Deep Wounds: The Cutting Edge Technique

Sharian has received a response to his letter to The Cutting Edge sword school, receiving an invite for him and other members of the Guild to attend a seminar of sorts. The usually conservative and isolated school is opening its doors for once, it'd be a shame to miss out.

*Part of the The Cutting Edge Technique story arc*

## Adventurers Attending

* Io Aerkeryrm
* Tas
* Foxglove
* Sharian Naetris
* Nilael

## Mission Notes

As Sharian's trance began to form more crystalised images in his mind, blade out, dancing in forms, intricate footwork moving this way and that, his sword dancing through the air with him, he was enjoying his practice. Slowly a malevolent darkness began to creep into his dreamlike meditations, at once his sword practice proceeded as sparring, young swordsmiths in cloaks testing the validity of his movement and sword forms, increasingly becoming more pressing. As malicious intent increased and more aberrant forms flashed and snarled with swords in his direction, what had started as practice had become aggressive combat, with numbers ever increasing. Straining against the flow of combat; a loud rasp came at Sharian's chamber door, snapping from his trance a courier had delivered a letter, a reply from one of Sharian's enquiries to the Cutting Edge sword school. Sharian's enquiries had met with an opportune moment for the school, who had sought to break from their usual isolationist practices and offer more of an open and formal invitation to those who would seek to learn more of the school's skills and practices, despite the Guild's inclinations towards magic. Sharian had alongside a personal invite received an invite for a number of his Guild fellows to attend an open day of sorts, where tutorials and lessons were available for those who sought to learn sword techniques that relied upon nothing but ones innate mental and physical skill.

After rallying a few Guild members to his side, Sharian teleported the group to the mage school of Cheyenne and using phantom steeds, gave course for the group to make way to the Cutting Edge sword school. Nilael took some time along this new route and unfamiliar terrain to investigate the local flora and fauna for any items that might be used in the creation of tinctures and salves using their herbalism kit, alighting on some new and exciting finds, amongst which were balsam, white elderberry and juniper, all showing favourable reaction to testing with the herbalism kit. Only minorly waylaid, the party arrived at the Cutting Edge sword school, to little fanfare or grand welcome. Approaching the school they were met with Laeg Magol a wisened high elf with impeccable countenance, but a rather disdainful outlook who proceeded to meet the group, introducing himself as the school's master and the person who had sent Sharian's letter. Explaining a little about the school, he offered them a tour of the tutorials available to partake in and further explained that at the school they sought to improve and sharpen two weapons, those being the weapon of the mind and the weapon of the sword hand. Here at the Cutting Edge, one must first learn to be a sword fighter in mind, before one could become a sword fighter in body. With the lessons fairly evenly split, opportunity was given for all to take part in whatever lesson took their fancy. After a short discussion amongst the group it was decided that in the air of participation, they maybe ought to all try all of the lessons to fully ingratiate themselves in the schools techniques and training, a choice that maybe not outwardly made apparent, would stand them in good stead to receive at least some deference from an otherwise uninviting institution.

Amongst the lessons of the mind, those set to steel and sharpen ones mental faculties in preparation for learning better form, technique and mindfulness there were 6 classes, though only 5 were made available in advance. There were meditation, visualisation, discipline, strength of mind, focus and the less available anti-magic training. Meditation involved clearing one's mind, with the aid of a ringing bell and was supposed to prepare the mind for new incoming information. Visualisation was a lead exercise that involved guidance and positive reinforcement in the imagery of success with a sword. Discipline was a physical exercise that involved being put in uncomfortable positions and made to overcome them with one's mind. Strength of mind required participants to focus on a glass orb on a pedastle while the instructor hit participants with a stick. Finally, focus required participants to stand on an unstable rock while drawing and stowing their swords repeatedly. As our party began working through the exercises, each began to experience difficulties and successes, which revealed something unexpectedly about their character and personality.

Io started poorly, struggling with the mental disciplines, her racing mind and want of social interaction precluded her from truly opening up to slowing, stilling and emptying her mind in preparation for training. She did, however improve, as the training began to be more about the connection between mental and physical disciplines, wearing heavy armour and having a steely determination aided her in both discipline and strength of mind, before adequately performing in focus, proceeding well, but lacking some of the deftness of her counterparts.

Tas, having little experience in swordplay and having historically relied upon her magics, began with an open mind, free of the experience of practiced sword play. It was difficult to begin with, not having practiced these techniques and disciplines before, but being led and directed helped much in improving her performance. The difficulties here were mostly in inexperience and as the sessions went on, despite difficulty and a lack of proficiency, much improvement was had and new skills appeared to be emerging.

