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Author Topic: Whisperwhip: a megabeast steakhouse (Circus Edition)  (Read 135799 times)

Taupe

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Re: Whisperwhip: Tales of poor planning and deicide
« Reply #60 on: November 28, 2014, 09:20:50 am »

Quote
Posting to note that I've started reading and will continue to.

Better grab some coffee, 'cause I just compiled this thing on a word document and it's 92 pages at the time :/

Drokles

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Re: Whisperwhip: Tales of poor planning and deicide
« Reply #61 on: November 28, 2014, 11:25:17 pm »

Quote
Posting to note that I've started reading and will continue to.

Better grab some coffee, 'cause I just compiled this thing on a word document and it's 92 pages at the time :/

You are actually writing a full-sized novel based on the emergent storytelling of DF. The tale of the sky-pig is certainly on par with some of the crazy things that happen in "100 Years of Solitude".
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On the rare occasions where this fort isnt under siege, wood cutting and hauling is our ultimate priority.

Taupe

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Re: Whisperwhip: Tales of poor planning and deicide
« Reply #62 on: November 29, 2014, 06:30:09 am »

Quote
You are actually writing a full-sized novel based on the emergent storytelling of DF
It's really more like a novel-sized emergent story. To call this recalling of random events a novel is to downplay the amount of work, planning, and dedication that goes into the making of an actual book.

Sidenote:
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CHAPTER 32: Clothsgiving
Winter of 114

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About a week after the merchants from the mountainhome someplace depart abruptly is when I finally hear some good news. The animal trainers, of which we officially have one, altho 10 different people are allowed to do the job, informs me that some new war animals have been trained. We are not yet to the point of having a warbeast for every citizen, but as they say, baby steps. By which I mean lion baby steps, of which we now have plenty.

My week was plagued by political struggle, which i ardently despise. Count tun insist that we free Dumat, asmel wants him executed asap, the queensguard agree with her, the doctor weight in on Tun's side, and me... As much as I like o see crime punished, Whisperwhip needs a trader that doesn't suck. Dumat has also been in charge of micromanaging construction projects for a few years too, and i happen to need a master builder. Surely, agreeing to name Lady Asmel as our champion will soften her mood.

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She claims to be much older than most dwarves around here, which makes sence given that she is skilled at so many things. Her attributes are almost superdwarven in nature. she is unbelievably fast, and can outrun jaguars while wearing armor if she needs to. She can also break rocks with her bare hands, and has a cunning that transcent that of most of our race. This morning I passed by her as she was working on the new enlarged bridges

-I didn't know you were an architect, Asmel!
-Oh, my dear general, you could say I have... many... hidden talents. I'm also proficient with 4 weapons, a part-time grower, a brewer, fisherdwarf, armorsmith, weaver... among other things.

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She smiled at me with an amused air. Truly we are blessed to have her with us. Not only are her skills around the fort numerous, she is also by far the most murderous soldier on the continent. I have seen her tear trough enemy plate like it was butter. If someone is to be champion, then it must be her. I cannot take on the title, for i am already overseer, thus super busy. Captains Atir and Aban are stout felows, but nowhere near the title o champion. Mistem is now blind, and Catten... I'm not even sure i want him as a captain anymore.

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Once the paperwork is in order for her entitlement, I meet with the doctor. He informs me that Dumat is doing fairly well, and only has a smashed finger at the time. I hope he will be in shape when I free him in a few weeks.

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While he is still confined to his chamber, tho, I must take care of some day to day problems. The complains about lack of clothing is becoming problematic, so i order some more garments for the civilians. The people chant for a new Clothsgiving day, but no army came to the fort recently.

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More corpses did show up tho. The haulers don't want to cross the entire dumpatorium to dig a new wing, so i suggest we enlarge the first floor instead, with a new door leading directly to the somewhat less nauseous storage site.

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Nobles are complaining that their chamber is not finished, and leads into another unfurnished room. I screamed at the builders to fix that asap, possibly doing the job themselves instead of dispatching babies.

...They dispatched babies.

Finally, it is time for Dumat to come out of his room, after a year of solitary confinement. He looks definitely thinner. I explain to him that his new duties are to take care of trade business, as well as supervise the construction of the fortress.

-So, like being overseer.
-No, I reply, you are not overseer. i must approve of things first, and your job is mainly to check on the miners and builders. I'm in charge now.
-I see.
-remember, many people still want you dead, so don't overstep your authority.

Dumat has apparently been thinking a lot during the last year. To pass time, he says, he brainstormed solutions to many of our problems. Being punched and left without alcohol has some drawbacks, but it does allow you to focus on things, he says.

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''First, the furniture stockpiles are overflowing. Well, they were last year, i assume they still are. The top floors are cluthered with leather bins and block boxes, and the level above the royal chambers are just as packed. what i suggest is that one level below that, next to the unused workshops, we put 4 huge stockpiles. That way it's close enough, but we won,t have to move everything when we build new workshops.''

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A messenger rushes in, telling me of an incoming army.

-Ok, just go tell the haulers to do that, I guess, we have more pressing matters than furniture storage right now.

Hurray, a siege. I wonder if it is the elves. I so despise elves. Goblins are fine too, as long as the attackers bring some decent new equipment. the forges are not producing iron at a reasonable pace. I get to the wall. It's goblins.

-Ok, boys and lasses, time to go outside and get our new clothes!

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-Immortal-D, you take the north wall and hold it. They have archers, I want them out-archered.

The goblins are getting smart, they started to bring shields and use them. Only took the morons a decade to think of that against a fortified nation of marksdwarves. I dispatch the rest of the troops across the countryside, to attack on many fronts. Two dwarves in this siege make a noteworthy display of might.

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First is Stukos, who charges foward to assist the caravaneers. Oh shit, the merchants, i totally forgot about them. I assumed they left, but they are still stuck south, besieged by the nvaders as well. A few of them are killed, but thankfully, Stukos makes the greenskin pay with their lives. The merchants shall be buried in our crypts, for they were dwarves like us, after all.

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Second is Geshud the blind. It seems that instead of holding the gate like Mistem ordered, he went outside to fight. Or maybe he didnt find the gate and got in a fight by accident. what matters is that, despite having no eyes, he managed to end 3 trolls on his own before we could assist him.

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The rest is business as usual. with the goblins gone, it's time to haul corpses and pick up clothes. While they do that, I return inside. to continue the bettering of our hallway system. Dumat is nowhere to be seen, so I leave a note to him, stating i want the set of stairs across the first bridges to be 4, not 2, all the way to the second bridge. The builder is not there, so I try to locate a bunch of miners instead, to no avail.

Where is everyone?

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after an absurdly long search, I finally locate where the fuck our workers went. It seems that for some reason the brewers have not been hauling the barrels back to the food stockpiles, instead leaving them in the courtyard. this has been going on for about 5 months now.

