Arenas of Tevinter

History of the Arena in Tevinter
To understand how the Arenas work and how they are a part of the culture in the Tevinter Imperium one must first learn their history. To begin with, the Arenas are as old as the Imperium itself. Their purpose was first to train Imperial soldiers and keep them sharp in times of peace (though for Tevinter there rarely ever was a time of "peace", so warlike were the magisters even in ancient times). As a source of entertainment they became more popular and then as the empire grew the Slave Trade provided fighters from all over Thedas. Enemies to the empire, deserters and criminals were used as fodder for training and as entertainment.

Gladiator Schools - the Ludus
The usefulness of gladiator schools like Ludus Gallicus was in creating private armies. This led to exploitation for political gain and eventually there were increased restrictions on gladiator school ownership, siting and organisation. The military are great aficionados of the games, and sometimes supervise the schools. Many schools and amphitheatres are sited at or near military barracks, and some provincial army units own gladiator troupes. Military discipline is ferocious in Tevinter; severe enough to provoke mutiny, despite the consequences, thus a career as a volunteer gladiator may have seemed an attractive option for some.

Arenas were erected all over the empire, but the largest and by far the most expensive and expansive were those within the motherland. The Arena just outside of Minrathous is to this day the largest and most used in Thedas.

Arena Culture
The culture of the Arena has never changed because it never has had to. It's purpose is still the same and there are always slaves to be traded and trained. Ludus' come and go, some are destroyed by competitors, some taken over, some grow and prosper depending on the success of their champions, but the Arenas themselves are stalwarts of Tevinter society and though not all Imperials find it entertaining most know what they are and what is required within. The Arenas are also used for ceremonies and for public executions.

Magisters and Reputations
Part of the culture of Tevinter is that of Mage duels. In the Imperial Circle these can be deadly, but mostly they are just a competition to see who is the most powerful mage. The young of the Circle are more prone to this kind of duel but in Tevinter society a more serious version of the duels exist.

A magisters reputation and position can sometimes be challenged via a duel. These sometimes take place in private or occasionally on the streets of Minrathous, but the official disagreements take place in the Arena. A part of the Arena (a raise platform in the centre only used by mages) is set aside for this type of duel. A third party, usually another neutral magister, agrees the terms between the duellists. A champion can only be used if both magisters agree to use a champion as proxy. The rules are as follows:


 * The challenge has to be made face-to-face
 * The two opponents can elect a champion to stand as proxy
 * The winner gets everything that the loser owned, not including their title as magister since the challenger has to be a magister
 * The loser, if still alive, will become the winners slave
 * Winner has the power to release him/her from said slavery
 * Has to be at a certain place at a certain time
 * They can battle over one thing (but it has to be stated)
 * If a non magister mage wants to challenge a magister it must be approved by the Archon. If the non magister wins then they can win the title of magister form the loser.

Types of Arena
The Amphitheatre of Minrathous is the largest and the best known Tevinter amphitheatre. Gladiatorial combats are the main event and usually held around 4pm. As the tournaments grew larger and more popular, open spaces were adapted as venues in Minrathous and elsewhere, with temporary, elevated seating for the patron and high status spectators; they were popular but not truly public events. A show of gladiators was to be exhibited before the people in the market-place, and most of the magister patrons and lanista's erected scaffolds round about, with an intention of letting them for advantage.

Gladiator shows are ticketed — their political usefulness served by inviting the rural tribunes of the plebs, not the people of Tevinter en masse – poor citizens in receipt of the corn dole were allocated at least some free seating, usually by lottery. Others had to pay. Ticket scalpers (Locarii) sometimes sold or let out seats at inflated prices.

Amphitheatres are oval in plan. Their seating tiers surrounded the arena below, where the community's judgements are meted out, in full view of all. From across the stands, crowd and patrons could assess each other's character and temperament. For the crowd, amphitheatres afforded unique opportunities for free expression and free speech (theatralis licentia). Petitions could be submitted to the owner of the Arena in full view of the community. Factions and claques could vent their spleen on each other, and occasionally on the Archon (though this is rare and only when the owner of the Arena is daring and the Archon deemed weak). The amphitheatre munus (spectacle, tournament) thus served the Tevinter community as living theatre and a court in miniature, in which judgement could be served not only on those in the arena below, but on their judges. Amphitheatres also provides a means of social control. Their seating was "disorderly and indiscriminate" until Magister Augustus prescribed its arrangement in his Social Reforms in 146TE.

The Arenas are owned by Lanistae of wealth and renown, but as per the rules of the Arena a lanista who owns an Arena cannot have his Ludus compete there, to ensure fairness. The Arena in Minrathous is owned by the Archon, some Arenas are owned by magisters. Lanistae with Arenas are considered Tevinter's non magical middle class along with slavers and land owners.

Of Melee
This is the most common type of competition. The types of gladiators that compete range from those on horses and fighting animals to those with various weapons and competing in groups or the last man standing matches. It is rare for a bout to be to the death, since Gladiators are expensive, but the finals can often see the death of the loser, either in combat or because the patrons decide that is to be their fate. Often the decision to execute the loser is based upon whether or not the Judge likes the competitor or dislikes their Ludus/lanista. Thus it is in the lanista's best interests to stay on the right side of the judges, otherwise they might lose a lot of coin and an expensive slave.

Of Magic
Magical duels are not limited to magisters competing only. The main event of many a tournament is usually the mage duel. Very few ludus train mage gladiators as they are very expensive. However, there is a lot of coin to be made in these matches, and so a lanista may risk their entire ludus on this single gladiator. Sometimes a magister or rich slaver will act as patron for a mage slave, and sponsor the ludus to train them. In this case the mage fights in the name of their ludus and their patron, the reputation of both at stake.

Hierarchy within Arena Culture

 * The nobility (magisterium)
 * The Owners of the Arenas - not always magisters, they are often the most powerful Lanista's
 * The Lanistae
 * The Slave Traders
 * Trainers of Champions - Doctore
 * The Mage Slaves
 * The Gladiators
 * Other slaves - non warriors (healers etc)

Of the Lanistae
Lanistae are the were heads of their familia gladiatoria, with legal power over life and death of every family member, including servi poenae, auctorati and ancillaries but socially they were infames, on a footing with pimps and butchers and despised as price gougers. No such stigma was attached to a gladiator owner (munerarius or editor) of good family, high status and independent means

Death, disposal, and remembrance
To die well, a gladiator should never ask for mercy, nor cry out. A "good death" redeemed a defeated gladiator from the dishonourable weakness and passivity of defeat, and provided a noble example to those who watched. For death, when it stands near us, gives even to inexperienced men the courage not to seek to avoid the inevitable. So the gladiator, no matter how faint-hearted he has been throughout the fight, offers his throat to his opponent and directs the wavering blade to the vital spot.

Some mosaics show defeated gladiators kneeling in preparation for the moment of death. The "vital spot" is the neck. The body of a gladiator who had died well is placed on a couch and removed from the arena with dignity. Once in the arena morgue, the corpse would have been stripped of armour, and probably had its throat cut to prove that dead was dead.

The average gladiator lifespan was short; few survived more than 10 matches or lived past the age of 30.

Citizens, slaves or freemen – were usually buried beyond the town or city limits to avoid the ritual and physical pollution of their community. Gladiators were segregated in separate cemeteries. Even for those whose death had brought honourable release, the taint of infamia (shame, disgrace) was perpetual.