aionlogs | Kenoma Team Training

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Kenoma Team Training

WHO: The Kenoma
WHAT: Training Activities
WHERE: Starts at the Citadel, varies per activity
WHEN: Starting on 6/4
WARNINGS: None yet...?

After a period of relative quiet, the Kenoma will receive a Communion post of utmost importance:

"Good day, everyone. This is Ciel. We may have received a passing grade from the Regent following the events in Venera, but they have sorely underlined how ill-prepared we were for a proper mission on Horos. Emet-Selch, Eustace, and I are in agreement, thus we have organized a series of training and teambuilding exercises. We ask that you all please attend, there will be... prizes."

OVERVIEW

When trainees arrive in the Courtyard after the Communion, a plethora of training activities await them.

The courtyard itself is sectioned off into areas, one for each training activity for the day. The activities vary from one subject to another, and still manage to be related to their tasks as a Kenoma while still leaving room for "fun". Weapons training, tag, survival training, and strength training are all provided. Kenoma is also welcome to spar on their own if they so choose. (This is not included as a specific prompt to avoid too much PVP, but you can add it in a TL if you like.)

Instructions on each activity will be provided to the participant before they begin. For those who can’t participate or choose to show up for moral support or to dodge the activities, water will be provided so that you may gossip around the proverbial "water cooler".

Each of the three trainers are on hand in some capacity or another to provide instructions on that activity or training on a specific skill.

These exercises can be done at any point and do not necessarily have to be done on a training day with the group. Characters can return after the crowd has dispersed to train on their own or with a chosen individual. The equipment will still be there and trainers (or fellow Kenoma) can be brought here at their leisure.

I. WEAPONS TRAINING

Racks of weapons are lined up on the far side of the courtyard. These range from swords to polearms and rather sizable knives to swords and tonfas. Feel free to grab a weapon of your choosing and have a trainer engage you to show you how to use it. Or, if they have experience, other students may also advise you!

The intent is to train on the proper use of several types of weapons and how to wield them effectively. It may also delve into how to most efficiently disable/neutralize/injure someone in a fight, depending on which teacher you wind up with.

II. AGILITY

There is an open part of the field that has been roped off specifically for...tag! Rope bridges, mud pits, chest-high walls of rock, and even a large wall of ice (?!) dot the field to give people plenty of places to hide and run. (If you would like your own obstacle, feel free to comment to ask so we can make sure it’s within reason of what our characters could do.)

Participants will be provided with a waxy paint to put on their hands which will stain whatever person it comes in contact with with a very luminescent purple glitter. (It washes out, of course!) The last person standing will get a prize of…dubious worth.

Now get running!

III. SURVIVAL

There’s two locations for this: the outdoor courtyard closest to the main citadel kitchen, and the kitchen itself.

For the outdoor location, bundles of tree branches and firewood are provided if needed, students are expected to start their own fire and cook wild game with what they foraged.

A - Foraging
Time for a field trip to the mountains and woods outside Achamoth! Students will be taught basic survival skills including: first aid without the use of magic, how to find and create shelter from natural terrain, how to identify and forage for food that is safe to eat, and how to create traps to catch wild game. Yes, you too can experience the joy of floor meat!

All foraged supplies can subsequently be used for Home Ec cooking lessons.

B - Home Ec
For the kitchen, there's a dedicated area where several Aions at once could attempt cooking with utensils and more elaborate ingredients. There are some servants keeping an eye out just in case and could be flagged down for help or assistance if requested/needed, but otherwise, Aions are free to make use of everything available to their own ends. Is this really useful for "training"? Cooking is a science that shapes and nourishes both body and soul, of course, it's important enough to have a part in the curriculum!

IV. STRENGTH

Step up to the starting line with one partner. One person will carry the other across a small section of the course to the finish line at the opposite end. There are a few minor obstacles such as walls and puddles. Nothing that you have to put too much effort into getting around. The person who can see will guide the person carrying them to the finish line using only their voice. Try not to bump into anything.

If you feel *really* ambitious, extra weights will be provided. Or you can forgo the rules and carry two people (or more?). Your choice, really.

V. REFRESHMENTS

For those who are not athletically inclined - or claim not to be athletically inclined - a large chunk of ice with refreshments dotted throughout awaits you on the sidelines. They will take a little effort to free them. Most will be freed with a little pull while others are completely encased in ice and may not be worth the effort.