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As a result, all the thirsty dwarves have been drinking there, right from the barrels. Dumat is there, drunk as Armok's beard, and so are most of the miners and masons, celebrating his return in the true dwarven fashion. Soon, the courtyard fills up with thirsty dwarves and festive dwarves and just overall lazy dwarves who seek an excuse not to work. That's when i realise that thespring has arrived on the calendar.

Today is both clothsgiving, the new eve, and the return of our founder. Let them celebrate all they want, i say. And no holiday is complete without a new artifact!

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« Last Edit: November 29, 2014, 07:05:58 am by Taupe »
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Taupe

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Re: Whisperwhip: Tales of poor planning and deicide
« Reply #63 on: November 30, 2014, 08:25:30 am »

CHAPTER 33: Kel
Spring 115

''Led, I tell our bookkeeper as he drinks himself to death, it has been a full year now, and I had no news of that biography I asked. I assume it is complete?
-Huh? Oh hum, almost, general, I just need to finish the erhm, starting part.
-Led this is unnacceptable. you only have one job, and it was to write up a book about me in the spare time you get between keeping our stocks accurate and being one of our top soldiers. I'm very disapointed
-General, I...
-No, no excuses. Enough drinking. i want you up and working now, go get the books and start unforbidding cloths. start with helms. Once we have seven idlers or more, you may unforbid a new type of clothing.
-Hum, ok, sir...
-also ALL OF YOU, go get some helmets on the field to hum... celebrate, or go back to work. and somebody haul all those barrels.

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The workers start to disperse, to gather blood-soaked helmets. One of them, a leatherworker, stares at me with a look that says ''you want some helmets, I'll give you some god damned helmets. Then he disappears. The next day, he reappears with this:

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Wait, no, wrong helmet. (altho we could technically make a leather helmet out of a leather helmet snake?)

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Ah, there it is! Leather doesn't make the greatest armor, but that's I believe one of our first real armor artifact, since the bone buckler was solen by a langur a decade ago, after the previous general was shot in the face during a walk in the woods by our crossbow maker. I heard the buckler was made when a gravedigger saw all his friends murder each other in the catacomb, and decided to carve his beloved wife into something that could defend himself. Good riddance, i say. (Not for the obviously cursed part, just that bucklers are inferior to shields)

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meanwhile our miners went back to work while absolutely drunk still, and they made a stupid mistake. Their job was to excavate the pit under the bridge section, but they decided to channel the channels instead of removing them. Ugh...

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Lucky for them, the team stumbled upon a dozen ores of smoky quartz, which should help our newest gem cutter master his trade before he innevitably dies.

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Speaking of which, the manager Stukos took the liberty to order a few gems cut since our red zircon piles were low high enough. No point in having so many rough gems I guess. Gems aren't all that great at maintaining an army, but good quality cut gems make for great artifacts, which help civilians in their morale. Blah blah blah we want cloths and maybe non-bolt possessions. Stop whining, people.

Dumat comes at me, looking almost sober.

-Ok, so, I was brainstorming on a way to like, make this courtyard useful, while I was yaknow being piss-wasted in it all week, when I heard the elves returned. They have traders with them, what the hell? We fucking stole all their stuff 2 years ago!
-Yes, and quite frankly we shot all of them dead last year as well. because you told me we were at war with them.
-You shot...Nevermind. why are they here, seriously? What's wrong with them? We stole from them, we murdered their kin, we have been turning the wildlife into fucking coal to make statues of us admiring the way they fucking died to our army, and they come back from more? no that's a trap, i tell you, a trap! They know we have framerate issues, so they come here expecting us to insult them, or kill them, so we lose precious hauling time and end up with too much crap. elves are sneaky, general, that's how they get ya.
-Well, Dumat, trading with them is the reson you are now free, so go deal with them anyway. We have rags to give away

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That goes as well as you'd expect. the elves spend most of their time dealing with another escaped animal. I'm told this happens with every visit. Then they imagine we had something made of wood we wanted to trade, go insane, and depart, leaving the depot littered with rags and dirty socks. fucking elves. I would should them, if it didnt mean 300 more bags of wooden toy hammers. Dumat orders a few idlers to stop having fun and take care of the rags, and return to his drinking.

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As soon as the elven merchants pack their stuff, a thief is spotted north. And to the south, a small group of grey langurs start sneaking away wth our clothes.

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I can't deal with the surface situation, because I'm doing my weekly murdertour of the caverns with Catten. today on the menu, more helmet snakes, as well as a small tribe of giant olms. Kel the master lasher is with us as well, being the first member of my team.

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The goblins upstairs are eluding the army, and another thief starts wandering our soon-to-be moat. He outruns our soldiers, dodge their bolts, and make away with a pile of clothes. How dare he what we were about to claim as our from the rotting corpse of his fallen brethren!

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The kobolds join in. This one manages to steal exactly 3 bolts from our quivers.

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Great, a minotaur. At least something we don't have to chase after. Minotaurs are supposed to be good at not being lost. If so, why do they keep coming here, where basically over a dozen great beasts have wandered, but never left? This one is known as the wild boot. Well, he's about to get booted alright...

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Asmel decides to enct her first official demonstration as champion. today she will show the troops how to single-handedly murder huge ancient creatures. she runs toward the beast, at least 3 times faster than the next guy in line, and cripples his left leg, then his right. The beast falls to it's knees. She shoots his arm, and it stumbles to the ground. It tries to get up, but everytime the minotaur tries to rest his weight on a limb, Lady asel snipes it and the beast just hit the grass once more. it's obvious that she is just toying with her prey. as the troops finally catch up with the fight, she simply leaps atop the creature and lands her battleaxe straight across the beast's skull, cleaving it in half. She kicks the beasts aside, licks the blood on her axe, and walks back home. ''That's how you do it, kids''

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The minotaur was dealt with swiftly, but the caverns still have many problems inherent to them, the biggest of which right now is a swarm of pond grabbers. To combat them efficiently, I order more of the riverside landmasses to be rid of rock formations.

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There they are, the little buggers. They like to cross our county undetected, and altho they never managed to snatch any worker, I don't like having them here, lurking. Time for some old-fashioned murderin'.

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For the occasion, Kel has devised an artifact, a drum meant to lure the beasts closer to us so that we may dispense the aforementioned ''murderin''. It's a beautiful drum, if a bit plain in terms of artwork...

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...But then again, Kel is known for having zero musical or aesthetic sence, so nobody was expecting anything impressive from her. There's a reason why people came to call her ''The modest goals''.

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She is, however, the first member of my squad, a place she earned thanks to her martial prowess as a master lasher, and not simply because, well, she's my sister.

