Spring and Summer 1057, in which Alegate’s grandeur grows, and strange folk visit.

Spring 1057

Argus, Broker – Spring time. That means elven caravan. What beasts will they bring me this time?

Maltose, Duke – it is the spring equinox, and Founding Day! This will be a grand celebration. I shall have the porters take my bathing tub out of storage for this day!

Argus, Broker – The gorillas and grizzly bears are already bearing new young. I asked Thornbeard if there’s a way to make them grow up faster. He said no. I’ve been sneaking the young extra meat, and replacing their water with ale. If anything will get them ready for battle sooner, that will.

Maltose, Duke – It was a grand Founding Day! For the first time in four years, no invading army made a spring assault on our home.

During this day of feasting, I personally presented Alegate’s first mash axe medallions. I had ordered these made from gold in the shape of a miniature mash rake / axe to symbolize the vitality of the town.

These medallions were presented to individuals who had selflessly acted with ingenuity, bravery and steadfastness. Along with each medallion, an honorarium was given to keep them in comfort for a good while.

With each presentation, the recipient’s deeds were told for all to remember.

At the end of the feast, we were all entertained by the concert that Thornbeard arranged on the surface fairgrounds. Musicians gathered around the slab that marks where The Roc fell, and sang of heroic deeds. Thornbeard called it “The First Annual Roc And Roll Festival”.

Maltose, Duke – my friend, Ecroh the goblin bard, is a sensitive soul. Seeing the aftermath of battles pains him, and so he has found work below ground.

Today I found him working with the masons. He was shaping a dog’s sarcophagus out of granite. The form of the container was so pleasing, and the decorations so refined, that it took my breath away. This goblin, who was once the captive of an evil dwarf, and later a bard, is now a shaper of stone, creating works that will rest with honor alongside the best of our dwarfcraft.

Fark, Chief Medical Dwarf – There was a work accident. A miner was expanding the lava moat, and slipped in. There is nothing left for the catacombs.

I tell myself this is a dangerous place, and that an accident can happen at any time, especially with the Great Work of the lava moat. But what surprised me was that it was miner Hode who fell in. She has survived two nearly suicidal missions before. She engineered the earth-hammer that smashed the evil blob of fire in the deep caverns. Before that, when we needed to send an avalanche of stone into the aquifer to build the lead stair, she was the one who struck out the last support. Both times, once she spat out all the rock dust, she was fine. It is hard to accept that her luck ran out.

Maltose, Duke – Miner Hode was a heroine of Alegate. It is thanks to her courage that the lead stair was built. It is thanks to her ingenuity that the fiery forgotten beast was crushed. She was the first recipient of the mash axe medallion of Alegate.

She will be missed. But remember: she worked the stone all her life, and now she is one with the stone. She is part of Alegate now.

Her mining pick, with which so much of our home was delved, was forged from red hot metal. Now it is liquid again, and so returned to what it once was. Its days of work are done, and it has found its resting place in our moat of lava. Mingled with that metal is the gold of Hode’s medallion.

We will honor her memory. Her husband and son will remain safe, thanks to the defenses she built.

Fark, Chief Medical Dwarf – The furniture for the living quarters is done. Each chamber is furnished in stone, and wood, and cavern-wood. Some chambers are somber and uniform. Some have a startling mix of colorful cavern-woods. I would not be able to sleep on a bright blue bed next to a hot pink dresser and a green coffer. But some dwarves like it that way. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The citizens’ quarters. As families share rooms, there are enough chambers for everyone.

Today I built some new book cases for the library out of nether-cap. The indigo wood has a mysterious look, and anything that rests on the shelves is cold to the touch. Sometimes there’s a bit of mist around it. Now that’s carpentry.

Thornbeard, Scout – Seven years ago, two dogs arrived at this place with the seven founders of Alegate. Those two were my hunting companions in the early days. At first, the male earned the name “The Unreasonably Violent Dog”. But in time that battle-scarred hound became a disciplined hunter.

