Tournament of Champions

The yearly Tournament of Champions, held in Nezhgub, attracts fighters, warriors, and combat teams from across the continent and beyond. There are monetary prizes, magical prizes, and bragging rights.
The tournament consists of three sections, each of which happens in Meuzhzel Stadium. They are the single combat matches, spanning 2-3 days, a day of demonstrations, and 1-2 days of team combat matches.

History

Meuzhzel the Wise instituted the tournament as a means to burn off pent up energy in a way that minimizes damage. It has since inspired a range of gladiatorial events across the Two Continents.

Participants

The tournament is attended by many groups, including representatives of nations, organizations large and small, and individuals. Often large entourages journey to the Tournament, where they will do everything from simply enjoying the festivities to negotiating trade and political treaties with rival nations. Of course, most of these groups are attending to support one or more Champions, in additional to the side activities they participant in.

Tournament Personnel

The tournament requires a fair amount of personnel to be dedicated to running the tournament itself.

Game Master

Weapons Master

The Weapons Master has the responsibility of ensuring that all weapons used in the Tournament are rendered non-lethal for the duration of each match.

Head of Security

The head of the Nezhgub Guard becomes head of security for the whole of the tournament. They in charge of the Nezhgub Tournament Guard (see below). They are also responsible for ensuring the safety of individual VIPs.

Nezhgub Tournament Guard

During the tournament, and during the days leading up to and following it, the Nezhgub city guard is augmented by peace keepers from whatever organizations wish to provide additional security support. This combined force is known as the Nezhgub Tournament Guard. Serving on the Tournament Guard is generally consider a great honor and responsibility.
During the festivities, the additional guard members join the official town guard and are required to answer to the head of the Nezhgub Guard, their normal allegiances temporarily ceded to allegiance to the Tournament Guard. The Guard is divided into squads of 24 members. Each squad consists of one or more Nezhgub guard and representatives from at least three other organizations. Each squad is further divided into patrols of three or six guards. Each patrol will have one Nezhgub guard. The remaining guards should be of different organizations. Thus, a patrol of three guards will have one Nezhgub guards and one guard from each of two other organizations.
The goal is to prevent favoritism. The Guard is being augmented by outside forces. In traditional organizations, a local guard is likely to favor local residents and officials over outside people. If a patrol were to consist solely of one organization's members, they may favor their own people. However, a patrol composed of more than one faction is more likely to be fair to the parties of a disturbance.
The mixed squads also help promote camaraderie. Sometimes forces from rival nations, even bitter rivals, serve on the same squad or even the same patrol. In doing so, they often forget that their nations are rivals for the duration of the Tournament. Often, lifelong bonds form during the time served as the Nezhgub Tournament Guard.
There are some elite squads (and patrols) composed strictly of local Nezhgub Guards. These squads are known as Enforcers. Serving as an Enforcer during the tournament is considered one of the greatest honors available to a guardsman, and only the most even-handed, fair, and skilled of the Guard are members of these squads. They act as a "tiebreaking" force. If a mixed squad or patrol cannot control a situation due to partisanship, the Enforcers are sent in to settle the differences. This can lead to everything from reprimands and fines to prison time or late entries in the Tournament.

Primary Related Location

Nezhgub