Meeting the great engineer parts 1-6

  Before entering I paused while I examined the intricate fa?ade of this administrative building, it appeared to be made of the local rock but was more highly polished than the stone of the town walls and was carved with scenes taken from parables of Sigmar found in the Unfinished Book. Apart from that, all that could be said of the construction was that that it was a solid defensive position and looked sturdy for manling construction. The roof was guarded by a parapet and with the muzzles of more cannon poking out aimed downwards at the square, interspersed with the guns were murder holes where oil or tar could be poured upon any enemy trying to storm the doors to the building along with slots for handguns and crossbows. The walls of the building were also pierced amongst the carvings, crenulations and windows with further defensive measures lending a sense of imposing power on the structure along with the usual fanciful embellishments that high status buildings in the Empire seemed to require as a matter of course.

  We were finally let into the interior of the hall when Roderick Hampton returned in as much haste as he left in, his clothes even more disarranged than before breathlessly he exclaimed "That the Engineer would see them presently" and "If would they be as kind as to follow him now please." The first words he had uttered to us since his first polite hello and introduction all the same we followed him along the impressive corridors lined with doors that as they penetrated deeper into the complex opened and closed releasing individuals clutching piles of paper or talking animatedly to people not visible to our party as we walked briskly past them attracting little notice, as if an party of our folk passed by here every day.

  Now we were escorted by some of the guards from the entrance way, clad in exactly the same equipment as the former protectors of Roderick Hampton who had left us at the entrance to the building led by what appeared to be some kind of junior Officer. The journey did not take long even so the manling's were obviously irritated that we seemed unwilling to walk at their pace as we tarried so we could adsorb every detail of this fascinating building. They all looked relived as we finally approached a pair of large polished oak doors with more of the ubiquitous soldiery at attention before them, the leader of the guards a slightly more gaudy version of his fellows took the salute of his comrades at the door before dismissing them with a curt gesture of his hand .

  Roderick Hampton then walked ahead of our little procession before opening the large doors with a flourish and slipping inside for a moment before quickly exiting again telling us that "The Engineer would see them now." before standing aside, we walked inside the office without another glance.

  The office had an high ceiling with graceful vaulting, unadorned it held the roof in place with prosaic strength. We must be at the summit of the building, having climbed several flights of stairs on the way here (interestingly there seemed to be elevators available similar to the lifts in many of our mines and Karak's but we were not invited to use them yet). The many small windows looked out over factories and plazas alike framing the central multi paned glass bay window that gave a view of the countryside surrounding Greypeak rather than urban sprawl.

  The light from these windows backlit a large oak stained oak slab of a desk uncluttered and ordered like the rest of the office. This clean look was most unlike the offices of other human Master Engineers I have visited over the years with none of the clutter of half-finished inventions, papers, books and drafting materials along with gaudy decorations that had been the normality in my past experience, in fact it was most like in some respects a Dawi workroom, clean, logical and organized thorough even beyond what I would see in one of my peers or even my own office in Karak Norn.

  The workbench aspect of his desk seemed to reflect the personality of the figure behind it seated on a chair carved out of the same oak as his desk. He was an imposing figure sturdy and barrel-chested clothed in simple tan cloth the same as the guards but of a different cut he had a thick black beard shot through with grey his face rounded and rosy cheeked his voice when he spoke was crisp, clear and spoken in Khalizid! "Greetings to you and your guild from my self and the whole Karak I hope that our negotiations prove successful and that your stay is productive and enjoyable." Engineer Holden did not let us greet him but carried on saying "It is a distinct pleasure to receive such distinguished guests and I personally hope that this contact flourishes into some thing more than a simple trade agreement."

  I replied after recovering from the realization that he spoke my language a feat rare outside the sigmarite priesthood that "We to hope that this relationship will flourish into a greater exchange of goods and thought Engineer Holden." I replied in Riekspiel still being thrown by the engineers language skills.

  Beer was brought in, served in big metal tankards emblazoned with the sign of Sigmar. I internally grimaced, but the brew while not as strong as my preferred ale was potable compared to the dreck I had drank so far on my journey.

  After a few minutes of companionable supping engineer Holden broke the silence reverting to his native language he said "Would you like a tour of the manufactories after we have concluded our discussions? I replied that "it would be interesting to see what you have built here." Before I could say any more a sharp ringing penetrated the office echoing around the vaulted room. Soon it was copied all over the town spreading from temples bell tower to town clock tower in minutes.

  Holden shot upright swearing loudly he stepped in front of his desk bowing to our party and saying hastily "I do apologize there is another matter that demands my attention you may accompany me but I do not guarantee your safety."

  I replied "what foe assaults you engineer Holden?"

  "The Grobi swine periodically try to retake their former homes in the deepest parts of the mines and today they try again Sigmar take them back to hell!" This was said as all the while scurrying servants entered so they could attire him in his battle gear, armored with a breast plate of what seemed to be shinning steel emblazoned with the sign of Sigmar's hammer and a helmet similarly marked. Engineer Holden was armed with a fearsome looking hand gun that had two barrels of matt black metal side by side with a solid un-decorated wood stock nestled in the crook of his arm and strange thick metal tubes growing from under the stock, I thought at the time that these were to hold onto the gun while firing to prevent recoil. I think only his great bulk for a manling could allow Engineer Holden to lift the thing, it was worthy of a Thunderer's weapon! As soon as he was ready the servants left the room swiftly and the engineer said nothing, but marched from the office through the now wide open oaken doors.

  We followed the engineer from his office walking the same path as we did on the way in. As we walked briskly along his fellow engineers and administrators were leaving their offices clad in various forms of attire with only one common feature they were all armed and all deferred to the Engineer.

  For the first time I saw one of the true people clad reassuringly in clan sigil marked breastplate and mail complete with good old fashioned war axe, you had to ignore the identical handgun that adorned the engineer strapped to his stout back.

  Outside several squares of the tan uniformed troops had formed up along with smaller formations of engineers armed with a mixture of weapons and another composed of a citizens militia, a motley crew armed mostly with long pole spears but some had short swords and shields, armour was scarce amongst them but they seemed enthusiastic.

  They cheered when engineer Holden walked up to a platform that seemed especially constructed for the purpose set to the side of the main staircase

  "My friends once more we must repel the greenskin in the name of Sigmar, the empire and Greypeak!! He exclaimed looking towards the troops and the wives of those going to war who watched back in silence from the sides of the main square. "Let yourself be joyous because you have the duty of supporting those who smite evil and the pleasure of helping to cast it down!! Rejoice that when your comrades, sons and fathers." Looking now more in the direction of the regular troops "Return from battle victorious, you can give them a proper welcome!!" After this speech engineer Holden strode back towards the entrance of the administration building.

  We walked behind the engineer again while we readied our own war gear. 'How do we reach the mines from here, if you don't mind me asking?'