In the years since, The Unreasonably Violent Dog and his mate were blessed by Zefon Yearlingfountains, and bore many puppies. Those in turn bore many puppies. Their progeny took over patrol the surface, and the original dogs remained my companions, and friends.

I lost a friend today. I found the Unreasonably Violent Dog curled on my bed as if he were sleeping. But he is not going to wake again. Age has finally caught up with him. His scarred body will rest in our catacombs, entombed in a stone sarcophagus. There he will lie forever.

Maltose, Duke – we have wrought the last of our godmetal into weapons. There are soldiers who have become attached to old gear, and opt to use weapons made of lesser metals, but still there is a demand for more of the adamantium weapons. Yesterday, I saw Broker Argus practicing with an adamantium sword. Today he’s carrying an adamantium spear.

It is time to harvest more. We now know the greatest of the godmetal spires is hollow. With that knowledge, we can mine carefully higher on the spire. We will be cautious. We must have more.

A miner (blue) picks godmetal from the stone. Laborers carry the godmetal to the forges. A dog wanders through, following her master. Raging demons (&) lurk nearby, kept away by a thin sheet of godmetal.

A section of the magma forge level. Bright blue godmetal nuggets (*) and ingots (Ξ) can be seen. The deep tavern is in on the lower right. It has polished floors (+) and engraved walls.  Food and drink are stockpiled against the tavern’s west and north walls.

Thornbeard, Scout – I met a strange traveller in the deep tavern today. She was dressed like royalty, but she spoke like a peasant. Her jaguar hide robe was of superior quality, and had bright spikes of nickel silver. She had a cloak of cave swallow feathers, decorated with green gems. All her clothes were of similar dazzling richness.

When I arrived, she was telling the tale of the second monarch of the Oceanic Attic, who gave up the throne over a thousand years ago to lead a necromancer cult. This necromancer has ruled her disciples from a tower in the western forests ever since. In the past six years, she has expressed outrage at the elves for devouring the bodies of sapient beings, and so sent armies of animated corpses to raid elven settlements and demand tribute.

After the traveller was done telling her story, I talked to her. She said she is no noble, but a simple vagabond passing through.

There is something strange about this one. We will have to keep an eye on her.

The markings around these items, such as «, * or -, each indicate that the item is decorated or of especially fine quality. In rare cases, a traveller may arrive with one item that has one mark beside it. Many of this peasant’s items have three marks.

Maltose, Duke – The trade road is complete. It is a sparkling quartzite ribbon extending north and east of Alegate. If traders and visitors can make it to our hilltop, their last few hundred yards will be a pleasant stroll.

There is still a line of traps to catch any beasts that don’t use the road. Once past that line, the road is lined with stone statues. The craftsdwarves were allowed to choose the nature of the statues. They are an eclectic mix. There are monsters that roamed this area, monuments to major events in Alegate, and gods of the world.

Seven years ago, we were sleeping on the grass and digging in a damp hole. Now Alegate is a mighty, walled bastion of civilization.

The sparkling quartzite road, lined with statues (Ω). Spring flowers add color to the scene.

Fark, Chief Medical Dwarf – “Bastion of civilization”? Okay, the north side does look pretty nice, I’ll give you that. Just don’t show them the west side.

The statues by the road are a nice touch. Especially the one of me with the anacondas. Such impressive creatures, anacondas. I’m pretty sure Ecroh made that one. Maybe Lokum would like to have a picnic by that statue.

Argus, Broker – it is the last day of spring, and no elven caravan showed up. Disappointing.

Maltose, Duke – There was no diplomat from the elves, either. That is a concern. There was no siege or fire this spring, so if the elves sent an envoy, he or she should have reached us safely. Could Alegate be in disfavor with the elves?

Summer 1057

Fark, Chief Medical Dwarf – The importance of staying hydrated cannot be overstated. And so the new brass flasks are a very good thing.

The soldiers of Alegate have always done what they can to keep drink at hand. In the early days, they carried hammered copper vessels, or whatever drinking skins they could find.

Now the forges are putting our surplus zinc to good use, and making shining brass flasks for the soldiers. Now they can stay properly hydrated, and look good doing it.

