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Dwarf Fortress => DF Community Games & Stories => Topic started by: Bandreus on August 05, 2013, 03:39:58 am

Title: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 05, 2013, 03:39:58 am
This is my first time hosting a community fort. Starting this to both improve my creative writing skills (not a natural eng blabber) and DF knowledge, so bear with me and feel free to lend a hand :)

I generated a small world with medium history and minerals everywhere. I'm basically trying to keep stuff as simple as possible, going with whatever the RNG trows at me. No careful embark picking, revealing underground tiles via Dfhack or anything like that.

I mainly draw inspiration from the world's legends. I try to stay as true as I can to the actual in-game lore, adding my own elements to a limited degree.

Playing 34.11 (Extended LNP (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=126076), but otherwise no game-altering mods).

(http://i.imgur.com/BtwI1d7.png)


Rules

Not much really. Just a few points to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible.


The Blockade of Cloistering

Dorfs available for dorfing are marked as  available. Caps of thoughts&prefs and skills are provided.

If anything major for the character is established during the story, I'll add that as well. Please adhere to the canon if at all possible.

Title: Re: Enorbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 05, 2013, 04:36:21 am
Preamble

Letter to Minkot Scalewires


Esteemed brother,

as a followup to our previous concerning your appointment for the administrative position in The Forest of Metal, I hereby give you the High Council's orders.

All previous information transmitted to you is to be considered no longer relevant. The purpose of your new appointment shall be kept strictly secret.

You are to lead en expedition to the south-west of Boardbalances, in The Swamps of Hatchets, between the Gleamedtrammels' spring and the roots of The Auburn Beak. A map detailing the exact location you will head to has been included in this package.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Your ultimate goal is to build Enôrbomrek, "Bluewhips", a fortified military facility. It needs to be capable of hosting a small but steady force, and be strong enough to resist the most fearsome attacks.

You're entrusted with defending the facility, this responsibility is solely up to you. It's advised you set up functional training regimes and all the necessary facilities in due time.

You will select six brothers and sisters of your trust to help you with the task. Your group will go under the name of The Blockade of Cloistering.

Enough coins to buy yourself any material you might need has been included in this package. In order to preserve the mission secrecy, however, you're strongly advised travel as lightly loaded as possible.

You will depart as soon as the beginning of opal, in the midst of winter. You shall be able to reach your destination in little under two months, keeping in mind you'll likely be slowed down by the heavy snowfalls typical of the season. You shall avoid traveling along the main roads if at all possible.

We will make sure additional work force reaches your outpost in time to make your task easier. You are to expect two batches of strong dwarves. More dwarves will be sent only and when we can be sure you're ready to house them.

The contents of this message shall not be shared with any dwarf, dead or alive. You shall destroy this letter as soon as you memorize its contents.

If you were to fail meeting any of the instructions hereby transmitted, The High Council will make sure you are promptly introduced to the Royal Hammerer.

Regards.

P.S. We also included the tome you received along this letter. I'm sure you'll find it interesting. We hope it will make you good company in the years to come.



Diary of Minkot Scalewires


9th Sandstone, 125, the Great Mountain Halls of Syrupclinch

Great. Sure, just great!

First they tell me I've been chosen among many and more candidates to oversee the foundation of a new colony in The Forest of Metal. Oh, that felt really rewarding. I really couldn't believe it. I was the envy of the whole academy, and I have surely been savoring that thought for quite some time now.

And now, what in the seven hells is this? A cryptic letter, riddled with nonsense.

This can't be true, after all... the letter isn't even signed. This must be a joke from some smartass in the clerk's school. Do they really think I could be fooled by a forged royal seal? And this book. The Great Tome of Histories! Are you kidding me? Those jerks are perfectly aware I know every history book by heart, including The Great Tome by Likot Vabôkkizbiz.

Yes, it must be it! They are likely laughing their asses off in front of some booze right now, and only because I was picked to found a new outpost for the glory of our King and they weren't. The fuckers.

I won't let them fool me. Oh no sir, not in Shadmal's wildest dreams!

Tomorrow I will go straight to the garrison and let the militia know some fool is forging royal missives. If they happen to be slightly less drunk than usual and take this matter as seriously as they should, an official investigation at the hands of The Royal Guard shall follow soon thereafter. I will show those morons who's gonna laugh his ass off at last.




10th Sandstone, 125, the Great Mountain Halls of Syrupclinch

I c - an't beilie - ve it
    Sh - t I ne - ed some boo_z to calm teh sha -a kni g


Oh God. Oh good Zanos. This has to be a dream. Tomorrow I will wake up, and this nightmare will be over. My face. My poor face.

I went to the garrison, letter in hand. I was going to ask to be granted the permission to talk with the commanding officer. Little I know, a man appears right from nowhere, face, beard, mustaches and all hidden under a black hood. The guards didn't even give half a damn fuck.

He brings me in a side corridor by force, he hits me right on the nose with his big fist. He almost broke it, my poor nose, that gigantic bastard. He whispered: "Remember the orders, you piece of trash of an ass. Else I will bring you towards the Royal Hammerer myself". And then he simply disappeared.

Shit. I almost peed the morning ale right in my robes. My nose. It hurts so much. Fuck.

I only need to take a nap before breakfast, and when I wake up this is all gone away. It's a dream. Just a bad dream. Zanos please, make it so this is just one of your strange dreams.

And then woke up. For how long have I been sleeping? Ouch. SHIT!!!

It's all true...

My head. It's like Etur threw one of his mountains right on my face. Right. Now I remember. It's the nose that hurts so much. It puffed up already to twice it's normal size.

Think Minkot, think you fool. Gotta burn the damn letter. No wait! What is that it said about the dwarves.

6 dwarves, packing as little stuff as possible, depart by the beginning of Opal. Shit I hate winter, and most of all I hate the snow. God what am I supposed to do?

