Sargon

## Strategy

Sargon
Monto

Sargon
Hibernus
Sylvia

Sargon
Thanatos

Sargon
Hibernus
Sylvia

Sargon
Hibernus

Sargon
Anya
Hibernus

## Lore

*Let the Battle Begin!*

Sargon pulled the maul from the second head of the ogre at his feet.
A spurt of blood washed over his legs. He tore the dented horned helm from his head and looked around.

Broken shields and weapons lay scattered across the arena floor, their former owners close by.
"Useless offal!" Sargon spat contemptuously.

The audience roared their approval, and Sargon shouldered his maul and went below, into his pen. He drew his dagger from his sheath and upon the opposite wall, scored another mark into the soft stone wall.
"Ninety-nine. One more victory, and I shall be free."
Sargon forcefully buried his dagger into the nearby wooden table. It quivered for a few moments and all was quiet.

Freedom. The idea was foreign to Sargon. For as long as he could remember, he was the slave gladiator of Master Bartus. In this role, his performance in the Death Ring has been nothing short of legendary. From the age of 13, he has fought 99 times in gladitorial combat against numerous foes of murderous cunning. Whether it was a disgraced knight clad in plate, shadowy assassin, or monstrous ogre with two heads and four arms, he has stood undaunted and, to date, undefeated.
It was simple, really. Cave in their skull, score another mark in the wall. Well, maybe it was a bit more involved; after all, Sargon had caved in two skulls of the same ogre in the last battle.

In any case, he stood on the precipice of becoming the first gladiator to win his freedom.

On the day of his decisive battle, the arena was packed. Spectators from all corners of Etryna came to see this great champion. Cries of "Sargon!" echoed deafeningly throughout the arena.

All of the excitement was directed at the three doors and the end opposite Sargon. What would come out of those gates? Would it have the face of a monster? Would it have a face at all? Soon Sargon would see what Bartus had in store for him. Would it be a dragon? A hydra? Bartus had a flair for the dramatic. Sargon sneered underneath the mask of his helmet.

Bartus stood upon the podium and signaled for silence. "Citizens of Haren Fort, guests from afar, welcome to the Death Ring!" Although he was not a large man, he had a booming voice. "For the first time in our arena's history, a gladiator stands eligible for the champion's challenge. I present to you, Sargon!"

The crowd roared in response to this. Bartus settled the crowd down once again.
"Today, we have brought before him a worthy opponent. The champion from the Grassland of Pantos -- Gorestomp the Earthshaker!" At this, the iron gate slowly rose, and there stood before Sargon a massive rhinok armed with a double-headed battle axe.

"But wait," Bartus said, his voice rising above that of the audience. "It would not do for the event of the century to be so dull. Fortunately, more than one champion accepted our invitation. I present to you -- Reinhardt the Maned Crusader!" Another gate opened, revealing a leonine beastman clad in shining armor.

The audience boiled to a roiling frenzy. Bartus raised his hands in the air. "Liberty or death, only Sargon may decide. Let the battle...begin!"
As the two beastman charged toward Sargon, he could not help the smile. For regardless of the outcome, at this very moment, he was free.

## Synergy

Viola

Kraken

Charon

Gorestomp