  Holden not looking in our direction just answered 'Follow me and you shall see' he replied, i remember thinking at the time this was a man who lived in our way as well as speaking our tongue!

  As i looked behind me i noticed that the militia and the most of the tan troops and engineers had dispersed leaving a small group of the regular troops and engineers.

  As they approached it became evident that these were elite troops you could hear them singing sigmarite war hymns and chants up close it was evident that under the tan shirts and bandoleers that they had on armor and on their bowl helmets they had mounted small miners lamps.

  Instead of the musket type weapon that the other tan troops who had dispersed were using they had a weapon that was similar to the engineers without being as sleek, two barrels with the stubby metal things poking out under the barrels. When we came to the base of the stairs that we had ascended on our way in we turned to the right then approached a large wooden double door with two guards standing either side.

  The engineer approached the doors while the two guards rapidly made way for him, then he dramatically opened both and gestured for us to look within

  The lift cage that had been revealed by his dramatic gesture was indeed impressive it was large enough to take a large load, looking around behind myself I noticed that directly opposite the entrance was an area of stonework with a rectangular wooden painted panel in the center, as I watched this swung up revealing a multi barreled organ gun covering the entrance with two stern faced operators ready to fire if needed. After this examination, which was partly to calm my nerves after such a display of technological know-how we all entered the lift along with a squad of the tunnel fighters, this being only part of the force waiting to enter the tunnel system.

  We all banged against each other as the lift descended while the men swore and joked with each other as the cage swiftly descended around us. I worried about the shoddy manling workmanship for a second but this was receding in my mind the more I saw of this 'Greypeak' I looked at my surroundings finding it sturdy and well maintained no rust to be seen grease covering the machinery protecting against the damp.. Engineer Holden looked at me and my companions saying gruffly to us in khalizid again "Ready for the battle my honoured guests?" just as the cage reached the bottom of the shaft with a Jolt.

  'I was wondering more about the construction and operation of this device?' I replied throwing a glance over my shoulder as I said this

  'Well that would be telling, but just a clue even the young have eyes my friends!' Holden replied glibly

  This comment as you can imagine only whetted our appetite for more! One thing I did notice and my companions mentioned it later that he seemed more cheery the further we went underground. Upon exiting the lift the tan troopers met up with some of their colleagues already waiting for us several looking like they had been at the sharp end already as their mates helped apply bandages to copious bleeding minor wounds while the tan tunics of several others were removed and placed over their faces in death. Breaking through this revere the engineer announced 'best you wear some of these if you want to live' handing over what looked like some kind of thing you might find at an orgy held by cultists worshipping Slannesh! It was some kind of leather hood with what looked like glass eyeholes, some kind of hanging tube arrangement, leading to a box that was attached to a belt. 'And this' he said handing over a pot of grease to me 'what is this for???'

  'Smear the grease on your beards now and if the Grobi launch their spore weapons you are to place the hood over your face and breathe normally the mask will prevent your death and allow you to still fight the foe!' we all looked at him in amazement but his troops were all completing this process as we gawked (at least those with extensive facial hair amongst the troops were greasing themselves up as indicated which gave me a clue how to apply the damn stuff anyway!) letting several of his troops proceed him we headed down the middle of three tunnels leading from the base of the lift shaft, now we got to see the engineer go to war!

  The tunnel was well made with stout pit props which to my amazement were mostly iron, with the iron transport tracks this was a very strange experience i recall thinking at the time as we followed the engineer as he led off into the darkness being rapidly illuminated by the troops advancing ahead of him and us 'reports indicate that there has been an incursion into the lower caverns possibly by Night Goblins' the engineer stated in a matter of fact tone of voice slightly hushed and pitched so as not to echo down the passageway i remember replying

  'how far away from us are they?' in the same manner

  'hard to tell in these tunnels us puny manlings don't have the underground senses Dawi are blessed with, but we manage' his voice having just a hint of humour this time. A trooper rushed towards them from the tunnel ahead to the engineer before whispering in his ear and handing over a small piece of parchment which he glanced at briefly before stopping walking so that we could catch up with him

  'the foe is trying to tunnel behind the men working face of n23 delta drift, our acoustic detectors picked up their attempt and now we will perform a hard entry and cleanse them from our mine!' as he said the last few words he brought up the strange looking gun and pulled back a chunky metal catch letting out a resounding click before pulling a small sack from his trouser pocket and pulled it over his handgun, another of his troops hurried up to him with a small box trailing what looked like copper wires.

  'ahhh now we will have some fun my new found mates' before grabbing hold of the wooden handle on top of the box he had been given before turning around and crouching slightly and then saying 'i would advise you to cover your ears and open your mouths for this bit!!!' smiling manically like a slayer in a troll lair he counted down '5, 4 , 3 ,2, 1 fire in the hole!!!!!!' We copied his strange behaviour as i deduced that he was triggering some kind of explosion and urged my companions to imitate me as well before he finished counting down...

  kabooooooooooom as i turned my head around to see the results the inevitable dust cloud billowed down the tunnel strangely illuminated by the lanterns and miners lights. After the debris had passed the engineer removed his hands from his ears before he advanced towards the source of the explosion down the tunnel while removing the sack from his handgun which now made sense as a way of preventing dust clogging his weapon.

  Ahead of us beyond sight strange booms rang out that sounded like muted handgun blasts, more echoed out down the corridor as we approached a jagged hole in the regular tunnel wall, flashes of light spilled out like some chaos spawned sorcery. 'i think we can have a look now if you don't mind a little Grobi blood on your boots!' we mutely followed him into the crude workings of the night goblins seeing various mining implements and the strangely childlike corpses of the night goblin workers shredded and thrown about the place like straw by the force of the explosion.

  We passed several small groups of dead Grobi who seemed like they had been shredded by gunpowder weapons there was no doubt of this due to the powder burns, evidence of the close range melee in the form of edged weapon inflicted wounds was also there but not as much as you would expect. The wounds otherwise defied comprehension at first with many small injuries rather than the large singular wounds I was used to from Dawi thunderer weapons on dead Grobi i had seen in the past. What had made them and what deadly effects upon the hated scum these weapons have was however soon to be revealed

  Turning the corner we entered a large open space that as we advanced it was evident that the hand of the Dawi had touched this place, the elegant vaulted arches semi obscured by the ravages of time, water action and Grobi vandalism some of the old light crystals still casting a kind of greenish half light over the scene ahead of us clinched that impression as we fully entered the hall. Looking towards the far side of the area there were two loose squares of night goblins with a few squig herders prodding their charges to keep them in line, as I watched one of them opened its mouth and grabbed a careless Snotling into its gaping mouth devouring it to the great amusement of its twisted fellows and the vicious larger Night Grobi. There was also a few of their leadership caste present one with the crazed look and clothing of one of their shamans, which always spelt trouble!

