Cibertronians - Blog Posts

Gladiators of Kaon

Let's admit it, we like Kaon? I like that it is in this city of "vice and sin" that gladiator fights have been preserved. Regardless of the iteration of Transformers, it is known that the main "stage" of gladiators was Kaon. (Perhaps I will write about my view of this city later, because one of my OC characters directly works there).

I love the gladiator theme, but to be honest, I would like to somehow… Expand it? Classify it? Sorry, but the term "Gladiator" is so elastic and it seems to me that there is some limitation in what type of bots most often become it. So here are my ideas of what gladiators could be in Kaon. All this is very much a reference to Roman gladiators and is assumed by me for the features of certain frames.

Bestiary (bestiarius)

Bestiary (bestiarius) - gladiator bots of any weight category, who are trained to fight with various animals. In fact, this class of gladiators has no weight restrictions, since their battles can be with both medium and large animals. The opponents can be both Cybertronian representatives of the fauna like turbofoxes, and alien specimens brought from other planets. All gladiators can perform in this class, but if the animal is medium in size, this is not considered very honorable. Very often, Bestiary can perform at the beginning or in the middle of gladiator shows, so that the audience does not lose interest in what is happening. They also traditionally do not have very many weapons, it can be a spear or a sword. Shields are also rejected for the sake of spectacle.

One of the more difficult opponents were considered to be warrior insecticons, who possess intelligence and are capable of giving a worthy rebuff. (Insecticons were not considered full-fledged bots and were treated as available game for baiting, since there were many hives under the surface of Cybertron. At some point, this was even encouraged by the government, since it helped reduce the number of insecticons).

There is a separate class of Bestiaries (Venators?), who fight with the help of their cyberbeasts, as a rule, they are engaged in baiting insecticons and large representatives of alien and Cybertronian fauna (in such cases, they have several opponents).

Representatives: I think Soundwave could be a gladiator who, at the beginning of his career, belonged to the Bestiary class (and the presence of Ravage, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw positioned him as a professional).

Essedarius

Essedarius - Lightweight bots, mostly racing altforms (racing cars, motorcycles, sometimes small seekers). Essedarius are gladiators who fight using a combination of speed, agility, and precision. Fights usually resemble races, where opponents can circle each other. Essedarius are usually more about showing off their reaction and cunning. Fights can be short but spectacular, or they can last for hours, where both opponents prove themselves not only as skilled fighters with a tactical mindset, but also as hardy athletes. The main weapons are spears, energy bows, combat staffs, or blasters. Swords can also be used, but light options like needles (like nails from Hollow Knight) or rapiers are preferable. This class rejects the presence of a shield, as it slows down too much.

Essedarius are one of the few gladiator classes that are allowed to use blasters (blasters are not used in regular fights because the whole point of the fight is lost and spectators may not have time to enjoy the spectacle).

Essedarius are a class of gladiators for whom the arena is changed (gentle slopes, sharp turns, labyrinths). They are also quite popular with racers and aristocrats, as they are considered less bloody due to pinpoint and preemptive attacks.

There is a certain type of fight when Essedarius consume fuel for other types of bots instead of the usual racing energon. To avoid overloads and premature failure of fuel systems, the arena is grounded, which helps gladiators fight (think of it as a pill that gives various effects).

Representatives: Stunticons (Breakdown, Dead End, Wildrider, Drag Strip), etc.

Laquearius

Laquearius - gladiators of flying altforms fighting in the air. Laquearius - seekers, helicopters and reconnaissance air bots. The fights of these gladiators most often resemble complex acrobatic performances. The arena is specially redesigned for them so that they do not step on the ground. If one of the fighters steps on the ground, he is considered a loser, so the fights are about balance, good orientation in space and flying skills. The main weapons of the laquearius are an energy lasso, daggers, sharp swords or sabers. Despite no less ferocity in battles than other gladiators, no laquearius injures the wings of his opponent. This is a kind of taboo. Anyone who covets the wings (blades) of another can simply lose respect and reputation among other fighters (a demotion in status is also guaranteed).

The second type of fighters for whom the arena is specially changed. Gladiators practically do not touch the ground during the fight and use the walls of the arena, ropes and beams in order not to fall.

Sometimes the arena is deliberately limited, which makes it resemble a bird cage, this is done to deliberately bring the opponents closer together. This makes the Laquearius act more quickly, decisively and provocatively. (If you watched the classic Mad Max "Under the Thunderdome", then you can imagine how the arena chants "Thunderdome!" during the fight of the Laquearius)

Representatives: Starsream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Vortex, etc.

