When we last left Higgins, the appointed Julius II of Thalas, he was the only survivor of a ninja skeletal giant bat attack.
It seemed like Thalal’s noble cause of elf subjugation would be unfulfilled! Lo’, for without dwarves championing the cause, the cause would surely die. But there was still hope…
CHAPTER 3: THE REIGN OF LORD HIGGINS, GRAND JULIUS II OF THALAL
Higgins awoke one morning to an unfamiliar sound… voices outside the sanctuary! He hurried outside to find a group of twenty one dwarves and an elf heading towards the brook.
“Hail fellow Thalalian!” cheerfully shouted one of the dwarves as Higgins emerged from the sanctuary. “Oy! Looks like we finally made it to Sally’s outpost everyone!” Shouts of joy followed this announcement, for after a long and difficult journey the migrants had finally reached the promised land.
The speaker then addressed Higgins. “We waited a year to arrive, as per Sally’s orders. I trust tha’ outpost is ready fer us?”
“Er… not quite, we ran into some difficulties…”
“Ah, not a problem. ‘tis to be expected there won’t be much beds lyin’ about in the first year of a settlement, got too much t’ do, eh? At least ye’s got some plump hemets growin’, right?”
“Not quite, y’see…”
“Not quite!? What’ve youse been doin’ out here fer the last year? How have ye’ been keepin’ the food stocks full? Fishing? Hunting? In fact, where’s Sally? I gots a bone t’ pick wit’ her.”
“Sally’s dead. As is everyone else. I’m the only one left.”
This news shocked the migrants, who stood around in flabbergasted silence for a moment before their speaker spoke again. “Y-you’re tha’ only one left? W-what happened to the others?”
“They were all killed by undead monsters… except Julius who drowned.”
Higgins could see the others were anxious, and he couldn’t blame them. After all, the only reason they had come out to the Horn of Fragments was because they were true believers in Sally’s cause, but without Sally…
Higgins knew that the cause would collapse then and there if no one stepped up to lead the cause. The others were scared, but he had grown numb to fear, for he had time to come to terms with his likely death in this accursed land. Higgins knew that he was the only one capable of leading Thalal in that harsh land at that time. Yet, Higgins also yearned to return to civilization.
Thalal’s destiny would be decided by Higgin’s choice that day, and he knew this. He could either assume leadership, or walk away. The choice weighed heavily on him but his conviction in elven subjugation was strong. He would take up the mantle.
Breaking the silence, Higgins said, “Before she died… Sally appointed me to the post of Julius II. Heh, she once told me, ‘We’re all counting on you, so don’t screw up.’”
“Surely you must be joking.”
“I’m not joking and don’t call me Shirley. Look, most of the monsters have been sealed in their cave, we’ve got a shelter, and we’ve also begun construction on a fort. Comrades, hearken to me! We have the tools, we have the know-how, and we’ve got the conviction to persevere in this land; this is a mountain and we’re dwarves Armok-smite-it! If we can’t tame this land, then, well… we might as well go hug a tree! I don’t know about you lot, but I’m staying to finish the job Sally started!”
Inspired by Higgin’s rousing impromptu speech… and fatigue… and hunger… and thirst… and fear of nightfall… the dwarves cheered and made their way into the sanctuary. Higgins had done it, he had saved Thalal. Now came the hard part… leading it.
That night, as the dwarves were busy depleting the sanctuary’s meager food and rum supplies, a dwarf calling herself Haspen pulled Higgins aside and voiced her concern about the food shortage. “There isn’t enough here to last a group this size a season,” she said, and Higgins agreed. “Aye, but we got plenty o’ plump hemet spawn. Don’t suppose there’s an experienced farmer among you lot?”
“Well, none o’ the dwarves is enlisted as a farmer, but…” Haspen looked towards the elf that had accompanied the migrants, “I think that bloke’s acquainted with tha’ plants n’ plantin’ stuff.”
“Aye? I’ve been meanin’ to ask one of youse… what’s tha’ elf’s tale? Why’d ye’ let him come ‘ere wit’ ye’?”
“Well, y’see, we came across ‘im in a tavern on tha’ way over and, well…
“…an’ that’s when we let him tag along.”
“I see,” spoke Higgins, startled by the tale, “’tis a sad day indeed for all dwarf kind. But…” Higgins walked over to the elf, “… we need a farmer. Oy, elf boy! What’s yer name?”
