Pugilist
Arrows rain down around her as she runs towards the hobgoblins. Desperate to close the distance, the half-orc fights through the sting of a dozen cuts to reach her foes. The pain only makes her stronger. As she descends on the snarling pack she swings wildly, knocking several hobgoblins off their feet and sending the rest scattering before her.
The human braces himself for the impact as the orc rushes him. Then the monster makes a mistake, telegraphing its next move, and that’s all the opening the human needs. He ducks beneath the orc’s wide swing then raises both hands high above his head and brings them down on the orc’s back, forcing the brute to the ground.
The dwarf smiles broadly and chuckles as the petty noble raises his hand to strike him for the impudent remark. Quick as a flash, the dwarf shatters the bottle in his hand against the bar and brandishes it before the noble. The young dandy flinches, stumbles backward, and runs away as the dwarf turns back to the bar to order another round.
Wherever they come from, pugilists live a rough and tumble life that leaves them full of determination and reckless, either from overconfidence or desperation. In a fight, they can channel this strength of character to dig deep and fight off foes with greater strength of numbers, arms, or armor than anyone else would think possible
Swagger for Days
Pugilists unconsciously tap into their own inner strength in the form of moxie. This is not esoteric or mystical energy that flows through the multiverse, but the result of determination forged over a lifetime of hardship with a never-say-die attitude. You can teach someone how to fight but you could never teach someone how to be a pugilist. The secret of mastering moxie doesn’t come from disciplined study or rigorous training, it comes from years of wanting and needing.
Life on the Street
Every city in the world has its back alleys, its underground fighting rackets, its ghettos. The pugilists who live in these places don’t have time to consider the lofty ideals of philosophy or ponder the mysteries of the universe. The pugilists, growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, spend all their time chasing down their next meal or, if they’re fortunate enough to have that, their next drink, bedfellow, or flophouse. For pugilists, becoming an adventurer might be the only way out of whatever miserable situation they’ve been stuck in since infancy. For others, getting lost out in the world is an escape from the tangled web of debt or enemies they’ve piled up. Other pugilists fight because it’s the only thing they know how to do. Whatever the reason for their adventuring, pugilists are as excited by the prospect of throwing punches as they are spending every last gold coin they earn.
Hardship
No one becomes as tough as a pugilist without enduring terrible hardship and persevering. For a pugilist, suffering is a catalyst that reveals their unbreakable spirit and strength. These hardships also influence a pugilist in other ways. If you were raised on the street, you might have a special interest in looking after the poor and destitute. If you were jailed for a crime you didn’t commit, your relationship with the town guard might be more antagonistic than the average adventurer. Like so many other pugilists, your will was forged in the fires of adversity. What did you learn about yourself when you came out the other side? How does that experience continue to influence you today?
Speculations
Pugilists are frequent subjects of rumors and speculation. The combination of their resilience, might, and panache makes them popular topics over a pint at the local tavern. Add to this most pugilists come from humble beginnings and it’s easy to see why the public comes up with such colorful stories about them. But some of the researchers of more academic nature still are unsure of from where such rare and potent powers came. While most of the pugilists end their growth on becoming a master of local underground pit, stories of beings able to bear the bite of hundreds of arrows, or tear down a spectre with bare fists can be found amongst records around the world. Some say it's because of connection to the Titans , others speculate an even more obscure source, speaking of pure Free Will. And of course, many of them claim the stories to be false rumors, spread by out in drunken gossips.
Fight Clubs
Despite the name, fight clubs are not formal fraternities or sororities, but collections of pugilists who, by training or happenstance, share a similar style. In some lands, fight clubs can tell you a lot about where a person comes from, while in others there are representatives of many fighting styles in all metropolitan areas.Arena Royale
Pugilists in the Arena Royale fight club travel the world earning their keep as equal parts performer and gladiator. Whether performing in staged physical competitions or fighting it out in unscripted brawls, pugilists in the Arena Royale care as much about the theatrics of a fight as they do its outcome. Pugilists in this fight club also care deeply about their reputation and work to build up local and regional legends about their performing personas. The club itself is said to originate from the olympian culture, where people were said to battle hordes of beasts with their bare hands.
One of the more famous champions was Tiberius Fortis - a man who said to be brawling with bears and lions since he was a young teen, and a slave.
Bloodhound Bruisers
Pugilists in the Bloodhound Bruisers fight club are notorious for looking for trouble and finding it every time. Members of this fight club are highly observant of character traits and physical evidence and can form an almost supernatural connection to the cities they live in. Most use these abilities to become urban defenders of the downtrodden but others lend their talents to less savory organizations. It is said that this tradition found it's origin in the city of Quadropolis, were down in the steam and mist-covered depths one cannot really even think that local guard organization would protect them.
And the Grand Investigator of Quadropolis themself is said to be one who dragged their life from the bottom.
Dog & Hound
You’ve never had a friend you could rely on that walked on two legs. Lucky for you, you’ve got the best four-legged friend a body could ask for. Pugilists in the Dog & Hound fight club are as faithful to their canine companions as their canine companions are to them. Everyone in their lifetime would at least once hear about a dog protecting a grave of it's previous owner - no doubt sharing the powerful connection those kinds of people were heard of.
The almost legendary duo of Rip and his faithful companion Tear caused a lot of legends around the civilized spaces already.
Hand of Dread
In your darkest hour you pleaded for the strength to take what you wanted from the world and a dread power took notice. At first, you may have relished the cathartic rush that came with channeling your dread power to claim what you felt you deserved. This pact, however, came with strings attached. In times of distress, you hear the entity whispering in the back of your mind, encouraging you to indulge your most base impulses.
The legend of the infamous pirate captain Timberbones and his dreaded hook seems all to similar to such a thing.
Piss & Vinegar
Pugilists in the Piss & Vinegar fight club revel in their reputations as heels. Widely despised for their obscene curses and dirty tricks, these pugilists take pride in their ability to provoke and fight to win at all costs.
And the ability of Urist the Grudged to break his opponents with bare intimidation, even before the work of his iron fists, is one of the more shared stories around local taverns.
The Squared Circle
Pugilists who fight in the Squared Circle know you don’t have to knock an opponent senseless to get them to submit. Of course, members of the Squared Circle do beat their opponents senseless, they just know they don’t have to. It is also the only "official" club, that shares their skills with wrestling in public. The sad truth though is that no matter the hard training, you can't be trained into being a true Pugilist.
The Grand Master of the Squared Circle Dieudonné is a renowned person in the Divine Empire, often providing fighters for the entertainment of the crowd, and teaching many officers the art of grapple.
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