struck."

[al'Lan Mandrag]

Alric and Koeil

Domnick seems surprised that Alric is up and about only a few hours later, and for a Warder that means a lot.
He frowns at Karan: "Looks like you will be spending your time with Milak helping our Master Wallar, report to him in the morning." Karan appears suitably chastised and departs with a curt bow.
Domnick then turns back to the pair of you: "Thieving you say? Who was the servant? I ask only because there has been an unusual spate of thefts of late. Tar Valon itself is almost crime free, for a city at least, and such a series of a crimes is unheard of, but in the Tower itself, that is unheard of."

[Lentrax]

"The lad said he was gathering practice swords at your request, but it is more likely he misunderstood another request."

[al'Lan Mandrag]

"Ah, Stefan, no I did send him." Domnick nods. "Do you know what was taken?"

[Ifni]

"Yes Gaidin." he says before turning towards Cirelyn and her friend, "Thank you for your concern Mistress. I hope this little... Scuffle hasn't ruined your walk for you and your friend." Blushing a little and looking at the ground he continues in a quieter voice, "I hope we see each other again soon." before quickly turning and running off after Alric Gaidin.

"No, it's fine, if nobody's hurt... and er, I'm sure we will. See each other. Sometime." There aren't that many Warder-trainees and novices at the Tower, after all; too-close friendships are discouraged, but not casual interaction.

Cirelyn gives the trainee's retreating back a faintly bemused look; he surely can't be pinning any hopes on her, it'll be years before she has the right to bond a Warder. (And could she, even if she wanted to? She doesn't know if Deiza Sedai and the others have Warders; the trust implied by the bond seems to sit uneasily with the secret they're required to keep. Perhaps a man of the Atha'an Miere - but none of them would leave the sea behind.)

"All right, now that seems to be resolved - look, I really can't keep calling you just you." That to the servant boy. "What's your name? I'm called Cirelyn. Take a moment to calm down, I'm sure the Gaidin won't complain about you taking too long, once the situation's explained. Was it the Blademaster who asked you to get the swords?"

[Malak'ai]

Still standing as quietly and as still as he can, Koiel listens to the Blademaster and Alric Gaidin talking, waiting for the eventual questions as to what he was doing.

[Lentrax]

"Afraid not. The boy was rather tight lipped about the matter."

[al'Lan Mandrag]

Alric and Koeil

"Hm. Well I want you to find out. I can't order you to do anything Alric, but I'm pretty certain the sisters won't want you leaving any time soon, and I can order you Koeil."
"The Tower guard can't do this, not if it as far reaching as it seems, I can only trust a Gaidin, and no warder has time for a search like this. None except you." He pauses then, and it is obvious why Alric has more time than others.
"Find out for me what is being stolen, and find out why. If you find them, bring them in."

Cirelyn

"I'm Stefan, ye-yes Master Shivan did send me for the swords. Thank you mi-miss. I'm alright now, I'll be going, I-I've got du-duties."

[Lentrax]

Alric's eyes unfocus at the mention of time, then he gives a nod and turns to go.

"Come on, lad. We won't get much done standing here." As they leave the barracks again, Alric speaks again.

"I don't even know your name. I very we'll can't call you lad all the time, can I"

[hoverfrog]

When Jino finishes up the pots she takes a moment to straighten her back and wipe the sweat from her brow. Spotting Sadie lounging in a corner making busy work wiping down the same patch of work top she walks over to see her, "D-did you think I was an Accepted?" maybe she had misheard earlier, "I-I'm not. I'm j-just a Novice like you.

She turns as Laras walks in, catching them both idling, "All finished." She glows with pride at a job well done, "I-Is there anything e-else I can help with?" Amira had said an evening of scrubbing pots but once they were finished she'd just find another job until Laras let her go. The same pots would need cleaning once the dinners were cooked anyway.

She could almost understand why working in the kitchens was supposed to be a punishment if you were a noble or something but Jino had worked with her hands for her entire life. She had climbed into a forge to clean it almost from when she could crawl and even after being sent away from her home she'd made sure to work hard with the Tinkers. They'd taught her the real pleasure in doing a job well and she'd applied this to everything that she did. If only she could channel as well as she worked with her hands. Then the Aes Sedai would not see her mistakes and wouldn't be so angry with her.

