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| Honing an old skill...by winning money. | |
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| Topic Started: Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:44 am (286 Views) | |
| Logan Pathwalker | Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:44 am Post #1 |
 
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It was an interesting day for Logan the Pathwalker; a man who was normally disinterested with other people and only interacted with them when totally necessary was now finding himself in a crowd of onlookers as he demonstrated his bow skill in an archery practice ring. Logan was never the biggest fan of crowds, normally keeping to himself in a tavern and rarely interacting with most people as a means to avoid trouble. And yet here he was, the Keening Whisper in his hand as he placed several close-shots into a straw target, falling close or just inside the bullseye. However, the Ranger hadn't been able to nail a dead-center shot yet, for the crowd's presence prevented him from waiting the satisfactory amount of time to line up the shot. The shots were still good, though, as he was consistently hitting the center-of-mass, but these shots were nothing compared to the old expertise he wielded in his younger adventuring days. Retirement had dulled a lot of the Ranger's skills with weapons and magic, but he was slowly regaining the abilities of his pre-retirement days. It would take some time, however. |
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| Tandorus | Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:59 am Post #2 |
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Tand sighed, the girls were going crazy over this archery event, he needed to get in on this action, woo the girls with his skills and show up some of these weaker members. He saw one man give up, throwing his bow in frustration at his fourth miss in a row, watching him pick up his arrows and leave, Tand smirked, perfect. He took his place quickly, taking out his old black short bow, he pulled it back to test it's strength, perfect as always. He dusted off his pink coat and vest, making sure they were clean, along with his black pants. He smiled as he waved to everyone and shouted out, "Ladies! This one's for you!" He knocked the arrow and didn't even bother trying to aim it perfectly, he adjusted his aim for wind only took a second, he fired the arrow hitting the dead center, he was easily the best archer here. He hooted and hollered with the crowd, standing up on the fence he raised his arms, hearing the loud cheers from the crowd, showboating was his favorite pass time next to skirt chasing. He noticed someone else though, he looked somewhat like himself, must be around the age of thirty, he mentally berated himself, the man was a really good shot in comparison with the others. He knocked another arrow, firing it right next to his own arrow, his archery had been lost to him for almost six centuries, he was just short of his old shooting ability, targets standing in the same area wouldn't stand a chance against an expert bowman like him. He stopped his hooting and hollering to get down to shooting, he smiled confidently, he was still better, even if it was just by a little bit. He shot the dead center whenever he could, otherwise his arrows landed around his arrow, at his skill level they'd need moving targets to make him need to aim, this was just child's play compared to real combat. |
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| Logan Pathwalker | Mon Aug 1, 2011 8:37 pm Post #3 |
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A rather arrogant fellow, this man wearing pink clothing, who was picking off good shots without even trying. His rather casual pace in firing into the target contrasted greatly with Logan's calm, steady drawing, breathing, and then firing at the precise moment. Though he'd nailed the target dead center, he hadn't gotten two dead-centers yet and was instead showboating by landing his arrows around the centers. Closing his eyes, Logan gradually shunted out all of the background noise, of the people cheering him on to the people walking out on the boardwalk. Breathing deep and calm, Logan flitted his fingers down the shaft of the arrow, gently sliding them across the fletching to get a feel for the weight and dynamic of this particular arrow. And then, in a burst of concentration, Logan's eyes snapped open as he drew back the bowstring and let fly his arrow in a single motion, showing a bit of his old mastery at marksmanship. The arrow cut through the air like a scythe and hit the target dead-center, right in the middle of his earlier, more spread-out-across-the-bullseye shots. Then, without stopping for breath, Logan snatched up another arrow, took another deep breath, and then loosed another arrow on the exhale. This one actually shaved some of the wood off of the shaft of his other bullseye arrow and pierced the target right into the same hole made by his earlier shot. A true arrow-split was impossible, as the bit of stone set into the nock to help for stability on the string would deflect any attempt to split the arrow. What Logan had done, however, was pretty damn close. Though he wasn't as good as he once was, Logan saw in this a shade of his old abilities. |
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| Tandorus | Mon Aug 1, 2011 9:00 pm Post #4 |
