Bay 12 Games Forum
Dwarf Fortress => DF Community Games & Stories => Topic started by: chonger on December 22, 2008, 04:35:29 pm
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Shorast Anan, "The Wire of Night", was a dwarven civilization of The Everlasting Land.
Shorast Anan was ruled by Queen Fikod Mineswords. This was the homeland of Eric the Dwarf, the founder of Channeledwanes. In 197, The Wire of Night was hit by a hard recession. Eric the Dwarf, despite being a Proficient Architect (and a Novice Organizer/Negotiator/Liar/Judge of Intent/Appraiser), was out of a job. "This is horrible!" Eric lamented, "With the housing market in the gutters, what am I to do?" The prospect of having to move back with his parents and living in an above-ground house was unbearable to Eric. He needed a drink to get through the day... badly.
Eric returned to find his home in disarray, which would not be unusual for dwarves except for footprints the size of elephants. All of his possessions were destroyed; The only item of valuable was looted:
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/sportsearched_-_our_nemesis670.png)
Eric was crushed. He had no job and no booze. He was tired of living in a dwarf fortress that, for a hundred years, has not been able to catch a water tower sized thief. So Eric gathered every credit card application that was sent to him that week, took out a loan large enough to start a new kingdom (MastercraftCard - Our motto is: No job? No net worth? No problem!), and set out north to the promised land in the beautiful mountains of Teeth of Frothing:
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/embark_location772.png)
If Eric's understanding of geology was right, the Teeth of Frothing would be a place with delicious Sunberries, mysterious Mountain Gnomes, maybe even Unicrons!
But before Eric can embark, he needs a hardy group of volunteers to join him, preferably the 6 dwarves would all be born one minute apart from each other.
The starting seven complete:
- Miner/Mason - Strife - Female
- Miner/Mechanic - Coolhat - Female
- Miner/Stonecrafter - Maggarg - Male
- Farmer - Robin - Male
- Carpenter/Cook - Keldor -Male
- Woodcutter/Brewer - Rimtar - Female
- Fearless Leader - Eric - Male (we think)
Future dwarves will be added to the Census of Channeledwanes (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p7Pkm9RRPVv3o-6s50Wb2Xg).
Let me know your name, gender (if preferred), and profession.
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Strife had always been good with his hands. The son of a noted Crossbowdwarf (one of the last of the old guard, before everything went south), Strife had always loved fidling with the mechanisms on his mother's bow. He resigned to be a mechanic, with the hope of getting to build complex machines, like the bastilla, or even just a couple of crossbows. With the economy as it was though, he was forced into mining and crafting useless stone toys on the side. Why does a toy axe matter?
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It'd appear that Strife wants the miner/mechanic, so I'll take the miner/mason under the name of Coolhat. You see, Coolhat was called such because everyone was waaay jealous of his artifact hat, The Rough Yodels of Axes, crafted from felsite, adorned with hanging rings of gold, and menacing with copper spikes. This thing was stellar. Until that freakin giant stole his hat. He couldn't stand to live in the Mountainhomes, his name was empty if he didn't have his hat. It felt like people were mocking him when they said his name, and so he fled.
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Historical Society of Shorast Anon, 19th of Granite, 1305
The Historical Society of Shorast Anon was able to recover the following pages from the Census of Channeledwanes. They appear to reference two of the seven founders of that [in]famous city.
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/dwarf_strife242.png)
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/dwarf_coolhat_broken614.png)
OOC
Coincidentally, it appears the two of you are lovers.
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/dwarf_coolhat_relationships_202_broken628.png)
Edit: Made the heading for HSSA consistent w/ other entries.
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But.. you list them as both female? (Is horribly and utterly disturbed by the inner mechanics and desires of Toady ones mind).
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OOC: Holy crap. I want some of what I was smoking... I had assigned you to the Stonecrafter. Fixed... Now you are the Miner/Mason.
Historic Society of Shorast Anon, 19th of Granite, 1305 -
It turns out the the new apprentice to the society was not sufficiently drunk when interpreting the recovered census pages. The correct translation of the lost pages for Coolhat are:
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/dwarf_coolhat405.png)
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/dwarf_coolhat_relationships_202916.png)
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History of Channeledwanes, 1st of Slate, 1 (202 Emalina)
Today is a truly legendary day! After 5 years of long journey west, today marks the arrival of The Connected Board to the beautiful hillsides of the Teeth of Frothing! I do not want to toot our own collective horns, but I believe dwarves of the future will think of today as the start of a new Age. The seven brave dwarves of The Connected Boards will be forever remembered in engraved rocks and arts. We shall strike the earth and carve out the foundations for a grand fortress. According to the Elven map I have, the name of this land is "Cirethi-Asithi", meaning "Wild-Joy". I will give this land a propert Dwarven name of "Cattenlelum", or "Channeledwanes", in the Old Tongue.
I have sent our farmer to scout for local elves, in hope of obtaining some of their Sunberries. When he returns, we shall brew up some "Frothy" Sunberry wine.
Edit: Made heading for History of Cattenlelum consistent.
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Personal Journal of Eric the Architect, 1st of Slate, year 202.
Despite the hardship we endured, I've finally led my dwarves to our new home. By the way, I named us The Connected Board. I explained to the dwarves that we are connected like pieces on a chess board. The symbolism of our name should reinforce the sense of teamwork between the dwarves (I read about this in a book on leadership once).
This team of dwarves has been very difficult to work with. They are nothing like the legendary dwarves of Nist Akath and Kulettogum. Nevertheless, I was able to keep them together, keep our group focused, taking it one day at a time to reach our goal. After all, I am a Novice Organizer! I guess I am just naturally good at facilitating communication and mentoring dwarves. They are a grumbling lot, but a good leader must be able lead any dwarf!
