Bare Hand

Bare Hand was an elite unit in the Geban Empire’s military structure, formally established during the Era of Late Conquest by Imperator Kenez’Feraaz of Thazvaar. Created for deep infiltration and sabotage, the unit operated within enemy territories undetected—its presence confirmed only in hindsight.

Methods and Discipline

Unlike traditional Yurvaari martial schools, Bare Hand abolished the ceremonial restriction against external weapons. Its operatives trained to kill with any object—or none. Improvisation defined their method. Their Yurvaari roots remained only in motion, not in restraint. Though based in Yuvaar, the Empire never invaded the region. Instead, Bare Hand studied native forms and stripped them of their limiters, creating the most dangerous unarmed combat discipline in the imperial doctrine.

The unit’s strikes were surgical. Entire factions collapsed before realizing infiltration had begun. Yuvaar chroniclers catalogued their contests as unlike any other in Geba. Many veterans returned to Yuvaar post-service, seeking simplicity in the culture their doctrine once consumed.

Collapse and Evolution

Bare Hand dissolved after the Fracture. But remnants continued, reorienting their skills toward covert stabilization. During the Shadow Rule, these survivors evolved into the first generation of Shadow Operatives—agents who pursued global balance over imperial loyalty.

In the Warlord Eras, they resurfaced across factional lines, eliminating tyrants, preempting bombs, and softening theaters ahead of recursive escalation. Their work went unclaimed, and their alignment remained buried.

Modern Legacy

No formal branch known as Bare Hand remains. But its methods endure. Modern Shadow Operatives—where they still exist—train in stripped Yurvaari form fused with imperial pragmatism. Their presence is unacknowledged. Their influence is real.