The Pit
Nearly the largest single building in this quarter, this is actually a collection of houses that were built closely together before being fully joined as one unit. The nearby Cartographers' Guildhall was purchased in 585 CY and added to the structure; the mapmakers purchased and moved next door into the former home of Duke Garand, following his unfortunate mishap with some hell hounds.
The Pit is the center of entertainment in both the Foreign and River Quarters, grounded in an old dueling tradition among early Suloise settlers and reinforced by heroic Oeridian folklore. Gladiatorial fights are overseen by the Pit's manager, a 41-year-old former privateer named Pietain Morvannis. Pietain works for the owner, a shadowy figure named Andrade Mirrius. Mirrius is rarely around the Pit these days, though he was once present almost daily; he says his struggling trading business takes him away from the "enjoyable work" at the Pit.
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.
The Pit has its own mascot: Oswald the manticore, whose tail spikes were removed and wings clipped to prevent escape. Oswald has long been popular with many in the River Quarter, and toys in his likeness are sold at the Pit for youngsters. Oswald is reputed to be a man-eater but is forced to subsist on freshly slain cattle instead. He is somewhat intelligent and appears to have grown accustomed to being treated royally by his human captors. The Foreign Quarter, on the other hand, usually prefers the second mascot, Oscar the albino owlbear.
Gambling is a constant element here. Bouts are whispered to be fixed now and then (especially in nonlethal combats), but no one seems to care much. The Pit makes huge weekly sums of money, especially on Godsday and Freeday, but now often in the evenings as well. Some people have tried to cut in on the gambling action here, but this has never gone well.
Entrance Requirements
Anyone looking to participate in combat in The Pit has to start in either the non-lethal bouts or the wrestling and martial arts bouts. The entrance fee is 5 gp, which is about two-months wages for a typical laborer. It's enough to discourage the un-serious. The first round has a 5 gp prize, effectively winning the cost of fighting. Winning the second round earns an additional 10 gp, and winning the third round earns another 20 gp. To engage in lethal combat, it must be approved by a local magistrate, Pietain knows just such a person. The terms of the combat are determined ahead of time and any veering from the set rules results in forfeiture. The lethal combat option was initially reserved for dueling combatants who had a reason, it has expanded over time. Monster combats are only offered to those fighters who have won many bouts and are given the opportunity to "win big".
Type
Arena
Parent Location
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