Born more from necessity than extravagance, the Lurpeko is an underground fighting pit located in the Hive. Before the Lurpeko, the testosterone of the slaves would reach dangerously high levels, causing the slaves to lash out, potentially killing one another. Aurelia devised a scheme instead that would turn their pent up aggression into a profit, and she set up the Lurpeko. Carved out of an out-of-the-way piece of the cavern, the whole "room" is a sixty-foot by sixty-foot square, with no seats or places to rest. Instead, drawn in the middle of the floor was a large square, forty-foot by forty-foot. This was the "ring" the two men would compete in.
The combat was meant to be high paced and non-lethal, allowing the slaves to get the aggression out without the loss of life. Conducted only during the slaves' downtime, they are allowed to congregate and meet in the Lurpeko, have their bouts, and be done with it. Aurelia has set up a gambling ring based solely on the fights of the Lurpeko, and the Naerikk who participate in it are given a cut of their bets, regardless of the slaves' owner. A small tax is taken from each bet for the city, and the rest go to the winner or winners of the bets. Unless so desired by the Naerikk, the slaves are given nothing from the fights.
Each bout lasts until one of the fighters can no longer continue, or gives up. For those who give up, they are not allowed to fight for the rest of the session, and instead are told to go back to the Underhive early. Those who cannot continue due to being knocked unconscious are checked to make sure they are still breathing, and then left outside the ring to awaken. When they do, they may stay through the session, but may not fight again. The winner of any bout is allowed to keep fighting, should they so wish. The bets hedged typically increase in intensity the longer a fighter goes on a streak, ensuring big payoffs for the Naerikk who bets that the next fight will be his last... And bigger payoffs for the Naerikk who bet that it won't be.
It is important to note that Aurelia, despite making quite a bit of coin from the activity, demands that the fighters who participate not shrug their intended duties at all. Those who attend the fights and then shirk their duties the following trial are punished, and may even be banned from the Lurpeko. The fights are considered to be extracurricular activities, and the slaves are to comply with their workloads as set by their masters or the city. Any injury sustained in the Lurpeko are irrelevant to the Naerikk, and the slave is still expected to do their work... Creatively, if the need be.
"Even the tamest boar needs to release his aggression."
