Zantou Style

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NSRP
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Zantou Style

Post by NSRP » Tue Sep 10, 2019 1:44 pm

Zantou Kenjutsu
Style Description
The ancient warriors of the Frost Country, battling both against harsh, unforgiving climates and constant attacks from outside forces, developed Zantou, a special style of Kenjutsu to fight back against invaders while defending even the strongest of arctic gates. Unlike most other styles, which often make use of highly technical swordplay, elaborate footwork, and blinding speed, Zantou attacks the mind of the opponent and defeats him both in body and in soul. Zantou is unique amongst the traditional kenjutsu styles in that it mandates the use of twin swords. While most practitioners opt for pairs of kodachi or ninjato for superior defense while maintaining a strong offense and adequate reach, any pair of swords can be used with this style. A combination of intense mental focus, quick and powerful strikes, and harnessing one's will to influence themselves and their opponents using [i]Kiai[/i], Zantou brings the body, mind, and soul of the warrior together in a fierce union, becoming an embodiment of the blades they wield.

Requires: [Sword Weapons], [Perception], [Deft Hands] Concentrations.
NocodeShow
[center]The ancient warriors of the Frost Country, battling both against harsh, unforgiving climates and constant attacks from outside forces, developed Zantou, a special style of Kenjutsu to fight back against invaders while defending even the strongest of arctic gates. Unlike most other styles, which often make use of highly technical swordplay, elaborate footwork, and blinding speed, Zantou attacks the mind of the opponent and defeats him both in body and in soul. Zantou is unique amongst the traditional kenjutsu styles in that it mandates the use of twin swords. While most practitioners opt for pairs of kodachi or ninjato for superior defense while maintaining a strong offense and adequate reach, any pair of swords can be used with this style. A combination of intense mental focus, quick and powerful strikes, and harnessing one's will to influence themselves and their opponents using [i][nocode][i]Kiai[/i][/i], Zantou brings the body, mind, and soul of the warrior together in a fierce union, becoming an embodiment of the blades they wield.

