Gavin Phoenix
The Dark Jedi Order
"See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body"
Posts: 1,144
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
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Post by Gavin Phoenix on Feb 4, 2019 15:12:13 GMT -8
It has been a month since Mariah’s return and their duel out in the open terrain of Iridonia. As enjoyable and exciting it was, it was only furthered by the knowledge he gained afterward. She had brought with her information about a newly rising Dark Jedi order, one she was second in command of. The idea surged within his mind, though it kept it quiet and contained for now. All he could do was keep his ear to ground and wait until he was certain it was fully formed and awaiting new members.
For now, he kept up training his students. They had touched into other Force abilities: Sight, Jump, and Speed. Along with that came the continued training in unarmed combat against armed opponents. He watched them as they went, working to further their capabilities. Walking around, he spoke out to them. "Remember the question I asked you a couple months ago. Who are you? Think about the kind of person you are, what are your strengths and weaknesses? Think about them. Use them. Don’t try to push yourself in directions that don’t suit you. If you are strong, use your strength. If your fast, agile, flexible, smart, defensive, graceful, or possess longer reach, use them to your advantage. It never hurts to improve that which you are weaker in, but don’t try to use it until your comfortable with something new. Only then should you expand yourself and throw your opponents off with that which hey don’t expect."
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Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Darth Sirona on Feb 4, 2019 20:22:38 GMT -8
Nidana's strategy, as it always had been, was to dodge as gracefully and efficiently as possible and wait for the opponent to make a mistake. Her plan worked most of the time, though her strikes were often inaccurate and weak. She would also never over commit, preferring to get one strike in and be sure to defend, instead of going all in. This was a 'death by a thousand cuts' sort of plan. And most days it worked as Nidana would focus only on this dance of evasion. But today, she would sometimes glimpse Geralt from across the room and make her own mistake as she thought back on their interaction the day before. Her slips were punished in kind and what felt like to her ten fold. But she got back up and tried again to focus on the dance, but again would see him over the shoulder of her opponent and get knocked off her feet again. She had to fight the temptation to tap into some of her more advanced powers, the ones she had learned delving into Sith crypts. But she resisted as she always did, limiting herself to skills her classmates had learned already.
Once Nidana decided she had been thrashed adequately, she bowed to her opponent and went to get a drink of water, rubbing some of the bruises already starting to form on her pale skin. The Echani then watched the rest of her classmates, studying their technique. Learning what strategies each favored. But her eyes kept finding Geralt, no matter how she'd try, she would catch herself watching him spar. His lean muscular body, sturdy as a rock and also fast as thunder. She shook her head, as she tried to regain focus on the rest of the fighting, and on listening to what else Master Phoenix had to say.
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Post by Spectres of Midnight on Feb 5, 2019 2:38:20 GMT -8
As the others continued their routines, they listened to what Gavin had to say and remembered the question. While nothing was coming from it in regards to their training, all of them had begun to ask themselves just who they were, what were their strengths and weaknesses, and what did they want from their power. A few had the answers necessary to utilize for the current lesson, while others were still figuring it out.
Duvrax worked the most with his strength, using his greater size to his advantage, though he was working to implement both speed and grace into it as much as possible, something he had been working at for some time. Krokaa used a mixture of elements, though it was clear he was working through strategies and trying to find ways to plan ahead or manipulate his opponent into making the move he wanted. Prakira worked to be more defensive, using small openings to make her counters when needed. Theranna and Kosrezic utilized similar methods of evasion though Theranna was more acrobatic in her movements while Kosrezic was more fluid and graceful, making the exchange appear like a dance. Cinnik worked through evasion as well, but in a way that forced his opponent to over extend themselves and ultimately cause their own failure without a single touch.
The others were still seeking out their advantages, though they were still doing well, mixing up what they did to be capable of winning out no matter how they approached it.
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Gavin Phoenix
The Dark Jedi Order
"See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body"
Posts: 1,144
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Gavin Phoenix on Feb 5, 2019 8:03:23 GMT -8
Gavin circled the group, watching each of his students as they continued their exercises. He wanted to know just where their strengths lied and what they had discovered for themselves. While he had plans for the second year of their training, it would be the third year in which he helped hone them into individual warriors. From there, they would be seen by the other masters and possibly, one day be chosen as apprentices.
