3rd Moonstone, 106, Early Winter
Her Royal Majesty
Ùshrir Eldersalve
Queen of the Dagger of Wards
Your majesty,
Glad tidings from Syrupurns! In spite of the complete destruction of last year's caravan, these have been a highly productive - if tedious - last two years in what is shaping up to be your majesty's finest fortress.
Where to begin? Every industry in Syrupurns excels. Working together, our mechanics and animal trainers have captured and tamed local populations of wolves and skunks. Just this past seasons, two litters of nearly docile wolf pups were born! We fully expect litters of skunk kits soon, but I must admit that I am more excited about the prospect of packs of trained war wolves than I am about swarms of tame skunks.
(http://i.imgur.com/hTNEB7P.png)
Additionally, we have captured no less than thirty-one unicorns! Since the capture of three separate herds, no more have arrived - our trainers, who fail in every attempt to train the wild-spirited creatures, seem convinced that these may be all the unicorns that lived in this area, and thus the last that Syrupurns is likely to ever see.
One of our training armorers, Tun Lashtool (a lad of fifteen!) was taken with a fey mood mere days ago, and just yesterday produced a marvelous brass breastplate, The Luck of Passing. The armor is emblazoned with a piece of art in your majesty's honor!
(http://i.imgur.com/8pt0i5w.png)
As mayor, my regular mandates for more shields is met with great ease, thanks to our skilled leatherworkers. Recently, however, my demands went unheeded. Your majesty will be happy to know that her harsh but fair justice is being executed here in Syrupurns to the highest standards of dwarven satisfaction.
(http://i.imgur.com/B38W5u9.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/beqicBo.png)
And of course, as promised, excavation of the eventual grotto itself has begun this year. All that remains now is the arrival of more migrants - yet, as of recently, few have come from the mountainhome. I beg your majesty's understanding in the matter of providing a necessary task force for a project of this magnitude. As of yet, many dwarves have died - I do hope that Syrupurns is not spoken of in poor words back in Sacksquid.
Sadly, I must report the passing of Ber Rungworked, our captain of the guard. In a horrible misunderstanding, Ber ran outside during a necromantic siege while the rest of the fort remained burrowed inside. The horrific monsters struck him down, but not before he slew a few of their number.
(http://i.imgur.com/TVJM5wa.png)
The new captain, Lorbam Flanktrades, who came to Syrup urns in 103 when he was only 11, is already a competent fighter. He is leading his squad of his peers, all recently come of age and unskilled in anything outside of fighting, with using whips we gathered from goblin sieges. These monstrous weapons will serve our fortress well, although we do not know the secret of their construction.
The defensive chimney, complete with four layers of retracting bridges has been completed! It performs its function - precisely speaking, the dropping of enemies thirty-four urists down into solid rock - extremely well. We have only tested the device once - against a necromantic siege. The undead destroyed this past summer's human caravan, and we captured another of the foul sorcerers in our cage traps. With no need to muck up our traps with useless undead, we opened instead the newly completed chimney.
(http://i.imgur.com/QoJoYQn.png)
It worked against most of the monsters.
(http://i.imgur.com/hmnYImS.png)
But some proved more... resilient.
(http://i.imgur.com/xFS4ZBz.png)
And... I regret to inform your majesty that the defensive chimney, at this time, had not been recently completed.
(http://i.imgur.com/1Fe6PQB.png)
No perimeter had been constructed to prevent something from entering the fortress in the event that they made it past the bridges at the top of the chimney. In addition, the far lower exit of the chimney led into the mine network we had dug. In the confusion, some of your majesty's subjects perished... a few of no reputation.
The captain of the guard (by this time, Lorbam Flanktrades had replaced Ber Rungworked) and our militia commander (Unib Lancerpassage, a marksdwarf) mobilized inside the refuse stockpile and dining hall, respectively.
(http://i.imgur.com/GSv3xrG.png)
They successfully held off any undead from breaking free of the maze of tunnels beneath Syrupurns. Shortly thereafter... another threat appeared in the depths.
(http://i.imgur.com/SwhRuBE.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/ZlGT88O.png)
The monster scared off a handful of masons, then returned to sit smugly atop our lone emergency water source.
(http://i.imgur.com/xXDicqC.png)
The militia commander bravely led his squad of marksdwarves into the mines, and all it took was a single precise shot to make the forgotten beast collapse into a pile of snow.
(http://i.imgur.com/tGxslvm.png)
I am of course aware of the incredible gravity of such situations. Things could have gone much more poorly than they did - but let that be a testament, if your majesty pleases, to my skill as a fortress mayor and manager. Let me personally assure your majesty that I will take great lengths to continue to ensure the safety and happiness of each one of your servants here.
Our latest census.
(http://i.imgur.com/MvLnNgV.png)
Give yourself to Doren,
Reg Labormurder
Grand Architect
Mayor of Workgold
Whew, that was a longish one. Does anyone who's reading this care to comment? I'm really curious to have any kind of feedback.