Kenoma Team Training

[lachtara]

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."

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

Comments

[galdorleod]

[ While Howl is not doing this to get a reaction out of Liem specifically, he did see him standing there from the start, and may have watched him shoot arrows for a minute before starting his own half-hearted show of participating. He isn't surprised to have caught the black-eyed man's notice, and he glances over at him with a coy smile. ]

What do you mean? It's for me. [ Howl puts his hand between the string and the upper limb and lets the bow dangle, as if he's about to spin it around his arm like a hoola hoop. As he does, another arrow flies forward and thunks into the target without Howl even looking. ] You can't shoot arrows without a bow. That's just silly.

[sterngaze]

[The look that Liem is giving the bow dangling from Howl’s arm suggests that the treatment might actually be causing him physical pain. Sure, it’s just a practice bow, but it doesn’t deserve the level of casual disrespect that the wizard is affording it. It’s a perfectly good, functional tool, not a toy.]

You’re right: I can’t shoot arrows without a bow.

[This is because Liem can’t hurl arrows with his mind. Just look at this display! He’s not even trying. And he very clearly didn’t show up to practise his archery. Liem regards the small collection of neatly clustered arrows in the bullseye of Howl’s target, then looks back at him with a dry expression.]

Did someone put you up to this?

[galdorleod]

No.

[ The single, plainly stated word is punctuated with a shrug. Howl hops the bow off his wrist, catches it with his other hand, and then holds it out to Liem with a cool smile. The wizard doesn't seem fazed at all by the frown on the other Aion's face, for better or for worse. ]

I was watching you earlier. You're quite good with these things, by the way. Properly, that is, not like parlor tricks

[ Howl glances out at the target Liem had been decimating with arrows before being interrupted. This seems like a good time to indulge in his personal curiosity in this man — he remembers very well how vulnerable he'd been by the Lodestone on that day he arrived. There's something intimate about seeing others like that, and being seen in the same state. ]

You must have had quite a lot of practice?

[sterngaze]

[Howl may not be especially responsible in his handling of his bow, but Liem decides to view it as a good decision when he holds it out for him to take. Maybe he just doesn't feel like walking (or floating) it back to the rack himself, but Liem opts to interpret the gesture charitably. He accepts the bow after only a moment's hesitation.]

I've been shooting for most of my life.

[The calluses on his hands and the musculature of his upper body speak to long decades spent using a bow, just as much as does the ease with which he handles the longbow that now rests against his shoulder. He seems a much keener and more industrious man now than he had when he was slumped in misery in the lodestone cavern.]

But your "parlour tricks" must have required a great deal of practice as well. Flashy or not, your accuracy with them is nothing to scoff at.

[galdorleod]

[ Howl shrugs his shoulders, now seeming to play down the so-called parlor tricks he's been showing off a minute earlier. He'd rather show off than openly brag. ]

Hm, I suppose. Learning how to do anything takes practice. You could say I've been doing these sorts of things my whole life, too.

[ Not interested in getting into the details of that right now, he turns his attention back to Liem. ]

You look much better than the last time I saw you. [ Howl speaks in a casual tone, keeping the topic light in spite of how not light their last meeting was. ] I'm glad to see it. My arrival was quite awful too — I did not envy you back then.

[sterngaze]

[Liem takes Howl's subject change in stride, inclining his head in brief acknowledgement of his observation. He keeps the tone of his reply just as mild as the other man has.]

I feel better.

[A small bar to clear, considering his state during their initial meeting. Nonetheless, he'll accept the compliment.]

I'm afraid I wasn't especially appreciative of your help or your advice at the time. But it was kind of you to offer it just the same.

[He takes in the wizard's much more conventional, put-together appearance, now lacking any feathers or talons. It's difficult to imagine the man in front of him in the same kind of desolate condition that Liem suffered during his first few days in Horos.]

Did everyone who was summoned here suffer the same welcome?

[galdorleod]

[ Howl shrugs his shoulders. The movement makes the Shard embedded in his upper chest catch the sunlight and glint. ]

No need to worry. Those of us who arrived here first, we remember what it was like, and we understand that the struggle isn't particularly conducive to congeniality or politeness.

[ The struggle being shorthand for, or perhaps a euphemism for, an Aion's acceptance of the Kenoma. That being said, Howl guesses that he's answered Liem's question in the course of commenting on his apology, but he continues anyway. ]

I can only speak for what I saw when I was reborn in this world — I don't know about all of the others who came later when you did. But, for those of us from the initial batch, yes.

Some of us listened to the Kenoma, as unpleasant as the truths it told us were. That would be you, and me, and the others here. [ gestures at the Aions doing the training exercises around them. ] Then there are the stubborn ones, the people well-versed in telling themselves lies and clinging to the impractical. They suffered through the same 'welcome' as the rest of us, but did not come to the same conclusion.

[sterngaze]

[As Howl explains, Liem takes the opportunity to take a few steps back to the collection of armoury bows and leave the extra back among its fellows. He assumes Howl is done with it, and regardless of how much practice Liem has with the weapon, not even he can somehow use two bows at once.]

Those are the aions who gravitated toward the Pleroma?

[This is news to Liem. He’d thought that those aligned with the Pleroma were the aions who had been intercepted before they could be taken back to the Regent’s citadel. Regardless of what his fate would have been if he’d refused to listen to the Kenoma’s voice, he’s sure he wouldn’t have been allowed to simply leave.]

How did they escape the Regent’s stronghold?

