Art by Richard Elson
Trial By Combat is the judicial system used by the Drakon Empire. People accused of a serious crime are sent to the Arena of Judgement to fight an opponent. If they win, they are acquitted of all crimes and, presumably, sent back to wherever they came from. Should they lose, the accused will face the appropriate penalty. When the system was in use, many citizens on Drak believed it to be fair and would watch court cases on a big screen outside the arena. After several years, in which Emperor Ko-Dorr was replaced by Emperor Brokken, attitudes have changed.
The name "trial by combat" has also been given to a form of moderation on the Message Zone. Should somebody have broken the forum rules, the "accused" may have been asked to participate on a board hidden from other general members. They were allowed to bring a "witness" to help decide cases, with the moderators and administrators deciding on the severity of the infringement. Lifetime bans have been handed out thanks to this system.