Myrmillo

Myrmillo - all non-specialized standard gladiators, they can be either light or medium weight (anything from a regular machine to some highly specialized bot). These are the most standard gladiators. In fact, most fighters who do not have any type or have just stepped into the arena are myrmillo. They are agile, fast and usually hardy. If a myrmillo has some outstanding features, then after several fights he will most likely be given a type. However, if the fighter is satisfied with everything, then he can stay at this rank, which frees him from a narrow choice of weapons and performance time. The weapons are very diverse - electric batons, tridents, nets, swords, shields, etc. Myrmillo tend to use dirty tricks in battle to gain a tactical advantage (they do not stoop very low, but they are quite insidious).

The most famous myrmillo was Arcee, who fought in a duet with Galvatron (he belonged to the type of gladiators called Crupelaris). She was famous for her ferocity and mastery of two swords.

Myrmillo perform last during days of mourning, as a kind of symbol of a new beginning (it was a symbol that although life was suspended, it was not frozen forever. Young fighters were a symbol of the flourishing culture of gladiatorialism and in the best days there were quite a lot of them)

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are the only myrmillos who performed in a duet.

Bots who already had a main profession could become myrmillos. Among the police of Kaon, this was a good option to relieve tension and show their strength, so that gladiators would know that they should not be messed with again.

Representatives: Barricade, Arcee, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, etc.

Provocator

Provocator - gladiators of small altforms, various minicons. This class of fighters is extremely small (phphph, sorry) in terms of its numbers, since not many minicons have a strong enough body and good load capacity for full-fledged battles. Provocators often act as a duet, where one fighter acts as a distraction and the second as the main attacking force. Especially experienced provocators act solo using weapons like hammers in order to increase the damage inflicted on the enemy. Despite the fact that at first glance they may not seem like the most terrible opponents, they should not be underestimated. This type of gladiators does not have a primary weapon, many prefer to fight with the built-in modifications they have, such as enhanced hydraulics in the servo. Many consider fights with these fighters to be the most brutal due to the "tearing" of the enemy into pieces.

Sometimes provocateurs can act as support for other types of gladiators in team fights or two-on-two fights.

The name of this type of gladiators, historically, came from their daring behavior characteristic of them, it was in response to their not very impressive appearance for other opponents.

The threat of being bitten on the "ankles" is not a threat but a real attack in which the enemy will most likely be left without peds and the medic will have to weld them back.

Representatives: Rumble and Frenzy ("Terror Twins"/"Nightmare Twins")

Crupelarius

Crupelarius - heavyweight gladiators (armored trucks, tanks, shuttles, etc.). Some conventionally call these big guys the real "kings" of the arena, but only smart enough fighters reach the heights of their careers. Tactical mind and cruel nature put many of them at the top among other gladiators (Galvatron and Megatron). Due to their large size, strength and dense armor, they are difficult opponents, but can be slow or clumsy. These are most often close combat fighters, the fight between two crupellarius is like a clash of titans. The main weapons are swords, hammers, maces and shields. In fact, anything that can get under the servo can eventually turn into a weapon, so the fighters are not limited in how exactly to deal with each other (it can be a beam from a broken arena, torn out reinforcement or even a piece that comes to hand). Often, for greater spectacle, the Crupelarius during a fight tries to disarm his opponent in order to test his ability to regain control of the weapon or to fight back without a weapon.

Among the Crupelarius, there are fighters who engage in pure unarmed combat. This can be quite spectacular and mostly resembles fights without rules or a lucha libre show (in the second case, it requires a bit of acting skills from the gladiator).

The Crupelarius is not the most numerous class, so they often participate in inter-type battles. They work well in a duet with other types of gladiators in two-on-two fights.

The Crupelarius do not like to use guns and blasters, although this is not prohibited for them. Many believe that this will simply make the fight insufficiently spectacular (it is more interesting to see an armored one torn apart with the help of other weapons).

The Impactor was the only Crupelarius who used a harpoon-like weapon in combat.

Representatives: Megatron, Impactor, Overlord, Motormaster, Brawl, etc.

I just realized that I will probably do a part 2, because there is a lot of information and my personal ideas for the gladiatorial culture in Kaon. Some kind of my second magnum opus, to be honest. I will try to post a part 2 as soon as possible, in which I will talk about other things concerning the gladiatorial arenas, like traditions and festivals.