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[Iituem]

Greetings!

Having read through the many succession stories here on the boards (and of course, the legend of Boatmurdered), I felt it might be fun to start a succession game as well.  Not that I can do anything simply.

Goldenroads is an outpost located (mostly) in a neutral (if slightly wild) region of woodlands with a brook, easily accessible limestone layer and likely iron and coal deposits.  To the south, yellow sand is abundance, and a variety of trees grow in the biome.

What, then, is the challenge?

This is a human outpost.  As such the inhabitants are humans rather than dwarves and impose certain restrictions.  Being human, they are unable to cope with the confinement of living underground for long periods and as such underground excavation can only be used for the purposes of mining, cellar storage space (for workshops etc), graves, crypts and defensive tunnels/moats.  No living, dining or workshop spaces should be dug underground, although storage space providing for living/dining spaces is acceptable.

Additionally, no underground crops other than plump helmets may be grown underground.  Humans lack the specialist techniques the dwarves use to grow a wide variety of underground plants and can only manage simple mushrooms.  Thus, much of human farming must take place on the surface.  [But if you stumble across an underground river, tower-caps and shrubs you find are fair game!]

N.B.  To change the civilisation race from dwarf to human, go to the entity_default file in the raw/objects folder (back the file up, first!) and remove the [civ_controllable] tag from the dwarven race tags and add it to the human race tags instead.  You can leave the dwarves with the tag, but then you will not be able to trade with them as humans.

For the first round of succession, I am looking for six initial people to sign up to play, with years taking place in the order of sign-up.  Each player gets to be represented by a character in the founding party.

Code: [Select]

Name                           Profession       Sex, Age   Preferences

Aro "Iituem" Aguvnod           Metalworker      M, 32      Alders
Lipul "Duke" Kasatrushan       Mining Engineer  M, 27      Willow Trees, Brew
Thine "Affy" Gililuki          Lumberjack       M, 21      Brew
Unbeh "Dadam" Nashrajal        Lumberjack       M, 29      Carp [x]   - DECEASED
Thec "Dadam" Simoacik          Stonemason       F, 26      Hake [x]
Sudem Gidepsmenre              Woodworker       F, 29      Hake [x], Cow milk, Wine
Mothror "Jack" Tabamete        Cooper           M, 20      Beer, camel milk.

Journal of Aro 'Iituem' Aguvnod, Journeyman Blacksmith

23rd Limestone, 209

I lost yet another work order to Bomec's forge today, a job for twelve iron gates.  Tired of the Guild's interference in my work here in Breachspicy.  I honestly don't know how much more of this I can take.

25th Limestone, 209

There is work over in Planlash, the Guild tells me.  I have little choice but to thank the gods that it is only early autumn and that I do not have to make this journey in the winter months.  The Guild assures me that they will find a buyer for my home at a reasonable cost.  Whether the cost will be reasonable once the Band of Tiles takes their cut is a different question, of course.

8th Sandstone, 209

After a week of dallying before the Guild could fill out the paperwork to buy my home from me and a three day trek through some thoroughly unnerving wastelands, I have reached Planlash.  I give thanks to Kas that the sun was on my back for most of the journey - I could hear strange rustlings in those lands at night, sounds that sent shivers through my spine.

9th Sandstone, 209

Curse that blasted Guild!  Things here are just as bad as back in Breachspicy, and I am thoroughly considering the possibility that the Tiles Guildmaster has played me for a fool.  My only blessing to count is that my hovel sold for ten years its worth in rent; a meagre eight hundred stars, but at least I have enough cash on hand to get a drink.  Right now, I need one.

10th Sandstone, 209

Met someone as pissed off with the guild as I am, bloke by the name of Lipul Kasatrushan and sporting the longest beard I've ever seen.  Judging by the lines on his face, you would think he was in his forties, but it turns out he's only twenty-seven; five years less than myself!  Found him at 'The Icy Prophecy', nursing a mug of that gods-awful sewer brew and rolling a chunk of solid aluminium in between his fingers.  Bloody deeps, though.  Aluminium!  I haven't seen that since my apprenticeship back in Daggerslap, when the masters were forging Prince Righteousglory's set of thrones over at the Contained Palace.  Not that I realised at the time, I was already onto my third pitcher of longland beer.  From what I remember, we had a long and bitter grumble about the Guild and then I threw up in some mule's saddle.  Lipul did me the favour of letting me stay a few nights until I get my feet in town.

12th Sandstone, 209

Been staying at Lipul's hovel for a couple of nights now, got a (very) temporary job burning wood at the local forge whilst the usual guy is sick.  We talked over a bit of longland bread and watery kitten soup.  Lipul is apparently a mining engineer and an experienced one at that.  He joined the dwarves over at a place called Claspfangs (delved straight into the Red Spike) ten years ago as a Guild representative, and only recently came out.  According to the dwarves, they were sad to see him go after such a short stay!  Either way, he knows his way around rocks better than any man I've met, and it seems he has quite a bit of experience with mechanics and construction, too.  He hinted at manning and repairing ballistae at the mountain halls, as well.

21st Sandstone, 209

The alders have all turned golden or a deep russet.  It is beautiful.

28th Sandstone, 209

I still can't really afford to move out of Lipul's hovel yet.  The prices for even shacks in this town are horrendous due to the Guild mark-ups, and I'm barely making enough for food and keep hauling lumber.  Met an old acquaintance from my childhood, Unbeh.  Meeting was pleasant, if a touch distant.  Apparently he moved to Breachspicy for a few years himself, but he misses the sea.

5th Timber, 209

Unbeh introduced me to a couple of fellow seasiders, Thec and Sudem, a woodworker and stonemason from the region.  It turns out Thec and Lipul have worked together in the past, and they seem quite glad to see one another again.  We all share a few beers and brews and a game of knucklebones before retiring for the night.

20th Timber, 209

I've had something of an idea.  We were in the Icy Prophecy, mulling over whether or not to order a bottle of wine (I've just gotten a work order for seven steel longswords!) when Unbeh introduced us to another pair of his friends, Mothror the cooper and another woodcutter by the name of Thine.  So now we have seven young(ish) craftsmen, all rather annoyed at the Guild monopolies and all in some way skilled at a variety of professions.  I wonder if there's a way to make a living outside the system...

