Sky Talon Style

The various clans of Harpies and Tengu’s live in harmony together on Mt Merlin. This was not always the case.

A long time ago, the two races were in a violent territorial dispute over the mountain. The tengu held control over it when the harpies moved in. The tengu were worried about the threat of these sudden newcomers, while the harpies considered Mt Merlin part of Northi’s territory and thus their land by right.

The tengu had both the numbers and defender’s advantage and quickly moved to forcefully expel the invaders after the brief set of negotiations broke down. However, they had lacked knowledge of the Harpy’s innate mastery of the wind. Their downbursts would snipe tengu’s out of the sky without any recourse and the first battle ended in a crushing defeat for the crows.

Seizing the momentum, the harpies pushed forward and suppressed the tengu’s, who were unable to use their usual flying combat strategies. Hope seemed lost. Until, Dawn Waits Above stepped out of her solitary training from the highest peaks of the mountains.

Dawn gifted onto her fellow tengu’s a martial arts style that let them harness the power of the wind themselves. They managed to fly faster and land extremely quickly to avoid the dangerous blasts of wind coming from the sky. Once they closed the gap, their wind-infused fists knocked the harpies out of the sky themselves where they were beaten into submission.

With the new techniques, the tides of the battle shifted into a stalemate. With neither side having an advantage and enough blood already spilled, the two races agreed to stop fighting. The tengu’s settled on the higher peaks, always being able to look down on the harpies and keep watch over them.

Even after that short war, the Sky Talon Style remains a commonly used martial arts style to this day. The tengu’s of Mt Merlin will never forget how vulnerable they were, while other aspiring martial artists see the style as a way to mimic the strength of the flying races.

“Fall not like a bird losing flight, but like a blade from heaven.” Dawn Waits Above, 3rd scroll of the Sky Talon Style.