Duels
Duels of Va’nu
The Edge Between Honor and Death
Overview
Dueling is woven into the very fabric of Va’nu’ian society. Though the K’laisians are known for their regulated and meticulously documented Duels, the Va’nu’ians surpass them in frequency, ferocity, and cultural expectation. To live on Va’nu is to understand that conflict is not an exception: it is a part of daily life.
Weapons & Carry Laws
No Va’nu’ian is ever without their preferred weapon. Carrying arms is not simply custom; it is survival.
Ri’tachi & the Li’nyiam Blades
Members of the Ri’tachi always wear their Li'nyiam blades, unmistakable symbols of authority and martial excellence. Beyond their status, the weapons grant advantages impossible with more common arms, making them both feared and revered.
Families within Ri’tachi lineages often train their children with li’nyiam blades from an early age, with the expectation that they, too, will become Chosen. Failure to meet this expectation is often fatal: one way or another.
Where Duels Happen
Va’nu’ian Duels erupt anywhere conflict arises:
- City streets
- Market corridors
- Open desert spans
- Within public buildings
- Specific locations at jousting arenas
Only the specialized jousting arenas maintain a specific location for Duels. Everywhere else, a Duel begins the moment a Challenge is issued. There is no central registry, no official documentation. A Duel happens when it must, and ends when one cannot continue to fight.
Training & Youth Instruction
Va’nu’ian children are trained in combat from the moment they can lift a weapon. Mastery of a blade and basic self-defense are considered foundational skills, as essential as language or numeracy.
As they mature, each child selects a preferred weapon. If they are born into Ri’tachi families, their path is typically predetermined.
Rules, Champions, and Death
While Duels can end without death, lethal outcomes are common and culturally accepted. Mercy is nearly unheard of.
Champions
Champions are legally allowed, but socially condemned:
- Requesting a Champion is a sign of weakness.
- Weakness marks someone as a target.
- Those granted unique positions of immunity; a very rare occurance
Still, even outsiders quickly learn that a Champion may not always be available, and a Va’nu’ian will show no mercy simply because their opponent is unskilled.
Life on Va’nu
Any being attempting to live among the Va’nu’ians quickly learns two truths:
- Tread carefully, for offense is easily given and swiftly punished.
- Learn to Duel, for skill is the only reliable shield.
Survival favors those with discipline, awareness, and a blade close at hand.
Va’nu’ian Duels
Commonality:
Extremely frequent; part of everyday life.
Regulation:
None. Duels occur anywhere a Challenge is issued.
Documentation:
Not recorded or archived (unlike K’laisian duels).
Typical Locations:
- Anywhere public or private
- Jousting arenas (specific locations but still brutal)
Weapons:
- Personal preferred weapon (always carried)
- Ri’tachi: li’nyiam blades
Training:
Begins in early childhood; weapon use and self-defense taught from the moment a child can hold a blade.
Ri’tachi Expectations:
Children of Ri’tachi lineages are trained to wield li’nyiam blades; failure often results in death.
Champion Rules:
Champions are allowed but heavily stigmatized.
Very few are spared harsh judgment for using one.
Outcome of Duels:
Not always fatal, but death is common and culturally accepted. Mercy is rare.
Cultural View:
Strength is survival. Weakness is a death sentence.
Outsiders quickly learn to tread carefully... or learn to Duel.
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