Gladiators of the Games of Nothus

Ozmot “The Apple”

Gender: Male
Appearance: A towering figure clad in a simple yet imposing gladiatorial cuirass. His face remains hidden beneath a closed, featureless helmet, adding an air of mystery and dread. He wields a mesmerizing runesword with a blade that seems to ripple and distort light, making it painful to look at for long. His only other adornment is a plain loincloth, a stark contrast to the supernatural menace of his weapon.
Backstory: Ozmot was a pit fighter of some renown on his homeworld, where he built his fame through cunning tactics and an unshakable discipline. Known for consuming a single apple before every match, he cultivated a reputation as both eccentric and indomitable. When a doomed military campaign lured him north, Ozmot joined a band of adventurers, hoping for riches and greater fame. Instead, he was swept into the chaos of the warp-touched wastes. Lost and abandoned, he wandered into the influence of a cult who saw him as a curiosity—his disciplined mind and strange dietary habits leaving him resistant to their mutating gifts. Extended backstory
Forced into their service, Ozmot found himself in the arena once more, pitted against monstrous foes and rival gladiators. While others around him warped and died, Ozmot remained unchanged, a man of pure will standing defiantly against the tide of madness.
Crime: Unwitting collaboration with Chaos forces, desertion, and willful participation in heretical bloodsports.
Reason for Joining the Arena: Ozmot found a life of cruel imprisonment in the arena, where his immunity to mutation and martial prowess made him a valued combatant for the cultists who control his fate.
Special Tactic: His runesword distorts light and perception, making it difficult for opponents to focus on his attacks. His calculated, methodical fighting style exploits this disorientation to land devastating strikes.

Caius Ferro, The Iron Bastion

Gender: Male
Appearance: A towering figure encased in salvaged carapace armor, with a plumed helmet that gives him a regal, if menacing, appearance. He carries a massive shield and power gladius.
Backstory: Caius was once an Arbitrator who turned on his own precinct, selling classified intelligence to hive gangs in exchange for wealth and power. When his treachery was discovered, a purge was ordered, and Caius narrowly escaped execution by vanishing into the underhive. He resurfaced in a distant system, offering his combat prowess to the arena, where the anonymity of the bloodsport keeps him safe—for now.
Crime: Betrayal of the Adeptus Arbites, treason, and murder.
Reason for Joining the Arena: A place to hide in plain sight, with enough violence to keep his deadly skills sharp.
Special Tactic: Uses his shield to create choke points, forcing foes into tight spaces where his gladius strikes with brutal efficiency.

Aurelia Voss, The Shadowblade

Gender: Female
Appearance: A lithe and shadowy figure clad in a reinforced body-glove, armed with twin monomolecular blades. Her featureless helmet gives her an unsettling, predatory aura.
Backstory: Once a contract assassin for rogue traders, Aurelia became infamous for taking jobs against Imperial officials and Adeptus Mechanicus personnel. After failing a high-profile hit on a Forge World overseer, she fled across the sector with the Mechanicus’ kill squads at her heels. Finding refuge in the arena, she now sharpens her skills while basking in the sadistic joy of sanctioned slaughter.
Crime: Assassination of multiple Imperial officials, theft of Mechanicus secrets.
Reason for Joining the Arena: To avoid detection while continuing to indulge her taste for bloodshed.
Special Tactic: Activates a brief cloaking field, striking unseen before vanishing again.

Darius Kray, The Forgewright

Gender: Male
Appearance: Clad in heavy bronze carapace armor with a plasma-tipped power spear and a forearm-mounted energy shield generator.
Backstory: A rogue Mechanicus forge overseer, Darius manufactured forbidden weapons for Chaos warbands in secret. When his forge world uncovered the heretek schematics in his possession, Darius fled before the Inquisition could interrogate him. Seeking safety and profit, he sold his expertise to the arena lords, who gladly equipped him with experimental gear in exchange for his participation in their bloody spectacles.
Crime: Heretek activity, production of Chaos-aligned weaponry.
Reason for Joining the Arena: The arena provides a safe haven from the Mechanicus while feeding his ambition to test and refine his weapons in combat.
Special Tactic: Overloads his plasma spear for devastating bursts of energy that force enemies into retreat.

