squiring ♔ character is doing what you don't want to do but know you should do

[wynn]

♬ Troy - James Horner

WHO || Wynn,  Jimmy Novak, Anthony Hudson, Lissa Dragomir, Diana Meade, Chai Faelan, current Knights attending the ceremony
WHAT || July Squiring Ceremony
WHERE || Knights Headquarters, the Great Hall
WHEN || July 1st, 2013, 6:00PM
HOW || Actionspam

The impressively large Great Hall of the castle could easily pass as a royal throne room, with its length and the red carpet leading up to a set of steps. However, there is no throne set at the top of them, and the Hall is wide enough to accommodate hundreds of Knights. And indeed, several hundred Knights stand in ranks on either side of the wide stretch of red, each wearing the traditional set of ceremonial armor in their possession.

The new squires are fitted to their armor after meeting with Wynn, and it's traditional for each to appear for the first time before the Knighthood wearing it. Each new member is assured that only a very small number of the Knights make use of their armor for other circumstances, but it does create an intimidating sense of unity as they stand shoulder to shoulder in rank and file to receive their newest pledges.

The squires are ushered in together, with a flair of orchestral music that fills the hall with as much pomp as possible. It's a lot like that last scene in A New Hope. Yeah, you thought I was going to get through an entire post being all serious, didn't you.

At the top of the steps, Wynn waits, wearing a sword on his belt that canny eyes† might recognize as familiar.

It's one hell of a long walk past all those staring, curious eyes. Luckily, it's a long musical number.

For additional dice rolling fun (optional):

† Roll or randomize a d20. Those who roll a 15 or above can spot the sword for being the exact same sword that was suspended in the statue above the Round Table, when they met with Wynn in the Prologue.
† Roll a d20 dexterity check. If your character rolls a 2 or 3, at some point during their walk they're bound to stumble. A critical fail will lead to an epic faceplant ... or worse.

Comments

The Pledge

[wynn]

[Each line is spoken separately as a call and respond.]

"I swear to defend the Knighthood."

"I swear that I shall protect all weaknesses and shall constitute myself the defender of them."

"I shall not recoil before mine Enemy."

"I shall make war against injustice, without cessation and without mercy."

"I shall never lie, and shall remain faithful to my pledged word."

"I shall be generous, and listen to and respect all."

[And finally, in ringing tones:]

"I shall be everywhere and always the champion of the right and the good against injustice and evil."

[optional rolling; roll a D20 Wisdom check in order to see if your Knight can remember the phrases properly or not so much.]

[spiritualdebris]

[ This, however, would be where the anxiety shows because while he usually has an excellent memory Anthony is struggling with his vows (wis roll 2+3). He is, at this point, close to panicking and can't actually pay that much attention to what the hell Wynn is saying and ends up just mumbling unintelligibly for most of the vows, preferring to not be heard at all rather than people hearing him getting it wrong. ]

This is what I get for Ty and Ruvaen's pledge rolls being so fantastic.

[juststories]

[S-sob. Chai Crit Failed her Wisdom Check.

So the problem with occasionally dragging attractive strays home to patch them up is that sometimes things happen. unplanned things. Not the sort of unplanned things involved in heavy drinking, thank god, because the last thing Chai needs right now is to accidentally get knocked up by a stranger-

But no, the kind where she hounded and then made plans to meet a certain writer at a certain carnival and then LIFE happened and she never managed to catch up again. That and her general lack of luck with keeping her phone, meant she hadn't spoken to said stray since she stood him up (UNINTENTIONALLY. Stop looking at her like that) means that when said writer-house dog stray shows up at the secret almost shady initiation into full scale fairytale level knighthood - well - I hope you all had on seat belts, the ceremony is about to end in a brutal crash. THERE MAY BE CASUALTIES.

Chai gets as far as 'I swear' while she's glancing at the other knights because she catches sight of Anthony and her words just... fizzle out and disappear. She stares with wide-eyed and blatant surprise. The whole nine yards. Oblivious to everything and her mouth hanging open. Lower jaw function has ceased, and with it, most of her primary cortex seems to have gone on strike.

Not only is Anthony there, but he's looking fully the role of the knight in that shining armor to the point that Chai is starting to suspect she fell asleep reading one of her father's fairytales. Seriously, he is more than a little unfair and she was neither equipped or prepared to deal with this right now.

She doesn't even notice he's mumble-fucked his own pledge. Who is she to judge? She hasn't even managed to attempt her own. What even are the odds of both of them ending up there at the same time, in the same squiring ceremony? No really. She wants some frickin statistics. Pretty sure it's 1 in a number with 5 digits minimum.]

Anthony?

[Yep. Sure did just interrupt the serious business squiring ceremony/pledge. She hasn't even noticed. Guess who has all but forgotten Wynn and the other knights exist at all?

If you guessed Chai, you get a cookie.

[spiritualdebris]

[ You know those nightmares you have when you're about to do something really important so you dream about the event and something just goes completely, improbably, impossibly wrong?

For a full few seconds Anthony is actually convinced that he's having one of those dreams as he slowly turns his head to see Chai.

But no. She's here, this is real, it's all happening. ]

Shut. The fuck. Up.

[ Swearing in front of absolutely everyone during a ceremony where that kind of language really isn't appropriate? Check. Though really it's probably only the other squires and Wynn who can hear him all that clearly because he doesn't exactly bellow it out to the whole assembly.

Why is she even talking to him? She stood him up! That usually indicates a lack of interest, so what the hell is this about? Is she feeling like adding insult to inury by throwing some extra special public humiliation into the mix because simple rejection just wasn't extravagant enough for her?

Really, she should get some sort of award. ]

[juststories]

[Wow. Rude much? Okay so she accidentally stood him up and then never got a new phone to call him back, BIG DEAL. Get over it, Tony. It's not that bad. And she's here now, and so is he. So things can work out now!

Right?]

Well hello to you, too, Rocky.

[Why is he telling her to shut up- oh. Oops. Hi Wynn. Have a sheepish smile from Chai and a half wave. Tony gets a glare and a huff because RUDE.]

[wynn]

[ wynn looks between the two of them for a telling moment, and then says simply: ] Would you care to continue?

[juststories]

Yes, sir. Sorry.

[Adorable sheepish little knight get. So very sorry Sir Wynn, sir. She just brushes her hair out of her eyes, smiles that little smile again and then looks down.

THIS JUST CAUGHT HER A LITTLE OFF GUARD OKAY.]

[lastdragomir]

[Wis 20 total, crying, she is such a princess. idk what I was expecting.

She gives her oath with barely any stumbling with all the correct gravitas because this is the would be queen of the Moroi people, she gives good speech.

It doesn't hurt that those two over there are having a... discussion. She looks good by default.]

[astrae]

[Her face is still flaming from her near-spill on the carpet, but she curls her hands into fists, and slows her breathing. Concentrating on Wynn and the words she's supposed to repeat helps, and she regains her composure (wis 19 +3, aww yeah) repeating her oath perfectly, chin held high and her voice ringing out into the chamber.

There are more important things than tripping on a carpet, after all.]

[beseeched]

[Despite the fresh sheen of sweat on his brow Jimmy is doing just fine with his pledge (rolled an 18) but his focus is purposefully away from the crowd and solely and wholly on Wynn. He trusts him, he's not sure why, but something about him is easier to come to terms with than everything happening around him.]