Jerran's Exam
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-- AGENDA ---
Subject: Jerran's exam
I.
Archives/Law (30 %)
A.
Archives (50 %)
1.
Given an event to record, how would you go about doing it? (The
event I have in mind was a Conclave several Turns ago, in which a Lord Holder
was killed, and which I wrote a satiric ballad about.) (50 %)
2. Suppose you were to be researching an obscure topic; for instance, the creating of a wood and leather harness to hold a dolphin out of water for purposes of healing. Where would you start, where else might you need to go, who might you wish to consult? (50 %)
B. Law (50 %)
1. Why was the Harper brawl in the Mug detrimental to the Craft?
II. Performance (30 %)
A. Issues of Performance. (50 %)
1. What are some things to look for in reading an audience? How does one construct a good musical 'set', ie, chose pieces and order of appropriate mood and pace for a given performance?
B. Individual performance. (50 %)
1. Improvise on a specified ballad.
III. Other Skills (40 %)
A. Art (50 %)
1. RP drawing a sketch of a gitar, and write a quick desc of said sketch. (34 %)
2.
Explain (briefly; we'll probably all be tired by this point) what
the next steps would be to coloring this, and making it into a work of art.
(66 %)
B. Setting up new Harpers. Knowing the resources and help files out there, knowing the basic things like @desc, @setage, @sethome, etc. (20 %)
C.
RolePlaying skills. (30 %)
--- EXAM PART ONE ---
Harper Office
(#2732)
The
office is cheerful, the light reflecting off of whitewashed walls and ceiling. A
pattern mimicking musical notation in colors runs along the tops of the walls,
shelf upon shelf rising from the floor to meet it. Desks, cabinets and filing
drawers are arranged about the room, workplaces for those whose job it is to
keep the harpers and hall in order. The air is fresh, tangy with sea and hides
and well-seasoned woods. A decorative object has been placed in the center of
the room, right in the way. Perhaps you should ask its owner to move it. The
window looks out over
Through the open window, you notice that It is a winter afternoon. Watching from
a high shelf are Mordred and Skyld.
You see Staff Tackboard, Paybox, Lesson Schedule, Opree, and Useful Facts for
Harpers here.
Caramak, Kestria, and Jerran are here.
Jeranium (#1357)
This portly, aging man has a perpetually sour expression on his puffed, wrinkled face. His nose can only be described as bulbous, his ears a matching shade of magenta, while his lips are pursed distastefully. Squinting eyes of an indeterminite shade peer forth beneath low, bushy brows of coarse grey hair which is completely at odds with the wispy, thinning cover atop his head.
A
tailored tunic of green does little to help this journeyman's figure, his
stomach overhanging his belt by a few inches yet. His trousers bag at the knees
from too much sitting, but at least they fit. A worn Journeyman's patch is
neatly sewn to his shoulder, fastening a loop from which dangles his Harper
knot. Jeranium is 53 Turns, 7 months, and 17 days old.
Jerran (#6236)
As
you look Jerran over he turns his penetrating gaze toward you. Your mind is
consumed by his deep teal eyes. He runs his hands, stong from many years of farm
work through his shoulder length sun bleached hair. As you look across the back
of Jerran's deeply tanned hands, you notice a long, strait and fairly thing scar
running across his for finger to just above his wrist. The straitness seems to
sugest that it might have been done by a snaping guitar string or something of
that sort. His golden-brown features are sharp and precise, but do not make him
look mean or unhappy. He smiles warmly, loving the sun here. He has a blue and
red hair wrap that offsets the right side of his face and adds to his funloving
look. He stands fairly tall, about six and a quarter feet, although he's not
lanky at all. You see a rather thin seaweed braid woven in with a small bar of
colar. As you look closer, you see small red beads interwoven at regular
intervals as well as an occasional shell. The adjustable knot that controls the
length of the anklet has a small rock with the form of a heart worked into it.