Requires: [Sword Weapons], [Perception], [Deft Hands] Concentrations.[/center][/nocode]
D-Rank Techniques
*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Winter Solstice][/b][/color]
D-Rank Taijutsu Stance
The basic Stance of Zantou, the practitioner holds one blade forward, parallel to the ground, and holds the other high over the head, pointing toward the opponent. The low blade grants the practitioner the ability to quickly defend against an opponent's attack while the blade raised overhead allows the practitioner to either quickly attack or counterattack with a powerful downward swing or thrust. This pairing of defense and offense serves as one of the cores of Zantou's swordsmanship. Drawing in a deep breath, the practitioner also gathers up their energy and releases a [i]kiai[/i]. This Stance allows the practitioner to ignore non-critical distractions and minor environmental factors, such as small amounts of excess heat, small amounts of excess cold, small amounts of fatigue, and even small amounts of pain, allowing them to focus entirely on their opponents' movements and the tasks at hand. While in this Stance, the practitioner is conferred with a +2 increase to Strength and +1 increase to Will Power but suffers a -2 penalty to Chakra Pool and -1 penalty to Control. The practitioner may end this Stance whenever they so wish.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Ambidexterity][/b][/color]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
After practicing for a long amount of time with the concept of using both of their hands with equal skill, the user has developed a level of ambidexterity that allows them to utilize both hands equally and as effectively without any penalty. This extends to other methods of combat or simple everyday life as well.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Winter River Flows][/b][/color]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
The physical training and mental focus encouraged by Zantou allows for the practitioner to adapt quickly and take advantage of opportunities to attack when they present themselves in combat. This Discipline represents the practitioner's ability to alter the direction of their blade mid-cut. This can be used to work around a block, or simply to act as a powerful feint and strike all in the same motion without stopping. This Discipline can make a Zantou practitioner’s movements difficult to predict in a fight.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Eyes of the Snow Owl][/b][/color]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Ambidexterity][/i][/color].
The practitioner of Zantou must be capable of both defending and attacking within the same movement. This Discipline represents the practitioner's training and capacity to block an attack with one sword while simultaneously attacking with the other while wielding two or more weapons, making it more difficult for opponents to adequately block or counter the practitioner's attacks.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Shifting Winds][/b][/color]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Ambidexterity][/i][/color].
Complete control of the weapons one is wielding is a necessity to ensure a practitioner of Zantou is proficient in the style. This Discipline represents the practitioner's ability to switch either one of their swords (or both, if they wish) from standard grip to reverse grip reflexively, the movements to do so firmly trained into their muscle memory. This allows the Zantou practitioner to ensure that the cutting edges of their blades are always facing the opponent whenever they want them to be. This Discipline can make a Zantou practitioner’s movements difficult to predict in a fight.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Cold Snap][/b][/color]
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Winter River Flows][/i][/color].
While slashing an opponent, the practitioner twists their wrist while simultaneously channeling the momentum of the first attack into another slash in a different direction, allowing the practitioner to attack another area of the opponent's body with the same sequence of movements.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Falling Icicle][/b][/color]
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Winter River Flows][/i][/color].
This technique can be performed as a standalone technique, often supplemented by feinting a slash, or can be linked to another attack. The practitioner twists their wrist and channels their momentum into a downward thrust, lodging their blade into the opponent and potentially pinning them to the ground or another surface. The opponent can force the practitioner away if their Strength stat is higher than the practitioner's Strength stat, but doing so hastily can cause additional damage as the blade continues to expand the wound even further. Conversely, the practitioner can opt to twist the blade in the wound and pull it out, causing further damage to the opponent and possibly severing important tendons or veins.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Frigid Gust][/b][/color]
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Zantou harnesses the inner strength of its warrior to cause the opponent to falter. Intentionally clashing with the opponent's weapon at a weak point, the practitioner immediately torques the muscles in their arm to violently push and twist the weapon in a single direction. An opponent affected by this technique must have a Strength higher than the practitioner's Strength to avoid losing their grip on their weapon or being disarmed entirely. The practitioner can immediately follow up on this opening with a slash with the other weapon if they so wish.
C-Rank Techniques
*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Winter Snow][/b][/color]
C-Rank Taijutsu Stance
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Winter Solstice][/i][/color].
Building upon its parent technique, this Stance further builds upon further sharpening and refining the practitioner's capacity to focus on the opponent and the task at hand. The practitioner holds one blade forward, parallel to the ground, and holds the other high over the head, pointing toward the opponent. The low blade grants the practitioner the ability to quickly defend against an opponent's attack while the blade raised overhead allows the practitioner to either quickly attack or counterattack with a powerful downward swing or thrust. This pairing of defense and offense serves as one of the cores of Zantou's swordsmanship. Drawing in a deep breath, the practitioner also gathers up their energy and releases a [i]kiai[/i]. While in this Stance, the practitioner can more easily ignore non-critical distractions, focusing solely on the opponent(s). They also are able to ignore moderate heat, moderate cold, moderate fatigue, and even a moderate amount of pain. They can read the opponents' muscle contractions and body positioning more accurately in this stance, and they are able to read both the direction and the type of attack that is imminent. The opponent can still effectively mask their movements if they have a movement-concealing Stealth technique of equal or higher rank than this technique. While in this Stance, the practitioner is conferred with a +2 increase to Strength and Will Power but suffers a -2 penalty to Chakra Pool and Control. The practitioner may end this Stance whenever they so wish.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Wolf Pack Paradigm][/b][/color]