Tullia Kaeda, The Starbreaker

Gender: Female
Appearance: Wears a gleaming breastplate and an eagle-shaped helm, her curved power sabre flashing with deadly precision. Her movements are graceful, yet menacing.
Backstory: Tullia was a famed duelist who reveled in rigged competitions, orchestrating the deaths of her opponents to maintain her dominance. Her dealings with Chaos-aligned gamblers eventually drew the attention of Arbites investigators, forcing her to flee. She found sanctuary in the arena, where she could continue her bloody performances for a new kind of audience.
Crime: Murder for profit, association with Chaos cultists.
Reason for Joining the Arena: A haven for her skills and ego, where she can bask in the adoration of the bloodthirsty crowds.
Special Tactic: Overcharges her power sabre, cutting through even the toughest armor with calculated strikes.

Sven Alrik, The Executioner

Gender: Male
Appearance: Encased in a smooth, featureless combat suit, wielding a massive shock maul and a glowing energy shield.
Backstory: Sven was a bounty hunter who worked for Chaos cults, delivering rogue psykers and dissidents for their rituals. When the cults were destroyed by Imperial forces, Sven narrowly escaped and fled to the gladiatorial pits. In the arena, he thrives on violence while avoiding the inquisitorial kill teams that would see him flayed for his treachery.
Crime: Collaboration with Chaos cults, trafficking rogue psykers.
Reason for Joining the Arena: The chaotic nature of the arena makes him difficult to track, and the violence satisfies his cruel tendencies.
Special Tactic: Creates concussive shockwaves with his shield to disorient and disable multiple foes.

Cassia Throne, The Beastslayer

Gender: Female
Appearance: Wears functional, scarred armor, wielding a massive chainaxe and a grappling hook launcher. Her visage is grim and focused.
Backstory: A feral world beast hunter, Cassia was infamous for capturing warp-tainted creatures and selling them to rogue traders, nobles, and Chaos cults. When her customers turned on her to avoid exposure, she slaughtered them and fled to the arena, where her beast-slaying prowess quickly earned her a brutal reputation.
Crime: Breeding and trafficking warp-tainted creatures.
Reason for Joining the Arena: To avoid being hunted by both her former customers and Imperial forces, while indulging her bloodlust.
Special Tactic: Uses her grappling hook to tether and drag foes into range of her deadly chainaxe.

Victor Grallax, The Harbinger

Gender: Male
Appearance: Dark armor adorned with faint, glowing runes that hint at a grim past. His executioner’s sword is massive and lethally sharp.
Backstory: Victor was a heretical preacher who led entire settlements into Chaos worship under the guise of Imperial faith. When his lies were exposed, he slaughtered his remaining followers to cover his tracks and fled off-world. Now, he fights in the arena, spreading whispers of corruption among its patrons and fighters while enjoying the carnage.
Crime: Heretical preaching, mass murder, and inciting rebellion.
Reason for Joining the Arena: The anonymity of the arena allows him to hide while sowing seeds of heresy among the desperate.
Special Tactic: His sword generates gravity pulses, slowing and disorienting enemies within its range.

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Gladiatorial Carnage: First Day of the Games

The arena’s sands are illuminated by flickering hololithic displays, showcasing the crumbling backdrops of Imperial border worlds. Servo-skulls dart through the air, capturing every strike and every moment of tension as the day’s gladiatorial bouts begin. The first day’s theme is combat to first blood, with the fighters tasked to display skill and precision rather than slaughter. However, the crowd knows the thin line between wounding and death often blurs in the arena. Betting numbers flash across the hololiths, reacting to the unfolding action as wounded gladiators stumble and retreat.

Fight One: Sven Alrik vs. Tullia Kaeda

Sven Alrik, The Executioner, marches onto the sands, his imposing combat suit glinting in the artificial light. Opposite him, Tullia Kaeda, The Starbreaker, raises her crackling power sabre with an air of confidence, her eagle-shaped helm casting sharp shadows on the bloodstained arena floor.

As the horn signals the start, Tullia closes the distance with blinding speed, her sabre flashing in a feint toward Sven’s shield. The crowd erupts as Sven counters with a concussive shockwave, the force reverberating across the arena and knocking Tullia back. Servo-skulls focus on her graceful recovery, her boots skidding on the sand as she regains her stance.

