Quoted By:
“Tell me about your bow, Teukros – what is its' provenance?” The weapon itself is beautiful, curved and clearly of refined construction. Teukros is only too happy to elucidate:
“Ah, this is the bow of my father, Telamon – he had it created in the Scythian style, double-convex, as you can see – wood, horn, sinew and glue were all used in its construction. My father was never terribly interested in archery, and when I showed a talent, my mother persuaded him to grant it to me in my fourteenth summer.”
“A priceless gift – and one to honor your father with.” You find yourself a bit envious of Teukros in that moment - despite his status as a bastard, his father still lives. You wonder what your own father Hippomedon would have made of your recent successes – but it's impossible to say, given that all you know of him comes second-hand from Argyros and your mother.
“Teukros, I must confess – I am no archer myself, and tomorrow, the archery contest of Lesser Delia! Could I ask for your tutelage – perhaps only a few pointers to keep in mind? I seek only to avoid my embarrassment in the birthplace of Apollo...” Of course, you've used a bow many times in the past, hunting in the hills of Thessaly, but truthfully, you've ignored this aspect of combat, preferring to drill with the spear and shield. No doubt your archery technique is gravely flawed.
Teukros signals to one of the sailors, who sprints off excitedly - within a minute, the man has returned with a spare bow from the Salaminian galley. To your eye, it looks to be a recovered pirate weapon of dubious quality, but Teukros quickly examines it and deems it functional for your use.
He spend the next few minutes drilling you in proper form - the bow itself is too small for your frame, but Teukros lectures you that the fundamentals of archery will be the same no matter the bow. He has you step lightly on the balls of your feet, practice smooth draws, and pulling the bowstring taut against your bearded face repeatedly - you have to be quite careful not to overstrain the bow, given your strength. As he does so, he tugs at your knees and shoulders, pulling your elbows into the correct formation - as you expected, he finds that you possess little real technique.
In a few minutes more, Teukros proclaims you ready for actual practice. Facing the targets, you breathe deeply, and begin!
>okay, I need two rolls of dice+1d20+1 from the players! This is a roll-under contest, so rolls of 13 and under will be considered successes.
>Each successful roll will translate into a highly temporary +1 archery bonus for Nikandros for tomorrow's archery contest.
