Through the long history of Lorath race, its people always fought. Whether it was for survival or out of hatred, they prevailed. A part of it was the long heritage of close combat techniques evolved from various castes and warrior tribes. Some were just simple rules and techniques, others a very complex system of combat intertwined with beliefs.

This style is hardly an art. All of its focus goes towards killing or brutally disabling Adept's opponent. It is taught to all members who join the Lorath Self-Defense Force. Before LSDF adopted it, it was actually one of the official combat styles of House Fyunnen.

The Adept is taught how to use their whole body as a weapon, striking with fists, elbows, kicks, knee-strikes, locks, choke-holds, throws and even non-traditional, dirty techniques like head-butting or eye-gouging. Ground-fighting is of course also involved.

Part of the style also involves using the short blades, garrotte and even handguns. Firearms are given a decent focus alongside hand to hand techniques, because if you can shoot the enemy, it's lot more effective then risking your own body as well as not dropping your weapon. Strikes with rifle buttstocks, bayonets and pistols are part of the style.

The course is very swift and hard, trying to teach as much as quickly as possible. The Adepts are then later left to train between themselves and master the techniques themselves on the battlefield.

House of Fyunnen has probably invested most time and sweat into mastering its combat capabilities. Members of this house are warriors born and as such they usually train and night, utilizing both weapons, hand and feet.

The Sword is one of the favourite weapons of house fyunnen. The well-famed 'Searing Blade' Traditional Melee Weapon System is a deadly and precise weapon. Mastering it is no easy task. The danger of hurting oneself is great as the blade is very sharp and deadly.

The art that teaches the use of this sword is very hard and long. It teaches that precision is everything. At first the user is taught just how to move, where to put her feet, how to breathe and how to hold the weapon. Only when those are mastered are the actual combat techniques taught. The style then branches and it is up to the user whether they focus on precision or strength.

The first and very traditional form focuses on utilising the great strength possessed by Fyunnen. This teaches the user to wield the sword using fast, hard hitting, vicious strikes that are often used to knock the opponent out of balance and render them open for another strike.

The second form focuses on using precise swings and thrusts, attacking critical parts of the body: the head, throat, organs or even veins and joints. One of the core lessons learned is that the enemy which cannot move, cannot fight back. This form is actually very young only few decades old. Some fyunnen actually see it as un-traditional and frowns upon its teaching and usage.

The arms of a Fyunnen are one of the strongest weapons she possesses. This discipline teaches how to strike hard and truly against opponent only using the fists. Part of the learning involves strong conditioning, teaching the Adept to overcome pain and to harden her body against injury. Bones are broken very often during the training.

Techniques themselves are mostly about hitting enemy fast and not giving him chance to recuperate. The weapon of this style is Adept's whole arm. Even the though the name evokes fisticuffs, it also utilises elbow strikes. Targeted areas are usually the face, nose, chin, temples, throat, belly and crotch. Other part of the learning is a great focus on defence. A strong stance and the ability to block or parry incoming attacks is everything. It also focuses on teaching the adept to dodge kicks block or counter in case of high-kicks.

The combat native to the House of Lmanel usually focuses on a meditative religious backdrop whilst utilising all the advantages their body gives them. Apart from conventional styles, it also created a a system utilising the shape-shifting abilities of the Lmanel members that went through the Bonding.

The name of this particular martial art comes from the fact that it was at first created and used by members of the Lorath faith. It is a style that not only teaches one to defend themselves, but also how to keep their body in shape and good health.

The teaching starts with what appears to onlookers as acrobatics and athletic training. The user shapes their body to be strong and flexible. Part of requires users to change their dietary habits, though that is often ignored.

The second level of teaching involves the actual techniques. This style mostly utilises knee strikes and kicks, rather then holds or limb-locks. The important part facet of fighting in this style is staying in constant motion, giving the user more chances to become an elusive target, and letting him evade and counter-attack with more ease.

This style is utilised only by shapeshifters who underwent their Bondings. The style itself differs from what animal a given user bonds with. It is often taught even before the Bonding itself as a secondary focus to help with the actual ritual. Adepts are taught to be calm and to anticipate their new body and all advantages it can provide. A great focus is also placed on emotional stability and meditation.

The style has many sub-styles depending on the animal one bonds with. Here are some examples of variations:

• Claws - This is of course for shapeshifters who bonded with clawed animals. It teaches how to use those in a combat as a weapon. The techniques themselves differ from animal to animal: A wolf has rather blunt claws and will attack differently then someone bonded with a wild cat.
• Fangs - This style teaches the user to get close enough safely so they can use their teeth to hurt or kill prey. It involves a lot of locks and holds, enabling the shape shifter to bite vital areas.
• Hammer - Shapeshifters who bond with very strong and hardy animals learn this style. Bonds with animals like bulls, wild boars, aurochs or horses transforms the user's muscle-structure and enhances their power, sometimes growing hooves. This style teaches how to use her strong limbs in strong crushing attacks and to outlast their foes with stamina.
• Tail - Some shapeshifters grow a prehensile tail. If it is long and flexible enough, it can be used in combat and that is what this style focuses on. It mostly teaches how to use the tail as a tool for choking enemies or throwing them off balance with wild swings or feints.

Not all members of house New Tur'lista are thinkers alone. Some of them hone both their mind and their body. They often borrow the styles of other houses like the The Way of the Goddess, but they also developed their own style.

This style is quite different from all of the other styles used by the Lorath. The New Tur'lista are physically much weaker then the Lmanel and especially the Fyunnen. For those reasons, this style was developed to work with those limitations.

Taming the Wind is the youngest of all the popular Styles. It utilises redirecting the enemy's force and turning it against them. As such it uses a lot of throws, deceptive feints and limb-locks. It is the way of making charging opponent trip over you and hurt themselves with the fall while you remain standing. Other techniques utilise as fast strikes on painful spots like throat, crotch or muscles, inflicting a lot of pain.

Masters of these techniques can make it look like they did not strike once, and their foes will be on the ground with broken bones. Such is the power of redirection and misdirection. However, the style has some shortcomings, as there must be something on the opponent the user can grab to properly throw them.

The absolute highest point in mastering this style are pressure points. Hard to hit, but very vulnerable places on person's body that can bring immense pain or even short-term paralysis if struck properly. It is even said that if certain pressure points are hit, the victim might died, though that one is seen mostly as a myth. When asked about this, Master Wind Tamers usually just smile and leave the question without an answer.

I would like to note that these are just examples of the martial-arts found in Lorath. Players are free to tweak and enjoy themselves. If anyone has an idea for anther style feel free to PM or either me or DocTomoe and we will see if it can be added here on the wiki.

This page was originally created on 2013/03/29 06:46 by ShotJon.