DF: Where do Martial Artists and Ninja come from?

[DAT]

Originally Posted by Greg 1

I tend to imagine martial artist and ninja characters as either coming from a distant land far to the east, or as having been trained by a person from a distant land far to the east.

Obviously, neither the rules nor dungeon fantasy tradition require this.

Where have the martial artists and ninja in your games come from?
...

Depends on which game.

In 'Bones of the Dragon Empire'
Ninjas:
Official Answer: There are no Ninjas
Real Answer: Among the Shadow Elves, there are rumors of the VeVe clans (named after a small subterrarium frog know for its camouflage ability and poison); who do look a lot like Ninja.
and
Martial Artists:
There are several race specific monasteries, and a few multi-racial ones, most are on remote islands, remote regions, or out right secret places.

In "Dungeons of the Shadow Rifts", neither are present.

In "Swords in the Sun", which is set in a Mythical Japan, the martial artists and ninja are all around.

[b-dog]

They travelled from GURPS Hotspots The Silk Road.