The Origin of Guns
Gunbar Gunson, the Goblin Gunsmith
After centuries of fighting with neighbors and raiding coastal villages for plunder and slaves, the united goblin tribes were on the verge of being overrun and wiped out. They needed something to secure their lands from their numerous enemies. Their salvation came from a very unexpected source, Gunbar Gunson, the fourth child of a family-run mining company. What follows is the journal of the goblin alchemist who invented firearms. Neblek 24, 1880 AC
This stupid powder just will not explode! Sure, it will burn but the accident in the mine was huge. Two people got killed and an entire tunnel section had collapsed. We felt the shaking up on the surface! If I could recreate that we could be rich! Papa would finally let me have a real lab and maybe a smithy instead of this moldy shack. I took a group of house servants with me to the crumbled tunnel and we collected samples of everything we could pull out of the rubble. Nothing goes Boom! Neblek 26, 1880 AC
Another explosion! Only problem is that it happened in the Finkbottom tunnels. I have got to find a way to sneak in there for more samples. Hopefully something there will help to fill in the missing ingredients in my formulas. I’m sure the orange stink-powder is one of the components. The stuff burns great but I can’t get a larger reaction. I’m missing something! Neblek 29, 1880 AC
Well the Finkbottom family is now at war with the Marblegrind clan. It’s not my fault that someone wearing a Marblegrind tabard was seen exiting their mines with a large sack of ore. Okay, yes it was my fault because I stole that tabard and wore it when I snuck into their tunnels. But I think I’ve got some new minerals to test. If I can correlate these findings with the samples in our mine I’ll be one step closer to something big! Now if only I could get Father to stop asking me to take care of mother, I’ll have some time to make some real progress. Dungbile 5, 1880 AC
Thirty-eight trials with no new results. I’ve tried everything that has even the slightest reactivity and nothing does more than produce a bright, stinky flame. Some green, some orange, one was even bright red, but other than pretty colors, there’s no boom. No pop. Not even a loud fizzle. I’m missing something and it’s making me angrier than a hill giant with a hangnail. Father has said that he’s going to kick me out of the family if I don’t start doing some real work. He’s going to send me back down in the mines. I know he is, but hopefully I can use the time for Discovery! Dungbile 13, 1880 AC
I made a discovery alright. I discovered that I can still write while missing two fingers on my left hand and my right eye. Medics say the eye will heal but my fingers are just… gone. But I did learn something new! The torches used by the miners are the missing ingredient. We were entering a freshly dug tunnel and I could smell the stink-rock in the air. The lead tunnel scout set his torch in a crack in the wall and BOOM! As soon as I’m allowed out of my bed, I can investigate the source of the torches and their composition. Dungbile 22, 1880 AC
Finally! The medics release me and I’ve got two working eyes. Still only eight fingers though. I went straight to the mine quartermaster to find out who supplies our torches. On a hunch, I went to the Finkbottom quartermaster as well and found out that they used the same torch supplier: Boggybugger’s Lanternworks. I secured a small supply of torches and tomorrow, I’ll start my testing again. Dungbile 24, 1880 AC
My father is grumbling again about me not working. Getting maimed isn’t good enough for him I suppose. I swear, that man has less compassion than the snake-walkers and the stories all agree that they eat their young! Nevermind all that. I made a breakthrough! The torches had a mix of dried peet mud, some kind of animal dung and few other components. The most promising reaction came from limpdust! It’s usually used a practical joke because it makes men well, limp. Now I just need to isolate the compound and determine the right ratios to use! Dungbile 30, 1880 AC
Father won’t bother me anymore. I swear that it was an accident! He wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near that stump where I set up my tests. I was making a lot of noise and wearing earplugs so I didn’t hear him. I was also ducking behind a large rock and didn’t see him. At least I know my boom-powder actually works. I think Biggzur will do a good job running the mines. And since he’s already scared of me, I think I’ll be able to actually focus on my new work. Jezzrut 24, 1881 AC
It's been a really busy few weeks, but so productive. It's amazing what you can accomplish without an overbearing, domineering windbag telling you what to do all the time. I managed to get my formula perfected and I've created bombs! Little explosive devices with long fuses. I convinced my brother to use them for opening up new tunnels in the mines and our profits have already doubled! We did lose a few more workers, but their families are all being cared for. I'm working on some other uses for my boom-powder and hopefully I will have some more exciting news soon. Fullbur 15, 1881 AC
