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The Cheery Man's arena

location active

Current state

The Cheery Man's arena is a cavernous gladiatorial chamber deep within the Abomination Vaults, operated by a masked mummy host who stages bloody death-matches he calls his 'Red Holiday' [S44]. The chamber features a wide elevated walkway running 30–40 feet above the stone arena floor, with six torch-lit balconies fitted with built-in seating, a large metal gong suspended on chains at the eastern end, and two steep staircases descending to the fighting floor. The viewing level is kept in shadow behind an invisible one-way wall, letting spectators observe the floor below without being seen. Badly-damaged petrified statues line the southern end [S45]. During active bouts, the Cheery Man conjures an illusory crowd to fill the seats, though a handful of real monstrous spectators — including dwarf-types, a lizard person, a halfling, and a rat-creature — have also been observed in the galleries. The host sets odds and referees matches, with the full-party encounter structured as a best-of-three contest rewarding victors with treasure [S46]. The arena is reached via a secret lever-operated door from an assassin's bedroom, and the Cheery Man has noted connections through the Smuggler's Refuge and to the room containing the portal the skull came from [S44]. A separate but architecturally similar arena was observed near the Sagathi laboratories on a lower level: that chamber has transparent stone walls and an associated viewing room, and is used by the Sagathi to pit their flesh-warped creations against one another — the party viewed it empty through the transparent wall [S52]. As of [S53], the main arena chamber served as the site of a confrontation with a mummy spellcaster, its floor covered in a glowing circle of wards, the room fitted with multiple auto-closing doors and wreathed in the mummy's paralysis aura; the chamber was set partly on fire during the fight.

Recorded status active · Last seen S53

Why this matters now

Latest recorded development
  • S53 The chamber where the mummy spellcaster waits 'on the bed in the darkness.' Its floor is covered in a glowing circle of wards/roots; the room has multiple auto-closing doors. The mummy's paralysis aura covers the approach. Set partly on fire during the fight. [S53 · 01:45:56 · turn 0917]

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Recent appearances

Open hooks

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Full history

Show the complete record (4 sessions)
First seen [S45 · 00:53:29 · turn 0495] · All sessions S45 S46 S52 S53

Recorded beats

  • S46 A gladiatorial arena within the dungeon where the party fights for loot. A (mostly illusory) crowd watches from bleachers/viewing galleries; a few real monstrous spectators (dwarf-types, lizard person, halfling, rat-creature) were also present. Run by the host 'Cheeryman' with chosen odds; the… [S46 · 00:48:39 · turn 0507]
  • S52 An arena with transparent stone walls and an associated viewing room near the laboratories, where the Sagathi lab pits its flesh-warped creations against each other. The party looks down on it (empty this session) through a transparent wall during the lab fights. [S52 · 02:42:38 · turn 1421]
  • S53 The chamber where the mummy spellcaster waits 'on the bed in the darkness.' Its floor is covered in a glowing circle of wards/roots; the room has multiple auto-closing doors. The mummy's paralysis aura covers the approach. Set partly on fire during the fight. [S53 · 01:45:56 · turn 0917]