Irorium

Irori's religious symbol.

The Irorium is an enormous open-air coliseum located in Absalom's Foreign Quarter that showcases non-lethal gladiatorial combat, mock sea-battles, religious festivals, and many other types of events and is the largest arena in the Inner Sea region.

Administration

The arena is operated by a Master of Blades who administrates the staff to collect fees, organise events, and generally oversee the running of the Irorium. As of 4721 AR, the Master of Blades was Ganfen of House Kethlin, a shrewd businessman who has the support of a large number of gladiators.

To compete, prospects must first qualify for a writ of combat by paying a fee and demonstrating their combat ability to a clerk in the nearby Pugilist's Hall. Frequent victors earn sword pins fashioned of bronze (five victories), silver (10), or and gold (25), and pin-bearers are often celebrities who command corresponding levels of respect. Winners of gold sword pins are immortalized in stone busts that are displayed around the venue, and people sometimes refer to braggarts and liars insultingly as bearing a non-existent "platinum sword".

Gladiators are very popular in Absalom, with a fair number reaching celebrity status within the city. The ex-champion Torman Iates retired from the arena some years ago and became the proprietor of the local bar called the Crimson Coin as well as a council member for the Foreign Quarter.

The Foreign Quarter's Sleepless Suns have jurisdiction over enforcing laws around the Irorium and are not infrequently tasked with corralling beasts who escape its walls.

Competitions

The Irorium hosts a variety of games and competitions, ranging from frequently repeating games and martial arts matches to one-off and limited events. Newer games as of 4720 AR included blood dungeon, a maze race inspired by Pathfinder Society stories, and last warrior, a non-lethal 100-combatant brawl with champions qualifying for an annual competition. The venue also hosts matches of ruk, a Katapeshi team sport played between semi-professional clubs.

Games at the Irorium take place not only during daylight hours but into the dusk, with the venue lit by magical continual flame fixtures.

As of 4720 AR the reigning champions of the most popular recurring games were:

Game	Champion
Chariot chaos	Unbreakable Urchins
Melee mountain	Rock Squirrel
Whirlpool warriors	The Crimson Cutlass

Prominent competitors

The Irorium's most prominent competitors include:

• Bronton Guile, a disappointing match-throwing lout
• Bwutuzu the Panther, a silver sword-winning retired brawler from Senghor and as of 4721 AR overseer of the Grand Bazaar
• Khoskhadi Ever-Silver, a veteran silver sword-winning Shoanti gladiator long pursuing a gold sword pin
• Rubeis, a mysterious masked competitor believed by some to be a clockwork or automaton
• Runewulf the Unbeliever, captain of the Graycloaks and former champion of the Irorium who fought alongside White Estrid
• Tergul, a silver sword-winning gladiator who abandoned the sport on the night of a gold sword-qualifying match and later became leader of the Nailfists
• Torman Iates, a retired gladiator and now nomarch of the Foreign Quarter and owner of the Crimson Coin
• Lord Yuvin Vatir of House Damaq, quartermaster of Azlanti Keep and as of 4721 AR a silver-sword winner of 22 consecutive matches

History

The Irorium began as a vast hilltop training ground for followers of the deity Irori who sought to practise their art of physical performance with one another. These activities became very popular with outsiders, creating a spectator sport. Stands were built first, designed to house the gamblers and observers. During Absalom's Age of Excess, the primarch of the time ordered the arena's construction to both enclose the site and charge for admission. Although the followers of Irori complained, they were eventually placated with the promise of a temple and the opportunity to test their mettle against exotic beasts from the wilderness.

Building

A huge stone structure with 200-foot high outer walls and a long ovular 10-acre central stage, the Irorium is surrounded by 33 stone statues of famous champions, warriors, and masters of Irori's faith. Each stand 150 feet tall, facing outwards. Fans refer to visible cracks in the statues from the earthquake of 4698 AR as "battle scars" and suggest they appeared where the competitors' real scars once were as embodiments of their spirits.

Its walls make the stadium Absalom's fifth-tallest building and are equal in height to the Starstone Cathedral. The entire structure is approximately 770 feet wide by 1,340 feet long and located at the top of a large hill.

The Irorium has five public entrances: a main gate, and four side gates. A sixth gate is reserved for actors, arena workers, and other performers. There are four seating levels, plus a 15-foot railing surrounding the arena at the top level (which provides only a pitiful view of the events below). At the bottom level, field seats are closest to the ring and reserved for wealthy and important patrons. The second level, called the Mezzanine, has a slight overhang and is favoured by upper and middle class patrons. The next level, the Terrace, consists of stone bleachers carved into the Irorium structure and proves a decent view of events below. It usually costs a few silver weights for a seat. The highest seating level is the grandstand, and consists of rickety wooden seats. Seating here is very cheap, usually only a few copper pennies and is sometimes even free. These levels are connected by several sets of stairs. The Irorium also has four private viewing boxes positioned near its northwestern, northeastern, southeastern, and southwestern corners.

Temple of Irori

Unknown to most, the followers of Irori no longer use the arena to practise their art. Only the vaulted chambers under the arena, connected to the original temple to Irori, are still used by faithful warriors who still practice the old ways. These followers understand that the rowdy bouts above them makes for a useful distraction for casual gawkers who would not understand the difference between brawling and the pursuit of physical perfection.

The temple's high priestess is Ysia Iron-Palm, who worries that the stadium's coin-seeking competitions are corrupting its mission but also recognizes the venue as an outlet for Absalom's vices.

Celebrations

Multiple battles are held in the Irorium every day, ranging from official duels to carnage-filled battles involving exotic beasts, and some of its gladiators are among Absalom's most well-known celebrities. Official events also occasionally take place in the arena.

The Blood City Games are one of these official events, and are held once every two years. This is a special all-day event where the most celebrated winners of previous battles are invited back to challenge strange and exotic beasts from across Golarion, as well as occasional fights between champions.

The Irorium is also the location of the annual celebration of the city's first military victory and its freedom (specifically from the Warlord Voradni Voon and his unsuccessful siege in 23 AR). This celebration is known as the Passion of the First Siege of Absalom, and consists of mock battles performed in grand scale. The celebration of 4710 AR was tainted by a sudden attack by black dragons and goblin mercenaries. The assault was a planned takeover by agents of the Shadow Lodge, a splinter group of the Pathfinder Society.

The stadium also hosts the annual Procession of Poets, a day-long event celebrating Absalom's poets and orators who perform in hopes of attracting a patron, and occasional kite-battling grudge matches of the city's Sword and String League.

High Council member Lord Lerefys of House Kethlin, Sea Lord of Absalom's navy and commander of its flagship Aeon Paragon, hosts speeches about Absalom's naval history in the Irorium. Lord Toiden of House Azari hosts Arodenite rituals in the stadium, though few still attend as of 4721 AR.

The Sennight Star broadsheet covers the Irorium's events and celebrations.

Use as an illegal prison

Irorium Master of Blades Ganfen of House Kethlin secretly and illegally holds prisoners for the city's wealthy houses, and Ganfen also fixes matches, skims bets, and manipulates outcomes to ensure that those who run afoul of him are punished or killed.

References

Paizo published an article on the Irorium titled "Games of the Irorium" in All or Nothing.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.