RP:A Devout Dichotomy

This is a Devout's Guild RP.

Summary: Kasyr and Rorin discuss their opponents in the Titans of Winter Tournament and Kasyr joins the Devout's Guild.

Snowless Training Yard, Frostmaw

Kasyr finds himself scratching at his chin as he gradually stalks about the perimeter of the yard. Whilst he'd be more likely to be in warmers climes if he could help it, a recent delivery has all but behooved him to familiarize himself with the lay of the land as best as possible. His efforts to get a feel for what was fated to be a future arena was made worse, however, by one singular fact. He had to do this sober, to ensure that his equilibrium was intact, and that the nuance of the terrain wouldn't fade away into a hungover haze within a matter of hours. "Ostil de Calice De Tabernac."

Rorin doled out soup to the homeless, shook hands with half giants like old friends, and otherwise looked about a little teary eyed. It was bittersweet to see so many people he'd known and loved pack up to go. Rorin was not entirely bound for the new Warriors Guild residence, at least not yet. Although he was a pilgrim, and thus prone to travel, he also had a home and titles in Frostmaw. He could hardly leave behind the adventures he'd had over the past three years here in the frozen unforgiving waste and wonderland. One hand carressed the flourite spheres comfortably. Would they pack up these amazingly magical items too? What about the forge, and the hall of memorium? Rorin would hate to see it go. Surely there were plenty of other decorations in the head quarters to be. Lionel was also leaving behind mountains of unfinished paperwork. Maybe Rorin could spend some more time in the office. It's not like anyone really noticed him there before...

You lacks warm memories of this place, a fact that keeps him firmly rooted in the present- lest he recall worse things. The silver lining, of course, is he doesn't fail to catch notice of Rorin, who presents another sort of opportunity. Whilst the Kensai has resigned himself to the fact that he'll need to resume his patrol later, the opportunity to get some intel on another competitor is appetizing. Suffice to say, he doesn't really waste much time in jogging after the other Paladin, though he waits to announce his presence. After all, he's curious to know how long it will take for the man to actually become aware he's being tailed, and just how he'll react.

Rorin spots Kasyr pretty easily and gives a nod and a wave. Kasyr is one of those people who stand out among a crowd. Like they're name would be written in blue or something. "Hey, what's up, fellow advocate? Er... Swordsman. Warriors Guild personal. Hey, what's up?" Rorin stumbled through the introduction, probably because he was distracted, but also because he was bad at words. Y'all know what that's like.

Kasyr 's scarf very likely helps with that whole standing out thing. the fact that it's busy coiling in directions despite the wind at times only further emphasizing that peculiar outlandishness he possesses. That said, he might be hard pressed to beat that introduction, because it's wince inducingly awkward, "...Good to see you, . . . You." This is like some sort of race to the bottom in regards to social mores, isn't it? The narrator is checking out here, because you're both idiots. Kasyr, however, doesn't really seem to mind this development, and actually seems to pick up speed, "Anyways, fine enough- just been poking around the grounds, en fait. Diligently. How have you been faring since your tourney bout? the storm didn't really provide much for the spectators to do, except eat, drink et bitch about visibility."

Rorin felt a little embarrassed about the tourney. "Yep, uh, great, fine I guess." He'd put a little too much effort into it. Needs to dial back more. He knew it. "How are you preparing for your match? The next uh, follow up stuff, it's supposed to take place here right? I wonder if they'll be using these flourite spheres. Hard to predict." Rorin smiled akwardly and leaned out over a sphere to stare at the middle distance of the training grounds. He'd had plenty of fights and spent more than enough time here honing his skills. Maybe he should get in more practice in case they do go and take it with them when the guild moves.

