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« on: June 17, 2012, 09:40:53 pm »
Maybe once RL stuff is less confining, I'd take it back up. I just don't want this thread and fortress to languish in the dustbin of the forum while I wait.
Also, I'm running out of buffer.
On a lighter note, here's the end of the ambush.
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I watched the last stand outside, brave Tradeplans. He fired a few bolts. A few hit their mark, but more hit the dwarf. Soon, he had a broken hand, a torn kidney, and a chipped leg bone, then he lost hold of his crossbow. Soon thereafter, a crossbowglin bashed in his skull, then killed him. That dwarf doesn't go down easily. Still, I know that his sacrifice was not in vain; he died, but he also injured the goblins. Dabs has to crawl, for instance. They regroup, clustering around Tradeplans's body, but throw aside the quiver and waterskin in disgust. The reason hits me--they contain water and bone bolts! Only a few bone bolts, too; the goblins are in desperate need of ammunition. The one that killed Tradeplans was completely out of ammo (using my knowledge of Goblin, it seemed to note that that had never happened to it before); the others had around eight bolts apiece. They were trying to decide what to do, when they noticed two dwarves they hadn't killed yet: An herbalist who came out for some reason, and Strengthletter. The former was stupid and unlucky, the latter lying down with a damaged liver. That was a goblin-caused injury, and clearly the last straw. His wife was Townbud, Broken was his only friend, and even his entire squad, except him, was wiped out. There's only so much a dwarf can take.
One of the crossbowglins has vanished, which is never a good sign. Or maybe these beasts are cowardly in addition to all of their other faults.
On the 17th of Galena, a singing goblin archer shot a silver arrow at a water buffalo, who had bellowed at the goblin's hammergoblin underling. There were four hammergoblins, one much faster than the others despite lugging around all copper gear except for a big silver maul. This swift monster has an arrow zing within inches of his head, yet neither it nor the archer who clearly leads this squad seems to care.
Strengthletter is crawling away from his tormenters, aware that while he does not care for life he should at least try to draw as many bolts from the foolish lady who is also being pursued as he can, and it helps if he fakes trying to escape. All too soon, Strengthletter is united with his wife and only friend. Soon thereafter, the water buffalo is also slain.
Another dwarf, a woodcrafter and alleged marksdwarf without any gear except an empty, too-fine-for-her-station backpack, begins being shot at. The hammergoblins are chasing him when some unexpected guests arrive.
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From the journal of Casast Eagleblazed, Human Merchant of The Realm of Memory
These dwarves are rude! I saw their gates and sent the wagons away. Of course, I also saw the goblins, but I saw that as a chance for our guards to get some practice and for us to get some leverage in trading. Sadly, we can't take in most of the goods, but we can take some in...if we can reach the depot...
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I order the gates opened long enough to let the humans in. I also have what's left of the militia into the courtyard.
Stunningly, those militiadwarves outside decide to make a fight out of this as well. One, wielding an iron dagger taken from a thief, promptly knocks a goblin into the river before stabbing him in the head. The other order would have been better, but meh. The fact that the hammergoblin's friend quickly trashes the poor dwarf's lung, legs, and shield hand doesn't ruin the feeling much, even when the goblin finishes shaking the dying dwarf around by the hand and kills him. Then the goblins see the lowered gates...
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I saw one of the dwarves' traps in action. The one goblin crossbowman was walking next to a wall, and BAM! A cage caught him! Sadly, there's still two other crossbowmen and a crippled lasher by that gate, so we'll come in the north (and probably main) way.
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Heh, the hammergoblins saw their fellow get caught in the trap and apparently lost heart. That makes four goblin prisoners and a human caravan on the way. A human leading a pack yak is followed by a marksman, another merchant leading a horse, and a maceman. Excellent, we could use some supplies. Once the merchants are in, I'll have the gates seale...why is that prisoner outside? Is this really the best time to grab a wine barrel someone left outside?
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The marksgoblins are clustering around their entrapped leader...at least, they were until someone decided to go over by them. The stupid dwarf dropped the wine barrel and started running. Thankfully for everyone, they seemed to be out of bolts.
However, there was one dwarf running out to us, or perhaps to the corpse of one of its compatriots. The dwarf noted a goblin and started shooting. As we approached the depot, we saw a hammergoblin being beaten on by several dwarves, with another dwarf shouting to show no mercy and asking them to remember “Claspedrushes,” who was later identified as the infant dwarf whose mutilated corpse we had seen as we came in. The goblin was already missing half an arm and had lost hold of both its shield and hammer.
Soon, the goblins were routed. The archer and remaining hammergoblin to the south fled, our fine Tura crushed the one goblin's skull, and the last was killed by some of the dwarves. Eventually.
After a kobold was chased off, the GreatWyrmBrass dwarf started chatting and trading. It was lamenting about losing twelve dwarves to the goblins. Soon, I decided to get away from the topic of goblins and onto the topic of trading.
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Well, the battle's over. Some of us had excellent fights, like when the proud creator of Fateflushed hacked off half a goblin's arm and sent it over the wall and river. I can't help but remember the New Secrets of Drying, the first war hero of out fair fortress, slain by a cruel monster. To goblins, glory just makes you a target.
A kobold thief was spotted.As it tried to escape, he ran into a bunch of militiadwarves. Old Plaitmansions, killer of another thief and creator of Taremireg, chopped away half of the kobold's weapon arm off before killing it, slicing the little critter's littler brain in twain.
We're remakig the defenses. More walls. More traps. Fortifications. A disbandment of almost all of our melee troops in exchange for marksdwarves. We need more stone, more ore, to make the traps. We need more wood. We need more everything.
I will get back at those damn goblins.
The mute one has been taken off of mining to work on traps. The other miners are to focus on mining, notably the complete emptying of five levels of all of their stone. Already, the fort's children are taking down the wall in front of the fortress, to be turned into a big fortication for marksdwarves. We will survive.
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From the memoirs of Ago Ngokangosnuk.
It didn't last long, this state of confusion. Soon, things wee back to normal thanks to some heroic antics inspired by the arrival of some human traders. Apparently, about a dozen dwarves and a waer buffalo died. There were only about 58 left, ten of 'em those prisoner people, 14 kids. A bit later, the three of us got our cage brought deep downstairs. Heh, fun ride. We were brought down into a chillier room, right above the caverns from the smell. This was, um, probably right at the end of summer.
Some other cages got brought down, too. I recognised an old buddy of mine.
“Dang! How you been?”
“Ago? Is that you?”
“Yup, you bet so!”
“What brought you here?”
“Kids, of course. Dwarf kids are the best; they don't cry and when they grow up, they work real hard!”
“No, I mean here here.”
“Ah. Those damn traps, y'know?”
“Ah-huh. Well...you're lucky, there, with two nice ladies in close quarters with you.”
“Lucky? These dwarves took everything, and they throw stuff at me! How do you think I got this big gouge here?”
“I assumed a lovers' spat.”
And so we talked. I got the latest news from the Towers, and gave info from within this fortress.
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From the journal of onul Whimsconstruct, weaver, accidental hermit.
I've thrown a noe inside in hopes that someone will see it and let me out.
I was gathering webs just past the goblins' future ghettoey place when I discovered a wall in my way. I hadn't realised that there might be someone building a wall in that place that a wall had been designated to be built for months! Well, now I'm stuck here, starting this 26th of Galena, 128. I'm going to gather some plants, maybe make a farm, and go from there. Maybe I'll survive long enough for rescue. I've got a husband, the CMD is my niece, and my one cousin is...well, a prisoner. Well, someone'll care. Right?
