The Pit
The Pit is a large and distinctive building in the River Quarter. Various forms of gladiatorial-based entertainments are held here: both warrior against warrior (lethal and non-lethal), 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, but the day-to-day business of the Pit is run by Pietain Morvannis.
Four types of combat are conducted here. First is nonlethal combat fought with blunt weapons, shields, and nets. Second is full, sometimes lethal battle with any sort of weapon. (This is the biggest moneymaker of the four.) Third is human-versus-monster fighting, usually with large or strong humanoids but sometimes with true monsters like owlbears or trolls. (Monsters are considered conquered when beaten senseless with blunt weapons; trolls are an exception, which are attacked until prone and forced to regenerate, at which point the fight is over.) Fourth is unarmed, nonlethal combat between wrestlers or martial artists, which is gaining new fans among students in Clerkburg as well as older adults who frown on bloodletting but like the thrill of battle nonetheless.
To a certain extent, the fights are only a part of the entertainment at the Pit. This is a noisy, boisterous place. and the three tiers and private boxes that overlook the arena are packed with people from all parts of the Free City. The shouts and cries of spectators mingle with the groans and screams of the combatants and the frantic calling of odds by the bookmakers.
Gambling is a major activity here and is allegedly controlled by The Guild. Their bookmakers take up stations around the lower tier, signaling changes of odds to their companions with a special and secret sign language because of the noise, while others clamber from tier to tier collecting the bets. Visitors should take special care to keep a tight hold on their purses and valuables! Monies placed as bets are exchanged for colored tickets that serve as receipts, and after each bout, winning bettors wave their tickets and scream for their winnings. Since most bookmakers are aware of the fixing of certain bouts (and those not in the know soon find out by observing the odds others are offering), they make a fair living, and do not cheat customers by refusing to pay on winning tickets.
A special health hazard here is presented by the piemen, who patrol the gladiatorum between bouts and throw warm pies wrapped in brown paper to customers who flick silver coins to them for their wares. These pies are known simply as meat pies-if anyone knows exactly what kind of meat they contain, he isn’t saying. As in most cases in the seedier parts of the city, let the buyer beware.
Type
Theatre / Concert hall
Parent Location
Owner
Additional Rulers/Owners
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