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[Nivim]

 Why is it we could not see our aura before, but can now? Contemplate this as you slowly get into a working rhythm twice as fast as most dwarves; this moving job is probably going to take quite a bit of effort to make very little money.

[Argonnek]

Why is it we could not see our aura before, but can now? Contemplate this as you slowly get into a working rhythm twice as fast as most dwarves; this moving job is probably going to take quite a bit of effort to make very little money.

Correction: we've never tried to look at our own aura before.


You inspect the map closely, and see that the pickup is now a stack of... syrup roasts? Is that what that picture is showing? Okay...
You run to the kitchen area, find your assigned stack, and pick it up. Being made of syrup, it constantly threatens to spill over onto the ground. You get to the stockpile and dump the roasts into the designated barrel. You notice that the syrup left some residue on your fingers, so you take a small taste of it.
The very instant you close your mouth around the syrup, every single one of your fillings explodes with sugar-induced agony. You topple over and cringe at the excruciating sweetness of the syrup pulsing through your skull and down your spine. WHAT THE HELL DO THEY MAKE THIS STUFF OUT OF?! You think to yourself.
As the pain ebbs away, you resolve to never eat any dwarven syrup again. You also suddenly understand how the dwarves have the energy to do everything at such a fast pace. If their diet is this sweet, then their teeth must be made of granite or something.
You stand up after a while and check the map. It's different again. You ignore the pain that continues to make its way through your jaw and head to the forges.

For a moment you think you are lost, even though your apparently magical map insists that you are on the right track. You are standing in front of a wall of what appears to be just normal obsidian, but it's shinier than the neighboring walls. According to the map, you're standing in the middle of a hallway with no obstructions in it. It occurs to you that this "wall" might be a door. You push on it, tackle it, and try to find a handhold on it. Nothing. It doesn't budge.

[AntiAntiMatter]

Find a pickaxe and use it on the door.

[Nivim]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[...]it seems to watch with interest. It's studying you. You silently wish that you could look at your own aura, because you get the feeling that it is completely different from a normal person's.[...]

Why is it we could not see our aura before, but can now? Contemplate this as you slowly get into a working rhythm twice as fast as most dwarves; this moving job is probably going to take quite a bit of effort to make very little money.

Correction: we've never tried to look at our own aura before.

So since he assumed that he couldn't do we were supposed to break that assumption?

There's no telling what they'll do if we break their door, but it probably wont be good. Since we have a magic map, and auras, it might be a good idea to try using your aura and/or mind to open the door. Thoughts of needing to go through for a job, feelings of industry, or perhaps just imagining it opening.

[Argonnek]

You think for a moment about how to get past. An idea comes to mind.
"Get out of my way! I have a job to do!" You yell at the door. It does nothing. "Hmm."
You think for a moment. You decide to ignore the door. If the map says that the hallway's clear, then the hallway's clear. You close your eyes and walk forward, toward the obstruction. You maintain your pace, even though a part of you is expecting to hit it. You keep walking until you feel that you are much farther than the door had been. You open up your eyes and see that you've passed right through. These dwarves are really weird.

You continue on to the forges and try to lift the platinum bars that are your goal. They're really, really heavy, and you can't move quickly while carrying them. You trudge onward, ignoring the doors and after what seemed like hours of hauling drop them into the bin at the bar stockpile. You go to the hospital and get a drink from the well, then rest on one of the beds for a while.
You rise a while later and check the map again. It leads you out of the front entrance of the fort, and into the deepest depths of the caverns. From the markings, apparently you're required to grab a sock off of a dead goblin and bring it to the trade depot.
You talk to yourself. "What." In the distance, you hear a menacing growl. "This is ridiculous. There are better ways to make money, aren't there? I could be making those crappy bone crafts, not hauling crap."

[AntiAntiMatter]

Retrieve the sock. Or do crappy bone crafts.

[Urist McCheeseMaker]

Another theory on the auraless dorves: a monster ate them. The auras, that is.
No, seriously. Perhaps some old god feasted on these dwarves and left nigh-insane husks. Just waiting to crack and gO iNsAnE. You know what they say: all work and no beer make Urist go something-something.

Check if you're actually getting something out of doing this work. Then, find out if there's some sort of provisions for those that go outside the fortress. Like, shiny blue armour.

And axes. Big sharp axes. Or perhaps a crossbow. Or two. Dual-wielding crossbows is fun!

[Argonnek]

You march back to the dining hall, intent on collecting your pay. You follow the map, but after a while it's obvious that it only leads you back to the entrance.
Wait, what? It's a map! You stare at it intently for a moment, but somehow it doesn't tell you anything but your destination.
You remember seeing the trade depot near the dining hall, and resolve to go there when you get back.

