Beautiful Song Fists

Nature: Balanced Origin: Kun'lao Flourish: Reeling

Beautiful Song Fists is a martial arts style developed for self defense by nobles, particularly noble women, with origins in Kun'lao's second era in particular. The style is direct, powerful, and extremely unrelenting. It is both simple and complex, both easy to learn and difficult to master. It was created by a Warriors Priestess of the Emerald Empire who was often tasked with protecting the daughters of a particular noble family. She developed Beatiful Song Fists so that these daughters could properly protect themselves against unwanted suitors. Despite initially being developed for noble women to learn, it is in fact widely proliferated around Kun'lao today, especially among the nobility.

Beautiful Song Fist's Flourish is Reeling, representing its offensive response to self defense. Although made primarily so that users can protect themselves, Beautiful Song Fists' offense is surprisingly brutal and capable of completely throwing one's opponent off guard. This holds especially trye in regards to the style's infamous rapidfire punches.

Core Principles

There are a few key elements to those who practice Beautiful Song Fists. These elements are central to the martial art's key concept: Disabling the opponent by any means necessary while keeping one's self safe.

• The Centerline: Beautiful Song Fists builds it's offense around the idea of the "centerline." The user imagines a vertical line going through the center of their opponent. They must do everything they can to keep that center line in front of themselves. Both offense and defense is then made in relation to that centerline.

• Relaxation is Key: Practicioners are to keep their muscles relaxed when attacking. This allows them to react quickly and attack quickly, as the style definitely favors rapid fire offense as a means of defeatin one's foe. Beautiful Song Fists prioritizes quickly punches, with only low kicks meant to throw an opponent off used in regards to legwork.

• Practicality: Beautiful Song Fists is one of the most practical styles in Kun'lao. It knows it exists for self defense, and everything it does is focused on that. Practicioners build up their leg muscles as part of their standard excercises. This is not for flashy kicks, but so its hard for the users to be sent off their feet. Beautiful Song Fists teaches its users to keep striking their opponent when they're down, because a fighter doesn't end when somebody falls in a fight of self defense. Beautiful Song Fists also utilizes 8 different directional blocks which are vital to the style, because it priotizes keeping its user safe above all else.

Weapons

Although Beautiful Song Fists is mainly focused on hand to hand combat due to its self defense focus, it does teach its users to use some weapons. Examples include:

• Butterfly Blades: Small cleaver-like blades that are typically duel-wielded. Used to parry and commit direct attacks in a similar manner to hand to hand combat.

• Dragon Pole: A long staff used for long range combat. Practicioners are taught to look for potential weapons in their environment that can be used like dragon poles.