Friday 1 March 2024

New Silver Pentacle.

Dear Journal,

I've bought a new Silver Pentacle - with more Protecting Power.

... larger groups of weak mages are much less of a threat now.

... it's useful against stronger mages as well.

-- Yours, Chea Allin, a Witch.



Sunday 21 January 2024

The Dwarven Method.

Dear Journal,

... i was chatting with adventurers recently, about days of old & about evil sorceress named: 'Vinessa Redoran'.

She was one of old Villains, beside corrupted druid named: 'Defiler'.

Anyway, she had a cave of her own in Rawlinswoods, filled with deadly traps.

Rogues who knew this cave said that it was very hard to find and disarm these... unless one used 'The Dwarven Method'.

What is the 'Dwarven Method' then?

... dwarves are known to be tough, and their method consisted of just walking into a trap, springing it.

... sometimes they (dwarves) survived.

-- Truly Yours, Chea Allin, Adventuress.


P.S. I hope that there are schools of dwarven method that uphold the traditions of old. If there are, one can expect their efficiency to detoriate due of improvement in traps construction and setting up ... and - blame civilization - dwarves are not as tough as they were before. But, perhaps - there are those who care still - and try to challenge dwarves of old in that field. And yes, dear journal, i am not completely serious this time.

Sunday 4 June 2023

Katana Sword in my hands (Kenna's Tale).

... i've found Him in my Dojo.

Famous warrior, Mr. Reemul De'Costa was waiting there for me.

He was considering whether i am worthy to be gifted with powerful weapon, he asked me some questions.

He wanted me to use this weapon responsibly and actively, to protect good, innocent people.

He wanted me to give the sword back to him peacefully, if he sees that i am not doing as he wanted.


... i've agreed, and then he wanted to duel with me to see if i am capable enough.


He wanted to see how i do when he's not wielding weapon... strange match with armours and shields, but he was only grappling and punching.

... it was even match, i've barely won.

Then we tried again, when he had his favourite scimitar in hands ... he made short work of me, match was ended in few seconds.

... it was a good lesson.


Anyway, he let me carry this powerful katana and prove that i am worthy of it... i'll need to be good and fight with honour for that.


... i've named the sword: 'Jitsugetsu no ken', which means: 'Sword of Sun and Moon'.

... i estimate that the market price of this katana sword would be about 500 000 gp, insane amount.

Sunday 12 February 2023

Dojo offically opened (Kenna's Tale).

Dojo.

Peltarch's bureaucracy handled, place, equipment and people found, fees paid - and my Dojo is officially open.

Dojo is Kara-Turan (far eastern) word meaning: 'Training Place', but some people consider it also 'Temple of Martial Arts'.


-=- Kenna meditating in Seiza position (sitting on feet) -=-

-=- She's wearing training outfit - Black Gi. -=-
(White Gi is for beginners, Red Gi is for advanced students, Black Gi is for masters).


Beside our training services, we sell basic training equipment for those who want. We have secured virtually unlimited supply of these - if many people want to buy much.

In this place we'll teach Arts of Unarmed Combat (both hand/leg striking and grapple/throw/levers), Kobudo (Peasant Weapons) and Katana-Jutsu (katana sword fighting techniques).

We're open to allow anyone train with any weapon/armor/technique as long as he or she is reasonable, peaceful and knows what he/she is doing. But from our side, we have only three lessons (Unarmed, Kobudo and Katana-Jutsu) to offer. We gladly try these against other weapons, armors, lessons and techniques.

We allow for any kind of nonlethal duels or group fights in our arena, as well.




Unarmed Fighting.

In Kara-Tur - far east - peasants are not allowed to train combat. They train secretly, during the nights to have a fighting chance against trained soldiers.

We practice mostly striking martial arts - hand strikes and various kicks at vulnerable points of enemy's body. Vulnerable points are called: 'Atemi' points.

For those interrested we have also lessons of grappling, throws, chokes, levers and pressures - both for fighting while standing and for fighting on the floor.

We also teach use of Ki - internal energies, and of breath meditations that improve calmness and focus.

-=- Marty (halfling) training groin punches and uppercuts. -=-




Kobudo - Peasant Weapons.

In far east - in Kara-Tur - peasants are forbidden to train or carry weapons, so lessons occur at night, secretly. Weapons are traditionally peasant tools, as walking sticks, sai - knife for planting rice, kama - tool for cutting rice, nunchaku - flail for threshing rice, tonfa - stick for grinding rice, and so on.

These weapons can be quite deadly in skilled hands and give peasant a fighting chance against armed soldiers.

Peasant weapons combat is called Kobudo in eastern martial arts.


Katana-Jutsu.

It's said that Katana Sword is the pinnacle of weaponsmithing.

It's beautiful and deadly in skilled hands, and it's weapon of choice of samurai, knights under Kara-Turan Daimyo's, feudal lords.

Traditionally, Katana Sword is used either two-handed, or in one hand - but without shield.

Here i advise our students Adaptation over Tradition - using Katana Sword with Tower Shield. Katana with Shield works well here, in lands close to Narfell.


Synergies.

Word: 'synergy' means: 'more than sum of all parts'.

Unarmed Combat is a good start that prepares student for Kobudo and Katana-Jutsu lessons. Unarmed Combat and Kobudo is good starting point for Katana-Jutsu lessons.

These three lessons (Unarmed, Kobudo and Katana-Jutsu) work well together. One can kick enemy in belly before cutting off head, for example. After a succesful kick in belly, enemy bends forward, leaving his/her head vulnerable for cutting off.

Sunday 29 January 2023

Training, Travels & Dojo (Kenna's Tale).

It's been quite a while since i wrote anything in my journal.

Been busy with travels, exploring places around, within and under Narfell.

For real combat experience and training, fought mostly Giants next to Peltarch, but also other creatures in other places.

Also been working on creation of training hall, Dojo as it's called in Kara-Tur - where i'll offer lessons of Unarmed Martial Arts, of Kobudo which is training and combat with peasant weapons, and of Kenjutsu which is training and combat with the Katana Sword.

To create dojo, i'll need to go through paperwork and Peltarchian bureaucracy, hire personnel, find and furnish a suitable place. This will require some time and funds that i am working on currently.

Hope it will succeed.

-- Kenna, a Swordswoman in Eastern Traditions of Martial Arts.

Tuesday 11 October 2022

Katana & Shield - Between Tradition & Adaptation (Kenna's Tale).


For a long while, thought of using Katana with Shield made me feel distaste.

In Kara-Tur, Katana Sword is wielded one handed or two handed. There are no shields, just shorter companion sword named Wakizashi.

Why there are no shields in Kara-Tur?

... i don't know, but that's the Tradition.

... i don't want to break Traditions, so avoided shield use so far.


Then thought came to my mind - different nations fight different way. All depends on neighbouring countries, there are regional fighting styles.

... in Narfell, Katana Sword and Big Shield 'just works'.


... i've bought a Fireproof Towershield in Stonepeak (town to North of Peltarch, in Giantspires).

... will see how/if it will help me in fight.