isleofavalon | Open monthly log!

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Open monthly log!

🧙 WHO: Rose and who ever wants to join her!
⚔️️ WHAT: New arrival and Open log for April
🕒 WHEN: Whenever the newbies are dumped in the lake and throughout the month
🗺️ WHERE: Red Springs, New Camelot, and Brocéliande
⚠️ WARNINGS: None for now

Red Springs - Training Grounds

The idea of using magic without the help of her Dragoon Spirit was certainly intriguing and something she was willing to try. Especially now that her Dragoon Spirit was nothing more than a jeweled orb, all the magic from it gone. But she couldn't bring herself to abandon it, so she kept it with her in a pouch on her belt.

After some instruction on magic safety and the basics, she set about to doing some self training. It didn't surprise her that Dark magic was what called to her first. Having been the Dragoon of the Darkness Dragon back in her home world, the power felt almost familiar. At the moment she was trying to manipulate shadows nearby. Changing their shape from what cast the shadow. Something simple for now. The curses, hexes, jinxes and causing pain without injury will come later.

New Camelot - General Exploring

The city was certainly different from any other city she had ever seen throughout her years. Yes, she had seen buildings that were blended into nature before. But the bases of these buildings just seemed so different to her. If it weren't for the blend of the natural elements with the building, they would have seemed almost cold to her.

When she wasn't training Rose could be found exploring throughout the city. At some points she may pause to look at a particularly very modern looking building, finding it strange. At other times she will find a park and stand to the side to do some people watching. Mainly to get a feel of the day to day lives of the locals.

Brocéliande - some more training.

Though the training grounds by the Red Spring were good, Rose was a creature of solitude. Training with her sword she preferred to do alone. So when she wasn't exploring the city, she will be in a small clearing she found in the forest to practice her form and strikes with the sword. Though those who may want to approach her may want to use caution and not startle her while she is training this way. They may find themselves facing the pointed end of her sword.

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"Your style is ... unique." Oda comments from a safe distance. He was hunting for a good place to set up training people in guns! But this place is taken, and that's fine.

"I expected a more European style, but it is not even that. How is it determined where you're from?"

Rose quickly turned at the sound of another's voice, her sword leveled and pointed right at him. But thankfully for him, he was some distance away, thus out of her sword's reach. She relaxed a little when saw he meant her no harm. At least for now anyway.

With a sigh, she sheathed her blade. "I have no idea what you mean by 'European style.' The styles vary region by region as well as by era's. What I was doing was a very old style of swordsmanship." As old as her actually. "From the northern regions of my world."

He nods quietly at her explanation. He has no interest in dueling just to learn styles, swords aren't as much his thing, and he still considers it clinging to the past mostly. Still, he's curious, so he grabs a seat at the base of a tree to watch for now. "You said it was very old. Passed down for centuries in only your village?"

Rose arched a brow as the man took a seat at the base of a tree. Looks like she was going to have an audience. Lovely....

"Not quite." She wasn't going to tell him that she was thousands of years old, and that when she learned it, it was considered a new style. "But I did learn it from my father." Well, she didn't lie. She at least gave him half the truth.

He ain't even sorry!

Nobunaga nods. "I learned war from my father as well." He was a total Daddy's boy, and he doesn't care who knows it. "Was that common for women?" A brief pause. "Women don't wield swords where I'm from, only assassin arts. Not because they're weaker. A lot of the men, especially the monks and samurai, don't want the competition. Idiots."

She could tell! Just redraws her sword and goes back doing her training.

"Not really." She replied as she went from strike form to another. "My mother died shortly after I was born, so my father raised me. Of course, he only knew how to raise boys. He was also a knight, so it was natural for him to teach me the way of the sword."

She reached the end of that particular exercise. So she started from the beginning again as she continued. "It was not until I was fourteen when women were allowed to join the knighthood."

He laughed softly -- not in a bad way, but appreciatively, actually.

"Eh, so they did allow? Good. It'd be a waste not to use those skills. What changed?"

She paused a that, a frown on her face. "A war. With it, the for more who were able to fight it. Women were more than willing to take up arms, so we were allowed to join in order to fill the ranks."

He thinks on that. Wondering how much more drastic things had to be for women to be allowed in the fight, or if it's different, if women aren't allowed in the fight as part of the castes, or luxury.

"With whom?" A beat, "The clashing magics you mentioned?"

She nodded. She didn't mention how long ago the Dragon Campaign was when she first met him. So it was safe to tell him that she fought during it.

"Indeed. It lasted for years and I had lost a lot of friends during the final battles."

He gently sings for her (sorry Kitsuno, but he promises he won't dance for anyone else until you see it first!), "A man's life of 50 years under the sky
is nothing compared to
the age of this world.
Life is but a fleeting dream, an illusion --
Is there anything that lasts forever?"

And then a beat. "Well, I suppose it's less true in Avalon, but the sentiment remains."

Because he can't just share condolences, like a normal fucking human being, okay.

Rose stops going through her exercises when he starts to sing. That was something she definitely didn't expect. And the words also held some heavy meaning for her. She knew better than anyone else how fleeting human life was. How many times had seen an acquaintance grow old and pass away? She had lost count.