It took 5 years for us to get here - It turns out that Strife, our so called "navigator", was only associated with rangers by birth. She has the nerve to insist that she had warned me about not being a ranger (there are no official records of such warning). Besides, she should know very well that my attention must be focused on the more important matter of leadership, not petty details. I really wish she found us a ranger when she realized her deficiencies. I will make sure she learns from this mistake.
I was disappointed that we have yet to see any elves or unicorns here at the Teeth. I heard that the Elves are a shy lot. Perhaps they are hiding and observing us from a distance. After all, I believe we are the first dwarves to ever travel this far west. They must simply be afraid of us because they've never seen our kind before. I've sent our farmer out to hail the elves (not without a lot of grumbling from him). I eagerly wait for good news.
Edit: Made heading consistent.
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Personal Journal of Eric the Architect, 1st of Slate, year 202.
This team of dwarves has been very difficult to work with. They are nothing like the legendary dwarves of Nist Akath and Kulettogum.
Ahahahahah.
Aha.
ha.
Organised and manageable?
Abbeyverse?
If that's good, how awful must your dwarves be?
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Keldor was once an apprentice chef at the fortress of Külettogum, but lost his job as a result of the food surplus crisis. Not wishing to go back forever to his former job as carpenter, and certainly not wishing to be forced to live in the dreaded peasants' quarters, he struck out across the swamp to seek a new life.
By some miracle, he escaped from the mire unharmed, and before long, heard rumors of a group of dwarves planning to set out to found a new fortress. Deciding that such a group would undoubtedly need a chef, not to mention a furniture maker for the early months, Keldor sought them out and joined.
Keldor loves cooking, especially using exotic meats and spices, and dreams of learning the art of cheese making.
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Maggarg is a very elderly and grumpy miner. Likewise from Kulettogum, he was an administrator for a year, and hated it. Now on the list again, he wants a damn holiday, preferably in a dry place so his rheumatism doesn't play up.
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I'll take the farmer (name's Robin). Sorry I'm not really creative today or I'd come up with some backstory about how he's from a backwater little village, has always liked farming and recently he's wanted to try growing the more exotic (to dwarves, anyway) surface plants.
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1st of Slate, 202.
Rimtar can't believe she spent the last five years wandering The Everlasting Land just to strike the earth at this forsaken place! The Teeth was no mountain of gold like Eric described. There were no outcropping of gems and platinum. No flowing river of ale. No cats to slaughter for food. As a matter of fact, there was nothing. The dwarves of the Connected Board have not seen another living creature since they've started to cross the jagged ridges of the Teeth. This land was just... empty.
At night, the dwarves were haunted by dreadful dreams. When the sun has set, a chorus of deep gurgles and dry cracking sounds rose in its place. Eric explained that this land is home to the mountain gnomes. They were most likely hearing the far off songs of the gnomes. Songs or not, they brought the dwarves nightmares of death and carnage. As they closed in on their new home, the gnome songs seemed to grow closer. When Eric finally declared that they have arrived, the first thing Rimtar did was plead with the other dwarves to erect a defensive parameter around their first tunnel. Eric was mildly annoyed with Rimtar's paranoia, but did not object that much; His attention was occupied elsewhere.
To the north, hugging the feet of the hills was a thick expanse of Highwood and Cedar, a forest that seemed as old as time itself. It was no doubt the forest retreat they (Eric) had been seeking. Eric had sent Robin into the forest to look for Elves, and hopefully bring back some Sunberries to replenish their supplies.
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Personal Journal of Eric the Architect, 12th of Slate, year 202.
I was disappointed by the lack of conviction in my fellow dwarves. Despite my motivational speeches and the all the booze I've pumped into them, the dwarves decided to start napping on the job. It's only been 11 days of straight labor since we started work on building our new home.
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/sleep_finally481.png)
Keldor was the first one to fall asleep - on the job even! I was particularly disappointed by Keldor, an immigrant from the famed fortress of Külettogum. I had assigned him to carpentry when he told me he "does not wish to go back to his former job as a carpenter".
"You were a carpenter, you say? That's perfect!" I exclaimed, "We are in need of someone who can make beds and barrels!" He had the strangest expression on his face when I told him that. I could not understand why he cried and pouted so much! Keldor blithered on and on about how even the sight of a saw would remind him of the "death and tragedy at Külettogum". I told him he was wrong. The Külettogum I read about was a beautiful fortress with awesome architecture. I told him to stop hallucinating and go make us some beds.
... And where is that damned Robin? How hard is it to find an Elf in a forest?
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Historical Society of Shorast Anon, 19th of Granite, 1305
More pages regarding the founding members of Channeledwanes have been translated.
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/dwarf_keldor734.png)
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/dwarf_maggarg727.png)
OOC: Slight spoiler here.
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/dwarf_robin706.png)
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Aww... you got me beat up already?
Should be interesting.
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21st of Felsite, 202.
"Giant bat! Everyone outside! Now!" Eric cried, "Now!"
Strife was the first dwarf out; His copper pick barely slowing him down. Robin was ahead of him - almost home, but still too far away.
Robin had made it over the ridge. He was on the clearing leading to the main shaft. His legs felt like clay; His lungs burned like magma; His eyes stung with sweat, and the stench of the bat nauseated him. The bat was a hideous thing. It was as large as a vulture. Its body was covered with scars, hairless except for random patches of long gray weedy tufts. But the worst was the stink. Robin had smelled it even before he saw it.
The bat crashed into Robin, sending them both tumbling along the ground like a large leathery boulder. Strife was on top of them in a flash, striking his pick with force enough to split granite. A geyser of green ichor spewed from the creature, but it didn't even flinch. Coolhat and Maggarg quickly joined them, hacking away at the creature with all their might, also without any apparent effect. It was a flash of steel that finally put it to rest. Rimtar arrived and sliced off the bat's body with a well calculated strike.