I've done it! For weeks, I've been trying to figure out a way to use the powder as a weapon. The bombs are great but not very practical or portable. I tried to make an explosive crossbow, but the powder kept shattering the bolts or breaking the weapon itself. The idea came to me when one of the bolt heads flew across the room and embedded itself in the wall. After a few days of tinkering, I came up with the Boom-Powder Powered Projectile Propelling Tube. It consists of steel tube and I load in a chunk of metal and a small amount of boom-powder with a small fuses sticking out of the sealed end. When the fuse burns down, the powder explodes and the metal is fired out of the open end at incredibly deadly speeds. I tested it on a pack mule and it killed the beast after only two shots! Now I need to figure out how to load the weapon faster and make it easier to carry around. Mulch 24, 1881 AC
I have changed the world. I have saved Goblin-kind. Okay I know. Big boasts but I really believe that my weapons will help my people secure their future. It took over a month, but I refined my BPPPPT to the point where it is more compact than a crossbow but with much greater power. Reload speed is comparable as well though I have plans for making that even better. The weapon, which I have renamed as a "gun" (in honor of myself), consists of a smaller metal tube, a handle similar to a hand crossbow, and a firing mechanism. Drop a metal slug into the tube. Dump a small amount of powder into the reservoir. Pull the trigger and Boom! Poglurch, the Grand Chief Foreman was very impressed, especially after I demonstrated its effectiveness on his advisor. I always hated that sniveling butt-kisser. He's already ordered enough guns to arm his personal guard and we are in talks with the high generals to outfit the military as well. In order to meet demands, I encouraged my brother to buy Boggybugger's Lanternworks and we're converting one of their factories into a boom-powder production facility. The Gunson family will go down in history, mark my words!
.
.
.
This was the last journal entry from Gunbar Gunson. His family did indeed go down in history, but their facilities and all future innovations were taken over by the military. Gunbar himself went down in an impressive showing of fire, smoke and steel but was ultimately killed by one of his own weapons, wielded by his own brother, Biggzur.
After centuries of fighting with neighbors and raiding coastal villages for plunder and slaves, the united goblin tribes were on the verge of being overrun and wiped out. They needed something to secure their lands from their numerous enemies. Their salvation came from a very unexpected source, Gunbar Gunson, the fourth child of a family-run mining company. What follows is the journal of the goblin alchemist who invented firearms. Neblek 24, 1880 AC
This stupid powder just will not explode! Sure, it will burn but the accident in the mine was huge. Two people got killed and an entire tunnel section had collapsed. We felt the shaking up on the surface! If I could recreate that we could be rich! Papa would finally let me have a real lab and maybe a smithy instead of this moldy shack. I took a group of house servants with me to the crumbled tunnel and we collected samples of everything we could pull out of the rubble. Nothing goes Boom! Neblek 26, 1880 AC
Another explosion! Only problem is that it happened in the Finkbottom tunnels. I have got to find a way to sneak in there for more samples. Hopefully something there will help to fill in the missing ingredients in my formulas. I’m sure the orange stink-powder is one of the components. The stuff burns great but I can’t get a larger reaction. I’m missing something! Neblek 29, 1880 AC
Well the Finkbottom family is now at war with the Marblegrind clan. It’s not my fault that someone wearing a Marblegrind tabard was seen exiting their mines with a large sack of ore. Okay, yes it was my fault because I stole that tabard and wore it when I snuck into their tunnels. But I think I’ve got some new minerals to test. If I can correlate these findings with the samples in our mine I’ll be one step closer to something big! Now if only I could get Father to stop asking me to take care of mother, I’ll have some time to make some real progress. Dungbile 5, 1880 AC
Thirty-eight trials with no new results. I’ve tried everything that has even the slightest reactivity and nothing does more than produce a bright, stinky flame. Some green, some orange, one was even bright red, but other than pretty colors, there’s no boom. No pop. Not even a loud fizzle. I’m missing something and it’s making me angrier than a hill giant with a hangnail. Father has said that he’s going to kick me out of the family if I don’t start doing some real work. He’s going to send me back down in the mines. I know he is, but hopefully I can use the time for Discovery! Dungbile 13, 1880 AC
