Bloodlust: A Gladiator's Tale

by C. P. D. Harris

  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.

  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 than 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.

  Minotaur: [Tauran] Minotaurs are a race that have 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.

  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.

  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, musclebound brutes, but this is actually far from the truth. Ogres are also known for their tremendously loud voices

  Path of the Colossus: [School] This school teaches larger Gladiators how to use their size and weight to greater defensive advantage. Part of the training is additional conditioning and a special diet that increases the Gladiator's size and muscle mass. This school was once taught only to students of Chosen Moltar, before School reforms.

  Path of the Brutal Executioner: [School] A favoured school for those who use heavy two handed weapons. The school teaches Gladiators how to channel all of their power, both physical and magical into blows of terrific force. The School also teaches a few special ways to execute opponents in Deathmatches.

  Path of the Juggernaut: [School] This school teaches the Gladiator how to use their size and weight to overpower lesser foes. Part of the training is additional conditioning and a special diet that increases the Gladiator's size and muscle mass.

  Pattern: [Spell-Weave, Spell-Pattern] The pattern is best thought of as the "set of instructions" that translates channelled power into a spell. Most objects have a natural pattern of some sort or other as well, which allows objects to be directly manipulated by magic. The patterns of an object can be altered in a number of permanent, interesting ways.

  Pyromancy: [exploder magic, School] A school of Elementalism dealing with powerful fire and concussive spells. Very popular in the South, and with crowds who love more destructive magic.

  Quickling: A small race that resembles little elves. Quicklings are extremely fast with incredible reflexes and movement speed. They also tend to talk very quickly, which leads to communications problems and prejudice.

  Rank: Rank is a measure of how experienced a Gladiator is. Every five matches the Gladiator qualifies for a Ranking Match. The Ranking Match is supervised by the Deliberative and often seems to involve unusual elements. Failure requires that the Gladiator repeat the test before moving on in Rank. It is possible to win the match and yet still fail to earn the Rank since the test often involves a hidden objective that the Gladiator is not aware of. One can also lose the match and still pass the test, such as when Gavin fights Sadira for his first Ranking Match. There is a great deal of mystique surrounding Ranking Matches. Some Chosen want to see them done away with.

  Racism: [Commentary] Racism is alive and well in the Domains, but takes a different form than in traditional fantasies where each race tends to have its own separate cultures and space. In most Domains, the races live together in a fairly cosmopolitan arrangement. They are forced to tolerate each other by law and many enjoy interacting with each other; others still cling to prejudices old and new, and I try to make this apparent in the book. The races in Bloodlust are not conscious allegories for any particular real world groups.

  Reckoning, the: The Reckoning is the pivotal event in the history of the Domains, and the world. It started as an apocalyptic series of battles, wars, and duels between various Gifted of tremendous power. As more and more magic was released into the world, including spells of mass-destruction and experimental magics of last resort, unpredictable wild magic and tainted magic began to wreak havoc. This culminated in a massive storm of uncontrollable magic that swept even the Gifted away. Only Krass is known to have survived intact; those caught without shelter were destroyed or tainted. The effects of the Reckoning w
ere so dire that they still linger and occasionally flare up over a thousand years later.

  Seeking Spear School: [School] A school of spear fighting that emphasizes the versatility of the weapon. The special grip techniques are particularly impressive, allowing the Gladiator to take full advantage of the weapon's reach with only one hand.

  Shadow-Elf: Shadow-Elves are aggressive and lusty by nature, traits that are greatly encouraged in Gladiators. They are shorter and more full-bodied than Light Elves, and tend to have dark eyes that shine in the light. Shadow-Elves have either white skin with black hair or black skin with white hair (many dye their hair with Glamour, however). Shadow-Elves have an innate ability to conjure shadows. (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. Breeding does not change skin colour on Shadow-Elves; it is not an inherited trait for them but rather seems to be caused by something else).

  Spell-casting: [Spell-weaving] Combining power and pattern and aiming it at the target.

  Spell-weaving: See spell-casting

  School: [Discipline, Path] Gladiators spend much of their time learning new ways of fighting and new magical theories as they train and advance in rank. The most complex of these are akin to martial arts with complete underlying philosophies and multiple ranks of advancement, but even the simplest teach an entirely new set of moves or spells and represents a major undertaking for a Gladiator. Schools are presided over by Master Gladiators, usually retired.

