Orinaka

It is with great pain in our hearts that we need to inform that earlier today an explosion occurred in the lower levels of the northern mines. The explosion has cost the lives of 5 miners who got trapped under the debris.
It is still unclear what the exact cause was but it is assumed to have been caused by one of the miners. The families of the deceased will be compensated. Since the incident is not caused by the Cloud Traders or the construction of the mines there will be no additional compensations.

— Cloud Traders Spokesperson

Orinaka is a small settlement in the Crystal Valley valley which can be found close to the Cloud Crater. Many other mining settlement already existed in the Crystal Valley before Orinaka but this settlement was the first to founded by a company. Over time it became one of the largest Falls mining operations.

The Crystal Valley

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Extra Information

Founding Date

1024 AE

Location

Orinaka is located in the Crystal Valley , at the border of the Cloud Crater.

Owner

The city is in Raitin territory but actually controlled by the Cloud Traders.

Population

3100

Known for

Fall mining operations

History

Founding

Near the Cloud Crater there is not a lot of fertile ground or water to support a large settlement. The edges of the crater are, however, filled with many kinds of Falls making it quite profitable to mine. Orinaka was founded for this reason by the Cloud Traders.
At first only a few buildings were placed to accomodate miners. But as the mining operations expanded the Cloud Traders decided to turn Orinaka into a full settlement. A road was created leading to the river where a second settlement was created for farming. This allowed the settlement to expand further to its current size.

Orinaka Mines by Tumco Historic Mining Town, California

by Gauchard-Brunier

Dangerous Mines

The Cloud Traders are a company and their main concern is making a profit. They are therefore not too concered with the safety in the mines themselves. Although they are not bad for mines, there are almost no additional protections in place for mining Falls.
During the excavation of Falls it is always a possibility that magic is released in a violent and sudden burst. This often leads to an explosion causing any bystanders to die and the nearby tunnels to cave in.
Thanks to the tools the miners receive from the Cloud Traders an explosion is a regular occurence. There are magicaly infused tools that can prevent these explosions but they are expensive. The Cloud Traders have thus far not deemed it necessary to supply the more expensive equiment as to not limit their profits.
The number of complaints from the miners keeps rising but since they often have to choose between starving or mining they do not dare to stop their work.

Further Reading