Metal and stone
"It's too much," said the herald suddenly.
"I know," he said gently. Elijah felt himself warming to the creature at last. If it could understand what was at stake, realise that it was asking too much, perhaps there was hope. "We'll have to find another way. I doubt anyone in the Senate will wish to see this wonderful place sacrificed just so..."
"What are you talking about?" The herald interrupted, quizzically.
"The... the lake and the seminary and the... look, the swans and... the lake!" Elijah gestured at the scene before them. The herald followed where he was pointing and shrugged.
"Yes, the lake" it agreed. "I've estimated the volume of water again, and it's clear there's just too much of it for the sluices and pumps as they're currently envisioned. The House of Fire and Flame needs to reassess their projections, or they'll drown before they can finish the excavations."
"But the swans..." Elijah was desperate now. How could this creature not understand what it was asking?
The herald looked at the swans, gliding gently across the water. It was clearly unimpressed.
"Oh, don't worry about that," it said after a moment. "I've arranged new swans. And unlike these pointless animals, the swans I have in mind will actually be useful!"
Overview
The Imperial Conclave chose during the Spring Equinox to avail themselves of an offer made by the Sovereign Lord of the City of Fire and Stone - to send the Architects of Iron and Stone (a guild of heralds based in the fire mountain Shikal) to assess three Imperial Bourse seats.
At some expense, the Archmage of Autumn chose to send them to the Brilliant Star in Redoubt, to the Vigilant Swan in Reikos, and to the Pride of Ikka's Tears in Sermersuaq. After a season of examining and evaluating these seats, the Architects are ready to deliver their proposals as to how these seats might be improved.
We the conclave formally accept the services of Architects of the Iron Stone to investigate the seats named. We also reiterate Conclave's interest in maintaining the current state of trade and mutual respect with Estavus at neutrality. The seats in order are the Brilliant Star in Redoubt, the Vigilant Swan in Reikos, and the Pride of Ikka's Tears in Sermersuaq.
Archmage of Autumn, Edmundo of Damakhan's Forge, Declaration of AlignmentBrilliant Star
- Izenbra of the Architects of Iron and Stone has two proposals for the Brilliant Star
- Bespoke ushabti could be used to increase the mithril production of the mine by 3 wains each season
- The Tower of Shield and Spear would protect the mithril from raids and theft
The Brilliant Star consists of a network of tunnels beneath the peaks of Tomari in Redoubt. Its walls once gleamed with a beautiful, soft radiance that inspires clarity of thought. Everything changed when Cold Sun attacked, and now the tunnels are filled with a seeping black-green luminescence that twists and blinds those who are exposed to it for too long.
Izenbra, the emissary of the Architects of Iron and Stone is a four-armed humanoid dressed from head to foot in shimmering green and crimson robes, with a full-face mask of translucent crystal that distorts its features. Both are impregnated with tempest jade, the better to protect it from the radiance that fills the mine, it informs the magicians of Urizen. Even with such defences it displays some trepidation about exploring its depths and after initial exposure describes the experience as "deeply unpleasant" - perhaps an understatement given how dangerous prolonged exposure to the radiance can be. It also expresses a great deal of interest in the splinterstars formed by exposing tempest jade talismans to the mine's new radiance.
After several weeks, Izenbra expresses further reservations. The Brilliant Star has only recently been expanded by the Imperial Senate. The radiance evoked by the twisted Day regio in its depths helps the miners locate veins of mithril ore swiftly and efficiently. There is only so much aid that the Architects of Iron and Stone will be able to offer here. Still, they are contracted to provide their services and they are consummate professionals, but off-the-record the crystal-masked herald believes the aid they can offer will be limited.
Tempest Miners
- The Architect of the Crucible could have bespoke ushabti created to work the depths of the Brilliant Star
- This would increase the production of the mine by 3 wains each season as long as they kept their Miracle and Wonder power committed to the task
During the initial assessment, Izenbra spends some time speaking to miners. One of the problems the mine has is that even with the additional funds provided by the Senate, mortal workers can only endure the light of the mines for so long. There are some simple ways to improve the situation by using overlapping shifts and the like, or improving the logistics of delivering tempest jade, but they would be "tweaks" that improve the safety of the miners rather than any concrete benefit to production.
