One year. Its been one whole year since they left the Mountainhomes.. in search of a new life. A life without war, without poverty, without injustice, and without elves. Especially without elves. At first, there were only seven. Seven souls to venture forth into the wastes.. to found their new home. A home they called “Rocktouched”. Unlike their forefathers, the citizens of Rocktouched moved underground.. deep underground, where few Dwarves have gone. At least,where few have gone and returned.
They called themselves the Duergar, or Gray Dwarves. While in every physical way they were identical to their Mountain Dwarf fellows, the Duergar lived solely underground, in the caverns beneath the earth. Though they shunned contact with the outside, they allowed a select few dwarves into their home, into their society.
Over the past year, their number had risen from seven to twenty-one. Few more would come, as the Duergar no longer had any contact with their old home. For all the Duergar knew, the Mountainhomes could have been overran by their enemies, and for all the Mountainhomes knew, the same had happened to the Duergar. Their enemies were many.. and as varied as the nations of Humans. There were the Dark Stranglers.. individually weak and cowardly, in numbers they were a threat to even a well trained Dwarf. Then there were the Beak Wolves.. more intelligent than their Beak Dog kin, and far more evil. Many more enemies awaited. However, none were given a second thought by the Duergar.. they had left that behind.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UristMcHuman surveyed his people at work. As commander of the militia and as expedition leader, it was his job to not only guide his people, but to protect them as well. Over the past year he and his second in command, who was also sheriff for the town, had practiced long and hard at their combat skills. They also killed a fair number of beasts in the caves, creatures such as elk birds, naked mole dogs, and even the odd troglodyte. Vucar, the sheriff and Urist's lover, had lost a finger and received numerous nasty scars in a fight with a giant olm, though she recovered quickly and had even gotten used to wielding her warhammer again despite the missing finger. She kept what was left of her finger tied around her neck as a necklace and grim reminder of what could happen to them lest they lose their vigilance.
The small Duergar settlement was bustling with activity, as it usually was. It was early Spring, and although the caverns weren't affected by the seasons nearly to the same extent as the surface, seasonal changes did occur. The most prominent of the changes were the different plants that grew during each season. Spring was an important crop season.. and although Rocktouched hadn't gotten their farms set up yet, there was much gathering to be had. Plants such as sweet pods and plump helmets were in abundance in this time of year. If the Duergar were to survive, they needed to gather, if not for food, then for alcohol. Water, though abundant to the south east, was teeming with life.. life that was more likely to eat a thirsty dwarf than anything else. It had to be pumped into a reservoir, where the iron grates would keep unfriendly creatures out. Such a project was soon to be finished near the fort's hospital, also under construction. Even after the reservoir was completed, the Duergar still needed alcohol, lest they lose themselves to insanity.
Thinking of alcohol, UristMcHuman was thirsty.. and hungry. Though the fort didn't have either of his favorites, mead and turtle, he would make do with some fine rum and a juicy elk bird steak. The dining hall wasn't large, nor was it grand, but it was cozy. A number of phyllite tables and chairs filled the center of room, and a single door made of the same material stood in the entryway. UristMcHuman reminded himself to commission some statues to be carved for the room.
Sitting down with meal in hand, Urist was greeted by Vucar, who had just returned from the forges, where she was repairing her copper warhammer. Copper isn't known to be the hardest metal around, and the hammer was severely damaged in a recent fight with a troll. The beast's skull seemed to have been of harder material, so she was forced to wrestle, and then strangle the beast to death. Not a simple task, considering that trolls are easily twice the size of a dwarf. Vucar was a skilled fighter however, and although she was a master with her warhammer, she could do well with any weapon, or with none at all.
With her, she had brought a simple meal consisting of a handful of plump helmets. She was particularly fond of these purple mushrooms, though not for their taste. She had set her newly repaired hammer on the table. Though there wasn't a single skilled smith in the fort, multiple members knew enough of the basics to get things forged as needed.
They discussed the fort's situation at large. As the sheriff, she was in charge of any justice that needed to be met.. though none had been needed this entire year. The Duergar of Stonetouched were happy and productive, so there had been no vandalism, tantrums, or violence among them. Her job had been a boring one. UristMcHuman's job was far more broad; he had to designate areas to be mined, buildings to be constructed, and furniture to be made. There was still the issue of there not being enough bedrooms for the population, as well as the bedrooms already made missing important furniture. Then, there was the too-small refuse pile that kept overflowing with body parts. If there was one thing that Stonetouched had in abundance, it was body parts. Every creature, sentient or not, that had been slain near the fort had been brought in and butchered. At least, they had plenty of meat..
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So.. whatcho guys think?
Wtb more people being dorfed, so I can flesh out the fort. Got too many haulers..
Author
Topic: Rocktouched - A Community Cave Survival Fort [13 Dwarves left!] (Read 5841 times)