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Cilob's Journal - 25th of Sandstone

After consultation with Doctor Cain, I have developed training techniques which, along with a serum he has provided, developed methods for increasing the aggression of some of the animals we have found in this area.  The treatment also improves the focus of the animal, permitting it to be bonded with a chosen dwarf.  The process appears to be permanent although we will carefully monitor the subjects.

Several volunteers stepped forward to be assigned trial animals.  The animals chosen were among those which have shown significant promise for military use.


The volunteer dwarves will be asked to keep watch of their assigned animals for any sign of reversion to wild state.

CoraiUnki, on learning of the program, insisted on being involved.  I have to admit his choice of companion animal was a bit odd.


At least it can't cause much harm if it runs wild.

If these initial tests show promise, I will begin full-scale adoption of conversion of the Giant Sparrow population for military use.

---

13th of Timber

The watch-towers have sighted the the dwarven caravan approaching in the distance!  I do not, under any conditions, want a repeat of last year's debacle.  I have ordered out the military - all of them - to patrol the entire length of the curtain wall for goblins.


They assure me that they will make sure not a single goblin will reach the traders.


They're all eager for a good fight, after having nothing but wild animals to fight for the last half-year.  I assured them that the goblins will be here.  If they stick to their usual pattern, they'll try to break through while the traders are exposed.

---

On the surface, outside the fortress.


"See any goblins?"

"Nope."

"Kobolds?"

"Dead one on the road."

"Doesn't count, it's been there for years.  Wild animals?"

"Giant Tick, but the cage traps got it."

---

Our military reports that the goblins didn't even dare approach the fortress this year!  Bit of a shame, but at least the caravan is here safely.

The liaison headed straight to Geb's office.  I expect he'll want to see how our new Baroness has been holding up.

---

Geb meets with the Liaison from the mountainhomes...

The Liaison was new to the job, the previous liaison having refused to return after the previous year's goblin assault.  Catten Tumamsodel, a political appointee to the position, had done little hard work in her life, and it showed.


The office she was meeting in was remarkably opulent in comparison to the rest of the fortress.  Coming down from the outside, she had seen unfinished stone walls on the path in, a crowded crafting and trading wall still being mined out, and a rough stone staircase leading to the warren-like living quarters.  This room was obviously intended to impress, being masterfully engraved, and with some really spiffy statues in the corners.


She would have been a bit more impressed with the room if she hadn't caught a glimpse of something small and furry scurrying behind a recently-installed statue.


One of the local dwarves, an animal trainer with the unusual name of 'Weiss Ironcage' had produced a gaudily-decoraed statue of the late King Kivish.  Catten decided it was appropriate, as it would remind this Geb girl who she worked for.

"We'll be promoting you, of course.  You have done an adequate job of ruling this place, but we a dwarf of your position should be demanding more from the locals."

"In particular, we don't think you really get the spirit of production mandates.  Demanding that something be built, and then building it yourself, kind of defeats the idea.  Your crossbows are welcome, and we'll be taking a large load of them back with us, but in the future, you should really be asking for something that the population can do for you, to show their devotion to you, and to the Mountainhomes.  Why don't you try that for a change?"

---

If you can, please dorf me into that female militia commander. Call her 'Fritz'.

Here you go.  Fritz the reclusive, emotionally and physically scarred murder machine who's more than twice as old as the world itself.  Note - your kills in 'Mellowglisten' were during one of the old wars against the elves back in pre-embark world history.

Ellesttekkud it is! and Maxmurder is fine for a name!

I present Maxmurder the miner/mason.  You've been doing a lot of work for Phenix in construction and mining since you've been at the fortress.

If you feel that the military is too big, give me an assistant doctor instead who desires to conduct revolutionary studies such as the effect of alcohol on a surgeon's precision mid-surgery.

Our military is really as large as I'd like it to be at this moment, especially as it wasn't supposed to be the focus of the fortress.  I do think that Doctor Cain could use an assistant in the hospital and for his science experiments, so I present to you Nurse Phenos (who will be confused with Phones, of course).

