Slade Mason's enterprise at the Great Rift continues to bring more mineral wealth into the light of day. Gold, silver, various gems, and other minerals continue to flow from the untold depths of the deepest canyon on the continent.
The Great Rift is over twenty miles long and over three miles deep, though it is unusually narrow for a canyon, only a mile (without man-made cutting) at the widest. The Gray and White Rivers both flow into the canyon, but complex rock layers quickly draw the water away. It has been a landmark of Kenrick since time immemorial.
Mason states, "That's a lot of ground to cover, if you pardon my pun. We still haven't fully explored the deeps. There are hundreds of mines working everyday, digging out the treasure in Getha's skin."
Mason first made headlines back almost thirty years ago, during a Lion Scout expedition as a youth. He slipped from the trail and fell into the depths. Quick thinking and luck saved him when he hit a shale scree and made a controlled fall (called a glissade) to the bottom.
"It's another world down there," Mason stated. "Beautiful, like the depths of a cave, but lit far overhead like a cathedral. One could feel truly at one with the divine there, and for a time, I thought it would be my final place of prayer."
Despite multiple fractures and a minor concussion, Mason made an agonizingly slow climb up ancient trails and small scree falls. He augmented his meager rations with moss and lichen ("It tasted terrible," he stated) and eventually reached the trail of a search party. He had been missing for nine days.
The incident changed his life focus. He devoted himself to the schools of engineering and chemistry. He sought out others of his ken and started a company, Deep Prospects, in the old mining town of Delbham.
He sought to bring the science of mining into the current century, but met resistance along the way. Much of that resistance stemmed from the age-old tales regarding a devil that had been buried in the canyon.
"I've seen the bottom," Mason said. "It was frightening, yes, with tonnes of rock overhead, the threat of slides a constant worry. But it was beautiful as well, like any part of the world not yet touched by man. The unknown is frightening, and the bottom of the Rift was an unknown for a very long time. There is no devil buried there, only the devils that men bring in their hearts."
Mason sold Deep Prospects and used the money to revitalize Delbham. This drew more workers, fresh blood from all over Kenrick and even other countries.
"I give Midorian gold and silver; they are more than welcome to help me dig it up."
Mason Ventures was soon born and even more mines opened up. Criticism drew to Mason regarding overworked laborers and safety violations, but it was pointed out that deaths dropped 50% in the first five years compared to the old mining methods.
"The wealth is there for everyone. All workers have shares in my company and they receive a plump pension when their work is done. My job, my duty is to bring this treasure out for the world." ▲
S. Carrington, journalist for the Whitford Times.
No comments:
Post a Comment