Bloodsport

Bloodsport was first developed in the mid-500s at the bequest of a bored Vincent Flodfald, who sought to create an inexpensive way to bring entertainment to the masses. In its original conception, fifteen individuals (in three parties of five) were brought to the Palatial Square of Fenrir and instructed to fight to the death; the final team standing would receive great wealth, honor, and be named "Champions of the Glaive".    The party that survived this initial encounter - the "Boneclaw Brothers" - maintained their status as Champions for approximately a decade before being felled by the hands of a new party on the scene. However, by that point they had amassed so much wealth that they had Physicians and Clerics in wait to resurrect them; however, they would be soon forgotten by the greater society.   Bloodsport became an avenue for nobility to legally bet massive amounts of money in the early days, but that avenue was closed at the beginning of Adelard Flodfald's reign (to the dismay of many nobles). The Venomous Rose currently controls the illicit betting pool that occurs among nobility.

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In its purest form, Bloodsport is a 'team-vs-team' battle royal where (typically) two to three groups fight to the death in an enclosed location, utilizing only their own skill and wit.

These fights are presented by the Flodfalds to be entirely voluntary, but several nobles throughout Fenrir extort and blackmail lower-class citizens to participate (and thus die) so their bets can be won.

In the last several centuries, "advantages" and "twists" have been added to the game of Bloodsport to further enhance the entertainment value to its viewers. Advantages can include things like hidden magic items (that somehow automatically attune to the wielder) and healing potions; twists can include a sudden shift in environment (typically from a casting of Mirage Arcane) or the inclusion of unaligned third parties onto the battlefield. Many viewers don't care for these shake-ups, but it has been permanently instituted into the game.

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The most typical participant in a game of Bloodsport would be an adventuing party of four to five people (often hiring out a member of Everchase or some other sellsword guild as a temporary stand-in. (Mercenary guilds - Everchase in particular - has an extensive Revivification Insurance plan that can be called upon quickly if they die in combat).    Every game of Bloodsport is presided over by the Truthbearer, otherwise known as the Occidental King. He is the Master of Ceremonies and typically has influence over advantages and twists thrown into battle.    Before each game, the arena is reset by a Gamemage - a local Wizard or Druid who has been contracted by the Occidental Kingdom to shift the environment and create hazards for the players.