A thick and heavy engineering manual with yellowed pages, mixed with blueprints and draft calculations.
Arena Maintenance Log
Recorded by: Chief Engineer Daidalos Date: Year 3875 of the Light Calendar
Site Selection Survey As guided by the Lance of Fury's prophecy, our ancestors constructed an arena in a dormant volcano, which has the following advantages: The magma provides sustainable energy, the mountain itself is sturdy enough to support the huge building, and, most importantly, the location is only three miles away from where Lance fell, and that means the arena is protected by its divine powers. According to the old records, initial survey revealed three potential problems: 1. A fissure in the rocks in the northwestern corner that must be reinforced 2. The underground river might impact the foundation 3. The volcano is dormant, but the magma is still flowing
Overall Plan The arena is divided into four areas. From bottom to top, they are: 1. Quarry Zone (-300 to -200 feet) 2. Sculpting Zone (-200 to -100 feet) 3. Soul-Forging Zone (-100 to 0 feet) 4. Contest Zone (0 to 200 feet above ground)
The areas are connected by a spiraling elevator with a mechanical core powered by magma. We learned this technique from the Sons of Daedalus, but two accidents took place due to our incomplete mastery. The first accident happened in Year 3847 of the Light Calendar, when a gear in the elevator warped under the high heat and stopped the system. There were no casualties, but it was a lesson well-learned. Going forward, mountain copper was used to forge core components. It is a rare metal, but it remains stable under high temperatures.
Quarry Zone This zone was constructed a long time ago, and must be renovated. The biggest challenge is to create enough space without affecting the structural integrity of the mountain. We employed our usual drilling procedures, but encountered an accident at -270 feet. The vibrations caused the underground river to change its path, and the invading vapor triggered an explosion when it reached the magma, killing three craftsmen. May Nikador bless their souls. After the accident, we used a detection pole to ascertain the waterways before drilling, and placed irrigation pipes at key positions. The pipes were made from heat-resistant ceramic from the Ceramic Craftsmen's Guild in Castrum Kremnos.
Sculpting Zone The Sculpting Zone is an area that showcases the highest level of craftsmanship of Kremnoan masters. We designed an automated sculpting system powered by the heat from the magma. Hot steam that powers the mechanical arms is delivered to each workbench through copper pipes, and these arms do the basic sculpting based on pre-set tracks, boosting efficiency tremendously. However, during an accident in Year 3845 of the Light Calendar, the pipes burst, and the steam jet destroyed three statues and critically injured two craftsmen. Subsequent investigation showed that the copper pipes were fatigued under the constant heat. We switched to using an alloy of mountain copper and ordinary copper for pipes, and increased their durability.
Soul-Forging Zone This zone must be expanded to accommodate the increasing ritual demands. The expansion perfectly combined construction techniques with ritual demands, with heat-conducting obsidian socketed on the floor of the ring-shaped hall and a complicated network of heat pipes under them. During ceremonies, the heat of the magma travels through the network of pipes to heat up the hall and help with injecting divinity into the statue. The special dome design should also be mentioned here: Several hundred holes were drilled at the top, forming the spear of Nikador. When the sun shines through them, light falls on the center of the altar.
Contest Zone The most important mechanism in this zone is the rise and fall of the greatsword in the center. This sword is both a support beam of the building and a divine weapon that decides life and death. A complicated mechanism connects the greatsword to the underground magma, which powers the sword. When the blade rises, the floor of the arena changes with it. However, during a ceremony in Year 3829 of the Light Calendar, the system broke down and the greatsword was stuck in midair. The gladiatorial fight was already over, so there were no casualties. A detailed check showed that the impurities in the magma had blocked the transmission. Subsequently, a filter was added to the system with a rigorous maintenance procedure.
Maintenance Suggestions 1. Add a backup irrigation system in the Quarry Zone. 2. The steam pipes in the Sculpting Zone should be checked monthly. 3. The heat-conducting layer on the bottom of the altar in the Soul-Forging Zone should be changed periodically. 4. The materials used to repair the cracks in the Contest Zone should be improved accordingly.
Afterword After many setbacks, the arena was completed during Year 2523 of the Light Calendar, which was more than a thousand years from now. Future Kremnos engineers should keep up with annual maintenance to repay Nikador's favor. This log is both a record and a warning, and may newcomers be inspired to improve arena maintenance and keep Nikador's glory aflame.
"May the flames of war burn forever, may the steel howl endlessly, and may the hot blood never be extinguished."