Late Summer, 1003
The stone walls never seemed so homely. Arcada had hated this place growing up; had defaced art as a kid, fallen into the moat as a teenager, and tripped over somebody's artifact sock as a young adult. Everyone here was stuffy and old and set in their ways. They adapted to the caves a long time ago, and didn't go outside. They did not even appreciate her talent with woodworking.
But she never imagined she would be kicked out. Sentenced to death in exile.
The Manager was apparently still talking.
"... You should think of it as a great honour!" he droned on; "Very few dwarves get to see the founding of a new settlement, and even fewer get to reclaim such great landmarks!"
Pah, landmark. She was being sent to found the New Ghoullights, now that the first one has been confirmed dead. Or, as the official record went, "Abandoned due to insufficient infrastructure; Note: possible minor undead infestation". This was a death sentence. Nobody came back from those cursed lands - as the tale went, once you saw the great river, you were not coming back.
Yes. They'd had enough of her here, and they were kicking her out. And there was nothing she could do about it.
The manager droned on for at least an hour, explaining just how lucky she really was. She stayed and listened, as the Hammerer's heavy hand rested on her shoulder.
"...And you are to embark immediately." the Manager finished.
What? No, that can't be right. Her things weren't ready...
"Here is your crew."
First was Vendix, Chief Mining Operator. Arcada knew Vendix in passing, and she was always a serious and trustworthy gal. What had she done to displease the Overseer?
Second came ... what was this? A squiggle?
Arcada snarked - "Hey Manager, did you have to drag your beard all over this document? I can't read this!"
He only smiled. "Oh no, not at all. This is one of your companions. He came by to sign independently."
Still grinning, the Manager walked to an engraving of cheese, looked around and yelled: "HEY YOU! COME OUT OF THAT CORNER AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF!"
An average dwarf with long, long straight hair jumped out as if startled, and bowed down to Arcada "My pleasure m'lady! I am your Specialist!"
Oh, that was just great. This dwarf had ages ago failed his fey mood due to lack of "slade" - some mystical stone he made up, and then demanded. He spent a long time running around babbling madly, but he had... calmed down.
Next on a list was a travelling skald from a foreign settlement. She apparently showed up a few months ago, following the tale of Ghoullights. Ever since then, she had been stuck in a legal limbo. Ghoullights did not exist anymore, and her Official Skald Papers had become null and void. It seems that the Overseer had finally found a way to get rid of her.
At least the next entry was better. Chelic, an amateur smith, had volunteered to join the expedition for a chance to earn a name for herself. In the Mountainhome, only one smith was allowed to practice at any given time, and the apprentices were left to find luck elsewhere. This was Chelic's bid for fortune.
The next one was fine too. Joe-Clark, cursed with an unusual name, was a controversial figure in the community. He was a very free-thinking architect, choosing qualities such as "efficiency" and "decreased lethality" in his designs. That was greatly scoffed upon, as his designs apparently did not represent the splendour of the dwarven race. He was mocked and called Human by other architect - and it seemed he had had enough. Even ghouls were better than those fools.
Last but not least was the brazen Bruva Thaddeus. A warrior soul, he was born with the squads already full. He was able to sneak away a few lessons with the sword, but his official designation was that of a doctor. He embraced both with dignity, and apparently had volunteered to come with the new Ghoullights expedition to increase survival chances. Well, that was something at least.
"Very well Arcada, it's time to go! Your wagon awaits!"
Yeah, she wouldn't even have had time to bring anything. But the hammerer prodded her forward with his +bronze warhammer+, reminding her of her position. Yeah, it was definitely a damn shame that nobody made clear glass boxes for their royal highness. Arcada still had no idea what it had to do with her, but it was too late to argue.
I embarked, and have a few more details to add. But it's 4:30am, so I'm going to collapse. I hope you all like your characters, and I will try to have the turn done by Thursday!
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Topic: Ghoullights Chapter III: The Lamentation of Dyes [Succession] (Read 38150 times)