Dancing Practice - With Sharp Things (Open)

[Duncan Sythe]

Timestamp: Third Brightening of Pontius

Whim's.

Whim's were dangerous things, but then he hadn't suffered unduly from any of them yet in any way that was visible. Mental scarring? Oh he could go on about that for candlemarks if he were the type to moan. But then he wasn't.

The whim this brightening had taken him into the military district under a fake name on his old military ID, the illusion he wrapped himself in one he'd use in the future in Jaedaxia.

Erin Darsharn. Duncan made his names up on the spur of the moment given vaguely heard things in the past few candle marks and Erin was no exception although he was dressed in Duncan's old Imperial uniform which didn't form part of the Illusion.

His hair meanwhile was close cropped about the head and behind the ears, extending down into sideburns, a beard and a thin line across the upper lip, meeting on each side. An older face exchanged for a slightly younger, black hair maintained but blue eyes swapped for calm gray.
Boots ran to mid calf, whilst the cloak and uniform was standard issue, although there was no crest on the cloak, it was simple gray.

Thusly he'd arrived at the training district with a simple bag attached to several sword sheaths, including the one at his hip; none of which being standard Imperial issue except one. So in the middle of an empty patch of packed ground near a fence he stopped and looped the strap of the leather bag over a post.

Removing his coat beneath was revealed an open silken shirt of white as he hooked that over the post as well and stripped off his Imperial sword sheath, leaving only the belt. There was armour in the bag, but that was for later.

And so the black haired, blue eyed young man who looked to be in his mid twenties moved out into the center of his own personal training square. To any who saw him the routine would be familiar, even if the techniques and the styles were not. He stretched, he prepared...and then he began.

First came the forms of Laeon, not so much forms as a true martial art would be known but attacks and defenses none the less. Through the network of blocks, upper and lower, the pattern of strikes and kicks. He was preparing for a fight that he hoped would never come. Unlike the majority of the others in the training ground his primary weapon was his mind, not his body...and yet the irony lay as he took a pause after the unarmed portion of his warm up: That he was capable enough at it, even in the face of all those who now practiced around him, drilling.

It was when the sword came that a watcher would notice the difference in the lone practitioner. For it was not a normal blade. Slipping one sheath from the bundle attached to the bag, three of which had very strange, abnormal hilts, he walked to the center of his square and held the simple sheath up; then drew from it a sword of gleaming gold that reflected light from it like the heart of a sun.

Aetherium Fallax: Sharper than Mithril but heavier; a straight blade with a single full edge and a diagonal tip, the back of the blade possessing of a thinner edge that ran to just short of the tip. It's hilt discordantly simple with a square guard of the same golden metal; the actual grip wrapped in worn brown leather.

The drawing cut, a horizontal slash, the sheath dropping to the floor in a small cloud of dust as he spun into motion, the blade held at waist level in a horizontal stance, feet apart, braced.

And so he wove the dance of practice-death across the square and back, blocking out all other forms of interruption...except for one discordant fact that only a Mage would know the meaning of.

As he worked his way forward and backward, around and around, he occasionally seemed to move with a speed that defied the eye, or an agility of motion that belied the usual pace of his dance. For beneath the mundane forms of the sword; the style of which would be alien to any Legionnaire, lay the practice of a Mystic.

Clara obtained and discarded, Duncan's mind a whirl with concentration and small spells. Alacrity and Time Snap...or at least a weakened version of the second to avoid too much attention his stock in trade for now as there was no-one to practice anything more devious on and no desire to, again, attract anyone to wondering why a Mage was practicing sword work in the military district.

It was harder than it had been before, but then the loss of Archmagery did that to people...although he wasn't bemoaning the seperation from it over much; it just focused him the more on his other talents.

So a time-dilated wrist-flick here or a swift routine that defied the eye there, that was the abnormality that assisted the strange sword in its dance as the deceptively simple man moved...and finally paused to wipe the sweat from his eyes and regain his concentration; give his Vis time to regenerate, walking over to the bag to retrieve from it a water skin after collecting the sword sheath and re-sheathing the strange, golden blade.

