History[]
True to the ironic nature of the discipline, Blood Sage was first developed and taught at a hospital. For years, the Blood Academy had served as a place of respite for the wounded as well as a school of learning for healers. Founded by a select few scientific thinkers, the teachers at the Academy were among the few to teach that stitches and medicine, while not spectacular, were an accessible resource to the common folk and thus more reliable than prayer and magic. The school was host to a few dedicated students, but never enjoyed spectacular success.
Before too long, it endured tragedy. For some time, dark forces had been gathering in the lands around the school, and more and more frequently, injured wanderers came to the reclusive academy seeking aid. What were apparently random monsters had begun to inexplicably rise up, destroying villages and terrorizing the innocent. At first, the medics of the academy were at a loss as to understand why this was happening. Eventually, however, a terribly crippled warrior came to them, seeking aid and bringing news. The bands of monsters, he told them, were in fact the remains of the Shadow Tiger horde- aimless and largely at the battle of Rasher’s temple, but still concentrated enough to be a threat.
By the time this news came to them, however, it was too late. The attackers had already swept through most of the surrounding villages, and now some of them turned their attention to Blood Academy. The healers and surgeons at the school had no choice to take up arms, but few of them had any military training. In the days leading up to his death, the survivor of the battle at Reshar’s temple did his best to impart his martial knowledge to the medics, but when he did die, their training was far from complete. The students and professors were forced to compensate by utilizing their knowledge of the science of the body and blood- and in fact many found that this knowledge served them far better as warriors than it had as healers. When the hostile creatures arrived, they were soundly defeated. Many of the students left, never to return, but many others remained, turning their back on the old way of life and honing the new fighting style to an art. They transformed their house of healing into a mighty monastery for scientifically-minded martial adepts. Thus was born the Blood Sage discipline.
The War-Scalpel[]
Designed specifically for use in the Blood Sage discipline, the war-scalpel is larger than the medical instrument, though still smaller than most weapons. Without special training, a potential wielder would not be able to compensate for the lack of reach.
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| War-Scalpel | 60gp | 1d4 | 17-20x2 | 1 lb. | Piercing or Slashing |