[Malak'ai]

Nodding and saying, "Yes Blademaster." before turned to leave the study.

Hurrying to catch up with Alric's long strides, Koiel just manages to catch what the Warder said, "My names Koiel. Koiel Tojer." he says as he comes up along side the older man, "But you can call me 'Lad' if it's easier Gaidin. My father, uncles and Grandfather used to just call 'Boy' me back in Shinier... But... That was before the war."

[al'Lan Mandrag]

Jino

Sadie frowned and then nodded. "Oh ok then. I'm Sadie. Thanks for helpin' out. Guess the Mistress of Novices sent you? Yeah, but it'll be worth it when we are Aes Sedai." Her eyes gleam with the possibilities.
She leaves shortly afterwards, and later on Laras comes in. She scrutinizes the cauldrons carefully, then sniffs and nods and sends you on your way. You just get to the refectory in time to catch the last dregs of dinner and then have to hurry back to your room afterwards.

The rest

You make your ways back to your rooms, Master Wallar arriving to show Alric to a separate single room in the barracks. There is tension in the warder trainees' barracks after Karan's outburst, and rumours of a fight with Koeil spread just as fast, growing in the telling.
The Novices manage to return to their rooms without being caught up in any more trouble with men, and each retires separately.

The Next Day

Novices
Each of you rises with the first gong, and head down to breakfast. You aren't given long there though, and Beris's arrival heralds the start of the day. She is accompanied by two other accepted who each take about a thrid of the Novices (10 each) and lead them away. The three of you are all part of Beris's group, and are called to follow her to one of the classrooms.

Warders
You each rise to the shouts of the armsmen who train you, calling you to wake up and get ready for the day ahead. You grab a short breakfast and are then ordered out to the stables to saddle your horses if you have them, and if not you are given one of the guards' doughty animals from the stable.
Koeil however is given a note signed by Domnick that says: "Should Alric Gaidin require you, you are to be excused from training for today and any other days he asks."

Alric
You receive a note from Domnick early in the morning that reads: "Should you need help, Koeil is excused from daily training. There is also a young man, Milak Farid, who thinks to much, but that might be a help. Show Master Wallar this note and he can help you instead of doing administrative work all day."

Namir

You rise at your leisure in the inn in the town, without any pressing engagements for the day, and a lot of time to kill.

[hoverfrog]

Jino Joei

After dinner Jino returns to her room, tired but happy. She strips off her Novice dress and gives it a wash in her hand basin before hanging it up to dry. After saying her prayers to the Creator she goes straight to sleep ready to rise early in the morning.

After more than two years as a Novice she still couldn't get used to how cold it could get in the White Tower in winter. She woke early as usual, washed and brushed her hair and decided to tie it in braids. She went out to borrow some ribbons from Helean, knocking timidly on her door. The other Novice usually slept late and Jino would often wake her so that she wasn't late. After yesterday's events she'd finally remembered that she wasn't supposed to talk about the Warder so she didn't say anything to her friend. She tied the ends of her four dark braids in white ribbon and left it to dry. If she bumped into Alric she'd tell him it was to honour his mourning even though it was so long ago.

After putting on a clean dress and an extra pair of stockings she wandered through the Novice rooms looking for Cirelyn and Taye. She wanted to remind them not to talk about Alric even though she'd forgotten this prohibition herself until this morning. Unsure of exactly where their rooms were with so many empty she let the noises of girls waking up flow over her. The occupied rooms were often spread around or spaced to make it seem like there were more Novices than there were. It was a pity there weren't more girls chosen, perhaps Jino's own sisters might be able to learn to channel.

She found Cirelyn already up and looking out of a window at the river below, "A-aren't you c-cold?" she asked in way of greeting at the dark skinned woman. She seemed far away for a moment but she smiled at the shivering Novice, "L-let's get an early b-breakfast. Maybe we won't have p-porridge today."

