Into Skyrim, Elder Scrolls 8 Nirn's Beta-Chapter 93: Gold and Brittle

I jumped off the carriage the moment we arrived. Hajvarr was outside leaning on a wall. I called out, "So what's up?"

Hajvarr blinked, "Oh, perfect timing. Derkeethus just got done inspecting the place. At first he thought it was really just an empty mine. However the guy followed the trail of two miners who died here."

Ogul from the Orc tribe clicked his tongue. "I can see why they died. This will be a difficult place to mine. I'd say 70% of this mine might be in Black Lead."

Hajvarr nodded, "Derkeethus said the same. The camp area should be safe though. It's just inside, let's go."

As we walked in Viree asked the question I was curious of too. "What is Black Lead?"

As when entered it was Illia who answered. "A black flaky rock that can smudge the skin. Some people try to use it to write, but the rock is so brittle that its can be difficult to use. The rock looks similar to lead though so people call it Black Lead.

Entering the camp I saw Deepest-Fathoms fishing in the small pond with Ulfr. Derkeethus by the fire though, chimed in the conversation. "It is a type of mica, Argonians call it Plumbalgo rock."

Why did that sound familiar? Plumbalgo was one of those words heard once you don't really forget. I just don't remember what it was. I got back on track and addressed the matter at hand. "Ogul here is from Largashur. His tribe will be moving camp up north in a cave called Fallowstone cave."

Ogul interrupted me briefly. "Was Fallowstone made of Black Lead?"

I shook my head, "The stone was black yes, but not this stuff." I ran a finger across a stone on the ground to make my point. Ogul nodded, "That will make the mining operation easier if this cave goes north. We will be able to create some good support beams."

Derkeethus nodded, "We will need several trees though. We can get most from the surrounding area at the start. However that won't sustain long and we will need to order some wood from Ivarstead and Falkreath."

I frowned, "Falkreath will be expensive, perhaps we can find an alternative in time."

Ogul nodded, "I do have an idea, but its what got our tribe cursed in the first place."

I thought about it, "Mammoth bones, Giants could also work. It is a smart idea, I think we could start by just raiding a mammoth graveyard. There is a rather large on in the pale west of the Loreius farm."

Derkeethus responded, "That will be up to you as you are the sponsor of the mine. Let's get to the the mine itself."

I nodded and Derkeethus got up and me and Ogul followed him. Viree waved, "I'll stay here, I'm going to practice my... uh words."

I nodded and she took out her small notebook. She was getting better with the common tongue. I should write down more vocabulary words for her. I caught up to Derkeethus as he explained, "I cleared some of the area to head back here where the water is coming from. That is where most of the mining will like start."

As we walked the newly made path Illia spoke up. "This place, it feels... dark."

Ogul nodded, "Now that you mention it walking through here does feel ominous."

Derkeethus also commented on the feeling, "I chalked it up to nerves, Ulfr felt it too, but Hajvarr said he couldn't."

I paused and stopped in my tracks. I had played almost all the Elderscrolls game, the only one I had few hours on though was Online. Perhaps that's why I forgot it, but this place wasn't always called Lost Prospect Mine. "Now that you mention it... I think i just remembered something that may make mining a little harder."

The group stopped and looked at me. Derkeethus being the foreman asked for the reason. "What would that be? If it is the dead miners and weird feeling I doubt that would stop those looking for work."

I sighed, "No, if it was I wouldn't really mention it. However a long, long time ago. This area was home to Worm Cultists."

Illia gasped and the two men shuddered slightly. Worm Cultists rare as they were, were much scarier than your average necromancer. I explained more quickly though, "This was in the second era though. The feeling we experience is likely some trace of the long forgotten past."

Derkeethus nodded, "That shouldn't be a problem for miners if it happened that long ago. Except I assume you mention this not because the activity of cultists in an era long past."

I nodded, "Magic like that can sap all life in an area. Rocks aren't living creatures, but they can still be effected by magic like that."