[Eyvind Redbeard]

Eyvind was exercising himself, both physically and in the use of the various weapons used by the Legions. He had brought his sword and his spear to the training field. He would practice with the weapons later on after some physical conditioning. Some might think this as a cruelty or a stupidity but Eyvind didn't think like that, he needed to get stronger and faster to achieve the requisites needed to become an excellent Officer. Therefore Eyvind grabbed the backpack full of stones he had brought along with the weapons and started running around the training ground. This was a great punishment to his body and he knew it but he also knew that if he prevailed here he would prevail everywhere. To prevent any internal injury Eyvind paused after a candlemark long run around the training ground.

While drinking some water and leaning against a wall to rest his body Eyvind spotted another lonely man in the field. He was practicing with a sword. The Vagaran kept his eyes on the man for a moment while resting. The man's capabilities were impressive, he was faster than what the eye could see in a person of his age. And the sword he was wielding was a common one. It was shinnying more than a usual steel sword and the way he wielded it showed it only had one edge. Intrigued Eyvind grabbed his own sword approached. As he walked closer and closer to the man he saw the sword seemed to be made out of pure gold.

The red haired human stopped at a distance that gave the man enough space to finish his exercises and when he did so Eyvind approached.

"Serale, I was exercising myself down there and I saw your sword. It intrigued me and I wanted to know what kind of weapon it is. If you don't mind of course." he smiled.

[Roland Moonstar]

Roland came by as well. He had never seen anything like it, and was curious.

As to Duncan, he knew him well-- well, no one could know Duncan well, of course-- but he knew him to the bare minimum that anyone could know him, which was that he existed. That was all you could say, to say you knew him: that he existed, and was not rumor.

Not being in clara at the moment, Roland was unaware that this was yet another mask, but even if he had been, he would not have bothered to penetrate it. He was not one to pry in matters that did not involve him, as he was rather caught up in too many affairs of his own.

He nodded affably at Eyvind, whom he knew vaguely, here and in the Crown, as a face or a name, a fellow perhaps to spar with now or in the past or future. A kind heart, a firm resolve: this was all you could ask of a Legionnaire.

Curious about the sword more than either man at the moment, he quietly waited to hear the response.

[Duncan Sythe]

“The metal is Aetherium Fallax, if I'm not mistaken these two number among the only examples in Prime most likely with no more than a hundred in the world.”

The man commented without turning his back, his voice light as he adjusted the sheathed weapons and removed two, re-considering what he'd been about to do and slipping the Aetherium Fallax sheath back into one hand and his Imperial Longsword from the time in the Mage Corps in the other.

Finally he turned and assessed Eyvind, striding over to him with a brief glance at Roland that seemed to spark some kind of surprised recognition that passed so quickly over the eyes it might not have been there at all...before he returned his attention entirely to Eyvind. From his clothes it would be impossible to tell what legion the man was from; although the pommel of the sword was Mage Corps and the design an officer's. Rank however was not in evidence without the coat...but he didn't seem offended by the question, even if his gaze on Eyvind was confident to the point that it could be reasonably expected he wasn't afraid of his strange situation.

“Take it.”

He offered, a quick calculation on Duncan's part concluding there was no danger at all in a man with an Aetherium Fallax practicing here or showing it, anyone who observed him could conclude absolutely nothing from the situation.

The leather wrapped hilt of the golden blade was extended to Eyvind. The condition of the leather evidenced a lot of use and the man's hands were Duncan's own, worn and calloused, not those of a Mage at all, despite the pommel on the Imperial longsword in his other hand.

“I'm Erin Darsharn, Provost. Yourself soldier?”

He inquired quite calmly despite the alleged rank. It was fake of course, but then Duncan Sythe, beneath it all had been a Commander in the Mage Corps for a while; its second in command.

