Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[King Zultan]

Geology station

[Detoxicated]

Geology Station
Those Giants won't apreciate what Hit them

[Murphy]

"I want all three", said Rith.
"Um... of course, we all do, but which one do we start with?"
"Start with all three is what I'm saying. We have enough workforce, enough resources. Heck, we have too much; maybe this city will finally feel less crowded once we begin."

Who would oppose the last of the First? Nobody. And Rith put her money where her word was: work brigades were sent abroad, escorted by squads of soldiers and carts of provisions. Schedules were reworked to accommodate change of plans. Hired human labor had to be brought from outside the valley, and in five short years, a partially-built observatory stood proudly where the temple of Eliyeino used to be, an established geology station housed itself inside the ancient mineshaft, and a textiles factory, albeit one with a skeleton crew, filled the caves above the thawing lake.

Some of the humans decided to stay and founded their own industrial town on the surface, in place of the dead forest by the crater lake.

***

Rumors abounded that under their new leadership the Giants established workshops and farms, arming their warriors and generally settling down to stay. The Antling outpost was found deserted; no doubt its denizens left to report this change of events back at their hive. Wary of the renewed threat, the Dwarves built a border guard in the East, and chief Baleog elected not to brave it but fortify his own land. No diplomatic effort was made, but still the two dominant powers settled into an uneasy peace.

The newest thing in the dwarven capital was Aril's guild of monster slayers, a community of like-minded Dwarves and Ratlings quick with a gun and learned of the myriad species native to the region and beyond. They built their initial reputation hunting harpies and corpse fiends in the Witchfields as the western caves became known. Aril himself ventured topside and returned bearing trophies of lamia scale.

Over the years, the guild's efforts made the tunnels much safer; having lost much of her ill-fated army, Ngerxung took to lurking once again, observing the dwarves as they collected loot, dug tunnels and built their future. Idodur was evolving, unstoppable and self-confident.

Spoiler: Map by 91 (click to show/hide)

The events vaguely reflect the progression of the vote: it was a tie, and then at last it changed in favor of Geology, so all three projects were worked on but Geology is the first to be fully done. Of course, there are side effects, of which the new human settlement is the most obvious.

[Glass]

I approve of this setup.

Wondering, though, where did the humans come from?

[Murphy]

Wondering, though, where did the humans come from?

They are Anlaran humans, originally hired hands who decided to stay and build their own city-state on the unoccupied surface land, free from the feudal trappings of their home kingdom. Tech level is now high enough to survive in the permanent winter; there is, like, steam power and greenhouses and such in the mountains to grow food (not shown on the map though).

Ngerxung was preparing for her final battle. Dwarven hunters, she saw them through the eyes of her golem as they destroyed it. Now that her citadel's doors had been breached and her bestial army slaughtered, she only had one ally left: magma.

She called forth her power over the earth, causing the molten lake to grumble and boil, ready to spill out and devour everything in its path. It would take her and the dwarves with her, rise to reach their city, and then to the surface, burning, consuming, like Ngerxung's hatred consumed her. She hated the dwarves for all she's been through since the fall of the Goblin realm, but especially for robbing her of her revenge on Vîrfesh the dragon.

"Ngerxung", a voice called from above. "This is not the time."
She threw an angry glance upstairs, growling. "Get lost! Out of my lair, whoever you are!"
But the voice continued, "I know all of your plight. The primordial powers are weaker today than they used to be. You will only slay a few dwarves and it'll all be for naught. But help me and I will help you."
She only snarled back. "Goblins have no friends. I've been lurking too long. It's time to kill and be killed!"
There was an audible sigh. "I need you, Ngerxung. You will not be killed today. Observe."

Just as the dwarven vanguard broke into the heart of the citadel, something happened. An oppressive psychic wave washed over everything, forcing the Goblin back, but it was the Dwarves who took the brunt of it. Screams filled the air, most of the intruders now rolling on the floor clutching their heads; one bashed her helmet against a wall repeatedly, another bent over retching, his musket, axe and shield on the ground, and yet another gurgled, unable to breathe as if choked by invisible force. All the while the stranger remained invisible, wrapped in a cloak of their mind.

