Ragna's Log
18th Malachite, 353
Another rod found at the burial chambers, again in a sealed iron chest. No other relics, once again took a rubbing of the characters on the side.
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Stug has taken to playing this sort of game involving a series of traced rings and pebbles with the goblin captive. The goblin refuses to speak to anyone else and barely communicates with the little cretin, but we can neither torture him nor stop feeding him without breaking dwarven laws on treatment of prisoners. Not to mention it being outright cruel. Nobody seems willing to sentence him to death yet and if we release him he'll probably just go tell his masters where we are and how much we have to steal. Still puzzling over what Stug could possibly mean by 'love' for the goblin. They treat each other quite harshly, as far as I can tell.
Also puzzling over that troubadour. I've seen her singing for firecaps, or playing a sort of guitar made from obsidian (as absurdly heavy as that must be). She always manages to find a way to vanish whenever I get close enough to question her.
26th Malachite, 353
Jora stared up in wonder at the shimmering vault around her for time she could not measure. Emerald light shone down from an unseen source and the gemstones sang with hidden voices. She could make out faint details; a glistening altar, bright candles on translucent staves, a richly-cowled figure on a platform. She moved closer to the elusive figure, trying to see detail through the blinding light or hear the strangely garbled words it spoke. She reached out with a wavering hand to the violet robes, then froze. Beneath her, deep beneath her, she heard the scrabbing in the rock.
Jora breathed in sharply, forcing open her eyes. She looked around quickly; nobody else was awake yet and the moon still cast its soft rays through the half-finished walls of the apartment. No more than an hour could have passed. Sparing a glance for the other dwarves lying prone and still embroiled in dreams of divinity, she picked up her coat and shuffled out of the room.
13th Galena, 353
"So I call this meeting to, uh, order," said Emerin, tapping the table with the three-titan mural that had begun to serve as a sort of unofficial marker. She still felt embarassed about the whole ideal.
A few chairs had been dragged into the Mayoral office, hedged around the desk to form an impromptu meeting room. Gathered around it were Emerin, Frey, Broose, Ragna, Danielle, Fath, Karana and Kulet. Emerin made a note to order a proper meeting hall arranged for future occasions.
"Main order of business," read Danielle from a slate, "the state of construction work within the village."
"Is this absolutely necessary?" muttered Broose. "We could have done this whole thing in conversations without having to drag us all here and make us sit through an official meeting."
"Things need to be noted," replied Danielle primly. "This way I have an accurate record of everything going on within the village. Now I understand the Nishan chapel flooring and walls are finished, Kulet? Do you have the funds for the remaining roof work?"
"I am afraid," said Kulet smoothly, "that my congregation is still working on accumulating the funds for this work."
"Your congregation?" scoffed Broose.
"I have taken to providing guidance and sermons," answered Kulet. "I note no objections were raised when Karana began leading the Nakasians." Karana remained silent.
"Then I am afraid construction will have to be delayed," said Danielle. "The village cannot afford to sponsor the full costs of the chapel's completion at this time. Unless you can find another source of donations, we will have to use what funds we have to pursue other construction work, such as the ongoing power production effort."
"Ah aboot that, lassie," coughed Fath. "It's nae workin'. Wi' the limited area provided and all the additional construction costs, it'd be much cheaper and make a lot more sense to use a water system as originally suggested. I'm sorry, Dani." Danielle gave him a long look before nodding.
"Very well," she agreed. "Funds will be transferred to work on a water power project."
"The Nakasian body has sufficient 'caps to fund the Nishan chapel's completion in its entirety," interjected Karana. "It would make little sense for us to donate it, but we are willing to offer it as an exchange."
"What for?" asked Emerin.
"The land directly above the spawn plots. The site of the current blockworks, though we have no desire to interrupt its function at this time."
"You are asking for land?"
"Is it an unreasonable request? To date all land within the village has belonged to the state, so to speak. Private ownership is a long-held tradition amongst dwarves. It is not as if we are demanding the land be provided for free, simply to purchase it at a fair price."
"What would you do with this land?" asked Frey.
"Develop it in time," answered Karana. "It may be that the shrine may require expansion, or that we find it necessary to provide storage space for crops and produce. Again, none of these are unreasonable requests."
"If we do this," said Frey to Emerin, "it opens the floodgates to land purchase from any dwarf, so long as they can meet the price."
"It would provide much-needed revenue for other work," argued Danielle. "We could use the 'caps." Emerin considered, looking to Ragna for her thoughts.
"So long," said the captain, "as all are answerable to justice, I have no issue with the matter. With the recent thefts and the increasing need for new guardsmen, I could use a proper set of cells."
"Very well," decided Emerin, tapping the mural on the desk for good measure. "The sale of property will be legalised. Karana, Danielle will meet with you separately to discuss pricing on the land you request. Kulet, the government will fund the completion of the chapel and your 'church' will be held indebted to us for the amount owed. I assure you that you will repay it in a timely manner, as Danielle shall see that it accrued interest otherwise."
A general chorus of agreement, begrudging or otherwise, came from the table.
"Very well," said Danielle. "Next order of business..."
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Topic: Olonkulet - Bloodlines (Read 62480 times)