Entry Seven
Galena - Limestone
Despite holding more than twenty dwarves, the central staircase was silent as the crypts of the Mountainhomes but for a slight echo of Reaver’s words. Blackdiamond and Laborious Skin guards eye one another warily. Their leaders, Brewster and Grimnir stared long, sharp daggers into one another. Pan stood at an upper level of the spiral staircase, the unnoticed specter to this exchange.
An eternity passed before suddenly, quick as his pet giant panther, Brewster retreated into his own Blackdiamond Hall, to his enemies, his Blackdiamonds close at his heels, the lackey Husk slamming the door behind him.
Pan could scarcely believe what had just happened. Was this the first of many victories over the Blackdiamond?
__________
After exchanging short and formal pleasantries with the welcoming committee of Pan, Brewster, Grimnir’s squad and Grimnir himself, the human caravan, escorted by their own guards and Crown marksdwarves, were, among a stream of migrants, let in through a newly opened hole in the curtain wall, the giant wagons’ axles and wheels creaking.
Trade, Pan had thought, content and nostalgic. The lifeblood of an empire.
The human men-at-arms trooped in alongside the wagons, carrying an assortment of weapons. Pan had seen the uneasiness between the dwarven soldiers and human men-at-arms, and some old citizens of Hammerscar stared mistrustfully at the humans. There was an invisible stand-off.
Shinn and his marksdwarves had politely refused quarters underground, and accepted the half-constructed barracks as a camping site for now. Reaver, ever Grimnir’s voice, had consented and graciously invited them for a feast in the Hall of Speakers. The atmosphere was surprisingly amiable, as many migrants may even have been friends and family, and new labor was always welcome. The population had soared to a hundred working dwarves, and twenty beardlings. Even the humans had been unloading their goods with cheer, set up shop in the trading depot, and some dwarves had already begun to barter with the human merchants. Two of Shinn’s marksdwarves were chatting amiably with the humans, long time travelling companions they were. Woodworkers helped the Skyfire set up quarters in their barracks, with roofs and beds being set up.
Pan did not fail to note the guards’ wariness, despite this air of commerce. The human men-at-arms flanked the depot in a square of war lashes and swords, polished iron and bronze coating their vitals. Pan hadn’t a doubt a veritable shield wall would form the moment a sign of threat emerged. Word of Hammerscar has most certainly spread, without a doubt, and no one could feel safe under its walls. Despite the air of commerce that filled Hammerscar, the tension interlaced within it was enough to blow it apart at a spark.
Pan was sure Brewster would gladly light the fuse, but upon a survey of the walls, Pan was surprised that the Blackdiamond captain was nowhere to be seen. And Grimnir’s squad had all but disappeared as well, but for a single Laborious Skin guard who lounged near the wagon-sized hole in the curtain wall, overseeing the construction of a raised bridge. The guards on the surface were exclusively Gavakis’ Wraiths. Pan had somehow known exactly where they had went, and he had been right. As he ordered his aide Scruffy to aid in the trading (the lad could use the training), Pan had darted down towards Blackdiamond Hall…__________
…and walked into a battlefield, right outside of Blackdiamond Hall, but unlike the one a year ago, this one saw not a wildfire consuming the humans, but a firestorm consuming itself.
Brewster and three Blackdiamonds stood just beyond Blackdiamond Hall’s doorway, fully armed and ready for battle. Along the central stairway stood Grimnir, Reaver and most of the Laborious Skins, blocking the Blackdiamond's ascent to the surface. Grimnir was seated on a stair, Reaver at his side, holding the pommel of his axe with both hands. Brewster was on his feet, fists clenched, crossbow unsheathed.
Pan had heard echoes of heated words as he descended the central staircase. He could imagine: Grimnir’s entourage, fully armed and armored, about to walk into Blackdiamond Hall, just as Brewster stormed out of it with his trio of Blackdiamonds to ambush and massacre the humans. Pan can imagine Grimnir chastising Brewster, forbidding him from rounding up his Blackdiamonds. Grimnir must have seen that a military confrontation was the only way of stopping Brewster, who was popular but not much more popular than Grimnir. Brewster must have, in anger, lashed back at Grimnir, some defiant or insolent word, his pretense at respect gone in a moment of rage.
Their squads stood behind them, taking no notice of Pan above them. They were too intent on one another, Blackdiamond and Laborious Skin. Their weapons were sheathed, although the eventuality of it staying so seemed less likely every passing second.
