Excerpts from the Journal of Spish "Splashoil" Rulushuzol, Sheriff of Bloodyhells1st of Granite, 301So... I've reluctantly taken it upon myself to run this Armok-forsaken hellhole. Sanctume stepped down, no one else with the stones to run the place. But someone's gotta do it, and the way I see it, if there's anyone with the good-old fashioned dwarfgrit to keep the order throughout this mess, it's yours truly.
This crew is getting too soft, too complacent. You're gonna need more than that dinky little hammer if one of those shambling horrors gets ye in a corner. Someone has to make it clear that they're not going to survive with that kinda attitude.
In meantime, I scrape together a militia. All of our woodcutters are enlisted into the new axedwarf squad, the Dead Planks, and the speardwarves of the Rough Medicine are led by Balnash "Earthroars" Berrorun. We're going to need every able-bodied fighter trained and ready in the coming months. As an additional safety measure, each citizen is to be given their own axe or pick once we have the means to make them.
12th of Granite, 301First things first, we need to dig deep. I draw up the plans for a circular ramp leading all the way down to the magma sea, and it isn't long before we breach the first cavern layer. The place is completely barren, and not much use to us.
21st of Granite, 301As Oddom Likotlocun, the goblin liaison, prepares to leave through the freshly opened caverns. He informs me that he'll be needing us to deal with that blockade that the necromancers have set up around the area. Dozens of shambling corpses, led by a group of powerful, soulless husks. I ask him what the hell we're supposed to do about those things, he just smirks and makes his way out.
Goblins... I tell you what, it's a goblins world these days. Sanctume is optimistic... too optimistic. He doesn't question the king's orders, he foresees this place becoming a great bastion of wealth for the empire. Well, in my expert opinion, that whole "wealth and glory spiel?" It's all bullshit. Come on, why do you think they picked
us of all people for the task? I bet this is all just some perverse goblin experiment, I doubt they expect us to last five years out here! They're waiting for us to die, and when that happens I have no doubt they'll try to weaponize our findings for their own purposes.
The others may think me paranoid, but I sure as hell don't plan on letting that happen, oh no. Let's just say there's going to be a little surprise in store for the bastards if they try anything funny.
27th of Granite, 301The second cavern layer is breached, releasing spores into the fortress. Plenty of wood to boot.
15th of Felsite, 301We make our way down to a third cavern system. The glimmer of gold caught my eye, and as I went to investigate the numerous veins, I spotted a massive spire of adamantine. And then a second one right off the bat! Well, I never said this place wasn't a treasure trove.
5th of Hematite, 301After three months of rigorous training, our ragtag militia is ready for war. We're not just going to sit and cower in the mud while they wait us out. No, we're going to make a stand and show these necromancer bastards what we're made of. The Armored Kings bring their hammers, the Hollow Basements their maces, the Dead Planks their axes, and the Rough Medicine their spears. Imic Bermes and Andreus lend their picks to the coming battle.
Andreus digs an opening through the west-side tunnel, but is unable to make it back to safety before an undead sieger bolts after him with terrifying speed. I would've thought him done
for...
But Andreus mans up and effortlessly dismembers his pursuer. Nobody screws with
my miners.
6th of Hematite, 301With Ryukan operating the gates, we manage to split the undead forces, isolating a lone hammerman husk and a group of zombies in the west tunnel. If we're going to test our militia, it might as well be now.
Our titan problem is unsettling, but as long as I can still hear it banging on the front door, we know where it is.
The gate is lowered, and our forces charge into the fray.
Zuglarkun is the first to engage the husk, losing an eye in the process. She doesn't even stand a chance.
Balnash gives it everything he's got...
He is terrified to discover that his spear is entirely ineffective. No matter what he does to it, the creature doesn't even slow down!
Sanctume, Niner, and Puzzlebark join him in bashing away at the husk. Try as they might, they cannot seem to take it down either.
Zuglarkun is swarmed by zombies. One of them lays her out with a sick haymaker.
Dr. Flame holds back the onslaught of shambling corpses.
A peasant corpse bites and latches onto the doctor's eye. It looks quite painful...
Balnash finds himself unable to keep the hammerhusk at the end of his spear. He gets got alright.
