“An old custom that was still performed ceremonially at times amongst the northern orcish tribes was to resolve conflicts through single combat, where each side sent out a champion to represent their side of the argument. In the past, these contests had taken the form of a battle to the death, but in the present day and age, it typically ended in a far less lethal manner.
Similar traditions could be observed from other cultures as well. In fact, a duel of champions prior to large-scale battles was once the norm in some cultures in the past, typically used as a method to raise morale for the winning side.” - From a lecture by Garth Wainwrought, Dean of the Levain Institute for Higher Learning, circa 696 FP.
“What are they saying?” asked Nestor to Hua-Li who was acting as their translator.
The enemy general they noticed had ridden ahead of the enemy army and advanced to a point around a thousand paces away from either army, roughly the middle of the gap between the two armies. Said general was accompanied by two other riders, and just then, a woman’s voice was amplified and sent towards the coalition army, originating from the group of three.
It was a given that the woman who spoke was most likely the general in question, while one of the riders with her must have been a wind mage who used magic to amplify and send her words over the distance. They were unaware about what the woman said, though, since it was said in the language used by the invaders, which none of them spoke.
“That is Zhong Jiangjun Al-Nairi who was stationed in the city you called Oleynuos, Milord,” replied Hua-Li with an explanation of the general’s identity. “As for what she said, some of it are typical platitudes, but the main part is that she is challenging us to single combat by champions prior to the battle. The third rider with her is the army’s chosen champion.”
“Hoh, is that a common practice amongst your people?” asked Siobhan Harscape, Grafin von Bærengant, from the side with some interest. The dwarves had a long tradition of combat by champions as well, often held in public in large arenas, which still persisted to the present day.
“Somewhat common, Milady,” said Hua-Li with a nod. “It is commonly done prior to battles when one side acknowledges the other as a worthy opponent.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“So they didn’t consider us worthy opponents until we’ve proven that we can hit them back hard, did they?” mused Nestor with a slightly amused smile on his face. “They wouldn’t be demanding our surrender if our champion loses to theirs or whatnot, no?”
“Sometimes the generals themselves chose to fight in person to settle a close battle that way, but it is rarely done even in our history,” explained Hua-Li. “Usually it is done to raise the morale of the army prior to the battle itself, Milord.”
“Let my people have the honors, then, young Nunez,” said the old Duke Banitu from atop his mount. “We have the fewest people amongst everyone here anyway so any loss of morale our troops wouldn’t affect the army much, and besides… this is still my home more than yours.”
“I have no objection to that,” said Nestor with an understanding nod. The fighting so far had taken place in Kolitcheian land, which was indeed the old Duke’s home. One look around and none of the other leaders had any objections to Duke Banitu sending out a champion from his people to fight the enemy’s either, so they proceeded with it.
The old Duke called for someone from his army, and before long, a burly man with a large body walked out and headed towards where the enemy general was still waiting. Duke Banitu rode with him since they believed that the enemy wasn’t likely to resort to dirty tricks at this juncture, and they stopped around fifty paces from where the enemy general waited.
Wordlessly, Duke Orsla Banitu looked at the burly man and nodded. The man returned the nod and unlimbered the kite shield he carried on his back and brought out a battle axe that he wielded with his other hand. Then the burly champion chosen by the Duke of Kolitschei stepped forward, which was a clear enough declaration of intent for the Imperials across from them, it seemed.
In response, the rider to the Imperial general’s right dismounted from his steed and stepped forward. The man was shorter than Kolitschei’s champion by nearly a head, but did not seem intimidated by his larger opponent at all. He brought out a long glaive over two and a half meters long and pointed it towards his opponent as he took a fighting stance.
At that point, the enemy general, who was surprisingly a rather young woman, looked at the old Duke and gave him what appeared to be a respectful nod before she turned her steed and rode back towards her army together with the other rider who was most likely the wind mage that conveyed her words. Duke Banitu understood the meaning of the gesture and did the same.
Clearly the champions were to be left alone in their duel against each other. They were also in a position where the soldiers from both armies could witness the fight relatively clearly despite the distance, while being far enough away that neither side could interfere in any way. It made sense for that sort of rather ceremonial duel.
Only after Duke Banitu and the enemy general returned to their respective armies and turned back to watch did the fighting between the two champions begin all of a sudden.
The Imperial champion struck first, his long glaive giving him a reach advantage over Kolitschei’s champion, but his slash was blocked by the larger man’s shield. Kolitschei’s champion in turn attempted to rush in closer where he could gain a decisive advantage, but the Imperial champion proved to be nimble and fast at his feet, circling around the larger man while maintaining the distance between them.