Post by Salvatore Deliambre on Aug 29, 2016 2:47:12 GMT -5
Tory spent the morning helping to drill the re-organized City Watch in their fighting skills, instructing them in the use of short sword, dagger and staff. Nick was to be their archery instructor by virtue of his mastery with the bow; the Guard drilled in archery come the afternoon, while he took patrol through the city, a visible reminder to the citizens that the Crown had vested interest in maintaining law and order in the region.
The day proved particularly cold and unpleasant; Vanderhall's location in the mountains ensured that icy winds and snow arrived far sooner there than anywhere else in the kingdom. Tory, as a Deliambre, grew up in a vastly different climate where snow was rare. Deeming the weather a pure misery, the knight huddled in his cloak and kept moving in an effort to stay warm. Halfway through his patrol, snow once more began to fall, rendering the streets a cold, slushy mess in which his boots struggled to gain footing.
He was not the only one who was miserable; already he'd been informed by several Watch members that there were parts of the city where the snow-sickness struck. It was typical, they told him, arriving always with the first measurable snowfall. Fever, body aches, headache and lethargy, along with a hectic flush to the face were the symptoms. Tory thanked the men for the information, thinking nothing of it as he sought to finish his day's route and then return to the welcome warmth of the castle.
For reasons he could not find, the knight felt extremely sluggish, colder than usual as he finally returned to the barracks and dragged himself into the saddle to ride back up to the castle. Tory felt exhausted and weary, putting the feeling down to the snow as the horse began the slow climb, arriving in the courtyard with the knight on his back.
Tory barely managed to dismount and instruct the waiting stablehand to give the gelding a good rubdown and a warm mash. The young man looked cautiously at the knight, commenting that he didn't look well. Waving off the concern, he stumbled into the hall, moving straight for the hearth and collapsed onto the bench, welcoming the wave of heat that passed over him.
It wasn't until he attempted to remove his wet boots that Tory realized he definitely wasn't well. Half-conscious, the knight slid off the bench into an ungainly heap before the fire with that tell-tale flush on his face, shivering visibly.
Man down!
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@olympe, @gwyneveredeschenes