Robin stood up. He was covered in green and red. The bat's head was still attached to his right arm; Its large, cold fangs buried deep into his flesh. With his good arm, Robin pried the monster's head loose and tossed it to the ground. It was dead. It was dead long before they even met.
Eric convened an emergency meeting that night. It doesn't look like he was going to have Sunberry wine anytime soon.
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Looking at my profile, I notice that Keldor was "forced to talk to someone annoying lately" Does this mean he already has a grudge, and if so, against who? :D
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Here you go:
(http://xs434.xs.to/xs434/08523/dwarf_keldor_relationships_202599.png)
OOC: Moved all the images to a different host. I didn't realize photobucket was resizing all my images and converting them into huge files (100kb - 200kb). The thread should load much faster now.
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Wow... disagreeable much? I'm hoping "Long-term acquaintance" stays that way rather than becoming another grudge.
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He said my hat smelled bad! I hat him I hat him I hate him! Keldor started it all!
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Huh, young folk.
In my day we never 'ad time fer grudgin'. I were down the mines all day and night.
'Undred years on I'm still down the mines. Lest this place ain't wet like that blasted salty mire.
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Bah! Those miners and their silly mines! I can't see what ye would possibly see in dark, cold corridors and deep featureless pits. Fer meself, I'll take a nice mead hall, with hot food an' good ale!
Oh, yeah, if ye see that Coolhat, tell her she need to be washin' that grimy old piece of headgear. I know that the grime help to protect the head, but by Armok's beard, that hat is simply ridiculous!
As fer that Strife, she should stop pesterin' me about that damn pick shaft an' make herself a new one! It's not like it be very hard! Just find a nice stick and smooth an' shape it so the head fits on. At the very least, she could bring me the wood an' make sure to do it when I don't be busy cookin!
OOC: I've rarely seen dwarves with a single grudge, but Keldor has TWO! I suppose he must be the dour, grumpy type.
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7th of Hematite, 202.
Hoary marmots are large rodents that live mainly in alpine areas. The hoary marmot has thick, silvery-gray fur on its head, shoulders and half of its back. The hoary marmot eats a variety of grasses, green plants and seeds. It often eats snow to get the water it needs. - Dwarfcyclopedia
The skeletal hoary marmot has no fur. It thrives off a steady diet of unlucky dwarves.
The dwarves slumped against the entrance to the fort, exhausted from their battle with the skeletal marmots. Maggarg was the first to get back up, scavenging the bones of the dead/undead/un-un-undead. "Hey, Maggarg! What are you doing?" Keldor asked.
"Don't you worry, I have a plan". Maggarg had carved out a crossbow and bolts out of the bones of the undead. To him, there was only one way to avenge the attack on Robin. He would slay every damn bat he sees with the bones of their brethrens.
A tiny head peeked out from the entrance to the fort. "Well, back to work!" Eric prompted his dwarves, "The clock is a-ticking! We need to be ready before winter!" The dwarves reluctantly headed back into the fort. Rimtar stayed. She stood intently, watching the north. The rest of the dwarves shuffled into the cave, leaving just Rimtar and Eric outside.
"What's wrong?" Eric asked.
"We think we've been hearing the howls of wolves at night." Rimtar replied, "They are coming from The Old Forest, and they seem to get closer each night."
"Yeah, I remember hearing the dwarves talking about wolves." Eric shrugged, "Hmm... well, there's not much we can do about it. Our numbers are too few." He looked at Rimtar and smiled, trying to reassure her, "Let's just go inside. Don't worry about it."
Rimtar sighed, "I know.... But we can't just sit here and wait, Eric. They are coming for us. I don’t know how else to put this, but we're the only edible things around here."
Eric wringed his hands, "Well, what can we do?"
Eric looked at Rimtar with an awkward frown, waiting for her answer. Rimtar didn't know what to say... "Aye... Forget it, I'll figure something out."
That night, Rimtar found herself standing at the foot of the Teeth. She swung her axe hard, biting into an ancient high wood. "Eric was right", she thought, "We are too few to hunt the hunters." But she said she'd figure something out... it's a long shot, but it was a shot. She'd cut down The Old Forest.
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EDIT: I made a mistake here. I found out that the merchants do not always come from the save civilization you come. Need to rewrite this part of the story...
EDIT: Nope - Even worse, I had been using the wrong originating civ! I had this fortress mixed up with a previous test fortresse. I will fix this in a moment.
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14th of Limestone, 202
(http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/9269/14thoflimestonetradersal3.png)
"Traders from Kivish Nokgol, the Lancer of Riddles, have arrived!", Keldor came running to Eric, "Eric, they are asking for you. Come!"
"Traders from Kivish Nokgol?" Eric was shocked, "... Are you sure?" He could not believe what he heard, but he still allowed Keldor to lead him down the hallway. Is this is a joke? Maybe the dwarves are throwing a surprise party for him? Could it really be traders? Eric could not figure out how they got here so soon; It took the Connected Board 5 years to get here!
Keldor brought Eric to the trading table and introduced him as the broker of Channeledwanes. After some brief exchange of pleasantry, Eric asked the master trader the questions that were burning on his mind. "How did you guy find us? How did you get here so fast?"
"Remembered the credit forms you filled out back home? Well, I don't know how the company knew you were here... They just told me to come and find you." The trader forced a smile, "It actually took us quite a while to get here. You guys have gone pretty far north!"
The trader laid out a map before Eric, "There's really only one way to get here, north and around the Teeth."
(http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/7348/merchantroute2ok3.jpg)
"The whole trip took about 4 month. Well, there was just one way. Our men are digging a tunnel across the Teeth to make future trips quicker. Why do you ask?"
