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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Agemegos" data-source="post: 1503191" data-attributes="member: 18377">Athletics plays a big part in the society in my fantasy setting. Athletic training is considered to make up half of a balanced education. All settled communities set aside areas for running, jumping, wrestling, archery, weapons drills, sparring, and javelin-practice. Most build more-or-less elaborate stadiums, palaistras, and shooting-ranges. Generally, these are thronged in the mornings by youths and young men (to a lesser extent young women) of leisure, and one morning a week the citizens of military age work out there, doing the drill of their militia units. Athletic exercise in the mornings, athletic skills, and the possession of athletic equipment such as a bow, arrows, javelins etc. is one of the things that players have learned to count on and allow for among NPCs in my setting.There is also a game, called kukrim, that youths play. It is roughly similar to volleyball, except that the ball (which is a light wicker or raffia ball the size of a fist) is typically struck with the foot, leg, elbow, or head rather than with the hand or hands. PCs often find that a road is blocked where a group of youths have strung a net across the street and are playing kukrim under the windows of a well-populated gynekeum.Athletics festivals are significant events. Each community holds an annual Games, and victory in the various events at this is a significant source of prestige for NPCs and PCs alike. And certain large institution hold major games at longer intervals: the city of Asthmara holds Isthmian Games biennially, the temple of Helios in Elmis holds Solar Games every four years, the temple of Pontus in Periander holds Pontonian Games every tenth year, the temple of Mount Samars at Samariopolis holds League Games every five years, the temple of Timeon (exemplar of smiths and self-assurance) holds Timeonic Games at Skyra every third year, the emperor holds Hegemonial Games at Thekla every seventh year, and the temple of Thelmond (an island) holds Saecular Games at long intervals (each is held only after all the participants and officials in the last one has died). Victories at these games (which are open to competition by all) brings great prestige indeed.Each games is the occasion of a fair, which attracts itinerant performers, merchants and providers of special services. Each is also the occasion of a religious festival, dance-pageant, and sacrifice. Many include musical, poetic, and dance contests alongside the athletics.I have often run adventures set in the gatherings that occur at major games, or that involved the PCs travelling hundreds or thousands of kilometres to compete.Athletics is therefore a fairly prominent feature of my fantasy campaigns.</blockquote>

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