In the Ottoman Empire, if a vizier displeased the sultan, they were given a unique way to stay evade the inevitable death sentence - they could run for their lives and escape the grounds of the Topkapi palace, all the while chased by their executioner. If they made it into Istanbul proper, instead of being killed, they would be rewarded.

You have been captured and placed in cells in a recreation of the Topkapi palace. Above you, there are spectators, and drones hovering over you, observing your every move. As the cell doors open, the drones announce "Great treasure awaits if you can escape the palace. And your death."

Based on Ottoman history and Robert L. Sheckley's 1958 short story, "The Prize of Peril".