Dynastic Duelling
Duelling in the Scarlet Dynasty is a regular, if not constant, occurrence... as each Dynast is a Prince of the Earth, part of the Terrestrial host charged with defense and rulership of Creation, wills are strong and martial tempers often hot. A duel can be the preferred and most public way for two Dynasts to settle a dispute: it is a quick and decisive end to a problem, which has as many rules of etiquette in it as every other part of Dynastic life. In realms across the Threshold, duels are given similar importance: the Delzahn value them as a sign of success and manhood, and while Lookshyan high command attempts regular crackdowns and official bans to prevent wasting military resources, duels between Seventh Legion officers continue (the lack of sanction pushing them towards more deadly outcomes). Some traditionalists hold this to be an abandonment of Shogunate culture, for both the Realm and Lookshy owe much of their dueling culture to the Shogunate... it is said that not a day went by without a duel in the court of the Shogun, and far more were to the death than in these present times.
In general a duel works as follows: Someone challenges to a duel, another accepts the duel. The two agree on the terms of victory (i.e. first blood, death, etc), find a judge or official (in the Realm, an Imperial Magistrate) to serve as witness, have their duel, and then their issue is resolved. The person who is challenged sets the form the duel will take (i.e. Iaijutsu, free combat, poetic composition, Gateway, etc). The person who makes the challenge sets the time and place (i.e. next Venusday at noon, in Toribeno). It is common courtesy for both parties to select a method, time and place which is familiar or accessible to their opponent: attempting to win a duel by challenging a Legion officer to a test of mounted archery, or a Fire-aspect to a duel in an underwater Pelagiothorpe ruin, can see the offender snubbed more severely than a sorcerer within the Dynasty's social networks. HOWEVER, all Dynasts are expected to be skilled in certain basic areas, and to object to a duel in one of those common forms reflects negatively on the objector. [OOC: Reference the Dynastic ability point requirements for clues as to the activities in which all Dynasts are expected to have proficiency]
Types of Duel
Confrontation Duels: These duels involve a direct clash... sword on sword, debate, and the like, where one party defeats another.
Contest Duels: These duels involve a competition, to see which party can meet or exceed a common goal (most accurate arrow strike to a target, poem most praised by the audience, highest leap, etc).
Sorcerous Duels: While duels to the death between sorcerers are awesome to behold, they occur so infrequently as to be nigh irrelevant... sorcerous duels instead concentrate on displays of raw power, sorcerers attempting to outdo themselves in the size and spectacle of their spellcasting.
Champion Duels: Some Dynasts choose to have champions fight on their behalf. For some (senior Senators nominating House juniors to deal with challenges issued by Young Turks) this is not just acceptable but expected... certain opponents are simply not worthy of one's efforts. For others (a courtier nominating a martial peer as his champion) it is seen as a reflection of one's own deep failings.
Death Duels: Duels to the death are rare in the Dynasty... the life of a Terrestrial ought not be wasted in such a manner, and letting conflicts become so severe reflects poorly on both parties. The standard time before a duel to the death is one year. This is so everyone involved has time to prepare, as well as to get all their affairs in order should they lose. If both parties agree, it can be fought in as short a period of time as one month... for a duel to the death to be issued for a shorter time reflects very poorly on the issuer... and the challenged Dynast if they accept! The Scarlet Empress (Regent) often discouraged death dueling by simply advising her Magistrates that they would all be 'otherwise engaged' and thus unable to serve as witnesses.
Iaijutsu Duels: Duels of one strike. A highly traditional form practiced in the late Shogunate Era, likely linked to the Drifting Clouds Style martial arts and currently popular amongst Dynasts of House Tepet. An Iaijutsu Duel is a test of speed and control: in one swift motion, a weapon is drawn and swung in a strike, stopping just short of the target. The duelist whose blow would have struck first is the victor.
Gladiatorial Duels: Arena matches are popular entertainment, though Dynasts rarely participate in such vulgar activities. Before combat, gladiators swear that neither of them care if they are killed, which even wooden swords can do, and that neither holds a personal grudge against the other, which is often false. Gladiatorial undertakings are rarely to the death across most of the Realm, though bloodsport has proven increasingly popular in the arenas at the Palace of Trees and Arjuf.
Cultural Aspects of Duels
Duel Veils: Males in Delzahn culture traditionally wear veils, listing their accomplishments and duel victories. Dynasts with close connections to Chiaroscuro sometimes adopt this fashion into their own clothing. Duels are far more common in the South than the Dynasty, especially duels to the death.
Duels and Justice: In a duel, triumph is everything. Whatever argument or accusation was on the table, the duel victor's side is given legal standing as correct, through a declaration of judgement by the Imperial Magistrate witnessing it.
Superiority through Inferior Arms: One method of embarrassing an opponent is by using a weapon inferior to theirs... an indirect assertion that they require you to have a handicap due to their lack of skill. The most basic method involves keeping a weapon confined to sheath or scabbard, though some Water-guided charms or hearthstones [OOC: which convert lethal damage to bashing] are used for this purpose. A duelist who meets a live blade with a wooden training weapon is further proclaiming his skill, and if the opponent also switches to such a blade, some will keep the moral advantage by wielding a piece of firewood or a rough-hewn branch. Further proof of superiority is shown by warriors who chose no weapons at all, defending themselves only with their fans or belt ribbons. Using the technique of stopping just short of delivering a blow also demonstrates a duelist's superior skill while preserving his opponent.
Black Jade Repast: By tradition a duel's victor is treated by their allies to a meal of Black Jade Jelly following their victory, a medicinal dish said to aid in recovery from physical and mental exertion. Some Dynastic Houses eschew the tradition in favour of more rich and celebratory meals, while others often prepare the dish to the loser as well as the victor in the exchange.
