11th Opal, 301Stepped topside for a breath of fresh air, realised I could see it coming out of my mouth. All the ponds have frozen solid. Have just had a bit of an idea.
14th Opal, 301Seventeen pairs of custom blown glass boot blades later, and we're ready. Declared this a holiday, being the midwinter eve, so everyone's taking the day off. Even the glassworks are quiet, for once.
"Don't try and walk, okay?" Cousteau tried to reassure Kats, who was having difficulty on the ice.
"Alright, I'll just-" he managed before slipping and hitting the solid surface of the pond for the fifth time. His beard had grown white with ice crystals by now and he spluttered, brushing them away. Cousteau helped him up.
"The trick is to glide, just push one foot forward and then the other. Anyway, weren't you surrounded by ice for years? I'd have thought you'd have skated at least once."
"We were surrounded by ice," Kats admitted. "The ice was surrounded by undead elk."
"Granted, I can see that being a good incentive not to go skating," Cousteau admitted. She leaned on the branch of a nearby willow and looked out across the white-tipped forest, parts of it still green even now. She had a flashback of the stark, empty tundra from which Kats had come and wondered briefly what thoughts were going through his mind.
"Hey, look." Kats pointed. The pair stopped for a moment, watching a passing deer in the snow. Then they looked at each other in a moment of pure, perfect silence, the sounds of the world muted by the falling snow.
Then Cousteau got hit by a snowball.
"Come on!" yelled Tormy from across the frozen pond. "We've got teams set up, forgeworkers against planters!" Cousteau glanced to Kats and snickered, skating after them with fluid grace as Kats kissed the pond for the sixth time that night.
20th Opal, 301As quickly as it comes, it goes. The ponds have thawed, and we have saved our glass blades for next year. Thank the gods for small miracles.
4th Obsidian, 301That cat we brought (who seems to have picked up the name 'Ast Astasharzes' amongst the colony population) finally decided on an owner. She adopted the fish gutter I met on the first day the prisoners arrived, Vucar Otinònul. Strangely, he doesn't seem to be on the prisoner manifest I had originally and I seem to have missed him out of the records. I shall have to make a note of that when I attend to his eventual interview.
17th Obsidian, 301Auspiciously enough, given the name of the month, we were able to dig down to a small surplus of obsidian around the magma vent. I have left it be for now, but once we are in a situation to have marginally more impressive quarters than our immediate holdings (i.e. a hollowed out dirt prison block) I will make sure to fulfill Dee's request for some obsidian to break up the monotony of all the green. Progression on Dee's other project is slow right now, largely due to my decision to redirect part of the glassworks towards blowing bottles for trade later in the year. Once we reach our target of one hundred bottles, I will redirect the glassworks' full staff towards the greater project.
28th Obsidian, 301A somewhat unnerving ring of skulls appeared on the forest floor, not far from the entrance to the grotto. I am not entirely sure what to think of that. Just in case, we have left them be.
1st Granite, 302We have now been isolated here at the far end of the world for a full year. In that time we have delved sturdy (if temporary) accomodations, braved a frosty winter, had a platoon of criminals dumped on us, started a highly industrious glassworks and found romance. Not necessarily in that order. If there is anything that haunts me at this point, it is that we have not even begun the real, dangerous work yet. I wonder if I have been putting it off for just that reason.
Level B1 MapLevel B1 Map6th Granite, 302Tormy is a happy dwarf today. Having exhausted our meat stocks, I gave him permission to take his axe hunting. Some might feel a crossbow better suited, but I know from experience that a deer can run away with a bolt in its leg, but an axe blade will take that leg right off! Then let's see it try and run away. Granted, the amputation does cause issues when it comes to hauling. I might have to see about getting a mace for Glacies so he can join in. Tenderising the venison is superior to chopping it all up, after all.
15th Granite, 302More bloody kobolds. At least we saw them well in advance this time. The foxes have scared them off.
Also, to top off my day, elves have arrived.
"Hey, Narena!" shouted Bilalo from his tree. "You're not going to believe this!"
"What is it, Bilalo?" the slender elf called, looking up from cutting bits of mistletoe.
"Dwarves!" the tall elf exclaimed excitedly.
"Dwarves?" Narena asked in shock. "I didn't think we had dwarves this far west."
"We don't! They just set up an outpost near those human villages."
"By the Force! But that means..."
"Yes, it does." Bilalo grinned and Narena followed suit.
"We can play the Game!"
"Yes, the Game! Oh, I love that Game!"
"Okay, okay, so you'll be the snooty guy demanding they stop cutting down trees and I'll be the one offering them all sorts of useless goods whom they'll try and trade with out of politeness."
"Oh yes, I get to be the tree cap guy!"
"Well, I got to do it last century. Alright, so you know the drill. You go in, you spit in their beards and see how much you can piss them off without them losing their heads. I'll go pretend to trade with them, tie them up in hours of negotiations, then break the whole deal when I see a sliver of wood trapped in one of the items!"
"Hah! Oh, by the Force, I haven't had such fun in decades!"
"That probably has something to do with our living a monastic, possession-less lifestyle in the branches of trees."
"Probably."
"Oh yes," Narena commented disinterestedly, rolling a goblet in between her fingers. "Very fine, very ethical craftsdwarfship. Yes. Thank you for letting me inspect all hundred and seven goblets personally, of course. I understand time is very precious to you."
"Very," Cousteau growled quietly. She was swiftly running out of patience after the third hour at the depot. The other elf snickered suddenly and she shot him a glance.
"Now, I would be more than happy to trade all of these for my bag of berries-"
"And the pet warthog," Cousteau reminded her tiredly. "And the barrels. And the alcohol, which tastes like watered elf piss." She added the last part under her breath.
"Of course, yes. Well, I think we can finally shake our hands on this." She extended her hand, which Cousteau reached for quickly, grateful the meeting was over, only to find her pulling it back suddenly.
"Oh," the elf sighed in mock sorrow. "Oh dear, the barrel these fine goblets are in is made of wood. Oh, well, I'm afraid it's all ruined now. I guess I'd best be going."
"You know what?" Cousteau sighed. "Wait here one moment. My friend here will propose a deal which I think everyone involved will find a great deal more equitable." She signalled to a heavyset dwarf in a leather coat, standing by the grotto entrance. He calmly stepped forward to the Depot, unslung and brandished his burnished steel axe, then smiled the most polite, most manic smile the elf had ever seen.
"You sir. Pay."
16th Granite, 302The elves left, a lot lighter than when they started. Not a moment later, the Depot was attacked by a band of kobold spearmen, obviously enthused by their earlier captures from our colony. There were five large pieces of kobold to start with, now there are about eighteen smaller ones. I am wondering whether or not I should start training hammerdwarves - the labour required for multiple pickups is slightly annoying.
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Topic: Areldolush - "Waterbore" [Community Fortress/Penal Colony] (Read 18176 times)