[Eyvind Redbeard]

"Aetherium Fallax, never heard of but are certainly rare as he says." the Vagaran thought. Eyvind wasn't used to exotic weapons. Besides the standard weapons the Legion had given him he only knew the Longbow he had brought from the Hinterlands and a small variety of maces and axes, and to that he could add the Halberd he had seen in the hand of a Knight of the Black Rose, the giant Veleraen. When the Vagaran took the weapon he felt its weight, the way it swung and cut the air. The weapon was different of any Eyvind had ever wielded, it seemed somewhat different. With a grin he returned his look to Erin/Duncan just to listen him saying he was a Provost. "Damn! A high rank and I was talking to him as if he was an equal!" Eyvind thought. Promptly the Vagaran saluted, then he restored the sword to its sheath and offered it back to Erin/Duncan.

"Senior Legionnaire Eyvind Redbeard of the Jade Legion, Sir." Eyvind said in a strict military tone, then realized that if the Provost was mad at him he wouldn't have talked to him like that nor offered the weapon for a try, therefore the red haired Human relaxed. "This weapon his too mighty for a humble man like myself to wield, Sir."

[Roland Moonstar]

Roland nodded. "It is truly a thing of beauty. I have never seen the equal of it in all my born days." His eyes glittered as he looked at it, imagining the power such a sword must convey.

He had never considered the matter of blades very much. Living in Paxia, he of course had known the famous blacksmith Herctudo, and had even once considered training with him. That man could do wondrous things with the most common metal. But what if he had been given something uncommon, or rare?

Roland himself was not yet at a level where even an ego-sword would do much good in his hands, except be another thing to banter with, and so he did not ask to touch or hold the golden sword. It would be like giving a rare Jaedaxian cheese to a Kemite barbarian... he lacked the palette to yet appreciate the differences in grip, balance, and so forth such a sword had to offer.

On the other hand, he was here to learn. "What sort of extra special handling and maintenance does Aetherium Fallax require?"

[Duncan Sythe]

“At ease Senior Legionnaire.”

Erin said...although even as he did so something disquietingly sorry ran across his eyes. Just a lad. It had been Eras now since he'd run across one of those, a true innocence who just wanted to do the best he could for himself.

Receiving the sheath Erin walked back to return it to his baggage, keeping the Imperial blade in his off hand and speaking as he did so.

“No special treatment civilian.”

He said to Roland with a touch of what may have been humour.

“I believe it has close associations with Mithril which has a habit of keeping itself sharp, you just keep it clean and it'll look after itself.”

Erin explained, then turned back to Evyind. Despite his good disadvantage in height there was no sense that he was in any way intimidated by the Senior Legionnaire, but then as an officer and at least half a decade Evyind's senior, even before his real age was considered, that was hardly surprising...

“And lad, never forget that I started where you were.” A shake of his head. “Wrong uniform, same basic principle. Worthiness is in the mind.” He tapped his temple with a forefinger. “Up here and in here.”

He patted his chest.

“That weapon? It's a tool, like any other. Sharper, better balanced perhaps than what you use but isn't that ever the way through life, you grow better, the tools you use become more refined.”

Erin returned to stand before them both.

“Even if those tools are your skills and your mind, not the sword you use. How long have you been in the Legion's son? Decided where you want to go when you finish your stint in the Jade?”

Eventually that was. Soldiers didn't always get a choice but Duncan knew they got some.

[Eyvind Redbeard]

Eyvind nodded while Erin spoke to him about his very beginning in the Legion. The Senior Legionnaire smiled and thought "Ah, if you knew how I want to rise in the ranks..." The Provost looked like a nice fellow with who one could have a good conversation, he talked as a true leader. Ah if every Officer in the Legion was like him the Empire would grow and conquer the whole world of Telath, men would volunteer themselves to serve under such men command.

"I have joined the Legions in Imperos, Sir. And my plans are to become an Officer of the Heavy Infantry. I have been permanently assigned to the Jade Legion so I will probably start instructing men as soon as my training his complete. Maybe that way I can implement some ideas of mine. Some weapons in this Legion are quite outdated I'd say, Sir."

