Izil is ambidextrous. it gave her an edge when first learning Acarian swordplay, being able to switch from her right hand to her left was extraordinarily disorientating for opponents who haven’t faced even a left-handed opponent before. She wears her sword on her right hip, which in some cases is enough to discourage a spur-of the moment attack on her charge before any blades are drawn.
She fights with an style all her own. There are no books on left-handed swordplay in Acaria, and left-handed students are encouraged (read: forced) to switch to their right hands before they are allowed to learn. In Acarian swordplay, the left hand is left free to either wield a scabbard or grapple with the opponent as necessary. There is no room for variation, and it can slow down the pace of instruction if a student has to mirror their teacher. At least, this is their justification.
Izil learned under no such pressures, learning for the sake of self-defense, a necessary skill for an Arferi teenager in Allegia at the time, and later learning as a soldier under the banner of rebellion. The eastern Arferi school of martial arts focuses on spear, using a uniquely ambidextrous approach. Switching grips -- from right to left and vice versa, always with the dominant hand at the back -- is a fundamental technique in eastern Arferi styles such as Kaznleb, Atlakan, and Soyunleb, the stances of these styles being built around ‘Right Grip’ -- the front foot matching the dominant hand -- and ‘Cross Grip’ -- the front foot not matching the dominant hand. It was only natural for Izil to incorporate this philosophy when she switched to using a sword.
Though she would never describe herself as ‘famous’, her unorthodox fighting style has not gone unnoticed by her peers, and she is well aware of her reputation. She is also aware, however, that her style relies at least partially on her opponents being caught off guard, and to that end she is careful to keep her sparring partners to a minimum to avoid being analyzed, copied, or countered.