10th Moonstone, 209

I approached Lipul with the proposal and, true to form, he regarded it with stoic if benevolent attention.  After some consideration he has agreed to at least carry out some basic prospecting and ask a few questions about surrounding regions.

14th Moonstone, 209

I've completed and sent the swords off on the last caravan.  Thec has been invaluable in gathering support from the others for the plan.  Meantime, I am looking into purchasing supplies and hopefully a stout wagon for the trip.

20th Moonstone, 209

I found out why the rush order for the swords; Breachspicy was due to be attacked by goblin raiders.  Turns out the raiders saw the defenders brandishing a full complement of steel, turned tail and left.  Lipul has left town, taking provisions for three days' journey to the south.

3rd Opal, 209

Lipul returned early this morning, tear-marks and dust on his clothes.  When asked to explain, he muttered something about leopards and thanked both his pick and Thran Buddsprings that he'd been able to bash its head in and make a get-away.  Seems he went south to talk to the dwarves about decent sites.  We've asked him to rest up and talk to us all about this tomorrow over beer and brew.

4th Opal, 209

Lipul informs us that to the southwest of the Red Spike, just beneath the Hill of Sinews, there is an expanse of verdant woodland bordered by a brook called Safetyflayed (he refused to explain why it was called that, saying that we would figure it out once we got there and insisting on stout halberds when we went) growing on sandy clay over solid limestone deposits.  More to the point, he says that although he cannot be absolutely certain, this bodes well for our chances of finding iron ores and coal, with a definite flux supply available.  I can see the potential already.  Unbeh, Thine and the others are mostly more interested in the wide variety of trees in the region, whilst Thec pondered the possibilities of what to do with all that limestone.  The others are looking more willing to buy in now, given everything we're learning.

7th Opal, 209

We have buy-in.  I've been able to live off the proceeds from forging those swords for the last month, so my savings are still around seven hundred stars.  The others have less fungible assets, though.  Unbeh and Thine cannot sell their logging cottages, since they are outside the town limits anyhow and undesireable to anyone except other loggers, and both Sudem and Thec rent.  Mothror shares his house with his brother, who is unwilling to join our venture, but he has been able to sell his half to his brother for three hundred stars.  The others are looking as to what possessions they can sacrifice to fund the expedition.

13th Opal, 209

With all of our assets pooled, we have a sum of 1972 stars to fund our expedition, 712 from myself, 368 from Mothror, 100 from Sudem, 168 from Lipul (who was unable to find a buyer for his hovel), 100 from Thine and 74 from Unbeh.  Thec was willing to put all her savings (450 stars) into the expedition, on the condition that she could erect a small shrine to Kas and the other gods as soon as possible on arrival.  I agreed and enough of the others are her friends that we could go through with it.

24th Opal, 209

I got hold of an old anvil from the forges here in Planlash and, typically for the Guild, I was overcharged by 150 stars and it has rust problems.  Nothing a few smacks with the hammer didn't solve, but the pitting annoys me.  Our pot is down to 822 stars.

3rd Obsidian, 209

We now have a pair of freshly forged iron halberds, which I was able to wrangle at the reduced cost of 388 stars by forging them myself (the materials only cost two thirds of this, but the Guild hit me with temporary membership dues - I had cancelled my membership in disgust and anticipation two days before, an unfortunate decision).  Lipul was insistent that we bring solid weaponry rather than Unbeh's old bronze hatchets.  There is something about this place we are headed to that he is not telling me.  I don't entirely understand why.

8th Obsidian, 209

We bought several casks of sharp prickle wine and caustic sewer brew (which half the expedition seems to be ridiculously fond of, apparently having intestines of wrought iron) along with several jars of prickle berry jam and some salted hound meat.  Unbeh also contributed several bags of seeds, apparently from his days as a farmhand on the outskirts of Daggerslap.  He seems willing enough to take this role back up, at least temporarily.

14th Obsidian, 209

One of the wagons from a passing merchant caravan broke down and I was able to get it off them cheap and without the damned Guild dues for once.  Sudem was able to fix the broken axle and we have transportation.  All we need now is something to pull it, something that our remaining 322 stars might help with.

17th Obsidian, 209

Thine came to our rescue.  He managed to corner an old friend of his, a mule breeder, and convince him to part with one of his breeding horses, though not a partner for it; apparently old Thomrek only keeps female horses so that they have to breed with the donkeys.  We got a mule instead to take the other yoke.  Down to thirty stars.

20th Obsidian, 209

As a last minute precaution against trouble with wildlife, we buy a basset hound from a dealer in town.  With the remaining crowns, we treat ourselves to a comparative banquet - a beef and tuber roast with plenty of steamed rat weeds and river spirit sauce, all washed down with beer, brew, and a couple of bottles of strawberry wine.  Thine gives the ritual toast to Oled, the goddess of revelry, and suggests a name for our venture; Goldenroads.  We accept the name with a great deal of laughter and even his second suggestion for what to call ourselves, if a touch self-mockingly; The Intense League of Wealth!

21st Obsidian, 209

We set out on the journey south to Goldenroads with bright spirits and aching heads.  Perhaps we could have gone a little easier on the drinks last night.

28th Obsidian, 209

Wagons move slowly through hilly terrain, slower than by foot due to the routes necessary for passage.  A three day journey for Lipul took us a solid week, but we are finally at our destination, having arrived late in the evening.  Too late for us to do any real work, so most of us took to our bedrolls whilst Thec and I stood watch over the wagon, sat on a nearby mound beneath the stars.  We cracked open the keg of sewer brew and I took a little time to admire the alders.  I even had a little of the swill, something akin to a mixture of acid and liquid fire pouring down my throat and burning holes in my intestines.  Thec spent a little while complaining to me about the lack of hake in the region (we are inland, after all), but then stopped and peered to the south.  I followed her eyes.

I do not know what it was we saw.  I cannot even be sure if we saw it, except that Thec seemed as disturbed as I was.  Something fast, vaguely feline and yet... hollow.  It came and vanished in less than a flash, but the burning in my gut gave way to a sense of great unease.  I glanced to Thec, who pursed her lips and frowned.

"Perhaps," she suggested quietly, "we had best erect that shrine to Kas soon.  Something tells me that we will need the Sun's protection in this place."

