Dwarf Fortress 42_06 : Toy Land
Metropolis of Tongsburns
Early Summer of 954
What? You want to interview me for the historical records? Well, okay. My name is Endok Amostsanreb. In Human that last name means Townowner but I am the Animal Trainer. I arrived here on the 11th of Slate, just this Spring. And boy do I wish I have stayed home. It was a tough Spring.
More about me? Well, I am 109 years old, me parents are Olon Bellance and Kogsak Glazewind the Bronze Heather of Glens. He is dead. I am married to Goden Columnstaves and have one daughter. But she didn't come with us.
(At this point the subject become silent and seemed to examine his half full mug. Subject seems very calm and almost emotionless.)
I train the dogs for hunting and fighting, when we have new puppies. When not training them I help in the cheese making and butchering. And have a few other skills, like most Dwarfs.
But you want to know about the Early Summer of 954? Yes, well, it was after a horrible Spring, I tell you. All the problems with werebeasts and having to cover the wells we worked so hard to make. At least we got the main hospital back. But I felt sorry for the kid, Imush Duralshem. She was terrified and trapped in a miasma filled chamber. Poor thing. They say she was sometimes crying and sometimes playing make believe. Children can recover fast I figure. Not fast enough though. They say her body is all cut open and bloody. I would have thought, if she was a werebeast, she would have healed already? What do I know.
(At this point the subject stopped again and took a small sip of his drink. He seems to get some happiness from his drink, like all Dwarfs, but it seems to disappear the second he stops drinking.)
They had dug out at tunnel with bolt slits on the west side of the small chamber. The idea was the next time she turned the tunnel would be stuffed with Dwarfs armed with crossbows.
Then a fight broke out between some of the kids. Not sure why. So much insanity around the place by then I guess. So much stress. Anyway they really beat the heck out of each other. I am always surprised on how powerful even small Dwarven kids can be. I guess bullying happens, even in the most civil of Fortresses.
(The subject looked at his empty mug for a few moments.)
One of the Peasants, barely a adult, joined in the fight. No doubt either joining a side or maybe even trying to stop it. Who knows. Survival of the fittest. Tough love. Best way to raise a kid. If they live to be an adult in this kind of place, well, they can survive anywhere.
Course, you are bound to lose a few. We lost one. And a few were wounded. Tough love, right? Well, I remember when my Pop.....
(Subject waves at the tavern keeper to refill his mug.)
Where was I?
There was the Giant Flies, of course. Winter we have the rains and during the warm months we have the Flies. Giant, buzzing, black Flies. Warriors took pop shots at them while most workers fled.
Then another fight started. Seemed to be between a militia captain and a few civilians. Right in the highways on the third level, near all the animal pens and workshops. At that point I knew our Fortress was in trouble. We were falling apart from the inside.
(The subject thanked the tavern keeper as his mug was refilled.)
We lost another Miner, a couple of Children, a Suturer, a Craftsdwarf, and a Hauler. It was horrible. Very horrible. I was training a kitten at the time.
(The subject took a sip of his drink.)
Not sure why they had me training a kitten. Maybe somebody messed up the order forms. Anyway, lots of wounded Dwarfs, vomiting, being sick all over. There had been some fighting in the tavern too. If I remember right there was even a head in the tavern, with its body just a few feet away. Can't say I knew him.
By the 4th of Hematite the wave of violence had come to an end. More coffins and caskets were made and slabs were being engraved with names. Bodies had to be collected.
Still, even while it happened, the animals were milked and more tunnels were mined out. Life goes on. Life finds a way. Also, the more fools who kill themselves the more for the rest of us.
(The subject gave off a dry chuckle.)
Got so bad one Peasant become official Under Taker. I felt sorry for her. All they wanted her to do is burials. A 12 year old who already had a kill to her name.
Another Peasant was given the empty Captain’s position. Poor fool.
The Mayor was so upset. Not just by the fighting. But the Soap Maker kept saying there was no tallow when the records clearly showed their was. There was even a special stockpile for it. But as you know....and I mean no disrespect towards me fellow Dwarfs....but we can be very suborn. Or stupid. Depends on who you talk to.
