Ch 4 - Maybe this will make you forget there wasn't a chapter three.
Also, I took a break to see if there was any interest in this still as I played Nethack - and died horribly at least 50 times. I think I will now take a break from Nethack...
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Atir was sick of it. All this damn warfare, this blood. She had nearly lost a leg to her compatriot's meddling in the affairs of the underworld. And as she sat there, in the mansion, she knew even then that they were looking for treasure down there - that were going to use it to its fullest.
She dropped the pick she still grasped right there - while she still might be a miner in the eyes of Ast and his ilk, she wasn't going to be doing that type of work any time soon... if ever. She sighed as she considered that she and Ast worshipped the same god. Perhaps he was more in line with the metals than with the creation.
She had known three of the souls that fell to their depths in the cauldron of the earth. She had nearly died fighting off things that were better left untouched.
Note the red recruits.
If she ever got out of there... she was going to do something different. Something a little bit more in tune with Zefon's will... although what that was, she wasn't willing to commit to memory.
Suddenly, an idea struck her - a Kulet - an abbey. Maybe. The pain took her, and she rested.
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Ast's log, 3rd of Hematite.
Striking that river must've been bad luck - our feet are damp or something - there are tower-caps growing everywhere now! We must dig out a more solid location for our workshops or risk being trapped in them.
On a more positive side, there is some free food growing near them as well. This will be very nice.
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7th of Hematite.
I've ordered the clearing of a large area at the base of the mountain to grow towercaps and crops. With an elaborate series of floodgates, weapon traps, etc, we will be able to hold off the river denizens and irrigate the entire area.
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11th.
I've drafted a peasant to become our seige operator while the engineer we received works with me to plan out our farming area.
In other news, Sakzal has become possessed by some sort of spirit. I pray it is Egath, god of generosity, for I shall not be generous with her if she brings this settlement to its knees.
---
Atir rested, and waited. All she heard was commotion and bustle. How she longed for a quiet place, somewhere she could just be alone - she wished that this mansion had no windows, for example.
She longed to be back in the mountain.... or in some place of quiet - an abbey.
How that word had been stuck in her head lately! Kulet, kulet, kulet, kulet. She started muttering it to herself.
As she heard the maniacal screams of Sakzal, she kept muttering Kuli till her throat was hoarse.
---
Ast sniffed the air - something was different. Charred flesh? No... rotten meat? Spoiled wine?
Far worse - a human.
The humans had finally gotten wind of the fortress. So, did they intend to siege, to char the very earth with flames, and then salt it as they did to the elven-kind?
As the diplomat rushed through the fortress, all realized it was no attack - it was a caravan. Cerol's finest gears were brought to the depot in anticipation of rich foods and hard iron.
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13th.
Sakzal has begun her construction, using three logs. I bet it involves either A: A tree, B: Dwarves talking with dwarves, or C: Burning dwarves and imps.
The caravan has arrived. Thankfully they aren't bearing arms, but they are talking about their homes - and giving me some ideas of my own...
---
Kulet, kulet, kulet, kulet. It sounded good to Atir. Pits and demons, it might as well be her name now, muttering that much. The water-bringers look at her as if she's as crazy as Sakzal, as she lies on the royal bed, talking to herself and occasionally grasping at the bloody wound.
Except abbey is too pretentious. Shorten it, make it sweet to say and to hear. Well, as much as dwarven words CAN sound sweet to the ear.
Kuli.
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17th.
Sakzal has completed her work - a floodgate. Thankfully, no graphic depictions of... well, anything. There are spikes... that's about it. For now, we'll leave it alone... it will not be used to channel the underground river.
The humans brought far too little liquor - but I have bought their entire cargo of wood, meats, and plants. We shall have to expand our food stockpile at this rate. For now, alcohol is our biggest concern.
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25th.
"There is much to discuss, dwarf."
"I barely even know your name!"
"I am Isi Snarlinglistened, and I can assure I have that name for a reason."
Isi grabbed ast by the arm and dragged him to his office.
"You are in the land of the humans now. Your kind have always..." Isi paused as he opened the rock door. "... always been separate of ours. And now we find you well within our borders."
"There is no law on the earth saying we cannot settle here."
Isi sighed. "No... but there was no law saying the elves had to eat our dead, nor the goblins steal our children. And so we wage war on them."
Ast managed to escape from Isi's grasp, and sit in his chair. "Why are you telling me this? I am merely a peaceable dwarf come to find plenty amidst the wilderness that you humans dare not claim."
