First Spring -- Fear under the sunA monstruous creature is spotted on the horizon. Above us, to the south, a terrifying, animated otter corpse skulks around. It is only a matter of time before it spots our settlement. We must ask quickly. I turn toward Ghills, and ask her what we should do.
''Actually, why don't you take charge as overseer?
-Me? But I'm just a farmer! You are our leader!
-Yeah, hum, I believe in you! Don't you have a book in the wagon that could help us?''
Ghills unwillingness to take over command of the group is strange, but I have been chosen. I follow our cook's advice, and browse through our wares. We can salvage this. Nothing has died or gone missing yet. The year is still young.
There it is! An old, dusty tome from a strange fortress named Bonepillars. It details the strange adventures of a group of dwarves besieged by zombies on all side, the moment they arrive to their destination. thankfully, QuQuasar the dwarf explains a few steps that may help us survive! We will need a bunker, and quickly! The book details the construction of a two story high wall, but I doubt zombie otters can actually climb.
I designate a safety perimeter around our wagon, where I pasture our various animals, so that they don't wander off and attract the otter's attention. I tell Triaxx to grab a pick and start excavating a small room underneat us, with enough space to build a workshop. There shall be a staircase down at each corner of the wagon. Everyone else, start building a wall around this 5x5 area! And don't go outside the safety perimeter.
I leave a note so that people know we are under danger. Then I tell Gwolfsky to deconstruct the wagon. We'll need the wooden logs.
We start with the southern section of the wall, creating a large mass of microcline boulders to block the view. The Otter haven't seen us yet. It wanders the hill right next to us, sometimes too close for comfort. Legends speak of theOtters, an ancient race of undead creatures that once plagued dwarfkind. They say the dwarves built a giant wall to keep them at bay, and then hid underground, resulting in the Long Night. They even have to join forces with the dreadful children of the forest, the elves, to defeat these monsters.
I can hardly believe my eyes! The Otters have been gone for eight thousand years, legends say... Yet there it is, a monstrous corpse animated by foul
winter heat magic, it's eyes burning a pale
blue green glow... Thankfully, this one looks rather decomposed, and can't move too far. What I fear tho, is that the lake may reanimate the things that the Otter kills. Every creature that we leave outside will soon die and join the ranks of the dead. A chilling thought.
Atop a rare, magnificient Highwood tree, a fleet of Giant Wren chill on the branches. for nopw they seem safe, but if they were do die, the Otters would have an unstoppable army of flying corpses.
The Otter stalks the bird. More giant wrens reach the tree. I do not like this at all. I turn to my friends, and tell them
''A wall won't be enough. We will need a roof, a sealed one.''After two days, the Otter jumps into the Ungodly Waters, and begins floating around. Our wall is mostly finished, and this may be the only chance we have of acquiring some wood. I tell Gwolfsy to grab his axe and bring back some logs while the way is clear. A wood stockpile is designated around the mason workshop.
Gwolfsky is happy to oblige. He hasn't been doing much since he arrived, and he's itching to kick things.
Meanwhile, my efforts to train our dogs for war have been fruitful. By unleashing my inner fury, I've demonstrated the dogs how to be
fierce and scary.
Mostly it involves screaming a lot and showing your teeth.
Gwolfsky is back with some wood. Our carpenter Zuglarkun gets to work, and complete our first wooden item, a door. At last, our little dwelling can be sealed from the exterior. While it is still safe to venture out, tho, I send Triaxx to remove the ramps near our wall. don't want anything to just
walk atop our fort, do we?
Look that's a sand staircase
what do you want from me.
With the wall finished, Flame the mason and engineer begins to carve what's left of our respectable stash of microcline into blocks, which we'll need to create a roof. Two of the ground staircase down are replaced with microcline up/down stairs, allowing us to access the roof. Flame begins work on two rock floor hatches, which we'll use to complete our defences and seal the roof from potential air dangers.
Actually, it seems the Otter has left for now. More will come, I'm sure, but for now we have a few days of tranquility, which I want to make use of. I tell Gwolfsky to kick down each boulder of the wall, one by one, and replace them with freshly-carved microcline blocks. By retrieving the raw stone and carving it, we'll be able to get about 72 extra blocks at the end of the day.
With construction complete, and our lives secure for now, it is time for each of us to jump into our respective tasks. Triaxx begins carving the rest of the preliminary hideout. The first basement is nothing but a staircase with some wood piles and a mason workshop. We dare not extend the floor farther then the upper walls, in case a flyer or a falling object rolled down the ceiling, and created a cave in. A hole leading into the fortress from outside the wall would obviously be
bad.
The following floor is carved the same way as the mason floor, except that a 3x3 area expands in each direction, leaving room for 4 workshops, and some storage in the middle. I designate another wood stockpile, and tell Gwolfsky to bring a second tree inside. He grumbles, and call his loyal wardog to his side, before venturing outside.