However... the herald points out that the Urizeni have access to a source of labour that is not mortal: the ushabti. Early experiments have shown that traditional ushabti don't help very much; they require too much supervision to work in the mines and that means exposing a magician to the corrupted radiance. Izenbra, however, believes that the answer lies over the border in Zenith at the Crucible of Fate, in the hands of the Architect of the Crucible.
The Architect of the Crucible has the capacity to order the creation of bespoke ushabti tailored to many different environments and situations. At the moment they are being used to support the restoration of Zenith, but they could be used instead to build ushabti suited to the Brilliant Star. Using tempest jade and weltsilver, the ushabti would be able to work tirelessly without risking blindness or sickness, and they would be able to operate with less supervision meaning that there would be less risk to a magician overseer. Indeed, the koboldi nest that lives at the Crucible seem quite excited by the possibility of helping to design such things and as soon as they become aware of the opportunity they start pestering the artisans with suggestions as to how best to go about it (although Izenbra and the servants of Adamant pointedly ignore one another). The money needed would come from that paid by the Senate to upkeep the mine.
Creating these specialised ushabti would require the Architect to shift the focus of the Crucible of Fate. Instead of being able to name a different Urizeni each season to receive specialist ushabti, they would concentrate on the Brilliant Star. This would increase the mithril output of the mine by 3 wains in the following season. To use this ability, the Architect of the Crucible would simply email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk and indicate they plan to start supporting the Brilliant Star. Rather than having to do this each season, the Crucible would continue building tempest jade ushabti until the Architect of the Crucible changed their mind again and named a character whose personal resource they wished to support.
Mountain Door
| Tower of Shield and Spear |
| Commission Type: Folly |
| Location: Tomari, Redoubt |
| Cost: 20 white granite, 10 mithril, 90 crowns, three months |
| Upkeep: None |
| Effect: Protects the Brilliant Star and prevents raids against the mithril it produces |
- Izenbra has outlined the creation of a tower carved into the mountain above the Brilliant Star
- This would serve as barracks for a garrison to protect the mine, and the mithril it produces
Izenbra also assesses the strategic position of the Brilliant Star, and notes that the biggest risk to the mine probably comes from the Grendel of the Broken Shore. While Tomari is protected from coastal assault by high cliffs and rugged terrain, if a Grendel force were to make landfall at Naris, raiders might target the mine or more likely the caravans that carry the mithril from its depths to where it can be used. Or even the skyways the Urizen are currently in the process of building. As the herald meditatively comments, getting the ore out of the ground is the easy part, and after that it is vulnerable right up until it is turned into something.
The Brilliant Star is in a relatively defensible position, and Izenbra notes that recent events make it clear that even a comparatively small force should be able to hold the mine until reinforcements from the Court of the White Fountain can arrive. Redoubt is known for its citadels and sentinels, and it should be a simple matter to recruit a cadre of them to protect the mithril when it is transported. Indeed, they draw up some very precise plans for a fortified citadel to protect the Brilliant Star, carving a strategically placed tower out of the mountain walls overlooking the mine that it dubs the Tower of Shield and Spear.
Once complete, the tower would serve as a barracks and armoury for a cadre of sentinels who would protect the mine. The mithril produced at the Brilliant Star would not be subject to theft without a major operation by enemies of the Empire (OOC Note: Any attempt to steal mithril from the mine, or to intercept caravans, would either fail outright or present a skirmish or battle allowing the theft to be stopped). As long as the region of Tomari was not completely conquered by an enemy force, the mine would hold out with the support of the sentinels at the Tower of Shield and Spear, and as long as any route existed to get the mithril out of Tomari to a region controlled by the Empire, the flow of mithril would not be interrupted.
Vigilant Swan
- Assessor Hedymarr visits the Vigilant Swan in Reikos and makes two proposals
- They will broker the services of the Manse of the Lionsmith to create guardians for the Bourse resource
- They can arrange for the House of Fire and Flame to open access to new deposits but at a great price
The Vigilant Swan is a quarry complex in the north of Riverwatch, in the territory of Reikos. Once it was a comparatively beautiful place as quarries go, surrounded by pools for washing the white granite and with flocks of swans. Thanks to the Druj, the stoneworks is now a massive, open-cast quarry - a savage wound in the face of the earth worked by enslaved Highborn. The nearby Seminary of the Swan is the only reminder of the beauty that was lost when the Druj took this place, and turned it into a charnel pit.
