H'okay so how was I to know that lever would flood the queens chamber. I mean it was in a room no one had open in at least a hundred years. The room wasn't even on the "offical" plans. I didn't expect the dratted thing to work. I mean really there was a musty old cage with a goblin skeleton in it. When was the last time there were goblins around here like 50 years ago. I did not scream like a little dwarf when I found it contary to what Thob said. Anyways I threw the lever to see what it did. We all heard the rushing sound of water and then nothing. I knew this wouldn't be like the waterfall disaster. I still maintain that whoever built the animal pens in the outflow channel for a waterfall is a hoople headed sober idiot. I mean I was 50-50 with revitalizing the magma forges. Oh, diary journal it was glorious we clear the solidified obsidian out and pull the lever and fresh magma flow into the chamber and all the magma forges lit at once. Anyways once I sent Thob to check if we had damage anything there was a report that the doors to the queen's bedroom were locked and water was seeping out from them. Can you imagine journal the a death trap design to kill the queen. Thankfully the only casualty was the Hammer oddly found nake except for a leather collar in the Queen's bedroom after I found another lever that drain the water.
The next day we dismantled the lever controling the flood mechanism I decide to leave the drain open. The Queen was please to hear the after I was escort to an audiance with by the "new" Hammer. She offer to reward my crew and I with approval for our propose research station but we would have to fund it ourselves. I was disappoint with the other conditions but the Queen's decision seemed fair. At least that what I though at the time diary.
It all began when I told Thob and the others about our reward. Thob simple stared at me for a minute before exploding.
"What you mean were not going to be using the sight on the back side of the mountain" Thob shouted.
"I pressed for that sight but the Queen said she had other plans for it." I stated.
The other seem to gather behind Thob as she clench her fists.
"You sober son of an elf! Where did she send us?"
"Umm The Rhythmic Jungles." I whispered.
Her mouth open and close a couple of times.
"Its not that bad there an ocean and mountain range between us and the nearest orc or goblin settlement."
"Your forgetting the dragon the Fone is said to live near there" shout one of the other from the back.
Thob finally found her voice. "Oh gods, what have you consign us too. We will be 6 month travel from anywhere with a dragon in the area."
One of the other girls began to weep.
"Why are you so upset we finally get to start our research station? We have talk about this for years." I plead with them.
"You sober fool were being exiled so we don't accidentally destroy the mountain home!" Thob screeched.
"B but all the guild master promised to send us apprentice to teach should our research pan out." I stammered out.
"Probably just want to dump there trouble makers on us." Grumped our mason.
"Well even if that true, I got the queen to promise us an escort to the sight. I also have our supply manifest here did you guys want anything I didn't buy yet?"
Thob grab the list out of my hand and begin to read it. She looked up at me.
"You did at least one thing right Shiz, plenty of liquer and turtles."
The other passed the list around and I started to relax as none of them found it lacking. Over the following days the other calmed down journal and even seem to look forward to getting to each follow our dreams. I have come to realize that they are right about this being a polite way to exile us, but a way to go.