A long weary road its been... North Brit Mining Co is formed

Early in his life, he had a name. That name long forgotten, replaced by a moniker fitting his obsession, a tunnel rat.

That obsession led him to dig in the hills, mountains, caves and even the dark deeps of dungeons across Sosaria. Long were his adventures and journeys prying riches from the earth. When Trolls and Golems and Elementals awoke, he became adept at fighting them. Nothing would stand in the way of tunnel rat's quest for the gems of the earth.

Long and lonely were the days of a tunnel rat, he circled the land digging and fighting... fighting and digging till he came upon the very mine where he first put pickaxe to stone. Before him stood a simple marble building, functional, but dilapidated and unused. Upon it hung a sign.... "For Sale" An idea began to form in his tired brain... What if he stopped wandering the land? What if he rested a bit? Could he find apprentices that would appreciate his knowledge ?

Decision made, a tunnel rat pulled down the sign... exchanged his hoard of earthly metals for gold and went to see this Rezon fellow about a house.

Weeks have passed since his meeting with Rezon, a fair fellow he was, but knew the value of the house. A deal struck, a tunnel rat cleaned and scrubbed the marble till it shone like new. Marble is a good stone, a strong stone to build with The North Brit Mining Co headquarters and his home were liveable. Home.. still a strange concept after years of living out of his backpack and stash in Lord British's banking system.

A few short days later, while working his specially crafted pickaxes designed to awaken the elementals of the stone, a ragged looking youth wandered into the cave, out of breath, but excited. It seems word had gotten out that a Grand Master miner had taken up residence in the area and was seeking apprentices. This lad expressed his desire to learn to harvest the metals from the earth and pledge to learn what a tunnel rat had to offer. Thus becoming the first of, hopefully, many to come.



NBMC is proud to welcome its first member: Edward Anvil

*staggers out and pauses for a moment* *wistfully wipes sweat from his brow and smiles*

Greetings fellow travelers!

*mutters gently to himself* "much work to be done, much work"

*wanders off into the mines*

I am amazed how you got that marble to shine so splendidly once again You've made a home to be proud of. I can understand why your dedication has drawn Edward to you steps, I am sure many more worthy youths will follow.

Thanks for sharing your history.


Marjo Governess of Wispfelt

Westra/irc

Mining Journal -

Many changes have occurred across the lands while I travelled. Kingdoms rose and kingdoms fell. Wars among the factions ebb and flow. Outlaws come and go. But the one thing that remains constant is the stone and the riches it holds. Every master miner knows where to find particular ores and gems in his own backyard. Most commit this knowledge to a map within their head. A few commit the locations to magical runebooks locked away and shared with none. And NO ONE makes maps....

All that changed today. I was contacted by another great traveling Grand Master today. He is known as El Horno. When the Great El Horno received word that I had stopped my journeys and was now training apprentices in our craft, he paid me a visit. Short and gruff in both stature and demeanor, he shoved a box of worn parchment into my hands. "Take this" he muttered. "Teach them good" And off he went before I could utter a word.

Much to my amazement, the parchment in the box contained what surely must have been years of work toiling in the ground, and travelling the land. Seems El Horno had made MAPS ! Laying out precisely where to find the metal ores in most of the main mountain ranges of Sosaria, I cannot thank him enough. This shall help the apprentices as they gain in skill. It is very frustrating to think you are digging at the right spot, but yet that ore type does not surface. Years of building and rebuilding that mental map every miner has inside has now been reduced to hours.

Oh this is powerful knowledge indeed and not to be shared lightly, lest the apprentices of this age come to expect things to be handed to them on a silver platter. There is much to be said of the old ways. An apprentice will learn and grow in skill following the path many of us have followed through the ages. Small fragments of El Horno's precious maps will be shared with them, but none shall have full access till they have proven themselves truly a Grand Master.

Thus I share with them the following map of the NBMC cave system. It tis as I remembered it and have verified the locations.

Mining Journal -

Ahh the criminals, miscreants and outlaws of the land have not changed. I have become adept at avoiding them over the years. Always moving on or about. Never staying in one place too long. I should have known that once I stopped wandering, they would catch up with me!

Early morning, I felt the need to exercise both my mining and fighting abilities. Need to keep the moss and rust off these old bones. I ventured into the cave system with Magical Pickaxe in hand. A few awakened elementals would get the blood flowing... I did not fear a couple of these creatures as I had at hand my second best mace of Earth Shattering. A powerful weapon, it dealt damage at an alarming rate to the elementals.

