( Hand to Hand: Martial Arts ) Aikido ( revised )

Dance of the Glittering Spirals
A very long time ago, on the homeworld of the elves, there was a mighty warrior named K'Rish-kov.
Now, while K'Rish-kov was a warrior through and through, he had a love for the arts, especially
dance. He had always felt that the skills gained in dancing were of benefit to any warrior. So he
decided to merge his two favorite things, war and dance, into one.
Many years he spent consulting with the greatest warriors and dancers, and finally developed what
he believed to be the perfect fighting art, which he named " The Dance of the Glittering Spirals". The
name refers to the light reflected from the fighter's swords, which he is trained to use, especially with
this form. Today, the art is practiced by many elven people, some of whom have brought it to Rifts
Earth.
Entrance Requirements: P.S. 12 (16 for two swords ), P.P. 13 ( 16 for two swords ).
Skill Cost: 10 years.
Costume: The standard fighting costume of a practitioner of this style consists of billowy pants (
similar to hakama ), a colored sash, and a loose, sleeveless shirt, that is the same color as the pants.
Often, leather armor, the same color as the shirt and pants, is also worn. The colors are based on the
artist's level of ability, as follows:
Levels 1-3: White garments with a black sash.
Levels 4-6: Black garments with a red sash.
Levels 7-10: Red garments with a black sash.
Level 11: Purple garments with a golden sash.
Level 12: Yellow garments with a purple sash.
Level 13: Green garments with a blue sash.
Level 14: Blue garments with a green sash.
Level 15: Black garments with a white sash.
Stance: This varies according to how the artist is armed:
*Bare Handed: Turned sideways, with his feet spread a little more than shoulders-width apart.
Weight is carried on the back leg, while the front leg is constantly moving back-and-forth. The back
hand is held in front of the face with an open palm, and the front hand is held low, near the groin, with
a closed fist.
*One Sword: Turned sideways, with his feet spread a little more than shoulders-width apart. Weight
is carried on the front leg. The sword is held low and forward, and the free hand is held loosely at the
side.
*Two Swords: Identical to the One-Sword stance, except that the second sword is held high and
back, and parallel to the ground.
CHARACTER BONUSES
Add 1 to P.S.
Add 2 to P.P.
Add 1 to P.E.