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Tand smirked as the only other man he considered a good shot skim his arrow, it was time to get serious. He focused his shot, slowly drawing it back, he breathed in, then out, releasing it shortly afterward, coping the man's own shot perfectly. He smirked, the man was good, though he believed he was better. He took his time now, drawing back slowly and firing into the bullseye, keeping pace with the other man wasn't as easy as he though though, he was taking his time and lining up shots, he was used to just glancing at a target and hitting it. He started to think... at this rate neither of them would lose, most of the other competitors had dropped out from missing to often. He heard a man cry out, "Stay your bows! The judges have come to a decision and a prize worthy of some of the skill we've seen today." A thin man wearing plain a plain green tunic walked out in front, holding a scroll and two small bags of coins, he opened his mouth and began announcing the results, "As you all know only two men are left standing, seeing as how they are of equal skill they shall split the prize, a bag of gold for each of them. Now you two come up and claim your prizes, everyone else may go enjoy the boardwalk!" He nodded for the two archers to get their money. Tand walked up and took his bag, tossing it into the air to feel it's weight come back down into his waiting palm. He looked at the man who had tied with him and chuckled, "Yer not a half bad shot, looks like yer a bit rusty though, you take far to much time to shoot. Some constructive criticism for ya, fire faster, learn ta' line up shots in a glance." He smiled as he opened the bag, counting out the gold... it wasn't much since they had to split the real prize... though it was enough for him, he could drink and be merry on the boardwalk this day. |
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| Logan Pathwalker | Wed Aug 3, 2011 4:37 am Post #5 |
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"A careful aim has helped me survive so far," Logan growled as he received his bag of prize money from the tunic'd man and felt the weight in his hands to appraise the number of coins. Content, Logan holstered the Keening Whisper on his back and began to make his way toward any food stall he could find, for the ranger was quite hungry after the contest. Before he left, though, he turned back to his competitor. "A steady hand ensures that my shots will be dead-on every time. An arrow isn't just a stick with a pointy end, after all. It's an object that has its own properties and weight," he said, "Perhaps if you'd taken the time to aim instead of glance at the target, you might've beaten me outright!" With that, Logan set off down the boardwalk, in search of a good drink and some good food. |
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| Tandorus | Wed Aug 3, 2011 4:55 am Post #6 |
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Tand chuckled, "Ya got no eye fer talent, I was puttin' on a show, why should I just make impressive shots when I can entertain the crowd to, this is supposed to be a fun little game fer the archers and some fun fer the watchers to, not my fault you guys were so slow." He knocked an arrow to his bow, firing it, his arrow streaming across the area, landing into a target on the other side of the field, dead center. He quickly put his bow on his back into the quiver and ran up to catch up to the ranger, "Ya gotta have some fun with yer life, it's not like ya can't have a good time while makin' sure others are havin' a blast to ya know." He walked with him for a while before speaking again, "I'm Tandorus, just call me Tand, I'm an archer fer hire, I'm also tha' self-proclaimed best shot in the Istan Desert. Who might you be?" Tand quickly saw a small eatery, they had set up several tables and had a few serving wenches running back and forth to serve, "Come on buddy, lets eat here, looks like a good time and they've got a few nice lookin' waitresses, come on it'll be some fun ta' finally talk to someone who's skilled." He walked over to a table and sat down, the benches they had out were made of oak, a strong sturdy wood, the same used in his arrows, oak with goose feather fletching. He turned to the side as a serving wench walked over, asking what they wanted to eat, Tand replied, "I'll take some beef stew, a half loaf of bread... oh, and a nice tall mug of ale." He chuckled he could have pulled out a line for flirting purposes, though something told him it would just sicken the man he had planned to eat with, he needed to relax, maybe Tand could get him to let loose a bit. |
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| Logan Pathwalker | Wed Aug 3, 2011 6:45 am Post #7 |
