Athletics Treatise II

Description
"Journey to the East, Tome Two."

Effect
Allows you to learn the following athletic abilities:



Acquired From

 * Sometimes sold by Gerlot, merchant in Mannshire.
 * Sometimes sold by Bert, merchant in Osbrook.
 * Always sold by Unar, scribe in Mannshire.

Book content
We set up our camp next to a wilting palm grove on the edge of a giant open sky bazaar. Silk, ivory, and figs were laid out on display next to silver ingots and rolls of woolen cloth brought there from Aldor. As I wandered through the stalls, admiring the wealth of imagery captured by the exquisite jade figurines, I couldn't get rid of a nagging thought. The next day I was supposed to head back to Aldor even though I hadn't yet experienced even the tiniest fragment of what I'd heard about the Jacinth Kingdoms. My melancholy was interrupted by music. The sounds of flute and drums created such a catchy tune, that my legs carried me towards the source of the music on their own volition. A crowd of bystanders had already gathered on a small clearing near a carpet merchant's tent. I pushed my way through to get a better look at the commencing performance. At first, I almost mistook it for a vicious brawl. Two stripped to the waist elves, their shaved heads betraying them as monks, were exchanging a flurry of strikes, kicks, and leg sweeps. Bare feet kicked up dust, every move and strike were so swift and powerful, it felt like a small miracle that they hadn't knocked each other down yet. The spectacle was truly breathtaking: when it looked like either of them fell behind and was about to take a hit, they would deftly dodge or parry it. There were few more monks sitting on the ground nearby, a part of the same community. They played the drums, steadily raising the tempo, making the fight resemble an exotic dance. Finally the music came to a stop. The fighters bowed to each other to the sound of lazy applause. The crowd began to dissipate. A novice monk walked between the rows of onlookers with a clay bowl, some of the people tossed copper coins in it before leaving. It only took me a couple of solid gold coins to strike up a conversation...