Lesson 1
“Daes Dae’mar, the Great Game of Houses, takes years to master. What I teach you in this class will not prepare you to go head-to-head with a seasoned player. I will, however, be providing you with the most rudimentary skills so that you might be able to identify with a social opponent or escape a dangerous situation unharmed. In our intermediate and advanced classes we will further examine the deeper ideas and philosophies of the Great Game in many of the major countries across our world. I cannot stress enough that you should not go off to play the Great Game actively with only this classes’ information under your belt, that is unless you have no other choice. Players take the Game very seriously, especially when playing with Aes Sedai and you could easily lose your life if you cross the wrong person. Now with that warning out of the way allow me to share some basic truths about the Great Game.” Telcia will take a sip of water from her desk and begin walking about the room speaking in lecturing tone.
“What is Daes Dae’mar? Some will tell you that it is simply a set of social interactions that force cause and effect in courts. Some will tell you that it is a combination of social and physical events that cause events to occur in both courts and every day life depending on the location the game is played. In truth, it is an intricate system by which one achieves one’s goals, using whatever means necessary social and otherwise on all playing fields. These goals may be long-term, such as brokering a peace treaty between nations who‘ve warred with each other for years, or they may be as immediate as simply surviving an encounter with an advisory. Within Daes Dae’mar, every act you commit, every expression on your subject’s face, even the precise shade of the color of your opponent’s dress or cloak may mean something, or nothing at all. You must look for meaning in everything, but not allow yourself to be confused by shadows. Some call this disposition ‘paranoid’ but within the Game, it is merely ‘being observant.”
“Daes Dae’mar is indeed a Game, though not always fun and while there is no finite set of rules there are certain modes of conduct that are used by nearly every Player. They are called by men and woman of philosophy the Three Arts. All of the intricacies of Daes Dae’mar can be divided into these Arts: Disguise, Misdirection, and Deception.”
There is no way to tell who is playing from who is not. As you travel, consider where you are. You may one day find yourself in Cairhien, where just about everyone plays the Game, high- and low-born alike. This is true in Illian, Arad Doman and in Tear, as well, to a certain extent, in Andor, and the Borderlands but in both of these countries the Game is not so cutthroat. Still, as you will learn as this class progresses, the only person you can truly control is yourself. If you notice that a rival is wearing a red coat, he may be sending you a challenge, or he may simply feel he looks particularly dashing in that shade, but the idea of the game is that it is better to assume he or she is sending a silent challenge, and be on your guard, than to ignore it and perhaps find a viper in your bed later.”
“I could go on like this for hours, but I will not. This is only an Introduction to Daes Dae’mar and so we will open the floor to general discussion now. Over the next few classes we will be taking an in-depth examination of the three arts of the Great Game. So, let‘s begin the discussion. Topics such as your experiences, why you‘re taking this class, or even ideas behind the Great Game are all fair game.” Telcia called on a student with their hand raised ready to speak.
Ooc: First class is a lecture based class. To pass this part you must ask a question or make a statement in the course of the conversations. Only one is required.
Lesson 2
“The Art of Disguise is perhaps the easiest of the Three Arts. True Disguise has nothing at all to do with channeling illusions. Carefully crafted Disguises, using face paint and wigs and elaborate costumes are fine, when you have the time and I won‘t touch on those too much today as they speak for themselves, but what if, for example, the City Guards are after you, and you need to lose yourself quickly? For those of you that can channel the correct weaves to disguise yourself, be reminded immediately that you may not always be able to- perhaps you will find yourself physically drained, or in a situation where channeling will give your position away to Shadowspawn. Never rely entirely on the One Power, you will be let down sooner or later. Instead, here are some Disguise tricks anyone can use.” Telcia will use a piece of chalk to mark her points on the slate board, speaking her explanations as she does so.