Build a fortified facility they say. Thanks, really. Those damn counselors, they sit on their noble asses all day long, that's way too convenient isn't it. They don't even send the scratch of a plan. I barely made past the architecture exams. I really can't get architecture for the life of me. And they think I can build a freaking castle or something all on my own? I seriously doubt they even asked themselves if they were picking the right dwarf for the task.

They want me dead, there's no other explanation. Why would you chose someone like ME for a task like THIS, if they didn't want me dead?
That's right. A Clerks academy overflowing with promising administrators of noble lineage, most of whom would surely do much better than I could ever be capable of. And yet they pick me, a silly dorf of humble origins who barely passed in architecture!

I must relax. Don't think about the worse Minkot. Don't you think about it.

Let's see, I need to make preparations. Gotta think this thoroughly. I don't know who the Royal Hammerer is, but I'd rather take someone form The Notched Labors as my spouse than see his asinine face up close.

I'm going to need someone to help with the designs, someone who knows about military fortifications. Also: strong arms to build and dig.
Two experienced miners shall do, they will be more than capable with both carving tunnels and putting a block on top of the other. How hard might that be?

What about food and alcohol. The orders said I can't pack a shitload of comforts, and I need to bring all the tools we will need. I better bring someone who knows how to grow some edible crop, and also how to make some good booze out of it. I could land a hand with that, but only if strictly necessary. Something tells me we better bring lots of booze.

I'm not going to spend my days locked in a small room looking at records or breaking my back in a field. Oh no sir, I tell you. If I have to do this, I'm going to enjoy my stay as much as I can.

They also said I need to make sure the working area is well defended and I'll have to set things up for establishing a solid military force. I better pick someone who's well into military warfare. How do you train dwarves into seasoned killing machines, for Armok's blood?

And I can only bring 6 more dwarves. Oh mighty Tholtig, help me!

I guess I'm not going to sleep much tonight. Nor for many nights after today. Better start making plans tomorrow. I'm too tired right now.

Turkeys. Oh Zareth, if I love turkey. Tasty, delicious turkey. Gotta make sure I bring some to breed.




28th Moonstone, 125, the Great Mountain Halls of Syrupclinch

We will leave in a couple days, at nighttime. Just some more time to double-check everything is ready.

I wasn't able to prepare as carefully as I'd liked to. People would ask too many questions. As a result, I had to be very discrete about investigating dwarves who could potentially suit my needs.

Acquiring all the things we will need once we get to our destination proved to be extremely problematic. In the end I packed the wagon with a huge amount of stuff. Fuck keeping a low profile. I'm not embarking for an easy expedition. I'm much more willing to risk being spotted but still be able to survive than focusing on secrecy only to be eaten alive by some wild beast, or worse, as soon as I reach my destination. And if the Royal Hammerer has anything to say in this regard, then be it.

And yet I fear I've been too careless. Half of Syrupclinch is sure to know something strange is going on with me.

The Lumberdorf asked what on earth would an attendant administrator do with that many Urists of Tower-cap. I said I fancied my very own cabin somewhere nice and calm.
The dwarves of the furnaces in the industrial district made a similar question regarding my need for Malachite. I guess I developed an interest with training my nonexistent metalworking skills in my spare time.
My need for several dozen barrels worth of assorted meats and enough alcohol to quench a hundred dwarves? Organizing a party for my birthday, with lots of friends and relatives being invited.

My former colleagues at the academy were the only ones to refrained from asking questions. They must be assuming I'm making preparations to leave for The Forest of Metal, most likely envying me big times for that. I so wish that was still the case.

I also managed to enlist the last dwarf in my lot of 6. I think they will suit my needs, pretty much. Well, it's the best bunch of dirty drunkards I was able to put together in the few months at my disposal.

Uzol Giftedlabor, Zon Lengthmountains, Cog Peakcopper, Zuglar Scorchabbey, Rigòth Heavyrelics, Sċkzul Realmsgorge. These are going to be my only brother and sisters for the months to come. I hope they all survive the cold and storms we will have to face along our way. Most of all, I hope it's not me to be entombed by the snow or serving as the main dish for some starving mountain lion.

My new companions have been instructed to be ready to depart at a moment's notice, for I want to be on the road as soon as possible.

I've told them we're heading for The Swamps of Hatchets to build a new outpost. They didn't seem to care much, they all seemed to be brave dwarves. But I guess their confidence also has to do with me forgetting to mention what we are going to do once there exactly, and how close to the Goblin's forefront we are going to work, eat and sleep. Oh well, maybe I'm over-thinking things too much.

It's a clear night kissed by the intense chill of winter. At least it's not snowing, although my guts tell me the weather won't be this benevolent for much longer.

A couple more days, then we depart.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 07, 2013, 05:17:34 pm
Today I bring the second (and final) part of this fat-ass introduction. I wonder if anybody is ever going to actually read it.

Whatever, writing it has been heaps of fun. Next time I get to actually playing lol


Diary of Minkot Scalewires


Spoiler (click to show/hide)


6th Opal, 125, surroundings of Mirroredhelp

We left moments before dawn. I can't say I felt comfortable while looking at the silhouette of Syrupclinch, and Urnumbras 's smaller one, slowly fading away within the cold sky.

Urnumbras is The Nets of Dominating's Mountainhome, seat of Ineth King and the High Council. The Halls are several times less expansive than those in the place we're leaving, but it served as the residence for every King of The Nets of Dominating, everyone of the seven we my kin saw raise and fall during the 125 years since Urnumbras was founded.

We actually had our first moment of tension right outside the south gates. Uzol, a bald and sickly looking miner, started complaining as soon as I told we were not taking the paved road to Netnotched. I couldn't just tell him I was ordered to avoid heavily trafficked routes. I think he doesn't like me at all.

Sċkzul promptly stepped into the quarrel. He tried explaining the longer detour towards Rulesteel was a wiser choice for a number of reasons... I guess?  I'm not sure I got half of his confused talk, but I DO HOPE Sċkzul can swing his axe better than he can put a few words together.

