"Moldath II", Part V, Turn 631st Limestone 826 I travel south warily through the vast goblin lands, which are mostly deserted. A few lone greenskins put up little resistance.
Passing through the deserted dark pits I find myself at a small camp, with a bridge over the river and tall wooden building. Many dead and butchered animals are nearby, but I cannot see the camps owners anywhere.
I find a number of scientific journals written by the scholar Desli Wanedhummed the Beautiful Intricacies. One in particular is named My Thoughts on Sleep, and pertains to the secrets of life and death. I can now raise Gaunt Corpses.
After reading the library, I head upstairs, to find many neat but unused bedrooms. I bump into Atir Frecklescoured, a human merchant.
He confirms that Desli Wanedhummed runs Jackaldens the Distant Hearth, but cannot tell me of her whereabouts. He seems to be the innkeeper here. I thank him for his hospitality, and bid him good day.
2nd Limestone 826 I head east from Jackaldens and it is not long before I come across a strange sight. A dwarven baron, camping out in the wilderness near the goblin pits of Insighthexes. Meng Lustrouswheels is his name.
He claims to be a refugee fleeing from great danger, and used to be the Captain of the Guard of The Boats of Evisceration.
I know this group - they are the government of Ironwards the Strifeful Hollows - what could have happened there to make Meng want to leave?
Meng does not seem to want my help to guide him to safety, and nor can he tell me much about what has happened at Ironwards. I decide to head west and find out.
Not far from Ironwards I am ambushed by a horrifying marmot brute. It is spattered with dog blood.
It sprays great gouts of webbing at me and I am suddenly trapped. The beast lunges at my helpless form and scratches my head, tearing my rotten spine.
Had I been a mere mortal, I would have been instantly struck down. But I am not. I flick my hands and the enormous marmot is paralysed.
I struggle against the webs, and suddenly break free, in time to cleave the foul demons head from its shoulders.
I carve its heart from its unnatural body, and craft a masterwork demon bone ring to commemorate my victory. Helldungeons the marmot brute has been slain.
There are more demons prowling around this fort. I sneak through the forest and try to catch them unawares - their webs are most deadly and a stray claw from one of these enormous beasts could easily cleave my skull.
The next to fall is Dungeonfated the weasel demon, another web-sprayer. Rumoredsearches the iguana demon has no webs to protect itself, and its boiling noxious fumes are no challenge to me.
The last of these roaming beasts to fall is Sinmenaces, another weasel demon.
3rd Limestone 826 The charred ground littered with decaying goblin corpses indicates I have arrived once more at Ironwards, some 19 years since last I visited. I cross the lava moat and search for any sign of trouble.
I talk to the mayor, and the militia commanders, and they offer no new clues. No beasts stalk the halls, and they can't offer me an answer as to why Meng felt the need to flee.
I descend the path to Hell I took before and slay a few stray demons. There is no threat here. The champion of the fort patrols the hell outpost and grins when I ask him about trouble. It seems that Meng does not possess the same fortitude as his brethren here.
I leave the fort and head east, when i stumble into a conflict between two gray fiends - enormous scaly bisons - a clear brute, and a broad-nosed marksdwarf.
Sadly, the dwarf has no hope of defeating two of these beasts and by the time I catch up, he is already dead - but so is one of the beasts! Athel Alliedposts died a heroic death, and I reward their bravery with a second life as a Fell One.
It seems the demons have turned on each other.
Examining the corpses, the weasel demon Uraatac (Diedhates) was killed by the gray fiend Pimanothra (Lurchbeguiles). The clear brute Apifiuthimi (Jackalpoisons) was killed by the Gray fiend Eyucathetifi (Depressedfreeze).
These demons are covered in the blood and gore of yet more demons.
Over the hill come crashing yet more fell demons - Gukilenir (Waddlemuddle) the gray fiend and Pimanothra (Lurchbeguiles).
The elite wrestler smashes my upper arm into pulp, but I shrug off the blow. This creature is not phased by my paralysis spell and recovers almost instantly. The battle is brief yet ferocious.
Soon Drabfungus, Lurchbeguile, Waddlemuddle, Depressedfreeze and Coldseduced the gray fiends are slaughtered.
4th Limestone 826I head eastwards and arrive at a castle, Spicetrails. It appears to be abandoned, and so I claim it for myself, and leave some of my treasure and assorted artifacts here.
I explore the nearby area - I must be close to the Museum of Boltspumpkin now. In the monastery of Pokedtongs I meet a goblin who claims to be a prophet! Bosa Bandtick claims to have no master and serve no group, and he has resided at the tomb for hundreds of years since a pilgrimage in 181.
He claims never to have heard of Egu Craftlenses the Key of Trading, the zebra fiend ruler of The Most Sin. He could be a member of the Knowing Deceiver, and yet I decide to spare his life and move on.
I pass through a tomb, Ironshakes, and a small fort Healerlashes.
I arrive at the town Diptramples and speak with my old friend Nom the Cheese, who has taken over the keep here and decorated it with the spoils of his adventures. He tells me proudly that he is now the Baron of Stakelessons.
Just then, a chief medical dwarf Tomul Quillhall arrives. How curious. And then a militia commander, and a sherrif.
