Lanista of the Iron Sand
A gladiator’s fate is forged at the edge of a blade, in an arena where every choice cuts deeper than steel.
In the dust and blood of a provincial Roman arena, you rise from obscurity to command the lives, loyalties, and legacies of the fighters under your charge. Every decision you make as lanista – trainer, strategist, and owner of gladiators – can mean honor or humiliation, triumph or slaughter, freedom or the iron chains of the arena.
About Volume I
Hero Book #1: Lanista of the Iron Sand
A Thracian gladiator’s trial in the Colosseum
Dakon of the Broken Hills is dragged from a Thracian battlefield into chains and sold to a Roman lanista. In the training sands, every bout is a test: conserve your strength or go all-out, protect a fellow trainee or let him fall, obey the trainer’s orders or show the crowd your own kind of ruthlessness. Each decision you make pushes Dakon toward a different reputation in the ludus—and a different fate when the arena gates finally open.
You’ll enjoy this Hero Book if you like:
- Historical Rome and gladiator stories
- Branching narrative and replayability
- Strategic decision-making under pressure
- Character-driven drama with real consequences
How These Books Work
You are not just “picking options”; you are deciding what kind of man Dakon becomes under Roman control: a calculating survivor, a brutal crowd-pleaser, or a fighter who risks everything for a shard of honor.
You read each scene normally. When Dakon faces a decision, you simply click or tap one of the “Choose this…” links at the end of the section. The story immediately jumps you to the next scene — no page-turning, no searching for section numbers, and no manual navigation.
- Click or tap to choose — no manual navigation
- Designed for multiple playthroughs
- Different choices unlock different paths and endings
Inside the Lanista Series
Start here. Shape a legacy that will follow you from the dust of the arena to the heart of the empire.
Future volumes will expand your sphere of influence: new arenas, new factions, and new responsibilities that build on the relationships and rivalries you establish in this first book. Decisions you make here — how you treat your gladiators, how you negotiate with patrons, which risks you take in the arena — shape the network of allies and enemies you carry forward.
Each volume is written to stand alone as a full, replayable adventure, but reading them in order lets you experience the long-term consequences of your choices as a lanista.