Whatever. I still wonder whether Uzol was discouraged by the soldier's talk or rather by his massive musculature. The miner simply clammed up despite looking visibly angered.




16th Opal, 125, The Drunken Cyclops Inn, Rulesteel

It barely stopped raining for nearly a week. I think I even saw a snowflake before entering the Inn.

Uzol catched a cold and Rigoth, the female dwarf who will be in charge of keeping us all fed and drunken, sentenced him to death out of nowhere. Her tone sounded like she was chatting about the best way to mill grains or something equally unimportant.

On the other hand Cog, the expedition's Mason and Architect, said Uzol would be up on his feet again in a couple of days. When I questioned him about how would he know, he said he was field doctor many years ago. If he was being serious, I couldn't tell. Cog his this hilarious piece of a dwarf which always looks like he's having the greatest time of his life.

Oh well, this means we can rest on a bed of sorts, have some warm giant bat tripe stew and a cup of spiced plump helmet wine. I've never been in a place as filthy as this hole of an inn, but the stew and booze are actually decent.

I will spend the rest of the evening by leafing through The Tome of Histories. I've torn the old copy from the academy's library to shreds, that many times and one more went through it. But everyone else is snoring already and I can't get myself to sleep.


Spoiler (click to show/hide)




4th Obsidian, 125, somewhere between Laborhollow and Lancewayward

I'm not sure we will survive this candid and howling hell.

The snow started falling the afternoon we left Rulesteel. Fuck, I've never seen this much snow. I know this might sound silly since I spent the vast majority of my life in Syrupclinch, where it barely snows even during the most rigid winters.

As I expected, the bad weather got increasingly dire as we kept marching. The storm was so intense I still find it unbelievable we managed to get to Laborhollow a few days ago.

I'm not brave enough to state it, but I think we're completely lost in the wilds. Venturing outside is not an option, as a dwarf gifted with the sight of a giant eagle would see no further than the pointy ends of his mustaches. If it keeps on snowing this fiercely we will be buried alive in this fucking hole, I fear.

We spent the whole day in the shelter of a small cave, which I think might have been the lair of a band of Kobolds. The place is littered with all sort of things, including filthy rags, rusted junk and an assortment of halfway decomposed... things.

Zon asked me something earlier, which is surprising, given he rarely opens his mouth of his own initiative. It's not like the smith doesn't like me or anybody else in our group. I think he's just very unassertive, especially when it comes to talking about himself.

He very politely asked me if I would lend him the tome which was sent along that goddamn letter. He seemed genuinely interested in it. Actually I was impressed by the fact he can read. That's very unusual with dwarves who're not of noble origins and are not trained into intellectual professions.

Uzol lost it early in the evening. He yelled things I won't record. He was especially angry at me, and almost tried to hit me with his pick. He did TRY to hit Sċkzul though. Bad choice: he laying on the floor, unconscious, moments after he raised the tools of his trade. Cog is tending him once more.




19th Obsidian, 125, Roadcontain

The snow simply didn't stop falling. We were running out of tower-cap logs at an alarming rate. If we had not acted quickly, we should have had to burn barrels and, eventually, the wagon itself to warm our frozen bones.

The Ranger who rarely smiles has a serious problem with self esteem, but I couldn't be happier I chose him as the group's pathfinder and tracker. We all owe Zuglar our lives after all.

He kept saying he's not that good at much of anything. Least I know, Zugler leads us straight on the right track. I have no clue how he made it, the storm was so intense it was impossible to see much at all.




25th Obsidian, 125, in the hills around Boardbalanced

This southern area of The Auburn Beak is riddled with lots of small Mountain Halls the size of a city. After surviving the fury of these majestic mountains' winter, we allowed ourselves the luxury of sleep in a proper bed every time we got the chance. And with that I spent the last few electrum coins from the small fortune I received along my orders.

We are exhausted well past any dorf's standard, regardless.

We finally commenced our descent to the south-west, towards The Swamps of Hatchets. As we departed from Boardbalances, we finally  left the beaten path, for the tracks turn north in Handleclutchs's direction.

The weather got significantly better. It still snows every day, the whole day. But the raging snowstorms left their place to soft showers of white crystals. Winter is definitely coming to a close.

As foolish as this might sound, I can't wait to breathe the putrid air of the marshes. I have no more of this candid, freezing nightmare.




28th Obsidian, 125, somewhere near The Swamps of Hatchets

Goblins!

We spotted a dozen or so on the rocky hills. When managed to maintain our presence concealed thanks the high ground advantage and the rugged geography of the hills.

Contrary to my companions, I was well aware we were going to get very near to this filthy enemy. But still I wasn't expecting to encounter them this high up on the hills, far away from their camps across the Gleamedtrammels' waters.

I wonder, is this why the High Council made me choose between embarking on this mission and getting my skull hammered? It doesn't make any sense. I guess over-thinking it's no use. It's not like I have a third option.




1st Granite, 126

Praise the Gods

WE DID IT


(http://i.imgur.com/xwjhbjc.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/8PoYOyA.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/lxzmWp3.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/S8An2O7.png)
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: XxHyde840xX on August 08, 2013, 01:36:49 pm
EPIC read! I'm glad I stumbled upon this, definitely bookmarked! And I'd love to be dorfed as Sakzul, might try my hand at writing a few journal entries from the view of a phonetically challenged axedwarf if that sounds good to you.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 08, 2013, 01:50:10 pm
Definitely!

You shall be Sċkzul then.

I try to stay as true to the various dorfs personalities as possible (as in their thoughts & preferences), although I usually focus on 2-3 traits I find interesting just to make things easier for me.

This isn't to say you're required to do the same. If you want Sċkzul to be different in some way, just go along and let me know, so that I can adjust my own writing accordingly.

