Valkenburg School

The famed Eisen Mercenary Christopher Valkenburg has recently found that there is better money in teaching his patented two-fisted axe and broadsword style than in using it. Last year, the Swordsman guild accepted his traveling school as an official Swordsman school, and its popularity among Eisen, Vesten, Ussurans, and Highlanders has grown tremendously.

The chief advantage Valkenburg has over lesser opponents is its free-form style. Indeed, students often use axes or clubs intsead of broadswords. The only mandate is that they be efficient for the swirling and torrential currents of rage that is the driving force of the style. Unlike Eisenfaust, which teaches a rigorous regiment of set movements, Valkenburg teaches theory, and allows his students to be artists. Artists who only paint in red.

The lack of refined style has often proven to be the downfall of Valkenburg's students. When the fury of battle clouds their minds, their actions are wild and unfocused, allowing an observant opponent to strike when advantage is greatest.

Country of Origin: Eisen

Guild Sanctioned: Yes.

Basic Curriculum: Heavy Weapon, Hand Axe

Swordsman Knacks: Beat (Heavy Weapon), Bind (Hand Axe), Double Parry (Heavy Weapon/ Hand Axe), Exploit Weakness (Valkenburg)

Apprentice: As an apprentice, Valkenburg teaches the most deadly regimen of his style: Wielding a broadsword in one hand and a hand axe in the other. Valkenburg students negate the off-hand penalty for a melee weapon and can wield a heavy weapon in only their primary hand, without penalty.

Journeyman: The second regimen of Valkenburg dictates the placement of a warrior's strokes. A single stroke should be all that is required to kill an opponent, freeing the warrior to move on to the next one. All Journeymen get a free raise for every two raises on any called shots they make. Thus a called shot that takes eight raises would gain 4 free raises.

Master: Valkenburg, the only known master of his style, can wield both weapons in a blinding flurry of blows and parries. This allows him to spend one action die to make two attacks...one with the broadsword and another with the axe, or, at his option, to make a parry with one weapon and an attack with the other. Each Attack or Parry is at a -1 unkept die penalty, due to the unfocused rage of the Valkenburg mind.

Last updated: April 1, 2004
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