Alright, I'm going to be breaking 2 rules at once here, but bear with me, this is worth it. First off, this is in fort mode (aka group adventure), second i shan't be drawing anything; I'm terrible at it, and it would ruin the story, though I'll make up for it with screenshots. Sorry for how long it is.
Journal of an Ontakmedtob laborer
Year: 251. Fortress: Ontakmedtob (Armblockade). Site: The Unkempt Mountain. Objective: To reclaim this Terrifying land, and make it habitable for those among the living once more.
We arrived on the first of Granite, Spring, a time usually filled with life and joy, is instead consumed by death and fear. The Unkempt Mountains... So called for good reason; no living thing would dare set foot in this forsaken wasteland, yet by the will of the king himself, here we are. Life clearly avoids this place, but to say the area is devoid of it is not quite the case; things still "live" here, though not in the normal sense. The unfortunate creatures that get lost and wind up here are twisted by the mysterious forces surrounding this place into a form between life and death. Dead, but not at rest, alive, but not living. The others refer to them as the "undead". There was a great diversity of horrific creatures present; there were the "pleasant" creatures, the badgermen; badgers the size and shape of humans. They traveled in groups and were prone to huge fits of rage, slashing and biting everything in their path. While they had no objection to tearing through us in a murderous rage, they were the only creatures around that weren't actively out for our blood, only turning violent if we happened to get within view. How nice of them. Then there were the herbivores, yaks, goats and the like. Now, we wouldn't have a problem with these creatures usually, except these particular grazers have acquired a taste for the delicious "grass" that resides in dwarven skulls. And finally, there was the bane of our existence: the giant eagles. These monsters were as big as grizzly bears, traveled in packs, and wanted us for dinner. The nature of the mountain had of course twisted them into their "undead" form, flying on nothing but bones and emitting the most ear-splitting screech, these creatures defied every law of nature and were the bane of our existence.
As i watched a herd of "undead" elk chase down and devour the last member of the herd still clinging to its former life, i realized that we were truly in hell.
We quickly built a small wooden hut around the side of a hill using the supplies we brought and what we could salvage from the caravan. We built layered defenses, separating the entrance gates into multiple sections, and made each section able to be sealed off remotely, should the need arise. War dogs were also chained up near the entrance, the combination of their affectionate barks at us as we passed by and their vicious snarls at anything that came near gave us confidence that their loyalty and courage would protect us well. ...It didn't...
Our first mistake was underestimating the dangers of this land. We assumed that the combination of stout labor, dwarven engineering, our furry friends and ourselves, axe and crossbow in hand, could stand against the horrors this haunt could bring. But we sold our enemies' tenacity short. They would attack, and we would beat them back, but each time we would have losses; the dogs quickly fell, one after the other, soldiers had their feet and legs ripped off, forcing them onto crutches. Others weren't as lucky, and were torn asunder while they still drew breath... Sure, we slew more of them than they did of us, but our numbers were finite, theirs were not.
Fighting a losing battle, we were quickly forced to abandon the surface and all of the advantages of it - wood, flowing water, everything. Many died of thirst or infection from the shortage of water within the underground halls but we developed a plan in order to gather what we needed from the surface. Usually the eagles would perch atop the hill we live in, waiting for us to come out, but occasionally they would fly off to feast on the other creatures of the mountain. That's our chance. The men draw straws to see who goes, and everyone who draws a short straw has to head out to grab as many supplies as possible before the eagles return, this was known as running the gauntlet. Things got really bad after one gauntlet run where the men only just made it back a split second before the door was slammed in the pursuing eagles' face, they were enraged that we managed to escape, and they made sure we knew it. For days they stood right outside the door, preventing any attempt at venturing outside, all the while scraping their beaks and claws along the stone door and making a shrill cry. Few managed to sleep, and one was driven to insanity. Our greatest marksdwarf and military veteran, Deduk Ostathbomrek's mind snapped and he began screaming demands for "rock bars", something none of us had ever heard of. The expedition leader, Nish Onulstinthad attempted to calm him by explaining that we had no "rock bars", or any bars of anything for that matter; we were too preoccupied with staying alive to get a metal industry running, so our bars n' blocks stockpile was bone dry. He didn't take this news well, and immediately aimed his crossbow at Nish. He tried to escape, but Deduk had perfect aim, and shot him in the foot to prevent Nish from fleeing. As he closed in for the kill the rest of the military arrived, intent on stopping the senseless slaughter. Deduk re-prioritized and began shooting at the military personnel, this time aiming to kill. He shot 3 of the approaching troops in the upper body, piercing lungs and chipping ribs, before one poorly trained axedwarf managed to reach him. They engaged in melee combat but Deduk, being the combat veteran he is, still maintained the upper hand even though he was fighting with nothing but a crossbow. He dodged all of the soldiers attacks, retaliating with crippling strikes to the arm, head and lower body. After suffering multiple broken bones and a dented skull, the recruit finally managed to land a lucky strike, cleaving Deduk's skull in twain. The rampage was stopped, but at a steep cost. Cut off from water by the eagles at the gates, most of the wounded were expected to perish from thirst or infection. We resigned to our fate and began drinking ourselves into a stupor.
