Grand Coliseum
| Grand Coliseum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Dominaria |
| Colors |
  |
| Status | Annihilated and drowned |
| Part of | Coliseum Island, Cabal Holdings, Otaria |
The Grand Coliseum was a major attraction on Otaria run by the Cabal. It featured many renowned pit-fighters.
Description
Built on Coliseum Island in the swamps outside Aphetto, the Grand Coliseum could host 20,000 spectators in the lower reaches, and 20,000 more flocked across the bridges and rode the courtesy barges during events. However, it could hold even more people in the high seats, for a total max capacity of 100,000 watchers. The rich enjoyed luxury boxes replete with every pleasure, both legal and illegal, while the poor crowded on dusty benches and screamed their lungs out.[1]
History
Following Cabal City's destruction during the Battle for the Mirari, the original Cabal pits were lost. Therefore, the Cabal Patriarch organized the construction of a new, even larger coliseum near Aphetto. It was overseen by Phage and was designed to attract visitors from across the continent to witness its games. After Phage found the spot for the Coliseum, she used lime to turn the swamp bottom into cement, thus clearing the water and making canals for easy transport.
It hosted such legendary fighters as Arcanis the Omnipotent, Jareth the Leonine Titan, Rorix Bladewing,[2] Silvos the Rogue Elemental and Visara the Dreadful.[3][4]
Phage and Braids fought together in the arena against the very same slaves that had built the structure. Although the Cabal itself was thoroughly, unequivocally black-aligned, the Coliseum's nature as a gathering place for people of many different lands infused it with all colors of mana.
A later three-way battle involved Phage facing both Kamahl and Akroma, ending with a victory for Kamahl and Akroma losing her legs, sparking off the Nightmare War.[1]
After Phage became pregnant, the First wished to have her killed, and arranged for her to fight against Umbra, Sash and Waistcoat. She defeated the unmen and their minions, though being inorganic, they were immune to her deadly touch.[5]
When Karona arrived at the Grand Coliseum looking for Kuberr, she drained the area of mana. Given that black mana had been used to dredge the island and hold the arena aloft, that meant that the arena started collapsing, with two whole sections crumbling into its lower levels. After Kuberr, Kamahl, and Lowallyn escaped through a portal to Aphetto, Karona proceeded to annihilate the rest of the coliseum in a rage, leaving nothing but a field of ashes behind. When Karona later left Dominaria, the world's magic went with her, including that which had cleared the island from the swamp. The island sank back into the muck, reclaimed fully by the swamp.[6]
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Depicted in:
- Circle of Solace
- Complicate
- Crowd Favorites
- Daru Cavalier
- Entrails Feaster
- Gangrenous Goliath
- Gluttonous Zombie
- Goblin Machinist
- Grand Melee
- Grassland Crusader
- Gratuitous Violence
- Jareth, Leonine Titan
- Lightning Rift
- Mage's Guile
- Risky Move
- Rorix Bladewing
- Searing Flesh
- Shared Triumph
- Spitting Gourna
- Supreme Inquisitor
- Undead Gladiator
- Voidmage Prodigy
- Whipcorder
References
- ↑ a b J. Robert King. (2002) Onslaught, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-2801-8.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (September 24, 2002). "Sketches: Rorix Bladewing". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Josh Bennett (September 13, 2002). "Introducing the Pit Fighter Legends". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (January 16, 2003). "Behind the Pit-Fighters". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ J. Robert King. (2003) Legions, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-2914-6.
- ↑ J. Robert King. (2003) Scourge, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-2956-1.