  Facing them was a double line of the tan troopers we had already seen, these evidently having already being down here when the incursion had been detected. Though out of range the night goblins let off the occasional arrow but seemed content to wait otherwise, most likely they were waiting for their clan mates to attack us from the rear. Turning my head slightly i saw that two of the tan troopers had what looked like huge metal barrels strapped to their backs with a long hose leading to a handgun looking metal tube with a small blue pilot light shedding a small blue light perched at the end of it.

  I deduced fairly quickly that this was some kind of human designed warpthrower or some such, this made me want to close with the foe before the poor fools behind me exploded! 'i see your look Daled Blackaxe those are not infernal devices i assure you just smaller versions of your flame cannons, just some insurance' before suddenly shouting 'every second man fragmentation, every first man incendiary grenades, cut the fuse for 3 seconds then wait for the order'

  at this point the whole line of troopers pulled out what appeared to be simple slingshots, then they all picked up lengths of wood all the same length and started to attach the slings to this stick. I was most curious looking towards the engineer and i was about to ask for an explanation of this strange behavior when i noticed some grubby shabbily dressed small boys rushing to each side of us before clustering around several wooden crates set just behind the lines of tan troopers and fanning out with cloth bags of what i assume were grenades while the troops readied fuses 'on my mark...... mark!!!!' each man pulled what looked like some kind of striker from this distance from a iron sphere quickly placed it into the sling and then as one, obviously well drilled in this evolution, a wave of grenades sailed towards the Grobi just about reaching the edge of the formation before exploding at Grobi head height scything down or setting on fire alternatively about a third of the enemy and one incendiary grenade managed to land on top of a rather large cave Squig that was now running through and behind their formations while on fire, setting several more night goblins distinctive hoods and pale flesh on flaming (though it did help to light the battlefield I recall thinking at the time!) further disordering what little cohesion remained to them!

  Then the shaman who being swift to move even further to the rear when the engineer started shouting, now started to prance and glow an even more sickly green than that imparted by the magical lighting above, it was a only few seconds before green tendrils of light snaked out from his staff and touched all the remaining night goblins in the head before retreating back to the Shamans own filthy scalp, at this point everyone advanced at a run screaming wildly and waving their arms, crude spears and crooked swords unsheathed a few stopping to shoot their bows, the Squigs just charged through everything in their way, even the one on fire was energized and charging hard towards us, i was expecting another grenade volley but the troops just stood there stoically awaiting the charge of the magic infused goblins.

  At two hundred paces the engineer called out 'ready the detonators, on three, one, two thre......' the explosion that resulted this time was different than before overlain by what sounded like a thousand angry wasps,

  the results were even more spectacular over three quarters of the magic infused Grobi were down forever severed into many pieces or writhing with missing limbs eyes and in some cases faces on the cold stone floor.

  The very few remaining on their feet rushed onwards still despite the odds until 'ready your weapons, wait for it....... fire!!!! The tan troopers arranged into two lines slightly offset raised the strange guns they all seemed to be armed with and fired a volley. Instead of the expected bullets they fired what appeared to be buckshot or maybe something similar to what ever had slain the majority of the Grobi i remember thinking at the time.

  Then 'advance and watch your backs the foe are ever treacherous!!' the tan troopers advanced through the carnage an occasional shot rang out as they put one of the Grobi into whatever served as their afterlife. Yet i had yet to see any of them stop to reload with powder or more of their deadly 'buckshot' this whole battle went against the grain the tan troopers had yet to suffer one injured or slain in return for the total destruction of the foe, at least the common ones no doubt the leaders had run off as soon as they could.

  Suddenly there was the roar of fire and a sudden outcry of high pitched childlike screams and the smell of burnt mushrooms and chemical fire, i turned my head in time to see the two troopers I had earlier spotted spraying liquid fire down the passageway we had entered this carnal palace through what seemed forever ago but was only a mere hour ago. 'we have a few new quirks as you can see, some are most simple if you want the plans we can see what can be worked out' the engineer broke the silence as we all considered the implication of what we have just seen. The troopers finished checking for live or injured grobi then turned around and head back towards us, one squad peeling off to check out the large exit framed by two Dwai carved pillars most likely leading to more abandoned mine workings.

  Holden seemingly ever the engineer carried on with his explanation while his troops carried on their sweep. 'The explosive device and the mechanism are quite simple I assure you my friends' at this point the engineer was turned towards us while behind him I suddenly spied a Grobi crawling silently over the rough tunnel floor crude axe in hand its blade dripping with what must be poison and I let all know with my shout of 'behind you!' turning swiftly around the engineer aimed his weapon which we had all wondered at in the Grobi's direction and pressed the trigger of his strange handgun, twin fingers of glaring light and the brimstone stink of gunpowder smoke flowed over us at the same time as the report of another two shots rang out then another pair before the engineer turned around and grinned 'where there is one there is another.'

  As the smoke cleared the scene of scattered and shredded Grobi body parts was revealed 'and that gives me the Sigmar given opportunity to show one of my toys more closely' The engineer gestured us over before he pulled back the metal bolt i had seen him cock before departing on this tempestuous adventure, before letting it go to return to its original position. Then out of an aperture placed in each matt black barrel two small tubes fell to the ground. 'the secret lies in the cap that fires the capsule'

  At this point my human companion Raman Sedronious spoke up 'i beg the engineers pardon but what do you mean by cap?' looking rather nervous. As to this point other than being deeply interested he had uttered little to this point after entering the settlement 'The cap is made of a compound of liquid quicksilver that my resident Gold wizard Justus Freiherr von Liebig has masterminded the safe production of through the use of his powers and a fine mind. This can be sealed into a small cap with a drop of varnish. Then when struck by the hammer or ignition device it will ignite with great reliability when compared to gunpowder or other explosive substances.' The engineer was relapsing into his former somber demeanor but as we walked slowly towards the smoking entrance of the tunnel the treacherous invading Grobi had tried to stab us in the back from my companion interjected again

  'So did you use one of your caps in the penetration of the Goblin secret tunnel?' i suspect at least in part this new found talkative manner was to cover up for his manling fear of the death that surrounded him

  'No indeed that was an entirely separate process but of no less importance to me and my colleges work here' we were approaching the entrance to the regular works again and just before we entered them he turned and told us 'though the efforts here are shared only one being truly knows the path of the future, Sigmar and his appointed paladins' before walking through the hole, at the time I wondered about one thing the absence of the smell of gunpowder that lingered around any site of large scale blasting that I have heard of for days after, this one had a stink to the air but I did not recognize it!

  After returning to the Engineers office we all sat down in the well worn comfortable looking chairs two of them at the correct height for our people before the engineer interlaced his hands and swiveled his head taking in each of us in turn 'I am sorry for the interruption of the last few hours! But it did show several of the main points i wished to demonstrate. The foe is growing in power again gentle beings both the Greenskins, Ratmen and the Fell powers all stir and threaten to rise up and drown this world in their foul designs and black magic, to combat this we need a new approach then we have used in the past. Instead of just pouring money into one group what if you were willing to improve the efficiency of all society so as to better fight the dark?' Slightly shocked at this speech we all said nothing, before he carried on 'now you have heard the pitch what would you like to know about the goods to back it up?'

