Tired of civilization and greedy for riches, seven dwarves headed out for the frozen tundra. Here, they'd carve out Dorenlist, "Diamondgazes," where they may hoard the riches that are sure to lie deep in the mountains.
So they set out: a miner; a mason and mechanic; a butcher and tanner; a weaver, clothes maker, and leather worker; a jeweler and glass maker; a farmer; and a cook and brewer. They were followed by a metalsmith that summer.
They delved deep, deep into the mountains until they reached the magma river. They began carving out the rooms and hallways for their workshops, stockpiles, and farms. It took a while before the farms were set up, and there were many times during the first couple of years where they were short of food; having to butcher some of their pets for meat. There was also an accident when the waterways for the farm was first activated. The doors to the farm were propped open by some stone and platinum nuggets, and the halls were filled with rushing water before someone managed to pull the levers that controlled the floodgates.
There was also trouble from the nearby chasm. Since they were so deep in the mountains and so determined in their isolationism, the only place this small clan of dwarves were willing to put their refuse was into the chasm itself. This angered a tribe of batmen profusely, and batman attacks were common. However, the dwarves themselves were hardy, having novice experience in wrestling. The first loss was when the jeweler tumbled to his death down the chasm. Even more tragically was when the metalsmith was struck down on the bridge crossing the chasm. This was when the dwarves decided they must channel magma into the chasm. This was successful, and a dull glow of lava may now be seen in the distant depths of the chasm.
Despite loosing the jeweler and the metalsmith, it was several years before any metal industry was actually set up, as it took that long to find any iron. When iron was finally struck, the miner, now legendary and hardened, took over the metal smithing. The clothes maker also took responsibility of jeweling and glass making (though no glass has actually been made yet, even with a magma glass furnace).
For many years the dwarves slept on the rough gravel and mud, saving the precious little wood left from their dismantled wagons for making a bucket and some charcoal to smelt some coal. When their metal industry was finally established, they had enough wood left over to make four simple beds for a barracks, which was decorated by some statues of marble and moonstone. With luck however, some tower-caps grew besides the underground river. Quickly the miner forged a steel ax, and the farmer harvested two more precious logs and made two more beds. Now, the single barracks would be replaced with six true bedrooms. The barracks itself was converted to a statue garden.
The dwarves were so decadent that they made barrels and bins out of platinum, just to get the ore out of the way. They also made tables, cabinets, and chests out of platinum. They also found gold, and made golden thrones for their dining hall. The dwarves made piles of gold coins and trinkets to hoard away greedily. The miner also took up engraving, and in time became a legendary engraver. All the walls and floors of the dwarves' hovel were smoothed. The dining room, bedrooms, catacombs, and main hallway were detailed with masterpiece engravings. The dwarves, with dreams of riches and luxury, were ecstatic over having grand bedrooms after so many years of sleeping on the floor.
However, tragedy would still come occasionally. Twice there have been dogs who were caught in the channels from the river to the farms when the yearly flooding was commenced. This may not actually be that much of a tragedy as there were currently far too many dogs and puppies in Diamondgazes. The butcher set about slaughtering some dogs to reduce their population, but he could not keep up with their explosive breeding. Puppies were corralled kept in the dwarves' animal cage, which was eventually installed in a special chamber with a floodgate to the magma.
More tragically was when a fire imp invaded. It killed one war dog and injured another before being struck down. The butcher was also injured in the attack, and was bedridden for the rest of the year. But while the butcher only had an injured arm, the farmer was caught in the underground river's seasonal flooding. With the loss of the farmer, it was decided that the cook take over responsibility of the farm.
Diamondgazes, in all its glory.
The dwarves stand at a crossroads. They already have many riches, luxurious rooms, and excellent food (the cook has made several masterpiece dishes already), but it is never enough. They are out of gold and platinum, and they didn't have enough left to even make some replacement chests. The dwarves are considering digging beyond the magma. They are hesitant though, as they recall the stories of their childhood. When grandmothers would hint darkly at the things in the depths of the earth, things that were not meant to be seen by mortal eyes.
However, the miner has had occasional flights of fancy to engrave images of demons when detailing. She has had no particular interest in demons before, but her images are telling:
This theme is apparent in many of the engravings in Diamondgazes. Looking at these, the dwarves wonder...
Is this a sign?! May these dwarves have a chance if there are sinister lurkers in the depths?
The dwarves look warily at the far wall of the magma river.
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Topic: The hoarding hermits of Diamondgazes (Read 1225 times)