Long shadows
Vanir was studying his dowsing pendulum - a disc of weltsilver set with tempest jade and inscribed with the runes Sular and Ophis. It rotated lazily over his palm, and whatever information the runesmith derived from it was entirely opaque to Moen. The older man stole a glance at their other companion - at the orc travelling with them. Sunhammer Hurk was gazing up toward the mountains, eyes shaded, peering at the late afternoon sky. He was clearly with not happy with what he saw there. Moen could no more read anything in the alpine sky than he could in the revolutions of the spinning pendulum. He'd grown up in gentle grasslands and it had been the novelty of visiting these great peaks that had drawn him northward when Vanir had casually suggested it shortly after the Winter Solstice. He'd been entirely unprepared for how cold it was, much to the amusement of his new order-mates.
Feeling a little left out, Moen watched the workers instead. After a few minutes he frowned
"Why are there no orcs?", he wondered aloud.
Sunhammer Hurk's eyes stayed focused on the sky, and he answered without looking at the older man. "You're not from around here, are you?" he asked mildly.
Runesmith Vanir fumbled his pendulum awayd. "Maybe we should-" he started, but Moen was already answering.
"I'm not, I'm sorry. We've only been in the Empire for a little while. There aren't really any orcs in the Confederacy. Have I said something wrong?"
Moen felt his cheeks heating. He was constantly getting things wrong, and it always made him feel wretched. He looked over at Vanir, his fellow magician looked embarrassed.
"Thought so," said Sunhammer Hurk shortly. He didn't sound angry or anything, just tired. He stopped studying the sky and turned his attention on the former Suranni. "The Sunstorm don't work mines. Too many bad memories. Not for us. For those gone before."
Moen started to apologise again but the orc just shrugged. "Don't worry about it, it happens."
They stood in awkward silence for a moment, but Moen had another question and couldn't hold it back.
"If you don't like mines, why are we prospecting the mountains?"
Sunhammer Hurk snorted
"We don't like working mines," he said. "That doesn't mean we don't like owning mines."
Overview
The Imperial Senate has approved the plan to encourage miners, prospectors and skilled labourers to travel to Skarsind and search the mountains for valuable deposits of metal that can feed the hungry forges of the Ethengraw. The full funding was provided by Irontide Flax and the labourers aided in their quest by diviners, recruiters, investors, and entrepreneurs from the Golden Pyramid who have come at the request of the Grandmaster to lend whatever support they can.
Large parts of Skarsind are undeveloped, especially in the north. There are the old mine-workings of the previous inhabitants as well as wide areas that have never been settled. That is now changing rapidly as people prospect the wild regions. Care is taken to avoid Crow's Ridge, since the Thule will surely lay claim to any wealth that is found there, but Pakaanan's Pass, Estermark and Skogei Glens are soon bustling with prospectors looking for work. They are ably assisted by magicians from the Golden Pyramid. Diviners, prognosticators, investors, and entrepreneurs from the Pyramid have all travelled to the alpine territory to provide invaluable assistance to those searching for riches in the snow-capped mountains.
The prospecting proves highly successful. Significant deposits of iron, and some valuable seems of silver are quickly unearthed. One prospector claims to have found a deposit of rocks infused with energies from the Night realm but they refuse to reveal the location of their strike for fear that another might steal it. Several highly valuable deposits are discovered and their locations confirmed. Each will need some investment to realise their potential.
A Prosperous Endeavour
- Each magician in the Golden Pyramid has received 2 crowns from their work in Skarsind
- If your character would not have gone to help in Skarsind, just hand the coins back to GOD when you get your pack
- The Golden Pyramid order might offer similar assistance in another territory
Regardless of their individual role, the assistance of the Golden Pyramid proves invaluable. There are as many ways to make a difference in the mountains of Skarsind as there are magicians. While some practice ritual magic to help locate or exploit resources, others provide practical assistance with healing and bolstering magic for expeditions into the wild peaks during the harsh winter. Still others offer assistance in a more mundane fashion - there are plenty of magicians in the order who have become wealthy thanks to their skills and they are always looking for new opportunities to invest.