One dwarf managed to stand back; his hand grabbed an emerald amulet around his neck, whispering some kind of mantra. That seemed to help, he made a few steps, using his free hand to pull out a two-shot pistol. "I... see... you..."

Ngerxung's mind snapped back to reality. Her thrown axe caught the dwarf in the face as he was aiming, and the shot went loose.
"That was close", the voice remarked. "Now we must go."
"Show yourself first! And where?"
"I'm right here", the cloaked figure Ngerxung could swear wasn't there a moment ago, extended a hand covered in golden scales. Two round eyes peered at her from under the deep hood. "And to the frozen sea, of course."

***

Excerpts from the "Mystery Codex" circa 72-95.
This heavy codex holds personal notes and research concerning the climate shift in Oldlands Valley, locally known as Summer's End. Though superficially reminiscent of contemporary dwarven codices, it uses an archaic script dated out of use for half a century by the time of writing. Scholars widely ascribe the book to the semi-mythical Theliiri queen Adela, but there are some discrepancies in dates and wording, and the author never mentions themselves by name. Much of the writing has been lost; what remains is presented below.

Year 82.
I must leave my Theliiri wards as I undertake a journey to the outer realms. Summer's End is not the first cataclysm to strike the Oldlands, and I believe its cause must lie with the meddling of primordial powers.

Year 83.
My journey took me through human lands, I noted that the valley must have been the epicenter of this new winter. Surrounding areas have been hit less hard, and far to the south I'm not seeing any difference from my last visit back in 38, except there's more humans and they're more advanced.

Year 84.
It is appalling that so many of the humans try to worship the primordial powers as gods, yet have no clue to their workings. There is a kingdom in the west, ruled by a dragon in paper-thin disguise as a Titan of Fire. Which he is not.

Year 85.
I have sparse evidence that primordial powers are actually weaker than they were at the time of Creation. Could it be that the cataclysms arose from their grasp on the world slipping? If such is the case, we will not be able to harness them into stability.

Year 86.
Salt and sulfur! Dealing with humans is frustrating; Who would've thought gold would become so important in their society too? I see a dwarven hand in that. And I wondered why the Oldlands got so much attention; our gold vein was one of the richest known.

Year 87.
This gold should be enough to fund my overseas expedition. My calculations show where the Ocean Titan's island must be, if only I could get a crew with enough faith to attempt the voyage. I can't blame the humans, though, water is not their home element.

Year 89.
Further delay is unacceptable. I don't like where this is going, but I'm commandeering a crew from this kingdom's war fleet. Going to need a new disguise, one that'll last for months of voyage.

Year 90.
I have seen the dead Titan. Truly, not even the Creator could've foreseen this. By now I feel it's easier to change ourselves than to change our environment. Or perhaps the dwarves were right and technology is the answer after all.

Year 91.
I have returned to the Oldlands, if only to observe. Curiously, I found a Goblin practitioner of primordial powers entrenched in struggle for dominance with the dwarven city-state. Does she know her powers run on borrowed time? Perhaps I can find a way to replicate them, or convince her to help. A volcanic vent where I want it would solve so much.

Year 94
The dwarves are advancing fast, but their minds still stick to martial thinking. Ngerxung, that's the Goblin's name, they're going to kill her, and that is something I cannot allow to happen.

Year 95
(the writing here is scratched out, leaving only a single phrase) Where ice meets magma, the old ones shall return, despite unending winter.

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

[Glass]

...huh. Well now.

I wonder what gold means?


Also, I hope that the current arrangement, where we've basically got a couple of varied civs living mostly in harmony, will make the people here more open to diplomacy in general. Even if it may backfire in some cases, there's probably just as many, if not more, where it could prevent problems.

