Description
Fast-moving land combat unit with a unique promotion tree.
Historical Context
The myths of wall-running, magic-palmed warrior monks endure because of how outlandish they are. Unfortunately, we simply have to live with the actual feats of history's priests with astounding fighting skills.
Consider the Shaolin Monastery in China, founded by the Indian Buddhist monk Batuo in 495 CE. While the history of martial training at Shaolin is tangled with legends and pop culture, it's said that Batuo and his first Chinese disciples, potentially soldiers before joining the monastery, already came equipped with martial arts skills, passing them down to their students.
By 581, monks at Shaolin would have their own fighting style, even siding with would-be second Tang Emperor Li Shimin during the dynastic wars of the period.
By contrast, Japan's Buddhist sohei would engage in the less glamourous inter-temple turf wars, picking up arms and using their fighting skills in order to gain political, not spiritual dominance.