The Witchblades' art

Arms • Spells • tools • loreSlayers of Monsters; fragmented from kith and kin.Do you wield blades, command magic, and brew curious concoctions to summon undying strength from your core?Then perhaps you are one of us.But there is more to a witchblade's tradition than their method alone.Why do you hunt?

The Fury methods

Each witchblade school and sect emphasises one method of 'Fury', a battle-mode adopted in conjunction with potions, spells, and weapon skills elevate the witchblade from a deadly fighter to a downright supernatural one.Outside of the schools, lore of the Fury known to the layman is vague and disjointed at best. These methods are kept secret, taught only from one witchblade master to an apprentice.Over time, the lines between the three forms have become blurred, and much of its secrets withheld under fear of betrayal.

Frenzy

The Frenzy is not blind rage, and it is not self-fueled. The Frenzy is momentum and exchange....The inciting of your rage is flint steel to a pile of kindling. It burns quickly and brightly, but the fire is small, and kindling is not fuel. Your enemies are your servants......Careful one must be when to engage in the Frenzy. In the face of a pacifist who gives one nothing to fuel the fire, one must be quick to stomp out the kindling and stop the fire, lest one spends himself empty and do neither good nor harm in the process....A greater foe will feed him more, this he can rely.

Trance

Meditation is not the absence of thoughts, because that lot is for the dead and the dim. A good witchblade is neither dead nor dim....Because the heartbeat is the expression of one's physical and mental condition, intrinsic awareness of the rhythm is complete awareness of the self....He never reacts in panic, and he never falters in the face of overbearing, overwhelming intimidation. If he fights, he knows how to strike, where to strike, and why.And if he flees, it is not because his nerves failed him, but because he knows it to be a wise decision.

Intoxication

How many powerful properties are out of our reach, because our frail physiology cannot utilise them?What a waste of potential it is, that some herbs known by all who studies the barest chapters in herbology recognises to be lethal poison?...But all these condemnations are written - measured - against the frail metric of an unaltered body...Ours shall be the most versatile and most powerful of Fury, but of course, the riskiest one, too.

Probably Alive

Possibly Dead

Coin • Fame • Ideals

For whom - or for what - do you embark on your path of endless hunts?This is your profession and no matter how you reject it, it is yours. So choose a reason and may it serve as your compass, but never choose an allegiance. You are masterless witchblades; your worth lies in your skill, not loyalty.Allegiances have no obligations to freelancers; the cause will betray you.

Elite beginnings

No one remembers where the arts began, but the first school was likely founded near Dalmasca or adjacent wilderness.This first was akin to a monk's monastic tradition: a grandmaster assisted by protégés in the training of apprentices.These graduates were rangers, roamers of the wild worlds, intercepting dangers without wish for payment or recognition.

pragmatic fracturing

Not all graduates were happy with this rewardless arrangement, of course. Obscured from the world as they were, it was easy for the first splintered cell to establish their own schools. With the precedent set, every major disagreement could become grounds for another splintering.With each generation, the styles, spells, recipes, and knowledge needed to hunt down their beastly marks were constantly forgotten and discovered. Each school shared overlapping abilities and glossaries, though no two Witchblades were the same. Indeed, even teachers kept some knowledge from their own protégés.Over time, a title once mythic came to denote nothing more than a niche profession.

Violent Reclamation

As the collective knowledge of the Witchblades grew, a few traditionalist schools sought to reunite all the Arts under their own banners. Many proclaimed themselves the rightful successor, though the truth was all but forgotten. Regardless, a hunt began; at last bringing the Witchblades' clash-of-ideals to first blood. Only more blood followed after that.Each Witchblade - or ones worth their salt, at least - carried relics akin to soul crystals: imbued with the skills and tribulations of their forebears. It was so easy (relatively) to steal such a thing. Often times there was no need for bloodshed, but institutional feuds and questions of honor drive sane folks to insane deeds all the same.

knowledge entombed

What remains of the survivors erected lodestones in obscure places to store the memory of their arts. Only the combination of their personal relic and a secret ritual unique to each school could unlock the knowledge hidden within. Provided the knowing Witchblade willingly divulge the location...which they rarely will.As few and far between as they may be, Witchblades still harbored wariness towards each other, never knowing when a knife in the back may come, if not for the tradition's honor, then for pure pragmatic expansion of skills. Sometimes the tension - the anticipation - alone is enough to draw steel. Henceforth, Witchblades almost always work alone.Mentors used to tattoo the lodestone's location onto a graduating pupil's skin. The method had largely fallen out of practice for obvious reasons, and only the oldest of Witchblades carry these marks with them still.For most, the Witchblade's era was coming to a fitting close.