Small wooden fellis leaf shaped buttons run down the a background of cream-white
sisal. Over this elegant yet casual shirt Jerran wears an unbuttoned shirt of
harper blue. The short sleeves of the shirt run down Jerran's arms, revealing
tanned elbows forearms.Jerran wears a small hemp bracelet on his right wrist
which compliments the creme of his inner shirt. Coming out from under Jerran's
shirts are a baggy pair of light tan shorts which reach down to just bellow his
well tanned knees. A pair of medium brown sandals adorn his feet, fastened by a
small pair of brass buckles. Jerran wears his Harper Apprentice knot on his
shoulder with pride. Jerran is 21 Turns, 6 months, and 16 days old.
Jeranium gives
a heavy sigh and a sour harrumph as he looks for a chair, muttering
something about tuning.
Jeranium barely nods to Caramak and Kestria, and practically ignores Jerran. But he sure enough finds his chair, which would probably rather _not_ have been found as it creaks its protest at the man's ungainly weight.
Kestria inclines her head briefly to
Jeranium, the barest of smiles twitching on her lips, but her
expression remains serious. Caramak bites his tongue quietly as the
slightly late Journeyman pots himself in a chair, and addresses all
assembled: "Are we ready to begin?"
Jeranium makes some sort of
assenting noise as if wondering what we're all waiting for.
Jerran
nods, looking from board member to board member, then back to Caramak. He
stands, waiting for an invitation to sit.
Kestria inclines her head to
the Master.
Caramak checks in with all in the room, then nods his head.
"Alright..." He turns his gaze on Jerran. "Please, for the archives,
state your name, rank within the Hall, specialty, voice level, and home
Hold." He pauses, then adds, "And then, have a seat."
Jeranium
studies Jerran, squinting at the boy such that his eyes are
nearly hidden behind his cheeks.
Jerran nods and begins, still looking
from person to person. "I'm Jerran. My current rank is Apprentice and
my specialty is Art. My voice level is Bass and my Home Hold is Benden." HE moves around the chair in front of him and
takes a
seat.
Jayla slips in and takes a seat at the back of the room.
Jeranium peers, a bushy eyebrow accusing Jayla of being late.
Jayla snorts and thinks he should get on to the
hung-over rider
she had to drag out of his weyr.
Jeranium doesn't think much of
harpers who hang out with drunk riders at the Weyr.
Caramak nods to Jayla as she enters, then redirects his attention to Jerran.
"So. For
your first question...Into the field of Archives. Given an event to
record, how would you go about doing it? Assume you were not
there...For instance, you might, or might not, recall how a few Turns
ago, a Lord Holder was killed in a Conclave. If it was your task to
make a Record of the event, how would you set about doing so?"
Beats
walking.....
Jayla nods to Caramak and becomes serious.
Jeranium
nods in some approval. Perhaps he recalls that Conclave.
Kestria sits
ramrod straight in her chair, amber eyes focused intently on Jerran as
he prepares his answer. As Hold Scribe it falls to her to record the
examination and she has already begun making notes on a fresh
hide.
Jeranium shifts his uncomfortable bulk, causing his chair to
squeak precariously.
Jerran's face looks filled with thought for a
few moments before he begins. "First I would find out who the persons
that might have attended that event might be. Holders, Crafters,
Riders, and anyone else. I would send a message by Firelizard to each, inquiring
if they had been in attendance, and if so, if they would
send me whatever information they have, or if I would be able
to
arrange a meeting." he pauses for a moment, "Next, I would compare all
of the recollections and pick out the information common to all or a
majority and create the record with that information. Further, to check
my work, I would send the record to those who were at the event to gat
any further feed back before I handed it in."
Jeranium harrumphs
quietly, his brows tangling.
Caramak listens attentively to Jerran's reply nodding along slowly, glancing at the other Jmen to see if there's anything they want to add or to clarify.
Jeranium shakes his
head disapprovingly. "Well enough," he responds. "Next question. On
with the exam," he directs.
Kestria lowers her head to record Jerran's answer, her stylus flying over the hide in a shortform handwriting which she will copy out in long form later.