I agreed.

[Aardvark]

Put me up for one of the lumberjacks. Thine preferably.
His name will be Affy.

[Glacies]

Dibs on the brewer. Name him Jack.

[Dadamh]

I'm reasonably certain we don't need to edit our raws to play this, if you are passing the save around.

Anyway, I'll play a turn.  I'll play the cooper if it's all the same.  "Dadam" is fine, or even "Adam" if you want a more humany name.

[Iituem]

Sorry, Dadamh, but Glacies managed to get in first on the cooper/brewer.  Would you be alright with the woodworker/joiner?



Overground Building Tips

For those who have not attempted the 'human vilage' challenge build before, there are a couple of useful things to remeber.  First up, every building needs a roof to qualify as being 'indoors', which can be accomplished by constructing floors on top of walls.  To reach the top of the walls, building a ramp next to the walls will usually allow builders to climb up onto them.  Remember to deconstruct the ramp afterwards for the sake of appearance.

Maintain a large construction force - carpenters over masons, since humans like wood.  If you have a lot of idlers, try making them temporary carpenters.  You will need to be building new buildings near-constantly, as building overground can require triple the time and labour of building underground, especially if you are working with blocks rather than raw lumber or stone.

[Duke 2.0]

 I'll take the miner. Name him Duke and make aversions on how he slightly dislikes his job. Prefers to be a woodcutter.

[Dadamh]

Sure sure, woodworker guy is fine.

[Iituem]

Unfortunately, I accidentally put Dadam down as the lumberjack/planter.  Whoops.
Well, the other woodworker is a woman, so it might not fit as well.

1st Granite, 210 - Early Morning

With the new dawn comes a fresh year.  Sudem has taken a (very) rough hand-count of our supplies and tells me that we're down to maybe thirty pitchers of wine and brew in the caskets, with two thirds that in prickle berry jam and five pounds of dog meat left.  She says she can give me better estimates when she can finally sit down and take a proper count of it all.

Whilst I intend to stay true to my word to Thec and have the shrine to Kas erected as our first proper construction, I've given word to Sudem and Mothror (or as we've begun calling him, "Jack Lad", on account of being the youngest) to break the wagon apart and repurpose it as a workbench for Thec to get started.  Lipul already has his pick out and is studying the ground for suitable places to strike the earth.

Mid-Morning

In retrospect, I probably should have twigged that our current position was not the most defensible in the long-term (and I have a sneaking suspicion that at the very least we will want to ward off wildlife) before Jack had disassembled the wheels on the wagon.  Looks like a lot of hauling ahead for me, as we will need to relocate camp to a bend in the Safetyflayed that might eventually be dug out to provide a more stable set of defences and at the very least an available source of fresh water.  Unbeh has gone over to the site ahead of time with the mule and our now slightly repurposed wagon wheels to till some soil for planting.  We all recognise the importance of food and drink, so I've asked him to leave lumbering duties to Thine until the fields are planted.  Oddly, Lipul volunteered to do a bit of woodcutting himself, but we only have the two halberds and he needs to get stone for the shrine.

Evening

First day of work is over.  We've designated some piles to dump all the supplies in for the moment, though I wouldn't hazard a guess as to how long it all will last.  Thec has sited out a place to build the shrine and is in the process of smoothing out a patch of rough limestone for use as a base whilst Lipul keeps on digging.  He's carved a tunnel straight through the clay and has hit silt so far.  As the sun slips down beneath the horizon I offer a quiet prayer to the goddess and hope that what I saw upon arriving here does not come close to our camp.


4th Granite, 210

An auspicious sign!  Lipul informed me over breakfast this morning that he has struck a solid vein of gypsum in his explorations.  Whilst we will need the more available limestone deposits in the region for industry, the bright yellow stone is perfect for our shrine!  He hopes to have enough by the end of the week for paving work.

15th Granite, 210

The start of our third week in heralds good news for us all!  The shrine, tiny and rude as it may be, is complete and we may receive the continued protection of Kas.  Furthermore, Sudem has completed work on some bunk beds for us.  With the shrine in place we can finally get started on putting up a hall to sleep and eat in, though eventually we will need independent houses (or more likely, simple hovels to begin with).  Additionally, Lipul has broken out of the gypsum deposit and hit lime.  He has begun delving exploratory channels in search of some magnetite.

Most relieving of all, we caught our first signs of life!  I panicked when I caught movement at the edge of the woods, but on closer inspection I found that a small herd of hogs had simply ventured into our patch.  Perhaps I am simply overreacting to strange new surroundings.

22nd Granite, 210

About a quarter of the way through the exploratory mining project, Lipul told me he had a gut feeling about the stone.  I trusted his instincts and gave him the go-ahead to break off from the project and just dig straight down as a test.  Turns out there's a rich seam of magnetite right beneath the entry stairwell to the mines.  I've ordered a halt to further exploration and asked him to concentrate on mining that out, and any flux we are likely to need.  I'm about ready to start some steelwork.

2nd Slate, 210

The barn is more or less complete.  It still doesn't have any side walls or doors, but it has a roof and that is enough for the moment.  Just need to get the furniture all in.

3rd Slate, 210

We chose to celebrate the event (and the fact that we now have beds, a roof, and somewhere to sit, eat and drink!) by cracking open one of the kegs of sewer brew and having a drinking competition.  I lost quickly, but Lipul probably lost worst by winning.  I don't want to imagine how he feels this morning.

We learned a lot about each other that night, some of it funny, some of it a lot more serious.  Thine in his usual high-spirited drunken stupor confessed to a fondness for sugar, one of the exports from the dwarves up at Claspfangs.  He kept trying to pronounce 'toffee', but by that point his accent had gotten so thick it came out as 'Taffy' and eventually just 'Affy'.  We've taken to calling him that for a laugh.  Similarly for Lipul, who let slip that he was of bastard noble parentage.  He wouldn't divulge any details, but Thine (ever ready to take a joke a little far) suggested he might be a long-lost 'step-son' to the king, which got a somewhat mixed response.  We all agreed it was a grand idea, though, and we've started calling him "The Duke".

