Went It Alone

Pop. 185, Early Spring of 361 (Year 110)

Kadol Pagemountains-Rimrams passed away peacefully in her sleep, found by the marksdwarf Logem Graniteright. Kadol came to the capital 4 years ago, without friends or family. While she remained a passing acquaintance to all, she was a hardworker and an asset to the Mountainhome.

By the Numbers

Pop. 187, Late Summer of 359 (Year 108)

The human caravan arrived from the northwest. Their faces were full of fear as they urged their beasts of burden to move as fast as possible. Before they had uttered a single word, the dwarves knew what was coming. Commander Dishmab and the North Watch escorted the humans into the safety of the underground trade network just as a great clamor arose from the western hills, heralding the arrival of the Evils of Spray. At the head of an enemy archer host was an elite crossbow goblin, causing the dwarven reservists on the wall to tremble in fear. Still, they stood their ground and began to rain bolts upon their foes.

Asmel Fissuretour and the West Watch took the fight to the goblins, exiting the West Gate shouting for the blood of their foes. While reservists shot into the fray, the elite soldiers pushed toward the goblin squad leader. Axedwarf Mosus Graniteright and speardwarf Nomal Socketinked kept the elite enemy busy, while frontline archers Ast and Ast II Bustcrystals shot at the goblin, with the elder landing a headshot.



Meanwhile, in the southern trade tunnel, Deler Anguishepages and the South Watch halted a troll advance. He and his 2nd-in-command, Stakud II, were quite the duo, attacking trolls in concert and dispatching them with grim efficiency.



Everything went by the numbers, with this siege's defense the best in decades! All merchants were safe and accounted for, far fewer goblins made it into the trade tunnels, and an elite enemy archer was slain without any dwarven casualties.

Time to Shine

Pop. 150, Late Summer of 351 (Year 100)

Inspired by the performance of the elite soldiers, four of the the fortress's 2nd tier soldiers felt that it was also their time to shine. The gladiators were marksdwarf Logem Graniteright, his 18 year old nephew, macedwarf Besmar Graniteright, and the two axedwarves, Shorast Channelflashes and Uvash Earthennourishes.



9 goblin snatchers, 1 kobold thief, and 1 minotaur were thrown into the arena. The thieves and minotaur did not fight, unlike the previous match. Once the gate opened, the minotaur rushed at the youngest dwarf, Besmar. While his uncle Uvash was busy shooting at snatchers, Besmar did his best against the raging bull-headed beast. It attacked him relentlessly, keeping the young soldier off balance and unable to counterstrike.



Still, Besmar managed to dodge or block every attack until Uvash cleaved the beast in two with his axe, Morningwhisper.

Sigun Graniteright

Pop. 166, Late Summer of 338 (Year 87)

All the entrances to the trade network have been open this year, providing greater security to merchants. Once rare, cage traps have been crafted in much greater numbers in preparation for the upcoming gladiatorial games in the Spring of 351. Unfortunately, Sigun Graniteright, a 14-year-old marksdwarf recruit, was slain during the most recent siege. When the alarms sounded, she forgot to fill her quiver. Rather than retreat to restock, she charged into melee ahead of more experienced warriors and was killed by a headshot from a goblin bowman.

Dragon Breeding

Pop. 135, Autumn of 312 (Year 61)

The duchy's dragon breeding program has succeeded! After one egg that failed to hatch after a full year, a second clutch was laid in the Summer. By Autumn, the fortress welcomed 2 more dragons!



Work continued on the largest cavern security wall to date, this one covering an area 28 across and 38 levels high. With so much attention on the dragon breeding program and the cavern walls, the odd mumblings of the brewer Tulon Dippedtowers were overlooked. He went berserk near the farm complex, which recently merged with the kindergarten.

Tulon charged at Mosus III Anguishedpages, the first 3rd generation citizen of Relicshield. He struck her twice before the axedwarf Vucar Graniteright struck him down. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, having named his axe "The Pale Hammer," Vucar has still managed to be a reliable fighter.



Duke Phyllite has urged all citizens to please report any strange activity at once and to stay vigilant even in the midst of large projects!

Another Slayer

Pop. 141, Winter of 309 (Year 58)

The duchy's miners and masons have been hard at work walling off the second cavern when Dusak the Murky Blisters, a forgotten beast of filth and grime, attacked. It breathed great globs of frozen spittle, but the legendary soldiers of Relicshield blocked or dodged each shot. The axedwarf, Cog Slingriddles, landed the killing blow, joining Goden II as a slayer of forgotten beasts. Though the monster was vanquished, other dangers made their mark.



A chance wild fire caught one miner, Geshud Graniteright, who perished before anyone could reach him :(. Fire snake vermin from the nearby magma pool were the most likely culprits, as no fire imps were nearby. A new route to the cavern's edge was mined out, giving the pool a wide berth.

Meanwhile, near the surface, more dwarves fell into strange moods. Atis Anguishedpages died of dehydration when unable to complete her construction and the same fate seemed likely for Ilral Treerooms. Fortunately, simple advice from Laularukyrumo, a visiting scholar from the Mountainhome, helped avoid further tragedy.

Trolling Trolls

Pop. 122, Spring of 296 (Year 45)

A year earlier, Kadol Meshpapers-Graniteright the hammerdwarf was caught outside alone during a siege. Her fellow soldiers rushed to her aid, but a group of trolls intercepted them right as they emerged from the fortress. While the majority of Relicshield's defenders were forced to engage the tusked monsters in battle, Captain Dishmab rushed toward the lone hammerdwarf. Second only to Commander Sphalerite in total kills, Dishmab smashed into foes with her mighty mace. Together, she and Kadol routed the goblin squad, while their compatriots decimated the trolls.

Once the siege was defeated, attention turned back to preparations for the second cavern expedition. Scaffolding was taken down from the walls securing the first cavern to regain blocks, but there were two fatal accidents. Atir Kissochre the clothier and Chief Medic Dolomite, one of the Original Seven, fell to their deaths. Scaffolding had been taken down before, one level at a time, without incident, but Duke Phyllite demanded the procedures be placed under review.

The Spring brought renewed hope in the form of Ibmat the Dragon, who was lured into the trade tunnels and captured in a cage.