Alchemy

Alchemy is a skill which deals with the use of magical energies created by the reaction of otherwise relatively mundane ingredients. The end result of which is an alchemical product which can be used for a lot of magical effects. As a skill alchemy can hardly avoid the comparisons to low magic, both in terms of how it works out of character and how it works in character, the two remain similar.

Comparing Alchemy and Low Magic

Alchemy is, by its nature, considered to be one of the schools of low magic. However, while low magic and alchemy shares some traits, the practise of alchemy is so wildly divergent from any other school of magic that its pursuit is considered a separate practise. In truth, where the schools of magic have evolved from a pursuit of secrets and intense study over thousands of generations, alchemy is believed to have evolved from a series of crafts, growing from experimentation and research.

Where wizards and sorcerers practise the art of manipulating the many ethereal energies present on the Plane of Existence and beyond, alchemists work to trap the energies present on the Plane of Existence and store them for later use. Some of the same techniques are involved, alchemists use similar sigils to the ones wizards do, but they do not use Prime Words or other power sources common to low magic. The sigils are there to contain and direct the power of the items they are using for their recipes. As such, finding sigils written on the apparatus or the floor of the laboratory of an alchemist is far from a rare occurrence.

The power of alchemy comes from transmutation. While low magic has its strength in certain areas, there are few who are as adept at altering a substance as an alchemist. Through their arcane rites they can cause liquid to become flame by the mere breaking of a flask or they can cause a sapling to grow to stupendous size with the mere addition of some of their more potent potions. While neither camp certainly do not share their secrets with outsiders, alchemists have been known to band together in numbers, supporting each other in the pursuit of greater knowledge and skill.

In aid of keeping these secrets, alchemists, like wizards, have taken to concealing their knowledge behind layers of elaborate code. Alchemists are, in fact, especially known for their fanciful codes, where recipes for strange and potent brews may be hidden, not merely in texts but in images and pictures crafted by skilled scribes. To outsiders such codes are all but unbreakable.

The general focus on craft rather than on learning means that the alchemists are generally seen as less important than the wizards and they lack the exalted place in society that wizards will often occupy. Alchemists are therefore often seen vying with the other craftsmen for apprentices at the trade fairs and similar. It is certainly one of the more respected crafts, but it fails to approach a status comparable to that of a wizard.

Learning Alchemy and Specialisation

All alchemists are separate and different individuals and their skill bears the mark of this. While they are not as reclusive as wizards, their own specialities will mean a lot to the people who are hired to be their apprentices. An alchemist who specialises in metallurgy will ultimately pass this on to his apprentices, though in some rare cases journeyman alchemists have been known to diverge from the paths of their masters.

Typically, an alchemist will start out as an apprentice to a master, spending their days and nights cleaning out the laboratory, ensuring that the master's demands are taken care of and similar, with the alchemist teaching them their trade whenever he has time.

Once they have proven themselves to be suitably valuable students, the apprentices are given the rank of journeyman and they will spend the next couple of years wandering from town to town, picking up tips and ideas from local alchemists as they go, often carrying with them miniature laboratories which allows them to craft simple things they can sell to ensure their own survival.

As the years and knowledge start to pile up, most alchemists will grow weary of travelling and desire to end their journeys. When this happens they will most likely found a laboratory of their own or join or take over an established laboratory. At this point the alchemists usually don the mantle of master alchemist and will take on apprentices of their own.

When they settle down the alchemist will usually cease learning from other alchemists and will learn new recipes through their own experiments, whether in collaboration with the other inhabitants of the laboratory or not. This is also where most alchemists truly free themselves from the yoke of their teachers and truly take what they have learned from others in a direction that is entirely their own.

There are as many specialisations within alchemy as there is within low magic. Some may choose to pursue the healing arts, others may focus on the power contained in nature and these are often named herbologists, doctors or appropriate names, others again may focus their tasks on metallurgy, while still others pursue interests such as dyes and inks, body modifications, soaps and perfumes, poisons and venoms, and so on. The only thing which truly joins them is their method and approach.