  Skirmisher: [clown, sub of Training Class] Skirmishers are the class clowns and socialites of basic training. They are not as straightforwardly aggressive or defensive as their peers, and rely on their ability to uncover and exploit their opponent's weaknesses to win. Skirmishers often come out of basic training with a better understanding of how to play to the crowd and basic tactics.

  Sun and Moon School: [School] A simple school that teaches a variety of two weapon fighting techniques, with a balance of offence and defence. The school is noted for its flowing, circular style.

  Sundering, the: [Gelding] The Sundering is a magical ritual that prevents the Gifted from using his or her magic in certain ways. It is thought to be irreversible (Maybe true, maybe not) It blocks the use of magic that is deemed too dangerous. Vassals are all sundered.

  Tauran: see minotaur

  Tap out: When a Gladiator is killed or incapacitated in a regular match it is called tapping out.

  Tainted: Magic that has been altered in an uncontrollable and undesirable fashion is called tainted. Tainted is also applied to lands or creatures that were altered by such magic in the reckoning.

  Time Limits: most matches have time limits, which are set before the match is drawn up. Time limits are intended to prevent a match from stagnating and boring the crowd. The winner of a match that reaches the time limit is determined by appeal to the crowd if need be. If a match is especially exciting the time limit can be increased. If a Deathmatch reaches the time limit the Gladiators still appeal to the crowd for victory, but the loser is not killed. Interestingly, since the introduction of time limits, there have been almost no fatalities in Deathmatch duels between the Chosen.

  Transportation: Horses and sea vessels remain the main method of transportation in the Domains. Magical roads remain free of obstacles even during winter months and some can even enhance the speed of living creatures that use them. Specially bred and enchanted horses provide those who can afford with mobility that would rival a modern sports car. Steam-wagons are becoming more common, especially for mass-transport of heavy goods and in areas where climate makes horses less effective. Airships and rail transportation do exist, but Gladiators are rarely allowed to use them due to their role in past rebellions. Exotic mounts exist as well, but mostly in the hands of the Chosen and the Legions. It is known that prior to the reckoning, gate travel, teleportation between two huge magical devices, was possible.

  Trolls: Trolls flourished during the Reckoning. They can survive nearly any injury, regenerating much like a Gladiator. They are also highly resistant to magic. The common variety of troll is a big, bulky humanoid with thick, craggy skin. Trolls are the only known intelligent race that does not have the Gift.

  Ungifted: The Ungifted are those who do not have the ability to sense magic.

  Vampire: [Path of the Vampire] Vampires do exist in the Domains and some Gladiators seek out their power, taught to them in a school like any other. Vampires of all sorts are also supervised by the Deliberative. I included this note partly to demonstrate some of the more unusual "schools" that Gladiators have access to. As a side note this means that there are likely a couple of Vampire Chosen and that Gifted Vampires are strong enough to survive the sun.

  Vassal: A Vassal is a Gifted who undergoes the sundering instead of becoming a Gladiator. Vassals are far more common.

  Victory Coins: [VC] Victory Coins are a special form of currency used by Gladiators. They were created to prevent a Gladiator with wealthy backers from buying their way to a Championship by purchasing magical weapons and enchantments that would give them a tremendous advantage. Gladiators gain a certain amount of VC every match and can gain bonuses based on performance and crowd reaction as well. Gladiators can only use items purchased with VC from Deliberative approved shops in the arena. Gladiators can also receive cash bonuses for popular matches and gifts from fans, but these cannot be used in the same way as VC. The VC system does favour popular Gladiators, like Sadira or Valaran, and is held up as a sign of democracy in action in the arena. After writing the first book, it was suggested to me that a few hundred years of common use would wear this term down to something other than victory coins, which just sounds too technical.

  War-Dance: [Battle-dance, School] A complex school that teaches Gladiators a series of moves that flow together like a dance. Tribal battle-dance features movements that mimic animals while Formal battle-dance follows traditional dancing. Both are difficult to master and only appeal to agile Gladiators with a strong sense of showmanship. Crowds love War-dancers.

  Wirn: The Wirn are a tainted race that once made war on the Domains. Wirn feed off magical power and can taint spell patterns. When a Wirn feeds it sends some of the power to an external source.

  Weerde: The Weerde is a source of tainted magic that is grown and sustained when the Wirn feed. It is stronger in Wirn territory. Gavin makes brief contact with it and senses that it feels hunger and may be more than just a source. The Wirn appear to worship and care for the Weerde, going mad when cut off from it.