The descent into madness
The fortress of Stokedgem
16th Opal, mid winter, year 7
Since creation dwarven kind has spread out into the vast reaches of the world, seeking wonders beyond imagination, beyond the senses.
"We have such sights to show you" echoed softy on the ears of many dwarf.
Immortality, life forever the mere idea thrilled some dwarf so maddeningly that it consumed them utterly.
After the sacred covenant took place fourteen dwarves stand together as masters over life and death, this pleased them.
Within a short time though they quickly realized the folly in their hubris, one day some merchants visited, a day like any other, bringing supplies from the mountainhome.
Utterly mad with boardom the merchants were attacked viciously, struck down with copper picks wielded by seven crazed dwarves. Each merchant fell only to be raised as a feral ghoul hunter, a mere shadow of the being it used to be. Crazed,opposed to life and blood drunk they fell upon the the seven dwarves.
A battle ensued a gnashing of teeth,sinew,muscle,guts and bone. The screams could be heard for unknown distances but these were not the screams of the living. For each time the feral ghouls would be felled they would spring immediately back to life, such was the consequence of wielding power beyond ones control.
The battle raged.......and raged.......and raged......and raged, nothing was safe from this chaos even animals were sencelessly slaughtered and brought back as animal shades.
Finally after a time, refered to now as the "Moment of convergence" when the battle finally stopped, almost as suddenly as it began. In its wake left thirteen dwarves standing....sort of.
{music:drink and industry plays}
The thirteen dwarves left standing were badly injured not that they could feel pain or were worried about their injurys, mangled beyond recognition most of them, out of the thirteen four still had intact bodys and were still sort of alive....more alive than the others.
Quick to action the expedition leader made a hospitle and brought the injured there to begin triage. It was hell made flesh, a sight to behold, before the leader were twelve severely injured paitents. With blundering speed he went to work, with a flurry of stiches and cloth he did what he could. Quickly though he realised that they had been fooled, tricked into this exsistance. None of thier injurys were healing and each time the hospitle fills with injured, only for them to leave when when the hospitle closes. Trapped forever in this life between life.
{Ghostly merchants wailing, killing whoever they can, while undead llamas and other animals screech in the distance}
{undead workers work quietly and without thought or emotion, mindlessly producing and never consuming}
More merchants have come since then, they too have joined the ranks of the slowly growing undead populace that is Stokedgem, they too toil in the dark digging deeper, ever deeper, "WE HAVE SUCH SIGHTS TO SHOW YOU" softly echoing in the dark, damp corridors.
i hope you enjoyed this df inspired short story, if you made it this far. It was as fun to watch as it was to write this nonsense
this is just after the big battle xD
https://imgur.com/a/PwSVnca
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Topic: What's going on in your fort? (Read 5972556 times)