Unbeh's revelation was a little more serious.  Apparently he was a father, once.  He didn't say much about how he lost his family, but I've heard him talk about ogres before.  We didn't press it.  He told us about hisd little baby girl, though.  Recounted the way she never could pronounce 'Daddy' right and always ended up calling him 'Dadam' instead.  Thec suggested we call him that too, in memory of her.  I was a little surprised, but he agreed.

As it turns out, nobody can actually pronounce my given name so I'm sticking with my assumed one, 'Aro'.  Let this be a lesson to cruel parents everywhere.

8th Slate, 210

We have a forge up and running and I've begun the lengthy process of smelting steel.  Meanwhile, I think I'm going to have to pull the Duke off mining work and get him to clear out some cellars.  Saw a bunch of bloody geckos nosing around the seed bins.  Seems like an excellent time to lay out plans for some one-storey craft hovels.

9th Slate, 210

It seems Dadam and Thec just became an 'item'.  Not sure how I feel about that.  They have known each other a long time, though, so I suppose it makes sense.

13th Slate, 210

I've become something of the camp's architect, despite my lack of previous experience and definitely without any Guild accreditation.  I think the free time I've had on my hands in between smelting has something to do with that.  Either way, I've laid out floor and cellar plans for an extension to the barn (we might as well make it a tavern) and a more permanent carpentry space.

11th Felsite, 210

Sudem's lodge is nearly complete, but we have a more pressing problem; we have nothing left but sewer brew!  Even that is starting to run dry, and I don't much fancy cupping water from the brook with my bare hands.  Jack says he can get a still running quickly, as soon as we finish the tavern foundations.  I've set them to full priority and told Thec as much.

18th Felsite, 210

The still is up and running!  We're having a drink to celebrate.

26th Felsite, 210

That's the last of the steel smelted for the moment.  I have an idea or two of what to do with all this metal, fortunately.  With a bit of luck and despite being up to this point little more than a glorified lumber hauler, I might just prove my worth to this expedition yet.


1st Haematite, 210

Summer's here.  I've asked Sudem to set up a tent over the brook.  We will eventually need a road for trade (and risk revealing our venture to the Guild, sadly) but for the moment the brook serves as a natural pathway.  Duke tells me that the Guild sometimes uses the brook for its wagon trails to Claspfangs.


A sketch of Goldenroads camp, 1st Haematite, 210

[Emperor_Jonathan]

The brown burns.


BURNS I TELLS YAH!


Anyway, good story so far.

[Dadamh]

Heh, I found the sepia effect clever, even if it does hide some information.

[Iituem]

7th Haematite, 210

Good gods, there are a lot of horses in this place.  Someday, we'll have to set up lines of traps and capture them.  A few mounts and beasts of burden never hurt, and we can fetch a reasonable price for them with the traders.

12th Haematite, 210

If it's not drink, it's food.  We just brewed the last of the berries, so I've asked Affy to try and see if he can't make 'liquor biscuits' (a rather impressive baking trick involving the mash left over from the still).

15th Haematite, 210

Damn it all, the Guild's found us!  Worse, we didn't have the depot up in time, so the wagons have passed us by.  The Guild's sent a representative and, to add insult to injury, a "liason" to spy on us.  I'll have Thec talk to the liason, she's the prettiest of us all.  Dadam's volunteered to try and wangle a deal with the merchants.  No idea how good a deal he can get us, he's never made a proper trade in his life.  Let's hope he learns something from this all.

Crap.  It's not just any liason, either.  Kopoh Aguvdidde, one of the Guildmasters, is here.  We are going to have to talk some miracles to get out of this one.  Let's try fobbing them off as long as we can.  I need to get that surprise ready.

27th Haematite, 210

The liason was very polite, started things off diplomatically by asking what we wanted from the tamed lands.  Dadam, Thec and Sudem all put in a big order for carp and hake.  I figured I'd ask for some longnose gar, too.  We don't get many fish around here, certainly not seafish.

He then put in the Guild's "requests", polite-as-you-please.  They want legwear and a stock of plants.  There is one upside to this, though.  He's offered to pay Guild prices on the matter.  I'm not sure what to make of that, given our questionable Guild statuses.

Dadam did some trading today, as my work is complete.  Two brand new sets of platemail armour in burnished steel.  We got a stack of iron bolts (I would have preferred arrows, but ammunition is ammunition) and a whole lot of meat and fruit.  I sense we've been ripped off, but Dadam isn't really brilliantly experienced at assessing value.  Hopefully that will change soon.

Additionally, he bought us a horse.  Shame he didn't check it before he bought it - we now have a pair of females.

7th Malachite, 210

The Guildmistress, Kopoh, is a bit of a serpent.  She offered us a secondary trading deal, same as before.  When she turned to go, though, she stood right in front of the armed guards she brought with her and smiled, extending her greetings to us as 'an outpost of the Guild'.  Even presented us with fresh new journeyman's papers to drive the point home.

I am beginning to wonder how long we will be able to keep hold of this place.  I can feel our new-found freedom slipping away already.  This bodes ill.


Even without the armed escort at her back, I could tell this was not a woman to mess with.  Likely worked the forges herself in earlier days and whilst she might have had the grace of a cat she had all the presence of a foreman with a hot iron.  I don't want to cross her.  Not until we're in a stronger position to do so.

18th Malachite, 210

Duke informs me we've hit Calcite.  Not that we needed any more flux, but at least we have a bit of variety.  Moving the forges north of the inn to a more permanent fixture.  Additionally, we're out of bloody drinks again.  I'm sending young Jack back to the still.

7th Galena, 210

The Guild has opted to establish a permanent, if unofficial, presence.  They haven't sent a liason, but instead sent us hired help.  A band of nine backpacked over here from Planlash, dropping their belongings at the shrine and heading for the inn (such as it is).  Already today I've had an armourer, Ipan, come in asking for the Forgemaster and a mosaic tiler by the name of Behal asking where the Foreman was.  I have no idea what they're talking about.

8th Galena, 210

Sudem took another, closer look at our Guild papers.  It looks like we've been bribed as much as blackmailed.  My papers state that I'm a Guild Forgemaster, Thec's been upgraded to a Forewoman and Duke's old post of Guild Engineer has been reinstated.  Dadam's a licensed quartermaster and Sudem's been promoted to a temporary Head Joiner position, one normally reserved for those on the road to a Master Craftsman position.

