Thursday, April 7, 2016

F is for Fight Night

Boxing is king in the Eastern Reaches.  Boxers wrap their fists with strips of cloth with the ends dipped in ether.  Strikes must be made below the collarbone and above the waist.  Most towns in the Eastern Reaches have at least one league.

Matches between boxers of neighboring towns are fought frequently, often on open ground between the settlements.  The greatest boxers from each town may travel for fights attended by such important people as the Empress herself and her sons.  These matches usually take place in palace courtyards.

"Fight Night" in the Eastern Reaches is the fourth night of each week.  These fights are separate from the league bouts and formal matches.  They are fights of honor, duels fought to submission.  Among men, it is encouraged for disagreements to be settled with a Fight Night fight.  Duels of any other form are punishable by fierce lashings.  Among women, Fight Night fights may be approved by local leaders, but in these fights strikes must be made below the ribs and above the hips.  These fights are rarely allowed for those of child-bearing age who are married.  Fights between men and women are virtually unheard of.

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