Books of Cormyr (1) (Closed)

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

(Closed to those invovled)

The old house stood there since the times of Concordia's ancient fire.

Not old enough to be a relic of history. Old enough that is bricks and mortar were fading from their original rum-stained colour.

The sun was setting that day giving Corone its eerie glowing hue. From the skyward down, the trees looked like they were a sea of glowing fire. But no flames would be tearing through the forest this night for its had its share of tragedies.

No ammount of tropical rain could replace the tears shed upon that hollowed ground.

Looking carefully, one could swear that the trees themselves were stained with blood.

With so much misery and pain in Concordia Forest was it a wonder that the Politicians called it the Forest of love? Naye, it was truely the embodiment of dog eat dog, warrior destroy warrior. It was a place of survival. Viscious predators from a time long forgotten lurked in the shadows waiting to prey upon lovely young maidens. Upon this backdrop of nature did the old house stand, a stark reminder of a corrupted age long since past.

Gone yet ever present.

A reminder of the tragedies that placed that old house in the middle of the war in the jungle. Ancient ties to the past forever seered into the blood-stained stone of that old house.

The old house belonged to a family of isolated nobles. Once, at their prime, they were well respected at a certain age in Corone's history.

That time was long since past.

The Aristocracy of that ancient age banished the boy's ancestors to live in a place where they would surely perish. Only handfull of resources, and only a handfull of servants. Forgotten, injured, and humilitiated, the Cormyr Household did not go down without a fight. Somehow salted wounds of Alberdyne's ancestors allowed them to survive on the harsh tropical forest.

They build a niche for themselves amongst the other predators.

The origins of the house were lost in history but oft was a place where the aristocracy sent those who were banished.

Firelight offered a living glow to that old edifice. Seemingly beating with its own broken heart.

The Training Field was just outside of the main barricaded wall surrounded the house. Alberdyne's teachings went from early morning until well into the early night of each and every single day. Already at the top of his generation's class, Alberdyne's Father reserved hopes of one day in his lifetime being able to rebuild the glory of his ancestors.

Alberdyne's Father hoped to one remove the curse upon his bloodline.

The five Monks observed Alberdyne's actions very carefully. He'd improved as a tactician over the past few weeks and months of training, but was still holding back. Alberdyne's sparring partner was a young Monk named Hassen that was roughly the noble boy's age. A quick move and a counter, and Alberdyne's person hit the floor.

"ENOUGH Alberdyne-San. This holding back simply will not do. Face your fears and your destractions and learn to focus upon the moment."

The boy grunted feeling crimson blood swell in his mouth. Spitting the life-substance upon the well worn earth he stood up to face his foe.

"AGAIN!" Shouted the Elder Monk whilst his entourage carefully observed the battle catagorizing every necessary piece of data for their records back at The Citadel.

Hassen stared at Alberdyne and charged forward with another move. This time, Alberdyne had adapted and was prepared.

[Anila]

The carriage rattled and rumbled along the path through Concordia, carrying inside it a noblewoman freshly out of Akashima. To be fair, it was not her first venture out of her native country, and now she was going back to the very place that had sheltered her from the time she was fifteen to the time she was sixteen. She had spent a year with the Cormyr family, learning graces of foreign courts, and though she was determined to make it for two years out on her own, she did not see the harm in re-acclimatizing herself to a foreign environment in a familiar household and family.

The coach stopped at the edge of the Estate, as instructed, and Sakurazuka Anila stepped out lightly, allowing her kimono to flow gracefully to the ground. Her servant, Hissomi, stepped from the back of the coach, carrying her mistress's belongings. The only things Anila carried herself were the two fans nestled within her voluminous sleeves -- Hagane and Uindo. Her hair and makeup was done to perfection, as always, and she made a stately nod to the driver, allowing him to drive off as she started walking -- no, gliding -- towards the house. Hissomi, the mute servant, followed after her. She'd always been proud of her lady's upbringing -- if she could have released the young lady Sakurazuka into her true form, she had no doubt that she would become a swan. The young lady had more grace in a single movement than most women possessed in a lifetime, even moreso than her lady-mother, Sakurazuka Masumi.

The Akashiman lady's graceful glide came to a halt next to the training ring, where she observed the sparring match with the only son of the Cormyr family, Alberdyne. He had been quiet and somewhat reclusive three years before, when they had met, and she didn't know him well. She was actually more familiar with the monk with whom Cormyr-kun was sparring, Hassen. He had sparred with her that year, and kept her in shape so that when she started sparring with her brother again (the day she started using her fans in sparring matches, actually), she had not disappointed him. Poor Keiji, all alone with their father's discipline and wrath. But he WAS the only son.

