Gem Mining - A Brief Overview

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Cera
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri May 20, 2022 11:19 pm

Gem Mining - A Brief Overview

Post by Cera » Sun Jun 05, 2022 8:20 pm

A sheaf of papers lie neatly on the desk of the Brown Ajah, its edges fringed with a touch of mud. A short note sits on top, kept secure by a flower-shaped pin.

Tolza Sedai,

As you have requested, please find below my initial field report on gem mining. As you noted, the information currently available on this subject is highly fragmented and often confusing. It is my honor to be able to contribute in some small way to the Brown Ajah's efforts to gather knowledge and study this natural world we live in.

Additional revisions to this document will be made as new discoveries emerge.

It is my hope that one day, this report may find a place in the halls of the Great Library where it may serve generations, present and future.

My deepest appreciation to you for your guidance in this. I would also like to acknowledge other contributors not of the White Tower for providing information that has been instrumental in the completion of this report.

In the Light.
Cera Merimon
Tower Accepted

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INTRODUCTION
- Crafting rare items often requires crafting tokens and other items such as gems from Gem Mining
- This report shall focus on the details of gem mining

What is gem mining
- The Gem Mining sidetrade is a sidetrade used to mine raw sediment and transform it into gemstones.
- Gemstones are classified into large gemstones (e.g. large sparkling gems) and small gemstones (e.g. small sparkling gems).
- Only large sparkling gemstones can be used in crafting receipes.

Summary of the Gem Mining process
1. Join the gem mining guild via a rugged prospector (200 crowns for the membership fee)
2. With required items, gather gem-bearing sediment from dig sites and wash them at wash sites to acquire raw gems
3. Raw gems can be cut at a gemcutter at Far Madding to always get either a small gemstone or large gemstone.
4. Small gemstones can sold to the gemologist at Far Madding for gold (55 crowns for rubies/sapphires/emeralds and 155 crowns for diamonds)
5. Large gemstones can be traded at Lugard Market Hall (350 crowns for rubies/sapphires/emeralds and 500 crowns for diamonds)


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Chapter 1. Joining the Gem Mining Guild and acquiring the necessary tools

Find the a Prospector outside the Silver Mines in North Misty Mountains, and near the Lizard King.

Entrance to the Silver Mines
An entrance wide enough for four wagons to move through abreast yawns open
into the thick air. Roughly hewn out of the rock side of the mountain
chain, countless generations of men have taken this trail into the bowels
of the earth, to mine the rich metals within. Looking down into the
entrance, it is soon impossible to penetrate the thick darkness with ones
eyes. To the east the mining village is visible, nestled within the bosom
of the land.
[ obvious exits: E ]
Zone: Westwood by the Mountains
Door west: stackedrubble
A warhorse is here, stamping his feet impatiently, being ridden by you.
A rugged prospector stands here, shaking a sifting pan.

You say 'help'

A prospector looks at you.

A prospector chews his moustache.

A prospector says 'So you want to try your hand at making a fortune, do you?'

A prospector says 'If you pay me 200 gold crowns, I'll let you in on all the tricks of the trade.'

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After giving him 200 gold crowns:

You give him 200 crowns.

A prospector puts a wealth of gold crowns in a soft leather pouch.

A prospector says 'What did I say about making a fortune?'

A prospector winks suggestively at you.

A prospector harrumphs.

A prospector says 'You will need two things as supplies:'

A prospector says 'A shovel and a stack of sieves.'

A prospector says 'Take your shovel and find a layer of sediment.'

A prospector considers you for a moment.

A prospector says 'Sediment as in the deposit of soil that is left by rivers,'

A prospector says 'either recently or a long time ago.'

A prospector says 'The stones we're after are old, but they may have washed into their place recently.'

A prospector says 'Once you find this sediment, grab your shovel and DIG.'

A prospector says 'Fill up a few buckets and take them to a place with running water.'

A prospector says 'A river or stream will do.'

A prospector says 'You will find a pile of stones at the good locations.'

A prospector says 'Grab your stack of sieves and SIEVE the SOIL.'

A prospector says 'The larger rocks will get stuck in the top layers of the sieve.'

A prospector says 'Throw them away.'

A prospector says 'When you have the bottom sieve left, WASH the SIEVE.'

