A One-Round Tournament
From the introduction:
You live on a world called Athas, in an area known as the Tyr Region. Athas is a burning desert of a world, ravaged by sorcery and blasted dry by the heat of its dark, crimson sun. In your experience, life on Athas is a series of extremes. Water, metal, and habitable land are in very short supply, while pain, sorrow, and parched ground are available in great quantities.
You and your companions are slaves in the city-state of Balic. Balic, located in the southeast portion of the Tablelands, rests at the end of an inland silt basin. The city belongs to King Andropinis, one of the six remaining sorcerer-kings of the Tyr Region. In a sense, you also belong to Andropinis, since you labor in his slave pens. His templars oversee you, his will determines what tasks you must accomplish each day and, due to his generosity, you receive food, water, and shelter.
Soon another day will begin. It will be filled with back-breaking work, a hunger that can’t be satisfied, and heat—terrible, searing heat. With any luck, you’ll survive the challenges, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find that most elusive of conditions beneath the crimson sun. Maybe you’ll find freedom...