Why Do We Duel?

In the Academy we do not risk life and limb over offended egos, nor do we fight to defend our right to respect.

That said, we do duel with swords for honor and to make decisions.

There is an indefatigable instinct and urge to settle matters of excellence in community via steel, or at least fisticuffs. No matter how persistently or how strenuously dueling has been banned throughout the centuries, in every nation it finds its expression nonetheless. The code of honor by which it lives is instinctual and primal.

In the Academy we have developed a method by which we may channel this instinct without risking maiming or imprisonment, and without taming the wildness of the tradition. Through this method, we are free to challenge each other to grow at the point of steel. Curious? You can catch a taste of it at our Excelsior dances.