Katana (Chapter)

The Verdish Katana

### History

The ***katana*** has been a staple weapon within Verdite since the very beginning. Throughout that time-span it has overwhelmingly been used as a side-arm or a favored weapon for personal duels.

Verdish training has always heavily focused on training in its proficiency as we believe all fighting mechanics are exemplified best through *katana*-oriented combat.

At one time, during the tech-boost of the War-Bound era weaponry, the *katana* was king of the battlefield.

Comparatively to the standard issue Insurrection-era tech, *katanas* were stronger, faster, and more precise than any weapon fielded. Battles quickly turned to hyper aggressive flanking and amassing as many *katanas* on your side as possible. This trend continued on until the arms-race fully manifested. All technology developments were made to counter the *katana* and eventually the new-age standards of weaponry re-balanced to focus war equipment such as shields, reds, and greens.

In modern day the *katana* is still a favorite for basic dueling, training, and giving oneself a challenge on the battlefield.

### Weapon Properties

*Consult the following image for a quick property chart.*

    The categories are explained as followed:

* **Speed** - The weapons ability to accelerate and combo.
* **Range** - The effective combat range of the weapon.
* **Weight** - The overall weight of the weapon.
* **Difficulty** - The learning curve of the weapon in terms of how much work will be required to be considered proficient.
* **Value** - The combat usefulness in a war situation.
* +/- Denote effective changes in properties with alternative variants (such as gen-7)
	+ "+" means that particular category is slightly increased with Gen-7 variants
	+ "-" means that particular category is slightly decreased with Gen-7 variants

### Variants

#### **Tsuchi**

Tsuchi variants are actually the standard design for *katanas*. The reason for this is to give the weapon the stability needed to combat larger weaponry and guard-break weak shieldsmen.

#### **Mizu**

Mizu variants remove the dense standard handle and replace it with a less-dense squared handle. Mizu styled *katanas* are uncommon (outside of generation 7 versions) because they lack the stopping power and sturdiness of the standard issue variants.

The advantage however is the weapon is lighter and features a handle focused on free-flowing combat.

#### **Generation 7**

Generation 7 utilize Mizu variant build techniques to further reduce the overall weight of the weapon. Command staff are still unconvinced of the durability of the generation 7 weapon class, but as of right none have been destroyed.

### Modern Usage

#### **In War**

The most common war practice concerning *katanas* is to use it as a sidearm/backup. It's often a favorite for archers as a quick backup weapon, although the *kokatana* is slowly replacing even this field application.

Warriors who use only a *katana* as a primary field weapon are often limited to flanking and support roles. The *katana* alone does not warrant the necessary killing potential or defense required to be considered truly effective.

However, notable users such as Lactoes have often shown that with overwhelming proficiency you can actually make the weapon have similar effectiveness as a light red. It should be noted that this level of skill is not normal.

#### **In Dueling**

Against other equipment, the *katana* has some drawbacks. In fact, outside of a small single blue, the *katana* is not considered to have any advantages over other equipment.

Effective technique in dueling is attempting to use the stability and maneuverability of the weapon to outplay and out-speed your opponent. The drawbacks that become obvious is the *katana* lacks long range or an effective defense (compared to other equipment). With the advent of light-reds and their proficiency, the *katana* is outclassed in every aspect by them.

#### **In Training**

However, as dueling weapon the *katana* is one of the most effective training weapons. All combat lessons can be reinforced through *katana* proficiency and forcing yourself to adapt to and overcome weapon advantages will promote stronger fighting techniques and easily fast-track your rank progress. Every member of the Verdish Elite has trained with a *katana* and will advocate it's necessity in personal development.

#### **In Combination**

One way to boost the effectiveness of a *katana* is to use two at once. The *katana* is one of the best weapons for dual-blades. There are a couple of recognized styles that effectively utilize a *katana* in combination.

* **Flow Dual Weaponry** - Dual Wielding two *katanas*. In this style the user abuses the max range of the *katanas* to out-range and out perform opponents defenses. It is considered to be one of the most effective styles of dual weaponry. This style was first pioneered by the knight Makki.
* **Darxzatos Style** - Dual Wielding a *katana* and a *wakizashi/kodachi*. In this style the *katana* is used as a sweeping weapon to abuse max range shots where the smaller blue weapon is used as an active defense weapon **most** of the time. As the name implies, this style was founded and practiced most heavily by the footman Darxzatos. (Darx is a retired footman and would have MOST DEFINITELY been a Vanguard in modern Verdite.)
* **Talen Style** - When a *katana* is used as a shield-arm. This style has lost it's effectiveness in modern Verdite, but in the old world the *katana* gave shields a way to 'fire from a distance' without being counter-attacked. This style was very prevalent until about 2009 and was first pioneered and perfected by the Knight Talen.

### Notable Users

Derath

Lactoes

Hrazlinne

Tenryu

### Gallery

Thantos and PyrusStandard *katana*Kogo, a Kelm-Class *katana*Sakura no Hana, A Kelm-Class *katana*Gekido, a Kelm-Class *katana*