Play by Post - View Single Post - Loaded for Bear...or not. (Basic Wilderness Training for Philyra Nye)

Desmodus · February 22, 2008, 08:26 PM

Kesiryl's eyes widened slightly in surprise at Phily's first answer. "That's a good answer, actually" he said, "although I think maybe I didn't phrase the question clearly enough for you to see what I was getting at. What I meant was: what sorts of basic needs does one have in the wilderness that one does not have in a city? You know, the sorts of things like food and shelter. I'll let you think about that and try to answer it again." He gave his student a sheepish grin and patted his hand on his chest. "My fault on that one, not yours."

The elf nodded next as the lovely young ranger inventoried her things. "How much water do you have with you, and how long do you think it would last you?" he asked after she had gone through all of her things.

Finally, he beamed when Philyra answered his third question. "Yes! Yes! Exactly! Students often fall for the trick: right after they inventory their stuff, they tend to think that the right answer is somewhere in the stuff that they have -or the stuff they forgot." Kesiryl gestured towards her with his hands as if he were presenting her at an awards ceremony. "But you nailed it. Yes! Absolutely your most importat asset in the wilderness is your mind. Your knowledge of the area, your skills, your ability to stay calm, and your will to live."

The teacher finally stopped gushing, although he showed no sign of being embarrassed for having done so. He was quite happy to praise a student for doing things well, especially one as radiant and fresh as Philyra Nye. "Now," he said, his face becoming serious, and his voice taking on a tone he hoped sounded impressive and authoritative, "with that in mind, now that we've thought a bit about what you need, and what you have, I want you to imagine this situation: suppose I disappear, and Acumin disappears, or you find yourself teleported away to another part of the forest. There's no sign of any sort of civilization. All you have is what you have on you," he gestured around at the trees and rocks, "and what lies to hand here in the forest. What would you do? What would you do first? What would you think about first, and what actions would you take?"

He realized that he was posing something of a stumper, and that it wasn't entirely fair. "Don't worry about getting everything 'right'," he said, trying to take the edge off of the challenge a bit. "The main thing is to go through the thought process."

February 22, 2008, 08:26 PM	#5 (permalink)
Desmodus Luminary Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Acumin & Herozzal Posts: 939	Kesiryl's eyes widened slightly in surprise at Phily's first answer. "That's a good answer, actually" he said, "although I think maybe I didn't phrase the question clearly enough for you to see what I was getting at. What I meant was: what sorts of basic needs does one have in the wilderness that one does not have in a city? You know, the sorts of things like food and shelter. I'll let you think about that and try to answer it again." He gave his student a sheepish grin and patted his hand on his chest. "My fault on that one, not yours." The elf nodded next as the lovely young ranger inventoried her things. "How much water do you have with you, and how long do you think it would last you?" he asked after she had gone through all of her things. Finally, he beamed when Philyra answered his third question. "Yes! Yes! Exactly! Students often fall for the trick: right after they inventory their stuff, they tend to think that the right answer is somewhere in the stuff that they have -or the stuff they forgot." Kesiryl gestured towards her with his hands as if he were presenting her at an awards ceremony. "But you nailed it. Yes! Absolutely your most importat asset in the wilderness is your mind. Your knowledge of the area, your skills, your ability to stay calm, and your will to live." The teacher finally stopped gushing, although he showed no sign of being embarrassed for having done so. He was quite happy to praise a student for doing things well, especially one as radiant and fresh as Philyra Nye. "Now," he said, his face becoming serious, and his voice taking on a tone he hoped sounded impressive and authoritative, "with that in mind, now that we've thought a bit about what you need, and what you have, I want you to imagine this situation: suppose I disappear, and Acumin disappears, or you find yourself teleported away to another part of the forest. There's no sign of any sort of civilization. All you have is what you have on you," he gestured around at the trees and rocks, "and what lies to hand here in the forest. What would you do? What would you do first? What would you think about first, and what actions would you take?" He realized that he was posing something of a stumper, and that it wasn't entirely fair. "Don't worry about getting everything 'right'," he said, trying to take the edge off of the challenge a bit. "The main thing is to go through the thought process."