‘The humans,’ Reaver, ever Grimnir’s voice, broke the silence in a deliberate, slow way. ‘They are not to be touched, as Grimnir said before your unduly interruption. The incident a year ago is not to repeat itself, and if you had the wits Armok gave a purring maggot, you will do well to remember your place, crossbow dwarf. Now, you will go back into your Hall until Grimnir, Founder and First Regent, commands otherwise! ’ He spat.
Brewster made no answer... then it was at this point he gave one of his usual smiles one last time, shrugged like nothing has occured, and retreated into his Hall, his Blackdiamonds slamming the doors behind them.
There was a visible relaxation among the Skins. Grimnir, as always, sat silent as a rock, but his men were visibly relieved, mutterings and whistles breaking out amongst the group.
‘I want a dwarf on that door. I want to hear it if Blackdiamond steps a stinking foot out.’ Reaver commanded. A recruit, a recently migrated lone wanderer by the exotic name of Zanzetkuken, nodded and positioned himself, sword across the door.
Pan was most euphoric with this development. However much the Blackdiamonds ruled with the fist, Grimnir still ruled the heart of Hammerscar. To see Brewster put in his place was most satisfying, although it the tension between Grimnir and Brewster cannot be ignored. But for once, Pan decided, things looked upbeat in a confrontation! The arrival of the Crown marksdwarves would put Grimnir’s squad past their disadvantage, assuming Brewster does not win the allegiance of Gavakis. Pan must hope to seal a peace between Grimnir and Shinn. With luck, perhaps Pan needn’t even visit the vampire anymore for his help, an act he had always disdained himself for. Things were looking up!
‘Get of your lazy ass and trade with these humans.’ Reaver was first to notice Pan leaning on the stairway, and folded his arms at him. ‘We’ve managed to win that much, at least.’__________
When Pan resumed trading, it took the rest of the day. By the time it was finished, it was past dark, as Pan appraised and noted down the trade goods. The summer midnight was cloudy, and the moon provided no relief. A great torch had been erected in the center of the depot, for the human’s sake. Dwarves had better vision, and could see past the dim light that covered. And it was with this vision, Pan told himself once more that the trade went very well, for once. The day had seen most, if not all, of the dwarves hauling their personal wealths along with Hammerscar’s wealth to trade for the humans’ exotic wares.
A great big and grey talking bird (a grey parrot, it was called) was at once the favorite, and a score of beardlings had spent all of the day teaching it all sorts of words and foul language. Their parents, worried for snatchers, had accompanied them, adding to the profits and trading.
The humans cheerfully loaded the crates of finished goods, as the last few dwarves hauled the stacks of exotic meats and brews into the fortress. No doubt the cooks and brewers will throw up a feast.
And perhaps best of all, not a Blackdiamond in sight. In fact, the only guards he could see was a single one of Skyfire’s guard, patrolling. Tirion had outfitted the gate with a lever, and the sturdy wall was once more safe.
Again, Pan noted the unease of the human soldiers. They had stationed themselves by the depot all day, and seemed intent to carry on through the night. Pan decided to ignored them. They have nothing to fear from Hammerscar, now that Brewster was safely under the ‘arrest’ of his own Hall.
‘I do say,’ the human trader (Pan couldn’t for the heck of him remember his name) drawled, holding a recently traded dacite figure, bearing the likeness of the dwarf Nix. ‘This is quite the exquisite figurine. Shame they are all dwarves.’
‘When with Dwarves, do as the Dwarvens do.’ Pan quoted cheerily, as was befitting his mood. ‘It is true, we make little decorations of you overlanders, but such fine work will surely encourage and improve upon your own endeavors.’
‘Hmph,’ the human puffed and lamented, putting up an act. ‘Doubtful. With goods such as these, I still cannot fathom you ending up with all these items…’
‘And yet,’ Pan countered with a chuckle, ‘you were thrilled when I made the offer of such fine work for your lean meats and withered plants. Drop the act, my friend. The trade here’s over, just as the wine is spilled, the song is sung, and the wench is pregnant.’ They shared a laugh.
‘Truly, rumors are rumors!’ the trader declared, producing a flask of sunshine. ‘Hammerscar was all it was said not to be, and for that, let us drink!’ He quaffed some and handed it to Pan.
