Many fans see the Death-Leagues as purer, more traditional form of arena combat.
Success in the Death-Leagues virtually ensures as spot in the Grand Championships, with the obvious caveat that it is far more dangerous.
If a monster kills a Gladiator in the Death-Leagues the owner, trainer, and handler are richly rewarded. This is done to ensure that even monster fights are as vicious as possible. Critics note that this is a severe departure from tradition.
The most famous Death-Leagues are The Underground in Krass and the Volcanus Death-League.
Defender: [sub of Training Class] Young Gladiators who are oriented toward protecting others or lacking in direct aggression are trained as defenders. Defenders concentrate on outlasting their enemies and protecting their friends. Defenders frequently use shields. They are the least popular of the Training Classes.
Deliberative, the: The Deliberative is the body that oversees magic and the Gifted in the Domains. Many of the Officers of The Deliberative are Gifted, even former Gladiators. The Deliberative is not under the control of The Chosen, but rather upholds the Covenant. It takes a unified act of the People's Assembly and the Council of The Chosen to over-rule The Deliberative. The Deliberative has a strained relationship with some of The Chosen, who see it as intrusive.
Dirty Fighting: [Schools] This school of fighting codifies every mean, nasty dirty trick imaginable that can be used in the arena. It is very popular among Skirmishers.
Domain: A Domain is the personal territory of a Chosen. It is analogous in many ways to a province or state. Quite a few Domains have their own people's assemblies and act relatively democratically while a small minority are rather despotic. At least one Domain is more akin to a nature preserve.
Domains of The Chosen: [The Domains] The Domains of The Chosen refers to the collective of all of the Domains, the free holds, captured territories, and Krass.
Domina: The proper title for a Gladiatrix who attains the highest rank in the arena is Domina. Domina is the feminine equivalent of Master rank. This divergence occurred as part of a larger series of reforms.
Dragons: Dragons are huge, reptilian creatures with a propensity for magic and avarice. Most Dragons have wings and can breathe fire. Their scales are impervious to most weapons. What separates Dragons from similar creatures like Drakes and Wyverns is that they are intelligent. Dragons do not age, but they are driven to long periods of inactivity if they exert themselves too much.
Most forms of Dragon have bodies the size of a large horse up to elephant size with wingspans of thirty to fifty feet, and long tails and necks. A few types are larger, with house sized bodies and wingspans over a hundred feet, these are called Great Dragons.
Several Dragons have petitioned for status in the Domains. Currently several hundred lesser Dragons and eleven Great Dragons live legally in the Domains.
Dragons do not like being studied closely.
Great Dragons are able to grant a portion of their power to the ungifted, allowing the vessel to use magic. This is heavily restricted in the Domains. Most great Dragons use a “voice” to represent them in mortal affairs since few, other than The Chosen, are comfortable in their presence.
Although large and predatory, Dragons are also rational beings capable of negotiation and binding oaths. The Chosen are wary of Dragons, and Dragons are wary of The Chosen. However, in the post Reckoning world, Dragons see the Domains as a bastion of order and a safe place to lair. Like the trolls they are resistant to the wild magic of The Reckoning, which makes them natural enemies of the Wirn and other tainted creatures.
Dragons often serve in the Legions and more than a few, including one great Dragon, now reside in The Promise. They have made themselves useful allies of the Domains in this regard, and the people view them as less fearsome than the Gifted, who caused The Reckoning,
Druidic Magic/Druidism: Magic dealing with nature, instinct, and life-force. Druidic spells can be used for physical enhancement, healing, growth, and so on. Plant magics often fall under this discipline, but Scholars often debate that they should be considered an aligned category rather than a sub-category.
Dwarf: A fairly typical take on fantasy Dwarves (so far, I may develop them further. I am also toying with a purely Dwarven fantasy series), aside from their use of magic. Dwarves were the originators of Artifice magic and Rune-smithing. They were fairly isolationist prior to The Reckoning but have now integrated into the Domains. Dwarves tend to specialize by nature and are driven to master a single craft or skill throughout their lives. Since Gladiators are pretty obsessive to begin with this does not really come up often in the book.
