War had come to Archcrystal from all corners of the world. Goblins and elves were a constant nuisance, and finally the humans of The Confederacy of Finding decided to try their luck at throwing themselves against the glass spire. Their diplomat said the excuse for declaring war was a caravan that had gone missing under suspicious circumstances. King Zan knew as well as the law-giver that the traders had been caught in a cloud of wicked soot such was the risk of trading in the haunted jungle.
The humans sent many raids to Archcrystal, but all were thwarted especially by the wielder of Indigospark, Limul Citymystery the Oily Love of Covers, who whispered a prayer to the mountain God Onul DiamondBeak before each engagement:
"Lord O'er the mountain Lend us your strength
Steel our resolve fortify our courage Guide our hand against your enemies
Grant us the courage of our forefathers Let none stand against us
For Onol! For Archcrystal!"
The battles were brief and the humans routed easily, but this left the dwarves of The Dipped Spears with no allies left in the world. But rather than despair this turn of political isolation, King Zan reasoned that it was inevitable the treasures of Archcrystal now were too great for any civilization to ignore.
Let any beast or army come to our lands and be shown that their last arrogance will be abated by their last breath, he thought. And to solidify this threat, the king sent messages to every government that could be reached, and he declared war against them all.
The armies of the world had set up permanent siege camps some distance away from the tower in the jungle to launch ever larger raids against the dwarves. This delighted King Zan as they would often turn to fight each other or become choked by the clouds of wicked soot that approached silently upon the camps. Through centuries of hardship the dwarves had earned their natural protection from the haunted land.
Meanwhile, below in hell the dwarven nobility began to have concerns. The current population was old, the baby boom after the invasion of hell had almost run its course. The generation below them also did not want to marry preferring casual romantic relationships, and they saw children as too much effort and it became unfashionable within the circles of the young elite. And so the population of Archcrystal began to slowly dwindle for every 4 deaths there were only 3 births, as only three married couples remained.
This was also causing an increase in the general stress of the populace. Dwarves sank into depression more easily, their decadence failing to give them meaning and they searched for an outlet. Some became so disillusioned they threw tantrums causing fist fights or committed vandalism even in the temples. The luxuries of fine meals, drink, and expensive furniture could no longer satisfy them as their threshold for happiness clawed ahead of material extravagances.
The fortress guard were busy administering beatings for petty crimes - some lethal. The mayor was also busy consoling the troubled and trying to maintain order. For now the situation was manageable, but dissent was slowly growing.
King Zan decided to begin a public works program hoping that a common goal of labour would re-unite them. He commisioned a large covered road to be built around the perimeter of the tower.
The public reason for this would be to protect any future caravans from the horrible clouds that drifted through, but the private reason was that it would funnel any invading force through the road and into the main glass tunnel of the fortress, giving the defending dwarves cover from the sunlight. However, if this did not improve the mood and loyalty of the citizens of Archcrystal, the king had another plan - he would institute a forced marriage decree, imprisoning couples in their rooms until they agreed to wed. It was something their forefathers had done centuries ago to ensure the survival of Bomrek's pure bloodline, and it could be done again.
The armies that camped nearby sat beside their evening cooking fires as their leaders planned different ways to take the tower and conquer its vertical empire that stretched from heaven to hell. The soldiers could see the glass spire rising in the distance even at night for it glowed red from the pits in hell which reflected through the ascending glass - not to mention the blood that now stained the entrance from the countless fallen invaders. Their leaders did not have to look upon it, so they could not see crimson light that pulsed rhythmically through the glass beacon of doom that called the armies of the world to it like insects to a horrible fire. And that flame within its impenetrable glass heart beat relentlessly through a dark moonless sky. The soldiers would shudder, because more than anything else in the world, this unforgiving tower was the real reason that they now feared the night.
***
Special thanks to Urist McRedditor for the Mountain God prayer. All of the glass rooms in 120+ floors of the tower are almost done, after that we will move on to completing the other floors in Hell, as long the dwarves dont kill each other first.
Author
Topic: Archcrystal: 500 years in a fortress [SPOILERS] Finished (Read 490201 times)