I should be able to post the first in-game update when I'm back home in the next few ours.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: XxHyde840xX on August 08, 2013, 01:54:23 pm
Sounds good man, can I get a bit of info on the deities Etur and Zanos? Think it would make for interesting war speech and recruit lesson type banter, limited of course to Sakzuls linguistic ability, maybe save one or two special occasions :) I've already got a bit of a style worked out for his journal entries as well, looking forward to reading and participating in this. My first community fort! Yay!
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 08, 2013, 02:00:52 pm
Sure. I will post the relevant from legends mode info later ;)

only things I remember

Etur is a dwarven god associated with mountains (which, in my mind, would make him a very important figure)

Zanos is a dwarven god assiociated with dreams (which should explain the way Minkot addresses him)

more info later!
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 08, 2013, 11:03:13 pm
Okay looks like I was recalling stuff wrong. Zanos actually is associated with happiness (the one associated with dreams was Shadmal). I'll also add some info regarding Tholtig, as I think it might be relevant to Sċkzul :)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Hope this info satisfies your needs. Just let me know if anything else strikes your fancy ;)

Btw, I'm planning on making the world richer as I go. I have a bunch of ideas but only have very little planned out and already set up in place. Feel free to ask about stuff.

For instance, you might have noticed I'm pretty light on the background story for the initial dorfs (save for Minkot, for obvious reasons). I'm thinking about expanding the OP with relevant info about characters and places. Would you like this?

Anyway, if XxHyde840xX or anybody else want to contribute bits and pieces about their dorf's backstory (things like the Mountain Homes they were born in / are coming from, their agenda, personality traits etc.), feel free to shoot it. I just ask you don't make a 180° from the dorf's thoughts&prefs or whatever I established for the character already. External input makes my work more interesting and ☼FUN☼ I guess!


1st Granite, 126 (continued)

We brought the wagon in the shade of a small rocky formation, the murky soil of the Swamps of Hatchets a few steps ahead of us. The morasses' nauseating smell is making me sick already.

(http://i.imgur.com/8PoYOyA.png)

Everybody is exhausted by the long journey from Syrupclinch and anxious about our brief encounter with the goblins from yesterday. We allowed ourselves just a moment to assert the situation, wasting time is not an option, we can rest later.

I put Sċkzul in charge of our security. I picked him for this expedition because he served in the militia for quite some time and also has some experience with standing over recruits training. He had Zuglar go on the lookout for signs of the enemy. He took his crossbow and climbed up north to the highest hilltop in the surrounding area.

Uzol and Zon were instructed to immediately start delving ourselves a shelter. If goblins show up, I don't want to let them to catch us unaware and in the open. Uzol really doesn't like receiving orders, but he went to work, if petulantly.

Rigòth wanted to plow a field immediately, for early in the spring is the best time to start growing a crop, but I dissented. That would make spotting us too easy a job. We have heaps of provisions, we won't starve just yet. She can turn the milk into cheese for now.

I'm a bit concerned by how much about my mission I should share with the others. Orders are to maintain secrecy at all costs, but these bastards almost died under the snow because of me...

They still think we were sent here just to start a new outpost. If they smelled something strange, they didn't let that show. After all, it's a bit unusual for new Mountain Halls to be carved at such a low altitude, and this close to swamps and goblins. That being said, my people have been kind of used to nobility's extravaganza for a long time, so they might bite it.

But would they just hush and execute once I tell them we are to erect a proper fortress? I don't think so. Such an undergoing definitely is the military engineers job. In fact I still wonder myself about the meaning of all this.




19th Granite, 126

Sċkzul spends most of his time training with Zuglar. They are taking their task very seriously.

I decided to take a big gamble in telling Cog that we were going to erect a surface fort of sorts. If he had smelled something was terribly off with it, I would have told him the truth.

Surprisingly enough, he immediately agreed a fortified solution is our best option. It's like he knew I was not spilling the whole truth, but he was smiling like a drunken kid. I really have a hard time understanding this cheerful and amusing piece of a dorf.

The two of us dedicate a couple ours before sleep to making plans. He will usually take scrolls and parchments full of sketches and put it on the tables. Then we start discussing various possibilities, we analyze the local topography, things like that.

He's the one doing all the work really, while I just give the little input I'm capable of. He often mocks me I would barely be able to design a functional support, only to have a good laugh and pat my shoulder like I didn't know he's perfectly right.




3rd Slate, 126


Cog came to the conclusion our best option is going for a Motte-and-bailey design. The nearby hilltop is the right place for a small keep, he says, making for an easily defendable position. I wanted to have the opinion of an expert military on this, so I asked Sċkzul for his view on things. He seemed to agree, although I only got half of his rambling.

This also made me realize I totally forgot about another important requirement for my mission. Damn, I'm such a fool.

Sooner or later, I'm supposed to fill Enôrbomrek with a respectable military force. This means forges and plenty of white-hot, sturdy equipment coming out of those, which means we are going to need to smelt plenty of metal.

I promptly summoned Zon the silent smith. A few days ago, in one of the uncommon occasions he was willing to talk a about himself, he told me he has a solid understanding of geology (which explains why he could read the Great Tome, I guess).

I instructed him to carefully survey the area and find out as much as he possibly can about whatever lies under our feet. Uzol can work on delving out the last few rooms and notches on his own, for our hole is nearly complete.




22nd Slate, 126

Our temporary burrow is done. It took way more time than I'd have liked.

It' nothing fancy, but enough space was carved for a no-frills working area. This will do, we should be able to craft ourselves whatever basic commodity we might need.

(http://i.imgur.com/BM0rWll.png)

We unloaded all of our provisions downstairs, in a vast carved-out area we also use as our dormitory and living area. Most hard work was done by the others. I spent the vast majority of my time with updating my records and assuring nothing was missing and that everything was put in its right place.

Rigòth said that, no matter how carefully the barrels were sealed, after a 2-months long trip and with spring's sun growing warmer and warmer the meat would soon start rotting. She said turning all of that in roasts would allow for longer preservation, so we built her a proper kitchen. She's not very strong and a bit creepy, but she is a hard-working dwarfess. I'm starting to think she's actually likable. The cheese she made is delicious by the way.

