Pit Fighting

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The story of its origin and how it spread across the world are vague at best, but the most possible scenario is that Pit Fighting grew out of the ancient tradition of the 'Honor Duel', that is still in practice among the primitive tribes. Scholars and travelers who have witnessed such a tradition with their own eyes before claim that the circumstances roughly match those of modern Pit Fighting.

Any trace of the original ancient customs, and the meaning behind them had faded, and Pit Fighting is now 'only' a combat sport, one that dominates the attention of the people. There is no other event that would be so commonly enjoyed throughout Progonos. It is exciting, it is cheap, and everyone may find the type of combat and combatant to their taste.

Of course, its popularity is not only restricted to the grandstands, but it is also just as alluring to try oneself in the contests. Regardless of the obvious dangers of it, many young and talented fighters consider Pit Fighting to be a quick and easy method of achieving a vast recognition. The life is hard and the money is poor, but those who are able to win the hearts of the crowd time and time again become something like everyday heroes.

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Although the rules and regulations of a Pit Fighting differ almost with each, Pit Guild and maybe even with every Pit School, the basics remain to be the same.

• As the name implies, a Pit Fight is to be held in a lowered area of any shape, but it must be of fifty steps wide in all directions, with forty steps being the Combat area. This area must be indicated with a rope and the floor must be covered with two fingers of sand for safety reasons.
• The combatants are allowed to engage in hand-to-hand combat and wrestling. Anything beyond kicks, punches, throws, trips, takedowns, grappling, and joint locks are forbidden and may lead to disqualification.
• The fight is to be done without armour and weapons, with special combat-gloves being excluded, however, all gloves are examined by the Pit Guild's own judging committee prior to the combat. Hardened leather or plated gloves lead to disqualification.
• Victory is achieved if the opponent is knocked out, gets disqualified, submits, falls out, or is carried out of the combat area.

• Each fight is expected to be done in three rounds, with each round lasting the time of an hourglass. Should the combat exceed this time-limit without any of the possible chances for victory, the outcome is then decided by the overall performance of the combatants.
• Killing an opponent, whether intended or not leads to the immediate suspension of the guilty party from the Pit Fighting world and in the former case he is also handed over to the authorities.

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What people know but seldom dare speak of is the illegal counterpart of Pit Fighting. Granting a permit to build and open a Fighting pit is the privilege of the local ruling body, and needless to say, they are not throwing them away as if they were written on barks. Many of those who are not granted the right, or don't even have the necessary background to apply for it go underground out of desperation to raise the dark and distorted images of the beloved sport.

Illegal Pit Fights are nightmarish duels of nightmarish warriors that any decent person would not allow themselves to witness. Sadly in this day and age, decent people are a minority and many are curious to see such a frightening spectacle when Pit Fighting goes beyond the hard and dry limits of its regular form.

Fights to the death, the involvement of gambling on the fights, use of weapons, flooding the pit, allowing women to participate, fighting beasts or multiple enemies are only the most common types of dark dealings with which these Pits cater to the crowd but these few are enough to raise the ire of the Pit Guilds, it is not a surprise that they were behind almost all of the crackdowns on the 'darkpits'.

Since decent Pit Guilds are also hard to find, some rather join forces with their illegal half-brethren and arrange such special events when they feature those unorthodox fighters and methods, in exchange for a cut from the gambling money, or other shady services. Who wouldn't be tempted by that in a war for recognition? They may still turn on them when things might go south...

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