In his wanderings, he noticed Nidana had taken a break. Out of all of them, she seemed to be the least physically capable. Still skilled enough in her own right, he knew, as did she, that her strength lay within the Force. She was older and more skilled than the rest, so her need to be here was more of her own desire than an actual requirement as it was for the rest. But he did come to notice something from her: the glances back to Geralt. He said nothing and continued on as if he noticed nothing, but in these sessions he noticed many things about his students. The hatred of the Sith from Cayne and Elysta, the longing of freeing family in Raara, even the crush on him from Theranna. It made him smile though, thinking that something like that could bloom here.
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Gavin Phoenix
The Dark Jedi Order
"See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body"
Posts: 1,144
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Gavin Phoenix on Feb 8, 2019 14:58:53 GMT -8
Letting the session carry on for another twenty minutes, Gavin finally brought it to an end. "Alright, guys. Bring it in. You've all been doing well. Continue to keep that focus and drive moving forward. Just a quick recap before I let you all go for the day. Those that tell you that a lightsaber is your life are lying and are deceived themselves. Reliance solely on a weapon becomes your weakness. You have many weapons available to you. The weapon, the Force, your natural skill of the body, your mind, and your environment. Your life in battle entwines all these things. As long as you can stand, you are always capable of finding a way through. Also, remember to use your strengths to your advantage, but do not be afraid to further your weakness so that you can eventually use them for when your enemy figures you out. That is all. Dismissed."
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2019 14:34:48 GMT -8
Late at Night, Inside The Training Area.Vendel had left his dorm room and entered the training area late at night to avoid any distractions, from other students. Vendel sat on the floor with his legs crossed and started to meditate and focus his force power, sitting still for roughly a half hour, Vendel stood up and started to try to summon energy from the force and attempt to forge an imperceivable melee weapon in the form of a spear. The darkside of the force began to manifest and swirl all around him, sweat started to drip from Vendel's forehead as he continued his attempt at manifesting his first Darkshear spear. Vendel focused and imagined the form of a spear, soon a spear could be seen forming from the darkside energy that was swirling around Vendel. Once the spear was formed, Vendel hurled it at a target that was several feet away. The spear penetrated the target and after a few seconds disappeared, as Vendel fall to one knee out of breath. He knew that he still needed to practice this force technique, as summoning it took a lot out of him. Vendel stood up and left the training area and headed back to his dorm room so that he could get some rest before the day's classes began.
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Gavin Phoenix
The Dark Jedi Order
"See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body"
Posts: 1,144
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Gavin Phoenix on Feb 23, 2019 12:31:12 GMT -8
It had been a couple months since Mariah's return and her revelation of the Dark Jedi being revived by her and Ifrit Bladeweaver. Since then, he had kept his ear to the ground, listening for when all the preparations had come to a head and the order had officially started. That time had come as he had heard rumors of its completion with the taking of Ambria. He was already packed and ready to go, but there was one final thing that had to be done.
As always, Gavin moved around the training arena, watching his students go through their pre-session routines. With such short notice, he couldn't leave his students unaware of his coming departure. With that, he elected to hold off long enough to finish the day's training in full before giving them instructions on what to do in his absence. Once the final hour had arrived, signally the devoted lesson for the day, he called them forward.
"Alright, everyone. Today, we are going to be doing something new with Force Sight. Up until now, I've had you simply walking around from point to point to establish the ability to see without your eyes and increase its effectiveness so that you can find your way should your vision become impaired, no matter where or why. Today, however, we will be applying it to combat." He then motioned over to a series of remote droids. "For this lesson, these remotes will fire stun bolts at you to which you must deflect. And, as you may have already guessed, you must do so blindfolded, using only the Force to see. I have them set to measure your progress, automatically increasing its speed, rate of fire and angle to further challenge you. In this exercise, also look to further your other senses and try to utilize them just as much. Sometimes, your hearing or sense of smell will be far more effective than even using the Force to see. Now, grab a remote and begin."
