Country of Origin: Tar-Netjer
Salon: None (the style is passed from Master to student haphazardly throughout the continent)
Founded: c. 380 AV

Description: The Nanala fighting style is ancient and incredibly versatile, stressing unarmed attacks as well as strikes with weapons: in this case, paired wooden sticks (1k1 Improvised Weapons) one to two inches thick and eighteen to twenty-four inches long. While a practitioner of Nanala is a dervish with these weapons in combat, he also makes use of palm strikes, finger jabs, elbow strikes, and kicks. The result is a remarkable adaptive style of combat that is as much a dance as it is a martial art.

Nanala attacks are a rapid sequence of whirling, weaving movements, punctuated by jabs with the fighter’s weapons (or knees, or elbows, or whatever). The sight can be intimidating to those untrained in combat, but it is primarily a defensive maneuver: an opponent cannot hurt what he cannot hit.

The style’s primary weakness comes from its choice of weapons. Simple wooden sticks are fragile, so a Nanala fighter must take care not to attack too aggressively, nor block blows that are too hard. A cagey opponent will recognize this right away and adjust his tactics accordingly.

Basic Curriculum: Dirty Fighting, Improvised Weapon
Knacks: Bind (Improvised Weapon), Double Parry (Improvised Weapon/Improvised Weapon), Exploit Weakness (Nanala), Feint (Improvised Weapon), Whirl (Improvised Weapon/Improvised Weapon)

Revised Swordsman Knack: Feint. When attacking an enemy, you can declare a Feint. You roll Wits + Feint, and must roll a number of Raises equal to your enemy’s Wits in order for your Feint to be successful. If you are successful, he cannot avoid the attack using any Active Defense. The Raises taken on this roll add Unkept Dice to your damage roll as usual.

Apprentice: A Nanala fighter learns quickly to protect his fragile weapons by contacting an enemy’s hand or arm rather than his weapon. After successfully executing an Active Defense using Parry (Improvised Weapon) or Double Parry, the Apprentice inflicts his weapon’s base damage (1k1 Flesh Wounds) on his opponent. This damage is not increased by the Apprentice’s Brawn, but Raises may be taken on the Active Defense roll to increase damage by Unkept Dice as if it were an attack.

Nanala has no connection to the Swordsman’s Guild of Théah. Apprentices receive a Free Rank in one of their Swordsman Knacks instead of any sort of Guild Membership.

Journeyman: A Journeyman’s whirling moves and flashing weapons keep his opponents at bay. He may add his Rank in the Whirl Knack to his TN to Be Hit whenever he is using this fighting style.

Master: Once he reaches this level of expertise, a Nanala fighter has become one with his weapons and mastered the intricacies of their use. A Master’s weapons never break, regardless of the results of his Damage Rolls. Furthermore, he may pick up or draw his weapons as part of an attack or Active Defense without spending an additional Action. Finally, the Master of Nanala receives a free Rank in his Whirl Knack, which should increase it to a six. If, for some reason, it doesn’t, he may increase it from a five to a six later by spending 25 XP.