prologue --
spring1st of Granite 1004Happy New Year, mother, there's a lot to say, you might want to sit down. First, some good news.
I am doing well at Ostcerol. When I first arrived I was made a Pump Operator, and I did my very best at it. I got so good at operating pumps that I was given the title "Pump Operator". I'm the only dwarf in town with that title!
I also did like you asked, and I am now keeping my beard neatly combed. Some of the militia recruits teased me, accused me of trying to be like them. But I think you were right, this is more acceptable.
There's also plenty of food and drink. Not at all like the stories you and father used to tell about settling in the south.
My coworkers are fine. Asmel, the mechanic, she's a little distant, but she is pleasant to work with. The other Asmel, our town's ranking engineer (she specializes in Siegeworks), is just angry all the time, but I can't believe how smart she is. Overall, we get our work orders and we get our jobs done without the Bosses breathing down our beards.
They, Asmel and Asmel, said they might consider letting me apprentice in Siege Operations or Mechanics, since I have such an excellent record. Work was slow all winter, but for sure, they said, this Spring I'll get my apprenticeship.
But now some not good news, mother.
Leaving home isn't as pleasant as I thought it would be. I don't have my own bedroom. The common areas are incredibly exquisite, to use one of your favorite words, but I can't help but notice that most of the dwarves here are "hot-bunking" as the militia likes to call it. We all share the same beds, except for the mayor.
It's incredibly unfair. We have enough dwarves to turn this volcano inside-out, but we don't even get privacy. I've seen some dwarves sneak in a nap at the infirmary where there's less noise.
We haven't seen upper management the last few days, so there's no one to complain to. There's rumors going around that they're having trouble picking the next overseer. Mostly it means there's no work to be done and we are all getting restless.
But the worst of it is pretty bad. My problems are smalled compared to other's. There's blood all over the drawbridges from all the ambushes. I saw a farmer missing an arm. With every caravan more goblins appear and a few more dwarves die. The militia is carrying most of this burden, and you can see it affects them.
When the puppies and kittens get culled, for example, they laugh about it and volunteer to haul away the
parts. There's an arena where they fight captured goblins, and leave all the bodies to rot, so I'm told.
I know this is all pretty grim, but please don't worry about me. We have strong walls and we are very safe here. Hopefully a new overseer will be picked soon, and things will get sorted out. I will write more to let you know that I'm doing okay.
send my regards to the family,
nano
This is going to be quite interesting. I see few requests in the thread. "Pull the arena levers"; "Make some bedrooms"; "Militarize the civilian population". I'll make those a priority for the Spring and see what comes of it.