1st Malachite, 211, Mid-Summer
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The only person in the fort left tantruming is the king, and even he's doing it far less than he was when this all started. Many of the dwarves are still miserable, but I think we've avoided a catastrophic tantrum spiral. Even with a miasma coming from the kitchen, those goat cheese roasts sure seem to have done the trick!
It's time to make good on my promise. I designate an order to mine Asob out of her bunker, along with whomever else she's been harboring. I'll be honest, I'll miss these last few days with only three consorts blabbering mandates into my ear, but even that is harder to bear without Asob's cheerful respite... provided she's still cheerful with me. Come to think of it... I might just arrange a party once we've extracted them!
Meanwhile, since we're mining away, I increase the size of our raw adamantine piles near the craftshops and set orders to extract strands on repeat. It's so tempting to begin work on weaponry and suits of adamantine armor, but I'm afraid our smiths aren't quite skilled enough yet. It would be a waste for someone to do a sloppy job with such material.
I've also ordered the reconstruction of the "noble shower" mechanisms. You know, it's awfully strange that a demon who attacked us and raided our crypts would also destroy a mechanism used primarily for... er, "pruning." This, as well as recent confirmation that some well-known places where dwarven bones were visible yet unretrievable at the bottoms of ponds are now devoid of our comrades' remains, leads me to believe their real goal was the corpses and bones specifically. Perhaps destroying our mechanism was a message - that the remains who have fallen into the abyss are truly impossible to retrieve, even by demonkind. Who knows... maybe they're still alive, still falling forever into nothingness... Hmm...
There's also the matter of the ballista towers. A few of the remaining fortifications were suspended due to the attacks. I reorder their completion, and then set to thinking of another project for the masons. Any distraction at all from the misery around here will be a welcome one. Briefly, I entertain thoughts of building a mega-statue, but in the end I decide this doesn't appeal to me. First of all, what we're doing here is supposed to be covert. A big freaking statue will draw too much attention. Secondly, it's completely impractical! What would be its purpose? No, whatever we build next has to have some kind of function... perhaps we could extend the ballista towers with a full arrangement of castle walls? I kind of like that, but castles are more of a human thing... though not strictly unheard of.
My musings are interrupted by ézum ňnulód, the recently elected mayor. "Zon, my friend, how's it going? You, me, we got a jive to sit through, though it's no big deal. Nothin' major, not at all, just need a little one-on-one time with the Zonster." Though appearing cool and collected with a big fake grin plastered under his beard, his sudden intrusion betrays the urgency of his visit.
Like Asob, he is also of the Miner's Union, and with his recent elevation in status along with Asob's disappearance he has taken charge of managing the mining orders. Truth be told, I've never liked the guy. He strikes me as a skilled flatterer, a proficient intimidator, and a skilled liar, just to name a few of his impressive personal skills. In retrospect, I now regret being absent for his inauguration... I wonder what speech he gave to persuade the dwarves into electing him?
"Ah. ézum. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Oh, nothing much! Not a big deal at all. Great fort we've got here, and it's an honor to get elected mayor. New responsibilities as a leader, feels pretty big! But not too big. Know what I mean?"
I'm quickly getting a feel for how this dwarf works, so I attempt to give him as little fuel for his swindling as possible. "Mmhm. It's good to see that you're up for this challenge."
There's a bit of a pause, as he expects me to say something else. This, of course, is exactly what I intend. "Ah, yeah, no doubt about it! Shouldn't be too big a challenge for me. Though it is a big deal, but it's not. Get it? Yeah, 'course you do. You wouldn't be the head honcho, the big goat cheese roast, the wedge woman if you didn't."
I nod, silently wondering to myself what the heck 'wedge woman' means. I'm guessing it's some corny euphemism for being a cornerstone to the fortress's development, but more likely he's intentionally using an unfamiliar phrase to poke some sort of intellectual weakness out of me. I ignore the statement and make a mental note of this as I proceed. I carefully prepare a bait to test my theories about his character. "Of course. Eleven years in charge does grant a certain wisdom about leadership."
"Yeah, I hear that! Had to make a lot of mistakes to get to where you're at, right?" He laughs jovially. I fake a smile. Wait for it... "Azinodos killing all those migrants before you finally took him out, all those unexplained noble disappearances, the big lava trap not working out - heck, what about this demon incursion? Bet you learned a lot from those recent losses, am I right?" He laughs again, making it all look like some big joke.
His tactics are perhaps worse than I suspected. I knew that he might leap for the first vulnerability I gave him, but such a ruthless attack so early? He even brought up Azinodos! So, this guy has dirt on me from all the way back when we started. No doubt he has dirt on every single dwarf who could possibly oppose him as a leader. It's all starting to become so clear to me how he won this election. Still, I have already prepared a counter for this. I nod grimly. "Indeed, I have learned much of the strength of our kind from the sacrifices of our kin. Our warriors trained night and day for such a glorious battle, and while it is regrettable that they are no longer among us, I'm proud to have stood beside dwarves brave enough to die in battle against such fierce opponents, and prouder still to stand alongside dwarves who have fought denizens of hell and lived to tell the tale."
He nods, again with the stupid plastered grin, and again pausing. Precisely as planned - I've dared him to take another jab when the honor of our kind, and specifically our military, is on the line. He has no honorable choice but to surrender his attack. "Yes, yes, Armok must be pleased to have such warriors now at his service."
