The Tin Mine. A fantasy adventure on another world. (standard:adventure, 3764 words)
Author: Oscar A Rat	Added: Jun 25 2020	Views/Reads: 1221/857	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
This was one of the stories I wrote about a writer named Pujal's world of Odia.    It was a world he created for a small critique site I used to own. Members would write stories according to his blueprint.

Chly went over the plans for a weapon he'd recently designed with Thna.
Being one of the most talented, though youngest, members of the 
designer's guild, he felt honored by her more experienced attention. 
The new device would shoot a rather small arrow with great force. 

The standard bows, manufactured by Thna's section, employed a simple
design consisting of a length of springy metal, held under pressure by 
a strand of treated copper. The new design was much more complex, 
employing a shorter, sturdier spring, compressed by winding a small 
winch set under the grip. In effect, a sort of repeating cross-bow. 

Pulling a trigger piece would set the string free, hurling a short but
heavy shaft tipped with metal with great force. Not only that, but the 
clever device would hold twenty other bolts, which would be fed by a 
spring on its return. The copper string would catch on a small pin and 
be ready to rewind for another shot. For a short distance, it could be 
pulled back by hand and be ready to fire again in a few seconds. To 
shoot longer distances, the winch would have to be used.    
It was a very powerful and fast firing weapon compared to a simple bow. 


His people, the Groldal, were at peace with the other races. Of the
other races, the Bryll and the Ariiian were constantly at war and had 
been for hundreds of years. His race kept out of the conflict and sold 
arms to both sides. Chly himself manufactured huge bows for the 
twelve-foot Bryllan and much smaller ones for the use of the diminutive 
Ariiian. 

The Groldal were masters of metal and stone. They designed and
manufactured needed implements and devices for the other races, which 
were sold for both foodstuffs and precious metals. The Groldal lived in 
a relatively barren land, edible plants and animals being scarce. 
Luckily, his people had a powerful river current to harness to their 
needs. 

“I see what you mean, Thna. This part has to bear the brunt of the
pressure when the bow is cocked, repeatedly. I don't think we can do it 
with iron or copper. Maybe an alloy of some sort?” 

“I calculate a mixture of iron with .06 percent tin would be needed.
Drnna could smelt it in his shop when he finishes with those table 
hinges. But tin is hard to find. The only place we know to get it is in 
the Woodlands. A long, hard journey," she reminded him. "The last 
expedition was fifty years ago, and we have very little left. We can 
only make a dozen or so of these with the metal we have available. 
That's the weak point in the design.” 

“Maybe we could pay a party of Bryllan to collect it for us?” 

“That would be hard. It's a long way from their land, almost across the
continent. They wouldn't want to travel that far and it would cost us a 
lot if they did agree. We'd have to send some of our own people with 
them, which would encourage violence. Besides, the Bryllan wouldn't 
recognize the better ore-bearing rock, much less be able to mine it 
themselves.” Bryllan were ten to fifteen feet tall, but thin and weak, 
not much good at digging in rock. 

“I thought there was already a small mine there?” 

“There is, Chly. The first expedition brought tools with them and
carried only the metal back. The tin was considered more important.” 

“Why not make some of these bows to take with us first? It might even
feel good to get outside the valley for a while.” 

“I can ask the Council for permission, I guess. We would need some sort
of wagon and something to pull it.” She wasn't very enthusiastic about 
the idea, but more tin would be needed for both the bows and other 
future uses. Also, she knew of a couple of Kramshees that were just 
sitting around doing nothing, having been taken in trade. The huge 
animals could be used to pull an ore wagon. Finding volunteers should 
be easy enough.    There were enough adventurous young 
people around that would welcome an adventure away from dull factory 
work. 



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