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More Ereban Fighting Styles

Way of the Unseen Hand

The spies and investigators who devised this style created an arsenal of unobvious stances, throws, and attacks that can be used to end a fight without onlookers ever knowing one had started. Trips, dodges, and direct attacks are designed to look like the clumsy, accidental movements of someone who "just got lucky." Many practitioners also use trick weapons that have been disguised as walking sticks, umbrellas, and other innocuous objects.

The Way of the Unseen Hand is virtually unknown. For obvious reason, it's students don't like to advertise their skills. Spymasters teach it to their apprentices along with the many other skills of espionage. For those times when they must engage in open combat, many also carry guns or practice with traditional weapons.

Way of the Blunted Blade

This deceptive style is practiced by retired soldiers and street predators, masters of the blade who have had their fill of killing. It turns the sword into a purely defensive tool; attacks are always made with fists and feet. The goal is either to evade one's opponent or to disable them as gently as possible. Locks, throws, and disarms are sometimes used on especially uncooperative adversaries.

A few practitioners literally blunt their blades to avoid even the temptation of spilling blood. However, an obviously harmless weapon negates the style's greatest advantage: misdirection. Most combatants are ill prepared to anticipate the actions of a foe who does not seize every advantage available to them, especially one as iconic as the sword.

Way of the Bottle

Rumor has it that this unusual fighting style is native to Erebus, created in the taverns and dojos of the New City. It teaches its practitioners how to fight when off balance, striking from prone positions and unexpected angles. The common wisdom is that it works best when the martial artist is actually drunk, but that's probably just an urban myth. The so-called "drunken masters" certainly look drunk when they fight, but looks are usually deceiving.

Those who follow the way of the bottle are masters of the counter-attack. If you knock them on their backs, they'll kick you from the floor. If you punch them, they'll roll with the hit and turn the momentum into a spin kick. If you put them in a lock, they'll go limp, slip right out of your grasp, and then drop you flat on your ass. They also have a penchant for wielding liquor bottles as clubs!

Way of the Tempest

This flashy style was probably created by a blood dancer; it's not nearly as tactically sound as it is fun to watch. Almost every move is a spinning move. Acrobatics are essential; many moves involve running up and kicking off of walls. It takes one helluva strong inner ear, but devastatingly powerful and allows a fighter to attack in any direction at a moment's notice.

Some practitioners incorporate blades into their tempest style, usually one in each hand. Others use weighted chains or rope darts (a dagger-sized blade on the end of a rope). They can stab, slash, entangle, and you can even swing around on 'em. Blood dancers who follow the way of tempest will often wear loose robes or tie ribbons to their clothes and hair to enhance the visual impact of all that twirling.

Previews - Fiction - Scenarios - Cults - Miscellany