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--- culture:holmgang [2024/03/10 19:00] – created Ron Helwig
+++ culture:holmgang [2026/07/04 00:38] (current) – Add creature images and culture pages Seraphina
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== hólmganga ======
+====== Hólmganga ======
-A holmgang is a fight between two individuals, similar to what we know of as a duel. This was recognized by the society as a legitimate way to resolve a dispute.
-The Norse thought of honor and reputation as being very important traits, so if either was challenged then the offended person could call for a holmgang. In early times, even a simple insult could result in a call for holmgang. Someone might also issue such a challenge if they were accusing someone of theft or had some other legal dispute.
+A hólmganga is a formal duel used to settle a serious dispute. It belongs to a world where honor, law, reputation, and violence overlap.
-The actual holmgang would happen 3-7 days after the challenge was issued. If the person being challenged/accused didn't show up then they would be judged as guilty or wrong. If the person making the challenge didn't show up then they would be judged by the community as [[culture:níðingr|níðingr]] and possibly even made [[culture:outlaw|outlaw]].
+The campaign has not yet needed one, but these rules are available if a future adventure calls for a structured duel instead of ordinary combat.
-During the time between the challenge and the battle, the parties may discuss the rules, including any results. Their negotiations must be agreed upon by both sides or the standard rules will apply. Either party may designate a second to fight in their place, without needing it to be accepted by the other side.
+===== Why a Hólmganga? =====
-===== Running a hólmganga =====
+A hólmganga may answer a grave insult, accusation, property dispute, debt, or public challenge. It should not be used for every disagreement. Calling for one risks reputation, injury, legal consequences, and possibly death.
-First the agreed upon rules are recited. If no rules have been negotiated, then the standard rules will apply.
-The fight itself takes place in a small enclosure. Often this would be a small island or a fenced in area of about 10 foot square.
+  * The duel usually happens several days after the challenge.
+  * If the challenged person refuses to appear, the challenger may be judged right.
+  * If the challenger refuses to appear, they may be branded a [[culture:nidingr|níðingr]].
+  * A champion may fight in another person's place when the table wants that option.
-==== Standard Rules ====
+===== Running a Hólmganga =====
-  * The challenger strikes first, then the challenged. They repeat taking turns until a victor is declared.
-  * Each participant gets three shields. If their shield is destroyed, battle ceases until they pick up another one. If all their shields are destroyed, they continue without a shield.
-  * The participants will each be given a battleaxe to use as a primary weapon. They will also have a seax to use if their axe breaks. If both their weapons break they must rely on their fists.
-  * They can wear any armor they own.
-  * At any point a participant may cry out "forfeit" and the holmgang then ends with them losing.
-  * The other way for the holmgang to end depends on the time period and how developed the civilization is:
-    - Early or barbaric fights end when one participant has died
-    - Others could end when one participant has been incapacitated or knocked out
-    - Later or more civilized fights might end when the first blood has been drawn
-==== Shield Damage ====
+  - State the accusation and the stakes in public.
-Shields have 4d4 (9) hit points each. When an attack roll results in a hit against someone wielding a shield, it is assumed to be a hit on the shield unless it is a natural 20.
+  - Let witnesses, leaders, or a [[culture:gothi|goði]] recite the agreed rules.
+  - Mark a small arena: a roped field, island, hide, cloak, or hazel-stave boundary.
+  - Resolve the duel under the standard rules unless both sides agreed otherwise.
+===== Standard Game Rules =====
+  * **Initiative:** The challenger strikes first, then the challenged. They alternate turns.
+  * **Shields:** Each fighter receives three shields.
+  * **Shield Damage:** Each shield has 4d4 hit points. A successful attack hits the shield unless the attack is a natural 20.
+  * **Weapons:** Fighters begin with agreed weapons, often axes or swords. If a weapon breaks, switch to seax, dagger, or fists as agreed.
+  * **Armor:** Armor is allowed unless the public terms forbid it.
+  * **Forfeit:** A fighter may clearly surrender to end the duel.
+  * **Victory:** Choose first blood, incapacitation, surrender, or death before the duel begins.
 ===== Results =====
-If one of the combatants dies, then the victor inherits all the loser's property. This is not considered a murder, so the victor cannot be challenged for the loser's death.
+The result should change the social situation. A victor may win compensation, property, public vindication, or merely the right to stop being accused. A loser may owe payment, apology, exile, or another agreed consequence.
+===== Educational Note =====
+Use hólmganga to show that violence can be bound by law, witnesses, and public expectation. It is not a tavern brawl. It is a dangerous legal ritual that everyone present will remember.
+===== Sources =====
+  * Hurstwic history articles: http://www.hurstwic.com/history/text/history.htm
+  * Jackson Crawford: https://jacksonwcrawford.com/