I just applied for a French passport,” he replied. “Well, I have an Oz passport but am Hawaiian. Recently when I dropped into a southern warung to sample the special of the day, I was greeted by an amiable bloke who introduced himself as Martin. A few pints down the hatch and all hell breaks loose…existentialism kicks in amidst swear words, verbal diarrhea and melodramatic convulsions. Some are ‘retired’ folk, others driftwood and hangers on…hanging desperately onto the hem of a sarong. It is here that the exotic fast dwindling species emerge from the twilight zone to preen their bedraggled feathers and loudly proclaim to all within earshot the importance of being delusional. The result? Instant advertising revenue for the reviewer’s employer because the review is invariably ‘complimentary’ as the satiated writer is required to show his or her gratitude in words.įrom work to leisure is just a draught (beer) away and what better place to partake of decadence than the warung that doubles up as a bar. For instance, one can write food reviews and get paid in food that one is reviewing (eating). They feel that unprotected sex gives them spiritual energy”.Īnd as for getting work (employment) it has been observed that the prevalent mode draws on the ancient system of barter work in exchange for food or freebies or in special circumstances, good will. And when I asked a young man why he always dated much older women he replied, “Because they don’t prefer safe sex and are very energetic. When I asked a woman what precautions she took, she replied, ‘the pill’. In its place is a sensual fluidity that carries all in its path.īut there are precautions to be taken. However, there is no bar on age, color or nationality when it comes to mating. It is only interrupted by man made disasters like being ‘caged’ or deported either by the authorities or an irate jilted mate. The mating season of these creatures is year round. Their attire is akin to the homeless walking the streets of some western city. Curiously most arguments are based on half truths and ignorance which makes it even more entertaining. Of course, it goes without saying that events in far off lands are of utmost importance and these are discussed threadbare, argued and sometimes punches are exchanged to press home a point. There are certain days in the week when they congregate to gossip, exchange notes on building nests, land prices, football, rugby and baseball. They come in all shapes, sizes, ages and breath: garlic, turmeric juice, beer, whisky, vodka and clove. To understand these quixotic birds and beasts, one must dwell among them in their natural environs to closely observe their daily rituals like flying around on motors with earnest faces and brains sautéed by the sun. Their incessant chatter, ruffling of feathers and peculiar antics are their chief characteristics.įrom the first encounter it has been a captivating journey through many a grim fairy tale. It was only when he was trapped in a watering hole during a thunder storm that he came face to face with strange and wonderful creatures that inhabit the twilight zone. When the author of this column first arrived in Bali he was unaware that these two time zones existed on the isle. Real or local time shelters the Balinese and their vibrant culture, which fortunately does not form part of the twilight zone. In Bali there are two time zones – real time and suspended animation time (also known as the twilight zone). In Gethsemane: Transcripts of a Journey These tales are from an enchanted zone that embraces a kaleidoscope of cultures and peoples incestuously woven into the fabric of time, which is frayed by eccentricities and desires and fading in the tropical sun.
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Twilight Ambush: Strike–Attack foe who missed you with a melee attack, deal +2d6 damage. Oaken Roots Stance: Stance–Dodge bonus to AC increases each round. Whirlwind Gyre: Counter–Disarm, feint, or trip a foe who attacks you in melee.Ĭloak of Falling Leaves: Counter–Gain concealment for 1 round.Ĭreeping Moss Strike: Strike–Attack deals +2d6 damage, gain +4 dodge bonus to AC against foe's attacks for 1 round. Turn Back the Wind: Counter–Block and reflect a ranged weapon attack. Rose's Thorn Riposte: Counter–Make a counterattack against a foe who attacks you in melee. Vigil of Steel: Counter–Negate penalties from being flatfooted or flanked.Īutumn's Breath: Counter–Gain +3 dodge bonus to AC against one attack. Mocking Dryad Stance: Stance–Gain +1 dodge bonus to AC against last enemy to miss you with a melee attack. The difficulty of finding an appropriate mentor or text is left to the DM to choose.Ĭrawling Ivy Strike: Strike–Make an attack, gain +2 dodge bonus to AC against foe's attacks for 1 round.Įscape the Blade: Counter–Negate an attack of opportunity. You may exchange one maneuver of each level, and the new maneuvers you learn must be of the same level as the exchanged maneuvers, unlike normal. In addition, you may exchange your maneuvers known for maneuvers of the Dancing Leaf discipline. You gain the ability to learn maneuvers from the Dancing Leaf discipline. You must train for a month under the master, or spend a month in research, and spend 1,000 xp at the end of your training. The other way is to seek out a master of the Dancing Leaf discipline–a martial adept capable of using at least 5th-level maneuvers from the discipline and to learn Dancing Leaf from that source. If you choose to make a martial adept that has already been trained in the Dancing Leaf discipline at character creation, you simply replace one discipline that adept could normally learn maneuvers from with the Dancing Leaf discipline. There are two ways to master the discipline. Only Swordsages and Warblades can learn maneuvers from the Dancing Leaf discipline. The associated weapons of the Dancing Leaf discipline are the longspear, longsword, quarterstaff, scythe, and whip.īecause the Dancing Leaf discipline was never taught widely at the Temple of the Nine Swords or any similar center of training, most martial adepts do not know any maneuvers from it, or even know it exists. The Dancing Leaf discipline's associated skill is Escape Artist, the understanding of graceful movement and evasion the skill entails being essential to the discipline's defensive techniques. While these masters have not kept the discipline's ways a secret, few have sought them out to learn the arts of the Dancing Leaf, and fewer still have mastered the ultimate defense. Thus, the teachings of the Dancing Leaf discipline were never brought together in a single place of learning, instead remaining in the hands of a few elder adepts. #Dnd i am a leaf on the wind how toWhile Reshar was a master of many diverse schools of combat, he saw no value in a discipline that taught only how to avoid an attack, and not how to make one. However, the revered blade adept and Master of Nine rejected the discipline, for its art was that of defense–dodging and counterattacks, deft evasion and trickery. The Dancing Leaf discipline, however, is different, because it was known to Reshar, founder of the Temple of the Nine Swords. Some, like the Oncoming Storm discipline, came about after the Temple's fall, while others, such as the Golden Saint or Dread Crown disciplines, were developed by god-like beings and only taught to a few select champions. And yet, there exist a handful of martial disciplines never taught there, for a variety of reasons. The Temple of the Nine Swords was an academy of the Sublime Way, where students learned all the arts of bladecraft–the precise, disciplined strikes of the Diamond Mind discipline the vicious onslaught of blows that made up the Tiger Claw discipline the subtle deceptions and powerful throws of the Setting Sun discipline, and more. |
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