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Post by Spectres of Midnight on Feb 24, 2019 10:56:05 GMT -8
The group listened as Gavin gave them their instructions for the day. In the end, little was needed in explaining anything as they had already been learning to use Force Sight prior to the day's lesson. But now they could finally apply it to combat. Grabbing a remote each, they spread out among the room and began working on their skills. The training in Force Sight, as well as their lightsaber training, had already pushed them ahead in being capable of moving swiftly through the exercise, the only new aspect was that they had to block tiny stun bolts instead of a large beam of a lightsaber.
At first, everything went easily, watching the remote move around and fire a single bolt here and there. But with each successful block, the remote began to increase its program, increasing speed, firing rate, and patterns of movement. Before long, they were all moving at a faster pace, blocking bolts as if being fired on from different enemies from different locations. As they sped up, there was the occasional miss, leaving a sore spot with each impact and slowing remote down a bit, making them have to work themselves back up to their previous level.
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Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Darth Sirona on Feb 25, 2019 8:45:34 GMT -8
Nidana found herself excelling in the exercise at first, even with the increasing difficulty of the drones attacks. A year ago she would have been covered in burns and soar marks, but now, she found herself competent enough with her training saber to block most of the shots. That is to say she did get her fair share of burns as a bolt hit her in the back before she could bring the saber behind herself or dodge out of the way. But all in all, she was starting to get the hang of saber play. The Sight part of the exercise was child's play for Nidana and her connection to the Force. She was even seeing where other classmates remotes were. If she noticed someone struggling and she had the time, she would give their drone a little nudge with the Force, to make it miss or be easier to block.
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Gavin Phoenix
The Dark Jedi Order
"See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body"
Posts: 1,144
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Gavin Phoenix on Feb 26, 2019 2:43:10 GMT -8
Gavin watched as his students preformed well for their first time handling the exercise. The experience from saber combat and Force Sight prior truly aided in their progression. However, there were still occasions that bolts were missed, causing the grunt or two of pain. But it didn’t go unnoticed, Nidana’s attempt to help the others when they seemed to hit a hard spot.
Making his way in a slow circle around the students, continuing to watch everyone, he made his way over to the female Echani. As he stepped in range, the remote went idle as he came up next to her and spoke so only that she’d hear. "Noble as your intentions may be, it would be a better choice not to aid them as you are. Only through struggles, hardships, and mistakes can anyone truly progress. When such things are dimmed down, the less effective they become. Your comrades are more than capable of standing with the tasks given to you so trust in them and their desire to become stronger. That being said, hold to that wish to aid them for the time will soon come in which your training will require you to work as a team and help each other."
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Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 338
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Post by Darth Sirona on Mar 1, 2019 19:34:00 GMT -8
Nidana nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Gavins whisper to her. But she regained her composure quickly, likely because she knew none of the others could see her. She bowed her head in Gavin's direction and whispered back to him, fear still trembling her words slightly.
"I'm sorry, Master. I will keep what you have said in mind. I want them to know they can trust me and count on me."
She was very thankful that Gavin was her instructor and not some of the older Sith teachers in the Academy. At least Master Phoenix seemed to understand the Sith were stronger together than tearing each other down and apart.
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Gavin Phoenix
The Dark Jedi Order
"See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body"
Posts: 1,144
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Gavin Phoenix on Mar 2, 2019 6:51:59 GMT -8
Gavin smiled a bit and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, they will. Trust me." Walking away from Nidana so as to let her resume, he continued watching the progress of the others. At no point did he offer advice, following with his belief of letting them experience it on their own in completion before giving them aid. That way, they had the chance to figure it out for themselves and how to best make it work for them.
As the hour came to an end, he called them to the front. "You have all done well. But now, for an announcement. I will be departing the academy for an unknown amount of time. There is something I must check into. I expect each of you to continue your training as if I was still present. In that regard, I am appointing Krokaa to lead the group in my absence. He then looked at the young Zabrak. "The last time I left, you took charge of the training and formulated new ideas to further improve upon the skills you have all learned and your peers followed. It is because of this that you are being given charge this time around. Any questions?"
