Winter 139
Music
A lot of things happened this winter, and I feel I can't do justice to everything. Let's cover first of all the menial things ; constructions are going well, the western wall is now practically finished. A road has been made to provide an easy access to the fort for caravans from the capital city, and constructions on the temple complex have resumed, albeit at a reduced speed due to our other focuses.
In the same time, we continued to try and pierce the aquifer. I feel like we're about to succeed, but after two very close calls, with Elder Jalew having to rush to the pumps to prevent drownings, we decided to stop until better mechanization is available. With the help of our dwarven scholars, we'll need to automatize the pumps so our workers can finish the job in safe conditions - our current brute force piercing takes too much time, and puts us at too big of a risk.
There comes the darker stuff. First of all, it appears that a mendate of Prince Ryukan hasn't been completed within due date. After a meeting of the town nobles and elders, it was decided that Xetan, former expedition leader and responsible for organizing the workforce, should be held responsible. I shall not go on in details on how this decision was made - a lot of blame deflections and mutual accusations that would shine a very bad light on our system of governance. Xetan was sentenced to a serie of lashes that were dealt with extreme prejudice and our old friend died of her wounds soon after.
I don't think anybody is satisfied with this resolution, Ryukan certainly isn't.
And there was the Kafek incident...
Before leaving his castle in the southern Land of Confining, lord Cado, the werebeast we slain half a year ago, had spread his curse quite a bit. While most of his spawns has been dealt with, either by humans or goblins, one of them escaped the purges.
His name was Kafek Mawbaldness, and carried Lord Cado's curse after his death. Apparently following his master, he travelled through land and sea and soon arrived at Watershield.
His attack was swift, far swifter than his master's and took us by surprize, as our attention was focused on the aquifer. Zothoabo and his wife Hustra were outside when it happened, and the monster ambushed them promptly. Hustra was bitten several times, before her husband could punch it hard enough to make it fall back.
Zothoabo and Kafek fought several bouts, without any clear winner. Thanks to his military training, the doctor was unscathed and could land a serie of blows on the monster, even cutting his tongue by punching it in the jaw - but the wounds were minor and the monster shown no sign of tiredness.
Jamila came to his help and bashed the monster on the head with the copper pick she used to dig the aquifer, and the two of them could hold it long enough for the knight to arrive on the scene.
At this point, Kafek was done for. Ostri, a junior from my squad, cut one of his arm, then Ebkusa, a young knight, lopped off his leg and delt him a final blow in quick succession.
That was it for Kafek. However, Hustra was severely bitten, and we had no doubt in our mind she would turn next full moon. Regardless, Zothoabo sealed her wounds to prevent a bleedout.
Containment was now our next move. We had to isolate her from the rest of the citizens to prevent the curse from spreading wildly... and this is easier said than done. Assigning her to a burrow would not cut it - she would cry about her newborn and refuse to move. In despair, my squad came to the hospital and try to drag her off, but she escaped long enough to snag Ino, her last child, before eventually following us reluctantly.
She's now sealed off under the bridge... with her baby in hands. At times like this, I don't know what to do. Left alone, she'll probably kill her child-but intervening further will kill the mother, and probably fail to save the infant.
It's dark times we live in.
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As promized, here comes the
Legends !
Author
Topic: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls (DF 0.47.05) (Read 254140 times)