Where We Always Know Your Name!
The Sigun Graniteequal Tavern was named after the statue that stood on the roof. Sigun Graniteequal had created a masterful marble mug in the fall of 126 and this statue was of him holding that mug up for the world to see. Not that you could see the sandstone statue THAT well when it was on the roof but many thought it was the thought that counted. And unlike the three small diners this one had room to swing a cat (not there was many cats left after the Kitten Slaughter in the Late Spring of 133) and also had a brewing still INSIDE the building.
Next to the still, and behind a row of tables that acted like a bar, was a stockpile that held both food and drink. It was a very popular place. Brewers liked it because it was totally enclosed, unlike the other two stills which just had roofs but no walls. The lower class Dwarfs liked it because, once again, it was roomier than the other buildings, with a tiled floor and freshly brewed booze. What more could you ask for?
On that day, on the 20th of Malachite, Mid-Summer, of the year 133, shortly after the Second Invasion of the Gray Langurs (who this time never even made it into the walls), the Tavern had a few Dwarfs enjoying its atmosphere.
The most important of these Dwarfs in the Tavern, was Iton Woundslid, a 62 year old fat female Bone Carver. She was not just fat but VERY fat. Even other Dwarfs would be impressed by her massive body. Though, to be honest, it could be because she was known for overindulging. For example, at the moment she was enjoying some elk bird tallow stew. The reason she was so important were many. Bone Carvers were highly skilled artists. Having a husband who was a Metal Smith meant she was also a member of the Stone Class. And she was also the Mother of the Mayor. It was likely why she was here in the first place - visiting family members and making sure that the populace were continuously alerted to the fact on just how good her son was at his job. So while the rest of the people in the Tavern were not her friends neither did they have a grudge against her. Also she was a good source of information. As long as you took it with a mug of beer. (What? A pinch of salt? Why would Dwarfs use salt?)
And who were these OTHER people?
Goden Logemanan was a 54 year old Farmer. At the moment she was enjoying a large pot of fisher berry wine. Her long hair, which was in a long ponytail, would have made her look a tad young but for her body, like most Dwarfs of her age, being so large. Sadly, at one point she had been thinner, being a female of a thin frame, but that frame was now long buried under muscle and fat. Maybe when she was younger her slim figure is what attracted her husband, also a Farmer, to her? She was not bothering with a table, but sitting right in the barrels and bins, next to the still where her friend was brewing a batch of booze.
Her friend, a 69 year old female Brewer, named Kubuk Kadolal was a calm and reserved Dwarf, who was also fat (surprise, surprise). She would say that she was stout but the fact was she was fat. Her husband was a Engraver which, funny enough, made her a member of the Stone Class, which meant in some ways she had more in common with Iton than Goden. Maybe they had been friends from long ago? Maybe they were related? Which is kind of a given when everybody in the Fortress is related, but I digress...
The fourth Dwarf in the Tavern was sitting ON the still, her young legs swinging back and forth as she listened to the adults talk. This was Servesh Besmarlolum, who was a 4 year old female, who owned a total of three items. A shirt, a cloak, and a trouser (made out of silk). Among the female children this made her almost underdressed. It was likely she was here because her Mother happened to be Goden, which also explained her interest in planting and little else.
"I hear there are more Beasts sensed by the miners," murmured Goden after drinking some of her wine which involved almost dunking her head into it. She turned her eyes in Iton's general direction.
"Yes, they say they sense a few," said the bone carver as she slurped some of her stew and burped.
"A few?" remarked Kubuk as she checked the airlock on the still. "Great. Goblins and Kobolds up here. Forgotten Beasts and Giant Moles down there."
"And Gray Langaurs!" gleefully added Servesh who seemed to enjoy the taste of the monkeys. It seems that some of the Hunters had helped the militia in defeating the last troop of gray langaurs and now their meat was being used to make meals for the dining areas.
