Calendrical sword

> "*Fight harder.*"
> ― Brevet General Kel Cheris
>
>

A **calendrical sword** is an exotic weapon in the hexarchate. Calendrical swords appear in Ninefox Gambit, Raven Stratagem, and the short story Sword-Shopping.

## Description

When deactivated, a calendrical sword is composed of a bladeless hilt, which can be plain or ornate. An active calendrical blade is a bar of light that blazes with one or more colors. When closing with an enemy, numbers indicating the high calendar date blaze up along the blade, said by the Kel to be "the day and the hour of your death." The blades do not damage unliving objects.

As exotic weapons, calendrical swords depend on the high calendar to function and may malfunction or cease to operate under different calendrical regimes.

Calendrical swords are normally used for dueling but may occasionally be used in battle. When employed during formation fighting, synchronized strokes from calendrical swords can produce lines of force which slice or stab far ahead of the wielders, cutting down numerous enemies.

The swords are used at full power by Kel infantry under the high calendar. Under the revised calendar, they are used solely for parades.

## Dueling

Dueling is a usually non-lethal but popular and competitive sport in the hexarchate. While others duel as well, most Kel are expected to have an interest in dueling. Weapons shops provide a variety of calendrical hilts for Kel delectation; carrying a fancy calendrical hilt is considered a sign of high rank or skill and an invitation to ask for a duel.

On mothdrive vessels, dueling takes place in dueling halls with wall hangings and spectator seats. Servitors take positions to mark the dueling rectangle and use a clicking countdown of four to begin each bout. Duelers exchange formal bows before and after each bout.

## Known swords

* Kel Brezan: blade usually sullen blue, but appears red shading to yellow in a Rahal scrying vision.
* Kel Cheris: blade blue near the hilt, shading to red near the tip.
* Kel Dhanneth: hilt leaf-green and black.
* Kel Miuzan: numbers on blade glow white with red sparks.
* Kel Nerevor: burnished bronze hilt with green scrollwork; fierce yellow-white blade.
* Kel Talaw: undescribed personal sword; practice sword with deep gold blade.
* Shuos Jedao: plain-hilted practice sword; red-black blade.

## Trivia

* While Kel instructors assure cadets that the colors of calendrical blades are arbitrary, speculation as to personal meaning is rife anyway.
* Cheris bought her calendrical sword at "Blades for All Occasions."
* General Shuos Jedao was an unusually talented duelist. Video records exist of his duels.
* Dramas may feature dueling, with varying degrees of skill and believability. *A Labyrinth of Foxes* incongruously featured a shirtless duel.
* Kel dueling is vaguely based on Classical Fencing.

## References

1. ↑ Ninefox Gambit, Chapter 1
2. ↑ Revenant Gun, Chapter 27
3. ↑ Sword-Shopping
4. ↑ Ninefox Gambit, Chapter 12
5. ↑ Raven Stratagem, Chapter 12
6. ↑ Ninefox Gambit, Chapter 1
7. ↑ Revenant Gun, Chapter 27
8. ↑ Raven Stratagem, Chapter 12
9. ↑ Ninefox Gambit, Chapter 8
10. ↑ Revenant Gun, Chapter 27
11. ↑ Revenant Gun, Chapter 27
12. ↑ Ninefox Gambit, Chapter 8
13. ↑ Sword-Shopping
14. ↑ Ninefox Gambit, Chapter 12
15. ↑ Raven Stratagem, Chapter 22
16. ↑ Revenant Gun, Chapter 11
17. ↑ Hexarchate Stories: Sword-Shopping (Author's Note)