Control

[Taelian Edevane]

26th of Ash, Year 120

"Who are my primary enemies?" he asked.

"The Kindred, of course," Regis began, "...and the Wohlricht, who are worse than they are, on an individual basis. Old Dread-Arbiters, Archbishops, even Knight-Apostles. They, slowly, replenish the ranks of the Kindred and in a way evolve them; they are more powerful than the average Kindred, being that they are two blended souls."

And -- as he'd been made aware before -- they were capable of taking on two different forms.

"Will the current Dread-Arbiter pose a threat?" he asked.

"He is a Wohlricht," said the Thespian. "The likelihood of his loyalties lying towards his constituents is... virtually nothing. Wohlricht are Kindred, make no mistake. They were the faces of our peers, but they have sold themselves body and spirit to the blighted crows. They are among them."

He nodded, mumbling quietly that he 'understood'. It was all difficult to wrap his head around, in fact -- but he could try.

"Alright, and... I have... one of these things," he bit his lower lip, poking at the crafted skull of the lorianum-enriched beast. The Hollow. Taelian stood, while the 'thing' sat before him, arms dormant upon its lap, its body slowly rocking back and forth as it stared at a pleasant picture, mounted on the wall.

This was to be his charge: this thing was his project, and its mastery was what he needed to be made a true Knight. "How do I control it?" he asked.

"There are, a... variety of ways," Regis began to explain. His expression grew contemplative, as he thought on the best way to educate the younger man. Finally, Regis' face appeared to tense, and he called out to the Hollow: "Jal!" he yelled. The automaton pulled back his seat, pressed his fingertips onto the table's wooden edges and excused himself from his position, before turning towards Regis and steadily approaching him.

The Sil'norai bit his lower lip, nodding. "I... see. Jal," he attempted to call to it, though the Hollow responded with little more than a twitch.

The Thespian shook his head. "More authoritatively," he suggested.

"Jal!" he yelled. The Hollow slightly bent forward this time, looking around him. He then saw Taelian, and upon measuring the man, turned back to Regis as if to await his next order. The young Argent looked back blankly, confused.

"Hollows are controlled in four, primary ways. First, body language. Second, signals. Third, commands. Fourth, tone. Reserve your offhand for me and make this symbol as you call the Hollow, alright?" he asked, rhetorically. Regis then placed his hand forward, the back of his palm facing the Hollow, with the flat of it towards his chest. It was almost a half-state of beckoning. He began to step back, before repeating 'Jal' in a low and demanding voice. The Hollow came.

[Taelian Edevane]

"In battle, you will be constantly weaving these motions and calling Hollows by their name so that they look and take orders. You'll also have units - or squadrons - to delegate to specific positions. Generally, Hollows will fall into a ball or square formation, and you'll command the lot of them with singular commands. You may divide them into halves -- one to retreat and one to cover it -- or, similarly, one half to attack and one to hold their post. These are... fairly advanced techniques, though. In general, Hollows stick to that same banal formation I mentioned earlier. They're smart enough to automate to perform daily tasks, but the buggers have a sort of bloodlust in combat and Knights like to keep them tight to them. If they wander off, they may be lost," he said.

"Now," he continued, "...make that symbol for me, Taelian. And speak lower -- add a sort of... rage to your voice. Hollows do not need to be politely called to, they need to be viciously demanded. Make clear to it that if it defies you for too long, you'll reave off its head and put its lorianum somewhere else. Scare it. Hollows are commanded most of all by fear."

He nodded, and mirrored Regis' symbol, 'beckoning' the Hollow towards him and glaring at it, though it still faced the other man. "Jal!" he screamed, far more authoritatively. Finally, the Hollow turned to glance at him, and scampered over. Taelian felt a soft swell of pride in his chest, flexing very stupidly towards his mentor.

"Hm. Good," Regis nodded. "You might have a natural advantage, maybe: you're larger, older, more weathered in battle. I've heard that Velsign are a bit better at taming their first Hollow, so -- it's possible. They follow a number of characteristics in order to take their cues. Ultimately, being intimidating or leader-like appears the most effective way of... inspiring them. Almost like a facsimile of a human grunt."

