Rose
The Rosé was not, according to common belief, developed among prostitutes, for prostitutes, by prostitutes. It was actually developed by the first Monarch of the Jewelled Moon Empire, Lady Starlight. Rumour has it that she originally felt that the martial arts at that time was not flexible and subsequently, too regimented for women. Bearing in mind that she was now the Queen of a matriarchal society, she commissioned a study to develop a martial art that would make full use of a woman’s talents, differences, and body.
A woman is graceful, lithe, strong yet gentle, hard but kind, rough but tender… The Judge and the jury all in one, the Queen once said. Keeping in mind what she had learnt from the peasants and nobility, she studied the data brought by the commission carefully. She discovered that the people most likely to benefit from these arts were the prostitutes and that they were already skilled in cat fighting, but why fight against your own sisters? Much better to defend yourself from attacks by pimps and other unruly types.
Thus, the Rosé, with the grace of the Queen was developed with the defence of women and sexual provocation in mind. The Initiates were taught the various forms of stretching exercises that were not only provocative, but also applicable in combat. However against a very well trained opponent it was a casualty, as the extra moves the girls were taught served only to put them at a disadvantage.
As they went up in rank though, the Initiates of the Rosé learnt how to minimise their moves. The moves they were taught as novices were meant to lull the enemy into a false sense of security, since one can never be certain of the expertise. The higher up they went, the less moves they learnt. Killing your opponent in two moves is preferred to three.
It was for this purpose that those who had gained rank and status in the Rosé were not identified. Initiates and Novices had no idea who was a Lady, a Mistress, or even a Grand Mistress. Subversion was almost unheard of. There were rumours though, that no one save the Lady Starlight, had been able to reach the Grand Mistress level. It was easy to learn in theory, but successful application was near impossible.
Like most other martial arts, the Higher Levels of the Rosé included the use of ‘Chi’ breathing techniques, but no one was sure how they were applied. The only ones who even came close was the Royal Family and Legacy left behind by Starlight, but they could not neither find nor achieve it. At least according to popular lore.
The more senior of the Rosé were also taught a special mode. Their minds could literally snap into a certain mode when they were being attacked, a sort of combat mode, if you wish. In this mode, the girls became fighting machines. Their minds were focused on only fighting, and it was said that they thought in all possible moves and counter-moves at least three moves in advance. There was nothing to distract them, no words, no emotions, nothing would distract them from their purpose of having their opponent at their feet and defeated. Since no one had ever seen this in action, this could not be verified.
The Rosé fits women who are literally born fighters. They were the ones who fought for survival and had the fighting instinct ingrained in them. Out of perhaps 300 practitioners known now, about 25 of them are Open Mistresses. These are Ladies of Open Rank, the only women out of all the 5 schools allowed to state their rank openly.
These were safeguards to protect the Daughters of the Rosé. The Rosé had several schools, but it must be noted that out of the original 10, two were gone and another three were outlawed due to several factors. The two that were gone had been utterly destroyed and their styles merged with the other eight schools, but the outlawed three had broken several rules of the Rosé. Their members were being hunted down by the remaining five schools, but the rule seems to be at this point was, ‘If they’re not making a fuss, leave them be.’
A woman is graceful, lithe, strong yet gentle, hard but kind, rough but tender… The Judge and the jury all in one, the Queen once said. Keeping in mind what she had learnt from the peasants and nobility, she studied the data brought by the commission carefully. She discovered that the people most likely to benefit from these arts were the prostitutes and that they were already skilled in cat fighting, but why fight against your own sisters? Much better to defend yourself from attacks by pimps and other unruly types.
Thus, the Rosé, with the grace of the Queen was developed with the defence of women and sexual provocation in mind. The Initiates were taught the various forms of stretching exercises that were not only provocative, but also applicable in combat. However against a very well trained opponent it was a casualty, as the extra moves the girls were taught served only to put them at a disadvantage.
As they went up in rank though, the Initiates of the Rosé learnt how to minimise their moves. The moves they were taught as novices were meant to lull the enemy into a false sense of security, since one can never be certain of the expertise. The higher up they went, the less moves they learnt. Killing your opponent in two moves is preferred to three.
It was for this purpose that those who had gained rank and status in the Rosé were not identified. Initiates and Novices had no idea who was a Lady, a Mistress, or even a Grand Mistress. Subversion was almost unheard of. There were rumours though, that no one save the Lady Starlight, had been able to reach the Grand Mistress level. It was easy to learn in theory, but successful application was near impossible.
Like most other martial arts, the Higher Levels of the Rosé included the use of ‘Chi’ breathing techniques, but no one was sure how they were applied. The only ones who even came close was the Royal Family and Legacy left behind by Starlight, but they could not neither find nor achieve it. At least according to popular lore.
The more senior of the Rosé were also taught a special mode. Their minds could literally snap into a certain mode when they were being attacked, a sort of combat mode, if you wish. In this mode, the girls became fighting machines. Their minds were focused on only fighting, and it was said that they thought in all possible moves and counter-moves at least three moves in advance. There was nothing to distract them, no words, no emotions, nothing would distract them from their purpose of having their opponent at their feet and defeated. Since no one had ever seen this in action, this could not be verified.
The Rosé fits women who are literally born fighters. They were the ones who fought for survival and had the fighting instinct ingrained in them. Out of perhaps 300 practitioners known now, about 25 of them are Open Mistresses. These are Ladies of Open Rank, the only women out of all the 5 schools allowed to state their rank openly.
These were safeguards to protect the Daughters of the Rosé. The Rosé had several schools, but it must be noted that out of the original 10, two were gone and another three were outlawed due to several factors. The two that were gone had been utterly destroyed and their styles merged with the other eight schools, but the outlawed three had broken several rules of the Rosé. Their members were being hunted down by the remaining five schools, but the rule seems to be at this point was, ‘If they’re not making a fuss, leave them be.’