You asked for it, part 1 of 3

From: Argrath_at_aol.com
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 1995 11:01:59 -0500


Prax/Wastes

     Most Praxian nomads follow the fighting customs in the outline below. Other customs guide the oasis dwellers, Pol Joni, Agimori, Basmoli, and non-humans.

     Oasis dwellers are mostly peaceful, but young males do grapple with each other.

     Pol Joni follow the Sartarite levels of conflict, but know about the Praxian customs.

     Agimori grapple, but rarely strike one another in anger, because even accidental killing is taboo. They do count coup, but are very careful to avoid accidental killings.

     Basmoli berserkers always fight each other by grappling, but also employ the tether duel.

     The Morokanth grapple and claw each other, and escalate to duels with spears or magic. Thus, Morokanth with thumbs have a big advantage in intra-species conflict. Morokanth do not play Gaya (see below). For entertainment, they pit trained herdmen against each other, or bait a herdman by allowing their pet hyenas to attack him.

     Newtlings have a contest in which they race boats, then race swimming, then fight with tridents under the water.

     Baboons fight for dominance with all forms of unarmed combat. Baboons are one of the rare peoples who often duel with magic.

     Praxian women do not fight physically, except for Babeester Gor initiates and Unicorn Riders. Those women fight just like men.

     Many Praxians get their ideas of sporting behavior from their national game, Gaya (named for the rallying cry of the game's teams). It is like polo, played by two teams of ten to twenty men. (The larger the tribesmen and their mounts, the smaller the teams.) Teams are from different septs of the same clan, or sometimes from different clans of the same tribe. The ball is a herd beast's head (though never the head of the tribe's special beast). A team scores a goal by getting the head back to their "camp," designated by a herd animal skin pegged to the ground. The ball then stays there, and another ball comes into play. Players use mallets. The game ends when all the balls have been captured. The team with the most balls wins. The rules are few, and fouls are unknown. A player who strikes at an opponent risks being struck at in return by the opposing team.

Grappling

     A Praxian man fights a kinsman by jumping on him. If the kinsman is mounted, the idea is to drag him out of the saddle. Once on the ground, they roll around and punch and kick until one concedes by crying "milk!" The winner gains prestige and wins whatever the thing in dispute was. There usually is some object of dispute, even if the root of the argument is abstract, because the man who feels aggrieved will demand something of the other. He will make something up if he must. ("You promised me your bronze tripod!")

     It is dirty fighting to use offensive magics. Knives are fair, as long as not used against eyes or abdomen. Other weapons are not fair. It is dirty fighting to attack an elder, child, or member of the opposite sex.

     No one interferes with a clean fight. If the fight does become dirty, only someone who outranks both fighters will intervene. Thus, fights between high-ranking nobles are often not refereed.

     If the fight ends inconclusively, the fighters will usually escalate after they recover. They may agree to a contest of skill, such as a race, mount-fight, competitive hunt or raid, or target-shooting. (A mount-fight is a battle between trained herd beasts or herd men, in which the winner is the trainer whose beast makes the other submit.) If the fight is serious, however, they will fight a tether duel, or have a dart/archery contest or joust.

Tether Duel

     A tether duel settles a bitter or persistent dispute over status. The usual prelude to a tether duel is persistent hostility between two members of a sept, which a leader brings to a head by requiring the two quarrelers to fight a tether duel. There is no way to challenge another to this type of fight-- another person must suggest it.

     Friends of the duelers tie a leather thong between the fighters' belts. (Basmoli berserkers instead hold the ends of the thong in their mouths.) The thong is six feet long for normal fights. In really bitter fights, the person who suggested the fight may use a thong as short as three feet. The duelers use knives or daggers, and fight until one dueler collapses. One who surrenders bears a shame that will never go away. Cutting the thong is a sign of surrender.

     No matter the outcome, the bitterness between the foes remains forever. The immediate quarrel fades away, to be replaced in the fighters' memories with the details of the tether duel. Rarely, the parties reconcile.

     Wearing armor is fair, as is using magic. Note that it is very difficult to cast spells when tethered to an attacking foe.

[end part 1]


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