Country of Origin: Vendel
Salon: Fornuft (Small)
Founded: 1656

Description: Jenny Ross (born Genevieve Rosselerssdottir to a skilled Montaigne Swordswoman and a wealthy Vestenmannavnjar merchant) was never going to be a good Vestenmannavnjar. She was too impulsive, too wild, and too prone to wanderlust. Meanwhile, her parents ensured that she never wanted for anything, whether it was a lovely new frock (from her father) or a keen-edged rapier (from her mother). She grew up…not spoiled, exactly, but convinced that nothing was beyond her grasp.

When she was old enough, Genevieve (trained by her mother in the Valroux Swordsman School) set out to see the world. She eventually made he way to Vodacce and studied under Veronica Ambrogia to supplement her Mastery of the Valroux School. Making her way across Théah as a professional sword fighter, she amassed a small fortune and a reputation for goading unwilling targets into duels. When she faced off against opponents familiar with her traditional fencing techniques, she confounded them with little tricks she had picked up in her travels, or invented herself. When Jenny had made enough money that she no longer needed to accept commissions, she returned to her hometown of Fornuft to dedicate herself to the study of fencing…and to pass on her knowledge to those she considered worthy.

The stance of a Ross Swordsman is unique: both weapons are held at about chest level, their blades parallel to the ground, with the sword arm extended straight towards the opponent and the off hand held back, close to the Swordsman’s chest. This allows for quick thrusts of the sword for attack, and an easy transition into defense with either the rapier or main gauche (or, if the attack comes at an opportune angle, with both). In addition, this stance allows a Swordsman’s attacks to transition easily from a straight thrust to a slash at the face, or to attack an opponent’s weapon directly, battering at his blade in an attempt to find a weak spot…or create one for his next attack.

Unfortunately for Ross Swordsmen, their stance makes them vulnerable to low strikes. By focusing his attacks at the Swordsman’s legs, an opponent can force the Swordsman’s weapons out of position, leaving him off-balance and unable to attack as effectively.

Basic Curriculum: Fencing, Knife
Knacks: Double Parry (Fencing/Knife), Exploit Weakness (Ross), Feint (Fencing), Riposte (Fencing), Sunder (Fencing)

New Swordsman Knack: Sunder. When making an attack, you can choose to strike at an enemy’s weapon, hoping to break it and leave your opponent defenseless. To make this attack, you roll Finesse + Sunder, taking two Raises to target the enemy’s weapon. If your hit is successful, roll damage as normal; this damage is not applied to the opponent, but compared against the following chart to see if the opponent’s weapon breaks:

Type of Weapon	TN to Sunder
Dagger, Knife, Main Gauche	20
Fencing Weapon	25
Heavy Weapon	30
Firearm, Polearm	35
Buckler, Shield	40

Game Masters should use their discretion in applying the Sunder Knack to other kinds of weapons. These Target Numbers can be adjusted by the following modifiers:

Weapon Quality	TN Adjustment
Inferior Weapon or Shield	-5
Quality Weapon or Shield	+5
Dracheneisen Weapon	+10
Djinn or Sidhe Weapon	+15

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: Beginning students of Ross learn to wield a rapier and main gauche in tandem, and to defend themselves with both weapons at all times. A Ross Swordsman may wield a rapier in his dominant hand and a main gauche in his off hand without penalty, and may add his Rank in Double Parry to his TN to be hit when using either Parry (Fencing) or Parry (Knife) as his Passive Defense Knack.

Maestra Ross has no intention of submitting her School for sanction by the Swordsman’s Guild, as she prefers to keep it exclusive and pick and choose her students. She has a passing interest in the new Duelist’s Guild, but until she decides to submit her creation for sanction by that organization, Apprentices of Ross receive a free Rank in one of their Swordsman Knacks in lieu of membership in either Guild.

Journeyman: Ross Journeymen have learned that there are two ways to destroy an opponent’s weapon: shattering the blade in one fell swoop, or chipping away at it, one little bit at a time. After successfully striking an opponent’s weapon using his Sunder Knack, the Journeyman may choose not to make a Damage Roll in an attempt to break that weapon. Instead, he is considered to have nicked, chipped, or otherwise inflicted minor damage on the weapon. Every time the Journeyman does this, the opponent suffers a -2 penalty to all Attack Rolls (including the use of any Swordsman Knacks). This penalty is also deducted from the damage total necessary to break the opponent’s weapon.

For example, if the Journeyman successfully uses this Technique twice against an opponent armed with a standard rapier, the opponent receives a -4 penalty on all his Attack Rolls, and the TN to break the weapon with a future Sunder attack is reduced from 25 to 21.

Master: A Ross Master becomes more cautious (and more dangerous) when he is wounded. When the Master is Injured (i.e., when he has suffered a number of Dramatic Wounds equal to or greater than his Rank in Resolve), he is no longer required to halve his Rank in Parry (Fencing) when he attempts a Riposte. He may still add Kept Dice up to his Rank in Riposte to his Active Defense Roll, as usual, and any unused dice may be added to his follow-up Attack.