It takes a gang of thieves to catch a gang of thieves

13 short stories from the fantasy author of The Darkbow Collection and The Ursia Chronicles. Here can be found tales of fantasy, as well as a touch of horror and science fiction, along with a few stories of everyday people facing harsh circumstances, tales early from this author’s writing career, tales that are not perfect, but pose questions and matters of which to think.

The races of man; elf, human, dwarf and halflings face a darkness that they can not comprehend. Molloch the dark god, has planned for thousands of years to seize Oren, but the great god EL has stopped him time and time again. Now the inhabitants of Oren have turned their backs on EL and a new window of opportunity for Molloch to seize Oren has arise. EL will not abandon Oren to the dark one without a fight, as he has a plan as well. EL has kept the elves of Shaggar safe for thousands of years, but there hearts have turned from him placing Oren in jeopardy. A lone half-elf, shunned by his people must fight against prejudice and hate to become the instrument of his god. Geric of the House of Joda must survive the trails of his youth and lead his people back into the light of EL. Shante Hartas, High Guardian of the city of Shaggar has other plans, as he secretly worships Molloch leading the great city into darkness under his rule. Raven Mercury a human warrior, fights to change his familys station in life from commoner to noble. Raven proves himself by winning the annual tournament granting him a chance to train at the legendary school of Ascension. The ancient dragon, Dragmyre is raising an army to begin his conquest of the world of Oren. Dragmyre has collected his generals to lead his army, and with the world unaware victory seems sure. Until a fateful night when Raven finds out the truth; the school is not what it seems. Will he hold too the noble intentions he has of being a knight or take his rightful place as a general in the Dragon Horde. With the world hanging in the balance, Geric Joda and Raven Mercury are thrust into the battle for Oren. Molloch is gathering his force on two fronts, preparing to seize all that EL holds dear. Two warriors will decide the future of Oren the half-elf and the human, will they unite in time to save a world or choose a darker path. All will be decided in.... Blackstarr: The Chronicles of Morgan Sparrowhawk

Mazael Cravenlock is the lord of the Grim Marches, and no one dares to attack his lands or the people under his protection. He has crushed every enemy…but it will take more than swords to defeat his new foe. When the dreaded necromancer Lucan Mandragon returns from the grave, Mazael will need to rally all his allies and followers to face the threat. But the things hunting Lucan are far more dangerous…

The term "e;medieval martial arts"e; conjures images of armour-clad knights wielding sword, lance and axe. While the image is correct, at the foundation of knightly combat was a sophisticated form of close quarter combat, instantly recognizable to students of classical Asian arts such as jujutsu or practitioners of modern, military combatives. At the heart of this system was fighting with - and against - the dagger, a vicious weapon of both self-defense and last resort that was dangerous to those in and out of armour alike.In Mastering the Art of Arms, Volume One: The Medieval Dagger, renowned instructor, author and researcher, Guy Windsor, presents a complete guide to the principles and practice of Italian dagger combat. Drawing from Il Fior di Battaglia, a manuscript written in 1410, students are guided step-by-step through the process of mastering this six hundred year old art, from choosing a dagger to striking with it; from guard positions to steps and turns; from disarms to locks and takedowns; from safe falling practice to formal drills, and finally sparring, or free-play.Both a primer on the art and a methodology for on-going training, this book will give the complete novice a solid starting point, while providing useful drills and ideas for advanced martial artists.

This catalogue features daggers in numerous examples dating from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century and provides a history of not only the daggers in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, but also the broader history of daggers in general. The illuminating text traces the dagger's development and mode of use throughout the time period while also differentiating it from concurrent development of swords. Included in the text are helpful line illustrations that better show the form and decoration of the daggers, accompanied by a plate section, which allows for easy comparison of the works.

In Mastering the Art of Arms, Volume One: The Medieval Dagger, Guy Windsor presents a complete guide to the principles and practice of Italian dagger combat, as set down in Il Fior di Battaglia, a manuscript written in 1410. Readers are guided step-by-step through the process of mastering this six hundred year old art, from choosing a dagger to striking with it; from guard positions to steps and turns; from disarms to locks and takedowns; from safe falling practice to formal drills, and finally pressure testing their skills with sparring. Both a primer on the art and a methodology for on-going training, this book will give the complete novice a solid starting point, while providing useful drills and ideas for advanced martial artists. Those who study other traditional knife arts, and modern military combatives, will find many familiar techniques present in this ancient system. Dr. Guy Windsor is a world-renowned instructor and a pioneering researcher of medieval and renaissance martial arts. He has been teaching the Art of Arms full-time since founding The School of European Swordsmanship in Helsinki, Finland, in 2001. His day job is finding and analysing historical swordsmanship treatises, figuring out the systems they represent, creating a syllabus from the treatises for his students to train with, and teaching the system to his students all over the world. Guy is the author of numerous classic books about the art of swordsmanship and has consulted on swordfighting game design and stage combat. He developed the card game, Audatia, based on Fiore dei Liberi's Art of Arms, his primary field of study. In 2018 Edinburgh University awarded him a PhD by Research Publications for his work recreating historical combat systems. When not studying medieval and renaissance swordsmanship or writing books Guy can be found in his shed woodworking or spending time with his family.

Expanded and updated with new photos and information, this second edition is loaded with values and identification guidelines to help identify Indian knife artifacts. 16-page color photo gallery. 200 bandw photos.