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DF Community Games & Stories / Re: Channeledwanes - The Undead Mountain
« on: January 03, 2009, 09:23:24 pm »
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, Sċkzul, 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 Sċkzul 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.
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, Sċkzul, 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 Sċkzul 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.