  My human colleague was the first to say something clearing his throat and diplomatically starting by saying 'a very ambitious plan, sentiment and most commendable. However in terms of money how is this all being paid for?' looking sheepish and looking towards me in apology, as I thought this was most disrespectful, though i agreed with the question.

  'Initially i was backed by Marius Leitdorf the elector Count of Averland, now we are now self supporting in most respects at least monetarily. The goods, services, weapons and military supplies we produce are eclipsed at least in my opinion by the ideal that this system could represent to the Empire'

  This bald assertion without any explanation was immediately challenged by Raman 'All well and good, what goods? Superlative tunnel fighting weapons we have seen, military supplies? And the quality of your ideas is what has brought us all here i judge!'

  Before he could say more I interjected 'I have no doubt all of us would like to have that tour you promised us and i suspect all of our questions might at least be partially answered'

  The engineer replied 'of course let us first have some refreshments, pressing a small button on his desk situated to the right of his writing blotter surrounded by a polished brass frame.

  The double doors soundless opened and several of what i would swear were several of the Tan troopers from earlier now wearing fresh but still similar tan clothing. Smiling the engineer saw my expression 'yes you are quite correct we operate a comprehensive militia system here to be a citizen you must fight for it otherwise your are led by those who will'

  My other Dawi companion almost silent until this point now decided to enter the fray 'one point I would like to ask is of what cloth is that tan cmaterail made of?'

  'Ahhh now that is a pertinent question Ulan Blackstrap, it is made of wool brought down the Reich and overland from Wissenland, specifically Old Solland'

  'but the weave seems overly close for manling work i have come across at least in cheaper fabric such as these at least on the surface seem to be'

  Smiling the engineer replied 'it is woven using a mechanical loom powered by water pumped from the mines'

  Looking surprised Ulan then replied 'is this cloth available in other colours? And do you export it elsewhere?'

  'full of the mercantile questions hmmm, well the answer to that depends on demand and supply in short but with more investment other facilities could be constructed elsewhere enabling similar cloth to be produced, depending on the level of funding of course'

  There was a knock on the door and the engineer shouted 'Enter please, now this will be interesting' as he spoke three of his tan servants entered each carrying what looked like a Hochlander rifle but somehow different.

  Placing their burdens on the table and departing for the doors once more the engineer gestured to us to examine what they had delivered. I was the first to pick up one of these rifles it was sleek, for me fairly light but for manling's I suspect that it would be a more weighty device.

  It had a stock similar to the handgun that the engineer and his cave fighting cohorts had used. It was made with a varnished carved wood also there was a metal bolt at the side with a small metal aperture just below it and at the rear a metal object that took the place of the flint lock like on all modern weapons I have seen in the past.

  Built into the stock was the trigger and on top there was what appeared to be small metal device for sighting along the matt metal barrel. 'Pull the bolt if you would' the engineer with an expression of enjoyment on his face gestured towards me at the same time as speaking.

  I grabbed hold of the bolt and drew it back and as I did this the metal that had blocked the aperture I had spotted earlier slid back and something similar to the weapon i had seen demonstrated earlier popped out into my hand as i made to grab it 'Be careful my colleague, try not to drop it if you value your toes!' again looking rather tolerant of my unknowing carelessness.

  I placed the rifle down for now to examine my catch, before again the engineer explained while I perused 'I call it a cartridge it is made of a hollow cylinder of something I call hardened cardboard with a metal base of brass. The indentation you can see in the middle contains a cap which when in the firing chamber is struck by the hammer you can see at the rear of the handgun to trigger the shot.'

  Before he could continue I interrupted 'So by this method you render it possible to reload from a prone position, or from cover?' the engineer nodded again smiling broadly at my instant comprehension then continuing

  'The bullet is placed inside the cylinder with the black powder around it, when the soldier has fired he pulls back the bolt as you have done and can place a fresh cartridge into its place' at this point my human companion again interjected

  'Do you have your own facility for producing black powder here or do you import from Nuln?' again interrupting his lecturing flow, the engineer laughed and replied

  'We have a fine powder Mill beyond the main walls and a smaller one within; though we import some saltpeter from Tilea, we have some domestic production here as well. We extract our sulphur from several springs we have access to in the area and the more trees we remove from this landscape to produce charcoal the easier it is to smite the foes of our races with the power of civilization'

  'What do you call this rifle? Ulan again spoke making me jump as he did so

  'It is not a rifle it is still a smoothbore i am afraid, there are versions that have longer ranges and are rifled, this version I call this model H12/C the troops call it the Hammer.

  At this point I think that it is as good a time as any to tell of what I found out about Engineer Holden's past. The first record we can locate is surprisingly not from the manlings but from a master Engineer from Zufbar by the name of Morgrim Hafthigh he now resides in the main engineer guild hall in Zufbar and remembered the incident well from his days travelling in the manling lands.

  'I and my companions were on the Road from Nulun to Altdorph with a mule train of high quality steel ingots destined for the Nulun engineers guild's furnaces. We were travelling through a section of the main road that wound amongst tall old growth tree's, perfect Elf territory!

  When the lead Mule skinner pulled up short and held up his right sun knurled hand. The quiet sound of fellow Dwai readying weapons seamlessly intermingled with the normal sounds of the forest if I remember correctly, of course the beardlings today have no stamina and less understanding of the pernicious nature of Elves and Trees.

  After a few seconds I moved as quietly as possible to the head of the convoy. I recall the lead skinner was pointing directly ahead and slightly down; I frowned as I saw no reason to halt the whole train? That was until I too spied the small male manling child sitting calmly in the middle of the dusty road. This was most unusual and i called out to the child in reikspiel 'where are your parents child?' The child just shrugged, i walked over and bent over slightly as the child was rather small but solid looking all the same.

  He had a lock of unruly black hair hanging over his forehead and looked well fed was all i could tell not being totally sure about what manling children should look like to this day. He looked up at me and shrugged again. I stood upright and looked behind me to my fellow Dawi and shrugged myself turning around again i gestured to the child to follow me and he did so as calmly as before. The long and the short of it youngling is that we decided to adopt him at least until we reached the next manling town or village. The answer to our question was solved only a few hours after this as we came upon the smoking ruins of a small village with the bones and other leavings of Beastmen strewn about the place the man child did not seem to react to the sight but logically this must have been his home and he still had not uttered a word!

  We did not have the heart to leave him in the wilderness and we decided to take him with us to Nuln and leave him with the manling authorities there but by the time we arrived something had changed.

  By the fourth day after seeing the ruined settlement the child all of a sudden came up to one of the muleskinners and tugged on his sleeve. If I recollect correctly and pointed at the lead mules hoof, curious the skinner went over and upon examining the animal found a sharp stone embedded in it. After that he seemed to be everywhere silent but attentive always looking at things with a quizzical look on his face, we stopped trying to speak reikspiel infront of him after a while and spoke in a proper language for a change.

