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Dueling is a series of customs designed to limit the damage armed men do in quarrels. It is a related to Trial by Combat but covers a different role in social interaction. It has been in use in Amber for a long as anyone (except Reid, Benedict, Corwin and Caine) can remember. In an armed society packed into a city, it is a necessary relief valve.
While Amber does not have (or seem to need) anything as formal as the Code Duello, there is an underlying assumption that duels must be conducted fairly. Duels are traditionally fought with swords at sunrise under the auspices of seconds. There are several common dueling grounds, including a few that are on private estates that are made available upon request.
Following a rather infamous historical precedent involving Princess Deirdre, noble and gentlewomen are allowed to duel, or to have a man of equivalent rank stand for their honor. Dueling the infirm or the insane is not considered fair play, but hale adults of the appropriate class may make challenges and be challenged.
Duels are matters of honor, not law. This limits them to knights and nobles, generally. A member of the dueling classes would never challenge a tradesman: the tradesman would either be whipped in the street, brought before the judiciary, or (less commonly) the grievance is brought to the attention of the (duelworthy) responsible noble.
Not all offenses can be apologized for and some people are immune to challenge, such as officials of the crown acting in their official capacity. This includes lawyers (who are considered officers of the court), soldiers and guards, Naval Officers (who can be challenged outside of their official capacity), judges, customs officers, tax collectors, and Ambassadors. Leaders of religious sects can be challenged based on the offenses given by their followers, if the offenses are inspired by the religion.
The foreign ministry monitors challenges to visiting dignitaries and has been known to step in if the challenge is a result of misunderstanding or if it would endanger Amber's political goals. Foreign Ambassadors are immune to challenge without impugning their honor, but may accept a challenge or make one if they choose. In general, foreign nobility are expected to behave as befits their station, including not getting into dueling situations.
The crown can stop any duel it chooses to and it is well known that the King (Oberon, is there another? Oh, wait ...) denied his children permission to duel each other. One consequence of this is that duels have been fought between followers of various contending Princes at various times, most recently a series of bloody and in several cases fatal duels between Eric's supporters and his detractors, some of whom might have been supporters of the redheads.
Duels can be fought to first blood, disablement, or death, depending on what it takes the challenger to feel his honor has been satisfied. It is a rare duel that is to the death and the duelist's reputation depends on moderation as well as skill. Duels "to the death" frequently end with the duelist who has the opportunity to kill proclaiming "I spare your life". This is not required, but is more common than not. Mercy is not expected but is approved of.
Duels fought over trivialities should be to first blood, with the general expectation that the blooding will not be a serious wound. Dueling in "lightness and love" is a happy pastime for the dueling class, and are generally not much more than early morning sparring matches in the guise of a duel. While accidents happen, this is generally approved of.
Seconds are expected to take the place of the duelist if the duelist is unable to perform, and must be of equal social standing. It is considered something of an honor to be asked to second and the seconds are supposed to attempt to resolve the dispute between the parties. It is assumed that the duelists are not on speaking terms between the challenge and the duel.
Repeated offenses will encourage escalation, and a duelist who is defeated and who commits the same offense again can expect a harsher set of terms from a repeated challenge. True injustices done via dueling will usually elicit a stronger challenger to step up with a challenge, but sometimes murder is done.
The challenged party has (generally) three options:
(Aside: Consider the Nine Princes' collective unwillingness to apologize for anything. Given that 1, 2b, and 3 will never happen (in any statistically meaningful way), challenging a Prince of Amber to a duel is a sure way to lose. Dueling culture tells duelists that it is more honorable to duel and lose than it is to refuse to answer insults, but the reputation of the Princes keep small matters from being issues.)
Option 1 often settles matters between gentlemen, although it has been known to be a problem if the challenged brings the matter back up. The challenged is expected (publicly) to act as if the apology is sincere. The challenger is expected to accept the apology and say no more of the matter, although a choice comment at the time ("and I'll thank you not to attempt to see my daughter again!") may clarify the grounds on which the apology is accepted.
Option 2 settles the honor of the parties, with a fair duel clearing the slate. It does not make the dueling parties friends, or necessarily not-enemies, but it does make it possible for them to coexist without killing each other. While the challenged has the choice of weapons and the challenger has the choice of sites, in reality there are only a limited set of weapons and sites that are considered acceptable. Accepting a challenge and choosing whiffle-bats would be considered disgraceful and not taking the duel seriously.
Winning or losing a duel does not affect the common perception of the validity of the challenger's position (or the challenged's), but refusal to challenge under situations where it is expected and refusal to accept a challenge can do so. Honor insists you fight, but it cannot insist that you win.
A losing duelist who was the challenged party is strongly advised to change their behavior, but it is not strictly required. Similarly, a challenger who fails to win victory is strongly advised not to bring up the subject over which the challenge was issued again. It is within the rights of a duelist to issue a new challenge to anyone who continues to make accusations that have once been answered on the field of honor. It is important to note, however, that this is strictly a case of matters of honor. It is not considered an offense against honor to bring up such an issue in a legal pleading or courtroom, although it is often considered bad form to bring suit over non-monetary issues that are the subject of a duel.
Option 3 will cause the challenged to be labeled an infamous coward and make it difficult to proceed in society. It is considered, by the dueling classes, far better to be beaten to a pulp than to lose honor, and it is considered better to apologize fairly if required to than to stand behind an insult but refuse to back it with steel. Under such circumstances, a young man would frequently be sent away to shadow rather than stay in disgrace. It is considered a stain upon the family's honor and, if it is chosen after the duel is accepted and seconds are chosen, it is a grave insult to the second.
This system can only maintain itself if the system is taken seriously by those who are potential participants and it is considered a key to social behavior in Amber. Offending against the unwritten code carries penalties from the light (social ostracism) to more severe (professional and martial exclusion) to the extreme (frequent challenges from strangers).