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The Battlemaster's Arenas were a set of gladiatorial arenas in Wheloon Prison operated by Battlemaster Agarta of the Night Brigade gang.[1][note 1]

Crocodiles. Slow, but lots of teeth and scaly skin. Even odds.
Orcs. Experienced warriors, well armed. Angry about being hauled out of their mountain home and thrown in prison. Easy favorites.
Wererats. Fast, agile. But scrawny. Really scrawny. 100 to 1.
— Scribbled note[1]

Services[]

TO THE ARENA MANAGER,
We'll continue burying the dead here. The defeated contestants have to be put somewhere.
Yes, an undead infestation is probably inevitable. But who knows? Maybe we can make zombie hordes the next sensation in the arenas.
— Agarta's note[1]

Battlemaster Agarta used the arenas to train the Night Brigade warriors to a higher standard than common thugs. However, Agarta's true passion was in their use for gladiator fights. She pitted combatants against each other to earn money for the gang and to sate her own bloodlust, including volunteers, captives, and beasts like crocodiles and displacer beasts. She was even able to get contestants smuggled into the prison through bribery.[1]

History[]

TO THE ARENA MANAGER,
The crowds are demanding more exotic contestants. The Orc prisoners will do for today, but send out word that we need more things like the big fellow or the beast. It'll take some hefty bribes to get them into the Prison, but we'll more than make it up in earnings.
— Agarta the Breaker's note[1]

When the Night Brigade assaulted the Riverside Rats gang, they took many of them captive. The unfortunate wererats were locked into magical collars that kept them from escaping, then forced to fight in the arenas. The scout Ryndalla Cuttail escaped before being trapped, and organized a counterattack on the hated foe. She got outside hires to head into the prison and meet Martildae, who gave them talismans that let them transform into rats. They used this shapeshifting to infiltrate the arenas, rescue the captive wererats, and took their place in a series of battles. They fought through a bout with a large captive crocodile, and then one with company of Storm Horns orcs including Bonegnasher the Cursed. Along the way they found the corpse disposal site where fallen contestants were dumped, and encountered the fallen Purple Dragon knight Ser Gregori the Broken, who had come back from the dead along with a horde of zombies. Having proven their skill, the invaders met the reigning champion, the cloud giant Durvastra, and fought him while Agarta watched from the stands. As the cloud giant faltered, Agarta's impatience got the better of her and she leapt into the arena herself. Despite her skill and ferocity she was unable to overcome the invaders and fell, leaving the Night Brigade without one of their best commanders.[1]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. Fall of the Night Brigade makes no reference to the events of Shadowfell Conspiracy, and could be set before, during, or after it, roughly during the mid-1480s DR.

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