A prospector says 'This will allow the water to carry away any small particles of soil, leaving you with small rocks.'

A prospector says 'SEARCH the SIEVE to see if there are any raw gemstones.'

A prospector says 'Don't forget to drop it, because holding it with one hand is a bit too much.'

A prospector says 'When you've found a raw gemstone, take it to a gemcutter.'

A prospector says 'They are quite skilled in that in Far Madding.'

A prospector says 'You will find smaller gemstones more often than large ones.'

A prospector says 'Once cut, smaller stones might fetch a nice price at a gemologist jeweler.'

A prospector says 'The larger stones will have other applications.'

You say 'where can i find a sieve'

A prospector says 'You can buy one from me for 5 gold crowns.'

You give him five crowns.

A prospector gives you a stack of sieves.

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Chapter 2. Travelling to Dig Sites and Washing Sites


Summary of Dig Sites
- Emeralds: Illian and Maradon
- Sapphires: Touchan and Jangai Pass
- Diamonds: North Misty Mountains
- Rubies: Two Rivers and West of Fal Dara Road

Summary of Wash Stations
- Amadicia
- Illian

Author's Note: All dig sites and washing sites are no-locate

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Section 2.1: Digging for gem-bearing soil

Emeralds (Illian)
Spreading Waters
Spilling out of the narrow valley to the north the creek begins to spread
out. To the west the water goes beneath an underground passage leading into
the mountains. Following the course of the flow to the east the creek
rounds a tree-covered bend. Small brightly colored fish glint beneath the
surface of the knee-high creek in small schools.
[ obvious exits: N E ]
A layer of sediment lies here, containing colorful stones.
A warhorse is here, stamping his feet impatiently, being ridden by you.
A cute brown deer eyes you nervously.
Just below the surface of the water you see a cloud of finger sized fish.
Just below the surface of the water you see a cloud of finger sized fish.

Emeralds (Maradon)
Top of a Dry Streambed
A dust choked streambed cuts through the hard packed ground here, twisting
its way into the earth. The sides are short but steep and the earth caves
easily under any weight. Some burrows have been tunneled into the sides by
small animals oblivious to the fact that this is a streambed.
[ obvious exits: E W ]
A layer of sediment lies here, containing colorful stones.
A warhorse is here, stamping his feet impatiently, being ridden by you.

Sapphires (Touchan)
The Black Pinewood Forest
The pine wood forest halts along the steep banks of a swift, powerful
mountain river. Game trails wind down to the bank of the river along moss
and fern. The river flows to the north between opposing forests.
[ obvious exits: N E W ]
An unpolished nugget of raw gold lies here. [2]
A layer of sediment lies here, containing colorful stones.
A one person canoe rests on the ground. [2]

Sapphires (Jangai Pass)
The Stones River
You are standing in a dry river, going east and west. The river is full of
multicolored stones, some sparkling and some dull, in an eye-wrenching pattern.
Above you is a platform of rock, extending outward from a cave opening in the
side of the mountains, which span along both sides of the river.
[ obvious exits: E W U ]
A layer of sediment lies here, containing colorful stones.
A warhorse is here, stamping his feet impatiently.
A dun snake is here, hissing sharply.
A flame-haired aiel warrior watches you with hard eyes.
A flame-haired aiel warrior watches you with hard eyes.

Diamonds (North Misty Mountains)
Within the Sandstone Tunnels
The walls of this place are made of mostly granite with traces of sandstone
as the tunnel climbs higher within the mountain. Jagged scrape marks along
the edges of the floor and ceiling show that the tunnel was not made by
nature. Rather it was hacked out of the inner reaches of the mountain. A
rather strange sharp scent fills the air.
[ obvious exits: N W D ]
A layer of sediment lies here, containing colorful stones.
A man covered with scars licks his lips as he looks at you.
A man covered with scars licks his lips as he looks at you.

Rubies (South of Taren Ferry)
Dark Patch of the Westwood
The trees get so incredibly dense here that absolutely no light can break
through the canopy. The great trees stand tall and straight like the soldiers
of Manetheren who long ago guarded this land from the corruption of the Dark
One. A faint breeze blowing through the leaves sounds like the promise of those
long-gone warriors that the promise still stands.
[ obvious exits: N E S W ]
Zone: North Road
A layer of sediment lies here, containing colorful stones.
A warhorse is here, stamping his feet impatiently, being ridden by you.
A panther stalks through the wilderness.

