The Blood Games

## "*The Blood Games represent everything wrong with society- but we make a killing off the profits*," -The Great and Esteemed King Kodian Venclorus

The Blood Games are an annual event that happens simultaneously across the entire Kodian Empire, usually on September 22nd (Terran calendar). The Blood Games are a series of thousands of matches between humans, robotic opponents, alien lifeforms, and even some Kodians, to win fame and fortune. Once the winner of each Sector has been determined, they all go to the Icarus Arena on Terra, where the preliminary winners fight to determine the ultimate winner.

### Setting(s):

Each Blood Games is held in the specialized and customized arena, located on the capital world of each intergalactic Sector. These arenas are built for the Sector it will represent, designed specifically to fit the needs of the local populace, its various locales, and the will of the wealthy beneficiaries. These arenas are built with the purpose of luxury and efficiency, the massive complexes costing hundreds of billion of Kollars to construct and operate, usually leaning on the hefty donations of local elite and wealthy companies to fully fund the operations. The arena, divided into a number of sections and up to 25 stories tall, can seat over 200,000 people in the main seating area alone, not including the spaces for the dedicated residents, various private lounges, party areas, hotels, and more. In total, the number of people each arena can safely hold is only estimated, and varies from arena to arena.

#### Accommodations:

Each arena provides housing first for its wealthy guests, then its competitors, and finally those able to only purchase basic tickets for the general seating areas. Each of those 3 primary groups have access to varying levels of accomodations and facilities.

The basic guests purchase tickets for the main seating areas and, like stadiums of the Old World, are alloeed to stay on the premises for 24 hours before their automated ticket system locks them out of all facilities. These basic guests have access to public bathrooms, their seats, and general sponsored food vendors and gift shops. Basic guests do have the option to rent hotel rooms, and thereby extend thr duration of their ticket's validity, but these rooms are often bare-bones, expensive, and are normally booked months or years in advance. Basic guests cannot directly support competitors, but can pay to have votes in larger polls that companies can run, allowing basic guests to pay to have a chance to support their favorite competitor.

Competitors themselves, after filling out the proper paperwork and paying the large sum of money, have access to larger, private rooms, located under the arena's battleground. These rooms are similar to a higher-class apartment, and, unless explicitly stated, are meant for one person (although changes can be made, with the proper funding). Competitors receive meals that they choose and pick in advance, all cooked by special arena staff fresh in the large kitchens. Competitors have access to fully-stocked training areas, gyms, pools, medical stations and full hospital-level care, as well as accomodations for non-competing family members. Competitors have access to various recreational areas, like movie theaters (only plays films and programs that are donated by local sponsors), restaurants (built and operated by private companies and sponsors), VR dens, and more. Competitors may not leave the arena grounds under any circumstances, until they either lose a fight or leave in a bodybag.

The wealthiest of guests have access to the specialised (and often customized) suites that sit on the highest floors of the arena. These rooms come with full servant staff (if the guest did not bring their own), automated systems, access to all sorts of delicacies and exotic goods, access to the arena's dedicated HyperComm Center, special entrances and exits, access to high-class restaurants, any and all forms of recreation imaginable, prostitutes at one's beckon call, etc. The wealthy elite that choose to attend The Blood Games have access to the special high-class seating arrangements, and are encouraged to pay to give their favorite competitor advantages over opponents. These tickets are often several million Kollars each, and require months or years of preplanning. These rooms are so valuable that arena organizers will often build additional rooms specifically for certain, particularly high-paying, guests.

#### Functions:

The arenas, although built to the specific needs and wants of the local area, are also constructed with efficiency and smoothness in mind. They feature massive moving parts and delicate machines, allowing for scenery to be swapped out, hazards like weather systems and even lava to be added and subtracted at will. Artificial day and night systems are also common, as are other, extra features like booby traps and extra opponents that can be triggered by those with the cash to pay for it. All of the moving parts mean that the arenas require constant onsite maintenance teams, usually made of a few thousand loyal employees. These employees, and their administrators, ensure that the arena moves perfectly along for the duration of the games, handling the logistics and boring unseen features of the compounds. Arenas are state-of-the-art works of mastery-level engineering, and as such are attended by workers of similar caliber.

#### Security:

With so many VIP's and their entourages present at these arenas, security is obviously an important facet to the inner workings of an arena. Arenas must be secured by thousands of local KPD and planetary garrison troops, in order to make sure that nothing negative befalls the competitors or the slew of wealthy elites that stay at the arena. Each arena is fully capable of locking itself down for a number of months, even when at maximum capacity, in the case that the planet is placed under siege.

### Who Can Compete?:

Once an arena has been built and enough sponsors found to fund the initial matches, competitors are needed. Competitors are almost always volunteers- warriors from around the Sector looking for a tough fight, or bounty hunters looking to test their mettle against new opponents. In any case, competitors must be provide their own gear, and must be able to pay the hefty (500,000 Kollar) entrance fee, as well as fill out the necessary paperwork. Kodian High-Bloods are forbidden from competing, as their natural physical prowess places them as automatically almost guaranteed to win. High-Bloods are only allowed to compete in special, prearranged matches against other High-Bloods.

### The Rules:

The Blood Games have very few rules, as the games are meant to see every competitor operate at their peaks, using weapons with which they are familiar. However, some types of weapons are forbidden. Biological warfare of any kind is banned, as is any weapon that alters genetics. Plasma weapons are only alloedd if they operate on only the weakest side of energy content, in order to avoid damaging the arena or harming onlookers. Laser weapons, although rare, are allowed. CAST Systems are also allowed, although this rule sometimes comes under scrutiny. Vehicles larger than motorbikes or four-wheelers are outright banned, unless access to such machines is authorized as per the gamemode.

Competitors are also required to be citizens of the Kodian Empire, above the age of 18, and sign a great deal of waivers, ensuring that no backlash shall come in the event that a competitor is killed on the field.

In terms of killing opponents during Thr Blood Games, it is encouraged. Competitors that are incapacitiated but still alive are given medical attention, bionic augmentation if necessary, and are then sent away. However, these instances are rare, as the whole point of the games is to kill one's opponent. Acts of mercy often come as a result of bribes, sponsorships, majority vote, the will of The Esteemed via Royal Order, or an extenuating circumstance. Close to 80% of match losers are killed on the field, and another 6% die as a result of their injuries after the fight is over (in such instances, the person responsible for giving them the mortal wounds does not receive points).

Competitors will not always fight one-on-one, and as such, individual competitors rank up Blood Marks- or points- that determine their Crimson Tally, or total score. The winner of The Blood Games is determined either by the person with the highest points, or, if the 2nd place competitor wishes to, they may challenge the 1st place contender to a 1v1 match to the death, in an attempt to usurp 1st place. In such cases, the battle only ends when one of the two competitors has died.

### The Reward:

In order to attract such a wide range of competitors and varying forms of scum/villainy, The Blood Games must offer a worthy reward for the warrior able to reach the end. The reward is listed as 20,000,000 Kollars, and, more importantly, an in-person meeting and meal with The Great and Esteemed King Kodian Venclorus, followed by The Esteemed granting a single, possible, wish, named by the winning competitor at the end of their meal (which can be attended by the winning competitor's family, in which case the Royal Family will also be present).