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She returns to the caverns with the drum ready, announcing that the thieves were repelled long enough to let the workers excavate the next level of the moat. Which they wont, because they all came here to do this new cavern job i ordered.

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And it pays off! As soon as the miners remove the stone blocks closest to the river, our marksdwarves can strike at the pond grabbers, while some of them engage those foolish enough to melee us. Soon, they flee.

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But decide to... return for some more? Those creatures are tough as fuck, but they aren't exactly good at learning.

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Catten's team was to mobilise across the river, to shoot at retreating PGs. Unsurprisingly, he doesn't show up, because Catten is the worst soldier ever.

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Some of his men finally make it to the wrong spot, while the rest are busy defending a woman who just gave birth next to the fight. What was she doing near the volcano? No clue. I'm sort of busy here, with this whole ''trying to corner and kill monsters'' thing. A little help, maybe?

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All our planning and efforts are ruined when a forgotten beast shows up before catten manages to do so. Next to the beast is a bin full with 3 dozen pieces of blood-soaked rags, left right at the map's edge. I swear someone must be trying to attract them monsters... alright, people, abandon your posts, go fight this beast. Just don't, yaknow, get bit and fall dead.



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The eight of us gank the beast. Catten's team get lost in the caverns and never makes it to the fight. As soon as it spots us, it jumps on Kel, and try to maul her. She dodges every fight, and start punching the fucking thing while the rest of us turn it into a pincushion. After much fisticuffs, Kel finally drags herself from under the inert mass on top of her. she is somehow unharmed. Good job, sis!

Catten arrives around this time, and draws his weapon. ''I'm ready for this, General!'!!
« Last Edit: November 30, 2014, 08:40:49 am by Taupe »
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Taupe

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Re: Whisperwhip: Tales of poor planning and deicide
« Reply #64 on: December 02, 2014, 02:15:53 pm »

CHAPTER 34: The great animal purge
Fall of 115

Good grief, it's already late in fall! Time flies by when you are chasing and dismembering various cavernous animals. The fortress has been running smoothly, and I notice a few children turned to ''adults'' during the latest months. Good.

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that's 5 new peasants, plus a member of the Magical Glove who happens to not do anything useful. He asks to learn about armorsmithing, and i grant his request. The queensguard is sort of not on duty until we manage to locate an actual queen to guard. With Thob batoksolon finally doing something of his time, all the queen's entourage is now employed.

I designate the new peasants to undergo training in fields we need: furnace operator, metalcrafting, herbalism, mecanics...

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...And I draft one of the teenagers to train under Mistem. enjoy your next 147 years on this earth as an axedwarf, kid. The kid immediately complains about the draft. Blah blah blah i don't want to die and spend my time fighting with blind dwarves. Ugggh, kids...

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The manager's note include a mention about ''silver statues''. I didnt order that...

-I did! claims Dumat. Silver statues make everything better, and BASE1 looks terrible right now.

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''I've also taken the liberty to repurpose some of the peasants to jobs we really need. namely, butchering dingos.
-I'm sorry what?
-Yeah, friggin dingo, we need to kill all those animals as fast as possible. So i took useless professions and made them chain-slayers of the animal kind.
-We need mechanics.
-Yeah, ok, but come on, herbalism? Who cares? I've also enrolled half our cooks.

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''i mean, we had 8 cooks, 3 kitchens, and no ingredients whatsoever. That sounded suboptimal. ''

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''I'm removing the butchers shop in the kitchens, and relocating them to the courtyard here''

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''We'll also add 4 more butchers shops. The number of leather workshops seemed fine however. ''

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''and obviously, we'll need more tanners workshops to prevent the butchered corpses from going to waste. I've had three set up north of the courtyard, and another one is in construction. Trust me, those fucking animals are going down, general.''

Dumat vanishes almost immediately, rushing to finish his industry setup, before I can give any amount of feedback. While I'm mad that he too all those decisions without consulting me, I have to admit that over the next month, the number of animals running around did go down by half. Winter is here, and only the war animals and the pets remain. some pups and baby animals were left alive, since they'll yield more meat once they mature. All in al, the butchering operation was a huge success. It's just a shame that the whole courtyard is now dedicated to workshops we don't need anymore. I should build another courtyard then. With cannons...

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While investigating the fact that someone is using perfectly good entombing space for unnamed stray dingos, I run into the mayor, who is surprisingly on par with his mayoral duties for once.

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He just had a meeting with the human diplomats. Being the underlings of Quula, then obviously spend all their time near the crypts, waiting eagerly for new corpses to arrive.

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At the end of this meeting, we are officially declared to be a duchy now. Hurray, good job mayor!

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On our way back, we notice that some miners are at work in the empty quarry underneat the queen's quarters. I'm told Dumat is behind this project. Naturally.

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The workers explain that they are tired of digging new space in the dumpatorium, especially when ''refuse'' seem to include bones and teeth, which are perfectly good decoration materials, and don't produce miasma. So there's no reason to store them among piles and piles of decomposing trolls. Instead the bones from the butchered animals are gonna be stored here, right under the new workshops district.

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Before the stockpile details are fully selected, a bunch of haulers decide to carry rotting meals and meat chunks downstairs, and dump them in the new stockpile area. Miasma fills up the air. Good job, morons.

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It doesn't take long before Tun comes to me, and complains that his new status requires better accomodations. I don't feel like replacing all those stupid querns by more cupboards, so I tell him he can just use the queen's chambers for now. Duke is a fair enough title to reside in those luxurious appartments.

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However, stoneworker isnt so great a title. I order the squatter expelled, and also declare the great dinning hall to be open for all, if they wish to partake in awesome meals or whatever noble people like to do.

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Tun's quarters are now satisfactory for a Duke. He demonstrate his appreciation by ordering that five new querns be made asap. Fine. He also wants all the querns moved to his new chambers. Just. No.

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The very impractical corridors leading to BASE1 are soon filled with haulers carrying silver statues. Dumat's order is ready, and they are to be installed this instant. I'm getting tired of the broker's hijacks on my workforce. People can't grab socks from the battlefield if they are carrying fatass statues and OMG is that a statue of me? This new project is the best thing ever.

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While i wait to contemplate the new arrangement in BASE1, cheetahs go mad as hell. One is killed right in Kadol's temple entrance. a second traps a stoneworker and his friends in a hall, and dies after a fierce fight involving ridiculous amounts of bullrushing.

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Then another in the forges...

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I order mistem's troops to stand by for more rogue supercats, as I have some statues to admire. Half of them seem to depict members of Whisperwhip's elite, giving BASE1's entrance hall a very historic weight. I wish they had depicted me leading troops, instead of focusing on the one pair of leather earring I crafted last spring after I drank too much. The rest of the statues however... are far from awesome. They are passable at best. I'm told this is because the new metalcrafter recruits lack training.

