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1995-2006
Darryl Riser

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The Warrior's Path

The top sword is an authentic Civil War cavalry saber which features a brass hilt, heavily influenced by the French sword makers of the era. It serves as a reminder of my heritage growing up in the bayou country of Louisiana. The bottom sword is a Rosicrucian sword designed by Art Gladius of Toledo Spain. It serves to remind me of the constant quest of the spiritual warrior.

This is the newest addition to my sword collection. I bought this 28.5 inch sword from a Florida sword dealer named Helmut Langer. The design is somewhat of a cross between a bowie knife and a Russian kindjal. It's taken a long time to find just the design I want in a fighting blade, but this is it. The rosewood handle is a bonus.

Here you have six of my favorite pocket knives, each custom designed by the craftsmen at the Knightstone Collection and featuring original paintings by Boris Vallejo. The knives are a limited run consisting of 45 firing days.

All these knives, plus three pocket watches and a bronze statue of the Mistress of Fire can be purchased at the Franklin Mint. They'll also have the current availability and pricing info.

The the Mistress of Fire (left) features a sterling silver casing and a red crystal eye; the Empress of Desire (right) features a casing of 24-karat gold and an amethyst eye.

The Goddess of Tempation (left) features an antiqued copper casing with an emerald eye. The Sorceress of Passion (right) features a sterling silver casing with antique gold highlights and a red crystal eye.

The Siren of Rapture (left) features a sterling silver casing and a blue crystal eye. The and the Spirit of Ecstasy (right) features an antique gold casing and an eye of yellow crystal.

The first four knives features flame-shaped blades with 24-carat gold detailing on the blades. The bottom two, you may have noticed, feature sea dragons with batwing-shaped blades. The gold detailing suggests the bones of the wing.

At the moment, these are the only six folding knives I'm aware of for which Boris Vallejo has created artwork. The Knightstone Collection, however, has also produced a pocketwatch based on the Mistress of Fire design. A dagger with a hilt based upon Vallejo's painting of a Medusa has also been created. Unfortunately, I've only seen one of them and don't have ordering information.

Sword collecting is geting easier thanks to the Internet. You can find some truly nice swords at the following places:

• KnifeCenter provides a good catalog from numerous sources. Everything from cutlery to art swords is available.
• Bud K World Wide has a wide variety of items for the warrior on a budget. In addition to edged weapons, they've branched out into stun guns, blowpipes and all kinds of urban commando junk. In spite of that, Bud K is still a great place to look for swords. Check here before you buy anywhere else. They can probably get you the blade you want at the best price.

For unarmed combat, try the Tai Chi Tips and Discussion Board. The key to attaining harmony with your environment is to maintain a healthy mind in a healthy body. I've found the Chinese discipline of Yang-style Tai Chi to be a good way of tuning the body. Mastering the postures and movements of this ancient form of exercise is both challenging and relaxing. Although, I'm a rank amateur, I've already found Tai Chi to be an excellent way to improve balance, flexibility and endurance.