===+ Journal of the Undying Overseer – Autumn 162 +===1st LimestoneThe change of season announces itself suddenly with a commotion on the surface. The enemy has come once again!
Elves wearing metal armour and lead by a ghoul. Servants of the necromancers! And judging by the reanimated birds, there is a necromancer skulking about as well.
I would dearly love to crush this force, but our recent losses have stressed the need for caution. Assemble in the arena, dwarves! Let them wear out their living forces fighting the birds first. You would think the necromancers would have learned the folly of mixing mindless undead and living soldiers by now.
Ah, there’s the necromancer! Getting mauled by her own skeletal giant blackbird! Could it be that their control over their creations is waning while we possess the slabs?
Wait, who’s that out there? Sigun, you mad fool! Get back inside!
He panicked and leapt off the battlements! We can’t just leave him to die out there. Archers, give him cover! Everyone else, prepare for battle, we’re opening the gate!
Sigun! You suicidal lunatic! What are you doing? You can’t possibly fight them; you aren’t even armed! Get back to the fortress!
By Weevilmessiah, he’s still alive somehow. I watched him take a bolt to the head, but it must have bounced off his thick skull. The necromancer has fallen, slain by her own creation. Most of the elves retreated when she died. The stragglers are engaged with the blackbird for now. Meanwhile, Sigun is just stumbling around in a daze. Will someone please pull the damn lever before he draws their attention again?
Damn, the zombie buzzard took an interest in him. Hold on Sigun, we’re coming!
2nd LimestoneThat’s the last of them. Sigun’s looking pretty rough with that bolt sticking out of his chest, but I think he’ll live. His long-term mental state is a bit less certain. Clearly, we need to rethink our fortifications so that doesn’t happen again.
13th LimestoneThe dwarven caravan and our outpost liaison have arrived. We still have a lot of cleanup to do following the battle, but we’ll deal with them when we can. The bloody blackbirds flock here to feast on the carrion, and they are slowing our surface operations considerably.
21st LimestoneThe liaison brings good news. In recognition of Smallhands’ growing influence, it is being elevated to a duchy. He also confirmed that the new queen has yet to be murdered by goblins.
Salmeuk will be pleased with his new title, although I’m not sure he really sees himself as a member of the nobility. In fact, I don’t think he’s ever made a single demand. Watching all of your friends die around you will do that, I suppose.
The trade agreement for next year seems reasonable, but that will be up to the next overseer to work out. To be honest, I have no idea what we agreed to last year.
11th SandstoneTosid, my second in command, has created a beautiful white jade door. Now we just need somewhere important enough to be gated by such an ornate entrance.
18th SandstoneToday played host to a small event we haven’t seen in quite a while. A single migrant arrived at our walls and requested entry. The merchants must have told the homelands that we had a vacancy. He brings some modest skill in most farming activities. More importantly, he is not yet affected by the vile swamp fever, a very rare and valuable attribute in Smallhands these days. I think he will make a decent recruit to help repopulate the Rainbow Raptors.