Looking for warhammer training.

[Gimmerth]

Gimmerth walks around midpoint, his new warhammer slung over his shoulder, he keeps an eye out for someone who would be able to teach him how to use his new weapon. He keeps his head tilted back, just a little, wanting to see someone who could be a potential threat, or teacher.

[Nachende]

The weather was unusually warm for this time of year, and it seemed that most of the townspeople were taking full advantage of it. Crowds of people of all species were moving toward and away from the market square in search of something to do or another announcement by crazy farmers with pest problems. Everyone seemed happy under the sun, which was shining brightly for the first time in awhile.

Among the townspeople walked a bald and red-bearded Giant, his head high above anyone else on the street and his face downcast to be sure he didn't accidentally step on anyone. He seemed to be in his elder days, judging by the lines that creased his forehead, but he seemed jovial and held himself upright as he walked. He wore a deep-blue tunic edged in gold as well as purple cotton trousers and great black boots; he looked as if he were nobility of some kind. Strapped to his back was a warhammer, more than twice the size of Gimmerth's, that somehow did not clash at all with the Giant's overall appearance. It was made of fine materials and, should the Dwarf catch a closer look, was etched with intricate carvings of symbols and images.

The Giant stopped as he noticed Gimmerth, then grinned and squatted down toward him. "Excuse me, sir," he said in a deep voice that was not at all too loud, "but I couldn't help but notice that fine weapon you've got there! It's not often I find another man with a warhammer, as you might imagine. If you're not in a hurry, might I look at it?" He smiled hopefully toward the Dwarf, who was almost four times smaller than himself.

[Gimmerth]

Gimmerth was almost caught off gaurd, he had been beeing very carefull to not be stepped on by the giant, and being spoken to startled him slightly. "Uhh..." He says, quickly recovering. "Certainly." He says, hoisting the warhammer off his shoulder and lifting it up to the Giant. "No, I am not in a hurry, though, I would like to get some training in the art of this fine weapon. I got tired of the same old same old, every on of the dwarves that I knew had an axe. I did not want to be the same as all of them. And thus, I choose this weapon, different, yet similar..." He pauses, looking around. "Quite frankly I don't think that I would be quick enough for a sword, no?" He laughs, "M'names Gimmerth, yours?" He says, introducing himself.

[Nachende]

The Giant chuckled and nodded as he gingerly took the weapon into his hands, examining the angles and the craftsmanship. "Ah, a man who lives against the tide! I like it! A warhammer is a noble weapon, and he who wields it is noble, indeed! This is a very fine weapon, if I do say so. It must be the work of that lizard fellow in the market, is it not?" He smiled and handed it back to the Dwarf.

"Ah, quickness has nothing to do with your stature, my friend! But swords are much too common and predictable for my taste." He grinned. "I am Arian Domtol. It is a pleasure to meet you, Gimmerth!" He nodded in approval and touched his own warhammer, but did not bring it out for fear of scaring the townspeople with its massiveness. He thought a moment, then smiled to himself.

"Say, Gimmerth! If you're looking for training, I believe I can help you. I am an expert level myself, and am seeking training to become a master. But if you'd like, I could teach you the basics, if you'll follow me out into the fields where we won't hit anyone. What do you say?"

[Gimmerth]

Gimmerth thinks for a moment, and says, "Ok sounds fine to me. I would like to learn the basics." Upon taking back his warhammer, he slings it over his shoulder again, "Lead on Arian. I don't know much of midpoint or the surrounding area." He laughs, covering his uneasyness of the fact that the giant could kill him with one mighty swing of his hammer.

[Nachende]

Arian chuckled and nodded once, then with a wave of his big hand led the way through the crowd toward the outskirts of the town of Midpoint. Every few moments he would turn his bald head around to look down for Gimmerth to be sure he was keeping up. The noble Giant's size was not hard to follow even from a distance, however, and even the sun reflected on Arian's domish head in a bright beacon.

