For our first spotlight on Old Sarzonn, we take a bold step into the Solanai training arena!

To start off, here's a promo image I'd had in the original run for "Of Lowlifes, Lutes, & Liars," featuring a teenaged Khazmine Asteras inside the training circle. Khazmine's posing here with her primary weapon, one of Major Barshaw's war whips. 

While blades can rust and hammers can break, Barshaw's leather war whips never fail her on the battlefield. This trusty weapon continues to serve Khazmine well, in and out of the arena.

The Solanai barracks have a vast training circle in the arena, whose light-ringed boundaries contain the majority of the violence within them. This training circle also boasts one of the most sophisticated Challenge Racks in Tevrose, with a wide variety of implements available to spar with.

Participants desiring a match may approach the Challenge Rack and draw a weapon of choice that has been keyed to the rack. Included in this drawing are the most common types of weapons bound to the rack, though several rarer weapons occasionally make an appearance there.

Once drawn, the only way out of the training circle is to be the last one standing and in possession of their chosen weapon. A combatant may surrender at any time by releasing their weapon, or their opponent can force the weapon away from their foe.

Solanai initiates and officers can garner prizes, cash bonuses, and bumps in rank by triumphing in battle, with young initiates practicing against each other to gain proficiency enough to compete. 

Though rare, lower-ranked officers (typically sergeants and below) can challenge their superiors for a possible bump in rank. 

Unfortunately for them, this often means squaring off against one of the battle-hardened lieutenants (with Lieutenant Mevralls among them), or worse.

Only one recruit was foolish enough to demand a match for an immediate bump to Lieutenant, side-stepping Jaycen Mevralls entirely. Not realizing what they'd signed on for, the initiate found themselves face-to-face with Major Barshaw as their opponent. 

Legend says that fetch-and-carrys still find chunks of splintered bone around the arena from when the dread major was done with them...

Since then, initiates and officers have refrained from ignoring the chain of command to skip over proper training procedures. 

As with all things in the Solanai barracks, effort, persistence, and discipline are key to triumph. Until then, the Challenge Rack will be waiting for the next brave souls to draw their weapons...