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[brewer bob]

(So, I found some notes of a previous fort of mine and decided to share them. This was played on Dwarf Fortress vanilla version 0.44.10, with invaders set off, if I remember correctly. Unfortunately I had no screenshots of the fort left and I've managed to delete the save, so I'll mostly have to rely on my memory and chaotic notes. Posted this same stuff on Reddit while the forum was down.)

While planning for a new embark and expedition for the glory of the Mountainhome, dwarfen scholars going through dusty archives uncovered the lost notes and diary of a previous Overseer. After deciphering the cryptic notes and scribblings of Overseer Bob, the scholars were able to piece together some of the fort's history, though much knowledge was lost and unable to be recovered. This is what they managed to uncover...

A Tragic Beginning

Seven dwarfs were sent on a mission to build a roadside inn halfway between two larger dwarfen settlements. It was supposed to be a safe, simple and unambitious venture, which was expected to be accomplished within a couple of years. However, as usual, things didn't go exactly as planned...

After arriving at their destination, one of the seven dwarfs, Urist the Woodcutter, went to chop down some trees that were plentiful in the region. Unfortunately, this proved to be a fatal mistake, as the first tree to be felled came crashing down on poor Urist, hitting his head and exploding the part into gore. Everyone was horrified by this tragedy and the Overseet expected this to be a very short-lived fortress due to the fact that dwarfs were known to stress easily in this particular version. There were even thoughts of abandoning the embark altogether and starting anew, but the dwarfs decided to push on.

So the story of the fortress, whose name has long since been forgotten, continued, despite its tragical beginnings.

Despite the dwarfs being traumatized and constantly reliving the shocking moments of witnessing Urist's horrifying death, the dwarfs persevered and continued to build the fortress. Tunnels were dug, trees were felled, crafts were made, and houses were built above the surface and deep within the mountain. These were peaceful times with no unfortunate incidents nor any hostile forces coming to visit, for the fort was located by a road only a couple days way from the mountainhome (and it was whispered in hushed voices that the Overseer had made a secret pact with Armok so that no invaders would come along).

By the fifth year, the tavern and inn of the fortress was finally completed and opened to visitors. It was called “The Perfect Garnishes” - a fitting name for the fancy place, with smoothed out floors and walls full of masterful engravings, and columns of marble statues lining them.

The Caverns Are Breached

Around the same time, the miners had begun to dig deeper and breached the first caverns. It turned out that the dwarfs were not the first ones to be there: there was a marble road leading through the caverns, with bridges spanning over a chasm containing a deep pool of magma. The perceptive miners also spotted a twisting passage leading downwards, and there was something sinister moving and skulking in the shadows. Immediately the stairs to the cavern were sealed with a stone hatch, which was one of the first artifacts to be made in the fort, and entry to the caverns was banned by the Overseer. If the scholars interpretations are correct, the militia of the fortress had just been formed and they were still ill-equipped and barely trained, and thus, the cleansing of the caverns had to wait.

At some point when the militia was finally properly trained and fitted with steel weapons and armour, a dwarf clothier found their way into the caverns to collect some refuse when the Overseer wasn't looking. Needless to say, this was the last thing the foolhardy rubbish collector did. Stalking silently above the clothier was a giant bat, hungry and thirsting for blood. It swooped down and with one bite latched firmly on the unfortunate dwarf, thrashing him around until the spine of the dwarf snapped, and the bat dropped the limp, lifeless body of the dwarf to the ground. All the time the militia had been on its way to the caverns, and once they arrived they were horrified and angered to see one of their kin lying mangled on the ground. The perpetrator of this atrocity was mercilessly hunted down and given a swift taste of dwarfen vengeance in the form of a steel spear into its lungs. The remains of the giant bat were then carted off to be butchered, its hide was tanned, and the leatherworker made a pair of bat leather trousers from it.

The Monster Slayers

Around the fortress' 8th year, The Perfect Garnishes tavern was getting lots of visitors, of whom many were mercenaries and monster slayers. The Overseer decided to let these visitors go to the caverns and keep them clean, for there was much other work for the dwarfs conscripted to the militia. As should have been expected, the monster slayers were not as competent as they proclaimed, and soon three of them had been slaughtered by a giant spider plaguing the caverns. The remains of one of the monster slayers could not be found and recovered, and a slab was engraved to memorize her. This is what was written on it:

“In memory of Rushán Pujaani / Born 198 / Went missing in the year 258 / Lady of The Fellowship of Carrying in 258 / Slayer of Goblins / Devoted mother and wife / Admirer of Goats.”

