Overview
The Four Beasts is a group of martial artist clans. They are moderately well known, and spread throughout the mainland, and parts of the coastal island nations. They are divided into four separate groupings, which identify with one of the four Great Beasts from which they draw inspiration and culture.
The Dragon
"Burn brightly for but a second."
Ferocious, indiscriminate, and overwhelming. Those that follow The Golden Dragon of the North are passionate people that suffer no fools. They are innately disenfranchised with the notion of politicking, and so they tend to not 'play nice' with the other three schools of the Beasts, or other ethnic groups. Fiercely independent, and quick to respond to threats, these are a people to be reckoned with.
They do have their lighter side. Just as all fire is not destructive, they are a warm, and caring people, quick to give comfort and lend strength. The bulk of the people of the Dragon's following are humans, and so their culture reflects the short-lived nature of humanity: They live every day as if it were their last, and are quick to speak their minds. From their view, doing this is the best way to remain free of guilt and regrets.
Their martial arts are dedicated to putting their all into overwhelming offensives that end the fight in a matter of seconds. Against singular foes or a group, it matters not. Their main weakness is the lack of a solid defensive stance, and fights that drag on too long.
The Tiger
"Guard your den."
Closely related to the Dragon in thinking and a dislike of politics, The Eastern Green Tiger's folk however have adopted a more defensive stance. These people will abide fools just enough to ensure their continued safety, and no more. A controlled state of chaos best describes them, as they are frequently plagued with anger issues which they vent on intruders, Sometimes to the point of excess. Provocation can be dangerous.
Mostly made of elves, they take the long view in things. Their defensive structures are built up over decades, ensuring each facet is able to survive, and expunging weak points. Their fortresses, while expensive and long to construct, are nearly impossible to besiege for any length of time. These people care for their children deeply, for they are few in number. A fair share of their daily lives is dedicated to preparing for, taking care of, or planning for future generations.
Their martial arts are defensive in nature. Designating a space and allowing none to enter or exit it without reprimand. They are well suited to taking on groups, and individuals, for any length of time. However, their martial weaknesses is that their offensive stances are heavily reliant on singular, powerful strikes against individuals; they are nearly defenseless against a well placed counter attack.
The Swallow
"A breeze, then a gale."
The followers of the Silver Swallow of the South are an unpredictable lot. They are generally free spirited, care free, and worldly. This group is the most wide spread of all four, and thus is a melting pot for cultures of all nations. Making assumptions beyond this, however, is next to impossible.
The Swallow's martial arts takes the spatial awareness of the Tiger to the utmost extreme. This style professes observance of even the tiniest details, and manipulating them in unexpected ways. Practitioners will come at their opponents from unexpected angles, exploiting otherwise unassailable faults in their stance, and be out of their enemy's reach a second later.
This group is specialized toward gathering and keeping knowledge from all across the globe, as well as infiltrating and exiting seemingly impassable locales. Never assume something is beyond their reach. Their only weakness is in direct combat. They are skilled skirmishers, but against a combatant they must fight in the open, their lack of finishing blows and strong defense cause their undoing.
The Turtle/Dragonturtle/Crocodile
"Be at peace."
This school has recently undergone a schism in its internal structure. It is now comprised of three groups, each vying for total control. These groups are the Turtles, the Crocodilians, and the Dragon Turtles, each believing the Black Beast of the West is the animal they name themselves after. Each has a basically similar style of operating. They are all defensively oriented, and skilled in the redirection of momentum and energy. As well, they are peaceful in nature, preferring introspection and a desire for inner perfection.
These people never take an action they are not completely comfortable with. As such, they take, on average, thrice the time to make decisions, so that they might meditate upon it. This practice does not stymie their civil war, though. The conflict is mostly a collection of debates and conflicting accounts of history; the most civil civil war to date. As a group, they are strong, redirecting negative energy until it is completely dispersed outside of the group. Individually, they are not so strong, and so they rarely travel alone.
Their martial art is dedicated to the redirection of energy, and so they are only so powerful as the force being applied to them. This infinite scaling ability makes them a daunting foe. This also cuts the other way; they are only as strong as the force applied, and thus rarely prove overwhelming to those aware of this fact.
Eastern Archipelago Customs
The eastern island nations Dartane and Amaya also practice these arts. But they take a different spin on their teachings. The most glaring difference is that the Northern Dragon is replaced with a Phoenix, and advocates the lively, and eternal nature of fire. The Water school is also different, seemingly subscribing to the ideology of the Dragon Turtle sect, but abandoning the inner peace mantra. Water practitioners in the islands learn to emulate the unpredictable ocean, incorporating Fire's aggression at times, and Air's chaotic nature.