[ OPEN ] Heart's on fire

[ombranera]

WHO: Character(s)
WHAT: Zevran Aranai's School for Rogues Who Can't Sneak Good and Want to Do Other Stuff Good Too.
WHEN: Wintermarch, all month
WHERE: Skyhold: Courtyard, Stables, Rookery, Battlements, etc
NOTES: Sass, Stealth, and Violence

He had mulled over the notion for a few weeks now; watching the soldiers take themselves to task, the warriors practicing as best they could; the mages training in their spells and thought- aside from combat (and even then there were tricks soldiers did not always think to teach) how was a rascal, a scoundrel, a rogue to learn more tricks? A well trained operation of any sort had well trained members of all sorts; the bruisers, the wizards, the rogues. Perhaps it was high time someone did something for the sneakier sorts.


[ Courtyard ]

Every lesson starts the same- a quick lap around the courtyard as fast as possible, vaulting over people and structures, running along the wall, making use of all the same skills that kept him alive all those years in Antiva City. For those that did not know them? The tricks came as a brief primer after the lap was finished- even a brief demonstration is offered. Afterward he runs them through a few training locks set into empty chests, some of the them wound with ringing alarms for the sake of practice. Trip the wrong tumbler? Off goes the alarm. After that it's stealth and pickpocketing. Sneaking about through a field of tripwires connected to more ringing bells and powder packets, a veritable labyrinth. Any bells go off, any powder on your person? You go through again. One of the training dummies has been re-purposed with bells and pouches on it- each pouch has a bell attached. They're timed and told to get as many as possible without ringing any bells. Ring a bell? Run a lap.


[ Stables ]

Here there is room enough for him to demonstrate proper trap production and dismantling. Every wound spring, every steel mechanism. They start with the basic bladed traps- though none of the blades are sharpened and none of the powder explosions hold more than dye. Once they've made traps that are...decent or satisfactory, Zevran walks them through detection and dismantling. Some of the practice traps have trick springs and triggers- if set off they'll be dusted with powder instead of losing their fingers. Later he goes through a list of common poisons and venoms to create and how to build up a tolerance for them. He does not provide them with samples this early on.


[ Battlements ]

Rappelling and dueling and improvisational combat and you! Here Zevran shows them how to climb, how to fall, how to make their own ropes when they've none of their own, how to throw a rappel to make it stay, how to haul it down, and how to dual wield on uneven ground. Demonstrations with Isabela and sparring with whoever wishes to take their turn happens throughout the day as requested; Zevran also covers grappling, breaking holds, and how to fight dirty. An honorable rogue is a dead rogue after all.


[ Wildcard ]

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Comments

[ombranera]

"And they need help with the sneaky climbing. I am certain you wouldn't mind showing them a few tricks, yes? In return I might cook you a fine Antivan meal." And maybe a massage, some brandy, some quiet company- or loud company, depending.

[sistertohermen]

"Well. I've never taught anyone before. But I do know a few things more than just climbing. And I suppose I can look to you for guidance. I'm hardly a master at the craft, after all."

She's just really damn good at it. But no master at her age. Plus, the idea of homecooked food right off the bat sure is tempting.

[ombranera]

"Any assistance you are willing to give, I am willing to accept." Less work for him, more education for the other rogues, and a fine dinner for he and a lovely little dwarf. No one here loses.

[sistertohermen]

"I'll give them some pointers on locks and picking pockets. And traps if any are having trouble. Maybe you could show me some of the finer points in agility." Look, with her center of gravity, the idea of running along a wall is absurdly cool. "Normally I don't do much finesse when I go at someone. I'm not very...finesse-y." But hey, there's not much need for that kind of finesse down there. Brawlers, sure, wall running, nah.

[ombranera]

"But of course! It would be my pleasure to walk you through the finer points of agile movement in and around the battlefield." An agile brawler is a lethal brawler. Well. A doubly lethal brawler.

[sistertohermen]

She doesn't look too certain, but that's about it. No sense in showing her entire hand. "I can't imagine someone like me being any more agile than I already am, but I would appreciate those finer points. I take it you are perhaps one of the most skilled around here?"

Don't be surprised if people don't know who you are, Zev. It happens to the best.

[ombranera]

"You might be surprised. All it takes is the proper instruction and incentive. Oghren, now, wasn't terribly agile until there was ale on the line. Then? He floated like a leaf upon the wind. Until he crashed. We will not be covering crashing." Landing yes, crashing no. "One of the more skilled, yes. As a former Antivan Crow I've tricks aplenty."

[sistertohermen]

He certainly has a way with words that has her smirking. "I haven't known crows to crash often." Or Crows. But then, she wasn't very familiar with Antiva. Or the Antivan Crows. Heard whispers, though, from others in the Carta. "Then maybe this will be good for both of us after all. Do you usually teach people how to pick pockets out in the open where those whose pockets shouldn't be picked can see?"

[ombranera]

"They see a crowd being led by an elf, figure it means nothing, and move along." He shrugs. "It works in my favor for the most part. Those that are willing to learn, learn. Those that are not? walk on by."

[sistertohermen]

"They see a crowd led by an elf and don't get nervous about some kind of rebellion?" Not that Skyhold has an alienage, but should elves in the cities she's heard of rise up much like the mages, Thedas could tear itself to shreds. "But I suppose whatever lets you slip on by. That's a major tenant of being a rogue, after all. Undetectibility. Teaching them to slink in the shadows yet?"

[ombranera]

"I'm known well enough to not have an opinion on elves and their station." He has them, but he does not voice them. "A few- we've the wire traps for sightlines that they are using, and a few ar trying to shadow me as I instruct the others. It's cute how they try."

[sistertohermen]

"So some of them are rogues, and some of them are just playacting?" she muses with a smirk. "We could always use more of the stealthy type around than all of these mages and warrior types. Have you trained people before?"

[ombranera]

"Yes." He'd taken on apprentices after a fashion while with the Crows. None of them survived. He wasn't particularly surprised by that. "But not quite like this. I think I may be better suited to minding a class at a time."

[sistertohermen]

"I certainly hope they take your teachings to heart. Some of them..." she starts, interrupted by a ringing bell and muffled cursing, "could certainly stand to pay more attention."

[ombranera]

"...I shall have to go instruct them on how to remove a pouch without removing a jacket. If you would excuse me a moment, Mia Bella?" All gallant grace as he steps away and down to the field, wandering to correct the mistaken recruit.