Elementalism: A school of magic based on the idea that the four elements (air, earth, fire, water) are the building blocks of reality. Elementalism has a wide variety of spells and numerous sub-disciplines, like Pyromancy. In the arena Elementalism is a crowd favourite due to its spectacular, impressive attack spells.
Enduring Bulwark School: [Iron Bulwark, School] The Enduring Bulwark School teaches advanced shield use and defensive positioning.
Execution: Most Deathmatches are supposed to end with an execution. The Gladiator subdues his or her opponent and then makes an appeal to the crowd. The winning Gladiator can actually encourage the audience to vote one way or another, if they wish.
Ezuis: [The Founder, Blessed Ezuis, The First Champion of the People] Ezuis was the man who suggested that the surviving Gifted be allowed to enter Krass if they swore to follow the Covenant. He is the prophet and father figure of the Domains, and many people pray to him for guidance and regard him in a spiritual manner. He was Ungifted, but profoundly knowledgeable, old and wise by the time The Reckoning ended. There is some evidence that he was the one who ordered the walls of Krass reinforced in preparation for the great storms at the end of The Reckoning. The official story is that he retired to the Isles of the Dawn and lived a monastic life before dying of natural causes.
Factions: [The Blues, The Reds, The Greens, and The Orange] The popular factions are basically political parties that arose naturally out of the interaction of The Great Games and the popular assemblies. They are somewhat more pervasive than modern political parties. Imagine if politics, entertainment, and sports intermingled more than they do in present day. The Factions are loosely based off Byzantine groups as well as modern politics.
Faultless Blade, the: [School] This complex school teaches that self-mastery, understanding, and discipline are the true path of a Gladiator. The Faultless blade is closely linked with the Empty Mind philosophy.
Free Leagues: The Free Leagues were founded by Gladiators and Arena Masters who desired an alternative to the more popular Faction Leagues. Free Leagues Gladiators roam and take matches as they wish. Lacking a full competitive season the Free Leagues have more special events, exhibitions, and tournaments.
A Gladiator can represent a Faction in the Free Leagues, but is not required to do so.
Gifted: Those who develop the full "gift" of magic are called the Gifted. Most people in the Domains can use simple, formulaic magic with great effort. The Gifted can sense magic, allowing them to Channel power and weave spell-patterns with ease. The Gifted can perform great feats of magic, and can improve their skills over time, with some of them approaching Godlike power. Their magic also makes them far more resilient and long lived than the Ungifted. The Gift is not hereditary and cannot be detected until after early childhood.
Gladiator: Gladiators in the Domains are Gifted who have chosen to try to win their freedom in the arena. A Gladiator can choose to retire at any time to undergo the sundering and become a Vassal. Gladiators who achieve Master Rank can become champions, retire to teach, or retire to service as a Warbound. Other options exist (possibly as secret operatives of The Deliberative or some form of Retainer), but are not widely known. A male Gladiator is called a Gladiator. Mixed groups of Gladiators are called Gladiators.
Gladiatrix: A female Gladiator is called a Gladiatrix. I just like the way it sou
nds. The plural is Gladiatrices which is a bit awkward but I still like it.
Glamour: Glamour is a minor form of magic that instantly applies cosmetic effects. It is used by characters in the book to create hair and make-up effects as well as exotic, but temporary appearance alterations like shiny skin. It is also used to freshen up quickly, cleaning a person as if they had just washed.
Gold Faction: Valaran has enough fans and resources to create his own mini-faction. The Gold Faction is a comment on how quickly quasi fascist organizations seem to spring up using already existing structures and bandwagon jumping in sports.
Grey-Robe: Common slang term for officers of The Deliberative. They are called Grey-Robes because they always wear grey, and their dress uniform is a robe.