What this all means is a mixture of prestige and privilege.  Sudem's immediately drafted a trio of labouring peasants (Omon, Rákfil and Ongu) as apprentice joiners and lumber aids, and they are both surprised and elated at the possibility of a real, trained profession.  I suddenly have the work of forging three new iron halberds to equip them with.  Jack seems slightly relieved as well; we have a trained brewer by the name of Rura to help with the liquor demands.  Sisha and Pabat, a pair of fishmongers, came with the entourage along with full tackle and nets.  We're hoping they can provide a bit of variety to our currently rather fructivorous diet.  With the exception of Rákfil and Pabat (who are married) none of the immigrants know each other; they just answered the Guild's call whilst looking for work.

I still have my misgivings about the Guild, but suddenly I have a staff and two of my companions are taking on apprentice labourers.  One thing I am certain of, however; the Guild has decided to invest a great deal of time, resources and manpower in our venture, enough to more than double our population as it stands.  It will want its due, and whilst it may be happy to let us manage things for now, a time is going to come when it will extend a more direct influence over its 'outpost'.

9th Galena, 210

One of the new immigrants, a girl by the name of Rodem, approached me at dinner this evening.  She claims to be a seamstress from back in Breachspicy and I think I vaguely recognise her.  She asked for leave to set up a habadashery, to which I informed her that we lacked the manpower to perform any large-scale reed threshing.  She was persistent, however, and she made some persuasive points.  Clothing is one of the most valuable and demanded forms of manufactured wealth, especially if it can be appropriately dyed.  In response to the question of labour, she has claimed that she can take on all four necessary jobs to start with; thresher, weaver, seamstress and dyer.  If nothing else, I admired this woman's ambition enough to give her free reign on the matter.  I simply hope she can earn back what this will cost us in labour and wood.

24th Galena, 210

Autumn is approaching fast.  Strip mining continues apace below us with the limestone (we need not even touch further magnetite), providing us with enough rough paving material to provide foundations for all our buildings and (equally importantly) keeping the Duke busy.  He kept looking at the halberds wistfully whilst I was forging them.  I swear he wanted to burst into song.  Which reminds me, I should get started on more platemail for trading.  I'll have Ipan work on the mail this time, which should allow me to focus on weaponwork and smelting.  We're having to clear-cut a lot of the forest to fund this.  I'm going to send the Duke exploring for coal.


Outpost plan circa Limonite, 210.  Contemplating a second floor to the inn, maybe an apartment complex like in the city.

[Aardvark]

I am realy looking forward to take the next turn now. I have an idea that will help our little town.

[Iituem]

10th Limonite, 210

Work on the clothing hall proceeds apace.  Not much other work is being done, however, as most are busy responding to my order to just clear-cut any and all suitably sized trees in the region.  Well, we need homes after all.

I've been spending a lot of time with Sudem lately, trying to get this outpost into some semblance of order.  Once my quarters at the forge are ready I'll have my own desk, but presently I've had to share hers to do the filing.

21st Limonite, 210

Sudem suggested I try the latest batch of beer biscuits over at her workshop.  We got a bit of gar from the kitchens to go with it.  Affy is turning into a pretty good cook, in all honesty.  I never thought something made from the leftovers of a distillery would go well with smoked fish.

We ended up talking through the night over things.  Mostly over how we were supposed to keep accurate track of our holdings when Dadam can't figure out the difference between steel platemail and a sheet of tin.  Seriously, he's a good friend but I really wish we'd had the foresight to bring a competent broker. 

3rd Sandstone, 210

Time flies when you're working hard, it seems.  I've laid down floor plans for the apartment block and the joiners have finally gotten around to putting walls around the secondary carpentry workshop.  Everything is pretty cramped, though, even with the new buildings.  I talked the numbers over with Sudem.  If we want to continue a proper rate of expansion, we are looking at having as much as two thirds of our population in the construction industries.  I hope we can actually feed that many people.

10th Sandstone, 210

Well, we might have had two female horses, but it looks like Dadam got off lucky; the one he bought from the Guild was pregnant.  We have two males and a female.  Perhaps when the males grow old enough we can cross them with the horse that brought us here.  Sudem took one look at them and muttered something offensive about the crap attracting more flies.

14th Sandstone, 210

A day of celebrations.  Well, personally.  Sudem and I are officially a couple, now.  Bit of a surprise for everyone there, but it shows what a shortage of desks can achieve.  Will write more after I've been to inspect the mine.

Eventful day.  Struck both an extra gypsum seam and malachite whilst mining.  Could be useful for copper coinage in the future, but for most ornamental trade work the steel is more plentiful and should suffice.  The Duke, for his part, is cleaving through ore like butter with that pick of his, but still getting pretty much every piece out intact.  I've never seen anyone that accurate.  I asked about it with him over beer and brew and he seemed unwilling to really discuss it.  He just stared at the mug for a moment, scowling, before telling me an odd tale about 'deep spirits'.  It was all a touch... dwarven.


"Hey, what's wrong?" Aro asked Lipul with a hint of concern.  He pushed another caustic brew towards the grizzled miner.  "Come on, Duke, all I said was that I'd never seen anyone cleave rock like that before.  It's a compliment."

"There's more to it than that, Iit," Lipul muttered, being one of the handful that ever used Aro's given name.  He swallowed another tankard of the harsh brew.  "You remember when you were watching me, earlier?  When you said that it looked like the pick wasn't cutting through the stone, it was more like the stone was parting for the pick?"

"I was being a bit poetic, yeah," Aro admitted, picking up a bit of salted gar with his knife and chewing on it.  "What of it?"  Lipul suddenly pulled his chair back from the table, knocking the knife from Aro's hand and nearly cutting his cheek.  The mining engineer knelt down on the paved stone floor and studied it for a moment.  Without warning, he plunged his fist into the rock!

"Duke!" Aro shouted, standing up aghast.  "What are you-"  He stopped.  Aside from a little dust, Lipul's fist was unharmed, but the paving stone had split in a sharp crack down the centre.  This alone was not what left Aro dumbstruck, but rather that at the very point Lipul had struck the stone had yielded, leaving a perfect impression of his knuckles.

"What in Kas' name..." Aro gasped, when he finally was able to find words.