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  When we reached Nuln it seemed that he had been flittering about the place lending a hand for years acting like a miniature servant or dog robber in the mercaniery companies I served with in my youth. The city was a filthy place full of vermin, decadence and vice though our ready weapons ad glowers kept most of the street refuse away! Of course I hear that it is much worse now as the city has grown beyond all manageable limits and disorganization!

  However it had its good points, one among them being stocking Dawi beer in some of the larger inns and hostelries. Another being our destination, almost like home you could see the black smoke and smells of the Gunnery school from across the city taking away the taint of the rest of this manling warren.

  When we arrived at the gates to the engineer's school to deliver our cargo the child was in awe like a maiden entering the temple of valya. After we had stopped inside the main courtyard of the school to allow our mules to be watered I gestured to the boy and headed to the workshop of one of my few manling friends a master engineer by the name of Rolf Gronious. After sitting down and drinking some of the weak but palatable beer that my friend had provided i lit my pipe and inhaled formulating my words before asking him 'we found the child on the road near a destroyed settlement about 30 days journey from Karak Norn, there was no other manling village at least on that road for several days in several directions' my friend replied by saying

  'We have no space for foundlings here my friend if you leave him here most likely he would be turned out into the city to fend for himself. Especially as he seems to be struck dumb by the undoubted horror of his experiences. He looked kindly down at the child, but he seemed to harden his heart before carrying on 'his best bet would would be to leave him with a temple in the city and hope they accept him as an orphan initiate' I nodded while still smoking my pipe accepting his superior knowledge of the manling world it did not seem right somehow.

  'Beg your pardon master engineer i can speak' The fact that the child had finally spoken registered immediately but it took my companion to show me the real surprise

  'that sounds like khlazid my friend, if i am not mistaken' i tell you fleas could have set up home in my beard right there and then and i would not have noticed!!

  Now back to the tale of the Karak Norn visit

  After making sure that we all handled and dry fire the new rifles, the servants returned and removed them. The engineer then sat down and reached to the left of his desk and withdrew a pistol of some kind from the draw that must be built into the desk. It was about the length of a small Wheelock imperial pistol but looked utterly different instead of the standard all wooden stock it was mostly made from metal, a cylinder stood clear of the trigger and a single barrel flowed from it seemingly adsorbing the light looking like lethal prediction all by itself.

  The engineer reached with his other hand as he held the pistol and span the cylinder, revealing five holes holding what looked like five of the cartridges that the engineer had shown them a few seconds ago. 'You see the utility of this I trust?' continuing with his relaxed demeanor. 'This design will be useful if produced widely'

  'This design is very interesting, but I must ask why you are showing this to us?' my human companion was looking very confused as he said this.

  Standing up from his desk and turning towards the window behind his desk 'The future is full of dangers, yet with a big enough stick you can crush the darkness'

  This strange person seemed sincere but all this could be a lure from Chaos

  'I think we would all like a tour of some of your facilities and production areas now if that is possible?' I wanted him to demonstrate the contents of his new way of doing things not just be told and shown 'examples'

  The engineer leaned back into his chair and looked thoughtful for a few moments before saying 'Well that is a fine idea after lunch we shall do so!' again pressing the button on his desk, several of his servants come/troops came in with a series of platters placing them onto the engineers desk before departing again

  'Please help yourself, this is all produce from the local area' before rising and grabbing one of the plates that had been provided he selected some bread, butter, cheese and a few small pastries before seating himself again.

  As this had been a long day we all availed ourselves of the provender provided, there was a variety of food, luckily there was a supply of the beer we had drank earlier so as to take the taste away from the manling food, however it tasted better than the food on the road to here at least. While I was chewing a lump of cheese and bread I asked our host 'I noticed during our journey that there seems to be some differences between the farming methods i have observed in the past during my travels and superficially those used in this area?' though respectful I remember my tone as probing in character.

  As he finished chewing the last pastry on his plate the engineer looked thoughtful before answering 'The farming methods used in the majority of the Empire are based around the communal system where peasants work a strip in large fields along with their fellow villagers. The method that we use here is very different the fields are owned outright by the town of Greypeak not any local nobility or burghers and are enclosed into logical units that improve efficiency.

  They are farmed by workers employed by the town working to a logical system devised by Justus my Gold wizard and his apprentices. Though they are not farmers they have looked into the mysteries of plant growth and the elements that they require to flourish and discussed their findings with several enlightened farm managers that I managed to lure here from the Wasteland area.

  They concluded that a system of rotation, irrigation and several mineral supplements would increase yields, this is this case according to my figures over the last ten years the yield has increased by on grain fields alone' looking down at a folio on his desk placed just to the side of his now empty plate, he turned a few pages then said 'from 8 bushels per acre to 12, this means that the price of flour has been reduced by one third, especially as the municipal flour mill sells at cost to the communal bakeries. The more money that the poorer people have the more products they will buy and the more men will be available for military duties or factory work.'

  After our fine lunch the engineer stood up from his desk and announced 'Well now is as good a time as any to see my main works and the new town.' He seemed eager to show off his kingdom. Walking to the large windows looking out over the main square, the engineer approached a large telescope mounted on a brass tripod. He opened the windows, fiddled with the focus and moved the scope slightly to the left before grunting standing up and gesturing to me to take a look. When I adjusted the height slightly I looked at through the lens and the craggy line of hills and small mountains sprang into focus. In the far distance there was the scar of a quarry of some kind, white against the grey background of the surrounding mountains with the black of what looked like machinery highlighted against it.

  'Now move the telescope directly downwards' the engineer prompted me, doing so it became evident that there was some kind of road leading from there to here the scar of its passage showing up in the culverts and other infrastructure.

  'Now adjust the focus slightly' then it sprang into close focus the road had Iron rails! In fact as i watched what looked like an overlarge empty mine cart rolled up the steep road. Another detail that became evident was that the car, now a whole string of cars as they rolled into sight were being pulled by a cable or rope of some kind.

  Then suddenly two full carts sped towards the town passing the empty ones on their hasty journey.

  'This system is what I call an incline plane where the full carts pull most of the weight of the empty ones back to the quarry, any extra power is provided by a steam engine placed next to the area of operations' taking this in it looked very efficient, i wondered where he had first seen this idea?

  'The full carts of material enter the tunnel system underneath the town and enter the underground blast furnaces and other smelting facilities. The coal and Iron Ore are present in intermingled veins under this town you have seen some of those works already' chuckling he went on to add 'there are also a few other more rare materials available nearby that we also mine but we keep those works underground as much as possible' so there were a few of these 'planes' in operation around here then, I remember thinking at the time!

  sorry loads on at work so I will try to cram in a few updates this weekend in between the paperwork lol!!

