Azmaa'Neyar

An Ardanian Azeyma.

Azmaa'Neyar is a traditional martial art practiced in the cloud cities of Ardana. It involves the use of two Azeyma, weapons that are essentially ornate, double bladed, curved tonfa. The handles of the Azeyma are gripped in each hand, and the blade runs over their forearm of the wielder and extends outward over the fist, thus acting as both shield and sword in a manner of speaking. The part of the Azeyma over the forearm curves out, away from the wielder, while the curve shifts over the wrist, curving in to allow for stabbing attacks.

Azmaa'Neyar was designed to be a primarily defensive martial art, allowing a fighter to hold up against more physically dominant opponents with longer weapons. It is speculated that the Cloud Dwellers began using this elegant martial practice in order to counter the stronger, more powerful Troglytes. It requires speed and agility, aiming to deflect the blows of the opponent and using their own motion against them. It fell out of wide use with the development of long range weapons but has been preserved, much like the martial arts on most worlds, by the efforts of its masters.

Those modern fighters that do favor the Azeyma find it useful to carrying expanding, cascading or "fold out" versions of the weapon, where the blade springs from the handles when the weapon is activated.