"Interesting tune. Where is it from?"

"Atsumori. It's about a samurai haunted by the soul of a young flutist he killed in battle. There's a fan dance that goes with it, but I promised Kitsuno I would show her before anyone else," a stern nod.

"Samurai... They are like knights in a way?" She had did some brief research on the different types of warriors that could be present in this realm. A brief mention on samurai came up, but it didn't seem to give her the full picture.

"I suppose I can relate to the samurai in that story." She had lost count of how much innocent blood was on her hands due to them being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Yes," a nod, "But not always with horses, and they're very dedicated to the art of the sword. But a Lord like Uesugi Kenshin can be obsessed with swords as an art -- he also considers himself the Buddha; God of war, Bishamonten -- that doesn't make him a samurai. A samurai is always a vassal of a Lord. Kenshin is a Lord." The part about Bishamonten he felt the need to slip in there so that others could better understand his context in defying Buddhism as strongly as he did, going so far as to call himself the Demon King, and so on.

A sigh. "From my understanding European knights can even be made nobles?" He rested his chin in a hand thoughtfully. "Not sure how it is where you're from. But in my father's time, everyone is held back by how they're born. Anyone could aspire to be like the samurai, but very few actually could achieve it without being born there."

Another thoughtful head tilt. "Someone," well, he already used her name once, will it really hurt him to do it again? "Kitsuno, she's been here awhile. She mentioned I could become a knight of the King here. It's a strange thought for someone such as me, I must confess! Even knowing knights are not as much vassals as our samurai, I have never been under anyone else's command my whole life!"

Rose gave a nod, but didn't pay too much mind to the whole Buddha thing. Religion of other worlds wasn't something that she was interested in. It really wasn't that long ago when she doubted the existence of any god. If it wasn't for the fact that she saw the Divine Tree before her arrival to this realm, she may have still felt that way.

She gave a bit of a shrug. "It really depends on the country. In some, a knight can be promoted to a noble standing if they do something worthy of a title. Usually a noble deed or a heroic act during the time of war. In others, nobles even join knight orders, but it is sometimes seen as taking a step down from their title. It can get pretty complicated." A sigh and she lifted her sword again to start her exercises again. "I ended up becoming a Dragoon sometime after I became a knight. Dragoons do not serve under one ruler. In fact, one of my fellow Dragoons was also a king of his country. But when we travelled together, his title as a ruler was put the side."

She glanced over at him. Even with the little amount of time she had known him, she was unable to imagine him taking any orders from anyone. "Being a knight is not for everyone. Especially if you are not used to taking orders."

"What's the difference between a dragoon and a knight?"

He smiled gently at her acknowledgement and nodded. "Maybe it's different here. I'll have to gather more information." He tried to imagine shifting his ambitions, scoping them to following someone else's vision, and it failed utterly. Using knighthood as a stepping stone? Possibly, but only if he didn't have to take orders, AND if he respected the King so much to help the King's goals; even beyond saving worlds.

"A Dragoon is a knight who commands dragons, and our duty it to protect the world as a whole, not just one country. Only seven Dragoons can exist at one time since there are only seven Dragoon Spirits." Though now she supposes that number should be changed to eight with the Divine Dragoon Spirit. It so recently came into being that she often forgets to include it.

"You command dragons?" He wondered again about her reaction to her phoenix familiar, but perhaps it explained a bit.

Even more of a head tilt. "Dragoon spirits. Does it apply here?"

"I did command dragons." She stopped and sheathed her sword before reaching into the pouch that hanged from her belt. She pulled out what looked like crystal orb, though it was dull in color.

"The Dragoon Spirit does not hold any power in the realm. It does not even glow at my touch anymore, so I doubt I will be able to command dragons while I am here."

He gives her... the flattest of stares. It's not that he disbelieves her, he just... totally disbelieves her. Or rather, it doesn't sync up properly in his brain. Spirit. Glowing. Sure. Whatever.

"Okay." Really, what else can he say?

She can easily guess what he is thinking based on that look. With a sigh, she put the Dragoon Spirit back in her pouch.

"Even after being transported here, given a familiar and have even witnessed magic first hand, you are still resistant that magic is really. You really do seem like a stubborn old fool who resists change and anything new."

Oda just shrugs. "It's more that... I can't connect it. Kitsuno is the name of someone important to me. She was. She died. I hadn't said her name in years. All but forbid it around me. A kitsune princess here not only has her name too, but the Demon King of her..." World? Realm? "Experience... tried to marry her, despite her reluctance." There's too much to explain, and he can't figure out the important parts at all! "Her father was the name of one of my vassals. Not the kitsune one. Apparently Mitsuhide, who is the kitsune one, is also one of her Demon King's close associates, and the only kitsune from her Realm of Mists and Shadows and whatever else, to ally with the Demon King, and not against him." It's complicated. He rubs the back of his neck. "All of this seems so impossible, but I can understand it. I can connect it." He could relate to it, in bizarre enough ways.

