The Log of Idek9th Hematite 662While on patrol today, Vela spotted the oddest group we had ever seen traversing the tundra. A rather large assortment of humans with some wagons where passing the mountain and after a short conversation, held by shouting into the snowstorm, they've set up camp at the base of the mountain and have sent some people up to our fortress for trading.
While Mafiawhale met their leader, I tried to trade with them. Oddly enough, they didn't want any gold or gems from us like virtually everyone else that found us. They where very interested in wood shavings, dried plants and other materials that could be used as tinder and some food and booze. Ultimately, we agreed about buying some waterclogged logs, probably got dropped into the snow by them, for two barrels of plump helmets and another barrel of various tinder. While the logs wont make good material for building, we can dry them near the forges and use them for charcoal at least.
A while after the trading was done, a very unsettled Mafiawhale came to me, and asked me to talk to the leader of the humans. I was confused about this turn of events, but complied with his request.
The man named Leba that waited in our mayors office for me was a pale and gaunt looking man of maybe forty years old and constantly had a smile on his lips that was to wide and to toothy to be normal. Upon Mafiawhales prompting, he retold his story again and I quickly understood why our new leader felt out of his depth with this human.
These people wherent traders, bandits or refugees. They where a cult. "The enlightened Path" was what they called themselves and they where on some selfproclaimed holy journey to paradise. A year ago, Lebas hometown was invaded by the greenskins and with much of the rest of the kingdom he lived in under siege, he tried to flee for the the elven forests to the north of his former home. He had lost his wife during the attack, and his two sons passed from hunger and injury during the travel. When he finally reached the top of the last hill that seperated him from the elven lands, half starved and near mad with grief at this point, he looked down and saw no lush green forests.
The goblins had been there already and from the sea to the mountains, to the horizon and back, the forests where burning beneath a blanket of black smoke.
At this point, he claimed, Stalcon, the human goddess of mercy and forgivness, took pity on him and appeared before him. He proudly proclaimed that he was told that the sins of the world had grown worse enough that a second great cleansing was initiated and the goblins would be the tools of the gods for this task. But he was offered a way out. He should gather those who where ready to do penance around him and travel south, beyond the lands of the goblins and even beyond the frozen oceans, to the paradise the gods had created there for those worthy of being saved. If they suffered enough to atone for their sins, they would be granted entrance and eternal life in bliss.
The story was more then shocking, especially when he drew back his robe to show his back to illustrate his penance. The many wounds and scars where sadly easy to identify for a former slave like me. I had seen the bodys of people that where whipped until their flesh hang in tatters before, but never had I met someone who did this to himself, let alone every day as he proudly proclaimed. Now I could place what unsettled me about his smile. It was that of a madmen and I still shuddered of the thought of over fifty people being let by someone like him. Considering the barbaric rituals and the seemingly haphazard preparation of their holy journey, there was no telling how many dead bodys they had already left behind.
Mafiawhale and I quietly agreed that it would be pointless to reason with the cult leader, merely extending and invitation to stay for a few days and let them get check out by Doctor Skull. He didn't seem to be terribly eager to take up the second part of our offer, but was delighted about the first part and the prospect of looking for converts in our midst. I sincerly hope noone here is insane enough to take him up on that.
10th Hematite 662Leba stood by his word and started preaching in the currently nearly empty stockpile next to workplaces of the masons. A lot of dwarves attended at first, to see what was up with these people if nothing else, but the situation quickly detoriated when they started to lash themselves. Most left upon seeing this, the display bringing back painfull memories from years of slavery, while others started to argue with the mad preacher. First in line was Doctor Skull, who held an impromptu speach how worthless he thought these people. He said that they where cowards who where afraid to stand up and fight for their homes and lives and was quickly joined by most of our militia and quite some civilians backing up his position.
The only one who seemed to have gained something from this seemed to be Nail, who somehow seemed to draw her twisted form of inspiration from the flagellants.
When the argument turned heated and the first weapons where drawn, Mafiawhale told Leba and his band in no uncertain terms that it would be better if they left. The man seemed miffed at that, somehow probably still thinking that he could sway some of us, but he quickly caved in and went to rejoin his followers at the base of the mountain.
