Summer
3rd HematiteWell, m’journal. Things on the food front a looking a bit better. We’ve crops in the ground! With that taken care of, we need better weapons and armor. Instead of waiting around for Armok to rain ingots upon our heads, we shall gird our beards, and commence digging deeper.
Another layabout has organized a party. What are they celebrating? The lack of death? The fact that our dining room is a utter disgrace? Honestly, we are already starting to look like the fools we left behind!
9th Hematite What a fortuitous day, m’journal. We have found the first cavern layer! While it would be imprudent to breach it now, what with our military barely a few dwarves, this should provide us silk and possibly food if we find ourselves stuck between a rock and an even bigger… erm… rock. Must be a better word for that, m’journal, but I’m afraid I’ve more important things than vocabulary to concern m’self with!
18th HematiteWhat do you think we found today, m’journal? I’ll tell you what, a second cavern layer, along with a magma pool. On the way down, we also found a nice few layers of jetsam. Or floatsom? Fluxom? Whatever it was, our smith was completely incenses. Says those chalky stones will help us later, for making steel.
23rd HematiteSuch utter buffoonery! One of the brewers told me we ran out of pots. My word, can you imagine? Disgraceful! I sent the brewer packing with orders to make sure this never happens again. How are we to outdo our predecessors if we haven’t enough barrels for the booze, eh?
I’ve also started work on m’new rooms. I don’t think they are too ostentatious, but a dwarf must have his space. I appreciate all the work these fine fellows are doing, by I’ve been cooped up with cave canaries for too long. We came here to truly live the life of luxury, not sit in squalor. I’ll put in some orders for proper furniture for the more suitable nobles quarters. The rooms are being dug and smoothed, might as well have something worthwhile to put in the place!
5th MalachiteBanner Day! It appears we have placed all the statues in the new dining hall! What good news! Now when Bailen throws another of those silly parties, I won’t have to hide m’beard in shame.
8th Malachite Migrants have flocked to our home. Nine of them, to be precise. Unrelated, but important, I’ve put in for a batch of crossbows and some bone bolts to be made up. We’ve some 45 able-bodied souls here, time to get some bolts ready in case those dirty gobbos so up. We’ll show the what for, eh!
9th MalachiteLibash Morulurim, that chap from the Craftsdwarf guild, has gone funny in the head, and ran past me, shouting for logs and rock blocks. Doesn’t seem to be much in the way of cut stones ‘round here, so I’ve asked the masons to look after that. Wouldn’t want a case of distemper to take Libash the wrong way, now would we, journal?
16th MalachiteHa! Those elves aren’t so haughty now! Just got word that one of the merchants has gone all mopey, another is taking of its’ clothes, the horse won’t move and the yak is thrashing around behind those walls. Soon enough we’ll have plenty of cloth and a bit more drink.
We also cut up those blocks for Libash, so we’ll see what comes of all his raving. Honestly, I appreciate a good turn of the mood as much as any properly bearded dwarf, but he did put on a bit much of a show for a proper sort of dwarf.
30th Malachite
Yet another achievement to put in our caps! We found a third layer of cavern, and across the waters we found therein was the soft blue glint of adamantine. I’ll have the masons carve in above where we can see the spire, to gauge the depth and circumference. I don’t think we’ll be striking into it just yet. I’ve heard strange tales of mysterious powers related to the blue stuff, so a good dose of caution will see us through, methinks.
Oh, Libash made a fine wood flute. All that raving for blocks, just to throw some cabochons on an instrument. It can’t help the balance of the damned thing. I suppose I’ll never understand the mind of the artisan.
10th GalenaYee gods, we have no treasurer or trade minister! I’ve given old Dully the role of Trade Minister. Bailen is the new treasurer. Gnorm is now the Work Boss. I can’t help but feel they had these roles, but something in the paperwork went amiss. I’ve also appointed some chap named Proto to head up our medical services, as they are. Which brings up the slightly disturbing issue that we have no hospital to speak of. I know I’m mostly down in the trenches, cutting stone and keeping up with the average dwarves, but you’d think the others would think of basic medical services. Must I do everything m’self around here?
