With fall upon us, and our military forces having proven themselves more than capable of defending us from those who covet what we have, I realized there was one important order of business I had to attend to, and I had absolutely no idea how to handle it. I had more or less continued my exile from the other dwarves, by spending nearly every moment working on the detour project. I think the dwarves of Gemclod accepted this, as the invaders outside had impressed upon us all the sense of urgency. Of course, I would have expected someone to tell me once the invaders had left, but I suspect my intense focus on the project was responsible for that. Not many are willing to disturb a dwarf who has apparently returned from the dead, especially when that dwarf is so single-mindedly pursuing such a task. Not unlike the way everyone avoids a dwarf who has been taken by a mood.

Perhaps I could avoid it for a little while longer, yet. There were still some other tasks to be handled, such as the traders in the depot. Additionally, I feel it would be wise to bolster the numbers of The Gilded Men, and perhaps the ranged attack team known as The Knives of Domination, as well. For that, I will have to post a recruitment notice as soon as possible.

At the trade depot, I personally arrange the transfer of a vast amount of goods. We trade at a loss, even though we buy everything the caravan has to offer, but the goal is not monetary profit here. Instead, we seek to spread the word that Gemclod is alive and thriving, by spreading our goods across the world. Hopefully, the message will be received and we will soon see immigrants looking to join us.



I still haven't seen Boing in some time, although I have a constant feeling of being watched. I suspect that is merely due to the strange, sidelong looks I get from those who remember my death, though.

ElPottoGrande wrote :-

From the mangled remains of one of the Arrogant Ones, one might find a finely processed parchment marked upon in high-grade ink in crisp, flourished script:

Ihiine v. Strifefulmeadows,

Command has seen fit to bestow upon you the task of ridding a swamp region of a dwarven infestation. A greater force was sent in to investigate claims of a thriving bastion of dwarven “civilization,” only to find a rather lacking but well-fortified bunker. The dwarves sealed themselves in and it was deemed unnecessary to waste the time and effort to crack the shell of these hairy tortoises.

You are to lead a small cleansing party of no more than twenty able bodies to lie in wait for the dwarves to drop their guard. It would be most appreciated by your superiors if you could do it with less men, and not waste the time and talents of your kin. We are sure you will understand our meaning.

The last scouting party reported the feeble beginnings of what may be a road under construction. Given the dwarven fixation on construction, they will surely open their doors at some point to complete their “project.” Also, given that the dwarves opted to hide instead of fight, it is presumed they have no standing military and what may have been assembled before your arrival will be weak and unskilled (by dwarven terms). Lie in wait until they have dropped their guard, then move in with your forces and destroy them.

With the destruction of this hole in the swamp, it is believed we will have successfully broken the remaining dwarven clusters into groups too small and wide spread to maintain a breeding population. While your mission is not challenging, it is rewarding.

We expect a full report in two months’ time.