Chapter 1: A Noble Takes ChargeSomewhere above ground Bannerweaken*a muffled boom and ground shaking*
Itvid, a human spearman, mumbles to himself, “Fools! I told them to just nope on out of here.”
Inside Bannerweaken*cough* The heat of suffocation from the settling dusts inside her lungs is replaced with cool yet putrid air. *cough*
Her breathing eased to a gentle shallow rhythm as she lay still amongst the loose debris. “The sound of stone grating on stone, and then the ceiling collapsed” was her last recollection. “Oh Armok, my fellows were in the middle of the room celebrating the coming of a new year!” She would shed tears to honor the fallen, and their loss, but this is not the time.
She feels a comfortable warmth as a mother’s embrace, and then a spine tingling chill soon follow. There’s no nearby magma to provide that warmth, and no ice to give that chill. “A-ha. Ha-ha ha! A-ha ha-ha ha-ha ha!” A burst of uncontrollable laughter comes out of her because she is still alive (and not insane).
The battle of that fire and ice feeling is the assumption of authority. Reg Whipowls assumes the position of expedition leader of The Indigo Machine after Tun’s passing. From a mere butcher to a position of importance, how fate changes lives at
a drop of stone.Tun’s mangled remains peek out the corner of the fallen stones. “We must abandon this pit, it’s a place of death now. I want an office. I need a bedroom. I need to be surrounded by merry thoughts instead of this… massacre.”
Reg collapses from her injury as she tries to get up from rubble she’s half-buried in.
She is annoyed after choking on dust underground, shaken after suffering a major injury, afraid after experiencing trauma, and confused after being knocked out during a cave-in.
Her right upper leg is mangled beyond recognition and running blood
Her lower body, left lower arm, right lower leg, left upper arm, left lower leg, upper body are bruised.
Her left floating rib is mangled beyond recognition.
--
Tobul Rampartwheel is a dyer by trade and intact after the dusts settle. The bruises and blisters all over her body and limbs are annoying her. She hears the rustlings, moaning, and laughter from Reg after declaring herself as expedition leader and making demands.
Tobul dabbles in medical skills and looks over Reg. She mutters, “I need to know if we have medical supplies left, maybe order more buckets, and make designate a new hospital elsewhere with better access to water.”
Reg moans drowsily, “I delegate to you the positions of chief medical dwarf, record keeper, manager and broker. Go and run it all, after you find me my quarters.”
Tobul grabs a discarded bucket and begin looking for a water source.
--
TheCheeseMaker Snarlgorge’s throat is parched from the dusts. She is thirsty and climbs up the stairs.
She is annoyed after choking on dust underground, afraid after experiencing trauma, and confused after being knocked out during a cave-in.
Her lower body and upper leg are bruised.
Her right lung and left kidney mangled beyond recognition.
Tobul is moving slowly with an empty bucket and intends to go outside to fetch a pail of water through the pools of rotten goo.
TheCheeseMaker says, “do not go out there, it is not safe. Not yet.”
Tobul says, “but I must. To help the injured.”
TheCheeseMaker argues, “if you succumb out there, we will be all doomed. We need you to be healthy and level headed in this situation.”
Tobul says, “I’ve already been exposed. The blisters are just annoying me right now. But, I think you are correct. We need to assess our current situation. Lock the front door. No one goes in or out. This place is too large to manage with our low numbers, we need to manage and secure a smaller area. Try to sleep and rest.”
When TheCheeseMaker fell asleep, Tobul made her way out on the surface, avoiding the pools of rotting goo to fetch more buckets of water.
The exceptional plum door is finally locked, and it is the only thing preventing the surface dwellers from entering the village.
Burrows are redrawn into “Village Area” and “The Retreat.”
--
Seven days later"It’s official," Tobul announces, "the following have been have been missing for a weeks time.”
*knock* *knock* *knock*
Reg asks, “We have visitors?
Tobul shakes her head, "Oh my Armok! We have migrants coming to join our village. I hope they followed the “Outside Lanes” and not track rotten goo inside Bannerweaken."
Reg takes care of welcoming the visitors by assigning their labors.
Tobul looks over the progress of the digging for a well, hospital and new dining.
Temporary workshops have been placed where convenient to make furnitures and tools and containers.
--
On the 11th of Slate, Sigun Girdertalon, the remaining captain has been found dead, dehydrated.
We have no militia left, so some re-organization happens.
`Sanctume' II Orbgem is now the militia commander and claiming a bronze mace to start "The West Cudgels" squad.
`Chief' Woundorbs is the militia captain of "The Spry Trades", and wields an *iron spear*
`Mihr' Bouldergloves is the militia captain of "The Fires of Trading", and wields a bronze scimitar.
Reg says, "there are no barracks yet, and your labors are needed more than training at this time."
Tobul is relieved of the administrative task to pursue her passions in the labor of a Dyer.
The Bookkeeper is Muthkat Worklash.
Manager and Broker is Kivish Basementdrill.
Chief Medical Dwarf is Doctor Onget Heatmine.
--
On the 8th Felsite, Rith Lanternpaged, blacksmith withdraws from society and claims the metal smith's forge, and makes a silver cage.
The silver cage lacks descriptive images but it will be placed in the middle of the new dining room.
--
On the 13th of Felsite, a humanoid composed of green glass howls its arrival deep down the caverns. But we
think there are
no open passage down to the caverns,
so we're safe!--
Tobul shakes her head in disappointment because the well is not yet complete, and summer will arrive soon.
Sanctume II, Chief, and Mihr are becoming belligerent from the lack of barracks to train. They are demanding to recruit some more into the squads and begin training.
Summer arrives