1st Felsite

I return to check on the state of Vox Nihili, who yet dwells in his well-earned prison. The banging on the doors has ceased. I can wager only that his grief and crippling, traitorous guilt have cast him into a spiralling torpor of nauseating and lethargic depression, if he has not already taken his own life.



With my fears about his potential escape laid to rest, I turn my attention to the state of affairs in Gemclod itself. Construction work has been proceeding slowly, for we are short of dwarfpower. Locomotive Breath convinces me to let the migrants work, for they can do little harm in laying bricks around the forges. I am resistant but in grudging agreement, and assign them to masonry duties. Nonetheless I tell Penguingo not to approach any of them, and to keep buckets of cold water nearby should any of them shed their disguises.



Numerous unscrupled animals contrive to wander aimlessly about the fortress and trip me as I am walking past. They are contemptuous in presenting a safety hazard to our Home. I order measures to be taken.



Angry Ed the butcher cracked his knuckles as he spoke to me, but I reminded him of Tradition and he walked away with his cleaver. K0npeito butchered without comment.

6th Felsite



Markus the first overseer has not had a drink in many days. I have been counting. Neither does he sleep. He does not appear sickly but I suspect he already gives himself to Mondul. I try to understand but do not.



The Great Hall seems empty at most hours of the day. Dwarfkin are too busy working to pay social meetings any heed. This is as it should be, though I find inside myself a disappointment that the architecture is not appreciated as much as it warrants. Work continues.



The new trade depot is complete and fully mechanised, as is the drainage ditch that leads into the under-caverns below. Should more enemies contrive to attempt infiltration of Gemclod in the guise of peaceful traders, we shall be ready for them.

22nd Felsite



I determine that long-term fortress defense would benefit from a reservoir of magma close to the surface. This will take time to implement, but the earlier we begin the better, and so I order the well-rested miners to begin excavating an upward tunnel in preparation for the building of pumps.

25th Felsite



There will be no more deaths in the forge-area, for our smiths are now fully protected against the hungry claws of cavern monsters that have taken the likes of Gomegoth and Banemaster. Sirab rest their bones. Despite the deaths to date, my term thus far has been largely uneventful, even as summer approaches. The migrants continue to work and have so far yet to ignite the drinks stockpiles. I am not wholly convinced that their dwarfness is genuine but I tolerate their presence without comment. The elves know where we make our stand, and it unnerves me to ponder what their delay in summoning an attack might mean.



Pressure mounts on me to prepare us for the inevitable battles to come. I order the formation of a new squad under the leadership of Cholfo, upon whom the falls the responsibility of training competent new soldiers. Teledahn, Clanrat and Willie Tomg are his subordinates. Willie objected but I told him to not worry, for if he is eaten by elves I shall gain new children from Bad Munki instead. Cholfo names his squad The New Paints and I order them to begin training immediately.



The Welcome Room has been fully stocked with steel spikes, although we lack sufficient mechanisms to enable its proper operation. I order a doubling of engineering works, but we have few who are able.

28th Felsite

Cythereal, Snollygoster and The_White_Crane of the Inky Systems approached me in my office and said that they are growing worried by Vox's absence. Evidently it has been over a month and they are unable to train for he is their squadleader. I told them to continue regardless and they wished for me to organise search parties. Before I was made to contrive an answer, our meeting was stopped dead by a cry of alarm.



Greenskins!

Jabor wrote :-

Oh hey, Greenskins!

...at least they're prettier to look at than our Overseer, amirite guys?

Charlie72 wrote :-

Posted on the Gemclod bulletin board in the Great Hall on 25th Felsite 265

Do you have a above average intellect? Are you open to new ideas? Do you want to help bring the Famous Palisade into a new golden age?

Then join SCIENCE TEAM! Meetings, as of this point, will be held in "Vox's Labyrinth of Vanity" on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 10 pm. We will also hold live experiments in "Vox's Tomb of Overcompensation" on Wesdays at 9 pm, which are open to non-members*. No pets allowed.

SCIENCE TEAM, FOR SILENCE!

Signed Dr. Charle72 Zonbasen, Head of SCIENCE TEAM.





*Only administrators, nobles, and full members get in for free. Tickets cost 2 dwarf bucks. Items of equal worth will be excepted as pay. Price is subject to change.

K0npeito wrote :-

The Distributed Journal of K0npeito Craftwealth
28th Felsite/Hallway to the Kitchen

First I'm put on forge duty, then on butchering duty, it's like all the recent overseers don't want us to dig, I mean sure I did a lot of digging before but I got really good at it and all this jobswitching is confusing like you wouldn't believe, of course I didn't complain because, well, someone has to do the butchering I suppose, and at least there weren't any donkeys because that would have been terrible, I don't think I could have gone through with it, but I do wish we'd get back to digging, and I promise it's not because of THE SECRET which I still haven't told anyone about, although I suppose it does influence my thinking somewhat because, really, how could it not, but it's mostly that I'm just really good at mining and I'd like to not have to ask Angry Ed how butchering works every five minutes to make sure I'm doing it right because I'm pretty sure that gets on everyone's nerves, and OH KUDUST PRESERVE US GREENSKINS

Leal wrote :-

Journal of Leal, Leatherworker

I have arrived at the fort called Gemcloud, who would figure there would be a dwarven fort in the middle of the swamp? It is perfect! No one would suspect it, this should be a safe heaven for dwarfkind.


Our overseer, Boing, surely mocks me! She asks me to perform mechanical work, does she not see that I'm a leatherworker? They all mock me, but when winter comes and they are all freezing their beards off, I'll be warm under the pelts of the bunnies I trap. Wait it doesn't get cold in a swamp does it, matter of fact what *can* I trap in a swamp



Disregard my earlier statement of being safe, no sooner had I arrived 3 poor souls were attacked by a.. giant cave dog. The creature does look like it can be made into a nice pair of boots however...

Oh now I hear shouting of greenskins outside. I may of doomed myself coming here. I wonder if I can make armor out of their skins to intimidate our foes....

Angry_Ed wrote :-

Journal Entry of Angry Ed Akrulison, 28th Felsite

I worry that power has gone to Boing's head. For no valid reason she ordered me to butcher all the stray animals in the fortress. When I balked, she reminded me of "Tradition". Tradition? Pah! Tradition is what got our race into this mess in the first place. Sometimes I wonder if, in some way, Pozzo was the only thing keeping the Beakdogs from flying apart at the seams.

I can hear the sounds of battle overhead, perhaps more Greenskins, but I am uncertain. Gemclod has seen many casualties in the past couple of months. Some from battle, some from...accidents. Who will be next to fall, I wonder?

(OOC: Loving Boing's attention to ancillary character details gleaned from their profiles)

Mahoshonen wrote :-

So the Overseer asked me to come up with an ad for our fort. Not that I think it needs advertisement - any dwarf has realized that this is the last worthwhile place in the kingdom. Still, I can give it a shot. Maybe a limrick will do the trick:

There once was a hole in the ground
In Gemclod, riches were found
With drink plentiful
And something-something

...Gah, I am not the creative type how am I-