Leon tries to stay calm as he pairs off with Sir Geoffrey. This would be his first time sparring with a living legend, and he hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself too much. He takes his wooden practice sword and settles in a one of the stances that Edna taught him. 

"All right, I'm ready," he says to Geoffrey. 

Survival: 17

Martial: 8

Defense: 17

It would turn out, however, that he wasn't ready. Geoffrey became a burst of speed, and in an instant Leon found himself on the ground. He dusts himself off and stands up to try again, but it's no use. Nothing he did could defend himself from the old knight.

Ooc: lol- thanks man. That was a huge help to this derp.

Quote from LorrdWolf >>

What is Aelar's move? Just keep waiting for them to open up the archives? Act now that they're separated? Because Aelar was reading for about an hour to find the information he needed, the library staff and patrons have lowered their guards again.

 ooc: What are his options?  Sneak behind the desk again? Cast those spells?

 He can attempt to cast any of the spells Raia has provided him with, attempt to sneak past the concierge desk, or follow the one getting the key for the door to the archives, and use one of the spells on that person instead, or even, now that he knows where the door is to the archives is in relation to the building, leave and see if there's a window he can sneak into.

Quote from FireCat5 >>

Survival: 15
Simple Weapons: 6 (Rolled with an advantage because you said all checks for an in-game hour are with advantage. Otherwise, just hover and see the first roll I guess. Edit: Well, doesn't matter.)

Hyre takes a small wooden dagger. Something about it seemed more comfortable than one of the big sticks you just swing around. "Ready?" He asks Barna as they stand in front of each other. "Don't go easy on me, I won't go easy on you."

Attack: 18 Not sure if we apply bonuses or not and if Finesse applies to the wooden dagger so it's either +1 for STR or +4 for DEX.
Personal Roll: 8

(I'm assuming this is a hit because it's both above 12 and her defence score. Otherwise, ignore this part.)
While they're sparring, Hyre tries to land a hit a few times but is blocked by Barna's shield every time. It seems that his technique with the dagger is simply awful, as expected, and thus he needs to find a different way to land that attack. Acknowledging the shield as the problem, Hyre understands he has to get past it.
On his next attack, Hyre raises the dagger as if he's attacking overhead to force Barna to raise her shield up. He then faints the attack by sliding down under Barna's shield, quickly jumping back on his feet into the space between Barna and her shield, with the dagger held pointed to her chest. He stands like that victorious for a moment until he realises just how close to her he actually is.
Hyre bashfully backs away from Barna. "Ah... that's... eh... that's a hit?" He tries to say, although the words don't come out clearly. Suddenly, he notices Barna's differently coloured hair. How did he miss it earlier? "Did you... ah... do something with your hair?"

 ((Yes, if you're choosing a finesse weapon, you can apply your DEX, otherwise apply your STR. This is largely a test to see if the defensive posture will be a viable option if you're going up against an opponent with a high attack bonus))

Barna is more awkward than she looks, far less coordinated than Hyre seems to be naturally. She's heavy on her feet, and when she tries to block, she vastly overextends like she's trying to SMASH his wooden dagger away. When he thrusts at her chest but stops short, she looks off to one side, and steps forward a bit, wedging the dagger in her cleavage.
"You got me." she says, smiling crookedly in her awkward flirting.
When he points out her bleached bangs, her ears go purple and she clears her throat.
"Umm... not intentionally. I was helping clean bandages and one of the cleaning slimes sprayed me... I didn't notice in time and AELAR didn't tell me I still had slime there so it sucked the colour out." she mumbles, then looks pensively to him. "Do... you like it?"
Geoffrey calls over to the pair.
"Less flirting, more training, you two!"
Barna sticks her tongue out and glances at the old knight sidelong, before she readies herself for her turn to strike back at Hyre, now the defender.
"Here I come!" she says, taking a heavy swing with her padded wooden club.
Barna's attack: 16

Geoffrey pulls back, letting Leon get back to his feet on his own.
"Don't get discouraged, Leon. Just try and mind your feet. The grass we flattened is more slippery than it looks. Now, come at me!" he says, tightening up his guard and preparing for Leon's attack. Even with only one arm, he's a capable swordsman, even at his advanced age. Even padded, his wooden broadsword leaves an impression.
Geoffrey's defense: 10

Geoffrey's guard is a little loose, however, though he's not taking it easy on Leon at all, it seems that even he needs to warm up a bit before he finds his own range.

