Country of Origin: Ussura
Salon: Sredbirskyoye (Average)
Founded: 1591

Description: In the gladiatorial pits of Sredbirskyoye, free men and sponsored slaves do battle for prizes of gold, weapons, and other valuables, including (in the case of slaves) their freedom. Some slave owners throw their property into the games without regard for their survival, simply for the pleasure of knowing they hold the power of life and death in their hands. Others, however, take a more pragmatic approach: what started with a handful of slaves and an aggressive wagering structure quickly grew into profitable stables, with their own trainers and weapon smiths to ensure that their fighters are victorious, generating sums of money so large that the slaves don’t even think about leaving, even knowing that death is just one sword thrust away.

Among these gladiatorial stables, one of the most well-known and successful is House Anosov. Established in 1577 with a mere three slaves and one volunteer (i.e., “free”) fighter, the house grew to control dozens of slaves and sponsor half a dozen free men in just a few years. One reason for their success is the money the house spends on their fighters (even the slaves), ensuring that they are well-fed and well-trained. Another reason is the signature fighting style the house’s weapon masters have developed, relying on rigorous athletic training and the use of short spears with very sturdy shafts. These spears are wielded two-handed and used solely for thrusting. While their metal heads are extremely sharp, it is only at the point; the edges are sharpened just enough to make catching the blade in a bare hand treacherous. Some Anosov fighters carry two or three spears in a quiver, as they are suitable for throwing, but care must be taken to ensure that an enemy does not grab one and use it himself. When they are not working with their signature weapons, Anosov fighters train in long jumping, lifting heavy weights, running long distances, and similar feats to prepare themselves for non-combat trials in the arena.

The design of the spear does not allow for anything but thrusting, and that serves as its primary weakness. An opponent familiar with the style will know that his flanks are safe, so he can focus his defense solely on his front side. Furthermore, the short length of the spear makes it more difficult to bring it into alignment to defend against a side attack…unless the Anosov fighter twists at the waist, which opens up his flank to another attack.

Basic Curriculum: Athlete, Spear
Knacks: Corps-á-Corps, Disarm (Spear), Exploit Weakness (Anosov), Feint (Spear), Trip (Spear)

New Swordsman Knack: Trip. A trip is an attack aimed at an opponent’s legs, designed to throw him momentarily off balance, if not send him crashing to the ground completely. You declare that you are using a Trip attack, and then roll using this Knack instead of your normal Attack Knack. If the attack is successful, it inflicts the normal amount of damage for the attack and forces your target to increase his next Action die by 1, plus 1 for every Raise you make. If this increases that Action die higher than 10, the Action die is discarded. This is the same as the Trip Knack found in the Spear Skill, but it is considered a Basic Knack for students of Anosov.

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: One of the first things an Anosov fighter learns is that it is easier to stab someone lying on the ground…so why not use your spear to facilitate that? When making a Corps-á-Corps attack, an Anosov fighter may add his Rank in the Trip (Spear) Knack to his Attack Roll.

The Dueslit’s Guild has expressed a passing interest in sanctioning Anosov, but no efforts have been made on either side to bring that to fruition. Until that happens, Apprentices of Anosov receive a free Rank in one of their Swordsman Knacks in lieu of Guild membership.

The short spears used by Anosov fighters are 2k2 weapons that use the Spear Skill for attacks and defenses.

Journeyman: In addition to stabbing with their spears, Journeymen of Anosov have perfected the art of tripping their opponents up with them. Journeyman receive a free Rank in the Trip (Spear) Knack. This may raise his Rank in the Knack to a six. If it does not, the Journeyman may increase it from a five to a six later by spending 25 XP.

Master: Masters of Anosov learn a devastating two-stage attack where they jab an opponent with a spear and then, in one movement, drive it home…hard. After successfully inflicting damage with an attack using his spear (whether it is an ordinary attack or a Feint), the Master may use a Current, Held, or Interrupt Action to thrust the spear more deeply into his opponent. This is an ordinary attack using Attack (Spear), but the Target Number to hit the opponent is reduced to five. The opponent does not make a Wound Check until both attacks are resolved.