Caramak suppresses a wry
smile for the older Journeyman's bruskly commanding nature. "Well,
then...Next question it is, also in Archives...Suppose you were
researching a strange topic...Say, the construction of a wood
and leather support to hold dolphins out of the water for purposes of
Healing. Where would you start, where else might you need to go, whom
might you wish to consult?"
The scratching of Kestria's stylus is
heard faintly as she records the question and then looks up expectantly
at Jerran, easing her fingers on the stylus while she can.
Jeranium
mutters to himself, "Hmph. Everyone knows you don't take a shipfish out
of the water." and scowls at Jerran.
Jayla raises and eyebrow and
chuckles softly at Jeranium. "Especially if you're set in your
ways...." she mutters to herself.
Luckily, Jeranium doesn't seem to
have heard Jayla's comment, which he'd likely take as an insult if
given the choice. But he sits, lumpish as always, and frowns at Jerran
while waiting for an answer.
Maybe Jayla should have said planted
instead of set....
Jerran hrms... Thinking about this. "I think the
first thing to do would be to send a message to the dolphin craft hall,
getting as much information as I could. The second place I would send
message to would be the healer craft hall." he pauses before seeming to
think of something. "And the third place would be the smithcraft hall,
as they would most likely have experience in
the design and
constructions of the support. And, after getting the information,
compile the report."
Jayla nods because that's what she would do.
Yep..yep..it is.
Jeranium seems displeased, for some reason; perhaps
it's just normal.
Kestria scribbles furiously on her hide, nodding
slightly as she does so.
Caramak considers Jerran's answer for a long
moment. "Mmmmmm. Alright..." He pauses for a moment to glance at the
others to make sure there aren't any other interjections, then
continues. "On we go to Law, then..."
Jerran nods quietly.
Jayla
rubs her hands together, "Ah, law.....let's see how much he knows
in this subject."
Jeranium puffs up a little as he sighs gustily.
Caramak taps his fingers very lightly, silently on the desk in
front of him. "You recall, I'm sure, the brawl in the Mug involving
several Harpers and that resident by the name of Jayce..." He pauses
and leans forward over his desk. "Now. You were involved in that. So.
Tell us, in your own words, why the Harper involvement in that brawl
was bad for the Craft. /Not/
whether you think it was justified, or
whether you think it was right, but why it hurt the Craft." He taps the
desk a few times to emphasize his speaking.
Milo glides in from the
ballroom.
Jeranium nods in definite approval - probably the sharpest
movement he's made in years.
Jayla leans forward on the edge of her seat and arches an eyebrow. She /definitely/ wants to hear the apprentice's answer to that one.
Jeranium's chair creaks again,
warning him that if he doesn't stop shifting, he'll be in
trouble.
Kestria ceases her scribbling suddenly as she raises her eyes
to Jerran, piercing him where he sits.
Jeranium gets impatient as he waits. "Well, answer, boy," he says harshly.
Jerran seems about to say something, but stops
himself and pauses a moment before speaking. "The greatest reason I can
see is the reputation and people's view of the hall. The way the fight
might've tarnished the aforementioned. I personally wouldn't think much
of a craft in which it seemed the apprentices were wild and uncontrollable, as people might've
thought we were if they weren't
there..." he cuts off that line of speech. "I think that is the way it
would hurt the craft."
Jayla chokes and sputters, "Seemed? Seemed to be wild and uncontrollable?" She starts to rise...and then remembers where she is and sits back down. "Tell me, Jerran. What would you have done if you were the Journeyman there that night? Would you have tried to stop the fight?"
Jeranium clears his throat. "Don't you forget, lad.
Harpers are _always_ _impartial_." He gesticulates with a thick,
marshmallow-like finger as he glares beneath prominent eyebrows.
Jerran turns to stare at Jayla. "I would have tried to stop it, yes.
But we did try...." He cuts himself off and turns forward again,
looking down.
