C12: Free City Arena

The arena began as a Joint effort between Grey College and Lord Mayor Zagig, to be used for college assemblies and events as well as entertainments for the citizens of the city. It proved somewhat of a bust as the latter- apparently the citizens of Greyhawk had plenty of ways to entertain themselves without the grandiose spectacles hosted by Zagig. And indeed, the arena can seat but 18,000 souls, if they squeeze together, so the bulk of the city's population had to miss each event.

As a college focal point. however, the arena has been a grand success. It serves as a neutral ground for representatives of all the schools in Clerkburg, as well as self-proclaimed fraternities of students using individual tutors, to gather and face off in the endless series of games and contests these students use to amuse themselves.

In addition to these contests, the arena is still used by the city for those occasions when a grand celebration is required. Many holidays are commemorated with a service here. Illusionist shows, offered once or twice a year, are extremely popular. And every few years a traveling circus comes to the Free City, remaining for two or three weeks. These festive occasions are cause for nightly crowds in Clerkburg, even though they occur over Midsummer when the colleges are not in session.

Also, the men of the City Watch hold drills and mock battles here. Only twice a year are the mock battles performed be fore an audience, once in spring and once in autumn, but the troops often practice here during the day, or even under the light of a bright moon.

The grand stone edifice was once a gleaming white circle of limestone. The color first faded to gray, and then one day nearly 20 years ago, suffered the indignity of a practical joke by the students of the Bardschool: the citizens of the Free City awakened one morning to find that their coliseum had been painted all over a throbbing, vibrant shade of pink.

Of course, it has mostly faded by now, but in places an observer can see a streak of pink running through a seam in the limestone. And from a distance, the entire edifice seems to take on a rosy hue when the sun hits it just right.

The arena is capable of hosting all sorts of functions. Its field is large, and normally covered with hard-packed sand. However, it has been covered with lush turf or filled with enough water to float small boats-both transformations accomplished with the aid of powerful priests-on more than one occasion.

Spectators can enter the stadium by any one of a dozen gates spaced around its outside wall. Seating occurs in 12 banks of 1,500 seats each. All the seats offer splendid views of the field, as they are not very far away.

Below the seats is a complex labyrinth of dressing rooms, cages for wild animals or prisoners, and storage halls for the equipment that is sometimes employed in the events of the arena. The short, narrow skiffs used by the various college teams for the rowing races and mock sea battles fought in the flooded stadium, for example, are locked up under a section of the stands.

The arena floor itself has only two entrances, one at the east end and the other at the west end. Each of these is 20 feet wide by 16 feet high, and can be secured with massive wooden doors. These doors fit so snugly that water barely trickles under them when the arena is awash.

Above the western entrance rests the Grand Box of the Lord Mayor. This luxurious accommodation can seat 100 personal guests of the lord mayor. During college events, the box is used by the student and faculty leaders of the college that last triumphed in the event.

The arena floor is surrounded by a wall 15 feet high on each side, and 20 feet high in the east and west ends. The front rank of spectator seating reaches almost to the edge of this wall. ln fact, an observer in this row who leans too far forward may find himself flat on his face in the arena. The arena is used once nearly every week, except during the heart of winter, for some function or another. Usually these are small college competitions, with attendance of under 1,000. About once a month a major college competition such as the "Sea Wars," or a major city function such as the welcoming of a new ambassador, draws enough people to fill the arena to capacity. All Clerkburg bustles on these occasions, as graduates return to cheer for their school, or the influential folk of the High Quarter journey here in their carriages and coaches.

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C12: Free City Arena. About 200 years ago, Lord Mayor Zagig Yragerne and the newly founded Grey College joined forces to build a great arena in which student assemblies, sporting events, pubic entertainment, and so forth could be held. Zagig apparently got little out of the deal for all the wealth he poured into it, but Grey College found the Free City Arena a great boon to school morale and moneymaking. The arena can seat about 18,000 people, most such gatherings being for inter-school sports and competitions. Grey College, the Bardschool, the School of Clerkship, the University of the Flanaess, and low-ranking wizards from the University of Magical Arts are joined by independent fraternities, sororities, and other student groups representing the minor schools in these games.

City celebrations are also held here on certain holidays, magic displays by illusionists are popular, and the occasional traveling circus arrives in the summer, filling Clerkburg with nightly revelers though nearly all schools are out at that time. Mock battles by the City Watch and Greyhawk Militia are also conducted here. Performers and shows from nearby towns and cities often appear.

The oval field (shaped that way to accommodate certain “long-field sports” played by two teams) is usually hard-packed sand, but rolls of grassy turf can be laid over it or the arena can be filled with water (by magic) for competitions involving small boats or rafts. Four major gates lead from the arena seating onto University Street, with eight minor gates easing the overflow. The arena itself has only two doots, on the east and west ends, through which the opposing teams enter; these doors are 20 feet wide and 16 feet high. The arena walls are 15 feet high, 20 feet on the east and west ends. The floor of the stadium is level with the ground outside. Below the stadium is a huge network of tunnels and storerooms in which equipment is stored and wild animals are caged. The Grand Box of the Lord Mayor over the western entrance can seat 100, and it is used by dignitaries, nobles, and other officials.

DM's Notes: The urge for one team to cheat and win a victory over its opponents is*very great in the inter-school competitions. Magic potions have been used, spells have been cast, bribes have been paid, and so on, all to gain the advantage for one side or the other. Betting on sports is legal in Greyhawk, but the practice has bankrupted many careless students and led some to take harsh punishment when they could not pay their debts. Some characters might have graduated from schools that need funding for their sports teams, too. These conditions can spark many adventures for characters asked to help students in trouble.