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Get comfy, this one is a decently long read.
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2 GalenaIn the wake of my prickle berry-induced visions, the Fortress has become a bit more chaotic than usual, with at least half a dozen simultaneous projects. First and foremost, all non-industry Dwarves have been evaluated for combat readiness. The new recruits tackled their training with the same fervor as they are tackling each other, still a bit timid about using their weapons.
Meanwhile, PsychoAngel has begun learning the subtle techniques of a true Master.
I commission a crystal glass statue in honor of her achievement.
Well... at least it's to scale.
10 GalenaFinally! Divine inspiration from the forges.
I am truly humbled to be depicted alongside such a magnificent hatch cover. I guess the rendition of our founding King is good too.
11 GalenaTurns out, the Dwarf's inspiration was only semi-divine. He his now a legendary Metalcrafter, able to to mold metals into fantastical shapes & designs, limited only by his imagination. Unfortunately, he remains a novice Blacksmith, meaning the limits of his imagination are geometric shapes and turnips, in that order. Will be some time before he able to craft Masterworks. On a more positive note, the Masonry team has assembled under strict leadership of SaberToothTiger, our new Mistress of Stone & Earth since retiring from Chief Medical Dwarf. The Dwarves quickly set about deconstructing the foundations of the beach bunker.
In the middle of everything, that poor peasant from the earlier Raven attack finally succumbed to his wounds. He died working with stone, the most any Dwarf could hope for. He shall be laid to rest in the new Hall Of Heroes, alongside all of our past fallen kin.
4 LimestoneA hulking parody of a cave troll gave our miners a good scare this morning. The thing managed to scale the steep cavern walls using one good arm and its' teeth.
The breach was quickly sealed off, a few scraps of copper is not worth the risk.
9 LimestoneA diversion!! We lost 4 Miners to a previously unnoticed sub-cavern.
More like a giant crater than a cavern, I don't know how a Troglodyte even got down there. Must have been lost for ages, because the zombie was quite eager to get out. In true Dwarf fashion, the first Miner lead it back down to the mineshafts, doing his best to buy us time enough for the militia to mobilize.
Damned thing was put down before it could cause any lasting damage. Still, every loss hits us hard, especially with rumors from the Mountainhome about a new Goblin advance. SaberToothTiger sets the mood by holding a party in their honor; both commemorating their accomplishments, and welcoming our new Miners.
15 SandstoneI was beginning to worry that we wouldn't make our deadline. We finally did it, the first pillar of Dwarfiness, elevating the status of Aranas amongst all Dwarves.
Nearly 2.7k Dwarfbucks worth of fine glass wares! No small feat, considering our ever-present fuel shortage. Looking out over the battlements, I smile at the results of our tree slaying efforts, though it remains barely sufficient to keep up production.
As I turn my gaze North to the coastline, I notice that our animal pen is no longer exposed to the Ravens! The enclosure is two stories tall with a thin-but-sturdy glass ceiling to regulate temperature. Additionally, the back of the pen opens to our new windmills, providing both power and a pleasant ocean breeze, further cooling our steadily growing herd of alpacas.
16 SandstoneCorrection, make that our massive herd of alpacas.
Well, at least Pencil_Art will have fun testing out new recipes for alpaca biscuits.
31 MoonstoneCongratulations to PsychoAngel!
19 GraniteI think perhaps centuries of tree-hugging has finally begun to take a toll on the Elves' sanity.
This notion is enforced by his demand that we limit our tree-slaying, and that he actually believed me.
12 SlateToday we received a courier from the Mountainhome. He claims it is merely a precautionary measure, but I fear the worst.
Still, we must uphold
Tradition at all costs. Work orders are immediately diverted towards fashioning royal accommodations. Like with my own lodging when I was elevated to Baron, the King's rooms will be more quantity than quality, but it will suffice for now. Thankfully we have several expert stone carvers, able to transform any room into a fantastic work of art.
1 HematiteThe betting pool has grown quite substantial, with the Fortress divided about the outcome. Half thought The Mist would 'kill' the zombies out right, while the other half thought they would transform into an entirely new zombie.
