Wardancer

Written by broog_the_roog_moog

Wardancers are elite female warriors in the Principality of Sabersycha. They are renowned for their agility, grace, and speed, which they use to outmaneuver and overwhelm their opponents in battle. Unlike other warriors who rely on armor and heavy weapons, wardancers prefer to fight with light weapons such as daggers, short swords, or hand axes, though some also use weapons such as sickles or scimitars. They barely use armor, with some wearing nothing but scant clothes to battle, not only for increased mobility but also as a distraction. They are unnaturally agile and almost impossible to hit, as they constantly attack and never leave an opening for their opponent to strike.

Qualifications

The training of a wardancer is rigorous and demanding, requiring years of discipline and dedication to master. They must learn to dance and fight simultaneously, seamlessly blending their movements into a fluid and deadly art. Wardancers practice a form of dance that incorporates both martial and artistic elements, their dance and their fighting style being one and the same; to become a wardancer, one must be both a performer and a fighter.
Wardancers generally describe themselves as either Gales, which seek to find a balance between offense and defense, striking, evading, flanking, and striking again; or Storms, which utilize offense to defend themselves, constantly striking in a flurry of blades that warrents a hit if an opponent lowers their defense, rendering them unable to attack.

The Great Troupes

Some wardancers are taught in the master-apprentice style, but the vast majority are trained by institutions known as the Great Troupes. There are 4 of these troupes, each embodying the essence of a particular fey spirit: Stormskip (Orad), Deeptwirl (Nereid), Blazejump (Nymph), and Fieldroller (Dryad); members are respectively called Breezes, Tides, Graces, and Canopies. Not every woman is accepted by the Great Troupes, but any woman may apply. So long as she has the grace of the fey and the heart of the people, a woman of any background can serve as a wardancer.

Wardancer fighting styles

Tides

As the sea ebbs and flows in unpredictable ways, so do the Tides when they do battle, their training and fey pact enabling them to perform acrobatic feats that no regular mortal could hope to replicate. Their movements seem unhinged (even to other wardancer style-practitioners) but are made with cold purpose, exchanging exploitable openings for the ability to strike unerringly from any angle of attack.

Breezes

Like the shifting wind, Breezes are tricky to keep track of; their stances and body language are difficult to read, making countering or parrying their attacks a risky business. With the illusion magics granted to them they delight in making fools of their opponents, wearing them down until they close for a final strike.

Canopies

The most physically tough of the wardancers, Canopies can fight for hours yet remain fresh as though they were fully rested. The blessing of the dryads also allow them to suffer grevious blows without perishing, making them a difficult combatant to remove from the battlefield.

Graces

Graces, the fiercest of the wardancers, are a potent foe, and seasoned warriors attempt to take them out as quickly as possible. Like a raging fire, their minds are quickly set alight by the brush of battle; the longer they fight the stronger they get, until all foes in their wake have been consumed.

Stormbringers

Wardancers are already elite fighters, but among them exist figures of even greater skill, the Stormbringers. The elite of the elite, they are divided into Gales and Squalls. Specially taught by the orads, who love humans more than any other fey spirit, this class of wardancer is legendary, and their presence instantly turns the tide of battle in their favor.

Gales

Unlike Breezes, Gales maintain a perfect balance between offense and defense. Weaving strikes, parries, and elegant footwork into a harmonious whole, they present an onslaught such that one cannot tell where an assault ends and a counter begins.

Squalls

While Breezes are more defensive in nature and Gales take a more balanced approach, Squalls instead use overwhelming force to render an opponent unable to mount an attack. Their blades are a hurricane of steel and fury; any slip of the enemy's guard is enough for a Squall to tear into them with abandon.

Other elite styles

There exist no other equivalents to Stormbringers. While the rest of the fey spirits on occasion find a wardancer worthy enough to teach their secrets, the total number are few enough that each one so taught is a unique existence unto herself. Any such wardancer taught is already a noteworthy figure, or will shortly become one.

Social Status

In addition to their combat skills, wardancers are also renowned for their beauty and charisma. They are often called upon to perform at festivals and celebrations, where their graceful movements and mesmerizing performances captivate audiences. They can be often found dancing in the fields after harvests, either joining Orads or summoning them if they are yet to arrive.
As wardancers are known to be almost impossible to hit in combat thanks to their incredible speed and agility, their lack of armor and tendency to be relatively bare also serve to demonstrate their lack of scars and injuries. This also aids in creating an aura of mysticism around them and furthers their reputation as exceptionally beautiful.
Wardancers also hold a special social status in local Prasri culture and are revered to a certain extent. Percieved as dancers first and warriors second, they are assosciated with Court Druids rather than Masters at Arms within the Sabersychan hierarchy.

History

Wardancing is said to be as old as the founding of Sabersycha itself. Tradition teaches that after being rescued by the sons of Peadaran, the women of Sabersycha were taught by fey spirits how to weave both war and dance into a harmonious performance. The nymphs danced with them, the dryads hardened their bodies, the nereids taught them to ebb and flow, and the orads showed them grace. The women then took the skills they had learned and danced for their saviors -- in return, the sons, moved by their elegant performane, decided to support schools dedicated to teaching this style of dance. This is the reason why to this day all seven Houses back the Great Troupes.
Regardless of their true origins, wardancers have played a key role in many conflicts throughout Sabersycha's history. The Execution of Modeil, the Eighth House Rebellion, and Orra's Folly are but a handful of occasions where the presence of wardancers ensured a different outcome than what otherwise would have happened.

Type

Military

Famous in the Field

• Búodica Lugaid
• Fínola Uí Beccán

Related Locations

• Grausur

Used By

• Principality of Sabersycha