“1. Gait. I want each of you to consider how you walk normally. Do you walk straight and tall, or slightly hunched forward, shoulders bent in thought? Take off one shoe, and examine the wear pattern. This will give you a clue as to whether you walk more heavily on your heels, or if your toes are turned slightly inward or outward. Once you know how you walk normally, you can then change your gait at a moment’s notice. If someone is following you, you may confuse them if you merely start walking differently.
2. Hair color. An alley behind an inn can provide a quick source of hair color. Most inns will deposit the ashes and soot from their fireplaces in metal containers either behind the inn, or just inside the back door. Light-haired individuals can rub a handful of soot into their hair to darken it, whereas dark hair will appear gray when coated with light-colored ashes. Yes, this is dirty, but if ashes in the hair will prevent your head from being separated from its shoulders, then by all means, suffer a little dirt!
3. Reversible cloaks. I suggest that you each invest a little money the next time you buy a new cloak, and get one that is reversible. A change in cloak color can be invaluable when being pursued.
4. Long hair. Those of you with long hair can either tuck it up into your hat, or down into your coat or cloak collar. It can make the length appear shorter from a distance.
5. Accent. If, for some reason, there is a need to speak while in Disguise, it is always good to have a practiced accent that one can adopt immediately. Next time you are outside, listen to the vast variety of speech patterns one can hear about Tar Valon, and learn to copy at least one.” When she was finished, Telcia let the chalk fall into its tray, and dusted her hands off.
“There, some simple tricks of Daes Dae’mar that will have practical use for each of you some day. Any questions about these?” After the questions were answered Telcia made her assignment.
“For homework I would like each of you to practice one form of disguise, not necessarily one I’ve mentioned her but feel free, and use it in the city. I know it may be difficult but the only way to learn is to try in a safe environment before it becomes necessary to practice in a time of need. Then I would like you each to write a small paper explaining what you did, how well it worked, what you could have done better, and give an example of one additional way to disguise yourself beyond what I said here today. That is all. Class Dismissed.”
Lesson 3
“The Art of Misdirection. By turning your opponent’s eyes elsewhere, you can accomplish much more in pursuance to your goal. This is a vast Art, but we shall cover only two facets of it, Handwriting and Rumors.” Again, she began to write on the slate board, as she explained but this time with her off hand.
“Handwriting. To understand how powerful this is, you must each write a paragraph, five or six lines will be sufficient. Before any of you ask, I do not care what you write, I will not be checking it. You can even write about how much you hate the instructor, although I would not advise it.” Telcia winked to her students to show she was merely being silly. Telcia waited as they each wrote. When she saw that each of them had written something, she went on,
“Inspect your own writing, paying careful attention to size, neatness, and shape of the letters. Do your lines go up or down? Often, a skilled Player will send letters that appear to be written by someone else in order to misdirect the reader, but that is beyond the scope of this class. Instead, I suggest that each of you take some time to learn how to write with your opposite hand. You never know when you may need to dash off a note someday that must not appear to have come from you. By writing with your opposite hand, you can accomplish this with little difficulty.”
“Rumors. Rumors are used extensively in Daes Dae’mar. They can destroy a reputation, or even a life, or raise someone out of the gutter and into a palace. They are dangerous, and should not be attempted lightly, as they have as much power over the instigator as they do over the subject, should the source become known. Here are the two most basic methods of starting a rumor.
1. Starting rumors in person is used for less serious misdirection. The simplest way is to find a person that is a known gossip, many servants fit this bill, as do meddling nobles, and develop a relationship with that individual. That way, during a friendly discourse, you can ‘let slip’ a comment you wish to have spread, and the other individual will happily oblige. The drawback to this is that a clever opponent can, with a little patience, track the rumor down to you.