Feel free to hand out refreshments, gossip about the participants, or scheme to your hearts' content.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

0.v. Intended Purpose.

[To be honest, Paul's not certain how much he wants to be here; he's...honestly just here to make sure things don't get too out of hand, and to offer healing if needed in case things get out of hand. It isn't the first time he's offered this, and it likely won't be the last, so if you need healing on a day where Makoto isn't present or is otherwise occupied, he's also around if nothing else.]

I. Polearms.

[Of course, he'd been advised a while ago that he should consider polearms of some sort; he's not quite certain himself on what criteria that suggestion was based, but he can agree that being able to defend himself is probably for the best in the event of situations where avoidance isn't always feasible. He's been lucky in that regard so far, but...

So here he is, and he's never turned a weapon like this on anyone in his life and it shows; for now he's just testing the weight of it, trying to get used to the feeling of it without actively volunteering himself to have at anyone. He's open to instruction from pretty much anyone willing to offer it; he cannot, however, guarantee that the effort won't completely suck. At least there will definitely be genuine effort?

...He tries really hard, it's just often a really bad try.]

V. Interest.

[Otherwise, is he going to be spending time hanging out near the refreshments? Possibly, though not at all to judge, because...well, we all know the weirdly graphic proverb about removing the branch from one's one eye before worrying about the specks in another's. That said, he is interested in seeing how all of this is going just as a whole, even if he's disinterested in everything else about being here, including the refreshments themselves.

It doesn't mean he's averse to conversation, though.]

While I'm sure this will help, it feels a little...optimistic?

[It's as even-tempered as he ever is; more a statement than blunt judgement. But still, it's...yeah...]

[ Coming to her first training session with her fellow Kenoma, she wasn't sure what to expect -- or if she would have anything to offer her impressive-seeming peers. She braced herself for the worst, that she would be utterly outshone and outclassed. But seeing Paul, she realizes she was worrying too much. She means that without judgment, of course. But it's encouraging to think that they're here to practice and learn, not just go all-out on each other.

She watches Paul for a minute before timidly stepping up to him, a halberd too tall for her hugged to her shoulder. Despite the athletic nature of their activities today, she continues to wear a large hood that swallows most of her head. ]

Pardon me... my name is Gray. Can I help you train in any way...?

[ She leaves her offer ambiguous, trying not to make it sound like she definitely thinks he needs a lot of help. ]

[Paul is one who keeps himself hooded and masked at all times while he's outdoors; he likewise avoids being out in the middle of the courtyard, keeping some degree of shade between him and the sun at all times. And, well. Since it's his usual attire, he might as well learn to fight in it - at least, that's the logic he's willing to give to anyone who asks.

That said... Well. It's not like he'd mind even if she'd implied that she thinks he definitely needs a lot of help, because holy damn does he need a lot of help.]

Anything you can offer, really. I've never done this before. It's...probably obvious.

[ She tactfully chooses silence over agreement and smiles at him encouragingly. ]

That's okay. We're all here to get better, so...

[ She lowers her halberd into her hands and adopts a loose fighting stance. She's clearly comfortable with it, though her fighter's aura remains pillow-soft. ]

You'll want to position your hands here and here... generally speaking. There are also a few different grips you should become comfortable with.

[ She demonstrates one by one: both thumbs forward, thumbs facing each other, and both thumbs backward in an overhead grip. She pauses between each one to make sure he's correctly following along. ]

[He goes quiet at that, taking in what's being demonstrated for a moment before attempting to mimic her stance. He's entirely too stiff-looking for this, honestly; at the same time, he's awkward but not uncoordinated, so he manages to not look like a total lost cause right away, at least.]

These admittedly aren't weapons I'd be using even back where I came from; I don't know how useful I'll end up being, but direct combat is usually something I avoid by all means anyway. Being able to do something is better than nothing, I guess.

[ None of that is especially surprising to her. Combat is uncommon where she comes from too. For her part, she's a product of strange ways in a strange place. ]

In that case... I think it'll be okay if you keep on trying to avoid direct combat. I don't think it's productive for anyone to force themselves to fight if they aren't fully committed to it.

[ She's trying to reassure him that fighting isn't always necessary, but realizing that she sounds a bit negative, she continues. ]

Would you like to focus on defensive techniques...?

[If nothing else, he can definitely appreciate the tact.]

Sure.

