Flaming Venom Palm Kung Fu
"You think that little tickling hurt me? You haven't learned the first thing about pain, fool."
Halfdan Edgarsson, Blazing Palm master, after twelve hours trapped in a pit of rabid thorn vipers
As a martial art descended from the teachings of the Saint of Agony, Burning Venom Palm is a style that revolves around endurance above all else. It does not teach precision or targeting skills, contains relatively barebones footwork and strategy, and none of its offensive techniques in and of themselves hit especially hard compared to other styles. Where Burning Venom Palm excels is its gruelling conditioning regime that is required to properly practice the art – even at low levels of skill, wielders of the Palm can withstand hits that would incapacitate most others, and their raw physical fitness is sometimes enough to overpower other styles based on attributes alone. Where this quality truly comes into play, of course, is where the 'burning' epithet comes from – using a variety of methods, which tend to differ based on the specific lineage, practitioners will light parts of their bodies on fire, using their endurance to withstand the searing heat for long enough to mash their enemy's face with a flaming fist. They tend to do better in prolonged bouts, where the attrition caused by their blows has more time to create an advantage.
As befitting its relative simplicity, Burning Venom Palm has a straightforward manner by which one may measure their proficiency, namely their ability to withstand and utilize fire. The scale proceeds as follows, though the names do tend to vary:
Novice Palm: The very beginning stages, where it can hardly be distinguished from common brawling or wrestling. The main distinguishing feature of practitioners at this level is that of unusual durability and cardiovascular endurance, which allows them to outfight stronger or more skilled opponents. Mastering this level usually takes around a year or two for the common practitioner.
Smoldering Palm: The stage where the style starts to come into its own. Practitioners of this level are notably more durable, able to fight at a brutal pace for at least thirty minutes, and are equipped with some variety of protective equipment that can be lit on fire - usually gloves and boots, as only the limbs have begun to be conditioned to heat. This level is where most people plateau in their study of the art, for the conditioning regime becomes far more brutal past this point.
Ignited Palm: This is the first level that can be considered a serious adherent of the style. Ignited Palm fighters have conditioned their hands and feet to be able to withstand flame without lasting damage for several minutes at a time, allowing them to fight unimpeded by clunky gear and still have the benefits of flaming strikes. They're reliant on the use of special powders or ointments to do this, and aren't entirely resistant to burns at this stage of their training. Reaching this stage usually takes at least five years of dedicated practice. Before a true grandmaster, they'll still fall like wheat before the scythe.
Flaming Palm: Few who start the path of the Burning Venom progress this far, for reaching this level involves a tremendous deal of pain, more than any ordinary enemy or life of fighting would inflict upon anyone. Flaming Palm adepts can swathe entire limbs in flame for up to an hour without harm, and withstand flames on their torso for a few minutes. Continual practice has caused their skin to become infused with the reagent they use to set themselves alight, making their flames burn hotter and become resistant to being doused save through total immersion in liquid, as well as reducing their reliance on powders or oils. While they can still technically be burned, it's a rare occurrence, and their pain tolerance and overall durability lie on the higher end of plausibility.
Blazing Palm: True masters of Burning Venom Palm are rare, and reaching this stage takes at least two decades of dedicated practice, if one is both talented and committed. The results, at least, are commensurate with the effort put in - a Blazing Palm level master has wholly acclimated themselves to the flame, and no longer requires special ingredients to set themselves aflame. Their entire bodies can withstand their white-hot flames indefinitely, which can burn even when underwater or deprived of air. The durability of these masters is without question - while not so tough as a Zinc Tortoise master, a fighter who has reached the Blazing Palm has a hardy resistance to most forms of damage, and is extremely difficult to tire. A worthy foe, even for the mighty.
Charred Palm: There are tales of Burning Venom Palm masters who have gone beyond mere immunity to fire, who have mastered it utterly and subsumed it within their being. It is whispered that these incandescent sages no longer need to set themselves aflame, for the essence of fire has become a part of their very flesh, and they may withhold or impart its searing kiss at will. To all appearances, a Charred Palm grandmaster might appear to simply be an elder who suffered some burns in their youth, but the terrible force of agony and destruction contained within their flesh tells a very different story to the unwary. According to Alya, the Captain of the Powder Scorpions has reached this level, although what precise capabilities this imparts to him is something she does not know.
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Infernal Meteor Fusillade infopost coming in a bit - both of these will be posted in the lore threadmark on the front page.
