Timeskip Log

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Lancer) COURT Seelie (Neutral Leanings) TITLE Knight of the Golden Cadre Maskhunter/Hartslayer Shield of the Cothromach Champion of Redgate OCCUPATION Knight/Trainer ABLE TO FAST-TRAVEL Servant ability to travel at up to 100 times normal human speed. A ring given to him by Alyosha that allows him to teleport himself only pretty much anywhere. A ring given as a boon that will allow him to teleport to the side of any Seelie shardbearer if their life is in immediate danger. COMMUNICATION METHODS A magical compass from Rin. Messages sent by birds. A necklace enchanted by Rin to allow contact with Seelie/Unseelie. RESIDENCE IN 2,701 Cu Chulainn's castle, Dun Dealgan, south of Daonna, his rooms at Alyosha's villa, and occasionally his rooms at Caer Glaem when he is working on his personal training ground. RESIDENCE IN 2,702 His rooms at Alyosha's villa, and occasionally, his rooms at Caer Glaem when he is working on his personal training ground. As of May, he will be invited to move into Flora's villa in Leathann. MAJOR EVENTS MASTER/SERVANT BOND CREATED W/ALYOSHA. [ ✖ ] SETS UP HIS PERSONAL TRAINING GROUND AT CAER GLAEM. [ ✖ ] CSI: DAONNA. [ ✖ ] BECOMES A CAPTAIN IN THE RED HAND. [ ✖✖ ] MAJOR CHANGES POST BATTLE: His right arm is missing at the shoulder. There are several 'bleed over' effects from his Master/Servant bond with Alyosha because various factors. These include: When his emotions are high (especially when he is angry) he will grow fangs and the pupils of his eyes will slit like a snake's eyes. He will crave blood whenever his energy levels are low or whenever Alyosha is strongly craving it herself. This is partly because of her being a vampire, but also because on his world, blood is one of the things that carries magical energy and so he knows it is a source of gaining that energy should he need it. Because of Alyosha's shadow magic, when Diarmuid uses his fire ring, the fire summoned will be shadow tinted instead of normal. Unspecified bleed over from the sigil magic that is so tightly tied to her. POST TIMESKIP: No longer introduces himself as 'Lancer.' Instead, he uses his real name. Diarmuid's fighting style shifts to something reminiscent of Capoeira. His right leg is used as much as possible in place of his missing right arm, and as a result of that, his right leg now is lightly armored from knee to foot with armor that is much like that which was once on his left arm. His boot has also been modified with a hidden blade. The blade can be released with a certain tap of his foot giving him a second weapon should he need it.