  My human companion again questioned our host 'Very impressive, I would like to see some of these underground works if you would be so kind Master Engineer' said most respectfully you could see that he was most eager to see what the engineer had to show us.

  'Why of course come this way' ringing the bell on the desk again the doors opened to reveal a ready squad of troops awaiting us as we all stood to leave the room i asked the engineer 'So what works are you showing us, if you don't mind asking?' this whole place unnerved me a familiar feeling but strange at the same time.

  'Well that would be telling, better to show than tell they say' with a slightly mischievous look on his face.

  This time we turned to the right rather towards the staircase and came to another elevator door, the tan troopers opened the door and checked out the interior before we walked in.

  The engineer shrugged at this show of paranoia, when we looked in his direction. After we had all entered we descended silently for several minutes seemingly going down a long way down.

  The door opened and a wall of hot metallic tasting air hit us all in the face going from a slight chill to this heat made all our faces prick with sweat. As we walked out the elevator we came upon a scene backlit by the red light of industry.

  'Straight ahead of you is the main foundry with seven blast furnaces. He Gestured towards the far side of the massive space they had all just walked into there were several massive metal doors visible closed at the moment seemingly secured with complicated looking devices. 'They are so we can remove the slag after a major firing, we load from near to the surface where the raw material enters from the nearby sites and from the surrounding mines. The furnace is built into the surrounding stone of Greypeak' He explained as he saw our interest in the door ways.

  We turned to the right at the sound of something loud happening just in time for us to spy several figures clad in some kind of opaque body concealing clothing do something next to the stone wall of the furnace before retreating. Then suddenly a stream of molten metal streamed out onto the floor into moulds set into the cavern floor.

  'This is where we produce the pig iron, after it cools we transport it to the steel mills or to the cast iron works.' He started walking forward towards to the returned opaque figures as they tended the molten metal. It took some time to travel over the cavern floor as we stepped carefully over the track ways set into the floor and avoided the dangling chains leading to the crane system set into the ceiling, presumably to help transport the finished materials produced in these fiery halls.

  Continued tales of Greypeak taken from the Chronicles of the Endtimes

  After walking across the foundry floor we turned left down a massive corridor hewn into the rock under the seemingly normal manling town above. 'This leads to the coking ovens' the engineer announced as the tan troopers fanned out in front of us always checking and expecting some kind of attack. The pounding sound of multiple steam engines their pistons working away, no doubt powering a large part of this manufactory was all anyone could hear however.

  'The sound you can hear is the steam engine that powers the hydraulic pumping system that in turn powers a great deal of this operations machinery' this explanation seemed rather strange so i interjected before he could carry on

  'i am not sure if i am translating this right but that word, hydraulic means something to do with water?

  'Yes there several large steam pumps in the mines surrounding Greypeak they are needed to remove water from the workings, transport workers, remove ore, waste etc. Why waste this water I thought so it is channelled via aqueducts into storage tanks in the peaks above the promontory leading to Greypeak. Then it is piped into Hydro accumulators which power several systems of belts that enable the existence of a great deal of the machinery in the factories above us and various other devices of import such as ventilation systems.' By the time the engineer had stopped talking we had reached another part of the complex, again several large metal doors were built into the solid natural grey stone of this strange place. 'After firing we remove the coke through these doors and transport it to the blast furnaces and the steel mill, the advantage of using underground coking ovens is that you can control the exhalation of the vapors.'

  I interjected again 'the vapors are poisonous and are best expelled from the site of your dwelling, lest it cause damage to your people Engineer Holden!!' i cautioned him quite sternly as this knowledge as an engineer should have been known to him! He laughed and replied gently

  'Indeed they are and treated in the correct way they can produce a range of products under controlled conditions that are known to the Dawi in the main as rare occurrences'

  'To what use can you put these products and substances engineer Holden??'

  The engineer did not even pause as we walked but obviously considered our previous question before answering.

  (I was researching my upcoming update and I have never seen this map before, just curious if anyone else has? (found it on warhammer lex, images of the empire) if there was a OTL canal system linking Altdorph to Nulun does anyone know of any more man made canal links shortening river routes in the empire? or in fact beyond? According to this map internal waterways should be much more developed than in cannon with so many semi navigable or navigable rivers!!! With this many rivers you could really ramp up industrial production and whoop everyone's ass! as far as other races go I would imagine the Dwai/Chaos Dwai would have an extensive canal systems alongside the newer tech of steam locomotives? the High elves would have them for certain, Dark Elves, Skaven, Cathay, the Lizardmen possibly, if this is the case why was industrial development not more advanced or is that GW is just that incompetent and cant read a simple wiki?)

  'Well the list of uses is large but the main derivatives are coal gas, which we store on the edge of town in large vats would be the best way to describe it.

  You can see the mining version of the public lamps if you look up there.' As we had moved away from the main blast furnace area the red glare that had lit this vast underground space had faded as had been replaced by light emitted by small cast iron lamps that cast a bright yellow light in pools in-between each one.

  'How do you get the gas to from the coking ovens to the storage area?' my human companion asked thoughtfully the engineer paused and looked around at us once more

  'Via a network of cast iron pipes under the streets and set into specially carved recess in the tunnel walls'

  'This gas how easy would it be to capture this from the coking ovens we have in Nuln for instance?'

  'That venture is being explored my friend I can assure you of that every step we make will help us save the world from Chaos don't forget the bigger the Hammer the better the blow'

  'What other substances can be produced?' i interjected quietly

  'Why many more from pain killers to dyes to skin medicines' the engineer replied

  'All from coal that is amazing!!' I said before the engineer could carry on

  'It has to be right coal or mix of coal types before you get the right feed stock and it is not always the best for producing coke for steel and metal forging I am afraid my Gold wizards can explain it at greater length if you prefer later on this night?'

  'That would be most satisfactory I assure you Engineer Holden' I replied for us all as we all bowed slightly at another example of the wondrous sights and ideas that the engineer was showing us all.

  Starting to walk forward more briskly he gestured towards an opening in the tunnel just as a loaded mine cart of cast iron bars trundled past us and through it. The noise of running water echoed around us overcoming the other sounds of this bustling complex of industry. Going through the doorway we saw a most interesting sight reminiscent of the docks of Barak Varr, steam cranes moved crates and great bars of metal from mine carts into canal barges from the quayside. The noise was tremendous, humans and not a few Dwai ran around in a kicked termite nest kind of way giving the impression that this industry did not ever stop.

  'The waters from the mines after we gain as much energy from it as possible come out at this level. Then go through the underground canal system before flowing out above ground and then into the Reik. This connection allows us to export our goods all over the Oldworld eventually.' The engineer looked thoughtful at this point before carrying on 'Of course there are other methods of transport, but they take a little more investment' just as he said this a harried looking man in the tan uniform of this place hurried up to the engineer clutching a sheaf of paperwork in one hand and a clipboard in the other.

