Norican Combat Styles

Overview
There are five schools of combat practiced by Norican knights, with various sub-forms and hybridized forms as well. The four main schools are know as Stalwart, Shrike, Willow and Sunder. These forms were not the product of any single individual, but an amalgamation of combat knowledge collected over centuries and then formalized as “forms” or "schools." 

Stalwart
Stalwart is a defensive form. This form utilizes the large ovular shield commonly used by the Norican peasantry. For offensive weaponry, practitioners favor the sword, mace, and axe. Stalwart is the predominant form in the region of Archalea.

Shrike
Shrike is a fast and agile form, which was developed for the purpose of dueling. Practitioners of this form generally wear less armor than other forms. Shrike maintains that an opponent must be dispatched as swiftly as possible. Shrike practitioners often have a hard time fighting multiple opponents. Furthermore, they have a difficult time fighting in small spaces. This form favors the longsword and bastard sword. Most of the Norican exiles in Tyrium are Shrike practitioners, as they tend to hail from the eastern parts of Norica where Shrike is popular.

Sparrow
Sparrow is another longsword form that arose in Brecceleia as a counter Shrike. Sparrow emphasizes deflection and redirection of the attackers force, with the defender using minimal amounts of their own energy. The primary objective of the Sparrow practitioner is to throw their opponent off balance in order to achieve an advantageous striking position.

Willow
Willow is the most balanced of all the forms. Practitioners are trained to wield a range of weapons and adopt practices from other combat styles. While the Willow practitioner is a balanced and flexible combatant, who can adapt to a myriad of situations, he will never gain the high degree of specialization that practitioners of other forms attain.

Sunder
Sunder is an aggressive form intended for knights who wield two handed weapons. A well placed blow from a Sunder practitioner can easily sever a man in half. The flaws of this form are obvious in that the knight is exposed when wielding a two-handed weapon.



