It was early in the morning on the 14th of Felsite when the Goblins attacked.
Their arrival coincided with that of the elven caravan, and so soon the three races were embroiled in mortal combat. Having killed two soldiers already, the goblins moved up toward the fort. Derm and his soldiers braced by the entrance behind the cage traps, waiting for them.
Crumby emerged from the entrance with his spear. "Where are the invaders?"
"To the South," Fikod said. "They're hunting the elves, and then they'll be coming for us."
"Elves?" said Crumby, peering into the distance. "They'll be killed if we don't do something."
"We can't go out there," said Zuntir. "We'll all be killed if we do. There's too many of them!" But Crumby was already running down the field.
Reaching the edge of the fortress wall, he spied three goblins creeping around the bend. He charged, skewering one of them through the chest, and tore into the invader with the savagry of a maddened beast.
The goblin's compatriots ran from the sight. Smashing the skull of his foe, Crumby chased them far into the wood.
The victorious soldier was almost back through the gate when he spied a second ambush party. He readied his spear, prepared to attack.
A third group appeared. A fourth. He lost himself to the battle, rolling and dodging the strikes of a dozen assailants and maiming those foolish enough to drop guard, his bones calling forth the memory old-fought battles.
He couldn't keep this up forever, either they would break, or he would. Still he fought on, through the pain of the pike in his side, endured the searing pain of his shattered leg until his entire body failed under the vicious assault until finally, he was overwhelmed.
Derm and the other soldiers arrived too late but to see the goblins finish him off and flee at their approach. No doubt they were repulsed by the prospect of fighting ten more like the last.
Derm gave chase to the nearest goblin, not about to let them escape so easily.
He set his axe into the goblin's brain, and then, with his victim's blood fresh on his face, he turned to the elf who was limping into the forest away from them.
"You!" Derm shouted. "You lead them here, didn't you?" The elf denied it, pointing at his injured animal, but Derm could no longer hear. A rage boiled out from within, and a voice inside him called out,
"He is a liar! Slay him!" Axe in hand, Derm marched forward.
"No, please!"
(Willpower check: fails.)Derm raises the axe. There is a moment where it wavers in the air as the hand wonders what has told it to move. The voice calls again, much louder this time:
"Kill the liar!"It takes only one blow.
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Sethrist's Journal, excerptsCrumby is dead. My friend and mentor is gone. And now I'm supposed to lead.
More dwarves have come here. There are 82 of us now, and I've been elected Mayor, so I must try to focus and carry on. But I can't, not yet. I'm good to no one now. I've asked Rimtar to run things for a while.
If I hadn't been too weak for the Danger Room, we could have fought together, side-by-side. So, I have to do this. Never will another moment's sleep come by to me if I can't be there, among the dwarves who would give their lives so that others may live, knowing the chance of interference preventing a death.
I'll be out in a month.
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Rimtar sends messages to the Chiefs of Staff.KzelThe miners have found marble, alright, as well as more adamantine, and steel production is fully underway. The Chief Engineer's mandate of serrated disks should give you plenty of practice to produce something magnificent. Soon, with the magma foundry going through, you won't need to rely on charcoal for anything but steel.
The site of the new foundry has some peculiarities, such as spots of magma cool enough to walk on. Not solid, cooled magma, no; it is liquid and warm, just hot enough to make for a relaxing bath. What sort of magma's supposed to do that?
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Dariush:Congratulations! He looks just like you! Enjoy your time off, and let it be known when you decide what to do with the mechanism.
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Derm:The outer walls have been completed, and watchtowers are underway. The only access to the fort is from the south, and will soon be heavily fortified with conventional traps and other forms of defense.
Your current equipment leaves a lot to be desired, but you're getting close to something respectable. Now that the magma foundry is underway, things should improve before long.
The recent boost in the population has demanded the creation of the Fortress Guard. You have been offered the position of Captain of the Guard. You would have considerably more authority than your current position allows, but you'd be further bound by law and custom, and you might not like the idea of dealing with criminals. You have a bit of time to think it over.
Regardless of your decision, you're allowed keep command of the squad you've been acquainted with for the past couple of years. They are as follows:
- Fikod, Axedwarf (injured)
- Zuntir, Speardwarf (injured)
- Lor, Recruit
- Unib, Speardwarf
- Tholtig, Speardwarf
- Catten, Swordsdwarf
- Meng, Recruit
- Zuntir, Recruit
- Kogan, Recruit
They're a good bunch, but they really need to be whipped into shape. They're the best soldiers the fort has to offer, so they'll at least have to do. You already know Zuntir and Fikod, since they were both injured right in front of you. Let me know if you want a new set of uniforms, I think we'll be able to afford it real soon.
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Zaroz:The hospital is completed. Your house is situated across the hallway from it. While the rocks have been cleared and the walls mostly smoothed, it's still rather sparse.
(You notice that someone has placed strands of adamantine in the hospital's storage containers.)Your actions during the battle of Felsite 14 have led to your being promoted to militia captain of the Archery Squad.
Something about crippling this goblin made you stand out, so there you are. You only have a few archers at your disposal, and you haven't set up any formal patrol schedule, so you're still free to hunt and fish at your leisure.
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Duck: There are more and more blocks every day. As soon as you're ready, construction on the Guild Hall can begin. Also, your office is ready, I pray it meets your satisfaction.
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