[That sounds better than anything designed to actually kill anybody. Not that he's fully opposed to the notion if killing becomes necessary, he just...

...Well. It's hardly something he's ever intentionally done.]

It's good that you're not going to insist; I appreciate it. Some of us just aren't really prepared to go out there and engage. I get that that's the point of all this, but still.

[ She's relieved that he agrees with her; she wouldn't have known what to say if he thought it would be a breeze to train up to become a frontline fighter. ]

It may be because I'm a slow learner... but in my experience, it takes a long time to develop the instincts that would allow someone to compete in a fight with a seasoned warrior. On short notice, it's better to focus on survival.

[ She's the one who suggested defensive techniques, but frankly she isn't sure how to teach what she knows in a cerebral way. She struggles briefly with the best course of action. ]

It might be easier if we dive into it. Is it okay if I start attacking you?

[That is the politest request to wreck his shit that he has ever experienced. He does appreciate it, don't get him wrong, but that's... Well, if he can't defend himself he's fairly confident that he'll be fine.]

That's entirely fine. I...don't damage easily, to put it one way.

[There are few other ways to put that, but they all involve an explanation of some sort or another; right now, he seems fairly confident in the accuracy of the statement, even if he shifts his grip on the weapon in slightly awkward anticipation.]

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[Barnaby's grabbing a drink (after a swift kick to the ice to dislodge one of the harder-to-reach drinks; he'll leave the easier targets for the others) when Paul speaks up. He looks over, puzzled.]

Optimistic in what sense? [Their ability to train together as a group? Things seemed to be going pretty smoothly so far, from what he'd seen, so perhaps he was referring to something else.]

[Paul hasn't been venturing out very far into the courtyard, preferring to keep to the sidelines and as out of the sun as possible; he's wearing the usual black robes, hooded and masked, keeping his skin as covered as possible - so whether he's here to train or not isn't precisely a mystery. Honestly, he's one of the resident pacifists anyway; he's largely just here to make sure nothing goes too awry.

The business with the ice is impressive, though; that much is evident despite the...everything, and when it comes to his words...well, at least he has the basic decorum to sound somewhat contrite for voicing them.]

Oh... It's nothing anyone is doing wrong, everything seems to be going well. I... Well, I guess I'm just a little shaken up after everything that happened in Venera. All of this is great, it's just harder to defend against what actually happened, you know?

[Like, we can weapons train all we want, but that doesn't exactly help against things impervious to bullets.]

[Barnaby might not have spoken to Paul before, but he's been in Achamoth long enough that he's not going to question the hood... and masks were common enough in his line of work back home. So he simply listens and nods in agreement to Paul's concerns.]

It's true that we were up against a powerful being, and none of us could have prepared for the influence it had over us. But if we work on our ability to coordinate as a team, we can still offer a more unified response against whatever enemies we face in future.

[That kind of trust won't get built up over cocktail parties, helpful as those might be for networking and morale; practical measures are really the best way to develop a rapport for a team that intends to wage a war together.]

[The noise that gets out of him is soft but noncommittal.]

That's something we've had difficulties with since the beginning. We were...fussed at, for lack of a better phrase, by the Regent shortly after our arrival. For difficulties like that.

[Though he is, in hindsight, not entirely certain what the Regent thought was going to happen after a couple of weeks of starvation and suffering. It isn't enough to make him question the Regent's displeasure, exactly, because the whole thing was a shitshow; besides, his own admonishment had been exceptionally light. But there's still a vague sense of "I don't know what you expected" around the whole thing.]

'Fussed at'...? [That's quite the mental image, to imagine a powerful and influential being like the Regent being fussy about anything, but he can understand the point he's trying to make.]

If I'm understanding correctly, the Regent always issues orders, but doesn't assume some kind of position of central command. We're simply meant to come up with our own strategies or solutions to how to engage with a given situation.

[And then berated after the fact. It's a weirdly passive style of leadership, at least compared to what Barnaby's used to.]

Still, that kind of teamwork requires trust. It's the kind of thing that will take a long time to build, if it happens at all.

Edited 2022-06-13 17:26 (UTC)

That's generally correct, regarding our initial reception and time with them. The issue they took up with us before was something I'm not certain can be fixed with this sort of thing - it was due to people having moral objections to what we were ordered to do.

[He knows he did. Amos. Matt. A few others. And then there was whatever the hell Emet-Selch thought he was doing.]

