Building the thing was a part of the training all it's own. Having spent some time building palisades and defences for old mercenary companies when need demanded, it was an easy matter conceptually. And what's more, he had done this before, before the soldiering days, when he had worked on a project on a far smaller measure for himself when he was an adolescent in the orcish tribes. That had been a simple gym setup, weights, ropes, natural resistance training. Building this now was a form of nostalgia to Dal. He nodded in satisfaction as he slotted the final piece together and kicked it.
It was soothing in a way. Fashioning the wood. Sealing the joints. Ensuring the work was not warped. And then hefting the solid wood into form. No magic. Just hard graft. Hard graft that made Dal feel some sense of accomplishment. He had been lumbering for two weeks to develop what he needed. Turned down arcane short cuts from his comrades with a slow shake of the head. Hammer and nails were applied with rhythmic assurance. Dal was relentless in pursuing this construction, where his education in becoming a knight potentially one day was lacking traction in the arcane, he understood what it was to live by their own merits alone. And so, dedicated his time to providing something his fellow squires, and indeed, knights could test themselves upon.
The construction had numerous parts and sections. The parts you might expect from an obstacle course. Swinging weights to avoid. Swinging weights you had to stop with your brawn and throw aside, or if one were dexterous enough, avoid via jumping. Winches that one can calibrate to the right ratio for one's own strength to lift a weighted door and crawl through. Slamming pillars of wood that must be avoided. Walls that needed to be climbed, as well as ropes to pull oneself up, before taking up wooden sword to deflecting randomised sword strokes as one descending upon sliding platform, and then jumping down to run into cover from a timed arrow strike from an automated crossbow contraptions, before having to break down a door to get through to the goal before the arrows reloaded and fired again. And then the final test. Could one throw a longsword as a weapon to prevent another barrage of arrows with no cover to find?
It was designed for his strength and endurance, but also to push his speed when exhaustion might kick in. It was difficult. But not impossible. He had read of the knightly virtues. Courage, resilience, bravery. But he also knew the virtues of the warrior. Determination, brute strength, endurance. He hoped to instil this into his fellow squires.
“I can't do magic. But I can do this. I can do this.”
He made his final mark upon the sign at the front.
“NO MAGIC ALLOWED ON THE GAUNTLET”
And folded his arms and admired his work. Now all to do was to wait for the curious to try their hand at this.
It was soothing in a way. Fashioning the wood. Sealing the joints. Ensuring the work was not warped. And then hefting the solid wood into form. No magic. Just hard graft. Hard graft that made Dal feel some sense of accomplishment. He had been lumbering for two weeks to develop what he needed. Turned down arcane short cuts from his comrades with a slow shake of the head. Hammer and nails were applied with rhythmic assurance. Dal was relentless in pursuing this construction, where his education in becoming a knight potentially one day was lacking traction in the arcane, he understood what it was to live by their own merits alone. And so, dedicated his time to providing something his fellow squires, and indeed, knights could test themselves upon.
The construction had numerous parts and sections. The parts you might expect from an obstacle course. Swinging weights to avoid. Swinging weights you had to stop with your brawn and throw aside, or if one were dexterous enough, avoid via jumping. Winches that one can calibrate to the right ratio for one's own strength to lift a weighted door and crawl through. Slamming pillars of wood that must be avoided. Walls that needed to be climbed, as well as ropes to pull oneself up, before taking up wooden sword to deflecting randomised sword strokes as one descending upon sliding platform, and then jumping down to run into cover from a timed arrow strike from an automated crossbow contraptions, before having to break down a door to get through to the goal before the arrows reloaded and fired again. And then the final test. Could one throw a longsword as a weapon to prevent another barrage of arrows with no cover to find?
It was designed for his strength and endurance, but also to push his speed when exhaustion might kick in. It was difficult. But not impossible. He had read of the knightly virtues. Courage, resilience, bravery. But he also knew the virtues of the warrior. Determination, brute strength, endurance. He hoped to instil this into his fellow squires.
“I can't do magic. But I can do this. I can do this.”
He made his final mark upon the sign at the front.
“NO MAGIC ALLOWED ON THE GAUNTLET”
And folded his arms and admired his work. Now all to do was to wait for the curious to try their hand at this.