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Message: <blockquote data-quote="seasong" data-source="post: 487973" data-attributes="member: 5137">SoldieringTrainingTraining in Theralis takes four forms: athletics, shield work, spear work, and sparring.Athletics is fairly informal, with the occasional more formal contest. In many ways, this is just an extension of the natural competitive spirit of the Theralese people, and is not strange to anyone. The usual events are up-mountain sprints, long-distance runs (usually circling a single valley), rock climbing, spear throwing for distance and accuracy, stone carrying events, wrestling and swimming.Athletics competitions are done in the nude - Theralis is body conscious, but in a very egoistic sort of way, and most young Theralese are justifiably proud of their bodies.This at least partly explains why Captain Agina noticed the birthmarks - the fact that the youths in question stuck together like ponies in a glue factory explains the rest.Shield work is something not everyone expects to do in the normal course of events. Theralis soldiers fight in four lines: the first line is the shield bearers, who carry heavy tower shields in parallel, and use those shields to keep as much of an enemy attack out of the line as possible. The second and third lines carry short and long spears, respectively, and stab through brief gaps as often as possible. The fourth line consists of everyone behind the first three, and has the duty of supporting the front lines, whether by healing, throwing javelins or spells at the foe, and so on. When there are sufficient numbers, everyone works in shifts, switching out positions when a front liner gets tired.Shield work requires a short person with a lot of endurance. The shields are held high, and carried forward or backward as needed. Athan would be a perfect shield guard, except that he is too tall - his feet or head would always be an easy target, and a shield sized for him would not fit the formation.Training for shield work consists of a lot of formation marching, with a near-50 pound shield held up in front of you. Everyone does it, in case they have to, but no one likes it.Athan, Greppa and Merideth did not train in this.Spear work is the basic training in the spear. The quarterstaff fighting methods that practically everyone practices in Theralis is the simplified form of spear work - or, to put that another way, spear work is quarterstaff fighting with a point.Every soldier learns this, both in forms intended for formation fighting, and in forms intended for solo fighting.Merideth had never done quarterstaffing prior to the military, and didn't spend much time on it in training, either, so she's pretty poor with a spear. Greppa and Athan were both avid quarterstaff competitors, and expended similar effort in the spear.Sparring is exactly what it sounds like: ranging from organized "army-on-army" clashes to solo competitions, the sparring in the Theralese military is both intense and constant. Athan shone here, and part of most people's admiration of him currently stems from this.Arms & EquipmentA Theralese soldier wears a knee-length tunic and sandals, but is otherwise naked. One in two shield guards carry a shield on their back, which they hand off to a fresh shield guard when hostilities start. A few of the stronger soldiers carry several wrapped long spears, which are handed out to third-line soldiers at battle. Each company has a captain who wears a sword, and carries the battle banner for the company - when the banner falls, that means the captain has had to join the fight.Everyone carries a short spear, bread pouch and water flask.</blockquote>

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