The Laboratory

The natural home of any alchemist is the laboratory. It is where they set up their strange experiments and even stranger equipment. It is said, in some circles, that an alchemist moving into a town is the best thing that can happen to its local glassblower and this is not far from the truth. Most alchemists use a great variety of glassware for their experiments, it should be noted that exactly what equipment an alchemist uses depends entirely on the individual alchemist, their particular specialisation will define what equipment they need. A metallurgist will have little use for an alembic, but it is nonetheless a staple of most alchemical laboratories.

Alchemists make use of many strange devices, vats, cooling spirals, alembics, athanors, distillation apparatus and all manner of things ranging from the mundane to the outright peculiar. Accomplished alchemists may even have unique pieces of apparatus where they themselves have imbued them with alchemical properties.

Of course, an important part of conducting alchemical experiments are the sigils, these can often be found written on the surface of the equipment, on the floor of the laboratory or anywhere the alchemist believes that they may serve a purpose.

As a by product of their strange experiments and their equally strange ingredients alchemical laboratories will often be a place suffused in strange and powerful odours. Failed experiments can often have violent results, leading to everything from intelligent slime to potent explosions and bursts of flame. As a result of this alchemists often invest heavily in protective gear, heavy leather aprons and gloves, fire-retardant cloaks, and so on.

Ingredients

All alchemical production takes place in part because of the ingredients used, these, in conjunction with the sigil, create the end product. Naturally these are often strange and wondrous things, drake teeth, lion claws, wolfsbane, broken hearts, the kiss of a dying man, the alchemist’s blood, rat skulls, all these things and many, many more are used in alchemy. Ingredients should fit the item they are being made to, a rat’s jaw would not fit very well in a love potion for instance.

For the player they are primarily props, for the alchemist they are the lifeblood of their craft. A shortage of ingredients would mean a decided halt to an alchemist’s endeavours in whatever field they are pursuing, keeping them coming is therefore an important aspect of alchemy and creating connections that can procure these things, as well as gathering them personally is a vital part of being an alchemist.

Ingredients too play a part in the role of an alchemist, some might just use herbs and be a goodwife or healer in a village somewhere, dabbling in alchemy to aid the villagers. Others might be the type to draw their ingredients from the local cemetery as they search for the key to creating life from scratch.

The Object of Alchemy

There is no such thing as an ultimate goal for alchemy, because of its many bifurcations there exists in alchemy a multiplicity of goals. Some may simply be pursuing alchemy because it puts food on the table and it’s a respectable trade, though it should be noted that these seldom go far. Others seek spiritual perfection, granted these are considered somewhat amusing to wizards who actually have the tools to attain the goals these alchemists set out for. Others seek nothing less than knowledge of the world around them and are hugely successful in this pursuit.

Where alchemy wins out is in its manipulation of matter, as compared to low magic it excels at manipulating the body, metals, fluids and all manner of other material things which would be an extremely difficult process for low magic to do. However, alchemy lacks the casual interaction marked by high magic, comparatively high magic is better at manipulating its chosen element than alchemy, but high magic is much more limited.

Weaknesses and Strengths of Alchemy

Alchemy is an art which uses the material as its medium. As such its effects must, at all times, be contained through these mediums. Alchemy cannot effect someone unless they are in contact with the alchemical product. As it is very dependent on the material, alchemy is fairly clumsy when it comes to manipulating mental and spiritual matters. While alchemists can create emotions in others through the use of potions or similar, this method is neither very subtle nor good for fine control. It is possible for an alchemist to implant an emotion in someone’s head, but planting a thought, or a wiping out a specific memory instead of the whole lot is near impossible.