Assessor Hedymarr - a red-metallic being in intricately decorated segmented armour - spends some time examining the area of the quarry itself, and then explores the surrounding area. It spends literal days simple standing in one place, apparently divining the composition of the ground beneath its feet. As the season draws on, it returns to the Autumn realm without a word, reappearing at the quarry a mere fortnight before the Summer Solstice, with two proposals as to how the Vigilant Swan might be improved with the aid of the Mistress of Shikal.
Alabaster and Onyx Swans
| Swans of Alabaster and Onyx |
| Commission Type: Bourse seat improvement |
| Location: Riverwatch, Reikos |
| Cost: 20 mithril, 20 ilium, 120 crowns, six months |
| Upkeep: None |
| Effect: Provides a garrison to protect the Vigilant Swan |
- The Manse of the Lionsmith agree to provide magical defenders for the Vigilant Swan
- They would require an amount of mithril and liao, and the approval of the Imperial Senate
Assessor Hedymarr finds it unlikely that the quarry will come under attack any time soon, but nonetheless it can see a suitably thematic way to provide some protection to it and its workers. The Fire Mountain of Shikal is home to many wonders, from immense lava forges to creatures that are composed entirely of unliving material and yet seem to live. Many of these creatures are heralds of Estavus, some are constructs similar to ushabti. The Assessor proposes that the Empire secure the services of a group he calls the Manse of the Lionsmith to provide unsleeping guardians for the Vigilant Swan.
The Manse of the Lionsmith are heralds of Estavus whose expertise lies in the creation of constructs, and who the Assessor describes in not entirely flattering tones as "prone to sentiment and whimsy". If the Imperial Senate gives permission (and provide materials) they will build seven warrior-constructs in the shape of swan-like humanoids, one for each of the seven virtues the people of Highguard revere. They'll be armed and armoured, and infused with the spirit of a herald of Estavus allowing them to think, talk, and wield battlefield magics. They will serve as unceasing watchers, protecting the quarry, and prepared to fight to defend it if they are called upon.
Unlike a true fortification, the swans will only fight to defend the quarry although that might mean that they venture forth into the wider region of Riverwatch if they detect invaders. Essentially, they would function as a fortification (OOC Note: 3,000 strength) but they would only protect Riverwatch - they wouldn't make it harder to invade Reikos, not remove the uncontested penalty unless the attack was in Riverwatch. They would, however, require no upkeep, remaining in their position until they were dismissed by the holder of the Bourse seat, destroyed, or Estavus was placed under enmity - and in the latter case they would return once that enmity were removed. If damaged, they would slowly repair themselves or they could be repaired more quickly if Bourse seat holder provided them with mithril.
One potential drawback is that in theory they would continue to protect the quarry no matter who it belonged to. If the region fell into the hands of an enemy, and the swans had not been destroyed in the process, they would continue to protect the quarry from anyone who attacked it.
The Manse of the Lionsmith are prepared to undertake the work to provide defenders to the Vigilant Swan at any point over the next year. After the end of the Spring Equinox 387YE if work has not begun the opportunity is lost (although the Archmage of Autumn may be able to use their power of Plenipotentiary to ask for it to be renegotiated).
Expand the Quarry
| Widen the Quarry |
| Type:Senate Motion (not a Commission) |
| Location: Riverwatch, Reikos |
| Cost: 70 thrones, three months |
| Special: Destroys the Seminary of the Swan |
| Effect: Increases production of Vigilant Swan by 4 wains of white granite each season and grant the ability to bring in more workers to operate the quarry |
| Additional Quarry Workers | |
| 72 crowns | 3 wains of white granite |
| 168 crowns | 6 wains of white granite |
| 288 crowns | 9 wains of white granite |
- The House of Fire and Flame can greatly expand the quarry allowing immediate access to a major new source of white granite
- As well as improving the production of the quarry the Bourse seat holder would be able to employ many more workers if they were prepared to pay
- Unfortunately the work cannot be done without destroying the nearby Seminary of the Swan
Assessor Hedymarr has identified a way to increase the production of the quarry by greatly expanding its girth. Rather than rely on mortal means, the Assessor proposes to involve the House of Fire and Flame to clear the obstacles between the quarry and an immense deposit of white granite they have identified. Once work was complete it would increase the production of the Vigilant Swan by four wains of white granite each season. Indeed, such is the extent of the find that the Bourse seat holder will likely need to bring in more workers to fully exploit it (allowing them a ministry in which they would pay money for additional white granite on a season-by-season basis).
