Lunar "dart contests" are wars between ruling factions that fall just short of open battle. Praxian dart and archery contests, by contrast, are duels between two men from different families, clans, or tribes. The duelers settle their dispute by shooting at each other. This is a custom of the Impala, Sable, Ostrich, and Bolo Lizard tribes, and uncommon or unknown among other tribes. It is not very common even among archers, because there are few conflicts that involve just single members of different groups. Thus, these duels usually arise from a festering conflict between two families. The leaders or their champions take on the conflict personally, and seek to resolve it.
Magic and armor are fair, but melee attacks and outside help (including elementals) are not. If one side cheats, the two clans will shout their battle cries and attack.
Winning involves still standing at the end of the fight (or remaining mounted on a live animal, if the duelers fight mounted). Death is fairly common in this type of conflict, even if it does not escalate.
Joust
The Alticamelus, Bison, and Rhino peoples are the best at jousting. The Sable, Zebra, Pol Joni, and Unicorn riders also joust. (However, the unicorns themselves will have nothing to do with jousting. Their riders use other mounts when they joust.) Jousters use special light, blunt spears made from rattan, which grows in the Zola Fel valley and along the coasts. Men joust when a grappling contest ended inconclusively, or when they wish to remain friends, or when they both claim the same prize from a raid. Alticamelus, Bison, and Rhino riders also joust for fun.
Jousters wear all their armor and ride their best riding animals. The winner is the one who remains in the saddle when his opponent does not. It is dirty fighting to use weapon magic, offensive spells, or a solid spear. Casting spells on one's mount is poor form, but very common.
The winner claims a prize of one animal from the loser. The winner gets to pick the animal in most cases. If the joust was over the spoils of a raid, though, the winner gets the first pick.
Counting Coup
This is a type of group fighting with less seriousness than a raid. It also has many features of personal combat. Some people, like the Agimori, make it a kind of first-blood tournament. Others, like the Bison people, make it more of a grand melee. Praxians count coup only against members of the same tribe. It is purely a matter of honor, not directly concerned with herd animals or booty.
The general idea is that one person gets honor from wounding
another. The fighters use killing blows, and death sometimes results. The idea, however, is simply to humiliate one's enemies. A great fighter must count coup on many enemies to keephis reputation. A green warrior can build a reputation by counting coup, and avoiding getting counted. Once one has bloodied one's weapon, honor is satisfied. The warrior may then withdraw.
People wear all their armor and use their best weapons. Most tribes allow the use of all kinds of magic except Sever Spirit, Seal Wound, and elementals.
Anyone who strikes at or wounds an animal loses honor and must leave the field.
Old men on both side mark the field by pointing out natural features. The winning side is the one that has men left on the field when the other side has pulled back. The winning side gets nothing but glory.
Raid
Praxian raiders carry their heaviest arms and armor, unlike the Sartarites. A Praxian raid is always to steal livestock. Like Sartarites, Praxians try to avoid meeting foes. However, Praxians carry the same weapons they always do. This includes bows, for many tribes.
Raids are usually made with ten to fifty men, with a typical number being twenty-five. Women, boys, shamans, priests, and old men never take part. As with the Sartarites, the raiding group comes from one clan, though they may have allies. Defenders never have time to seek help from allies.
Raiders often give way if the defenders fight back. Conflicts are resolved much as with Sartarites, with three exceptions. First, fighting is customary, and injuries are common. Second, prestige counts for more than numbers. Thus, a high prestige defender can drive away a superior force of raiders, and a high prestige raider can take the livestock of a larger group of defenders. Third, raiders and defenders avoid cutting off their opponents' line of retreat, fearing a desperate fight.
[end part 2]
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