From an Out of Character Perspective

Alchemy is a skill separate from low magic, though it will occasionally overlap. It is different from low magic in that instead of resting on a series of spells which are gained with experience, alchemy bases itself in a series of Components. Components are an entirely out of character concept to make sense of how alchemy is taught. Instead of being based in fixed potion recipes or similar (though it is entirely possible to find recipes for such through in character actions) is based on these Components. Components can be pretty much anything your mind can conjure up, however, it should be noted that they tend to be mixed together to make a successful potion or other alchemical item. A Component has a certain function in the alchemical process, it can be the form of the end product, for example a draught, its effect, discerning the truth, or its intended area of effect, the eyes. With these three Components you might create something like a Potion of True Sight, which allows the wearer to see through magical illusions or something similar. The exact end effect is up to the player, the idea is just to mix these into a series of alchemical items which fit your idea for an alchemist. For example, if you have an Alchemist who is primarily interested in perfumes, you might mix the Truth Discerning Component with a Perfume Component and get a perfume which smells sour when it’s sprayed on something which is fake.

Keep in mind that Components are entirely out of character concept, when roleplaying your character, the things you mix to make your potions, draughts, perfumes and who knows what will be entirely different. Some may mix drake teeth, virgin’s blood and scarabs or all manner of strange and bizarre ingredients to get their recipes right. Particularly potent ingredients for potions will often be extremely valuable to your alchemist character and searching for these may often be an important part of why your character would venture from the relatively safe confines of the laboratory. The important part is to keep the recipes you create true to the character you are making, if he is an alchemist who is very interested in the nature of truth for instance the Discern Truth Component would be vital, with several form Components to complement different ways and means of ferreting out the truth. Whereas if the alchemist is preoccupied with perfumes, he would have relatively few form Components and instead using several effect Components to complement this.

Naturally, certain Components will work differently together, Perfume and Love will cause anyone smelling the perfume to have feelings towards the person wearing it, whereas Draught and Love will cause only the person that is drinking it to have those feelings, although the effect may be stronger. Keep in mind that not only the particular recipes you want your character to come up with is up to you, but also how their effects take place. If you’re making a Potion of Flight, for instance it may cause the imbiber to simply hover, or it may make them sprout wings and have to go through the much more laborious task of physically flying. Think about which would make more sense for the character.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that putting two Components together may turn into more than one type of item. Taking, for example, Love and Draught, you could create a Love Potion, which made anyone drinking it fall in love, or you could make a Friendship Potion, which just made the person drinking it feel more amiable towards whomever it was.

A character with the alchemy skill gains one Component per skill level. The player can freely choose what Component this will be and should note this in their Character Sheet or profile.

Side Effects

It’s important to note that alchemy is far from a perfect science. Alchemically created items can often have unforeseen side effects, sometimes these may be beneficial, usually they are not. For the most part this will be up to the person playing the alchemist to decide upon, side effects will probably be relatively common at low levels and reduce as the person advances in their studies. Side effects may range the gamut from hiccups, to turning purple, to horrible rashes, to temporarily gaining mental insight into completely unrelated matters, to serious poisoning and everything in between.

Another, less welcome, side effect of alchemy is that its practitioners may end up rather unhealthy. Alchemical laboratories tend to be filled with noxious fumes and other things and often have poor air circulation, resulting in poor health among its more experienced practitioners.

List of Components

Please note that this list is by no means intended to be conclusive, it is just suggested as an aid to the prospective alchemist and the player can make their own as needed.

Effect:

Acidic – Has a tendency to give chemical burns and corrode stuff.

Alter metal – Changes the properties of a metal.

Anger – Fills the imbiber with anger.

Blind – Turns the imbiber temporarily blind.

Colour – Turns the imbiber a certain colour.

Combustible – Potential for explosive combustion.

Darksight – Allows the imbiber to see in the dark.

Dazzle – Makes the imbiber seem so much more interesting, it’s impressive just how many qualities that person has that no one has noticed before, really.

Discern Truth – Can be used to see through lies, illusions, etc.

Flesh Grow – Grows flesh into to fit into the mould it is in, requires living tissue to start with.

Flight – Allows the imbiber to take flight, temporarily.

Golden – Turns a metal temporarily into gold.

Harden – Makes something or someone more difficult to damage.

Hate – Instils feelings of hate in the imbiber temporarily.

Heal – Closes wounds, potentially both mental and physical.

Identify – Allows the alchemist to figure out what ingredients something consists of.

Lengthen Life – A potentially very powerful Component that lets someone live longer.