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Well, why don't they train a bit? We have countless copper bars, and the few chests owned by the population are made of wood. Metal chests would make them happy, and offer some experience to our crafters. A dwarven society's fame is measured in part by it's ablity to craft metal objects, after all!

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And gems! Let us not forget gems. The basements are ripe with red zircon, and only the clusters close to BASE1 have been harvested. there has to be over a 100 easily accessed ores of the precious cristal scattered in the caverns. with most of the wildlife dead, now is a good time to dispatch some miners to retrieve the goods. I order a bunch of gems cut as well, as our replacement to the last deadened gemcutter is 15 and doesn't know shit.

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Dumat suggests that we send someone to grab the few spider webs we haven't trampled yet. I'm sure there are no spiders, he says. The weaver will be safe, he says. The weaver is a member of the Magical Glove, and was sent alone in the caverns to retrieve the webs. ''I so hope nothing bad happens to him'' Dumat adds.

Taupe

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Re: Whisperwhip: Tales of poor planning and deicide
« Reply #65 on: December 04, 2014, 12:50:05 pm »

CHAPTER 35: Attempted baby heist
Winter of 115

If winter is the dead season, how come we have so many newborns?

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As I'm supervising a training session, one of the two local beastslayers give birth mid-swing. I'm not sure if fighting with all your might up to the delivery moment is good for the baby...?

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A miner, farmer, and engraver also decide to build their own bay dwarf thing. The masons rejoice: in two years they'll have 4 more laborers for their dangerous tasks.

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Hey, Stukos, more clothes in the backlog, will you? Those babies won't dress themselves. because babies are useless.

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Our new babies make the goblins jealous. They too wish they would have young useless whinning mouths to feed and raise, rather than kidnap fully-capable warriors. they decide they want some of our kids, and a goblin thief sneaks trough the north door, which is a useless door leading only to trouble. Note to self: replace the north door with a ballista.

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An ambush is reported, and quickly escorted toward the nearest dumpatorium center. Thanks for choosing whisperwhip, have a nice day.

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If fighting goblins are no longer an issue for half a legion of experts with 15 years of training, goblin thieves prove more problematic. the dwarves can't catch up with them. As the first one sneaks inside the fort,  second follows and attack the farms. He gets overwhelmed by a baby. That baby is immediately drafted.

...What's that Led, we can't draft babies? Why do we even bother having them?

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As he flees his defeat from a toddler who avoided capture, the thief faces the soldiers on the wall. (who for some reason weren't shooting it until now?)

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To the goblins, the dumpatorium is like the afterlife. Many have made their way into it, but none ever returned. What's beyond the dumpatorium, they wonder. Is there another world, or is this the end? This goblin wishes to find out more, for he is spiritually thirsty.

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[/spoiler]
He discovers the secret to life and beyond is to just stab random pets and run away with ugly trousers. Goblin theology isn't exactly complex.

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Here's a fourth asshole grabbing loot from a fallen brother. Inspired by the recent prophet of his people, he too stabs a random cat.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Fifth time's the charm, the goblin always say, and this one proves it. Unlike the previous ones, he makes it out alive. Lady Asmel has been doing a great job of outrunning everyone and their mother while wearing fullplate, and murdering every single goblin thief. This one, tho, elapses her by an inch and disappears outside the map, where no dwarven eye can gaze.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The kobolds decide they want in on it too, and sent their own burglar. You can tell he isn't great at stealth, because he runs into the main army making a sortie. He is killed, i am told, by a bolt that destroyed both his lungs AND his skull to pulp. Our archers are becoming more and more metal with each passing day.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Meanwhile, goblin thief number six is having the time of his life, as karma is slowly catching up to him. Karma is how i just named this group of 9 trained war animals.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Mebzuth the mayor comes to me, and announces in a deep and strange voice:

''The mecanic Mebzuth has been posessed!
-Holy shit, by Armok, who are you, and why did you take over the mayor's body?
-Oh, well general, it's me, mebzuth the chief mecanic! the mayor explains in a normal voice.
-But you just said...
-No, I said Mebzuth the mecanic. Me, I'm Mebzuth the mayor who happens to also be a mecanic.
-That's ... confusing?
-Oh, all our mecanics are named Mebzuth. you get used to it.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
''Anyway, I know you are very fond of digging a moat outside, and it is going nicely, but I just had a very great idea. Bout the volcano.
-Do tell.
-Hum, okay. So, when i heard Mebzuth got posessed, and went to work, I immediately knew he would produce something artifact-esque, which mean a gear or a hatch that's indestructible, even by magma.
-Wait, even a bone hatch or a leather hatch?
-Yeah, as long as it's very well done, nothing can ever destroy it. because reasons. Look, don't fix what's not broken and can't be. Lava is the blood of Armok, so obviously it must be moved by high craftdwarfship.
-....Riiiight.
-Anyway, one mecanical gizmo that can't be destroyed is good, but we'll need more than an artifact to get lava up and running on the surface. Iron is fun, but expansive, and the forges are not exactly doing great. We'll need something to build the structure, something like obsidian.''

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The mayor produces a blueprint, where I can see a general map of the first cavern layer. Some tunnels are drawn into the rock at 2 spots. One from the volcano, one from the underground rivers.

''See, i made this map from the soldiers exploration we did two years ago. Every single cavern area is above the river, except two: the one that leads to the lower caverns, and this one giant area, right next to the volcano. If we were to dig it out just a bit, and install two floodgates, we could slowly poor in both water and magma into this reservoir, close the valves, and send workers to mine obsidian.
-Sounds... surprisingly handy! And you think that'tll work?
-I have no idea whatsoever! that's what's great about it!
-Hum, that sounds like my kind of project. Begin immediately after the moat is finished.
-Yes, sir.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The mecanic returns, surprised of what he has done. Nobody is certain of how he did this wonderful piece of engineering, as even the creator himself has no recollection of the event. needless to say, it is a bit useless as far as projects go. It could be turned into a lever, just for display. The lever of joy, always on.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Gugo the giant skinless frog has come to the caverns, and sadly for him he troops are very fucking bored of fighting elusive thieves. They gank the thing before it can even jump in the friggin' river.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
By the time our artist is done with his rendition of the beast, it has already been slain. It would have made for a great new year banquet meal, if it wasn't for the whole ''murdering blood and no skin'' thing.

Spoiler: Sidenote (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: December 04, 2014, 01:01:49 pm by Taupe »
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Taupe

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Re: Whisperwhip: Tales of poor planning and deicide
« Reply #66 on: December 09, 2014, 03:47:19 pm »

CHAPTER 36: Murder mysteries
Spring 116

Extracts from the medical journals of doctor Melbil, Chief Ragdoll Engineer

General,

Since you asked, here are all my notes concerning the recent events in the fort. I have come to some solid conclusions, but I guess the final decisions are up to you. I've included more than may be required, to shed some lights on what truly transpired.

