Executioner’s Run is a brutal form of public entertainment and criminal justice in Port Nyanzaru’s Old City. This rectangular stone pit—15 feet deep, 50 feet wide, and 200 feet long—was originally built by Amnian colonists as an arena for competitive ball games but now serves as an execution gauntlet where convicted criminals must survive a dash through hungry beasts to win their freedom.
Function and Format
Convicted criminals are dropped into one end of the pit while dangerous creatures—typically velociraptors, panthers, or occasionally juvenile allosaurs—are released to hunt them. Any prisoner who survives the gauntlet and reaches the far end can climb knotted ropes to freedom and public acclaim. The event draws spectators from all social classes in Port Nyanzaru, with heavy betting on survival odds, kill counts, and how far each runner makes it before being brought down.
Social Significance
Some Chultans have achieved celebrity status by surviving multiple runs through Executioner’s Run, with rumors suggesting certain individuals deliberately commit crimes just to be thrown into the pit again. Betting is particularly heavy on repeat offenders. The pit’s location on the main road through the Old City makes it a central gathering point for entertainment.
Potential Dangers
Occasionally beasts manage to escape the pit and rampage through the crowd, creating opportunities for bystanders to become heroes and earn favor with the merchant princes.
Related Encounters
- K’lahu, a bookie at Executioner’s Run, may hire adventurers to collect debts from gamblers
- Draza, an innocent man wrongly convicted of theft, is scheduled for execution in the Run—his husband Belym offers 25 sp for help ensuring his survival
- Omala, a dye worker who illegally traded in dancing monkey fruit, faces possible sentencing to Executioner’s Run if he fails to satisfy merchant prince Kwayothé’s demands