Love – Instils feelings of love in the imbiber temporarily.

Melt – Can melt certain objects, though probably not all objects.

Memory Master – Allows a person to remember things very easily indeed.

Memory Wipe – Removes someone’s memories temporarily.

Intelligence – Increases or instils intelligence in the imbiber.

Invisible – Can make the imbiber invisible or very hard to spot.

Knit Bone – Makes shattered bone whole.

Paralyse – Paralyses the imbiber temporarily.

Plant Grow – Causes a plant to grow at a highly accelerated speed.

Poison – Harms the imbiber, potentially lethal.

Sleep – Makes the imbiber sleep for a certain duration.

Smoky – Turns into smoke. Lots of it.

Strength – Makes the imbiber stronger temporarily.

Weary – Drains the imbiber of strength, makes them tired and sleepy.

Form:

Eyedrops – A fluid designed specifically to be dripped onto someone’s eye.

Draught – A fluid to be drunk.

Dye – A concoction designed to transmit colour and potentially other qualities to objects.

Flesh – A squishy solid which is hopefully alive.

Gas – A gas, usually as the result of a volatile effect, for the most part gases are the cause of reactions which take place when it is employed, alchemical equipment lacks the necessary air tight compartments to keep gas contained in any satisfactory fashion, making it a very difficult Component to work with.

Glass – A solid which has been imprinted with alchemical effects during its making.

Incense – A solid designed to release its effect through the slow burning.

Ink – A fluid designed to imprint itself on other things.

Metal – A solid often used for weapons, tumblers and many other things.

Oil - A viscous fluid designed to be smeared across a surface.

Perfume – A fluid which has an alluring scent and may have effects depending on that scent or simply on the skin of the one sprayed with it.

Pill – A small pill to be swallowed.

Powder – A powder which can be consumed or otherwise used.

Salve – A viscous fluid which is to be applied to the body in some form.

Soap – Intended for washing, may be liquid, may be solid.

Suppository – A rather larger pill that is not to be swallowed at all.

Other:

Particulars – Causes the effect to only happen to be limited to only certain parts of the body.

Directed – The effects will only centre on one particular person.

Reverse – Creates the opposite effect of the one intended.

Skill Levels

Each skill level adds 1 Component of the player’s choosing.

0 - Someone without any skill in alchemy has little idea of the processes involved and are generally woefully ignorant of anything but the most common knowledge and legends concerning alchemists.

1 - At this level an alchemist has just started their tutelage and remains little better than those without any skill at all. While they may know some of the terms involved they will rarely be allowed to do any actual work around the laboratory, beyond sweeping or cleaning at least.

2 – At this level the alchemist actually starts becoming useful.

5 - At this point in their training the alchemist will be relatively familiar with the majority of the equipment of the laboratory and will probably be allowed to use it too.

10 -At about this level an alchemist has reached the point where they are ready to go out into the world as a journeyman alchemist.

15 - At about this level the alchemist is ready to start their own laboratory and give up their travelling ways and adorn themselves with the title of master alchemist. Of course, many spend several years yet travelling the roads learning from other alchemists.

20 - At this point an alchemist may as well be considered something of a celebrity in their own circles, they will only very rarely come across an alchemist more accomplished than they are. Alchemists around this level are considered respected authorities in their field and may often be visited by other alchemists seeking advice and knowledge from them.

25 - An alchemist who manages to reach this level has reached the absolute pinnacle of what is possible with alchemy. They have become the very stuff of which legend is made and their alchemical items are without compare. For those few who reach this exalted position, the field of alchemy itself may seem cramped and they may branch off into other things, or redefine alchemy entirely.

Herbal Preparations

This is a short, informative summary of Herbal Preparations. The materials can be freshly gathered, or gathered in their season and dried for storage. After all, the plant may need to be gathered in one month, and needed to be used several down the line when it's buried in snow and dead. Some plants (ex. leafy greens) can be ingested as they are, while some can't (ex. barks and roots), and others are poisonous unless properly prepared.

