AN SEABHAC

The People are legendary warriors…but all warriors strive out of sheer competition (and personal challenge) for some skill to prove themselves a better among equals. For The People, the ultimate combat movement can be summarized with An Seabhac: “The Falcon.”

There are countless sword styles, tactics and drills ranging from the basic to the brilliantly complicated, using a one blade or two. Of all these, An Seabhac is considered the most difficult to execute in practice, and nearly impossible in combat. It is also among Dlotinus’ last innovations in swordplay before finding The One and committing his life to peace.

The requisites of An Seabhac are simple in concept, but extraordinarily complicated in execution. An Seabhac requires one sword in each hand (length is irrelevant). The warrior must catapult themselves, under their own power, high above their enemies (of which there must be at least two), land and strike simultaneous deathblows to each. The sheer physical requirements to perform An Seabhac renders most warriors unable to even attempt it. Those who can launch themselves with such force must then have the highly tuned proprioception (the “kinesthetic sense”) to know their orientation to the ground and their enemies (who are likely still moving).

An Seabhac is often performed with the swords initially kept at the warrior’s side (or crossed in front of their torsos) as they spiral through the air to confuse their opponents further. An Seabhac then requires even greater body-sense coordination to land in a manner that positions the swordsman to deliver the synchronized strikes.

Suffice to say, only a handful of The People have ever achieved An Seabhac. Only one female is recorded to have done so. None are known to have used it with the ease and regularity of Caderyn in combat…except Dlotinus himself.