Ballad of the Battlebow

Enclosed between the steep mountain ridges of northern Midi is a method of archery that time had not been kind to - however revered, it is a primordial, dying art. Propagated under the age of the first shoguns, what sets these archers entirely apart from their on-foot counterparts is their integration of a single unique feature: horseback riding. As a tandem, mounted archery (Yabusame as the locals refer to it) is arguably a decisive mix of the benefits of cavalry and long-range combat, and it was the sort of warfare that commanded ruthlessness as much as any other did in the centuries past. With the development of the more practical, mechanical weapons over the next few eras, however, the archers have found trouble keeping their place until such a time that it was no longer possible to resist the changing tides.

While this archery form were to formally convert to recreational purposes a long time ago, the very core of the technique continues to thrive at the behest of lady Kimigiku - adopted daughter to the Goddess Familiars whose cleansing rituals may have rescued the swordsman from a growing evil festering inside him, and then some.

The Ballad of the Battlebow is her, Kimigiku's, own manner of homage to the Yabusame of her homeland that which existed on an entirely different plane of reality. Needless to say, their arrival at Midi opened the door to an opportunity previously unthinkable for her. This country may express the same culture with uncanny likeliness, but it lacked the rapid growth of technology that plagued her home country and Kimigiku felt compelled to believe that this, in all its purity, was the place that needed her most of all.

Terith is later schooled in this brand of magic that Lady Kiku spearheaded immediately after he'd been sheltered by the Goddess Familiars, taking with him the wisdoms of the bow and how it differed greatly when mounted. In order for the practitioner to reap the full benefits of such a magic, they are imparted with an ethereal bow hand-crafted from their own spiritual essence that must be kept on their person until such a time that the weapon has 'matured' significantly. For convenience, the bows are briefly bound to a piece of sentimental jewelry already previously on the user's body. Here, the weapon would feed off the archer's existence temporarily, the jewelry becoming its permanent housing even if it were to be summoned in full. Once the magic is nurtured well-enough, the practitioner would harvest its abilities in the form of energized long-range shots that handles significantly well against single and multiple targets. And by virtue necessity, the Ballads are also equipped with the ability to summon a horse worthy of upholding battle art's principles of mounted combat, furthering the swordsman's performance even at a distance.

Strengths:
►With his primary magic governing close-combat, the Ballads are more than just a fail-safe in most situations.

Weaknesses:
►Unlike the Etherblade, there is no available means of recovering the bow should it be peeled off of him, particularly so in its dormant form (which in his case is his late father's ring that sits comfortably on his right hand).
►The Ballads are fairly similar to the Chronicle in such a way that it isn't fashioned with a set element and is instead fueled by raw, spiritual energy. As much as this doesn't provide any weaknesses on the magic's part, it isn't effective on anything either, which at times can lead to a fighting ability almost sub-par in comparison to the more elementally-inclined.


►UA 1: WIP

►UA 2: WIP

►UA 2: WIP

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