Illia frowned, "Weakening the rocks in the area. The already brittle Black Lead becoming more so and the rocks that aren't Black Lead just as frail."

Ogul commented on the situation, "Extraction of the metals will be easy, but the refinement process will be effected as well. Metals found in magic dense or magicless areas often show varying forging results. We could counter the effects if we knew the spells casted here. However unless we uncover something of the cult I fear we likely will have to trial and error."

Derkeethus tilted his head, "If the place was a home of a cult in the second era, it likely meant the cave itself and the rocks crumbled somewhere in the second era as well. At most the cave might have survived till the third era."

I paused in some thought and as I stared at part of the brittle walls I realized something. "What if we don't mine for the gold?"

The other three also stopped, they asked all in a similar manner. "What do you mean?"

"This black lead, Plumbalgo you called it. What if we mine for it instead? Where I come from, it has another name." My smile crossed my face, "It's called Graphite, and despite not many uses. The uses it does have are likely to be incredibly profitable."

Derkeethus paused in thought. "You want to use it as a writing tool? Some do try to do that, but... like the witch said earlier the Plumbalgo or graphite as you called it doesn't sustain a form very well due to its brittleness."

"We use wood or paper, even leather wrappings will likely work if we dry them right. We first grind it down and recompress the graphite. This will likely fall on the orc tribe to do. However from there we turn them into thinner tubes. The next step would be wrapping a tight outer layer of another material around the tube. Wood would be the best, but I am sure if done right we can use other methods. From there we sell them and the process to use them."

Inventing the pencil was not the plan I had for this mine. However with how skyrim was and perhaps the rest of Tamriel. The pencil would be incredibly profitable, especially if we could include some kind of eraser.

Illia nodded at the idea, "Mages would go crazy for a better writing implement."

I my smiled shifted to a smirk, "Graphite can be used for more than just that. Get our hands on some good iron and we can use graphite instead of coal for steel. Coal and Graphite are both forms of carbon the key ingredient in steel. If Graphite a much more solid and pure form of carbon is used."

Ogul's eyes widened, "A much higher quality of steel can be made!"

Derkeethus responded quickly, "Those are only two uses of this Graphite. The way you are talking, it sounds like you have more ideas?"

I nodded, "I only know two other uses, one is as a lubricant. I am sure you rubbed your fingers together after touching the stuff right Derkeethus?"

His eyes widened, "I did! I can't believe it! This could actually make mining twice, no, five times as fast. If we could use it as a dry lubricant on the mining carts excavation would go much faster. By far the transportation of material out of a mine is the most time consuming if that is reduced..."

Illia shook her head, "That's thinking small Derkeethus. Helpful to the current situation, but on a much larger scale."

I finished the thought for her, "It can be used to lubricate carriages, function as a dry rub for alchemy and magical crafts, finally it can be used in metal works.

Ogul instantly caught on, "Mold fabrication! if it can be used to make steel..."

I smirked, "The forth reason why the Graphite is better than the gold. There is a War! Dragons! Fucking Vampires! Mass production of weaponry and other tools."

All of them gasped as the realization, it was Derkeethus who responded first though. "Most mines have smelters to turn things into ingots. Ingot castings cost several thousands septims. A single Ingot cast in skyrim is worth more than a home in Whiterun. If castings of swords or even just farming tools are sold." He shook his head in disbelief.

I gestured a small motion, "The ingot castings couldn't be sold directly to the empire though. Despite their cost here in skyrim a friend in Solitude informed me that castings like that are common in Cyrodil. His lack of a sword cast made his work for the legion much harder. So sells would be limited."

Ogul gave a nod, "Once a mine or smithery bought one they would have no need for anymore. The only cost that would stay the same is upkeep. Most ingot casts from my knowledge need to be dusted. I assume that is why you suggested it as a lubricant before the metal casting."

I nodded, "Originally my plans were based on the gold here. The crew we have now, plus a few more miners, was essentially the limit we needed for my plan."

Derkeethus shook his head, "We now have a higher risk. A gold mine means possible thieves. A mine for an exclusive production of a previously unused material? Thieves would be the least of our worries."

