Diranbe

**Diranbe** (also known as *Bladedancing*) is the art of using a sword, specifically precursor spellblades or blades forged with tearite, as a spellcasting focus to cast magic spells.

Diranbe is a martial arts school of fighting with spell and blade that is generally defined according to the Three Precepts as the foundational items of its philosophical underpinnings as a martial art.

Diranbe is specifically the Cannorian take on Halessi Xiaken arts and so while seen as Halessi, it is strictly speaking Elvish/Cannorian. ‘Just’ with heavy influences as it does not exist in Haless where other martial arts have greater prestige and adherents in their native forms.

## The Three Precepts

Diranbe is a practical combination of melee and the arcane. Instead of spell and blade being two parts of the dance, it is the same part. Spells are cast with the weapon itself, no staves or wands present.

The Three Precepts that define Diranbe are one of the few things agreed upon by all practitioners and agreement on them was formally achieved in 1324 at a summit of the Orda Aldresia and the Governor at Blaiddscal with the blessing of Prince Adrahel at the time. They are as follows:

First, Diranbe is based on the use of weapons as spellcasting foci that are already magical in some way shape or form and that Diranbe brings out more of this magic. One can bladedance with a normal weapon and cast spells with it, but to do so leaves one unable to capture the essence of the Diranbe form that requires an enhanced weapon.

Second, Diranbe is based on knowledge gained from Halessi martial artists and spirits to apply similar principles as the cultivation of the self to this Cannorian idea of 'cultivation' of a blade's inherent magical properties to make it a better and sharper focus for spellcasting. Thus Diranbe is principally a Cannorian style even as it is often labelled as Halessi due to its origins and the history behind the ideas.

Third, Diranbe is based heavily on specific somatic movements as part of maintaining focus on this connection between a blade's inherent magic and a mage's potential to have the spells come forth from the weapon instead of 'just' imbuing the weapon with the spell; such that it looks like a dance when engaging in Diranbe.

## History

### Origins

The history of Diranbe as an actual distinct art form begins in the twelfth century since the day of Ashen Skies but it more properly has its roots much prior. We still don’t know much about these obscured origins as much relates to ancient Precursor practice but the very scraps that prompted Diranbe to be actualised can tell us a little even if we lack much of the broader context behind these ur art forms as it was lost alongside so much else on that day.

What we do know is that the Precursors believed they were taught magic by ancient dragons, with a result that to this day there is a high degree of emotive sympathy in elven magic alongside a style rooted in graceful movement. They seem to have had two martial arts at their most prominent, that which we know as the Dance of Death and Bladesinging. The latter being a version of the former with arcane spellcasting inclusive and being the most direct antecedent to Diranbe.

When ruin came to the Precursor Empire and the desperate fled onto the Remnant Fleet there were some masters of Bladesinging that made it to the vessels alongside some of the ancient training manuals passed down from generations. This is where the break takes place unfortunately as the masters were generally unable to pass on their teachings fully as they were too busy defending the Remnant Fleet and so the understanding of their art diminished over the generations such that by the time of the Landing these techniques were essentially no longer understood.

The elves had not entirely lost their heritage but with so many greater active concerns the people who might be dedicated to preserving this art had more practical methods of defence to hone in on with it only being different aboard the Lunateín (Moonfire). There, a clique of adherents who clung to the idea that this method of fighting could be resurrected had secured all the materials once scattered across the Fleet into one place and studied amongst themselves even as they were derided by others.

This group of adherents was led by Senivar Danceswept and counted Lanahari ta’Lunatein, the daughter of Captain Ibenion of the Lunateín, as its patron for a time. She would eventually leave to join her future husband, Jaher ta’Diranhriá, but the connections in this clique would mean that her eventual bodyguards would be almost entirely comprised of other elves similarly obsessed with Diranbe, even post-Landing.

### Resurgence and Discovery

These adherents to the lost arts would eventually find their way to Xianjie after the Landing as part of protecting the now princess and wife to Jaher on their quest to see if they might learn from these intrepid foes who resisted the Phoenix Empire with martial arts prowess. This engagement would see many of them captured and in that time they would learn from their captors in a strange trade of information about the Phoenix Empire and elves in general with these chi cultivators. It would be in this exchange that the final secrets referenced in the training manuals of old would finally be clear to the elves and they would develop Diranbe almost immediately thanks to this newfound synthesis between Precursor and Halessi.

The monastery they were held captive in would eventually fall to Jaher, aided in part by betrayal from within by the future founder of the Blaidscall, Ladrinel Heartsworn. Her prowess was said to be legendary in slaying the Jianxusi master of the time as she and other elves who had not forgotten that they were captives and not collaborators wreaked vengeance upon the Xiaken.

Ladrinel spent a few decades in service to Jaher before returning to Ibevar and founding the Blaidscall school deep within the Forlorn Vale. One of her first students, Triandal Lostchord would come to blows with her over fundamental disagreements and would storm straight to the nascent Aldresian order and make that the centre of human Diranbe and start a century spanning rivalry between the different mage-knight concepts.

Diranbe would spread over the centuries, with the term becoming almost synonymous with all mage-knights as the greatest height and the techniques to which only the best could aspire and attain. It’s place in Cannor certain, for as long as magic dominated the battlefields anyway.