Mithril

Overview

Mithril is a precious resource in the Empire, used primarily in building armies, trade agreements with foreign nations and in opportunities. The lightweight, durable metal is particularly valued in making armour and weapons for the Imperial Armies. Mithril is bought and sold in Imperial wains. These weigh about 500kg, with a volume of half a cubic metre. Due to the vast weight, trading is done in Bourse Certificates provided by the civil service.

Mithril Seats

There are few places in the Empire that produce mithril. A mithril seat can be a source of great wealth and prestige to whoever holds it. Elections for mithril seats are held at the Autumn Equinox each year.

Table of Mithril Bourse Seats

Name of Resource	Method of Appointment	Location	Output	Election
The Brilliant Star	Imperial	Redoubt, Tomari	24 wains	Autumn
The Crawling Depths	Imperial	Ossium, Ghalath Fields	14 wains	Autumn
The Eternal Shafts of Time	National, Varushka, Mines	Karov, Wieliczka	27 wains	Autumn
The Fortress of Salt	Imperial	Temeschwar, Metri	25 wains	Autumn
The Gloaming Road	National, Brass Coast, Ambassador to Faraden	Faraden	Mithril (Ministry)	Any season
The Great Mine of Briante	Imperial	Kahraman, Briante	22 wains	Autumn
The Great Pits of Ennerlund	Imperial	Holberg, Ennerlund	27 wains	Autumn
The Legacy	National, Urizen, Mana Sites	Spiral, Ossuary	22 wains	Autumn
The Mines of Gulhule	National, Imperial Orcs, Military Unit	Skarsind, Gulhule	Mithril & Ilium (Ministry)	Spring
The Pride of Ikka's Tears	National, Wintermark, Military Units	Sermersuaq, Suaq Fount	15 wains	Autumn
The Singing Caves	National, The Marches, Farms	Mournwold, Greensward	28 wains	Autumn

Recent History

The Great Pits of Ennerlund were lost when Holberg was overrun and the mine - and its bounty of mithril - served the Druj instead. When the Empire began its triumphant liberation of Holberg, the barbarian orcs destroyed the pumps and collapsed the pits during the Winter Solstice 378YE.

Work restoring the Great Pits of Ennerlund began in late Spring 379YE ... and almost immediately halted. The Druj destruction of the Great Pits had been a calculated act, and one with a tragic and horrific consequence. Following dozens of reports of the unquiet dead haunting the pits, the Dawnish priest Ozren de Orzel of Dawn was dispatched by the Imperial Synod to exorcise the cleansing of the haunting spirits from the mines as work could not continue until the ghosts were laid to rest. With the ghosts dealt with, it still took several seasons to restore the pits to working order.

The Legacy was lost to the Grendel in Summer 379YE.

The Pride of Ikka's Tears was discovered in Winter 379YE by chance by a civil servant exploring the Face of Ikka. The Senate paid to develop the mine and also to commission a ministry to encourage human miners to work the rich mines of Gulhule in Skarsind, for the benefit of the Imperial Orcs.

The Legacy was eventually liberated by a heroic assault via the Sentinel Gate during Summer 380YE. Despite some concern however that the Senate might choose to allocate it as an Imperial resource, they instead chose to reaffirm it as a national resource in control of Urizen. Less than a year later, the Legacy was again captured.

In Autumn 380YE, a pernicious blight laid waste to the iridescent butterfly population of the forests of northern Faraden. Brightly coloured fabrics are vital to Faraden culture, and iridescent gloaming is key to their production. They brokered a trade deal with the Freeborn, exchanging precious mithril for vast amounts of Iridescent Gloaming from the Empire.

In late 380YE, the Singing Caves were taken by the Jotun orcs. A Marcher lobby persuaded the Senate to allocate them to the Marches as a national position, but the motion was immediately vetoed by Empress Lisabetta, leaving the mines unallocated. They would not be eligible to be allocated again until Winter 380YE summit. They were eventually allocated as a National Bourse position during the Spring Equinox 382YE, by which time a significant bounty of mithril had built up

Then, shortly before the Spring Equinox 382YE, the Legacy was again liberated by the Empire. It was duly allocated as an Urizen National Bourse position during the Spring Equinox summit. Due to the malign effects on Spiral, the upkeep of the Legacy has been doubled for the foreseeable future.

During the Spring Equinox 382YE, the Imperial Senate dispatched prospectors to the Pride of Ikka's Tears and determine if it would be possible to expand the production.

Uses of Mithril

Buildings

Mithril is primarily useful for building and expanding armies. The Senate can commission a range of military commissions and buildings that fortify, enrich or uplift the Empire. Mithril is usually required for::

• Imperial Army - mithril can also be used to expand armies, or Emergency Resupply
• Ministry - a ministry built with mithril would allow the purchase of mine materials or mana crystals.
• Sinecure - a sinecure built with mithril would generate mine materials or mana crystals.
• Great work - a great work built with mithril would generate mine material or mana crystals.
• Runeforge
• College of Magic
• Folly

Upgrading personal resources

Mithril can be used to upgrade:

• Mana site - each upgrade alternates between 1 and 2 additional crystals per season
• Mine - each upgrade gives 2 addition ingots per season
• Military Unit - each upgrade gives 20 additional soldiers.

To upgrade a resource requires Imperial wains of mithril equal to the level the resource is being upgraded to. So the first upgrade of a starting level 1 military unit costs 2 Imperial wains of mithril, from 2 to 3 costs 3 Imperial wains, etc.

Further Reading

• Imperial Bourse
• Commission