Tail Island

Tail Island is off the Eastern coast of Kutloc - across The Whale Sea. It is a mountain surrounded by various hills. The closest settlements located on Kutloc is Labés City, which the Dwarves avoid heading to, and Wolfengast, whom they supply metal to be forced into weapons.

There are no tall trees on Tail Island, however there is bushes and other small plants which grow that do not mind the heat created within the Tail Island Mine. There are a few animals who make Tail Island their homes - like a few aggressive komodo dragons and some large snapping turtles reside on the flattish areas on the North side of the island. Seals and seabirds sunbath on the rocks on the East side. Steam and metal mephits enjoy the mines tunnels.

The island has no real defenses except the only access was over The Whale Sea. There were some hiding places behind a pile of rubble or in a mine shaft, which had a few spare pickaxes and shovels. Each of the Dwarves have armour and weapons, but they only wore armour when leaving Tail island.

Tellu Farbeer

Tellu Farbeer, a Mountain Dwarf female, is a member of The Gamblers' Run, However, she rarely takes part in the Run as has to travel all the way to Ragett by ship, to be involved. She runs the Trail Island Mine.

Localized Phenomena

TAIL ISLAND MINE

The Dwarves worked long, hard hours but made good profits. The primary output of the Tail Island Mine was pig iron, at least by weight.
The Island Dwarf Mine is a mining and smelting operation run by Tellu Farbeera, a member of The Gamblers' Run. She is one of the Mountain Dwarves. The Tail Island Mine also has a lucrative side business in storing items that people wanted quickly hidden.

Type = Iron mine and foundry
Architectural style = Wooden sheds, mine tunnels
Staff = six mountain Dwarves
Services provided = Discreet storage

The Black Island Mine is located on and in a ridge in the low hills about 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) east of centre of Tail Island. It is accessed by a gravel path that connected to the Spur connects to the High Road, which travels around the upper sections of Tail Island. High Road is connected to Low Road by another gravel path. Another path runs west over a low hill to a limestone quarry.

The actual mine consists of ten tunnels dug into the northern side of the ridge about mid-height or above. Paths lead from these tunnels down to the furnace, and other areas. The furnace is a oval shaft lined with firebrick, topped by a tall chimney that sticks up out of the mountainside. The chimney has an opening in the South side where cartloads of ore, charcoal, and limestone are tipped in. A spring, that feeds the Tail stream, drives the waterwheel bellows system with three large pistons that blast air down into the furnace through copper pipes. Down the mountain, on top of one hill, stands a wooden shack that covers the passageway to the furnace's hearth, where a eight different-sized taps, made from orange clay plugs, are opened - usually twice a day. This allows the molten iron to flow into other clay molds for making pots and pans - or into a huge half-cylinder trench in the sand that fed smaller molds. The shack also houses a hook-and-pulley system for lifting out molds and items once they were cool.

The two other buildings in the Tail island Mine are a large shed, and the bunkhouse. The shed is where the charcoal is kept dry, and provides storage for a few carts and any other raw materials needed. The bunkhouse is the only living quarters on the island. It contained five rooms of bunks, a kitchen, a dining area and Tellu Farbeera's own bed chamber. Some of the Dwarves chose to sleep within one of the abandoned tunnels, the products of their labour.

A short walk North-West of the main furnace are four smaller fireboxes with piston-driven bellows, which are used to turn the brittle iron into more malleable, higher grade metal which can be wrought into goods to sell in Malnax, Northern Isle or Kutloc.

The mine tunnels are the typical dark and dirty holes expected in the side of a mountain. There are two shafts dug in the early days of the Mine, that were unfruitful and abandoned quickly. One of these have been plugged with heaps of stony waste matter separated from metals during the smelting or refining of ore called slag, and the other is used for storage of old carts, spare parts for carts, chains and pulleys, waterwheel buckets and components, and other valuable items that are likely to disappear if left out in the open. The forge area is very noisy and extremely hot.

The selling of the goods and metals, even the few gems found, was done via ship. They had a monthly delivery to replenish their food and drink supplies. The captain of the ship (The Sea Lioness) was a Human named Nock Robbolt. He has proven loyal and honest when paid well, if he interests are meet first. The items and metals sold them for a tidy profit, with gems adding a lot more to their coin. All while still undercutting many other suppliers on price. The Dwarves on tail Island usually only received the latest news when Nock Robbolt and his crew were on the island. Except for Tellu Farbeera, who is in touch with other members of The Gamblers' Run via Sending Stones.

History

Located in The Whale Sea, considered part of Kutloc. Tail Island once was the tail of a whale shaped island, until an underwater volcano changed the shape of the small land mass. As the rest of the land fell into the sea, the tail section was pushed upwards into the mountains and hills of Tail Island.
One mountain dwarf who had been selected as a Token by The Gamblers' Run, escaped off the main land of Kutloc to Tail Island. They were able to keep track of that dwarf and when the mercenaries retrieved the dwarf, four months later, found that there was amble metal inside the island.

Type

Island

Location under

Kutloc

Owning Organization

The Gamblers' Run