Just outside the city...

[Nathaniel]

'Memories'[/u]

Memory. Of all the many unexplored things in the world, the human mind is so often considered the most enigmatic and incomprehensible of them all, with so many flying through life at a breakneck pace, only to find at the end that they lived for nothing. Memory is a location, a machinelike ability that enables all races, whether they be human, elven or any other, to record the details of their lives, their journeys. Trial and love are all dutifully noted down, always a seed of warmth amidst the tribulations of life, whilst the darker recesses of the mind remained abandoned and shadowy, concealing hidden areas of the past that remain unwanted. Memory is something to be celebrated, a triumph of the human mind. Memory is something to be feared, the darkened and indistinguishable qualities that are buried by the subconscious. However, more importantly is that memory is something that James Skylar didn't possess.

The mage in question stood outside the mighty city before him, his thin arms folded gently across his chest as he viewed the spectacle that loomed ominously above him. Whether by design or wholly by accident, the entire collection of buildings within the boundaries of the city appeared to tower so menacingly above the plains surrounding the walls, spread out sporadically. Skylar smiled silently to himself, his eyes glittering with an unseen light as he glanced upwards at the buildings, an accurate metaphor for the general state of affairs of late. The prejudice and wars that were ravaging the world were almost like these buildings, jostling for power and influence amidst the bounty of nature, and yet remaining so distant in principle and ideals that it was impossible to reconcile friendship. Skylar himself was effectively in the dark over world affairs, and only came across this information due to the conversations scattered like wildfire through his elven soldiers. They stood behind him now, a loosely grouped bunch of undisciplined warriors, armed only with bows that were fragile and liable to break even in the lightest of winds. Their light blue armour matched Skylar's own attire, but they still appeared notably pathetic in comparison to the mighty city planted directly in front of them, and in particular to the sprawling plains that surrounded them. And yet, Skylar planned to craft this large group of five hundred elven bowmen into one of the finest fighting forces ever witnessed, and not simply in terms of military capability.

Judging that he was enough away from the city to conduct the first stage of his enlightening training without hostile interruption, Skylar took a deep intake of breath and turned around, facing his soldiers. A few of them flicked their narrow eyes lazily upwards, fine features clearly conveying that they were distinctly unimpressed by this newcomer who had commissioned them from their humble barracks. They had been leading a life of relative safety with the strengthened stone walls of Icso'Gorctuen, remaining undisturbed by outsiders such as this impetuous mage who had dared to purchase their service, and now they looked at him with gazes that barely concealed their distaste for the magical magician in the azure blue robes. Though he claimed to be elven, he had very little to mark him down as from the noblest of races other than delicate features and a slight build, meaning that there was an understandable layer of distrust between the men and their master. Skylar saw this clearly, a flaming desire to return to the city flickering within their irises as he looked over them. The wind had died down noticeably in the last half an hour, meaning that the air was warm and humid amongst the rolling meadows, Skylar's voice ringing clearly out to his band of soldiers as he spread his arms in a welcoming manner, his light blue staff clenched lightly in his right hand.

"I suppose that you're all wondering why I dragged you from the safety of your city...and it wouldn't be right not to give you an answer."

Skylar smiled kindly as he began to pace up and down, beginning to feel very slightly nervous as he addressed such a large group. He was very much a shy and reserved man at heart, usually uncomfortable with even raising his voice, let alone speaking to such an expansive band of men. Though he was positive that he'd never experienced the sensation of leading men before, he could an odd feeling of nostalgia that made no sense whatsoever as he continued, brushing several strands of blue hair from his forehead as he did so. The soldiers remained mutinously silent, sullenly awaiting what they perceived would be a most inadequate explanation for such an audacious action.

"Whilst I stand before you as a complete stranger now, I hope that I will eventually come to be a man that you trust, respect, and receive as one of your own. I have no desire to send you hurtling into battle without preparation, when you aren't ready. However...eventually, you will be the foundations that enable the world to change."[/i]

The mage tailed off again, pursing his lips slightly as he considered exactly how to proceed along a train of thought that would be alien to these soldiers. The elven warriors had been in the noble city of Icso'Gorctuen for some time, and the insular nature of the area had naturally instilled a certain amount of disdain for other races, such as the dwarves and the humans. Though they held far other elves in far higher regard than most others, these men remained tainted by social and racial prejudice, something that Skylar simply couldn't abide. However, such a radical statement of intent would assuredly prove counter-productive at this early stage, and so he simply contented himself with gaining their trust first. He stepped forward again, and swept his slim hand over the plains, handsome face smiling brightly once again as he addressed his troop.

