On Duels

[VIROS 2915]

Spoiler

[!] A memorandum is drafted from the office of the Privy Seal. It is made available to government officials or members of the public who send letters with questions about the Imperial government's policy on dueling.

 

On Duels

A Memorandum to the Public Regarding a Recent Event

 

We have recently seen the unwelcome outrage of a certain civil official, one who has maintained a persistent yet curiously negligent presence in Orenian political life. This official objected to a duel, one conducted under the watchful eye of the Holy Orenian Emperor at the humble petition of both parties.

 

The duelists in question comprised an atheist and a Canonist, each of whom contested the other’s religious beliefs (or lack thereof). Moreover, both individuals believed the dispute had escalated past the point of religious debate and become one of personal honor. As the imperial procession encountered them on the street, the men had nearly come to blows, and they sought the Emperor’s intercession; rather than break the law of the land, the disputants petitioned that he sanction a formal duel. His Imperial Majesty assented, and found a better venue than a public street: La Fleur theater, the construction of which was funded by the Crown’s own endowment.

 

In the course of the combat, and despite multiple invitations, neither men would yield. Finally, the atheist perished, still convicted of his cause and unwilling to recant the insults he had paid the other. It is a tragedy that he should be so careless with his life and his soul,  but he won the reward he sought: to be the arbiter of his own fate.

 

And why did the Holy Orenian Emperor permit this duel?

 

A state monopoly on violence is useful in the enforcement of law and the preservation of order, but it has the disadvantage of encouraging a certain type of lowly man to perpetrate outrages against his fellows, emboldened by the knowledge that he might avoid any well-deserved consequence. Accordingly it is desirable that duels are occasionally permitted--but regulated--and the right of the state to mete out justice in matters of honor is devolved to the parties concerned. In the end, even the worst outcome is no more bloody than a state-sanctioned execution, the righteousness of which is beyond argument.

 

HIH The Princess Imperial, Duchess of Crestfall, KM

[BenevolentManacles 2232]

The Emperor peruses his collection of taxidermized falcons and hawks in the foyer. One by one, with named plaques, he recalls his exploits with each bird as his friend and trusted soldier, Samuel Gendik, tells him of his daughter's missive.

 

"Yes, well. Admittedly the sport of it is not lost on me, but We are blessed to have a beloved daughter to articulate our stance in ways more suited for public attention."

[colovian fur 8360]

Gib Garak: local Ashlander, purveyor of Jib Jelly™️, world famous author of The Brief History of the Westerlands Vol. I, collector of hats, CEO of Garak Bros Inc, makes a mental note that displays of public outrage results in a direct response from an Orenian Princess.

 

He soon after makes an additional mental note to begin complaining in the public forum more often. 

[CasualNuker 1113]

“There is a reason we have courts of law, and the codex in place to handle such matters of atheism and honor. Instead we have one man dead and another severely injured with blood upon the City of Providence.” Remarks a certain woman named Edith Hope.