Martial Schools of the Former Petrenea

"It is always possible the records are incomplete."

- Proverb of the Azurejays, Scholar-Knights of San Sylvester

This article is incomplete and will require additional work.

The Martial Schools of the Former Petrenea are a loose collection of martial disciplines fitting the same general social and military role as the Chivalric Orders of Bastonia. In contrast to Bastonia, such schools run a broader gamut of skillsets, having more in common perhaps with the Ways of Blood of the Orcish Nation in that respect.

These schools carry with them their own unique moral and philosophical codes along with their own particular styles of combat and favoured theories of military science. They run the gamut from empty-handed warriors who survive by their wits and physical agility to heavy cavalary, and from the purely martial to the divinely inspired or sorcerously enhanced. Many of the schools were established by one of Xia Leng's mortal incarnations and are dedicated to her service, though the term applies quite broadly all similar organizations in the Shimmering Shore.

Some of the more remarkable or well-populated schools are:

• The Cattail School, a school which empathizes a philosophy of de-escalation and trains its members in unarmed and unarmoued combat. The school focuses on the teachings of the Awakened One. It is very widely taught throughout the region owing to its suitability for the average commoner's use, though as one might expect attaining true mastery of the art form takes years of dedicated training.
• The School of Xia Leng is the largest of the various orders dedicated to Xia Leng, though far from the only one. The main branch school teaches a flowing method of combat that utilizes the glaive and certain other pole arms to devastating effect, focusing on the agility and awareness of the user over the use of heavier armour. Swiftness of action and clarity of judgement are empathized.
• The School of the Dragon is another of Xia Leng's schools and almost a polar opposite to the school that bears her name, focusing on the use of heavy armour and a small variety of bludgeoning and bladed weapons, intending to turn the practicioner into a living bulwark.
• The Angharite Janissaries are a caste of light infantry magi who combine arcane or divine spellcasting with the use of sabers, scimitars, and other sweeping one-handed weapons to great effect on the battlefield. The school's philosophy focuses on continuing training and carefully considered action.