Dust hangs low over the nursery cut, then slowly settles on the fresh stone ribs. Commander Korth waits by the entrance, while the stout dwarf mason sets down his tool roll and studies the ceiling like a judge.
Commander Korth
Point me at the weak places, Commander. If we want this chamber to grow, I need the exact stones that must take the weight.
Kalazan steps closer beneath the brace beam. The mason follows his gaze, already measuring span and pressure, ready to move from caution to work.
Kalazan
Strengthen that shelf, then the ribs to either side. I want this nursery wide enough for a true breeding line, not a cramped tunnel.
Commander Korth
Then we do it properly. More timber below, tighter stone above, and no one cuts a corner unless they want the whole hold answering for it.
The Mason
Aye. Mark those two seams and that fracture. Give me clear space, and I will lock this roof down for the long haul.
Below, the miners keep to their safer pattern, chipping in measured rhythm. The hold’s growth is no longer a gamble, it becomes a planned advance, one reinforced chamber at a time.
✓ Quest Accepted
Expose the hidden flaw in the nursery chamber
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the ore vein for the hold's expansion
“Point out the ore vein to the mason to see if it can be integrated into the support.”
SUCCESS (Good Construction, rolled +2)
Kalazan lowers the staff tip and taps the stone beside the marked seam. The mason leans in, squints, and his brow lifts as the torchlight catches a thin glitter inside the cut face.
The Mason
There. That is no ordinary seam. See the shine? Ore runs under the shelf, clean as a vein in a winter map.
Commander Korth
A vein in the nursery wall? Hah. Then the chamber gives us more than support, it gives us coin.
The mason scrapes away grit with two careful strokes, just enough to expose the silvered line before the stone narrows again. The brace beam holds steady above them.
The Mason
It can be worked into the ribs if we leave it broad and set the supports around it. If you want profit and strength, this is the place to take both.
Korth glances from the vein to Kalazan, waiting for the command that turns the discovery into a plan. Dust drifts in the torch glow, and the nursery now hides a richer promise than it did a breath ago.