Arena (2011)

From the Introduction:

This small arena is by far not as impressive as some larger such structures. It is mostly built from roughly hewn stone. Only its walkways, stairs and the tops of the walls are covered with fine marble in various colors. The seats for the spectators in turn are made from finely polished hard wood. In total four entrances allow access to the outer ring of stairs leading up to the spectators area which in total provides seats for an audience of about eight hundred.

Sturdy iron fences surround the top of the actual fighting pit and the back of the seating area to prevent accidents. The floor of the fighting pit itself is covered in brownish red sand with the exception of the central steel grate. This grate serves two purposes. On one hand it is a drain to keep the floor of the fighting pit from flooding. On the other hand it allows to move cages with wild beasts into the arena as the other two doors leading into the ring are to narrow.

Usually the arena is used for show fights of highly trained professionals, who are as much entertainers as fighters. These fights are usually flashy and bloody but rarely lethal. On other, rare occasions the arena might be used for the public execution of death sentences for the most heinous crimes.