A few weeks later our fortunes changed for the better as the eagles grew bored and flew off to harass the other locals for a time, but more importantly, an elven caravan arrived. We seized the opportunity to rush out and gather as many supplies as we could, storing dozens of buckets of water and several bundles of wood. Once the elves arrived inside, we slammed shut the gates and hauled out everything of value we had that we could spare. The gods had truly blessed us this day as the elves had brought with them a true treasure to everyone in Ontakmedtob: a tamed lion! We were delighted when they told us they would trade it for the spare tables and chairs we brought to the depot, and just when we thought our luck couldn't possibly get any better an expeditionary force from the king arrived, seeking to find out why no news of this settlement had ever returned to the capital. Among those arriving were multiple military personnel, farmers with livestock, and the rest were skilled laborers. Praise the gods, we may just survive this! We purchased a few other basic supplies and then concluded trading with the elves, each side ecstatic with their acquisitions, they then went on their way. We welcomed the new arrivals with open arms, though none of us had the heart to tell them why no-one ever returned from this place in such a happy time. As the elves left Ontakmedtob to return to their homelands, the blessings of nature seemed to depart with them, as soon our enemies returned from their feast. We chained the lion up near the gate, the corpses of our dogs still rotting there, and stationed our newly bolstered military at the depot to shoot at invaders with crossbows. The farmers were informed that we didn't have access to enough grassland to keep their livestock fed, so they were to be butchered for food and bones to make crossbows and bolts with. One farmer, however, objected, saying that the animal he brought was his pet. The animal was a small rabbit, and would not be of much use to us dead anyway, so we allowed his request, and stationed the rabbit near the only patch of grass within our walls; just inside the gate, near where the lion was chained. Surprisingly, the lion never tried to eat the rabbit, to the contrary, they actually seemed to get along well; playing together in times of peace and when we were under attack, the lion would viciously defend the rabbit. It was a cross-species friendship that inspired the troops.
Many months went by and we had made some progress. Our force of arms was strong enough to hold the undead off at the gates, though venturing beyond them was still suicidal. The finishing touches were being made on our project to drain a section of the river into an underground reservoir, allowing us access to water without having to venture outside. The men were feeling good. For the first time we felt relatively safe within our walls. But our job wasn't to hide in a hole in the earth, being this accursed land's bitch. We were here to conquer it, to make it a pinnacle of glory for all of the mountainhomes to see. For that, we would need a hero, someone whose awe inspiring feats of bravery could push us forward to claim this region...
And a hero we did find, in Melbil Storlutalath.
It was the 2nd of Limestone, 252. Our military had just embarked on an expedition to the surface to escort our woodcutters as they gathered more lumber for our carpenters. Things were going smoothly until we were about halfway done, when the group was ambushed on all sides by undead yaks and elk. The woodcutters grabbed what they could and fled for their lives as the military attempted to fight off the approaching horde. Bone breaking close combat quickly ensued, as our army fought valiantly to stave them off. While we did eventually emerge victorious, there were many wounded. The remaining able bodied soldiers carried their wounded brothers and sisters back through the gates and into the hospital where our doctors were waiting. A lone eagle, seemingly waiting for this moment, seized the opportunity to attack while our defenses were weak. The lion still stood guard at the gate, but her body was battered from all the fighting, and she normally had the assistance of the military. It wasn't long before she was severely wounded and thrown into a heap against the wall. The remaining soldiers were quickly ordered to leave their comrades in the hospital and hurry to defend the entrance, but everyone knew they would not make it in time. The eagle now had nothing between it and the fortress proper, and choosing not to waste time finishing off the wounded lion, it dashed towards the entrance, eager to start its rampage.
But something stood in its way...
Nimbly dodging all of the eagles' attacks, the doe rabbit, Melbil Storlutalauth, clamps her teeth down on the eagles' body to prevent it from going any further, and furiously scratches at it with her tiny claws in a determined attempt to avenge her fallen friend. Every time the eagle breaks the grip of Melbil's teeth, she bites down again, refusing to let go, all the while inflicting serious damage with her claws.
The fight goes on for hours, but finally, Melbil wrestles the wounded eagle to the ground and a rookie axedwarf arrives to deliver the finishing blow. Melbil walks away unscathed, and returns to her friends' side, defending her loyally until she awakens.
Thanks to Melbil's valiant actions this day, the fort is saved. She single handedly fought off the forces of darkness, and saved over 30 dwarven lives because of it. The doctors tend to the lioness' wounds, and she soon returns to health. The two continue to stand guard at the gates to this day.
Will Armblockade truly succeed in its goal? Only the gods know for sure. But I for one feel that with such great heroes as Melbil Storlutalath defending us, we
can triumph over evil and transform the unkempt mountains into a beacon of hope for all races, great and small.
Notes:
I'm planning to build a statue in Melbil's honour, and a royal tomb to house her body for when she inevitably dies of old age. I've also given her the nickname of "Badass Bunny". Another thing to note is that she is a doe bunny child, making this story even more amazing. If anyone wants to draw any of the events in this tale, i would be honoured. If there's any other information you need, just ask and i'll let you know.
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Topic: Draw your adventures (Read 1249273 times)