(http://i.imgur.com/TXCgRgo.png)

Zon finally reported his findings, after almost 20 days out in the field.

It looks like we're sitting right on top of an igneous extrusive layer. May Cenath zap me if I know what that means, but I got that this usually equals to lots of minerals being a fair possibility.

The smith said we will be swimming in copper, which even someone like me knows isn't the best material for military use. He also assured me we could easily make ourselves rich and give us to the lazy life, for he found gold nuggets laying on the ground like they were dying  for someone to pass by and pick hem up (which I suspect he did, judging by his smile).

All of that got my hopes pretty high. But it wasn't only good news.

He was able to track only sparse traces of hematite, suggesting at least some veins should be there. I asked him if we can be expected to be able of producing some steel, the blue iron of which only dwarves know the secrets. He said it's complicated, cause he found only a little marble in the marshes, but no trace of fossil fuel whatsoever.

He had to explain the implications of this circumstances several time. We will probably have to do lots of probing to get us enough hematite, since no other iron-bearing mineral looks to be available. Steel-making also needs copious amounts of flux and carbon. Zon is very confident the only flux we will ever find is marble, which might be bad if it turns out only a little is present around the place. Worst of all, without any fossil fuel, our only reliable source of carbon is the one we will make for ourselves by felling lots of trees and making those into coal, a dirty and labor-intensive job.

I'm perfectly aware things might have been much, much worse. And I can't just wait for the Mountainhomes Liason to arrive and politely ask him for a few thousand urists worth of steel to be shipped. Unless I wanted the Royal Hammerer to come pay me a visit, that is. And I'm very determined with keeping my skull away from him, thank you.

I guess we will have to do with whatever we can gather on place.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 09, 2013, 07:10:36 am
Edited my previous post quite a bit. Not much has changed, content wise, but I felt it was too rushed.

Just enhancing readability and rhythm.

Edit: added some info about the initial 7 to the OP.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: XxHyde840xX on August 09, 2013, 05:11:28 pm
Sċkzul's Journal

This is a leather-bound journal. All craftsdwarfship is of mediocre quality. The object menaces with spikes of ramblings and poor rune-ship.

22/Slate/126

Lot's 'appenned since we left tha' halls o' our fore-fathers and travell'd out 'ere. Where is 'ere? Etur would shake 'is bless'd beard hairs in embarrassment a' me, fer I don't rightly ken. I CAN tell ye it be a festerin' swamp though. Not tha majestick peaks I'd figgered 'pon. We traipsed through Urists and Urists o' the landskape, much that I'd rather not pack meself up and be on the road again, ye ken? As luck would 'ave it, we 'eaded innae direction o' Rulesteel, though t'was after I explained tae me kompanions tha dangers of bogey-trolls an' were-carp innae opposite direktshun me ma' an da' used tae tell me of as a wee-pup back home in Syrupclinch. Minkot, our leader, some akadaemean from the Mountainhalls rais'd 'is eyebrows 'a me, 'an a few o' the others scoff'd and chuckl'd. But not ol' Minkot. Boyo respeckts there be some truth innae me words, even if they be legends an' stories for tha young-pups tae be scare'd o' leavin' tha safety o' Dwarven walls. Alas, we seen tha Greenskins 'long tha way. Smell'd tha buggers before we seen 'em is more like it. Good thing Zuglar 'ad led us to high-ground and we narrowly avoided 'em. 'Ad a skuffle wi' Uzol, poor boyo. Got innae 'is face an' cold-cocked tha wee-fucker wi' me fore-head. Cannae say he dinnae 'ave it comin'. Cursin' us all fer draggin' 'im out 'ere, Minkot 'specially...an' cursin' Etur, God o' Mountains, an' tha name o' Royalty tae boot! Elf-spit...pah...still, I do resent tha fakt I 'ad tae hurt 'is skull-meats. Might bring 'im some spiced plump helmet wine and some venison if me an' Zuglar can find some wee-beasties out 'ere. Speakin' o' Zuglar, he be tha one who suggests I be keepin' this 'ere "joornal" as 'e call'd it. Said it'd help wi' my here roonsmithy and talkin' tae folks. I thank'd 'im fer it, even told 'im it be a great idea tae boot. Boyo look'd a might bit baffled. Just put 'is 'ead down an' muttered "Thanks." Still, I saw a wee smile creep ontae 'is face. Pat 'im on the back I did an' back tae sparrin' we went. Boyo lacks confidence but makes up fer it in 'is spirit. Glad tae 'ave someone tae watch me back out 'ere.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 09, 2013, 05:44:07 pm
This is awesome. I had to read it twice to get half of it. It's perfect  :D

I honestly didn't think about anything THIS convoluted when I sketched Sċkzul in my head. But now that I've read it, I'm 100% sold.

Well done sir!

I hope I can post one more update during the weekend.

I'm also preparing some more info about the setting, The Nets of Dominating specifically. Not sure if I'll add that to the OP in little pieces or rather pile up something substantial to share. We shall see.

P.S. I'd feel bad for poor Uzol, if only he wasn't such a dick all the time.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: XxHyde840xX on August 09, 2013, 05:48:38 pm
Sċkzul's Journal

This is a leather-bound journal. All craftsdwarfship is of mediocre quality. The object menaces with spikes of ramblings and poor rune-ship.