Goden and Kubuk smiled at the young girl and both looked at each other sadly. They knew the girl would have a long and boring life. Most likely becoming a Farmer or Planter, she would marry somebody else from one of the nearby families, maybe a Hunter or a Woodcutter. They would have a wedding at the well in the Fortress or, if they were lucky, in one of the Statue Gardens or maybe even the Grand Hall. Servesh and her husband would live in one of the buildings, sharing the beds with others, producing babies, some of which would be kidnapped by Kobolds. She would work in the fields, maybe pick up a few more skills like brewing or beekeeping, when not cleaning and hauling and bring meals to those too sick to move.
Unless she, like Kubuk and Iton, married somebody in the Stone Cutter class. Than she would be assigned a proper underground bedroom, with a cabinet and bed for her and her husband. They would be assigned a table at one of the many dining areas for the Middle Class Dwarfs. There WERE indoor fields she could work on if she wanted too. Her children may have a chance in developing the skills to become Middle Class Dwarfs and enjoy the life that many dreamed about. But with two Farmers as parents she it was unlikely she would be anything but a surface dwelling Dwarf for the rest of her life.
Iton sniffled and wiped her nose. She looked Goden in the eyes and said, "A few. Shortly after the first Beast was slain the Miners said they sensed anther. Yonali, a enormous hairy toad. But others also sensed Athrigngok Iquobdungda, a enormous horse without a nose. Or something like that."
"You sure the Miners are not sober?" asked Kubuk jokingly, as she tapped on the pressure dial on the still.
"HA!" said Goden. "It seems almost safer up here. What with all the new war dogs chained to the gates and doorways in the walls and the new hunting dogs that go out with the Hunters."
"True," said Iton with a nod. "Also, when placing the war dogs in position they found out how the Kobolds kept getting in."
The other Dwarfs nodded their heads. When placing the dogs near some of the western doors it was found that many of them had been tapered with. The Kobolds had bypassed the stone traps, jimmied open the doors, and somehow got past the new barracks and past many of the diners and fields and houses before being detected. Now things would be a tad harder for them. And the goblin ambushers would find it harder to sneak up on the Hunters with their newly trained Hunting dogs.
True, there was still corpses of animals and enemies all over the place. And nobody seems to want to dump them under the new Crusher. And there were rumors that the Nobles were debating the idea to close the Fortress off from the rest of the world once the King came to make it into the Capital. And all the stone traps at the drawbridges meant that the traders could not bring wagons to the Trade Depot. But it was not really an issue, as the Traders seemed to bring little that the Fortress wanted (outside of metal, seeds, and cloth).
Yet things were looking up. Food and booze supplies were very high, steel and iron weapons were starting to be produced (slowly), and the animals were giving the Dwarfs milk, wool, leather, eggs and meat. Even the fishing and hunting was doing well. Few Dwarfs were idle and none were sober or hungry. It had also become known that the Nobles were able to keep their treaty with the Elves. The one that dealt with the number of trees they were allowed to cut down that year. The Elves were semi-pleased and had even increased the number, slightly, for the next year.
Iton finished her stew and sighed. "Nothing like good elk bird stew."
The migrate waves had also stopped a few years ago. The news on the amount of Dwarfs inside the Fortress, over two hundred, with the slow down of exports (as the Broker became more and more picky about what to import and what to export) meant that many Dwarfs did not see the Manor as a place worth starting a new life in. This meant that much of the cities' jobs went to local artists and craftsmen (which was okay with them of course) and the stockpiles were starting to become crowded with finished goods, food, and furniture.
Like socks, elk bird stew, and beds. The wealth of the workshops and the vast mines was starting to flood the chambers and tunnels. The Fortress was rich even if a large percent of the Dwarfs were not. Of course, this meant something bad would happen soon. Everybody was waiting for the future siege. A goblin army would appear sooner or later. It was just a question on how much wealth with trigger the coming darkness. Those greedy little creatures, twisted and evil, wanting the Dwarf's artifacts, their treasures, and their lives.
As the old saying went, cut down a tree and soon a Elf will visit. (Waiting for the other shoe to drop? What do shoes have to do with fate or bad events?) But, that was the life of a Dwarf. Harsh, short, and full of booze.