Country of Origin: Vodacce
Salon: Numa (Tiny)
Founded: 1664

Description: Drusus has the distinction of being the only completely original Swordsman School focusing on the gladius to be developed in more than nine centuries. Developed on a lark by a young Numan noble who witnessed the reemergence of the Numanaius School and believed that he could do better, Drusus relies on the use of a pair of gladii: one for defending and one for attacking (though they are sometimes used in combination for a singular purpose).

Drusus makes use of an unusual stance: the Swordsman holds his weapons at his sides, as if daring an opponent to attack. When a strike comes, the Swordsman moves like a serpent, bringing one (or occasionally both) of his Gladii up to deflect the blow while the other lashes out for a counterattack. Drusus Swordsmen balance on the balls of their feet, constantly bouncing from one foot to the other. This is not for the purpose of the Swordsman’s footwork (though he is typically highly trained in that regard). Rather, this allows the Swordsman to easily plant a foot so that he can bring his weapons into position with full leverage behind them.

Of course, the unusual stance and movements of the Drusus School also serve as its primary weaknesses. A sudden strike may catch the Swordsman off guard and score a hit before he has a chance to bring up a gladius to defend himself. Likewise, before a Drusus Swordsman makes an attack, he drops one of his feet to the ground, signaling that an attack is incoming and allowing an opponent to strengthen his defense.

Basic Curriculum: Athlete, Gladius
Knacks: Double Parry (Gladius/Gladius), Exploit Weakness (Drusus), Pommel Strike (Gladius), Riposte (Gladius), Sidestep

Apprentice: Students of the Drusus School are trained to wield two gladii simultaneously and to defend themselves at all times. The off-hand penalty is negated when wielding a second gladius, and the Apprentice receives a free Raise on any Active Defenses he attempts using Parry (Gladius) as a Defense Knack.

Journeyman: Journeymen of Drusus learn a special Riposte that involves the use of both swords at the same time. The key Knacks for this Technique are Double Parry and Attack (Gladius); each Knack is halved, as usual for a Riposte, and the Journeyman can add his Ranks in Riposte (as Kept Dice) to either roll or split them between both rolls.

To use the Technique, the Master first attempts the Double Parry, and if it is successful he leverages the opponent’s weapon to one side and strikes with a lateral slash from both blades. If successful, the attack inflicts 3k3 damage on the opponent (indexed for Brawn, as usual).

Master: As a Master, the Swordsman has learned to move both more quickly and more subtly, minimizing his weakness. When he is using Footwork as his Passive Defense Knack, his Action Dice are considered three less than their face value for purposes of Active Defenses (Grandmastery would increase this to four). In addition, once per Round he may launch a surprise attack without planting his feet first. The TN to hit the opponent drops to five (for this attack only), but the Swordsman’s Brawn is halved (rounded up) for purposes of adding Unkept Dice (+1k0) to his Damage Roll.

Note: A gladius is a short, double-edged weapon popular in Numan lands centuries ago. It is always a Masterwork weapon, and has a Damage Rating of 2k2. Gladius is a Martial Skill consisting solely of the Basic Knacks Attack (Gladius) and Parry (Gladius).