23/Slate/156

Not much cause tae be chattin' wi' tha other dwarves. They seem like a solid lot though. 'Cept mebbe fer Rigòth...right morbid cunt that 'un. Talkin 'bout death as kasual as the Spring 'arvest! Few Dimple Cups short o' a Dye-bag that 'un be. Her cheese though...mmmmm...well, let's just say it almost makes up fer it. Cog's a'right too. Boyo looks like he can throw a punch, an' he kens a bit 'bout Dwarven arketeckture and tacticks tae boot. I nearly pissed in me trousers and spat me wine out a' supper tha other night when 'e told us this one 'ere funny 'bout four elves walkin intae a tavern an' there only bein' one throne tae sit! Even Zon chuckl'd a wee bit. He don' say much that 'un, not innae creepy sort. Jus' quiet-like.
I've seen 'is work though. Boyo kens 'is way 'round a forge an' anvil. Ach, me fuckin 'and be hurtin' somethin' fierce from this 'ere "writins" and such. Might go talk tae Minkot 'bout our defenses wi' Zuglar. This 'ere swamp be great for viewins from distance, both boon an' curse. But wi'out a good rock-face tae dig intae, such as Syrupclinch, we're gonna 'ave tae get kreative...Zuglar be tellin' me wi' a small tow'r, 'e can see off intae the distance a wee-bit further, ye ken? Methinks it be a good idea an' I tells 'im 'e can perch up there an' pelt any nuisance with 'is 'ere crossbow 'an he smiles. Tholtig clearly smiles 'pon us two from the 'eavens today. Methinks I'll be writin' in a few days time, once ma' fuckin hand stops hurtin'.

*Do you have ANY idea how hard that was to transcribe to my iPhone to post because of fucking auto-correct? AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!  >:(*

Also I've got a couple war speeches planned and I'm hoping someone picks up Zuglar soon, I think it'll make for some good banter. I'm not adverse to helping with descriptive events as well either

"The ground was awash with the grime of battle; blood, vomit, mud from the fresh-fallen snow mixed with the ichor into one terrible tapestry. The sky was awash in black smoke from the bonfires of the troops, Dwarven Steel glinting with the red of the setting sun. Sċkzul eyed his troops carefully, he was down to seven men, himself included. The remainder of the goblin horde gazed menacingly downward from the bluffs towards their encampment. Stuzo and his band of ragged but hardy macemen were all that stood in the way of victory, a full score of bastard Greenskins. Sċkzul knew they were outnumbered but he had a plan..."

I plan to continue this as well as a bit of a backstory to his militia background if that works as well. What do u think so far mang?
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 09, 2013, 06:36:24 pm
I'm very happy you jumped-in aboard this ship! I think it's spot-on and well thought out. It's an amusing mix of slang-ish talk and illiteracy, sprinkled with the right amount of frontal-lobe damage. I love it.

I hope more people jumps-in myself. I'm trying to make every character interesting in at least a few different ways, hopefully still leaving plenty of room for some untapped potential. That way, hopefully, forum goers will be able to find a dorf which strikes their fancy.

I feel bad for you, having to type all of that on a mobile touch device. That sounds like some serious pain.

Feel free to post whatever is fun/interesting for you to write! This is ofc including the style you choose to go with. As I said earlier, I'm okay with basically everything which doesn't walk over anything major I established earlier.

So yeah pal, get wild with it if that's what you want, have fun! I actually like you descriptive style as well. I kind of wish I could write like that ;)
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: XxHyde840xX on August 10, 2013, 12:38:01 pm
Continuation of the Great Battle of 121:

"Sċkzul knew he had to act fast. Time was not on his side, and neither was the battleground. Stuzo had the high ground. He knew an all out rush would lead to glorious defeat, and Sċkzul longed to see his brother Hydé again in Dwarfhalla. He longed to walk the golden halls with the souls of his fallen comrades. But, today was not that day. He knelt in front of the campfire and grabbed what would likely be the last bit of unspoilt earth upon the ground and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. It reminded him of home. He smiled, grimly, as he stood, and rubbed the gritty earth into his palms before retrieving his battleaxe from its holster on his back. He eyed the six ballistae he had stationed. They fell silent earlier in an exchange with Stuzo's marksmen. His troops bristled with anticipation, even still, as Stuzo and his horde made war cries and catcalls from the bluffs while they readied themselves. Sċkzul wasn't much for words, but on this day, he felt blessed by Tholtig, and he knew both his voice, and the strength of Dwarves would not fail on this day. A pale moon began to rise and the snow began to fall larger, and slower, almost as if waiting for permission to fall, as Sċkzul turned to address his troops..."

Heh hehe hehe good moooooooooooorning to everyone following the thread here! Just got out of bed and figured I'd post a quick bit of backstory continuation on Sċkzul. GASP! He had a brother you say? Shocking, I know! Will Sċkzul be ovverrun? Will he avenge his brothers death? Why are most goblins named Stuzo? The answer to this, and many more questions on next weeks episode of...Bluewhips! *whip-crack sound effect*
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Tovical on August 11, 2013, 02:00:33 pm
This is an interesting story; I'll be keeping an eye on it.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 12, 2013, 11:02:36 am
Welcome aboard!

I've been very little time to write or otherwise accomplish much of anything in the last few days. More updates shall be incoming sooner rather than later regardless.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Spirallances_ on August 13, 2013, 11:27:26 pm
Ill take

Uzol Giftedlabor, Miner / Mechanic ♂ (available)

If that's at all possible.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 14, 2013, 06:15:33 am
Welcome aboard Spirallances. Have fun impersonating the hot-tempered and disrespectful Uzol!

Sorry for the somewhat lackluster update. Life's been busy the last few days, but I didn't want to let you guys without at least something.

We got our first immigrants wave, if anything else. I'll add info about the new dwarves to the OP in a moment.

Our first building project shall begin soon™!


Diary of Minkot Scalewires


12th Falsite, 126

Two months have passed since our arrival here, and the surroundings have been disturbingly quiet.

We  were expecting at least some goblin activity, but nothing. Despite him being on the look out for the majority of the day, Zuglar never reported anything more than the crows' croaking or the occasional mountain goat looking at us, curiously, from a distance.

As a consequence of that, life has been going on at a slower and more relaxed pace. It's not like we're lowering our guard too much either, as that would be a serious mistake. Sċkzul maintains a regular training regimen, and we make sure at least a dwarf is outside at all times, so that we are still be able to spot unwelcome visitors.

Cog and I agreed it wasn't feasible for us to start building Enôrbomrek's Keep with our workforce alone. I told him more dwarves shall be getting here sooner rather than later, so we're just doing more designing and planning while we wait.

