A duel is a one-on-one combat between honorable persons, and can be used to solve serious disputes. All duels are governed by the Dueling Code, or the Code Duello. A duel is only possible when there has been a slight to one's honor, whether it be their own or someone they feel bound to protect. Duels are most emphatically not an act of retribution or revenge.
          Any allegations of misconduct during the full proceedings of a duel (from challenge to finish) may be taken to the Masters of the Court of Honor. If someone issues a challenge and is refused, the Court of Honor can be appealed to for a ruling on the honor of the refusal. The Court also answers questions touching on the manner and practice of dueling. Violations of the spirit and rules of the Dueling Code will (if detected and reported) result in censure by (at least) the Masters of the Court of Honor.
          The decisions of the Court of Honor may be appealed to the Lord Chancellor, and decisions by the Lord Chancellor may be appealed to the Queen.

HOW DUELS ARE BEGUN

• Someone who feels their honor has been insufferably transgressed upon issues a challenge.
• Person issuing challenge is termed the 'injured person' or 'party', and are said to have requested or demanded satisfaction.
• The challenger must consider whoever is challenged to be worthy of it specifically, in a position to provide satisfaction in a duel.
• Stating that one will not issue a challenge due to the unworthy nature of the person giving offense is tantamount to saying the person is not honorable.
• Challenges should only be delivered in person directly after offense. If done later, a second should issue the challenge in behalf of the challenger.
• Challenges may not be delivered in writing, unless it is a second hand delivering a written statement by the challenger in which case the second must confirm that the challenge has been received and accepted or not.
• If challenge accepted, the two primaries must avoid all social contact until the duel takes place.

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WHEN DUELING IS IMPERMISSIBLE

• The Queen and her Lords may prevent a person from dueling; for a time, with a certain person, or persons.
• Challenges with widely different social rank is permitted, but frowned upon. A person of high rank is under no obligation to accept the challenge of someone of a widely lower rank.
• Persons married or in a close family relationship may not duel
• If a person is not physically fit, they may not duel.
• The Queen can order all duels forbidden for a time (i.e. times of war).

CONDITIONS FOR A DUEL

There are several conditions that must be met:

• Sanction is not required; however, dueling without sanction can result in social disfavor, censure by the Court of Honor, or actual punishment (loss of status, position, rank, or privileges).
• The consent of both parties is absolutely required. Dueling to the death without mutual consent is murder.
• Seconds or friends must make at least a pro forma attempt at reconcilement, and must arrange the conditions of the duel. The offer and acceptance of an apology brings the challenge to an end.
• A delay of at least one day (from the challenge to the actual combat); duels fought with less than a day's delay are viewed with disfavor
• Challenges must be issued or communicated within two days of the challenging party becoming aware of the offense (which might, of course, be years after the commission of the offense itself). If more time passes, the nature of the offense cannot have been unbearable, and the affront is said to have expired.

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ON SECONDS

• No duel can be fought without at least one second for each party.
• The second has two duties: to the person he or she is seconding, and to the Dueling Code.
• If the second cannot follow the above, he or she should withdraw and a new second chosen
• Seconds do not have to be a friend or even an acquaintance of the principle
• The spouses, parents, or children of a primary should not be seconds.

SANCTION FOR FORMAL DUELS

          Each party to the dispute chooses a second (presumably a friend); the seconds call together upon some competent authority an honor lord of the Queen s Court, or the Queen herself. The Chamberlain is most often conveniently available for this, but the Chancellor, the Lord Marshal, or the Lord Treasurer are each also empowered to sanction duels.