C-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Much of a human's movements are inefficient and waste energy, especially in regards to combat. The practitioner has learned how to fully synchronize and harmonize the movements of their body in and out of combat. This Discipline represents the practitioner's knowledge and mastery of kinetic linking, the efficient movement and transferal of potential energy from one part of the body to the other, eliminating potentially wasted Endurance and chakra and allowing the practitioner to last longer than ordinary in a fight.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Wolf Pack Prowl][/b][/color]
C-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
The practitioner carefully scrutinizes his opponent's defenses and attacks whatever openings present themselves. This Discipline represents the practitioner's capacity to quickly recognize the base effective range of an opponent's weapon and inherent weaknesses in their defenses, including if there are none. This technique does not provide supernatural insight into an opponent's techniques which could alter those parameters, but this technique can be used in conjunction with other information the practitioner has to build a complete mental profile on the opponent's capabilities.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Wolf Pack Fangs][/b][/color]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Using the opponent's own guard as an avenue for attack, the practitioner will feint as to clash against the opponent's defense. Then, as the blade's edge is about to make contact, the practitioner will twist the said blade and push the blade forward as the flat of their weapon makes contact against the opponent's guard. This allows the practitioner to initiate a slash or thrust against the opponent by sliding the flat of the blade along the opponent's guard. This tricky technique can allow the practitioner to exploit inherent weaknesses in the opponent's guard and even push through an opponent's defenses to attack them.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Wolf Pup Bite][/b][/color]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
As opposed to most attacks, which aim to do as much damage as possible as in few movements as necessary, this technique aims to slowly whittle away an opponent from the outside in. Whenever an opponent parries or blocks an attack, the practitioner can quickly sidestep, dragging the weapon along the opponent's guard and making a small incision somewhere along their outer extremities. While the cuts themselves are shallow and may appear superficial at first, continued use of this technique against an enemy can result in significant blood loss. Each successful application of this technique will leave a wide, shallow cut that will increase the pace at which the opponent loses blood and, in turn, Endurance.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Twisting Blizzard][/b][/color]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Ambidexterity][/i][/color], *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Shifting Winds][/i][/color].
The practitioner uses their skills with their weapons to obfuscate their next attacks. By constantly spinning the blades with their hands and fingers, randomly switching directions, the practitioner can reflexively choose not only what kind of strike to use and which direction to launch the attack from, but also whether to use standard grip or reverse grip the split-second before launching the attack. This can make the practitioner very unpredictable in a fight. This technique can be used in conjunction with other techniques to help mask the practitioner's intentions.
B-Rank Techniques
*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Winter Blizzard][/b][/color]
B-Rank Taijutsu Stance
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Winter Snow][/i][/color].
Building upon its parent technique, this Stance further builds upon further sharpening and refining the practitioner's capacity to focus on the opponent and the task at hand. The practitioner holds one blade forward, parallel to the ground, and holds the other high over the head, pointing toward the opponent. The low blade grants the practitioner the ability to quickly defend against an opponent's attack while the blade raised overhead allows the practitioner to either quickly attack or counterattack with a powerful downward swing or thrust. This pairing of defense and offense serves as one of the cores of Zantou's swordsmanship. Drawing in a deep breath, the practitioner also gathers up their energy and releases a [i]kiai[/i]. While in this Stance, the practitioner can very easily ignore non-critical distractions, focusing solely on the opponent(s). They also are able to ignore high heat, deep cold, mild oxygen deprivation, severe fatigue, and even a severe amount of pain. They can read the opponents' muscle contractions and body positioning more accurately in this stance, and they are able to read the direction, the type, and the timing of an attack that is imminent. The opponent can still effectively mask their movements if they have a movement-concealing Stealth technique of equal or higher rank than this technique. While in this Stance, the practitioner is conferred with a +3 increase to Strength and Will Power but suffers a -3 penalty to Chakra Pool and Control. The practitioner may end this Stance whenever they so wish.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Polar Bear Conservation][/b][/color]
B-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Wolf Pack Paradigm][/i][/color].
The Zantou practitioner has learned to more precisely control their Endurance expenditures through the use of controlled and precise breathing. This Discipline represents the practitioner's proficiency at constantly using efficient breathing techniques both in and out of battle, further conserving Endurance and chakra. This Discipline ensures that only the exact amount of energy needed for each movement is expended, not a single iota more. This allows the Zantou fighter to endure and persist in battle long after other fighters would have passed out. This Discipline also allows the practitioner to function normally in oxygen-deprived environments, such as very high altitudes and vacuums. The practitioner can hold their breath on-demand for a number of posts equal to their Endurance stat.

