Groggily blinking his eyes as consciousness returned, the elf heard indistinct voices ringing in his ears in an unfamiliar language. A pulsating pain at the back of his head caused him to wince as he tried to bring his arm up to cradle it, but felt a jerk and a loud jingling. Opening his eyes wider, he found that he had been bound to a wall. As he tried to move his head down, his chin met a solid block of wood. Hearing footsteps, he hurriedly looked up only to have his chin and cheeks seized by bony fingers and brought to meet a thin, wrinkled, aquiline face. A permanent sneer seemed to have been sewn to the hand's owner's face as he twisted the bound elf's head this way and that, tilting his head occasionally. "You say you took him a recent raid in the Southlands?" the captive heard in the unfamiliar language. "Yes lanista, a rather frail specimen to be sure, but I'm willing to part with him for a more...modest fee..." said another voice. Looking over to the corner of the room, the elf spotted a bald, corpulent human in a yellowed linen tunic. His features were, in comparison to the other human, thick, low browed and filled with malice. His hooded eyes were filled with venom and the elf found himself trying to recoil.
His attention drawn by the sudden movement, the aquiline human jerked his head back and his golden eyes met with the elf's own cool blue. Their gazes remained locked before the human's intensity forced the elf to look away. It was then that he noticed the row of other figures lined up along the wall beside him. And they were not just elves. Beastmen, dwarves, orcs, even other humans were chained to the wooden wall with a thick wooden yoke around their neck. Another person was inspecting the orc who snapped and raged savagely, trying to break his bonds while a human female sobbed loudly. Then his other senses kicked in. Shouting in various languages, along with the ringing of metal and horse shoes. The incessant smell of sewage and the hot press of bodies. The sensations hit him all at once. Suddenly, his head was tugged back, forcing him to meet the human's gaze again, this time, much closer. "...Can you fight?" he asked in Elvish. Stunned, the elf simply blinked, before shaking his head. He had been a farmer. Nothing more. The aquiline man's gaze darkened before he released him from his claw=like grip. "You're lucky my last elves died yesterday," he heard before the fat blob elicited a cry of glee.
Within 5 minutes, the elf was unchained, moved into a dark wooden horse cart and rechained. With no energy to fight back and no idea where he was, he could only hang his head and follow the steerman's tugs. Next to him sat a broad shouldered dwarf who spat at his feet, before moving away as far as his chains would allow. With a loud, almost definitive crash, the door of the cart was pulled up and locked. He didn't know where he was going...but he already knew what was going to happen. Lanista. A word dreaded by many. He was going to the arena.
So, the idea here is our characters are recently captured slaves who have been purchased by a lanista and are now expected to fight in an arena. The world will be more fleshed out later (and players are welcome to assist) but suffice to say we are in a fantasy world with all manner of creatures, both sentient and those wanting to ruthlessly rip out your throat and drink your blood. Magic is a thing here but it's rare and expect to be fettered if you want to use it, mostly for the entertainment of the crowd...and the GM. If there's going to be a mage, there can only be one. As detailed in the above post there are going to be different races, each with their own prejudices and views, along with their own fighting style.
If people want, for extra difficulty, I may introduce a time based economy during our break periods between fights, giving the whole group a certain amount of points to spend to either visit the healers, upgrade armour and weapons or attempt to glean information for their next fight. This RP, if it runs long enough, may not end in the arena though. Nations are still at war (providing a steady inflow of slaves and fighters) and as fighters, we may be expected to fight for our pride and nation...or we can rebel.
"In this world filled with death and blood...what better way to relax than watching others shed their blood and die?" -Lucius Malleus, History of the Arena
The continent of Arkreides is a cesspool of violence, each race discontent with each other for even the most minor of infractions. The otherwise pacifistic elves wage an incessant war against the industrious dwarves in the southern Myrian forests while waves of orcs and humans crash against each other in the far northern wastes. Caught up in all of this are the beastmen whose nomadic lifestyle often brings them into conflict with the other factions. This near constant conflict brings in a steady flow of very specific commodities. Grieving mothers, corpses and, of course, slaves. But one can only have so many domestic slaves until all work is done, so what can you do with the excess? Why pit them against each other in mortal combat for your entertainment of course!
What started as backalley duels between wealthy families soon evolved into a nationwide sport for Humans once they realised they could make a pretty denar for charging people to watch this bloodshed. This practice soon spread to the nearby war-like orcs who relished these fights and the opportunity to beat slaves into a pulp for their own entertainment (not that they didn't already do so). Suffice to say most orc gladiators are not slaves, rather they are trained pit fighters. Over time, arena fights spread to almost all major nations, even the elves who used these fights to settle matters with as little bloodshed as possible, using selected champions to settle political matters. These days arenas are more regulated, with fighter training requiring a specific license. Those who hold these licenses are called the 'Lanista', people who hold the keys to the shackles of dozens of trained fighters, and yet somehow still maintain control over them, whether through respect, fear or otherwise.
