Trial by Combat: Difference between revisions

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* In Jim Butcher's ''[[Codex Alera]]'' series, there are at least two forms of this: the Marat have a different form of trial for each clan; the Gargant clan go by this method, calling it "Trial By Strength." Then there's the practice of ''juris macto'' among the Aleran people, which is a ritualized and legally binding form of [[Duel to the Death]] and covered on that page. [[Cool Old Guy|Headman Doroga]] [[Sarcasm Mode|has a few things to say]] about the "ritual" part.

* By the same author, in ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' novel ''Changes'', the Harry and Susan are forced to fight one of these when they are pursued into {{spoiler|the Erlking's halls}} by vampires, and {{spoiler|the Erlking}} doesn't know who is right. Besides, he likes a good show.

** Jim Butcher really likes this trope. It also appears at the end of ''[[White Night]]'' when Harry and Ramirez challenge Vitto Malvora and Madrigal Raith to a duel. The challenge and duel are a long series of [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]], with a priceless [[Crowning Moment of Funny]] with heavy applications of [[Sarcasm Mode|sarcasm]] from the White King of all people when Madrigal and Lady Cesarina Malvora try to duck the challenge.

*** Harry later takes on Duchess Arianna, a severely badass vampire (one level down from and {{spoiler|aspiring to be}} the Lords of the Outer Night, [[Physical Gods]] to a being. However by now Harry has [[Taken a Level In Badass|taken several levels in Badass]] wields Soulfire gifted by the Archangel Uriel and is {{spoiler|the Winter Knight}}. At the end Harry turns Arianna into a crater on the floor.

* The climax of ''[[Ivanhoe]]'' culminates in trial-by-combat. Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe fights on behalf of Rebecca, the daughter of Isaac of York, who has been accused of witchcraft solely on the basis of her being Jewish. Wilfred's victory is seen as a sign from God that Rebecca is innocent. Of course, in the end she and her father are still exiled for the "crime" of being Jewish.

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* In ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' episode "The Omega Glory," Kirk fights Captain Tracey to prove to the Yangs that he (and not Tracey) is trying to help them (the Yangs believe that Good is stronger than Evil).

** In "Arena", he had to face an alien captain in order to determine who was in the wrong over straying into the other's space.

* In the ''[[V]]'' (1980's) episode "Trial By Combat", Diana and Lydia fight one to decide whether Lydia is guilty of killing Charles.

* In the ''[[V (TV series)|V]]'' (1980's) episode "Trial By Combat", Diana and Lydia fight one to decide whether Lydia is guilty of killing Charles.

== [[Opera]] ==

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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==

* The Clans of ''[[BattleTech]]'' base their entire culture around this. The higherups made an edict your clan doesn't like? Then the result will most likely be a Trial of Refusal. There are Trials for all kinds of stuff, from the mundane Trial of Bloodright<ref>[[Meaningful Rename|earning the right of using your ancestors' surname]], considered a great honor</ref> through the politically-motivated Trial of Absorption<ref>the loser's clan gets assimilated into the winner's; only happened thrice so far</ref> to the more radical Trial of Annihilation.<ref>the winner's clan gets the honor of completely wiping out another clan while the losers all turn the other way; only happened twice but both recipients ([[Jerkass|Clan Wolverine]] and Clan Smoke Jaguar) kinda deserved it</ref>

* Trial by combat is still practiced in certain rural areas of the empire in ''[[Warhammer Fantasy]]''. ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]]'' even has a class, the Judicial Champion, who represents the local courts.

== [[Video Games]] ==

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[[Category:Dueling Tropes]]

[[Category:Combat Tropes]]

[[Category:~~Trial by Combat~~]]

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]