I made a discovery alright. I discovered that I can still write while missing two fingers on my left hand and my right eye. Medics say the eye will heal but my fingers are just… gone. But I did learn something new! The torches used by the miners are the missing ingredient. We were entering a freshly dug tunnel and I could smell the stink-rock in the air. The lead tunnel scout set his torch in a crack in the wall and BOOM! As soon as I’m allowed out of my bed, I can investigate the source of the torches and their composition. Dungbile 22, 1880 AC
Finally! The medics release me and I’ve got two working eyes. Still only eight fingers though. I went straight to the mine quartermaster to find out who supplies our torches. On a hunch, I went to the Finkbottom quartermaster as well and found out that they used the same torch supplier: Boggybugger’s Lanternworks. I secured a small supply of torches and tomorrow, I’ll start my testing again. Dungbile 24, 1880 AC
My father is grumbling again about me not working. Getting maimed isn’t good enough for him I suppose. I swear, that man has less compassion than the snake-walkers and the stories all agree that they eat their young! Nevermind all that. I made a breakthrough! The torches had a mix of dried peet mud, some kind of animal dung and few other components. The most promising reaction came from limpdust! It’s usually used a practical joke because it makes men well, limp. Now I just need to isolate the compound and determine the right ratios to use! Dungbile 30, 1880 AC
Father won’t bother me anymore. I swear that it was an accident! He wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near that stump where I set up my tests. I was making a lot of noise and wearing earplugs so I didn’t hear him. I was also ducking behind a large rock and didn’t see him. At least I know my boom-powder actually works. I think Biggzur will do a good job running the mines. And since he’s already scared of me, I think I’ll be able to actually focus on my new work. Jezzrut 24, 1881 AC
It's been a really busy few weeks, but so productive. It's amazing what you can accomplish without an overbearing, domineering windbag telling you what to do all the time. I managed to get my formula perfected and I've created bombs! Little explosive devices with long fuses. I convinced my brother to use them for opening up new tunnels in the mines and our profits have already doubled! We did lose a few more workers, but their families are all being cared for. I'm working on some other uses for my boom-powder and hopefully I will have some more exciting news soon. Fullbur 15, 1881 AC
I've done it! For weeks, I've been trying to figure out a way to use the powder as a weapon. The bombs are great but not very practical or portable. I tried to make an explosive crossbow, but the powder kept shattering the bolts or breaking the weapon itself. The idea came to me when one of the bolt heads flew across the room and embedded itself in the wall. After a few days of tinkering, I came up with the Boom-Powder Powered Projectile Propelling Tube. It consists of steel tube and I load in a chunk of metal and a small amount of boom-powder with a small fuses sticking out of the sealed end. When the fuse burns down, the powder explodes and the metal is fired out of the open end at incredibly deadly speeds. I tested it on a pack mule and it killed the beast after only two shots! Now I need to figure out how to load the weapon faster and make it easier to carry around. Mulch 24, 1881 AC
I have changed the world. I have saved Goblin-kind. Okay I know. Big boasts but I really believe that my weapons will help my people secure their future. It took over a month, but I refined my BPPPPT to the point where it is more compact than a crossbow but with much greater power. Reload speed is comparable as well though I have plans for making that even better. The weapon, which I have renamed as a "gun" (in honor of myself), consists of a smaller metal tube, a handle similar to a hand crossbow, and a firing mechanism. Drop a metal slug into the tube. Dump a small amount of powder into the reservoir. Pull the trigger and Boom! Poglurch, the Grand Chief Foreman was very impressed, especially after I demonstrated its effectiveness on his advisor. I always hated that sniveling butt-kisser. He's already ordered enough guns to arm his personal guard and we are in talks with the high generals to outfit the military as well. In order to meet demands, I encouraged my brother to buy Boggybugger's Lanternworks and we're converting one of their factories into a boom-powder production facility. The Gunson family will go down in history, mark my words!
.
.
.
This was the last journal entry from Gunbar Gunson. His family did indeed go down in history, but their facilities and all future innovations were taken over by the military. Gunbar himself went down in an impressive showing of fire, smoke and steel but was ultimately killed by one of his own weapons, wielded by his own brother, Biggzur.
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