SUMMARY OF KNOWN DETAILS If Diarmuid was confused going into the battle, he is even more so coming out of it. Both castles lie in ruins, untold numbers are dead on all sides, and who knows how many worlds went with them? What good came of all of it? None. None that Diarmuid can see. As a result, he is pushed even more toward favoring the neutral side. Deep down, he no longer fully considers himself Seelie. The golden cloak that marks him as a knight of the Golden Cadre is not a badge of honor, but a reminder that even knights can take the wrong path. After he recovers from losing his right arm and spends some time learning to fight again, he will focus on strengthening his bonds with his family and friends. It doesn't matter what side they are on for he does not see them as Seelie or Unseelie. They are family. They are friend. That is all that matters. When not helping Alyosha, his new Master, and fighting the Neutral fight, he will also spend time training others, building his personal training ground at Caer Glaem, and...breeding bandersnatches? Well, at least trying. Who knows if the bandersnatches will cooperate... Of course, all of that will be put to the side when it comes time to spoil babbins and mercenar-- Err, wait, that should be spoiling babbins and LEADING mercenaries. That's better... PLANS Recover from his injuries both physically and mentally. Adjust to his new Master/Servant bond with Alyosha and the bleed over. Learn to fight again. (Looking into a new arm will come later.) Work on getting the personal training ground he has been granted built to his specifications. Meet with Lancelot to discuss worries etc about Tarz's tactics. Keep in contact with his Unseelie friends. Find ways to meet with them despite the crack down on cross court interaction. Spend more time with Grainne. Teach fighting and shard training as requested. Tag team fighting with his new Master so they can learn to be badasses together. :-D Do whatever he can to help the Neutral side. Go hunting for new bandersnatch friends with Alice. TIMELINE OF EVENTS Things Occurring THROUGHOUT the Timeskip Working on his training grounds at Caer Glaem. Learning to fight again/Practicing with his shard.(Alyosha and Lancelot will help.) Training others to fight/use their shards. Becoming used to his bond with Alyosha and the overflow from it. SPRING IN 2,701 (Mar, Apr, May) MARCH - Ask Rin to enchant the necklace he got from Merida so he can contact all Seelie/Unseelie with it (Late Feb). Talk to Politezerker about his arm. (Late Feb) Recovery from losing his arm. (Both mental and physical.) Visits the new Barrel. Check in on Kayneth. Meet Gilgamesh. Visit Zuko at Azure to help unfreeze things and for fire training. More unfreezing and fire training with Merida. Finds a strange and very large egg... Begin work on his training ground in Caer Glaem after a handwaved talk with John and Lancelot(Flora will help with terrains). Long talk (and cry session) with Grainne about his arm, her losing the baby, and other things from her time back home (handwaved). Talking to Lancelot about Tarz. Check in with Saber now that she has had time to calm down. Go hunting for bandersnatches with Alice. APRIL - Travel to the Cothromach and renew his vows to it and Sansa. Talk about ferry system work. Meeting Aslan at Caer Glaem (Training Grounds). Teach Hikaru (Lucifer) to use her(his) shard @ the Station. Trip to the Barrel to celebrate his birthday. The strange egg hatches right around his birthday. Congratulations Diarmuid! It's a fluffy green bird?!? Well, at least it's not a dinosaur... MAY - Map out the waterways around the Cothromach for Sansa & the ferry project. Hunt golden swans with Thrall (get at least two--one for Caer and one for Aengus) Start training Oscar the bandersnatch to hunt. Work on the training grounds with Flora. Drop into the Art Gallery Opening in Parrais. SUMMER IN 2,701 (Jun, Jul, Aug) JUNE - Training for those who wish it: Gilgamesh-shard. Goes to the Treun tournament. Observes, but does not participate because of his arm. Bonds with Merida. Meets Javik at the tournament. Acts as Alyosha's witness at the duel between her and Hermione. JULY - CSI: Daonna (Quest)--Sent to Daonna after the hangings to investigate for Waver. Interview Alice, Merida, Faolan. Work with Sara & Politezerker. Lén accompanies Diarmuid to help. AUGUST - Fire training with Merida. Talk with her about battle/Master stuff. Meeting Remus Lupin. Golem hunting with Javik. Visit the Cothromach's Markets. FALL IN 2,701 (Sept, Oct, Nov) SEPTEMBER - Heartbreak: Grainne is sent home from the Drabwurld. Language kerfuffle! Just how close to Gaelic is Drabbish anyway? Help Alice with her orphanage. Training: Gilgamesh/Work on the Training Grounds OCTOBER - Samhain! Meet the Black Shuck Meets Sam. Anniversary of his arrival. NOVEMBER - Hunts inmates. Protects others from the inmates. Meets up with Lancelot to talk. Becomes co-parents to a bunch of mercs with John Grimm. WINTER IN 2,701/2,702 (Dec, Jan, Feb) DECEMBER - Yule! Silliness with Fox Merida. Hunt the White Hart. Slays him with Katsa. Reward: 200 gold pieces, a while cloak and the title of Hartslayer until the next hunt comes around. Anniversary of the Fox Hunt. JANUARY - Shard Training. Working on his Training Grounds. 'Learning' to relax a little with Kaldur. Meeting up with Gilgamesh at Caer Glaem. FEBRUARY - Runs into Grell at the Noa Woods for sparring. Goes to Parrais for the Ostara Feast. 1 year anniversary with Alyosha. SPRING IN 2,702 (Mar, Apr) MARCH - Fight zombies. Visits Lumina's Chocobo Ranch and does some undead removal. Gets a new friend for Aengus? Learning to fight again complete. APRIL - Shelters his fairy groupies to keep them safe. Work on his training grounds at Caer Glaem finishes.