You pull out your spear and set off to grab the sock. As soon as you pass the unbearably hot updrafts from the magma, the journey gets much colder. All around you you can hear dripping water, but can see only what your lamp illuminates. You pass through small openings between stalagmites, over small ponds, and around bunches of treeshrooms. Occasionally you'll see a cap hopper or a cave spider scurry away into the darkness.
As you draw closer to the battlefield, you hear sounds of fighting in the distance. You notice that the blood on the floor is intermixed with crimson smears. There are also puddles of a strange light-blue liquid scattered around. You check your map again, and it points you to a goblin corpse to your left. Looking over the body, you notice that it's wearing a very nice woolen cloak.
You shiver slightly. Will anyone really care if I take it? you think to yourself. I doubt they'll even notice.
You flip the body and notice that the goblin is also carrying a nice bronze spear. Looking over its-well, his-other equipment, you decide to take whatever you like.

After a few minutes, you have almost an entirely new wardrobe. You are now wearing a +sheep's wool cloak+ -rope reed fiber hood- ☼cow leather boots☼ llama wool gloves and a necklace you crafted from the dead goblin's fingers.  You also took the gobbo's spear and copper shield. Remembering your task, you grab the sock and put it into your backpack. You notice that the sounds of battle have disappeared, but give it no mind. You begin your trek back to the dwarven stronghold.

You feel much more confident on your journey home then you did on the way to the field. About midway through your walk, you notice that there are a lot of unfamiliar auras approaching from behind you. You know that these aren't dwarves-dwarves don't have auras,-so it worries you a little. You feel that they are coming on incredibly quickly, so you jump up and hide on top of a nearby treeshroom.
Peering over the side of the cap, you see that they're goblins! Apparently the dwarves lost this particular battle and the goblin survivors are rushing the fort!

[AntiAntiMatter]

Sound the alarm, and get back to the fort, if possible.

[quip]

Be sure to run and once you are in the fort proper to turn around and fight, focus more on dodging (making sure not to jump of any ledges)/blocking attacks rather than attacking.

[Urist McCheeseMaker]

A lot of gobbo's, no real armour and only a bronze shield and spear.
Seriously. A spear? The whimsiest of weaponry? Though, I suppose it'll punch a good hole through some flesh, and maybe through some existing dents in armour. If they're unarmed, unarmoured, in small numbers... AND we can make it look like one or two just dropped dead naturally, try to pick off a few wounded ones. Some gobbo kills will look nice on the record of anyone fighting the annoying critters. Also, more stuff to sell. If we're not all hunter-like, skip that step: make like a tree and GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE! (back to the fort, obviously. They're the only somewhat-civilized beings we can reach)

The new outfit should earn us a bit of cash when sold. That might pay for the journey back. Though something tells me we're not done here yet anyway.

[AntiAntiMatter]

Seriously. A spear? The whimsiest of weaponry?

Spears are easy to use and effective weapons. What's wrong with them?

[Argonnek]

 I love having multiple suggestions to work with.


Ideas flit through your mind quickly, and you take only a second to reach a decision. These invaders must die.
You jump from the cap, raise your spear above your head with both arms, and bring it down with all of your strength. The spear is about six or seven feet long, and your hands were about midway from the base to the tip. Still, your attack buries the weapon through the goblin's skull until your hands make a wet slap against its bloody scalp. The kill is quick, and the poor sap doesn't even make a sound. The other goblin, however, notices you.
You jerk the spear out of the body, raise your shield, and prepare for actual combat.
You dodge several swings of his sword, and block others with your shield. You try a few thrusts with your own weapon, but you just don't have the speed necessary to do much. Even though you only saw the two goblins while on the treeshroom, you feel others nearby.
Suddenly, you wonder if you can cause harm to your opponent without using your weapon. You jump back and focus your mind. You imagine the goblin's aura draining away, and concentrate on making it happen.
It works, slightly, and the goblin stumbles suddenly. Something about this situation starts filling you with rage, so you decide to forcefully blacken its aura. You force away all of its health, all of its vitality, all of its life. You emit great, booming laughter and start squelching the auras of all of the goblins in your immediate vicinity. The red haze at the edges of your vision fades, and you feel exhausted.

You stop for a moment when something without an aura walks close enough to be seen. It's a dwarf, covered in steel plate and wielding an axe. He lifts his helmet and looks around. You do too, and see that there are seven goblin corpses within the lamplight. He regards you with an expression of fear, then lowers his helm, turns, and walks back toward the fort while waving for you to follow.

[AntiAntiMatter]

Loot the corpses, then follow him.

[quip]

Follow him, don't loot those corpses, it looks like we're going to get a job in the forts military anyway...