"We can talk about that later; It's not important. Let's get to business. What did you bring?"
The fort was lacking in trade goods except a few stonecraft Maggarg has created in his free. In return, the dwarves were able to obtain some fresh booze and meat for the coming winer.
Later, Eric was able to figure out what had gone wrong. Strife, and the Elven map Eric had acquired directed them to go west. This was the path they took:
(http://xs134.xs.to/xs134/08524/connected_board_route804.jpg)
Eric would explain to the dwarves that the Queen of Kivish Nokgol had created a special trade route to Channeledwanes. It would be a testament to the great potentials of this fort.
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16th of Sandstone, 202
Migrants have arrived!
We have:
Cheesemaker
Fish Dissector
Fish Cleaner
2 x Peasant
Metalcrafter
Butcher
Ranger
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21st of Sandstone, 1 Channeledwanes
Immigrants have been flocking to Channeledwanes with dreams of freedom, wealth, and a chance to make history. The latest wave of immigrants volunteered to join the much needed defense force. This is an engraving of four recruits fighting against a zombie bat.
(http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/8668/newbievszombiefk1.png)
21st of Sandstone, 202
We have arrived in Channeledwanes, for better or for worse. The mayor has drafted us into the "militia", telling us we must earn our keep. He then told us that our equipment will arrive shortly. There are undeads everywhere. Why did the Queen send us here?
The mayor is calling for us. There is some kind of zombie bat outside that he wants us to get rid of. I hope we survive through the night.
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21st of Sandstone, 202
OOC: I think we can write off Vabôk the Ranger. He is missing his left lower leg. He is unconscious (but conscious enough to know he's unhappy). It took 8 dwarves to bring the bat down, including Rimtar (with a steel battleaxe), Coolhat and Strife (with picks), and a new recruit armed with Maggarg's udead x-bow.
(http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/1228/vabokrangerag7.png)
This is a picture of Vabôk's leg. I wonder if there's some way to preserve it. I wish a dwarf makes an artifact weapon out of it.
(http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/6411/legofvabokbf2.png)
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Well, by Armok's bloody beard, that funky philosopher back in Abbeyverse was right! The world really do be shaped like a giant plump helmet! How else can ye explain us gettin' here, unless Eric's sense of direction is even worse that I thought!
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The current unit list.
(http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/746/unitlist202jo0.png)
The immigrants turned out to be useful - we're up to 4 injured now :)
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Huh, tunnels.
Traders were tougher when I were a lad.
Thought nowt of wincing the wagon up sheer cliffs.
Course, back then there were PROPER cliffs. Not these rampy things you gets nowadays.
And another thing!
Undead batmen ain't as tough as they used to be!
Least this place ain't damp like abbeyverse.
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Bah.. If'n I had me hat I would be much more reluctant to put meself into danger like that. I'd have to go to me room, put me hat in a safe, and then come back to fight. If that giant ever stops off here for some goods, oh I ever will beat the stuffin out o' him or her or it!
(If we do get this giant... may I be drafted just to fight it? It'd be great plot!)
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Huh, tunnels.
Traders were tougher when I were a lad.
Thought nowt of wincing the wagon up sheer cliffs.
Course, back then there were PROPER cliffs. Not these rampy things you gets nowadays.
And another thing!
Undead batmen ain't as tough as they used to be!
Least this place ain't damp like abbeyverse.
Heh, the undeads are doing hell of a job (no pun intended) until we can get a formal military up and running (and clear out the chasm). The latest casualty: Lòr Atherlrakust; He decided to cross the chasm to gather spider webs.
(http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/6552/death203granite27lorrf7.png)
To be fair, he was the victim of a giant cave swallow. According to creature data, a giant cave swallow is about the same size as a lion.
In related news, Maggarg is throwing a party for Strife, Coolhat, Keldor, and Eric. Heartless bastards!
(http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/997/party203felsite28ar1.png)
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Ah threw a party today.
Dunno why, ah hates parties.
Keldor seems alright, although he's a bit grumpy. Ah think it might be ter do wi' that alligator pool an' his poor blessed mudder.
The rest o' them are too damn young.
When I were young, we dint ave no young people.
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Bah.. If'n I had me hat I would be much more reluctant to put meself into danger like that. I'd have to go to me room, put me hat in a safe, and then come back to fight. If that giant ever stops off here for some goods, oh I ever will beat the stuffin out o' him or her or it!
(If we do get this giant... may I be drafted just to fight it? It'd be great plot!)
A visit from your arch-nemesis might be difficult. I checked out the world in adventure mode tonight and found out that this giant lives in a cave on the southern most edge of the map. Channeledwanes is somewhere north of the map - it is at least a 2 month walk (direct path).
You can still avenge your loss, however. I think your NPC will become recruitable as a soldier when the fortress is abandoned. You'll have to pick a weapon of choice and join the militia... and life in the Channeledwane militia ain't easy (or safe) :)
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Oh, I dunno, if we wait long enough, that giant is sure to attack the fortress just because it's there. They can't stand new fortresses, you see.
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Personal Journal of Eric the Architect, 28th of Timber, year 202.
Tekkud Cryptfamous reported to me that one of the new fish from Kivish Nokgol, by the name of Lòr Atherlrakust, had been missing for weeks. The last I hear is that he went east to look for shiny spider webs and never came back. I hope he is ok.
Last night, I had a horrible nightmare! In my dream, a group of migrants decided to come in from the east side of Channeledwanes. They were attacked by a Skeletal Giant Eagle and a Skeletal Giant Swallow. 7 migrants fought the Giant Eagle together, but starved to death (some died from dehydration) before they could wrestle it to death. Then all my dwarves decided to run out to grab the tattered clothes of the dead migrants, which led to more undeads following them back to the fort. Luckily it was just a dream - it's like it never happened.