"Have you heard of the 'Ralғth Kordam', Iituem?"  Aro shook his head and Lipul explained.  "I would be surprised if you had.  It is a dwarven tale meaning 'The Lament of the Cosmos', but we have something similar called the 'Godan Sabu' or 'Verse of Morning'.  It tells the story of the early world."  Lipul stood back up and sat on his chair, dipping his finger in some sewer brew and drawing a watery diagram on the table.  Aro sat back down himself, inspecting it.

"A pentagram?" he enquired.

"Of a sort," Lipul muttered, adding small letters to it, then drawing little stars on the outside.  "These five letters on the outer circle represent the five surviving Great Beasts; Inira and Usirá the Dragons, Rab and Wur the Cyclopeans and the great Titan, Cerol.  Within are depicted the five surviving Giants; Ospram, Unlo, Nongrob, Ud and Ada.  At the centre are the five Chosen races; dwarves, elves, humans, goblins and kobolds."

"The pentagram is a... prison?" Aro questioned, a touch lost.

"It would be better to consider it a shield, and those five Beasts its guardians.  We may hate and revile them for their power and apparent destruction, but the Ralғth speaks of far worse beings than they."

"What are the stars?  What do those two 'Ds' represent?"

"I cannot tell you for sure.  Perhaps the gods.  The Ds represent Lozu and Em, however.  Perhaps you have heard of them."

"I have heard the names," Aro responded uncertainly.  "Leaders of goblins?"

"Demons," Lipul intoned darkly, taking a draught of brew before he continued.  "It is said that in the time before the Age of Myth, the gods still walked the lands.  Then, one day, they vanished, and history as we know it began.  The goblins say the gods abandoned them.  We say the gods retreated to give command of the world to us, their successors.  The elves say the gods died-"

"That's blasphemy!" Aro exclaimed.

"Well, they are elves," Lipul added before continuing.  "They say the gods died and merged with the land, become primal Forces.  The dwarves, however, say that the gods fought a great war with beings that rivalled them in strength and power - the demons.  They were victorious, of course, but their battle drained them and the world could no longer support such power.  They left the world, sealing away all of the great demons in mortal form, then sealing all but two of them in tombs deep within the earth."

"What does all this have to do with why you can punch through solid rock?"

"The dwarves say that the protections the gods laid against the demons are as strong as the earth that binds them and the sun that shines upon it.  When you delve the earth, though, you penetrate that seal.  You become exposed to small amounts of that entombed, demonic power, even though it resides miles and miles beneath the land.  Though their physical forms be bound, their spirit extends far beyond their tombs and can... affect things.  The dwarves tell tales of those granted boons by the powers beneath the earth, especially those who delve deep into its secrets.  Perhaps they are meant to lure them deeper into the earth.  But once the protection has been breached, it stays that way."

"What does that mean?"

"What it means is that what is happening to me will happen to others because of what I have done," Lipul muttered angrily.  "I should never have stayed in this life.  I should have become what I always wanted to be..."  He downed the rest of his drink and stormed off, leaving Aro in confused silence.




15th Sandstone, 210

We really need to plant more of these seeds.  I've assigned Rura, our brewing assistant, to help with the planting as well.  In other news, Duke dumped a big, smoothish semi-precious blue stone on Sudem and my desk this morning.  He says it's called Chrysocolla and should go with all the grey gemstones we found earlier.  I'm carefully ignoring what I think are finger-marks on the edges of the stone.


19th Sandstone, 210

The alders are turning red again.  It's still as beautiful as it was before.

22nd Sandstone, 210

The Duke gruffly informed me that we'd struck a cluster of opals.  I called to him to stay awhile and share a brew, but he just headed back to the mine as if he hadn't heard me.

26th Sandstone, 210

The Guild is doing its best to give us trouble, apparently.  Ongu was out woodcutting and spotted a fresh line of backpackers heading towards us from the mountain pass.  I've asked him and anyone else with a halberd to quietly point them to pay their respects at the shrine before gumming up the inn, giving us a chance to take headcount.

27th Sandstone, 210

We have a miller by trade, Jirdo, whom I have requested help with the planting efforts as well.  I am unsure if we need another miner, given Duke's recent revelations, but I have assigned Mapo to him as a technician with instructions to help him in any siege or mechanism construction work in the future.  Sudem's taken on another apprentice, Ińo.  I am considering having our lumberjacks equipped with steel chainmail in the future and train as an axeman militia, just in case.  They are invaluable as lumberjacks, but having a bit of martial skill would not go awry.  Gained another two forgeworkers, a blacksmith by the name of Nelti and an armourer, Lulush, along with a labourer by the name of Thad, who I've asked to accompany the new farrier, Ushav, asking if he can do anything about taming the horse herds.  He promises to look into it.  We also have a less-than-useful addition to the outpost, a stone trinket carver by the name of Muthro.  I've assigned him to Thec's team for now.  The other labourer, Thespde, I've kept as a general purpose handy-man.

Someone keeps stealing my biscuits, and it isn't any of the pets.  I think we're going to have to look into some sort of basic law enforcement at this rate.

Ongu says he spotted a curious fellow not far behind the migrant caravan, what he reckons is a dwarf prospector.  When Duke heard this, he dropped his pick and ran for the hills.  Thec went after him.  I don't know what's going on here.

28th Sandstone, 210

Duke returned this morning, along with Thec.  Neither of them will say a word about what happened, but he is at least drinking with us again.


An expanded sketch of the Goldenroads Outpost at the end of Sandstone, 210.


"Usen, Usen!" cried Lipul as he ran through the woods towards the small, bearded figure sifting for gold in the brook.  "Babin, usen!"  The dwarf paused, raising a bushy eyebrow at the approaching, babbling human calling for help in his tongue.  A way behind him a slightly shorter, beardless human (whom the dwarf assumed to be female) was trying to keep pace.

Thec spat metallic-tasting liquid from her mouth.  She hadn't run this hard in months, and she couldn't understand why Lipul needed to chase this dwarf, or how it was he could run this damned fast or far.  She paused for breath, leaning against a shedding alder and watching the display taking place by the brook.  The mining engineer seemed to be shouting at the dwarf in some foreign tongue, that she could only assume was dwarfish, his voice implying a mixture of anger and desperation.  She gasped when Lipul suddenly raised his palm and brought the edge of it down suddenly onto the soil beside him.  With an inexplicable crack, the soil sundered in a clear crescent stretching out from the point at which Lipul had struck, causing a nearby stagnant pool to flow in and fill the fresh gap.

