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[Blackburn]

Journal of Caiman, Metalsmith

Dungeon Master died. Went to funeral. Boring. Didn't like him that much. He was OK. Meh. Least it wasn't worse. Least I don't have to listen to his stories anymore. Least I get my forge back.

Wish I got his hat.

Oh, well.

Goblins.

Better make more bolts.

Maybe smelt down those platinum statues that were raising such a fuss and make platinum bolts...

[Tezcatli]

Diary of Ilral Arakrovod - 24th Granite 261

Pssh. One of the new recruits is throwing a tantrum. She managed to wound Lawec's dog by throwing clothes at it and is currently throwing bones all over the place. As I write this she is throwing more clothes at some poor guard, who is massaging his poor neck. If she doesn't stop soon I'll get Jurvana to throw her into jail, we can't have mutineers.

Anyway, another soldiers died today, the new obsidian swords we've bought in are simply too effective, maybe I should get some wooden ones from the Elves, if they ever come back. More deaths or woundings are expected, and encouraged, we can only have the strongest to defend Niltosed, the weak will not survive. My plans to take that idiot Adil down are in works, we just need to wait until the elections.

The third phase of the Great Wall is finally underway, and the scaffolding is being pulled down, but we're running out of granite, more mining will be needed to restore our stocks. We've also located a huge beautiful vein of silver, and I've ordered Caiman to make a silver statue commemorating the fortress' fifth year, after some negotiation with that bumpkin Adil he's agreed, and is smelting the silver as I write this. I've ordered Alath, my secretary to keep an eye on Solon, who seems to be pretty friendly with the treacherous Mayor, the Guard are far too occupied to deal with this, and I need it kept secret.

-----

Just discovered that the tantruming recruit is unconscious with a broken leg. Ha!

--------------------

On her way to his new offices, Sava noticed Caiman by the side of the moat, near the northern drawbridge. The metalcrafter had a long pole, and seemed to be fishing around in the water with it. He pulled it back up, revealing a hook tied to the end of it, and a pig tail sock hooked onto it. Tutting, he pulled the sock off and threw it back in, then thrust the pole back into the moat. Sava approached the Dwarf,

"Caiman, what are you doing?" he asked quizzically, "You don't fish with a pole."

Caiman sighed,

"I'm looking for something." he grunted, pulling the pole back up, with no results. He dipped it back in, swirling it forwards and backwards.

"What could you possibly be looking for in a moat?"

"Never you mind." The trader shrugged at this answer, going on his way, leaving the blacksmith there with his hook.

After a few minutes Caiman pulled the pole back out, perched on the hook was a golden helmet with two huge horns rising from it. The late Dungeon Master's helmet. Grinning to himself, Caiman took the helmet, shouldered the pole and went on his way, whistling merrily.

[Tezcatli]

14th Felsite 261

"Woe! Woe! Woe is us!" came a keening call, a peasant came running into Adil's office, where the Mayor sat, writing some orders down.

"Mayor Adil! Woe! Woe! The dragon Lelgo Quemerkesmel Ostrimistrum has arrived!" Adil didn't hesitate,

"Gather all the Dwarves indoors and raise the drawbridge! Now!" The peasant nodded dramatically, leaving with a cry of 'Woe!'

-----

"You had no right to make such a decision without convening the War Council." Ilral grumbled, seated on Kurolrurast

"But I have convened the War Council." Adil replied, waving a hand towards Hetros, Jurvana and Solon. Ilral shook her head,

"The fact is you made the decision without out approval."

"Need I remind you I'm the Mayor, Ilral?" At this point Solon spoke up,

"Look, why are we here? I still have mountains of work to do keeping those damned stocks up to date, and these 'council sessions' aren't helping." he said irritably. Adil turned to them,

"The dragon Lelgo Quemerkesmel Ostrimistrum, better known as 'Wingless Lelgo'  has arrived."

"Another dragon!? That makes two in two years!" Hetros exclaimed.

"Lelgo? The famed wingless dragon? We should try to catch it!" Jurvana said enthusiastically. Adil nodded at this,

"My thoughts exactly, that's why I've had the drawbridge raised. It gives us time to prepare cage traps at the entrance." she said. Ilral interrupted here,

"Hetros, how long do you need to prepare a line of cage traps along the northern drawbridge?" she demanded. Hetros grinned,

"Give me a few hours." he replied.

