We've had some people express interest in dueling as something their character might engage in, so I thought I would go ahead and write up some notes on dueling as it's practiced in the Sirdabi Caliphate!
Honor duels would not be a part of traditional culture in the Sirdabi Caliphate. In the earlier days it would have been considered abhorrent for members of the Azadi community to fight and harm one another except in the most serious cases. The Azadi ideal is for all its members to recognize one another as part of a family of the faith, and its precepts strongly discourage customary tribal practices like honor killings and endless cycles of blood feud. The preferred way to resolve serious disputes has been through the courts of law. However, the concept of honor -- the honor of one's family name and kin at least as much as one's own -- and of avenging perceived damages to it has been difficult to stamp out. Such matters have continued to be handled through the courts or by referring one's case to respected elders in a community, or by more refined competitions such as through poetry -- seeing which party can defend themselves and cut down their enemy most eloquently in recited verse. But this has not been for everybody, and more hot-blooded youths in particular have sometimes still come to blows and blood.
Enter dueling!
Dueling has been introduced to the caliphate relatively recently -- within the last two hundred years. The practice originated in the land of Cadenza, previously ruled by the rival Majirid Caliphate. The Majirids presided over their own multicultural society that combined elements of Sirdabi and Cateni culture, and both trial-by-combat and dueling were time-honored practice among the latter. When the Majirids surrendered their lands to the Kalentoi Empire and many people of Azadi faith left to seek new lives in the Sirdabi Caliphate, they brought the concept of honor duels with them, as they had been used productively to resolve disputes in such a way as to avoid death and serious harm as prohibited by Azadi. Although the practice was slow to take root, it has begun to flourish in the last century and has even been enshrined in law, as religious scholars and government authorities have worked to define precise rules for it.
The accepted weapons for dueling are the rapier-like light sword called al-kun, and a shorter parrying dagger called al-qudun. These derive from Cadenzan words meaning "hawk" and "shrike", respectively, so the weapons are often simply called by those names as well. The standard rules of dueling stipulate disarmament or first blood as the condition of victory, whichever can be accomplished first. A duel should never result in death or serious injury to a fellow Azadi, and many believe that an Azadi should not even accept a duel with one not of the faith. Given the importance laid upon not seriously harming one's opponent, Sirdabi dueling tends to be more elegant than lethal, with an emphasis upon finesse over force, and strategy over strength. A formal duel can involve a panel of judges who grade the opponents' style in addition to declaring first blooding or disarmament, identifying disqualifying moves, and issuing penalties. The duelists will typically decide upon the exact rules and terms of victory they wish to abide by in a given contest.
The two opponents in a duel should be either the offended and offender parties themselves, or else a kin member whose honor likewise has been touched. If a proxy is used, both parties must agree to this and approve the individual put forward as proxy. Making a career out of dueling is strongly condemned, so proxies must have their own ties of honor to the affair. A formal duel should have at least two judges, who should not have close ties to either duelist. Most commonly the judges will be acquaintances from within the duelists' community (a neighborhood, clan, university, etc) who are considered fair-minded and familiar enough with the rules of dueling to properly monitor the match and declare the winner.
All of these things constitute the ideal practice of dueling, but of course not all ideals are upheld by all parties all the time. Duels are sometimes fought with non-Azadi, serious harm is occasionally caused, not all duels are so formal as to have judges and abide properly by the rules, etc. Nevertheless this is how people are expected to behave, whether all of them do or not, and being discovered dueling in violation of the rules can result in public censure, personal and familial shame, or even fines and arrest.
Dueling has become somewhat fashionable, at least in certain wealthy and usually Sirdabi-heritage circles. One can enlist the services of a private tutor in order to learn technique and style, or even attend classes at small academies specializing in the fine art of self-defense. But not all people of the caliphate particularly care for the idea of dueling. Local governments often see it as disruptive to the social order, while traditionalists everywhere deplore the practice and urge a full return to the older ways of resolving disputes. Many Azadi still believe that dueling is not fully compatible with the ideals of the faith, and think (probably not inaccurately) that it has to led to a rise in challenges simply for the sake of vanity and a chance to show off. Dueling is most popular by far among those of Sirdabi heritage, though it isn't exclusive to them. Many Salawi have also embraced it due to their love of competition, and Salawi duels typically tend to incorporate extra challenges and rules "to make it more interesting". Dueling tends to be more popular in large cities than in the often more conservative towns and rural areas.
Dueling is also by and large the province of men. Its chief popularity resides not just among Sirdabi, but among wealthy Sirdabi in particular, and wealthy Sirdabi families are also those which tend to be stricter in their codes of conduct for women. Wealthy Sirdabi (and also Irzali) women are expected to remain within the household and only go out upon the streets well covered and discreetly behaved; they are to be protected as individuals in whom a family's honor resides, and are not meant to be active champions of family honor themselves. A duel is far more like to be fought over a woman than by one. The chief exception to this is among the Salawi, where even wealthy women play a more active role in public life and competitions are open to all regardless of sex or gender -- dueling not excluded.
There is one arena where dueling is fully sanctioned by Azadi, and this is upon the battlefield. Although most battles are won or lost by armies, there has historically been the opportunity for a pair of champions, one on either side of the conflict, to fight one-on-one in order to decide its outcome. An actual champion of the caliphate must not only be a superb swordsman, but also a person of virtue, discipline, and piety. No lesser person would be considered fit to defend the honor and safety of the community of the faithful. Such a person would generally be drawn from the ranks of the Lion Guard after displaying both great skill and great virtue, and they would receive additional specialized training while still being expected to keep up with their ordinary duties.