Era enduring

Words on the winds go that in Eorzea, representatives of a dozen schools have come together in the old way of Witchblades' Moot to negotiate, not quite peace, but coexistence.Territories are carved, tributes agree upon, and the idea of cooperation played with. Most Witchblades are creatures of instinct, honed to survive everything, and it will take far more than this to erase the intrinsic doubt instilled since the fracturing. But it's a good start.

blade and sorcery

Weapons
A Witchblade is never far from a weapon. Most often they wield edged weapons, adding a lethal exclamation point to their heightened speed.
Daggers • Swords • Axes • PolearmsWeapon styles
A Witchblade always know at least two styles that corresponds to their favored weapon, choosing which to employ as the situation demands.
Strength • Speed • Defense • Hoardbreak • CounterSpells
Most Witchblades use magic to supplement and level the playing field, rather than raw destruction. No Witchblade commands all of these spells.
Aero • Fire • Blizzard • Stone • Thunder • Water
Manaward • Repose • Break • Addle • Cure • EsunaAlchemy
When given time for preparation, a Witchblade increase their lethality manifold through the use of potions: these bastardized brews that breaks mortal limits for a moment, at the cost of severe side effects.
Pick your poison well.
Endurance • Power • Perception • Defense • Healing
Nullification • AugmentationOther Tools
The Witchblade arsenal is constantly growing. Other tools such as poison, oil, traps, and other aetherical manipulation could very well be in a Witchblade's kit.Lore
"The pen is mightier than the sword," so they say. To a Witchblade, the pen and the sword go hand-in-hand. One would not know where to strike - or what to expect to strike - if someone else's pen didn't first explain it. Almost all Witchblades are well-read in the subjects of certain monsters.
Ashkin • Cloudkin • Forgekin • Scalekin • Seedkin • Soulkin • Voidsent • Wavekin

OOC INFORMATION

The Witchblade concept is built as a headcanon within the confines of the FFXIV lore. There is no FC governing it, and you are free to create or convert a character to be a member of the tradition as you wish. We do, however, have a Discord server where Witchblades can world build and ideate together. It is not a 'Job' in the FFXIV sense, nor is it mutually exclusive to any Class or Job your character may be practicing. Witchblading is a profession and a lifestyle.The sections of this Carrd details the story and conditions of what it means - and does not mean - to take up the title of a Witchblade, but concrete rules do not exist.However
If you wish to create a Witchblade according to this set of headcanon lore, please try to remain within the confines states in this Carrd. I won't try to police your character, but I will try to uphold a standard to prevent the concept from devolving into a parody of itself. For example: a Witchblade school that trains exclusively to hunt and kill one enemy type / species.The following is a shortlist to help decide whether you tick enough boxes, but they are not exclusive qualities of a Witchblade.

Your character may fit the bill if...

  • They employ both melee weapons (usually edged) and magic in significant capacity.

  • They augment their arsenal with crafted tools, such as traps and potent potions.

  • They specialize in hunting certain types of creatures (except Spoken).

  • They are willing to work for any client, as long as it fits their chosen drive.

They may not fit the bill if...

  • They fight and hunt out of strong sense of morality.

  • They are not accustomed (or aversed) to dangerous and high-risk situations.

  • OOCly, you prefer to keep your character free of serious injuries.

If you've made a Witchblade and would like to discuss potential character details, you can contact me on Discord @CommunEstVEVO#3890If you'd like to point out similarities to other media: too bad.

KNOWN SECTS & SCHOOLS

The first, and most idealistic school.

The second, most pragmatic school.

Arnhildr's: "Find a path, or forge a path."

Rheja's Jungle Cult: "Feast upon thine subduers."

Alrek's

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