  While the engineer was busy with his underling myself and my colleagues huddled so we could discuss our next move with some privacy. I started first by stating 'I think we need to see more of these manufactories and maybe ask for some plans to take back with us perhaps?' Ulan then replied gruffly

  'I think we need to press him on how he funds all this? In a Dawi Karak the clan and the king can command labor and control the money supply, how does the engineer manage it?' Raman then chipped in his contribution

  'I am interested in the medicines he has described to us they are low weight high profit items especially if we could sell it to the temples as well as the guilds?

  I remember thinking that the engineer might not want to give away his secrets, however he had already been more open than any other human engineer of my acquaintance or a hundred times more forthcoming than any Dwai I had ever known!

  After the man, obviously satisfied with the Holden's answer left as quickly as he had arrived disappearing into the organized chaos of the docks, he turned round and addressed us

  'Now where were we my friends? Ah yes the waterways as you no doubt saw on your way here we are extending the canal network over-ground as well as underground, now this has two purposes, one transportation, two irrigation and thirdly defense' at this point my manling companion Raman interjected as was his usual style

  Defense? Can you explain that more fully?'

  'Of course nothing could be simpler; in fact would you like to see a demonstration? I believe that there is an exercise going on with the newly raised handgunners regiment due to be sent to Kislev next month if you would like? Looking happy as anything at the prospect of more military endeavors before Raman replied

  'That would be most satisfactorily! While I have your attention could you explain how you fund these works' holding his hand up to the engineer politely before carrying on 'I know you received an initial investment from the Count, however the scope of the works and the raising of so many troops seems to be beyond the profits that would generated even from even this complex undertaking!' looking thoughtful before he answered the engineer replied

  'Ahhh well that is no great secret in some ways. I am not sure if you have visited Marienburg in the last few years?' we all shook our heads before the engineer carried on 'due to the mercantile nature of that city they have a great deal of seaborne and river borne traffic.' The engineer paused while he gathered his thoughts

  'Traditionally merchant's houses and guilds own their own ships and fleets. The smaller houses cannot afford the losses incurred when a ship is sunk by pirates, weather or Chaos, so they spread their bets by buying shares in cargoes and in the ships themselves. So they share in the profit and don't have as much risk.' He looked at us to see if we were following him so far and we all nodded politely before he carried on

  'This concept has been developed somewhat in the last few years into what they term shareholding or limited companies. The owner sets up the concern and sells shares to other investors so as to fund expansion and cover losses. The profits of these enterprises are split between the owners of these shares proportionally each year. The value of these shares is determined by essentially a kind of betting on future profits and expansion. This is not my area of expertise you understand so pardon me if I leave a few holes in my explanations!' he smiled at us at this point before carrying on with his lecture 'These Shares are traded in an share exchange, now if you wanted to buy shares in say my chemical company' he looked amused at this point, so maybe his hearing was sharper than a dirty Elf's? 'they would be worth a certain amount today, if there were rumors that the company had expanded or found a new very profitable medicine perhaps this share would raise in value on the assumption that this would bring higher profits and hence higher dividends at the end of the year. So if I bought this share from you I would be betting that it would pay me more than the cost of buying the share from you now in the future. This is not always the case there might be an explosion or the drug might be poisonous in the end, so the price of the share would decrease and you might make a loss if you sold it. However if you kept it there is nothing to say that the price would not rise next year or next month so you would still make a profit!' at this point Ulan interrupted before he could carry on

  'So would Dawi such as me or the Engineers guild be able to buy these shares?'

  'Of course in fact several clans and Karaks have already done so I believe!' I wanted to have my say now so I interjected

  'How recent is this innovation if I may be so bold as to ask? We all looked thoughtful at this point the engineer looked mischievous before replying

  'the who is a secret I am afraid but another thing to consider is that if say the engineers guild bought a majority of the shares they would control the company. The entity that had bought the shares would also own the designs to the products and the factory itself, as long as there was no mortgage outstanding on the property of course!' at this point a small boat pulled up the wharf with a squad of the tan trooper in to supplement the guards already standing around us unobtrusively

  'Now would you like to see that demonstration I promised you?'

  As we all alighted the small barge I recall asking the engineer 'Are there any of these stock companies investing in improving the river system?' the engineer looked happy as larry at this question and smiled before replying

  'Indeed at the last count there were twenty, for both changing the existing locks from flash to pound lock systems and for improving the channels so they can take deeper draft barges and sea going vessels further than possible at present.

  There are at least twelve pure canal projects mostly in the south, though some military canals are being built in the north as part of the defences against invasion from the dark powers.' Raman then chirped in

  'I heard that these improvements are raising the cost of tolls over the whole Reik river system?'

  'Yes these improvements have to be paid for somehow and the share holders need their dividends! However the reduction of tolls between elector counts and various different due to the Tolls and charge reform decree issued by the blessed emperor Karl-Franz these prices rises have been made up for by the increase in volume allowed for by the improvements themselves' my manling companion replied again looking for clarification

  'So the raw materials required by my fellow guildsmen would actually be available at a lower price even though the tolls per mile are higher?'

  'Yes that is the idea anyway' as he said this our barge while travelling with the current came to an alcove in the canal wall bored through the rock below Greypeak. The tan trooper pulled long wooden poles from the base of the barge and polled us until we slotted into the gap. One of the tan troopers pulled on a rusty chain that hung from the ceiling and a loud bell rang echoing throughout tunnel.

  Then came a mechanical clanking sloshing noise and I looked over the edge of the barge only to see the lip of a large rust red iron scoop rising from the dark waters enclosing our little barge and carrying us upwards towards the light

  As we reached the light we could hear the chuffing noise of the steam engine that must powering the amazing mechanical device that had drawn us from what must have been of some depth via a iron casement. In fact you could see several above and below us, so it must be some kind of continuous chain drive?

  As we emerged fully into the daylight we came out into a canal built of iron! This was gently sloped letting the water from our compartment and our barge to join the course of the overland canal system that we had seen briefly on our journey to Greypeak.

  As the noise and smoke of the steam engine which was gigantic beam engine housed in a utilitarian brick cube with imposing chimney spewing the smoke and smuts that made its direct vicinity a scene from one of the nastier manling hells. But to me it reminders me of some of the scenes of my youth when I helped stoke the coking ovens and furnaces of my home small mine and smelter complex!

  I turned towards the engineer and got my question in first for a change the other two sitting deep in thought for now. 'So what new wonder are you preparing to show me Master Engineer Holden?'