Rubies (West of Fal Dara Road)
The Lazy River Bank
The river flows by to the west, winding lazily through the forest. Beneath the
giant trees fish dart just below the surface of the river, hunting for the many
insects buzzing near. Farther to the south you can see the river making a bend,
though the thickness of the woods there shrouds it in shadows.
[ obvious exits: N S ]
Zone: Tar Valon Forest
Door east: grass
A layer of sediment lies here, containing colorful stones.
A warhorse is here, stamping his feet impatiently, being ridden by you.

Process

grab shovel

dig
Ok.
You put your foot on the shovel's blade and jam it into the ground.
You use the shovel as leverage to loosen the soil.
You work the shovel back and forth to loosen the soil.

dig soil
Ok.
You put your foot on the shovel's blade and jam it into the ground.
You use the shovel as leverage to loosen the soil.
You scoop up some soil and dump it in a bucket.

get bucket

Author's note: A wagon or saddlebags are highly recommended as each bucketload of soil is extremely heavy.

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Section 2.2: Washing to obtain raw gems

Washing Site (Amadicia)
On the West Bank of a Slow River
A slow, very broad river flows to the east of here. This river is the
source of the water that makes this area so damp. The air is humid, in part
due to the many trees that shade these banks from the sun during the day
and from the winds that could carry the moist air away.
[ obvious exits: W ]
No matches found.
A large pile of stones has been discarded near the water.
A huge tree draped with moss towers over you.
A huge tree draped with moss towers over you.

Washing Site (Illian)
Following the River
The river slows its pace here to pass through a mass of logs that clutter
in a small bend of of the river. A lone tree has settled down to grow in
the middle of the river, slightly bent the treecrown leans southwards over
the water. The river continue north and south through the plains of Illian.
[ obvious exits: N E S ]
A large pile of stones has been discarded near the water.
A warhorse is here, stamping his feet impatiently, being ridden by you.

Process

You are carrying:
a stack of sieves
a bucketload of light soil

drop bucket

You drop a bucketload of light soil.

sieve soil
Ok.

You grab the bucket and upend it onto a stack of sieves.
You spread the soil around with your hands.
You grab the sieves and move them about.
The smaller rocks fall through the large holes in the topmost sieve.
You remove the topmost sieve and upend it, discarding the larger rocks.
You grab the sieves and move them about.
The smaller rocks fall through the large holes in the middle sieve.
You remove the topmost sieve and upend it, discarding the medium sized rocks.
You can now wash the contents of the sieve.

wash sieve
Ok.

You submerge the bottom of the bottom-most sieve.
The water takes away the loose soil.
You break up chunks of soil with your hands.
The water takes away the loose soil.
There is still soil in the sieve.

wash sieve
Ok.

You submerge the bottom of the bottom-most sieve.
The water takes away the loose soil.
You break up chunks of soil with your hands.
The water takes away the loose soil.
There is still soil in the sieve.

wash sieve
Ok.

You submerge the bottom of the bottom-most sieve.
The water takes away the loose soil.
You break up chunks of soil with your hands.
The water takes away the loose soil.
You can now search your sieve for gemstones.

search sieve

Ok.
You swirl the sieve around in the water.
You swirl the sieve around in the water.
The heavier stones gravitate towards the center of the sieve.
You move the stones and pebbles in the center of the sieve, looking for gemstones.

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Chapter 3 & 4: Cutting Gems and Selling Gems in Far Madding

In the Small Workshop
This small workshop has large paned windows on its southern wall, allowing
a generous amount of daylight to enter. The proprietor of the workshop has
placed a workbench and a curious looking machine with a handle and a flat
disc near the window, allowing passersby to look in on their work.
[ obvious exits: S ]
A master gemcutter is hard at work at his scaif.

Tifani's Quality Gems
Light floods in through a large window, giving a clear view of the street
beyond. Colorful glass faux gemstones sparkle in the light, while the true
merchandise is kept in locked cabinets with glass panes. The planks of the
dark hardwood floor have been neatly polished, but years of customers
pivoting by the door has worn a lighter spot into the floor.
[ obvious exits: N ]
A warhorse is here, stamping his feet impatiently.
A gorgeous gemologist lounges here.