The Giant stopped in the center of a cornfield, barren in the winter month and pricked with the remains of dried stalks. It would not be plowed till the spring, so their footprints and any other markings they would make in the soil would not anger the farmers. Arian turned toward Gimmerth and grinned broadly, anxious to pass on his knowledge to another. "Now, good friend Gimmerth! Let me see how you feel comfortable holding the hammer, and we can work from that point." He crouched down a bit to have a better look at Gimmerth's grip and stance. "If at any time during the lesson you have a question, feel free to ask!"

[Gimmerth]

Gimmerth follows the giant, scurrying to keep up, and following was not that hard he decides, exept for those who get in the way, and even then, if one stays close enough to the giant, he can have a clear path to go through. He could not help but notice how the light reflected off the giant's bald or shaved head, adn followed it like a sailor follows a lighthouse.

Upon reaching the feild, he stops and rests his hands upon his knees, panting. He could feel the hard soil under his boots, and the whole scene seemed to tell of a hard time, or, just the middle of winter, Gimmerth could not tell, but upon hearing the giant speak, he swings his hammer up to a comftorable position.

His right had fell about a quarter of a foot away from the head of the hammer. The hammer is tilted at approximatly a 45 degree angle. His left hand rest about comftorably at approximately hip height. He turns the hammer slightly so the flat part is facing the giant, but slightly turned away from him. He looks up at Arian, waiting for some instruction.

[Nachende]

Arian tilted his head and stroked his short beard a moment as he considered the Dwarf's stance, then chuckled quietly. "Are you quite sure you haven't had a lesson before, friend Gimmerth? That is one right grip you have there, except your right hand could be a little lower down. You don't want to hold up the head of the hammer completely with your right hand. Instead, press the bottom of the handle with your left hand to balance it. This way you will have much better control over your aim, and the weight of the hammer will be dispersed between your hands." He pulled his hammer from its thong and demonstrated, placing his right hand above the center of the handle and the left near the bottom, lifting the head of the hammer by pressing with his left hand.

"Now, your footwork should also be taken into consideration. Your left foot should be forward, and your right should be back. This way, when you swing, you can step forward and put more weight into your attack." He demonstrated again, and crouched a bit as he took the appropriate stance, his body turned a bit as he stepped forward with his left foot. "When you're facing an opponent, you'll want to minimize your opponent's target. That means turning your body at at an angle." He grinned as he stood in that offensive stance, and nodded to Gimmerth that he should copy the stance.

[Gimmerth]

Gimmerth does as the giant instructs, sliding his right hand down just a bit to the instructed height. He rotates teh head slightly with his left hand to get used to the feel. He rotates his neck, and pops it while listining to the giant speak. Noting the way that the giant stands, Gimmerth chuckles. He spaces his feet the same way that Arian does, and he shifts his weight slowly to his toes to make it easier to move.

[Nachende]

The Giant chuckled quietly. "What's so funny that you'd laugh? This is the way it is done! Heh...but that is a good posture you have. It must feel natural, so if it doesn't, well, that needs practice." He listened to any questions the Dwarf might have before going on.

"Now, let's try a horizontal swing, which, if successful, will knock your opponent over onto the ground. Start just like that, in the stance I showed you." He stepped back a couple paces so Gimmerth could see his demonstration, and returned to the fighting stance. "Your hammer should already be held back enough for a powerful swing. Now, step forward with your right foot and swing your hammer in an arc in front of you. As you swing, slide your right hand down the haft to get more leverage and range."

Without warning, he took a step forward and swung his hammer in front of him in a rushing swoop, sliding his right hand down as it picked up speed and force. He ended with the hammer resting on the ground, then looked to Gimmerth. "We'll practice completing the swing later. Try the swing itself first."