“Fortis”
“Aigh’t, Fortis, I’m makin’ ye’ responsible fer fillin’ these dwarves up wit’ plump hemets, before we all starve t’death, y’up for tha’ task?”
“Yes… er, I mean aye!”
“Good. If ye’ had said no, I woulda’ chucked ya’ in the pond downstairs. Now, I jus’ wanna’ make me self clear; ye can stay here so long as ye’ keep us fed and don’t molest the lumber supply, got it?”
“Aye aye, captain.”
“… and get the ranks of Thalas right. I’m a Julius II darn it!”
At dawn the dwarves began their work… after spending a few minutes trying to leave the sanctuary …it wasn’t quite large enough to accommodate a population of 23 so they got stuck when they all tried to leave at once... Many of the dwarves continued the castle’s constructions, laying the foundation of the group’s security. Some other dwarves assisted Fortis with growing plump hemets under the castle. And a third priority was placed on securing some metal ore, namely copper which had been located nearby. The metal was needed to make picks and axes for mining and wood chopping.
Soon, a dwarf was attacked by a skeletal hoary marmot, but successfully defended himself from the tiny fiend.
Soon after the attack, summer arrived on the calendar… not that the region could get any hotter… but as time passed, the few remaining units of food passed through the bellies of the dwarves. A scant supply of food soon became a non-existent supply of food, and the plump hemets were still growing.
“Farm faster, elf boy!” Higgins ordered Fortis.
“I’m watching them grow as fast as I can!” Fortis replied.
But soon, the vermin hunt began as the dwarves began to starve. Death seemed to be on its way to visit the dwarves once more.
Higgins realized that trading with the autumn caravan for food and drink supplies would be paramount to Thalal’s survival that year, so he ordered the construction of a craftdwarf’s shop. Useless, low value rock trinkets produced in large quantities would be Thalal’s salvation.
After constructing the workshop, however, the craftdwarf was taking by a fey mood and claimed a blacksmith’s forge! The crazy took two copper bars and began a mysterious construction.
And soon it was completed, behold!
As more dwarves joined the vermin hunt, an agricultural breakthrough occurred! The first crop of plump hemets was ripe and ready for harvest! The dwarves swarmed the plump hemets, desperately satiating their hunger. The group was fed… but food supplies were still dangerously low, for there was no plump hemet surplus after the dwarves had finished the harvest.
Autumn arrived.
One day Higgins was approached by a dwarf named Scuuba 2.0. “Excuse me, Julius II?”
“Aye?”
“I want to ask ye’ a favor.”
“And what might that be?”
“I wanna’ train t’ be a sword dwarf. Y’see, I knew Ascubis and I want to be the one t’ slay dawnlobsters t’ avenge him.”
“You’ll get yer chance, lad, but first…” Julius pointed to the empty food barrels, “You’d best be pickin’ berries. Hunger be tha’ worst enemy of all!”
The dwarven trade caravan arrived in early autumn. The caravan left in early autumn. The merchants laughed histerically when Higgins offered them a large pile of rhybolite and microcline trinkets in exchange for several food barrels.
“Next time we’re here,” a merchant said to Higgins, “Ye’ may wanna’ take this more seriously.” And then they left.
To add injury to insult, a peasant and his pet were mauled by a herd of skeletal goats soon afterwards.
“*T’lik* “Haha! Take that, dwarven infidels!” chuckled a cave crab necromancer in the cave, viewing the attack magically through the eyes of a skeletal goat.
Higgins and another dwarf, on their way back to the castle construction, were attacked by the goat herd, but successfully fended them off.
Thalal’s lone child inhabitant became possessed by an unknown force and began a mysterious construction at the craftdwarf workshop.
While the child was working, a group of seven migrants arrived. One of them was a hunter and immediately set out to hunt the local warthog population. Mmm… warthog meat…
The crazy kid made an earring.
To give the dwarves some sleepy-time shelter without interrupting any of the priority tasks, Higgins ordered the construction of a barracks with many beds.
The warthog-hunting hunter was struck down by a giant leopard named Bidokfak, dwarven for “Acteddrain”. Alas! No more yummy warthog meat for the time being.
Soon after the hunter’s death, winter arrived on the calendar.