They heard Taye before they saw her. The short Ebou Dari was arguing with another girl about the return of a mirror and Jino and Cirelyn waited for her. "H-hi, if your m-mirror is half as c-cracked as mine you'd b-be better off letting her keep it."

After breakfast of porridge and dried fruit the trio tidied away their breakfast things just as the Accepted came in to the hall. Helean comes rushing in behind them and is immediately put in with Beris' group. Knowing better than to talk while the Accepted were giving them instructions, Jino still slipped some withered apricots into her friend's hand. She'd saved them for her when she hadn't arrived in time to eat. She was still stuffing them into her mouth when they are peremptorily instructed be quiet and to follow Beris.

It was then that Jino remembered that she had intended to write Beris a letter of apology last night to make up for her rudeness. "I hope she's not still mad at me," she whispered under her breath.

[Ifni]

Cirelyn's preparations in the morning are quick enough, once she forces herself to leave the warm cocoon of her blanket. The water in her washstand feels like it's on the brink of becoming ice; she shivers as she splashes her face, with a sudden heart-stab of longing for the remembered warmth of the southern seas. Or at least strands of Fire laced through Air, as a meagre consolation; but as she's done every morning since she mastered that weave, she considers the risks and the benefits, and decides to stick with the icy water. At least it's good for waking her up.

There's no choice as to clothing, as she slips into the pure white dress that's identical to the ones she's worn for the last four years. Honestly, she doesn't object to the lack of choice; she'd never worried much about clothing, and being able to continue that indifference has been a relief. She does miss bright colors, though, especially in winter, when the world seems to be drawn in white and gray and brown and even the sky is hardly blue at all: at these times, the novice dresses seem like a deliberate reminder of the snow and the too-short days, and the perpetual cold.

It only takes seconds to run a brush across her short dark hair. With some time left before breakfast, she goes to sit in one of the bay windows, and watch the river and the sky.

Her solitude is broken by Jino's stuttering yet friendly voice. Cirelyn turns to smile slightly at the younger girl, a little surprised by the overture. "Hello, Jino. It's not much colder here than anywhere else." She suppresses a flicker of annoyance at the intrusion on her rare quiet time alone - Accepted and sisters both having a tendency to see an idle novice as a situation requiring urgent correction - and stands up, smoothing her pale skirts. "We can get breakfast early if you like, but I wouldn't hold out much hope for avoiding porridge."

She waits for Taye, largely keeping her silence, except to murmur, "If you need to borrow a mirror you're welcome to mine." She doesn't see much point in arguing over such things; it's not like anything in the novice quarters is really theirs.

Cirelyn eats mechanically at breakfast, although the dried fruit is a pleasant surprise. Still, the flavors are weak compared to what she remembers from their southern voyages; golden wedges like pieces of sunlight, the juice flooding her mouth...

She chokes down the leathery strip of dried apple, swallowing the lump in her throat along with it. You will never go home Cirelyn. We are shorebound now. If Deiza meant to turn her thoughts away from the sea, the conversation with her has done precisely the opposite.

But now the Accepted are gathering them into groups, and perhaps she can put those impossible-to-banish thoughts to good use. She lets the memories rise up: the sweet tangy juice of the golden fruit on her lips and sticky fingers, the wisps of tattered white cloud only accentuating the brilliant blue of the sky. Her grandfather's deep voice as he asked her how she interpreted the weather-signs, always testing what she'd learned; the shadow of the fish-shoals on the port side, flickering like dreams through the shining layers of the still water, and the smell of salt spray and fish guts from along the deck.

Home.

Deiza Sedai, you are wrong.

The Atha'an Miere woman reaches out to rest a hand on Jino's arm, and smile in slightly amused reassurance, at the younger novice's whisper. All she says aloud - and barely aloud - is "Sssh," but the crinkling around her gray eyes says it'll be fine. She manages to mostly suppress the twitch of her lips as she looks at the Accepted; but the image of pufferfish-Beris from Jino's tale the previous night keeps marching across her mind.

