Entry FourThe band had spent the next week wrapping up final locations that needed to be checked. Pits that no one had heard hide nor hair out of in years, but still needed checking.
Most were entirely empty and so Arthur created sigils that he would graffiti onto the towers to indicate the new government he was creating to hand off, but one place was occupied.
An outcast group of goblin warriors wandered it's depths all armed to the teeth. Arthur had quickly thrown up a hand to stop his companions from immediately killing them all.
Upon interrogating them the goblins explained that the land was owned by the Most Sin still, but they had seen no one in these pits since they arrived and did not care.
When Arthur said he was claiming this land for a new government the warriors merely shrugged and accepted it.
Upon leaving is when the incident happened:
They had to cross a river to start the trek to Razorbridges and had crossed many rivers since they had set out weeks ago. Arthur plunged in first and although the current was pushing him he made it to the other side, although it made him suddenly aware how exhausted he was from the day's labors.
Miara was next as she jumped in, but she began to flounder and struggle as the river quickly pushed her downstream towards the waterfall.
Arthur did not know what to do seeing his love endangered and started to run alongside to catch up. Unsure of what to do he jumped in himself and that was when he realized he truly didn't have enough energy left to cross it. He began to flounder and choke on water. He could barely continue to swing his arms as he drowned, but just barely crawled back on land sputtering and choking.
"Miara" he tried to yell, but it only came out as a croak.
Birello crossed this time. She had little trouble and seemed to ride the current to the other side before pulling herself up.
"Miara!" Arthur yelled as he began running to the edge of the waterfall desperate to find her.
Uvel jumped in the water shouting enthusiastically and did not come up for a long time.
Arthur was still looking for Miara as Uvel finally popped his head out from the water. He was precariously close to the waterfall and his laughter and enthusiasm ended as he realized his peril. He began swimming as hard as he could for the other side as he neared the edge.
Arthur paused his search and leaped thrust out a hand to reach for uvel as the goblin gripped the side as hard as he could. He was hanging over the edge of the waterfall now!
He roared defiance against nature itself as he forced one hand forward to grab a handhold, but as he did his grip was lost and in a moment Uvel was flung over and out of sight.
Time froze as Arthur laid there, hand still outstretched, looking where the goblin had been and now was not.
"Arthur!" he heard a voice yell and then cough violently after.
He turned to see Miara climbing the hill where the waterfall led down. She was soaked and coughing. Arthur ran and hugged her as Birello creeped behind and looked over the waterfall. "I was able to grab onto some roots as I fell and pulled myself up" she said after he calmed
"Did you see, Uvel?"
"No? He fell too?"
"Come on let's go find him!"
They had to go roundabout to get down to where they could get into the river and swim to the base of the waterfall.
There he was. Dead in the water.
They all stared silently for a time not sure what to say.
"I've never met a goblin who could be so honest about himself or so optimistic about life" said Arthur
"He dreamed of the top only to fall to the bottom" Miara muttered
"And the weak shall perish" Birello stated sending a shiver down Arthur's spine.
How could these creatures be so cold?They briefly detoured from Razorbridges to stop by a camp of outcast warriors Birello knew of to find Uvel's replacement. Another goblin warrior named Nita gladly joined the party in exchange for battle and entertainment, but Nita lacked the chattiness of Uvel and his enthusiasm.
Arthur and the team were welcomed to Razorbridges by the seven dwarves left living there. For being one of the most important locations in the world, a literal bridge between many nations, the settlement had seen intense decay.
Only seven dwarves remained, some of whom had come here when they were infants. While the bridge itself was still plenty of sturdy age had left moss growing in places. Buildings and furniture looked as if one strong gust of wind would destroy it forever.
So when Arthur asked if they could live in the area for a time as it's protectors the dwarves agreed excitedly
"It beats having to hide in the mines any time an army comes through!" Shouted one.
They offered the four wealth and amenities, but Arthur declined as he felt bad demanding too much of the poverty stricken dwarves: All he and Miara would need is a good platform in the trees to sleep in and dedicate to the great spirit, and many some wine. Although the wine part was questionable as the barrels had more holes in them than barrel!