The work would be expensive; the House of Fire and Flame would like to be paid in precious gemstones, gold, silver, and other valuable minerals with a total cost of 70 Thrones. The Imperial Senate would need to commission the project as there are no Imperial titles with the ability to amend Bourse seats. Work would be incredibly quick once started however; barely three months for the heralds to bring their engines of destruction to bear on the Vigilant Swan.
There is, unfortunately, a side effect of the blasting. Opening up the quarry and gaining access to the new source of white granite will drain the nearby lakes. The heralds are not concerned about this because they are used to dealing with unwanted water; it takes some time for Assessor Hedymarr to properly understand that the problem some of those it speaks to have is not about do with safety or engineering. Rather their concerns revolve around the fact that when the nearby lakes drain that will destroy the Seminary of the Swan. Local Highborn are concerned both with the destruction of the nearby great work, and the continued expansion of a "wound in the earth" that some of them consider a grim reminder of Reikos' occupation by the Druj. On the other hand, ambition can rarely be achieved without consequence.
The offer from the House of Fire and Flame is only available until the end of the Spring Equinox 387YE, and if work has not begun by then the opportunity is lost (although the Archmage of Autumn may be able to use their power of Plenipotentiary to ask for it to be renegotiated).
Pride of Ikka's Tears
- Architect Noether visited the Pride of Ikka's Tears and makes two proposals to improve the mithril mine
- The Bastion of the North would be a fortification that protected the mithril mine, its workers, and the mithril it produces
- A deep shaft could be dug into the stone beneath the glacier providing access to even more mithril
In northern Sermersuaq, almost at the farthest point north the Empire reaches, is the Pride of Ikka's Tears. The mithril mine extends partly through, but mostly beneath, the immense glacier which some Suaq tales say is haunted by the ghosts of dead trolls. Architect Noether - a soft-spoken creature whose shape and features are almost impossible to make out due to the great swathe of fur and wool in which it is cocooned - spends weeks exploring the tunnels, observing the miners, and not speaking a single word to anyone. It then clambers up the side of the glacier to a ledge two-hundred feet up where it stands completely motionless and unresponsive for long enough that some of the miners worry it may have frozen to death. There is some very poor taste betting as to when it will fall back to earth (if ever), but after five days and night it simply clambers back down the glacier, coated in snow and rime, and begins to draw. Only then, after two months of total silence, does it speak, and the first thing it does is express its opinion that there are two problems with Pride of Ikka's Tears - it is in a terrible location strategically speaking, and it lacks ambition.
Terrible Location
| Bastion of the North |
| Commission Type: Fortification |
| Location: Suaq Fount, Sermersuaq |
| Cost: 180 white granite, and 67 thrones 4 crowns, two years |
| Upkeep: Standard (18 Thrones each season |
| Effect: Fortifies Suaq Fount, creating a rank two fortification; allows the seat holder to spend money recruiting additional workers; prevents raiders from impacting the production of the seat |
| Special: Estavus can be prevailed on to provide the labour for the fortification |
- Architect Noether presents plans for a fortification to protect the Pride of Ikka's Tears
- It can engage the services of the Congeries of Asphalt and Gneiss to complete the construction in half the time
The danger of invasion from Jotun or Thule, or attack by creatures out of Tsirku has been driven home in recent years. The Assessor of Estavus joins its voice to that of Peter of Hintown and the architect Ana, in proposing the Empire fortify the mine. The proposal is that the Senate simply build the largest fortification they can, ringing the mine-workings with a solid curtain wall of white granite that is sunk deep into the walls of the glacier and with three massive watch-towers. The Bastion of the North would be large and impressive, a match for the Fortress of Kalant and Olgafsdottirshal, and would certainly give pause to any barbarians or monsters seeking to attack Sermersuaq. It will, of course, be quite costly and without the recent work done to provide roads and rest-stops for caravans going to and from the mine, it would be even more expensive.
| Attract mine workers | |
| 48 crowns | 2 wains of mithril |
| 112 crowns | 4 wains of mithril |
| 192 crowns | 6 wains of mithril |
| 289 crowns | 8 wains of mithril |
It would require a garrison - easily recruited from the warriors of Sermersuaq - but it would provide significant benefits. Secure in the knowledge that they would be protected from the various threats of monsters and barbarians, it would be significantly easier to secure extra workers to operate the mine, provided the Bourse seat was prepared to pay for them. Once the fortification was complete they would gain the power to recruit more workers to increase the amount of mithril the mine provided each season. They would also gain a new responsibility - to maintain and deal with any threats to the fortification.
