Worldbuilding Prompt #895 - Spectating Isn't Always Safe

in #hive-1910388 days ago

This post was inspired by a writing prompt in the Worldbuilding Community - Worldbuilding Prompt #895 - Spectators

It's set in my homebrew D&D world - enjoy !

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Image created by AI in NightCafe Studio

The arena was set against the snowy backdrop of the Zalavan Mountains, but it's architecture was solidly that of the Danislavan conquerors. The place was packed to capacity, the crowd bundled up in furs and woollen cloaks against the cold.

Standing on his podium, the Master of Ceremonies waves his ivory and golden rod for silence. Once the hum of chatter from the crowd had stilled a little, he announced the theme for the day.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Zalava, dignified patricians of Danislav, welcome to the two hundred and first Zalavan Games ! Tonight I give you a spectacle from history, a battle where there was no good side. I give you The Battle of Reldar, from the time before Danislav became a republic ! See the merciless armoured cavalry of Duke Tebidas the Oppressor battle against the brute savage barbarians of the Semilar Plains in a fight to the death !"

Meanwhile, as the crowd cheered the forthcoming bloodshed, the patricians in the VIP box lounged comfortably, a wall of braziers behind them, hanging cloths and underfloor heating making the temperature very pleasant.

One purple-robed man, middle aged and plump, turned to an aquiline colleague next to him dressed in similar robes. "Aren't those your chaps escorting the combatants in, Velus ?"

The slender, almost stringy, man peered through a pair of glasses theatrically before answering. "Why yes, yes they are. Men of the 25th 'Joyous Vengeance' Cohort, my very own soldiers. They picked up some genuine live barbarians for the occasion."

They were escorting a clearly dispirited crowd of fur clad so-called barbarians into the arena. The gladiators were unarmed, and other soldiers were setting up barrels of weapons for them to rush to grab when the fighting started.

At the other end of the arena, small groups of mounted gladiators were cantering back and forth, dressed in the anachronistic style of noble armoured cavalry from several hundred years previously. Everyone knew these fellows were slaves, promised freedom if they survived.

Velus watched the spectacle as it started to unfold, taking a glass of honeyed wine from a servant standing at his elbow.

"You know, Markuz," he said to his chubby friend, "I do believe the locals in that section of the area aren't cheering with enough enthusiasm."

"You're right, that will never do ! What do you suggest ?"

With an imperious wave if his hand, Velus waved over the Master of Ceremonies.

As the man arrived, he told him, "Those people over there, they are nowhere near enthusiastic enough. Perhaps they are not interested in your production. They need something to get them interested. Very personally interested."

The Master of Ceremonies bowed and returned to his podium. Waving his rod once more, he made another announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have an added attraction for the battle ! For failing to cheer loudly enough, the spectators in Blocks B and C will join the spectacle, taking the role of defenceless civilian victims of the marauding barbarians. Guards, take them and place then in the centre of the arena, right between the two battling sides !"

Sometimes, being a spectator is only one step from being a participant......

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Well that's certainly one way to make sure you get loud cheering LOL This was fantastic. I read it the other day but forgot to actually comment and re-read it tonight.

Thank you ! One day I'll have to get around to writing a D&D adventure around the Zalavans rising in rebellion against their Danislavan conquerors. Again..... eventually they'll succeed. Or get wiped out for good.

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🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Wow! Assholes! Well done! Some draconian dictators there!

The Danislavans have definitely become the "Bad Guys" in my D&D world 😁 After all, what is a setting without a race of cruel, vicious oppressors to battle against ?

They've also solved the classic problem of how low-level ordinary people deal with high level adventurers. Their armies work in close formation, with a higher than usual proportion of 1st level spellcasters in the second rank (benefitting from cover provided by the first rank). The third rank are archers, providing indirect missile fire and massed anti-air (to deal with flying high level spellcasters). It's all about rolling lots of dice and throwing lots of Magic Missiles 😀

Protection against area effect spells is provided by each company's banner, which has some special homebrewed area protection and anti-magic effects. Pretty much every military unit in the setting has a banner like this, the more elite the unit the more effective the banner. Here's one I made as a life-sized prop for a party whose quest was to find a banner which had been lost....

Very cool! And well thought out... you are running that Kingdom hahahahaha!
😜