‘But oh, what’s this?’ Chance drew the trader’s eyes back to a bin of goods. A large crutch, usable but un-proportioned to dwarven use. The trader picked it up and appraised it, frowning, then exclaimed loudly.
‘Why, this is splendid! The very mark of the Kingdom upon it!’
Oh no… Pan glared at Scruffy, who was obliviously chatting with another trader. The previous human goods were not to have been brought out! Pan gave an anxious laugh to cover his unease.
‘Well, it’s certainly convinced you to buy it, that’s for sure…’ The trader looked at him with an uncertain smile, though Pan could see the gears turning in his head. Did he…
Thunk! Ping!
‘What the…’ the trader looked confused, all thoughts on the human-made crutch gone. Pan looked to the sound. One of the human swordsmen sprouted a new feather from the head, and he toppled to the ground, blood feeding the ground from the shaft.
The trader whimpered and gave a loud cry, alerting the guards.
The horses panicked at the scent of blood, and kicked, missing a human lasher’s head by an inch. The trader looked at Pan desperately through the chaos. The lead human guard ordered a shield wall, and the humans formed up together, a bristling iron hedgehog. The human traders cowered in their wagons. Pan immediately dived under a wagon, pulling Scruffy down with him.
The torch in the trade depot was knocked over and stamped with an accidental and hasty boot, and there was a dim darkness. Pan smelled piss, and hoped it wasn’t the trader above him in the wagon.
‘Hammerscar has betrayed us!’ he heard the human guard captain yelling through. ‘Lets take out as many of these traitorous bastards as we can!’ A shaky cheer broke out among a few.
One of the guards, through the dusk, overeagerly slashed his iron barbed whip at a short figure nearby. It gave a cry and fell. Another short figure raced past them, and a lash brought it to the ground, followed by a human arrow shaft loosed at the head.
Underneath the wagon, Pan could see Nav and two Laborious Skins emerging from the underground, drawn by the commotion. A hurried shot raced their way, and the human arrow glanced off the Nav’s shield. Nav stood confused… then raised his weapon and gave an angry battle shout, drowning out Pan’s despairing cry, as the trio of dwarves charged the human shield wall.
The trio of dwarves charged the human shield wall, a rhythm of steel began to sound as axes and swords clanged off shield and armor. A Laborious Skin dwarf fell, then a human limb, closely followed by the human lasher himself amidst a spray of blood.
Through the din, Pan could see from under the wagon, and realized their mistake, even if the humans did not (through the dim light).
‘Stop this madness! Fools!’ Pan screamed, clawing his way back out the wagon. He picked up the fallen torch and jumped into the fray, flailing and screaming like a mad dwarf. The humans and dwarves, surprised, uneasily backed away from one another, staring at him warily, and comprehension hit the dwarves who, with their superior vision, were the first to notice. Nav sheathed his axe and spat.
To make clear his case to the still confused humans, Pan threw the torch at the corpses and lamented ‘It’s a goblin! A thief! No treachery, you fools!’
And indeed it was. A goblin lay on the sands, clutching a crossbow and a bag. His dark blood squirted out the arrow in his head. A child snatcher. The human maceman angrily began to pound at it's face with his flail.
Joining him in death, was a human guard and two other dwarves – one of Laborious Skin, and one of Skyfire brigade. The humans gave a collective chorus of despair and hurt, one of the female guards collapsing onto the initially shot guard, wailing. The copper bolt had shattered on impact, brittle and un-weapon worthy as it was, leaving a mess of metal on his face. The female guard grabbed the splintered bolt and pulled it out, flinging it to the side. The woman’s wails grief brought upon the battlefield a haunting atmosphere of death and despair.
Pan’s eyes were not on her, however. He watched, as the Skyfire marksdwarf lay there, choking and spluttering in the torchlight, his life’s blood oozed out.
The sands beneath Hammerscar, ever hungry, drank it in, the mineral white sand forming into small red boulders. This boulder, not the dacite underground, was the foundation of Hammerscar, Pan decided to himself. Formed of blood, and easily crumpled back into the scattered grains it formed out of.
Something wasn’t right. Pan realized. Inexplainably, he picked up the splintered bolt, still wet with the human’s blood and brains, and put it in his bag. He walked off, the gait of one in a secretive mood, a cloud dark and heavy in his mind.
