The Birth of Seigedcraft
Expedition Leader: Zasit “Zathras” Umedëm - Bashful, cheerful, and loving, but a little violent, this minerdwarf leads the colonization effort for the glory of the dwarven kingdom of The Calm Lances. He has a very long amber-colored mustache and beard, that he’s arranged in double braids, but otherwise is completely bald. His ears are splayed and his nose is slightly upturned. Leave it to a noble to always turn his nose up at everything. He has a low voice, sandy taupe skin, and ochre eyes. His favorite things are iron, gems, and statues. Somehow, he was able to convince his lover, Limul Îtonrurast to join him on this journey, and he hopes to marry her someday, once the fortress he founded becomes a true city of the kingdom.
Armorer: Limul Îtonrurast - Envious, Vengeful, and cruel, but with a strong sense of duty, this metalcrafter performs her duty as the armor and secondary miner for the newly established colony. She is completely bald with a narrow upturned nose. She has tall ears and a low voice with sandy taupe skin and ochre eyes. Her favorite things are silver, steel, and...pigs. She is romantically involved with the expedition leader, which is likely why she’s here, but armory is a rare and useful talent, so she is quite welcome!
Mechanic: Alåth Ôsustrith - Violent, Humourous, and a little wasteful but quite proud of her work, the architect and mechanic of the crew spends most of her time building the various workshops of the fortress by hand. She was later nominated as the manager of the fortress due to her excellent organizational skills. She is a large dwarf, tall and very fat, but with a short head. She crops her golden hair short and out of the way of her work. She has tall ears and rounded ochre eyes. Her favorite things are nickel silver, backpacks, and sheep for their tendency to flock. Alåth is a friend of Zasit from a while back and an excellent architect who jumped at the chance to build a fortress from the ground up. She loves her work.
Mason: Alåth Tannish - Singleminded, emotional, and brave, the budding fortress’s mason dreams of building large castles and as such churns out an incredible number of stone blocks per day. She is tall and skinny with splayed ears and long eyelashes. She doesn’t have much of her copper hair, but what’s there is tied back in a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes while she works. Her skin is a sandy taupe and her eyes are large and ochre in her somewhat narrow face. Her favorite things are lead, linen, and weasel men because they have short legs. Hey, they’re cute to a tall lady, don’t judge.
Glassmaker: Kol Gatizdoren - A perfectionist, he wants nothing more than to realize his dream of creating a masterwork. So, hearing that a new fortress was being colonized in an area known for its pristine white sand, Kol just had to be a part of it. For his efforts, he’s been made the bookkeeper, presumably so he can keep a close eye on the bag supply so that there may always be sand available for glasswork, should inspiration strike him. Due to his incredible strength, he also helps out as an additional miner when the need arises. He is a tall, buff beefcake with very long, braided sideburns. He also has a long moustache and beard, both of which he neatly combs. He keeps his head nice and shiny, but at 87 years old his hair is starting to turn gray and he’s starting to gain some wrinkles. Kol likes aluminum, the color black, and giant hamster bones.
Blacksmith: Thikut Nótonral - Trusting, envious, and close-minded, a colleague of Limul, and an excellent weaponsmith, Zasit convinced Thikut to join them on the journey with the promise of having plentiful iron to work with. He often mines his own iron straight from the hills. He has a long chocolate-colored moustache and beard, but is otherwise bald. His ears are tall, his nose is narrow, and he has a low voice. He likes saltpeter, gauntlets, and snails for their shells.
Carpenter: Tulon Idenducim - Wasteful and cruel but with a strong sense of duty, Tulon prefers working with gems, but deigned to fulfill the groups urgent need for a carpenter and wood cutter. As such, he’s had to spend some time out in the rain and as such will never forgive Zasit for making him do this. He’s got a double-braided mustache and long beard. His hair brown hair is short and neatly combed, but has a touch of gray. His eyes are round, his sideburns are clean-shaven, his ears are tall, and he’s kind of wrinkly. He likes galena, clear things, and yaks for their shaggy hair.
Narrative
Rolling to a stop in between a small hill of white sand and a softly bubbling brook, seven dwarves take in the idyllic scene for but a moment before plunging headlong into their respective work. A smelter and forge are built to create hardy bronze tools with which the dwarves will turn this land into their new home. Promptly, half of the dwarves begin digging into the hill with gusto, while the others gather wood and fruit while keeping a wary eye on the circling packs of dingos. The sandy hill is no match for dwarven brawn, and soon a small cave is constructed, the sun reflecting brightly off of the white surface. No fans of sunlight, the dwarves dig down, down into the stone where they will build their home.
The stone too yields under dwarven pickaxes, and a silo slowly but surely begins to form. Ten floors deep, this silo will be the core of industry as well as a home for the new colonists.
Underneath this massive structure, plans begin to form in the mind of the expedition leader, Zasit. “We will build a massive hall for learning, spirituality, and merriment on the eleventh level and it will be dedicated to the fox that guided us to this place, which shall from henceforth be named Siegedcraft!” he declares loudly and often to any dwarves that will listen. It begins to get old, quickly, but the name sticks.
