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[Aavak]

Seventh day of Autumn, Year Three:
While we turned our eyes to the less militant aspects of our Kingdom over the past few days, it allowed a number of our Gnomes to gradually relax. We even turned our attention (after expanding our farming land) to build more personal quarters, and finally finished the construction of a second windmill. With our mechanical wall functioning exactly as the engineers had described, things were beginning to look up...

And so, it comes as a great blow to have to record the deaths of some of the oldest members of our Kingdom. Boulder, the very same Gnome who invented the Mechanical wall, and was so proud of its completion, and Mr Cadaverr. It was a close call, but we very nearly lost TrashyBagles as well... no one seems to understand how this could have happened, but somehow the three became trapped at the top of the tomb monument, and despite being in plain sight of the farmers as they tended the fields, their cries for help went unheard.

That is, of course, what is being said publicly. However, here I can raise the question: How could the farmers have been oblivious to the plight of the three Gnomes for so long? Long enough that two of them would die of thirst? I fear there may be a darker element to this tragedy, and I'm determined to get to the bottom of it!

[Aavak]

Ninth day of Autumn, Year Three:
The terrible loss of Boulder and Mr Cadaverr have weighed heavily upon the minds of the other Gnomes these past few days. Although progress has not noticeably slowed, it's clear that many feel shaken. Therefore, in order to help raise spirits, and after confirming that the Kingdom is not in dire need of any specific resources, I authorised the construction of more personal quarters. Hopefully this will please some of the citizens, or at the very least, console them.

While the citizenry focus their efforts on hollowing out the hill for more personal quarters, I have had words with the Captains of our military, and our one surviving engineer. At length, we have considered our options for ending the siege of both the Mants and Goblins, and we are in agreement that a network of traps will likely be the best (if not only) way to defeat them. With that in mind, we now begin construction of a heavily trapped arena, into which we hope to lure our enemies!

[Neonivek]

Why do I feel like this game still has a lot of untapped potential?

[Aavak]

Twelfth day of Autumn, Year Three:
Plans were laid, and reasonable progress was made on the trap tunnels and guard station that we hope will become the killing pits that free our Kingdom from the near constant Goblin and Mant siege. But no matter how quickly the traps were fabricated and deployed, it would never be soon enough... on schedule, a Gnomad migration arrived, and I was forced to make the terrible decision to abandon them. We tried to shout orders, to direct them wherever would be safest, the Silvery Lurkers spent hundreds of bolts trying to weaken the invaders so that the Gnomads might stand a chance of survival. But it was no good.

None of us slept well that night, our dreams haunted by the tortured screams of the slaughtered.

All these deaths are taking a heavy toll on everyone, especially the Military, who angrily voiced their complaints at being expected to stand idle in the relative safety of the fort, while Gnomes were dying outside the walls. I can only hope that they will eventually see the wisdom in my decision, and in the mean time, that they can busy themselves with continuing to build the traps, and distract themselves from their misery.

[Aavak]

Third day of Winter, Year Three:
As winter fell upon Spiderslaughter, much of the groundwork had been laid in preparation for the traps themselves to be deployed. Additional power would need to be constructed to support our grand designs, but progress came quickly. However, with the first few days of winter behind us, the Silvery Lurkers of Battle reported that no sign nor sound of enemies had come. A rare opportunity, though dangerous, thus presents itself to us.

It's a difficult choice to make, having so recently condemned so many Gnomads to death for the sake of ensuring the fort's safety, to now contemplate opening the fort for the chance of reclaiming some of the abandoned wealth of the Goblins. But the alternatives are equally grim. This may be the final record of the fall of our Kingdom, and if so, know that we faced our end with bravery and courage... onward, for glory, and for Spiderslaughter!

