FightingSchools/MelasBreath

The Mela's Breath School

By AlecAustin

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The Mela's Breath School has reigned preeminent among the fighting schools of the Realm for three centuries now, its dominance maintained by its harsh standards and the rigor of its training. A student of the Mela's Breath school is expected to perform any task they take on, without failure or hesitation. Those few who can live up to the school's standards are revered throughout the Realm, while all others depart in shame, and some even go on to master the secrets of other schools, driven to surpass and humiliate their former comrades. Still, despite the occasional embarassment, the preeminence of the Mela's Breath School is unquestioned, and even the masters of the Immaculate Order accord the teachers of this school respect.

History

The Mela's Breath School was founded by Ledaal Catala, who was denied entry into the Immaculate Order despite his fervent emulation of Mela, the Immaculate of Air. Undeterred, Catala went on to make a name for himself as both a master sorceror and swordsman, mastering several forms of martial arts and authoring several volumes of exquisitely crafted poetry. Unsurprisingly, many young Dragon-Blooded sought to study under him, and though few lived up to Catala's exacting standards, those that did quickly made names for themselves in the Empire's service.

Though Catala tired of teaching after a century, and retired to pursue sorcerous research on his estate, a handful of his students banded together to ensure that their master's knowledge would not be lost. Naming themselves the Mela's Breath School to hallow the idea that their talents were a gift from their favored Immaculate, Catala's students began training their successors, culling the best and brightest from the pool of their would-be disciples and summarily dismissing the rest. Within a century, the tiny school had attained a place of prominence in the Realm, and its dojos have produced some of the most noted generals and champions of the last few centuries.

Practice

Those who emulate the Immaculate Mela seek to perfect themselves in every way, and so it is with the disciples of the Mela's Breath School. New students have their manners tested before they ever set foot on the dojo floor, and those who fail the tests are asked to leave. Once they have mastered the formal ettiquette of the school, students are instructed in calligraphy, acrobatics, and seated breathing, with an emphasis placed on precision and control. If a student has not progressed to the satisfaction of their instructors after a year has passed, they are dismissed without having learned even the rudiments of combat.

Those who pass the first two tests are initiated into the school's preliminary martial arts styles. The purpose of the motions that the students have been practicing for years suddenly become clear; they are the basic movements of combat, and for many students, have already become second nature. The pace of instruction is brutal, and students are quickly asked to master improvised weapons, before moving on to swords, polearms and archery. Only once a student has demonstrated competence with every weapon they might conceivably need to use are they taught the school's final secret: Battle Sorcery. Once the student has mastered the school's three fundamental spells, their training is complete, and they are awarded the rank of Least Master.

The regimen of the Mela's Breath School is maddeningly rigorous, and its innermost secrets can only be mastered by the Exalted. Still, there have been several mortal masters in the school's history, all of whom married into House Ledaal, and their descendants are among the school's foremost practitioners.

Requirements

The Mela's Breath School requires many things of its disciples. These minimum requirements stack on top of the Dynastic requirements.

Attribute Minimums: Dex 3, Cha 3, Int 3

Ability Requirements: Archery 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Linguistics 1 (Specialty: Calligraphy), Martial Arts 3, Melee 2, Occult 3, Performance 2, Socialize 3

The following requirements are waived for heroic mortals:

Background Requirements: Sorcery 3 (subject to storyteller approval)

Charm Requirements: Terrestrial Circle Sorcery

Required Spells: Emerald Countermagic, Flying Guillotine, Invulnerable Skin of Bronze

Benefits

A master of the Mela's Breath School never suffers socially from being a sorcerer; the prestige of being a master of the Mela's Breath School overcomes the social prejudice against Sorcery among the Dragon-Blooded. Mortal masters of the Mela's Breath School are treated with as much respect as Dragon-Blooded adolescents or powerful patricians.

In addition, so long as the character maintains their standing within the school, they gain the following backgrounds: Reputation 2 (Mela's Breath Master), Connections 2 (Mela's Breath School).

These backgrounds and advantages are lost if it becomes known that the character has lost a one-on-one combat with a master or student of another fighting school, as the character is ostracized for her failure.

Secrets

Legends have it that Ledaal Catala had mastered combat magic to such an extent that he was able to cast dozens of different spells with a single word and gesture. Though no master of the Mela's Breath School has displayed such capacities of late, the school's reputation is such that even many of the Heptagram's sorcerers feel that there might be something to the tale.