As I fought mightily against two of these creatures, my past caught up with me. The infamous Pork Fried Rice rode into the caves. I greeted him as an old friend, for we have met on many of my travels. It was good to see a familiar face. Ahh but good ole PFR was all business, nary a pleasantry was exchanged as he made a quick finish of what the elementals had started.

As I entered the realm of shadows, he spoke for the first time. "I have not taken all, go get rezed and return" True to his word, he had not taken all, just the best. Or rather my second best hammer and a few ingots and gold. Just like the good ole days, this villain made his kill, took a prize and departed. No haranguing, harassing nor bragging of his superior skills.

I went to the chest on the porch and grabbed my Third best hammer ...

Not to taint your glorious thread, LanDarr but...

... whenever I see one of your miner posts I can't help but picture your mining character as Jack Nicholson.
For the life of me, I wish I wouldn't but... I do.

* Jack rides in on his Harley Davidson *
* Jack steps off his "steed" and approaches you*

You see before you an odd looking fellow adorned with...

Sunglasses
Bandanna
Messed up hair
Shirtless (why, oh why!?!)
A paunch of a gut bearing no regret but instead, pride worthy of the occasional rub

* Jack slowly brings his pick axe up and over his shoulder *

"Hey...", he says in his distinctive voice.
"You know... all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.", he continues. He pauses for a moment, as though he's about to say something brilliant and he knows it.

"Now, if you'll excuse me.... It's time for me to go to work.", he says while gesturing the tipping of a hat and a small bow.

*Jack slowly turns and heads towards the mine entrance*
*Jack pauses a moment and slowly turns back towards you with a turn of his waist*
*Looking over his shoulder back at you and with the morning sun reflecting off the blade of his pick axe*
*Jack raises an eyebrow high over the rim of his sunglasses*

"You know-- I may be very dull but, wait till they get a load of me", he says with a cheshire grin.

*Jack walks into the darkness of the mine shaft*

OOC - That's it EXACTLY !

LanDarr stalks around the cave, holding the pickaxe... yelling for the ore to "come out and take your medicine you little shit!" REDRUM!

Our small band of Mining Brothers has grown by one. A youth of middling years had sent urgent word from a far away place commonly known as "the lost lands" He had struck out for this place as many of us had to make his fortune. It is a rough and wild place. The land so broken and uneven as to not allow even the most basic structure to find footing, save for the outposts of Papua and Delucia. It seems the wilds had gotten wilder of late for our young seeker of fortune. Criminals who take pleasure in only the killing and looting of the working class had made life difficult and extracting the riches from the rock even more so.

Late yesterday evening as sun was setting behind the mountain ranges, a tired and travel worn figure emerged from the forests. An equally tired and work pack animal in tow. "I seek the NBMC and the brotherhood it offers miners" he said. I welcomed him into the mining hall, a grand name for such a Spartan place, and initiated him into our association. "Rest and be Welcome" I said "You will find all the supplies you need in yonder chests". "Your animal is welcome, however we have no accommodations on site" I recommended a good stable in town.

Though tired as he appeared, he immediately set to work. I left him be, it was first time in a long time that he found peace in our craft.

Welcome "Boney Fingers" Inkley to the NBMC !

Tis been a busy few days at the NBMC. Much ore and gems have been drawn from the caves. Word is getting out. I was whacking away at a recalcitrant elemental when a message came across the ether... A trading associate who goes by the name of BigShow had come across a scraggly youth with dreams of being a great smith one day. Whelp as any smith will tell ya, it takes a mighty big load of ingots to master the craft. And unless you be Lord British's nephew himself, you have to mine what you need. I sent return word to bring the youth about the mining outpost and I would have a look at him.

