This is gonna be pretty basic, the year was uneventful for the most part and I forgot to take many screenshots. I have the stuff that matters, but beyond that...my bad. This was rushed.
Journal of Alath Ralfikod, Earthenhold expedition leader
1st of Granite, 1054I was summoned into Queen Comicraider's throneroom today. I initially worried about my underground (hurr hurr) Goblinite smuggling ring having been discovered, but luckily that was not the case.
"Her Highness" has decreed a second fortress be founded to the west of Sunshield, in what she called the "first phase of expansion". I imagine this desire to expand was in response to the rumours of the Goblins having sniffed out Sunshield's location, but I decided not to agitate the deranged old bat any further, lest I suffer Bomrek's fate...poor bastard.
I had apparently been chosen to lead this new expedition and get the place ready for the others to move in. Me, a lowly jeweler, put in charge of my species' first steps out of the shadows and back onto the world stage?
...What do you mean the first ten guys she asked said no?!
Nonetheless, me and six other
unfortunate ambitious souls were equipped and sent with our cart on our merry way. It's only a few hours' walk, but I came up with a name for our new home while the cart was being filled.
Stonewall. Bulwark of the Dw-
...Earthenhold? She named the damn fort too?! Why doesnt she just build it herself, the geriatric old f-
Journal of Morul Umrileshtan, Earthenhold expedition leader
5th of Granite, 1054Well, that little mess has finally been sorted. Alath didn't realise Her Majesty was right behind him. In his absence as he
mysteriously disappeared attends to other matters, I am filling in as Expedition Leader, and his place in our group being filled by one of the fortress guard. I actually feel a little better with a little muscle tagging along.
We arrived within a few hours, and immediately got to work.
12th of GraniteFollowing the queen's precise instructions, I ordered our miner to begin digging out the entryway and living quarters to her specifications. I miscalculated the depths of the rivers so there's a slight chance we could dig into them by accident, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I'll say the giant keas flying around forced us to rush.
We dug out some rough gems after we began digging out the Storeroom one floor below the living area, so Oddom can start cutting them ready for the merchants while our woodworker makes us some beds and the others smooth out the walls and floors.
...Oddom? Anyone see where Oddom went?
...Anyhow, we got ourselves some passable living quarters, with myself and the newly-appointed Militia Commander getting a separate room each, to do paperwork and train respectively while the others toil away in the name of the Queen.
13th of GraniteOh, for the love of...
Our farmer got too drunk and found Oddom's body while climbing a tree. He also got stuck. This is gonna be my whole damn day, isn't it. *sigh* I'll get Medtob to dig out some tombs...
18th of SlateThe first group of settlers from Sunshield arrived today, pretty early might I add, but why do they look so battered and bruised?
I recognised one of them, the guy who called himself Kametec_Housen, wasn't he one of the first Dwarves to reappear in the world after The Extinction? He helped found Sunshield along with the Queen! His skill in carpentry will do us some good, having decent furniture will help raise morale, we're still on rations while the farms are growing. One of them has experience with a sword, so I appointed him to Commander Sibrek's unit.
7th of FelsiteMedtob had the idea to start mining on a single floor for resources, now we had a few smiths from Sunshield and Tulon had moved onto wood burning after having been replaced by Kametec as the fort's carpenter, I saw no harm. Maybe there's gold down there?
19th of FelsiteWell I'll be a swamp titan's fluffer. Gold, Iron, Platinum, more gems than we know what to do with. Avuz, the jeweler who arrived with the migrants, is overjoyed. Now we have some gems and potentially coins to trade when the liaison and merchants arrive.
2nd of HematiteSibrek and his new protege informed me that the giant keas had returned, and one of them was spattered with Oddom's blood. I was in the middle of telling him to go ahead and decapitate the feathery pricks when one of them swooped by the entryway and took what was left of our late brother's belongings. Sibrek and Kadol immediately charged out after them, and returned soaked in kea blood.
On a side note, meat is no longer rationed.
12th of MalachiteWe're out of booze. Oddom Risennokgol, our farmer, finally sobered up enough to build a still, though. That's something. Only catch now is he burned through our supply of plump helmets brewing more.
I'll order more farm plots be built.
27th of GalenaFinally, some progress. We have enough food to end rationing with enough spare to brew alcohol, and we have more gold and iron than we know what to do with. The Mountainhome will be pleased...
6th of LimestoneThe outpost liaison and merchants arrived today. I welcomed their arrival, but their stern and harrowed visages gave me an icy pit in my stomach.
I asked of any developments back home, and the liaison told me what I'd missed.
Mere days after our departure, the rumoured Goblin invasion finally came. Untold thousands of the bastards poured through Sunshield's gate and killed any Dwarves they saw... and Beetledeed. Casualties were low, luckily, a single dwarf and two animals held the horde at bay while the rest of the fortress evacuated. An estimated two hundred goblins died before these three heroes were overrun. I'll order the mason to build statues in their honor down in the crypt.
I asked what fate befell the survivors, as I had neither the resources nor the space for the near-hundred inhabitants of Sunshield, and was told they had scattered west, to hide among the ruins of the Old World. The queen herself took her king consort and Royal Guard and travelled to the old Mountainhome, Gladgold, while the remaining eighty split into two groups and reclaimed a hillock each.
I knew now what I had to do. Simple fortification wasn't gonna suffice. I needed to fight back. Militarize every non-essential Dwarf who came to our door, raise an army, and give the Goblins a taste of their own medicine.
I had our new broker trade some gems in return for a few more animals, so we could add cheese to the menu, and wished the liaison fortune on his return, and to tell the survivors that Earthenhold welcomed any and all at it's tables. They simply nodded, and departed with the merchants in silence. I gathered a meeting soon after and told the others what had happened to Sunshield.
We're out of booze again. Sorrows, will you not drown?!
28th of LimestoneMore migrants. I sent two of them off to Sibrek's militia and immediately put the rest to work. Kametec had carved them all masterpiece training swords and shields beforehand, with enough spare for six more men. I need them to be ready for the war to come. We WILL take our lands back.
19th of TimberAccomodations for our new guests are complete, and Kametec has completed enough to house many more. Medtob and his mining team had made good work down in the mine, with more metals and gems pouring out. We barely have room for it all! Enough gold to potentially bribe the Goblins into leaving us alone for a week, and enough iron to equip a decent-sized army. Once they're better trained, I'll send Sibrek and his three students off to the ruins of Sunshield in the hopes that there's still some steel left. Failing that, we might recover some of the artifacts they made.
11th of OpalNothing of note's happened in recent months. No Goblin activity, mining's gone well, food's abundant, everyone's drunk and Sibrek's men are still training round the sundial. They're becoming competent wrestlers, but they need more sword training. A lot more. Once they're all at least at Sibrek's level I'll send them scouting the area.
9th of ObsidianWe built a hospital. It's been TOO quiet, and it's making me paranoid. We're gonna need thread though, and plenty of it. Hope I don't forget.
14th of Granite, 1055Oops, I was meant to hand over the fortress two days ago. My bad. Anyhow, it's been a disappointingly quiet year, but progress has been made. I wish my successor luck, as well as more to write about.
I've attached a layout of the fortress as it currently stands, hope this helps.
Best of luck,
H.R.H. Cerol "Comicraider" Kalanfikod Morul Umrileshtan
Entryway
Living Area
Storeroom
Crypts
Mines
...Damnit, I forgot about the thread.