"Then we are agreed? When the traps are up we open the drawbridge and lure the dragon in, and catch it!" There were murmurs and nods of assent at this, except Adil, who glared at Ilral for commandeering the meeting.

-----

"Ready?"

"All ready!" The lever was pulled, lowering the drawbridges back onto firm ground. A hidden line of cage traps stood ready at the entrance to the fortress, waiting to be sprung. Lelgo the dragon, having done nothing but destroy the door to the forest preserve and then lounge about in the shade beneath the Great Wall, looked round, steam rising from his nostrils. With a deep growl he launched himself towards the bridge where a soldier waited...and fell straight into the trap. The cage landed around him, trapping the dragon inside. Hetros burst out, cheering wildly and more Dwarves soon joined in, seeing the dragon incapacitated and at their mercy.

[Blackburn]

Journal of Caiman, Metalsmith

Fort has a dragon.

I have an awesome golden helm.

We found silver.

Life is good.

[shadowclasper]

Hetros had a wonderful idea, the dragon was indescriminate. But it could be turned into a flame thrower trap with the clever use of bridges.

Make a hall way, and channel out a space so that there was a 1x2 area. Fortify the area infront of the dragon so it could see, and more importantly, breath fire out. Set up 2 bridges.

One that covered the fortification when the dragon wasn't meant to be used. And one to seal the dragon in (by pulling back and forming a wall on the opposite side of the channeled out hole.

Finally, just in case they ever needed to move the dragon for some reason. build a cage trap just on the other side of the bridge so it could be captured again.

Hetros suggested placing it on the other end of the trader's gate, and making that the new offical entrance of the fortress. They could possibly set up a flame thrower trap using walls and fortifications and a similar technique on the main gate, but really having two entrances to a fort was dangerous in the first place, and they really should make the trade gate the offical front gate from now on.

What he DIDN'T tell anyone was that he wished to make it so that if any more of those damn elves came,a simple flip of a switch and they'd be crispy dragon fried elves.

[Tezcatli]

2nd Galena 261



"Congratulations, Lawec Abankizest, on being successfully elected Mayor. I give you the honorary steel chain of office. Rule wisely." Adil proclaimed, passing the chain to the hunter. Lawec stood there, an almost bemused smile on his face, as if he didn't quite believe it. The assembled populace applauded, even Ilral, who was smiling insanely now that Adil was no longer Mayor. As things had begun to go downhill in the moments preluding Adil's election to the chair of Mayor, they had been going uphill with the times preceding Lawec's election. A miner had been possessed by the same strange forces that always bought great creations in their wake, and had made a phyllite amulet, 'Zatamosh', 'Cloutedsandal', with rings of platinum and encircled with steel and bone, it stood as a very valuable item. With its creation Solon had informed her that they had over 1 million in terms of accumulated wealth, celebrated with a silver statue that stood by the entrance next to the other silver statue that celebrated the fortress' fifth year. Work on the Great Wall was advancing as quickly as ever, with the towers beginning to be built and the wall around the inner courtyard had been fortified with an extra wall. A Goblin siege had arrived just as the Human caravan had arrived in the depot. The army was quickly mobilized and killed the score or so of Goblin warriors with no casualties. Oh sure, a soldier had drowned on the way back, falling into the moat, and a Guard had later bled to death when he was sparring with a soldier, but that was nothing.

And most importantly, her revenge for Adil's impudence would soon be ready.

--------------------

3rd Galena 261

"I'm not sure Hetros, dragons are pretty dangerous. I don't think anyone will like the idea of having an untamed one loose," Mayor Lawec said. Hetros opened his mouth to speak, but the hunter quickly added, "even if it is carefully kept back by the bridges."

"Maybe, but this will give us an unparalleled advantage! So far, all but one Goblin sieges have arrived via the south gate, a dragon there will curtail enemies, and protect the traders!"

"And if it escapes?"

"It won't! That's the beauty of it. A cage trap here will ensure the dragon will never get out, and if we need to move it, we can simply lock it up again. Of course, if you want to wait a few years for another Dungeon Master to arrive with the skills to tame such a beast..."

