The Lodewake Array

Among the most closely guarded innovations of the modern dwarven age is the Lodewake Array — a breakthrough in subterranean prospecting that blends ancient craftsmanship with cutting-edge ingenuity. At first glance, the device resembles an oversized, rune-inscribed tuning fork, its prongs forged from a carefully balanced alloy of steel, mithrite, and obsidian-threaded copper. But its true brilliance lies in how it responds to stone. When struck and pressed against a rock face, the Array emits a long, resonant tone whose pitch, duration, and timbre subtly shift depending on the composition of the stone beyond. Centuries of experimentation have taught dwarven engineers to “read” these notes like a song of the mountain: a dull, heavy hum for granite; a clear, singing chime for quartz; a discordant warble when it detects nearby veins of precious metals; and a high, melodic resonance if clusters of gemstones lie ahead. More advanced versions, still in trial by the Rúnvaldir clan, include multi-fork arrays tuned to specific frequencies — allowing experienced wielders to triangulate the direction and depth of rich lodes without needing to chip blindly into stone. It is this precision, this quiet conversation with the bedrock, that has many younger miners claiming the Array will render old-fashioned digging obsolete. Yet some traditionalists resist. To them, prospecting by ear feels like cheating the sacred pact between dwarf and stone. Honour lies in sweat, not vibrations. But for others, the Array is no different than a well-balanced pick or a sturdy lamp — another tool in the dwarves’ eternal dance with the dark. As word spreads to surface traders, whispers abound that this innovation could reshape mining far beyond the mountains — if the dwarves ever choose to share it. For now, the song of the stone remains theirs alone. The Lodewake Array has already begun to shift the internal balance of power among the dwarven clans. Those who wield it — particularly the Runecrafters and Engineers — are fast gaining prestige, their skills suddenly in demand across all seven clans. There are even rumours that future monarchal elections could be influenced by control over Array production, prompting calls for tighter regulation or even shared stewardship. Whether it becomes a unifying force or a wedge between the old ways and the new, one thing is clear: the mountain now sings a different song, and those who can hear it hold the keys to Belerion’s hidden wealth.