* Restricted: Valdrean Nobility only

Valdrean Formal Duels

• Rules under the Second Empire
• Rules under the Third Empire

Rules under the Second Empire

The Formal Duel was introduced by the Emperor Zarak I on the Proclamation of the Second Empire in the Year 2000.  The detailed Rules grew up over the following years.  The following is a summary from the beginning of the Year 2500:

Certain Offices are subject to Duel.  The potential Challengers may be restricted (expressly or impliedly) or unrestricted.  E.g.:

• The Lion Throne - only a Champion of a Noble House may Challenge.  On the death of the Emperor otherwise than by Duel his heir takes the Office.
• Championship of a Noble House - determined by a duelling hierarchy within the House.  In the Ruling House Championship necessarily carries with it the Lion Throne (exception to the Challenger rule for the Lion Throne).
• Command of Fort Venture - open to Challenge from any Adventurer resident at the Fort, whether or not a Valdrean Noble.  Duel to be fought in Arena at Fort Venture.  Certain duties are (of course) attached.

If the office is vacated by its occupant for a year and a day (willingly or otherwise) he forfeits it, but with a right to challenge immediately upon his return.

The rules of the game are comprised in the Valdrean Duelling Code.  This comprises Rules of Law and of Practice, not all of which have been codified.  The codification takes the form of several Digests, classified by Application and Source, e.g. "Formal Duels - Regulations" and "Informal Duels - Practice".

Examples of Rules are:

1. "No Duellist shall combat without the confines of the Arena, or he shall lose the Duel." (FD - Reg 1/25.1)  Note that "combat" is very widely construed to include all parts of a Duellist's body, his weapons, armour, missiles and Spell Effects.  It can even include items taken from one's opponent and thrown out of the Arena, in which case the thrower would lose the Duel (FD - Dec. 0026.1).
2. "The following are conditions of a Valid Formal Duel... (cxviii)  The Duel shall be held in Public." (FD - Reg. 1/1.1 am 96)  Therefore the public have a right of entry to Formal Duels (Aud - Dec 0011.7).  Note that an Invalid Formal Duel is the First Form of Informal Duel (ID - CP 1/2.1).
3. "Should the Audience interfere with the conduct of a Duel, then it is the Discretion of the judges to take such measures as are fair and reasonable in the circumstances, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing the following orders may be made:
   (i) Criminal sanctions against the interferers, within the limits specified in Aud. Reg. 3/Sched. 1.0091,... [note that this includes the death penalty, a possible form of which is execution in manner specified by the Duellist prejudiced by the Interference.]...
   (xx) A Decision as the Winner of the Duel.
   (xxi) A Penalty against the Duellist aided by the Interference." (FD - Reg. 30/1/6)
4. The Challenger picks the time and place of the Duel. The Challengee can appeal to the Judges if either or both are unreasonable.  He must give a certain number of days' minimum notice, which depends on the Office (e.g. a week for Championships within Noble Houses, a month for the Lion Throne).  If the time specified is too far in the future, the Challengee can counter-challenge for a sooner Duel, which has the effect of nullifying the original challenge.

Rules under the Third Empire

When the Emperor Kostof 1 of Normeikl proclaimed the Third Empire on Empire Day 2500, he took the opportunity to rationalise the Rules of Formal Duels, as follows:

Standard Duelling Rules - Formal Duels (Proclaimed 1 XIV 2500)

Eligibility

The eligible Challengors for each duellable post are prescribed.

Notice

One week's formal Notice of Duel must be given to the Challengee by the Challengor (exception: one month for the Lion Throne).

Notice may be given by the Challengor personally or by proxy.  The Challengee may authorise agents to accept service of a Notice, and any Second of his has deemed authority to accept service, which cannot be revoked.

Notice must be in writing and signed by the Challengor, unless given in person by the Challengor to the Challengee, when it may be oral.

Date of Duel

This will be six days after the date of the Notice (exception: one month for the Lion Throne), unless both parties agree another date.  They are not competent to do so for a Duel for a Ministerial Deputyship.

The time of the Duel is to be agreed by the parties, subject to availability of an Arena.  In default of agreement it will be decided by the Judges.

Nobody can be compelled to Duel more than once a Caeriad unless he agrees.  If alternative dates are not agreed, the subsequently-challenged Duels are postponed to the next following day or days after the first, order being the same as that in which the challenges were made.

Multiple Challenges

A post currently under challenge cannot be challenged for.  It is recommended that if several potential Challengors desire to challenge they should decide which one of them should do so by Informal Duel.

Lost Duels

The loser is precluded from re-challenging for the post for one calendar month.  He may rechallenge before the month is up, but cannot agree for the Duel to be fought before then.

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