"Rivers can be dammed. Undead can be slain. Those challenges can and have been surmounted many times before. But here, in the middle of this forsaken land, the dwarves' greatest enemy turned out to be themselves."
Higar sat at his makeshift desk, sipping his favorite dwarven wine out of an aluminum mug while casually recording his thoughts in the journal he kept. If the records were right, the previous years at Halltraded were a very hectic time. Higar turned his attention to the well-crafted but dirty aluminum mug he was holding. Realizing how high of a price it could get on the market, he silently pondered how the dwarves of Halltraded managed to make such valuable merchandise amidst both rioting and brutal attacks by undead fish. He could only conclude that this band of dwarves at Halltraded were stronger than most. Perhaps his brother had something to do with the outpost's initial success, Higar pondered, but immediately rejected the idea. He had never seen quite eye-to-eye with Christes. None of Higar's proposals were ever grand enough for his brother. Higar chuckled as he remembered the many gaudy and overbuilt structures Christes had ordered constructed back at home. That dwarf would build a gold-plated, nay SOLID GOLD bridge across a brook if he but had the material. It was little suprise to Higar, then, that his brother was behind the huge, but almost functionless watertower sitting just outside. Higar, like any dwarf, appreciated the simple and effective dwarven engineering, but was disgusted by the excess of such a construction. But that was typical Christes - that bastard had ordered an aluminum sarcophagus for himself too!
But all of that was history. Higar reminded himself that Christes was dead and there was naught he could do about it. The real question that plagued Higar was how such a strong group of dwarves, his brother among them, could turn on each other in such a short matter of time. His brother might have been a lollygagging, overly ambitious oaf at times, but at the end of the day he was a solid, rational, and respectable dwarf. He just couldn't imagine things going south in the way they did. In any case, it appeared as if the rioting had died down. Frankly, Higar had arrived just in time to oversee the rebuilding of Halltraded. He was confident he could lead Halltraded to a new golden age (not to imply that Halltraded ever had an old golden age...)
Higar decided that they would have to start from the ground up (or, more precisely, down), and began planning out how he would redesign this horrendously haphazard fort. He noted down the current state of utter disarray, and how he planned to fix it in his journal:
**
Journal of Higar, Brother of Christes; 3 Granite 307.
Topside:Apparently, a previous ruler built a random wall across the hill on top of the fort. The reason for this wall baffles me, but it can be made useful with a little work. We can isolate this section of the outdoors from the rest of the outside area. Then it will make a great training area for the military. That way they won't ever lose the ability to go outside comfortably. Plus moving the barracks and archery range out will free up space inside.
First floor:Wow, what happened here? We've got lots of storage space, some bedrooms, a well room, some random workshops, WAY too much farming space, as well as two millstones AND a quern. Also it appears that one of the previous rulers must not have liked the millstones, since the millstone room has been opened to the outside and closed off from the inside. What the Hell? Also there are apparently plans to built a windmill outside, with no mechanical connection to the power grid, or anything else for that matter.
We need to gut this place clean. The milling room and well room can stay since their structures span multiple levels, but the rest has to go. The eastern portion of this floor near the depot will be great storage for trade goods. The other areas I'm not so sure on. Perhaps furniture storage? There is also enough space to set the whole food-processing industry up here. Any dwarves living in the residential area here will have to be relocated, but such sacrifices have to be made. Who would want to live in such a mess anyway?
Second Floor:The layout of this level must have made sense originally, but now it is just as much of a mess as the previous level. We've got military stuff, some storage, kennels, and lots of workshops dug into their own little alcoves. Also there appears to be a makeshift burial chamber up here. In the east we've got some mechanical stuff and pumps. I would rather not mess with those.
Okay, the whole west section needs overhauling. The military stuff is going topside, and the kennel can probably go upstairs as well. All workshops will be moved below. This western area will be an extension of the storage in the previous section. I have no idea what to do with all the coffins. Perhaps we can dig out more space in the catacombs.
Third Floor:Now this I understand: a residential area with a statue garden to the side. We can work with this. Perhaps there should be a dining room or something of that sort, but it is no problem to figure out. In the east there are more random workshops. The dwarves tell me they hardly go to these anymore. Also, my late brother's power platform still functions. I am told that undead have climbed up through a gap in the wall. That should be no problem to fix.
Fourth Floor:Ah, the catacombs. Not much to say here. I don't plan to change anything here, aside for the occasional stairway for easier access through the catacombs. There is also a farm plot on the east side that dates to the founding of the settlement. No need for that anymore, with more than enough room upstairs. The area could then be used for coffins as well. We have plenty of those to go around...
Fifth Floor:Well, we've got more catacombs and some sort of luxury suite. The catacombs can be expanded, and the suite can be reserved should nobles ever show up to "govern" us. That would be the day. Otherwise, I have no plans for this floor.
Sixth Floor:Now
that is a marvellous chamber. This would truly make a glorious dining room. It would need a stairway leading to food storage areas, but that can be done. The southwestern chamber is currently composed of mostly craftsdwarf workshops. We can replace these with mason workshops - I have other plans for craftsdwarf workshops. The southeast chamber is dominated by mechanics workshops. Fine, I say.
Seventh Floor:Rather undeveloped. I am planning to put a craftsdwarf area here, complete with chambers for storing stone, wood, and organic materials like bone and shell.
Eighth Floor:This is the bottom floor as far as I am concerned. It is great that the dwarves here have harnessed the magma for metalworking. I will order new rooms mined for storing metal bars and ores. Other than that, I see no need to touch anything down here.
Additionally I plan on construcing a new stairway from the new trade goods stockpiles down. It will pass by the clothes, mechanics, crafts, and metalworking areas - all of which produce good exports.
All in all this will take too much digging for our single mining dwarf, Maggarg. Records show that we have 5 picks stored here, so I will order some other dwarves to mine. It will be slow going for them at first, but they will all learn eventually.
**
Higar just hoped that such drastic changes wouldn't upset the dwarves currently living in Halltraded.
