Latest revision as of 18:57, 8 June 2010

The Inferno School

By AlecAustin

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The Inferno School is a school of motion and violence, of acrobatic grace and graceless fury. Its students are taught to see life as a flame, that must move and change and consume oil or the the wick of a candle, lest it die out. The lesson of movement is that standing still invites the enemy to kill you. The lesson of consumption is that if you slay your enemy swiftly, they will not be able to kill you.

History

The Inferno School claims to be the modern resurgence of a school of combat that dates back to the Shogunate, and perhaps the claim is even true. Whatever its origins, however, the school's modern incarnation came into being as the Scarlet Empress deployed her forces to crush Lookshy and the rebellious River Province, and a small cadre of Dragon-Blooded warriors was cut off by the forces of the Seventh Legion. All but two of the officers died fighting their way through the Ashigaru and Gunzhosa troops that had surrounded them, but as those two made their way back to the nearest Imperial encampment, their conversation revealed that neither of them had paused in place for more than an instant as they fought their way through the press of their foes.

Taking this as a sign, the two Fire-aspected officers, eventually known to their students as Master Kelyn and Mistress Sable, began to adapt their combat style towards constant movement, pausing only when their enemies were too far away to harm them. Though the campaign ended in disaster, they returned to the Realm with a record of glorious deeds they had performed, and they soon attracted many would-be disciples. The two married and founded a dojo in Juche, its floor and walls made of the sturdiest stone, and together they trained generations of Dragon-Blooded warriors who carried the precepts of their school throughout the Realm. Today, half of the instructors of the House of Bells are masters of the Inferno school, and the soldiers of the Legions believe that officers who have mastered this school's secrets bring good luck. Only the Immaculate Order disapproves of the school, claiming that its teachings contradict those of Hesieh, promoting wasteful displays of Essence instead of conservation and restraint.

Practice

The Inferno school teaches its students through movement, and from the first, students are made to stretch, run, and perform acrobatics so that they may learn the limits of their own bodies. Soon after, they are trained in evasion by having instructors attack them with wooden weapons and fowling arrows, while they are instructed only to avoid being hurt. These tests slowly increase in difficulty, while at the same time the student becomes more and more constrained; their hands are tied, or their feet, or they are given a heavy pack which they cannot abandon. Only once a student had mastered the art of evasion in close quarters do instructors allow them to use their hands to deflect blows and strike at openings in their defenses.

Once the student had demonstrated they can exploit their opponent's weaknesses, they are instructed in the use of weapons and light armor. Heavier armor and shields are disdained as impediments, more likely to weigh one down while an enemy prepares a kiling blow than to save one's life. Spears, swords, and halberds of all kinds are the favored implements of the Inferno school, and the only way to prove oneself a master of the school is to defeat a score of lower-ranked disciples without once being struck.

Requirements

The Inferno School teaches motion and action, for reflection and hesitation are death.

Attribute Minimums: Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Wits 3

Ability Requirements: Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Dodge 3, Endurance 2, Martial Arts 2, Medicine 1 (Specialty: Treating Injuries), Melee 2

Background Requirements: Connections (Inferno School) 1

(The following requirements are waived for mortals.)

Charm Requirements: Threshold Warding Stance, Flickering Candle Meditation, and Effortlessly Rising Flame.

Benefits

A master of the Inferno School gains the background Reputation 2 (Inferno School Master), which inclines the enlisted men of the Legions to be friendly and inspires fear in the Empire's foes.

In addition, they may draw or sheathe their weapons without having to use an action to do so.

Secrets

There are many legends among the masters and students of the Inferno School of an ultimate technique, handed down from Master Kelyn and Mistress Sable to their most favored disciples. This technique is popularly known as 'Cutting the Wick', and is reputed to allow one who has mastered it to slay an opponent who has left themselves vulnerable in a single blow. Whether the technique exists or not is unknown, but wits from other schools have suggested that the technique is merely the well-known Smoldering Karma Strike dressed up in false mysticism.

Then again, the recent death of Master Sesus Renga of the Mela's Breath School in combat with Master Cathak Pol of the Inferno school would seem to contradict these claims.