Although in most cases there is no 'right way' for herbal preparation, except as defined by the culture its preparer comes from. Each philosophy and type of 'healer' has their own way of doing things or beliefs in how the body behaves that is culturally rooted. These are, however, some of the more common methods.

Powder

The simplest and easiest preparation, it is produced by grinding the plant. This can be achieved through mortar & pestle, grinding stones, milling, etc. to grind the plant into a fine consistency. The plant, however, must be dried before attempting to make a powder. Wet herbs slide away from the grinder or mash up. Powders can, and sometimes must, also be produced from the dried remnants of a liquid preparation. This is more complicated as it's really doing two preparations, a liquid and a powder.

The method for obtaining powder from a liquid preparation is simple, even if it takes a large amount of material; the extracting agent (water, alcohol, vinegar, etc) is boiled away, leaving a fine residue along the bottom of the container. This must be collected and ground. Also, considering that the liquid too has medicinal properties, some consider this method worthless and wasteful. However, since certain extracting agents (such as water) have poor preservative properties, they can ruin the mixture after just a few days. Powders can be stored much better, but remain wasteful in terms of how much material is used.

Powders should be stored in a skin or glass/ceramic container. Leather shouldn't be used, as it soaks up moisture and transmits it into the container, ruining the powder. For an example of why moisture and powders don't mix in storage, try storing flour in a moist place without adequate protection...

Powders can be applied through many methods:

-Added to liquids and drunk

-Snuffed up the sinuses

-Sprinkled across a wound/abrasion

-Smoked

Compress/Poultice

A poultice is the needed mix of plants bruised/mashed and applied directly to the wound, held in place with a cloth that allows breathing. This method is good for deep and/or festering wounds. The dressing should be changed as needed.

A compress is a cloth soaked in a liquid preparation and applied directly to the wound, best for sprains and bruises. For this method, make a big batch of infusion only if you can keep it warm throughout the night. If on the move, make a small batch at each stop for re-application, which should occur when needed.

Infusions

An infusion is a aqueous preparation, using a liquid to extract the medicinal properties from plant matter. These methods often use heat as a catalyst, but other energy sources do exist.

Teas/Tisanes

A medical tea is archaically termed a tisane, and requires no more skill than to boil water and chop plant matter, as teas are made by bringing the water to boil, then taking it off the heat and adding the plant. Hot water is an excellent extracting agent for plant-based compounds. The materials can be either dried or fresh, usually with 1 teaspoon to 2 ounces of water ratio. Teas, for maximum affects, should be allowed to steep for 15-30 minutes. Then the plant matter (the marc) should be removed from the liquid (the menstruum), and the menstruum drunk. The marc can be discarded as seen fit, but it could have a ritualistic approach in some cultures as it is 'returned to the earth' or some such.

One problem with tea, however is that as mentioned above, water is a horrible preservative, meaning that teas don't have a long shelf life, even in modern times with fridges. Teas are made quickly in the necessary amount and taken now, not tomorrow, as it will be ruined by then.

Softer plant parts are best for making teas, as the tougher, more fibrous parts require the far higher temperatures found in decoction. Plants with a strong scent, even if unpleasant, should be covered while steeping, as the aromatic compounds are almost always medicinal, and will float away with the steam if given a chance. Also, plants high in mucilaginous compounds make a thick, almost gooey tea that soothes inflamed membranes in the mouth, throat, and digestive tract.

Decoctions

Decoctions are much stronger than tisanes. Here, the plant matter is added to the boiling liquid and kept there for 20-30 minutes, drawing out much more of the medicinal compounds - but it can destroy some of the more delicate compounds, such as the aromatics mentioned above. This is best for the tough, fibrous parts such as roots and barks. Like teas, they cannot be stored for any length of time.

Solar/Lunar Infusions

With a solar infusion, a glass container of water containing plant matter is set in sunlight for several hours, allowing the infrared radiation to slightly heat the mixture, allowing for a gradual extraction of the beneficial compounds. This is best for delicate plants/parts, and the slower process allows for a better taste and better medicine.