So long as they don't learn to climb, I could care less. Of all the people to share the royal lineage, it just had to be our Chief Medical Dwarf. The new guy is a decent Diagnostician, but he has a ways to go. If that weren't bad enough, the de facto King has demanded 3 new anvils! He says it will serve as inspiration to the Fortress, a mark of our resourcefulness. We have a handful of iron bars remaining, enough to fulfill this request. Still, I worry about future requests. In an act of desperation, I order every spare scrap of iron be melted, assemble as much of a bar as we possibly can.
10 LimestoneThree more anvils!! Does the fool think that royal decree is enough to make metals simply spring from the ground?! *Sigh* No help for it now. Once a mandate has been issued, it can never be withdrawn. We must hold fast to
Tradition, no matter the cost. On the other hand, I know from my studies that there exists precedent for changing
Tradition. Still, seems I'll have to start evaluating candidates for the position of Hammerer.
21 LimestoneSince the tragic loss of Miners last season, the veterans have all doubled their efforts to dig deeper, myself included. Taking a breather, I peer out over the walkway of the third Cavern. Whatever dispatched the residents here is likely still lurking the shadows, waiting to be free. Everything from Cave Crocodiles & Giant Olms to Jabberers and less known beasts like scattered in broken heaps.
Wait, what's the rustling?
*Crundle zombie coming in fast!! Sound the alarm!* One of the new miners is on the scene. Perhaps seeking to avenge his comrades, he bravely charges the fiend. Even with crushed eyes, the zombie looked surprised when the Miner turned around and bit it right back in turn.
I struggle to thank the Dwarf without barfing on him. Armok knows we have enough of the stuff since exposing the farms to sunlight for renovations.
12 SandstoneWhen I meet the liaison, his face tell me all before formally announcing the tragedy.
It is as I feared, then. Aranas is officially the last bastion of free Dwarves on the planet. I take a long swig of plum wine has he describes the details. The green skins set out with a force two thousand strong, losing only stragglers en route.
The military reserves exhausted, a mere 13 Dwarves stood fast against the horde. They took as many down with them, but ultimately our Mountainhome is now under occupied rule.
Lastly, I am given top secret maps showing the route taken by our enemy, plus the trading path between Aranas and the Mountainhome. Scouts have also procured the trading & war routes of the other civilizations. Hopefully the Arrogant Ones will be too preoccupied with their recent war against Humans to pay us much heed.
I solemnly nod, understanding the full implications. Aranas must proper, for we are now the staging ground of all future Dwarven expansion. We will have to train Adventurers and new Overseers if we are ever to reclaim our Mountainhome. The few remaining rebels are asking that we trade for bolts, fuel, and blades. Everything we ourselves are struggling with. It is with a heavy heart that I accept every spare bit of coke, iron, and steel the caravan can provide. The King's second set of anvils will be made on time, but I don't know how we can possibly accommodate any more such requests.
For now, Aranas remains the
greatest only beach Fortress in the world.
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Well that took a dark turn rather quickly
On the plus side, we have our first Achievements!!
*happy dance*. "That's great and all, but what the heck took you so long?" Well I'll tell you. In my excitement at having figured out safe and efficient scaffolding for multi-z constructions, I completely forgot to make blocks. So the masons and haulers have been using raw boulders this whole time, which are significantly heavier, and can't be transported via wheelbarrow or minecart. Oops
Oh well, setting up a block transport system should be a relatively simple task.
The first Cavern layer is 100% sealed, and the single stair entrance of the third Cavern (the lone zombie Crundle crawling up a tree used) has likewise been sealed. Hopefully, we'll hit Blood of the Earth in short order. Of course there is the not-inconsequential matter of transporting the stuff to a useable distance within the Fort, but we'll burn that bridge (lulz) when we get there. Lastly on the subject of
unnecessarily complex !FUN! projects, all of the safe guards are in place for the first test of the ocean pumping system. The Sculpted Caves will finally have a Well (desalinated), and if I did it right, combination waterfall & mist generator. I have updated the OP to reflect our current Dwarfiness Points status. If anyone has actually made this far, give yourself an alpaca biscuit, on me
Or possibly start a new one in the correct forum?
