The Institute of War
The Institute of War is a grand arena capable of seating 20,000 people. It is a place where fighters are taught their craft, a place where trainers temper their students like fine steel, a place where the whetstone wheels never stop turning. The wealthy from all over the Kingdom send their children here to learn the art of war from the greatest martial masters of the realm. Many of the instructors pray to the gods of battle, old and new; some are even clerics of those gods.
It is also a place of cheering masses and adoring fans, where people jovially crowd in to see legends cross steel or jousting knights.
Purpose / Function
The school's goal first and foremost is to teach the arts martial and how to fight. Once a month gladiatorial games are held in the honor of the new god: Gorum, students are strongly encouraged to participate as a true test of their skill.
While the Institute is most well known for the games and as a fighting school, it also hosts lavish tourneys, masterful duels, trials by combat and part of the 1st Tribunal (the Judge's initiation exam).
Architecture
The Institute of War resembles a fort more than an arena. The outside has little in the ways of art or decoration, instead there are murder holes and thick doors, parapets and minarets. Iron spikes and steel reinforcements adorn most of the walls complementing the battle scarred stones underneath. The arena and the surrounding compound could easily be turned into a defensible fortress if needed, and has been in the past. There is a large steel statue honoring Gorum just outside the arena itself.
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