[Aavak]

Fifth day of Winter, Year Three:
Hurrah! We bargained and won, as our brave haulers spread out over the eerily quiet fields of previous battles, bringing back all manner of weapons and armour. It wasn't until the first night had passed that we realised what had happened. It seems that Cinderfragment, in their haste to launch another assault, had not taken the time to properly scout a safe path. The fighters thus found themselves caught behind an impassable landslide while we picked over the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Thus, we find our military equipped in fine iron arms and armour. It seemed very little of the steel armour survived the Goblin's confrontation with the Mants, however. With the fort now sealed, and our military filled with renewed confidence due to their new equipment, we must now plan how best to proceed. Our engineer insists we continue work on the trap system, but there is also the question of delving deeper into the earth in search of better materials. But while we ponder these questions, I am given to wondering how will Cinderfragment respond to their embarrassing failure to lay siege to use over the past few days...

[Aavak]

Seventh day of Winter, Year Three:
It seems that fate sought to redress the balance after Cinderfragment's blunder earlier in the season, by ensuring their next invasion caught us while we attempted to deal with a Mant scout. Our military fought long, and hard, and with victory looming near, it was an even heavier blow to lose one of our number.

Let it be recorded that Captain Hamster fought courageously, and died gallantly.

Now, with that battle behind us, but the loss of Hamster fresh in our minds, our thoughts must turn to what to do next? Do we seal off the fort the moment we've recovered the corpses, or, making good on the opportunity that Hamster's death affords us, try to erect more torches outside and recover still more of the iron and steel armour that lays beyond our walls? This choice feels heavy, as though the fate of many lives hangs in the balance...

[Aavak]

Seventh day of Winter, Year Three:
It was clear that whatever decision we made regarding the sealing of the fortress would have far reaching consequences. But who could have imagined the terrible price we'd pay for leaving the fortress open? The choice was made, as with so many fateful choices, with only the best of intentions... we wanted to bring more light to the lands beyond our walls, we wanted to be able to spot our enemies sooner, so we could prepare. We wanted to be safe, but what we got was a slaughter neither we, nor the Mants, will soon forget...

In a single battle, which has come to be known as the Battle of Eastgate, we have lost:

Tyki Myik,
SortoaThePenguin,
ForeFox,
Dino9599,
Webster,
MrNoidannuoli,
TruBlu,
JackD23,
TrashyBagles,
and UltimaPlayer12

Rest peacefully in your halls of stone, brave warriors. Your deeds, and your sacrifices will be long remembered.

With our military squads seeming empty for the loss of so many soldiers so quickly, and with our industries struggling under the sudden strain of a shortage of gnome-power, we must close the gate so many died to keep open. Their deaths, at least, held the line and prevented the Mants from puncturing the heart of our Kingdom. But it pains me to have to make this choice, but we need time to replenish our supplies, to reforge our armour... and to grieve.

[Aavak]

Ninth day of Winter, Year Three:
While the fort is now closed, the past days have been spent doing the best we can to make sense of the chaos that Spiderslaughter seems to have fallen into. While the military train, silently, their wounds too deep to acknowledge in words, the rest of the fort has been busily trying to put our stocks and workshops in order. At the request of Ornstein, the bronze which was no longer needed for arms and armour now that we have plentiful supplies of iron, is being fashioned into crossbow bolts. This will likely be a significant upgrade over the granite bolts they have been using up to now, and with work continuing on the trap corridors and gatehouse, we hope never to see a repeat the tragedy of the Battle of Eastgate.

So, now that we enter the last quarter of the season and indeed, the last season of this year, it is with grim determination we must look forward. Once the reports of our remaining armour stocks have been compiled and delivered, I am considering upgrading the Silvery Lurkers of Battle from leather, to metal armour. It seems regardless of our wishes, our ranged unit consistently gets drawn into close combat. Additionally, more work must be done on mechanisms for sealing the fort and opening the passages that will funnel invaders to their doom. But with Spring fast approaching, I worry that we may not have enough time to finish our preparations before another wave of Gnomads arrives... I can only hope that they do so during a rare break in the siege, either by the Mants, or Cinderfragment.

[Aavak]

Twelfth day of Winter, Year Three:
With the last days of Winter marching past, some progress was made in producing the mechanical parts necessary for further work on the traps, but more importantly perhaps, we have also managed to replenish our medical supplies. However, as suspected, the Goblins and Mants time their attacks to coincide with the imminent Gnomad wave... not only that, but the Mants, sensing the possibility for plentiful food, have sent one of the largest invasions we have ever seen.

