Archery: Lulled
Balin al'Brennan, Written by Misty
Posted on Sun, Aug 15, 2010 14:46 pm
Only a fool let himself believe what was being asked of him was as easy as it seemed.
Yet, as Balin chose a practice bow staff, selecting one that was close to his own height, although he received some puzzled glances from both women, who had thought the smaller staves their own domain, and men, who were vying with each other for the largest, as if a bow that couldn't be drawn was a prize to be treasured. Stepping firmly on the end, he ran the cord through his fingers, feeling for the thickened area where the wax made for a firm seat for arrows. The bow he'd chosen was well-worn, smooth and simple: it looked a great deal like the one he'd left at home in Deven Ride His da had made that one when Old Man Mashra's stallion had kicked him into the stall walls: that had taken months to recover from. Some of the blacksmith work had had to be sent on to Taren Ferry. He still thought the shame of needing to be aided by a swindling Taren Ferry thief was what had propelled his da from bed, still hobbling but determined to swing a hammer. He limped still, but it was a private joke between them that so did that flaming horse. (He didn't, but Balin hadn't the heart to correct his da.)
It was a different lesson he was learning here at the Tower. Here, he was expected – commanded – to listen to men of all nations, men who embraced thievery with pride, men who killed without thought, men who slunk through the night as though they were part of it. And not only did he need to listen to these men, but become one – it was a heady, heavy task. This man Talaban, of whom he knew nothing more than that name (and only that name – did he have another? Having made the acquaintance of an Aielman and a former Tuatha'an, he had only just learned that some people had none.) what manner of man was he? A strange one, by Deven Ride standards, but nearly the normal sort here at the White Tower. Just another man in training to become Gaidin, if he was not one of those already.
His bow strung, he helped the woman beside him, who had trouble securing the bottom knot around the stave. Showing her how to bend her (too-tall) staff farther out so that it would all spring together, he suggested she pick one closer to her height, but she ignored him determinedly. Letting her bruise her arm was none of his business, and so he ceased pushing the issue, but he did tell her to try two vambraces, wrapped around each other, when the leather armor was handed around. For his part, he had never minded the thick carapace of hide. Securing one to the fingers of his glove, where it slid over his middle finger as though it were a ring, he checked the thick leather strap that guarded the underside of his arm. All seemed to be snug and in order, so he turned his attention back to the lesson at hand.
He was parked between a young woman with a scowl and an older man with an equally sour expression. Thanking the Light that they were all separated by lanes, Balin adjusted to holding his bow, as he had so many other times. Feet went wide for balance, rolled to the ball of the foot for quick reaction and steady grounding. His carriage dropped slightly – tucking into itself as he turned to the side, giving the archery butt his side profile. His system didn't match the one that Swane projected to the class, and so, Balin sighed and incorporated the differences. When he was satisfied that he understood this new posture, he scooped up an arrow and fitted it to the string. That, at least, was completely the same.
He drew, holding the pose as the instructor circulated. Draw and release: it was an exercise he had turned to many times in the past few years. Holding the bow distanced him from the world, from the pain, from the questions. He felt at peace with the wood under his gloved fingers. His first few tries were wobbly – he was a little out of practice, having not held a bow for months – but after a few attempts, his body had remembered. He was far from the class' best student, but also far from its worst: definitely closer to excellence than abysmal depths. He kept going where others had begun to relax, anticipating the lesson's next part. He shot as if he and the archery target were the world's sum contents. The clay tips of his arrows sunk into the soft canvas bag, stuffed with hay. It bristled like a demented porcupine before the whistle blew for the lesson's next part.
——————
Lovely poem!
In reply to Death From Above: Basic Techniques (Part 1)[show]/[hide]
Tal frowned slightly as the gathered students introduced themselves. The wind was mild today, making it a good day for archery but he was, admittedly, disappointed with the attendance for the lesson. There was an optimum size for a class of any sort. Too big and the trainees did not learn enough. Too small and, well, too small meant a distinct lack of variety in the experience on display.
The introductions tapered off as those at the end of the line presented themselves. Mentally attaching faces to names, Talaban moved easily over to the wall demarcating the side of the range. Picking up one of the simple, identical bows leant against it, he moved back in front of the class. Bending the weapon, he strung it and turned back to the assembled trainees. His low voice sounded as he proceeded with the lesson.
“This is a bow. It is usually fashioned from yew wood, the material providing both the strength and flexibility needed to project your arrow. The design itself is simple and no-frills, a good weapon for those who are just picking up archery. There are many other types of bows, compound bows, short bows, horse bows and reflex bows being just a few of them. I will not bore you with the rest since the focus of this lesson is on archery and earning how to shoot. Theory on bow types can wait for an advanced lesson.”
Talaban paused momentarily, taking a breath before continuing, “The range of a longbow is affected very much by the strength of the archer and the structure of the bow. An average man could probably shoot about two-hundred yards without too much difficulty. Now, I will start on the parts of a longbow. First up, the stave itself. The body is usually made of yew wood that has been seasoned for one to two years. This is followed by slowly working the weapon into shape, with the entire process taking up to 4 years. The basic bow has a bow stave made from a half cross-section of a tree or branch, bent into a D-curve. The inner side of the bow stave consists of rounded heartwood and the outer of sapwood with a flat back. The heartwood resists compression and the outer sapwood performs better under expansion. Longbows will generally last a long time if constructed this way and are protected from moisture with a rub of wax, resin, and fine tallow.”
