The Trial Of Artemis [Lore]
“I’ve always had a knack for the care and training of animals. I was the greatest hound master in this area, and my services could bring in a lot of money for my master. But these new creatures they are shipping in are unlike anything I’ve had to deal with before, yet my superiors expect me to control them somehow. They don’t understand the horrible yowling a Hydra makes as it grows an additional head, or how vicious a young cyclops can be when I try to apply eye drops to help with its undeveloped eyelid. Enough complaining though, I need to go make sure these new trainers have been properly feeding those damn Manticore Cubs.”
–Last Journal Entry of the Gamekeeper of House Pericules.
The Beginning of the Games
Fighting of the hounds had always been a tradition in Sparta. Great war hounds were raised from birth to fight alongside their masters, and those Helots who cared for and trained these animals could rise very high in the Spartans view for their mastery of the task, gaining some manner of protection from the abuse frequently brought on by the slave-masters. Thus when Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, appeared to the leadership council with a demand for a great tournament, it was seen as a great honor to many houses who had gained their status through the fights.
There were three rules Artemis laid forth for this tournament, and to break any one of them would see the offender disqualified and facing her wraith. The rules were: All those who wish to enter must be allowed to compete; no outside interference is to be allowed once a fight begins, and creatures may use any of their natural abilities as they need without reprisal. The leadership agreed immediately, as what could the dogs do to each other they had not already been doing?
Once the tournament was announced and word started to spread, however, more exotic trainers from far off lands began to arrive with odd beasts the Spartans had never seen before. Without experience in fighting these beasts, it was quickly discovered that those who could afford to purchase these creatures for training and breeding stood to quickly gain higher standing as the fights became more brutal and tactical in nature. Soon the tournament became known for its odd menagerie of creatures, and spectators could expect be entertained in new ways constantly. One fight could include large jungle cats sharpening their claws on the hides of enormous hippopotamuses from the swamp lands, and the next could be a kitten batting around worms breed for combat. The need for more outlandish creatures brought the price of breeding pairs to enormous heights, and those handlers with the skill to keep these creatures inline became celebrities of a sort.
While the tournament was building momentum
In distant corners of the realm, those who worked in the mystical arts began hearing whispers of forgotten ruins filled with magical energies, and sought out these lost fonts of knowledge. Many who found these places came upon locked doorways and magical sigils blocking their path. Working feverishly to break through these barriers, once through they discovered that many of the doors were not meant to keep them out, but to keep those inside locked away from the world. Beasts of legend and monstrous creatures would swarm upon those who freed them from their prisons, and began to spread throughout the lands. Once word spread to Sparta of these strange occurrences however, many saw opportunity in the magician’s folly instead of fear. Adventuring groups would travel to the ruins and attempt to capture the beasts in order to bring them back for the games. Many of these creatures proved much too strong to ever control for these mortals, but that did not stop them from grabbing their young and making their way back to civilized lands.
Once in Sparta, these fantastic beasts caused such a stir at market that riots would break out for a chance to bid on such outlandish pets, and once procured those who could turn their skills towards discovering the strengths and weaknesses of these creatures could count on small fortunes being offered in return for their services. Once the public had a chance to see them in action nothing else would suffice, and before the Spartan leadership could intervene breeding farms began to emerge where the strongest creatures would create even more impressive offspring.
And so now the Trial of Artemis begins. Prepare your beasts and monsters for intense combat, as those entering the arena have trained tirelessly for a chance at stopping your rise in the ranks.
