Code duello (Honorverse)

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This article is about the code in David Weber's Honorverse. For real-life duellists' codes, see Code duello.

The Duellists Code, or Code Duello, is the legal convention used in the Star Kingdom of Manticore for legal duelling using duelists pistols, in the Honorverse fictional universe.

The Duellists Code contains two duelling protocols

[edit] Ellington Protocol

The Ellington Protocol represents the "master's" set of rules in the Duelists Code, and many lawmakers have long sought for it to be outlawed in the Star Kingdom. However it remains that any man or woman of the Star Kingdom who is challenged may choose this set before they meet their adversary on the Landing City Dueling Grounds.

Under this particular set of rules each opponent faces each other at a distance of forty meters and upon the command of the Master of the Field may fire at a sustained rate until one of three results:

The opponent is killed.
The opponent drops his/her weapon in surrender.
All twenty rounds between the two combatants are exhausted.

[edit] Dreyfus Protocol

The Dreyfus Protocol represents the "journeyman's" set of rules in the Duelists Code. Any man or woman of the Star Kingdom challenged may choose this set before they meet their adversary on the Landing City Dueling Grounds. This set of rules is prefferred by lawmakers in the SKM as its rules serve the function of limiting the mortality rate of such duels.

To start with each duelist is limited to only five rounds each and may fire only single shots. Unlike the Ellington protocol which is set at forty meters and starts on a signal, the Dreyfus Protocol commenses with the opponents standing back-to-back. At the Master of the Field's command of "Walk" the two duelists will each take thirty paces and stop. Upon the command of "Turn" the two will each turn and fire one shot only and return their weapons to their sides at which time, if neither adversary has been hit, the MotF must ask if honor has been satified. If honor has not been satisfied then at the command of "Walk" the duelists will take two steps forward and wait for the command of "Fire" before they may fire again. This procedure is repeated until the duel is over which occurs:

At first blood, regardless of whether the opponent is killed or not.
The honor of either duelist is satisfied at any point in the duration of the duel.
The opponent is killed.
All ten rounds between the two combatants is exhausted.

(One caveat is that if the command of "Turn" or "Fire" has been made and you have fired a shot, then dropping your weapon will not save you as it would in the Ellington Protocol. You must await the opponents return shot before you can surrender the duel.)