( codes by whambam )

Comments

Things Occurring THROUGHOUT the Timeskip

[oathshackledbird]

Artist: Josephine Wall

Caer Glaem: Training Grounds

[oathshackledbird]

Mid-March through the end of the Timeskip: Log Here

A Wise Man Never Stops Learning [Open]

[oathshackledbird]

Who: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Lancer) and Open
Where: Various (Please state location in tag subject.)
When: The whole timeskip (Please state month in tag subject.)
What: Catch-all log for all the shard training, fighting training, and rehabilitation training (for Diarmuid) that anyone could desire.
Warnings: Varies by thread. Please see thread subjects for warnings.

After what happened during the battle, most people would become jaded. They would stop reaching out to others and focus just on themselves and those close to them. However, as so often is the case, Diarmuid is different from most other people. He reaches out more and gives more of himself in an effort to make people stronger and to help guide them toward the idea that this Unseelie/Seelie divide needs to end. These constant battles are getting no one anywhere. Isn't this last battle an excellent example of that?

No matter where he is or who he is talking to, those who request training from him will be granted it. Shard training, weapons training, training in fighting...though his missing arm will slow him down some on those last two. At least, until certain people have the chance to put him through his paces some...

August 2,701, DunDealgan

[notyetlegend]

[Sometimes, when she has nothing else to do, Merida can be found training one of three things. Her magic - be it runes or fire, she looks like a sorceress, though the way she moves is more like a close range fighter. Other times she can be seen fighting with one or two of the soldiers that have come to call DunDealgan home, a tall native Seelie woman in particular with piercing green eyes and a stern expression, parrying her blows with relative ease as she blocked her lady again and again.

It's during the quiet moments, however, that she can be found sitting in the shade of one of the walls, away from the hot late summer sun, a green glow coming from her chest as two or three puppies nap beside her.]

August 2,701, DunDealgan

[oathshackledbird]

[From a short distance away, Diarmuid just watches her practice. He is so proud of the progress she has made that it is hard for him to express it. That is why he just stands and watches, taking in just how well his favorite student is doing with her studies.

Oscar, though, is having none of this standing around stuff. The cub has grown to almost double his original size and seems to have gained double the energy he used to have as well. He wants to play and when he spots the puppies napping near Merida, he decides they will be perfect playmates. Before Diarmuid can even shout a warning, the cub is off running toward the puppies, tripping over his far too big feet just as he reaches them so he tumbles into them instead of awakening them in a more graceful way.

Oops...]

[notyetlegend]

[It's become easier to keep hold of her shard when she does it in smaller bursts, something she learned while watching over Grainne back at the beginning of the year. The glow fades and comes back again after a few minutes, her eyes closed in concentration, before it disappears completely when the puppies get bowled into, the sudden appearance of the bandersnatch startling her. The puppies are bigger now, but that doesn't mean that they don't get shocked.

No, that means that they start roughhousing.

Merida pinches the bridge of her nose with a small sigh, placing a hand on her thigh and resting her elbow on the other as she watches them with some bemusement before she spots Diarmuid, giving him a wry smile.]

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid sighs as well, shaking his head before wandering over to stand next to Merida. He gives her a slightly embarrassed smile before speaking.]

I hope he didn't startle you too much.

[A loud thump draws Diarmuid's attention away from her for a moment and to the playing animals. However, when he sees Oscar shaking his head and throwing himself back into the playing, Diarmuid attention quickly shifts back to Merida.]

How are things going with your shard?

[notyetlegend]

[She laughs a little at that, shaking her head.]

I'm used to that kind of thing from my brothers, I'm hardly startled anymore.

[Still, Merida stands as Diarmuid comes over, brushing her skirts off. She glances down at the puppies as they bark, one of them thumping against the ground, simply too exhausted by the heat to bother with playing. The other two are more than game, however, one of them attempting to tackle the bandersnatch. Merida gives them a small smile of amusement before turning her attention back to him.]

Mmm. I can activate it without gettin' tired so much now. I've been tryin' to space it out an' see how long I can hold it for. So far it's... [She tilts her head up to look at the sun, shielding her face with a hand before dropping it and her head.] Half an hour at most.

APRIL/STATION why not

[individualist]

[She had no idea Shards actually had use, but it's the kind of thing you're bound to pick up on after some time, and with enough inquiring you can also find out who can teach you about it. The name had no value, but the description of the guy given to her...was it the one seeking to protect everyone? Who'd lost his arm to that man on the network?

