Preamble
Letter to Minkot ScalewiresEsteemed brother,
as a followup to our previous concerning your appointment for the administrative position in The Forest of Metal, I hereby give you the High Council's orders.
All previous information transmitted to you is to be considered no longer relevant. The purpose of your new appointment shall be kept strictly secret.
You are to lead en expedition to the south-west of Boardbalances, in The Swamps of Hatchets, between the Gleamedtrammels' spring and the roots of The Auburn Beak. A map detailing the exact location you will head to has been included in this package.Your ultimate goal is to build Enôrbomrek, "Bluewhips", a fortified military facility. It needs to be capable of hosting a small but steady force, and be strong enough to resist the most fearsome attacks.
You're entrusted with defending the facility, this responsibility is solely up to you. It's advised you set up functional training regimes and all the necessary facilities in due time.
You will select six brothers and sisters of your trust to help you with the task. Your group will go under the name of The Blockade of Cloistering.
Enough coins to buy yourself any material you might need has been included in this package. In order to preserve the mission secrecy, however, you're strongly advised travel as lightly loaded as possible.
You will depart as soon as the beginning of opal, in the midst of winter. You shall be able to reach your destination in little under two months, keeping in mind you'll likely be slowed down by the heavy snowfalls typical of the season. You shall avoid traveling along the main roads if at all possible.
We will make sure additional work force reaches your outpost in time to make your task easier. You are to expect two batches of strong dwarves. More dwarves will be sent only and when we can be sure you're ready to house them.
The contents of this message shall not be shared with any dwarf, dead or alive. You shall destroy this letter as soon as you memorize its contents.
If you were to fail meeting any of the instructions hereby transmitted, The High Council will make sure you are promptly introduced to the Royal Hammerer.
Regards.
P.S. We also included the tome you received along this letter. I'm sure you'll find it interesting. We hope it will make you good company in the years to come.
Diary of Minkot Scalewires9th Sandstone, 125, the Great Mountain Halls of SyrupclinchGreat. Sure, just great!
First they tell me I've been chosen among many and more candidates to oversee the foundation of a new colony in The Forest of Metal. Oh, that felt really rewarding. I really couldn't believe it. I was the envy of the whole academy, and I have surely been savoring that thought for quite some time now.
And now, what in the seven hells is this? A cryptic letter, riddled with nonsense.
This can't be true, after all... the letter isn't even signed. This must be a joke from some smartass in the clerk's school. Do they really think I could be fooled by a forged royal seal? And this book. The Great Tome of Histories! Are you kidding me? Those jerks are perfectly aware I know every history book by heart, including The Great Tome by Likot Vabôkkizbiz.
Yes, it must be it! They are likely laughing their asses off in front of some booze right now, and only because I was picked to found a new outpost for the glory of our King and they weren't. The fuckers.
I won't let them fool me. Oh no sir, not in Shadmal's wildest dreams!
Tomorrow I will go straight to the garrison and let the militia know some fool is forging royal missives. If they happen to be slightly less drunk than usual and take this matter as seriously as they should, an official investigation at the hands of The Royal Guard shall follow soon thereafter. I will show those morons who's gonna laugh his ass off at last.
10th Sandstone, 125, the Great Mountain Halls of SyrupclinchI c - an't beilie - ve it
Sh - t I ne - ed some boo_z to calm teh sha -a kni g
Oh God. Oh good Zanos. This has to be a dream. Tomorrow I will wake up, and this nightmare will be over. My face. My poor face.
I went to the garrison, letter in hand. I was going to ask to be granted the permission to talk with the commanding officer. Little I know, a man appears right from nowhere, face, beard, mustaches and all hidden under a black hood. The guards didn't even give half a damn fuck.
He brings me in a side corridor by force, he hits me right on the nose with his big fist. He almost broke it, my poor nose, that gigantic bastard. He whispered: "Remember the orders, you piece of trash of an ass. Else I will bring you towards the Royal Hammerer myself". And then he simply disappeared.
Shit. I almost peed the morning ale right in my robes. My nose. It hurts so much. Fuck.
I only need to take a nap before breakfast, and when I wake up this is all gone away. It's a dream. Just a bad dream. Zanos please, make it so this is just one of your strange dreams.
And then woke up. For how long have I been sleeping? Ouch. SHIT!!!
It's all true...
My head. It's like Etur threw one of his mountains right on my face. Right. Now I remember. It's the nose that hurts so much. It puffed up already to twice it's normal size.
Think Minkot, think you fool. Gotta burn the damn letter. No wait! What is that it said about the dwarves.
6 dwarves, packing as little stuff as possible, depart by the beginning of Opal. Shit I hate winter, and most of all I hate the snow. God what am I supposed to do?