Kasyr can't help but frown at the mention of the spheres, though Rorin's assertion is no doubt on the money. "I'm familiar enough with their working, but I imagine fiddling with them would be against the spirit of the contest. Currently, i'm trying to figure out if it would be possible to stash things prior to the battle, simply so I don't need to carry them at all times." The kensai can't help but look contemplative, because there was a part of him that wondered if it might not be overboard, while he was simultaneously wrestled with just how it might be ideally set to brave the shifting climes. "What was he like? I really don't know anything about the man you fought." That said, the Kensai starts to shuffle over towards one of the orbs, if only to begin fussing with it. It's an unpleasently nostalgic feeling, but the payoff is worthwhile to the swordsman if only because he's intent on shifting that mercurial battlefield into a cool desert oasis. ...It just might take a little bit, since the last time he'd done this, it was in the variant within the frozen manse.

Rorin thought the idea of stowing something here for battle prep kind of funny. He was familiar enough with the orbs working to be able to teach someone else how to use them, but he doubted that would be in the spirit of the contest also. "Huh? Oh, Linken. Yeah I don't know. There wasn't a whole lot to learn about him either. The guys annasuming at first, but he has a defensive reaction time like me. What about you? Who are you up against?" Rorin hadn't really had time to keep up with all the details for how the tournament was panning out after round one. It was all just too complicated to keep up on while he was busy elsewhere.

Kasyr fusses for a few more moments with the orb he's at, before he begins to drift over towards another. Sure enough, what he's managed to do is -likely- an improvement, except, it's going to be a mildly muggy heat that's going to be enveloping the pair, in part courtesy of the snow melting, as the terrain gives way to rusty looking dunes of sand. "...Actually, could you, get that? Something less -that- color, j'pense." If the Kensai had been drinking, the site of the ground ceding way to that colour may very well have sobered him. "As for me, I got...the Pugilist? Vexar, ou quoi-ce-soit. Not sure about much, but he had enough brute force to make that mess of an avalanche, en fait." Was it his own magical reserves, an artifact, or something else, however. It's not like the Kensai intended on doing much to hinder his ability to cast, but there was always the leeriness of encountering someone that could punch like Dami, especially while he was in a far more 'human' state of being. "Was he a swordsman, ou, just quick on his feet? I never got a good look at what kind of weapons ou armor he leaned on. At least, my guy spoiled the fact that he's not -just- a punching enthusiast."

Rorin had a hard time making senae of half what Kasyr said. He figured it was cause he was drunk but who knows. "Yeah, uh, it was hard to tell ya. Uhm... I guess he could use a sword if he felt like it. Didn't really seem to know what je was doing on the surface but i feel like that was intentional. Rorin just kind of ignored what he interpreted as words like Japanese, queso, and fat avalanches. Oh well, who knew. Kasyr wasn't just a swordsman either right? Rorin didn't know much about him but the guy felt more complicated than that in a way that was hard to express.

Kasyr is trying to parse what Rorin means, and the most that comes to mind is, "...Like, he's pretending to be an idiot, or inept, but he's actually skilled? ..Or, he's skilled, but also an idiot?" They're interchangeable, to a degree, but one meant certain tactics were far more viable. "...Wait, right, Linken. I think Krice mentioned him, en fait. Something about him being ... under somethings influence? So maybe his hidden depths es whatever es haunting him?" Possessing him? Latched on? It would probably help to have a better idea of what his exact situation is- but, it seemed like something that Odhranos might have insight on. "...Find a new way to hurt him, maybe." It's not like he really knew Penelope, and as much as Krice had seemed perturbed by the tongue lashing he'd received, the Kensai had no real reason to hold back, if that match up occured. "Thanks for the heads up, all the same. What kind of sword?" Kasyr casually draws back the trenchcoat to one side to reveal the Katana sheathed at his hip for a moment, only to allow the fabric to fall back in place. "Or swords, if he uses more than one." The kensai was definitely guilty of not staying for the aftermath of the fight once there'd be a down. For one thing, all his snacks got stolen, which was really insulting. Who steals snacks?