By this time, the first floor of the castle was largely complete, aside from all the other stuff that needed to be done.
With the onset of winter came another onslaught of skeletal goats! This time they struck near the castle’s west wall, threatening two dwarves. One of the dwarves fought off the two attackers while the second dwarf ran off to “strategize”.
The blacksmith finally completed a full set of copper armor. Higgins caught up with Scuuba 2.0 to inform him…
“Lad, ye’ once told me you wanted to train to be a sword dwarf and battle the enemies of the realm, in particular dawnlobsters. Do ye’ still wish t’ do so?”
“Oh, aye, Julius II!”
“Good, then I got ye’ a present.” Higgins presented Scuuba 2.0 with a full suit of heavy copper armor, a steel buckler, and a steel axe.
“Um, sir… I thank ye’ greatly for this opportunity and am greatly honored… but I was kinda’ hopin’ t’ be a sworddwarf.”
“Lad, an axe is a kind of sword if ye’ squint hard enough. And if ye’ don’t like it, there’s berries needin’ picking.”
Scuuba 2.0 looked at the axe, then looked at the bushes… with a “huzzah!” he thrust the axe in the air. “Long live the Julius!”
Of course, Scuuba could become a skilled axedwarf without a sparring partner, so a dwarf named Vari was enlisted to be his partner. Of course, initially there wasn’t any armor or weapons for Vari, so she spent most of their sparring time fleeing for her life. Smart lass. But eventually a hammer was made for her, then a set of copper armor, and then a copper shield, and she was ready to spar. Of course, her earlier exercises in running had made her a fast runner, which would serve her well in the times to come.
Haspen, a miner, was taken by a mood and withdrew from society, holing up in a mason’s shop.
Spring arrived, marking the second anniversary of the outpost’s settlement.
Dwarves heard Haspen working furiously, until she stopped all activity. When asked what was wrong, the frothing Haspen drew a picture of a forest, a quarry, leather, and skeletons. It was obvious, she needed leather of which the dwarves had none! The dwarves would need to acquire leather quickly if Haspen were to survive her madness. A tanner’s shop was constructed and Scuuba 2.0 and Vari were ordered to take a break from sparring to hunt gazelles in the savannah below the mountain. Of course, the two would-be hunters decided to break for food and sleep first. Dwarven priorities… yeesh!
Construction on the castle continues.
When they finally got around to hunting, Scuubs 2.0 and Vari discovered that it’s hard to hunt gazelles with melee weapons while wearing heavy armor. Higgins also noted that someone managed to kill a gazelle but left its corpse in the savannah. Dolt. Higgins knew that time was running out for Haspen’s sanity, so he ordered a bunch more dwarves to hunt gazelles with their bare hands. Throwing more bodies at the problem was sure to solve it!
One of the enlisted amateur hunters was mauled to death by a warthog.
The warthog then attacked and killed the dwarf’s pet chicken.
Finally a dwarf bagged a kill and brought back the leather. Now that Haspen had all the material she needed and had begun a mysterious construction, it was just a race against the crazy clock.
An herbalist that had been enlisted to hunt has decided to continue hunting, despite orders to the contrary. That’ll go well for him…
Crazy Haspen finally finished a quern.
Some more migrants arrived.
Higgins had an office built for himself. A place where he could strategize.
Soon after the office was completed, Haspen sustained serious injury by a cave in she somehow caused. She’ll be unable to work for awhile.
Higgins realized that the outpost needed law and order, and so appointed a dwarf named Doc to the position of sheriff.
Summer arrived and a dwarf was taken by a fey mood. Crazy wanted cloth and a bunch of other valuable stuff, so Higgins decided not to order a clothier’s shop or loom built. Better to let the crazy go mad and kill himself than let him use precious copper on something useless… like a sock.
Meanwhile, the dwarves routed the brook to pass beneathe the castle, providing the castle with a supply of fresh water.
All was going well; the castle was being constructed, the milita was growing in numbers of “volunteers” and skill level, and digging had commenced on a magma irrigation tunnel.
But suddenly, one of the crabs’ dangerous skeletal minions took to the skies!
To be continued…
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I'll post the in-game bios for everyones' dwarves when I'm less sleepy.
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Topic: Settling in the Horn of Fragments was a Good Idea! (Community) (Read 4873 times)