Build a fortified facility they say. Thanks, really. Those damn counselors, they sit on their noble asses all day long, that's way too convenient isn't it. They don't even send the scratch of a plan. I barely made past the architecture exams. I really can't get architecture for the life of me. And they think I can build a freaking castle or something all on my own? I seriously doubt they even asked themselves if they were picking the right dwarf for the task.
They want me dead, there's no other explanation. Why would you chose someone like ME for a task like THIS, if they didn't want me dead?
That's right. A Clerks academy overflowing with promising administrators of noble lineage, most of whom would surely do much better than I could ever be capable of. And yet they pick me, a silly dorf of humble origins who barely passed in architecture!
I must relax. Don't think about the worse Minkot. Don't you think about it.
Let's see, I need to make preparations. Gotta think this thoroughly. I don't know who the Royal Hammerer is, but I'd rather take someone form The Notched Labors as my spouse than see his asinine face up close.
I'm going to need someone to help with the designs, someone who knows about military fortifications. Also: strong arms to build and dig.
Two experienced miners shall do, they will be more than capable with both carving tunnels and putting a block on top of the other. How hard might that be?
What about food and alcohol. The orders said I can't pack a shitload of comforts, and I need to bring all the tools we will need. I better bring someone who knows how to grow some edible crop, and also how to make some good booze out of it. I could land a hand with that, but only if strictly necessary. Something tells me we better bring lots of booze.
I'm not going to spend my days locked in a small room looking at records or breaking my back in a field. Oh no sir, I tell you. If I have to do this, I'm going to enjoy my stay as much as I can.
They also said I need to make sure the working area is well defended and I'll have to set things up for establishing a solid military force. I better pick someone who's well into military warfare. How do you train dwarves into seasoned killing machines, for Armok's blood?
And I can only bring 6 more dwarves. Oh mighty Tholtig, help me!
I guess I'm not going to sleep much tonight. Nor for many nights after today. Better start making plans tomorrow. I'm too tired right now.
Turkeys. Oh Zareth, if I love turkey. Tasty, delicious turkey. Gotta make sure I bring some to breed.
28th Moonstone, 125, the Great Mountain Halls of SyrupclinchWe will leave in a couple days, at nighttime. Just some more time to double-check everything is ready.
I wasn't able to prepare as carefully as I'd liked to. People would ask too many questions. As a result, I had to be very discrete about investigating dwarves who could potentially suit my needs.
Acquiring all the things we will need once we get to our destination proved to be extremely problematic. In the end I packed the wagon with a huge amount of stuff. Fuck keeping a low profile. I'm not embarking for an easy expedition. I'm much more willing to risk being spotted but still be able to survive than focusing on secrecy only to be eaten alive by some wild beast, or worse, as soon as I reach my destination. And if the Royal Hammerer has anything to say in this regard, then be it.
And yet I fear I've been too careless. Half of Syrupclinch is sure to know something strange is going on with me.
The Lumberdorf asked what on earth would an attendant administrator do with that many Urists of Tower-cap. I said I fancied my very own cabin somewhere nice and calm.
The dwarves of the furnaces in the industrial district made a similar question regarding my need for Malachite. I guess I developed an interest with training my nonexistent metalworking skills in my spare time.
My need for several dozen barrels worth of assorted meats and enough alcohol to quench a hundred dwarves? Organizing a party for my birthday, with lots of friends and relatives being invited.
My former colleagues at the academy were the only ones to refrained from asking questions. They must be assuming I'm making preparations to leave for The Forest of Metal, most likely envying me big times for that. I so wish that was still the case.
I also managed to enlist the last dwarf in my lot of 6. I think they will suit my needs, pretty much. Well, it's the best bunch of dirty drunkards I was able to put together in the few months at my disposal.
Uzol Giftedlabor, Zon Lengthmountains, Cog Peakcopper, Zuglar Scorchabbey, Rigòth Heavyrelics, Såkzul Realmsgorge. These are going to be my only brother and sisters for the months to come. I hope they all survive the cold and storms we will have to face along our way. Most of all, I hope it's not me to be entombed by the snow or serving as the main dish for some starving mountain lion.
My new companions have been instructed to be ready to depart at a moment's notice, for I want to be on the road as soon as possible.
I've told them we're heading for The Swamps of Hatchets to build a new outpost. They didn't seem to care much, they all seemed to be brave dwarves. But I guess their confidence also has to do with me
forgetting to mention what we are going to do once there exactly, and how close to the Goblin's forefront we are going to work, eat and sleep. Oh well, maybe I'm over-thinking things too much.
It's a clear night kissed by the intense chill of winter. At least it's not snowing, although my guts tell me the weather won't be this benevolent for much longer.
A couple more days, then we depart.
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Topic: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort) (Read 8715 times)