These unfortunate deaths didn't deter other would-be monster slayers from venturing into the caverns in high hopes of accomplishing heroic deeds. Things didn't really fare any better for them as can be read from the Overseer's frustrated scrawlings full of obscene language. One such instance of particular note was a monster slayer who braved the dangers of the depths, charging straight into a band of roving troglodytes. In all the excitement and being pumped up by finally getting to fight, the monster slayer had dropped his weapon while rushing into the fray. So, in the heat of the moment he grabbed from his satchel a book called “An Exploration of Animal Diets” and started bashing one of the troglodytes with it barely bruising its muscles. The troglodytes were not amused by this, and they collided with the monster slayer. One of them tore off the sock of the monster slayer, started beating and pummeling him in the face with the sock until he fell unconscious. Then the troglodytes swarmed the unfortunate fool and tore him into pieces.

Rozmo and Zanortob

The fortress continued to grow and prosper, visitors came from far and wide, trade was good, and the fort was elevated to a Duchy from a Barony. The tavern was frequented by many travelling troupes, and some of their names were written down: The Feral Pants and The Full Saints were two such groups who frequently came to please the crowds. The original plans for this expedition had been fulfilled, but the Overseer had become quite ambitious and decided to continue with the expansion of the fort; many large-scale building projects were planned and being built slowly (in fact, *very slowly*, for the notes state that the flow of time had slowed down considerably, nearing the point of frustration).

It was the twelfth year of the fortress, when it came to the attention of the Overseer that a sneaky visitor had been asking around in the tavern about the location of certain artifacts. One of the resident human dancers of the tavern had accidentally revealed that the artifact Zanortob, “Heartsmashes”, resided deep within the fortress, in the mayor's office put on display on a platinum pedestal. Now, Zanortob wasn't a particularly astounding piece of work: it was a sheer llama wool sock with pictures of another artifact woven with llama wool, and menacing with spikes of llama wool, worth only around a measly five thousand Urists - nothing compared to other artifacts made by the dwarfs. However, for some unknown reason the unsavory visitor had set his eyes on this prize and was completely obsessed with it.

The Overseer did not pay much heed to this, and merely laughed at the thought of the fool craving for a sock. There were more pressing matters that needed his attention - namely the Duchess who was constantly causing trouble in fits of rage after years of neglect and unfulfilled desires. Many times she had been served dwarfen justice after being accused of vandalism and disorderly conduct (and punching the Sheriff in the face).

While the Duchess was being dragged into prison for thirty days to contemplate her actions, the dwarfs noticed the shady visitor returning and sneaking in the forests surrounding the fortress. Rozmo Uroñost was his name, and he was a human crossbowman on his way to claim Zanortob. “You will not stand between me and Heartsmashes!”, Rozmo yelled, challenging the dwarfs while drawing his crossbow. The militia was immediately notified of this, and all of them went rushing to gather their weapons and armour before confronting Rozmo.

It would take some time before the militia was at the ready and the Overseer feared that Rozmo would make his way into the fortress before all precautions could be made. Luckily, a dwarf hunter named Shorast was nearby searching for prey, and as a member of the archer squad, he bravely went to intercept Rozmo by himself. Rozmo turned out to be one expert of a dodger and Shorast's aim was not true on that day, while Rozmo's bolts hit their mark one by one. Soon, the legs of Shorast were full of bolts, and he fell to the ground unable to stand up. He did not give up to pain, for he was a proud dwarf ready to give his life in defence of his home. With the sheer force of his will, Shorast managed to crawl and make his way to Rozmo, and he began scratching and biting at the legs of the invader. This was enough to hinder Rozmo and give time for the rest of the militia to arrive.

The commander of the squad of sworddwarfs rushed to face Rozmo; first he struck Rozmo in the teeth with the pommel of his sword, sending bits and pieces of teeth flying through the air. Rozmo was horrified, but he had no time to react, for the rest of the militia hacked off his limbs until the commander hit him in the head, splitting his skull into a bloody mess and putting an end to his miserable life.

“Death… This is truly horrifying,” said the commander. To this the mayor, who was part of the squad, responded, “So easily broken… Begone fear!”