Sincerely,
Doctor Melbil



*    *    *

Internal memo, third of granite 116
to: dumat constructmirrored
from: Doctor Melbil, CRE

Hey, Dumat! Several complains about the salubrity of the fort. nothing personal, just yaknow, fix that asap

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
First, the new peasants have no room, and have been installed in the BASE1 dorms, but some of them don't even have doors. Also a complaint about the furnitures down there by the leader of the Magical Gloves: they want cabinets, or chests. We have 150 of the damned thing on their way, maybe dispatch some of them ASAP? People are storing their clothes on the floor.
Also, the butcher workshops in the courtyard are up and running, but we didn't get rid of those in the kitchen. miasma inbound. Please solve quickly. Replace the by some soap makers, by all means, as we are low on the thing.
Finally, we have enough powder extract for the time being, but half of what you purchased and delivered to me was actually sugar. Please fix, as sugar makes terrible casts.

Kkthx!

*    *    *

Internal memo, granite 18
To: Dumat constructmirrored
From: Dr Melbil, CRE

Yo, Dumat, it's me again!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Reports of the dumpatorium have reached me. are we really storing animal bones downstairs now? Make sure you put some craftdwarves workshops on the upper floor, and dispatch some guys to decorate whatever with them. The place is filling like crazy, and there is no end to this. Since you commissioned all those refuses to not be allowed in the dumpatorium anymore, bones and tissues are pilling up in the courtyard. VERY unhygienic.

Make sure you get some totems made with the skulls, too, as they take up quite some place.

kkthx!

*    *    *

internal memo, granite 23rd
to:  dr. Melbil, CRE
from:dumat constructmirrored

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Yo, Melbil. I ordered the miners to enlarge the place, because we'll never clear those bones in time otherwise. not sure where the miners are tho. saw some running downstairs to fetch even more red zircon. Asked the general where the others were, was told they were ''under investigation. what the hell is going on?

'later.

*    *    *

Internal memo, granite 25
To: Dumat constructmirrored
From: Dr Melbil, CRE

Dumat,

Something weird is going on in the fort. I can't tell you anything as I'm sworn to secrecy, but i've een working nonstop on solving some serious trouble. In the meantime, can you get the bridge repair reports to me? Also I may need you to reopen the tomb of the baby that died last autumn.

kkthx


*    *    *

internal memo, granite 26rd
to:  dr. Melbil, CRE
from: dumat constructmirrored

erhm, will do, but seriously what the hell is going on?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
first you want to re-investigate a baby's death, and now people are preparing the tomb of another toddler? nobody will tell me how this one died. they say he was found on the floor leading to the queen's chamber

oh come on what is going on? and where did his mother go?

*    *    *

Internal memo, granite 29
To: Dumat constructmirrored
From: Dr Melbil, CRE

Sorry, i can't say shit. Pretty busy here. Ask the general if you must know.

*    *    *

Post-autopsy notes on: Vishakanya, dwarven baby

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
While our initial conclusion was that the baby was attacked by animal, the marks on the skull indicate that the baby must first have fell down, or have been pushed, down the chasm under the bridges. The corpse was then fed upon by animals, attracted by the smell of flesh. As Lady asmel was the only one present at the time, as well as the one who was suposed to fix those bridges, I highly suggest that she be interrogated.

Post autopsy notes on: Phoenix, dwarven baby

The kid is dry as a desert. Some say he died of dehydratation, but how would a baby dehydrate so fast? I supose the mother's death may have something to do with the child's poor caretaking. advise a better supervision of children in times of tragedy.

Post-autopsy notes on: Kosoth Rigothsefon, beastslayer.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The corpse of kosoth remains quite an intrigue. On Opal 115, Kosoth was hospitalised from her fight with a FB. While she insisted that those injuries be severe, some of them didnt match.

Kosoth showed up at various time over the following month, claiming that traumas from her fight were reappearing, no doubt due to some foul curse contracted. However, her injuries showed signs of beating and malnutrition, as if she had been locked up.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
On granite 19th, kosoth was hospitalised from some more of her beting injuries. when morning came, i found her corpse lying in bed, and the autopsy revealed that she was strangled. The dwarves claim she finally succumbed from the curse she contracted from her fight with a beast, but the plain truth is much more sadistic: Kosoth has been stranglend in her sleep by someone in Whisperwhip.[/i]

*    *    *

Autopsy notes: Usthuth the mace lord

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
As of this morning, the 15th of slate 116, Usthuth the mace lord lies dead on my table. Included with this report is a list of his belonging at the time of his departure. While it's true that Ustuth recently faced a winged FB down in the caverns, and may have contracted a fever from the burning vapors he inhaled, it seems that the reason of his death is... stranger still:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
it seems that Ustuth died from an infected injury, originating from a jaguar attack 2 years ago. I'm not sure if the FB extract could have reawakened an old wound...

Here's what the soldiers gathered of the fight, and the beast itself:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Ome, a winged creature. it has no nickname that I know of. Simple, yet deadly.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Unlike the previous FB wandering from the north, Ome came underneath Whisperwhip from the south. it's first act was to rush the gates to the lower cavern, and attempt to destroy the locked hatches. Usthuth was the only one fast enough to intercept the creature before it could unleash its friends upon us. flying creatures are indeed fast, as they go around the natural pathways created by the cavernous tunnels.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Ustuth does a great job of chopping the creature's left wing as soon as they meet, but doesn't dodge the fiery extract so well. He fights for a while, cut down another wing, then kill the beast. at this point he is feverish and severely burnt. He is dragged to the hospital, but altho the fever is taken care of, i wake to find ustuth dead from an infected jaguar wound. very peculiar, and troubling.

My advice is to seal the caverns and aoid further forgotten beast. meories of them were deleted for a reason, as obviously demonstrated here...

*    *    *

Further investigation regarding kosoth's death:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
While browsing who had access to the hospital and when, I realised that we have two beastslayers. kosoth was not in fact the dwarf who faced the poisonous one, instead she sparred efficiently against a lesser dimetrodon. However, one dwarf has been insisting that she was probably cursed and sick because of it. That dwarf is Kol swallowlenses, the uncle of the ''other'' beastslayer.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
It seems that Kol was part of the dwarves responsible for justice dispensing, which can range from jail to beating, and originate from various crimes, or even an unmet mandate. While confronted (and hum, heavily drugged) Kol admitted that he did strangle Kosoth, but claimed it was because a mandate for querns was not met, and duke Tun would have been mad. better take down someone who was going to die anyway, he said.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Except no mandate were left unfilled, according to manager Stukos, nor was Kosoth the beastslayer who was poisonned in the first place. That would be the other one, who coincidentally is a close relative of the murderer, Kol. It is very possible that out of jealousy, Kol strangled his niece's rival. Despite various interogations by his fellow soldiers, he has not betrayed ny further motives, and still clings to his mandate justification, claiming he is in truth innocent of any real crime, having in fact saved a potential innocent from punishment.

