Captain Hesperus
Harbinger of the End Times and Apostle of Ghan
In the world of Exalted, the Martial Arts is considered, if not the king, then the queen of combat. For the Exalted themselves, there are an almost limitless number of styles available, from the focussed Terrestrial styles all the way to the esoteric and bizarre concepts of the Sidereal styles.
While mortals who have managed to awaken their Essence can study and, in a few rare cases, master a Terrestrial style, I have to wonder: Is there the potential for a mortal to study a Celestial style but not the Charms?
What I mean to say is this, is it possible for a mortal to emulate the postures, forms, stances and strikes of a Celestial style enough, so that they could use the form's weapons as Martial Arts weapons?
For example, Mei-Lin, the Great Forks courtesan-information broker is knowledgeable in an ancient fighting style handed down through her mother's family. It takes the form of a dance involving steel-reinforced fans and weighted belts and sashes. It would, in the eye of an experienced Celestial Martial Artist, equate closely to the Dreaming Pearl Courtesan style, however, Mei-Lin has no access to the Charms of the style (obviously). If she were drawn into combat (by a requited ex-lover or turncoat informant, say), would she have to rely on her unarmed attacks (fists and feet) or could she use the style's form weapons (which she tends to carry about her person as a matter of her costume)?
Captain Hesperus
While mortals who have managed to awaken their Essence can study and, in a few rare cases, master a Terrestrial style, I have to wonder: Is there the potential for a mortal to study a Celestial style but not the Charms?
What I mean to say is this, is it possible for a mortal to emulate the postures, forms, stances and strikes of a Celestial style enough, so that they could use the form's weapons as Martial Arts weapons?
For example, Mei-Lin, the Great Forks courtesan-information broker is knowledgeable in an ancient fighting style handed down through her mother's family. It takes the form of a dance involving steel-reinforced fans and weighted belts and sashes. It would, in the eye of an experienced Celestial Martial Artist, equate closely to the Dreaming Pearl Courtesan style, however, Mei-Lin has no access to the Charms of the style (obviously). If she were drawn into combat (by a requited ex-lover or turncoat informant, say), would she have to rely on her unarmed attacks (fists and feet) or could she use the style's form weapons (which she tends to carry about her person as a matter of her costume)?
Captain Hesperus