Spoiler

Show

Composure check to attempt to conjure up the remembered feelings of happiness and belonging that she uses to channel.

(1d20+8)[27] vs DC 15.

EDIT: Mm. Cirelyn has good memories. And feels happy and confident and secure in herself, at least for the moment. Now if she could just stop associating those feelings exclusively with the life she left behind...

[KingofGames]

A funny thing starts to happen to a man after so many years at a trade. He starts to notice things, nuances about his surroundings that no one else would find very important. Every place liked to keep its working class neatly sequestered from those that commission the work. Being barman of The White Ribbon in Bandar Eban was all the life Masuman knew but five short weeks ago, and he had been good at what he did.

It really is a shame the old man couldn't resist his bloody sweet tooth. I might have grown as guile-some and fat as he is, playing the irresistible seductresses of the Council of Merchants against one another. I'd happily be swung from the gallows by that lot at a ripe age than be suffocated young by a jealous farmer's daughter!

The town could be quartered up as well as any he'd seen since home. Darien in particular seemed to be populated by a much wider cross-section, but the inn north of the bridge populated by those in silks, The Merry Heron, did as any its kind to attract its nobles and merchants as it did to keep out the riff-raff that find their welcome at The Fox and Draggle down the way. As he turns toward his crowd of privileged peers he can't help but long for the warm Midlander ale and icy repartee of a sultry serving maid he could be sure he'd find at the Draggle if he'd gone looking...Business certainly did have its drawbacks.

More likely someone in The Merry Heron could help him with what he sought, anyway. With all of these would-be investors cashing in on the rebuilding that must be done to repair what damages the 2 year Aiel siege had done, he would find his financier. He had to.

[The_Snark]

It isn't hard for Taye to rise early. She's always liked the hour of dawn: the sky just beginning to lighten, the sun's heat yet to set in, the streets still all but empty. It was one of the safest times to be out and about in the Rahad, the night-time predators having gone to bed and the daytime ones not yet risen; when she was young she used to go exploring on summer mornings. Here in the Tower it isn't quite so pleasant—the servants are always out and about, and the night air is too chilly for comfort—but early morning still evokes faint, pleasant memories.

Unfortunately, her momentary good cheer is dented when she goes to wash up. Her mirror is gone—again—hadn't she told Arine to return it yesterday? And the day before, too. A fine return for lending it out...

The ensuing argument shatters what is left of her good humor, wakes up anyone who might still be sleeping in the nearby rooms, and destroys any free time she might've had before breakfast before she can extract a third promise to have the mirror returned "soon". "That's not the point," Taye snaps. She'd never owned any mirror, cracked or whole, before coming to the Tower, and she'd never felt the lack. But then, before coming to the Tower she'd never had to live with people who would scold you for not keeping fastiduously clean, either. Being sent to wash her face like a child—twice!—had taught her to be careful; she'd felt like a six-year-old girl caught playing in the mud. No, she wasn't about to let them do that to her again. "I don't want the Aes Sedai thinking I've lost mine and making me pay for it. I said she could use my mirror, not keep it. If she doesn't report hers broken soon so she can get a new one..."

If nothing. Taye isn't about to go tattling to the Mistress of Novices about anything or anyone, no matter how irritating. She half-suspects Arine knows it, and is dragging her feet on purpose. Just because she can. With a last glower in the other novice's direction, she lets the others lead the way to breakfast.

As usual, breakfast softens her mood a little. She's heard some novices complain about the food here; spoiled noble and merchant girls, to her way of thinking. Fruit! In midwinter! And there was always plenty on the table, unless one of the sisters decided you should go without meals. There were definite perks to living in the Tower.

She files down the hall in comparative good spirits, ready to tolerate the Accepted's attempts at lecturing for a while. Maybe they'll even get to do something interesting, like channeling. "Just lie low a while," she mutters to Jino. Quiet, so Beris doesn't hear. Novices talking on the way to class isn't forbidden, but they don't want her overhearing this particular conversation. "I think she'd rather forget it ever happened, and if you keep quiet she just might manage it."

