'Historical Overview
Origins
Cledefoire combat is an ancient and proud tradition in Anhara. One part religious ritual, one part sport, and another part theatre, cledefoires are a valued profession in every major city across Anhara. In
Mira's Eye this tradition, like all others on that island, took on a gruesome nature. All sporting and theatrical aspects were set aside, as cruelty became the point of the game and nobles came to watch a brutal fight to death between enslaved victims of House Mira.
"Called the Drum not for its shape, but rather for the beatings delivered upon its unfortunate victims, the dread arena of Mira's Eye was filled by nobles who would otherwise be unsuspected of such depravity." - Roland Auberge, In the Den of the Depraved
One of the first attractions built after
The Decadent Sprawl, the palatial villa of the house, The Drum was the major draw for visiting nobles from Meridia. Inundated with bored noble families during the
Cinquial Season, the capital proved to be both a source for guests and slaves. Excessive kidnappings from the lower reaches of Meridia eventually brought The Drum to the attention of reformers, yet it would persist for hundreds of years.
Golden Age
The Golden Age of House Mira saw their wealth at its peak, and therefore their depravity was as well. Members of almost all noble houses had been guests upon Mira's Eye, and hence at The Drum. During this period House Mira exerted their strongest control upon Meridia, thus being provided with a large pool of potential victims for their island's numerous attractions.
"We have been unable to interfere with trafficking between The Promenade and Mira's Eye, as many of the same officials who authorized our work have been found partaking in the ill-gotten fruits of kidnapping upon the island." - Roland Auberge, In the Den of the Depraved
The Drum's popularity transformed it into a more serious enterprise. The structure was expanded, its décor was made more luxurious, and its fighters were formalized. A system of classes developed, themed after the
The Nine Spirits, and trained by professionals imported from across the known world, at much expense. Beyond human combatants, a menagerie of rare and dangerous animals was assembled in Mira's Eye. These both served as a zoo in the Decadent Spiral, as well as for fighting both each other and humans in The Drum.
Fall
The
Shattering of House Mira came about through, in the immediate leadup to the conflict, House Mira overplaying their hand in Meridia. As their capital grew into
the capital, their wealth increased dramatically, but so did their avarice. House Mira's attempt to squeeze every coin from their Meridian holdings, at the expense of their fellow noble houses, led to a rapid uprising against them in the immediate aftermath of
The Crossing Over.
"Brutal combat in the Miran Spire yesterday evening, as House Mira suffered heavy casualties in the latest step in the brutal culling of their line. Few holdouts remain in the upper levels, and the Mirans have been forced into the dregs of the city, amongst their erstwhile victims." - The Whistling Observer
The wider reasoning for the Shattering comes from House Mira's descent into general madness, mostly attributed to their wealth and inbreeding. Their mad habits were used against them to sway the common folk in Meridia, as anger about Miran mass kidnapping and enslavement had began to bubble over for decades. Subsequent to the Shattering, House Mira sought to maintain their standard of living as if nothing had changed, and fights at The Drum continued for some years.
In the modern day, however, there are only a few fights in The Drum, mostly around crucial dates in the
Cinquial Season, one of the last semblances of their Golden Age. The structure has largely crumbled, and is surrounded by a handful of shanties constructed of the rubble.
Architecture
The Crumbling Outer Ring of The Drum
Entry
A many-tiered circle, The Drum was constructed out of modular series of rings, reaching higher and becoming thinner. The lowermost of those rings is split into two halves. The façade begins the first half of the ring, and consists of a series of superimposed arches interspersed with decoratively-topped columns. Each arch is 24 feet high, and on the initial level, act as entryways.
In keeping with the themes of Anharan architecture, each arch acts as an entry, allowing for a rather open-air plan for the initial floor. Perambulation being a favored pastime of Anharans, it was no different on Mira's Eye, and this area of The Drum was full of market stalls, food, and conversation. During the Golden Age this was an intensely colorful area, with awnings and banners reminiscent of the rainbow effect visible across Meridia.
The inner half of the entry ring consists of a more closed off area, designed to funnel people upwards and into the stands around the arena floor. This is done by four great staircases, one at each cardinal direction. The northern staircase is specifically for the use of House Mira, leading to their Grand Box. The southern staircase leads downwards into the Cavyau, the underground facilities of The Drum. The eastern and western staircases are for general access to the stands.
"I suspect I will be one of the few resources for this place, so I take it upon myself to describe the architecture, so as to demonstrate the disgusting wealth displayed by its owners. Their desire to return to controlling Meridia seems to express itself in the colorful trappings of the city, especially The Drum." - Roland Auberge, In the Den of the Depraved
Stands
The stands on the first level, excluding the Grand Box, are reserved for nobles of prominence. These are elevated fifteen feet above the arena ground, to prevent escape attempts into the crowd, and highly organized by prominence. Like the rest of The Drum, seats here are marked by bold red numbering, to help guide guests, but also to organize them. The lowest numbers are reserved for the most prominent families, and seated closest to the Grand Box.
Upper levels of the stands follow a similar theme, but applied to nobles of lesser and lesser status. As status decreases, so do amenities. Cushioned seats become less plush, the view is poorer, and space becomes tighter. At the highest level, the seats have access to the roof of The Drum, from which a series of layered, multi-colored awnings shade the stands.
"My investigative greed got the best of me, and in my attempt to be seated as near the Grand Box as possible, in order to spy upon the most highborn visitors, I was apprehended." - Roland Auberge, In the Den of the Depraved
Grand Box
The Grand Box is entered through the northern staircase, and is specifically for the use of House Mira and their chosen guests. Elevated above the surrounding seats, the Grand Box is about 25 feet above the surface of the arena floor, thus ten feet above their surrounding neighbors. The box itself is covered in an awning in the deep crimson of House Mira, protecting the three rows of seating from the sun.
The first row of the Grand Box's seating is for the Lord Mira and his immediate family, his seat being in the center, elevated slightly and highly backed, in the style of a throne. This is flanked by two rows for guests, with access to the large northern staircase, as well as room for serving slaves.
Arena
The arena floor itself is fifteen feet below the stands, at the base of a sheer wall, designed to prevent escapes into the crowd. Sand covers the floor, for absorbing blood, but is interspersed with trapdoors. The walls feature two large, gated ramps leading up from the Cavyau, as well as one serving as a pipeline in from the surrounding lake.
Cavyau
The Cavyau, Old Anharan for crypts, particularly ancient crypts of a noble family, are a series of underground passages and rooms designed to seamlessly facilitate the mechanics of events. Fighters prepare below, animals are starved for viciousness, and slaves clean the sands through four large drains, emptying the arena into the Cavyau.
Most importantly, however, is the complex of engineering allowing the sand to be drained into the Cavyau, and replaced by a torrent of water let in from the surrounding lake. This facilitated, in the Golden Age, naval battles, however these have fallen out of favor given their expense.
Myths
The Drum is used as an example in
Georges Voilevoire's controversial book,
Hallowed Hollows, exploring the similarities between seemingly disparate religions and groups. The Drum comes up both as an example of the culture practice of cledefoires, cast in a ritualistic light, as well as during the author's exploration of the etymology and religious significance of the term
cavyau. As Mira's Eye has been culturally separated from the rest of the nation since the Shattering, much of the Old Anharan language and tradition can still be seen on the island, as the word
cavyau has since developed into
crypt.
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