"Perhaps you're not ready, yet. Over the next few days we can all get to know each other a little better, and start some military exercises that will help us out a lot, in more ways than one. Question?"

Skylar had spotted one of his soldiers raising his hand into the air in a stalwart manner, his countenance both interested and skeptical at the same time. The mage called on him, and the soldier enquired as to how long they would be away from the city, as their families might worry if they simply disappeared without trace. Skylar nodded, realising the sentiment behind such a concise message, pointed towards the city with his staff as he raised his voice even further, the gentle, musical tones easily carrying to every man and woman in the group.

"We will be away for quite some time, I honestly couldn't tell you how long. However, in anticipation of a long journey, I hereby give you permission to wish your loved ones within the city a fond farewell. Feel free to head back, take as long as you want spending time with them- family is one of those precious things in life that should be put above all else. Those of you who either don't wish to say farewell to your family, head back into the city anyway, and have a good time. How you do this, I leave up to you...though I wouldn't mind seeing you all back here this evening. However, if you don't wish to leave, then you don't have to."

Skylar smiled slightly as he saw the soldiers veritably recoil in bewilderment, having not expected such a magnanimous gesture. Some of them had the nous to thank their newfound commander for his generosity, but Skylar waved them off modestly, claiming that a man's duty was to his family before anything else, even his military leader. The elves were suitably impressed with such sentiments, and had a healthy respect for Skylar that had been missing only moments before. Though they still didn't fully trust this mysterious mage, his words and actions were more eloquent and kindly than most, which rendered him a figure to be given a chance, in their minds. They marched off towards the city as one massive body of military minds and equipment, talking excitedly amongst themselves as they hurriedly discussed plans for that afternoon, and how they would spend the free time gifted to them by Skylar.

For his part, Skylar watched them all closely from atop his small incline as they walked away, his eyes almost seeming to glow in the beaming sunlight. Though it was almost unbearably warm in the delightful meadows, he still shivered very slightly as he thought of commanding this group of soldiers that evening- to a man without any experience, it could be difficult, and was certainly an exceptionally daunting prospect. What was even more troubling to Skylar was the unshakeable feeling that wormed incessantly through the tunnels of his mind; the sensation of nostalgia, an indication that he'd done all of this before. And yet, he had almost no recollection of anything aside from his own identity...it was a most curious turn of events for the kindly mage, but he was determined to forge onwards with his ambitious plans.

That evening would be the beginning. Skylar could only hope it would be the beginning of a new era of peace and triumph, the beginning of the end of the wars. The beginning of his own destiny.

[Nathaniel]

'Building Blocks[/u]

That evening, the troop of soldiers reassembled just outside the city that they had just departed, their blue armour distinctive even in the waning sunlight. The sunset that now hovered tentatively on the stretching horizon was quite magnificent, resplendent rays of light sweeping one final time across the landscape before the orb of fire dipped far below the line of the earth, plunging them all into darkness. James Skylar was waiting against the ethereal backdrop for his soldiers to return, and was extremely pleased to note that almost all of them had come back, despite his claim that he wouldn't begrudge them if they all decided to remain safe in the city. Though it might have been curiosity and interest that caused the inquisitive elven soldiers to march back out across the blades of grass together, Skylar knew that the first brick of trust and loyalty had been placed heartily into the ground, the very start of what he hoped and prayed would be a lasting bond between himself and the soldiers. After briefly scanning the assembled group, Skylar judged that a score of soldiers had vanished completely, a proportion which he considered negligible anyway; though a very tolerant man, even Skylar had limits that he could stretch to before his good-natured attitude was twisted out of shape, and those soldiers that hadn't bothered to return probably wouldn't have helped the cause anyway. The overall group was better off without them.

The sun was now seriously beginning to dip below the stretching fields, and so Skylar hastened to the front of his group, massive piles of canvas and ropes behind him as he addressed the soldiers once more, the smell of the countryside buoying him. The soldiers had absolutely no clue how the slight mage had managed to get such a plethora of camping equipment out into the fields entirely by himself, and didn't bother to question him as he began to speak. Skylar's gentle voice had a musical quality to it that they had already witnessed once, a tinkling that seemed to meld into the atmosphere pleasantly as he planted his staff in the ground before him, both hands wrapped around the centre of the rod.

"Thank you for returning. I understand that many of you might have felt inclined to stay within the confines of your incredible city, and so I praise your stalwart natures to the heavens themselves."

Skylar smiled briefly as the soldiers nodded and muttered their approval, still not quite willing to fully trust this enigmatic and unusual magician. The sunlight was now catching the gleaming sapphire stone at the top end of Skylar's staff, sending a crescendo of different shades of blue flying around his feet. The stone glinted with mesmeric quality, proving almost hypnotic to the soldiers as Skylar continued, unaware that his simple staff was having such an effect on his men.

