Umber

A status report from the newly installed dwarves of the Glitterhame, detailing in painful economic terms just how much damage the adventurers caused “liberating” the place. (sab)

Dear August Personae,

Normally I would be submitting this work report to Svengali, but due to his long absence I have decided to send this to Haissha and copied you as well. What follows is a listing of the current state of construction and repair (not day-to-day operations such as provisions, security details, etc.)

Entry Road, 1500 gp, 40% complete:
The entry road had fallen into considerable disrepair. Rainstorms would have further degraded the road, so this has been made a priority. Drainage has been installed/repaired. Because of the deterioration, the road was quite obvious, so rockscaping has begun. The top third of the road is now essentially invisible from below. After repairs are complete, it should only take one or two hundred years before it is forgotten by outsiders.

Main Gate Repair, 1200 gp, 100% complete:
The main cost here has been the forging of a frame to reinforce the damaged stone entry.

Rebuild Rope Bridge, 100 gp, 100% complete:
This was time-consuming, but the materials were relatively inexpensive. We were initially going to delay this project, but decided that over-use of the secret passage was not advisable.

Repair Orc Breach, 0 gp, 0% complete:
Unfortunately, we lost a party of engineers who were sent down to survey the site. Given the stench that was still there when we sent another group to investigate, we assume the presence of Trogs. We do not yet have the force required to exterminate these beasts, so the breach cannot be repaired. This is a significant security risk. Luckily, the Trogs that enter and exit via this breach are, indirectly, defending it, as well as doing their best to keep it hidden, but the depths of the Glitterhame must be considered enemy territory until the Trogs have been eradicated.

Additionally, the following tasks are still in the planning stage. Please let me know what you wish to do with regard to these items.

Roper Control, No estimate:
Yik Loply, the Roper, is still at large in the lower caverns. So far he has limited himself to fishing, but we are unsure if this will remain the case.

Chimney Access Control, 250-1250 gp, 2-5 weeks:
The cooking chimney has apparently widened somewhat over the years. The exterior approach is still quite difficult to find, and opponents can only enter one at a time, but this is still a security risk. We propose installing steel grating and possibly magical traps/alarms to guard this entrance.

Basic Lake Access Control, 4000-8000 gp, 6-12 months:
Soundings have indicated an alternate entrance through the Black Lake. While this poses little invasion risk, other beasts may find this to be an inviting spot.

Advanced Lake Access Control, No estimate:
We envision an underwater tram that could be used to transfer personnel and materials into the base of the Glitterhame. This way, the main gates would not need to be opened, and access can be more easily controlled. We would subcontract this out to a Gnomish engineering team which, for security reasons, would have to agree to either undergo a magical memory wiping or permanently reside in the Glitterhame. Additionally, a system of lifts and shuttles would need to be constructed within the Glitterhame itself for the transportation of heavy materials.

May your axes stay sharp,

Glom Gargull, Glitterhame Project Engineer