1 Granite
I’ve just returned from the bloodsoaked halls northeastunder the trade depot… the red tint upon the ore stockpile isn’t due to iron content.
While I was enraptured by my paperwork this winter, I missed a fell incident – one Dishmab Tarongeshud, having angered the gods in some previous blasphemy, manifested a werelizard curse and shamed our halls with beastly violence. This incident was resolved quickly – the dead laid to rest, the injured identified and treated – and we thought it was behind us.
One astonishingly tenacious kitten was involved in the fray – snatched up by the beast, he bit so fiercely that he survived a much more frightening bite in return. We have dubbed him “Saurphage” in honor of his ambition. He has been spared the customary cat-gelding, that his progeny may protect and inspire our kin forever.
A solemn goodbye was bid to Nish the stoneworker. After his wounds were treated, he accepted exile from our halls with dignity. Perhaps a lesser dwarf would have protested, but he has assumed the burden of solutide with some pride – to know that he may carry a contagious curse out of our reach. He is to dig himself a solitary hall elsewhere, and take full moons behind a barred door for the rest of his life.
26 Granite
…Alas! Our scrutiny was careless, incomplete! For one moon, the fortress recovered and reassured one another – but the curse was not at bay. We cast out any we suspected of werebeast infection, but we missed Kivish Virginseals. Now she lies dead by our hands, and again it is time to mete out exile to the bitten…
Good Edem has committed no crime but still we must cast him out. Perhaps he will return to his wife’s home.
This time, some of the surviving bitten are guests to our fort. We must debase ourselves this month – sever our welcome to the traveler and send them forth into the winter, until a full moon passes without incident. Armok knows what this measure will do to our reputation…
Sodel, too, is sent forth when the blood has scarcely dried. He refused even a mug of drink for his long and endless travel away.
But the true story here is that of Meng “Roughpolish” the miner! Quiet, unassuming Meng – but spurred to greatness by his love of cats.
“Saurphage” the kitten. Saurphage, pet of Meng, who fearlessly attacked and bit the first werelizard to attack our town. How Meng talked of his brave kitten! How he told us what an exemplar the wee beast is! We merely humored his words then, but now his voice is as a treasure to us.
Meng has earned our undying admiration – he took the inspiration from his brave kitten and waged war on the second werelizard. A dozen frantic bodies churned until Meng strode fearlessly in and his unerring pick felled the wretch! One stroke, and her head came clean off!
Kitten and owner are united in their fearless might. We have commemorated the occasion with metal statuary – iron for lizard and cat, and precious platinum for the dwarven hero who won the day.
(Side note, I didn’t even notice that Meng owned Saurphage until I commissioned a statue – and it came out depicting the two of them embracing! Incredible.)
Meng is an adherent of the Cult of Deceivers – worshippers of mighty Vucar the God of Murder. We now honor the worshipper of Vucar by dedicating a holy site – according to the rites, we have “Profaned” a temple, and named it in honor of St. Meng himself. The temple holds the twin statues of the paragons of righteous murder. A holy moment revealed itself, and murder blessed our fortress.
The floor of the temple is adorned with an image of Meng’s pickaxe, dripping blood.
Meanwhile, adherents of The Faith of Bone have taken the carnage as a rapturous blessing from their morbid god Tarem the Bone of Skulls. To them, death and suicide are divine… and this cheery flock make up the great majority of our town!! So far they seem sociable and dedicated enough to our cause, but I shiver when I hear their prayers…
In “honor?!” of the werebeast attacks, they have insisted we establish a grander and more ominous space for their worship. They even requested I hand over the werelizard skeleton to venerate! No way in Hell am I going to turn down several dozen ardent worshippers of death:
I may not share the inexplicably prosperous faith, but I do appreciate a job well done. Now that we’ve gotten everything installed, this temple is truly magnificent and I’m never setting foot in it ever again:
I don’t know what duties the Holy Bone and High Dust have, but both of them are very happy. I can tell by all the preaching and singing. Even when they finally stop and I fall asleep, they come back to me in my nightmares…