The rumpled land north of the sorcerer-queen’s palace is barren, unfit for cultivation, yet Raamites travel nearly a mile across narrow pathways to watch gladiators duel for their lives in the arena. The arena floor is small by other city-states’ standards, bounded on one side by a steep hill pocked with veiled observation balconies and on the other by a great chasm called the Maw. Raamites take seats just across the chasm to ensure that no would-be saboteurs interfere with the games or make an attempt against the Grand Vizier’s life.