Country of Origin: Castille (a Swordsman may learn this style for 20 HP if he is already trained in the Mutis School)
Salon: Avila (Small)
Founded: 1651
Sanctioned: 1661

Description: A small but respected School founded by José Celestino, this friendly rival to the Gallegos School tends to attract more affluent students, who can afford both José’s exorbitant fees and the cost of living in Avila. Content with training his students to be (possibly) the best Swordsmen in Théah, this School probably would not have been submitted for Guild sanction if one of José’s students had not insisted he made the trek to demonstrate his skill. However, since it was approved by the Guild, the School has grown in notoriety, and its Master can be selective in which students he chooses to train and which he turns away.

Celestino Swordsmen are taught expertise with the rapier to the exclusion of all other weapons. They have no wasted movement and no fancy flourishes; the rapier is used almost exclusively for what it was designed to do: parry attacks and stab opponents. They know when, where, and how to strike to inflict the most damage, and are adept at using both their bodies (for defense) and their weapons (for offense).

Students of Celestino are notorious glory-seekers (sometimes bordering on being arrogant snobs), and this serves as the School’s main weakness. A Celestino Swordsman is virtually unable to resist a dare, and can be easily goaded into attacking from a disadvantageous position or defending against a grand “phantom” attack while the actual strike comes swiftly and plainly.

Basic Curriculum: Athlete, Fencing
Knacks: Disarm (Fencing), Exploit Weakness (Celestino), Lunge (Fencing), Riposte (Fencing), Sidestep

Apprentice: Students of Celestino are known for their precise attacks, striking a target exactly where they wish, and bypassing defenses to cause grievous injury. A Celestino Swordsman may add twice his Mastery Level to rolls made using the Attack (Fencing) Knack, and may add his Mastery Level to all damage rolls made with his rapier.

Journeyman: By the time he has reached the level of Journeyman, a Celestino Swordsman has perfected the art of the contrapinse, a sophisticated disarming technique that leaves him in possession of an opponent’s weapon, which he may use in tandem with his own. When the Journeyman successfully Disarms an opponent, he may automatically gain hold of the opponent’s weapon (if he wishes) in his off hand without taking any extra Raises on the roll to do so. Furthermore, the off-hand penalty is negated when the Master wields a second rapier.

Master: Masters of Celestino are adept at intricate footwork, allowing them to attain better positions when defending. Whenever the Master uses Footwork as his Passive Defense Knack, his TN to be hit is increased by ten.