[Murphy]

Adela (or rather, Gloomf) was spot on about martial thinking. The dwarves carried many of their warrior traditions into this new technological era, and progress only fueled their ambition. By the advent of the new century, they adapted their old minecart system to use steam power, which in turn let them mine enough coal and iron for expanding the railways far beyond. There was going to be a tunnel all the way into Bok-Anlar, for ease of trade and travel.

Humans fared alright as Idodur laid no claim to the surface, but all of the underground communities save for the Giant stronghold were now more or less under dwarven control. The Giants matured into a strong, insular society, mildly xenophobic but with an also growing appreciation for tech and knowledge. Dwarves and their subjects were not welcome in their halls, but human prospectors managed to do a limited trade: a generous supply of gunpowder in exchange for mining rights in the Giants' vicinity.

So far, new strategic resources were being discovered faster than they could be exploited. But what would happen when the valley became too confined for three great powers to coexist? The dwarves created new foundries and designed new implements of destruction. The Giants built a cannon array to blast anyone who'd dare assault their home. The humans stockpiled arms and armor as they cut down more forests in preparation for settlement.

All the while, Gloomf and Ngerxung worked in secret where no dwarf had set their foot: in glacial caves that used to house the pools and basins of Yantar'Eryovl. Permafrost, deadly to the Tritons, had turned this place desolate, but now with Ngerxung's aid, there was a magma vent under the frozen sea. And the ice started to thaw, forming a habitat for new Triton generations. But they would no longer be the feared Ronenog. Gloomf needed something else for this Age.

Tapping her wealth of forbidden lore, the Triton Queen sought to bestow more of her species with psychic ability like that she herself possessed. She had no intention of competing with the Dwarves, Giants and Humans at building industrial havens; hers would be a different way, more refined, a foil for the specter of conflict that she saw growing between the three.

Spoiler: Map by 99 (click to show/hide)

I wonder what gold means?

Simple. Gold is Gloomf's personal color.
Diplomacy is certainly possible, though I wouldn't get my hopes up about everyone living happily ever after. At this level of society, economics start driving everything, including the likelihood of an all-out war.

[Murphy]

Previously frozen to the very depths, the earth was now being thawed by volcanic heat. Earthquakes became more common, and Dwarves, Giants and Humans alike had to learn to build things able to withstand the occasonal tremor. On the surface, winter was still mostly permanent, prompting the Humans to build greenhouses, implement centralized heating, hunt and trade for warm furs. The Dwarves expanded their works, and the ice on the central lake relented, replaced with the taint of waste from the Ratling-operated textile factory and print office. The Great Mountain Railroad project was also completed, bringing trade and prosperity across the mountain. Finally, the Giants started to expand towards the surface, onto the unclaimed fields near the old Theliiri fortress.

The valley had no shortage of resources, and this was not the point where the three civilizations had to compete for them. Yet.

Wait. Four civilizations. Yantar'Eryovl was being rebuilt.

Spoiler: Map by 102 (click to show/hide)

The returned Triton Queen was fortunate to secure an ally as useful as the Goblin witch Ngerxung, whose handiwork with the volcanic vents had created an opening for Tritons to reclaim their ancient home. Gloomf used her psychic powers to keep the place hidden from her neighbors: she had no intent of sparking another devastating war. Certainly not a conventional one.

Now as the builder-caste Tritons were busy fortifying, Gloomf's next step would be to rebuild her Chamber of Divination. For that, she needed a large amount of gold. More than she could realistically acquire through clandestine trade, as gold had become a rare commodity in this Age. Her one option was to dig deeper and find it.

***

The next eight years were time well-spent for various inhabitants of the Oldlands. Still no gold for Gloomf, but...

Spoiler: Map by 110 (click to show/hide)

More Human settlers arrived from beyond the valley, bringing with them the technology and prosperity of the outer realms. Electric lights became commonplace, and local architecture improved as well. Ties between Humans and Giants also strengthened, to the point where they made a joint effort to drive away the Lamias. Giants desired the fortress, while Humans would be satisfied with freedom from the night creature menace. Aside from this, peace had now reigned for almost two decades.