Since we will soon have more people to feed, I finally let Rigòth plow the plot she was dying for. Nothing fancy yet, just a small patch of sandy clay loam which will produce a small amount of Plump Helmets to supplement our still plentiful stocks.

I help her every time I can. It's a surprisingly hard job which only bears it's fruits after a lot of fatigue has been poured in. I can't just let her do all of that alone. Spending some more time with her is a rather enjoyable activity too...

(http://i.imgur.com/GIsjDtO.png)




10th Malachite, 126

They arrived early in the morning, right in the middle of summer. A group of 9 dwarves, including a child.

I was... disappointed. May Cenath strike those counseling bastards down. They send me here, in this stinky marshes to build 'hem a freaking bastion, and what do they send me? A bunch of fisherdorfs and field workers. Not even a mason or an additional miner.

We welcomed our new brothers and sisters, regardless. Tholtig knows if we can use additional strong arms, even if untrained. They tell me Datan is a capable axedwarfess, while Ral knows his way with a crossbow. I'll let Sċkzul know about them later, they might be handy in case we need to defend ourselves.

I'll let these new members of The Blockade of Cloistering recover for their trip. They'll receive their assignments tomorrow, once me, Cog, and Sċkzul have some time to discuss what the best way to put them to use would be.

I better hurry now, Rigòth is probably waiting for me already.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Spirallances_ on August 14, 2013, 06:24:05 pm
Journal of Uzol Giftedlabor.

Chapter one.

My family have betrayed me, kicked me by the way side only to make room for my brother who promises to be a great general.
My training to be the royal water reactor designer, water reactors things of great importance that create all the power the mountain homes need.
Me a once high born noble kicked by the way side and disinherited, what a disaster!

Chapter two.

Today I was at the tavern drinking my troubles away, when I was approached by a strange dwarf named "Minkot Scalewires" who offered me a position on a embarkment to create an outpost which according to him his much minerals and potentially even gold! So I signed up as a mechanic and he told me I would have to also be a miner what do I look like some low born commoner! But me not having any choice grudgingly accepted.

One of the few thing I managed to keep from home aside from a few hundred coins, is a amulet made of gold with an engraving of Likot Jadegravel my chief deity the engraving is surrounded with orbs made of ruby it was crafted by a master metalsmith and the rubies placed by a master jewler.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Also when writing updates/journal entries lets do a bit of RP ie: urist mcdwarf "today i punched a dwarf in the face" urist mcotherdwarf "today i got punched in the face"
if you catch my drift also how things could effect the for ie: "today i ran in to the overseers office and demmanded there to be mrble tables" if you catch my drift.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Spirallances_ on August 14, 2013, 07:00:31 pm
Chapter three.
Today we set out at the crack of dawn what a terrible experience, I hate getting up early.
We set out and went on the most back-assed rout possible and when I start to mention this to Minkot this jerk Sakzul steps in and starts trying to talk to me in some sort of strange commoner language what does "wa are gonna go thus way it arnt weller traved no berndits" or something like that whats that supposed to mean? I sat down in the wagon even though supposedly im not supposed to but screw them anyways its so warm in the straw.

Chapter four.

So much rainnnnnn I can't stop sneezing and coughing it's so terrible I hate it here I wish I was back in my family's private chambers.
The dwarf Rigoth said I was going to die out here and I thought she was so pretty even though she is of common origins with a bit of refining she could be a regular noblewoman sigh my fellings get the better of me. The medic Cog tended to me while not my family's private doctor he was very cheerful, he's so annoying I hate them I hate them all even Rigoth.... well maybe not her. We stoped in an inn just before it started snowing. I must say what a hell hole literally the most horrid place I've ever seen the place was crawling in purring maggots. No matter I noticed Minkot reading a book and letter, so at night I snuck in and stole it I'm supprised my sneezing didn't wake him. His letter was very strange and cryptic I made a copy of it and put it in my coat while the book was just an average book however I noticed there was a note in the back that was partialy torn all it read was "also keep your secret to your self they cant know that you are a vamp......" I think that Minkot is a vampire!!!
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Spirallances_ on August 14, 2013, 07:22:04 pm
Chapter four.

If Minkot really is a vampire which I have my doubts about but the evidence is sort of overwhelming but anyways if he is a vampire he obviously heard me considering vampires don't sleep. I must be careful!

Chapter five.

When we started to move along it started to snow like none-other it got so bad we had to hide in some kobold cave it was terrible.
I lost it then I yelled and screamed it took all of my willpower to not hit Minkot none of this would have ever happened if we took the main rout. Then that jerk Sakzul started to try and calm me down in that terrible language of his it was so annoying I tried to hit him with my pick which I loath so much he caught it in mid strike twisted it around and hit me in the head with his own head everything was black after that until I awoke to find cog starring at me what a strange dwarf I don't trust him. We were traviling cog was in the wagon with me watching me weather he was tending to me or just being a creep is beyond me. When I fully came to I realized that we had arrived.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Spirallances_ on August 14, 2013, 07:39:47 pm
Chapter six.

When I awoke they told me to star digging immediately so I found my self digging like some sort of commoner with Zon who is one of the few I actually like other than Rigoth  :-\ her cheese is so tasty. Zon found only trace amounts of iron ore however we did find some copper ore and and even a few gold nuggets. We recived a few migrants and I noticed that Mikot and Rigoth have started to spend some time together weather it's just business or something more I can't tell I hate Mikot regaurdless!
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 14, 2013, 08:27:55 pm
Sorry if I haven't updated the list of dorfable dorfs yet.

Lo and behold, I prepared the OP update with the new dwarves, but something went wrong and I'll have to re-edit that. Too tired to do it now. In the meantime I'll just post screen caps for the migrants wave.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)


I appreciate Spirallances_ contributions. You can tell he was very careful about staying true to Uzol while still adding her own touch to the character.

I feel like this is a good time to make a few things clear though.

