Smallhands - Chapter 1:
Vile Goo
Del's Journal
Granite 15, 150
Oh shit.
The queen's a loony. I don't know where she got the idea, but this fortress “dedicated to all things tiny and small” is a bad idea – through and through. Hell, I'd rather be back at Cactushexes than here.
I mean, look at this place! Only two square dwarfometers? And what's with that swampy bit down there? Why's it smell so bad? And what the hell is in all those trees?
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Apparently, that wasn't a wine stain... The cursed goblins have their dark tower right there. I bet you could see it from here if it weren't for that purple haze in the south. I supposed the queen had a reason to make this fort small – might go unnoticed, if we're lucky.
You know what they say – strike the earth.
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Granite 21, 150
Well, it's been a few days, but we're doing well. No signs of anything too messy yet. There's been some kangaroos bouncing around, which was nice to see.
Rigoth said that there's some evil places in the world that can bring the dead back to life. Psh – old wive's tale, if you ask me. But Rigoth pushed it and we decide to test it. The water buffalo would make a good experiment.
Bim was the one to butcher it. We all stood around the chopping block waiting to see if anything would happen. Nothing did. Rigoth, you superstitious fool. Got ourselves a good amount of meat though, and Rigoth set on carving the bones. I bet she just wanted that easy job.
I got sent off to cut down the two trees in the south. There's some sort of weird slime hanging off them that I don't like looking at. Better to have them cut down than to mess with that myself.
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Granite 22, 150
Well that was disgusting. Just about as soon as I went over there, purple goo started to fall from the sky. I don't feel so well... Got the trees down, though... I think I need to lie down.
[The following page is smeared in vile purple goo]
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Slate 12, 150
I guess this could have been worse. Rigoth said there's some sort of rain that'll make you swell up and pop. At least this fever should pass eventually. As long as we stay out of the goo, it should be fine.
Underground, the forts coming along. Momuz started complaining that her feet were wet. I gave her a death glare as purple slime dripped off me, but then I got what she meant.
Bim got us all digging and building. We build a small tunnel through the aquifer and hit glorious stone.
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Felsite 3, 150
Well, remember when I said we should avoid the goo?
I guess when we went out to gather those logs, everyone got some of it on themselves. Ol' Rigoth is the only one not affected. I guess she was carving bones the whole time. Or she was just too superstitious to go in there.
She made a masterpiece earring though. Can't say I dislike that.
I've noticed Salmeuk is spending a lot of time around Bim lately. I think I smell some romance between the two.
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Hematite 1, 150
You know, this place is small, and I get that. But gods, it feels claustrophobic. I don't know if it's sharing a room with everyone, this damn fever, the fact that the dining room is in the hallway, or what. But I just don't like it in here.
Things are coming along, though. We've dug out a farming area, a chicken coop, and a dormitory with a tavern across the hall.
Sigun and Bim have been doing well keeping the ale flowing – and while that's flowing, well, I'm working.
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Hematite 5, 150
Tazul's beard... We had a kobold show up today. Skulking thief was obviously looking to grab something. I spotted it – with these keen eyes of mine – and ran at it with my axe.
No, I didn't get scared, and no I didn't panic and run away. Whatever the other dwarves might tell you.
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Malachite 12, 150
Well, would you look at that? 2 dwarves must have gotten the call. Even better, I recognize these two from Cactushexes. Iden was a macedwarf back in the day, a strong woman.
But Olon... Olon is something else entirely. Olon knows how to use a spear, and not just for stabbing. I'll just say I'm glad she's on our side.
[
shudder]
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Malachite 27, 150
We dug down into the aquifer to get access to that fresh, filtered water. We all took turns washing off in there. Bim then suggested we use it for a well. “Fresh water for a new hospital!” she said.
“Yer mental if ya think I'll be drinkin' outta that.” I said.
