The Pit
Kill or be slain. That was the rule of the Pit. No more than one was allowed to walk out.
Like much in the King's Hound Headquarters, the Pit is a relic left over from Wintervale Castle's old dungeons. Once used to torture prisoners, its current use is to punish hounds and half-trained pups who stray from their creed, specifically the one demanding they have no permanent lovers. Those caught disobeying the rule are dragged into the Pit along with their lover, where they are stripped naked and forced to fight to the death.
The last group sentenced to this fate was a group of four teenage pups: Tracker, Hunk, Wynne & Zinnala.
Design
Like much of the old dungeons, the Pit is part of the cliffs' natural cave system, which is believed to have been carved from the sea several millennia ago before quakes pushed the area high above the sea.
From above, the Pit appears as little more than a black maw amongst the more built-up parts of the dungeon. Within, the cavern's walls are rough grey rock, with any shelter from above hewn more or less flat. The floor is also bare rock, although smoothed through centuries of use and stained a rust-red by blood.
Entries
The space technically has two entrances, but one exit. The ledge that enables people to view the fight from above has no barrier between spectators and a swift bone-breaking drop. In the beginning, when the Pit was used more for prisoners, this was the only way in. It is now mostly used to observe the fight and for archers to wait in the event that both sides refuse.
The proper entrance is a single wooden door reinforced with steel. It is accessed down a rough-hewn tunnel and unlocked only when a clear victor has been announced.
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