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Skyseal! Dreams of a madman.

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Stormlock:
Here are recorded the exploits of the dwarven team 'Invisible Discovery': brave souls who dared to begin the Skyseal project, to enshroud the sky with glass and build a palace worthy of dwarven kings and queens above all other creatures. The following is an excerpt from the log of the project's inspired (insane?) inventor.-----
14th Slate, 1051, Project 'Skyseal'I've arrived at the site with what little dwarfpower I was permitted to take with me. Only a couple of them seem like they are intellectuals, but I suppose it doesn't make much of a difference. As long as they can lend a hand, they deserve to have their names etched forever in the skies. We seven shall be remembered for ages to come! I've left Archimedes in charge of the direct management for now, as he seems to have a knack for dealing with people that I do not, even if he is less qualified. At any rate, the first main order of business is to find the magma source and set up some forges. The mountainhomes couldn't supply us with any Bauxite, so unless we strike some ourselves(Or, better yet, some Adamant!) we'll be using steel for any pumps or the like we need to make. I'm getting ahead of myself though, we've barely finished carving out a shelter. The red sand walls in the initial entrance are somewhat eerie, but I rather like it, I think. While Dain is creating exploratory tunnels to find the magma source, I'll finish the walls and floors inside to turn this into at least something of a livable area. Myra, our cook, is going to throw a fit if I ask her to prepare anything on a sandy cave floor.22nd Hematite, 1051, Project 'Skyseal'Dain has discovered a magma pipe. I've ordered the entrance sealed off immediately, construction of appropriate fortifications and tunnels to channel the magma will begin shortly. I think I shall direct the magma deeper into the mountain than our entrance, which, being temporary, would be an inconvenient place to leave a magma pool.14th Malachite, 1051, Project 'Skyseal'I've designated the initial forge area and magma tunnels and set Dain to work. Meanwhile, I'm trying to catch up on our inventory. A kobold recently made off with some food from our wagon site, and though I sent Ayla after him, she couldn't quite catch up in time. It served well to highlight our need to keep a record of our supplies. I also need to look into chaining our guard dog near the entrance, as I've no idea where he was when the theft occurred. I've ordered the slaughter of our pack animals to bolster our food supplies until the quarry bush crop comes in. I hate the disgusting animals anyways.9th Sandstone, 1051, Project 'Skyseal'
The caravan has arrived. I've been too busy with the layout of the fortress to produce anything in the way of material goods for trade, however, they were happy to accept a batch of exceptional quarry leaf biscuits in exchange for some goods. I acquired some raw food to replace the biscuits, a giant cave spider silk rope to chain up our war hound, and some scrap lumber and tin they had. The forge works are near completion, I intend to order Dain to open the channels as soon as I finish writing this. Altogether, things are coming along nicely. There are grumblings at my misplanning of our food stocks, but we have food ready now, and drink to follow from the plump helmets we just acquired, and more still when the crop comes in. We have a dining room and living quarters (Though I personally find the hue of microcline disgusting and intend to relocate my office when it becomes convenient.)18th Moonstone, 1051, Project 'Skyseal'It's later than I expected, but the forges are finally ready. I decided at the last minute to have all the loose stone in the area to be flooded removed so as not to contaminate the magma with slag. Our food supplies are not high, but they're stable enough now, though the farm plot likely needs expansion. I've been single handedly smoothing all the stone in the fortress for some time now, and I must say, it's become quite second nature to me. I could smooth a floor through the mountains for our king to walk upon without making him wait a breath I daresay!5th Obsidian, 1051 Project 'Skyseal'I've just noticed some freeloader had arrived. Apparently nobody had deigned to tell me about him. When I interviewed the ugly fellow, he told him he was a 'bowyer', skilled in making wooden crossbows. Hmmph! What a useless profession. However, for some reason or other, I took pity on the sod, and rather than having him put to death, arranged for him to work in the forges. We'll be needing many hands in the long run, perhaps with an early start, he might even make something of himself.Speaking of the forges, I'd made a miscalculation in arranging our supplies. in lieu of a battle axe, I'd requisitioned a couple bars of pig iron, to be manufactured into proper steel once we'd set up a forge. However, although marble is reported to be plentiful in this area, we've yet to find any, and in my haste I ordered Ayla to use the last of our logs make barrels and bins, so we've no charcoal either. However, when Dain first discovered the magma pipe he told me he'd seen a hematite deposit along the wall of it, along with a couple deposits of gems. I'll leave a proper excavation of these materials to later when we can deal with the lava's denizens more... permanently. However, we should easily be able to safely extract a small supply of iron ore, which I'll have made into an axe for Ayla, so we can gather some lumber of our own. I'm glad to report that our levels of booze are more than adequate now, and though we are low on food, the spring brings an opportunity to farm some worth while crops for that purpose. We have some fat that can be prepared as well.1st Granite, 1052, Project 'Skyseal'Well, it's been one year since we arrived. Ayla finally got to forge herself a proper axe, and has begun felling trees. Construction of ballistae, barrels, bins, and charcoal shall resume. The basic layout of the first floor of the forgeworks and the stairwells above are all done, so I've ordered Dain to create some exploratory shafts in the northern section of our demesne where the marble will likely lay. A list of things to be acquired from human or elven traders in the following year; bauxite from humans if possible, lumber, charcoal, bags and/or leather or cloth to produce them, more raw food materials (I will not restrict myself to a single variety of food like some mere slave). Aside from that, there is much to be done. Proper rooms for the seven of us (Ayla and Omer have informed me they'd like to share a room) and a proper barracks for our immigrants. A far grander dinging hall; our current one seats only 6, and is not even engraved. I shall endeavour to use up much of the lingering debris in our halls in the construction of mechanisms. I've been neglecting my original calling so that we might have proper walls in here, but once our fortress is properly underway, the goblins will no doubt begin assaulting us, and anything less than exceptional mechanisms simply won't be reliable for the traps I intend to visit upon them. We also need a proper enclosure about our trade depot. Our entrance is large enough to house it, if we chain our dog outside and expand the doorway to accommodate wagons. However, it is embarrassing to have such a simple entrance to our fortress. Once the project is properly underway, no human or elf will ever tell of our fortress again. And although I care little for their praise, the concept of them being in awe of our engraved walls and metal roads brings a smile to my face. But enough of this, I must get back to work. I'll probably do less writing in the coming years, as there is much work to be done!
-----Here is the link to the file for you Sav. Have fun. http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=226
Edit: In case anyone is wondering, I didn't take any pictures because I have a rather Z level intense style of building, and the only thing I've made so far that will be in permanent use is the forgeworks, which aren't complete. Rather than waste space with a picture of a dining hall with 6 tables, I figured I'd wait until my next turn, when we have some stuff to show off.[ June 13, 2008: Message edited by: Stormlock ][ June 13, 2008: Message edited by: Stormlock ]