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"Showboating can cost you a match, my friend," the ranger growled in response as he took a seat next to this Tand at the small eatery he'd recommended, "Like I said, if you took your time and shot dead center every time, you would've beaten me outright. Besides, the people are entertained by the feat and the placement of the shot, not showing off as if they're in need of flourish and splendor. A steady, calm shot is what gets you the prize, after all. Perhaps if I was as good as I was back in my younger adventuring days, I might have been able to defeat you. However..." "I'll take two of the largest legs of meat you can get me," Logan set to their server, "and a good flagon of your best ale. Make both of them fresh, and you'll get a nice tip from it all." Logan a couple of pieces of gold on the table to pay for the food and then flipped another gold piece with his thumb to illustrate his point before catching it and pocketing it in his longcoat. "Tandorus, eh," Logan grunted as the two of them awaited their food, noticing the rather sharp eye his new acquaintance gave the wench who took their order. Chuckling to himself, Logan continued. "You definitely sound like the sellsword type. Most who come from the Istan tend to be so. I have been there recently, myself. Having spent the past few years as a hermit, I must say much of the kingdom has change." "Call me Peacemaker," Logan said in reply to Tand's introduction, "You might have heard of me. I was a wandering Ranger when I was younger; one of those types who fancied himself a vigilante lawman that would exact justice when the system couldn't, that whole schtick. Seems I'm the only one left, now..." |
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| Tandorus | Wed Aug 3, 2011 4:38 pm Post #8 |
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He chuckled, the man still didn't understand, he could have hit the bullseye every time with his eyes closed, a single unmoving target wasn't a problem. He raised his eyebrow at the name of peacemaker though, obviously a title or alias, he chuckled, "Ya know I made those shots miss ta' give a good show, an target that doesn't move doesn't need ta' be taken seriously. I've hunted giant sand worms, drakes, even a dragon in my time in the Istani army, I was apart of the Istani Black Bows, the elite archer squad meant to kill off large threats to the people. As for you Peacemaker, I've heard of ya from traveling merchants and tha' like, you were good, as good as any Black Bow in tha' squad." He had indeed heard of Peacemaker, he had traveled to a lot of places in the last eight hundred years and collected hundreds of pieces of information, he had kept his eyes on fledgling heroes and the like just in case he needed their help, though those days are done and over with, now he was just a plain archer for hire. He looked up as the woman brought them their food, as she was walking away Tand smirked, eating his food slowly and drinking deeply from his mug of ale. He let his new friend drink and eat for a while, "I heard this place is pretty good for all kinds of fun an' games, I doubt a couple of old dogs like us would fit in very well... though we could show these young'uns up in tha' games of skill." He chuckled as he remembered all of the festivals he'd been to, all of the games he beat or won, showing up people just because he could... those were the days. |
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| Logan Pathwalker | Thu Aug 4, 2011 5:40 am Post #9 |
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"It's good you have heard," Logan said as he pulled his tankard of ale toward himself and began to drink the savory beer within, "Most people have forgotten me over the years. Probably because a lot of them died when Taras was torn to the ground by demons while I was retired. Wound up being driven out of my home by refugees fleeing through Norwood, which is what brought me to Taras in an attempt to help out with the rebuilding. You might've heard of my efforts..." Logan pulled a small pair of pewter utensils from his coat, cleaned and purified by fire to prevent them from being poisoned by assassin or bacteria, and began quartering his hocks of beef for easier consumption. After he did so, Logan laid down the silverware and pulled out a small clay pipe from his coat and filled it with a bit of tobacco before setting the pouch on the table next to Tand. "Feel free, Tand," Logan said as he began to light his pipe with a small snap of his fingers. It was basic magic he'd learned from his days of wandering, nothing really special. "It's a bit of a homemade pipeweed I grew in a small garden at my hermitage. An old Elven recipe, I believe. Good for sharpening your mind and calming the nerves." Logan continued smoking for a time before setting down his pipe, with the tobacco still smoldering inside, and downing some more ale to whet the whistle for his food. Logan then began to consume the beef, stabbing the small pile he'd made with his fork and eating the meat rather hungrily. He still ate with some manners, though, as Logan knew better than to eat like an animal while in civilization. |
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| Tandorus | Thu Aug 4, 2011 6:26 pm Post #10 |
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He shook his head, "I don't smoke, I never liked the taste or smell of tha' stuff." He looked around and saw plenty of people milling about, this place was relatively boring in comparison to the archery contest, it was to tame for his liking. Well that and the fact that every woman in the area seemed to be with a man and he knew the serving wenches and women on the job didn't like to be distracted... oh well, he might as well talk to Peacemaker. He ate his food slowly, savoring the stew, using the half loaf to soak in the juices before biting into it. He ate for a bit before speaking, "You're rusty like me, we've both seen better days, I used ta' be able to roll, tumble, leap and flip around my enemies while firing my bow into them... though that was a long time ago, now all I've got is my accuracy and a bit of magic left in me. What about you Peacemaker, what have you all lost?" They were both professionals past their primes, it felt like an easy enough question, plus it would help fill the air so an awkward silence wouldn't take place. |