[Duncan Sythe]

“Ideas?”

Erin queried, eyes narrowing somewhat.

“Every army has its enlisted Generals Eyvind.”

Semi-curt comment aside he held up his right hand, devoid of sword to forestall a rebuttal.

“But that does not mean they are without merit. As you may have noticed my own entrance to the army fell under an area that has a less than...stellar history of good tactics so I can quite appreciate where you are coming from. I far prefer the Shields to the Mage Corps, let it be left at that.”

Erin offered with a dark smile, giving Eyvind both the fake personas former association to the mage corps and a current one to the Imperial Shields...not the Director General Riconus would ever manage to track down Erin Darsharn.

“Tell me what you think are the flaws with the Heavy Infantry Senior Legionnaire?”

[Eyvind Redbeard]

Eyvind listened carefully to every single word the Provost said, a change in his tone could mean Eyvind's downfall in the Legion. Having a Provost against oneself wasn't a good thing if someone wanted to rise in the ranks, and rise as fast as possible as Eyvind wanted would be deemed impossible.

"The Shields are a Legion like any other, Sir. The way they act may be different but they do it in order to help our Empire to stand proudly. The means don't matter, only the ends. I myself have two recruit companions who were assigned to the Shields, none of them isn't fitted to their tasks." the Vagaran promptly said.

When questioned about the flaws of the Heavy Infantry he continued.

"The only flaw of the Heavy Infantry right now is that of having the same role of the Regular Infantry. They use same weapons normal Legionnaires use. Their armors provide them enough protection to able the remotion of the shield and the use of weapons that need two hands to he wielded. See the Halberd and the Pike, both weapons have been forgotten and are of great use for fighting both infantry and cavalry. With the Heavy Infantry strict discipline its units could use a combination of both weapons in a fluid advancing line. The Pikes preventing any powerful charge to come and keeping the enemy at bay and the Halberds chopping the enemy and in the case of cavalry dismounting it, or just slaying its horses." Eyvind paused "One other think I know as a flaw not only in the Heavy Infantry but in the whole Legion is the lack of ranged units. A unit of Longbowmen would greatly improve the tactical capabilities of a Legion, and if those Longbowmen were equipped with the same Platemail Armors the Heavy Infantry is equipped with then those archers could stop being a static unit and advance to the fight. Shooting with their Longbows from the middle of the formation I described previously. If needed be those archers would attack the enemy in melee."

[Roland Moonstar]

Roland pulled out his journal and jotted down some notes. There were no new ideas under the sun, just new ways of tailoring old ideas in new arenas. He never dismissed a comment just because it came from someone who wasn't Riconus or Alexis or Motito. Everyone had their part to play, and two or three sets of eyes were better than two.

The Falcon Legion should have been able to wipe the floor with the orcs, and the fact that they had not meant that things needed to change. Magic was not properly accounted for at the local or provincial legion, the way it was by the Imperials with their Mage Corps. Short of getting a bunch of Hsins and Duncans together without starting another Julos on the path to success, Rolands only option then was to make sure the Falcons were better equipped.

He listened carefully to what Eyvind had to say, and wrote it down, making notes while the others conversed. He especially like the idea of archers. That's what they needed. Elven archers and cether slingers. And the idea of polearms was a good one, too. Eyvind had a better head for strategy than the Vagaran lad realized.

[Duncan Sythe]

A wry smile on Erin's behalf as he nodded to the lad but did not, just yet, appear quite as impressed as Roland.

“And how lad do those people with big double handed sticks keep from getting made into pincushions by enemy archers? Equipping an army is an exercise in compromise, the Heavys have shields precisely to prevent them becoming pincushions and they have a marginal use against enemy mages also. Equally archers may not be popular among the Jade Legion but I think you'll find elsewhere they are spread between squads, especially the light's and the medium's and not so much in the heavy.”