Lawec shifted uncomfortably. He was a hunter, not a Mayor. His knowledge was of the trapping of mountain goats, the skinning of horses, and of the ways of the noble hoary marmots. He wasn't a politician like Ilral and Adil, he didn't know what was best for the fortress in the long run. He'd be pleased to get this over with and get back to his darling Atis.

"Well," he replied at last, "I'll think about it."

--------------------

4th Galena 261

The came for her in the night, dragging the ex-Mayor out of her bed, slamming a gauntleted hand over her mouth and taking her away. They took her out of the fortress, out to the wall that surrounded the magma pool, there Ilral waited. The two guards threw her at the noble's feet.

"Well, well, ex-Mayor Adil. Didn't I warn you to sleep light?" Adil scrambled to her feet,

"What is the meaning of this, Ilral!?" she exclaimed, bold to the end. Ilral gave a light chuckle,

"I don't like being made a fool of, not to mention being insulted and ridiculed. I can accept someone disagreeing with me, but you crossed the line. So you need to be...pushed aside."

"What are you going to do?"

"Look where we are." Ilral said simply, waving a hand towards the wall. A granite door had been set into it, with an empty moat before it, and a single stone slab providing access. "I don't need to do anything, the Enemy within will kill you, bit by bit."

Adil went pale,

"You won't get away with this. People will know."

"Oh but I will. A Goblin ambush has been spotted moving towards here. You'll be one of their...unfortunate victims."

"The wall, people will see it!"

"I made an announcement at supper, about how I was adding a door and moat to provide direct access to the magma pool. Just in case. You must've missed it, oh yes, you were having some trouble with your bedroom door's lock, shame that."

Pale as snow, Adil made a break for it, only to be brought down by the two burly guards. Ilral snickered,

"Well, it's been nice knowing you, Adil." she turned to the guards, "Throw her inside!" she barked. The guards did so, locking the door shut and removing the stone slab, isolating the ex-Mayor inside the wall. Her faint poundings could be heard on the door, along with shouts. A fwoosh of flames later and the shouts were replaced with painful cries.



By morning, after the Goblin ambush, everyone had marked Adil off as a casualty of the attack.

[Lawec]

Lawec has mandated the construction of goods.

[Tezcatli]

You've actually just mandated some bolts, which, surprising for a mandate, is a good idea.

[Lawec]

Really? Haha! Nice
Well, do we have a crypt? I would like to mandate the digging of a grand crypt for all our dwarves. Even for Adil

[Tezcatli]

We do have a crypt, it was started back in 258. It's full now, so you can mandate a second room (which is already being dug, mandate or not)

[Tezcatli]

Diary of Ilral Arakrovod - 7th Moonstone 261

Much has happened in the last months. Lawec has proved himself a good Mayor, his excellent social skills make him instantly likeable and his only mandates have been for very useful bolts. He has ordered a second chamber be dug out for the necropolis, as the first one is full. He has also negotiated with Caiman to make more silver statues for the crypts, and I managed to convince him to make a great iron road running from the fortress entrance to the northern moat as a show of our power and wealth, which has only grown with the sewing of 'Weirdstern' a silk shoe brimming with platinum spikes and a microcline image of King Bembul. This craze of making images of the wretched King worries me, I may have to act. Anyway, the Dwarven caravan also arrived, bringing much steel platemail and more booze. We seem to be running out of booze at a hugely fast pace and only these caravans help keep us going.

As I had planned, everyone has written Adil off as a lost body from the Goblin ambush, Lawec has still insisted on giving her a tomb, even if it is empty, instead, they places all her belongings into it. What a waste of a tomb...

--------------------

13th Moonstone 261

"GOBLIINS! Goblin siegers!" came the cry of growing familiarity. The Squids of Winding and the Creative Universes geared up, each taking an entrance to defend. At the southern entrance the Creative Universe plowed into a force of about twenty or thirty greenskins, their blades dancing and dicing the invaders into small pieces within seconds. Several Goblin hands and legs and even a head were hacked off with such force that they flew up into the air and landed upon the top ramparts of the Great Wall. A few minutes after the four Dwarves attacked, the southern invasion force had been routed.