In no time at all a magic gate appears and out comes BigShow with his ward in tow. Yep he was scraggly and thin of arm, but he had that gleam in his eye. "Soon the world will come from far and wide to buy weapons and armor with my name on them" he bragged. Now that's the spirit I said, but you have a long way to go and many caves to harvest. Welcome to the North Brit Mining Company:

Not long since this last initiation, a lone miner of middle years came wandering by. Mumbling to himself, I could barely make out his words. " I hit the dirt, I get rich... I hit the dirt, dying is a b!tch" I hit the dirt, I kill the itch..." I approached hesitantly for I have seen sickness of the mind in many forms. In some cases it is aimless and they does as much damage to others as to themselves. In other cases, it can be channeled. I handed this poor soul one of my picks of elemental awakening, just to see how he would react. He grabbed the pick from my hand, madness flaring slightly behind his eyes. But to my surprise, he headed right for a node of ore and swung the pickaxe expertly. His chanting became louder and stronger " I hit the dirt, I get rich... I hit the dirt, dying is a b!tch" I hit the dirt, I kill the itch..." and on the final verse an elemental was awakened. This mad miner became enraged, tearing at the elemental, swinging the pick with wild abandon till the creature was no longer moved.

It was then that he looked at me for the first time and I could see nothing but calm serenity in his eyes. "I was born to mine" he says "I must mine, it is a compulsion laid upon me by a force most foul" "I mine to avoid the madness" "I mine to stay sane"..."Can I...." "Would you.." he trails off unable to put into words his desperate need.

I laid a hand on his shoulder, "Wander no more" I tell him, "you have found a place that welcomes you, madness and all..."

Do Not Slip Back into Ye Old Ways

Tis a valid warning to all who seek to mix the ways of Magics and Mining. Long ago in my youth I was hungry for the riches of the earth. A wiley old wizard whispered into my ear.... "Why waste effort in one cave, when you can mine them all?!?"

He spoke of a magic called 'Recall' and the possibilities of mindless mining. Sure it was not as efficient as working a single cave, but when taken with an elixir your mind became numb to the repetitiveness of long hours mining. He dubbed it "Recall Mining" and for a time I fell under the bewitchment. The elixir was potent, many long hours were spent mindlessly mining, making gold and on occasion paying the penalty for such actions. For Lord British had decreed that the elixir was forbidden and if caught too far under its spell, off you jail you go. Finally I woke up to what the elixir had done, I lost the joy of mining and immediately stopped both mining and taking the elixir.

Fast forward to today... While cleaning out old chests, I found a vial of this 'Recall Mining" Elixir and thought what harm could there be in trying it again... It had been sometime and I felt the old yearnings. How very wrong I was...

Awaken Ye Elementals & Golems

A chance encounter with an old Blacksmith friend has led to a bounty for the Miners of North Brit Mining Company. This friend participates in Lord British's Program of Bulk Orders. Early this morning My friend, Why YEW no Buy (WYNB), visited the Moonglow Smithy to see what goods the good Lord British's Smiths needed assistance with. It was there that she met a fellow smith, Hephaestus, turning it his completed orders and receiving payment for the same. Piled about this smith were shovels of Gargoyle summoning and Pickaxes of Elemental Awakening. "worthless" this smith muttered, seeking only the best of orders from the Lords Smiths. Stingy they are with the best orders that yield the best rewards. Smith Hammers of such powerful magics to rival any of making by the old wizards. This is what Hephaestus sought, not these simple tools of a miner.

When ole WYNB asked about the discards, explaining his friendship with NBMC. Hephaestus said:


WYNB quickly gathered them up and brought them to the NBMC outpost. They are now located within the miners chest above the forge.


Thank you Hephaestus, SL (Shadow Lords) and the guild TT !

“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.”
― Robert Jordan


While NBCo may have faded to legend and myth... a new gathering rises known as DiG. The elementals of the Covetous Mountain range have awoken and can be seen assembling in great numbers...

The time has come again...

I'm glad you formed DiG. You'll need to stock up on the ingots needed to make wares when you re-open WYNB directly across from my keep.

DiG is formed.

DiG is about what you dig about resources and crafting !

DiG will always welcome fellow crafters and gatherers

DiG will always provide free crafting & harvesting tools & reasonably priced crafted goods


DiG encourages like minded to join and move to the area, but not required.

DiG has starter housing for young gatherers and crafters.


Extensive Mining Library.

All colors represented
Golem Caves
3 sets of valid recall mining books

Resources make our world go round... thank you LanDarr and DiG for your future contributions and may thine veins be fully lode-ed!

Wow, awesome work!!!

I am brand new to UOR havent played UO seriously since 2010, and earlier before then so Ive been away fro a while. Im going to play a crafter so this guild looks really cool to me, can I PM for more info