Quite frankly, the irony was so perfect, how couldn't she choose to seek him out for this? Lucifer contacts Dia beforehand in order to arrange their meetup, since traveling the drabwurld aimlessly in search of one man would be troublesome, setting the date for a meetup at the station.

And when the day finally arrives she also ends up arriving after he does, totally intentionally, but as she approaches and sees him, Lucifer waves.]

Heeeeeeey! You're Diarmuid, right?

[Annnd stops, within a comfortable distance for conversation.]

APRIL/STATION why not

[oathshackledbird]

[The golden cloak around Diarmuid's shoulders is in much better shape than it was when Hikaru/Lucifer saw him last, though Diarmuid himself looks worse. He's pale and tired looking, though he greets her with a smile when she approaches.]

Yes, I am. You must be Hikaru. I'm glad you made it. You didn't have any trouble getting here, did you?

[Not that the Station is really that popular of a destination at the moment. It's still recovering from being so heavily damaged, but thankfully, not a lot is needed when it comes to shard training. They just need someplace where people aren't going to turn on them for being the wrong court in the wrong place.]

[individualist]

Nah, it wasn't too big a deal...at least it wasn't considering we still have some space left to move outside our courts. Anywhere else would have been a different story.

[She says that, but about halfway through that sentence and the whole time after, she's very obviously staring at the missing arm.

It's not a big deal for Lucifer - in fact, she expected it. Roa had made it obvious the arm had been taken, and it was pretty much impossible for something this mundane (subjectively speaking...) to catch her attention, but it's likely someone of her current appearance would care.

Quite frankly, it's just terrific acting to fit the role she's playing right now.]

Um...by the way, you're...okay to do this, right? With the whole...[VAGUE GESTURES AT HIS ARM.]

[oathshackledbird]

Yes, I am surprised that we still have the space we do, though, I am not counting on it to last long. It's good you were able to come now.

[For a moment, Diarmuid is confused when she motions to his arm. It's not bothered him much today. No phantom feelings, no pain. It's easier to forget it's gone on days like this, but after a moment he realizes what she is talking about and laughs softly, embarrassed.]

Thank you for asking, but I will be fine. It might be more troublesome if we were actually doing weapons or fighting training, but shard training is completely different.

Speaking of shard training, I should probably ask if you have felt anything from your shard since you came here. It will give me a good idea of where we will be starting from.

[individualist]

Well, if you're sure...anyway, I haven't felt anything at all since I got here...should I have? I haven't been here all that long, if that's the case, so that might be it...

[Genuine, too; it's something Lucifer's completely ignorant on, so relying entirely on Dia for answers here.]

[fairyfoes]

Alyosha wore a buckler on one arm, scuffed and dented from practice, and carried a blunted short-sword in the other. She'd armed Dia with a wooden stave, and for now, they worked on regaining his prowess in battle in light of the loss of his arm.

"Control is what you want; you were too heavy-handed last time. You're over-extending yourself just a bit; widen your stance, and likely move a half-pace forward."

Her eyes shone with approval, and she used her dulled sword to tap the buckler. "Again. Not a bash, but a kiss."

[oathshackledbird]

"A kiss, hu? That I can do. I have been told many times I kiss very well," Diarmuid laughs softly, though the laughter doesn't quite drive the frustration from his eyes. He knows she's right, but even as he moves to adjust his stance as she instructs, Diarmuid can't help but feel off balance and out of sync with his own body. None of the moments he makes feel right. Not even those he has made hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

Diarmuid tightens his hand on the spear and tells himself again this shouldn't be that different than just working with one of his spears. Except, it is and he knows it. His other arm isn't there to balance like it once was. It throws everything off.

Hold back more. You don't have a shield now. Don't over-extend. He repeats these things to himself, then takes a deep breath and tries the attack again.

[fairyfoes]

"Alas, nor I nor the shield know! All your attempts so far have been too clumsy," she teased, goodnaturedly, and blew him a kiss.

But her smile tempered, and she watched him. She moved uncannily, inhumanly, like one serpent-jointed. Her motions were a caricature for now, and they practiced slowly, to build accuracy before speed.

