Sorry about the lack of posts; was busy. Now, most of this was made before the official bulletin; I'll split it up.
I've been here so long I have no idea how many journals I've done...I have been busy over the past winter; verrry busy indeed. Before this update I didn't talk to many people, but now that I have more time from fishing (I cancled all fishermen due to the demons stealing them all) to socialise.
Wes seems to have shifted his empathy for my guilt into hate for me. I often inspect our dwarves training, and many salute me. He doesn't any more. While he used to understand my guilt for failing him, now I feel he resents me. Perhaps I shall give him a special gift...
As I was turning back Hatebeard stopped me. "Did ye f'nish de fuckin'... uhh, arena thing, boy-oh?"
I cursed and turned, "Nope, I've been busy. I'll get on it right away. Our animal stockpiles have been... piling up. I forgot that we needed to clear out all the cages."
So I ran straight to my room; except I stopped halfway there. I noticed Arzun weeping and throwing tables and chairs!
"Shit duke, control yourself! Is this the way a noble acts?!"
He turned to me with tears in his eyes and his face redder than blood thorn trees, and yelled, "This is all your fault! Sphala should have stayed as overseer! You think you're so great with your brand new bedroom and non-circular building, how dare you!"
I was quite confused, and startled. I'd been used to nagging, not screaming. Put my arm around his shoulder, and with a soothing voice a explained, "Listen, you and I have had differences. Most nobility and their overseers do. But you're right; I have been treating myself far too much. From here on, I relinquish my bedroom. I'll take a paupers' room and leave mine to the hands of the next nobility."
He started to calm down, not yelling but still sobbing. "Sphala... my dear Sphala..."
I started to tire of his whining but I knew what it was like to be stressed. I am an overseer. "Listen, I know how good friends you and her are. I know you like her more as an overseer than me. But she has more kids than we have cavy pups! She has given birth to another recently!"
His face stopped swelling and he lost some of the colour. He had calmed down for the most part, though he still had tears in his eyes and he was sniffling. "But you never punish the criminals! We need tin crafts to survive..."
Another dwarf from the crowd ran up to me and tapped me on my shoulder. "Ma'am, emergency."
I sighed, "Listen, Arzun, I'll install a captain of the guard soon. I got to go."
I took my arm off his shoulder and ran with this messenger dwarf to the caverns.
A nearby hauler followed us and saw this thing in the distance. "Blimey, 'dat thing done has wings!"
I didn't really pay attention to what he said; another dwarf was pulling on my arm. "Invasion, chaplain!"
I swore again under my breath. "What now?"
With a seriously scared voice he quivered, "Imps! With the fire of hell!"
It was really quite a blur, but what I can gather there were 6(!) imps all coming in through my magma furnaces at once. Two of ours dead. Had to lock the doors to prevent the spread of fires. In the confusion a forgotten beast got into our base!
I heard screaming from above, in the cavern level. "Oh god it's here!" "How did it get in!?" "Hey, 'dats not duh one 'ith wings..."
As the last of the fire imps were stuck down I ordered the men to the cavern level to take up the beast.
I looked above the stairs to see the beast.
And.
HOLYSHIT.The god damn dogs are killing it! Hundreds and hundreds of rows of teeth bleeding it dry!No casualties on our side, including dogs. Derm II killed the wounded beast with a stab to the mouth or something... I believe a dog deserved the kill. I congratulated him all the same.
Walking back to home, I changed the tally from two dwarves dead from imps to three. One of them just started bleeding from his pores and dropped dead.
Ugh...
I thought to myself. I thought and I thought. "Why would the imps come now? We had tapped the magma for ages with no incident..."
I came to the conclusion that imps are the puppets of demons. It made sense. That's when I had enough. I posted out the front out of my old room:
First overseer's official bulletin.
This stone tablet is to be placed in the statue garden for all dwarves to read.Brothers and sisters! My time with you is drawing closer to it's end; 4 months away actually. There are many rumours going around about breaching the layers of the deep. These rumours are true; but I will not do it soon. I might even retire before we are ready, leaving it to a more prepared overseer. At our population of one hundred and thirty and a military of fifteen or so, we would be slaughtered. I will not allow the disgrace of the taunts of the demons and their tricks to befall the sons and daughters of Atrid. We need a plan. I call for the smartest of the dwarven engineers to put forward their ideas.
We need another death trap for the demons, just like the Icemachine. I expect great ideas from many of you,
especially Sphala. Boring ideas will not be used; we wan't to teach the demons a humiliating lesson. Simple cave-ins will not suffice.
Additionally... martial law is in effect; I am requisitioning
twenty more recruits to be lead by some of our veterans. One of these squads will encompass the captain of the guard. No more escaping from the
stupidity punishments of
Arzun all the nobles. This might not be the most popular option, with two dwarves with a 101 day sentance for failing to fashion Arzun's tin
dildos crafts, but it will be done, for the safety and the law of our nation!
To all of our current militia and our new recruits;
Get ready.PS. I will not make a mistake like the recent siege again. I am ordering a peasant to be by the levers at all times. Wes gets to choose who; he's the one who suffered for my mistake. A random useless peasant or a particularly tin-gay noble?
I had had enough. These demons were going down. It is time to prepare.