One of the myriad styles of martial arts developed by the Fist of Rhalgr, "Five Temple Element Fist" was created nearly 1,300 years ago by the Ala Mhigan warrior monk and wandering hero, Aleidis Rayne. Five Temple Element Fist is a martial art that teaches a balance between body and spirit and "external" and "internal". It is both a combative art and an extension of monk philosophy, which preaches meditation and careful introspection. The style features both rooted and loose stances, closed fist and open palm strikes, as well as power, speed, and agility.During her initial journeys across Hydaelyn, Aleidis witnessed the movements of certain animals as she traveled. She saw the usefulness in the animal’s movements and began to mimic their movements in developing Five Temple Element Fist. These movements were used to build upon the style’s core movements to create five distinctive forms of fighting based on the coeurl, opo-opo, griffin, snake, and dragon. Each form was assigned a representative element, with the whole of the style representing Rhalgr’s divine lightning.Aleidis realized that in order to fully complete Five Temple Element Fist, she could not return to Ala Mhigo permanently, as harmony with life could not be achieved without experiencing it. Thus, she set out on the road a final time and never returned to Ala Mhigo, cementing her place in the folklore of the Fist of Rhalgr. Her art was not lost, however, as she began to understand how each animal style exemplified the principles of many monk beliefs, such as the balance between body and spirit, and the harmony of the five chakras. Aleidis, wishing to pass down her knowledge, began to train young monks that came to find her. These monks became her disciples in the art, and passed down the style to others, creating a lineage that would endure for over 1,000 years.

Black Coeurl Claw

Governing Element: EarthIn the jungles of the Near East, the coeurl is known as one of the mightiest of predators. Aleidis adopted the spirit of the coeurl for its courage, strength and power. Because its energy is external in nature, the energy of the coeurl is different from the other animals in the form. The coeurl’s strength comes from hard-pressing attacks. Developing a strong back and neck is essential for strong stances.The primary technique in the coeurl form is the coeurl claw, which targets the opponent's face, neck, groin, arms and wrist. The coeurl form also utilizes palm strikes, fists and special kicking techniques, such as the coeurl tail kick. Like the dragon, proper breathing is important for developing power and force. The disciple produces certain sounds to expel carbon dioxide and replace it with the oxygen necessary to deliver the proper energy within their strikes.

Golden Opo-opo Boxing

Governing Element: FireThe opo-opo’s fierce and ferocious power yields only to that of the coeurl. Being a faster animal, however, it is believed to be stronger. The opo-opo relies on a lightning-fast, powerful force that is produced from acrobatic strikes. Striking from a squatted position, stylists learn to outmaneuver and confuse their opponents, overwhelm the enemy with acrobatic attacks, and climb their foes as an opo-opo climbs a tree. Disciples of opo-opo boxing often accompany their attacks with swift and twitchy head movements, as well as a variety of opo-opo-like facial expressions. It is important for the disciple to develop a flexible waist, which allows them to develop quick footwork and explosive strikes, and a hardened body to allow for the absorption of attacks through chakra.Since the opo-opo form focuses on quick movements, there is little internal energy training. But the internal strengths of the dragon and snake blended with the speed and force of the opo-opo make a devastating combination. The main technique used in the opo-opo form is an open-handed slap or a semi-closed fist, used to attack the knees, groin, eyes or throat. There are also elbow and forearm techniques to bash and pummel opponents. The opo-opo’s footwork is quick and short, which helps the disciple develop strong stable stances.

Jade Griffin Fist

Governing Element: WindThe gryphon is known for its patience. A calm, meditative animal, the griffin can stand upright for hours, without shifting its weight or growing restless. The griffin form helps the disciple hold their internal energy, which develops strength while building bones and muscles.Like the dragon, griffin techniques are circular in nature. However, the griffin is always soft and relaxed, but strikes with penetrating speed and force. The griffin form is known for using the "beak" to strike targets such as the temple. It is also known for its long, extended strikes that mimic outstretched wings. The griffin form allows the disciple to deliver flowing, relaxed power as well as sudden and focused attacks.

Azure Snake Boxing

Governing Element: WaterThe snake form is important for developing chakra within Five Temple Element Fist. Because the snake is a calm animal, it has more relaxed energy. When the disciple cultivates this energy, the combination of relaxation is mixed with quick, piercing strikes.There are no closed fists within the snake form. Instead, the hands are open and used for penetrating chops and finger strikes. The snake’s spirit is calm and deliberate and once the disciple develops the proper energy, their strikes are focused and lightning-fast.

White Dragon Claw

Governing Element: IceThe dragon represents internal strength and longevity. The dragon form combines internal and external energy to produce awesome and devastating strikes. Dragon techniques feature circular movements that can penetrate with sudden explosiveness.Though the claw is the primary hand technique used within the dragon form, there are also various palm and fist attacks that add to the dragon form's effectiveness. However, using the waist in a slow whipping action to generate power is essential to the development of proper dragon energy. The dragon form uses internal conditioning through proper breathing techniques to develop chi. This is done by using the lower body to pull in air with relaxed breaths. The breathing develops flexibility, strength and power.

Once the Five Temple Element Fist disciple has mastered the pattern within the form, the disciple practices the three stages of training. In the first stage, the disciple performs the whole form slowly, mimicking moving meditation. The slow and soft movements massage the organs and lead to health and longevity. The disciple also learns the essence of their chosen animal by moving slowly and methodically. Breathing is deep and from the abdomen to improve the circulatory system and build the disciple's chakra.The second stage of training is practiced with external power. The emphasis is on conditioning the bones, tendons and muscles, while developing speed and power. This type of training helps the disciple build strong stances while increasing stamina and external strength.The Five Temple Element Fist disciple puts all their skills together in the third stage of training. The emphasis is on the spirit and strengths of the animal - both internal and external energy are intertwined to give each animal life within the form.The snake and roc forms are performed with relaxation and soft, or internal, energy until explosive power is released at the moment of impact. The coeurl and opo-opo produce devastating, lethal attacks that are performed with quick and powerful, yet relaxed, external energy. The dragon combines both internal and external movements to deliver powerful techniques.Five Temple Element Fist training not only provides the disciple with the strength and power for devastating fighting techniques, but also teaches the disciple to remain calm and relaxed in even the most dangerous combat situations.

Hello! Thanks for giving a look at J'kotah's carrd, and being interested enough to follow the link to here!I've long been a fan of going in-depth with my monk and martial artist RP, and this fan made style has been a staple of it since I first created it for my character in World of Warcraft years ago. I based in on an amalgam of the style I trained in for a little over a decade, and the Shaolin Five Animal style that's come to be popular in various wuxia fiction.If you like what you see here, feel free to utilize it in your own RP! Aleidis traveled all over the world, and while it's primarily a Fist of Rhalgr style, it's entirely possible there's an unaffiliated monk lineage out there somewhere! Fist of Rhalgr RPers are obviously welcome to it, as well.Of course, you can always hit me up with comments or questions, as I'm happy to discuss it with you! If you want to set something up with learning the style from J'kotah, I'm always down for that, as well.