Duellist

*"Didst thou besmirch my good name with your ill-timed jest? I surely hope so..."*

## Advanced

(Core) A complex legal system of formal duels was established throughout the Empire ages ago. Duellists are specialists in the lethal application of sword and pistol, hiring themselves out to safeguard the honour of others, though many of their kind come from the ranks of younger Nobles who duel for their own purposes. Duellists come in two varieties: happy-go-lucky devil-may-care swashbucklers who regard their exploits as a continuous adventure, and deadly serious fighters who wear their honour on their sleeves and are very quick to take offence at slights, imagined or otherwise.

### Secondary Profile

**Skills:** Charm, Dodge Blow, Gamble, Gossip, Intimidate, Perception, Sleight of Hand

**Talents:** Ambidextrous or Disarm, Etiquette, Master Gunner, Mighty Shot, Quick Draw, Sharpshooter, Specialist Weapon Group (Fencing), Specialist Weapon Group (Gunpowder), Specialist Weapon Group (Parrying), Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to Injure, Swashbuckler

**Trappings:** Main Gauche, Pistol with Powder and Ammunition for 10 Shots, Rapier

### **Career Entries**

Courtier, Estalian Diestro, Highwayman, Pistolier, Protagonist, Rapscallion, Sergeant, Targeteer

### **Career Exits**

Assassin, Champion, Highwayman, Rogue, Sergeant

## Affiliations

Formal duelling has a very specific structure and complex set of rules governing its performance. Duellists must follow all these rules if they hope to avoid being branded common murderers, which means they must know the rules thoroughly. Because of this, the single most important organisation for any duellist is a proper duelling school. Only a handful of such schools exist, each fully certified and approved by the local Elector-Count, and in some cases by the Emperor himself.

All duellists belong to a duelling school, where they learn the rules and also practice their skills. Each duelling school has its own preferred fighting style and methods, and a good duellist can tell an opponent’s school by watching him duel or even practice. Duelling schools also provide a place where nobles and merchants can go to hire duellists – the school takes a small commission for arranging the meeting and for guaranteeing the duellist is a professional and will behave accordingly. They do not guarantee victory, of course.

Many duellists also belong to duelling associations. These are less formal organizations, simply collections of duellists who share common interests and like to gather to compare stories, techniques, and tips. Most duelling associations only admit duellists from a single duelling school, and often rivalries spring up between different associations. The associations also provide opportunities to spar with other duellists, and some nobles prefer to hire through these organizations rather than going to the schools.

## Notable Figures

Perhaps the two most famous living duellists are Fieran of the Flashing Eye and Danigan Darkmane. Fieran is the idol of most swashbucklerstyle duellists. He is handsome and flamboyant, with red-gold hair, a neat beard, and flashing blue eyes. He always dresses in the latest style and the finest clothes, and when he is not duelling he is drinking and carousing, usually with young noblemen (and noblewomen). In battle, Fieran fights with a sword and main gauche and he is certainly skilled . However, he also likes to show off, going for more elaborate manoeuvres than necessary and seeking to entertain rather than finish a bout quickly.

Danigan Darkmane is Fieran’s antithesis in many ways. A tall, powerfully built man with craggy features and a hundred scars, Danigan dresses in dark leathers to match his thick, shaggy black hair. He is a serious duellist, not given to frivolity at all, and in battle he attacks at once, going for the kill as quickly as possible. Even when he is not duelling Danigan is quick to battle, taking offense easily and violently. He has few friends, though many admire his combat skills – preferably from a distance.