Cryptfamous was the only pleasant surprise in the past year. She is a migrant of some status from Kivish Nokgol, the Lancer of Riddles. She seemed skill-less at first, so I assigned her a position in the militia. But she told me that it would be a waste of her talent! It appears that Cryptfamous was considered some sort of scholar and helper to the Queen. She told me that with her help, I shall make Cattenlelum the greatest fortress in history. Cryptfamous had been proven right so far - As the manager of Channeledwanes, Cryptfamous has been posting work orders all over the place and keeping dwarves busy. She also reports idle dwarves to me: Any dwarves found taking a break will be immediately drafted into the militia, undergo corporal punishment, then assigned back to work. The number of dwarves "On break" is virtually nil now.
Cryptfamous also advised that I should not burden myself with the duties of bookkeeping. She recommended hiring another help of the Queen, Såkzul Fenceclenched, to take over the accounting and assignment of provisions. After all, she reminded me, I have a much more important job of being a leader. For the first time in 5 years, I've found the time to start designing the fortress of my dreams. The dwarves of the world shall forever remember the magnificent design of Eric the Architect!
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Lots of editing to previous posts today. I changed most reference of "Cattenlelum" to "Channeledwanes" - it made the story a bit easier to read.
Oh, I dunno, if we wait long enough, that giant is sure to attack the fortress just because it's there. They can't stand new fortresses, you see.
Cool! Sonerohi, if we do get a visit from Aned, "the Mastery of Apogee", consider him yours.
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1st of Slate, 2 Channeledwanes
It has been a hard but great first year to the story of Channeledwanes. We have survived our first winter! The great chef Keldor has been turning mushrooms into wine, then wine into biscuits. Somehow this increases the amount of food five-fold. And Keldor does this without using any water or flour! It is a mystery how Keldor manages to do this. Some dwarves say it is black magic. I think they mean delicious black magic!
We have established a militia and started to manufacture charcoal and iron bars so we can forge iron equipment for our soldiers. A well trained marksdwarf squad will be in place sometimes next year. We also hope to have a clothing industry up and running by the end of year 2, despite the mysterious disappearance of a clothier dwarf. Economists predict mass influx of migrants for next year, so bedrooms will be a priority for miners and masons; They also predict a rise in demand for coffins for next year.
Minor items of interest: Wildlife still causing some annoyance.
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Personal Journal of Eric the Architect, 1st of Hematite, year 202.
By the grace of gods, I was proven right! The forest to the north is the home to the Nine Yipi, "The Wing of Celebration"! Their traders brought gifts of.... wait for it... Sunberries! Unfortunately, I had to trade away all of Maggarg's personal stone crafts for them. I explained to him this is for the good of the entire fortress; He will be repaid a thousand fold when he sees how much the dwarves are enjoying the taste of a cold barrel of sunberry wine. There were tears of joy as he hauled the berries to storage.
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Bwahahaha! Eat copper pick, giant scum!
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14th of Felsite, 202
The great hall of Channeledwanes was filled with the scent of flowers and berries today; It will take months to get the stink out. The militia had sighted the elves coming in from the north and readied their arms (quite literally) for a fight. However, Eric told the guards to stand down, and allow the Elves to come in to "trade".
Now Maggarg and Keldor find themselves in storage, counting stacks of rope reed cloth.
"New game," Keldor said, "Instead of counting another bin of rope reed, I'd rather you take your pick and put a hole through my head".
"Ok..." Maggarg replied. "Instead of counting another stack of elven ass wipe, I'd rather you seal me in a cask of ale; Then you bake my fermented body into biscuits; Then you feed the biscuits to goblins... really ugly goblins."
"Har. I'd rather patrol the 'Chasm of Unicorns' to the east than to count anymore elf crap". Keldor paused briefly before adding, "Wearing our best military armor".
"By the way things are going, these rope reed clothes will be our best military armor. I'd rather lick a tree, while on fire, with fire imps chucking fireballs at my crotch."
And things went on like this for a while. Then Keldor interrupted the game when he ran out of undesirable things to lick. "Hey Maggarg, you know that Whats-her-name Cryptfamous?"
"Yeah, that's the broad who's always talking about horses, right?" Maggarg sees Keldor nodding and rubbing a bolt of rope reed cloth against his ass before tossing it into the "accounted for" bin. "The one wearing a dress over her trousers?"
"Yeah, that's her. Do you know if she served in the militia? I thought all migrants must serve time in the militia first. How did she become the manager of Channeledwanes in just a few months?"
"Hmm...", In rare form, Maggarg was quiet. He was trying to figure out exactly what kind of animal Cryptfamous had caught Eric with.
"Forget it," Keldor waved his left hand dismissively, "I'm too old for this crap. Let's just finish counting and give the report to Clenchfisted."
"Fenceclenched," Maggarg corrected Keldor, "You're right. Let's just get this crap done and get some rum. By the way, I think I've found the perfect place to hide my rock toy axes this time. Eric will never find them."
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14th of Malachite, Mid Summer of 202
"Aie! The elves are back! The elves are back!", Bëmbul Riddledcrafted came running down the hall. She was still huffing and puffing when she found found Oddom Authorroofed.
"Great, just what we need: More rope reed cloth!" Authorroofed grumbled, "Let's take a look-see, why don't we?" The two came to the northern entrance to the great hall. Here, the traders were unloading their goods.
"These elves are kind of short and fat." Authorroofed said, "And they have iron swords! I don't believe my eyes! Where are the flying pigs?"
The traders introduced themselves to the dwarves. These strange creatures call themselves "humans". They have come to trade with the Connected Board.
Eric and Fenceclenched soon arrived to negotiate with the humans. The humans brought all sorts of valuable items. There were raw materials and finished goods - they weren't the best quality, or even made of steel, but they were better than wooden swords and rope reed cloth.
