7th of Granite, 2nd Age of Myth, Year 250
Bitter winds blow through the valley, a heavy continuous snow pelting the side of the wagon. Though ahead we know that warm hearths and good drink awaits, just so long as we can dig out a place for ourselves...
'Least I got this beard to keep me warm, I feel bad for the one's with less on the face. We set out on the 1st of Granite, just as Spring starts clawing the land back from the bitter cold of Winter. Though it will be weeks before it begins to warm up even a touch; let me tell you I ain't an ale, being cold doesn't suit!
These are the brave men and women that I scrounged up to start this colony. We set out from the Mountainhalls in search of a more perfect brew, and our scribes found this site at the banks of a river. Though it must be said the surroundings are rather...frightening. Never seen so many giant beasties before in my life! 'opefully we can find ourselves some of that Whipvine. The elves to the north like to keep the supply under wraps...and bet your beard boyos I want to get me some of that for a brew!
+++---------------------------13th of Granite----------------------------+++
We were nary here a few days when Zon decided she needed to go gallivanting around and try to take a poke at the beasties! I tried to talk her out of it, try and bring up that we need a safe place to hide before you go poking the 'giant' bears.
But nay, she's too headstrong. Seems to me she thinks herself quite highly, next prodigy with a crossbow. If she weren't so friendly, I'd have chalked her up as a firebrand whelp. Let's see if her words match her skills!
Been my experience that many of the hunters back home were a little, let's say odd. Seems to me that they consider a intact kill for the butcher the cherry on top. Which is to say, they're...ahm... Oh they're a bunch of sadists is what they are! Hope we got one of the gooduns... Wait, whats that? She's what?! The damned fool is going after a Giant Echidna?! Headstrong! Arrogant! If that beastie gets a whiff of blood it could tear her apart, its been nary a couple weeks it's too early to los-!
I crested the hill just in time to watch the final bolt pierce into the great beast's side, it collapsing in a welter of it's blood, a rhythmic gout from it's wounded torso.
Zon with a huff climbed atop the once mighty beast, yanking the bolt from it's chest. She nearly lost her balance when it gave way through sinew, only then noticing me. We exchanged a nod and aye; seems my concerns were misplaced about her. Hopefully wasn't just some beginners luck.
+++------------------------------5th of Slate-----------------------------+++
I emerged from the wagon we've still been using as a bunk, and I couldn't believe my old eyes! It seems we warmed up over the night, and the snow is starting to melt all away! Hah, to think I'd be so excited to see the greenery starting to peak through the frost. 'ought to be careful, less my caravan mates start to think I've gone native!
Suppose now'd be a good time to take stock of the month's progress... Our axe-lad has been hard at work clearing our little encampment of the old growth, and the rest of our people been hard at work standing those logs up as a basic wall. Nary enough to keep out a determined group of gobbos, but against this wildlife? It'll do. We've set up a handful of workshops to prep ourselves for delving underground, which to my dismay we still haven't! I may be out here looking to set up a quaint Trade and Brew, but even I still prefer to sleep with 4 walls of stone around me! Miners tell me something about the ground being too frozen, needs to be softer down there if we got any hope of getting through the ground water. Sounds like a load of crock to me...but, they's the experts at mining. I'll have to defer to their judgement on this, even if the blue sky above is starting to tax these bones...
OI! Get away from the river! Tis starting to thaw, we're made for stone not water-
+++-----------------------------28th of Felsite---------------------------+++
Good bit of news! The walls are finally up, and better yet we've started clearing out the path our road will take through this little respite! Before we know it, travelers will be flooding through our gates to my find establishment; with them shall flood wealth and more! Once, you know we get around to building up my tavern that is... I'm by the southern gate now, taking in the fruits of our toil. Let me just start sketching out a picture of our progress-
*screeeech*
Wait...does anyone else hear that?
*SCREEEECH* AH GODS ABOVE!
Gah! Get it off! Somebody! It's going for me bloody eyes! Back off you oversized chicken! Will you all stop laughing?! Bastards the lot of you!
Fine then! Since they were such a great help, I had to take matters into my own hands. Slippery bastard dodged the first couple, but I caught him square on the cheek with my third. I tossed it towards Zon and grumbled something about cookin' it later. We nary belong out here in nature, I'm going down to the new bedrooms.
Still rough, but at last we have stone around us while we rest. Might finally get some good shuteye....
+++------------------------------------------------------------------------+++
Been a hectic first season, but we've got this going pretty well! Up next we'll be needing to set up some farms, though the forage up top has been good. That being said if the others would like to forage for food they can be my guest, after this last run in I'm very well done with the woods for a while. Hopefully by winterfall, we'll have the frame of my tavern constructed, I hope to be serving by the end of the next year! It's going to be a journey...But I got a good feeling about this!