In accordance with their manifesto, magicians of the Order have been well paid for their work. Each magician has received 2 additional crowns in their pack representing the remaining profits from their endeavours. The money will be added to the pack of every member of the Golden Pyramid who was at the last event. Anyone who feels their character would not have taken part in the expedition in Skarsind can hand the coins back in at the desk in GOD when they get their pack.
A number of the magicians who heed the call of the Grandmaster find the adventure and excitement quite stimulating. The opportunity to go to new places, explore the wilder margins of the Empire, experience the joy of discovery, and get paid a fair wage for doing so is very appealing. As such, there is some interest in continuing this endeavour in a different territory. During the Spring Equinox, the Grandmaster of the Golden Pyramid can guide their order to engage in a similar exploration in a different territory. They must name the territory, and if the Imperial Conclave agrees, members of the order will visit that territory in the coming months and see what opportunities they can find for enriching themselves and those who live there. As with any effort to direct an order, this will take 20 crystal mana from the font at the end of the Conclave session in which it is passed.
The Grandmaster may include in their declaration a suggestion for the main focus of the expedition; exploring a certain terrain for example or prioritising a certain resource. There's no guarantee that the expedition will be as lucrative or rewarding as the exploration of Skarsind; the presence of large numbers of well-paid prospectors greatly enhance the ability to poke around forgotten corners of the wild mountains. Likewise, the more settled and explored the territory is, the less likely it is the order will find anything of great value. The presence of wild areas - marshes, forests, and hills - greatly increases the likelihood that there is something hidden away in the corner of a territory that has been missed by earlier explorers.
Sound Business Plan
- Businesses in Skarsind can diversify for free
The prospectors find numerous deposits of magical metals like green iron and weltsilver in the course of their surveys. The Sunstorm sept have a longstanding antipathy for working in mines, which is already beginning to rub off on the other septs. Fortunately the Senate motion encouraging miners and labourers to move to Skarsind means that there are more than enough people to work these new mines, provided there are orcs prepared to buy the metals they dig up.
The rich supply of valuable metals available for purchase in Skarsind, means it much easier for businesses based there to arrange contracts to buy the metals at cheap prices. As a result, any business in Skarsind can diversify for free for as long as the current situation endures.
| The Cracking Void |
| Commission Type: Sinecure |
| Location: Eastermark, Skarsind |
| Cost: 7 weirwood, 7 mithril and 42 crowns in labour |
| Effect: Creates the Fugleman of the Cracking Void |
| Special: Provides 8 Tempest Jade to the Golden Pryamid each season |
| Fugelman of the Cracking Void |
| Appointment: Any |
| Powers: 15 ingots of Tempest Jade |
| Responsibilities: To liaise with Golden Pyramid magicians and keep the mine safe |
The Cracking Void
- Commissioning the Cracking Void would produce a source of Tempest Jade for the Empire and a small income of the metal for the Golden Pyramind
The mountains of Skarsind contain many old mine workings, some of which have long since been abandoned. The assumption is that whatever seams were originally being worked have long since been played out, but that is not always the case. Alonsios de Temeschwar takes it upon themselves to investigate several disused mines in Eastermark and their Prosperity is rewarded when they discover values deposits in a mine that collapsed decades ago called the Cracking Void.
The Void still contains rich seams of tempest jade, but it seems the entire working was abandoned due to the difficulties in excavating new galleries. The stone in this area is weak and cracked, which makes digging out new passages easy, but makes it much harder to shore up the workings safely. Mine props can only do so much to mitigate the risks, if the stone is not strong enough to be buttressed.
Once the problem is identified, Alonsios and his fellow Golden Pyramid magicians are quick to develop a proposal that would allow the mine workings to be reopened. Their proposal relies on magicians from the Order being permanently stationed here, to help cast the relevant divinations and prognostications that would be needed to ensure working the mine remained safe. To be Prosperous to all, Alonsios suggests splitting the profits between those who work there, the Imperial Orcs whose territory this is, and members of the order who work to keep the mine viable.
It would require a suitable commission able to create a sinecure to reopen the mine. Doing so would require 7 wains of weirwood, 7 wains of mithril, and 42 crowns in labour. The work would be finished in three months, and once complete would create a new Imperial title of the Fugelman of the Cracking Void who would receive an income of 15 ingots of tempest jade each season.