A_Fey_Dwarf:
So who goes first?

Savok:
I, the leader? Strange they are. But I am told to lead, so lead I shall. First, I shall fix the most blatant error in the past year. There has been no map! A mathematically precise (and, incidentally, useful) map we have now.

Granite 1st
Noticed an alarming clutter pervading the fortress. No time to fully clean, but I shall begin. I ask future managers of this outpost to try to manage clutter.
15th
Kobolds. They fail to steal from the War Dog, but they do escape...
20th
Foolish trader. Accidentally offered a wooden barrel to an elf. A pity, they did have cloth.
28th
Beginnings of Engineering Workshop laid out. Current state merely sandpit for sketching where it shall not be disturbed. I ask that all other dwarves, including future managers, leave my room to be designed by only me.

Slate 14th
Migrants. I shall process them first.
21st
Slow to come, they were, but 23 in all.

Felsite 11th
Kadol Solamkubuk has been possessed.
11th
Later in the day, he began a mysterious construction! We shall see what wonders can be made out of a single stone.
12th
The sleeping quarters have been stained with blood... ah, what a refreshing hue after that microcline - that "Fool's Adamantine."
16th
Kadol Solamkubuk, Serf has created Volalkurol Tadoshot, a Andesite toy hammer! Worth 2400☼. My calculations indicate that that is the lowest possible artifact value.

--------------------
Hematite 1st
Summer begins. Fort cleaner already.
8th
My first weapon of war has been constructed! It is in the quarry, though, since it is merely for practice. After I get a good feel for it (though it will not be hard - the catapult is exceptional), I will let Sakzul, DDROC Commander, become experienced with heavy weaponry.
For future managers: "DDROC=Dwarven Death Ray Operator Corps"
9th
The humans arrive.
11th
They sold us some food, much cloth, and a dog for our ballista parts and food. If we unchain the war dog, we could breed more dogs.
26th
Kidnapper stole immigrant child.

