Topple

Topple (though the name is recent) originated in Kirvi as a process of administering justice, including as a method of execution. At the time, the beliefs held by the people of Kirvi were that fate was ultimately just, and if the responsible party could not be conclusively identified, all suspects were pitted against each other in a contest which would determine the guilty party or parties by who won and who lost.   There were two versions, and which was used depended on the severity of the crime. Instead of the winner being decided on a 'last man standing' basis, there was a time limit; anyone still standing when the time ran out was considered innocent. If everybody was still standing, or nobody was, the conclusion was drawn was that fate had judged all of them guilty/innocent. The contest was considered an exercise of justice, and refusing to fight in it was considered a breach of justice itself. Usually those individuals would lose the contest; but if being tried for a minor crime, and/or in the rare cases they were still standing at the end--in other words, if they were still alive at the end--they were punished accordingly. (The most serious crime in Kirvi which did not earn a death sentence.)   For serious crimes, the brick towers were high enough that being toppled was fatal: instant death occurred when hitting the ground. This was a novel means of execution, the first in the region that was quick. For minor crimes, participants had to be very unlucky to be killed during the contest; usually they only suffered minor-moderate injuries, which were treated in prison. Winners were aquitted and released from custody. The practise predates the Age of the Twins by at least five hundred years, but may be longer; historical records dating back that far are few and far between.   A variation of this practise was adopted by the Ancient Viri Empire, after it conquered Kirvi, under the reign of Emperor Orx the Child-Snatcher. There was only one arena, and it was adapted to be much less merciful. The brick towers were short, but being toppled was lethal--not because of the fall, but because of what happened afterwards. Boobytraps such as spikes, and deadly animals, were set out to kill much more slowly those who lost. Instead of a time limit, the contest was only halted when a single survivor was left. That survivor, as a reward, was then given the choice of a quick death or a life in servitude to Etervir at the temple. Emperor Orx had many enemies, and he would save them up in prison before putting large groups into the arena. While in Kirvi, the process had been held in semi-private, Orx made it a very public event.   After Orx's death, this practise stopped; however later, under Emperor Vir, it was revived not as a method of execution, but as a blood sport. The arena was adapted again, preserving the height but making the booby-taps less lethal. The game exploded in popularity and Vir was an enthusiastic player himself.