Lightsaber Dueling Pits

The underworld is a seething mass of vile, corrupt scum who need action- a constant, steady stream of violence, excitement and gambling access. The galaxy is is also home to enough people who want to watch this sort of thing. Thus, millennia ago, the underground Lightsaber Dueling Pits found its way into the underworld of the Republic.   These mobile, illegal fighting rings can be found only through underworld access but viewing one through the Holonet or specialized video discs can be easier, since the marketing scheme is both underhanded and always in search of new audiences. There are a lot of credits to made in sponsoring such events, such as proceeds (100-1,000 credits per seat), gambling (a complex system of ratios, odds and bookies) and of course, prizes.

During the time of the Republic, ex-Jedi often entered these contests, but found it already filled with experts with the lightsaber who had never been trained with through the Jedi Temple. It does not take a Jedi to wield a lightsaber, only agility, quickness and technique. Various schools have popped up over the eons, living and dying by the lightsaber.   Using the Force in a match is punishable by death by the combatants. Many are specialized in various forms of the Lightsaber and often make their own. Often, the winner takes the loser's saber.

The origin of lightsaber dueling as a bloodsport can be traced back to the inception of the Jedi Knights. It started as nobles "ironing out" their differences when they saw the new toy used by the philosophy students down the block.Then Underworld figures saw the spectacular weapons and knew televising the fights would be very lucrative. Often, the various pits were operated by crimelords, notably by the Hutts. Some Jedi were hunted down by eager new competitors to take their lightsabers.   By the time of the Empire, Lightsaber Dueling had become a semi-government sanctioned event. The crimelords would pay off the local moff and the fights would be simulcast on pay-per-view contracts with subscribers. Often, the Empire would test its Inquisitors through the pits to ensure they knew how to use their lightsabers in open combat. However, the Empire lost quite a number of potential Inquisitors this way.

In the era of the Empire, there are several fighting pits in operation. The most notable and easily available is run by Black Box Productions, a company that holovises black market events; racing, safaris, fighting pits, etc. to pay per view audiences across the galaxy. Their mobile capital class war ship, The Black Box, is never found in populated areas and often is on the move. The leader of Black Box is unknown, but the public relations analyst is known by the moniker "Rad". Often Imperials look the other way after the local moff's bank account blossomed.   In the era of the New Republic, the advent of new Jedi and their lightsabers make fighters even more determined to go to the pits. This is a real boom time for Black Box Productions, though they don't enjoy the relationship with the New Republic as they had with the Empire.   Becoming a participant in Black Box productions is easy, realizing you are being filmed is not. It requires a Gather Info DC 25 to specifically find a Black Box sponsored event. Chances are that 1/10 of all criminal, black market operations involving racing, fighting, etc. is sponsored by Black Box.   Most notable of the racing circuits are the Dartha Breva circuits in the Outer Rim.