Rorin thought about it for a sec. " i don't know it's weird. If I had to say it guess ... He's secretly skillful, but he looks like an idiot? Like he doesn't know what he's doing, just that what he's doing is actually really good. I think it's like something repressed." Rorin hadn't really come up against something like that before but it began to fit together in his mind the more he thought about it. Linken was erratic and untrained, until he had to be, and had seemed just as surprised as Rorin was. "It's not his sword that matters but his metal arm. He knows how to use it to his advantage for sure." Weird to be calling a missing limb an advantage but in this case it sure was. "You know a lot of sword magic right? Something like that? I've seen you do some incredible things in battle before." He was pretty sure. To be honest Rorin hadn't really been watching out for him since he'd never been a personal threat. As long as they were on the same side Rorin didn't really care what he could do as long as it was effective and it sure had been. He thought.

Kasyr listens when Rorin mentions the statement of repressed, his mind flicking back towards the discussion between Penelope and Krice once more- alongside Odhranos' own experiences with possession. The scholar had his very existence suppressed within his own body, is that what was happening here during combat, or was it something else? "It's tricky to know if it's because he's sharing with whatever es inhabiting him, ou if he just...happens to have an unrefined tal-er, wait what?" There's like a good few long moments where Kasyr is mulling over what Rorin shared there, his expression getting a positively cattish look that takes genuine effort to suppress, "Making his infirmity a strength. Yes, I've seen that. Et, er, yes- I use blade magic." There's a pause there, before the Kensai squints over at Rorin, "Don't...you? I mean, things with that dragon, et all." There's a look of bewilderment on the Kensai's face for a moment, before he perks up- a silvery fracture forming in the air as though on cue, if only to solidify into a sword, "Unless you mean literal sword magic, in which case, yes? Definitely yes."

Rorin mentions how Linken used the prosthetic defensively and sort of offensively, it was creative, spontaneous, and fairly surprising. "It seemed like it didn't weigh him down too much either. I don't know how he came by it, but he knows how to use it for sure." The paladin ended up staring blankly at Kasyr for a while. "uh... I'm a paladin." He said it as if it explained maybe not everything but a lot, and he showed his amulet of Arkhen that had been tucked into his shirt. "Yeah, I uh, I use a lot of battle magic, but it's not arcane. All my magic comes from the divine. Half-elf, ya'know." He wiggled his notched ears to prove it. "I mean I know a lot of different weaponized spells or payers or miracles or whatever you want to call them but they're not specificallt focused on using swords. You seemed like you did though." Rorin hadn't really bothered trying to tell if it was divine or arcane at the time though and now he did, putting out that subtle mental feeler of detecting good and evil. Really it detected a whole lot more than that, he could vaguely feel when something was magical or mystical or whatever, and thanks to the reawakening of the eldritch spirit Justice within him Rorin could also tell if something was 'Other' in the way Other usually is. For Rorin it could be a sight or a smell, or even a temperature gauge. Divine could sound like bells, evil stank of smog, otherness was the sudden slimy lukewarm feeling like snot. He'd grown quite used to these feelings ever since he was a youth, and he found it a good judge of character now. Whenever he felt to use them at least. He could try Justice's Soul Sight, but Rorin didn't want to chance giving access to the thing for more parts of his body. The dry itchiness of his right eye was sometimes a horrid reminder of that.

Kasyr nods slowly as Rorin provides a few more details about Linkens aptitude for combat, and the nuance of incorporating his prosthetic into his style. And he -continues- to nod sagely when Rorin chirps up about being a paladin. "I picked up on that part. Maybe not the -finer- points of it, but." The amulet of Arkhen cuts off the rest of what the Kensai was saying, in part because it does detail which deity he follows, and because of a certain other bit of awkwardness. "Mmm. Right. Well, I just...find it easier to focus them through that medium, j'suppose? It allows them to be a more organic extension of how I fight. If you don't know any, en fait, I'd even suggest -trying- to adjust them so you can incorporate them more fluidly." Kasyr nods sagely at this pearl of wisdom, in part because it does resonate well, and also because the possibility of encountering more varied techniques is always a delight, "There are ways to do so, even with a divine source. En fait, I've found that whilst there are differences, by origin, and by technique- there are sometimes overlaps, or a means of incorporating Divine et arcane in balance." ...And it doesn't even blow up most of the time, is the part he leaves unsaid. Still, it's a fun possibility, and one that lends itself well to the papers the Kensai is writing. Suffice to say, Absorbed in the possibilities as he is, Kasyr doesn't even really pay much heed to the inquisitiveness coming off from Rorin as he reaches out with his senses to get a better gauge on the swordsman. Perhaps, had he a means of realizing what the man was doing, he could have warned him.