The 3rd basement is to be dug like the second, but this time Triaxx hits Ryolite. Or whatever it is called. Look, I'm a farmer. Zuglarkun is pleased, as this means she'll have more materials for workshops, bridges and furniture.
The second basement is put to use. Wood in the middle, prompting Gwolfsjky to begin hauling. This is our only safe sand layer, so I call dibs on two of the 4 alcoves. Ghills claims the northern one, and begins to build a kitchen. Zuglarkun has already used the western corner to build a carpenter workshop, which was crucial for the door. I begin moving some non-grazing animals inside, to avoid infighting due to low space, then it's plump helmet planting time, baby!
Gwolfsky comes in, visibly troubled.
''Guys, something is up and as a fucking
pirate innocent fisherdwarf I can tell you this is
not supposed to happen.''
Indeed, a strange mist is forming over the Ungodly Water. Whatever the effects, we better stay away. I activate the Danger Mode alert once more, and everyone rushes inside. Clearly, that's another reason to build a tight roof. Before long, the body of water has come alive, obscured by a tangible, opaque and moving mass of mist. The whole thing is incredibly unsettling. It is as if the water was alive, pulsing with strange movements, poking around with lifelike tendrils of vapor and thick fog. Do the Otters come when the fog sets, or is the fog created by the Otters?
''Gwolfsky, I doubt we'll be able to get some fishing done anytime soon. Please use those blocks to build a ceiling.''I remember one of the important rules about our project. ''Floor before roof, always''. Trees are devilish creatures, and can destabilize the nature of reality itself when growing indoors. We'll need to floor over the sandy dune. Thankfully, Gwolfsky has retrieved large amounts of log from the two trees he fell, which should be enough to power a small pottery industry. We'll need a Kiln for Zuglarkun, and Thoryane can take a shot at wood burning. '
'Hey, Triaxx, how's that digging going? we need more room for workshops!''''Mate, I've struck native copper, how sweet is that?
-Pretty much! say, once you are done with all the digging, mind trying to smelt it? We have no metalworkers right now
-Yeah whatever.''
That's all the more reasons to kickstart that charcoal businessQ
While her nemesis is busy building a wood furnace, Ghills comes to me and explains why she hates Thoryane so much. ''I was told I'd be the expedition leader, but that was a lie! A horrible lie to get me and my friends onboard! secretly the leader was at the bottom of the list, not the top. They've named Thoryane as the official leader, because a cook is not impressive enough, while a millitary figure commands respect!''
I think for a moment. I'm not the smartest of the bunch, but sometimes I get some good ideas.
''What if... what if we simply all declared ourself nobles? then Thoryane wouldn't be special anymore!
-That.. that would work, I guess'' said Ghills.
Gwolfsky asks for a title, but then we explain that being a noble means playing by the rules, to which he replies
''No thanks then'' and head upstairs to kick something and train with his axe. Thoryane becomes militia commander, as expected. Ghills acts as Chief Medical dwarf. Because farming also involves a lot of trading and appraising, I'm to be our broker for now. Zuglarkun will act as manager, for she is smart and organized. Flame likes to keep to himself, so he'll be our bookkeeper. Triaxx doesn't get a title, but I explain that as our chief miner, jeweler and blacksmith, he's already the most dwarven person on earth, so he doesn't really
need an impressive title on top of that.
Zuglarkun is done building beds, chairs and a table. The thirs floor now includes a dorm/barrack, as well as four chairs surrounding a single table, creating the most claustrophobic meeting area, dinning hall and office space ever known to dwarfkind. Still, it's not like we'll actually be spending time at our desks for now anyway.
Across the room, Zuglarkun is melting our clay stockpile into earthenware bricks, using the charcoal provided by Thoryane, using the wood chopped down by Gwolfsky. Teamwork, yay! The others are busy building the roof.
Gwolfsky is on the roof when he spots some new creatures. a flock of ravens, and a tiercel peregrine. ''What's up with this place and
fucking birds?'' he moans ''I can't fucking fish
birds!''
Flame finishes some bookwork, and announces that we now have about 100 drinks stockpiled. Our food stockpile isn't increasing much, but at least it'll taste better now that Ghills has finished a few prepared meals.
Can you tell I'm fucking tired of this for today?
she announces gleefully, coming out of the kitchen.
Then comes the annoyed voice of Gwolfsky once more.
''Guys, something is happening! It's the mist again!
-Is it over the lake?
-Yeah it's not leaving the water... but...
-Then just close the door and stay inside, we'll be fine.
-No, you gotta see this!''
The man is insisting, so we just give up and head to the roof. We watch as the northern bay comes to unlife, animated by strange tendrils of mist. A sight we've already beheld, but an impressive and awe-inspiring one nonetheless. Until we notice
it. ''Oh dear EGul Judgesystem, have mercy on our souls...'' whispers Flame, as he watches the dark, hulkering shadow rising from the sea.
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Topic: 'Murderflood: (Ardentdikes IIIv3) You, there, grab this save! (Read 228948 times)