What of the bow? The bow was made in England: Of true wood, of yew wood, The wood of English bows; So men who are free Love the old yew tree And the land where the yew tree grows
Leaning the bow against the wall beside him, Tal reached into his belt pouch and fished for a couple of bowstrings. Flicking them out, he passed one to each end of the assembled class, leaving himself one for his explanation. “Bow strings are usually made of hemp, flax or silk. They are fastened to the horn nocks at the ends of the shaft. Like the shaft, bowstrings are vulnerable to degradation by water and should be kept dry at all costs. Something to note is that bows should never be kept strung when not in use. This is because the constant force exerted by the string on the shaft can cause deformations which affect your shot further on in the lifespan of the bow.”
What of the cord? The cord was made in England: A rough cord, a tough cord, A cord that bowmen love; So we'll drain our jacks To the English flax And the land where the hemp was wove.
Allowing the class to continue passing the string along, the arms man moved on to the next item. Drawing an arrow from a quiver lying on the ground, he held it up. “This, is an arrow. Here in the Tower and in most armies, fletchers are responsible for the production of these. However, the best archers generally prefer to cut and fletch their own arrows to ensure consistency. At the entry level, though, this is not critical. There are many types of arrowheads, each suited for different purposes. For example, arrows with thin and sharply slanted heads are used to pierce chainmail suits, breaking one ring and consequently 'popping' a huge hole in the armour as the force of the impact knocks the other rings out of place.”
What of the shaft? The shaft was cut in England: A long shaft, a strong shaft, Barbed and trim and true; So we'll drink all together To the gray goose feather And the land where the gray goose flew.
Motioning for the trainees to rise, Tal led them inside the range. Acquainting them quickly with the shooting orientation, as well as the sacrosanct rule that one should only shoot toward the butt, the arms man sent them off to choose a bow from the selection available. The weapons were generic, mostly between six to seven feet and should fit all but those who were very short or extraordinarily tall. Once they returned with a weapon, the Talaban handed out bowstrings, showing them how to bend and nock the weapon.
Next, he handed out leather gloves to the men, to protect their fingers from the effect of drawing the bowstring, and from arrow abrasion. A forearm bracer followed, to protect their forearms from the string impact. Some of the more seasoned trainees declined, though the bulk of the class did proceed to don the guards. The backlash of an improperly released string could be quite painful.
Once all the trainees were kitted up, Tal assigned them individual lanes in the range. There were few enough attending the lesson that they could occupy alternating lanes, further lessening the possibility of an accident. Ensuring all were in place, Talaban continued, “I will now show you how to properly draw and shoot a bow. You will be using dummy arrows, with collapsible clay heads, since bows should never be dry-shot. Their weight is comparable to normal heads but they are soft. Of course, you should not expect them to fly very far. Bear in mind that aiming a longbow is not as easy as it seems. I will explain more later. Now, for the first step. Position your body at a ninety degree angle to the target. Spread your feet comfortably apart, with your body weight equal on both legs. Your shoulders should line up with an imaginary line drawn from the centre of the target.”
He pulled the Tairen, Swane, to the front, using him as a demonstrator for the rest. “Next, we will get an arrow and hold it against the string. Place your fingers in such a way, that you hold the string with your index finger above the arrow nock and middle and ring finger under the nock. Hook the bowstring between the first and second finger joint, making sure to maintain a deep hook.”
The burly trainee obligingly did so, turning his body to give the others a better view. “The bow should be held between your thumb and index finger, with the rest of your hand falling away in a fourty-five degree orientation. Now, bring the bow arm up to shoulder height, extending it fully. Make sure the elbow of the bow arm is turned away from the string.”
Making sure that all had the correct position, Tal retuned to his Tairen demonstrator. Guiding the man’s hands, the arms man continued, “Draw the string along the bow-arm in a straight horizontal line to the anchor point. Draw with your back muscles, moving the shoulder blades towards each other. Stand straight up and relaxed, keeping both shoulders as low as possible. The position your right hand is at, beside your chin, is known as the anchor point. Your index fingers should be just touching the base of your chin and the string may run across your chin.”
Talaban moved around again, correcting postures as he went, making sure that the trainees kept bow hand, draw hand and elbow in a straight line. Satisfied, he returned to the front. Picking up one of the other bows, he motioned for Swane to return to his position before continuing, “Now, the release.” Nocking one of the practice arrows to his weapon, the arms man drew. “To shoot, draw your shoulder blades closer to each other while relaxing the nocking fingers. Eventually, the tension on the string will propel the arrow forwards. Until you reach a higher skill level, your arm and the bow should remain in position until the released arrow hits the target.”
Talaban demonstrated a second time before moving to the trainees one by one, making sure they released properly. “Now, you will all practice the draw and release until the motion is smooth. Remember to aim and release only toward the butt. Carry on.”
OOC: Ok, first up, thanks for attending. Post of 450 words should not be a problem. Let your character learn to draw and release. Next part will be up in around a week. Credit for the poem to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Drop me an email if there are any issues.
@Misty: Wonderful to write with you again. Yeah, well… some technicalities with the ranking now :p
EDIT: The next part will be up within the next 2 days... apologies for delay. RL is a little hectic at the moment
DOUBLE EDIT: Luck is deserting me... my computer died last night. I'll have to borrow another machine to get the next post up. It will be up by Monday. PROMISE. Apologies again...