Magma in the west started cooling, and the Dwarves seized the caves for themselves. They now had the most territory and manpower (actually dwarfpower, ratlingpower and theliiripower), but they grew increasingly dependent on railroad trade with Bok-Anlar in order to feed the increasing population. If war with the surface broke out, times would become tough; as such, Rith's successor (and great-grandson) Tirist Tiristavuz turned to dwarven scholars with a request to find ways to improve Idodur's self-sufficiency. Just in case.

Enter Dr. Sodel Endokineth. A bit of an eccentric in academic circles, he conducted research into the mysteries of electricity and its interaction with living matter. He offered a range of suggestions, from electric sunlamps for those crops that give better yields but require daylight to grow, to finding a strain of plump helmet that responded to electric stimulation.
Mayor Tirist was puzzled. "You can... increase harvests by zapping mushrooms with electric current?"
"Give me funding", Dr. Endokineth said, "and I will."

[Glass]

Give him funding, I say!

Also, glad to see this got an update!

[Naturegirl1999]

Give him funding, I say!

Also, glad to see this got an update!

+1 We do science because we can. Funding for !!Science!!

[King Zultan]

Give him funding, I say!

Also, glad to see this got an update!

+1 We do science because we can. Funding for !!Science!!

+1 SCIENCE TIME!

[Murphy]

Spoiler: Map by 112 (click to show/hide)

Dr. Endokineth requested the use of the upper western caves, more specifically the fertile grotto. Finding workers proved to be a real problem as Humans, Dwarves and Ratlings all regarded that place with fearful superstition. Throughout year 110, he had to make do with just his two assistants. Afterwards, he turned to the Theliiri, finding enough willing souls among them, and soon experiments began in earnest.

The proverbial green thumb of the beast-elves would prove to be an early advantage. In 111, Dr. Endokineth expanded his project to start building a greenhouse on the surface nearby, and by autumn, four carts of fruit from the main cave's harvest were delivered to Idodur as proof that his methods work. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things, but it was a promise.

The project seemed useful and rather innocuous so far. Perhaps Endokineth's eccentric reputation was nothing to worry about after all. The Mayor was pleased; he made a personal visit to congratulate the scientist on his success.
"This is merely an aperitif", Endokineth grinned. "The main dish is in the works. But I require additional funds."
"You'll have them, Doc."

***

In the meantime, Gloomf prepared to brave the freshly-thawed path to the depths below. Although reluctant to leave Yantar'Eryovl unsupervised even for a short time, she was now sure it had to be done, else she would never get the resources she needed for a Chamber of Divination. She thought to assemble a team of adventurers, incognito, just like good old days, but perhaps a few of her own brood would do better, and she wanted to take Ngerxung along (which would be impossible if any dwarves were on the team).

As they ventured deeper, dark granite gave way to igneous formations, and then to unknown rock, too hard to crack with mundane tools. The walls were hot to the touch and the air reeked of sulfur. Still, the Goblin's earth sense led them through, and eventually they stopped at some kind of stone ruins. A place of ancient battle, crumbling walls littered with bones and discarded weapons. Remains of a dwarven expedition? Some of these skeletons definitely resembled dwarves, but most had... features that shouldn't be there. Extra limbs, deformed skulls, menacing spikes.

"We should not linger", Gloomf cautioned. "This place is only partly of our world."
But there were writings inscribed in the stone, possibly of magical nature, and Ngerxung wanted to decipher them.
"Fine. We do that. Might tell us where to find gold here."

***

Far above, the Antling scouts observed the valley from a warm cave near a distant mountaintop. It seemed too late to lay any claims here, but they were ordered to dig in and stay alert for opportunities, and so they did. Armed with picks, nets and acid-spitting batons, the Antlings built a concealed outpost and were now amassing supplies through simple hunting and gathering.

The earth shook again. The Antling captain winced and put away the quill. Something was happening, and not knowing what made her uneasy.

