Tuesday 4 May 2010

Bad luck, cave ins and bears: Part 2

Winter 1054

Alcohol, nil, food, nil. The dwarves of the Anger of Angry are forced to hunt vermin and drink from the one unfrozen muddy pool in fort. Morok and 2 other dwarves have starved to death after being unable beat the cats to the rats, their bodies are interred in the communal graveyard outside the fort.

Finally a farmer wakes up from his hunger induced stupor to go outside to gather some plants to eat. However during this brave and noble expedition to great outside to save his friends he attracts the attention of a bear who was investigating the refuse pile and graveyard. Scared by the site of this fierce creature the farmer drops the herbs he was carrying and rushes inside, bear in tow.

A hastily constructed militia is assembled, equipped with the spare mining picks and copper battle axes from last years caravan and ordered to kill the lone bear. However in the confusion the only command the squad hears is “kill bear” and with no armoury dwarf to report to the intrepid dwarves charge into the fray.

The bear faces 10 of The Anger of Angry’s “best” dwarves and quickly defends itself. One swipe of its massive paws quickly knocks 2 dwarves unconscious, their mauled bodies impact for corridor walls and quickly bleed out. 2 more have their limbs removed in jaws of the enraged beast and share the same fate as their brethren. The remaining 6 dwarves subdue the bear bruising it all over before eventually strangling it to death. Heavily injured the dwarves celebrate their victory with raw rat and cockroach, before passing out emergency hospital that now occupies the dormitory.

Safe in the knowledge that the bear menace has been dealt with the farmer returns to his previous task of collecting plants to sustain the fortress. The first 2 trips outside proved fruitful, and the dwarves dine on bloated tuber and tend to their wounded. The 3rd trip attracts the attention of another bear, apparently the first one had a mate, and that mate is now looking for revenge. A new militia is pressed into service, only 4 dwarves but carrying the spares picks and axes they charge, only to drop their weapons just yards from the bear and attempt to strangle and punch it to death. The bear quickly dispatches of 3 of the attackers before the fighting its way to the dormitory come hospital.

The bear mercifully ends the suffering of the previous militia before killing the remaining attacker. Bruised and bloody Artishu, the bear now named due to the number of kills he’s earned, wanders through the ravaged fort. The inhabitants are in throws of grieving by smashing everything in site, including each other. Artishu at this point has no trouble in killing each of the dwarves in turn until all that remains of The Anger of Angry are the blood soaked corridors and one enraged bear.

No comments:

Post a Comment