To The Pit!

An astonishing new craze is sweeping through the wealthy upperclass! The Pit!   Making its way into the gardens of all the especially well to do is an architectural installation of the century. Beautiful, practical and multi-purpose, "The Pit" is a miniature amphitheatre designed primarily for the arts and sparring, though it can be easily adapted for sports, outdoor parties and more. Its aesthetic designs are also extremely varied. Anyhting from to stone to concrete, from full roofs to half roofs, to retractable to ceilings to no sky at all, from a blending with nature to a heavily constructed set-up, anything goes. The only real commonality is that both form and function are valued at a ratio of about 40% form to 60% function and the set-up has a stage or arena at the centre at a lower level than all but the last 1-3 rows of the audience at most.   The Pit has a rather fun origin. A young lady grown in destitution, through the mixed effects of fortune, friendship and fortitude, came into quite a bit of wealth and quickly bought a large expanse of land. She built upon it a manor which, while not gaudy or extreme in appearance, became quite large and filled with luxuries for both comfort and more practical purposes. A large library, a fully equipped medical room, large gardens doublings as crops, many bathrooms including a shared bathing area, several bedrooms for her loved ones, guests and people facing desperate situations, basements and pantries stocked heavily with food and other necessities for times of desperations, rooms filled with spare clothes and a sewing room to make up for what couldn't be bought and stored away, and a great many more. But her friends, coming from situations as fraught and desperate as her own, were a rough sort and often got into fights, damaging the buildings and things she'd painstaking prepared.   After some thought she settled upon a grande idea. It they must brawl then they only needed a location made for it! A fighting pit! So she set about making it. At first she thought to only make it a spectator ring similar to an underground fighting ring but as she thought through other purposes she decided to expand upon her idea. As well as the occassional brawl or spar, they could hold sports, compeitions and challenges to its usage. By giving them a place to vent perhaps the conflict and tensions would minimise the worst of it. It also allowed some of her more competitive and hard-headed friends to find more peaceful ways to handle their squabbles. She also had some artistic friends, singers and theatre actors, who would appreciate a place to practice and put on a show. It would make a great place to entertain in get-togethers as well.   After putting her head together with some professionals The Pit was made. It was extremely succesful, saving the lives of many walls and belongings. And she took a great delight in scaring less familiar guests with talk of sending people to "The Pit" until it became better known. The Pit is of the home designs she's the proudest of.