The War of the Roses
The War of the Roses, colloquially called "The Great War" or simply "The War" (confusing sometimes, but still), is a traditional competition that occurs within The Kingdom of the Swadians once every 2 years, or upon declaration by the king. The War is essentially a great competition between the noble houses in a mock war between them, where the noble house fight for supremacy over each other on a series of pre-set battlefields across the kingdom. The Winning house is awarded a chevron that they can sew onto their house banner that they carry into actual battle. Many of the most prominent and warlike houses have many chevrons upon their battle-standards.
The noble house that wins traditionally holds a grand celebration in the lands that they control, paying for lavish feasts, parties, and entertainment.
History
Any true-blooded Swadian noble will tell you that The War of The Roses has been going on since even before they had arrived in Calradia. Many have written in different books that the purpose of the tradition has always been to maintain the fighting spirit and culture of the Swadian nobility, who have always lived and died by the sword and lance. Little is known of what exactly the tradition looked like before their arrival to Calradia, but King Rhuiden Dey Meroc did reveal at a state dinner with High King Caladog that the tradition used to only be conducted every 5 or even 10 years, but is now conducted more frequently because of how infrequent his kin have a chance to test themselves in real battle.
In recent times, The War has provided an opportunity for Swadians to test battle tactics, and sharpen their skills in organizing large armies, in preparation for their next grand campaign. Many wealthy individuals from other nations who have learned of the tradition have begun to travel to Swadia to witness the battles and take part in the ensuing celebrations of the winning house.
Execution
The War of the Roses is in many ways a replication of an actual war. Houses will raise their levies and armies. The armies of the Swadians will often train as though they were going to war, but will be armed with only wooden weapons. The goal of the battles is to route all the other forces from the field, knocking out or beating into submission enemy combatants. Generally though, nobles will honourably surrender when they can tell that their soldiers have been bested, saving bruises and injuries. There are also penalties for deaths, as the goal is to not waste lives, but to sharpen fighting skills. The battles are generally a free-for-all, though temporary alliances have occurred, despite only one house being allowed to win each battle. The first to win 2 battles is the victor, making every battle count, and leading to the aforementioned alliances to prevent someone else from winning prematurely.
Afterwards, the chevron is awarded by the King, and the trimphant army marches back to their homeland for a week of celebrations. Lords will often offer rewards to every soldier should they win, and will bankroll all the celebrations for their subjects in the event of their victory. This may seem to many like benevolence, but it is also used to foster a sense of identity among the subjects of a lord, making them more likely to follow them into battle willingly in the future.
Components and tools
Wooden and cloth-padded weapons are used throughout to prevent too-serious injuires, though many breaks and concussions still occur. Each army carries a battle standard to every battle upon which their past chevrons are located, and if this banner is every lost to another army it is considered a great embarrassing dishonor, immediately disqualifying them from the war.
Observance
The War of the roses is usually held in Felnight, so as not to interfere with the farming seasons, at a time designated by the King.
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