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Conditions of Combat

Article written by Uziel


The Conditions of Combat are a series of rules employed in a legal court case held in the Imperial League, when a trial goes through the Conditions of Trial and a settlement cannot be reached.

The conditions are engaged when a trial is due to be decided in the Imperial Arena, and determine how the combat will be conducted. The conditions are agreed to by the lawyers, and the savvy lawyer can gain the upper hand for their client in the arena. The four conditions are: Victory, Weapons, Armor and Champions.

The condition of victory determines how a result can be determined by combat. Most trials involve first blood, cutting of a horn, unconsciousness, surrender or even the lopping off a limb as a means of victory. More severe cases must be fought to the death. The law dictates the general level of victory required in most cases, such as the crime of theft involves removing a limb, whereas the crime of slander is normally relegated to first blood.

The conditions of weapons & armor are used to balance out two combatants, or to punish someone who is charged with a severe crime. Someone who has killed a government official is expected to fight without weapons, and in other cases those under trial fight without armor or weapons against magical foes.

The condition of champions allows for those under trial to have a champion act in their stead in the arena, except in the most extreme of trials, where champions are not allowed. The Imperial Champions are effectively warriors for hire, who fight in the arena in civil cases only, although they do sometimes fight to the death.

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This article has been viewed 162 times. It was added on July 21, 2008, and was last modified on July 21, 2008.

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