"All of you are brave souls, and I know that deep down, you're just like me. We all want to live in a time of unprecedented peace, do we not? We are of the same race, we share the same ideals, and our principles overlap in every regard- there is no different between us, in truth. As such...after we've set up camp, we shall commence with our first council meeting. I'll explain more shortly- for now, let's just get this camp set up. We'll be here for a few days, so let's make it good!"[/i]

Skylar hopped up and down slightly in his excitement, enthusiasm spreading across his face like a wave of delight, and his eagerness proved remarkably infectious as the soldiers followed him en masse towards the canvas, throwing their wooden bows over their shoulders as they set about attempting to assemble an elaborate camp. Though their numbers were relatively small, Skylar had been determined that his minute group of fighting personnel should have the best treatment possible in the early stages of their departure, meaning that the materials that he had brought out onto the pastures were actually quite excessive. However, the soldiers were certainly pleased at the prospect of some privacy in the camp, and guided by Skylar's keen sense of direction and organised, the camp eventually began to be erected around them. More than once Skylar stopped delegating to glance up at the red-hot sun which continued to glow as it was suspended low in the sky, shimmering with intense power as it bathed the beautiful landscape with precious sunlight for a few more minutes. Soon, Skylar had to begin to place torches amidst the camp that flamed with appropriate intensity to guide the actions of the labouring workers, who continued to endure the deepening darkness and gradually bring about the creation of an encampment forged by astute teamwork. Finally, the numerous tents were scattered liberally across the plains, an infection that marred such a wonderful area of the world, but a necessity for Skylar's grand schemes. Ignoring the sinister sensation that had been malevolently tingling his spine for some moments, the young mage swiftly gathered his soldiers together at the centre of the encampment, where a blazing bonfire had already been lit. The massive band settled comfortably around on the ground, many eschewing their weapons and armour for further ease as they sat in cumbersome clumps on the ground. Skylar viewed them all quietly as they relaxed back into their various groups of friendship, seeing them as individuals with individual needs, rather than a collective group that needed to be treated in the same way. Eventually, he stood up and politely asked for quiet, waiting for the chatter to subside to a reasonably level before carrying on. His blue eyes flickered with a certain sensitivity as he addressed the group once again, deciding this time to keep his speech more concise due to the darkness and cold that was beginning to drift into the camp.

"Time for the meeting, folks. Nothing special, it's just if any of you have anything you want to ask me, or any consideration you'd like during our travels. Anything at all. And if you don't want to speak up during this meeting, then feel free to come and talk to me at any point over the next few days."[/i]

He smiled brightly, encouraging them to speak with a few simple gestures of friendly design. Initially there was a tense silence broken only by the gentle crackling of the bonfire, which continued to fly glowing embers into the night sky with incessant regularity. However, eventually several of the more bold and outgoing elven warriors began to voice their queries and concerns regarding the travel, mainly revolving around exactly what the itinery was going to consist of...and what the end goal would turn out to be. Skylar answered these questions smoothly and fluidly as he squatted down on the ground, drawing gentle pictures in the grass with his staff, invisible to all in the darkness.

"Our aim is quite simple, and is the same as many others...to rid the land of warfare. Warfare might breed opportunity for some, but also provides only misery for others, and how can we take advantage without considering how others feel? The itinery will be quite..unusual, but I'm sure you'll grow to like it, given time."

He smiled mysteriously, ignoring the deep chill beginning to settle within his bones. The soldiers kept asking questions as the night wore on, not bothering to heed the coming of the night and the conditions that portended doom, instead letting their curiosity overtake them as they warmed slightly more to Skylar, appreciating that he was at least taking the time to speak with them, albeit in a rather unorthodox and unconvincing manner. Eventually they departed back to their tents at his command, realising that they were far more satisfied than they had been that morning, secure in the knowledge that their commander wasn't a bloodthirsty lunatic with an unsettling penchant for daring raids, like so many others. The mage might be a little soft, but that could change over time.

For Skylar's part, he went to sleep feeling pleased about the days work, having instilled no small amount of trust into his newfound followers. The next morning would be the true start of their journey into the philosophical and moral aspects of warfare, starting with gifting them all unity via a true sense of purpose. Skylar had no stories of his own to share, and this troubled him somewhat as he drifted off into a sleep that was far more uneasy than it had any right to be, considering the achievements of the day overall- his memory appeared to have been ripped into minute shreds and tossed into the blowing wind, scattered by the elements for all eternity. Perhaps the morning would bring some clues.