Within two weeks of their settling a wagon showed up.
It was filled to the brim with coin and a missive from the Lord of Incenseorder requesting that the dwarves make use of his wealth to repair the bridge and prepare for a large influx of new residents. The duo of elves were suspicious, but preferred to simply have nothing to do with their former friend and allowed what would happen to happen.
Years would pass...
In this time the population crept from 7 to near 200
Many Dark Ones and probable necromancers arrived. Arthur and Miara avoided them recalling the horrifying image of the human Uvash being punched in the throat by one and suffocating after.
A massive boarding house was built onto the bridge to provide a common sleeping room
Guild halls, new work platforms, and more were built on the level below the bridge.
An old dwarven invention, thought lost, was built onto the bridge. The purifying well: A well that purified salt water and allowed dwarves to access water without leaving the safety of the bridge.
A square was built on the south side with a large iron statue of Maloy striking down a Blighted Thrall
Arthur and his companions acted as the town's defenders and eventually were handed honored titles given to great warriors relative to their fighting style:
Arthur - Spearmaster
Miara - Bowmaster
Birello - Master Lasher
Nite - Swordmaster
The Most Sin was fought off multiple times in this time, and the only time any civilians truly died was when an undead weremoose invaded. Before the four could arrive it got onto the bridge and fought with a weaponsmith colonist. The dwarf was knocked clean over the bridge, but not before dragging the beast with him. The dwarf drowned, but the werebeast could not breath. Instead unable to swim it was trapped at the bottom of the ocean for years.
and a certain other surprise greeted the elven couple...
Elven births in this day and age were incredibly rare, but triplets? Many thought it impossible.
"This is Cacame's favor. The great spirit is letting us know that we are chosen" Miara opined
Arthur was not nearly as devoted as she, but he could at least say that he was incredibly grateful.
Caring for babies also led to them missing an important battle. The Most Sin attacked from the north for once. Whether this was a strategy or merely an army wanting to shortcut back from attacking elsewhere was anyone's guess.
Nita, Birello and some dwarven warriors went forward to meet them.
Birello hung upon the branches of a tree over top a pond lashing at goblins as they attempted to do the same to attack her. They shot her down and she fell into the pond and drowned soaking the pool red.
Nita died in the same battle surrounded and beaten to death
Year 272Arthur awoke from his sleep in his tree house. His family was already out and about, because today was the big day.
His children had celebrated their first birthday two weeks before and Miara and Arthur agreed that one of them could now leave to continue their work across the land while the other stayed to parent.
Dwarves believed in communal raising and so offered to allow them both to leave, but this sounded as nonsense to the elves. No, just Arthur would leave.
When he crossed the bridge south, spear in hand, and waterskin filled with wine for once instead of water, he found his precious daughter pretending to be a great warrior in the barracks.
He hugged her and kissed her forehead before leaving.
He said goodbye to the others and began to finish his crossing to head south when his wife sprinting down calling to Arthur "Wait wait!"
She fell to the ground as she reached him and he picked her up and hugged her.
For all it's challenges and evil present in it; life in this world was good for Arthur.
He was a new man compared to when he came here 5 years ago. Before he was in patchwork wooden armor and torn clothes.
Now he left in fully exceptional and custom made iron and bronze armor.
He was now a father whose physical strength and muscles made him stronger and faster than most mortal creatures, even with armor on.
It was time. He would finish securing the border lands for the citizens on this land, alone.
OOC:
ACH! I really thought I'd be done by Entry Four. So sorry it's taking up to 5 entries to finish this! It's just long enough where I need to break it up into one last final part to come!
Also I love that Spacefox has sprites for elven children.
Razorbridges was a ton of fun to work on. If bral let's me keep working on it I think I wanna add a village around the square in the south and maybe one on the northern end of the bridge to really give it the appearance of being lived in.
Author
Topic: Museum III, adventure succession game (DF 0.47.05) (Read 409985 times)