Tamriel Data:Welcome to the Arena

Book Information Welcome to the Arena
Added by	Tamriel Data
ID	T_Bk_WelcomeToTheArenaTR
	30		2

Welcome to the Arena

Interview with Arminius Aurix, Editor of the Kragenmoor Arena

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Most folks who come to the arena don't know who I am. I prefer it that way. I always say, it's the fighters that should be at the center of attention. Me, I stay on the sidelines, overseeing everything. I plan and schedule the games, I pick the fighters and their equipment, and decide who's fighting who. That's the job of an editor. If the attention is ever on me, it's because I'm doing the job wrong.

There are people, I know this, who think that what happens in the arena is unseemly. They think we peddle death. Perfumed noblemen and silly little priests have refused my hand and called me a bloodmonger to my face! I call them hypocrites. Death is a natural part of all life, isn't it? In the arena we do not hide this truth. We drag it out into the open for everyone to see. It is not only enterntainment, I think, but a great public service that we provide. Everyone who witnesses the games will come to a profound realization: we are not creatures of spirit. We are blood and bone, all of us.

Slaves? No, there's hardly any fighting slaves here in Kragenmoor. I'd forgive you for thinking that it's because the crowds would find it upsetting, but in truth people do not care whether it's a shackled man or a free one bleeding for their amusement. What they care about -- and what, in turn, I care about -- is that we put on a good show. And the fact is most slaves have no notion whatsoever of showmanship. They are timid. Passive. When they do fight, they fight like spastic rabbits. It is a sorry display. They're only interested in their own survival, not in the grand drama of combat. Can't really fault them for that, though -- they've been dealt a rotten hand.

Our fighters are trained professionals, all of them. I oversee their training myself. A good arena fighter is a master of all martial disciplines. They are familiar with all types of weapons. Short blade, spear, axe... no matter. The more exotic, the better. As for their other equipment, light armor or no armor at all is preferable. The crowds will perceive wearing heavy armor as cowardice, but a bare chest -- that's bravado. That's real, mortal danger. A veteran fighter's scars are badges of honor that should be on display for all to see!

You ask why would anyone wish to become a fighter of their own free will? First, you must know that not every fight is to the death. It would be a terrible waste of talent otherwise. Sometimes there's a draw, sometimes the other fighter yields. Second, the pay is not bad. The most successful fighters retire this business quite rich, in fact. But the third reason is the most important one: it's that there's glory to be won in the arena. It is easy to overlook, but it's true. The adoration of the crowd can be more intoxicating than any wine. The arena offers anyone, now matter how lowborn or downtrodden, a chance to make a name for themselves. To become hero of the public and have their memory live on in songs and epitaphs etched into the arena walls long after their bones have turned to dust. To be loved and remembered for an eternity.

Isn't there an old Dark Elven adage that says you can "reach heaven by violence"? That's what the arena can give you. If you've got what it takes.