Arena of Blood (3.5e Location)

=Arena of Blood=

It is said that buried away in a forgotten ruin lies a great arena, where men and beasts fought tooth and nail to the death for the amusement of their corrupt and hedonistic masters. This great empire fueled their entertainment with the blood of slaves who believed that through victory, they could win their freedoms. Eventually the corrupt government was overrun by its own slaves and destroyed, but the arena had become so soaked in blood that it remained cursed, and the battles continued with the spirits of the dead who have not realized they have lost. They continue to fight in hopes it will bring them escape from a long-defeated empire.

Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (history) can research the arena of blood to learn more about it. When a character succeeds on a skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.


 * DC 10: The arena of blood is an ancient gladiator arena where many died in vain hopes of achieving freedom. Their ghosts continue to haunt the bloodstained ground, seeking out their next opponent.


 * DC 15: Those who enter the arena will likely be challenged by the spirits which remain there who blindly believe that you are their final opponent. You are locked inside to a fight to the death; those that survive come out with newfound knowledge.


 * DC 20: A challenge will not begin until the challenger is alone in the arena and drops some of his own blood on the ground, and he may not call on any help though allies may watch from the sidelines. Once you begin a match, there is no escape.

Description
The arena of blood is a crumbling coliseum of weathered stone, broken benches, and dusty arid sand on the ground. A heavy black basalt door acts as the entrance for the arena's center pit, with other doors leading to the bleachers. The arena pit itself is a sand filled pit some 150 feet in diameter with two doors on either end. Challengers must enter the black door and into the chambers below. The door will not close unless there is only one challenger. Once the door closes, ghostly trumpets can be heard and the game begins.

Harmless barely visible spirits can be seen in the king's bleacher area, which proceed to announce in an ancient form of draconic the two opponents. The challenger is released into the arena, whose sand turns blood red and take on the appearance of being freshly soaked from battle. Simultaneously a seemingly living creature manifest on the other end 60 feet away and the battle begins.

Attempts at interrupting the battle or escaping prove impossible, as the challenger and creature seem incorporeal and untouchable to anyone but themselves, even in the face of magic weapons and force effects. They do not appear to be on the ethereal plane, but instead an otherwise inaccessible demiplane. The challenger does not shift back into real space again until the challenge is complete or he is dead.

Prerequisite
A character must be 3rd level or higher to gain the special ability conferred by fighting in the arena of blood.

Location Activation
Gaining the benefits of the arena of blood requires entering as a challenger through the black door and fighting off the creature called to battle against them. The opposing creature is any monster or creature of equal CR to their ECL. Nether the opposing creature nor the challenger may cast spells while in the area, except for magic items and supernatural abilities excluding wands, scrolls, and staves.

The challenger must fight to the death, defeating the creature however best they see fit. They start out 60 feet away from each other, rolling initiative as normal. A barrier seems to restrict them from leaving the 150 diameter arena, and 150 feet of airspace above and ground below. Not even the ability to teleport or plane shift can let them leave the arena. Likewise allies cannot assist, as the challenger and opponent are shifted to a demiplane that even force effects do not touch. The challenger and opponent appear as ghostly images of themselves to others during their combat.

Once one of the two combatants perishes, the battle ends and the opposing creature vanishes into ether. If the challenger wins, these ethereal fumes immediately enter the body of the victor and grant him new insight and memory in warfare and survival.

Recharge
While any number of characters would receive its special ability, the arena of blood can grant its benefit only once per week, and only to a single character at a time due to the nature of its solo combat. The site's power comes from the ghosts which continue to haunt there. If the arena was ever successfully exorcised (a difficult feat but not entirely impossible, requiring at least a CL 15th caster) the ghosts depart and the site's magic fades.

Special Ability
A character who has survived and won in the arena of blood gains a noticeable edge in combat, which manifests as a bonus feat chosen from the list of fighter bonus feats. The character must still meet the normal prerequisite for the feat chosen.

Duration
The memory of combat and the spirits of the dead from battle linger and are permanent. A character may only benefit from this ability once.

Ability Value
7,000 gp for most feats, and 4,000 gp for proficieny feats such as Exotic Weapon Proficiency.