I hope everybody understands I'm putting lots of effort into crafting this story. It might not show, but I'm trying tho think and plan things quite carefully, which takes a lot of time and prepping work. Not to mention that not being a natural english speaker only makes things quite a bit harder for me.

While I'm perfectly fine with you being creative about how things might be going from your dorf's point of view, I politely ask present and future players to resist the tentation with introducing original elements of your own mind to the story.

Because of that, I'll retcon Spiral's entry as follows (also, I ask the previous posts to be edited accordingly, if possible):
- Uzol never saw Minkot reading the letter (in fact it might very well be that Minkot already destroyed the letter, as implied in the introduction).
- Uzol never stole anything. I prefer you leave things like theft and conflict (fist fights, or worse) to me, as these can potentially lead to pretty wild consequences if out of check.
- For god's sake, there's no note implying Minkot (or any other dorf) might be a vampire. Please just adhere to whatever was already established in my updates.

It's okay for Uzol to have seen Minkot reading the book, as he even lent it to Zon for a while. It's also fine for Uzol to be legitimately curious about it. But, as a rule of thumb, a player should refrain from stating what happens in the story next. That's the sort of things which should be left to the story's author (i.e. to me).

I don't want Spirallance to feel like I'm scolding him or anything like that. I'm just taking the chance to further clarify what my stance is about different things that I'm willing to let roleplayers do. Remember this is the first time I'm running a community fort, so I don't feel confident about letting players too much freedom about some critical aspects, as I'm not confident I would be able to manage eventual issues which might arise. Ultimately, what I care the most about is the story's quality and consistency. I'm not willing to sacrifice that for any amount of players' fun.

Otherwise, I really liked and appreciated Spirallance_'s contribution.

Regarding player-to-player (or dorf-to-dorf) interactions, try and limit yourself to things which have been implied or suggested in my updates already. It's also fine if you touch on things which are very clearly not going to alter characters or the story in any potentially harmful way. Just use caution and everything shall go smoothly.

As for interacting with me or minkot, you can just state clearly your intention and then wait for me to post a reply.

For instance, Spirallance_ might post about Uzol saying something to Minkot. But it's still up to me (not the player) to say what Minkot's replay or actions are going to be.

If, at any point, you're in doubt about whether or not something you have in mind would be appropriate or not, feel free to send me a PM about it and I shall come back at you ASAP.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Spirallances_ on August 14, 2013, 09:01:45 pm
Chapter seven.

Ugh I don't feel well at all.
I ate some food that didn't look very good back at the inn I must have been delirious the entire time that "note" that I "found didn't exist at all I didn't even steal it, it was all apart of some delirious fever. I think ill go to bed now.


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

i suppose i was a bit out of line thought it was interesting at the time my fault and as far as the last part (player to player contact) that's basicly what I ment in a nut shell.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Spirallances_ on August 14, 2013, 09:24:23 pm
Also you can just call me Spirallances.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: XxHyde840xX on August 17, 2013, 03:33:17 pm
Almost-Finale of the Great Battle of 121:

"Brothers!" Sċkzul's voice rang true with the might of Etur and the courage of Tholtig. "What we do here today, echoes in eternity! All of you, man the ballistae, set fire to the bolts, and let your bolts fire true on this day. I shall serve as the bait. When they descend the bluffs, on my mark, unleash Hell!" Sċkzul paused for a moment before continuing. "In three weeks, I shall be harvesting my brothers crops, imagine where you will be and it will be so. And if you find yourself running through the golden fields, and sipping mead with you forefathers worry not! For you are in the land of Dwarfhalla!" A few of the men chuckled. "And you are already dead!" Sċkzul finished his speech to rousing laughter, batttlcries, and the raised weapons and shields of his brethren and he began to walk forwards, towards the bluffs. His men stood at the ready, waiting for his command.

Stuzo and his horde grew impatient. The time was now. He rose from his seat at the campfire, donned his chieftains helmet, decorated with dwarf bone and eagle feathers and lifted his mace high. The goblins gibberred and whooped loudly. Stuzo saw the lone dwarf walk forward and pointed his mace towards him. The goblins screeched as one as they began to jog down the bluffs, gaining speed quickly to a gallop, then a sprint.

"Nock!" Sċkzul shouted back toward his comrades barely breaking stride as he walked forward. The goblins looked like ants toward the top of the bluffs but began to grow quickly in size as they descended. Sċkzul's men quickly obliged and loaded the ballistae.

The goblins war-cries, though unintelligible grew louder. They were halfway down the bluffs. Sċkzul noticed a single goblin had yet to descend. "Light!" he cried to his men as he stopped and prepared to face the onslaught. His axe was lifted and he readied himself for the carnage, though he felt his actions  were not entirely his own. The gibbering and beating feet of 19 goblins became almost deafening. With the goblins almost upon him he screamed to his comrades a mere 50 paces to his rear...

"LOOSE!"


*booyeah! One more of these babies to crank out and Sċkzul's backstory is fleshed out! Noticed there were a few more posts so I figured it was about time I cut in :) welcome as well to spirallances! Glad to have another dorf on board. Coming soon: the exciting conclusion to the Great Battle of 121, and another barely legible journal entry ^hopefully^*

PS: 5 bone flutes and a box of kittens for whoever can catch the influence for Sċkzul's war-speech
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Spirallances_ on August 23, 2013, 08:47:08 pm
I want to say Rome Total War but there's not enough blood bathing
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Bandreus on August 24, 2013, 04:26:03 pm
Just stopping by briefly to let you know this is not dead. Just some !!FUN!! in RL and stuff. Next update in a few days, hopefully.
Title: Re: Enôrbomrek: Bluewhips (Community Fort)
Post by: Tovical on August 25, 2013, 01:43:07 pm
Quote
"In three weeks, I shall be harvesting my brothers crops, imagine where you will be and it will be so."

That line alone rings in my head - I know it, or at least what it's based from, but I simply cannot recall what it is...

Frustration!