The fight continues until Taupe decides he's had enough of this shit and swiftly beheads the fiend with a single swing of his axe.
While it is a decisive victory, our troops are a bit shaken up. Zuglarkun and Balnash, while alive, are gravely wounded. We'll still need to deal with the rest of them if we are to recieve any reinforcements from the Mountainhome.
10th of Hematite, 301It's a risky endeavor, yes, but how can we expect to survive in this place if we can't even take care of a few shambling horrors? After a four day rest, the gate is once again lowered, and the real battle begins. The troops wait anxiously, until zombies and husks begin to pour into the west tunnel. Niner
foolishly bravely charges ahead, disappearing into a cloud of miasma followed closely by a speardwarf named Mafol Socketstockade.
Niner avoids the crossbow-wielding husk's flurry of bolts, but her redshirt comrade is not so lucky
Niner skillfully engages the crossbowhusk and the spearhusk, but is overwhelmed by their unnatural strength and struggles to find her footing. The tide quickly turns when the disarmed crossbowhusk latches onto her, pinning her down while the spearhusk knocks the wind out of her.
Taupe sprints down the corridor to save his beloved commander, but it is too little, too late.
The Karate Crossbowman puts Niner down with a brutal kick to the throat
Taupe confronts the two husks, his axe thirsting for revenge. The macedwarf Puzzlebark and the hammerdwarf Sanctume are not far behind.
Taupe's evasion prowess is unmatched, he ducks and weaves, dodging blows like a dwarf possessed. He attempts to carve the crossbowhusk into a thousand bloody pieces, and does a pretty good job of this. The crossbowman, channeling their inner Black Knight, moves to bite his limbs off in return. The spearhusk once again uses this opportunity to cripple its adversary.
Sanctume and Puzzlebark rush to the commander's side and battle back the onslaught of zombies. A third, hammer-wielding husk, moves in to finish off Niner, but Puzzlebark saves the day by stopping the attack. With his face.
Puzzlebark just gets the shit kicked out of him. Thanks to his heavy suit of armor (armor which, I might add, was clearly meant for OUR COMMANDER), he manages to hold out for a surprisingly long time. While the hammerhusk is distracted trying to split his head open, Imic creeps up from behind and swiftly beheads it.
Just when things are looking grim for Taupe, Dr. Flame chops off the spearhusks arm at the elbow with surgical precision, leaving a spear is embedded in Taupe's stomach.
The rest of the Dead Planks make their presence known... the military miner Imic Bermes, Dr. Flame, and the veteran axedwarf Shem Youthpainted. They put their axe and pick together to bring down the other two husks. It is a glorious whirlwind of blade and limb.
Andreus was also there, but for some bloody reason he tossed his pick aside and only brought his fists to the fight. The last husk is slain by Flame. They make short work of the other zombies
The siege is broken, and the necromancers' remaining forces go into full retreat. Four dwarves are left with gruesome injuries, and two left dead. I expected more of a fight, but perhaps the undead husks' rotted brains robbed them of their fighting prowess. I feel the worst is yet to come.
Well... that's a mouthful...
..but wait, Niner is still clinging to life!
RIP Niner. Died as they lived: Bored and full of regrets.
Taupe spends the next few days crying in a pile of his own vomit.
14th of Hematite, 301
A human caravan tried to approach us from the North. They were likely holed up just outside of the perimeter waiting for a safe opportunity to enter the area. How do I know this, you ask? Well, let's just say I have very good hearing...
Suffice it to say, they didn't make it. Before they reach the open tunnel, a massive undead ogre charges the group, toppling one of the wagons, and ripping a merchant's head off and eating it.
It takes all of their bodyguards to hold it back from toppling the other wagon.
I reckon you've got more than a few
parts to worry about there...
...that's odd, the south gate has gone silent for the first time in months. Could something have drawn our titan's attention away from the front door?
Then that means... oh... oh bloody hell. The thing is
loose.
Brace yourselves, things are going to get silly.
Yeah, that took a while. I picked a really bad time to play a turn, but as thread curator I feel extremely obligated to play anyway. Wanted to do something wittier, but oy.
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Topic: Bloodyhells - Succession: Battlefailed #5 (42.06) (Read 140773 times)