Growing Pains

Excerpts from the book of Erith, 22;16

The Newcomers

4th sandstone, mid autumn

Momentous news! A great flood of refugees has found its way over hill and stone, through great peril, to our very doorstep. In the evening after our workshops were cleaned and our tools put up in their rightful places, Cerol came running into our dining hall with word that a great party of Dwarves (perhaps following the tracks of the great wains used by the traders) was making its way up the mountainside from the river valley below.  We kept the gates up and armed ourselves, expecting the worst. There were a tense few minutes, until Muthkat recognized one of the newcomers as Athel Cugganiden, a mining forman from Fallstanford.  How such a large party survived two winters in the wild I do not know, some of these poor wretches have a pointedly haunted look about them, it is better I think, not to ask.  They number 28 in all, and without exception they are frail shadows of their former selves. There are children among them, sad little things wrapped in filthy blankets, upon entering the gates many of them wept.

These new arrivals are frightened and easily led, and although they are all unclean in the eyes of our god, we have plenty of stores, so it was decided by Urdim that they will be offered shelter and food here with us, and to those of them who submit to the will of Armok, tools and worthy quarters. Upon hearing this announcement the refugees burst into cheers, some weeping openly, some pulling their beards contentedly, and it was some time before they could be organized into a party to clear rubble for the dormitory, which I quickly set about digging for them. In short order it was done, and after inscribing the 6 tenants of the wall, we dragged in what spare furniture we had for them, and just like that our humble warren has tripled in size.

7th sandstone, mid autumn

We must tread carefully with the unbelievers now. They are many and if pushed to far might come on us unawares and wrest from us control of our hard won home.  It is as if Fallstanford, not content with humiliating us and persecuting us for our beliefs, has followed us here and is mocking us from beyond the grave.  Already, sheriff Zuglar tells me that the seeds of discontent are growing, if not plucked soon, they will bear us a bitter harvest.  Yesterday Zuglar spied Thobiseth and the embittered Kubuk talking in hushed and hurried words as they planted hideroot.  After meeting in secret with Zuglar and Urdim, it was concluded that Thobiseth is aware of Armok’s displeasure with him, and is not content to bear his wrath. Perhaps, we reasoned, he needs a dwarf who can train other disillusioned heathens in violence, violence to be directed at us. Urdim says it is time to act, to set an example for these new arrivals while they are still frightened, weak from their journey, and disorganized.

The Dormitory

Thobiseth, it was decided, must die along with Kubuk, only then will

we be safe, having cemented our divine right to rule these people by a bloody demonstration of the power of Armok!  Tobiseth was needed, at least till winter,  to teach the refugees how to farm our fields, Kubuk however, will be sacraficed to Armok as soon as preperations are completed. Death to all those who would appose the will of Armok!

13th Moonstone, early winter

Over the course of the last month, I have labored alongside Adil and Muthkat in secret by night to construct a sacraficial chamber.  Tunneling near the pond, a chamber with three valves has been hollowed out of the loam. Floodgates seperate the tunnels that connect  the chambers together, and these are linked via clever rock mechanisms to our holy sanctum beside our rooms.  When one lever is pulled, water from the pond rushes in and fills the room, drowning its occupant, the next lever opens the other floodgate, and pushes the water into a chamber where we will grow our underground crops, muddying the water and preparing the ground for our seeds. Tommorow, we will trick Kubuk into this chamber, where he will find his destiny.

The execution and cultivation chambers

The sanctum, with chest containing the holy tablets

Next: The Sacrafice