The Ring of Dunan
Inspired by rolls on Hilander's Settlement Generator.
The heart of Dunan is its vast, ancient colosseum. It is not just the center of the town, it is the reason the town exists. Every gladiator dreams of carving their legacy here.
The outer walls are inscribed with the names of champions who have died in the arena. The roll of the dead stretches back further than anyone remembers. Many names are written in dead languages or forgotten scripts, their stories erased by time. Some whisper that the oldest names are not of mortals at all, but of gods themselves, champions slain in some divine contest ages past.
A name carved into the stone is the highest honor a gladiator can earn, immortality in memory. But the rite is strict. Only those who die in the arena, or of wounds sustained there, are entitled to it. Deaths outside the arena are forgotten, no matter the fighter’s fame.
Gladiator teams, the Houses of Blade, rule Dunan’s culture and wealth. Rivalries between Houses are constant, but rarely fatal, because to die outside the arena is to be denied remembrance.
Second to the arena, Dunan is known for its master smiths. All members of the Order of the Anvil, part trade guild part religious sect. Each smith is contracted to a specific House to keep their arms and armor in peak condition. A smith’s prestige in the eyes of people and piety in the eyes of gods is tied to the victories of the gladiators they outfit.
On the edge of town stands a grand palace, the summer retreat of Prince Nayar. It’s rarely occupied, maintained by a skeleton crew of servants. The prince only visits when the Colosseum promises a spectacle worthy of his attention.
Dunan is nominally ruled by a mayor elected by the representatives from Houses of Blade and the Order of the Anvil.
Two gladiator Houses dominate every conversation in Dunan, the House of Blade Velleris and the House of Blade Serpentis. Their rivalry has always been bitter, but now it has curdled into something darker. Hamilcar, the Carrion Prince, an up and coming champion of the House of Blade Velleris, fell suddenly ill after a bout against Ramtha, the Last Fang, a veteran member of the House of Blade Serpentis.
The House of Blade Serpentis has a reputation for poison craft, none among them more so than the Last Fang. However the use of poison is allowed in the arena only in matches against beasts, not against other champions. When Hamilcar died from his illness, the keepers of the Colosseum denied him a place on the wall. The House of Blade Velleris raged, claiming Hamilcar was poisoned in the arena, and thus deserved the honor.
Tensions boiled over when a drunken brawl between the Houses turned deadly. Ramtha, the Last Fang of Serpentis, was slain. Her death outside the arena also disqualified her from the wall. Now both Houses grieve champions whose names will never be carved in stone.
Each House feels robbed of honor and vengeance and the air in Dunan is brittle with resentment. Gladiators glare in silence, crowds murmur with unease, and even the smallest spark threatens to set the town ablaze. Everyone knows a single misstep could turn cold hatred into open war.
In this tense atmosphere, a proclamation spread through the streets. Prince Nayar will soon arrive in Dunan, summoned by the Mayor to mediate between the Houses. Yet it is no secret that Ramtha was his favored gladiator, and he had long anticipated her final match to the death. Some whisper he may seek peace, others fear his grief and anger will ignite the very violence he was meant to prevent.