2. Another easy way to start a rumor, and one that is much more discreet, is to have a conversation within earshot of another person that enjoys gossip. This does mean that you will need a compatriot to stage the conversation with, someone who is aware of what you are trying to do, but often this is not a problem. Unless, of course, your chosen confidant is in the hire of your opponent, in which case, you may be ruined. You can choose to converse with someone who is not aware of your plans, but the difficulty here is that you may not be able to unobtrusively steer the topic where you want it to go. Are there any questions about Handwriting or Rumors?” Once Telcia had answered the questions about Rumors and Handwriting she assigned the homework for the class.
“Your homework for this class will be to write a small piece using your off hand. In it I would like you to discuss the subject of Rumors and how they could be used or how you have used them in the past to work for you. Consider if you’ve ever, in a small or large way, used this part of the great game in your every day life. Class dismissed.”
LESSON 4
“The third Art is that of Deception. Those who are not familiar with this Art vulgarly refer to it as “Lying”. Deception is so much more than speaking words that are not true. One cannot learn to lie effectively just in the course of this class, so I will not try to teach you the intricacies. Instead, turn your attention on yourselves.” She took up the piece of chalk again, and wrote his points on the board.
“Body Language: Consciously consider how you tell a lie. Does your heart rate increase? Do your palms sweat? Does your mouth go dry? Do you find it difficult to look their subject in the eye? These are all classic signs of an inefficient liar. For those of you who can out right tell lies practice lying in a mirror when you get the chance. For those of you who have to use retaining the truth, which we’ll get to in a moment, do that. It will not make you an expert, but it will help you to learn to cover some of the blatant signs. For those of you who have been in a Tavern before or around the warders yards consider the game face one keeps during a game of cards: smooth, steady, revealing nothing. Your face should remain this way during a lie.
Retaining the Truth: It is far easier to maintain the integrity of a Deception if you flavor it with as much Truth as possible. This is a common trick among rulers and diplomats and for good reason. The best Deceptions are always the ones that contain nothing but Truth, but Truth delivered in such a fashion that the subject is confused or wary of the true meaning. Aes Sedai are famous for just this sort of Deception. You have all heard the saying, “The truth you hear is not necessarily the truth an Aes Sedai means.” Most mean it as a disparagement upon the character of the Aes Sedai, but I, for one, applaud their ability. Again, this cannot be learned in a few hours, but you can think on it and in time learn to master it.
Smile: A common mistake among those not trained in Deception is that they forget to smile effectively. Astounding as it may be, the world is full of people that seem to believe that one cannot lie as long as there is a genuine smile on one’s face. Of course, there are also plenty of individuals that believe a smile is a sure way to tell that someone is lying. Either way, an effective smile can go a long way in Deception. Practice your smile in the mirror, as I told you to do while practicing your game face. It is a useful tool. Are there any questions?” Telcia will answer the questions of the class and then give the assignment.
“For today’s assignment I’d like for you to work with a partner on deception and using the tool without giving yourself away. To do this take turns telling a series of whole truths and cunning deceptions to your partner. See if they can spot which are which based on your tell tale signs. This will help you practice in noticing others signs as well as hiding your own… not to mention let you work on making deception flow smoothly into your every day language. Now, have fun.”
LESSON 5
“By now, you should be more aware of the way the world of Daes Dae’mar works. Those of you who had no prior training will no doubt still be somewhat confused, and perhaps even a little shaken by the idea that this art is used everywhere. Still, I stress that the main goal of the Great Game is to gain control, and that to become a proficient player, one must first gain control of oneself. Every action, every reaction, must be carefully planned, or else the Game may be lost. One more thing. If any of you foolishly try to practice your newfound skills on someone who actually knows what he or she is doing, you will be like lambs hurling yourselves into a wolf’s jaws, with much the same result. I would hate to see any of you on the losing end of a Game gone wrong so please use caution and choose your opponents wisely. If there are no further questions?” Telcia waited to see if there were and when she was sure there was not she continued.
“Alright then for your final, I’d like each of you to explain to the class an example of each of the three arts as you might use them in the Great Game while doing your works for the Tower.” Telcia called up the first student and sat back to listen.