[galdorleod]

Well, they didn't escape a "stronghold" — we weren't taken directly to Achamoth, you see. The Regent's forces went to each of the shrines to gather us up, and then we were taken elsewhere, outside the city, for some sort of ritual. A strange underground temple, unlike the others, with enormous stone thrones for each of the Legacies...

[ It's a long story, and perhaps Howl shouldn't be surprised if Liem hasn't heard it. There probably wasn't any reason to think that his senior Aions' introduction to this world would be any different from his own.

Howl doesn't mind telling the story, long as it may be. He holds up his forearm, wrist outward, to show Liem a large scar in the shape of the Celebrant's symbol. ]

I was gifted this awful marking in the course of that ritual. Still trying to find a proper way to make it go away. And yes, while it was quite painful, it was nothing compared to that black liquid given to us moments later — which you are already familiar with.

The Aions who escaped that day rejected the whole thing, and really, I can hardly blame them. They didn't need to scar me and put me through all that to get me on board. A conversation would have sufficed.

[sterngaze]

[The candid description Howl gives of his own introduction into their sect makes Liem's brows furrow. Given how reluctant he's been to think about his own suffering in the Kenoma's lodestone cavern, the discussion of forced scarring and cruelty is like a dash of water to the face, momentarily bringing the realities of the Regent's methods into sharp focus. His eyes linger on the mark on Howl's arm.]

I've seen marks like that before, but… I didn't realize they were given unwillingly.

[He is acutely aware of the scar on his own palm: a symbol with similarly spiritual significance, but one that he sought out and bought with hard-earned gold. He had thought the few marks he'd seen were symbols of individual devotion. Learning otherwise visibly unsettles him.

He wonders what else he's failed to understand about the circumstances of the original aions.]

Can you tell me more about the ritual?

[galdorleod]

[ Howl watches Liem's reaction pass across his face with patience and quiet curiosity. Doubtless he's thinking of his own arrival in this world and how deeply unpleasant it all wa; Howl was there, saw it for himself, and remembers it well. It really is too bad that joining the side of the Kenoma has to be so unpleasant — no wonder the escapees see them as "evil", or whatever they would say. How many more would be on that side if it weren't for that?

At Liem's question, Howl shifts his weight to one leg and props a hand on the opposite hip. ] Hm. I'll tell you if you'd like to hear the story, yes. But how about we get out of the sun and enjoy a break, if we aren't to be using the equipment in the meantime?

[sterngaze]

[The workaholic in Liem hesitates to turn this brief interlude into a longer break. Unlike Howl, he's here to use his time productively. He doesn't want to quit the field to gossip when there are plenty of other hours in the day when the training equipment is packed away and talking would make more sense.

The part of him that hates the sun, however, celebrates the opportunity to escape it for a little while. It takes only a moment for him to decide in Howl's favour and set his own bow down as well.]

That would be welcome. It's likely past time for me to take a break in any case.

[He gives Howl a faintly rueful smile, squinting up at the sky despite the oppressive Achamoth geometry obscuring much of it.]

My complexion suffers if I spend too long in sun like this.

[galdorleod]

[ It takes a moment for Howl to tell whether Liem is joking or not, and even then, he isn't sure. The soft-spoken man does have a somewhat odd look to him; by his home world's standards he would guess that Liem is not human. Maybe his complexion really is unusually sensitive to the sun, being as deathly white as it is. But who knows? The man could be a vampire and Howl wouldn't know, he muses to himself. ]

Bet I've got a cream or two that could help you with that. Or even a spell.

[ Howl is only half joking himself, being unsure of how serious Liem is. Either way, he is the guy you wanna talk to when it comes to skin products. Gesturing loosely for Liem to follow, Howl starts to head towards the large block of ice. ]

Unless you mean that more... literally?

[sterngaze]

[Although Liem quite obviously lacks the fatal weakness to the sun that vampires are widely known for, it's suspiciously easy to draw connections nonetheless. His ghastly pallor is the thing that most people tend to notice first about him; less commonly, but often more significantly, someone might notice that he casts no shadow. Though as he follows Howl into the shade at the edge of the courtyard, this detail becomes even less apparent.]

As literally as you might expect, I'd think, [he replies, unperturbed. Howl doesn't look especially dark-skinned himself, but Liem's countrymen tended to be dark-featured and tan-complected. He's used to burning much more easily than most.

Liem's eyes wander to the huge chunk of ice serving as a cooler for the offered drinks, and his lips thin slightly. He seems poised to voice a criticism, but instead he keeps his peace and looks back at Howl.]

You know spells for skincare? Or specifically protection from the sun?

[galdorleod]

[ Liem's lack of a shadow has completely evaded Howl's attention thus far, and as they step into the shade, it will sadly continue to do so. But maybe that's forunate for Liem... if Howl had noticed, he'd be battering him with questions right now.

He turns his head to address him with a smile as they near the ice block. ]

I do. Whether they would work on you, however, I am unsure. Much of my magic has not returned to me, and some of what has only seems to work on myself.

[ The wizard presses one hand against the ice, beside a partially embedded glass of colorful liquid. It quickly starts to melt. ]

Volunteering to be a test subject?

[sterngaze]

[When they reach the ice chunk, Liem doesn't immediately make any move to retrieve a drink from it. Not being a wizard himself, he's bound to need more than a little effort to actually free one, unless he wants to settle for the easily accessible leftovers that have been passed over by the drink station's previous visitors. For now, he spends the moment looking for a likely target.]

Are you in need of a test subject?

[He flicks a sceptical glance at Howl as he melts steadily through the ice surrounding his chosen refreshment. He's not confident that he actually does want to sign up for something like that.]

Perhaps I should just wear a hat.