"Keywalls! Hurry! We have visitors!"
Keywalls raised her eyes from the papers she had been reading and studied the dwarf called Ahra who had been patrolling the archers' ledge moments before.
"Visitors? What do you mean by that?"
"There are dozens of our kin standing outside the wall! Quickly, they want to see the leader of this fortress!"
Keywalls folded the papers, stood up and went outside. When she reached the trapped gap in the walls she saw over twenty dwarves standing outside, waiting for her. When she reach the group one dwarf step further. Keywalls was sure that the dwarf was leader of the group.
"Greetings! I assume you are the leader of this prison, am I right? We are from mountain home and we have come to join this fortress. I'm called Stronghammer, and I have worked at the King's Jail back in our former home. We have four guards, three priests and seventeen criminals in our company."
"Greetings to you as well. I'm Keywalls, the leader of this place. You said you were working in the King's Jail? That's good, we need dwarves who are have experience in daily running of prisons. What exactly are you experienced in?"
"I'm good at trading, as I worked as merchant before King's Jail. I also know a bit about organization and bookkeeping. I also have a hobby of working with bones, so I know a bit about how to do things from that material."
"That's good indeed. Do you have anything against the position of broker and manager of this fortress? I can't understand anything about those, so you would be better candidate."
"Sure, I don't mind about that. We also brought several smiths with us, we heard that there is volcano right next to the fortress, which seemed to be correct."
"That's wonderful! We already have mined out small working area and magma channel inside, we just need to tap the channel to the volcano before the forges and smelters can be built."
"Good. I also need a office, as I need a place where I can work in peace if I'm going to be the manager here. How big task that would be?"
Keywalls scratched her head before answering.
"I don't think that should prove to be too much, I say from week to month before the room is ready and furnished. No more than month, that I promise."
"That's good. The guards are of course at your disposal, as well as the criminals. From this point on you are in command."
And so the twenty-four dwarves entered the fortress. Seventeen criminals meant a lot of jobs to be filled, which only made Keywalls happy. More jobs filled meant better living conditions to personnel, guards and priests. For the well-being of the criminals she didn't care much, if they died during work she would just need to find someone to replace the fallen.