The metal of her shield rang when touched, light and soft as a small chime; in just the right spot which would turn her guard, force her to compensate, had he used his full weight.

"Far better! Now, from the other side."

[oathshackledbird]

"Ah, you wound me. Can you blame one even so skilled as me for being shaken when faced with one as fierce and skilled as you?" The good-natured teasing helps lift his mood, but actually landing the strike as he is suppose to raises it even more. A real smile lights his face and eyes when he lands from the attack.

"Now the other side. It's just the same..." Diarmuid sets himself, but almost as soon as he launches into the attack, he realizes he has gone wrong. This side is harder. The change in balance more. He spins out away away from her and moves back toward his starting point to try again.

"Sorry. That was way off..."

[red_branch]

By some measure, Cu Chulainn hadn't heard about Diarmuid's injury until he spotted him in the training grounds. Though he was his junior by hundreds of years, Diarmuid was still someone he valued enough to invest in. What could he do to show his concern and encourage him in the same breath?

Nothing, immediately.

Cu Chulainn arrived, fury concealed well as he kept his hood up. With a huff, he pushed aside a number of soldiers who weren't paying attention to him. He realized he was making a scene, so he reached over to pick up the soldiers and set them on their feet, despite the shock.

"Hnnnn."

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid stands up from next to a worker who he is advising on the placement of a wall and looks toward the ruckus. He frowns slightly and then starts toward Cu Chulainn.

"Is something wrong?" He's not sure why the other Servant seems so...disgruntled. Though, no matter what is wrong, the soldiers have done nothing to him. He shouldn't be so gruff toward them, "Did something happen at the castle or to Merida?

[red_branch]

"Only the two?" He suppressed his irritation, dusting off one of the soldiers who he had pushed down. He was pretty sure they would get over it, despite how nervous they had become.

"I heard you were educating folks. I wanted to see what it was you were puttin' in these peoples' heads."

[oathshackledbird]

"Only the two?" Diarmuid seems confused. Did he mean the question about Merida and the castle? Diarmuid could have asked about Grainne as well, but he didn't think if something had happened to her, Cu Chulainn would be so irritable.

"I am, though a little less than I was. I'm mostly working on getting this place set up at the moment. Once it is done there are going to be places for riding training, weapons training, shard training, magic training and training in different terrains." It's an ambitious project, but that is just part of the challenge.

Early August (Caer Glaem)

[knightscode]

Faolan has returned, at last, from his two-month long trip and Lancelot is buoyed by it. It was no secret that they were good friends, and that Lancelot had grown used to his presence. Even if the mission had been necessary Lancelot had missed him terribly grown used to his constant presence as he had.

So it is that Lancelot is a little lighter as he enters Diarmuid's half-finished training yard, searching for the man. It's still early yet, but Diarmuid tends to share his belief that getting up early is better than wasting the day, and as soon as he spots him he crosses quickly with a bright smile.

"I was hoping you'd be here," he begins, "we're both of us early risers."

[oathshackledbird]

"Well, it helps when you don't need to sleep," Diarmuid laughs and sets aside the list he had been looking over before Lancelot called out to him. He then stands and greets Lancelot with a bow of his head, "It is quiet too. It gives me a chance to look things over without several people hovering over me all the time. I appreciate the help, but sometimes..."

Sometimes too much is too much.

"You look like you are in a pretty good mood today. I am glad to see it! How can I help you?"

[knightscode]

"I admit I am, and I thought to share my good mood some. If you are not too busy -- I thought we might spend a little time sparring? You can help me see how well I control this enchantment my swords carry, and I can see you well you are adjusting to fighting with one arm."

He tilts his head questioningly, smile still in place.

"Perhaps the change will be enough that I might beat you?"

Lancelot doubts it, in truth, but the playfully flick of his smile says he'd be willing to try.

[oathshackledbird]

"I am never too busy for good friends or a little sparring," Diarmuid laughs and motions for Lancelot to follow him over toward a cleared area where they can spar without anything getting in their way. "The men will actually be glad to see me relaxing some. They have started bribing my friends when they stop by to take me away from the site for a while so I can rest. It can be troubling at times, but I do appreciate that they care so much."

Diarmuid calls one of his spears to his hand and then winks at Lancelot, "You know I always encourage people to try their bests..."