Chapter 10: The Dark Temple
Journal of Thrakha'zaguul.
Galena, 253
Our raiders captured some Human and Dwarf prisoners last year. Since we have no Shadowbroker's office to ransom them, the prisoners have been lazing about in the stockpile where we keep the metal tools. Taskmaster Trak'Ruhn speaks to the prisoners: No more freeloading! You may set up a labor camp and work for your keep. The Human insists on having food, and the Dwarf insists on having booze before they will work.
Over several weeks the Dwarven miner drinks about 250 shots of booze and we gain about 100 stone. There are eighteen stones of gold, and a dozen of bituminous coal, and a bit of dolomite flux. Also there is a mixed up heap of gabbro, sphalerite, and cassiterite which we have not sorted through yet. The Dwarven laborer is commanded to stop mining and drinking once our stocks are down to about 100 shots booze, and 100 plants. Leafar, our new master brewer, works quickly to replenish supplies. I remind the Orcs that although they may enjoy it: they do not actually need booze to get through the working day.
Demonbutter and the artisans take our two Drowish toolkits and about half of our bloodsteel supplies, to make two big stacks of enchanted Blood-arrows for Firehawk, Ilena, and the other bow-orcs.
The other half of the bloodsteel goes to Shaman Gwathlobal and Tomia who are overseeing installation of two Altars of Storms in the new Sorcerer's workshop area. The shaman gathers our dreamwalkers together in the temple and speaks:
We have two ways to gain power at the Altar of Storms. The first is to learn Spells like Frenzy, Raise Dead, or Disabling Hex. Each spell is recorded on a tool called a Mojo. Our raiders have already stolen several spell mojos for us, and we could craft more. Some spells are simple enough to remember forever, while others are powerful but tend to slip from your mind after a few months. But, the Mojo is reusable. Peasants! he yells: stockpile all the silver tools here in the storage room of the temple, for Mojos are silver tools.
To the dreamwalkers again he speaks: The second way to gain power is for us to acquire a Sorcerer's Codex, and by undergoing this arcane journey, transform into Sorcerers ourselves! Unlike many dreamwalkers' spells the black arts of the Sorcerer can be used directly to render our enemies into blood and ash! However the Codex is quite complicated to craft, and it may take a few new-moons to gather the supplies.
Although Codexes and Mojos are not used up, every attempt to use magic takes some reagents too. Sorcerer's magic uses minotaur voodoo dolls, and Dreamwalkers Talismans. Talismans are made of spirit shards, a resource collected at the Totem Pole by 'communing with the spirits'. This process of building Talismans takes up a lot of time, but no other resources and anyone can do it. Peasants!: start collecting the spirit shards and stockpile them as gabbro tools, right next to these Totem Poles. The workers will then automatically assemble them into Talismans when needed.
Dreamwalker Tomia reminds us of a newly discovered method to gain Talismans more quickly: by performing the Ritual of Blood and Skulls at the Altar of Storms. This uses up bloodsteel, totems, and 5 candles; it not only produces Talismans but also has a chance to generate new spells, magical weapons, or even a sorcerer's codex.
The Human bandit traders arrive. I ask their trade liason for steel and musket-balls.
We trade away some crafts, few in number, but some of very nice quality. We also trade away some premium barrels of roast unicorn stuffed with elf, glazed with in fish sauce. The humans did not ask for the recipe. We actually trade for many items of booze, barrels, cages, flasks, ropes, tower shields and greaves, lots of cloth, medical supplies. The ropes are to make pulleys as tackle for our new xebec-ships. Since our wealth is based on raiding, we need to keep up ship production and xebecs will use less wood.
Tigermen attack! This year it is no simple ambush but an aerial assault led by two sword-masters. The enemy are all mounted upon giant moths and accompanied by a squad of war-bobcats. The bobcats rush directly for the backdoor of the keep where they are greeted by Dohon and Mavj and cut into bits. The tigers' copper gear is no match for the fine equipment of our warriors, but if they breach the walls on their Moth-steeds they could quickly cause a lot of damage to the farm-snaga with their brute size and their zweihander swords.
The Orcish Arrows and the Gory Muskets move to battle stations: in the eastern sentry tower, and on the walls of the keep. The Plague Gunners are ordered to hold ranks with Broken Mind and prepare to provide close support for the melee assault squad.
Limestone, 253
The moth-riders hold just out of range of the eastern tower, although Firehawk picked off a few of them. The close combat squads move out very carefully but it quickly descends into a general melee. The bow-orcs and bandit caravan guards play a key role of taking out the moths. The recruits have a tough time but their lamellar and bronze armor helps against the tigers' copper zweihanders, and the veterans run quickly back and forth driving away the enemy at all points. The turning point of the battle is when the tiger swordmaster is shot down inside the keep -- luckily the fall knocks him out and the gunners and direwolves finish the job quickly.
Flachette-captain Srishak'glugburz and some of the recruits are hospitalized with fractures or other limb injuries. Tomia175 is suture and dresses the wounds very quickly. We have new offices and extra officer-work, so I assign myself as a back-up scribe, and Tomia as a second shaman. In an Orc stronghold extra scribes may share the bookkeeping and management work.
In the last battle Broken Mind reported that several of her recruits were fighting without gloves, and even some of the veterans are wearing inferior hand-gear. The craftsorcs get back to their stations.
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Topic: Ghoshash Snazaga, "Cleaver of Ignorance," a ¤MDF Orc Fort¤ tutorial (Ch 22) (Read 105250 times)