13th GalenaDully has demanded some earrings. I suppose I’ll try to see if the crafters cannot get some shipped up for the chap. Maybe the stress is getting to him. He did do a bang-up job while I was carving out tunnels, but the lad just hasn’t been himself since stepping down. I’ll make sure we get his new quarters set up. That should raise his spirits!
18th GalenaSome humans have come to trade! I built up a new depot, but we had a slight issue with the remaining mad elves. Seems the humans weren’t too sure if they were supposed to go to the new depot or try to get into the old one. I set those tall, hairless fellows straight by having the guards deal with the elves and tearing up the old depot.
Autumn
4th LimestoneWell, I dare say the trading went quite well. We shoved off loads of mugs and rather disgusting bone goods in exchange for a pile of food, some drink, loads of cloth, seeds and a few other odds and ends to pad our larders. Since we have not found iron, I took the liberty of buying out their stock of iron anvils, and as much of their iron goods as possible. We also bought some supplies for the hospital, which is under construction. The humans seemed a bit nervous. I had our broker assure them that we had no idea what caused the frail constitutions of those pointy-eared waifs to crack. Seemed to help grease the skids of the trade talks.
3rd SandstoneMore migrants have come to bolster our numbers. Things keep looking up, as we continue to dig down into the good solid rock here.
7th SandstoneSeems old Dully is getting a bit vindictive. One of his export orders got broken, and he had Jamandu go clobber Gnorm and two other dwarves. Gnorm got a bit bruised from the whole ordeal. I’ll have to have a word with Sir Dulhem about this. While I approve of keeping the lads in check, corporal punishment seems more a military pursuit to me.
We’ve started work on clearing out some room for a magma works. I want to make sure we give our craftsmen all the space they’ll need to get down to dwarving. No sense in cutting corners on the metalworks, eh?
16th SandstoneJust got a note from Gnorm. He seems to have recovered admirably, and he’s demanding we make more bolts. Good on that dwarf! Always good for the peasants to know the nobles care about the safety of the common dwarf.
12th TimberAh, the dwarven caravan has come to our humble fortress!
19th TimberAfter some hard bargaining, I am told we got damn near every piece of iron, steel, bronze or any other sort of weapons grade material possible out of the caravan. This is good news, as our surveys are showing no sign or iron, much less tin. We may have to rely on traded the silver and lead we seem to be finding everywhere in these stones. Although I must say, my decision to have the clothiers turn all that elven cloth into clothing paid for large portion of the caravan. We’ve got some good tailors here, salt of the earth and with nimble fingers!
20th TimberGods save me, now I am stuck talking to the trade liason from the Mountainhome. This Iton Gidthurzas fellow is about as dull as pig tails in a swamp. He wanted to know what we need. Seems obvious to me, we need iron, by Armok! I told him to bring just about anything of military value.
Winter17th MoonstoneOut new nobles rooms are dug and smoothed, with the last bits of furniture either being constructed or waiting to be placed! I also finished appointing my quarters, a nice small dining hall, a study, and nice room for m’self and Missus Grimmelsworth, once I find a dwarven lass suitable to carry on my clans tradition and the proud family name.
We have also completed our magma works, and a chute to drop ores through, from any level of the fortress! I’m rather proud of this achievement. A goodwill gesture to show the peasants that although manual labor is needed, we needn’t make things excessively hard on them. Find the ore and drop it on down, I told them. Let gravidity take the burden so we can get on to prizing our great works from the ores of this place.
21st MoonstoneThe damn trade rep finally left, after far too much quibbling. He kept following me around like some nanny, always wanting to have another conversation. Honestly, m’journal, trade is dead simple, eh? Bring us your goods, will give you some of ours, like decent dwarves, and everybody walks away plump as helmets! What a boorishly daft fellow. I do hope he puts in a good word though, the thought of our humble fort raising to a Barony makes m’heart swell.