[Murphy]

Gloomf's absence was only supposed to be a few weeks. Yet, months passed, and she did not return, leaving the Tritons no choice but to fend for themselves. Ever since the dawn of their civilization, they were made to depend on their matriarch's guidance, they needed her far more than the other species needed their kings and mayors. Last time they lost her, the whole of the species was doomed to devolve into semi-sentient wild beasts.

Fortunately, this was not about to happen again. The new breed Gloomf had created was instilled with an ability to draw on their castes' collective memories, a side benefit of her first attempts to awaken her species' psychic potential. Even without guidance, the builders now always knew how to build, the artisans could produce tools and weapons, and Yantar'Eryovl would stand.

Gloomf had left instructions that contact with others was to be avoided as much as possible, and as years went by, the Tritons remained in seclusion, tending to their city, carving out new dwellings and accommodations for their growing numbers. Oddly, their attempt to create a new gardening grotto to the upper east had run into an... obstacle. The soil simply refused to yield to the pick and the drill. They couldn't possibly know, of course, but that's where Maar's new portal chamber resided. This time the Creator left wards preventing mortal civilizations from breaking in. There would not be a second "Cave of Fate" incident.

They eventually dug around the obstacle, placing the new grotto right below the Giants' recently established burial ground. It would probably be okay as long as the Giants weren't going to dig down from the crypt and stumble upon the Tritons' new doorstep.

***

The dwarves, giants and humans, meanwhile, expanded into every corner of the valley and the caverns.

Owing to his agricultural breakthroughs, Sodel Endokineth was offered a high-ranking position in ANSI (Asteshdatan National !!Scientific!! Institute), but much to the council's surprise he refused the honor, declaring that his current work was way more important than the endless cycle of paper-pushing, publication and academic debate. There was much speculation on the nature of his current project, but as of spring 118, no public media in Oldlands was able to pierce its secrecy.

The mining shaft near Tursong was reinforced and turned into a residential complex. The former goblin citadel was explored by certified monster slayers, cleared out and set for planned development. Land grants in that area were given for various future projects such as a free trade zone for Anlaran merchants, a Goblin War museum, and a geothermal power station in the lower rungs, where the magma lake used to be.

Life was not without trouble, of course. A new movement has been recently gaining traction with the populace, especially among the working class. Clamoring for improved work safety standards and better protection of the environment, they cited ANSI's research on water pollution and disproportionate statistic of accidents among Ratling workers in the textile factory and furnace operators in the foundries. So far, the movement's been peaceful, but it created an increasingly tense situation with tightly-knit industrialist families holding all the power in the dwarven nation.

The human settlements saw a lot of internal development, though with no single polity governing the western, central and eastern towns, disputes soon arose as all three entered trade competition. When the Giants claimed all of the immediate area around the ruined fortress, the merchant elite of the towns soon realized that Giant encroachment upon their land was imminent unless they could band up. As such a defensive pact was born, which in turn fostered a trade alliance: the Republic of Runatar, named after the valley itself.

Roads were built to connect the three towns and accommodate trade coming from the east across the mountain pass. The Runataran merchant council expected caravans from the Eastern kingdoms, but what they didn't expect is that Antlings would be the first to capitalize on the opportunity.

***

Spoiler: Map by 118 (click to show/hide)

I realize it's been a while but I intend to finish the story, even though I proved unable to post regular updates. There is still ways to go and Industrial Age isn't the last. I do not offer choices at this time, but you can make freeform suggestions for each of the major players:

• The Dwarven Nation. Idodur, Asteshdatan, Kadbash Atol and Ineth Nil. Industrial.
• The Republic of Runatar. Western, central and eastern towns. Trade-focused.
• The Giant clan. Eastern cave and growing surface settlement. Militaristic.
• The Tritons of Yantar'Eryovl. The entirety of the subterranean sea and shores. Spiritual.
• The Antling Hive. Off-map, but will gain increasing presence with time. Enigmatic.

[King Zultan]

Everything is so peaceful right now, so I say we poke the giants some to start a war.

[Naturegirl1999]

It might be possible that the Antlings might try intercepting the trade routes