*[Zantou • Polar Bear Claw]
B-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Ambidexterity][/i][/color].
One of the few full committal techniques of Zantou, the practitioner momentarily torques the muscles in their arms. Then, in a single, explosive release, the practitioner looses a [i]kiai[/i] and two crossing diagonal slashes from opposite sides. Opponents within a number of meters equal to the practitioner's Strength must have a Will Power equal to or higher than the practitioner's Will Power to resist the [i]kiai[/i] effect. Otherwise, the opponents will suffer from minor disorientation from the disruption of the equilibrium, resulting in a -6 penalty to Speed for the next three posts. At the center of the attack, the second blade crashes into the back of the first, driving the first blade deeper into the opponent's guard, weapon, armor, or body. This technique is effective at breaking an opponent's weapon, armor, or defenses. The disorientation effect from this technique can be stacked with other disorientation effects and refreshes the post limit for any disorientation effect currently imposed on the opponents.

*[Zantou • Polar Bear Pursuit]
B-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Frigid Gust][/i][/color].
An uncharacteristically aggressive technique with a heavy commitment, the practitioner draws in a small breath before unleashing a stream of [i]kiai[/i] against the opponent before attacking them with a powerful series of alternating slashes and thrusts. Opponents within a number of meters equal to the practitioner's Strength must have a Will Power equal to or higher than the practitioner's Will Power to resist the [i]kiai[/i] effect. Otherwise, the opponent will suffer from minor disorientation from the disruption of the equilibrium, resulting in a -6 penalty to Speed for the next three posts. This disorientation can allow the practitioner to overwhelm the opponent's senses and defenses to land any number of serious, if not fatal, blows. The disorientation effect from this technique can be stacked with other disorientation effects and refreshes the post limit for any disorientation effect currently imposed on the opponents.

*[Zantou • Polar Bear Roar]
B-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] [i]35 Strength.[/i]
Reflexively torquing muscles around the body, the practitioner releases the pent up energy with a fierce [i]kiai[/i], the amount of energy released so potent that it violently stirs the air up around the practitioner up to a number of meters equal to the practitioner's Strength in all directions with wildly alternating wind currents. This technique is able to destroy bindings and repel attacks, projectiles, and ninjutsu with a strength equal to 1/2 of the practitioner's Strength stat, rounded down, often simply diverting these attacks around or away from the practitioner instead.
A-Rank Techniques
*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Winter Maelstrom][/b][/color]
A-Rank Taijutsu Stance
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Winter Blizzard][/i][/color].
Building upon its parent technique, this Stance further builds upon further sharpening and refining the practitioner's capacity to focus on the opponent and the task at hand. Drawing in a deep breath, the practitioner also gathers up their energy and releases a [i]kiai[/i]. The level of skill the practitioner has attained allows the practitioner to effectively attack and block from a neutral stance without any detriment. While in this Stance, the practitioner can effortlessly ignore non-critical distractions, focusing solely on the opponent(s). They also are able to ignore extreme heat, extreme cold, moderate oxygen deprivation, extreme fatigue, and even extreme pain. They can read the opponents' muscle contractions and body positioning very accurately in this stance, and they are able to read the direction, the type, the timing, and the speed of an attack that is imminent. The opponent can still effectively mask their movements if they have a movement-concealing Stealth technique of equal or higher rank than this technique. While in this Stance, the practitioner is conferred with a +4 increase to Strength and Will Power but suffers a -4 penalty to Chakra Pool and Control. The practitioner may end this Stance whenever they so wish.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Frost Dragon's Flight][/b][/color]
A-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Winter Maelstrom][/i][/color].
The practitioner has learned to strike and defend with movements that shift suddenly and ferociously. This Discipline represents the practitioner's knowledge and mastery of movement and muscle control, to the point that their movements, attacks, and techniques have no telegraphing signs until they are already in motion. This makes it much more difficult for opponents to properly react to the practitioner's actions in combat. Opponents must have a sight-based or sound-based Perception technique of equal or higher rank than this technique to adequately read the practitioner's movements, attacks, and techniques.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Frost Dragon's Fangs][/b][/color]
A-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Winter Maelstrom][/i][/color].
Torquing the muscles in their arms, the practitioner unleashed a relentless flurry of twisting slashes and thrusts. With controlled twisting of the wrists and arms, the practitioner can immediately change the direction of any of these attacks, even to the point of converting a slash into a thrust and vice-versa. The unpredictability of this technique, complemented by the practitioner’s already muted movements, makes this one of the deadliest techniques in all of Zantou.