((Also, so far that's a success for Leon, Lazlo and Hyre in survival, and Lazlo gets 1 success towards martial, but MAN are the dice being ***** today. Also yes, you get advantage for skill building rolls--all of them--for this session alone (unless Lazlo successfully boosts the group with a song of inspiration. Lazlo now has proficiency in survival! Congrats!))

Defense: 13

Hyre's not sure whether or not he likes it. He wasn't a great judge of beauty and probably, even if he had an opinion about it, he wouldn't trust to say it. On the other hand, it seemed like Aelar and Barna were meeting and talking often. He wondered what they're talking about. He hoped it wasn't him.
He doesn't have much time to think of it, however, and not enough time to answer either, as Barna's attack comes at him. He prepares to block the attack like he's supposed to but then a thought passes his mind and he realises that, with his small wooden dagger, compared to the large heavy club, it's more likely that the thing will just be forced away or out of his hand and the club will continue on its way towards his body. Instead, he tries to deflect the attack by ducking below the swing and using the dagger to direct Barna's attack upwards, possibly allowing for an opening for his own attack.

Leon steadies himself as he scrutinizes Geoffrey's guard. Noticing a potential opening, he wondered if the old knight was being easy on him. Nonetheless, Leon lunges forward, feinting to the right before cutting towards Geoffrey's left arm. 

Attack: 4

However, the grass was indeed a bit slippery, as Leon trips a bit. His sword doesn't make it anywhere near Geoffrey, and it takes a moment for him to regain his balance. 

Barna manages to tag Hyre's wrist superficially in a brief exchange. She just barely manages to outpace Hyre's weapon, but if she were any slower, he would have intercepted her strike. She circles around him, then lunges again, this time wrapping her shield arm around his back and pinning his weapon hand against his side while she grabs him close. He feels a rap across his butt with her club as she playfully smiles at him.
"Got you back." she says, boldly pressing herself up against him before letting him go.

Leon this time, not only loses his balance on the slippery grass but also gets his sword arm tagged as Geoffrey intercepts Leon's attack and counters it.
"Easy, Leon. Take your time with this." he says, moving his sword arm lower and sinking into his stance.
"If your footing isn't even, don't make lunging strikes. You've still got time to grow, but I'm heavier, so keep your strikes on the outside of my guard, whittle away at me instead of trying to match my momentum." he says, shifting his weight.
"Once more, defend yourself!" he says, performing a series of quick thrusts.

((When you make your defense roll, give yourself +3 to hit. Geoffrey has +6, so if the theory is correct, it should give you at least a better chance of deflecting away attacks than relying on your AC. Roll 5 times. We'll see if this sample size holds up or if this would just be a waste of time in practice. Leon's a better test case because he doesn't have an 18 like Hyre or Kallista.))
Geoffrey's attacks: 14   18    13    26   16
((Ignore the nat 20, as well, for your post))

Kallista picks up something similar to Lazlo after helping with everything.

Survival: 11

Martial: 6

Defense: 4

((Forgive me if i did something incorrectly, im currently in a car XD))

Leon recovers from his stumble and listens carefully to Geoffrey's advice. He re-adjusts his grip and braces himself for the attacks. 

Defense: 9 6 18 10 21

He does manage to make a better show of it this time. While Geoffrey's first few strikes manage to get dangerously close within his guard, he manages to parry the final few. 

"I think I'm getting the hang of this." 

((Okay, so in this sample, 2 of those attacks would have countered or at least saved Leon from taking damage. I think the tradeoff for being vulnerable to ranged attacks for buffing your defense is pretty balanced and viable against an opponent with a better attack bonus than you, at least in regards to staying on your feet.

Also, re-roll your martial Kallista, you didn't give yourself advantage for that.

Also, I didn't notice this before, but Balgrim just removed his character from the campaign, so I guess he's for certain not coming back.))