  'Why nothing less than what I promised! We go to see the training exercise and while we watch them i have no doubt that you will have more questions?' looking sardonically at us before carrying on 'if you look ahead you will see one of the semaphore towers that i am starting to build alongside the long distance sections of the canal network every other one has a small courier station complete with small stables and remounts.' As he finished speaking he gestured to the right

  At that side of the canal we were travelling on was a small brick based structure with a complicated wooden tower on top with a series of complicated signally devices were attached

  'What happens when your canal and improved river enter the forests, after all they are full of the foul spawn of Chaos?' my manling companion blunt as ever paused after saying his peace looking towards the engineer for a reply

  'Well that is a problem, of course in some areas settlements and logging companies have cleared the old growth forest away from the banks.' There was a dearth of such underbrush and unrestrained nature that was so common even close to most towns, cities and villages in the Empire in this well ordered strange place. 'However as civilization advances the forest must give way to the order of Sigmar's grace my friends, though on a practical note we are stripping back the forest for at least a mile each side of our water courses, this slows down the pace to a crawl. However the mobile steam powered sawmills mean that wood is cheap and charcoal production would come close to lowering the price of coal in this area if it was not for the quantity we export to Nuln!' as he said this he looked around himself as if planning new expansions to his well ordered domain. Then Raman Sedronious suddenly pounced with his pre-planned follow up question with an intense look on his face.

  'The medicines you spoke of would these also be produced by one of these concerns where shares are available for purchase?'

  'There are many such concerns springing up in the larger cities, though we only have a research facility here. I believe that there are now several large scale manufactories planned for both Altdorph and Nuln for a range of products from antiseptic soaps and sterilized bandages to healing creams. Many of these are produced in part with the aid of the alchemists of the Gold order and other wizardly orders. A great deal of their production is due to be used in support of our Empires armies in the North and against the dark stain that blackens this land.' The engineer looked pensive at this point before carrying on 'but it yet might be purged and made anew in the image of our different faiths and with a little application of logical thought might be made into a paradise yet'

  'fine words, yet there are not many people as virtuous as you abroad in this land i am afraid, I understand the motivation of money and power' now Ramon looking ill at ease 'will the established order be happy being usurped by the lower orders, they can accept the engineers guilds and merchants. Have you considered that they will not allow a class of manufacturers to unseat them from their traditional place over everyone else?'

  'Now that is a good question and one that is coming into play all over the southern Empire at this time! Now if you were a minor Baron say who controlled say a small town and the surrounding villages along with access to a river that with improvement could be navigable to barge traffic.

  Now if he invested in some the new steel tipped ploughs, good steel axes and saws, this with the application of some knowledge, a slight digression but are you aware that i have been printing and distributing agricultural instruction manuals along with the sales of my farming tools and machines?'

  I answered for all of us at this point 'I am afraid we are all not very learned in that field i am afraid, we just eat the results rather than help produce them!' the engineer smiled at this small display of wit before carrying on speaking.

  Our barge gently floated with the current down the canal passing the regularly spaced semaphore stations each with a few small brick cottages around their bases complete with vegetable gardens and fruit trees.

  'Then his next harvest is larger than the last and his farmable land is increased as the forest is driven back, meaning that he has more money to invest this year than the last. He buys more equipment and opens more land to the plough the population increases instead of decreases due to the new efficiencies. This means that he has to improve his access to markets and the forest road is now not enough to get his produce to the larger towns or cities. So he contacts one of the new Canal companies to discuss the improvement of the river that runs by his keep and capital and only town.'

  'This is all very interesting but I believe we are approaching the military exercise that you promised us all earlier' My, as always gruff companion Ulan Blackstrap as always was much more interested in directly military matters.

  The engineer was most effusive on the subject and carried on speaking again 'I am not sure if you are aware that the Halfling Moot contains some of the most fertile land in the empire?' Of course we were all aware of this and how much resentment there was from the Stirlanders that they did not have control over it. I nodded to indicate our understanding after glancing at my colleagues before he smiled then said 'I am looking into the reasons for this, but I digress.' He smiled again before taking a look around the bustling camp before catching the eye of what must be one of the officers as he was clad in fancier garb than his fellows. 'Still the source of soil fertility is most interesting especially since my projects and security concerns mean that much new land is open to cultivation now and soon.

  He then carried on lecturing 'The grand county of Stirland north of the Aver river in particular grows a great deal of wheat and other grains, this is common knowledge. The Elders of the Moot and other investors including myself have undertaken a large scale road building program there as well as improvements on the river Aver. This is alongside with providing in the form of low cost loans and grants potential for large agricultural yield improvements. You are most likely thinking how can you prevent large scale fraud, yes?' The engineer I think saw the incredulous expressions on our faces 'A system of inspections and the sheer saving in labor allow a decrease in physical effort for more gain.' He paused as the officer from earlier approached, after a brief nod from the engineer he departed again 'this appeals to their nature of easy living I am sure'

  'If you have a steam powered thresher shared by a farming village you don't need as many backs to ready the harvest for sale, less casual labor or need for as many family hangers on. You don't need the numbers to plant if you have more metal based devices such as horse drawn seed drills. Those that no longer have work on the farms must go elsewhere to find substance. The increased profits and decreased overall costs are making agriculture more profitable for the larger more powerful clans meaning that more money is available for investment in industry and infrastructure improvements. At the same time as the labor force is forced to become more flexible.

  This is where the large scale local production of wool comes in handy. Traditionally spinning and weaving is winter work or is completed by women during busy agricultural times. And during each stage of production the process is not controlled by a merchant or factor meaning the order is lacking. Those who who will pay for the finished raw cloth at the end of the process should be the ones to be the chief of the enterprise.' I considered this and thought at that time that our system of apprentice and master was the correct way, keep it within the family seemed best, but manlings well they were fickle and short lived after all.

  The previously long lines of troops waiting for their food had eaten and departed again for their squads and tents while we were speaking, I had to interject at this point 'I know the Halflings have large families but they are too sly and treacherous oath breakers even among their own to look that far forward' The Engineer shook his head and smiled in the sad understandings smile that he was so keen on using during our conversations before replying

  'The Dwai have clans, kings, fine weapons, mighty wealth, deep mines, defense and strong walls to survive the darkness. The Halflings have some skills but they in an indefensible position with no military, they are surrounded with foes and humans who treat them with nothing but contempt. In which way would you respond in their place? With open dealings and acceptance? This method means that their strengths are magnified and the amount of food coming from the Moot is rising year by year.'

  'Will this decrease the price of food to the Dwai as well as to the Manlings' I interjected suddenly, curious to see the great mans response, impertinence being a new tactic in our dealings at this time..

  'There will be some decrease but the increasing requirements of the military industrial complex will take priority over the profiteering of any merchants'

  The camp was becoming more ordered and certain groups of the troops were starting to assemble ready for their tasks. On the left hand bank was a formation of the tan troopers with what looked like pre-assembled bridge segments. There were two large cables stretching over the canal anchored to two large trees as we looked on the troops used twin cables to move the first bridge segment into the water and towards the other shore.

  'The exercise you see before you is planned to allow our regiments to cross waterways and construct bridges in an ? of the time it takes engineers to do so today without this pre-prepared equipment' as he spoke the troops on the other side of the canal started to secure the first section of the bridge before carrying on with their obviously pre exercised maneuvers.