In addition the agreements with the Golden Pyramid magicians would mean the Goledn Pyramid would gain ten Tempest Jade each season for their vault, as long as the mine remained open and the order was prepared to offer magical assistance to keep the mine operational.
The Lost Mines
- There are two wealthy mines, Crimson Peak Mining and the Wells of Janon that were abandoned over half a decade ago
- Crimson Peak Mining has been taken over by monsters
- The Wells of Janon have gone missing
Scouring the mountains of Skarsind also turns up two very valuable mines, both of which have been abandoned without good reason in the last decade.
| Crimson Peak Profits | |
| 6 crowns | 10 measures of Orichalcum |
| 15 crowns | 21 measures of Orichalcum |
| 25 crowns | 30 measures of Orichalcum |
Crimson Peak Mining
- Crimson Peak Mining has been overrun by trogoni
- Following the Spring Equinox an adventure is available to Imperial Orcs and Golden Pyramid military units
- Once sufficient force has been employed the mines will provide additional options to the Steward of Gulhule and the Golden Pyramid
The first, Crimson Peak Mining, was the legal property of Wulfric Kelvinsson, a citizen of Wintermark who has by all accounts been dead for many years. Without good management, the mines were overrun by trogoni several years ago. The pack were in residence long before the Red Iron Door was put in place to seal off the lower levels of Lorenzo's Deep Pockets. It looks like these trogoni have been there for years without causing a problem - but they would need to be cleared out before the mine could be reopened.
Fortunately there is a significant bounty of orichalcum available to pay for reavers or foreign mercenaries to clear the mine. During the coming season, any Imperial Orcs or Golden Pyramid military unit may take the action Clear Crimson Peak Mining to play a part in regaining the mine. If the combined military strength of the units assigned to clear the mines is at least five hundred, then they will be able to kill all the trogoni and the mines can be claimed by the prospectors.
If that happens then the Steward of the Mines of Gulhule will be able to buy orichalcum directly from the newly operational mines, giving them a new set of purchase options in addition to their regular choices. Furthermore, the grateful miners will arrange for 3 ingots of orichalcum to be sent to the Golden Pyramid Conclave vault each season, as long as Crimson Peak Mining remained operational.
Wells of Janon
- The Wells of Janon have been reclaimed by their eternal patron and hidden in a powerful shroud of Night magic
- The Golden Pyramid suggest someone could talk to Janon about them
The second of the lost mines is the Wells of Janon which were the the property of Ashborn Larch before they passed away. During the occupation of Skarsind by the Thule, miners took refuge in the galleries and passages here. The entire mine was concealed from the hungry jaws of the dragons with the aid of the Night eternal Janon, who had long served as a patron of the Winterfolk who worked here. Precisely, what Janon's interest in the mine or the miners was remains a mystery. As does the exact location of the mines themselves. When prospectors explored the area, they could not find the mines. It was not until a party of Golden Pyramid magicians versed in the lores of Day and Night made the trek to Gulhule that an explanation was provided. In the absence of anyone working the mines, the Firebrand has reclaimed them and erected a ward of shadows that conceals them from outsiders.
After some discussion, it becomes apparent that some of the Imperial Orcs settlements nearby have had some dealings with the people who still live in the area of the mine. While the Wells might be hidden, they are not abandoned. Back when Skarsind was part of Wintermark, the folk who mined the green iron here were "friends" of Janon. When not working the mine, they would "commune with their inner flame" and "dance to the beat of their hearts" apparently. Shortly after the death of Ashborn Larch, heralds of the Shadowed Flame apparently visited the human miners, convinced them to stop mining and embrace the traditions of those who had gone before them, and helped raise the shroud that now hides the area. The former miners now apparently do a little mining, but mostly spend their time brewing and drinking moonshine, watching the stars, trading small amounts of metal ore with their orc neighbours, and occasionally hunting the nearby woods. They're apparently keen to be left alone to keep doing that.
