The art of dueling is an integral part of elven culture. A testament to personal prowess and a entertainment spectacle, in equal parts. Organized dueling under standardized rules dates back some 1600 years, though the practice is as old as elven kind.
Whether you’re an aspiring duelist or a spectator, the upcoming “Duel of the Ages” promises to be a captivating showdown between Bloodworth’s Sejal Crane and the legendary pirate hunter, Abigail “Spinebreaker” Lark.
Dueling for Dimwits
Duels
Dueling has been used to settle disputes, prove one’s strength, and as entertainment throughout history. But it wasn’t until C543, a little more than 1600 years ago, that dueling in its current form was established.
The Combat Etiquette Council formed with the aim of unifying the rules of sword duels across tournaments and regions. Due to its success, soon after, many other types of duels were also included under their standardized ruleset.
Finding a Sponsor
The best way to make a living as a duelist is to find a wealthy sponsor. Giving the duelist a consistent wage, rather than only relying on winnings. The sponsor gets bragging right to the victories, but the job often also entails show matches at private gatherings, acting as a bodyguard, and training young relatives of the sponsor.
More than just the oil, having a sponsor could grant the opportunity to rub elbows with the elite of Bloodworth. If the duelist is good enough, that is.
But a word of warning for new duelists, don’t just sign up with anyone. Make sure the sponsor is a good fit for you.
New Style Dueling Gear
In the last few hundred years, an increasing number of competitions and tournaments have adopted the amended rules, which mandate protective garments.
The armor can be made from linen gambeson, leather, and steel. To ensure fairness, no superior materials can be used.
These new rules have significantly reduced injuries, though competitive duelists still often opt for as little armor as they are allowed in order to remain nimble. The specifics of how much and what kind of armor is allowed, and which parts of the body have to be protected, is comprehensively covered in our book, “Dueling for Dimwits”. But if you want to skip the hassle, you can just get a standard set of armor for the kind of duel you want to try.
While the standard sets for light and medium armor are widely used, the set for heavy armor have been universally condemned as some of the worst, most cumbersome plate ever made. Hey, don’t blame us—you try making plate that is both cheap and with a standardized fit and see how you do. We therefore chose to depict some premium, fitted armor here, and we recommend any serious dueler get their plate custom made.
And for darkness’ sake, don’t buy a cuirass that is only one piece—you won’t be able to bend. You want the separate cuirass, plackart, and faulds.
Decorations
Dueling is as much about the spectacle as the game itself, so many contestants or their sponsors will get armor decorated with sculpted muscles, fierce monsters, or skulls and bones. Though this practice isn’t always the most practical and has occasionally led to some ridiculous armor choices. Best known is probably “Sea-Snake” Jack and his, shall we say, generous codpiece.
Old-Style Dress
The traditional rules are still in use in some tournaments, though both contestants and the audience are split on the topic. The purists claim unarmored combat is the only true form of dueling that puts the focus on the duelist’s skill.
Some duelists prefer the freedom of movement and unrestricted vision, while other counter that getting bonked on the head even with a blunt blade hurts a lot and much prefer a helmet.
The traditional rules stipulate the contestant is allowed one sheet of cloth that is no wider than one arm and no longer than their own height. As well as up to 10 arms of wrap and 6 clips.
The cloth can be worn (or not) in any way the contestant sees fit, but must only be held in place by clips or knots. It cannot be sewn.
These limitations came about shortly after the founding of dueling (in C543) after Karavas “the coward” sewed the then-unlimited-allowed wrap into a thick padded armor.
Note also that the cloth can in no way be used to tangle, restrain, lasso, or strangle the opponent during the duel.
In our book “Dueling for Dimwits”, the many ways to wear the cloth and wrap is explained in detail. Everything from the simple styles such as the loincloth, common skirt, or top wrap, to the more advanced styles such as the one-cheeked triple-twist, the double-sided wedgie, and, of course, the dreaded full windsor.
Learn to dress correctly, so it won’t all come undone in the middle of the duel.
Dreaming of being the next champion? Stop dreaming and buy the book!
Contains the complete ruleset (traditional and amended), dress guide, weapon basics, and the fundamental forms and stances of all the common events.
The Elizeium Baths presents the
Duel of the Ages
A show match between Bloodworth’s third-ranking longsword duelist Sejal Crane and legendary pirate hunter Abigail “Spinebreaker” Lark.
How will a living legend do in a formal duel? You are about to find out in this unique spectacle. Young vs old, duelist vs warrior, mainlander vs islander. Book your seats and place your bets!
“Who could deny that Abby is one of the greatest fighters alive?” Sejal said in our interview. “She was a legend long before I was even hatched. But she lacks the experience of formal duels, that might be my edge.”
“Dueling is merely hatchling games,” Abby said. “Out on the seas, you kill or you die. I got 10,000 pirates before I retired — you really think this youngster mainlander is going to get the better of me?”
“I’m not unfamiliar with real combat either, you know,” Sejal added. “I did grow up a mercenary and fought plenty alongside my brother.”