User talk:Kalon/Meshring, 189

Spring, 189

1st Granite, 189. The beginning of the third year of Meshring sees us in a tenuous but positive position. Although we have an Uninvited Guest brooding below, we are secure. The well was barely drained of any of its water, and we look forward to the brook being unfrozen. We have alcohol and food aplenty, and await the first batch of subterranean trees to be harvested. I have ordered the drawbridges lowered around our palisade for some fresh air, but this respite will be brief, as complacency breeds laziness.

4th Granite, 189 - more bloody kittens. The yowling of a cat giving birth was unbearable today. I immediately ordered the kittens cared for but even my immediate reaction was not fast enough. Rovod Edemimik, a stonecrafter, turned all gooey-eyed and gushing over one of the spawn. The caring order was promptly shouted down by a very irate Rovod, brandishing a chisel. This problem will have to be stopped, but I fear it is too late.

17th Granite, 189 - Earth's blood! Today our miners came to me, caked in stone chips and smelling of brimstone. I knew their news from their eyes - we had found a great magma sea! With the area bereft of coal, I immediately ordered a suitable series of chambers to be dug for a mighty pump stack. My foresight of establishing a secondary mining corps has an opportunity to pay off! Soon, the blood of the Earth shall yield to my power!

22nd Granite, 189. After some time closeted to design the stack, digging is well underway. One small hiccup is that a cavern is in the way, but a wall shall shore up the gap. Interestingly, neither valuable ores nor gems have been discovered in the digging. It is as if the very earth knows our discovery of adamantine and trembles.

25th Granite, 189 - Calamity! The "gap" I was so confident in will be our doom. I've killed us all. The great Beast Rurast Gedorozor sensed the opening and is charging this way. Vucar Sodelthosbut, a woodcrafter, was already on his way to erect the wall. All we can do is pray he finishes in time, but I fear the end of days is upon us.

25th Granite, 189, second entry. Vucar was finishing the final parts of the wall when Rurast toppled its construction. He is the dwarf in the deepest part of the mountain, so hope remains - for the rest of us. I have ordered an immediate halt to the stack but there are miners and helpers a scant four levels above its pumpkin carapace. A new wall is to be built at an access corridor, and may Armok have mercy on those who will be trapped behind it.

25th Granite, 189, third entry. Vucar has fallen. Taking multiple kicks, Vucar became immediately enraged, to no avail as one fell blow from the Beast tore his upper spine nervous tissue. Amazingly Vucar survived, only to be bodily bowled over by the Beast. Further devestating attacks to the spine followed, and the Beast bit and latched on to Vucar's right arm. Beyond all expectations he manages to punch the Beast but barely fazes it, only moments before his arm was torn from his socket, blood spraying everywhere. With the red mist of battle over his eyes, Vucar swings his left arm again and again at the Beast, buying the other dwarves valuable seconds while it dodges his pitiful advances. The Beast quickly tired of the show of bravado from a dwarf with no fear, biting Vucar firmly on the upper body, tossing him around like a rag doll and ultimately opening up his major arteries. A final flurry of kicks to Vucar's head saw teeth mangled and sent flying, befor blood loss mercifully claimed him. May Armok remember him.
The access corridor wall was also toppled as the Beast surged upwards, but thankfully the dwarves building it took flight ahead of the destruction. The brave doctor, Melbil Bomrekotil, was working frantically to shore up the mortar but the Beast fell upon her. Bravely brandishing shield and war hammer, she had her body ravaged. Her left foot and right hand were torn off during the struggle and again, the many limbs of Rurast pummelled the spines of its victims. A third (and final?) wall is to be built, right at the entry to the downward staircase, and if breached, we will all be doomed. The secondary wall has failed.

26th Granite, 189 - saftey? Posession! The third and final wall is complete. The beast has halted its assault from below for the moment. During its torment, Ingish Ustuthimesh became possessed with a dangerous glint to his eyes. He has claimed the carpenter's workshop. We await our fate.

3rd Slate, 189. With our immediate demise averted, another pump stack is to be built. A council of our best architects were conscripted and the plans checked by no less that 10 different dwarves. No gaps in this plan. Ingish Ustuthimesh has emerged, similarly blinking with confusion, walking with an item of immense beauty. Serkibtad, "The Random Matches" is an alder splint, studded with adamantine and menaces with spikes of dolomite. On the item is an image of a dwarf in alder. Beauty.

