Either Needed The Imperial Dueling Academy

[OrganicIntelligence]

It is three thousand years since the founding of the Empire of Humankind.
Under the watchful gaze of the Imperial Dynasty, placed upon their throne by the grace of God-in-Infinitum, humanity has taken its rightful place as lords of the stars.
A hundred species live under our generous rule, knowing us as their masters and sovereigns. By the might of the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy all resistance is extinguished with impunity.
The worlds that now belong to humanity were rewarded to the Noble Houses whose sons and daughters serve as officers and administrators in the Imperial hierarchy.
To resolve disputes between them a culture of dueling was implemented. Whoever draws first blood with their viblade wins, and the loser is honor bound to accept.
Death is not unknown as an outcome in more heated disputes.
To ensure that all noble scions possess skill with a blade, the Imperial Dynasty gathered the finest swordmasters to the world of Galatea IV. All of the Noble Houses are obliged to send their children to learn there as soon as they come of age.
They must master the blade as they must master themselves, to fulfill their roles as the swords of the Imperator and the Divine.

***

You are the child of one of the Noble Houses of the Empire, recently come of age (between the ages of 18-21). You, just like all other members of your social class, have travelled to the world of Galatea IV where you will learn under the finest teachers in the known galaxy how to wield a viblade, a sword that generates a high-frequency field that can disrupt the molecules of matter and allow it to cut through damn near anything.

You are not just here to learn how to duel, however. The Academy also teaches how to be a loyal and proper officer of the Empire, and the skills you will need to command armies and fleets, or serve as administrators, priests, or in Imperial Intelligence. Some of you might even show enough skill to be scouted for the shadowy brotherhood of the Imperial Assassins. Bouts are fought to first blood, although in matters of grave honour or conflict they can be to the death instead. In the event of an unintentional wounding, the medical technology of the setting is good enough that you should be able to recover from them... most of the time.

This is also a golden opportunity for you to network. To meet your peers and soon-to-be colleagues in serving the Imperator. To build friendships, bonds and also identify your rivals who you must undermine and outmaneuver. And of course, there is always the possibility for romance to blossom as well.

Galatea IV is a lush and vibrant world with a thriving native biosphere, although some Earth transplants have been introduced for the benefit of the human colonists. You are allowed to explore the planet as you wish, so long as you return on time for your lesson.s You may also meet the native galateans, a race of blue-skinned androgynous aliens who are often encountered living working as servants around the academy for their human masters. Security is handled by the Imperial Janissaries, the elite genetically augmented soldiers under the Imperator's personal command.

The school keeps a ranking of the most effective duelists, who has won the most bouts during their time there and who is slacking. This system is designed to promote rivalry and competition, so that you might learn to better strive to impress your superiors. Great honour will be bestowed on whoever graduates from their class as the highest ranked. You will all of course begin at the bottom of the rankings.

You and the rest of your cohort are joining in the year 3014 IT (imperium terrae) to a mixed fraternity, with each of you assigned to your own living quarters with a common space and facilities. Of course, different arrangements can be made if it doesn't suit you in particular, such as a separate building elsewhere... or sharing your bedroom with another, if you'd so prefer.

You must also, lastly, remember that at all times you will be under the observation of Imperial Intelligence. The Imperator does not only use the Academy to train and mould the next generation of the Imperial aristocracy, but also to keep an eye on who might be most useful, and who might be a threat. Expect that at all times there are eyes and ears around every corner, listening and waiting for any sign of disloyalty. There are rumours that some untimely deaths at the academy were the acts of Imperial Assassins...

***​

I'm looking for about 4-5 people max for this. Some ground rules:

• YCs are assumed to be new students from Noble Houses come to learn how to duel. In which case you should think about such things as:
  

  • The name of your character's Noble House and things like its homeworld, heraldry, etc.​
  • What sort of cultural background and titles do they use? Are they lead by a Duke, Boyar, Raja or Shogun?​
  • Are they known for anything in particular, like being militaristic, mercantile, or religious?​
  • Do they have any sworn enemies or rivalries?​
• However if you have another character idea you'd like to play, like one of the teachers, an alien servant, or a spy or rebel infiltrating the Academy, I'd be down for that as well.​
• A maximum of 2 charcters per player.​
• Please be proactive. I'm looking for a posting rate of around one post per week, and also for people willing to try and move the plot forward. I'm not interested in people who leave everyone else hanging for weeks or months at a time.​
• Be respectful of others. As this will likely involve PvP scenarios, please be a good sport and let the other side win every now and again instead of wanting YC to always be on top like some kind of power fantasy. If neither player is happy to be the loser in a bout we can roll dice and see who comes up the winner.​
• This is LGBT+ friendly. NSFW is allowed but should be behind a spoiler. If you want to get really spicy or devote a lot of time to a sex scene we can shift that to another thread.​
• No real world face claims or AI generated references, thank you. ​

Spoiler: Character Sheet

House Name:
Personal Name(s):
Age:
Gender:
Orientation:
Physical description:
Homeworld:
Personality:
Biography:
Skills, talents and interests:
Details about your Noble House (if any):
Retainers (servants, robots, pets you have brought with you) (if any):