However, the Squids of Winding were nowhere to be seen, and the northern entrance stood totally undefended as twenty or so Goblins tramped towards it, pikes and scourges ready to rend Dwarven flesh. However, at the sight of the four blood-soaked soldiers of the Creative Universes charging at them, beards bloody with the greenskins' comrades, they fled, the slowest of them being hacked to pieces before they could escape. Once more, the battle had been won, with only four swordsdwarves defending Niltosed.

[Tezcatli]

Diary of Ilral Arakrovod 261 - 10th Obsidian

We are under attack from all sides! Yet another Goblin siege has arrived to take our riches, steal our children and rape the women! The situation is becoming intolerable. This makes four Goblin attacks and two Dragons in two years! Not to mention the constant ambushes! The worst is that the Elves have deigned to return, right at the attack as usual! The army has been mobilized, but there's so many wounded in their beds that we're defended by only six or seven swordsdwarves, that's six or seven against forty or so.

-----

Something strange has happened. The soldiers are still out there, fighting, but the Elves had taken refuge in the depot. But some of them have disappeared. Only two are left. I'm assured that they were all there before but...now most of them are gone. This bears investigation.

--------------------

Afe Aveelaye cried helplessly, surrounded by the other three Elven merchants. They didn't know what had happened. One moment they were crossing the bridge into the Dwarven depot, following the two traders that had gone ahead, desperate to escape any Goblins that might be about, when suddenly, the bridge flew up, launching them all head-first into the rock-wall, where they fell here...underneath the bridge. Their compatriots above must've not heard, or seen, despite the fact that they had, were still, shouting for help, but the large rock bridge muffled all sound. There were four of them down here, four Elves and a muskox. They didn't know what would happen, they all prayed to Nefola that they would be saved, but they all feared the worst, no one knew they were down here, and, chances were, no one would ever. Perhaps years later the Dwarves would lift their bridge of stone, and perpexedly find the Elven skeletons here below. Until then, they could shout and pray to bountiful Nefola that her love may save them.

--------------------

During the celebrations of the complete Dwarven victory that night, as the booze flowed freely, as every Dwarf drunk their weight in whiskey, or rum, or wine, or ale (except for Fortis, who took some swigs of his own Sunshine brew he had brewed, claiming it to be a 'light alcohol, so I can drink more before collapsing') Hetros was the rowdiest among them, and even Haspen, normally so grim, seemed to be pleased with himself, actually cracking a fleeting half-smile at one point during the evening; as though something had happened to make the two so joyful...


The current layout of Niltosed as of 10 Obsidian 261 This was taken before the siege, so the Elves aren't there.

[Tezcatli]

22nd Slate 262

"I'm telling you, I saw them." Sava insisted. Jurvana rolled her eyes,

"And it wasn't a hallucination?" she asked sarcastically. Sava sighed,

"No, it was not a hallucination. I saw them, about twenty or so of them."

The two of them were up on the north-eastern tower, with masons bustling around the to build walls or floors. The trader pointed towards the north,

"There! Between the trees. See, I told you." he exclaimed. Jurvana peered ahead, indeed there was a group of twenty or so Dwarves trudging through the mud, moving towards the fortress. Jurvana reluctantly nodded,

"So you were right. Migrants, twenty or so. I'll go tell Ilral, she'll want to meet them, knowing her."

-----

Baron Urdim Oltarsefol, his arm entwined around his wife's, pointed up at the Great Wall,



"See my dear, Niltosed is a fast-growing fort, a perfect place for a Barony, thus a perfect place for us to be!" he said suavely. His consort, Thikut, sniffed,

"Yes, well... I suppose they're well defended at any rate. I don't want to be hacked down by Goblins in the middle of the night!" The Baron nodded emphatically,

"Well of course, they've probably got the best bally army outside of Roomcontrol!"

The two entered the wall, followed by the replacement Dungeon Master and the Tax Collector who had travelled with them to their new home. The first thing they saw was a Dwarf's left arm, lying discarded on the floor. A farmer soon picked it up, sighing and muttering about the dangers of having a military and the futility of sparring. Moments later, an Elf-tall farmer came rushing out, holding a drum, his beard looking very rugged,

"All finished!" he exclaimed. Another Dwarf followed him, wearing the steel chain of the Mayoral seat,

"Yes, yes, Fortis! I know it's finished, but what is it? What is this toy yer've been working on all week?"

