Martial Artists in a Magical World

Magic is a universal constant in Ealam, and a fact of life. However, humanoids have always sought ways to defend themselves, long before all had consistent knowledge of magic. It is in this way that the origins of fighting arts were formed, blossoming in countless different directions and methods until they became incredibly varied and unique. But how does a sword master, infantry troop or hand-to-hand combatant survive in a world of magic?
  The first question should actually be why one would want to use a weapon, rather than magic. The most obvious answers are that you need no magical prowess to use a weapon, using one does not require Mana, and your prowess with a weapon is often decided by physical strength, as well as experience and practice. Some also simply have less magic, or less interest in it, and turn to other means to get more powerful - and weapons and martial arts are universally available. In effect, it's an entirely different style of combat, that may be more or less comfortable to some. Beyond being just swinging a sword, weaponry is an art form, a scramble, a beautiful dance between fighters; it is also the opposite side of the coin to magic in Ealam. Now, back to the original question, how does a weapon user fare in a world of magic?
  The easiest way is to simply use one's own magic in conjunction with a weapon - this is so popular, even those who wouldn't be considered martial artists do it - it's efficient, provides magical and physical power, as well as a backup weapon that doesn't require mana to use. This is enough reason for every fighter of any sort to carry a staff or dagger at least, and a few to develop their skills in weapons further. However, many more weapon oriented fighters take this a few steps further - countless spells exist to increase martial prowess, enhance a weapon, or countless other creative uses discovered by these fighters. In short, using magic and a weapon is a two in one benefit.
  The other thing many experienced martial artists know is how to counter magic in the heat of the moment, and reign unimpeded on the battlefield. There are countless specialties for this skill, but the three realms each have a unique "main" technique often learned, which can be traced back to a vague prototype from the ancestors of all humanoids, which utilizes the little magic in and around the weapon itself, rather than the being using it. Aerava's technique is known as "Stilling Wind". It is founded on the principle of deflection, or cancellation of a spell. Often this takes the shape of a direct parry or deflection of magic, it is simple, straightforward and frees the way for the user - perfectly in line with the tenant's of Aerava's adventuring spirit. Terr'aina's technique is "Spirit Quenching Five Pillars of Salt" (Terr'aina generally has more decorated names), also based on the spirit of Terr'ainan spirit - persistence, steadiness, and brutality. Spirit Quenching Five Pillars of Salt is based around "crushing" the opponent's magic, or weathering through it, which can take the appearance or a simple block, or a strike at the magic itself. It's also worth noting that Terr'aina has perhaps the most varied subsets of this particular skill as well, and often has many names, partially due to a large amount of dispellers and exorcists. Kaiyocea's technique is the most refined in a sense, due to the high esteem proficiency with a weapon is held in Kaiyocea. The technique is known as "Riptiding Sea", and is a redirection of a type - the most skilled may even be able to control the magic they redirect, back to the caster. Beyond these more formal martial styles, many fighters specializing in melee combat usually develop great resistance to magic, and are far more used to taking hits. Basic protective magic is rather easy to learn, so short of having no magic, most up close and personal fighters have some capability to deal with magic. Add in a piece of steel's almost universal reliability, martial artists and melee fighters are fully able to carve their own way in a world of magic.