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| Logan Pathwalker | Fri Aug 5, 2011 3:21 am Post #11 |
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"Not as good at the sword as I used to be, either," Logan grunted before taking another downer of ale, "We Rangers are taught to be masters of both bow and blade, as a means of making us flexible in all situations. I'm still good at moving through and foraging in the wilderness, however. That sort of skill never leaves an aging mind like mine. Being half-elf, like me, one's memory tends to hold a lot of knowledge in. Hell, technically, I'm rather young by Elven standards!" The ranger enjoyed a slight chuckle before going back to eating his beef and smoking his pipe. Pocketing his pouch of tobacco, Logan finished the weed in his pipe before tapping it on the side of the bench to clear out the ashes. Finishing his flagon, Logan called over a server for a refill. "Inactivity tends to rob people of their fighting skills without practice, sans the very basic of skills," Logan commented, "Luckily for me, anyway, my adventuring has begun to bring back a lot of my knowledge in both sword and bow. I always missed the road during my retirement, but I didn't feel very keen on dying in battle like a lot of my colleagues and fellow Pathwalkers." |
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| Tandorus | Sat Aug 6, 2011 3:27 am Post #12 |
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Tand chuckled, he wanted to fight Peacemaker, someone that uses a bow and blade against his bow and fists... he wanted to fight him when they were both at their prime. He finished off the last bit of his stew, using the bread to mop up the juices, speaking in between mouthfuls, "Ya know what I wanna know... which of us was better when we were in our prime. I think it would be a good fight ya know? Personally, I can't wait fer us to become strong again, then we should have another archery contest and a test of arms, my fists against yer blade, just a fun sparrin' match ya know." Tand smiled as he finished off his bread, drinking the last of his ale. He looked to see something rushing at them in the distance... he squinted his eyes for a second, trying to make out the people running towards them. After a few seconds he could see them, warriors... no, not ordinary warriors, orcs. At least twenty of them rushing towards them, were they trying to do a surprise raid on the boardwalk... they traveled all the way from either the mountains or were a pack trying to start out on their own. He stood up and dropped a few coins, "We're going ta' need ta' help out tha' guards with a little problem runnin' our way on Worg back." He took out his bow and shouted out, "Worgs and Orcs comin' in from the north! Evacuate tha' place now!" He saw the people turn to the north, seeing the group rushing them, the guards shouting out for everyone to go back into the to the camp where there where more guards. Tand looked, they were almost in range, he started to walk forward, placing an arrow on his bow, "Come on Peacemaker, let's take'm down before they can even get within' a sword's breadth of us." He let the arrow loose after a few moments, rewarded by the lead worg collapsing, taking out several behind it, he smiled as he placed a second arrow on his bow, taking aim and firing it once more, they were on the edge of his shortbow range, though that just meant he couldn't do any precise aiming, he could still hit them. His second arrow thudding into the chest of one of them, forcing the orc to fall off it's worg. He saw a few guards taking out shortbows, though they were waiting, obviously not confident in their skills. Tand and Peacemaker would need to show them how to fight. |
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| Logan Pathwalker | Sat Aug 6, 2011 6:56 am Post #13 |
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"I agree, 'twould be an interesting contest between the pair of us, Tand," Logan grunted as he finished off the beef and was brought another flagon of ale. "I'll make sure that you get a proper humbling should we ever meet with our old abilities regained, good sir. But, if you shall excuse me, it's time for me to move on. This gold I gained will go well toward refurbishing my hermitage in Norwood. Perhaps you should come by, I'd happily make a good stew for us to enjoy." Logan rose and dropped the extra gold piece on the table to tip the server. As he nodded his head to Tand, however, he saw the man's gaze intensely focused to the north. Logan followed his gaze and saw, as well, the raiding party. It only made sense. The Boardwalk was a wide area, and the Taras guard wasn't exactly numerous enough to cover the entirety of this play area, and with Taras still without any real central authority, it would make the people easy prey for those most determined to attack. Not to mention the fact that orcs weren't exactly known for strategic dissecting of an area's defenses. When Tand sprung up and drew his bow, so did Logan begin to sprint forward to keep up with