Fan Culture (CGH)

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The lowest classes, or "stand scum," show up hours before the games to drink and carouse outside the arena. This behavior is not dangerous as long as the templars are either bribed or out of sight Hardcore arena fanatics may cut their hair in odd fashions or paint their faces with tints made from beets, roots, and cactus.
Vendors can make a killing (no pun intended) selling likenesses and mementos of the crowd's favorite warriors. Aficionados purchase symbols in support of favorite gladiators. The manufacture of miniature replicas of popular gladiators' chosen weapons is a lucrative business all over Athas.
It is common for spectators of all stations to yell and scream obscenities at losing gladiators in addition to cheering their favorites. This does more to vent the frustrations and hostilities of the crowd than it does to distract or help the gladiators. Chants, however, are another story.
When the crowd begins an organized chant, they can actually affect the outcome of a match. If used in a gladiator's favor, chants can build a fighter's morale or allow the warrior to focus on the opponent and strike with increased accuracy (+1 attack bonus in game terms). When the crowd chants against a contestant, the effects can be devastating. Victims of negative chants suffer feelings of rejec-tion and despair, causing a —1 penalty to attacks and damage.
In the arenas of Athas, the crowd is worked into a frenzy by both the mayhem and fellow spectators. Something approaching a mass hypnotic trance occurs at these games, and it builds toward full-blown crowd hysteria as a battle wears on.
The arena is one of the few places where anything remotely resembling egalitarianism is practiced. Fans are free to shriek and carry on to their hearts' content—within the limits imposed by the templars. In most areas, those limits are frighteningly lax.
Folktales abound about unlucky fans who met their doom supporting unfavored gladiators. It is a regular occurrence for crowd members to grow weak and faint as the heat becomes unbearable. Overcome fans are often trampled by the frenzied crowd, or passed hand over hand to be thrown over the arena walls. Many swig cactus liquor out of leather casks or skins to try to beat the heat (or their sobriety), only to pass out as the day becomes hotter. Shaded seats are at a premium, and fans often gather the night before to obtain the best (coolest) seats.
The arenas are an interesting cross-section of the class structure of Athas. There is always shoving and pushing as the heavy doors of the arena are opened. As the stockyard rush begins, guards use spears to control the surging masses.
Upper class fans gather just before the combat and eat sumptuous feasts their slaves have prepared. These are the folk who can afford to buy special reserved areas set apart from the rabble. Though their seats are not as good as those of the nobles, they are a far cry from the dirty, filth-strewn areas of the commoners.
Nobles, of course, need not push and shove for a cherished seat, nor do they have to buy or bribe their accommodations. Nobles are earned into the arena on sedan chairs which are lowered gently to the sandy ground by grunting, sweating slaves. Other slaves fan them with large leather fans as the sun beats down and the arena heats up.
In their shaded seats, the nobility are even offered the rare gift of cool water. Many even have dancing slaves to entertain them before the bloodletting begins.
As the time for the match nears, fans begin screaming for their favorite gladiators, and the arena echoes as the voices of thousands are raised in anticipation. Of course, the match does not begin until the sorcerer-king arrives. Because of this, many sorcerer-kings and queens make a habit of being "fashionably late," being purposely tardy to hold up the match and whip the rabble into a frenzy. Some feel there is a fine line in the mob dynamic between ultimate battle-lust and sheer mob violence, and they sadistically work this fact.
Eventually, the sorcerer-king enters and the lower classes try to outshout each other so that the roving guards can clearly see their allegiance—and their frustration. The upper classes rise and bow their heads toward the sorcerer-king as a sign of respect. The sorcerer-king signals, and the match is underway.
During the match, vendors wind their way through the crowd selling meat pies, dried fruit, or pieces of roasted meat. Fans toss ceramic coins at the vendor without ever taking their eyes from the match. Hopefully, change returns with the purchase, but ofttimes the rabble are too excited to notice that they have been cheated. In the end, it doesn't matter as long as the crowd sees blood and death.
If the match is boring, the arena resounds with boos. If the fans are dissatisfied with the match, they throw malodorous pieces of rotting meat and garbage into the ring, smuggled into the arena for just this purpose. Some in the crowd wait for these times, and vie with each other to deliver the most stinging insults to the gladiators. These ne'er-do-wells gather near the gladiators' entrances, the better to harass the warriors before and after battle. Some have even gone so far as to prance around, shouting and gesturing, taunting the haggard warriors into attacking them and other innocent spectators. It is a particular badge of honor among this type if they are attacked and live to tell about it.
If the match is close and exciting, the crowd becomes excited at the sight of first blood. Fans in the front rows have been crushed under the weight of blood-thirsty crowds surging forward in a "kill frenzy." This is a dangerous state for the crowd to be in, and the templars and nobles know it. Successful gladiator rebellions have been staged under just these circumstances. If the warriors are gifted enough and angry enough, they can turn the mob against their own rulers. For this reason, the templars go on high alert when they sense the crowd growing too agitated. To matter what their station in life, the games' spectators spend the time after combat in a similar way. They stagger home from the day's events, reciting exaggerated stories of their favorite gladiator's victory, and eagerly await the next opportunity to forget their troubles by watching the blood-soaked Athasian gladiatorial games.