The Code of the Duel: Dance of Honor

The Salle is where duels sanctioned by the nobility are most often fought. Such occurrences, once rare, are becoming more frequent as tensions amongst kithain rise in the absence of the High King from his throne. In the County of Rowan-Oak, unsanctioned duels fought when the local lord has denied the contestants a field of combat are generally fought at Fiddler's Green at dawn, and are illegal as they are held in defiance of the Right of Demesne. Secrecy is thus a prime consideration in illicit duels, and generally only the combatants and their seconds (see below) attend.

The procedure for a sanctioned duel is as follows.

  • The Challenge

    Any fae who feels as though her honor has been impugned may challenge the offending party, provided the offender is of equal or lesser rank. Challenging a lesser noble is considered a bit beneath one's station, but it does happen, especially when the injured party is a member of House Gwydion, or an affair of the heart is involved. Generally a challenge is only issued after the injured party has demanded an apology or a retraction and been refused, as it is considered dishonorable not to allow the offender a chance to rethink words carelessly said, or to extend compensation for an accidental wrong. If offered in sincerity, such an apology must be accepted. A fae who is honorably challenged may refuse the fight and accept the stigma of cowardice, and thus concedes the point of honor to the challenger. If the offender accepts the challenge, both parties go to the next open court of the ruling noble to request a field be granted for the duel.

  • The Petition

    At Ben Bison Brugh, it is the Earl himself who must be petitioned to sanction a duel, unless the household has been left in the care of his chancellor, the Lady Ausmandine. If he deems the offense to be petty or better settled through arbitration, or if he chooses to pass judgement on the dispute himself, permission for the duel is denied, and the contestants must either comply, or risk his ire by fighting an unsanctioned duel elsewhere. If the Lord of the Brugh deems the matter worthy, he will grant the contestants a field, almost always the Salle or Great Room at Ben Bison.

    A duel which has been granted a field is a court occasion, and fought publically in front of an audience of interested bystanders. Once a field is granted, a special meeting called a parley is arranged to establish the terms of the contest. This meeting does not include either the challenger or the challenged, who are honor-bound once a field is granted to utterly avoid each other until they meet to fight the duel itself. Instead, each contestant names a second, usually a close friend, who will negotiate upon her or his behalf.

  • The Parley

    Several things must be agreed upon by both seconds and the presiding noble, and these are determined at the parley. Primary among such considerations is whether the duel will be The Scarlet Trip, fought to first blood, or The Dragon's Dance, fought until one combatant yeilds. If the offense is deemed so grave that only death will satisfy honor, then the Earl surrenders his authority over the fight, and the contestants must make their petition again, this time directly to Her Grace Evelenau, Duchess of Rhododendrons, who will personally decide whether to grant a field for the Danse Macabre. The Dance of Iron, fought to the death with cold iron weapons, is prohibited throughout Concordia and most foreign kingdoms as well, and will not be granted a field by any authority for any reason.

    Other matters determined at the parley include which weapons the combatants will use, whether the Dragon's Ire will be invoked, whether cantrips will be permitted, when the fight shall be held, and who will preside over the fight as referee, or Master of the Lists. The Master of the Lists is chosen by the Earl (or whichever noble has granted the field), and sometimes he will take this role upon himself. Because the seconds are almost always partial to the contestant whom they represent, the parley is generally conducted under the effects of a Protocol cantrip to assure the negotiations run smoothly.

  • The Contest of Honor

    • On the day of the fight, the seconds meet at the with the Master of the Lists at the field of honor before the event, in order to view the field, mark out the area in which the duel is to be fought, and inspect the weapons with which the contestants will fight for any signs of tampering, poison, or illicit enchantments. When all is deemed suitable, the contestants are summoned from where they have been seperately sequestered. Each contestant is then inspected in much the same way as the weapons, by both his or her opponent's second and by the Master of the Lists.

    This accomplished, the contestents swear an oath to abide by the terms of the duel and to honor the Master of the Lists as judge of the dispute. Once the oaths are sworn, the seconds clear the field of combat while the contestants take up their weapons, the Master of Lists asks each contestant whether he or she is ready and, when both agree that they are, signals for the fight to begin. The contest ends when one duelist or the other achieves the condition of victory, or until the Master of the Lists calls a halt to the contest. The latter occurs when a member of the audience disrupts the fight (in which case the noble authorizing the contest must decide whether to grant another field), one of the contestents makes an unfair move (thus forfeiting the contest) or some unforseen occurrence intervenes to prevent a fair contest from being fought to conclusion, such as an emergency elswhere in the vicinity (in which case a parley is called to set a date and time to finish the fight, if it cannot be done on the spot).

    Once the contest has ended, both duelists are honor-bound to let the matter rest. Pursuing a vendetta beyond the duel is considered a serious breach of honor, and may result in the banishment of the offending party or parties. Following a duel it is customary, although not required, for the contestants to withdraw to a saloon to drink themselves into oblivion. It is considered particularly auspicious if the contestants choose to drink together, and a very bad omen if this mild debauch results in another challenge.

    Unsanctioned duels unfold without as much ceremony. There is no master of the lists, and his duties are assumed by the seconds. It is considered poor form to speak of illicit duels one has participated in, as both duelists and their seconds face legal repercussions should word of the affair reach the nobility. The gravity of the noble displeasure at an unsanctioned duel can vary a great deal, with punishment ranging from a stern lecture to social ostracism or worse. An example of such a private feud and its conclusion, between the CEarl of Rowan-Oak (in his reckless youth) and his comrade Ewan ap Gwydion, can be perused here.

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