him, drawing the Keening Whisper in the process and nocking an arrow to the string. Before doing so, however, Logan shifting his sword, Thrae, into position at his left hip, as he knew that there'd be melee up close at some point. There were far too many orcs for him and Tand to all take down with just their bows. "I'll close with them," Logan yelled as he drew back the Keening Whisper's string next to Tand, who had already scored himself a couple of kills, "You focus on the wargs, not the Riders, and keep the orcs from having a mount advantage. If they focus on me, they won't be able to get close enough to the Boardwalk to do any damage. Keep me covered." Logan then began moving toward the raiding party, using his bow to take out the wargs and bring the orcs riding them to equal terms. Moving deliberately, Logan slowly closed with the orcs, using his time to line up shots and take out a good few more wargs, thinning their advantage considerably, before he finally came within melee range. Firing off one more shot, Logan then drew Thrae, his powerful bastard sword, and began confronting the orcs who were on foot, which numbered around ten. Logan moved in and out of the crowd, using his natural Elven agility to avoid being boxed in at any one time and allow the orcs to exploit their numbers advantage. With coverage from the guards and Tand, this would make short work of the raiding party. Keening Whisper was not a good striking staff, but it provided more than one opportunity to parry aside the crude swords, hammers, and maces of the orcs and follow up with a killstrike from Thrae. With this, five orcs fell to his blade after he closed into melee range. Eventually, though, Logan dropped his bow and instead focused on utilizing his sword skill. Dodging an overhead strike, Logan ducked and then ran Thrae straight through the orc's chest, which then provided cover when a warg, of which there were still a few left, attempted to take an attack of opportunity. The warg wound up biting the dead orc, which Logan then exploited by pulling Thrae from the orc's body and decapitating the warg. Continuing to fight a retreating fight, Logan backpedaled again and again, keeping himself from being overtaken by numbers and giving Tand ample time to line up shots and take out wargs and possibly their riders. |
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| Tandorus | Sat Aug 6, 2011 3:25 pm Post #14 |
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Tand smirked, he would play his role well, he was simply support, it's all he wanted. Tand fired rapidly, easily killing the worgs with two or three arrows, the beasts were large and he didn't have any broad headed arrows for mount slaying. He chuckled as the two or three guard archers fired with him, he instructed them quickly, "Alright fellas, aim at tha' same worg, fire once then move on. Fire! Switch Target! Fire! Switch!" With the help of the other archers they easily dismounted the rest in a few seconds after Logan had killed a few on foot. Tand kept his shooting up, taking orcs in the back of the head or the side, making sure they never got behind Logan, allowing him to retreat while fighting. Tand smirked, he had slain several worgs and several orcs, he looked to see only four orcs left, two of them started to retreat, smart move normally, but he was an excellent shot. He fired two arrows in rapid succession, hitting the orcs in the back, he watched them fall, arrows sticking out the backs of their necks, bullseye. He looked to see the guards cheering, a few of the people that were still here whooping it up, making a big fuss over it. Tand shrugged, it was time for him to go, he didn't want to get any fame or glory... though the Pathwalkers should be remembered, he ducked out from the two archers who started to run forward with the people towards Logan. Tand started his walk out of the place, fame wasn't for him, he had all the fame he needed in Istan, and he would never claim it, so why should he bother claiming fame here, it was best to keep as a silent archer, he was support, nothing more. |
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| Logan Pathwalker | Mon Aug 8, 2011 7:01 am Post #15 |
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The gushing thanks of the people and the guards was appreciated but not needed. Logan simply nodded in acknowledgement as he pressed his way through the small throng of people who had gathered to thank a member of the long-forgotten Rangers for his help in defending them against a raiding party. Having cleaned and sheathed his sword, Logan made his way through and began following behind Tand, who decided to remain rather anonymous and slink his way away from them. By this point, Logan's admirers had dispersed, having needed to do other things, and most people knew that to overstay your welcome with an anti-social Ranger wouldn't bode well for you. After a time, Logan was able to catch up to Tand. Giving his new acquaintance a pat on the shoulder, Logan took a deep drink from his Traveler's Oasis and offered some water to the other man. "You saved my life a couple of times back them, Tand," Logan said, a small smile on his face, "At the very least, you deserve to know my real name: Call me Logan Pathwalker. Peacemaker's just the name that people knew me by during my old adventuring days." |
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4:34 PM May 22
