The following is also a repost, from "A Fair Fight":
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Sartar/Heortland
These customs are typical of the Barbarian Belt. With some variation, they apply to Sun Dome Temple residents, both in Dragon Pass and in the Zola Fel valley. Tarshites of the countryside have these customs, but urban Tarshites look down on brawling. They prefer assassination and thuggery, like their Lunar masters.
Fistfighting and Chest-pounding
The least dangerous and least serious level of fight is the fist fight. Two men or two boys fight this way when a verbal argument reaches a level of anger that someone throws the first blow or offers to have a chest-pounding duel. Men do not fight boys, and nobody fights elders. However, one can argue that someone is really a boy or a man, if that suits the occasion.
Women in Heortland and Sartar do not fight men, but sometimes fight each other. This is relatively common in Babeester Gor temples. Babeester Gor initiates often skip the fist-fighting level, however, and go straight to an axe duel. Women never have chest-pounding duels.
A chest-pounding duel is a contest of machismo in which men throw their best punches at each other's chests. The challenger must accept the first blow. Falling down means losing the fight. If neither falls down, the fighters could reconcile ("I'll buy you a beer"), have another round of chest-pounding, or escalate.
Depending on the level of anger, the fight may progress as a boxing match or rolling around in the dirt. If one fighter wants to escalate further, he can disengage and challenge the other to a weapon duel. If there are more than two men in the argument, two may fight while the others watch, or the fight can escalate to a stick-fighting melee.
Fist-fighters rarely get the chance to cast spells. Someone might cast a defensive spell in preparation for a fist-fight, however, and this is considered fair. It is not fair for others to cast magic on the fighters during the fight, even defensive or healing magic. Offensive magic of any kind, but especially Ironhand, is dirty fighting.
Unless the fight gets dirty, no one will break it up. Bystanders may bet on the outcome, but bets are off if the fight does get dirty. In addition to forbidden magic, dirty fighting includes using a bladed or hafted weapon, and gouging eyes or attacking genitals. (In a wrestling match, of course, the only weapon fighters can use is a dagger.) Having armor on is not dirty fighting, but nobody wears armor all the time. Only a fool challenges someone in armor when he is not armored.
If the fight stays fair, then it ends when someone is knocked unconscious or surrenders. The bystanders praise the winner and console (or heal) the loser. The argument is considered settled, at least for the time being, in favor of the winner.
Fighters rarely suffer permanent harm in such fights. On rare occasions, someone loses an eye. A healing spell can usually fix that and the victim will regain his or her vision within a few minutes, hours, or days. If sight does not return, the person who caused the loss of the eye must apologize and make amends. King Sartar set the reparation for the loss of one eye at 500p (10 pigs or 5 cows). Some tribal kings have set the "eyeprice" higher or lower since his day. However, if the blinded man's weregild is less than 1000p., the gouger can usually get away with paying about half the weregild.
On very rare occasions, a fighter dies. This usually happens as a result of a chokehold or a very lucky punch to the head. The family of the dead man will try to have him raised from the dead. The degree of effort varies with the man's importance. The killer has no duty to aid in that effort. If the victim stays dead, though, the killer must pay a weregild to the victim's family. Weregilds are listed in the Gamemaster's Book in Deluxe RQ.
Stick-fighting
Stick-fights result from long-standing grudges or group conflict. Despite the name, stick-fighters use cudgels, wooden maces, and other blunt weapons. The typical group is four or five men on a side. Women do not fight this way, and the adults keep boys from fighting this way until their initiation. Old men do not engage in this nonsense.
This is the level which Pavis street-gangs typically use. It is also a favorite of noblemen and others who run protection rackets. The nobleman or boss does not actually fight--he just sends his thugs or housecarls to beat up people. If the victim can't get anyone to fight beside him, he gets the tar knocked out of him.
When beating up a defenseless target, most thugs use natural weapons only, or at least pull their blows with the club. The idea is to cause pain without risking killing a person. In circumstances in which a mobster on Earth would break a person's legs, however, the thugs have to get mean. A Healing spell will fix a broken leg far too easily. To cause permanent or long term damage to someone means one has to amputate something. Thugs will take an ear from someone they do not fear, a hand from someone they do. They might ransom the body part back to its owner, or they might sell it to a magician. If they have an enemy in a weak position, they may force him to swear an oath to do something or not to do something. Coercion does not make an oath bad.
Stick-fighters can use defensive and healing magic and can wear armor. Using offensive magic is dirty fighting, and using bludgeon is most shameful. Most stick-fighters wear little or no armor. Pavis street gangs wear a couple layers of leather. Wearing metal armor is not dirty fighting, but a guy in chainmail who is wielding a stick looks ridiculous.
Dirty fighting includes making thrusting (or missile weapon) attacks, using bladed weapons, and using metal mace-heads. The penalty for dirty fighting is two-fold. A dirty fighter gets a reputation as such, which dishonors his name. Dirty fighting may also lead to escalation, especially where the victims of the dirty fighting have large families.
Winning a stick-fight means knocking all foes out of the fight, either by making them unconscious, making them surrender, or making them run away. The winners may rob the losers.
Eyeprice and weregild are as described above. However, the victim or his family may have a hard time collecting it.
Weapon Duels
Humakti set the pattern for these. Non-humakti often have less formal duels than the Humakti norm, however. A man may simply draw his weapon and challenge his antagonist. The other man has a choice: draw his weapon or appease the challenger. If he chooses to fight, the crowd forms a circle to gives them room to fight. Some fighters will stand on formality, and give each other time to don armor and find a clear space for combat. Fighters can agree on the amount of the loser's forfeit. If they cannot agree, the duel does not take place. However, the fighter who proposes a higher forfeit can often pressure the other into accepting the higher amount.