Hearthbound: Hearthbound are veteran rank or higher Gladiators who are bound to a Chosen. They act as The Chosen's bodyguards, soldiers, companions, and assassins. The Deliberative has no Control over Hearthbound.
A Chosen is generally limited to four Hearthbound.
A Chosen is directly responsible for the actions of their Hearthbound.
In many older Domains the Hearthbound are treated as Nobility, and even sport titles.
Heavy: [sub of Armour Class] A Heavy Gladiator wears armour that covers 40-66% percent of their body surface and weights between 33-75% of their body weight. Heavy Gladiators are trained to take advantage of the additional protection of their armour by positioning the armoured parts of their bodies to take an impact. They are also trained to use the additional weight the armour gives them to great advantage when charging or holding position.
Heretic: Any Gifted who breaks the Covenant is called a Heretic.
Honoured Gladiator/Honoured Gladiatrix: Gladiator is an official title in the Domains but when more respect needs to be shown people use an ancient honorific which is designated as "Honoured Gladiator" in the book because I have yet to have the time/skill/desire to make up a language like some of the masters of the genre.
Ithal'duin: [Lost Ithal'duin] A continent that was thought to have been destroyed in The Reckoning. Recently rediscovered by explorers from the Domains. Ithal'duin is south-east of Krass and east of Sudra.
Image: see armour, objectification, and bloodlust,
Keystone: A Keystone is a powerful device that can essentially preserve the life-force and re-create the bodies of anyone attuned to it. It allows Gladiators to survive just about any injury in the arena, including those which would normally be fatal. Decapitation, being burnt to a crisp, and exploding are all things that are survived in the book via a Keystone. Keystones have many limitations, such as size, massive power requirements, and limited effective distance. In a Deathmatch the Gladiator does not attune to The Keystone. Keystones are similar to lifestones in some online games, but fairly limited by comparison.
Krassics: Krassics are the coinage of the Domains, minted out of pure metals in various denominations. The coins are stamped with the seal of Krass on one side and the picture of The Chosen whose Domain they were minted in on the other. Krassics are heavily standardized and regulated in size, shape, and composition. Worn coins are regularly replaced. Counterfeiting is easy, but not especially profitable due to the cost of materials and the ease of spotting impure coins. Tampering with coin is a serious crime.
Light: [sub of Armour Class] Light Gladiators wear armour that covers 10-33% of their body surface and weighs up to 17% (one sixth to be exact) of their body weight. Light Gladiators rely on mobility and speed above all. Where their lack of armour hurts them most is in situations where mobility is limited or mass melee. Light Gladiators are crowd favourites, both for sex-appeal and bravery, but many critics of The Great Games feel that they exist only to titillate. Gladiatrices face more scrutiny for this than their male counterparts.
Light-Elf: The ancient elves warred amongst each other long before The Reckoning, but have set their animosity aside. The Light-Elves are compassionate, calm, and socially oriented which means that they rarely choose to be Gladiators. Light-Elves tend toward softer, more even, skin colours than humans; alabaster, light brown, and golden tan are the most common skin colourations. They exhibit very few blemishes or birthmarks. Their eyes are somewhat large, very luminous and brightly coloured: greens, blues, gold, and ambers predominate. Hair colours are gold, copper, silver, pale blond, light brown, and raven. Light elves have little body hair, and males grow beards far less frequently than humans. All Light-Elves can see through illusions to a certain extent. (Because Bloodlust started out as an RPG I allowed all types of Elven ears styles from the slight points to the full on anime elf ears).
Link Crystal: The link crystal is what artificers did with magic mirrors and scrying pools. It is a device that is analogous to a modern smart-phone in many ways. One of the reasons I included this is that I feel it is important to have the characters read to create a bond with the reader, and some of you will, no doubt, read Bloodlust on an e-reader. It also helps emphasize that the Domains are not medieval. Gladiators are not allowed full use of Link Crystals, for fear of them organizing a rebellion.