Foxglove, unlike some of the newer Guild members, had brought with him some additional experience and rather than learning these techniques and lessons for the first time, seemed to be recalling some of the training as having been very similar to that which they had received in their youth. What appeared here was more a re remembering, a recollection of techniques no longer diligently trained, but adapted and progressed into Foxgloves now more prevalent personal style. What was becoming apparent here was Foxglove's practical skills in swordplay that were present, those that had often taken second place to the safety of ranged attacks. Maybe with continued training and discipline swordplay might be more successfully appreciated.

Sharian, approaching these exercises with a good degree of seriousness, began using more personal techniques, leaning and relying upon tried and tested methods. Attempting to aid oneself using incense and ancient Dwarven pillowy comforts, were quickly dismissed by trainers and the line neatly drawn between success and discipline. The more Sharian began to adopt the more ascetic and monastic style of the school, the more success came easily to him. This was clearly a set of fundamental disciplines, that lacked flourish and style, but ones that were underpinned by core principles. If fundamentals, were what Sharian was looking for, they were certainly available here.

Nilael, began rather poorly and only began to improve as the displines became freer and more physical. Eschewing rigid, traditionalist structures, Nilael's elven training was present, but ill fitting for this more conservative, fundamental and monastic style. Being told that there was one way to follow and a singular approach for excellence did not jive with Nilael's more creative and elaborate sword style, nor her personal free nature. Struggling to concentrate or be lead, it wasn't until the structure became more combat like and at one with the experiences of real life fighting that she began to find more success.

It was at this point that the group began noticing something off about some of the schools members, a persistent lack of emotion, frivolty or open social interaction, a great degree of conservative interaction and a lack of real individualism. Not just of training and discipline, but intrinsic within the members personalities. Unsure of the value of this insight, our party made their way on to the physical disciplines.

Here, they found lessons for Stance, Grip, Katas, Defence, Parry, Riposte and Dodge, though the last was skipped in favour of a more friendly game of Guild vs school dodgeball. Again with all members of the party participating in all lessons, they were taken through instruction in all aspects of the schools more physical and combative training. Stance was started, going through basic body position and footwork, encouragement was given with both verbal and corrective stick to open up ones body and hips, leading on the weaker leg and bringing the sword into the waist at a 45 degree angle to give good range on attack and defence. Grips, were taught by a slightly more creative trainer, who showed a number of different grips that applied to different styles of swords, some with thumbs forward, others with thumbs tucked as well as overhand grips for different sword starting postions. Katas returned to a more rigid and dismissive instructor who was far more disciplined in his approaches, teaching specific and correct forms for lunges, overhead strikes and right and left crosses. For the next three, defence, parry and riposte, a looser arrangement of techniques were taught and students were encouraged to pair up, with lessons alternating between offense and defense, with pairings encouraged to only ever step forward on offense, while defensive participants only ever to move backwards. Defenders encouraged to block or deflect incoming blows, before actively striking and clearing oncoming attacks while parrying, before learning to turn those parrys into advances by using riposte to strike back at openings created by parrying. Io paired with a school student named Marcus, while Tas and Nilael paired and finally Foxglove sought to test the reputation and skill of master wizard Sharian.

Io began slowly, struggling to switch from dual wielding to single handed sword forms, but as she proceeded through the lessons, more active combat is where she really excelled. Having plenty of experience in real world combat, she began outperforming school student Marcus in defensive sword play tag, managing to defend well without loss, even when being overcome and landing offensively with flair, by creatively embarrassing the poor student, decloaking him, as well as landing a rebuking strike on his behind. This success was only foreshadowed by the shame she had brought to one of the students.

Tas stepped into the lessons encouraged, having improved in basic fighting technique, she took to the following lessons with enthusiasm and much like an empty glass was filled easily with the flowing forms of sword fighting, learning finally how to wield a sword with proficiency. These improvements and enthusiasms spilled over into her sparring with Nilael. Nilael began better, but also struggled with some of the rigid styles of the school that didn't match well with her very individualised and personalised fighting style. Time would come for her, however to show he skill with a blade in more open combat. Taking up positions against each other, Tas surprised with deft offense, getting the better of Nilael on nearly every occasion, but unfortunately without a tiger's instinct, was often unable to land a winning blow. Nilael made up for her lack of quality defensive technique, by showing the speed, deftness and accuracy of her unorthodox strikes, by attacking with flair against an inexperienced Tas and landing more finishing strikes.