Any weapons and armor are allowed in a duel. It is poor form for a challenger to be more heavily armed and armored than his opponent, but this often occurs anyway. Heavy weapon users do not always win, but that's the way to bet.
Unless the fighters agree otherwise, the fight is "to a winner": that is, till one fighter is incapacitated or surrenders. Humakti often fight to first blood, and most temples have rules requiring that. Few men ever fight to the death. Even a fight "to the death" does not usually end in death. Unless someone is aiming for vital locations, the fight usually ends in incapacitation or surrender. It would be extremely dirty fighting to kill an incapacitated foe or one who surrenders. There is a word for that: murder.
There are two differences between a fight to a winner and a fight to the death. First, if a fight is to the death, the winner need not pay weregild. In a fight to a winner, the winner must pay weregild if the loser dies. Some people reject this rule, making all killers pay weregild. Courts and allthings often make exceptions. Second, a fight to the death is much more serious, and gains the winner a reputation for deadliness. Many fighters who value their reputations will not surrender in a fight to the death. The same fighter might be willing to concede defeat in a fight to a winner. On the other hand, any fighter can turn down a challenge to fight to the death, without losing face. He simply says that the cause is not significant enough.
It is not exactly dirty, but considered poor form, to challenge someone of the opposite sex or someone who is much younger, or less skilled, or too old. The person challenged can always decline, but if he or she accepts, the fight is fair.
Dirty fighting in a duel includes only deadly offensive magic (Sever Spirit, Seal Wound, Fear, elementals, blessed flints, etc.) and things that would be cheating in any contest. A fighter cannot get outside help or fight on past the agreed stopping point. Nor can a fighter pretend to surrender, then attack. However, taking advantage of terrain, attacking from behind, disarming the foe, or throwing dust in one's opponent's face are all fair tactics. Spirit magic is quite fair.
To surrender, the loser usually throws down his weapon (if he can) and shouts "I surrender" while throwing himself on his face. However, a fighter can use any method that clearly shows that he gives up.
The winner gains whatever the basis of the conflict was. In addition, he can demand a forfeit by the loser. This is usually a small amount agreed on by the fighters before the fight. If they did not agree on it, then the winner may demand what he wants, and it is up to the loser's friends and family to pressure him into accepting less. The loser is the winner's prisoner until he or his friends raise the forfeiture. If the loser cannot raise the money within a season, the winner can sell the loser into slavery.
Raid
Raiders are lightly armed and armored men, usually cavalry. The purpose of a raid is either to cause property damage or to steal livestock. Raiders tend to avoid meeting foes. They never carry bows. Bows are not dirty fighting, but mean that the fight is really an invasion or offer of battle. Likewise, heavy armor and lances show an intent to invade or give battle.
Raids are usually made with fifteen to fifty men, with a typical number being thirty. Women, boys, shamans, priests, and old men rarely take part. The group usually comes from one clan, with allies perhaps. Defenders, if any, may seek help from allies, but this is rare.
Raiders hope for easy success, and often retreat before opposition. If they are herding stolen livestock, they may trade a few blows. However, numbers and tactics, not brute force, usually decide the fight. Few raiders die, but some or all could be captured. It is not shameful for raiders to seek terms when confronted with overwhelming force.
Defenders must allow the kin of captured raiders to ransom prisoners. The defenders can keep whatever the raiders had with them. Ransom is usually one-half of one's weregild.
Defenders rarely escalate the conflict when they see a raid coming. They think it not worth risking lives to save livestock, crops, and barns. Thus, defenders usually give only token opposition. They may send out skirmishers or hit-and-run archers. If they wish to raise the stakes, they field a larger force than the raiders, or heavy troops, or massed archers protected by infantry. Then the raiders withdraw, with or without stolen livestock. Rather than oppose a raid, however, most defenders start planning a counter-raid.
It is dirty raiding to slay prisoners, to kidnap free persons, or to damage an enemy temple. It is wrong for defenders to refuse to ransom captives, or to sell them into slavery. Neither side should use elementals or deadly divine magic.
Invasion
When one clan or tribe seeks to conquer another, take territory, or settle a severe feud, it sends a heavily-armed force into its enemy's territory. The object of an invasion is to impose one's will on the enemy. Thus, it is a victory if one's force so frightens the enemy that they concede the disputed territory or make other concessions.
The politics of invasion are a complex art. Here, it suffices to note that the leader of an invasion gathers the largest force he can muster and expect to pay. Defenders call on their allies, seek to delay the invaders, and make things as hard as they can for the invaders. More often than not, the two sides will meet in battle. Only warriors fight in these battles, unless one side (almost always the defenders) fields its militia.
All means are fair when invading or defending one's land against invasion. The only taboos are breaking solemn vows and attacking the innocent. Prisoners of war are the property of the winners unless they can negotiate better terms as part of the surrender. Winners may slay prisoners of war, but that invites reprisal. Arson is a common tactic.
Sartarite tribes live in a state of near-constant war, and thus need the ancient practice of champion-battle. In Heortland, the Pharaoh's Peace has ended invasions, and champion-battle is just a dimly-remembered custom. In champion-battle, the two sides agree to wager the outcome of the invasion on the outcome of melee between champions. Each leader chooses his champion, usually a Rune Lord. Champions fight "to a winner" (see weapon duels, above). If the invader's champion wins, the defenders yield the disputed land or pay tribute. If the defender's champion wins, the invaders withdraw and make reparations. Champion-battle is not used when the invader seeks to conquer.
[end]
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #247
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