The Morryn Tunnel

The Morryn Tunnel.

This is a series of long connected tunnels that were carved out of the Keraptis Mountains after the tragedy of 795 when 450 travellers traversing the Erma’s_Pass died during a storm in Spring 795.

The Baron of Xantenburg asked a fellow Grobbety County Baron, Kern Silvercrest (the then Baron of Steinhugel - to the south of his barony) to help him construct an alternate passage between Xantenburg and Baklava.

Kern Silvercrest enlisted the help of some of the dwarves of Dewarburg and carved out the Tunnel over the next 4 years using their skill and his elementals etc. Morryn McGonagall and a number of his kin were keen to do the work assisting Kern in return for a new holding in the Keraptis Mountains and so Albrecht Von Gothe, the Baron of Xantenburg created the dwarf-hold of McGonagall under the Keraptis Mountains.

The tunnel system was made to be flooded using water from some of the alpine lakes in the Keraptis Mountains to enable barge traffic to pass between the towns. The tunnels are spherical with a 50ft radius, straight and narrow except for the transit areas at the start and end of the tunnels. Each end of the tunnels has 'transit areas' that are 400ft long and 200ft wide and have portcullis built into the walls as checkpoints for the comings and goings of barges. There is a 100ft long area that is a holding space for incoming barges which has a portcullis on the other-side which enables the guards here to look over the incoming barges and question the bargemen before allowing passage through with the same set-upon the other end.

The other main non narrow area is in the centre of the tunnel where there is a 1000ft spherical area (the cistern of Morryn) that has north and south tunnels passages barred by portcullis. In the cisterns eastern wall there is a small dwarven fort carved into one wall that appears to be occupied by some dwarves. Barges don't stop in the tunnels unless an emergency and where there is a portcullis ahead there is a small stone walkway carved into the tunnel 300ft before the portcullis that enable the barge-master to get off the barge, run to the portcullis, use their key to open the counter-weighted portcullis and allow passage of the barge.

Each end has a series of locks that number 10 locks and that take 2 hours to transit before opening out to the Lake Mara docks underneath Fort Baklava or the Xanten River Docks under Fort Xantenburg. Two (2) barges can pass by each other in the tunnels.

Tunnel Barges

These are 80ft long and 20ft wide and built to carrying tonnes of stone or other goods. They are large and lumbering. They move along at a steady 1knots (1.5mph) by hooking a long length of chain attached to the front of the barge onto a chain ring that runs embedded in the ceiling and running out their chain. The chain is powered by some mechanician mechanism that is constantly moving the ceiling chain rings along at a steady speed. Each barge has a crew of 2 that are called barge-masters that are skilled in 'sailing' their barges through the tunnels and hold keys to the portcullis's in the tunnels.

McGonagall Hold

This Dwarven hold was established in 800 by Albrecht Von Gothe, the Baron of Xantenburg in return for services rendered to his realm. The hold was granted to Morryn McGonagall and his kin and is based in the centre of the Morryn Tunnel. The dwarves living in these tunnels have decided to stay here by choice and see what mining opportunities there are in the mountains and there are only 50 of them. They have however discovered some interesting minerals and an old dwarven mine complex that look to have been unused for the last several hundred years, but appears to be 'barely profitable' (in the words of the dwarven assessor to the Barons Taxman) but still under investigation.

• Morryn McGonagall is the kin of Hamish McDavyt the Lord of Dewarburg.