“They say all the real business of the Arena happens down in the Vault. All the movers and shakers show up, and that's where all the drama happens, with trainers challenging each other and gambling and scheming and all sorts of cool stuff.”
“One day I'll get in there to see it for myself. Once I can figure out how to convince the guards to let me in.”
- Fling - Founder, president and only member of the MYCOSAURUS fan club
One of the most heavily-protected parts of the Arena complex, the Vault is a large underground room carved from rock and reinforced with arcing beams of an extremely tough metal, like the ribcage of a great beast. There are several entrances in this chamber, but all are approximately human-sized and heavily guarded by Arena security.
Those with legitimate Arena business may come and go as they please, but everyone is subjected to checks for weaponry both by physical search and by passing through an unknown machine of ancient design. Monsters are by tradition forbidden in the Vault, even if they can somehow fit through the doors.
(See also League Conferences and Uptime)
The Vault serves a number of purposes throughout the Seasons but perhaps most important are the League Conferences. These meetings are so named because they are the time where fixtures are set, and competitors often meet to challenge each other directly. More than this, the regularity of these gatherings and the social atmosphere that has grown up around them has meant that they are the perfect opportunity to meet peers and rivals, to do business and to make contacts.
The major task facing any Trainer at the League Conferences is to arrange their next bout. A Monster without a bout is unlikely to get the opportunity to move up in the standings, to be given a title shot, or to become a Fan favourite. Even an unfavourable matchup is better than nothing at all - particularly because Trainers who fail to arrange a match will be assigned an opponent by the Network.
Fixtures aside, one might make deals, offer or purchase services or Archaeotech, recruit, boast about achievements, further rivalries, cut promos, make or take bets, speculate about upcoming matches and competitors, and arrange plans for the future.
The large number of security personnel at these meetings - who are allowed weaponry - means that any rivalries must remain cordial. A long-standing rule, enforced seriously, says that any violence in the Vault while a Challenge meeting is taking place is not only forbidden, but any person attempting to fight is banned permanently from the entire Arena.
Most notably one of the Reigning Champions fell foul of this rule after getting riotously drunk and punching a challenger in the face. Despite their status, they were immediately dragged from the room and have not been seen since. This has of course meant that they are no longer defending their title, and there are now a large number of Trainers vying for the newly-vacated position.
The Vault is the IC location of the Ultimate Monster Battle Arena sessions, which represent the League Conferences. Your character will not be able to bring weapons or Monsters into this location. Any violence can be assumed to be swiftly dealt with by guards, and characters who are violent during the meetings will be heavily punished by the Network (this will likely result in your character becoming unplayable). Theft of items from someone's person is treated similarly.