[Gimmerth]

Gimmerth cracks his neck again and watches the giant. Smirking, he raises his eyebrows. "Remind me to befriend all giants I meet." He says, awed at the enourmous size of the warhammer, smirk gone. "Well... I'll be..." He mutters, taking a step back. Looking at the giant he looks back at his puny warhammer, or so it seemed facing a giant, and drops his warhammer to his side as he steps forward, swinging the warhammer forward, letting his right hand drop to the base of the handle as shown by the giant. He swings it, and drops it at the end of the swing as shown by the giant.

[Nachende]

Arian grinned and nodded. "Good swing, there! Though you don't want to start with the head on the ground. Start your swing with the head at about shoulder-height, like so." He pulled up his weapon to pose as an example, his eyes fiery with a passion for the skill of fighting. He was so preoccupied, however, that he neglected to notice a red-bearded dwarf and a tall Raptorian as they approached from behind. Both were wearing the uniform of the Alyssan Guard.

The Raptorian reached out with a long arm and tapped Arian's leg with his claw. The Giant blinked and lifted his warhammer to look down and behind him, then dropped the weapon to the ground with a rumbling force that shook the ground. "Yes, gentlemen? How may I help you?"

The Dwarf stepped forward, his head craned upward to glare at Arian. "I'm sorry, sir, but you're under arrest for violation of the weapons code. Any citizen of Midpoint not a member of the Alyssan Guard is forbidden to carry and wield weaponry. Please come with us." Although Arian could have easily taken out both guards with one swing, he nodded solemnly and hefted his warhammer to his shoulder, looking down to Gimmerth.

"Sorry, friend, I wasn't aware of the new laws. I hope things work out well for you." With that he turned and followed the Raptorian back into the town.

The Dwarf, however, stayed behind and frowned to Gimmerth. "You're not from around here, are you? I haven't seen you before. Listen, I saw how you were taking lessons from that one. Now, having that hammer out in the open like you have is illegal, but I'll cut you a deal. If you'll agree to join the Alyssan Guard, I'll personally continue your lessons. If not, I'll have to ask you to store that thing away somewhere until you leave the town." He frowned slightly and folded his arms, waiting for a reply.

[ooc: sorry, but eyeball's just informed me of this new law that is coming into effect, so the training can't continue as it is ]

[Gimmerth]

OOC: Well... Screw me sideways, that wasn't how it used to be. I restarted after a while ago.

IC: Shaking slightly as Arian was lead off, Gimmerth raises his eyebrows. Why wouldn't they post the laws for all to see anyway? He thinks, shaking his head. He turns to the dwarf. "No I am not from around here. Showed up a few days ago... Join the Alyssian gaurd you say?" He pauses, thinking, and sets the head of the hammer on the ground and leans upon it. Being in the gaurd would mean a house, food, and money. Most importantly money. If he had money, he could do more things, at least he would have a steady source of income. That would be helpful. Scratching his beard he looks at the other dwarf, "Sure, I'll do it." He stops, realizing that he had not introduced himself. "M'name's Gimmerth." He finishes, waiting for a reply.

[Nachende]

The Dwarf narrowed his eyes at Gimmerth a moment, considering his truthfulness, then nodded. "All right, then! I am Sargeant Norin of the Alyssan Guard, and am of Advanced training in the art of the warhammer, among other weaponry. I do not carry my hammer with me on duty, but perhaps I could still be of some service to you at the moment. I noticed how you swung that hammer before, and I agree with the Giant's suggestion to keep the head level with your shoulder before your swing."

He paused a moment longer. "When you finish your swing, try to keep the weapon horizontal. The head of the hammer will swing around your left shoulder toward your back, if you put enough strength into your attack. This is where your strength will be tested: you must keep the hammer under your control, and don't let its momentum take you to the ground. Keep attention to the placement of your feet. Now, try that swing again!"

[Gimmerth]

OOC: I really hate the week before SATs.

IC: Gimmerth does as he is instructed, keeping the hammer level with his shoulder as he swings, putting most of his weight on his back foot, he swings the hammer, and shifts his feet to keep from falling. Letting the hammer drop a little at the end so that he doesn't fall.