Great Pits of Ennerlund

Overview

The Great Pits of Ennerlund are located in Ennerlund in the League territory of Holberg. Custodianship of the Great Pits grants an Imperial title; a seat on the Imperial Bourse; and a seasonal bounty of valuable mithril.

The Resource

The Great Pits of Ennerlund were rightly famous for the impressive application of ingenious League engineering. Dug dangerously close to the bounds of the Morass the mithril mine was kept dry by mechanised pumps. The pits 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. This act of vandalism was slightly overshadowed by the atrocity that accompanied it - when the pits were finally liberated, it became clear that the Druj had herded hundreds of enslaved miners into the tunnels and collapsed the tunnels on top of them.

Extensive work was required to restore the pits to working order - not only clearing the collapsed tunnels (and extracting the bodies of the dead) but also replacing the pumps without which the lower levels have already been submerged. The Imperial Senate passed a motion to repair the Pits but did not fund it; instead Bridget Eastville of the Marches, the Senator for Mitwold provided the 250 Thrones required to complete the project. Rumours at the time suggested this money came as part of a loan from the Marches, one that the Senate was later called upon to repay.

Work restoring the Great Pits 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. Even after the pits had been reopened, problems continue. The slow spread of The Morass has left the lower levels prone to serious flooding - significantly increasing the upkeep cost of the mine.

The Bourse Seat

Responsibilities

The Seat has no particular responsibilities; they simply receive a bounty of mithril which is theirs to do with as they will. If the Great Pits of Ennerlund were to be threatened in any way, it would be the responsibility of the Seat to deal with those threats. Likewise, if any particular opportunity were to arise related to the Great Pits of Ennerlund, the Seat would expect to be consulted as to how that opportunity might be resolved.

Powers

Seat on the Bourse

Custodianship of the Great Pits of Ennerlund comes with a seat on the Imperial Bourse. For the most part, this Seat comes with no additional responsibilities. It is an Imperial title that grants the right to participate on the rare occasion when the Imperial Bourse as a body is required to make a decision. Bounty of mithril

The Seat has control of a source of mithril and receives Bourse certificates to represent that control. They can dispense this resource as they choose. Production is 27 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

Appointment

As with all mithril Bourse seats, the holder of the title is determined during the Autumn Equinox. As an Imperial seat, any Imperial citizen may participate in the auction and hold the title.

Custodianship of the Great Pits of Ennerlund is retained for a year, or until the citizen holding the seat dies, or steps down. An Imperial Bourse seat cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.