My name is Fark, Chief Medical Dwarf of Alegate, and I approve of these brass flasks.

Trees blossoming in the summer.

Maltose, Duke – On the 9th day of summer, my friend, the Law Giver of the Vigorous Confederacy, came to visit.

As always, he said appreciative things about the fortress, and I shared with him the fine spirits of Alegate.

When talk turned to the sieges of recent years, I expressed my consternation that the servants of the skinless gecko would continue their assaults, after having been repelled so many times.

My white-maned guest said his scholars have estimated the populations of the four civilized races. It is believed that the world currently holds six thousand elves, ten thousand humans, fourteen thousand dwarves, and sixty thousand goblins.

I must have looked shocked at the “sixty thousand” figure, for the Law Giver explained further. Most nations, he said, are crowded together in the northern part of the world. South of the steaming jungles, there are vast areas where the only nation is that of the skinless gecko. Goblins reproduce as frequently as humans, but never die of old age, and they remain fertile all their years. With no civilized nation to challenge them in the south, their numbers only grow. Murder is rampant in that civilization, as there is no law to prevent it, but that is not enough to curb their growth.

Thornbeard, Scout – I was sipping mead in the fairgrounds with sweet Stathra and my old hunting dog when the Vigorous Confederacy caravan arrived. Their wagons rumbled along the road, carrying exotic goods from the east coast.

The human guards of the Vigorous Confederacy were a strange sight. They wore strange leathers. The strangest was a hat that must have been made from fish hide. Their weapons were made of metals inferior to our dwarven steel, but they were impressive for their size — pikes, greatswords, and the like.

I wonder what the battles between the Vigorous Confederacy and the elves are like. I have heard that the elves do not fight like other races. Tales say the elves use stealth and ambush, and hunt their enemies like prey rather than marching into battle.

The wagons of the Vigorous Confederacy caravan arrive. The first wagon is pulled by yaks (Y), while the rest are pulled by horses (H).

Argus, Broker – The humans did not bring any interesting beasts. Only yaks, chickens, dogs … nothing big with sharp teeth. I miss the elven merchants.

They did have books, writing materials, exotic leather, and ingredients for drink. So I bought all that with some of our goblinite copper.

Over the years, these merchants have purchased many helmets with the rubber-tree sigil of the skinless gecko. It was thoughtful of our enemies to deliver those to us. I wonder what the Vigorous Confederacy is doing with all these helmets. They’re too small for humans. Children’s hats, perhaps? Decorative planters, maybe?

Thornbeard, Scout – A great deal of work goes into equipping a dwarven army.

I overheard a smith talking about it in the Drowned Langur. Each soldier of Alegate needs thirteen or more pieces of gear. The forges must provide each with a breastplate, a mail shirt, a helmet, a pair of greaves, two gauntlets, two boots, a weapon, a shield, and a flask. The leatherworkers must provide each with a cloak, a backpack for food, and perhaps a quiver. Also, the weapon shops are expected to produce a steady stream of crossbow bolts.

The makers of these things, the smith said, are only part of the picture. For each maker, there are numerous tanners, smelters, charcoal makers, wood cutters, miners, hunters and haulers working to provide the materials.

Though the soldiers are well equipped now, it is a continuing effort. Worn cloaks must be replaced. Additional steel armor is needed to replace inferior pieces, for equipment was made of rare bronze or raw iron when steel was scarce.

A Macedwarf (red) picking up a shining steel morningstar from the weapon stockpile.

Maltose, Duke – People of Alegate, great works are being produced in our library. So that all may appreciate these works, we shall delve a new annex to the library. This annex will be our new scriptorium.

Citizens, we will need volunteers. We must have scribes for our scriptorium. Those of you who enjoy the rustle of parchment and the scratch of the quill, you will be our scribes. It will be your task to copy the scrolls and codexes to fill our nether-cap shelves.

The scriptorium, to the west of the library. Some of the books written recently are “Classification Without Limits”, “The Windlass For Everyone”, and “The World Without Maps”. The dark blue book shelves in the middle of the library were made of nether-cap by Fark.