Oh, and a goblin came to visit the tavern. Not sure if that's such a good thing in this little stealthy fortress we've got here, but Bim seemed excited about it.
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Galena 15, 150
I walked past the hospital today and saw Momuz eating lunch in there. I thought that place was supposed to be sanitary. What the hell is happening to this place?
All I know is, I'm not going to get hit. I don't want to be caught dead in there.
We're working on finishing up the gate and bunker upstairs. All that means for me is that I have to carry limestone blocks up and down the stairs all day. Not like there's anything else to do in this place.
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Limestone 1, 150
Not a few hours after the last piece was put in place on the bunker, did Rigoth come sprinting down the stairs screaming about the undead. By the time I got to the surface, there wasn't anything to be seen. Not a kangaroo, not a camel. Definitely no “zombies”. That lass is as batty as the queen.
Back to work digging out the workshop area.
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Limestone 2, 150
I bet Rigoth just saw that stinking kobold and that's what freaked her out. Apparently it slipped in during the panic that Rigoth threw up. It got locked in the fort with us when we closed the gate. Not sure who noticed it first, but it was right down the hallway from me, Olon and Iden. Little bugger was trying to steal the axe I'm so fond of. The three of us chased it around, but it was me who laid the final blow.
Didn't bother me one bit, either. Definitely not a horrifying experience that'll haunt me forever.
For fuck's sake... This is why I abandoned my post in Cactushexes.
-~-~-
Limestone 7, 150
Two more dwarves showed up today. They showed up near the gooey parts of the hill, but didn't seem to track any in with them. Another guy named Sigun and Unib who knows how to make crossbows well. Good to consider.
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Limestone 24, 150
Salmeuk got assigned to chief medical dwarf. Or I should say, slept his way to the top. Normally, I'd be proud of him, but when I went in to talk to him about my fever, he just said there's nothing wrong. But he was mopping sweat off his brow as he said it.
Olon got put in the position of broker. I'd hate to see what sort of bargain she pushes from the merchants...whenever they get here.
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Sandstone 14, 150
Well, today was hectic. I thought it was going to be an easy day, you know, just taking some stuff upstairs, then fuck off to the tavern to drink my cares away.
Sigun – the new one – was carrying a bin of water buffalo crafts to the Depot when they noticed someone hiding...I guess buried halfway to their waist in the sand? There's no where to hide here. Anyway, Sigun said they looked like a “necromancer”. Apparently they were carrying some evil looking book or something. All horse shit, if you ask me. If there was a necromancer here, why didn't anyone stop it from just walking off into the distance? Plus Olon was right there! She could have slapped the bastards balls off from a mile away. Everyone in here is as superstitious as a sailor with one leg.
Whatever the case, Bim showed us a list of "our targets for next year". Seemed almost like a threat instead of a recommendation on what to work on.
We might be able to do that, Bim, if you'd help us carve out the workshops down below. Gods, I'm sick of this place. And when will this fever fuck off?!
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Sandstone 15, 150
The worst part about being in a fort is being in it. There's nowhere to go, and everything you hear, you either have to believe, or ignore. We got some hard news from those merchants. Doorended is gone – taken over by the goblin horde.
Funny that the queen moved capitals just before that. She's a smart one – even if she is a lunatic.
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Sandstone 19, 150
The other Sigun has been taking care of bees up top. Some sort of pet project of his. He took me up to the roof today and pointed out something...odd.
Out in the goo, there was a kangaroo wallowing in self-pity. Not sure how we could even tell that, but it was unmistakable.
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Obsidian 25, 150
Kind of lost track of time there. I barely noticed that winter had come. I'm hoping that's because of the heat outside and not this fever boiling my brain. We got the workshops carved out. We piled up some goods, and got some stuff ready for Spring.
Sigun did show me a echidna having an existential crisis this week. I really enjoyed that.
Anyway, back to work.
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Topic: Smallhands - nearly 40 years and still tiny! (Read 440978 times)