One thing I have been thinking about detailing in the setting are the various martial arts that exist within the various cultures found throughout Kulthea.  I'm trying to think which cultures would have highly developed martial systems.

Quite obviously there is the Changramai monastery in Emer.  That would have a significant impact on the perception of the martial arts in its region and those monks who leave the monestary (few and far between I would gather) may return to their homeland and disseminate some of the knowledge they gained during their tenure with the monks.  And then of course there are the Dyari.  I would like to think the Dyari would have several schools which train assasins in deadly martial arts designed to make their warriors as deadly with their hands and feet as they are with a blade.  I would imagine if anything close to a Ninja exists on Kulthea (and there's no reason to think there isn't one) the Dyari would have created them.

And of course, I don't limit the term "Martial Arts" to refer only to unarmed fighting techniques.  Codified fighting systems with weaponry will be well documented in many cultures, the most obvious of which would be the Loari and their techniques with the Saren, the Duranaki and Kynac fighting and many cultures with refined nobility and a preference for fencing weaponry (the nobility of Rhakhan comes to mind).

So besides Renshya and Talshya (sp?) which corresponds to Strikes and Sweeps/throws repsectively, what other "arts" would the Changramai possess?  They would obviously learn various weapons katas with swords, staves, maybe the Chegain, dual blades, polearm, chain-whip....anything else? 

I did originally do a bunch of Combat Styles for SW.  That's not my original document, someone had taken it and expanded on it (which is fine).   

Attached is the latest version I could find of my original.

Matt's material is excellent, and now maybe someone can add the Lenreth Daen, the elite forces of Ulor, from Xa-ar.

Quote from: Terry Amthor on March 11, 2013, 06:41:56 AM

Matt's material is excellent, and now maybe someone can add the Lenreth Daen, the elite forces of Ulor, from Xa-ar.

The elite forces of Ulor.  Excellent.  Since you are working on the Cloudlords book now, is there a fighting style they tend to practice in Tanara?  How about a style designed to be used from horseback in 3 dimensions?

Hah, nothing new in Cloudlords; Matt covered kynac fighting already. As far as fighting from horseback in 3 dimensions, the Cloudlords would use their distance weapons from the air, and only melee from horseback when on the ground (rare; this would not usually be to their advantage)

Quote from: Terry Amthor on March 12, 2013, 10:42:53 PM

Hah, nothing new in Cloudlords; Matt covered kynac fighting already. As far as fighting from horseback in 3 dimensions, the Cloudlords would use their distance weapons from the air, and only melee from horseback when on the ground (rare; this would not usually be to their advantage)

No lance or long-spear used from the back of a Steardan?  Of course considering that only the Cloudlords use steardan as mounts, they wouldn't expect to face other warriors on flying mounts, so they may not train for it, but there is a distinct posibility that they may end up having to face Niishang's elite forces mounted on Gartyl (that is what they are called right?  It's been a while since I read that book)

I suppose lance would be possible, but remember they have those huge wings flapping around that might get in the way.