Kasyr , after all, is still an aberration, even if he's no longer the monster he once was. Whilst he may carry the unassuming guise of a bumbling idiot, there's a rot that clings to him- An assortment of Primal darknesses which have marked the mans spirit, even in their relative aspect. Some of it may seem familiar, such as the echo Vampiric influence that still resides within the Kensai, or of Khasad's hungering taint- but others are of a more profound nature. Because there is a darkness that is still quite present, and which seems to encroach upon the swordsmans spirit, foreign and yet altogether at home, and which seems distinctly -aware- of Rorin's intrusive mind. It almost seems to beckon the man. To beckon him past the goodnatured affalability, and towards the ruthlessness that has paved the way for the greater good purpose - and which has lain the way for his expansive soul. One swollen well beyond any natural means, glutted on countless fallen souls.

Rorin finally gets it. He doesn't *say* he gets it, but he seems to come to a more comfortable undestanding of who or what Kasyr is. Rorins likes to have a pretty good handle on that kind of thing. "Well yeah, I work on expanding my technique all the time. I've got no aptitude for the arcane though. Bows either. It's uh, just a thing, I guess. Everybodies not good at something, right?" Rorin had seen the mans expression sort of clam up a second ago. "I'm always up for expanding my knowledge though. I try to be tolerable of a different approach when I see one, or at least come to understand it." He had not said accept, get along, or nurture a relationship with. Rorin *tolerated* darkness. He saw it's uses and it's faults. Accepting it was totally different. He had accepted a position as deputy for the divine guild. He had tolerate Khittis decision to include religions outside the good three. That's just how Rorin saw it. He had to get along with the world and be civil, try to grasp what was out there. That did not mean he had to advocate a place for it but he didn't actively campaign against it either.

Kasyr , as opposed to Rorin, doesn't get it. Perhaps in part because his intuitions come from a combination of empathic senses, and the sort of mystical mumble jumbo that was simply sensing presences. So, really, what he gets is a vibe of Rorin being somewhat more at ease, a sense of satisfaction, and that willingness to expand oneself. It's sort of disarming in a charming manner, "I mean, if it helps- I'm good with swords, et sword like things, et. Er, well. That really does sum it up." There's a grin for a moment, and it very much reflects the boyishness that still exists within the Kensais physique, "Despite being knighted, I wouldn't trust myself on a horse, with a lance, axe, or bow- but give me a sword, or my fists, et I can make sure someone rues the day." The grin ebbs away a bit, as he finds himself adding, "Or a dragon. I managed surprisingly well, there. Anyways," He waves, as though it might ward off both the memories and the present, and then gives the orb he's camped near a hardy slap- sending the sands shimmering beneath their feet to a peculiar shade of teal. "...You know what, I'll take it. ANYWAYS. If you'd like help refining your swordsmanship, et maybe working on specializing what you know how to do so it's more tailored to your own fighting style, I'd be happy to work with you. Might help for the tourney. Or for when we follow Lionel into Not-So-Sleeping god Central."

Rorin scratched his budding goatee thoughtfully. As a boy of nineteen he could recognize Kasyrs not-quite-a-facade of immaturity. "I mean, I'm pretty good with swords and shields, but I guess I could always get better. My training is more sort of the jack of all trades type, so if you want to learn a different weapon you could come to me. And yeah it would be great practice for the tourney." Rorin shifted on his feet and looked at the alien sand scape humorously. "You've got a solid place in the warriors guild, but that last quest with the dragon was actually about divine quild stuff. You wouldn't happen to have any interest in that kind of thing would you? You look like you've had some... Experiences, with the other side." And it might look good on me to invite someone of lesser moral standard into the guild. Maybe that will get Khitti off my back.

