Jacob, the mine supervisor on the second shift at the Ironridge mine, was about to begin his rounds. He was in the new supervisor shack built next to the mine in the Ironridge Outpost, which had just been created to serve the miners and make trading with the Forgeworks easier.
He was reviewing the daily reports at the start of his shift. They were busier than ever; the mine had only been discovered a week ago by Mark. Each day they had more miners, more tunnels, more ore, and of course, more responsibility. They were being pushed hard by the Forgeworks to produce enough ore to really show what they could do.
It was still two days until completion of the Forgeworks, but the pressure was growing. The Forgeworks needed more ore for the furnaces and, if possible, more fuel if they could find it. Production was running in three shifts a day with no time off; there was always someone in the mine. The loads of ore were picked up hourly and shuttled to the Forgeworks.
With nothing new in the paperwork other than producing more ore, he went to inspect the mine. He planned to check the supports, ventilation, and tunnel conditions and make sure the crew was active. The first person he ran into was Rachel; she was a miner looking to specialize in tunnel safety.
Jacob said, “Hello, Rachel. How is it going?”
Rachel said, “Things are looking good; the last shift left everything in order. I am getting close to finishing my class upgrade to get my Mine Tunnel Specialist class.” She shared her progress with him.
[Class Advancement Progress]
Miner to Mine-Tunnel Specialist
Requirements:
Participate in 10 Safe Tunnel Expansions 8 / 10
Identify 5 Structural Hazards 4 / 5
Prevent Tunnel Failure 0 / 1
Reward Preview:
Structural Awareness
Tunnel Stability Bonus
Hazard Detection
◈ ◈ ◈
Rachel said, “Only a few more things, and I should complete my class upgrade. Really looking forward to the new skills that come with the upgrade.”
Jacob replied, “Great, keep up the great work. Mine safety is something that is really important to me.”
Jacob liked Rachel; she was a hard worker. Some of the other miners joked that she worried too much, but Rachel always pointed out that this was exactly why no one had died.
Jacob then continued down the tunnel; there were quite a few side branches now. As he passed each of the miners, he chatted with them about the work, the schedule, and safety. He wanted to make sure everything went smoothly during his shift, as he was also trying to upgrade his class.
The next person he stopped to talk to was Ethan; he was a miner looking to become a mine extraction specialist.
Jacob said, “Hey, Ethan. How is it going?”
Ethan said, “Production numbers are up; things are going great. I am so close to being finished with this class advancement. The biggest thing is that I need to find a new vein of material other than iron. Here, look.” Ethan shared his progress.
[Class Advancement Progress]
Miner to Mine Extraction Specialist
Requirements:
Extract 1,000 lbs of Ore 913 / 1,000
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Improve Extraction Efficiency
Discover New Vein
Reward Preview:
Improved Yield
Reduced Waste
Faster Extraction
◈ ◈ ◈
Ethan said, “I’m really excited. This shift will complete the ore requirements and efficiency requirements; just need to get lucky and find something new.”
Jacob waved as he left. Ethan made him laugh; his answer to everything was “dig faster.” Continuing the rounds, he passed many workers whose only job was lugging the ore buckets out or the other rocks that did not have ore out to make room for more mining. Sooner rather than later they would need to get ore carts, but those would take some ore to make wheels and tracks, and they were turning all the current ore into nails and other junk.
Next, he stopped to talk to Liam, a mine surveyor who loved to keep picking new directions to mine, sort of like his class depended on it, and it probably did.
Jacob said, “How’s the surveying going today, Liam?”
Liam said, “Going great. I thought I found something new today, but it was just more ore. Have not found anything new since the limestone a day ago. I really need a new discovery, and I can’t let another shift find it. I can tell there is something here; it’s calling to me.”
Jacob said, “I think that sound is just the echo of miners down the tunnel.”
Liam said, “Funny, I know something is here. My class needs one more resource discovery.” He shared his progress.
[Class Advancement Progress]
Miner to Survey Miner
Requirements:
Map 3 New Tunnel Branches 2 / 3
Identify 3 Resource Types 2 / 3
Lead Survey Expedition 0 / 1
Reward Preview:
Resource Detection
Survey Bonuses
Improved Mapping
◈ ◈ ◈
Jacob said, “You are getting close. One big find would almost complete it.”
Jacob continued going through and reviewing the different shafts, the supports, and busy workers and haulers. He next found Ryan checking some supports near him.
Jacob said, “Did you find something that I should be aware of, Ryan?”
Ryan said, “No, nothing major. The last crew did a good job putting up these timbers; they look solid. But I’m getting close to my class upgrade, and I want to make sure everything goes smoothly.” He shared his progress.
[Class Advancement Progress]
Miner to Support Specialist
Requirements:
Install 100 Structural Supports 84 / 100
Reinforce Hazardous Area
Repair Failed Support
Reward Preview:
Structural Analysis
Reinforcement Bonus
Reduced Collapse Risk
◈ ◈ ◈
Jacob said, “Great, you should get those supports finished tonight. Hope everything goes well for you.”
He had gotten to the end of his route and started back. His own advancement was close too, so he pulled up the requirements again.
[Class Advancement Progress]
Mine Supervisor to Senior Mine Supervisor
Requirements:
Oversee 5 Active Work Crews Complete
Develop Resource Extraction Plan Complete
Train 3 Miners To Advancement 2 / 3
Resolve 3 Mining Hazards 2 / 3
Establish Safe Mining Procedures Complete
Reward Preview:
Workforce Coordination
Production Planning
Enhanced Reporting
Crew Efficiency Bonus
◈ ◈ ◈
He was almost back to the entrance when a huge cracking sound echoed down the tunnel and an alarm sounded; it was the alarm to have everyone exit, indicating that an incident had happened. He moved out of the cave so that they could count up and make sure everyone was accounted for.
He watched and made sure all of the miners and other personnel were out of the tunnels and accounted for. Once that was done, he gathered Rachel, Ethan, Liam, and Ryan to help him go check on what the noise was. Rachel was inspecting the tunnels and walls. Ryan was evaluating the supports. Liam was investigating the exposed rock, and Ethan just complained about the lost production.
What they found was a failed support, and a small number of rocks had fallen; it had exposed a different section of stone. This stone was darker and strange. Liam was immediately interested and started to investigate it. Then they all received a system notification.
[Resource Discovery]
Coal Deposit Identified
Resource Added: Coal
Additional Survey Recommended
◈ ◈ ◈
Excitement spread through the group, and he could even hear some cheers from outside, meaning they also got the message. Everyone knew what this meant. The Forgeworks needed more fuel; the charcoal would take them only so far. But a new seam of coal was going to change things, increasing growth and future industry.
As the team worked, each of them started to talk about different things. Rachel had identified the hazard and completed another requirement for her upgrade. Ryan started repairing the damaged support, which allowed him to complete another requirement. Liam identified the resource and completed another requirement for his class advancement.
[Requirement Updated]
Rachel
Identify Structural Hazards (5/5)
Ryan
Repair Failed Support (Complete)
Liam
Identify Resource Types 3 / 3
◈ ◈ ◈
They had the problem resolved, and the teams went back to work. As Jacob headed back to his office, he realized that the mine was safer than before. Coal had been found, which would make everyone happy. Multiple people completed advancement requirements and moved one step closer to their next class. And there were still over two days until the Forgeworks countdown would be complete. Of course, he now had paperwork to file, but that was all part of the job.
For the first time, Jacob realized that the mine was not temporary anymore. It was becoming part of something much, much bigger than anyone had realized.