Note: If this gets in the way of anything you have planned, I'll happily ret-con it out. It was mainly just there so Corai would have a reason to FTFO. I like mentally unstable Corai.

The caverns call out to be explored...  There are some resources down there needed for some of the upcoming Alpha Labs experiments anyway.

Should be able to do an actual update later tonight.

Importation isn't the problem.  My dwarves have happily used foreign materials.

Un-assign your dwarf from any burrows to let him finish the artifact.

Loyalty cascade.  The soldiers who killed your liaison became enemies of your civilization due to attacking a civilization member.  They were still counted as members of the local group, however.  Another dwarf saw them and attacked them, due to them being enemies of the civilization.  Those dwarves became enemies of the local group, though still civilization members.  Another dwarf saw them and attacked them, etc.  This continues until every dwarf in the fortress is attacking every other dwarf in the fortress.

Purchase male cats, and only male cats, from the trade caravan.  Make a pasture zone over your food stockpiles and assign the cats to it.

What you are doing wrong is not telling us what happens when you try to use this reaction.  Does it not show up at all, or does it occur and then nothing happens?

I'd suspect her of being a vampire, but she's slept and drank lately.

Is the militia commander, Morul Cattendoren, still available for dorfing?

She is.  I will warn you that she's 139 years old and may actually die of old age soon, but she's your if you want her for her remaining life.

Any chance of a rendition of the movie Birds any time soon? 

WAR GIANT SPARROWS ATTACK!

Also, dwarfing request:

Male, named Ash, a swordsdwarf if one is available, a marksdwarf if not.

I give you Domas Tobulkulin, Male Marksdwarf, now known as Ash.

For now though i would like to be dorfed...

Prefrences to a military dwarf if there are any left... if not a simple miner or mason as long as i dont end up a useless hauler... any family relations will do

We're out of military dwarves, Risen Ellesttekkud (Great Miner, Competent Mason) looks like a good choice.  You want 'Maxmurder' or a different name?

Short update today.  The USB thumb drive that Brightwater lives on broke - connector actually cracked off.  I managed to fix it, and have since been backing up everything important on it to multiple places.

---

Cilob's journal - mid-summer update

The human caravan has arrived.  I have sent the soldiers out - all of them, of which by my count there are thirteen, in three squads, marksdwarves, hammers, swordsdwarves, and a few oddities like that fellow with the flail.  I don't want the goblins interrupting this trade caravan.


Of course, the goblins don't show.  Neither do any kobolds or unusual wild animals.  Expected.  They're probably waiting, saving their strength for the dwarven caravan in the fall.  Some of the soldiers are grumbling about long patrol times - and being asked to kill cavies when they are sent out - but there's not much else we can do.  We can't leave the entrance unguarded.

I wonder if some of these animals can be trained as soldiers?  I'll have to ask Cain if he has any ideas on enhancing the aggressiveness of these animals.  Now that Cain's star patient is walking again, he should have the time to help with that.

Yes, Rakust regained consciousness recently.  She's even walking again, without even needing a crutch.  Amazing.  I don't know how Cain did it.

She doesn't remember any of the attack.  Her first request was for some fresh clothing.


Poor kid looks like she was torn apart and stitched together, which of course she was.  Hopefully some of those scars will smooth out over time.


And I think she's carrying enough thread for Erush to make an entire outfit from.


But she's alive and walking.  Cain should be proud.

Now, Geb is acting as our Baroness, meeting with the human diplomats for the first time.


She's got a list of supplies the humans can help us with.  I expect she'll make a few requests of her own, but that's the prerogative of a Baroness.


At least the demands she makes are for thing she's happy to produce herself.


Now, I have asked Weiss Ironcage to take on a new task, since he's done so well with those cavies.  I'm having him tame the rhinoceroses, one at a time.  It's good practice for him.  I just hope he doesn't get too attached, since we're going to butcher them as soon as he says they're safe to approach.  Can't keep those things alive.  I still don't know how that female one died.