Tullia retaliates with a sharp, overhand slash, the blade sparking against Sven’s shield in a screeching clash of energy fields. The vox systems amplify every crackle and hiss, each blow echoing as if the arena itself groans under the strain. Finally, with a clever twist of her wrist, Tullia’s sabre finds a gap in Sven’s defense, carving a shallow line across his armored shoulder.

The crowd roars as blood seeps through the damaged plating. A servo-skull captures the precise moment of impact, replayed on the hololithic displays with betting numbers shifting rapidly in favor of Tullia. Though first blood is called, both fighters nod in mutual respect before leaving the sands, their rivalry solidified for future bouts.

Fight Two: Cassia Throne vs. Darius Kray

Cassia Throne, The Beastslayer, enters the arena to thunderous applause, her massive chainaxe held high. Across from her stands Darius Kray, The Forgewright, his plasma spear humming faintly as he shifts into a defensive stance. The servo-skulls hover close, their optics capturing the tense standoff.

Cassia strikes first, her chainaxe roaring as it cleaves the air. Darius blocks with his energy shield, the collision sending a wave of sparks that dance across the arena floor. The vox systems amplify the grinding roar of the chainaxe against the shield, each clash setting the crowd ablaze with excitement.

The fight is a brutal back-and-forth, with Cassia’s grappling hook nearly ensnaring Darius’s leg before he counters with a plasma burst. The shot glances off her shoulder, scorching her armor and eliciting a collective gasp from the crowd. The hololithic displays replay the moment in slow motion, zooming in on the charred plating as Cassia growls in defiance.

With a sudden surge, Darius feints a thrust and slams his shield into Cassia’s torso, sending her sprawling. Before he can press the advantage, she rolls to her feet, landing a blow with the flat of her chainaxe against his chest. The impact cracks a section of his armor, drawing a thin trickle of blood that signals first blood and Cassia’s victory.

The crowd erupts as the betting numbers adjust, Cassia’s odds spiking. Servo-skulls linger on Darius as he nods curtly, acknowledging the Beastslayer’s skill before exiting the arena.

Fight three: Ozmot “The Apple” vs. Victor Grallax

The final fight of the day pits Ozmot “The Apple” against Victor Grallax, The Harbinger. The match has been agreed to first blood—but in battle, first blood is often the last.

Victor’s massive executioner’s sword swings with gravity-altering pulses, the shifting sands captured by servo-skulls as Ozmot evades with eerie precision. The vox systems amplify the sickening groan of bending metal as Victor’s weapon narrowly misses Ozmot’s cuirass.

The crowd gasps as Victor lands a blow, his sword’s edge slamming into Ozmot’s shield and sending him staggering. But Ozmot recovers, his runesword carving a shimmering arc through the air. The blade pierces Victor’s chest, slipping effortlessly between his ribs and emerging out the other side.

For a breathless moment, Victor stands frozen, his eyes wide, blood streaming from his mouth. Then he collapses.

The arena falls silent—before the arbiter raises a hand. “First blood.” The words carry a finality that drowns out the crowd’s stunned murmurs.

The hololithic displays capture the scene in brutal clarity: Victor lying still, Ozmot standing over him, his blade slick with crimson. The rule was first blood, and first blood has been claimed. The arbiter declares Ozmot the victor, and the silence shatters into wild cheers. Betting odds flash frantically on the hololiths as slow-motion replays dissect the moment of impact, frame by frame.

No one protests the result. A single stroke. Ruthless, efficient. First blood—and last.

The Betting Frenzy

Throughout the fights, the hololithic displays track the shifting odds, the changing fortunes of each gladiator.

Tullia Kaeda’s precise strike against Sven earns her favor with the crowd, her name flashing green alongside a replay of her sabre’s calculated cut.
Cassia Throne’s brute strength and dramatic victory over Darius bolster her reputation as a rising star, her chainaxe dominating the screens.
Ozmot’s unnerving skill and calculated ruthlessness cement him as the day’s highlight, his featureless helm becoming an iconic image on the hololiths.

As the day ends, the crowd disperses with anticipation for the battles yet to come, their cheers echoing through the bloodstained dome. For the gladiators, it is only the beginning.