__________
A terrible accident, was what they called it. Goblin saboteurs, undisciplined and tense human guards and the confusion of the night. Amidst the darkness and commotion, it was hard to tell. The fallen dwarves were no doubt paraded and given speeches to, though Pan was again, not present. Pan doubted the dead would hear them, but such customs must be observed, he knew. The humans honored their dead their own way. The humans had decided not to stay, and had closed all trading. Even now, the humans were packing shop to scurry off.
Pan listened little to the speeches afterwards, of which he was sure there were many. He figured he ought to say something himself, as overseer, but he was never the public speaker. He decided he would only make it worse. Instead, he sat in his office, a stack of papers at hand. The latest report, filed by Grau the medic and Reaver the unofficial Captain of the Guard both, read something about tavern fights that had been occasionally erupting in Hammerscar, tension and factionalism amongst the population. Grau complained about the extra work while Reaver simply underlined the offending dwarf starting these fights: Husk the Blackdiamond.
Pan's mind was not on it, however, and he pushed it away for later. Instead, Pan was much more fixated on the copper bolt, the goblin and his crossbow. Again, he brooded alone in his office… Something was off.
A shot, straight and true, had pierced and ended the human guard’s life and began the ending of the others. A shot fired by a goblin had struck true as an elf’s. Pan somehow found that hard to believe. And indeed! Since when did goblin snatchers use crossbows? The goblin’s corpse had been strung up on a tree outside the gates, a dwarven custom to humiliate the worst of criminals. He must have an inspection of it soon. Perhaps there are clues...
And the bolt material… Pan stared at the reddish brown bolt, cleaned of blood and brains. Copper was a material used by goblins, this is true, but yet, Pan cannot help but feel skeptical. It’s on the tip of his tongue, but he somehow cannot put a finger on just what it is. Something about this bolt was off...
He will take the bolt to Nav the smith, to be examined, he decided.__________
To be continued shortly (after my beauty sleep)!
This episode marks (for those who cannot read big texts without images):
1. The first crisis, the confrontation between Laborious Skin and Blackdiamond!
2. Laborious Skin's dangerous victory (brinkmanship, for anyone who studied the Cold War) and the Blackdiamond's virtual house arrest!
3. Successful trading with humans!
4. The deadly consequences of the tense dwarven-human relations! The first casualties: a Laborious Skin and a Skyfire marksdwarf, as well as a few humans!
5. The accident's origins is deeply suspicious! Will Pan get to the end of something that can very well put an end to the Blackdiamond tyranny?
6. Rising tensions (as always)! Will there be blood on the streets?
7. Oddmask twiddling his thumbs and fantasizing of publicly cutting himself! (off screen)
Comment and ask questions or give suggestions. But nothing in-character, please (AW, please move your update here, though)! This is only half of one update, because I was so busy and tired today I decided not to edit and upload the next half. But I will tomorrow morning!
And Australian Winter, I'm not offended at all. Why should I be? I'm actually glad you brought up this whole race thing, since I was wondering just what kind of place has names like 'Hovgaard Haag' haha... been dying to ask
. My first guess was a hybrid Scandinavian + Scottish, but Denmark's close enough, hehe. Nice guitar work, by the way.
Also, mind editing the Loyalist side to include K. Skyfire? He's a pretty big player now. And a change to the 'Story so far' would be nice.
Sorry Brewster. I know you're not the type to surrender, but up against Grimnir, I honestly don't think you stand a chance. You may beat him in a fight, but if you do, the populace will hate your guts. Anyway, you did manage to carry out a plan that weakens your enemies, so that's good, too.
More on you later. I have devious plans
Again, please let me know if I left anyone out, or have any incompatibilities.
Masked Hunter, I'll see about the Platypi. How's an adorable, giant parrot in the meantime?
Tirion, where can I get the Legends Viewer? Modding section? And uh... I don't have DFHack here, nor do I have modding experience with nails, overpowered lashes, and other bugs. Sorry. Teach me?
Alfred, I'll raise a squad of newbies in the next update. They won't be well armed or anything, but they can make good fodder
Dwarfed the revolutionary mason wanderer, Z. Would appreciate an entry to flesh out his character more?
Amish, I'll dwarf you in the next update.
Husk, I sort of gave you a small reference in that there was small fightings going on in the fortress, with Grau complaining. By the way, where is the hospital, AW? Thought you built one for Grau...
Poll
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Topic: [Succession Game] Hammerscar - Politics, rebellion and war. (Read 49667 times)