Chapter 65
Stays, Bulkheads, and Agrarian Escorts
Early Late Mid-Winter of the 17th Year of the Obsidian Tide
Ironhollow's lower access tunnels were permanently sealed behind heavy welded hydraulic bulkheads to contain the relentless mechanical pounding of blind iron-clad war machines surging from the subterranean depths.
Eastern Valleys and Ironhollow Thresholds
Across the frost-touched acreage of the eastern terraces, local agricultural leaders and independent grain caravan teamsters gathered at the perimeter of the production yards to organize defensive measures. With regional stability maintained through autonomous grain distribution, these agrarian committee representatives formalized armed escort rotations for outbound mule trains, ensuring winter provisions reached outlying settlements without interference from lingering militarized patrols.
Further inland at Ironhollow, military engineers assigned to the Obsidian Pact conducted a tense structural assessment along the upper boundaries of the subterranean complex. Following the emergency sealing of the lower access tunnels, quartermasters and technical specialists reviewed the newly welded hydraulic bulkheads and secondary iron stays, confirming perimeter integrity against the muffled, rhythmic pounding of the blind mechanical automata trapped below.
Oakhaven Harbor Steam Lines
Farther west along the coast, the focus turned toward the crashing quays of Oakhaven Harbor as mechanical crews executed a synchronized pressure test of the high-pressure steam lines. Following the emergency reinforcement of the stone breakwaters with heavy iron stays, port engineers fine-tuned the brass resonance turbines to neutralize low-frequency acoustic vibrations rolling in from the open sea. As the hissing valves stabilized against the deep-sea tremors, the harbor's protective frequency barriers hummed with renewed force, holding the aquatic threat at bay—for now.