25th Slate, 189. The pump stack framework is done, and work has commenced on blocks and pipe sections for... WAIT! Oh no! The Forgotten Beast Oda has come! A huge three-eyed sauropod. It has thin wings of stretched skin and it undulates rhythmically. Its emeerald scales are oval-shaped and close-set. Beware its poisonous sting!

26th Slate, 189 - the fifth wave of migration. Twenty four brave souls have arrived. They know not the horrors that await them.

19th Felsite, 189. An elven caravan has arrived, with cages that are filled with wonderous animals. We look forward to trading our trinkets for their nature-loving wares.

20th Felsite, 189 - Ambush! An ambush! Curse them! Five viscious, trained goblins - four wielding swords and one a spear - have been spotted. Too late! three are within the palisade! I ordered the external bridges sealed to prevent the others from entering but calamity struck swiftly. Erithadag, the animal trainer, was working to train up a batch of war dogs. He fled from the goblins and was on a bridge when it raised. He was thrown bodily from it and crushed to death. Distraught at a close friend being killed, Dobar Kuletselor, a metalcrafter, was running to help and cut down where he stood. I ordered everyone inside and rallied the militia but things were chaos in the heat of battle. The poorly trained and poorly armed militia did their best but a speardwarf and macedwarf were cut down, and a second macedwarf bled to death from his wounds. One goblin paid for this with its life, but the remaining two goblins rushed to attack the main corridor. They were quickly caged by the ring of defences. Five brave dwarves will be interred in our burial chamber. Four war dogs also perished, along with the stray dog that was in training, a cat and an alpaca. We retreat to honour our dead, regroup, and lick our wounds. These flithy swine will pay dearly.

25th Felstie, 189. The elven traders may be our salvation - they have brought two jaguars, a giant leopard, a giant badger, two grizzly bears, a cougar and a honey badger in cages. These have been purchased and will be trained where possible or at worst penned to provide a deterrant to any further foolhardy attackers.

Summer 189

3rd Felsite, 189, death and rebirth. After a tragic few months, some good news came today - Urdim Igamkdaol has given birth to a baby girl. The wheel turns and begins anew.

4th Hematite, 189 - poultsplosion. We have two war jaguars for some border defence, but more disturbingly, a clutch of ELEVEN poults were born today. Our meat supplies will be ample, now.

26th Hematite, 189 - sixth wave of migration. Our recent struggles must have been made public - only 8 wary souls migrated to our fortress. We now muber 91 dwarves. We rebuild.

Autumn 189

The pump stack is complete, awaiting power. A wind farm is being built on the surface and I hope to have the blood of the Earth pumping soon.

1st Timber, 189 The titan Ettin Lek Lemlortaron Aran Etest is assaulting us! After a quick headcount, everyone was inside the palisade so I immediately ordered the bridges raised. Frustrated in its bumbling anger, Lek took it out on the two kittens running around outside, too slow to make it to safety. They were quickly dispatched. Unable to breack our walls, Lek demolished to windmills and waits, impotently, outside our walls. I have ordered Zon Mosusreg to take the best quality crossbow and bolts we have and see if we can weaken him with dwarven ingenuity. The watchtowers are perfect for him to pincushion the brute.

12th Timber, 189 Mountainhome be cursed, your timing could not be more inappropriate! The outpost liaison, Cog Asteshkutam, has arrived along with the caravan from Nil Egath. They wait, out of sight of the Ettin. I shall have to see how the aerial attacks are progressing. With any luck, the brute will be bristling.

14th Timber, 189. The Ettin has taken many fine crossbow bolts and is limping from a disabled foot and smashed left hand. I have ordered the militia on full alert and lowered the drawbridges. The caravan have made it in side and the militia continued to harry the Ettin with bolts. It was bleeding profusely when it stumbled in to the palisade, at which point, I grudgingly have to admit, the elves have earned my, well, apathy. The war animals (cougars, leopards, grizzly bear) tore in to the brute, and with the sustained fire from good dwarven crossbows, the brute succumbed to pain. The honey badger was kicked but otherwise no harm came from its assault! In celebration, we have bought the coke, charcoal, wood and all the alcohol from the traders, and we shall celebrate tonight!

Winter, 189

We turn our thoughts to industry.

Continued here