So far all negative, but not quite.

“Since again, a bow makes for a mighty fine double handed weapon but prohibits carrying a shield into the bargain if your planning on fighting in disciplined formation afterwards – hard to do with a longbow on your back digging into your neighbour. The power of the heavies is in their shield wall, at least in my estimation.”

A bucket more strategy than he had a right to but Duncan had observed Malice and Zerdargia, he knew a thing or two even if it was probably only a little more practical experience at mass-engagements than Eyvind. Duncan wouldn't credit himself very far after all, he was a spy not a general but he could see a few holes in the man's ideas and felt that if they were valid ideas, he wouldnt mind having them challenged.

And better him than an Imperatis who would whack him on the head for daring to question the Marshall's word of law, eh?

“Your right though the evidence of archers in the legion's should be more profound and their use of polearms is...a little archaic. But equally you forget the Legions in this brightening and age fight against mages not just armies like themselves, you have to tailor the army to the target...and now, think for a moment Senior Legionnaire, who around here has cavalry for your men with halberds to worry about, eh?”

Certainly not the Orcs and Mages didn't bother much about pointy sticks. Still Erin held up a hand to seem like he was completely mauling the Senior Legionnaires idea's, putting it on Eyvind's shoulder, albeit reaching up a little.

“Remember what the Legion is here for Eyvind. It's the sword of the Empire not a stage army fighting a neat and tidy battle against an opponent who plays by the same rules. I happen to know the changes that occurred brought it up to date a sight more than it was before...playing purely with shield walls and spears; think of that! Cavalry wasn't heavy it was light; skirmish and there was no difference in style at all between the units.”

He clapped Eyvind's shoulder, stepped back and continued his little lesson in pre-Arkahn history.

“The only difference in medium and heavy was the type of sword, at least now we're dealing with combined squads with archers and magi along with specialist forms of infantry.” He knew what he was talking about, even if it was rather odd coming from him. “Other Legion's have dedicated archery Cohortis or Centurious Eyvind, it's down to individual Imperatis how their Legion's are organised, the Jade is simply...dare I say a little more traditional? After all it's teaching you the basics, recruits learn their trade when they join their own legion.”

Erin then blinked and stepped back and it was almost amusing to regard him pause for a doubletake.

“Ye Gods and Jalat I sound like a damned recruiting poster.”

He shook his head but then looked firmly at Eyvind.

“The point stands though, I may agree with you that the Legion's are an outdated force.”

Something about his tone made it clear he agreed very vehemently on that point, almost too vehemently for a senior ranking officer. Indeed Duncan thought the Legion's were a dead quantity in the empire and worried about it a lot...but so far all he could do was poke Alexis and wait for the response.

“But I don't think its in terms of simply what weapons the heavier units are employing, it's more fundamental. Paxia and Narim were not lost because of a lack of halberds soldier, Orc's dont use enough horses for that.”

Whether they'd continue talking politics and war remained, but none the less Erin appeared uneasy about the topic, as if he'd said too much, revealed information that wasn't to be revealed. In the end Duncan was wondering if he was getting a rumble of the feeling of the entire Legion system...and it wasn't a good one.

[Roland Moonstar]

Roland continued jotting things down and taking notes. He was neither a spy nor a general, and wasn't sure he had anything useful to contribute to the conversation. He did make a note that a trip to Warsteed Downs was in order, as he wanted to independently confirm one point that he had heard, but otherwise he could not find fault with what either man was saying.

The conversation made him realize that there was an entire arena of knowledge that he knew nothing about, or little about, and needed to bone up on. Well, hopefully, Srennius willing, he would never need to know any of this, as come tomorrow they'd all beat their swords into plowshares and go live happily after. And, even if that didn't happen, it was not as if Roland himself was about to become an Admiral or General anywhere anytime soon.

But even so, he might someday be working with them, or consulting with them, and it would be best if he knew something on the matter. And so he said nothing but kept writing