Caramak considers Jerran's answer slowly and nods just
slightly at Jeranium's response, but holds silent to hear what answer
the Apprentice makes.
Milo looks on with interest. He's not sure what's
going on but his pet seems interested
Caramak taps his fingers on
the desk again. "Well, you've said why it would hurt /a/ Craft in
general, but not why the Harpercraft in particular...And /that's/ the
real issue, that Jeranium pointed out so adroitly..."
Jayla blinks,
"Hmmm.....what would you have done.....as a Journeyman with
the responsibility of the safety of 3 apprentices and the reputation of
the Hall on the line.....what would you have done that
night?"
Jeranium nods to Caramak approvingly and harrumphs down in his
chair, causing it to squeak _again_. (maybe he should get it
fixed.)
Kestria turns back to writing, but her ears are trained on the
questions and answers which flow fast and furious. In her agitation she
sneaks a peek at Jeranium, almost daring a glare... that squeak is
soooo annoying.
Jerran looks first to Caramak and nods. "IT is true. We are all supposed to be impartial, which we were not that night." he then turns to Jayla. "I would have tried to stop the fight and taken the apprentices back to the hall..." He stops, still looking a bit flustered.
Caramak drums his fingers on the desk just once more. "The
two things that are really the crux of the issue here for the HarperHall, at least as I see
it, are first, the possible tarnish on
the image of Harper neutrality, and second, a slight weakening in that
old and very useful ideal that it's not safe to attack Harpers
/because/ of our impartiality..."
Jayla remembers something else she
was supposed to be doing and slips out the door after an encouraging
wink to Jerran.
Jayla walks out into the ballroom.
Jerran nods
understandingly toward Caramak.
Caramak hmms quietly and taps his fingers once again. "Alright, then...Shall we move to performance?" He glances down the line of other Harpers.
Jeranium sighs; apparently,
he's too accustomed to his Jr. Apprentice Orchestra practices to be
terribly thrilled at the idea of performance.
Caramak smiles wryly at
Jeranium's sour expression, but quickly covers it with his hand, chin
resting on the desk, so that he looks speculative rather than
amused.
Jeranium reaches his thick fingers up to scratch at the grey
stubble on his chin. "You think you're pretty good at performing by
now, don't you?" he asks Jerran, only mildly accusing.
Milo hisses at the fuddie-duddie harper. He likes a good performance.
Jerran shrugs
slightly. "Well, I suppose so..." he looks slightly nervously between
the board members.
Jeranium gestures with that same hand, waving it
carelessly as he speaks. "So before you start with whatever you're
planning to attack us with, how do you read your audience? What do you
play, and WHY?" He points a stubby finger directly at Jerran to
emphasize that last word, then sits back, froglike, and
waits.
Caramak exhales through his nose in mild amusement, but a slight
nod of his head indicates approval of the question and his eyes seek
Jerran to await his response.
Kestria takes a moment to shake out
her hand after writing furiously in order to record all the answers and
the most recent question from Jeranium. Her eyes once more focus on
Jerran as she awaits the apprentice's response.
Jerran looks about the
room, from person to person before saying anything. "Coming into this
room I would be thinking of expecting to play a slower, softer
melody... something that would be played at a formal ball. My reason
being that this is a very formal occasion, unlike the more
popular, quicker melody popular when I play with small groups and the
dance squares.
Jeranium harrumphs. "Do I look like I want to hear
something slow, soft and boring?"
Kestria visibly winces and lowers
her eyes to her hide as the expected harrumph comes from
Jeranium.
Jerran shrugs. "I wasn't thinking of something boring... that
is what I would chose for the occasion..."
Jeranium snorts. "And if
your audience isn't interested in that?" he asks, his tone almost
derisive.
Jerran's expression turns to a smile, trying tow work tot he
better side of the discussion. "If I found my audience didn't enjoy
what I was playing, I would change as soon as I was able."
Jeranium
nods shortly. "I should hope _so_." He crosses his arms, leaning them
against the bulk of his rotund chest/stomach.
--- END OF PART ONE
---
