Diritta

Diritta was a sport played in ancient Vallos by the ancient Vallosi people. While the origins of the sport are unknown, the rules of the game are well-recorded thanks to the efforts of both ancient Istroyan and Latin scholars, thus allowing the game to be one of the more well-preserved aspects of the indigenous Vallosi people. The game progressively lost its popularity over the years following the introduction of Christianity into Vallos from mainland Sarpedon, partially due to the cruel treatment of the players, but some traditions of Diritta survived into modern day with the modern Homberto sport of the same name.

Remains of a Diritta ballcourt in Homberia.

The sport historically enjoyed popularity amongst all social classes of the Glaistic civilisation, with the upper classes often serving as a "patron" for a given team, and betting on diritta matches was very commonplace and even outright encouraged.

Etymology

Ancient Istroyan scholar Destekles wrote that the name of the sport meant "right of freedom", referring to the fact that the players were almost always convicts or slaves. Indeed, the grand prize for grand tournaments was being granted a pardon for their crimes or being granted freedom from enslavement; the idea of earning one's freedom served as a big enough motivator for players to keep participating in matches, even with the dangers and risks of severe injuries or even death.

Origins

The simplicity of the sport suggests that it had its origins back to the first arrival of the indigenous Vallosi people, from whom the Glaistic civilization had emerged. However, the lack of courts or equipment used to play diritta means that its true origins are currently unknown. The earliest diritta court discovered is dated to around the 9th Century BC and is located in eastern Vallos, suggesting that the game had originated from outside of Vallos and that there may have been a game similar to diritta played on mainland Sarpedon that was picked up by the Vallosi people.

Of the diritta courts discovered, there is evidence that they may have varied in overall structure as some were noted to be very elaborate, suggesting that the court was under the patronage of an upperclassman of the time, while others were simple stone foundations in the ground, carrying the implication that even the lower classes enjoyed the sport; how these courts were designed indicates that there were other structures in use made from materials that have long since deteriorated away. Some courts discovered even happened alongside discoveries of the laal, the traditional stone ball used for diritta.

Rules

There were no standardised way to determine court sizes, but the average length amongst all discovered courts is 30 metres with the goals being a little larger than the laal itself. Points are earned if a player is able to throw or push the laal into the goal. There is no evidence that there existed any recorded rules which limited violence on the court, but the scholar Destekles did note his surprise on how civil and cordial the matches were despite the distinct lack of rules against violence during a match. All injuries and deaths recorded were accidental as a result of being in the way and subsequently struck by an oncoming laal rather than through malicious reasons.

Equipment

Because diritta was played by slaves and convicts, there was no rule for what equipment was needed for the game, and players often had to provide their own equipment so long as it did not violate the spirit of the game. Regardless, the equipment used in matches changed greatly over time as more rules were added into the game to make it less fatal and reduce the chances of a serious injury. Ultimately, the equipment used and rules followed differed between regions.

Gear

Destekles' early writings about diritta detailed the teams playing in nothing but their undergarments. The continuation of his work later on the same topic detailed the undergarments to have been dyed a different shade to allow players and spectators alike to distinguish members of their team from members of the opposing team. About a century after Destekles' writings, rules carved into the wall of a ballcourt detailed the need for "tunics of distinctly different shades" for both of the teams if they were to play on this particular court.

Later texts showed more elaborate rules for both the game and the gear needed, or allowed. For the players, the owner of the team was allowed to grant a "helmet of metal" to the leader of the team and the granting of three pads of metal were acceptable to be distributed to other players of the team; it was not described whether or not the three pads could be used by one player, or if they all had to go to different individuals. The poorer regions of the country shared these rules, but instead of metal, wooden or leather protection was used instead as a substitute.

While not encouraged in the rules, it was also noted by some scholars that teams under the patronage of particularly wealthy individuals often were outfitted with various jewels for important matches.

Ball

It is thought that the earliest forms of diritta were played with either naturally rounded rocks that were discovered, but as time went on the rules regarding the design of the ball became more elaborate. The ball, known as "laal", was expected to "fit in the palm and weigh as much as a head", as detailed by a carving discovered in the wall of a court. The balls discovered later on generally still were of stone, but were carved into the familiar round shape; some balls of silver have been discovered, but their rarity suggests they were used ceremonially, or perhaps as a type of trophy granted for the winning team.

Diritta matches played by the lower classes, however, preferred balls carved of wood, which more often than not were lighter than a head as dictated by the rules. This was likely a product of fears of sustaining a head injury or even death.

Diplomatic use

There is at least one recorded instance of competing kingdoms using their most prolific diritta teams to solve a diplomatic incident instead of open warfare.