*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou • Frost Dragon's Roar][/b][/color]
A-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] [i]30 Will Power,[/i], *[color=#6F6E73][i][Zantou • Frostbitten Howl][/i][/color].
Zantou harnesses the inner strength of its warrior to cause the opponent to lose hold of their senses. A more advanced version of its parent technique, the practitioner unleashes a mighty [i]kiai[/i], which bombards the opponent with violently vibrating air currents entering their ear canals. Opponents within a number of meters equal to the practitioner's Strength must have a Will Power equal to or higher than the practitioner's Will Power to resist the effect of this technique. Otherwise, any opponents in range of the technique will lose all sense of orientation, balance, and proprioception, resulting in a -9 penalty to Speed for the next three posts in the form of disorientation and extreme nausea to the point of uncontrolled vomiting. This technique can be used in conjunction with other techniques. The disorientation effect from this technique can be stacked with other disorientation effects and refreshes the post limit for any disorientation effect currently imposed on the opponents.
Ougi
*[color=#6F6E73][b][Zantou Ougi • Eternal Winter][/b][/color]
S-Rank Taijutsu Stance
[b]Prerequisite(s):[/b] [i]39 Will Power, must be learned in the Frost Country Dojo or taught by someone who trained there, 10[/i] [color=#6F6E73][i][b]Zantou Kenjutsu[/b][/i][/color] [i]techniques[/i].
Building upon its parent technique, this Stance sharpens and refines the practitioner's already considerable capacity to focus on the opponent and the task at hand to the finest point. The level of skill the practitioner has attained allows the practitioner to effectively attack and block from a neutral stance without any detriment. Drawing in a deep breath, the practitioner also gathers up their energy and releases a [i]kiai[/i]. While in this Stance, the practitioner can effortlessly ignore non-critical distractions, focusing solely on the opponent(s). They also are able to ignore all environmental conditions, all forms of fatigue, all forms of pain, and operate within a vacuum or oxygen-void environments up to a number of posts equal to their Endurance stat. They can read the opponents' muscle contractions and body positioning with pinpoint accuracy in this Stance, and they are able to read the direction, the type, the timing, the speed, and the strength of an attack that is imminent. They are also able to read sudden shifts in muscle contractions very easily, able to perceive almost any feint. The opponent can still effectively mask their movements if they have a movement-concealing Stealth technique of equal or higher rank than this technique. While in this stance, the practitioner is conferred with a +5 increase to Strength and Willpower but suffers a -5 penalty to Chakra Pool and Control. The practitioner may end this Stance whenever they so wish. Most important, however, is this Stance’s ability to break illusions that plague the practitioner’s mind. By channeling and releasing a powerful [i]kiai[/i] targeting themselves, the practitioner momentarily forces their brain into unconsciousness while locking their muscles to prevent themselves from falling during this function, breaking any genjutsu they may currently be under but leaving a short opening that can be exploited right before they wake up. Doing this immediately ends the Stance and abruptly awakens the practitioner. Using this function of the stance immediately ends the stance and imposes a -10 Endurance penalty on the practitioner for the remainder of the thread.

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