They tell me a bandit camp rules this place but why are there so many dwarves here? It would seem they have set up camp in the town... for what purpose?
I find a small stockpile of tiny armour. How strange. I decide to leave this place, as there are no monsters to defeat.
5th Limestone 826 I arrive at the castle of Boltspumpkin at dusk.
I leave my submission on a chert pedestal on the east wall - a kakapo leather backpack containing Mastering The Elf, a star sapphire codex, and the mangled skull of the Elf Dark One Queen Vafice Lutecover.
I leave the museum at nightfall and continue south.
9th Limestone 826 I travel south for many days, and it is mostly uneventful. I pass through the town of Pricerings, but the inhabitants of the keep have been slaughtered.
It is snowing constantly, and bitterly cold here in the middle of the world. It appears that I have arrived at the Tundra of Heroes.
The featureless landscape is blanketed in a thick layer of snow. I am ambushed by a pack of starving wolves, and I almost feel sorry for them as I snuff out their lives.
On the horizon to the east is a goblin Dark Fortress. I head towards it and see a vast plain covered in the corpses of men and humans - a battle must have taken place here in the past, the corpses frozen in death.
Pressing on I find the fortress, Stealmountain, could this be the capital of the Knowing Deceiver? Within the central spire I find the “governer” Ngom Vicebrother, who claims to be a merchant.
I strike the filthy goblin down regardless. I search the fortress but can find nobody who claims to be a leader.
On the outskirts of town I find a camped army, and within their ranks are many blighted thralls. I cut them down – the fewer stinking ghouls roaming about, the better.
I lose count of the number of goblin soldiers pouring out of Stealmountain; the armies of the Knowing Deceiver are on the march. I chase their terrified screams through the tundra until their mangled corpses are still.
11th Limestone 826I arrive at a dwarven fort - Stockadeoutrage. It seems to be carved from an enormous jutting spike of rock soaring skyward.
A muscular scholar tells me that the Just Sabre rules Stockadeoutrage, and that it is the seat of Kikrost Lashdrilled - a baron - and Tobul Tomeschance, the king of The Staff of Kissing.
Despite searching the compact fort, I find evidence of neither.
Some human and goblin mercenaries are all I can identify. Finally, as I leave the fort, I spot someone, in the snow, hauling a gabbro codex. He has a regal disposition.
I speak with him a while, and he confirms that he is indeed King Tobul. I gift him Dancetorch the Past Uncertainty, the legendary steel spear I took from Ancientknowledge.
He seems very pleased, crying tears of joy! I take my leave of the king, and continue my journey.
I reach the abandoned tower of Combineinsight. There are still a great many books and scrolls here, amongst the scattered corpses. I read "Loss: Before and After" and learn how to raise Hollow Zombies.
The slab, if there ever was one, must have been looted long ago. I continue south east.
The fort of Dyezeal is easy to miss - an unguarded stairway downwards from the barren snowy wastes.
Wooden logs and equipment are scattered wide, and no sign of any dwarf can be found, living or dead. The poor souls who founded this place could not have lasted long.
12th Limestone 826 In Tattooedflank to the south I am accosted by a human Hollow Hunter. On seeing me he vanishes in thin air and rains punches upon me.
I can see him as a vague red mist through my vampiric sense but I cannot strike at him.
Using my own magic I propel him away and paralyse him, before throwing my steel arrows at his hidden form. I am unsure how long he can stay invisible, if it is permanent then I have no hope of slaying him.
Eventually, I get a lucky shot... but at great loss. The human has torn off my nose and left ear!
I head into the town proper and approach the inn, and encounter another hollow hunter. I behead him before he manages to use his magic.
Within the inn, The Spirit of Growers, is a curious sight - a weremoose prophet! It flees in terror at my bloodied form, and I set about it. It drops its human nail trophies as its head falls from its shoulders.
13th Limestone 826 Clearmasters is a short distance westward. This strange fort seems to be built around a monastery, and lizard people reside within its walls. I explore it but find no beasts to slay. I continue my journey southwards.
16th Limestone 826 I arrive at the abandoned Vault of Coverashes. The dwarves of Ashcinders conquered this place, but rumours of riches still within its walls persist. I find many items looted by Erith Whippedumbral, some well-crafted armour and a variety of artefacts.
I take the weapons, and the adamantine mug. I leave the questionable thong collection behind.
I find also, the upper arm of Glloyd... the mighty warrior who delved into this vault. Finally, I find
Buriedhate, the legendary slab.
But the most important treasure I leave this fiendish maze with, is a backpack bulging with blistered metal equipment, far too large for dwarf nor man. It is but a short trek to Ashcinders the Molten Scar, where I leave my pile of blistered metal by the forge fires...
I begin the long trek home, to the abandoned castle I clamed, Spicetrails.
Forts Explored: 1. Ancientknowledge
2. Relicward
3. Shiptrails
4. Razorbridge
5. Ghoulcreek
6. Lashjade
7. Emeraldcrown
8. Shotgleeful
9. Jackaldens
10. Ironwards
11. Healerlashes
12. Stockadeoutrage
13. Dyezeal
14. Clearmasters
15. Ashcinders
Moldath Mournsaints the Ardent, Blind Sadist Swordmaster.
Author
Topic: Museum III, adventure succession game (DF 0.47.05) (Read 409687 times)