Lunar infusions harness the power of the moon, are are traditionally associated with ritual/ceremony. A crystal or glass bowl is set out during a full moon and filled with fresh spring water, and the plant parts are gently placed on the top of the water (the least disturbed the water, the better, or so rituals/ceremonies say). The crystal/glass focuses the light of the moon, transferring the energy into the spring water which gently extracts the compounds from the herbs, causing some to fall to the bottom while others remain suspended. As the morning sun reaches the horizon, the infusion is strained and drunken (often by bleary-eyed ritual participants, who stayed up all night chanting/what-have-you).

In both cases, mirrors can be used to gather in extra light - usually when glass bowls are used in Lunar Infusions.

Tinctures/Extracts

Tinctures, also known as extractions, are concentrated and preserved forms of liquid preparations, and because of their concentration, they're much easier to lug around than pots/cups of tea. Lasting longer than most other infusions, the drawback is, however, the fact that they take much longer to make - if you need them, you better have them already made.

Tinctures start with a quantity of plant matter, dried or fresh. This is then added to a liquid extracting agent, most often an alcohol/water solution or vinegar. The most oft seen alcohol/water solution is a 50/50 ratio, which means a tad stronger than Smirnoff vodka (which is 40/60). Given the technological level of Adylheim, however, 50/50 would be common in the form of stronger spirits. This means that dried plants make a stronger tincture than fresh plants, as the latter are 70%-90% water on average. Which means that for tinctures that need to be made with fresh material, it's often necessary to boil off some of the water.

To make the tincture itself, put the plant in the bottom of a vessel that will take a tight lid, then pour the liquid over it until covered. Stopper the lid and place it in a dark and cool spot. For the next fourteen days, give it a healthy shake to help the extraction along. On the 15th day, use a fine cloth to strain the liquid into a new vessel. Make sure to squeeze every last drop of liquid out of the material using whatever tools are available - your hands, a press, a rolling pin...

For plant requiring a higher alcohol content than available for use, the plant can be macerated, which really means to let it soak for longer. Unless you leave it for a few months, when the plant material turns into a black gunk, then it can't harm the medicine - the alcohol can only extract so much from the plant, regardless of soaking time.

Since tinctures are heavily concentrated, they are often proscribed in drop-dosages, ranging from five drops of the more powerful stuff to hundreds for the weakest. Add this to a glass of water and toss it back - and quickly, as they're often not the most tasty things. Tinctures can also be anywhere from amazingly fast acting (a few drops of lobelia extract under the tongue can stop a grand mal seizure in under a minute) to the kind of length that has people nagging you about taking your medicine.

Oils/Salves

Oils are made similar to tinctures (And ones requiring a good soaking can take as long to make), in that you take the plant matter and pour the extraction agent over it. In this case, the agent is hot (but not boiling) oil, and if kept heated, it can take as little as one hour to decant. Oils are applied by coating the area in them, but are often made into salves. Essential oils are also used in the production of perfumes.

Salves combine oils, tinctures, and teas by combining them with beeswax, giving them a thick consistency that allows long-term application while softening the skin and treating it - which is good for burns and abrasions.

Martial Arts

Adylheim itself sprang from the fruits of warfare; the mountains and plains of the civilized world crafted by divine hands from the bones and skin of Primus himself. Their mortal offspring quickly followed in their steps. While the origins of warfare are obscured behind the mists of time, even the most ignorant peasants can describe the martial traditions of each kingdom. The earth-shaking charge of the Arameian knights. The countless banners of the Andragorian armies. The crazed axe-wielding Huscarls of Starkwater. Unfortunately for dreamy youths across Adylheim, most citizens will only perhaps wield a crudely crafted spear as part of the local militia. They might, however, engage in a form of combat just as old as warfare: unarmed combat. Blood sports are popular ways for the poor to pass their time and perhaps win a small purse. Nobles also occasionally engage in wrestling and sparring under the tutelage of trained masters. The more foppish do so for social glory. The martially inclined do so out of pragmatic necessity. Swords are left in armories and daggers lost in night time struggles. Arms and legs are always available and oft provide the last line of defense against an assassin.

