First appearance: S1E4 — Multiclass — Kleen v Ivanna Kishu · watch it on YouTube
Kirken’s Mine is a frozen, moonlit mine “hidden far up in the north” that the Grandmaster counts among her possessions. It served as the arena for Kleen and Ivanna Kishu’s Deathmatch in S1E4 — Multiclass — Kleen v Ivanna Kishu. It did not stay an arena for long. Partway through the fight the Arbiter got bored and brought the mountaintop’s snow down on it.
Description
The mine is a maze of pillars, ledges, snowdrifts, steps and platforms, all blanketed in white. By moonlight its walls come alive with “hues of diamonds and blues and golds,” and the Grandmaster calls it a “little jewel.” It is a cold, glittering place, and the Grandmaster was quick to point out one practical use for all that snow:
“With all the white around here, you could bleach anything and get away with it.” (the Grandmaster)
A mineshaft door leads out of the mine onto a rickety, swaying bridge strung eighty feet above a frozen waterfall. The mine may well be the same place known elsewhere as Reaper’s Rock.
History
The mine takes its name from Kirken, its former owner. When the Grandmaster welcomed the champions to it, she made clear that the name was a holdover. “This used to be called Kirken’s Mine. Used to. Of course, it’s my mine now.” Kirken’s fate was left hanging in the frosty air: “I suppose abandoned isn’t the right word here. He never really left, but he doesn’t own it anymore.” Kleen looked visibly queasy at this.
Kleen and Ivanna Kishu fought across its ledges and platforms, and eventually they ended up very far apart. That gave the Arbiter his chance. Handed free rein by the Grandmaster to “shake things up,” he declared, “I’ve seen enough of this arena. It’s starting to bore me. They’re very far apart.” He clapped his hands, a thunderous boom echoed, and the mountaintop’s snow came crashing down in an avalanche that filled Kirken’s Mine.
Ivanna moved nimbly out of harm’s way. Kleen was less lucky and took a chunk of ice to the head. Both champions escaped through the mineshaft door onto the swaying bridge above the frozen falls. The lightning storm that had been crackling over the mine stayed behind in the mine.
Notable Figures
- Grandmaster Elusia Skypiercer: The mine’s current owner, who claimed it from Kirken and turned it into an arena.
- The Arbiter: He buried the mine under an avalanche when the fight began to bore him.
- Kleen: A champion who fought here and caught falling ice during the avalanche.
- Ivanna Kishu: A champion who fought here and dodged the avalanche.