[al'Lan Mandrag]

Novices

Beris surveys her group as you pass by into the classroom, a large tiered space made of pale stone, with desks on each row and a raised platform at the fonrt, much like man of the other teaching rooms. She allows herself a particularly deep frown for Jino, but otherwise makes no mention of the previous day's events.
You each take a seat and she pauses before beginning a lecture.

"Today we will be learning the intricacies of Wardings. Not all of you will have the Talent for such weaves, as you all know, but many of them only require a little power so this should not be an issue. Can any body tell me what a Warding is?"
As the question is answered (one of you can answer if you want) you begin to realise that this class is full of the more advanced Novices: Arine, Helean and Dianara are there, as well as Melodie, Lias, Carla and Narla. Each one has been a Novice for at least two years.

Beris then continues: "And what do we use Wardings for? Please, anybody?"

Masuman

You make your way into the bustling bridge town, and find a number of businesses surrounding the main square, and a number of inns as well, but nothing resembling a bank. There are a number of Tower Guardsmen with horses and wagons at one corner.

[Lentrax]

Alric awakens shortly before dawn. With care and a dedicated hand, he wipes down, polishes, and sheathes his sword. Dressing quickly, he is still buckling his sword on as he walks into the early morning air.

Eating a private breakfast, Alric begins asking after the servant from the night before, Stefan.

[al'Lan Mandrag]

Alric

The servants around the barracks point you towards one of the storerooms where you find Stefan with two other men shifting various heavy boxes each crammed full with what appears to be junk and scrap metal. A man in the uniform of the guard is overseeing their work.

[D_Man_7733]

Waking up quickly and early Soryn get's dressed and prepares for his morning jog before they would wake everyone else. When the shouts come across Soryn has a brief feeling of challenge Looks like they beat me to the punch today. Preparing his sword and armour Soryn remembers the event from yesterday. Cautiously advancing on his things Soryn checks for his valuables, the signet ring, and his healers kit, in particular making sure they were all in place before heading out for breakfast.

At breakfast Soryn thought on embellishing the few stories going around about a fight between Karan and Koeil, one even talked about how he moved like a bolt of lightning to intercept the punch from hitting the servant. Another was about how Koeil stepped in to defend Soryn, that one stopped his smiling momentarily. Deciding against "improving" Koeil's reputation, Soryn ate in peace occasionally wondering where Koeil might have gotten to, as he couldn't find him in the mess while eating breakfast.

After breakfast he saddled his horse and took a little interest in the note handed to Koeil, but dismissed it quickly as training was probably about to begin.

[Ifni]

Ah, a channeling lesson! And on a topic she's not very conversant with, although she remembers some early classes, soon after she came to the Tower. Most of the warding weaves that she's glimpsed seem to require Spirit, which is very much not her preferred Power: she feels more confident and less clumsy even with Earth. Jino might be good at Warding, come to think of it, both by affinity and personality; she glances at the younger novice with a brief small smile.

But so long as there's Air or Water in the weaving, she can compensate for her unfortunate lack of deftness with Spirit, and it's a chance to learn something really new. Basking in the warm glow of her memories, Cirelyn smiles, almost uncharacteristically widely.

But ah, pedagogy first, channeling second? Well then.

"A Warding is a weave of exclusion," she answers the Accepted, after a moment, when the others don't speak up. "A barrier, in essence."

To the second question she pauses for a moment - there are the wards she herself knows, but it would be better to think of an example from beyond her own experience - and then offers, "To keep rats and other vermin out of Tar Valon?" It had surprised her, that a city this size didn't have rats; they were one of the constants among all the ports the Gull had visited. When it was explained to her, she'd still been surprised; it had seemed like such a mundane use for the One Power, beneath the vaunted dignity of the sisters, although she'd wondered if Windfinders used such weaves to protect their ships' cargoes. Then again, Gaidin Isten had said that in the Borderlands rats and ravens were called the Dark One's eyes...

Marshal those wandering thoughts. Best to focus on the lesson, for now.

[Lentrax]

"Stefan? I am Alric Gaidin. I was the one who took that other lad off you last night. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me."