Disclaimer: The following document fragment is presented from an in-character perspective, it should not be taken as the truth of the setting.
Context: A short bit of lore for today, but one I find interesting nonetheless. A culture where magic exists is sure to incorporate that magic into all sorts of other disciplines. So it should not be a surprise that martial arts based on the usage of the arcane exists within the setting’s version of Earth. In this excerpt, a short description of one such art is presented.
The duel has two principles:
kanlı – thine enemy shall be bloodied.
kansız – thou shall be bloodless.
So that these two principles may come into effect, a tapestry of shadow is woven tightly around the confrontation. In the moment, there is no realisation of the dagger piercing flesh. There is only the realisation that the blade has already sunken deep, and blood has been drawn.
Influenced by both Hellenistic Greece and the Middle East, Macharomancy was the chosen form of self-defence employed by mages of high families. Of course, it was not merely a school of swordplay. Deception, illusion and mind games played a prominent role in such confrontations. It gave a mage a significant advantage over a mundane opponent and turned a clash between two mages into a duel of intellect more so than brawn.
Indeed, unlike most martial arts, it emphasised little in the form of physical prowess. It prefers light daggers or swords and no armour. The blades do not clash, but rather it is the wit and the will of the blade-holders that act against each other. In traditional Macharomancy, only one blow should be dealt in the whole duel, and it is a decisive, often fatal strike.
Today, bloodless, ritualised Macharomancy remains a sport of choice for some mages. But it remains a spectacular display of skill. The audience, often adepts of the art themselves, try to pierce the veil of illusion both parties weave against each other. The participants are still most often members of high families, but ostensibly, the blade is no longer used as a tool of assassination and defence.
Esoteric Musings... 