Country of Origin: Avalon (Inismore)
Salon: Liumnech (Average)
Founded: 1652
Sanctioned (Swordsman’s Guild): 1668
Revoked: 1671
Sanctioned (Duelist’s Guild): 1672

Description: Sheamus Fitzwilliam was an Inish mercenary fighting in the War of the Cross on behalf of the Northern Army. A big, burly lad, Sheamus found that his Donovan training did not suit him in the field: his large hands practically engulfed the hilt and pommel of the smallsword, and the buckler looked ridiculous strapped to his thick wrist. He found himself naturally drawn to the heavier weapons used by his Eisen allies; he quickly mastered the longsword, developed his own set of Techniques to use it, and retired to his homeland of Inismore when the War finally ground to a close. Sheamus perfected his technique and applied for sanction by the Swordsman’s Guild. His request was granted, but the Fitzwilliam School was stripped of its sanction as part of the Guild’s modernization efforts in Corantine 1671

Fitzwilliam makes use of a longsword, which is wielded with a two-handed grip. It is a well-rounded style: a practitioner is first taught purely defensive maneuvers, allowing him to compensate for the loss of a shield or buckler. As his skills develop, the Swordsman learns techniques which are dependent upon his own power and strength, while simultaneously learning to maneuver across a field of battle so that each attack and defense eventually sets up the next.

For all its strengths, Fitzwilliam is far from perfect, as most of its attacks leave the practitioner open, even if only for a split second. For a highly-trained enemy, however, a split second may be all that is needed.

Basic Curriculum: Athlete, Heavy Weapon
Knacks: Beat (Heavy Weapon), Disarm (Heavy Weapon), Exploit Weakness (Fitzwilliam), Lunge (Heavy Weapon), Sidestep

Revised Swordsman Knack: Beat. When attacking an enemy, you can declare a Beat. You roll Brawn + Beat, and must roll a number of Raises equal to your enemy’s Brawn in order for your Beat 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 Fitzwilliam learn to compensate for their weapon’s weight and defend themselves more easily than those who do not receive training in the School. When attempting an Active Defense using Parry (Heavy Weapon), a Fitzwilliam Swordsman receives one free Raise per Mastery Level on his roll. As an Apprentice, this simply eliminates the penalty associated with using a longsword for defense.

Journeyman: A Journeyman of Fitzwilliam learns to put all of his power into his swings, inflicting devastating wounds on his hapless opponent’s. After striking an opponent with his longsword, the Journeyman’s Rank in Brawn is subtracted from the opponent’s Wound Threshold when he makes his Wound Check.

Master: The Fitzwilliam Master perfects the art of the Beat, using one powerful swing to knock an enemy’s weapon aside, then turning in a full circle to strike into the opening he has created. When attempting a Beat, the Master’s Rank in Brawn is considered to be one higher than his actual Rank (to a maximum of six). This applies to the attack roll, the Damage Roll (if any), and the application of his Journeyman Technique.