Bookworm Gladiator

"With several clerks in Atia's employ, I've assigned one to always document the daily tournament bouts of the first bracket whether I am able to attend or not. After the mercurial results of the first day, you can never underestimate the unranked opposition. Some of them are Hurek's own brothers, the Nokchi clan. But others must be watched closely, lest they become future opponents. I must know everything about them... their strengths, their victories, their day to day events right down to their bowel movements. Well, maybe not so much the last one."

- Cicero, Fighter Journal

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Fighters who have snatched an unranked victory in the tournament's first bracket include:

Lucius Merkov – Nokchi Clan

Lucius is a burly Nokchi gladiator with a heavily scarred torso, wielding a massive iron-studded club in the arena. Hailing from a background as a kiln worker and builder in Palmyra, he fights with raw strength and an indomitable spirit (a drinking partner of Jirikoy and Hurek so I might be a little biased).

*He forced a surrender by breaking his opponent’s arm.

Amateur record: 2 wins, 0 losses

Gaius Merkov - Nokchi Clan

Gaius, a wiry and quick-footed gladiator, specializes in using twin daggers (a ridiculous choice if it weren’t for the alleged use of a paralyzing poison). Raised as a Nokchi farmhand/fist-fighter in the outskirts of Palmyra, he says he draws inspiration from desert snakes (whatever that means).

*He incapacitated his opponent with bleeding strikes.

Amateur record: 2 wins, 1 losses

Septimus Merkov (Oldest Merkov brother) - Nokchi Clan

Septimus is a tall and imposing figure, donning dark armor and wielding a scythe with deadly precision. Also a Nockhi pit fighter/ farmhand, he fights with a stoic determination, and insists upon delivering long speeches about the harsh realities of life and death before every bout.

*He forced a surrender with many debilitating strikes, and one lethal strike.

Amateur record: 6 wins, 0 losses

Marcellus Caelius (finally someone not from the Merkov family) – No clan

Marcellus, well-built and a shaved head, wields a flawless gladius thrice-folded. Born into a family of blacksmiths, he forges his own weapons, and in his words "symbolizes the searing heat of Palmyra". How poetic.

*Won by crowd decision.

Amateur record: 1 wins, 0 losses

Ibn Mana – Alligator Clan

Mana, with ashen-gray tattoos covering his body, fights with a trident and a net. Originally a fisherman and marsh Bedouin from the wetlands, he prefers to fight heavily armoured opponents.

*Won by crowd decision.

Amateur record: 1 wins, 0 losses

Antonius Verus – Alligator Clan

Antonius, with a mysterious demeanor, wields a net and trident, carefully setting traps to ambush his opponents. Originally a fisherman and trader in Antioch's bustling markets, he adapted his skills to the arena's deadly dance and travelled in Kano’s retinue.

*Won by crowd decision.

Amateur record: 1 wins, 0 losses

Cassius Rutilus – Freeborn Clan

Cassius, a compact and muscular gladiator, wields a whip embedded with iron shards, creating a whirling sandstorm in the arena. Raised among Palmyra's farmers and currently feuding with the Nokchi clan, he also adapts his farming tools into deadly weapons.

*He managed to kill his opponent by neck shredding, first round.

Amateur record: 1 wins, 0 losses

Lulu - Stone Sentinel Clan

Heavily armored and wielding a tower shield, fights defensively with unyielding resolve. Originally a stonemason from nearby Aleppo, he draws inspiration from the city's durable citadels in his combat style.

*Won by crowd decision

Amateur record: 1 wins, 0 losses

Drusus – Bel-Shamin clan

Drusus, a loud and charismatic figure, fights with a pair of roaring lion-headed axes. Born into a family of entertainers and Temple dancers in Palmyra, he captivates the crowd with his fierce and theatrical fighting style.

*Won by crowd decision

Amateur record: 1 wins, 0 losses

Brutus Geminus – Vigil Slave-Hunter

Brutus, a heavily scarred gladiator, fights with a massive war hammer, earning his name for crushing bones in the arena. Representing Palmyra's small but ruthless Vigiles slave-hunter gang, he honed his strength through years of interrogating criminals and unfortunate scapegoats. I imagine some actual goats too.

*Won by a no-mercy kill after incapacitating strikes. The opponent had surrendered.

Amateur record: 1 wins, 0 losses

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