The Bridge of Worlds
Journal of Alåth Sigunral, expedition leader of the Immortal Figure, originally from the Knives of Dust.
Wanted for grand theft wagon, terrorism, abduction of livestock, robbery, subversion and lollygagging.
Accomplices: Unknown, potentially other members of the Bay12 forum (applications welcome).
21st Opal, 251We’re here. Gods, what a journey it has been.
Behind us to the east lies the Continent of Selling, the ancestral home of all dwarfkind. Strong in our Mountainhome are we, and the strongest nation remains the Knives of Dust.
That's what they'll tell you, anyway. But after six months of trekking through infested swamps, camping in ruined villages and dodging endless goblin patrols, I can truthfully say that our strength ends at the main gate.
For better or worse, it is clear to me now that the lands once held by human and dwarf alliances have fallen, and that the age of the Goblin is dawning. Actually, strike the “better” part. It’s worse.
Necromancers are emerging from their towers, laying waste to entire mountain halls. Dark pits dot the landscape, echoing with the screams of abducted children. And the price of ale keeps going up.
That is why we have come all this way. To our west, the vast expanse of the Confining Continent now fills the horizon.
The ancient maps say that it stretches all the way to the mythical Continent of Passages, where the Channel-Dwarves once sailed alongside humans and established themselves across the Tattooed Sea.
But no thinking creature has ever set foot on the Confining Continent. None, until now.
Yesterday we pushed our wagon onto the midwinter ice, and thus forded the narrow strait separating these two landmasses.
A crowning moment in dwarven history, and a triumph for the nameless cartographers who led us here!
The last of the ale was brought out, and the earth was struck in the name of the Immortal Figure. That’s us.
And so we named our fortress Oramsazir, the World-Bridge. A monumental gateway it will be, and I can only hope we’ll all live to see it finished. Our merry little band consists of:
Alåth Sigunral (myself), fisherdwarf and fish cleaner
Obok Sallulokun, miner and engraver
Minkot Sobìrakrul, ditto
Ducim Ùshrirtulon, woodcutter and carpenter
Sibrek Sazirfash, mason and stonecarver
Onget Idenesis, farmer and herbalist
Geshud Akrulëlot, brewer and cook
May the bridge we construct here serve as a beacon for those who want to build a better future, and leave the goblins behind to fight over the past.
The toll of passage shall be a mere 5 coins for dwarves and humans both, for our laws are just and the land is bountiful.
Plus an extra 100 for elves, of course.
7th Granite, 252Spring is here. A hellish snowstorm kept us confined underground for most of the winter, but honestly, where else would you want to be?
We've now learned that what we thought was a narrow channel is actually dry land for the most part, even at high tide. So much for this being a new continent.
Still, a bridge spanning the gap will be necessary, as will a paved road for caravans to cross into the promised land.
Not to mention a fortified wall full of crossbowdwarves, for those who refuse to pay the toll. And so our work continues!
We’ve dug out a modest space in the clay loam, enough for a few farms and workshops.
No creature comforts yet, but the plump helmets have fruited, and our brewery is giving off wonderful scents. I’m eager to taste the bouquet of the first World-Bridge vintage!
Our yaks and sheep are pastured up above, there’s plenty of fish in the sea, and Onget tells me that some of these trees are smart enough to justify their existence by bearing fruit.
So I’m not worried for our stocks. The current issue is of a more... fluid matter.
As temperatures rose over the past month, it became clear that we’ve dug our bedrooms right into a frozen aquifer!
All those beds, soaked and muddy. Very bad way to start the day, I’ll tell you. Ducim was beyond himself at the sight of his fine carpentry soiled like that.
I’ve canceled the order to smooth the bedroom walls and instead told the miners to excavate the level above.
Hopefully I won’t die of a cave-in during my sleep, and removing the water-laden rock should plug the leaks below.
On a brighter note, we’ve hit a large deposit of magnetite, and we all know what that means. An ironclad dwarf is a happy dwarf.
No coal in sight, so we'll do it the old-fashioned way. Surely if the gods intended for us to preserve the forest, they wouldn't have made it burn so well.
I think we’ll leave a few fruit trees standing, just for curiosity's sake. Never tried apple cider myself, but I hear good things about it.
As for the bridge itself, I have some designs. Of course a regular drawbridge would be stylish enough, but what if we simply construct it out of solid stone from the ground up?
Much better, much more…
dwarfy, especially considering we would have to drain the central basin somehow. Then we could add menacing spikes to it.
And traps. Yes. Loads of them. And a secret tunnel, so we can smuggle our soldiers and agents across.
And a siege engine. No, ten siege engines. My hands are shaking. I need another drink.
21st Hematite, 252 Ahh, to be a fisherdwarf. To hear the mighty waves pounding the shore as I cast my bait, and feel the fresh ocean breeze rustling my hair.
To witness the sight of ragtag migrants shambling across the sands, desperate and thirsty - wait, what?
That’s right, our numbers have grown! Three bewildered dwarves and a wee little one came stumbling out of the dark last night, and I was happy to let them join us.
It turns out they were escaped slaves from a goblin caravan. After a nice plump helmet sandwich and a jug of wine, they were eager to prove their worth.
One of them was a miner, and we can always use more of those. The other two I assigned as jeweler and metalworker. I
will have a suit of jewel-encrusted armor by the end of the year.
Here are their names:
Dumat Sazirkonos, miner and engraver
Vutok Regarist, gem cutter/setter
Iden Kollulâr, smith/furnace operator, married to Vutok
And the litte one is named Tirist Regthîkut and is just adorable. We’ll need to make him a toy as soon as possible.
They also brought a dog, which should help clean out vermin in the food stores. Immigration is wonderful!
The soggy bedroom situation has been fixed, and we can just about squeeze everyone into their own bedchamber now. Next on the agenda is to carve out a proper dining hall, worthy of legend.
A kitchen goes without saying, as does a butchery and tannery. And a kiln for coalmaking. And a furnace. And a crafts shop. I might even dabble in cheesemaking during the winter.
And THEN we’ll finish building that bloody bridge. The work is well underway already, and Sibrek has been pumping out blocks day and night.
Chert is a hard mineral, the first one we struck that didn’t feel crumbly or had a pesky aquifer in it. Chert is the symbol of our humble beginnings, and so the bridge foundations will be made of chert!
Which reminds me, I need to go see how the construction is coming along...
WHAT? There are TREES standing in the way of the foundations!
Upon realizing this, I marched into the carpentry workshop and grabbed hold of Ducim. And he told me that he hasn’t cut them down because
someone wanted to preserve them, as their fruits make for good brewing.
That is unacceptable! By my authority as expedition leader, the elf-diddling heretic who made that decision will be pelted with fruit, and their beloved trees will all burn!
Oh. Come to think of it… uh… nevermind.
Author
Topic: The Bridge of Worlds (or Two Continents, One Fort) (Read 601 times)