"It's not a toy, Lawec. It's a drum! A beautiful alder drum, decorated with gems, platinum, I even added some turtle shell engravings of parts of your history. This one here's a story about an ancient Dwarven hero who was stabbed in the foot, and this one shows another Dwarven hero being shot by some unknown creature."

"And...why did you make it exactly?"

"Moment of inspiration, the wood sung to me and I crafted a drum, 'Kasithezneth', 'Prowledfragments'!"

Watching all this, the Baroness tugged on her husband's sleeve,

"It's a hell-hole! We've got some insane...half-Elf prophet rambling about singing lumber and sacred drums, hippie farmers and a military who believe in cutting off their arms! Let's escape, before they see us!" She was too late as Lawec spun round at that moment, and seeing the assembled migrants, smiled wide,

"My apologies, ye must be the Baron. Honoured to meet you." he shook Urdim's hand, and when he came to shake the consort's recoiled in shock.

It was an accepted Dwarven fact that women grew beards. Most were slightly shorter than a male's (which wasn't always the case, as proved the story of Rithpunzel Glazedhairs, whose beard was so long that it hung out the window of her mountain tower and was promptly used by a Goblin ambush to murder her) but the fact was that they grew beards. But the consort had no beard! Not even a bit of stubble! Her chin was totally devoid of hair, bristle or even just a single strand. She must've caught onto his surprise, because she turned her nose up at him and muttered

"It's the latest fashion back in the capital. I expect you country farmers wouldn't know about it, being so, so far away from everything. I mean, we actually had to cross a huge lake to get here! Do you know what that does to a woman of class, of breeding?"

"Well," Lawec said tactfully, "I imagine it's probably bad." The Baron intervened at this point,

"Well, I imagine you must be the Mayor. It's...er, good to see that the office isn't being denied to the...lower classes. Now, I am the Baron Urdim Oltarsefol, and this is my Consort, Thikut. Over here is the Tax Collector Mistem Rirablel, and Dungeon Master Adil Akmamedem. We've been sent by King Bembul, king of all Dibeshsolon, to tell you that Niltosed has been awarded the honour of being a barony."

"Tha', that's wonderful!"

"Well obviously. This of course means that any outlying villages will pay you tribute, but seeing as you're in the middle of nowhere, they won't. More importantly, we expect decent quarters. That's an office, bedroom and dining room, AS well as a tomb. Well, Mistem doesn't need a tomb." The Dungeon Master cut in at this point,

"Er, Baron? You're forgetting Tulon."

"Good Ikud! So I am! Where is she?" the noble looked around, "Ah, there she is. Tulon! TULON!" A hooded individual wearing a large coat stepped up, a steel hammer between gloved hands,

"Yes?" she said cheerily. The Baron turned back to Lawec,

"Mayor, this is Tulon Eshimilral, the-" he was interrupted by Tulon,

"I'm the Hammerer, Tulon!" she explained happily, twirling her hammer with apparently over-bubbling joy. Once more surprised, more pleasantly this time, Lawec nodded,

"And ye'll be wanting quarters too?"

"Oh would you!? It's so cold outside! And there's Goblins! And they want my Hammer!" the Hammerer wailed, clutching her steel warhammer possessively. She leant in, speaking now in hushed tones,

"But they won't have it, because Tulon has a secret weapon." The Tax Collector Mistem interrupted now, pointing towards the fortress entrance,

"Mayor? There's much to discuss, by edict of King Bembul you're to have a fully fledged economy, this means currency, coins, prices and shops. We need to work those details out and-"

"OOoooo! Shops! Shops! Can Tulon buy another hammer!? Then she can be the 'Double-Hammerer'!"


EDIT: Interestingly, the Baron has just mandated the construction of 3 war hammers...

[Lawec]

Oh God. Great update! 
I laughed really loud when I read this: (which wasn't always the case, as proved the story of Rithpunzel Glazedhairs, whose beard was so long that it hung out the window of her mountain tower and was promptly used by a Goblin ambush to murder her)

[Tezcatli]

He he, thanks Lawec!

Just a heads up that I'll be out the country 'till about late Sunday, so there probably won't be anymore updates this week.