Shadows
Shadows Pathway
Scouting · Endurance · Throwsticks · Footwear
Inspired by the Apache Scouts, capable of superhuman feats of endurance and stealth. Shadows train in Endurance, Throwsticks, Scouting, and Footwear. The greatest expression of this Pathway is found in the running of the Shadows Course; a tight network of trails and targets, often accompanied by hidden hunters armed with foam arrows. The course is run with self made small game hunting weapons called rabbitsticks. Years of training yields sinewy ‘masters of terrain’ that float across the landscape like our totem animal, the coyote.
Upcoming Sessions
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Scouting
Indah is the Apache word for their people meaning ‘the living’. To the Apache to live was to Scout, to be the seer not the seen, to move like the shadows, to possess an interactive map in your mind with every detail of your territory, to embody the skills of the stalk and touch wild animals. 200 years of cultural oppression nearly annihilated the hidden skills of the Scout, in fact the Apache began referring to themselves as Indeh ‘the dead’. But that is now changing, The Sacred Skills are once again returning to the Human Family and the Apache are finding life again. The Scouting Guild is an exhilarating one, but be warned, it will completely change the way you think, act, move and live.
Invisibility is the essence of the Scout. When you spend some time observing animals you will find that sitting still is one of the most powerful things you can do in the forest. Whether you are predator or prey, to move causes a big disturbance, if you can still your body your mind will follow and before you know it you will become invisible. Maybe not literally invisible, but pretty close, when you are in this state you will see all kinds of things.
Endurance
Homo sapiens evolved on the great plains and deserts of Africa to become the most specialized endurance mammals on the planet. Our upright walking style is optimal for long distance travel, while reducing solar exposure on our bodies. Our unique gait also allows us to have our heads elevated to see predator and prey, while freeing up our hands to carry and wield weapons.
Throwsticks
The Throwstick is the most universally used hunting weapon by hunter gather people. Found on every continent and in every bioregion. Like all primitive skills it’s prevalence is a testament to its effectiveness. Because of its rotational flight it offers a wide killing range. Throwing sticks are typically from a hardwood branch and end weighted for blunt trauma.
With advanced aerodynamics, cross sections, weighting and hardening principles we move into the realm of the NRB or Non Returning Boomerang. Called Rabbit Sticks by the Hopi, these weapons were built to sail just above the ground for distances of up to 100 yards. 14 oz of hardwood propelling forward with centrifugal force is fully capable of breaking the femur of a large mammal.
Footwear
TBD
Shadows Council
Matt Smith
Matt Shull
Alex Heninger
Ryan Sims