Sharian taking the sessions seriously, learnt the the styles and forms of the school well, adding them to his repertoire, without necessarily adopting them in place of his already effective techniques, there was something new to learn here, more fundamental than Sharian's inventive swordplay and Sharian approached the tutorials like a dedicated academic. Engendering both disdain and admiration from the trainers and teachers. The Guild was performing better than expected and were adopting the lessons of the schools more willingly than expected too. Foxglove took to all forms of combat and swordplay with ease, having found success in mental training, Foxglove was now suspecting there was something too this swordplay and training, something that maybe he'd overlooked in favour of his more rogueish talents and accurate ranged attacks. Revisiting form and technique, Foxglove was finding himself more adept in sword battling than he first expected. Meeting each other in sparring, both went for each other with alarming appetite, Foxglove seeking to push the Wizard to show his true skill and Sharian biting at the attempts on his ego. Foxglove rather characteristically encouraged his blade to victory using his roguish abilities and scored points by attacking Sharian's foot, but in the end Sharian showed himself the more adept attacker by getting the best of Foxglove at last and landing a strike at his paw, but not before having been rattled more than he'd expected by the new Harengon upstart.

Each of the Guild members had learnt much about swordplay, but possibly more about themselves as they entered the courtyard for a more jovial game of dodge ball, even the students and trainers relaxed somewhat and some of the more experienced students made their way to the field. As balls flew and raced, within a relatively short amount of time the Guild won out with 3 players left on the field. Having won the game and the respect of the school in general due to their overall conduct, the adventurers were invited to take part in some of the competitive games available, including 'The Cutdown' a game that involved clear and precise blade strikes to cut down a humanoid straw target and 'The Run' an assault course of acrobatic difficulty. Io, Tas and Nilael took to 'The Cutdown' where a number of students joined and despite some back and forths the Guild members looked to have the better of the task, leading to all 3 and 1 member of the school reaching the final blow at the same time, but by the narrowest of margins Nilael won out and redeemed herself as pretty good with a sword when it counts.

Meanwhile, Sharian and Foxglove went head to head again, though this time without sword or magic, they were faced with an acrobatic assault course. Running up the ramp to a net, before reaching the plateau and having to run across moving steps, before avoiding the whirling dervish - a pillar of spinning wooden batons - followed by a set of low and high spinning blades and then a hinged balance beam to make it to the finishing platform to lop the head off a coconut to win. Foxglove was the quicker off the mark and owing to his dextrous and springy nature began speeding through the course with alarming alacrity. Sharian attempted to keep up and was at times not far behind, though Foxglove finished after narrowly avoiding losing their ears to the spinning blades with a margin to spare. With the more relaxed entertainments over, the party had heard talk of anti-magic training which, to a degree had not been made available. Enquiring with Laeg Magol, he suggested they go speak to Regrenaath in the corner, a much larger, stouter man who wore a much more encompassing cloak and a steel or silver mask over his face to disguise his features.

As the party approached Regrenaath and enquired about his ability to teach more anti-magic fighting arts, it was noticed that he had an unusual air about him, but nothing that explicitly suggested anything malevolent. He was however, just as dismissive as Laeg and his general impression was one of spikiness and distrust. He talked of discipline of hardness, struggles and adversity and was insulting of the weakness that reliance on magic brought. Suggesting that magic brought power rather than strength and mostly obfuscated weakness through shortcuts and ill discipline. What each required was something they could rely on, something that they could fall back on should they lose their magic or power, something only obtained by overcoming difficulty and steeling oneself to outside forces, to strengthen ones mind and swordhand and to protect oneself as such. When asked for an example of such a thing, Sharian was met with a force push, for which he had to resist against getting knocked back, that came merely from the palm of Regrenaath before him. It appeared this school might have the ability to train in the power of the mind. With all enthusiastically expressing an interest in such skills, their moral compass and intentions were brought into question, but all accounted well for their desire to obtain new skills and all were greeted with an open invite to return to train with the school some more at a later date. Sharian staying on with the school for a few days more.

## Loot

* Standard Session Xp & Gold
* All who took part - an open invite to The Cutting Edge School
* Nilael - 3 pieces of balsam - 3 pieces of elderberry - 3 pieces of juniper
* With an hour using a herbalism kit and a successful Medicine or Nature check DC16 each of the balsam and juniper can be turned into 1 use salves and the elderberry can be added to tonics or potions to improve the flavour and sweetness of them. Each creation takes an hour to make.
* Balsam Salve - when applied during a short rest to wounds, all hit dice rolled to regain hit points in that short rest receive a +2 to their roll up to, but not exceeding their max roll.
* Juniper Salve - when applied to the body of a humanoid that creature receives advantage on the next saving throw against being poisoned until the next long rest.
* Time for the Wizards to copy 1 spell from each spell book
	+ Sharian copied Dragon's Breath from Nilael
	+ Nilael copied X from Sharian

## Rumours

* An open invite for training at The Cutting Edge Sword School.
* Why were all the people there a little bit off?
* Who was the guy in the mask and who is he really?
* Why is the school now open to visitors, especially those of a magic persuasion?

## Player Journals

* Sharian's Journal
* Nilael's Journal
* Io's Journal