Documenting every single unarmed martial art would be an impossible task. Each of the major schools detailed in this article have hundreds and perhaps even thousands of local variants and crass imitators. It should also be noted that a life dedicated to the pursuits of ‘unarmed’ combat rarely only encompass the unaided movements of the body. When fighting for survival—and in the dangerous world of Adylheim even the most innocuous fight can quickly turn fatal—most masters recognize the value of that special edge. Whether a lead weight clenched in a fist of a boxer or the drab disguises worn by Andragorian assassin matters little. What matters, when all is said and done, is victory.

Note on Names: The major schools of martial arts trace their origins to the uncertain strife before the founding of the Arameian Empire. Names are translated from the original language into Tradespeak.

Way of Arthium

” We northerners need not hide behind a shell of steel. I’ll meet his steel with my hands and crush his limbs.”
- Huscarl Grunigor

Most Popular In: Starkwater, Arameia, Teslan

Description: In the heat of battle, even the most hardened knight can find himself without spear, sword or shield. Most nobles therefore charge their senior squires with following their masters into battle and providing alternative armament. Unfortunately, these brave souls often become separated from their masters or assaulted by opportunistic foes. Most knights must therefore rely on halfhearted blows and kicks that have little effect on armored enemies. Needless to say, this state of affairs often ends in grief, capture, or worse.

The masters of the Way of Arthium claim that the wild northern tribes of Starkwater first modified their wild wrestling to fight the invading Arameian armies. Never ones to let a good idea go to waste, the soldiers brought the tradition of armed grappling back to Aram. Against an armed and armored flow, strikes become almost useless and pure strength vain. The Way of Arthium therefore relies primarily on pins, joint locks, and throws designed to direct the energies of an opponent for a practitioner’s own purposes. While first inspired by armored warriors, masters often begin their lessons by teaching unarmored grappling. A skilled practitioner of the Way of Arthium, even while unarmed, can quickly immobilized a lightly armored assassin and proceed to break the joints and bones of each limb in turn.

Strength of the Gods

“There is no surrender, cur. We fight until Maia comes for our souls.”
- Sir Timothy Naser of Nevros

Most Popular In: Nevros, Starkwater, Arameia

Description: The cold winters and short summers of Nevros produce a harsh and strong people. Not even the ancient masters—of whom there are few—claim to know precisely how the Strength of the Gods originated. In all likelihood, the discipline slowly evolved out of boxing and wrestling contests with which nobles and commoners vied for glory and prizes. Fights usually begin with an exchange of powerful blows with the hands and powerful, low kicks to gradually batter and weaken the opponents for the second phase. When one fighter senses victory, he employs a variety of throws and grappling techniques to drive their opponent to the floor. There, a relentless flurry of blows pounds their opponent into submission—or death.

More than any of the popular martial arts, the practitioners of the Strength of the Gods encourage organized spars far beyond the borders of a single kingdom. Every winter, the greatest fighters travel to a wind-swept plain in the heartlands of Nevros to fight as divine worship and for mortal glory. Crippling wounds are common and many combatants would rather choose death than the dishonor of submission.

Playful Fight

“Isn’t this fun?”
- Unknown soldier taking a cudgel to a group of ogres

Most Popular In: Longmoor, Nerin

Description: The Soilien people are well known across the Empire as friendly, cheerful people with great love for song and tales. Performers of Nerin, in particular, are well known for their acrobatic dances performed in the view of an entire clan. According to legend, a priestess of Lapis first melded the swirling dance with their martial tradition when threatened with capture by marauding Andragorian soldiers. The ‘pure’ form of the Playful Fight emphasizes the use of kicks, sweeps and head or elbow strikes in a swirling, unending rhythm. Some masters also teach a variety of hand strikes, but the majority of practitioners limit the use of their hands.

While their western neighbors view the Playful Fight as a fanciful and largely useful diversion, the people of Longmoor embraced the discipline as the scourge of the ogres became more and more common in their homeland. It was the people of Longmoor who integrated stickfighting into the Playful Fight; reasoning that there is almost always some sort of stick or cudgel available. Masters are split almost evenly between single- and double- stick schools and, often, teach grappling techniques to disarm or disable an opponent with the help of their canes.

