Didrik Magnus-Andresen

Kiln-forts

Added 2025-07-01 11:04:24 +0000 UTC

As the resources near the city of Nirud are slowly depleted, the need to move the mining and smelting operations farther and farther away has increased. Through this process, the borders of the kingdom slowly expand, as forests are felled and the rich soil of the area is dug up.

Sometimes an expedition is even sent farther afield if, somehow, news reaches a kiln lord of a rich deposit beyond the kingdom’s borders.

There are even dwarves from other clans—those who, for one reason or another, have no holds of their own—who specialize in prospecting on behalf of the kiln lords, hoping for rich rewards. Yet although such pauper dwarves are often employed, they are seldom truly trusted.

If a new vein of ore is discovered, an expedition will be outfitted by a kiln lord and dispatched to claim it before any rivals can. It is not uncommon for several expeditions to be sent at the same time by opposing households, leading to violent clashes over the rights to the claim.

Normally, a single male dwarf of the household will be sent along with a couple of men-at-arms, a handful of slaves, and a baggage train of giant woodlice to carry the supplies.

Upon reaching the site, they will set up a fortified camp and begin producing bricks for the kiln-fort. These structures vary in size depending on specific needs. Often, they consist of a large kiln with at least one housing structure attached, which also serves as a keep.

As soon as production can begin, they start smelting the ore into bars and build up stores to be hauled back to Nirud.

This endeavor presents a great opportunity for the dwarves in charge, but it does not come without risk. Such rich stores inevitably attract unwanted attention—from rival households, trolls, or envious elven princes.

And as these forts lie isolated at the very edges of the kingdom, help is far away.