Shortspark Champion

Overview

The title of Shortspark Champion is awarded to the reigning victors of Shortspark's Construct Fight Nights, a spectacle usually held in Rattlebottom where arcane-powered mechanical constructs clash in fierce, regulated combat. Overseen by the Shortspark family, the Champion title is a symbol of engineering excellence, a badge of honour for both the construct and its creator(s). There are three championships: Lightweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight.

Origins

The Shortspark Champion title was first awarded in 29 PC during the inaugural Construct Fight Night, hosted by the flamboyant inventor and showman Aldin Shortspark. The event was born from an earlier military-scholar joint initiative that sought to improve construct reliability using fragments of knowledge recovered from The Council of Nine's documents - particuarly those of Grevlin Doomwrench.

What began as private trials grew into a public spectacle, and with that came formalised rules, and thus champions, and eventually the split into three distinct weight categories.

Titles

Lightweight

The lightest category. These construct naturally lean towards being agile and nimble, and arguably the most difficult to build due to the weight restriction involved.

Current Champion: Darter, a sleek, stinger-equipped construct known for speed and precision.

Middleweight

Formally Standardweight, but recently rename for clarity. The original title see the most competitive and versatile constructs do battle. Tactical diversity is at its best here.

Current Champion: Omniforged, a modular construct capable of mid-battle reconfiguration.

Heavyweight

Brutish and imposing, the heavyweight class showcases bouts that are often akin to the unstoppable force meets the immovable object.

Current Champion: Onyx Mauler, an obsidian-plated juggernaught of unrelenting power.

Path to the Title

Earning the right to challenge a Champion is no mean feat. A construct must first win at least one sanctioned Starter Match to even be considered for a title fight. In truth, it usually takes at least three victories. Title bouts occur monthly, where reigning champions defend against a suitable challenger. Victory is most often achieved by a knock-out or disabling the opponent, though it can be decided on point via a judging panel.

Championship fight carry substantial monetary rewards, along with the exposure and fame. Some inventors have converted a championship win into prestigious careers with the likes of Billowblock Inventions and others.

Culture

Shortspark's Construct Fight Nights are a big draw tourism-wise for Rattlebottom, the Gnomish capital in Aldenia. However, occasionally the Fight Nights will go on tour, bringing the spectacle to other cities. Underground leagues have begun to spring up too, though only official Starter Matches will count towards Championship viability.