Things are never quite so simple. As the dwarves move their equipment underground, one of the colony’s several dogs reveals herself to be a legend, fighting off a giant grasshopper attempting to steal precious food from the colony’s small food supply. The massive insect lifts the dog with one gigantic wing and throws it into a tree, but not before it had injured the beast, causing it to flee, limping. The dwarves decide that this heroic dog, giving its life so that they do not starve, shall be the first heroine forever enshrined in a beautiful marble statue carved in its honor.
The months creep by as the dwarves widen their silo bit by bit, delving lodgings and clearing space, level by level. Farms, kitchens, a dormitory. A proper fortress begins to take shape, even if it is still rough around the edges. The arrival of a family of migrants warrants a small celebration, and the opening of a brand new still, with which the dwarves plan to brew cider from all of the pear trees along the brook outside.
Soon after one of the remaining dogs births a litter of puppies, a human thief is spotted just outside the cave entrance! The alarm is sounded, and all dwarves rush to the surface to fend off the foe. Whether here to steal valuable goods or kidnap the migrant’s only child, the dwarves do not care, and beat the human thief to death with their bare hands, none of them skilled with any types of weaponry. Dwarven justice is swift and unforgiving. They burn his large kidnapping bag for good measure, and dump his corpse on the other side of the hill, out of sight.
More months pass and levels devoted to craftwork and the mastery of trade goods take shape. Just in time, too, for midsummer has arrived, and with it, a caravan from the distant mountainhomes and a fresh wave of new migrants, eager to begin their new life in the young fortress, away from the struggles and dangers of surface life, of which there are many
One such danger has followed them here! Hideously horned and frothing at the mouth, a child-sized werebuffalo charges across the brook, where it is met by the bravest among the new migrants, Ilral Idenrimtar. With nothing but her arms and her teeth, she wrestles the werebuffalo to the ground, allowing the caravan’s trained guards to put the hideous thing out of its cursed misery. However, as she stands she winces in pain, a bite mark clearly visible on her arm. All know what this means, but none can bear to say it aloud, and Ilral, second heroine of Siegedcraft, stands alone across the brook, contemplative.
A small home on the edge of the dwarven property is constructed for her, such that she can live out her days in relative peace. Her dear husband comes to visit her periodically, although never on the full moon, for her home is also a prison, meant to keep the beast at bay. And so Ilral, valiant dwarf, loving wife, and werebuffalo, spends her days as a sentry at the edge of the forest watching for any more threats that may accost the fortress and her husband. Her nights, however, are not her own, but the dwarves hope the incessant grunting of the werebuffalo keep predators far away.
With the were-situation handled, for now, and the caravan liaison itching to get back on the road before the stormy season, some dwarves take up the mantle of becoming the first nobles of the fortress, the bookkeeper, the broker, and the militia commander. Along with Zasit, the expedition leader, they form the fortress’s first militia, named “The Fondled Papers” likely as a joke by some farmer dwarf who doesn’t know what’s good for him...but the name stuck anyway.
The dwarves trade what meager goods they could scrape together for more seeds and food, in preparation for the coming winter. Autumn arrives and with it, more construction, clouds, and rain. The silo is fully dug at this point, and Zasit, expedition leader is thrilled to lead the effort in carving out the massive hall he’s been talking about for months. Seriously, it’s been annoying, but not as annoying as the dark clouds and their watery children dropped all over the land. You see, no dwarf likes a beard wet with raindrops--it washes out the flavor of the their last ale.
And so it was on a stormy night that Ineth, stonecrafter, went out to gather some supplies from the wagon outside the cave, when she was beset by a giant coati! This raccoon-like creature injures her terribly, but with her mighty fists made hard by countless weeks spent molding stone into worthy shapes, she breaks the coati’s leg and punches it in the face. Soon, the call is sounded, and Fondled Papers rush to the fight! Leave it to the nobles, but every single one of them forgot their newly-forged bronze weapons and rushed out to join Ineth in beating the giant coati with their bare fists. The group repeatedly punch and kick the coati until they all weaken and tire from overexertion. Again, leave it to the nobles. A miner dwarf comes out to see what the ruckus is, takes the pickaxe from Zasit’s back, and slays the coati in a single mighty blow, before handing the bloody pickaxe back to the expedition leader. Sheepishly, Zasit calls for a celebration of their victory, and commissions masterpiece glass goblets to be created. Two for every dwarf, so that none in the fortress ever suffer from lack of ale. Inspired by this declaration, Ineth secrets away a granite boulder and hides herself a workshop. Working for a week, she emerges holding her own drinking stein, which she has named “Prowlerseal”, the first artifact of the fortress. She fills it with plump helmet wine and raises it high. Cheers to Seigedcraft! No beast of the wilderness can defeat us!
A rainy Autumn fades glumly into an even rainier Winter, but most of the dwarves spend the time inside, building the final workshops and preparing the final stockpiles to last out the winter. The silo is finished, the miners are making excellent headway on the great hall, and some visitors have braved the weather to visit the fledgeling fortress. The future is bright, and most dwarves are pleased to have delved secure lodgings, ere the dingos get hungry.