Lipul dropped to his knees before the dwarf, shouting something and extending his hands in a gesture of pleading.  The dwarf approached him carefully and placed a hand on his head, regarding him with a curious mixture of awe, respect and pity.

"Gomath," the dwarf said unto him, then released him and departed back for the mountains.  As Lipul stumbled away from the site, Thec looked to him, breathless and in awe.

"What does it mean?" she asked.  Lipul looked at her with the expression of a haunted man, accepting his fate.

"Legend."


Just realised there's an extra month to Autumn yet.  Will try and get that done either tonight or tomorrow.  There are two founder spaces left for any interested players, or any of the migrants thus far.

(And apologies for my depiction of Legendary craftsmen!  Since humans don't have that sort of mythical status dwarves do, I figured they might need a little extra something to reach those sorts of heights.)

By the way, what do folks think about letting people write up little vignettes about their character, set in the events recorded in the updates for each succession?  Sort of combination succession/community.

[Iituem]

1st Timber, 210
We really need a proper furniture storehouse.  I may lay down long-term plans for a law court, as well, although ultimately law in the Nations of Artifice is decided by Guild mandate.  I've additionally warned the lumberjacks not to cut too far south.  Something about the blood red midges down there gives me the creeps.

5th Timber, 210

Okay, this is too far.  As much as I love spending time with Sudem, she can't keep track of 186 lbs of food and drink, 25 citizens, ten animals and more stone than I can shake a rock at without her own filing cabinet and I can't manage work distribution for a bulging team of carpenter-loggers, three stonemasons, my own forge group and architectural and construction orders for four new buildings without my own bloody desk!  The forges are getting a roof, then I'm getting a chair and then I'm getting these work orders sorted.  Time we sorted out a basic militia.

6th Timber, 210

The fishmongers raised an excellent point over mead today.  With all the fish they're catching, they have nowhere clean to gut it.  I've ordered a workshop built for them, with provisions f-

The wood furnace just exploded.


Aro, Lipul and Thec rushed to the forge building with marked hurry, hauling buckets of water to the perceived fire.  They stopped to a man upon entering the forge, Thec dropping her bucket in shock.  The young bellows-girl, Lulush, was standing unharmed in the midst of a raging inferno, soot covering her skin like tar and flames licking her every curve.

"Lulush!" Thec called to her.  She did not respond.  After a moment's hesitation, she asked the silly question.  "Are... are you alright?"  Lulush turned and, at that moment, we saw the source of the fire.  It was pouring straight from her eyes.

"I am quite fine," came a voice like creaking magma from Lulush's mouth, "but I am afraid that Lulush is not here right now."


7th Timber, 210

One of my forging crew has, for want of any other explanation, become possessed.  We found her at the forges, wreathed in flame and completely unharmed.  She has since referred to herself as "Umthafathri" and has calmly stated that our companion will not be returned until we have provided the creature with some materials.  I have ordered some iron processed immediately and some rope reed threshed to meet the demands.

14th Timber, 210

The beast is holed up in the forges, demanding iron and thread, and guess what?  That bloody seamstress just wound up the last of the rope reed.  I've sent a peasant out gathering in the hope we just find some in the surroundings.

21st Timber, 210

Second week into the possession and we've struck brimstone.  I am beginning to suspect our 'guest' is growing impatient.  On the plus side I have my desk now, conveniently located in the forges right next to the blazing she-demon.  I seriously need to consider a room in that apartment complex when we can get it together.

1st Moonstone, 210

The last leaves are falling and we're looking at a cold winter ahead.  Except those of us here in the forge, where we're toasting longland paste biscuits to the roaring fires of Umthafathri, who is growing exceedingly impatient as Lulush grows weaker by the day.  I doubt anything is sustaining her body or mind right now short of demonic intervention.  As a precaution, I had a talk with everybody able to handle a halberd.  In the event of an emergency, they all know what call to come on.

2nd Moonstone, 210

Someone found a wild rope reed.  It's a race against time, now, to try and save our forger from dark forces.  Get that thing processed, pronto!

Typically, the seamstress insists on a nice, long drink before she gets threshing.


8th Moonstone, 210

Well, there is now plenty enough rope reed thread for the demon's use.  I don't understand why it hasn't started building whatever it is it's trying to build.


12th Moonstone, 210

The beating of wings heralds our first real trouble with the wildlife.  Winged creatures with the heads of women and the wings of giant eagles assaulted one of the fishermen, Paban.  As I write, he is hurrying back to the settlement.  I've mobilised anyone with an axe to defend the outpost.  May Kas bring us light in this dark hour.

Thank Kas and Duke's swift pick.  Whilst our militia was still milling about when the harpies descended upon the settlement, he was able to knock one of the birds unconscious and bash its chest in before catching up to the other in a cross-country run, saving my dear love's life.  As I write, Sudem is to be committed to bed rest - although Duke got there in time to save her life, the harpy's talons have torn her left calf to ribbons.  She's strong, but it could be months before she recovers.

The damage that a pair of winged women was able to do has made me seriously reconsider some of our priorities here.  It will be necessary to produce a ranged attack force and train some home guards for this in the future.

23rd Moonstone, 210

We've struck 'Fortification Agate'.  An impressive, if ironic name for a gem, given our situation.  The demon has made no attempt to work, and I believe it might actually be asking for silk (which we cannot obtain).  I am going to prepare a grave for our forger.

28th Moonstone, 210

I had prepared for one death, but I meet two instead, and one man heavily injured.  Lulush's possessor eventually decided to surrender her body back to her, but her mind was so twisted by its nature that she began to attack everyone and everything in sight.  After almost beating the stonecrafter Muthro to a bloodied pulp she proceeded to wail on the unfortunate Dadamh, who rushed in heroically to stop her, only to receive a bloody and brutal death at fists empowered with demonic rage.  Whilst his squad floundered in their attempts to reach him, Duke once again arrived and dealt justice with his pick, but a moment too late to save Dadam's life.  We shall bury them both across the river with ceremony and headstones.

