As the fort of Watershield recovers from the werebeast attack, the two infected are walled in a small building to prevent immediate outbreak. We still don't know what to do with those two – as it is the first time this situation happens in Mong Kima, with citizen actually surviving a bite from a werebeast.
So we did what every sensible community does when it comes to deal with dirty laundry : we burried the problem and called it a day. No one's to say anything and things will get smooth.
Or so we think. Less than a month later, Ilpi and Valken transformed, as expected. What was not expected is to hear them jump at each other throat. When the morning came, Valken was alone, naked, next to the corpse of an equally naked six years old. Thanks god the kid was remained in werebeast form or else it would be even more awkward.
Right now there is a rotting corpse in the walled house, and I have no idea what to do with it. We cant burry it, we can't even take it out... Maybe we'll figure it out later. Or maybe we'll just keep burrying the problem. All I know is his mother doesnt take our solution very kindly but we're out of options here.
Other than that incident, summer was pretty soft on us. The heat and humidity is unberable as always, but somehow we manage to make it do. The construction of the village is taking a good turn – very soon all families will be able to sleep together in good conditions.
Bachelors will continue to sleep in the common rooms in the keep for now – maybe closeness will lead to the fundation of more families ? Besides, we don't have the means for making individual houses now.
In midsummer, we received the visit of merchants from Hairyoracle. We hadn't a lot to trade, mostly wooden crafts, but we managed to haggle some metal, and some items the population requested.
We had no dedicated broker, so we asked one of the citizens to designate themselves. Jamila volonteered, quite unexpected from the antisocial hunter, but she did pretty well. Apparently she learned some haggling tricks in the process.
Among the items we bought, weaponry for our fledgeling defense force. Better axes and, as Imic requested, swords aswell. As Perlites, we use mostly axes for warfare as they are usually more versatile and can be used as tools, but if he prefers a sword, so be it, it works too.
I asked Jamila if she wanted to become our dedicated broker, but she declined, stating that she would prefer to remain in the forest or in the army. I'll have to give it a thought.
It has to be noted merchants came with very bad news from our brothers in Brokenbronze. Apparently they have been attacked again – and this time suffered a great defeat. Fifty men were killed... among them, twenty were Brokenbronze citizens. One of their captain also gave his life in battle.
We have to prepare ourselves – for it may soon be our turn.
As a last new, I want to write down a bit about those three people – Ryukan, Asin and Imic.
• Ryukan Heartduty has been with us from the start. He is officially a lumberjack, but when the stocks of woods are full enough, he helps with the glass industry. He is an orphan like the six other initial members of the Riverguard, and is unmarried.
• While much younger than Ryukan and Imic, Asin Ashchannels is already married and the father of four children – one girl, Idem, and three boys, Rigu, Upnal and Uzu. His wife Apba is a master weaver. Asin was recently promoted to the position of bookkeeper and will be given an office in the keep soon.
• Imic Taxedrams is a proeffiscient fighter, who joined us last year, late autumn 131. He is of unknown lineage and is not married. However he is in good terms with Luki Hollowfancies, the lady and hero of Hairyoracle, and was already very good with weapons when he joined us. No doubt that with Uquur's mentoring, he will become an invincible fighter soon. He's a worshipper of Gogol Deathphantom, god of suicide.
To finish - now what we need is armors for our defense force... and we don't have any metal to spare. Luckily, we're Pearlites, people of the sea. We know how to make workable light armor with shells ; and we have some leather to go with it. So as a project for the autumn, we shall :
• Finish the houses in projects, start out a defensive wall around the village.
• Upgrading the keep with the production of our glass industry
• Producing equipment to gear and expend our defense force.