Leon does better than defend himself, he actually manages to counter attack Geoffrey a couple of times in the exchanges.
"Better, Leon! Good." he says, sounding a bit out of breath. While he's able to muster his full strength as he did when he was much younger, he does tire out quickly.
"We're going to definitely need to build up your strength, your sword tip was dipping towards the end there." he says, noticing Leon's stance has changed after their sparring session.
Geoffrey offers to show Leon the training regimen he was subjected to when he was just a little older than him, many years ago. If Leon chooses to, during his training, roll with advantage to build his STR as his only stat increase that day. It won't count for 2 successes, but it will give him two chances. If Lazlo successfully plays a song of inspiration, he'll get to roll 3 D20's to see if he gets a success. Currently, Leon has 2/3 successes.

Hyre has... mixed feelings? He's a bit frustrated that he failed his deflect but... for some reason, also felicitous? He's even unable to stop himself from smiling. Why is that? He failed, didn't he? If so, why does he feel like he won?

"Let's try that again. I want to work more on my defenses." Also, he wanted to figure out his feelings. They were faint, at least, so they didn't cause any... unwanted effects. But still, they were there. "I need to be more agile, mobile." He gets into stance, ready to try the same thing again. Maybe it was a foolish plan. Maybe he should just stick to what Geoffrey taught them. Doubts began to form in his mind but he still wanted to try again. "Come at me, don't hold back." 

Defense: 8

ooc: SORRY I used my CHA bonus instead of my DEX bonus on my ATTACK ROLL- so it would be a 9 not a 10. Also, I'm not entirely sure what/when (possibly why) we're rolling so- if I don't roll please just prompt me.

Leon nods, taking a seat on the ground. He never knew how tiring a fight could be, as his arms and legs felt like rubber. Perhaps he should have spent less time taking out girls for dinner back in Hon, and more time exercising. 

He observes Geoffrey demonstrate his training regimen, and watches with wonder as the old knight performs a set of pushups with only one arm. He commits the intervals to heart, promising himself that he would follow the plan daily. 

"Thank you, Sir Geoffrey, for what you've shown me today. I 'll try to practice as much as I can. May I come back tomorrow in the afternoon?"

After getting a drink of water and massaging his sore muscles, Leon tries out Geoffrey's routine for the first time. 

Strength: 21

Geoffrey had made it look easy when he did it. Leon struggles through the calisthenics, and every muscle in his body screamed at him to stop. With a grim determination he pushes on, finishing with the three mile run. As he huffs and puffs, he remembers some of the cadences his father sang marched in formation as part of Hon's Watch. He started to singing to himself to keep his mind distracted, when something interesting happened. 

Leon was running through the streets of Guiston, chanting "In the Early-Morning Rain" when he suddenly realized that he felt... good. He jogged through the bustling avenues, dodging the wagons and waving at passer-bys. Though he's only been in Guiston a few days, it began to feel like his new home. Invigorated with a new energy, he begins jogging back to Geoffrey's House. 

((It's OK Lazlo, I'm just getting a feel for the math and for how practical this would actually be as a strategy in combat if you're getting beaten up. It's looking like it might just work as intended, offing a chance to improve your likelihood of avoiding damage from an attack by an opponent with a high attack bonus. We'll just skip Lazlo and Kallista's sparring since they're pretty evenly matched (And rolling on phones is a pain.)

Also Leon, I meant that for the NEXT day's training, but you know what, I'll allow it. Congratulations on making it to STR 14!))

Barna tries to get a little fancy and quickly moves in on Hyre, attempting to feint him into making a mistake. She keeps creeping closer and closer, then lunges, trying to knock his dagger out of his hands!

11

Barna doesn't manage to pierce Hyre's defenses however, though he doesn't really manage to fend off her attacks either. At the end, neither one of them manage to land a significant hit on the other and are just left at a stalemate.
"You're quicker than I am strong." Barna pants out, bending low in her stance, relying more on orcish battle instincts than anything else, given how raw she is as a fighter still.

Geoffrey calls for an end to the training session, as the sun is starting to go down, and a few hours have passed. Building the training grounds took quite a lot of time, even with five and a half pairs of hands working at once.
"No sense in giving yourselves blisters on the first day." he states.
"Good work, everyone." the knight says, leaning on his training sword as he catches his breath.
The group is back to being sweaty and tired (If they weren't already so) and with that in mind, Geoffrey looks over the five.
"Come on, then. Let this old knight treat you all to dinner at the Horseshoe. Maybe then Hana will stop worrying I've become a sad old hermit." he says.