"We're very impressed at what you have done here!" The human diplomat said, "I see you have just settled here, but I see a lot of potential with this... fortress..."
"Oh yes, Channeledwanes will be the greatest fortress ever!" Eric was never ashamed of a little gloating. "But we need supplies to get us going - perhaps a loan of few swords, shields, and iron bars? We will pay you back, most likely on a Tuesday."
Compared to the elves, the humans were much more pleasant to deal with and there was always a smile on the diplomat's face. But there was a barely perceptible change in his expression when Eric asked that question. It was the slightest wince. A wise man would wager that Eric never noticed it.
"That will be difficult, my good friend", the diplomat replied. "It is simply against company policies. Even if I could do that, iron is simply too valuable to lend to new customers... you must understand...
"But I'll see what I can do in terms of discounts," The human added, "My men will give you the best deal possible. Take a look at our wares... I think you will be interested in the contents of this particular wagon..."
After a bit of browsing, Eric picked an anvil and a few empty barrels. As a counter offer, he had some of Keldor's biscuits. To the humans' disappointment, the dwarves did not have any gold, silver, or finished goods. The human diplomat was reluctant to make a deal. But finally, he agreed to the trade.
"Just because I like you so much, Eric", the human diplomat added, "I'll even take away some of your rotting refuse. Here, this pile." The human diplomat pointed to a refuse pile right outside of the fort entrance. There were many signs posted around it:
"Trash!"
"Refuse - ONLY!"
"Finished Goods Forbidden (b: block all)"
"None of Maggarg's World Famous Stoned Crafts Here! Nope. No sirree!"
Standing on top of a barrel, Eric shook hands with the human diplomat and finalized the deal. Eric had made another masterful trade. He decided to promote his titles to "Adept Appraiser" and "Novice Negotiator".
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8th of Timber, Late Summer of 202
(http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/8919/cagedeagle203timber8qt5.png)
A skeletal eagle stumbled into a cage trap today. Can skeletal creatures be tamed? That would be awesome.
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Eric gave the humans some rubbish today. I'm sure that they wuz brighter than that last time ah had ter deal wi' them.
hmmm. Some o' that rubbish looked awful crafty if ye get mah drift.
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OOC: Eric keeps giving away Maggar's stone crafts... actually. Will Maggar tolerate it, or will he go insane and tear down the fort with his bare hands? Hmm.....
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8th of Timber, Late Summer of 202
Strife took Adil Mothgilt out to a clearing in the Old Forest (credit to Rimtar's deforestation efforts). With a wave of her hand, Maggarg declared: "Here, you will see my latest invention!"
Adil scratched her head. "Oooo...kay.... I don't see anything. I'm sorry to tell you, Strife, but there is nothing but nothing out here."
"Quite the opposite my dear Mothgilt, often the most obvious thing is the least observable. For example, I shall point out to you the skeletal giant eagle above us. It seems like you have forgotten to look up."
It was surely above the two dwarves. Its wings were tucked in, its eyes were blazing with hate. It was diving towards the dwarves with the speed of a steel bolt. Adil let out a loud screech and dashed madly towards the fortress. Hungering for the fear oozing from Adil, the eagle zoomed towards her. Its talons were extended and opened now, ready tear the poor dwarf to ribbons.
Adil heard a loud woosh! Then a horrible screech. She stumbled and fell. She was sure she'd be dead when she heard the maniacal laugh of Strife. Adil turned around and saw a strange sight. A giant hand, attached to springs, had reached out of the ground and seized the skeletal eagle. It is now pulling it back into the earth. There were rumbles and tumbles once the eagle had been pulled under the earth. Then a loud pop, and a wooden cage, containing a shaking undead was spat out of the earth. It landed right next to Adil.
For the first time in its death, the undead eagle was too scared to move.
"I call it the Strife-o-matic 2000c", Strife announced, "Thank you for helping me with a successful test! I wasn't sure if the mechanism to distinguish dwarves from foes would work!"
The fortress threw a big party for Strife the Great Mechanic that night. Adil would never stop shaking after the incident.
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9th of Timber, Late Summer of 202
Worst Birthday Ever - Starring Adil the Dwarf and Såkzul the Evil Provisioner
(http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4307/evilprovisioner11mf4.png)
(http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/9452/evilprovisioner12ym7.png)
(http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6084/evilprovisioner13cu4.png)
(http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5556/evilprovisioner14ek7.png)
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Personal Journal of Eric the Architect, 26th of Timber, year 202.
Good news is that Strife caught a skeletal giant eagle. The bad news is that it seems to have really pissed off the other undeads. A skeletal giant eagle flew right into our great hall today. It tore off the right arm of Eral and poked out his right eye before being struck down by Bëmbul Riddledcrafted. I asked Såkzul where we kept the other skeletal eagle. She told me it was at a safe location - I think this is one of those "small details" a fearless leader should not be bothered with.
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9th of Opal, Early Summer of 203
Maggarg threw another party today, presumably to help the dwarves get over the unfortunate attack on Eral.
(http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/3055/party203opal9gy9.png)
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Ducim Axepuzzles gave birth to a baby girl today. She and Oddom named their daughter "Zon".
I think this is a good day to update the Census, we're up to 36 dwarves.