Malachite 3rd
As requested by the former manager, I asked the humans for lumber, charcoal, cloth, and food, but, since humans never have stone, I could not ask them for bauxite.
5th
What? You want to give me an office? *sigh*
Just put a chair by the sandpit and call it what you like.
6th
We struck copper and marble today. The copper shall be processed into war hammers.
8th
The fools! A six-level staircase! Falling down could kill. Periodic hatch covers shall be implemented.
21st
Copper mined out. Shall yield 118 copper war hammers.
You scoff, "Copper war hammers!"?
Masterpiece, tis as good as basic Steel, and shall provide useful smithing practice.

Galena 7th
Bowyer-turned-Furnace Operator unhappy. Will give him bedroom in the Chamber of Forging.
11th
Too many peasants. Will make one another hammerdwarf.
12th
My finest creation: a masterpiece catapult part! I shall endeavor to replicate this feat with a DDR machine.
14th
1 female alligator caught. If another is catchable, a breeding pair, with the aid of a Dungeon Master?
14th
Strange. Aluminum bars, found in the trade depot. They are now forbidden.
25th
Atir Idenatham, a peasant, has the aspect of one fey.
26th
He has taken one andesite boulder, one group of copper nuggets, and five mountain goat bones.

--------------------
Limestone 1st
Autumn begins. Fort mostly clean.
2nd
Atir Idenatham has created Ron Nitem, a Andesite idol! Worth 6000☼. Useless.
We do have a legendary stonecrafter and no dearth of obsidian. Short swords of masterful sharpness shall be created.
7th
The newest hammerdwarf shall now become a swordsdwarf.
22nd
The traders take a great amount of our worthless refuse and give us a great amount of useful, valuable items.

Sandstone 1st
The traders do not have coal. Charcoal must do. Initiate the charcoal burner!
13th
I have duplicated my previous feat. Project: DDR has one masterpiece ballista part.
19th
Migrants begin arriving.

---------------
Some of the pages have been destroyed. There is no record of the events from the middle of autumn to late winter.
---------------
Obsidian 11th
I have been asked to step down and let Dain manage the fortress for a year. Gladly, I accept the offer. Control shall be handed over in two and a half weeks.
12th
Hammer General reached a Great level of skill and became a Hammer Lord.
26th
Last of the copper nuggets smelted.
28th
I end my command.

-------------------------
Read all of the PoIs in the DFMA map for the end of this year. They contain everything I want to say to future managers.

Here's the save.

Note: I'm playing Archimedes, not Sav, since he has a much more fun personality.
Note2: Yes, I do know what DDR stands for.

A_Fey_Dwarf:
The journal of Dain during his rule at Skyseal

Entry 1: As part of the original council of the Skyseal founders it is my turn to govern our wondrous project. It seems instead of the traditional democratic way of choosing a leader, we have opted for a time saving dictatorship method. We will rotate the leadership every year until the project is complete. To keep the peasants happy we will allow for mayors and barons to be elected but these will be merely be our puppets to stop revolt.
As for this year, I plan to maximize the production of green glass blocks. I will have more forges set up and more glassworkers. I also plan to increase the efficiency of our masons as I have learnt a dabbling mason takes 5 times as long to build a single glass wall as a proficient mason. To train the masons I will have a stone-> block processing rooms set up. Effectively shooting two birds with one bolt, as blocks store easier than stone chunks.

Entry 2: I have a few nits to pick with the previous overseers. These shall be fixed immediately.

* Why are there glass statues in the barracks? A sparring dwarf could easily poke an eye out on these dangerous things. (Apparently it causes sparring units to stop what they are doing when they dodging into a statue.)

* The sparring dwarves are fighting with proper weapons, i.e. masterwork obsidian shortswords, yet they have hardly a shred of armor to protect from being stabbed to death. They haven't even been properly trained to wrestle and dodge the dwarf crippling blows.


Note: Am i right in assuming that temp and weather ini values are allowed to be turned off to increase FPS?

Savok:
All constructions are constructed nigh-instantly. It is deconstruction that takes some time.
1. There were stone statues previously, so I replaced them with statues of higher value. I had no idea that that was what was causing the "canceled sparring due to dangerous terrain" messages.
2. IME, if a dwarf isn't skilled enough to survive sparring, he isn't skilled enough to deserve to. Dwarves are cheap and train fast. This is, of course, assuming that they're just handed a weapon and maybe some armor and told to go spar.
Note: Yes. Due to the imp, the burninator will still work! You are requested to turn the economy off.

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