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Post by Spectres of Midnight on Mar 2, 2019 7:00:01 GMT -8
When the announcement came, there were a few irritated sighs. True that they could continue on as they had, but a few had grown to enjoy having him there teaching them. For others, it meant that they wouldn't be learning anything new for a little while. But no surprise came more than Gavin's charge of having Krokaa lead them. In the end, it wasn't that they felt it wrong. The Zabrak had taken the reigns the first time Gavin left and they had gone along with it with little to no resistance. But now, he was being recognized as the temporary leader instead of just leaving them to their own devices or having another instructor take over. However, the surprise was short lived for most of the twelve as they expected this meant Gavin banked on the chance of seeing what other ideas Krokaa would have.
Stepping up, he Gavin a slight bow before shaking his head.
"No, master. No questions. I will hold things together until you get back."
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Gavin Phoenix
The Dark Jedi Order
"See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body"
Posts: 1,144
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Gavin Phoenix on Mar 3, 2019 10:42:45 GMT -8
Gavin gave a nod before looking at the rest of them. "Alright, then. That is all. Dismissed." Gavin waited for a few minutes to ensure that all the students had departed, then replaced the remotes back in their resting places. Once all was done, he made great haste from the training area to the landing pads to his ships. Ambria awaited him.
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Post by Spectres of Midnight on Mar 9, 2019 9:53:13 GMT -8
As the next day arrived since Gavin left for his trip, Krokaa moved to the front of the group, ready to begin the day's training. Normally, he wouldn't need to say anything and they could continue on with their training as normal. However, he had been thinking about ways to further improve upon what they had been learning. While there were no ideas on how to do that, believing Gavin had sufficiently established a proper approach, there was one idea he had. They were a group of fifteen and they never knew when they'd be sent off to the field. Chances were, though, that they'd all go at once. As powerful as they were becoming, facing down opponents with skills similar to Gavin and the other masters would be a much tougher fight, one that one or two of them might not win. And he wasn't fine with such thoughts. Until such a time that they all were stronger enough to fight such opponents as that, they needed to stick together, fight together. But in order to do that properly and effectively, they needed to train to understand each other in combat, to know how to fight as a team. Until Gavin returned, that would be his goal.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at the other students as they stood there, waiting to hear what they had to say. Before, he had to convince them a bit to his ideas. But now he was given charge so they listened without question, even if a few might not have liked it.
"Alright guys, I want to start working on a new exercise. We never know when we may be sent off on a mission. Even as mere students, a time could come that we have to be sent out there. And as strong as we are, we can't doubt the chances that those we face will be as strong as the other masters or even the Sith'ari. The Blackguard Reborn has been rebuilt from the old ways of the Sith to reflect unity within our ranks. As such, I want us to begin fighting as a team. The exercises I have has us grouping into groups of three. We work for an hour, changing things up every twenty minutes. For that fragment of time, it'll be a two on one training exercise that works two-fold. One on hand, the solo fighter will gain experience fighting two people at once while the pair will learn to fight as a team, working together to find that smooth flow between them. At the end of the twenty minutes, another will go solo until all three have done so. We'll add this into our daily training until Master Phoenix returns. Until he does, I say we go in two-week spans, changing up the group configuration so we can all come to understand each other." Taking a deep breath, he reflected on the groups he made up. Alright, here are the groups. First will be Duvrax, Prakira, and myself. Then Cayne, Elysta, and Carvish. Zul, Cinnik, and Thera. Xar, Raara, and Kosrezic. And finally, Lizbeth, Geralt, and Nidana. Any questions?"
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Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Darth Sirona on Mar 10, 2019 11:28:07 GMT -8
Nidana blushed ever so slightly as she heard she would be in a group with Geralt. She hoped silently that she would not embarrass herself in front of him. She then went and stood with her group, waiting to see who would be the solo fighter first.