- Strife, Female, Miner/Mechanic
- Coolhat, Female, Miner/Mason
- Robin, Male, Farmer
- Maggarg, Male, Miner/Stonecrafter
- Keldor, Male, Carpenter/Cook
- Rimtar, Female, Woodcutter/Brewer
- Eric, Male, Architect
- Goden Boardclutch, Female, Mason/Carpenter
- Sarvesh Lashedprison, Male, Carpenter
- Vabôk Wingslings, Male, Hurt
- Momuz Febgosmer, Female, Bone Carver
- Dumed Wheelclub, Male, Hauler
- Adil Mothgilt, Female, Hauler
- Alath Scouredworks, Male, Furnace Operator
- Kumil Packedtrades, Male, Blacksmith
- Minkot Priceknives, Female, Legendary Gem Setter
- Zan Lobsternet, Male, Weaver
- Mosus Anvilpulls, Male, Stone Crafter
- Alath Manorswallows, Female, Bone Carver
- Bim Crystalsunk, Male, Bone Carver
- Lor Gearcradled, Male, Clothier
- Dodok Slingyells, Female, Leatherworker
- Kosoth Questlabor, Female, Thresher
- Eral Facerelics, Female, Hurt
- Kulet Planpainted, Male, Miller
- Ducim Axepuzzles, Female, Thresher
- Zon Spunwhips, Female, Baby
- Oddom Authorroof, Male, Brewer
- Udib Speakmirrored, Female, Dyer
- Melbil Glazedwill, Female, Wood Burner
- Bëmbul Riddledcrafted, Female, Miner
- Monom Boatscreed, Female, Marksdwarf
- Zon Romanticglazes, Female, Champion Wrestler
- Adil Trumpetdwelled, Female, Butcher
- Tekkud Cryptfamous, Female, Manager
- Såkzul Fenceclenched, Female, Beancounter
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1st of Slate, 3 Channeledwanes
The fort grows! We put the bedrooms to good use. Two architectural masterpieces were designed by Eric the Architect - they shall be complete sometimes this year. The last year was celebrated with many parties from Maggarg (three). Our clothing industry is finally up and running. Trading is much easier now with pig tail and stone craft exports.
Såkzul mandated that military equipment be put on indefinite hold. Her calculations show that it is more cost efficient to train dwarves than to arm them.
This next year will be a glorious year!
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23rd of Felsite, Late Spring of 204
Tholtig Floorsnake stalked quietly into the forge and threw down a large bundle. She grabbed the armorer by the collar and threw him clear across the room. "Out!", she declared, with emphasis on the "I will kill you if you don't do what I say" part. Tholtig then locked the dwarves out of the forge.
Tholtig would not leave the forge for days. Her only response to offers of booze was the thunderous roar of the bellows. When she finally came out, she was weak and dehydrated. In her arms, cradled in a pig tail bundle, she carried an extraordinary iron spear.
(http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/9164/theentracingharshnessui3.png)
The head of the spear had a strange black-brown hue - Tholtig had infused her blood into the artifact.
Tholtig would later tell the dwarves that she never intended to leave the forge alive - she had just wanted to complete The Entrancing Harshness.
"Please," Tholtig begged her friends, "Do not let them find out about it. It's our only hope!"
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(http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/1690/scgo7.png)
That's funny - It seems like my wolf gave birth in the midst of being tamed/in her cage (note that the pups are not tamed).
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Hmm... If you were to release them all, would they start fighting each other?
"Aye," Keldor said to Maggarg, "I don't be liken' elves more'n the next dwarf, but their sunberries be fine fer brewin' indeed! Why, just the other day, I snuck into the carpenter shop te make some new barrels, just for makin sunshine with."
"Hah," Maggarg laughed, "Back in me day we had naught but plump helmet wine an' quarry bush roasts. Ye know why they be called quarry bushes, don't ye?"
"Of course!" Kelder answered, "Because they be so tough that eatin' them be like eatin' stone out of a quarry! Still, a touch of quarry bush makes fer a nice zing, ye just have to make sure ye boil them in ale first. Anyway, we have some fine drinks now, what do ye say ye round up the lads an we throw a party?"
"I say that's a great idea!" Maggarg roared, "I fancy we could be doin' some eagle-baitin' te celebrate!"
*Maggarg has thrown a party at the (+Skeletal Giant Eagle cage+)*
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Hmm... If you were to release them all, would they start fighting each other?
I think this calls for...
Eric The Architect cancels being a miserable little dwarf: Taken by mood.
Eric The Architect is taken by a fey mood!
Eric draws a picture of dwarves...
Eric draws a picture of globlins and various monsters...
Eric draws a bloody room...
Eric keeps muttering Alnisedir Angzaknashonråsh Anam, "Wardungeon the Terrible Bloody Death of Ages"...
We need a coliseum. This is the design of a coliseum that fits in a 47x24 rectangle. Version 1.0. It is a very basic design. We need it to be much more epic. We need something only a dwarf in a strange mood can come up with. What else can we add? I'd like to rule out anything that will kill the combatants outright - it's just no fun.
(http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4411/colosseumdesignv10sd6.png)
Purple - The two purple squares on the right side of the coliseum are stairs going up. They are the entrance into the arena.
Blue - The walls forming the arena itself. The walls will be made of clear glass. Inside, there will be at least one bed to sleep in and a chair/table to designate a royal-level dining room. This ensures dwarves thrown in can stay alive/happy. A chute allows food and booze to be dumped in.
Brown - Remote controlled doors. The passage will be lined with cage traps - so that any hostile survivors may be re-trapped.
Red - Levers controlling doors, cages, etc.,
White - The rest of the coliseum will be designated the main dining room for the dwarves. There will be many tables and chairs here.
Note that the arena will be designed so that noble can be dumped in (with a bit of exploit trickery). The roof of the arena will have a retractable brige that will be controlled by a lever. The lever is positioned at the end of the bridge so that if a noble is made to pull it, the bridge will retract and drop the noble into the arena.
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Hmm... It needs some random pressure plates linked to random bridges covering pitfalls and/or flingifying combatants in random directions! Also, there should be a pressure plate to flood the place, to test the combatants swimming skills should they misstep. Also, some spikes around, so that they can throw each other into them. Give the combatants hammers for extra fun. Make sure there's an upper level composed of narrow ledges with pressure plates controlling bridges to make the terrain change as they fight. Crossbow goblins would be released up here.
