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Urist ran as fast as his furry feet could take him down the smooth stone corridor of the Fortress "GearedBalance." He huffed as his breathing began to catch up with him. He swooped by Kas who had stuck his head out to see what the commotion was.

"BLOOD BEAST!" Urist screamed, stopping only long enough to raise his hands over his head as far as he could.

Kas sipped the mead he was drinking. "What's a Blood Beast?" He asked casually.

Urist attempted to get his breathing under control. He bent over and put his hands on his knees. "Blood. Beast. Beast of Blood," he said between breaths.

"Does it have any weapons?" Kas asked, looking around for signs of the beast.

Urist stood back up. "WEAPONS?! The bloody monster has BLOOD in it's name! What more do you want?"

Kas sipped his mead, letting Urist catch his breath, "So it like, told you it was a blood beast? Is that when you ran away?"

Urist's blood began boiling. Why wouldn't you run from a dwarf that had transformed into a blood beast? That kinda is common knowledge.

"Kilrud turned into the damn thing in an explosion of dark magic! He was in incredible pain, and it just formed into this huge nine foot beast of blood and anger. You would've run as well," Urist said finally, crossing his arms.

Kas smiled and finished his drink. "Go grab the troops. We shall have a go at this blood beast."

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Urist put his finger to his lips in front of the other recruits. Half the fortress was here. The leaders had been too busy making lamellar armor that they forgot basic weapons and protection. Daggers mostly, with a few copper axe and battle picks. The poor lads were nothing more than farmers and knew nothing of strategy.

Urist led them to the door to the pantry. They could hear it banging crates and barrels in rage. Kas silently opened the door, leaning against the wall, to get a better picture.

"Yep, definitely looks like a blood beast," he said definitely. Urist rolled his eyes.

"Can you stab a blood beast?" One of the recruits said. He got punched in the back from the dwarf behind him. "Of course. You can stab anything. It's a matter of how hard you stab." The other dwarves all murmured in agreement.

Kas looked at Urist. "So whats the plan boss?"

Urist smiled. He was the military expert here. "We're gonna all run in screaming and stab him."

"Brilliant," the recruit said, his eyes beaming. Everyone nodded in approval. Kas slammed the door open and charged.

Urist woke up covered in ash. Raptors. Fire. Urist coughed. It wasn't just a nightmare.

Urist stood up up in the still warm burnt grass. Embers danced off the ground in the midst of snapping and roasting. Burnt oxen and moles littered the dirt, forever silent. Black and gray grass spawned all along the horizon. Trees still blazed in the distance.

Urist lurched slowly to the stores of booze. His left leg was burnt and useless. The booze can't be gone. We can eat the roasted animals, but if there's no booze...The upturned ashy barrels told everything. Everything was lost. Urist knelt down, gripping his tattered remains of his clothes.

Kris ran up to him. She had been mining when everything happened. She stared silently, taking the scenery in.

"What happened?" She asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

Urist laid back, staring at the smoke rising into the sky. "I have no idea."








There was nothing over there. After the raptors took out half my livestock, this just happened. I went through the logs and no clues. There was literally nothing at the epicenter of this. I didn't even bring anything explosive or that could even catch anything on fire.

Ten minutes into the game. I had just dug out my bedrooms, not even a dining room yet.

Why, Armok? Why?

Hey all, first Ongoing game I got going. It's pretty promising, I think. This is my 4th fortress so far....the first two I died to the first goblin ambush. The third I laughed at Goblin sieges, discovering cage traps, and then died when everyone tantrumed from losing their pets that the goblin siege killed.

I've all ready played 2 years so far, and I'm looking in shape I hope. Thought I'd give you a story about the (mis)adventures I've had so far.

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Dear Diary,

I can't believe it's been two years so far! It almost seems like yesterday my eager troop of six and I first dug deep into our mountain we call home! I am still amazed at all the enthusiasm and cheerfulness as we set to work.

"Wow, it sure is hot out here," our fearless leader, Satalath, said. He'd been riding the damn carriage almost the entire way as we all walked next to him. I looked at my fellow miner Vutok, and she looked back at me. We better get the gold we promised.

"Does anyone know what time it is? Are we there yet?" Satalath said as he wiped the sweat off his brow. No one talked to him. We could see the mountain rising in the distance. Even from here I could tell it wasn't just a huge gold mountain like the posters around the tavern had said.

"There it is! Wow, it's gleaming from all the way from here! I can't wait to get out of this carriage, this trip is killing me."

We finally come up on it and we look for a good place to set up camp. He jumps out with a shovel and strikes the earth. "I dub thee 'GraspingLabors!'"

We all just groan. Maybe we can vote for a different name later. Vutok and I grab our mining picks and begin carving a cave into the clay at the landing. It falls away easily. I hear them arguing about no gold being around as we dig.

"Well, I'm sure it's just the direction of the sun. We'll find it soon enough. But lets get everything all settled. I want to setup a corner here for all our finished goods and here a spot for all our gems. And any stone or ore we get needs to go here."

