Ki and The Way of The Blade

This book is about the relation of Ki as used by Weapon Masters and Monks. I am a monk trained at the Gorethar Monastery in Redgate, after heading south I trained under Maikel Trueaxe of Gorethar to learn mastery of my Fathers sword Greysteel. Now, having reached a certain expertise in each, I have come to a realization about Ki.

Ki:

There is only one Ki, the Ki that I touch and use as a monk, is the very same that I apply as a master of the greatsword. The difference lay only in how it is used.

Ki is the life force energy of a living being, it is ephemeral, vague like a feeling or a faint sensation. Most cannot even feel the Ki within them, let alone touch or manipulate it. When we learn how to connect to our Ki, we come to access deeper levels of ourselves. To understand our own life force and channel it, manipulate it and through that achieve feats normally beyond us.

It is not a failure in any way if one cannot feel or touch their Ki, it is there and is changed through each life but it's not required to be aware of it to live a good and full life.

For the Monk and the Weapon Master however, Ki is central to their being. You often hear of martial arts when talking about monks, similarly the Weapon Master wields his weapon as an artist would a brush. Just as writing can become the art of calligraphy, so can the wielding of a blade be an art.

If the Ki of monks and weapon masters are one and the same, then why do they not have similar skills and abilities? The answer is in the manner in which the Ki is not only touched but how its manipulated. Just as the fingerprints on our fingers are unique, access to our Ki is unique. We all have different pathways to it and the benefits of understanding it vary with how we use it.

In the simplest terms and easiest definitions, the Weapon Master' Ki is external and the Monks is internal. I refer to them as Blade Ki and Inner Ki. I will try to explain the difference.

Blade Ki:

Blade Ki is the external Ki of the weapon master, it is the linkage between themselves and the weapon in their hand. Far more subtle than just the clutching of a weapon, it becomes an extension of their arm. It is a deep understanding and comprehension of the relationship between our "tools" and our bodies.

I call it blade Ki because I fight with blades, but the fundamentals are the same across all wielded weapons. It does not apply to any form of missile weapon, and interestingly does not apply to the open hand techniques employed by monks. Those forms rely on Inner Ki mentioned later.

Blade Ki permits the master to greatly improve his speed, accuracy and power with his chosen weapon. As an extension of his body he is usually more fluid, some might even say more graceful.

Inner Ki:

The monks Inner Ki differs in that the monk uses his Ki to improve himself. They use it to strengthen their mind and body. When in-tune with their Ki, monks may become immune to poisons, able to heal themselves by merely concentrating their Ki into wounds, their minds even becoming almost invulnerable to attack. They can make their bodies temporarily resistant to blows. This internal energy can be made external, most often through their fists, though I have witnessed interesting external uses of Ki by Githzerai on the Astral plane.

Inner Ki can be channeled to the exterior of the monk. Examples of internal Ki manifesting externally would be the monks stunning fist or even their "Quivering Palm" technique, they are examples of focusing internal Ki into a strengthened blow.

Consider that this external channeling of the monk will not transfer to a weapon wielded in the hand, just as the Blade Ki of the master does not apply to the monks open hand technique. This is the boundary between Blade and Inner Ki.

The Way of the Blade:

The Way of the Blade is how I think of the joining of Blade and Inner Ki. It is achievable by those monks who seek mastery in an external weapon. Blade Ki of course is achievable by anyone who seeks mastery in their weapon.

Learning to reach your Blade Ki.

There are many ways to learn mastery of a weapon and accessing Blade Ki. Master Donan Hull of M'chek for example, has his students work with combat dummies. Do not make little of his methods, they are effective and many Masters today learned under his style. His method is one of repetition, it has the advantage of using blows of full-strength during training.

My preference is more through ritual forms, where repetitions of key movements are performed alone or with a partner. Mock combat practice is also employed. Both are equally effective.

Remember, At the most, the teacher can give you ten maybe fifteen percent of the art. The rest you have to get for yourself through practice and hard work. A teacher can show you the path but cannot walk it for you, he or she provides a system upon which the student builds, one that ultimately becomes their own style.

A true master is not a carbon copy of the master that instructed them, rather they take those lessons and mold them to their own use, to their own self, to their own Ki.

I hope that even if this writing is little heeded by some, that honest folk and young warriors will seek to understand this art and apply an honorable desire to go beyond unskilled brawling and be diligent in their discipline, and skill.

Then when they have fully surrounded themselves in this art, and after having led an honorable life, that they too may consider directing others, and particularly the youth and thereby be of service.

- Olisa Ellendar