7th Opal, 210

With the headstones completed (and engraved), we laid our friends to rest in their stone coffins today.  Thec was unable to manage words, simply weeping throughout the ceremony, whilst the other remaining four watched on in silence as I read out Dadam's eulogy.  It was difficult to bury a friend, and I know how Duke must have felt as he shovelled the earth over the caskets.  What struck me most of the whole affair was that nobody save our six turned up.  Were it not for the manner of her passing, none would have noted Lulush's death; she had not a single true friend in all the fort.

I gave thanks to Kas this evening for the sunlight and to Oled, for having the friends to share it with.  I prayed to them both that we might keep both things a little longer in this place.

I stared for a long time at the mineshaft before retiring today, though, thinking back on what Duke had told me two months before.  We had broken a seal of sorts by our work, and we would have to face the consequences of that.  I briefly entertained the crazy idea of ordering the mine blocked and just abandoning this entire venture there and then, before my mind returned to the matter of the Guild.  No, the Guild would not let this place stay quiet, even if we all did pack up and leave.  Some other poor sod would be sent here to reclaim the ruins and rebuild.  We have little choice but to carry on and try to make the best of a bad situation.

8th Opal, 210

I have taken over Dadam's trading duties for now, though I daresay I am about as skilled at assessing value as he is.  The miller, Jirdo, has taken on some of his cooking duties, sharing them with the herbalist-by-necessity Thad.  There are fortunately enough labourers to take on his lumber duties.  Still, Thec mourns for him greatly.  She confides in me that they had considered marriage in the new year.  I am doing my best to steel against the loss, but the worst hit of all is Duke, who is downright miserable.  I suspect he blames himself.

18th Opal, 210

The issue of leadership has been called and, in anticipation of this, I have laid down the plans for the law court in advance.  I might even get it finished by the end of the year, determined as I am to have at least one reasonable construction to my name.  The court shall consist of dining and living chambers for the sherriff, as well as a court from which he may judge cases.

The issue of leadership, however.  Since each of us were joint partners in this corporate venture, each of the remaining six of us agreed to take one turn 'at the rudder', so to speak.  My year as helmsman is coming to an end, and we have drawn lots as to whom should next take on the mantle.  They will have some time to prepare beforehand this way, as shall I.

4th Obsidian, 210

Lots were drawn, and it looks like 'Affy' Gililuki is going to be in charge for a year.  Although we've travelled together and helped set up this outpost, I never grew as close to him as I did Dadam, Thec, Sudem or Duke.  He says he has ideas for helping out the town, but what those are or how he plans to implement them I do not yet know.  I can only hope that he has the nerve and grace to guide this outpost to success and bears in mind that more dangerous things than harpies might lie to the south of this place yet.

6th Obsidian, 210

Bloody deeps, monkeys!



13th Obsidian, 210

For the last week we've been harassed near constantly by a troop of rhesus macaques.  The halberd squad made their feelings on the matter known, and I've set up a temporary abbatoir to celebrate the occasion.  The delays to construction are nightmarish, though.  Also, we lost a puppy.

18th Obsidian, 210

Since Sudem has been hospitalised, she has obviously been unable to attend to the records.  As such, the bookkeeping has flagged a little.  The stockpile files are no longer perfectly accurate.

25th Obsidian, 210

With a handful of days left overseeing this place, I have taken care of some small errands, such as designating further mineshafts and some roofing.  I would like to leave a request to my successor to allow completion of the law court, as the outpost will need one, with the courtroom design below.  I have made arrangements for the furniture to be built in advance.  The northern throne I have had pre-forged in steel to give the room a certain presence, whilst a steel armour stand and weapon rack have been forged for the sherriff's living and dining chambers adjoining.

A more beauty-minded architect might wish to put more glass (particularly clear glass) windows in stone buildings in the future (especially if a temple is built), but right now we lack the manpower for that particular frivolity here.

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I also put in a personal recommendation for Duke to take the role of Sherriff.  If nothing else, he's certainly got the martial ability.



28th Obsidian, 210

The handover is due to be conducted today.  I'm headed to the shrine to conduct it formally.


Aro held up the polished steel key for all the labourers assembled to see.  Twirling it briefly in the air, he presented it first to the statue at the shrine, then to the awaiting lumberer, Thine.

"My fellow workers," he addressed the crowd.  "One year ago today, seven men and women arrived at this place, Goldenroads, with nothing more than a wagon, a pair of beasts and what little our meagre savings could manage.  Yet at this place we have dared to erect houses, to stoke the fires of industry-"

"To clear-cut a surprisingly large amount of woodland," Thile interjected with a chuckle.

"Well, aye, but such is the price of progress.  We began with seven and now number twenty-three.  Yes, we have lost some along the way," Aro continued, pausing for a moment in thoguht of Dadam and Lulush, "but in this place the engine of industry may yet give us the chance to forge new, fair lives.  Lives where we might reap some of our own profit, rather than having it drained from our veins by the sucking mouth of the Guild.  It is with this future, this hope in mind that I pass the key to the outpost over to you, Affy Giliuki.  Wear it with pride.  The outpost is yours to command."

A cheer went up from the crowd, cut short by a sudden yelp.  The crowd turned to find one of the stonemasons, an engraver by the name of Behal, knelt over a piece of rough limestone on the ground.  There was what looked like a rough design for some sort of object carved into the rock, yet as far as anyone could see, Behal had not a single tool on his person save his own fingernails.

"By Oled!" he yelled.  "I've got it!"  Behal raised his head, grinning.  There was something not quite human in his eyes.  Something more.  "Someone get me a workbench!  I've got an idea!"  Letting loose a manic laugh, he bundled through the streets in search of materials.

"And this," Aro breathed, glancing to Thine, "is what I believe they call 'your problem now'.  Good luck, Affy."  He stepped down from the shrine's platform and headed for the forge.



Map and save to follow once I can get a stable enough location to host them.  Dadamh, sorry about your guy!  I tried to get all sorts in to save him, but they weren't fast enough.  Would you be interested in taking up the mantle of his lover, Thec, or perhaps a different human?

[Dadamh]

Good writeups by the way.

Yes, I can move to Thec, no problems.  I don't mind having a female character.