*    *    *
Psychological report, granite 29th

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
You can tell a lot by dwarven art, and from the recent works of our crafters, it's obvious to see that everyone is under some heavy stress. To avoid a potential tantrum spiral, I've suggested that we hasten the mass-goblin execution.

*    *    *
Spring of 116 maternity report:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Ral the hammerlord has given birth, and so has a farmer. Various new felines are nor strolling the fort, altho they will probably be butchered sooner or later.

spring of 116, wildlife report:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Another thief got near the fort, and managed to cripple a war lion before he was taken down.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
This other one was shot clean in one go. since most of the organs were left intact, I ordered the corpse carried to my lab, that i may study goblin anatomy further.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And a Cyclop? By Kadol do bring that to me, with haste1 what a wonderful specimen!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
A cave spider is spotted in the caverns. No injuries occured, altho I lament the destruction of the creature's poison gland during the fight.


*    *     *

Well, general, that's all I have. As i said, more is better than less, and i am a very meticulous dwarf. Hope this will help you take your decision regarding Kol. As i said, for the grace of Kadol stop sending people down to face those beasts!

Spoiler: OOC notes (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: December 09, 2014, 04:18:26 pm by Taupe »
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Northstar1989

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Re: Whisperwhip: Tales of poor planning and deicide
« Reply #67 on: December 09, 2014, 06:07:45 pm »

The mecanic returns, surprised of what he has done. Nobody is certain of how he did this wonderful piece of engineering, as even the creator himself has no recollection of the event. needless to say, it is a bit useless as far as projects go. It could be turned into a lever, just for display. The lever of joy, always on.

You actually NEED magma-safe mechanisms to handle lava.  You need the mechanisms you use to link any bridges or floodgates to be magma-safe, or else they will melt and you will be unable to control them further.  So, actually, it's quite useful...


Regards,
Northstar
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Taupe

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Re: Whisperwhip: Tales of poor planning and deicide
« Reply #68 on: December 09, 2014, 06:21:49 pm »

All of our mecanisms are already magma proof, so that artifact isn't anything special.

Taupe

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Re: Whisperwhip: Slowly rotting away...
« Reply #69 on: December 09, 2014, 10:12:30 pm »

Oh no...

Oh no!!!

Taupe

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Re: Whisperwhip: Slowly rotting away...
« Reply #70 on: December 11, 2014, 07:42:47 pm »

CHAPTER 37: The chicken
Late spring of 116

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I'm browsing over the doctor's report, and still pondering over the punishment for Kol's ''law-giving'' antics, when news of the elven traders reaches me. How are they still showing up? Dumat insist it's their way of slowly destroying us by introducing more items on the map. He just may be right...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Same goes for goblins, really. they are achieving nothing by charging at our walls, yet they keep on coming. Are they hoping to crush us over a lack of framerate, at which point the survivors of the tribe will walk inside and retake everything the previous goblins lost?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
They start by catching a few animals off-guard. Our war lions are tough, but not ''murder trice their numbers in armored goblins'' tough. (work on that you lazy trainers)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
i mean, the animal trainers pretend we are getting better at it every day, but despite our increased understanding of grey langurs, they are still going apeshit at their leisure.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Lady Asmel is staying atop the main wall, perfectly centered. ''Let the bastards come!'' she screams. I decided to no longer go outside to meet the enemy, not because im scared, just because it's faster to pick up clothes if the previous owners die in our entrance hall instead of 2 days away.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Two dwarves decided to ignore the alert, however. I guess they got so used to not having an alert at all, since the army usually secure the field by charging at goblins before they reach the workers. One of those idiots is a weaver, who is atop the hill drinking from a barrel of ale. Why?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The second is an engraver, who is busy dumping stuff inside the dumpatorium. He is caugh off-guard, but manages to give the goblin a good beating thanks to his trusty pickaxe. Good thing our engravers are also stonecrafters who are also masons who happen to be our miners.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Alas, he lodges his pickaxe in the goblin's body, and the fight soon turns on him. He gets stunned and overall massacred before we can reach him...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
As this happens, dumat is conducting trade with the elves. Or trying to. this time i ask that every single item be checked before it's traded. The goblin armors all bear decorations, maybe one of them is made of wood? Fittingly enough, many of the armors bear the symbol of the passionate sins, over which our own symbol was sewn. One of the armors seem to come equipe with something called petrified wood. It's removed from the trade.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Obviously, the elves still refuse the trade because reasons. We confiscate all their booze and wood, as usual, and send them on their way amidst the siege. Thank you, come again. Good thing we are now bringing very minimal trade goods to the depot when elves show up.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
to replace the engraver, a mother gives birth to some kid. good thinking, woman, your patriotism is appreciated.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The siege dissipates. By which i mean we kill them all as usual. One of the soldiers goes down to adress a miner's complain, and return pale and covered in webs. the tale he spins (har har!) depict cave spiders as fearsome opponents, even for  war veteran. not to self, send lots of dwarves against future spiders.

The caverns are clear, at least for now. While I think of the spiders as some worthy opponents, the worst has yet to come. As summer is at it's height, and the month of malachite begins, so does my greatest, and possibly last fight...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Galka the forgotten beast has come! a gigantic chicken protected by a spirally shell. Reports claim that it can breathe fire.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
i know this because the first thing it does is scorch one of our patrolling lions alive. quickly, I order my own squad, and Catten's, to track down and murder this beast. Doctor Melbil begs me to seal the caverns, but it is too late for this one, we have to kill it.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
We locate the first victim, still covered by a gigantic cloud of smoke. Yet no sign of Galka around. Is he still hiding in that cloud of smoke? that's when I realise the terrible truth, and rush back toward the fort.

We haven't found Galka on our way to the lion corpse because it flies...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Hidden by the smoke of it's attack, the beast managed to sneak alongside the roof of the caverns, and reached the entrance of BASE1. It's too late to activate the bridges and seal the entrance... the caverns are like a maze for foot soldiers, but it's surprisingly easy to get around for a flying creature.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Geshud the blind is the only member of our army to have been blinded by rifi's curse who doesn't belong to Mistem's unit. he was thus ordered to track Galka, but got lost and never made it into the caverns. His curse is now a blessing for the fort, as he's the only thing standing between the civilians and Galka's fire breath. Well, between is innacurate, as the creature flies past him, but he manages to attract the beast's attention with a few bolts sent in it's general direction.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I'm the first to reach the bridge. Kel is far behind, and everyone else is way too far away to do anything. The corridor is filled with smoke and ashes, and i hear Geshud's screams of agony. I know what must be done.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
''hold him, geshud, i must lock the doors!!!''

