Country of Origin: Crescent Empire (Only Qatihl’i may learn this style)
Salon: Mount Ozayrat (Average)
Founded: 1004 AV

Description: Many centuries ago, Ebedi Yilan al’Kadeem formed the Qatihl’i deep in a hidden fortress on Mount Ozayrat and began training his followers in the deadly Qor’qunq knife style, making them very efficient secret assassins. As the years rolled into decades, and the decades into centuries, al’Kadeem’s mind turned to thoughts of defense.

He knew his supernatural abilities turned away those who sought out the Qatihl’i to do them harm, but there may come a day when a large force overwhelmed those defenses and struck at the fortress. Should that come to pass, his subtle assassin’s style would serve them very poorly, and there were times when a show of force, such as it may be, would serve a purpose more efficiently than a knife in the back. He searched his memory for more techniques he had observed over the centuries he had been alive, and assembled them into the Thueban fighting style.

“Thueban” is an ancient Crescent word meaning “serpent,” and it is appropriate for this twin dagger school as the weapons, held in a reverse grip with the blades parallel to the wrists, move like snakes: weaving through air until the moment they strike. Daggers are not mighty weapons like swords or spears, so the style relies on quick strikes, delivered in rapid succession. In fact, with the set of techniques that have contributed to this style, Thueban may be the quickest knife-fighting style across the face of Théah.

Thueban is a fast, aggressive style, and its students can always be counted on strike at the first available target. These facts can be used by a knowledgeable opponent to defend against the style: by feigning an opening and setting a “trap” of a wounded arm or a strained shoulder, the opponent can anticipate where the next strike is coming and prepare for it. Likewise, a Thueban fighter tends to expend all of his energy early in a combat, leaving him vulnerable to counterattack later.

Basic Curriculum: Acrobat, Knife
Knacks: Corps-á-corps, Double Attack (Knife/Knife), Exploit Weakness (Thueban), Lunge (Knife), Sidestep

Apprentice: As an Apprentice, students of Thueban learn to wield a pair of matching daggers simultaneously, and that a grounded opponent is easy prey for a dagger strike. The off-hand penalty is negated when wielding a second dagger, and the Apprentice receives a free Raise to his use of the Corps-á-Corps Knack.

Thueban has no connection to the Swordsman’s Guild of mainland Théah. Instead of Guild Membership, students of Thueban receive the Combat Reflexes Advantage for free.

Journeyman: Journeymen of Thueban know that their weapons are smaller and less powerful than the scimitars and dilmekiri of their potential opponents. They cannot be stronger, so they must be faster. When using his Combat Reflexes Advantage, the Journeyman may reroll a number of dice equal to his Mastery Level and choose which result he wishes to keep. All other dice return to their original values.

Master: Masters of Thueban are capable of delivering strikes to an opponent’s shoulders or thighs that temporarily hinder his movements, making him an easier target for both the Master and his allies. Any time the Master hits an opponent with both daggers in the same Phase (either as the result of two basic attacks, or one Double Attack), the opponent’s TN to be hit is reduced by five. These reductions only last until the start of the next Round, at which time the opponent will have worked through the wounds or found ways to compensate for them. An opponent’s TN to be hit can never be reduced below five.