23rd MoonstoneWell, we were tested today, and Armok found our steel hard! Or at least our bone bolts stiff. A snatcher snuck into our fort, and in the ensuing fight, the beast killed our militia captain! Enraged, the rest of our militia dispatched the vile beast. In light of this unfortunate event, I have set aside room for a catacomb. But the fact remains, we slaughtered the fool, despite the cost. I’ll have a nice slab engraved for the chap who fell, so that his glory may live on.
25th OpalIt appears Gnorm is rather unlucky. He took a bit of a beating in some of the fighting and is laying up in hospital. Since he will be healing, I have given him an honorary title for the time, and appointed a new Manager, Minkot Borushnish. I’m sure Gnorm will bounce back again. Good dwarf, strong of spirit!
12th ObsidianDespite our lack of iron, we forge ahead! With the forges working and all the lead lying around, I have order our smiths to start working on lead crafts. We might not have gold or iron, but we will make do with what we have and trade for the rest!
14th ObsidianOur weaver, Kib Dakostisul, has taken funny in the head. He claimed a clothier’s shop, but although we have plenty of cloth it appears to be of the wrong type. I’ve ordered the caves opened, and bridge put in place. We’ll try to gather some cave silk for the chap.
24th ObsidianAn ambush has made it inside the gates! 6 of the beasts charged in, and began to lay about the dwarves they could find. We called up the militia, and by Armok did they show those goblins the wrath of Armok! Not a single gobo survived! Sazir, the Humpsman, had a brilliant show, taking out three of the ugly bastards. In light of our skirmish victories, I’ve drawn up a list of notable kills our dwarves have put together:
Sarvesh Begtulon has bagged two gobbos, the inimitable Sazir “Humpsman” Ingishmadush has slain three gobbos, recruit Ingiz Lorbamzikel took one gobbo out, recruit Adil Rithzamdodok struck down two gobbos this year, Sir Griffin has slain one gobo and one of the pointy ears, and Sir Walnuts, our Hammerer has laid low two gobbos and the other mopey elf. Well done, each of them!
31st ObsidianWell m’journal, it has been a good year. More migrants, only one death in the service of the glory of our fort, and considerable progress towards showing those incompetent buffons back home how to make a real dwarf fortress! I’ve included some plans of the fort as it stands. I think I’ll go back to digging and a bit of rest from the arduous work of leading this place. I’ll let one of the other nobles take a turn leading our new home.
Here is our entrance. Formerly the noble’s quarters, I got us into good solid rock, and now we have some stock rooms for trade goods and furniture. For some reason I cannot fathom, no one wants to pick up the armor lying about outside. The bridge links up to lever off the dining room, so we can lock down the fortress if the need arises.
Below that we have some more farms, the kitchens, still and butchers, and the tanner and a food stock. Never got around to moving those closer to the dining room.
Next floor down we have the commoner’s rooms. Not much to speak of as yet, but I hope we make them something a bit nicer in the future.
Ah, here we have the workshops, stock, and the top of the drop pit. Many of the stocks use some organizational system called Quatilium Storification, or some such. Bailen told me she found a trick to just stack everything up into stacks, and I told her that was fine by me. To lock off access, you can just lock the doors to any of the stockpiles. For the drop chute in the far north, keep in mind to only have the top doors or the bottom doors unlocked at any given time. Wouldn’t want those ores dropping onto the heads of our smiths, eh? You can also add drop off points wherever you need to in order to make it easier to get the ore down to the forges!
The next floor down holds my humble quarters, along with the rest of the nobility of our fine fortress.
Below that we have the grand dining hall, and a lever room. The levers all have notes attached to tell you which doors they control!
Further down is the hospital, followed by the mausoleum.
And finally, in the depths, we have the lavaworks. We also put in a bar stockpile, to the west of the drop chute. Do mind the drop chute carefully!
One last thing. Below even the lavaworks is the Adamantine spire. We know of at least four levels of the thing. I’ve carved out on of the topmost levels, and leave it to others to conduct the delicate work of striking that beautiful, dangerous metal.
State of the Fortress:
