16th of Obsidian
I finally reach the fortress at the end of this peninsula. Before approaching beyond the forest, I decide it's wise to take off my steel armor and stash it away. According to my map, the peninsula should end soon with land on the other side. Considering the name of the fortress, is this no longer true? (OOC: I got a bunch of animal starving messages from DFhack. Bralbaard, did you pasture them correctly?
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The first dwarf I met was a miner by the name of Goldenswallows. She was sitting outside, grumbling about getting rained on. It's really true that dwarves look like squat, stocky humans. This particular dwarf had skin as copper as that sword I stole, and some dark red hair. A far cry from the charcoal-haired, pink-skinned Honorables. (Possible name for the race of humans hailing from the Nations of Honoring??)
As I was conversing with her, another dwarf wearing a leather outfit and with graying hair approached, introducing herself as the mayor, and sharing her compatriot's remark about the weather. She wasn't able to tell me much about the surrounding area, but she did mention that there's ill will between the fortress dwellers and the elves. Something about their treatment of plants.
As I approach the fortress, I see loggers hard at work murdering trees. Go figure about that ill will. Beyond them is a short wooden palisade with an open stone drawbridge. Inside of the walls are a couple of workshops, a few hungry-looking work animals, and a long bridge that extends across the water to the beach on the other side. It has no rails, and an odd carving of two straight lines all the way across, but otherwise this looks like a much better bridge than all of the human and goblin bridges I've crossed before. But I can't help but feel a little nervous about the waves that might reach the bridge.
On the bridge, I met a mason. Refreshingly, she worships a god of caverns rather than blight. She seemed rather proud when I complimented the bridge design.
Across the bridge is a wooden building hanging precariously off the ledge. It's full of different, occupied rooms housing even more dwarves. Behind it is a short, suspended walkway with a pedestal holding by far the best axe I've ever seen. Despite being made of copper, its edge looks viciously sharp.
There's also a walkway with a memorial to a few dwarves that went missing. If they were taken by the waves, or taken by the night is beyond the description on the plaques. After that is a tavern. The first functioning tavern I've seen in years, actually! I offer the tavernkeeper a milk opal that I found in my journeys in return for a drink, and she gladly obliged. I think I might get along with these dwarves just fine. Underneath the tavern is a shrine to the goddess of stars. Regardless of what Afe says, while they may be cruel to nature, the dwarves do have some refined taste.
As I was drinking, I mentioned to the tavernkeep that I'd be going to The Museum. He asked if I had anything to put on display, and I showed him the star charts. He said no one wants to see any lousy pieces of paper that they can't read, so he suggested I go to the nearby fortress of Lashedjade to buy something properly glorious. Last he heard, they were doing just fine despite sharing borders with The Most Sin's territory. He also asked if me and my men would eliminate the goblins occupying a nearby Hillock known as Brushsack. He seemed completely unashamed asking a goblin that, but then I was completely unashamed to agree. If violence is the only language my savage kin will understand, then I will speak it to them fluently.
Next to the fortress was a large collection of towers that looked very similar to the necromancer's tower I raided a few weeks ago. I decided to pay it a visit, approaching warily. Fortunately there was no one here, and the few traps they left behind were of a very poor quality. I poked around the towers for loot and found a new crutch to replace my charred one, a single large gem, and a fancy silver scimitar. There wasn't much left after whatever happened to force these people to leave.
17th of Obsidian
I visited the hillocks and slayed all that could not run fast enough. My companions helped run down those few that were faster than me. A group of travelling dwarven monks met me just before I begun the slaughter, and one of them just put his hand on my shoulder and left without a word. During the massacre, I noticed a peregrine falcon man join the fray, using his superior speed and sharpened talons to rip those that fled to shreds. We exchanged a greeting and carried on with our work. I found the overlord Luru Spiralsevers within the mead hall and pushed my blade through his head, levering it off from the rest of his body.
I took some excellently made dwarven clothes as my payment. After so much fighting, my old outfit was running ragged. I didn't even have pants for at least a week, so I was using the chainmail leggings to remain decent!
18th of Obsidian
I lost my companions while sneaking through some dark pits yesterday. They couldn't swim, and Imere refused to cross without them. So I left them behind. I'm near Lashedjade anyway, so I might be able to recruit some new followers. I do sort of regret giving Imere my black bronze knife if he's just going to lose it, I was starting a collection!
As I approach the drawbridge entrance to the fortress, I see a pair of cats playing with some vermin in a refuse pile. It seems that the fort is mostly underground. There's a large structure atop a hill with farms and people murdering trees, as well as plenty of dwarves mucking about in the sunlight. Out front is a miner expressing his satisfaction of finishing some work in harvesting an ore vein.
These dwarf bastards have a lot to learn about the sanctity of nature
I'm gonna steal some of their food as just the smallest start of the reparations they owe.
As I move deeper into the hill past the stills and kitchens, I'm greeted by hundreds of wood and stone crafts made for trading. I take the crutches there and move on. Strangely, the wooden crafts are of better make than their stone crafts yet are ultimately worthless. It's not like I can show off such crude baubles back home. Hmm... I found some occupied coffins. Well, if they won't respect our beliefs, then I shall mock theirs!
(Pictured is the skeleton thrown back into its coffin like a basketball)
As I delve deeper within, I find the expedition leader. I decide to tell him the tales of my exploits up north.
I go as far down as I am able through the central staircase. But it seems like they end rather abruptly. I don't think there was anything worth finding or trading for in the whole place! Not that I would've paid precious gems to these savages anyway. For now, I should continue my journey towards The Museum. If the dwarves I met are correct, it's going to be much colder over there. I'm glad I got a much warmer change of clothing.
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Topic: Museum III, adventure succession game (DF 0.47.05) (Read 473520 times)