The Argent nodded. "Is there anything else I need to learn?" he asked.

The older man rolled his eyes. "Obviously, you dullard. You don't become a Knight-Argent by learning to yell 'Jal' in an angry voice. Notice it took me only the word, where you needed the signal, a right aggressive pose, and--"

"I meant outside of controlling Hollows," he interjected.

The Thespian shrugged. "Mm. You don't need to learn how to fight; you already do that about as well as other Knight-Argent, perhaps better, and that's excluding your magic. I don't know that you'd be able to match a Knight-Apostle as you are now, though," he said. "Perhaps with the mutagens... and with more time. But -- I think commanding Hollows will be your primary barrier. Unfortunately, this problem introduces multiple requirements upon you: an understanding of tactics, leadership, Lorien's battle formations, an understanding of Hollows themselves... and how to manage their less-than-appealing nature. Argent and Lustrians are sort of an inverse of the same role; they are required to master knowledge and understanding of Hollows, though with one building and one commanding. These things, Taelian, are wholly the backbone of Rien society. Without them and our ability to tame them, this entire Kingdom would fall to ruin within years. So: the standards for entry into the Knighthood are high, on that front."

[Taelian Edevane]

Taelian spent the remainder of the day learning the phrases necessary to control his one Hollow. 'Jal' meant come, 'Vosh' meant stop, 'Lok' meant attack. The three phrases - beginner ones - appeared to be used creatively, even. 'Voshlok' worked to tell a Hollow to cease its attack, which was supposedly common in dealing with... 'Hollow Incursions', which sounded increasingly terrifying the more he read on them. Hundreds of Hollows screaming as loud as they could and driving one another mad, infecting their peers with rage. To be a proper Knight-Argent, he would need to be capable of stopping these incursions when they came, which meant near-peerless control over the Hollows and the language with which Knights spoke to them.

The Argent grimaced, often, while reading the texts. Rien authors were astoundingly scientific and detailed in how they described virtually everything: it was harrowing to read, if informative. He swore he spent fifteen minutes at the least on each and every page.

"Lok," he said in a low, authoritative voice. The Hollow before him - which he had named Varek - looked to him for further command. The Argent repeated again, this time with a suppressed yell, and a brewing rage: "Lok!" he exclaimed.

It began to attack him, Taelian pushing the creature away and subduing it. He yelled, "Vosh!" and it ceased. It was only practice, though he had to admit the fearsome nature of the creature... perturbed him.

Controlling the beast with words appeared easy enough. Most fully-fledged Knights, according to Regis, could control merely with looks -- or singular shifts of their body. He needed to improve a great deal in order to be seen as viable, even if he could defeat most Knights in combat. The position was about far more than pure martial skill.

The mage began to inscribe notes into his journal, the little things he'd learned on Hollows from his experiences with Varek, and the techniques he found effective in commanding him. He wrote the commands and their blended forms, and saved spaces for more, as he was sure the 'language' did not consist only of three words. He smirked at the thought.

After placing away his journal for the eve, the Argent returned to his quarters through the Lodge and lit the lamp at his bedside. A part of him wondered -- and perhaps hoped -- that Konrad would be present, but he was not. Of course, it was odd to expect him at such a late hour, but...

The Aether Cannon fired. He started to hear dogs going mad down the hall, as they always did. Rolling his eyes, the Sil'norai began to settle upon his bed, before the night would take him into sleep.

[Haldir]

Oh Dear, you seem to have contracted a REVIEW!

XP:

• 5 XP{No magic}

Pieces of knowledge:

• Leadership: Commanding Hollows: Jal
  Leadership: Commanding Hollows: Lok
  Leadership: Commanding Hollows: Vosh
  Leadership: Commanding Hollows: Signaling
  Leadership: Commanding Hollows: Body Language
  Leadership: Commanding Hollows: Tone

Loot: N/A

Injuries: N/A

Comments:

• If you have any questions, comments or concerns, let me know. Enjoy your rewards!