Country of Origin: Madeira
Salon: Barcino
Founded: 1643

Description: Enrique Vergara was a fixture in Barcino’s Teatro Nacional since he was barely a teenager. He was a gifted dancer, but only a mediocre actor. Nevertheless, the Theatre kept him on as an understudy for minor parts and an apprentice dancing instructor. He showed such skill in the latter role that he quickly ascended to a full instructor, then choreographer, and finally fight master, all by the time he was twenty-three years of age. Throughout the Castilian theatre circuit, he became known for his precise fight scenes incorporating dance and fencing in a manner never seen before. This feat was accomplished through the Swordsman School that he developed more or less accidentally as he grew more and more skilled at choreographing stage fights. Proud of his accomplishment, he submitted himself and his School for sanction when the Guild was in its infancy. They turned him down cold, rejecting the School in favor of more “established” Schools like Aldana and Gallegos without even submitting Vergara’s School for testing. Enrique never forgave the slight, which has carried over to the School’s current Maestro: Enrique’s son Marco.

The fundamental concept of Vergara (and of its founder’s stage duels) is that one’s rapier is never drawn until the last possible second. Whereas most Swordsman Schools struggle with this, as releasing a weapon from its scabbard leaves it in poor position for an attack, Vergara embraces it. The Vergara Swordsman keeps one hand on his scabbard at all times, allowing him to turn it in whichever direction best allows him to draw and attack with the sword in one motion. By drawing the weapon as part of a pivot or spin, the force of the attack is even greater. Enrique developed the technique to allow for spectacular illusions of defeat (or at least getting knocked down, to feign death) in plays and operas; however, it translates into actual combat in devastating fashion as well.

The primary weakness of Vergara is that its Techniques are most effective when one’s sword is sheathed. An opponent who can attack prior to the weapon being drawn leaves the Vergara Swordsman unable to defend himself with parries or blocks. Furthermore, by studying the hand which is holding the scabbard and watching for the telltale twist, an opponent can anticipate an attack (or rapid string of attacks) and prepare a strong defense.

Basic Curriculum: Fencing, Performer
Knacks: Exploit Weakness (Vergara), First Strike (Fencing), Flurry (Fencing), Lunge (Fencing), Riposte (Fencing)

New Swordsman Knack: First Strike. When you have not yet drawn your weapon and wish to attack an enemy, you can declare a First Strike (using a single Action to draw and attack with your weapon). You roll Finesse + First Strike, and must take a number of Raises equal to your enemy’s Finesse in order for your First Strike 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.

New Swordsman Knack: Flurry. When attacking an enemy, you can declare a Flurry. You roll Resolve + Flurry, and must take 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 Vergara learn to dance across a battlefield, whirling and twirling to avoid an enemy’s attacks. At this level, a Vergara Swordsman may substitute Dancing for Footwork as a Defense Knack, and receives a Free Raise on any Active Defenses he attempts using the Dancing Knack. In addition, he may sheathe his rapier any time someone spends an Action Die (even if it is not him).

Since Vergara was snubbed by the Swordsman’s Guild when that institution was first created, it has become tradition that the School will never apply for sanction. The current Maestro is considering submitting the School for sanction by the Duelist’s Guild, but until that happens, Vergara Apprentices receive two free Ranks in the Dancing Knack in lieu of Guild Membership. This may increase the Apprentice’s Rank in Dancing to a four, even at character creation.

Journeyman: Journeymen of Vergara have perfected a whirling Lunge that leaves them off-balance, but can inflict devastating damage on an opponent due to the extra momentum generated by the Journeyman’s spin. When performing a Lunge, the Journeyman may choose to add two Kept Dice (+2k2) to his Damage Roll instead of two Unkept Dice, but doing so increases the penalties for executing a Lunge (reduction of one’s TN to be hit to 5 and the inability to perform Active Defenses) by an extra two Phases, or until the Journeyman spends a Current or Held Action to regain his footing (whichever comes first). If the Journeyman’s rapier was sheathed prior to attempting the Lunge, the target must also roll Finesse + Balance vs. the amount of Damage inflicted by the attack or be knocked prone.

Master: Vergara Masters excel at blending dance with swordplay: so much so that each jeté or pirouette sets up another opportunity for attack. Once per Round, the Master may spend an Action Die to make a roll of Panache + Dancing. Immediately after this roll is made, the Master may spend another Action Die (even if it is not legal) to make a series of attacks against a group of people, to a maximum of one target for every full five points rolled on the Dancing check.

To resolve this attack, the Master rolls Resolve + Flurry against the TN to be hit of the closest target, taking a number of Raises equal to the total number of opponents he is targeting. (For purposes of this attack, a Brute Squad is considered one target). If this roll is successful, the Master dances around the battlefield, striking each designated target once (and only once) with his rapier. The Raises taken to activate this Technique do not add to the Master’s Damage Roll (which is applied to each target individually), but he may declare extra Raises to add Unkept Dice (+1k0) to his Damage Roll against Villains and Henchmen, and to inflict one extra “hit” against each Brute Squad he targets. If the Master’s rapier was sheathed prior to making his Dancing check, he draws the weapon with a dazzling flourish as he executes the maneuver and does not have to declare extra Raises until after he has made his Attack Roll.

For example, suppose a Master of Vergara is facing a Villain, three Henchmen, and two Brute Squads in combat. He activates this Technique by spending a Drama Die and makes a roll of Panache + Dancing roll of 32. That would allow him to attack up to six opponents, but he elects to leave the Henchmen to his allies and attack the Villain and the Brute Squads. The closest target is a Rank 3 Brute Squad with a TN to be hit of 20; adding three Raises (for three targets) makes the Master’s TN a 35. He spends another Action Die (this one from later in the Round) and gets a 46 on his Attack Roll. He inflicts standard rapier damage (increased by his Brawn, as usual) against the Villain, and scores one hit on each of the Brute Squads. If the Master’s rapier had been sheathed prior to making his Dancing check, he could have declared two Raises after he made his Attack Roll, inflicting three hits on each Brute Squad and inflicting 4k2 Flesh Wounds on the Villain (plus one Unkept Die for each Rank the Master has in Brawn).