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Post by Spectres of Midnight on Mar 12, 2019 8:12:07 GMT -8
As the groups began splitting up, they began sorting out among them the order of who’d go solo. In no time, the began going through the exercises. It was a slow start, to say the least. If anything, it was choppy. Most times, one would attack with the second stepping in when finding an opening or as the first stepped back. Only near the end of each leg of the hour did the team grasp a somewhat fluid flow.
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Post by Spectres of Midnight on Mar 16, 2019 11:12:03 GMT -8
Time passed on as Gavin's continued their training in their master's absence. The weeks passed, turning into one month, then two. It became a wonder as to what the man had to do that kept him away for so long. Before, it had been but a couple of weeks. Clearly, the task he had was important and vast.
However, it didn't matter as they had their instructions and plenty of things to continue improving on. The most recent was Krokaa's team exercises. For two weeks did he continue working the initial grouping before changing it up. For every two weeks that passed, he changed the group again so as to keep them learning of all those within the group, trying to keep them as varied as possible so none worked someone they had before, though as the last two weeks in the second month came, it proved difficult. The second grouping had shifted for Krokaa, Elysta, and Cinnik; Duvrax, Cayne, and Raara; Lizbeth, Xar, and Carvish; Geralt, Prakira, and Theranna; and finally Kosrezic, Zul, and Nidana. The third grouping came down to Krokaa, Theranna, and Carvish; Duvrax, Cinnik, and Kosrezic; Cayne, Nidana, and Xar; Geralt, Zul, and Raara; then Prakira, Elysta, and Lizbeth. As most came to have teamed up by the fourth grouping, some were able to push further in what they already built. Korkaa, Geralt, and Cayne; Cinnik, Prakira, and Xar; Duvrax, Theranna, and Lizbeth; Zul, Carvish, and Raara; then Nidanna, Elysta, and Koszreic.
With each beginning cam the slower approach, though since the understanding of what working together was like, it went smoother and faster. From the typical formation of attacking from each side in a back and forth fashion, they learned to do so while attacking at the same time. They also learned to attack one at a time, but how to switch in and out in unrelenting assaults that forced openings on the defender. Even more, they began learning how to use each other and how to function as support, expanding the knowledge they had in fighting as a team so as to not be bound by a single, readable style.
Krokaa, himself, hoped that this style of training would prove effective in battle as it seemed to currently and that it would please Gavin. But until he returned, he'd continue to press on as they were.
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Gavin Phoenix
The Dark Jedi Order
"See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body"
Posts: 1,144
Affiliation: The Dark Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Gavin Phoenix on Mar 17, 2019 10:42:18 GMT -8
Having spent the past two months on Ambria working to establish himself within the newly formed Dark Jedi order, Gavin had returned to Iridonia. While he desired to take up permanent residence with the new order, there was a task that needed to be completed first. He had to make sure his students had finished their training and had become capable warriors ready to become apprentices. As capable as they were becoming, there was still a ways to go and much more for him to teach them. It couldn't be rushed despite wanting to hurry them along.
Having landed, the man knew that his students would be in the training area. Deciding to make it his first stop, it wasn't long before he arrived. Once again, he watched as the students took part in an exercise that crafted by him. As before, he was glad to see Krokaa had taken steps to further their training and further his own ability to lead. He was proving himself to be one who'd be most effective as one in charge, something he hoped to nurture and be seen by the Sith'ari. Moving in, he worked to get their attention, not worried about playing an upset facade this time around.
"Alright, everyone. Gather around. I see that Krokaa has developed a new exercise for you all. Very effective, I must say. From now on, this will become a regular part of your training. Tomorrow, I'll be teaching you all something new, so be ready. You may all resume." With that said and done, Gavin nodded to them before departing the training area to unpack.
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Post by Spectres of Midnight on Mar 17, 2019 12:25:32 GMT -8
Everyone gathered around as Gavin made his return and called them together. They were continuing to do well by Gavin's standards and by the next day, they would learn something more to further their skills. Above all, Krokaa was glad that what he had established for the group proved to once again serve beneficial for them all.
As Gavin departed, they went back to their training, working to finish off the day's regiment.
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