The Golden Pyramid magicians are at a loss on how to proceed. There are clearly some riches here, of the kind produced by any rich mine, but it is not clear how to access them. The best suggestion they can come up with is to ask Janon and see what favour he might demand in return for access to the mines wealth.
| The Sorrowful Tunnels |
| Commission Type: Bourse Seat |
| Location: Gildermark, Skarsind |
| Cost: 20 weirwood and 60 crowns in labour |
| Effect: Creates the Sorrowful Tunnels Bourse Seat |
| Benefits: 18 wains of mithril each season |
| Special: Can purchase additional mithril |
| Additional Production | |
| 72 crowns | 3 wains of mithril |
| 168 crowns | 6 wains of mithril |
| 288 crowns | 9 wains of mithril |
The Sorrowful Tunnels
- The prospectors have found what appear to be troll ruins in an old mithril mine in Gildermark
- The Tunnels can produce 18 wains of mithril each season and more with additional investment
- A historical research on the troll ruins could be commissioned if establishment of the seat is delayed for a year
One of the first finds in the mountains eventually proves to be far and away the most valuable. A group of prospectors, guided by Golden Pryamid dowsers, find a network of unusually large tunnels and caves in the mountains of Gildermark. The Sorrowful Tunnels have a poor reputation for they are plagued by a dolorous aura, a great feeling of melancholy and sadness descends on any who spend time in them, that quickly becomes overpowering. They have long been ignored and overlooked for that reason, but the prospectors leave no stone unturned. A group of Varushkan miners from Volodmartz theorize that the aura might be an omen of something valuable hidden in the depths of the mountains, and given they are being well paid are prepared to take the risk of delving deep into the darkness under Gildermark. They make extensive preparations, including a small fortune in lightstone, before leading an expedition into the winding tunnels. Their tenacity is ultimately rewarded, when they discover that the old passages contain not one but two treasures.
Far beneath the surface of Skarsind, there are deep runes carved into the walls of the tunnels and signs that someone, or something, once dwelt here. There are signs of habitation that give all the impression of being centuries old, if not more. There are no old tales or legends of what being might once have lived here, but the evidence points to it being a troll. These lands were once part of a great troll kingdom, and it seems that the Sorrowful Tunnels may have been an outpost of some kind - perhaps even the aerie of the creature that oversaw the Gildenheim runeforge. Or perhaps not an outpost; perhaps a mine. The other treasure found deep, deep down in the darkness are rich seams of glistering mithril. More than enough to create a lucrative seat on the Imperial Bourse, once the immiserating aura that suffuses the tunnels is dealt with.
After careful inspection, with the aid of magical protectionss provided by the Golden Pyramid, the civil service confirm that the Sorrowful Tunnels could produce 18 wains of mithril each season, or more if the miners could be provided with a steady supply of liao used for anointing that would help them overcome the Tunnel's dismal ambience. Such liao is available to purchase relatively easily, but the Seat would be responsible for providing funds to secure it in sufficient quantities.
The Tunnels need comparatively little investment to make them operational; the main obstacle is the sheer depth that must be plumbed to reach the mithril face. A Senate commission, 20 wains of weirwood, and 60 crowns in labour would be sufficient to see the mine operational in a single season. The resulting Bourse Seat would be available for allocation by the Senate once work was completed, and would be appointed (by Auction of the Seats if it were Imperial, or by military unit commanders through Tally of the Votes, depending on whether it was an Imperial or National position.
Unfortunately, excavating the mines will inevitably destroy the delicate archaeological evidence that fills the area. Once that happens it would be impossible to learn anything of historical value from the site. To avoid that fate, the Imperial Senate or the Minister could instruct the civil service to carry out historical research on the Tunnels. It would only require a single historical research commission, but it would take a year to complete the work. Once complete, a full report of the troll legacy in the Tunnels would be presented to whoever commissioned the research, and the results would then be published as normal. Both Snowstorm Henk and Mark Siwarsbairn are understandably excited by the opportunity to lead an academic examination of these deep, haunted tunnels. As painstaking care would be needed throughout, however, any production of mithril would have to wait until the research was completed. In the event the Senate commissions the mithril seat while research is underway, the expedition would come to a grinding halt with whatever had been uncovered up to that point representing only the most superficial information.
Further Reading
- Skarsind
- Standing in the sun - 385YE Winter Wind of Fortune