Lost One: What the Wirn call the Gifted of the Domains. The term implies that there is some other type of Gifted that the Wirn do not think are lost.
Master: A Master is any Gladiator who has passed their Ranking Match for the 10th rank. Masters are eligible to become war-bound or teach. To be invited to a championship, one must be a Master Ranked Gladiator.
Match type: There are many different types of matches, rules variations, and challenges in The Great Games. Slaughter matches pit the Gladiators against a number of creatures, which they must kill as quickly and spectacularly as possible. Survival matches require the Gladiators to hold out against an increasing number of foes until a time limit is reached. Some match types resemble games or local past times, like bull baiting. As always The Deliberative must approve of a match before it is allowed.
Medium: [sub of Armour Class] Medium Gladiators wear armour that covers 33% to 50% of their body surface and weighs 25%-33% of their body weight. They are more versatile than lights or heavies.
Meliorist: [Bettermen/Bittermen] The Meliorists are those who believe that the Gifted are superior and should rule over the Ungifted as freely as possible. Several Chosen are open Meliorists and often clash with The Deliberative and the Assembly of the Covenant.
Minotaur: [Tauran] Minotaurs are a race that has bovine features. They are larger than humans and have horns and hooves. They are a "beast race" created during The Reckoning and are treated with prejudice in many areas of the Domains.
Necromancy: Necromancy is a form of magic that deals with death, decay, and the after-life. Once considered a "dark art" necromancy in the Domains is surprisingly commonplace, although still subject to prejudice. Hazardous tasks, for example, are often performed by animated corpses. Necromantic curses are greatly feared in the arena, as are their spells that steal life or power from the victim. Animated corpses and undead constructs are also a favoured arena foe all over the Domains.
Oath, Chosen's: [Oath of the Covenant] The Oath sworn by all new Chosen, binding them to the great Oathstone in front the Assembly of the Covenant. The Oath is:
“I give my oath to serve and protect the city of Krass.”
“I give my oath to defend the citizens of Krass.”
“I give my oath to obey the laws of the people.”
“I give my oath to act to prevent The Reckoning.”
“I give my blood to seal this oath, freely in good faith.”
“My oath is my honour, and my honour my life.”
“I am Chosen: I serve.”
The Oath was drawn up by Ezuis as part of the original covenant. It is nearly impossible for The Chosen to act against the Oath due to its binding nature. However, the Oath is based on The Chosen's interpretation of it and very much influenced by their worldview. Chosen Moltar might actually think that Krass is best protected and the citizen’s best served if he is emperor, for example.
Chosen's Oath is also a commonly used explicative.
Ogre: Ogres are a massive, muscular race that look like really big humans with heads that seem just a little on the small side for their bodies. The small size of their heads means that Ogres often get characterized as dumb, muscle-bound brutes, but this is actually far from the truth. Ogres are also known for their tremendously loud voices
Orc: Somewhat larger than humans with powerful, broad builds, Orcs are a common sight in the Domains. They have green, grey, black, or striped skin colours and should be familiar to most readers of fantasy. In Bloodlust Orcs are a carnivorous species, and those who are trained as Gladiators are taught to rely on their predatory instincts. Some Orcs decry this, seeing it as a brutalization of their race.
Pale, the: The Pale are a collection of peoples who live beyond the southern borders of the Domains. They have resisted conquest, and even killed a few Chosen. They are engaged in a protracted war with the Domains in the area known as the Trials.
The Pale employ a form of magic that allows them to bind spirits to the patterns of living things. They can call upon the traits of the spirit, gaining great strength and the animal's senses. Some can even shift their physical form or allow the spirit to possess them.
The magic of the pale is viewed as heretical, but it not tainted, although they often bind tainted spirits.
Domains of the Chosen 02 Bloodlust: Will to Power Page 45