The Chamberlain (or other sanctioning authority):

• asks the seconds who the parties are; asks whether any attempt has been made for reconcilement;
• ensures the parties are not barred from dueling (due to hierarchical, social, legal, physical, etc. conditions);
• enquires and consents as to the form of the duel (the weapons to be used, any strange variant rules, and the desired outcome death or wounding, or some number of wounds, a cry for quarter, or some other measurable or detectable finish);
• enquires and consents to any victory or defeat conditions involving Castle Marrach's court or society (i.e., changes to official positions);
• enquires and consents to the time and place of the encounter and issues instructions to prepare the site if need be;
• instructs and charges the seconds to see that no chicanery takes place, and to carry out their duties as representatives of the Court of Honor at the duel;
• instructs and charges the seconds to contact an authority as soon as possible if there is some obstacle to the duel proceeding, or if one of the parties wishes to withdraw; formally approves the duel, with the restrictions agreed to previously;
• advises the seconds to have the principals put their affairs in order; causes some form of notice of the duel to be made public. This notice will include the names of the participants, and their seconds; the time and date of the duel; and some of the elements of form.

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PUTTING ONE'S AFFAIRS IN ORDER

• Persons wishing to produce registered wills should arrange to have their testament taken down and filed with a Court Clerk (or the Royal Archivist). Other wills and testaments, not filed in the archives, may not be enforced by the Chancery. The Court Clerk may also be willing to hold messages for delivery after a person's demise.

BEGINNING THE DUEL

• Someone may be designated to bring the weapons and give them to the seconds, or, if agreed upon, the principles may use their own.
• All spectators must stand at the sides of the room, and the principles in the middle before the duel.
• The seconds may act to keep control of those present (i.e. making sure people are standing at the sides of the room), may ask for reconciliation once more, but they are only obligated to be present
• Once the duelists have taken up their positions [command: duel name], and each saluted the other with their weapons, the duel begins, and cannot be interrupted by the spectators; the spectators and seconds should not enter the middle of the area.

THE DUEL ITSELF

• During the duel, the combatants must remain in the room, but they may move about the room
• The Court of Honor can decide if the use of unequal or unusual weapons in a duel is a violation of the Dueling Code.
• In a duel to first blood, a single wound ends the bout and the duel itself.
• In duels of a more serious nature, the fighting ceases momentarily when a wound is received; the seconds may wish to enquire if the principals can or wish to continue. If a continuation is agreed to, the duelists re-engage [duel and salute as usual; a duel to the death might thus consist of as many as eight bouts].

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FINISH OF THE DUEL

• In a formal duel, the passage of arms is completed when either the agreed-upon conditions are met, one of the combatants surrenders [command: surrender], one of the combatants leaves the room, or both of the seconds agree to end the duel [although this is not enforced by the system].
• [A bad connection should not result in a lost duel. The seconds are responsible for observing their principals; if they think too much time has gone by without any communication, they may wish to call out some notice of this. Honorable duelists should not take advantage of inconvenienced opponents in this situation.]

PRACTICE

• For the practice of swordplay within the Castle, the practice room, armory, and various open courtyards are normally employed. Practice may also take place in the guard rooms, the quarters of the Winter Watch, or the personal room of any guest.
• Blunted or rebated weapons are normally used in practice.
• Opponents move to the middle of the room, salute, and begin; no seconds are required. In a friendly bout, one where no blood is to be shed, the duelists may acknowledge a hit ("Your point, ser") by extending their empty hand, palm uppermost, to their opponent [possible command: extend my left hand briefly ].
• Challenges from newly-arrived guests may be honorably refused until they prove themselves able to give and receive satisfaction "Dueling is for those worthy of it, my dear ; however, non-fatal dueling is certainly possible before then, if only as practice"

INFORMAL AND UNSANCTIONED DUELS

• If an immediate or sub rosa duel is felt to be needed, the parties to the dispute should still choose seconds.
• The seconds negotiate the nature of the duel when and where, and to what lengths; they also will have to obtain weapons by some method or other.
• An informal or unsanctioned duel may incur the wrath of the Queen s officials, or the Court of Honor, or both, or neither. Much depends on the circumstances, and on how much the affair deviated from fair and traditional dueling. Combat without seconds is almost never recognized as a proper duel; it is no more or no less than combat, proper in some circumstances but not in others. The Queen and the Court of Honor do not look with favor on common murder

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