Anila walked up to observe the match more closely, stopping beside the Elder Monk. She let a smile touch her ruby-red lips.

"I leave for three years, and when I return, I find Cormyr-kun exactly as I left him. It makes this place seem all the more familiar."

The Elder Monk had started slightly when the soft, delicate voice of the young woman had sounded from beside him, but he barely turned to look at her.

"Young Master Alberdyne has not changed in his devotion to his training or to his studies. Lord Cormyr will be pleased to see that you have arrived safely, Young Miss Sakurazuka."

Anila almost laughed. The monk had spoken so pointedly as to hint that she had been remiss in stopping for a moment on the way instead of going directly and introducing herself to her host.

"I will be going to the house directly. Do you think that after I have refreshed myself from my long journey, Cormyr-kun will honor me with a match?"

"No telling what that boy will do," sniffed the monk dimissively. "He doesn't know what to do with a boy his own age, let alone a woman."

With a smile, Anila turned and walked the rest of the way to the big house, which rose above the landscape like a monolith. It lacked the flowing grace and the contained courtyards and ponds of the Sakurazuka estate, and was made of stone rather than of wood and paper, but it was quite grand...in its own way...for a somewhat dilapidated old house made by a foreign architect.

When she entered the house itself, she found her host waiting for her in the foyer, hands extended in greeting. She made a small bow to her host before gripping his hands in his culture's mode of greeting.

"Cormyr-san, thank you for welcoming me into your house."

"It is a pleasure to have you back again, Lady Anila." Alberdyne's father was much taller than his son, and had a warm smile, but Anila knew that beneath the surface, there was steel, much like with her own father, Sakurazuka Yukio. She respected him for that strength.

After a few minutes of pleasantries with the lord of the manor, Anila was shown to her room. Hissomi removed the kimono and helped her into the form-fitting outfit that her lady used to walk around the house and to spar. The black slacks followed the leg smoothly to the tough canvas shoes, and the tight royal blue tunic clasped at her neck and arms. It separated at the hips, letting her mistress have complete freedom of movement, but the tails did not end until they reached the young woman's knees. That done, most of Anila's makeup was removed, and the young lady looked around the room, smiling when she saw a small gift on the bed.

She gently picked up the bamboo and cloth fans she found lying on the pillow, snapping them open with a flick of each wrist, and tossing them, finding their balance in her hands as her poor maidservant tried to pull the waist-length hair into a tight, thick braid. "Come, Hissomi. Let us go and challenge Cormyr-kun."

The match was still going on (or another had begun, this being the most likely) when Anila returned to the training arena. It really did all look just the same...Alberdyne and Hassen sparring each other for hour upon hour. The only difference was that the two boys, so lanky when she had departed, had grown up and filled out a little bit. And Alberdyne...well, he had grown. He was about her height now.

But everything...was still the same.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

(There's no turn order to this but I wanna get as many ST posts as I possibly can. Ranger and Leon just jump into this when you are able to)

Alberdyne's thoughts detached themselves in a surreal myst from the confrontation in front of him. Hassen's physical form blurred out of his peripheral vision as an ocean of memories flooded forth. The battle no longer mattered as he witnessed the past. With his peripheral vision setting back into some semblance of normal-space Alberdyne thought about the first time he'd fought Hassen. It was many years ago when the young nobleman to be was roughly only five or six years old. Education in the aristocracy started off at an early age to evade any possibility of lessons missed. Due to its rigorous nature almost all young nobles trained in military tactics. Althanas tended to be such a harsh world that even poor youth trained constantly in the Citadel of War.

Many such youth tended to become Monks of the Order. Hassen alongside most of his colleagues were typically born into the practices of the Order from Monks who interbred with one another. Secret teachings of the Order often passed into the households of noble to better educate the sons of the aristocracy who could afford to pay their weight in gold. Education of Althanas' elite became a prospect in this way the Citadel became one of the most powerful institutions on Althanas. Often game to corruption that soon soothed itself over with its own checks and balances. Some worried that The Citadel became a Nation unto itself. This was the environment of Alberdyne's youth.

