Cleftlands Style
From MiddleWiki
A school of the arts martial invented, researched, refined and taught in the Barony of the Cleftlands.
The style involves sword and a heater, or other strapped shield held at an angle to the body and parallel with the fighter's forward leg. The fighting stance is "turned-away" and has one foot forward toward the opponent and the sword, when at rest, is either at the shoulder with the pommel pointing toward the opponent or down, with the arms close to the body and the point toward the opponent. Cuts are made with a powerful turn of the hips. Another variation of the style is seen in a unique stance used with a center-boss shield. This entails a "turned-away" stance similar to that with a strapped shield, but with the shield-elbow close to the waist, holding the shield parallel to the body and the outer edge turned forward (opposite of the usual center-boss stance). The shield is manipulated or turned forward and back as required during combat and the sword is held either high or low as balances the shield position for powerful cuts from the hip-turn. Similar elements of the style are seen in the stance for combat with two weapons, wherein the same turn-away stance and powerful cuts from turning the hips (The body-center-turning-cut) are employed and illustrate the essential component of the Style - "All Attacks are Defenses and all Defenses are Attacks". This "Committed Defense" and "Committed Attack" originating close to the body are the first key element. Other combat techniques following this Style as a "School" include the Danish War Axe, Pole-Arm, and Spear which also rely on the turn-away and powerful body-turning-center motion. This is the second key element described as "all weapons are one weapon".
Some well known Cleftlands Style fighters include Duke Syr Laurelen, the primary proponent of the School, Duke Sir Eliahu, and Eorl Syr EikBrandr who is also a primary example of using and teaching the Cleftlands Center-boss and War-axe style as well.