Arena fights are not only simply pitting slaves against each other, no, there is so much more to it. Sometimes these slaves may be thrown into a pit with ferocious beasts or forced to reenact famous battles of those peoples' history, but by far the most popular are the simulated environments, pitting teams of slaves against each other in a fabricated environment. That ends our brief history lesson children, tis time for lunch. Remember your hats.
By far the most populous, humans are also the most diverse and varied race, quickly adapting to any new environment. While physically weaker than most other races, humans make up for it with quick wits and ingenuity along with a better standing with most races, apart from orcs who they have fought bitterly for the past decade. Generally jacks of all trades, humans set the standard for most of the other races, being average at all of them.
While humanity is technically united under a single banner, one could hardly expect them to be free of differences. Their standing military forces vary from region to region, from the heavily armoured knights and legionnaires of the central empire to the barbaric axe-men of the northern reaches and even the sparse rough riders of the eastern plains. While the differences in tactics, weaponry and numbers may serve to make a united human Imperial force difficult logistically and tactically, it does mean that they have a contingency for any battle plan. If only they could muster in time.
Examples of humans:
Central Legionnaires: Sharing the title of most armoured human with the Western Knighthood chapters, the legionnaires are taught to fight in a unit and excel at group combat. With minds hard-wired into working as a legion, they are a stalwart force should they ever be needed. That does not mean to say, however, that they are useless when alone. Bearing blade and shield, the legionnaires are respected fighters in their own right but are more effective in their units than they are individually, washing over their enemies like a silver tide.
Western Knights: Where legionnaires focus on teamwork, knights from the western region of the human empire take pride in their individual prowess, preferring longswords and maces to the shield and blade. Valuing individuality and martial prowess as virtues, the knighthood prefers to engage enemies in a series of single combat bouts instead of any military tactic, expecting their enemy to do the same. Suffice to say those knights sent to the northern front, while effective, have a high attrition rate.
Tall, slender and elfin, elves are usually lauded as an unachievable gem for adolescents everywhere. Despite how they may look however, they are not without teeth. Dexterous and nimble, elves forgo heavy armour and weapons in favour of manoeuvrability, as befitting their form. Making good use of their longer limbs, elves tend to favour spears and bows in combat, as well as hit and run tactics, provoking their enemy until they make a fatal mistake. While they are faster, however, they are noticeably more frail and most other races, possessing a lighter bone structure and ropey musculature. Able to outlive most races, the elves see the passage of time differently than most mortals.
Examples of elves:
Canopy Striders: Slightly skinnier than the average elf, canopy striders are noted for their moss-green hair and emerald eyes. As their name suggests, canopy striders are at home in the treacherous terrain that sprouts above the ground. Moving along the treetops is an efficient and sneaky method method of transportation and the striders use them to great effect when striking at their dwarven adversaries. Preferring the ambush to any other tactic, canopy striders are no stranger to long waits before striking hard and fast with their bows and disappearing back into the treetops.
Forest Thorns: Considered to be 'the average elf', those soldiers who take on the title of forest thorns possess dirty blonde hair and a slightly green skin pallor. Armed with long spears, forest thorns act as a unit like legionnaires. However, where legionnaires form a column and batter down their enemies, forest thorns flow like water around their enemy, specialising in area denial and encirclement. Surrounding their enemy, they begin the massacre in earnest, spitting enemies upon their spears before disappearing back into the undergrowth
A collective term for those possessing animalistic features, the beastmen rival the humans in variety, but their changes are usually more noticeable. The most common of these beastmen are the "Thunderhoofs", bull-like beastmen who prefer to pit their own bone, muscle and sinew against their opponents, rather than any weapon. Avian beastmen who are captured often have their wings clipped to avoid escape. Generally tolerated by the rest of the population, they remain a neutral faction.
Examples of beastmen military:
Thunderhoofs: While not strictly a military, every young thunderhoof is expected to fight in the defence of their tribe should the need arise. With powerful muscles and incredibly hard horns, thunderhoofs prefer to fight up close and personal, pounding and grappling their opponent into submission with their natural weapons.
Skytalons: A race of beastmen possessing hawk-like features, skytalons are a generally peaceful tribe that lives high up in the mountains. When threatened, however, they make for a deadly opponent. With four sets of sharp, hooked claws and a powerful beak, they strike from the skies with the fury of a starved dog before rising up and continuing their assault. While they generally do not possess weapons, skytalons do seem to prefer a cruel, hooked blade as their instrument of choice.