"I tell you this because not all humans will be as friendly as we."
Ast laughed. "I've dealt with plenty of tough nuts and hard rocks -"
"Spare me your jokes."
Ast was insulted, but hid this fact from someone who seemed to be merely humouring his very existence. "Fine. What is it that you want?"
"A treaty of sorts - to signify your fealty to the laws of our kind. To the Unions of Fording... a symbol of friendship, as it were, with your Smiths of Dawn.... that IS what you call yourselves, right?"
"Done."
---
After the paperwork was done, Ast managed to corner Isi for one last question. "Why aren't there any human cities in the mountains?"
Isi shook his head. "We have learned that the depths are not to be trusted - they are fickle things, and the whims of the earth never mesh well with the dreams of mortals."
"But we dwarves make our living off the whims of the earth."
Isi nodded. "Aye, and the goblins do as well. But where do you keep your dead? Buried in the ground? As do we - as do all, save the elves. The earth is the home of the spirits, good or bad."
---
4th of Malachite
Cerol has completed an exceptionally good gear.
I have only now read the details of our agreement. Apparently in exchange for wood, bars, etc, we are to give them... shoes, windows, and various armour pieces.
Well then. I... actually was expecting something different. An oath of allegiance, maybe? A threat of deportation?
This is actually kind of lacklustre.
However, the note does say their leader is a spearmaster.
Well, that doesn't bode well for my throat, should they choose to attack.
--
15th. We now have nearly sufficient dining space for all, and enough beds for all. I have ordered the rapid construction of doors, barrels, tables, and chairs - we must have wine.
While Sakzal has not learned anything from her great work, she has practiced long enough with the plane and the axe to create her own masterpiece.
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20th.
Finally, I get to pick up a pick again!
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4th of Galena.
As the new month rolls in, I have ordered our farming plot to be completely cleared of rock. Shortly our farmers will inspect the soil, and barring and toxins or miasmatic substances, we will begin flooding the area.
---
Ilral hurried up the fancy steps of the mansion with her delivery of a freshly cooked turtle to Atir.
"ATIR!" he called. "ATIR!"
"Who is it?!" she called down, through the hatch cover that seperated the to-be dining room from the to-be bedroom.
"Ilral!"
"GO AWAY! You and your lover-boy aren't welcome around here..."
"Uh, Atir... I'm a man."
"Oh. I keep forgetting that there's two Ilrals, and you're both fish-cleaners..."
"Yea, I really do hate dwarvish some days."
Up the stairs came Ilral.
Kuli coughed lightly as Ilral opened the hatch cover. "By the way, please call me Kuli."
"What?"
"I've decided to change my name."
"Why's that?"
Kuli shrugged. Ilral merely sighed and gave Kuli the turtle. After Kuli had scarfed it down, the talk turned serious.
"How's the food supply?"
"It's pretty bad... but we just don't know HOW bad... I mean, Ast is supposed to be looking after it, but, I mean, it's terrible - we had so little alcohol that we were running to the river..."
"Yea, he's a pain the ass...ast... asthole?... maybe I can help with that, once I'm out of here..."
"Yea, that's a good name for him. And I'm sure we'd appreciate any help we get from someone not him."
"And how's your wife?"
Ilral suddenly looked down at his feet. Kuli was suddenly taken aback. "Oh no. Don't tell me... no..."
"She was one of the peasants Ast drafted that day..."
"No.. I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
"I don't expect you to. I don't expect anyone to, what with the way they died..."
"They came from the earth. They returned to the earth. As Zefon would've wanted it."
"I'm glad you think that way. I'd rather Egath praise these small gestures, then think the greatest gift we give to ourselves is our death."
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22nd of Galena.
I hear from Cerol that there's a spider in the deeps, near our farming operation. I shall have to keep the cat away from there.
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Autumn has come!
Kuli, you are now in the fort - and I have apparently created a plot out of nothing, much like a mysterious +roast+ or Large .
The clearing of the farms is almost done. There is a spider down there, so that means it'll be a lot easier to catch then, say, taming the giant cave spider in the chasm (Oh god...)
No population change, no marriage, nothing of note besides what is detailed above...
A glitch that while paused, dwarves can generate tasks - and fail them. So I disabled "cancelled task" reporting.
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Topic: Metalwind - Suburbia shall arise (under-rise?) {Fort/Story a la Migrursut} (Read 3998 times)