Ooh! And don't forget the gauntlet! A series of chambers filled with pressure plates that open up cages with successively tougher monsters! The combatant party would have to cross the pressure plates to reach the exit.
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The swimming idea is great! I think there's an underground river around somewhere. That will be easy to implement.
The automated catapulting/flinger bridge thing might be tricky, as they can accidentally crush combatants. I'll give that a try to see how well it works out.
The gauntlet is also a good idea. Using pressure plates to automate this just makes it that much more awesome. Perhaps a setup like this:
######################################
g @ P g (exit this way -->)
######################################
Legends:
@ - Urist McDwarf
g - Caged goblin(s)
P - Pressure plate to open cages.
Urist casually walks by the 1st caged gobbo. Urist laughs at it as he passes by. He sees another cage ahead. Suddenly he hears a click as he steps on a loose stone...
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I forgot to ask one thing. What do you mean about an upper level with changing terrains? Just making the bridge to the goblin archer change based on pressure plates? I'm not sure if the AI will be smart enough to deal with that.
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The AI will repath if it hits a dead end - won't be particularily good for frame rate, but so long as you don't end up with a horde of haulers trying to negotiate it, it should be fine.
As for the raising bridges crushing combatants, that's part of the fun! A light sprinkling of death traps makes the arena that much funner! You could also add some crushing pillars - build a wall on top of a support, and link the support to a pressure plate... Bonus points if you build it so that the pillar falls through the floor and into the statue garden where the dwarves are partying XD.
With the flinger bridges, you could have one set of pressure plates on one side of the arena, with their corresponding bridges on the other, so that the two combating parties set off the traps to hurt the other side.
@ ^ ___ ___ ^ g
v ^ ^ v
| | | |
| |_____|__|
| a |
|________|
b
That's a side view showing which bridge is connected to which pressure plate.
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1st of Slate, 4 Channeledwanes
A hospital was completed this year.
(http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/2298/hospitalop7.png)
An archery is in place. A marksdwarve squad is being trained.
(http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/3153/archeryrangeme0.png)
The armorer started to work on building buckers and chain mail for the militia. The weaponsmith created a legendary spear, but soon lost it - possibly to a kobold or some other thief?
The clothing industry is producing great wealth for the fort. We were even able to trade for some steel armor this year!
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21st of Malachite, Mid-Summer of 205
Strife was furious. He had suffered travesty of art defacement lately. In a fit of rage, Strife tore a chunk of floor out of the hospital and turned it to dust with his bare hands. He had a long meeting with Eric where he berated Eric for a whole day, only breaking briefly so Eric can drink.
In the grand dining room, the dwarves convened that night. Tekkud Cryptfamous, the fort manager, was apparently pained as she addressed the dwarves.
"There had been a string of unfortunate incidents at Channeledwanes lately: Unexplained loss of an artifact; Theft and defacement of masterpiece mechanisms; Missed mandates; A dwarf going insane because a lack of raw materials. As proud as I am of Channeledwanes, I simply need to see better results from the dwarves of this fort.
"Eric, Såkzul, and I have had a long discussion about this and we came up with a plan to help improve the quality of Channeledwanes. I want you to refer to the scrolls Captain Helmsnotches handed out before the meeting. They provide a well defined process for the production, inventory, and use of goods."
"The stockpiles of Channeledwanes need to be completely redefined. This will be a simple change that will increase our efficiency by 120%."
There was an audible grumble from the haulers - They know this means a year of dragging junk back and forth.
"An official museum will be constructed to house all future artifacts. They will be patrolled by the fortress guards to ensure the ultimate safety of our precious artifacts."
"But that will reduce our defense at the gates!" a dwarf objected. It was Adil Trumpetwelled, the commander of the militia. "The militia is spread thin as is. There could be goblin sieges, undeads, even the elves... "
"I apologize," The manager interrupted, "For the sake of time, please let me address those concerns quickly. The militia is simply doing a fantastic job, and I hear Strife had constructed several mechanical wonders to defend the fort. Despite the concerns of the founders, I don't think the undeads are a real threat - we have not seen an incident for years. Finally, the elves", here, the manager laughed, "Are we really concerned about the elves? They are our trading partners. Besides, they fight with wood!"
"Let me go on, unfortunately there needs to be punishment for failure to meet official mandates - our failure to make rock crystal items, despite having absolutely no rock crystals or a way to trade for them, cannot be tolerated. Lastly, management needs to improve our trading strategies to ensure a good supply of raw materials for artifact construction. We should no longer trade for finished goods - just gems and bars."
"Just gems and bars?", Adil interjected again, "Trade was the only way we got some steel armor!"
"Commander, I know of your concerns.", Tekkud countered quickly, "Of course we will be flexible in our policies - We will trade for steel goods when the deals are in our favor. But remember we have a working metal industry now. I want us to make use of our quality smiths as much as possible. Also remember it was the lack of raw materials that took the life of a dwarf. We will make trading decisions as they come up. I trust Eric will make the right choice in his dealings.
"I know these changes are difficult, but they will help move Channeledwanes forward. If there are no more further questions, I want to again thank you for your good work and your time." The room was quiet. "Thank you," Tekkud concluded, "May the gods bless you!" Tekkud and Såkzul left the room. The captain and his guards remained. The other dwarves loudly shared their opinions on the new rules, but the militia - the dwarves that were the most affected by the new rules, left without saying a word. The smiths soon followed.
Thus, the meeting was over.
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Heheh, when I first read that I thought that you weren't going to trade away finished goods, only gems and bars. I can just see some noble mandating that... :D