The garrison would focus on protecting the mine, but they would also bolster caravans going to and from the mine. As long as the Empire continued to control the Pride of Ikka's Tears there would be no interruption to the flow of mithril. As long as it was feasible for Imperial caravans to get out of Sermersuaq, the metal would continue to flow. It would be easy to arrange as long as the Empire controls regions of Sermersuaq linking to Hahnmark, but there are other alternatives such as negotiation with the Thule of the Silver Peaks, or re-opening Pakaanan's Pass. Those are problems for the Empire. (OOC Note: In essence, as long as there was a route to the Empire that did not have to pass through hostile regions, the mithril would not be disrupted by an invasion without an opportunity to use the Sentinel Gate to stop it).
More Speed
- Estavus is prepared to send her own heralds to help build the fortification
- The decision lies with the Bourse holder
Architect Noether believes the Archmage is concerned about imminent threats - there are after all dangerous servants of Blood-on-the-Snow in the vicinity as well as a continuing breakdown in relations with the orcs of Otkodov. As such, they propose to liaise with the Congeries of Asphalt and Gneiss - another guild of heralds in the City of Flame and Stone - to undertake the construction of the Bastion of the North.
This will halve the labour cost (the Empire will still need to transport white granite to the site, so the costs will not be removed entirely), and halve the time it takes to construct the castle so that it will be finished in four seasons rather than eight. They will not do this for free however; they want 450 ingots in any combination of weltsilver, orichalcum, and green iron in return. To take advantage of this offer, the Bourse seat owner would ensure they had the materials to be delivered to the Congeries. (OOC Note: The Bourse seat holder would make sure they had the materials in their inventory, and email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk to let us know you want to trigger the opportunity). The offer will remain open until the end of the Spring Equinox 387YE - after that if the Empire wants to take advantage of it they will need to negotiate with Estavus.
If this opportunity were taken advantage of, however, it would not be possible to further speed up the construction by any means - it would be being built as fast as was physically possible. And there is one last restriction; the Congeries of Asphalt and Gneiss will not work with the heralds of Adamant. If the Master of the Koboldi is commissioned to oversee the fortification, this opportunity cannot be taken.
Actual Ambition
| Deep Shaft |
| Type:Senate Motion (not a Commission) |
| Location: Suaq Fount, Sermersuaq |
| Cost: 250 thrones, six months |
| Effect: Increases production of Pride of Ikka's Tears by 5 wains of mithril each season |
- Architect Noether identifies the ideal location for a deep shaft and radiating galleries
- Further Senate investment in the mine would further improve its production of mithril
The Architect has another proposal. They can tell there is significantly more mithril under the glacier than the Empire is currently exploiting. Mortal mines are a shadow of the immense undertakings that exist in the Autumn realm because they are limited by picks and shovels. The Senate has already expanded the workings once, but Noether has identified a location where a massive new shaft, running at a steep plane, would open up significantly more ore to the miners. It would be a challenging undertaking, but it would further improve the production of the mithril mine.
Architect Noether's plans for a grand new shaft and the galleries radiating from it will require a significant investment of 250 Thrones, and would take six months to complete (meaning that if the new shafts were commissioned at the Summer Solstice, the Bourse seat holder would gain their first new wains at the Spring Equinox 387YE). It would slightly increase the upkeep of the mine by 2 Thrones each season. On the other hand it would put the mine on par with the Great Pits of Ennerlund, Singing Caves, and Brilliant Star and make it one of the most lucrative mithril mines in the entire Empire.
The deep shaft will make the Pride of Ikka's Tears something the people of Wintermark can truly be proud of.
Timing
- Most of these projects are not time sensitive; unless the situation changes significantly they remain available
- The opportunities with the House of Fire and Flame, the Manse of the Lionsmith, and the Congeries of Asphalt and Gneiss are available only until the end of the Spring Equinox 387YE
The Architects of Iron and Stone have left plans for these modifications with the civil service, so there is no time pressure on either opportunity. As long as the situation does not significantly change, a future senate could take advantage of these offers. Only the opportunities involving other guilds from the City of Fire and Stone are restricted - the House of Fire and Flame, the Manse of the Lionsmith, and the Congeries of Asphalt and Gneiss will withdraw their offers if they have not been taken up by the start of the Spring Equinox 387YE.