Appropriate music
The stark scene panned out before all to see atop this place. In the moonlight the vast curse that was Necrochambers expanded into the horizon. The moon waxed above, its rays of light seemingly immune to the passing of time. Bright jewels ran through the infinite expanse of the sky, accompanying the moon on this lonely night.
Bellow the sky it was as if the kin of the stars had laid to rest bellow, faded reflections of their former glory, now but sharp glints of light. The wind whisped through his beard, and the smell of death and decay was all but absent here above. It was a refuge from the chaos and pressures bellow.
Roshev had grown used the sight, coming out every night since he had carved out into the summit.
Everyone else knew, however they decided against coming out in the night. The deafening fear of darkness driving them away.
This place was a Dwarve's nightmare he knew. The establishment of this Mountainhall had come at a cost, and the debt surely wouldn't be payed until the end of time. All he could do, is fight and work with every morsel of strength left in him.
He had come to revere but also hate the landscape before him with a passion. A few King's ransoms were carelessly embedded into the surrounding area of Necrochambers. Such a thing, a great treasure just sitting before a Dwarve's eyes was the equavilent to a Rattle snake's poison. Dwarf blood bore the burden of intense greed, ever present in the back of his well Disciplined mind he could always hear it"come on its there in front of you TAKE IT!".
A presence without the slightest of noise stood beside him, the slow and steady breaths of the night air the only indication of him being there. He turned to the figure, through the smell of Alchohol and the outline he was able to tell it was Geallen.
Roshev asked"What are you doing out here?" Geallen answered"I'm here trying to find answers in the night sky, around here its the only damned thing not touched by the taint of Necrochambers".
Roshev turned back to the stars, Geallen had been hit hard by the death of his lover Khouri to a dead resident of the lands, a ghost. He remembered finding him in that now morbid office, the tears running down his dust caked face, holding her to his chest.
After that Geallen had not shown a single sign of mourning, his body and seemingly mind all but devoted to the hardships of keeping the Mountain Hall standing. A silence ensued for untold minutes but then Geallen broke it swiftly with a calm and ensuring voice"Roshev I have to ask, what keeps you going these days?".
I said slowly as if to not make any mistakes with the pronunciation"You Geallen, you have blown through the recent tragedies with not a scratch. More than that you set an example to us all working hard with us miners in the tunnel's bellow". Geallen chuckled his finely combed beard seeming to start to come apart"Surely there is more to it than that? Don't you have something down the road you wish to do? That you work everyday towards?".
Roshev replied"I haven't thought that far recently, all I have been thinking about is the work, the designs of what will be our home". Geallen shot out"That's its isn't it!? You are working to make a better fortress for all the children stranded here aren't you? I've seen you play with the rascals after dinner".
Roshev didn't say anything else feeling Geallen had done the talking for him. Geallen continued"What keeps me going, what is trully in my heart that gives me the resolute strength to get through this is that one day the sons I bear will laugh, play, and fight in these halls and grow as I have. They will drink the finest beer from our vast larder and have not a care in the world under the hollowed ground we will carve. And even before that, the wasteland will be ours taken with a strength we will find deep in the earth, the metals donned unto our strongest and bravest. We will burst out from the mountain halls like a force of nature! And take the riches of Necrochambers which is rightfully OURS!".
Geallens zeal surprised Roshev but he still continued"But riches and family is not all that drives me, I feel it in my bones, the presence of Armok his wisdom guides me. Armok lead us here, not for riches, not for glory. But for life Roshev, he saw a desolate land deadly to all, a useless ruin of smote and despair. But then he saw us, and sent us here not to conquer, not to be rich, but to LIVE! Each breath we draw is a howling wave of hatred and humiliation to this decrepit land, and by Armok Roshev we will tame this place if it is the death of us all, because who else will?".
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Roshev's eyes struggled in the smog and mud of the swamp, his wounds of grievous nature that he himself could not examine. It had been so fast, the gates had opened and the work to expand the walls had begun.
But then they came, a Goblin theif at first running away at the first site of the armed party. Then waves of theives cause chaos, the militia had been raised but Eliza was missing. He and Balien stood their ground with pickaxes at hand, but he knew now it was all in vain as a Goblin Lasher came to bear.
To buy the others time he had ran far out into wilderness distracting the Goblin. He had been wounded now and was dieing left in the muddy landscape all but devoid of trees.
As he looked around with the last few breaths left in the Mortal coil, he saw silver surrounding him. Ingots of pure silver now mixed in shades of black by the tides of time. He also noticed that his greed, that had gnawed him was now gone.
He held onto that the memory of that night as he laid there panting in the thick air. He would make every last breath count, he would live as long as he could, through the pain the suffering. If there were to be a thousand needles in his lungs, he would still breathe and take the undying pain.
For every breath he took, an onslaught of rage and hatred busted into the air, and made Necrochambers cringe in fear, because the Dwarven spirit could not be maimed, killed or destroyed it would live on and it would fight.
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Entry4: A farewell to friends
What has happened cannot be put into words. They came the red piercing eyes of the night, they attacked and the militia was called...
We made it back into the fortress as the militia held them off but..
My two best friends have now certainly perished. Roshev ran off into the wilderness to buy us time, and Eliza was last seen by the abandoned fortress.
Everyone else has made it back into the safe walls of the Mountainhall, it truly is a blessing from Armok.
As I write my body shakes with sadness, this is all I can do to keep me from going into madness. Eliza, and Roshev have been my closet friends for many years, now they have piled unto the list of the dead along with my wife.
They will be avenged later I swear by the BLOOD OF ARMOK!
But for now all I can do to honor them is...
Say farewell.
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OCC:The double post wasn't my fault this time
Well sorry it took awhile for me to post this, yesterday I was busy and on top of that this session of dwarf fortress was a hard one. Good news is that its now spring, and only half my dwarves are starving, with Balien working on cutting jewels we might just make it without losses.
Also tomorrow I will be posting the story for Eliza as well, didn't have time to write it, and I really want to honour those founding members who are now dead.
Cheers hope you enjoyed the read!
PS: Here you go, a service to help with the heavy hitting drama.
Cheers hope you enjoyed the read!
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Topic: Necrochambers - a Long Term Succession Game (Read 27473 times)