Kasyr actually looks a bit quizzical at Rorins assertion, before he carefully adds, "I don't really -take- well to using most other weapons. There's like, an affinity with a sword. It feels like the most natural thing in the world to hold one at this point- unlike most other arms." And he was never really sort on one, as the floating sword he'd never unsummoned indicated. "As for a solid place here- I'm pretty sure I'm still a recruit, which- I'd hassle Lionel about it, I think we've punched an equal amount of semi-demi gods, peut-etre? . . . But I don't actually give a damn? Daedria knows I couldn't care less about really barking orders, most of the time. Et I already have my hands full making a curriculum for spell blades." When he's sober. At least he's taking it seriously. "Anyways, you need a dragon or evil thing slain, et it's going to be a large problem- yes, I don't mind. Most of the time." Especially if it's compensated. It helps supplement income so he can blow it away on booze and implements of violence. "...Other side? Es this like a prejudice against vampire thing, or?" Suffice to say, Kasyrs dealings with other Ascendi isn't really what comes to mind right nor, nor the residual influence of certain dark or infernal entities. After all, he's been very dutiful as Daedria's chosen champion - even if a lot of that boiled down to being literally her hitman. ...Yup. Totally on the level.

Rorin had meant more of the dastardly evil/dastardly good kind nad said so. "No, I just mean things that aren't really supposed to be here, like this demi god business. And you're not like Lionel, you lean one way or the other when it comes to picking a god. I think your experience with these kinds if things could be a really great asset to the Devout Guild. You could fit in there and teach people who are curious about your ways. Not in an active position kind of thing, just like an auxillary mentor for those who are curious. About your god, about how you fight, wether its for them or yourself, how you live and how it's informed or not by your religion. People like to learn that sort of stuff. Broaden their horizons and all that."

Kasyr folds his arms up behind his head and listens to Rorins' pitch, even as he engages in a bit of mental gymnastics. Was there a possibility that this could embroil him in yet -another- unhallowed entities design? Likely, somehow.But was it possible he could perhaos weaponize some element he found, in an effort to do grievous harm against the ones that existed? Gospel and 'Calice' had been left unchecked. "I suppose I can see your point there, as for the matter of gods. Well, meeting more than my fair share certainly contributed to that, en fait. Though my ways are, peut-etre a bit . . . odd. Daedria's more often associated with festivities than fighting. Et whilst there can certainly be overlap, like this tourney- the rule I serve es more to spare others that duty. A safeguard. I'm not exactement an example to follow, but rather, something to take comfort in the constant existence of." Constant. That bond that had been forged through requiem certainly ensured that, didn't it? "I can contributed to quelling things though, yes. Et if I can count on getting what I need to ensure the job gets done, I suppose I could agree to a more formal induction, et quoi-ce-soit."

Rorin says that sounds pretty darn close to perfect. Like exactly the kind of person that should be in the Devout Guild. "Great. I uh... Don't really know what else it takes to induct a member. I just got appointed a position in it myself. I'll be glad to show you around head quarters in kelay some time though." He offered Kasyr his hand. Rorin didn't always understand the swordsman but at least they could see eye to eye on the bigger picture protect the world things. At least Rorin hoped so.

Kasyr supposes there's a sort of simplicity in purpose at times, especially when things escalate to be dangerous to the lands at large. It makes reaching out a hand to return the shake an altogether easy step to take, "Figure it out later. We can go over figuring things out for refining your techniques, et my research documents , later as well. For the moment- well, I suppose I ought to go et find Lionel. I have some things i'll be needing to store on the premise, et I figure I ought to clear it with him." That bit of business done, the swordsman finally flops. Quite frankly, the fact that he's made a cozy patch of warmth is all he needs in this moment- as he's not really looking forward to braving the cold in any sort of hurry. This is a Devout's Guild RP.