In contrast to their ancient enemies, the elves, the dwarves are short, squat and heavyset with beards thicker than a human's thigh. Naturally tough, the dwarves prefer to heft heavy weapons like warhammers and heavy armour before striding casually into battle. Their ironwork famous for leagues in every direction, the dwarves are often prideful and refuse to accept loss, no matter how inconsequential it is. With such a squat body, dwarf musculature is so compacted that their body, even without armour, can withstand and, nay, break a badly forged sword with very little damage done to themselves. Standing at half the height of the average human, height is a bit of a tender spot for most dwarves.
Examples of dwarven military:
Ironmongers: Battle-blacksmiths would be the best way to describe ironmongers, who forge their own armour and charge into battle wielding their forging hammers. Always eager to test out new designs, ironmongers are known to be almost fanatical in their desire to fight and get hit, if only to see how their handiwork stands up to an elven arrow. Exclusively found dwelling with their mountain brethren, ironmongers vary extraordinarily in quality.
Valley Dwarves: Unlike their mountain dwelling cousins, valley dwarves invest less into heavy armour and instead trust in their body's natural hardiness to see them through. Hefting axes almost the size of their entire head, valley dwarves are known to be more aggressive than even an orc on occasion, especially when it comes to dealing with their elvish adversaries. Usually tattooed with mystic runes and symbols, their beards are noticably more unkempt than those of their mountain cousins.
Noticably more savage than the other races, apart from a few beastmen tribes, the orc are a warrior society who put honour and martial prowess above all else. Almost as heavily muscled as a dwarf, orcs nevertheless have less stubby legs and can cover more ground than the short peoples, but have less grasp of tactics and...general intelligence. Known to throw all caution to the wind, orcs are able to berserk, their eyes filling with blood as they ignore all pain in an attempt to overwhelm their enemy.
Examples of orcs:
Green orcs: The standard orc. Possessing low-browed features, hunched shoulders and a dense musculature, the green orc brings to mind a powerful ape similar to the ones found in the souther human empire. With their status determined by the size of their tusks, the warchiefs of green orc tribes often have giant, embellished tusks that span the length of their face, and usually have them carved and patterned, although this is not an uncommon practice among the lower ranks as well.
Black orcs: Like green orcs, but black. But in all seriousness, black orcs are considerable tougher and stronger than green orcs, but possess lesser intelligence than even they. Often integrating themselves into a green orc tribe, black orcs are happy as long as they have a chance to test their mettle against others, be they orcish or otherwise. Taller and more wideset than an average orc, the black orcs form the shock troops of their military.
Magic is a gift given to very few and for good reason, for those who possess this ability and misuse it are the most terrible threats. These mages are able to discern faint shimmering strings hanging in the air, attaching to everything, although individuals are tuned towards specific elements. Nascent mages may dismiss these faint strings as simple tricks of the light but those that know how to use them are extremely dangerous. These 'fate strings' dictate everything about their environment. Those attuned to fire can see the strings which control the climate while those attuned to the air can see the strings as they enter a person's body. Of course, those can see them can also alter them, given some assistance. Utilising special gloves or staves, these mages can 'weave' these strings to create something else. The aforementioned fire mages may pull together fire strings to create an excrutiatingly hot fire ball and throw it, or an air mage can suffocate his opponent by simply pulling the air strings away.
While sounding and being fantastic, the use of these fate strings often has long lasting effects. They say the cold, frozen northern wastes which the orcs now inhabit was once a desert wasteland...which turned into a winter wasteland when their shamans discovered their primitive version of fate weaving early in their inception as a civilisation. Their flames acted as beacons for their people, but at the same time they used up more of the flame strings than could regenerate until eventually they exhausted most of the naturally occuring strings, creating their now sub zero hell. That being said, the opposite can be seen in the Myrian Forest where the elves dwell. Their powerful magics were mostly held in check and instead of using it to combat their dwarven enemies, they used it to encourage growth, creating a luscious forest within years and increasing the density of earth based strings in the forest (which they then use to combat their dwarven enemies).
The seat of the Human empire, currently under the jurisdiction of the Aurelian dynasty, Lairea is a grand landlocked city of marble and stone and stands as a paragon of what humanity can achieve. They say that if one cannot find what they need in Lairea, they will never find it elsewhere, and it is partially true as the capital city is a hub of trade for merchants for leagues in every direction and of every race. Partially built into a mountaintop, the city is also surrounded by well aged walls and had never been successfully invaded. This is not taking into account the fact that Lairea is situated in the center of the Aurelian empire, mostly due to logistics, and thus protected by its outlying settlements. Lairea also plays host to the largest concentration of arenas of any city, containing a total of more than 60 registered fighting grounds and arena fights are a daily occurrence and a common pastime. The atmosphere of Lairea is busy with purpose. The constant chatter of voices in the morning belies its prosperity as merchants do business while the nights are filled with whoops of joy and pleasure.
