Aluudon [DF]

Thriggle's Log: 7th Sandstone, 251, Mid-Autumn - Immigrants In Love

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Spoiler
Dear Diary,

I don't know how, but our secret expedition must not have been as secret as we thought.



Six more migrants joined us today, desperate souls unwilling to languish in the stifling, claustrophobic halls of our homeland. Brave enough to march on foot through human and boglin infested territory, to an unknown land and an unknown future, they are truly worthy individuals.

What I don't understand is how they keep arriving from the north side of our outpost, coming out of the vast black desert instead of the grasslands to our south. Perhaps they followed the human route to the Mountain of Riches by boat, then--finding no evidence of our outpost there--wandered south through the desert to seek us?

I spoke briefly with our new migrants to assess their skills and worth to the outpost.

The aged Pick Your Poison Groovelance and Naut Minedipped are a wed couple. The husband Pick Your Poison is a hunter of no small skill, claiming 81 kills from the Vanished Jungle during his time as a member of the Mysterious Diamond in the mountainhall of Blowngilt. Naut is a seamstress and gem cutter. Pick Your Poison did not bring his crossbow for some reason, so I guess we'll have to make one for him.





Kumil Dentcloistered is an elderly soap maker who apparently left his wife behind in the mountainhall of Orbstongs. He told me he's confident under pressure, so I assigned him to mining duty so he can travel to the more highly pressurized sections of our outpost.

Kadol Circleguilds is a weaver also hailing from Orbstongs. She told me she's here "for the kicks." I told her that as long as she's careful while milking the yak cow, she shouldn't have to worry about kicks.

Rovod Laborboards and Vucar Roomspecial are another married couple. The wife, Rovod, tells me that she really like pressing things, but I fail to see how one can make a career out of such a hobby. She also claims to be competent at hunting with a crossbow, though she says she's never shot anything other than stationary targets before. She brought a bronze crossbow and 34 copper bolts. Her husband Vucar also practices the crossbow as a hobby, but the only living things he's felled are trees. I was delighted to see that he brought a bronze battle axe with him. I appreciate that these two are willing to contribute to our success with their own resources, especially given the metal shortage here.

Speaking of which, shortly after I was alerted of the new migrants arrivals, Leafsword told me that he and Purple Walrus had spotted a vein of Galena deep in the mineshaft. This is excellent news; we can smelt galena into lead and silver. The silver we can use to make nice, heavy hammers, crossbow bolts, and enormous spiked balls to drop on tortoises--it will also make some nice furniture. The lead we can trade to the elves or something, I don't know.

Thriggle's Log: 8th Sandstone, 251, Mid-Autumn - Leafsword's Discovery

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Spoiler
Dear Diary,

I was helping construct a second mason's workshop today when Leafsword's feverish voice cried out, echoing from the central stairwell.

He'd been digging out the recently uncovered vein of Galena twenty stories below the surface when he made his discovery.











Amazing! Purple Walrus was right about the intriguing geology in this black sand desert, and the obsidian was indeed evidence of vulcanism.

And not only have we struck magma, but we've uncovered a vibrant subterranean cavern system!

Purple Walrus, digging nearby, eagerly poked her head into the caldera of the ancient volcano and helped Leafsword identify the gems and ores visible along the walls of the cavern, illuminated by the orange glow of the magma pool. Not only galena, but copper and iron are here for the taking!



After we make some preparations and safeguards against the volcano and its denizens, our anemic forge and the trappings of our metal industry can be dismantled, and new magma-fueled operations erected near the pool.

But the caverns and magma, boon though they are, may be dangerous if not approached with respect.

After we'd all ogled at the beautiful glowing interior of the pool, and the glittering walls of the cavern, I ordered Leafsword to wall off the stairwell. Even back in Lashedwebs it's common knowledge that the creatures of the caverns are oftentimes more fearsome than the beasts that creep upon the surface of the world.



A floor below, level with the magma pool's surface, I've told the miners to carve out some rooms for the magma forges.



We can build our own mountain of riches right here in this desert; we no longer need look to the promised supply caravan for rescue.

Thriggle's Log: 28th Sandstone, 251, Mid-Autumn - Unorthodox Defenses

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Spoiler
I received a suggestion from Gnauga, the rather heavyset gemcutter who crawled in out of the desert behind the first wave. It involves a rather baffling plan to secure the supply caravan's entrance in such a way that a wagon might enter but a person on foot might not.



It seems unlikely to work, but I'm willing to give it a shot.