"Sir, how about we just throw it all in one big pile while we get settled. We have more important things to worry about like safety and farming before worrying about organization," Litast suggested.

"Ah yes, all right. We can do that for now. But once we're setup I'll bring some order to the situation."

We hit our first valuable ore very quickly. Galena. And native silver. It's not gold, but it'll do. But then I realized what we were digging up. Gneiss, Cobaltite, Mica...this wasn't a sedimentary layer.

I brought it up to the leader, but he just shrugged. "We're probably just too far down the mountain. I'm sure at the top we'll find the sentimental layer."

I shook my head and dug.

(Here's the entrance. The early cutouts are where I put my temporary beds until I got a full blown living quarters established. I'm keeping the office there though, and this is where all my finished goods will be for trading...and you can also see the drawbridge to protect the caravan and force enemies into my traps!)

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We struck silver! I immediately sectioned off the ore and ordered it to be smelted, but none of them knew how to do that. I realized we hadn't brought a metalsmith. I immediately went to work at my desk while they unloaded the carts to put in a requisition and order for a metalsmith. My first legislation! The farm was up, the first bedrooms and dining hall we're up, everything was inside, and a trading depot was all ready being erected. I made myself a sandwich while watching my budding village grow. Oh, I believe they need me to do something. I shall write more later."

I ran up to Satalath. I was trying to catch my breath. He was carrying a huge block of stone in his hands. "Sir, Sir, what are you doing?"

He turned around, still moving to the dump zone we had made near the shops we dug out. "Moving the stone, what does it look like?"

"Isn't there something more important you're supposed to be doing?"

He looked around confused. "Uh, no? This stone ain't hauling itself."

"Sir, the Dwarven caravan is sitting at the gates, with bins of our gems and crafts waiting to be traded! Someone else can haul this stone."

"Oh, they can wait. This stone has to get there NOW. This place needs to be CLEAN."

I can feel my blood pressure rising. Doc said to keep it easy. I calmed myself. I gesture to the stone, "Sir, give me the stone."

He backed off slowly. "No." He held it tighter.

"Don't make me take it from you."

With reluctance, and a real sense of parting, he gave me the stone. He watched solemnly as I walked away. I looked back, "oh hey, can you get us some cheese? I've been craving the hell out of it. Thanks."

(I've consolidated all the galena, native silver, and tetrahydrate ore here, and this is where I keep all the furniture. Will continue to grow this as the fortress needs it.)

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The place is finally clean! It took a year. Everything sped up when I looked through my lumberjack's inventory and realized they had built wheelbarrows. Such a marvelous invention! We dug under the river to provide irrigation, but realized we didn't even need it when we found clay! I do have to say, I did pick the site where to dig. Everything just seems to be coming together, and everyone's working so well together!

Cerol rubbed his temples at his carpentry desk. It never ends. Orders from The Fearless Leader Manager slash broker slash accoutant was piling up on his desk, and there just wasn't enough wood. He watched as his apprentices eyes weld up with little tears as he told him the only thing he'd be doing for the next year is cutting trees. He watched him walk slowly towards the sunshine.

The doctor stormed into his office. "Cerol! I need your help. We need to make twenty three screw pumps and dig some channels. We need to implement some flowing water into the hospital."

Cerol leaned back in my chair. He pointed to the map on the wall. "You see that stream? The one right next to the hospital, like within 15 feet?"

"Yeah? The one I've been taking baths in?"

Cerol grumbled. "Let me see your orders."

While going over what exactly he needed, the cook stormed in. He had a rock pot in his arms, and he was clearly angry.

"What the hell is this piece of crap?" He yelled, throwing the rock pot on the ground.

"It's a rock pot. Now get it out of my office," Cerol yelled back.

"I asked for one hundred and fifty barrels. Not a Rock Pot. BARRELS. CAN YOU READ? I've got over five hundred friggin plants filling up my storage, and you're busy making beds! This thing weighs like 10 times a barrel! I can't use this!"

Cerol grumbled more. "Well if you didn't COOK THE FUCKING WINE, WE WOULDN'T NEED SO MANY BARRELS."

He crossed his arms, "That was my apprentice. It happened once. I didn't get there fast enough. Now are you gonna make barrels or no."

"How about you cut some fucking trees for me." Cerol got up, putting his face into his face. They stare each other down.

The really old dwarf that came with us burst into the room, throwing a broken wheelbarrow on the ground. "You know, these wheelbarrows are blasphemous. What happened to Dwarves using their damn bodies. Running around like little fairies and a grin on your faces. Ya'll getting weak on me."

(This is my workshops level. The middle stone is the dump zone with the entire fortresses stone dumped there for easy processing)

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After we've set up the initial self sustainment, I've ordered traps and a drawbridge made to defend any traders and to funnel any attackers into our death hall. The Mechanic setting it up seemed intelligent enough.

I look at the massive drawbridge spanning our hallway. This was some dwarven engineering. "So, if we pull this lever, this thing will form an airtight wall that no one could possibly get through?"

