Stone of the Mines

Under the fields of Alora there is a little soil, and under the soil there is stone, and the stone lies in five beds, one upon another. The miners know them as a sailor knows his soundings. First is the sandstone, which crumbles. Under it is the clay, wet and slick, that will not let go of a pick, and under the clay the shale comes away in leaves. Then there is limestone with old shells in it, though the sea is far off. And last is the granite, of which the dwarves speak with respect, for it has broken more picks than they care to count. Under the granite is the dark, and no miner has much to say of it.

Details

• Soil fills levels 1 and 2 below the surface. Sandstone is on 3 and 4 (and down to 10 under the deserts), clay on 5 to 9, shale on 10 to 19, limestone on 20 to 29, and granite from 30 to the bottom, near 40.
• A room's title tells its depth: 'under' a region is levels 1 to 4, 'below' is 5 to 9, 'far below' 10 to 19, 'miles below' 20 to 29, and 'miles deep below' is 30 and on.
• A mining pick and Pitter (Mining) at level 1 cut any of them, and the stone falls at the miner's feet. Granite is the hardest on picks.
• It comes away as sandstone rock, raw clay, shale rock, raw limestone and granite. Hardly any recipe asks for raw stone: it is cleared to reach what lies behind it. Sandstone rock also comes loose from most ore walls.