I rush ahead, dodging the core of the battle, and lock the 6 doors leading to the fort proper, locking myself and my men outside with the beast. Should we fail to contain this creature, the masons order are clear: they are to seal the caverns before the FB can demolish all the doors. a pile of nearby stone blocks has been installed nearby for this very reason...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
As i lock the last door, I hear Geshud fall to the ground, engulfed in flammes. in adittion to fire, Galka can also breathe ice, which the fire immediately sublimates, turning it into a thick fog of smoke... Geshud stood no chance, unable to land blows or dodge incoming attacks.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
It is my duty to defend this fort. As Geshud starts bubbling on the ground, i engage the beast. none of my men are in sight, not that i can distinguish much with this smoke! I have been toughened by almost two decades of warfare and strife, but even so, the creature's carapace, coupled with the dual breath of the monster, prevents me from landing more than some bruising blows to Galka.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I know that without anyone else in sight, my demise would lead the creature to shatter the doors and tear our population appart. Empowered by duty and desperation, i manage to fracture a few bones, as well as crack part of the creature's spine. i can feel myself losing consciousness, however, as more smoke flls my lungs, and my skin slowly turns to charred meat.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
As I'm about to slip into darkness, i hear a voice amidst the smoke. a familiar voice.

''Kel?
-I will save you, brother!''

My sister jumps on the beast, dropkicking it in the head it right as it's about to finish me off, fracturing the skull. Her following moves lack momentum, and sadly only manage to chip the bones. Galka retaliates. Fire and ice, filling the corridor. Kel takes the full blow, but she gets up and fights on. This time she damages a wing. maybe that'll slow the beast?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Geshud gets up for a second, only to barf. His body is a twitching mess, a doll animated by stomach spasms and fiery waves scorching the floor.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Not intend to let kel die here, i gather my strenght and hit the creature again, and again, and again. it doesn,t seem to do much, but it's all i can achieve at this point...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
It seems Galka has had enough, and attacking our fortress is not worth the trouble. it starts to fly away, slowed by it's broken wing. kel will have none of it. she charges the monster across the chasm, and lands a debilitating blow, sending both of them plummeting below... I try to follow, but slip and fall close to them. i can feel the few remaining bones of my body crushing and exploding as i land violently on the ground...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The three of us are now deep below the bridge, mostly unable to move. it seems that Kel's reckless dive managed to calm the beast's fury. Now Galka starts to feel the full scope of it's injuries. Now is the time to finish it.

Catten is nearby, still trying to get back to the base. His lion is around, severely burnt by the fire that rained from the holes above. Help us, Catten! Catten orders his lion to attack, and runs away. Screw you, asshole!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The soldiers finally make it to the bridge, only to find a pool of ashes, vomit, and gallons of blood splattered around. Behind the locked doors, Asmel has gathered two more squads, ready to defend against whatever makes it through the doors...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Kel gathers the last of her strength, and crawls toward the monster, lashing it to death. She has truly earned the title of beastslayer today!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Thanks to his advanced battle tactics, catten was left with no injuries beside a bruised arm. I hear him rush to my side, asking if him alright. wait, where is Kel? why can't I see anyone anymore? I can feel my body pulsating with pain, refusing to move.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
It takes me a second before i realise what's truly happened. This has happened before. A cruel repetition of Rifi's cursed vapors.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
i can hear the war anymals stumbling and howling in the dark. They don't understand what's happening, but i do. their eyes are rotting away, and soon they will fall off. just like it happened to captain Mistem and her squad...

The last thing i hear before losing consciousness is Kel's voice, faint and terrified.

Oh no...

Ohno!...

''Brother, i... i can't see...! Brother?''
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: December 11, 2014, 07:44:23 pm by Taupe »
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Northstar1989

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Re: Whisperwhip: Slowly rotting away...
« Reply #71 on: December 11, 2014, 11:01:33 pm »

Quite entertaining.  :)

You should come back to Dathateyo for a turn, though.  We could use somebody with as much attention to detail (and OCD levels of organization- the disorder of the fort is driving me bonkers!) as you...

Bigheaded is just about to upload the save tomorrow.  The fort is still going strong.


Regards,
Northstar
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Taupe

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Re: Whisperwhip: Slowly rotting away...
« Reply #72 on: December 11, 2014, 11:26:35 pm »

I'll see what i can do, but i have a turn up in Doomforest very very soon, but maybe after that.

Quartz_Mace

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Re: Whisperwhip: Slowly rotting away...
« Reply #73 on: December 11, 2014, 11:52:42 pm »

Wow, this is incredibly detailed. I love it!
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Taupe

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Re: Whisperwhip: Slowly rotting away...
« Reply #74 on: December 12, 2014, 05:42:23 am »

CHAPTER 38: Slaughterdome
Fall of 116

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I awake to the smell of vomit. It fills my nose, and I feel like barfing some of my own, but only a strange dust comes out of my mouth. I try to move, but everything hurts. Slowly, the room around me start to appear. I can see.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I'm in the hospital. everything is covered in vomit. I can see doctor Melbil filling some vials with a blue/cyan substance.

-My eyes...
-Did not fall off, finishes the doctor.
-How?
-Some special treatment i designed. I studied rifi's blood, and found a cure of sort for eye-rot. You were lucky Lady Asmel was closeby ready to carry you up here, or you would have two empty sockets in your skull by now...
-Is Kel...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
-Your sister is fine. her vision was saved, altho she is still healing. Basically every inch of her body has been scorched or suffers from frostburns. It will be a while until she can move again, but she will live.
-How long before I can get out of this bed, doctor?
-Well, being awake is a good enough step, I'd say a week or two. You've already been in a coma for about 2 month
-WHAT

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The doctor starts to fill me up. While I was in a coma, some worker decided to withdraw from society, and created an awesome mug for me, hoping it would make my stay in this hospital more tolerable. He is right, it's an awesome mug, altho i can hardly move my arms right now...

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i catch a glimpse of some hideous totem lying on a table, and ask what the hell that is.

''Dumat the broker traded a lot of stuff, but he kept this one. He likes it for some reason, maybe he just likes cat skulls? The bonecrafters are constantly adding more details to it too!''

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Speaking of Dumat, he's busy trading with the ''mountainhome''. Altho they have nothing to offer aside from a few bars of gold and half a dozen pairs of steel greaves, the broker managed to get a few bins to the depot and got rid of a lot of random crafts and goblin leather armors that were cluttering our stores. They've been lying around for a lot of time, I believe. five years, if i'm correct... good riddance!