Physical difficulties and mental hurdles are one thing. Morality itself is a more difficult thing to consciously fix. I do think that most of us know better by now, at least with regards to being outspoken in our objections, but it's a difficulty we should be aware of in one another either way.

[Barnaby looks surprised by that, as if it's news to him.] What kind of moral objections did they have?

[He'd heard of Emet-Selch's stunt, but he was unaware the rest of them had many qualms with what they were doing. Whatever their true thoughts were, they'd learned remarkably quickly how to appear completely loyal to the Regent by the time Barnaby and the other new arrivals showed up, he thinks.]

There were issues with some refusing to fight the Pleroma-aligned, after being given orders to do so. Some of it was due to an adherence to pacifism; some of it was due to not feeling that we should punish them for their decision to not accept the Kenoma. That Kenoma should be accepted willingly, and that we shouldn't force people to take it if they're just...refusing.

[...Sorry if that's awkward, Barnaby, given your everything here. But yeah, the first wave here were kind of a collective mess when it came to ideals, largely because they'd just spent weeks suffering and also because their orders were an extremely brief "Welp, these people hate you now, either impede or destroy them."]

I won't lie, I was also reprimanded - for the, uh, pacifism thing, and because I believed that it would be better for us overall to focus on conversion rather than force. I still believe that.

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[ Someone who had been...mostly at the refreshments table area the entire time looked up with a snort, his own flask in hand. ]

You're not wrong. [ He said, clearly not really participating in the festivities. Like Paul, he's mostly here to observe, and mostly here to get a good picture of who, or what, would be the most useful in a pinch. ]

Those who are already good at these sorts of things are either...bored, or not participating. Those who are bad are...

[ Somewhere, someone slipped on the ice. Maybe it's a retainer coming in, maybe it's someone else, but it's out on the field. ] Probably not improving, don't you agree?

[Well, whoever it is that just ate shit on the field over there, Paul is going to be keeping an eye on them for the time being; he's been over here in whatever shade is available out here, dressed like some sort of grim reaper as always, but it's fairly evident that it's got his attention briefly before he formulates a response.]

Those that are bad aren't going to have enough time to become anything else before we're thrown into something else. Not like being...proficient, I guess, is going to be much help if it's anything like last time.

[We have fucking spears. That thing stopped bullets. Just realistically speaking, we're still going to get our asses handed to us.]

I don't disagree.

[ He said. It's one of the reasons why Silco wasn't out there on the field. Sure, he could run, and turn his lungs to powder wheezing across the field, or perhaps perfect his knife skills, but Silco was never going to be on the level of some here. It's physically impossible, from his age, to his lack of will. ]

Although it certainly serves as a way to...evaluate who is or isn't capable of that. [ He added, airily. ] If it were me, I would certainly use the opportunity to determine who will, or won't, be useful.

Useful.

[Paul's repetition of the word is oddly blank, without agreement in it but also without judgement.]

That's...probably more mercenary than I'd be about it.

[ Silco regarded the man with a dual-toned gaze, one eye black and red, didn't blink, when he regarded him. ]

If we're to be at war, is there any other way to be? I certainly would want to know who to look to, the next time we encounter our opponents on the field.

[ A scrunch, slightly, to his face. Scars on it emphasized, before he relaxed his expression. ]

Particularly after this last time, yes?

[...]

Yes, of course.

["Of course", he says, as though the words don't come with the sort of hesitance that implies that he knows that answer is technically and pragmatically correct, he just doesn't like it.]

Though it makes me wonder what you'd suggest for the ones deemed to be not useful. Leave them to their own devices and let God sort them out?

[ Unfortunately for Paul, Silco's shrug confirms exactly what he's thinking. ]

If the weak cannot take care of themselves, then yes, of course. We cannot coddle those who cannot grow, or learn to be strong, after all. It will make the whole of us weak, instead of making our goals easier to achieve.

[Mm. Honestly, it's not Paul's first time dealing with unpleasant people - he hadn't liked everything Bev had to say either, much less the things she saw fit to do to people - but this is a different sort of assertion to what Bev had usually had to offer. In most ways, anyway; her thoughts were more given to righteousness than pragmatism.

Basically, this could be worse. He's not partial to it, but it could be worse.]

...I verified with the Regent early on that my actions won't be to the detriment of my fellow Kenoma. That includes tolerating courses of action that will damage the whole.