(Oops, sorry. But thanks!)

Leon smiles. "A dinner at the Horseshoe sounds great! I'm sure some of are bound to be hungry after all that exercise."  

"But that doesn't mean you're not strong." Hyre answers. This time, he only felt disappointment that his invention didn't work. Perhaps it really was a bad idea. As the feeling of achievement disappears, however, before he can pinpoint the reason for it, Hyre definitely feels like he missed something. Maybe someone else would know what it was, but he couldn't ask since he didn't understand it himself. "As for your question from earlier, I think I don't like them. We both had black hair earlier, but now I have black hair and you have... half-black hair." Again, Hyre chose to say the truth. He wasn't sure whether or not it meant that he doesn't like the change, but he was sure they're no longer the same. He couldn't really tell why it mattered to him, but it did.

"Dinner is a good idea. Just ah... don't order any meat-pies, okay?"

"oooh! Dinner." Visions of the meal cause the satyrs mouth to water.   "But I insist I buy you a drink, Sir Knight! Let me guess your drink of choice... A smokey whiskey- served neat. Am I right?"  Lazlo laughs.  "What better way to end any turn of the world than a good meal and drinks shared around a fire? Lets hope we run into Aelar at the Horseshoe!" 

Rerolling Martial: 7

Aelar notices that he again has a chance to sneak past the concierge desk now that everyone is distracted with helping him or studying.  He considers casting any of the spells Raia offered, or rather being her conduit, but there didn't seem to be much value in that yet.  He decided to sneak behind the desk and see what he could learn.

Stealth: 6

((Well, I guess that counts as having advantage Kallista. Still though, bad luck. Two sevens. It happens.))

Barna seems to be a bit conflicted about Hyre's feelings about her hair. On one hand, she agrees with him in that she'd rather match him. On the other, maybe after some time, he might appreciate it... and it will grow out, eventually. She'll just have to deal with it for the time being.
The group minus Aelar heads to the Horseshoe, the old knight grunting his grievances about his knees as he goes. On the way, he shares with Leon some stories about his uncle, and about how his family all seemed to somehow get involved in the military in some fashion, from what Theo told him about his family.
He also reveals the reason for the tension between himself and Grimbuld; he did already say that Grimbuld introduced him to his wife, but what he DIDN'T say before was that at the time, it was Grimbuld and Diana who were courting. No mystery as to what caused the falling out there; it might also explain why Grimbuld tolerates Sister Daar's nagging and prodding; perhaps Daar reminds him of his old love... or he just has a weakness for nagas.
Geoffrey pauses when they come to the doors of the Horseshoe. It takes him a moment to gather himself before he pushes open the swinging double doors, catching the hanging horseshoes that act as the customer bells. Hana freezes in her steps as she tends the bar and sees who came in. She just about drops the mug she was cleaning and then quickly rounds the bar to grab her old friend up in a big hug.
"Y'all are miracle workers." Hana says to the group. "'cause I don't think it was the wine and cheese that changed this old fart's mind about coming back."
It's then that the smell from Lazlo and Leon hits Hana. In fact, the lot of them could use some freshening up.
"How about while I step into the kitchen, you all clean up, yeah? Besides, we've got some catching up to do, and hearing old people talk makes youngins turn to stone, I've seen it happen." she kids. Though Barna isn't staying at the Horseshoe, Hana allows her to go upstairs with the rest to wash off the sweat she worked up during their training.

This time, Aelar successfully sneaks past and gets into the lanes of shelves. Once back there, it's much easier to remain unseen, as the shelves offer plenty of angles to hide with. He knows where the archive doors are, so he can easily make his way over to them as the other clerk has gone back to doing inventory and muttering about students. Now that he's closer to the door, he can see that the door to the archives has stained glass accents around its frame, and at the top, over the door, is a small window, to assist air flow. It looks big enough to squeeze through, though the other clerk will be arriving soon with the key anyway, and will be searching up there for the books on Relnar.
Curious, the fact they would be moved, unless there's something in them that would be incriminating or embarrassing if it became public knowledge. Still, that's not exactly why Aelar's there in the first place.
What does Aelar do now that he's back here?