The Awakening, Act II: Path of the Way III
Title: Path of the Way III
Author: Waymaster Tekmha
The Waymaster
The Waymaster is the highest rank upon the Path of the Way. A Waymaster is expected to be able to perform tasks that would be impossible for most Jukans, whether it's combative or not. Waymasters are often seen as the pinnacle of duelists, and to defeat a Waymaster in single combat is an achievement that few have attained who are not Waymasters themselves. Due to their solitary and extremely competent natures, many Waymasters are employed by their clans as spies and infiltrators, but Waymasters are not assassins. Waymasters employed as spies often bring their apprenticed Adepts onto their missions to test their abilities and to forge them in the fires of war. Waymasters are bound first in duty to the philosophy of the Way, and then to the Shirron of the Juka, and finally to the Warlord of their clan. A Waymaster will defy the orders of a Shirron or a Warlord if they must to serve the Way, but they do not expect absolution for these disobediences and they do not disregard orders lightly.
The Duel of the Way
When two Waymasters or
Adepts of the Way duel
each other, there are
special rites invoked that
do not surface anywhere
else. These rites taken
together are what make
up the Duel of the Way.
Unlike a White Duel or a
Black Duel, where
opponents may decline, if
a Duel of the Way is
invoked there can only be
a duel or a forfeiture,
and if the challenged
forfeits they must abide
by the same conditions as
if they had lost the duel
itself. A Duel of the
Way is begun with both
Waymasters proclaiming
their last duel, it's
duration, and it's
outcome; This can be
drawn from their last
White Duel, Black Duel,
or Duel of the Way, but
must be told openly and
truthfully. Each will then
perform a series of
motions and movements
meant that may seem
elegant and graceful to
onlookers but serve a
purpose that often only
is sensible to the
Waymasters themselves,
or their Adepts; The
dance is done to show
exactly how each
Waymaster intends to kill
the other. Duels of the
Way are often over in a
quick, brief instant unlike
Black or White Duels
which may last for some
time, and there can only
be two possible outcomes
of a Duel of the Way.
The most likely outcome
is that one or both of
the Waymasters will be
killed by the other, in
which case the victor, if
there is any, is obvious.
If neither is slain but
one incapacitated, the able
Waymaster may choose to
spare the life of the
downed Waymaster and
offer for them to yield.
The Duel of the Way is
a serious rite that is
only invoked in the most
grave of situations and
when two Waymasters
find themselves completely
at odds with one another,
and neither will back
down.
Back to The Awakening, Act II: Ilshenar