Therefore, with Spring now looming, what should be a joyous occasion for celebration as Spiderslaughter enters her fourth year, has turned grim, as many of the citizens are preparing themselves to witness yet another slaughter. However, I will not give in to despair, CommieCat assures me that if we can but finish one more mechanical wall, there may be a chance...

[Aavak]

First day of Spring, Year Four:
Happy days! Joyous, fabulous, wonderful days! Not only did CommieCat's mechanical wall system work, it worked perfectly! It is therefore, that I am able to record the official arrival of twenty-three Gnomads. The whole caravan made it safely inside the walls. The parties are still ongoing, welcoming both the Gnomads, and Spiderslaughter's fourth year!

While many of the Gnomads are busy making introductions, and settling in to their new roles (though there have been some tears as brothers and cousins arrive to learn of the deaths of their kin) plans are already being laid to excavate more room for future private quarters. However, there are some items at the very edges of our territory that we may be able to secure with careful mining. What better time to try this, than now, when we have enough hands to get the work done quickly?

[Aavak]

Second day of Spring, Year Four:
Indeed, it seems that the additional Gnome-power Spiderslaughter now commands was able to drastically increase the speed of our various projects. Not only have they made great progress towards bringing order to the chaotic sprawl of goods, but also excavated a path so that we could reach some stocks of weapons and armour left by an unsuccessful attack by Cinderfragment.

However, with the new-years celebrations dying down, we can not afford to rest. Neither Cinderfragment nor the Mants will wait for us to be ready for them. Captain IncompetentLP has already began running the new recruits through training that I am assured will drastically reduce the instances of chaos on the battlefield, and I have a feeling that it will soon be put to the test.

[Aavak]

Fourth day of Spring, Year Four:
Although Spiderslaughter took part in no battle, these past few days, the fields beyond our walls have not wanted for blood. Much as we suspected, the Mants and Goblins, denied any Gnomish enemy, turned upon each other while we watched on while IncompetentLP and Strider instructed their squads.

But now, with the recruits as ready as they will be, we prepare to open the gates and allow our military to clash against what remains of the battle between the Mants and Cinderfragment. I prey for the safety of our newest members, but I've already instructed the stone masons to prepare some fresh coffins...

[Aavak]

Fourth day of Spring, Year Four:
With some confidence we put our battle-plans into action against what remained of Cinderfragment's latest invasion attempt. But as with all confident plans, something happened that we had not expected. A civilian, eager to prove their worth, darted out of the fort in order to begin bringing in the much needed supplies... needless to say, the resulting confusion worked against us.

Although we were able to slay the Goblin foe, we lost Loki and several of our civilians and military Gnomes were gravely wounded.

But with the remaining forces from Cinderfragment now slain, our civilians will have a moment's freedom with which to gather as much of the valuable spoils of war ahead of the possible arrival of a merchant. It has been some time since we were last able to trade, and we have much to offer any caravan brave enough to make its way to our Kingdom walls!

[Aavak]

Fifth day of Spring, Year Four:
With the arrival of the caravan, Spiderslaughter was able to trade for some much needed ores in exchange for items of far inferior worth. However, not all went as planned... overconfident after our recent victories, we lusted after the armours and weapons left strewn about the battlefield, and long after our caution had warned us to close the gates, we continued to haul in these valuable materials. It should have come as little surprise then, when a large Mant hoard burst into the Kingdom.

Having put the Mants to the sword (and axe, and hammer) we expected a few moments rest, time enough we thought, in our hubris, to finish collecting what lay beyond the walls. And for our greed we were rewarded with a Goblin siege. As if Cinderfragment knew we were still licking our wounds, they sent an imposing force against us.

Readying to face this new foe, already tired and battle worn, our soldiers must continue the fight. Should they fail, there is little hope that Spiderslaughter would be able to survive this Night of Longshadow.