Country of Origin: Avalon (Inismore)/Vendel
Salon: Darwah (Small)
Founded: 1649

Description: Benjamin Roode has been a seasoned duelist for thirty years, and was one of the first Vendel to join the fledgling Swordsman’s Guild in 1644. His hopes for pitched battles all around Théah were quickly dashed when the Guild proved to be little more than a “gentleman’s club,” focused on politics and money more than glorious combat. Benjamin, trained in both the Aldana and Donovan Schools, promptly turned in his shiny golden pin, relocated to Inismore (where people appreciated a good fight), and finally settled down in Darwah. He soon found himself embroiled in as many fights as he wanted, and while his Aldana and Donovan training allowed him to survive, he knew if he wanted to thrive, he would need to come up with something new: something all his own.

To that end, Benjamin expanded his study of combat from simple (albeit elegant) rapier work to encompass fist fights and bar brawls. Some he started, and some happened around him; some he won, and some he lost. Win or lose, however, he continued to practice his swordplay, and exposure to a wide variety of moves, counters, and techniques allowed him to refine his fighting style until it coalesced into a brash, no-holds-barred School that retains all the finesse of dueling but little of the honor. Benjamin, now Maestro Roode, takes on students from all walks of life, regardless of station, wealth, or background, and this further contributes to Roode’s reputation as a “shady” Swordsman School.

A free-wheeling, aggressive Swordsman School like Roode relies on reckless attacks intended to control the pace of a fight. A disciplined Swordsman who does not fall prey to this early onslaught can quickly turn the tide against a Roode Swordsman and leave him struggling to regain his composure in the face of a focused enemy.

Basic Curriculum: Dirty Fighting, Fencing
Knacks: Corps-á-Corps, Exploit Weakness (Roode), Flurry (Fencing), Lunge (Fencing), Pommel Strike (Fencing)

New Swordsman Knack: Flurry. When attacking an enemy, you can declare a Flurry. You roll Resolve + Flurry and must declare a number of Raises equal to your enemy’s Resolve in order for your Flurry 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: Students of Roode know the value of a surprise attack and learn to press such an attack from a number of angles. When making an attack using a Knack in the Dirty Fighting Skill, he may disregard any penalty for using his off hand, and he receives a free Raise on attacks made using the Attack (Dirty fighting) Knack.

Maestro Roode refuses to submit his School for sanction to the “effete pretenders” that operate the Swordsman’s Guild. In lieu of Guild Membership, Apprentices of Roode receive a Free Rank in one of their Swordsman Knacks, or in the Advanced Knack of their choice from the Dirty Fighting Skill.

Journeyman: The Pommel Strike is a favored tactic of Roode Swordsmen, and they use it to great effect. The Journeyman receives a free Rank in his Pommel Strike (Fencing) Knack, which may increase it to a six. If it does not, he may increase it from a five to a six later by spending 25 XP.

Master: The Master of Roode expands on his Journeyman Technique to add an extra Unkept Die (+1k0) to the Damage Rating of a Pommel Strike, increasing it from 0k1 to 1k1. (Note that spring-mounted pommel blades are very popular among Roode Swordsmen, and this Technique increases the base damage of such a weapon from 0k2 to 1k2.)

In addition, the Master’s experience with dirty tactics leads to an advanced knowledge how to cheat and win in a duel. The Master receives two free Ranks in the Knacks of his choice from the Dirty Fighting Skill. He may choose to add both Ranks to the same Knack, increasing it to a maximum of six, or to split the Ranks among two Knacks, increasing them to a maximum of six. In either case, if the free Ranks do not increase the value of his Knack(s) to a six, he may increase them from a five to a six later by spending 25 XP.