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Totems are not the only thing the bonecrafters have been working on. Sme furnitures are starting to look very nice! Furniture such as this bed. If they keep at it, we'll be rid of all those bone piles, and the place will look kinda badass. nothing spells ''deadly fortress'' like covering everything with the bones of our fallen enemies

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I'm told a human law-giver from the lavender empire arrived, named Ado sanaad. He's apparently the new guy in charge. He had a talk with the mayor, but didnt mention why he is now in power. what on earth happened to Quula? Why is she no longer running the empire? It seems the mayor is too busy working on something important, and can't finish the discussion and aquire more information...

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It seems that during the last season, no real threats showed up, aside from a thief who tried to steal some blood vials. It was shot before it could cause any trouble.

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The miners have been clearing parts of the cavern, digging upward with ramps to remove the stalagtites and stone pillars, so we can seal off the place or fight beasts in an open field. Of course, they decided to include babies in the workforce, and an accident almost killed one. some things never change...

*    *    *

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A few weeks pass before I'm able to leave my bed. As soon as I'm out of the hospital, I'm told that Tun has an important announcment to make, and everyone should go to the coliseum. Everywhere around, vomit covers the halls and the walls.

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Apparently, there is some justice to be dispensed. I don't see our hammerer around tho. A miner tells me that he is busy hunting down elk birds in the crypts. Why are the elk birds in the crypt? That's like, 9 levels above the caverns! nobody knows. I'll need a talk with the soldiers, some of them have been slacking off in my abscence, clearly.

Oh, speaking of soldiers slacking off. There's captain Catten, the self-proclaimed Lion Lord, heading toward the coliseum.
''Catten! Good to see you again. I'm glad you were there to support us against Galka.
-Thank you general, i did my best to...
-Your best is terrible. that was sarcasm. You are bad at your job, and i now strict you of your commanding duty. And of your cool room.
-What?

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I ignore Catten's complains. Quickly, I locate Immortal-D, and inform him of his promotion. With most of Catten's squad missing, Immortal-D is the second living member of the contest of fortifying. Or rather, was. As of today, he is now captain Immortal-D, leader of the squad. Catten shall now obey his commands, and serve as a regular soldier. I inform Immortal-D of his duties as a squad leader, and tell him to grab his new steel gear first chance he gets. He can also move into Catten's old room in the nobles quarters...

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It seems that the coliseum was finally filled with chairs. Only a few dwarves are here at the moment, but the arena can sit up to 180 dwarves, with room for twice as many standing around.

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I tire of waiting. Thankfully, Tun enters the coliseum, followed by basically every civilians. the place fills up pretty quickly. I wonder what Tun has to say. Is he announcing my recovery? I bet that's what it is. The Duke clears his throat, and start adressing the fort with an autoritative voice.

''Citizens of Whisperwhip! I'm so glad to have you all here today! As many of you know, our good queen is still missing. With her rightful heir absent, it falls upon me to act as the highest noble our civilisation has. Yes, I know, I was only a hunter a few years ago, until I quickly rose through the ranks to become a duke. Ah, most of you probably still see me as a random dwarf simply ordering querns around...''

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Tun waves his hand around, and an engraver is dragged foward in plain view by two guards.

''For example, I recently mandated three querns. Sadly, only one of them was crafted withing the following months. I'm told by our good crafters that the order got lost in the backlog of jobs''

At Tun's signal, a speardwarf from the Magical Glove slaps the engraver, before litterally caving in her head with a kick. The whole fort watches in horror as the engraver's numb body rolls to the floor, before it's kicked down the arena. This is shocking. I'm shocked. Everyone is shocked.

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''Now, as you can see, while I'm ok with people making fun of me for loving querns so much, I will not tolerate that my demands be ignored. I am now requesting three more querns. My good citizens, I trust that you will all get to the task at your earliest convenience.''

The crowd is horrified, yet silent for a moment. Then someone starts to sob. a baby begins to cry. A few dwarves are screaming. Kol comes to me, the dwarf who strangled our beastslayer:
''Now you see, general, Tun  has grown mad with power. That's why I had to kill a dying soldier. Otherwise, he would have done... that... to a random crafter.''

I want to respond, but tun is not done yet. He orders the levers pulled, and down in the arena, I see Lady Asmel, waiting alone amidst the cages. Someone pulls the lever, and with each rotating gear, six or seven goblins are released below.

''Now'' announces the Duke, ''I know this little lesson may have been tough for some of you. So here's a long-promised show to change your mind.''

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Asmel starts her greatest demonstration yet, hacking and slashing goblins left and right. The goblins have nowhere to escape... or do they?

''Tun, you moron!'' I mutter to myself, ''You forgot to lock the FUCKING DOORS''

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The goblins start to escape. The right door is blocked by Asmel's murderspree, but the top and left doors are fair game.

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For once, civilians have a great reason to ignore burrow restrictions. A dozen goblins start to pour into the spectating area. I order the soldiers to form a defensive perimeter, before it's too late. A few pets sacrifice themselves to save their masters. People are now fleeing the coliseum without looking back.

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I can hear goblins dying left and right down in the arena. Asmel doesn't even care, she's just slaughtering everything she can get her hands, or axe, on. That's two pages of combat logs, there's like 9. She's killed at least a dozen, from what i can see.

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I never see Asmel drink, or eat, or admire things. all she takes joy in is slaughter. she cleaves her last opponent, and look around. The arena is covered in vomit, blood, trashed cages and dismembered bodies.

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It seems the civilians did not enjoy the show as much as expected. The stands are covered in vomit, and there's corpses and blood at the entrance. There's gonna be a lot of cleaning up to do.

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I order our less shaken workers to begin mopping the place up, and assessing the damage. They inform me that one civilian is missing. He probably was attacked when the goblins breached the doors. No corpse was found, it seems he was litterally obliterated. nobody knows how that happened. How is that even possible?

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The mayor orders the mecanisms to be stored in the side rooms of the arena, as it will save time for the haulers now. It'll also make the mecanists' job simpler if we need to reuse the arena...

I spend a few moments trying to locate the missing dwarf, in vain. I do, however, come across something surprising. Among the corpses and the cages, it seems that one traumatised goblin remains. His cage wasn't wired properly, so it didn't opened. He has seen how crazy we are when dealing with our own kind. Even more, he has withnessed the death of forty of his kin, for our amusement. I almost pity the creature, as it now exist in a permanent state of PTSD. I order the cage transported outside the fort, near our frontier.

I have the cage opened. the goblin is free, altho he doesn't move initially. I look at him, and explain his new purpose.

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''You will go back to your own now. If you aren't too afraid to walk, that is. If you do, you will tell them what you saw today. You will tell the passionate sins what awaits them if they return. Tell them the dwarves of Whisperwhip send their regards...''


Spoiler: OOC note (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: December 12, 2014, 05:48:13 am by Taupe »
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