Back then Hassen's age trumped Alberdyne's own by at least two years. The young Monk already bore significant scars of battle. His physique clearly that of a warrior. Alberdyne's own fram paled in comparison to that boy. An immediate comradery developed between the two lads. The first spar Alberdyne had with Hassen went decidedly disasterously. Hassen's physical skill showed through in the fight. He easily bested the young nobleman who refused to give up the battle. A fighting spirit revealed itself within the boy to the pleasure of those who observed the battle. Harshly critiqueing the young noble's lack of discipline were the Monks of the Order. Elder men with greying long hair who strangely resembled beuaracrats more than famous warriors. Yet the fighting prowess of the Monks developed such a reptuation that they became feared even as far as Alerar's reaches.

The Monks held great power in their hands. This tended to be the legacy of their teachings. Hassen only used a fraction of his skill that day. A natural result of a life-time of training even at that young age. Alberdyne remembered that Hassen's blows felt like being hit with brick not the hands of a youth. Alberdyne felt the stings of that fight to remind him it was not pleasant to get hit by those fists. Alberdyne saw the mistakes he made, moving slowly, awkwardly. Lacking discipline in strategy. Tactics not even on par with animals of Alberdyne's same age. Yet Alberdyne refused to quit standing himself up after everytime that he fell. The Monks carefully observed this iron-will present within the boy.

When the memory passed its course as the tide does Alberdyne saw Hassen's fist closing in on his face. He knew that strike well. Instinctively the boy reacted from many months and years of feeling that deadly strike. He didn't want to end up in the Nursery once more licking his wounds. Some deeper part of his brain kicked in with the training of his education. Moving skillfully to the side Alberdyne at once evaded the other boy's attack (Much to his chagrin) but positioned himself quickly in such a way to place his own counter. A feat rarely achieved by Alberdyne Cormyr. Taking advantage of the lapse of seconds in the movement, Alberdyne struck forward in the teachings of the Monks attempting to strike the side of the boy's head.

To his surprise and to Hassen's the strike connected skillfully. The boy yelled in pain and fell easily to the force. Alberdyne never even realized how much force he actually placed into his counter-strike. For a moment the beast within Alberdyne stepped forward this drawing some reaction from the Elder Monks. Alberdyne stared at the freely flowing blood trickling down from the boy's fresh wound. A feeling of rejoicement and accomplishment since this was the first time that Alberdyne ever bested Hassen in such a way. The Elder Monk stood up from a conversation with a Third Party that Alberdyne never saw arrive. The Monks nearby to the Elder moved over to Hassen in order to begin the process of healing.

Daiku looked upon Alberdyne Cormyr with great respect that day. An emotion rarely given to Nobles. Daiku clapped loudly, deliberately sounding almost like a percussion instrument. The thunderous sound invaded Alberdyne's ear drums quickly resulting in a head-ache. The boy knelt down to the ground defeated by a secret weakness. Daiku stopped seeing the familiar reaction. A small grin touching the side of his lips. He clapsed his hands together moving skillfully towards Alberdyne.

"Remember boy this night your first victory against a Monk of the Order. This is the culmination of your hard training. Combat is not about defeating ones' enemy. The Order teaches our warriors to have humility in the face of defeat and be able spare ones' foes. There is True Evil in this world. That is the Evil that we must train ourselves against. This Evil stems from the Demons in our own hearts and souls. We sense that you have a great destiny young Alberdyne Cormyr. If you wish to join the Order now that you have passed your first test we will welcome you to do so. But this must be your choice. You have made your Household proud today. You fought with Honour against a Superior Opponent and bested him in Combat. You did not let your Blood Lust consume you as so many other Warriors would. You have the potential for becoming a Great Monk. Your Father has great plans for you Alberdyne heed well for the words of your Father are laced with Wisdom. It is such a wisdom that we cannot give you for we are not your Family yet."

"Remember these teachings well. Warfare is not about war. An old friend of yours will like to spar with you now Alberdyne Cormyr." With this, Daiku motioned to the new person that'd arrive with her companion.

Alberdyne was surprised to see an old friend return. Sakurazuka Anila. With sweat glistening all over his toughened form Alberdyne knew he'd greeted her in better straights. Still he could not turn down a challenge from another warrior. With blood still trickling down his own hand Alberdyne looked from Hassen who'd been healed over to Sakurazuka. He nodded his acceptance of the fight.

He was still able to fight and would do so as long as he could breathe. There was a calm expression on his face, almost euphoric of his victory.

[Letho]

Closed and moved, as requested by the thread starter.