Course, with all the fighting some things were not done. One of t he kitchens, for example, had a huge amount of raw food that went rotten. Uncooked as it were.
Then there are the ones who lost their family. Like Alath Olonedos, a baby, with both parents killed. Not sure who killed them. The werebeasts. The insane Dwarfs who started the infighting. Who knows. All I know is she is now alone and may die. Two months old and may die within the year. What a waste.
On the 15th of Hematite a Human caravan from Idlabehal was spotted on the beach coming from the south. No doubt the beach made a nice, clear path for the wagons. And the sea supplied the caravan with fresh fish. Of course, we now needed to bring the toys and other crafts to the depot.
The Idlabehal, in the Human language, means The Angelic Kingdom. They, and The Pick of Kissing, are the nearest civilizations. We truly have picked a lonely place to live. No doubt no one else wanted to live here. Few metals, giant insects, werebeasts, and the crossroads of every vampire in the world.
The Humans brought four wagons. A large enough caravan. The Mayor had some ideas of what he wanted - I think mostly picks and weapons.
So there they were, dealing with a Goblin Mayor in a underground Trade Depot, surrounded by vomit, blood, and at least one human skeleton that nobody had bothered with yet. Yeah, you can guess the expressions on their faces. But caravans are run by greedy bastards and in the end profit overcome any distaste they must have felt. In the end we had enough toys, crafts, and other items that made up about 3234 credits. In return we bought four copper picks, one iron pick, two copper morningstars, one iron short sword, one bronze short sword, one copper long sword, one copper warhammers, and one copper great axe.
I think their was a debate about buying a bow for one of the Humans or Elves but it was decided to just make things too complex. Plus, with the junk we have found on some of the vampires, we also got two barrels of booze.
As this was going on the Fortress continued the clean up. Dead bodies were still being collected. And to bury them in wooden caskets...well, seemed wrong. But we needed to bury them And having stone coffins and wooden caskets made at the same time was just faster.
On the 19th of Hematite Imush Duralshem transformed into a werekangaroo. So of course the Geared Angels were ordered to enter the tiny tunnel and loose on her with their crossbows. Sadly, it seems the simple demands of just stationing themselves in the murder tunnel was beyond their tiny minds. And they had to be herded, they had to be pushed and shoved, they needed to be guided to the tunnel. By the time they got to it she had turned back.
And fighting had broke out again. Senseless, horrible infighting. By the time the Mayor got the first reports seven Dwarfs were dead.
"Are you all mad?" he screamed, pulling on his hair. This was soon followed by the report of an eighth death.
It was crazy....at one point a Dwarven Child and a Dwarven Performer were beating on a Brewer. A BREWER! That is like a Human attacking a Priest. Just not done by drunk, sane Dwarfs. You understand...in the end they did not know WHY it was happening. Maybe because we had mixed our races or maybe it was too much fish in the diet. Or maybe the Powers that Be don't like Dwarfs making toys!
After the report of the another death the Mayor and the Nobles decided the Fortress was cursed.
So we fled the place. The Goblins and the Elves and the Humans and the Dwarfs. We left piles of food and clothing, rows after rows of empty bedrooms. And a female child, still walled up, forever in a tiny corpse filled hospital.
On the 23rd of Hematite, in the Early Summer of the year 954, the Metropolis of Olinning was abandoned.
That is why I am back here in the Mountainhome. That is why I barely drink. That is why I feel very little joy. Now leave me to my memories and nightmares.
The End.
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Sorry folks, had to end it. This was just becoming too crazy for me - I could not for the life of me figure out why the fighting was breaking out and I could not bury the bodies fast enough. Something is seriously messed up with the Dwarfs in this version. Never had them so....quick to start fights for no reasons. Not proud of giving up but it was becoming un-fun. It was more like a chore - I was feeling sorry for the Mayor! Also, to be honest a lot of the deaths were kids and it was starting to get really depressing. It was like gangs of kids were attacking adults and other kids.
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Topic: The Story of Olinning - Toy Land (Read 5434 times)