Zasit smiled. "That's what I'm telling you, Lokum. This thing is impenetrable."

"What about a titan?"

"Oh yeah, no prob. They'll go right into our traps."

"Dragon?"

"They'll probably just burn the mountain from the top down, but yep, this drawbridge will still be standing."

"This is all highly unlikely. You'd think you would attack where they don't want you to go."

"Ever seen a smart goblin?"

I just shake my head and watch as he pulls the lever. Somehow this massive drawbridge fits perfectly into a low ceiling. I whistle amazingly. "That's pretty impressive."

"Looks even better coming back down." He says as he pulls it again. There's a delay. A reindeer walks to the drawbridge, trying to get inside, not realizing there's no path...at the moment.

The drawbridge slams down. There's no blood, nothing. Completely flat. We stand there in shock for a second. He goes to pull the level again. "No don't....just...let it lie there. It, uh, got lost."

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Good news! After the defenses were set up, I found out that we are completely swimming in food! All the dwarves are completely ecstatic at all the variety in their diet! And the Craftsdwarves have been as busy as ever!

"Yep, I'd say in a year or two, we'll have some good healthy stock on our hands," Rigoth says to Sakalath, watching the herd graze. "We have reindeer, horses, cows, pigs, hell even apacala's, whatever those are."

"Sounds amazing! What are we gonna do if we get attacked though?" Sakalath asks, looking around.

"Oh, uh...I guess...have them come inside?" Rigoth says, petting one of the horses.

"Nah, I've got a better idea. Butcher them all. We only got plump helmets and we need something else. Besides, they won't get inside in time. Also, stop your hippie animal care, and get to work like a real dwarf."

Rigoth is stunned. "But sir, we can ke..."

"Shut up and do it, or you'll be visited by the Hammer." Sakalath says, crossing his arms.

Rigoth looks solemnly to the herd. "All right, let me get the kittens somepla..."

"Kittens too. It'll make a nice crossbow bolt."

"WHAT? You want me to butcher the KITTENS? What is wrong with you?" Rigoth says, holding one of the kittens tightly.

Sakalath grabs Rigoth's tattered cloth shirt. "You listen to me. If I don't have kitten stew for dinner tonight, I'm going to dig down to magma and throw you into it, and then build some floor panels or something. They all go away, they stop eating my grass, and you stop wasting labor on them. Now."

Sakalath walked off after that. Rigoth cried as he pulled his knife out of his holster. The kitten meowed and purred in his arms.



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First trades have not gone completely as I hoped, but at least we have import and export deals! We also have tons of more dwarves in our lands! I put them to work immediately. My favorite part of the job is handling disputes. I'm gonna get some sleep though, and will check in next year!

Sakaloth finishes his diary for the day, when Lokum bursts in. "You son of a bitch. I asked  YOU ONE THING TO DO FOR THE CARAVAN."

Sakaloth munches on his sandwich. "What?" He says, mouth full of food.

"Everyone says you lost the deal cause you were too busy sleeping, then you went on a fucking break, and then went and ate food! Now I don't get CHEESE. I NEED CHEESE. IT WAS RIGHT THERE, AND IT WAS CHEAP."

"Oh you're exaggerating. They were just in a hurry and they'll be back next year." He says, putting the sandwich down.

Lokum saw it. He was eating a cheese sandwich. "Is that...CHEESE? You're EATING CHEESE."

"Oh yes, one of the traders handed this small wheel to me in consolences. it's pretty good."

Lokum threw herself across the table, trying to strangle Sakaloth. He barely managed to get the words guards out as they stormed in and dragged her off screaming. "YOU'RE DEAD. YOU LIED TO US. THERES NO IRON. THERES NO GOLD. NOTHING IS MAGMA SAFE. WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE, AND YOU'RE FIRST."

Sakaloth dusted himself off and shook his head. Some dwarves. Another miner came in. Vokum. She was covered in sand, and dumped sand all over his desk. "Sir, the top layer of the mountain is just sand. There's no iron."



"Well, we just gotta dig deeper, right? We'll find it. I read in a book it's right under the soil layer."

"Sir, it's all just sand, and then the rock we've all been digging!"

"Well, try harder. What am I paying you for?"

"Sir, you're not paying us."

"Right, well do you want to get paid or not?" He smiles, rummaging through the many pages of paper on his desk. "I believe this is your order isn't it? Two silver toys, a silver harp, and a lead goblet?"

Vutok straightens up. "uh, yes sir...they're uh...for a friend."

"Well, I mean if you don't think iron is around, this order can just go to the bottom of the list. We gotta conserve our silver, don't we?"

"Oh no...nono...that's not necessary. I'll find that iron! Heh. I'll just keep digging. Into sand."

Sakaloth smiles. "Good, now I'll see you tomorrow."

Vutok passes a distressed dwarf as she leaves the Manager's office. He grabs her and says, "Vutok! Have you seen my reindeer? Look here's a picture. Her name is Bubbles and she loves to eat long grass and gallop all around. I can't find her anywhere!"


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More tomorrow!