Mines of EarthreachEarthreach, an underground dereft of sand, filled with earth and ore. Earthreach is buried deep beneath the desert sands, with the only sign of it's existence gathered from the various larger animals of the desert which burrow.
Through the use of Lunacy, the Sandworms, adults already large enough to swallow a person, are trained from a young age by those with a connection to them, and modified through the sacred art of lunacy to increase the power of their acid to melt rock. Then through them, the sands are pushed away, walls built, and a crater allowing access. These Worms then serve to mine out rock to find minerals, which unlike rock don't melt as easily. A slow process, but effective in the collection of minerals.
As a note, the main diet of these worms primarily consists of earth, sand, and animals, with little water needed. There speaks a legend of a great Wrym, the Sandking, great enough to swallow an entire civilization beneath the sands in a single night. Just a legend, but one some think plausible.
Revision to Aqueducts Water Pull Issue: Dire Sand ScorpionThe Dire Scorpion, through the use of Lunacy, large specimens are trained and communicated with. For food, enough water to live, all for a simple task to pull the buckets. Scorpions do not tire like mammals, and in their dire form have been modified to have enough power to pull very large loads with ease, a herculean strength. So long as they are fed and watered, one Dire Scorpion can do the work of an entire team of beasts.
This strength primarily comes from their tensile limbs, as is normal for some insects. A Dire Sand Scorpion has no sting, and it's tail has enough power and prehensility to act as a type of limited type of limb. It's legs meanwhile are numerous, thick, and strong, well suited to digging in and pulling through slow, measured, inevitable steps one by one. Through one most certainly shouldn't discount their claws either, well suited to crushing and digging into the sand, and also helping to pull the buckets.
So long as they receive food and water, they have no trouble working. As a side note, they seem to like eating that lichen we developed, presumably it serves some purpose, but they may just like the taste. As it easily grows, this isn't a huge issue.
Note we focused on development over shiny things. We aren't behind, but ahead in that department. And after this turn will have plenty of time to develop things. Not that we aren't already. Do the last Rite, and then go full Luna development to overturn them.
A reminder we won't get the mortals boost until this bug is gone. Once it is, we could design an entire army segment...
How do mortals work if one has excess by the way?
Turtles of Taratan: (3) TricMagic, Powder Miner, Chaoskl21
The Turtle Captains: (1) Powder Miner
Heritage Ritual: Passage of Adulthood: (2) TricMagic, Chaoskl21
Aqueduct Revision, Dire Sand Scorpion: (1) TricMagic