I nodded again, "Thankfully some of my addition ideas can be used as a cover, but we would need to cover leaks and still hire way more workers."

Ogul nodded in response, "This much smithing, we only have two dedicated to the craft among the tribe. Every orc may know how to smith, but that doesn't factor in talent and speed. I am very slow at forging, so I learned mining, hunting and resource gathering instead. We would need to expand our tribe and possibly intergrade other tribes."

I looked at Ogul, "How would we do that? As far as I know when a tribe needs new blood they exchange wives or something right?"

Ogul laughed, "Something like that, inbreeding was a problem to very early Orsimer. So tribes could exchange children. This would come in varying ways, like trading a daughter of one chief to another as a wife. The other would be the tribe merge. Several young males and on occasion a very enthusiastic female compete to be a new chieftain. Once the new tribe is formed the go on a pilgrimage to settle somewhere new. Largashbur is actually a very small tribe since we lost several warriors."

Ogul frowned slightly, "It now hits me how hard Yamarz's had doomed us as chief. Perhaps me and Gularzob should've overthrown him with our kin a while ago."

I patted his shoulder and Derkeethus also reached out a gesture of goodwill. Illia interrupted the moment though, "I think I might know a way to gather trustworthy workers."

We looked over at her and asked a unvoiced questioned. So she explained, "Ironically we leak it..." I frowned briefly and she explained further quickly. "We leak the mine's info very carefully. To organizations like the companions, dawnguard, even the dark brotherhood. I don't know about the thieves guild, I feel it might conflict with their idea of turf. As we would be leaking the info as the information guild. A whispered word essentially to each that would serve as an investment opportunity."

An absolutely devious grin crossed my face, Illia had the perfect idea. Just the wrong method, what better way to convince a bunch of nobodies to join a cause? You tell the secret to a bunch of players who see themselves as the main character of a quest line. I would need a way to gather the players though...

I smiled, and shook my head at the obvious answer. I advance the main quest line, the doomsday will gather players like a fire in a nursery. I didn't need to gather them myself, I just needed to get the greybeards to do it.

"I got a plan, for now, we work with what we got. Derkeethus, be vary selective on who you hire. Ogul, do you think you can accommodate non-Orsimer while we set things up?" Ogul shifted slightly, I was blood-kin and working with Derkeethus was another. However actually working with non-Orsimers in their settlement was entirely different.

Ogul sighed, "It will depend on who it is."

I sighed as well, "Khajiit, The caravan will always leap at the opportunity to make money. With how extensive their network of families and trade unions go."

Derkeethus nodded, "It could fill in the gaps, at least until we get a proper work force. The problem with Khajiit is the skill sets."

I nodded, "Even with the fact that Khajiit avoid smithing and mining due to biological dangers. They would need to be hired or receive a share of the profits."

Ogul looked at me, "Why hire them then?"

I laughed, "Food, as simple as that."

Illia nodded, "They would work as hunters, farmers, guards, lumberjacks, the odd jobs. They would literally fill in the gaps of the workforce."

I agreed with Illia, "She got it in one. IF the tribe were to focus on the smithing and we had four dedicated miners."

Derkeethus nodded along, "It is a lot of work, I think I can get two other miners on board. Vek will have to go find one of them though."

I shook my head, "Not a problem just tell me the place."

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Ogul sighed, "How many Khajiit do you think we need?"

This time I sighed, "I can only properly hire three until we actually start making money. I make income, but that is all tied up with the caravan. Which is why I mentioned would you be fine housing them? The caravan is reasonable with expenses. If shelter is offered it will lower the price of the labor."

Ogul nodded, "We can work with them, we will have to. The tribe is already on its last legs."

I pointed back to the gold deposits, "We should look those over, they might give us the initial funding. After that let's eat and discuss more."

Derkeethus and Ogul nodded while Illia followed along.

-----Wow, extra long Chapter. If you see a spelling mistake comment it and I'll fix it. This Chapter could have a few strays.-----