"Of course. Now then, ézum, I have a lot of work to do quelling dissent among the populace. I must apologize, but I fear I don't have the time at present to trade stories. Was there a particular matter you wished to bring to my attention?"
"Ah! Yes, that. Again, not a big deal. It's about the recent mining designations."
"Are you having trouble digging the adamantine? I assure you, we've seen the last of the spirits of fire. The pit is sealed forever."
"Oh, not at all! My fellow miners are fearless. In fact, my concern is just the opposite. You and I both know that stuff is mint. Pure profit. A money mine."
"Let's not forget that the strength of that material will protect the lives of our military," I state with a hint of warning.
"Of course, of course. So, you and I both know that it's incredibly important to mine that stuff!"
"Mmhmm..."
"So, I just wanted to run this past you - see how this feels on ya - how about if you let us mine all the adamantine, without interruptions? Think you could belay some of those distractions? It's a win-win, if you ask me."
"Distractions? I don't follow you, ézum."
"You know, distractions! Other mining designations. Anything unrelated to getting our hands on that demon booty."
...Now I'm uncertain whether he's prodding for weaknesses, or he's just plain stupid. "Well, sure, that seems in line with our priorities, but--"
"Fantastic! So, I'll just go ahead and cancel any other mining designations."
"Hold on! I can't have all of the miners work solely on adamantine uninterrupted. There may be times when, in an emergency, we need something or someone dug out right away. For instance--"
"Ah, well Zon, baby, that's where YOU come in! See, so long as nobody makes any mistakes, nobody will get themselves trapped on the west side of a wall they just built. See, we can just be more vigilant in our other orders so the miners don't need to stop digging."
"Why is this so important to you, ézum? It seems to me that while you're not saying it outright, there's a particular mining designation you don't wish to complete."
"Nah! I'm just as excited as you to get all that adamantine out ASAP. I want to be the mayor who sets the record on fastest profit in the fort, you dig?"
Maybe I imagined it, but I could swear his voice got just a bit louder at the words 'I want to be the mayor.' Regardless, I think ézum has unintentionally revealed his true intentions to me. I feel my anger begin to flare up, but I mustn't let him get to me. "I cannot abide the Miner's Union ignoring my orders for any reason, profitable or otherwise. There are safety issues to consider, and our safety is more valuable than the adamantine."
"Sure, sure... that's why we opened the demon pit in the first place, right?"
"
We did not open it. We were victims of their sorcery."
ézum lounges back in his chair and inspects his fingernails. "I gotcha, I gotcha. Sorcery which caused a pit-shaped slab of rock suspended precariously on a rigged pillar to suddenly fall. Look, Zon, if we're gonna lead together, you and I have to see eye to eye. It's no secret you intended to get in there sooner or later. Whether now was the time... it's not really that important. What's done is done, and we've got all kinds of sweet loot to gain. Lives were lost, sure, but - and you said it first - Armok would be proud of our sacrifice."
Fool! I quit paying attention to what I was saying for one second, and I let him get away with that. Enough of this farce. "I simply will not agree to cancel all other mining designations for the duration of the adamantine excavation. In fact, there is one particular designation which takes higher priority - and if I don't see Asob standing before me within the next five minutes, I'll hold you in contempt before the king!"
"Ha! Haha... Asob? The little elf coward is more important than--"
I do not let him finish. I slap that smug grin right off his damn face, and I stare him down. "The only coward I see is the one sitting before me. Are you really so afraid of Asob that you would ensure she remains locked away, out of your sight, until the end of your term? Until the next term, perhaps? You only won this election because Asob was unable to attend, and you know this. I see you, you filty worm, and I see that you intend to keep her indisposed as long as you can, just so you can keep defeating her one election after the next. You are a disgrace. Now you get the hell down there, you put that filthy pick in your grubby little hands, and you get digging."
ézum's eyebrow twitches, and then he begins breathing heavily through his nose. He then lets out a powerful yell.
"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY FACE?! NOBODY TOUCHES MY FACE!! I'M NOT DIGGING OUT THAT HALF-RATE EX-MAYOR AND THAT'S FINAL! I WORKED HARD TO GET WHERE I AM, AND NOBODY'S GOING TO TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME!!"
I sigh. Of course... we're not quite through the tantrum spiral yet. I mentally kick myself for giving the wheel another turn as he storms out of my office, in tears and screaming down the hall.
Seeing as ézum is presently out of commission, I hoist my axe and set off down the hall, hoping I won't need it. I make my way towards the weapon stockpiles in search of a pick - I'll just dig her out myself.
...But it seems I won't need to. As I journey through the dormitories, I see Asob, along with three other dwarves I haven't seen in just as long a time huddled closely behind. I smile to myself as I see Asob scribbling away in my journal, recording events in real time - just like I do. I hadn't been aware she had learned to do that, but I guess she's had a lot of time to practice.
They appear to have encountered a wild The Overlord. I actually have no idea how to stop him from engaging them, but I'll go ahead and give it a try. I might as well stop writing, too, - no need, since I'm sure Asob's getting all this right now.
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Topic: Severedcoils - Consort Accumulation Challenge (Score: 5) (40d + DnD 5e) (Read 125373 times)