Fighter's Mark
"No." The scarred man at the back table shook his head. "Marks are meant for amateur fighters and pugilists, not trained mercenaries and soldiers. There's no pleasure in watching a first-rank mercenary beat some poor farmer's boy to death."
Claude raised an eyebrow. "Seems like a pretty arbitrary rule, for something that's supposed to be without rules." He pointed at the man's kerchief, old and faded, with a cross hatch of black ink streaks. "You've won plenty of fights yourself, and I can tell that you're no amateur."
"Aye, but I was one at the start. You're a professional. No dice." The man folded his arms. "How did you learn of the Mark, anyhow? You're too well spoken to be some laborer's get."
The mercenary sighed. "You're not exactly Etoile's best kept secret, here. It's a silly thing, but a lot of the noblemen sneak off to watch your matches once they grow bored of the sanctioned bouts at the Redline. If you must know, my father was a fighter."
"Truly?" The promoter leaned forward. "His name?"
"Rufus Orton, of Ebensberg."
"I know the name." The man untied his kerchief and laid it on the table, the motif of a rooster rampant, surrounded by hand-applied ink. "And I know what happened to him, though only by hearsay. Alright. Go to Glise's shop in the Manufactory District and purchase a square cloth that has this design. Return and I'll have it marked for you. I'll have you fighting the best pugilists from the beginning, so you'd best come prepared. Odds will be for you in each fight, so don't expect much in the way of prize." The man gave Claude a close look. "I'm not sure what you're getting out of this, but I know better than to ask."
"Then don't." Claude turned to leave. "Don't worry. I'll put on quite a show."
Mechanics & Inner Workings
The origin of the Fighter's Mark is seeded in the evolution of fighting sport in Etoile after The War of Unification. Fighting matches prior to unification were vicious affairs more akin to judicial punishment, with fighters often being sourced from prisons and forced into a fighting pit for the amusement of viewers, whether they be nobility or common. Such bouts inevitably resulted in serious injury and death, cheered on by the bloodthirst of the onlookers.
The First Princeps banned this type of fighting after the founding of Etoile as a primitive barbarism unsuited to the principle of Progress; instead, fights were to be sanctioned by the Principality of Etoile under rules that constrained the fighters. Sanctioned pugilism is fought in linear arenas; fighters are not permitted to have both feet 'off' a central line, permitting only advance and retreat. Contact is to be made only with the hands, and only to the area beneath the eyes and above the groin; strikes to the temple and top of the skull are forbidden. Bouts may be won by very rare knockout or line-out, but the typical method is through simple scoring, which counts quantity of contact. As a result, sanctioned matches have come to resemble nothing so much as a pair 'dance', with each fighter attempting to score as many legal unblocked strikes on their opponent as possible.
This development has, of course, rankled many 'purists' who, while not necessarily fans of the prior bloodsport, noted how little sanctioned pugilism resembles actual fighting. This idea would blossom into what ultimately became the 'Pugilist's Last Resort' - an underground, minimal-rules, high stakes fighting network. The kerchief, an accessory associated with youthful rebellion, became a symbol of membership in this network.
Due to the underground nature of the Last Resort network, matches are spontaneous - fighters simply indicate their readiness to fight by wearing their Mark in public, and other fighters may challenge them upon recognition. Challenges may not be refused, but matches can be cancelled by the network promoter in any given city if there is too wide a mismatch in ability. The challenged may indicate whether they wish to fight immediately or fight in-venue; immediate fights are conducted in back alleys and other places away from oversight (or guard intervention). Winners of fights are entitled to modify and add elements to their Mark's design.
Fights under the auspices of the Last Resort still do not resemble the death matches of prisoner-gladiator combat, but the rules are minimal - no intentional permanent injuries (i.e. severing of limbs, removal of eyes), no weaponry, and fighters are expected to themselves quit a fight should they become at risk of serious injury. Otherwise, there are no physical boundaries or limitations on technique.
Manufacturing process
The Fighter's Mark begins as a simple cotton kerchief commonly made and found across the Principality of Etoile. These kerchiefs are merely squares of woven cotton printed with some sort of design, and trivial to weave in any modern textile manufactory. A specific pattern of kerchief is then hand-inked to modify its design before being given to a would-be fighter; each fighter's mark is then continually customized over the course of their 'career' in the fighting circuit.
Significance
The Fighter's Mark is a symbol of membership in an underground fighting network present in many communities across Saibh, the Pugilist's Last Resort. Those that do not recognize the Mark's significance see merely a kerchief tied around the neck with a strange design, nothing out of the ordinary. Fighters who bear the Mark can decode its meaning in several ways; whether the kerchief is worn oriented or reversed (indicating that competitor's willingness to fight right then and there), modifications to the design (indicating wins and losses), as well as size (indicating relative rank in the organization, including status as a promoter).
Item type
Clothing / Accessory
Rarity
Common
Weight
4oz
Dimensions
2' square unfolded
Base Price
0.5F
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Great article, I wish there was an easy way to throw up a few different marks so that readers could compare them!
If I had any artistic skill I'd have a gallery here - this article begs for a diagram.