I'm still not sure what to think of this display. Maybe it was just some hallucination he had, maybe it was a real vision, but what does it tell us about the gods? Would a goddess of mercy of all things, be truly so cruel as to inspire a man like Leba to debase himself like this? And if not, why didn't she stop him or his people, instead letting them go on a journey that will end with all of them frozen to death on the edge of the known world? Wherent the gods supposed to guide and protect us? Where were the gods when dwarves, humans and elves where enslaved by the thousands? Where are they now, when the greenskins threat to conquer the few that are still free?
One of the few things my mother managed to pass down to me was a small amulet with the symbol of Ngotol, the god of death. The belief was, at least in the slave quarters, that after our deaths, our souls would go to him and would never need to know hunger, fear and pain again. It is a telling thing that the only thing that we had left to look forward to was death.
However, this has changed. We might be only a few dwarves in the grand sheme of things, but here we are. Freed not by the gods, but by our own hands and weapons. We all know that our chances to survive here forever are slim at best. Our troops might be able to hold off quite a few goblin warriors, but not the thousands they could bring down on us if they wanted. Still, we are not dead yet and every time the rises on this godforsaken mountain, we have won a tiny victory.
Leba did inspire me at least, if not in the way that he wanted. I have tossed the amulett into the volcano today. If this is the world the gods made for us and if Leba is an indication how they want us to live our lives, then I prefer to die a heathen.
12th Hematite 662There was a lot of shouting to be heard from Mafiawhales office today. Kadol had not made a secret of her thoughts about Leba and our decision to let him in. She proudly proclaimed that it was beneath proper dwarves to mingle which such rabble. Her actual words where a bit more viscious and she made now attempts to hide her contempt for Mafiwhales leadership or mine before that. I have no idea what exactly she had "discussed" with Mafiawhale, but her expression upon leaving his office was downright murderous.
26th Hematite 662When the smiths tried to enter one of the forges today, they found the doors locked and seemingly blocked with something from the inside. After trying to open them for some time, they noticed that someone seemed to work in there and that the armorer Nish was missing.
There was a heated argument for while what do to, until Fishybang just went to the door, put a plate and a goblet of wine down next to it an politely knocked. A few moments later, Nish pocked his head out of the door and after a quick thanks went back inside. Almost as an afterthought he yelled that he would be done soon from inside.
6th Malachite 662It took ten days but Nish finally emerged from the forges again. He told us that he didn't really know why he made it, but he presented us with the finest made steel chainmail I had ever seen.
After a short discussion, it was decided that Dewsif would be the one to wear it into battle by virtue of being the commander.
22nd Malachite 662A tattered group of dwarven merchants arrived at our doors today. They once made a living by travelling between the few scattered settlements of elves and humans just north of the tundra, dodging greenskin patrols and eeking out a meager living with their high risk routes.
With the increased activity of the northward marching armys, it hat gotten more and more difficult lately, until they finally where attacked and had to ditch most of their merchandise on their escape. The normal routes they used where cut off, so they fled south in a desperate attempt to evade capture.
It took them two months of aimlessly wandering the tundra until they heard about us from the a group of human bandits, probably the same that had visited us last summer.
Even through not one of them had set foot into the dwarven kingdom for decades, they are none the less the first dwarves that joined us who aren't freed slaves.
I'm not sure what to make of that. On one hand, it somewhat elevates Igrishilrom from a slave retreat to a true settlement, on the the other hand it shows how low the world has sunken, if eleven dwarves have to travel for hundreds of miles to seek refuge here.
Notes: Some more fluff to gloss over the lack of action. No FB's, no cavern creatures, no sieges. This mountain IS cursed, but not in the way I imagined.
@Alev: Yes, Vela is in the same squad.
@Guylock: Im still working on getting everyone a bit less fearfull. Im not sure if it helps to send you out to the dead gobbos again and again, but since part of the militia is still frightened by the corpses it proves that they at least react to it.
Edit: The part about the burning elven settlements is mostly true. The elven kingdoms are getting overrun completely and the dwarves are slowly pushed back too. More on the dwarven situation in the next post when Datan gets his third appeareance.
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Topic: The Fell Peak [Community Fortress] - platinum blunt weapons for everyone! (Read 13020 times)