The Gladiators and The Pit

The Pit is a large and distinctive building in the Foreign Quarter (location F8). Various forms of gladiatorial-based entertainments are held here: both warrior against warrior (lethal and nonlethal), and warrior against monster. The Pit is visited by the respectable and well-to-do, whenever they feel like slumming and indulging their jaded tastes, and by the common rabble, simply to satisfy their lust for mindless violence. The Pit is owned by Andrade Mirrius (for full description and statistics see Chapter 7), but the day-to-day business of the Pit is run by Pietain Morvannis.

Entertainments at the Pit

There are four basic types of entertainment at the Pit. The first is nonlethal gladiatonal combat, typically fought with blunt weapons such as clubs and shields or nets. The second type is full-blooded gladiatorial combat which can be fought with any of a vanety of edged weapons. This is where the real money is: these events are the biggest crowd-pullers. The third form of combat is warrior(s) against monster, the most common monsters used being large humanoids (such as bugbears), trolls, owlbears, and others such. The management frowns upon the killing of any of the monsters because of the replacement cost, although the death of a gladiator is regarded as an occupational hazard. To this end, the war riors are equipped with blunt weapons and are expected to beat the monster unconscious The exception to this is combat against trolls, in which edged weapons can be freely used due to the trolls' regenerative abilities.

Monster combats are always well attended, and for the last two years the Pit has featured regular fights against Oswald, their resident manticore. The manticore's tail spikes have been docked (although he has learned to use a side swiping, clubbing action with his tail for 1d6 damage), and his wings have been clipped to prevent escape. Oswald is a firm favorite with a faction from the River Quarter who cheer him on, hiss and boo his opponents, and purchase exorbitantly priced leather and feathered models of the beast for their children as presents.

The fourth type of event is unarmed combat between wrestlers and pugilists. For these contests, which are very popular with the older generation, the combatants generally wear a wide assortment of garish and lurid costumes. These fights are strictly for entertainment only, and the outcomes are usualy fixed.