Fredfredbug4
Eve Defence Force
Cult of War
1641
   |
Posted - 2013.11.26 00:15:00 -
[1] - Quote
I'm not sure if this counts as a Martial Art, but I consider myself extraordinarily well versed in Gauron Pistol Dueling. Being of Gauron descent (reluctantly) I had to practice this for hours upon hours. Half the time is spent on posture. Straight back, non-weapon arm behind the back, maintain a perfect side profile to your target, weapon arm fully extended, feet in a "T" shape, slight lean on front foot, all that stuff. It actually sounds fairly easy at first, though considering how both participants of a duel must be back to back, achieving this proper stance in a split second is the difference between life and death, honor and disgrace.
Martial refers to the military, so Martial Arts are Military Arts. Pistol Dueling got it's start back in Gallente antiquity where rival generals and officers would often settle disputes with a pistol duel. Because the Gauron families had many sons and daughters in military service, this quickly became common practice for us. In time, it would become competitive, with non-lethal dueling pistols being used for sport.
As weapon technology evolved, it became difficult to determine what would be an acceptable dueling pistol, both lethal and non-lethal. Soon it was accepted that a dueling pistol can use any type of ammunition provided it can only fire one shot before requiring a reload. When quick reload pistols were invented to negate this rule, it was decided that a pistol must take at least 5 standard seconds for a trained user to reload to be considered legal. Using any form of semi-automatic or fully automatic pistol in both real and sport duels is considered highly dishonorable and/or illegal, even if you only fire one shot every 5 seconds.
By far the best part of sport dueling is the traditional outfits. Brightly colored and ornate woolen coats, and powdered wigs. What more could you want?
Each Gauron family typically has their own dueling pistol, which is usually passed down from a parent to their offspring. If there are multiple offspring, then they have a (hopefully) non-lethal duel for this piece of inheritance, winner gets the pistol. A sibling can challenge the winner once every five years to a duel. The winner must accept the challenge or forfeit the pistol. There can only be one family pistol for each family line, so if a second one shows up through marriage, adoption, or inheritance, then it isn't given the same status as the current family pistol.
I currently hold my family's pistol and keep it on me at all times. It's a 300 year old, muzzle loaded, Blaster Pistol. As the name would suggest, it's essentially a tiny blaster. The pistol is fairly ornate though certainly not as spectacular looking as some dueling pistols are. The lethal setting is programmed so that only the current owner (me) can shoot to kill.
I think Pistol Dueling is as much a martial art as any. The training, finesse, physical and mental strength required to make a complete 180 degree turn, fire, and hit your target before they hit you is quite demanding. In today's age of cybernetic augmentations, some duels are finished in the time it takes for you to blink. So while I may not be well versed in hand to hand combat, I don't need to be. An aggressor that attempts that with me is going to blink, and suddenly find a rather deadly hole in his chest or forehead.
Watch Fred Fred Frederation and stop cryptozoologist! Fight against the brutal genocide of fictional creatures across New Eden! Is that a metaphor? Probably not, but the fru-fru- people will sure love it! |