Built into, onto and around the great trees of the Myrian forest is the Elven city of Eltharios which is significantly quieter than Lairea. While less accommodating to other races, the city is known for the serene and relaxing atmosphere it gives off, as well as the quality of woodwork that it produces. While it does not possess a wall per say, the city is protected by a dense layer of vegetation, and a century old ritual maintained to this day casts a confounding field around it that causes trespassers to be led astray. Unless you stumble upon it by pure accident, the only way into the city is through meeting an elven emissary at designated areas in the city and being led in. They say that the forests are littered with the corpses of those who tried to sneak in otherwise, but that is just a baseless rumor, or so the elves say. The city plays host to a single arena built atop a mighty tree which is used to settle political disputes and very little else.
Meaning 'Hearth' in the Dwarven language, Grogbholur is a mountaintop fortress filled with intricate tunnels. While first time visitors may be overwhelmed by the structure, those who live there grow to have a natural sense of direction underground, though acute agoraphobia is not uncommon there. Home to the most famous forges on the continent, Grogbholur is under constant siege from merchants seeking their wares, giving it a similar feeling to Lairea although there are a significant few who would actually dare to enter the seething hot forges themselves. With each entrance to the city being a drawbridge, Grogbholur is as impenetrable, if not more so, than Lairea and the Dwarves take pride in this, calling their city the 'unbreakable'. There are a series of tunnels in Grogbholur collectively referred to as 'The Crucible' which function both as weapon testing grounds and arenas. Interestingly enough, being built into a dormant volcano, the city does not possess any braziers and is actually lit with lava flows.
Hel-brok'thar serves as the most developed city of the orcs and, thus, their capital city, though many would dispute that claim. Home to the Blacktusk tribe, the city's towering basalt structures may seem unbalanced but thanks to some...inspired engineering on the part of the orcs, are actually quite stable and manage to seal in warmth, which is a blessing considering the sub-zero temperatures outside. It is said that almost every stone that makes up the city has tasted blood thanks to the constant tribal raids preceding its construction and, while some may not believe it, it is certainly the case in their arenas. Black ovular structures dominated by spikes, their arenas are known to be some of the bloodiest and most entertaining, at least for them. Not long after the last fight, it is common to have a ritual sacrifice to appease their savage gods, though this practice can be seen in many areas where the bodies of animals are left to rot in pits.
Age: (Humans have a similar age to actual humans, Elves live to around 400, Dwarves to around 250, Beastmen to 150 and orcs usually to around 50 before another one sinks an axe into its back, but the oldest one having been 190)
Personality: (How your character acts, any racial prejudices)
Previous Profession: (What your character did for a living before becoming a slave-gladiator)
History: (An account of how you came to be in your current predicament. Up to the point where you've been purchased)
Preferred Weaponry: (What your character prefers to use in combat, be it sword, mace, bow or fist. Remember, we all start pretty much nekkid apart from cloth covering our delicates)
Rather than paladins, orcs would have something akin to a 'champion'. Most don't fight for a cause other than to pit their mettle against one another. They're more savage than, say, humans who have an established religion. They're more animalistic and savage, though not to the degree of the beastmen. You're welcome to have him come from a tribe which worships a specific god and have him champion its cause though.
That sounds doable; thanks for the specification! I was thinking of him (or her, haven't decided yet) having a sort of "falling out" with his religion, which ends in him losing his paladin status and subsequently joining the arena. Unless it is required that all players be forced into it?
I would prefer it if all characters were being forced into the arena as it would give the group a sense of a common goal, that being survival. However I won't force you to be forced into the arena, we could say that you owed the lanista a debt which you couldn't pay so he struck a deal with you. Or whatever other reason you come up with. Just run it by me beforehand. I would be interested to know though.
EDIT: Oh, and don't feel restricted by the examples I've put up. Those are just that, examples.
I'm thinking of playing a female elf. However, do you think that the elfin race could have some variation to their appearance? Because while it makes sense that most elves have similar features, I think that there would be some genetic mutation after awhile.
I'm thinking of playing a female elf. However, do you think that the elfin race could have some variation to their appearance? Because while it makes sense that most elves have similar features, I think that there would be some genetic mutation after awhile.
Like i mentioned above. Theyre just examples. Feel free to make your own as long as its reasonable. What were you thinking?
Lovely, can't wait until the charsheets start popping up. I'm thinking of playing a dwarf, possibly an Ironmonger with an affinity towards swamp gas and marsh fire.
