Gearabbeys - 351 Early Spring by Iituem

CHAPTER ONE: SURVIVAL

It occurred to Frey soon after the boat had crashed that he might well be doomed to spend the remainder of his life in the company of a murderer, a bandit, a mad engineer, a mushroom-obsessed savant, a jewel thief and a siege engineer probably responsible for the deaths of hundreds. On the bright side, there was a strong prospect that the remainder would not be very long.

When Danielle and Broose returned to the boat that evening, it had been tipped on its side and Fath was already busy taking it apart for parts. A brief argument ensued, with Broose eventually conceding that it could be rebuilt in time. Danielle busied herself drawing with a piece of chalk on the ground (itself chalk) and eventually ended up with a map. The other dwarves gathered around as she explained.

"So the plain drops straight down about 220ft to the west. There's desert at the bottom and little else."

"No trees, though," added Broose, "so my axe is going to be little help. What wood we've got is in that ship hull, so let's not waste it."

"Plants are an issue too," continued Danielle, "so we're going to be living off our rations until we can grow some fresh firecaps. Speaking of which, the mesa to the west has sand up the far surface, so we can dig some beds into that for growing mushrooms on. It's a bit exposed and a bit of a walk from where we are right now, but it's the closest spot."

"We should set up a quarry to the southwest once that's done," ventured Loksvig. "Start 'building up', as Danielle seems so keen on, near the boat. Something communal, with a beerhall and bunks. Let's get a roof over our heads before we worry about individual arrangements."