Battle Balt

“My light is pure to refuse the dark, Blood for Blood from soul to soul, to victor by tremor in love of the White, I swing for the Lord with all my might.”
— The challenge declared by Imperial balters before entering the tremena.

Picture shows an official balt used in both the ARL and IBL leagues of Battle Balt. Aka The Bloody Menace

Battle Balt History

If you are familiar with the rules of our 700-year-old sporting contest, then read our History of Battle Balt article.

What is Battle Balt?

An extreme physical contest played by combatants called balters placed in one of two halves with the aim of propelling a spherical object called a balt into your opponent's trem zone to score a tremor. The most popular variant involves one vs one fights; however, 2 vs 2 and even 3 vs 3 team battles are also possible. For a day in the life of a balter before he enters the tremena, see our gallery of etchings at the bottom of the page.

Aim of a Battle Balt Contest

Achieving a KO or scoring 5 tremors earns a Battle Balt victory - the way you choose to win depends on the class of balter you are: Athlete, warrior or sniper:

Balter athletes aim to win by being the first to score 5 tremors.
Balter warriors aim to Knock out (KO) their opponent with their fists and then score a tremor to win the contest.
Balter snipers attempt to use their incredible balt-firing accuracy to either score a tremor or KO the opponent with a balt shot.

Read Intisar the Invincible for more details.

Titles:

Each race has its own race league. A balter must win their respective race league before they can move onto the All Race League (ARL). Each League has these weight classifications, with each balter competing to win the prestigious trophy that the league represents:

Imperials fight in the IBL for an essence-coated hat.
Fein fight in the FBL for an essence-coated arrow (If an athlete) or essence-sword (If a warrior)
Riktus fight in the RBL for an essence-filled horn.
Those competing in the All-Race League compete for a belt depending on the weight class they are in and irrespective of what race they come from.

In all divisions, there is no distinction between male and female competitors.
(Although females are not allowed in the Imperial League due to their Queen's decree of 819.)

Class	Weight	Comments
Flyweight*	130 lbs or less	*Not available in the Riktus League because only their children weigh this amount
Featherweight	131 - 155 lbs	Riktus call this Skin weight
Lightweight	156 - 200 lbs	Riktus call this Bone weight
Middleweight	201 - 250 lbs	Riktus call this Water weight
Heavyweight	251 - 325 lbs	Riktus call this Muscle weight
Giantweight*	326 or more lbs	*Applicable only to the Riktus and ARL leagues

Open-weight championship

(Only available for the All-Race League) This is the ultimate trophy which ignores weight, allowing all balters to compete for the coveted prize. If a competitor chooses to fight for this belt, they cannot fight for one of the weight-defined belts. For this reason, the open-weight championship is typically only contested by the most ginormous of balters, of which most are from the warrior class (77%). While heavyweights often compete for this division, lighter balters would stand no chance in a one-on-one battle against such oversized giants. However, historically, there have been several exceptions, notably when the balter possessed a remarkable Sorce. The most recent example is Intisar the Invincible. Battle Balt - the metaphor for life: The night and day cycle:
Battle Balt is a tale of two Worlds and a beautiful reflection of the Day and Night Cycle of Lendorian life. The night surrounds us with dangers to confront and defeat (or escape!). The day brings about a new light's beginning and energy to absorb into one's body and face the new opportunities life offers.

Night (Balter pits - Facing the Fear):

At night, balters train in grimy sand arenas called balter pits, honing their fighting skills in one-on-many brutal battles, putting their wooden blade and body on the line to fend off a dozen combatants. The one is not expected to win against the many, but they must put their heart and soul on the line to defeat as many of the twelve enemies as possible before they eventually fall. And in exceptional cases, triumph over adversity and prove to the Lord you are worthy of entering the sacred Tremena. The balter pit slogan: "Your blade to protect, your body to fight, your heart to never relent and your mind to trust in victory Balter pits reflect the dangers of the four hours of night Imperials must face as the taint of the dark corrupts people's minds to commit untold crimes, and the night demons plan to consume the light of their next victim.

Day (The Tremena - Feeding the light):

The tremena brings the glitz and glamour of the fight as bright lights attack the arena in all its glory, and fans scream to the Lord with all their might. This reflects the day as a time of celebration and surviving the night - the need to enjoy what we have and bask in the light of the Lord.