Thousand Blows

“I will take your honor and then I shall take your life.”
- Mistress Tsu

Most Popular In: Andragoria, Nerin

Description: Unlike the northern fiefdoms, the practice of martial arts is deeply ingrained in the social structure of Nerin and Andragoria. Hundreds of dojo’s teach prospective students the Thousand Blows or some variation thereof. As described by its name, the discipline focuses primarily on unleashing a flurry of blows. This is not to say the diminutive Soilien people sacrifice strength; their masters able to break brick and wood with their bare hands. The style and substance of a student’s education differs very much from master to master. Some emphasize closing with an opponent and delivering a constant barrage of quick punches. Others teach a dance of devastating kicks. Regardless of the particulars, the practitioners of the Thousand Blows learn to strike hard, fast, and without mercy.

Northern nobles enjoy hosting jousts and competitions of martial prowess. The merchant princes of the Golden City commonly serve as patrons for successful dojo’s that compete in tournaments held throughout the year. While broken bones and wounded egos are common, these competitions are decidedly less brutal than the games of the Strength of the Gods.

Rangoon (Maradin Boxing)

"How the hell can you call that a victory Makarikim! You didn't even cut him!"
- A Maradin sailor mocking a Threakian grappler

Most Popular In: Teslan and the Maradin Kingdoms

Description: Rangoon, a particularly effective form of fighting now practiced by sailors, is said to have evolved from the unarmed contests (better called brawls) held between ancient Maradin clans. After the art became more polished, it was spread to Teslan and the coastal regions of the continent by Maradin sailors.

Rangoon is also known as the Way of the Twelve Points because the hands, shins, toes, elbows and knees are all used extensively. The Maradin boxer is taught to unbalance an opponent with kicks to the leg while keeping their distance, and then finish them with strikes with the elbows and knees should their opponent fall or manage to close the distance. Though traditional punching is not very important in Rangoon because of the dangers of breaking one’s fist, Maradin boxing incorporates kicks with one’s toes against an opponent’s shins and arms. This is because Maradin sailors often wear iron-tipped boots that makes their feet veritable weapons.

Because of the usage of the elbows and knees, Rangoon is one of the bloodiest martial arts in Adylheim. Rangoon “matches”, are judged based on who managed to make their opponent bleed worse.

Note: The following are legendary schools of martial arts. These are not available except through membership in the respective organizations.

Beauty of the Crimson Dawn

“The greedy northmen. Our traitorous brothers. Our enemies are many. But we, we of the Eternal Guard will remain forever vigilant. So long as we exist, the sun will always dawn over the Golden City.”
- Mia the Ever-Dreaming

Most Popular In: Not available to the general public.

Description: No school of martial arts is subject to more legend and rumor than the Beauty of the Crimson Dawn. Only the mortals of the Black Watch—the mortal arm of the eternal guardians of the state—can truly claim to practice the discipline. The disciplines of the Beauty of the Crimson Dawn are experts at human physiology; able to locate pressure points and organs even in the most chaotic battlefields or the darkest nights. Victims are sometimes found dead without any sign or struggle. In particularly pressing cases, targets are found with dozens of precise, deadly cuts and left to suffer a long and agonizing death. No one has ever survived such tender affection even with the aid of magical healing.

Winter’s Wrath

“Win.”
-Unnamed magorg instructor.

Most Popular In: Not available to the general public.

Description: The magical assassins of Starkwater, known as the magorgs, practice a simple philosophy in their unarmed combat techniques. Win in the most effective way possible. Make the opponent die with the last danger to oneself. Unlike the stealth-loving assassins of the southern kingdoms, there is no mistaking the work of the magorgs. Guards torn in half. Witnesses reduced to piles of flesh and ground bones. Using the strength endowed by their magical enhancements, the magorgs more than earn their reputation as relentless assassins when the practice the powerful blows and bone-cracking throws of Winter’s Wrath.