When we saw the Mall, we couldn't believe it at first. Thankfully our legs got us there without having to consult our brains. Greennesstreaties Shopping Mall was the biggest collection of salable junk this side of the Kingdom of Commerce. That kingdom no longer exists, and neither does the Mall, in every sense but physical literacy. There were dead bodies surrounding the place, which caused considerable tension until Kagus made sure they wouldn't get up by removing their heads with an axe.
Kagus was the handiest, but we all carried axes, each stained with blood. Blood of dwarf, elf, human, it didn't matter anymore. Once the Zeds (never say the Z-word) reach a certain point of decay it's impossible to tell the different races apart anyway. Not that it matters, mind! They all act the same. We kept an eye out for them -- we always kept an eye out -- as we made our way inside the Mall.
You could tell the place had once been a thriving center of commerce. The main entryway exposes one to what was once a fantastic dining room that could have sat a hundred dwarves easily, and it was surrounded by kitchens, emblazoned with varying logos relating to assorted Merchant's Guilds. The next two levels up were basically comprised of wide hallways with workshops set in the walls. There was plenty of room for several Trade Depots and if the leftover documentation can be trusted, this Mall could see up to nine trade caravans a day during its prime. Unsurprisingly, the outpost log stopped short about nine months before we'd arrived. It seems they were caught by surprise.
The structure of the Mall itself was falling apart from lack of maintenance, and the first thing we did was patch up a few gaping holes in the walls that would have eventually spelled "disaster for us" in bright red letters.
We needed shelter, certainly, and food, too. And booze. Gods know Dwarves were not meant to go this long without booze. At least we were spared the harsh sunlight during our journey. Only a fool sleeps at night in the wilderness, and not for very long. Daytime is safer; the Zeds seem to prefer the dark, and they don't truly roam the day. The only real dangers during the sunny hours lie in stumbling upon a nest of the buggers and not running away quietly enough. There were eight of us before we did this a few weeks ago. Poor Meng. I miss him.
The Gods were kind to us, for once! Food, booze and even clothing were hidden away in the Mall, and so I owe breadbocks an apology for all the complaining I made on the journey. existent was right, this is exactly where we needed to go. The place is a mess but not messy enough to show there had been any kind of violence - bloodless floors, no bones to be found. The Mall was abandoned, yes, but quietly so. We found a goat rummaging about in the living quarters on the basement level. We fell upon it like starving animals, which is exactly what we were. It's been so long since we had good meat. I hope there are more beasts in the fields around us, perhaps some that we can tame. We came here with every intention of staying, and that means we need a sustainable of filling our bellies and quenching our thirst.
After we toured our new home, existent and I (lowercase on purpose, long story) took the liberty of gathering a few berries near the outside of the entrance, while Rob and Kamudo fashioned a crude drawbridge to seal the front entrance in case we have unwelcome visitors. The Zeds are neither slow nor weak as their rotten countenance should suggest. They are quick and fierce fighters, mindless though they be, but the worst part is just what they are. They're bodies, dead bodies. But they move. Gods, I hate thinking about them. But what else is there?
We spent a full year cleaning the place up, personalizing the dorm rooms for personal use. There were exactly seven rooms, and exactly seven of us. I'm not sure whether to be relieved or suspicious. It's been quiet, there haven't been any attacks, but just a few nights ago we saw some figures pouring into a small enclosure far south of the Mall. They didn't look like Zeds but it's hard to tell from a distance, and not any one of us is foolish or brave enough to get close enough to be certain. Watch your sister get eaten alive by her undead mother and you'll become paranoid too.
(These are dying migrants, the sods. Who told 'em to come here?)So we are safe, for the time being. We still need to establish a farm and store drinking water that won't freeze during the winter months. The pond went icy just a few days into the cold season and we had to go outside and gather plants for enough cheap booze to keep us from parching to death. We did without much complaint, after all, we didn't survive the apocalypse just to shrivel up in a glorified marketplace from lack of drink.
But we still have much work to do, and it's only a matter of time before the Zeds find us here. What happens after that depends entirely on what we do now.
What to do...
Save is here. I'm sorry for the delay, real life can be a burden for some things. I would've fine-tuned the narrative a bit more but I don't want to hold things up any longer. Everybody is pretty happy, and the names of each dwarf should have the requested grammatical qualities.
Our big problems are food and booze. We need farms and water control as soon as possible. Also, remember to turn the migrants off in the init file or you'll need to make use of the Burrow of Death, which you'll recognize by the forbidden migrant corpses within. The cinnabar lever controls the front bridge.
I can't wait to see where this goes. With only 7 dwarves and their unfortunate kids, we should have a lot of interesting social dynamics and character development. If they form grudges it'll be hard for them to avoid each other. Anyway, good luck to you and have the obligatory fun!
Edit: breadbocks, I went with Chief Rubble Procurer etc. I forget who the broker is, cappstv I think. Pretty unnecessary in our position, but it does turn a dwarf purple.
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Topic: Dwarves Of The Dead Succession (Read 11062 times)