He spreads his hands and shrugs again. "But spirits and orbs..." Another headshake. "Mind, I'm not sure how much I can accept about her being an Oracle either, but it is..." he rubbed his face with a hand.

"I suppose as far-fetched as her story is, and it is, I promise. Yours isn't. It just reminds me too much of the monks. And that's not to say I think you're lying." A head tilt. "Kenshin truly believed he was the reincarnation of the god of war. It's just so far from what I know, that the parts that I do know, make it such that I can't connect, understand?"

Rose listened to the tale he told. She didn't know any of the people he spoke of, nor did she know what a 'kitsune' was, but it was clear those names meant something to him. And it sounded like that it was a very complicated situation that he was put in. One that she couldn't relate to. How would she react if she met another version of Zieg or any of the other Dragoon?

"I think I get what you are saying." Sort of. "How does my tale remind you of monks?" So that she can at least get a better understanding of him.

Oh right! That's definitely way more important!

"They promise salvation so long as people give up everything for them. They pretend magic is real to further the con. They don't let in any non-believers, and they hold people back from doing anything citing obligations or transcendence. Their stories of gods are the same way. Uesagi Kenshin has a whole following that believes he is the incarnation of the god of war."

A head tilt.

"They made up stories about oni and monsters and how you had to appease the spirits with sacrifices. So try as I might to shake it, to act like there hasn't been decades of trying to prove them wrong, or actually proving them wrong, of waging war on them... I can't. All I can think is... It's a sacrifice. One magic for another kind. If it is magic."

"This is a different world, thus the laws of existence are different here. Acknowledging that oni and other monsters exist here in this realm, does not mean that those monks in your world are right. That it is not a sacrifice to say that those things exist here, even though they are nothing but tales back in your own world."

She turned to start back up with her exercises again. "Back in my world, fairies are nothing but a folktale that people use to explain things they did not understand. But here, I had seen several fairies fluttering around town. We are all seeing things that go against what we originally believe in."

"No, I mean..." Huff. "Losing your magic from your world is the 'sacrifice' the world requires to facilitate the conversion to existing here."

Nobunaga hummed quietly. "I don't mind that!" He laughed finally. "Seeing new things is what I live for! I always wanted to see outside of Japan, and a whole other world? I wouldn't even mind oni being real, if I hadn't already disproven them." A quiet hum, "I wonder what it will take to defeat the other Demon Kings. There can only be one ultimate you know? Whichever of us is the most ruthless." He is way too excited to be murdering himself.

Something goes whipping past Rose's face, a flash of spinning metal thst buries itself in a nearby tree a few feet away. An axe. The thrower hit exactly what she aimed at, but she thought this would be a good way to get Rose's attention.

Eivor steps out of the trees with a confident grin, a second axe already in her hand and a round wooden shield painted white and blue with stylized metal birds emblazoned on it in the other.

"I come out here to try speaking with the beasts, and find something far more interesting." She slips into a battle stance and bangs her axe against the shield, producing a loud THOCK sound.

"You move like a veteran drengir. Show me what you've really got!"

Edited 2021-04-14 06:09 (UTC)

Rose didn't even flinch when the axe flew by her face. She calmly lowered her sword to turn to the other woman. Well, Eivor definitely got her attention.

The weapon and battle stance the other woman had reminded Rose of the Gigantos of her own world. Though obviously this woman was human and much smaller than a Giganto.

Rose gave a shrug and turned to fully face Eivor. "I do not know what you mean by 'drengir,' but if you wish to spar with me..." She raised her sword so that the hilt was at her left shoulder, her feet going into a battle stance. "Than I will be happy to show you my Demon's Dance." Moving fast and low, she charged at Eivor.

Cool under pressure and not afraid of a good challenge. A "Demon's Dance"? Oh, Eivor likes this one already.

As Rose charges, Eivor does the same with a fierce grin, keeping her shield up, trying to collide with the Dragoon, force her back or maybe to he ground depending on the force of impact, assuming it lands at all.

They collide, and Rose could quickly tell that the other woman was stronger when it came to physical strength. That did put her in somewhat of a disadvantage. But Rose's fighting style didn't depend on strength and brute force alone. It mostly depended on her speed and agility.

Rose stands her ground as best as she can against Eivor for a few seconds before she moves to the side, almost dancing out of the way. She hoped that by doing so, that the other woman's momentum would continue going forward.

Rose's intuition is entirely correct; Eivor stumbles forward, slipping a little as she pitches forward, but managing to keep her footing, though only barely. She lashes out with her axe to try and drive Rose back further and keep her from monopolizing on Eivor's vulnerability.

She doesn't appear put out; in fact, she laughs appreciatively. "Slippery one, aren't you?" She asks, letting her shield drop. "All right, then. I'll play your game." She unhooks the second bearded axe from her belt and proceeds to spin both expertly in each hand, the handle dancing lightly around her fingertips before darting forward towards Rose, keeping low. As she approaches however, there's a tensing of her leg muscles and the charge turns into a forward leap, arms raised in dual downward strikes.

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Open monthly log!

Some more training

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More Training

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Sorry! been a while since I had to write tags for a fight.

I likewise apologize for my delay! Time got away from me.