The Fate of Shorast

Immediately after Rozmo's desperate attempt to claim Zanortob, the Overseer's attention was shifted back to the well-being of the problematic Duchess. For some reason the Overseer had not deemed it necessary to build a temporary infirmary while the dwarfs were busy building a grand and opulent sanitarium fit for a king. Thus, Shorast was forgotten and left lying on the grassy field next to the horribly mangled and bloody remains of Rozmo, waiting in constant agony for someone to remember his existence and save him from the unbearable pain.

The Overseer tried desperately tried to appease the Duchess, Ùshrir Avaldeler, and make her feel better, for she had been utterly harrowed by the nightmare that was her tragic life. Plans were being made to wall her into her private chambers in hopes of keeping her out of trouble and maybe, eventually, the others would forget her existence. All of the Overseer's attempts were futile, though there are no clear notes what happened to the Duchess in the end. However, during all of this, Shorast was still lying outside, waiting for his rescue. That is until the pain and loneliness became unbearable for him, and something snapped in his head. Shorast went stark raving mad.

Yelling and screaming Shorast began to drag himself towards the fortress, stripping his clothing on the way. The incoherently babbling, blood-caked naked dwarf passed shocked dwarfs of the aboveground settlements, slowly making his way into the underground sections of the fortress to a yet unknown destination. He passed the entry hall, trade depot and many fellow dwarfs who payed no attention to him. He entered The Perfect Garnishes, for he longed for a drink of alcohol after only getting water for many months, and with the remainder of his strength he managed to clamber on a masterfully made chair, ready to have a drink.

There, on the chair, Shorast Zasbubnus fell unconscious, naked, and passed away from this realm to the next before managing to quench his thirst with a last sip of beer...

[brewer bob]

Hum, seems like I found some more notes from this same fortress. Let's see if I'll manage to find and put together anything else worth sharing from my scribblings.

[Imic]

Continue.

[brewer bob]

brewer bob gestures!

Necroing my own thread: I found a bunch of notes/write-ups of various forts I wrote for my enjoyment in 2020 (v. 0.47.04). Instead of leaving them to collect dust, I thought to share some. No screenshots, unfortunately, and the saves are long gone so can't go revisit them. Most of them are cut short, so don't expect to see a conclusion to them.


“Dear reader, I am quite excited to present to you our findings from the world known as Êrkar -- that is, the Infinite Dimensions to you who do not speak Dwarfish. Our scholarly venture was scoffed at, ridiculed even. 'Worlds of bygone ages have been reforged on Armok's Anvil, there's nothing left of them,' most said. But we disagreed. Our theories of the old worlds leaving a faint trace, a lingering pattern, in the planescape were proven correct when my colleague Master Arcanist Dakost Alespaddled found a way to access them. But I will not bore you with the details of it, for it is a story in itself and requires quite some knowledge in matters arcane. Suffice to say, with this knowledge we managed to travel to fragments of these lost planes and from Êrkar -- a world now shattered, its shards standing still, silent and unchanging -- the journal of an overseer was uncovered.

And here it is, in all its glory, as it was found. I have added notes where the journal falls short and we managed to find pieces of missing history.

My hope is that this journal will convince you, dear reader, that no matter which Armok's world we visit, there is a certain similarity to the lives of dwarves in each and every one of them.”
-- Urdim Fondledwhipped, Antiquarian and Planar Traveler


The Fortress of Anurìtdùn Kun, The Wondrous Charm of Cats

(Note: It is unclear why the dwarf settlers chose such a name, but my theory is that their intention was to found a fortress dedicated to cat worship. However, there is not much evidence to support this theory other than the peculiar name.)

15th of Granite, year 750:
“We have arrived at a suitable position to strike the earth. The ground is still covered in a layer of snow and the brook has yet to thaw. West of the brook rises a steep cliff of limestone and marble, rising ever higher and higher towards The Square Towers. There is not many trees in this area, but enough to suit our needs for now. Willow, hazel, pear and apricot. Probably some others, but mainly willows growing on the banks of The Stupid Pattern, our winding brook. There is atleast a layer of peat to be found under the blanket of snow, but mostly the area is rocky. It will be enough for us to start our plump helmet farms so that we may brew some more wine, even though we are quite well stocked for now.

We will first dig into the earth on the eastern bank of the brook and hollow out temporary quarters. First and foremost, we need a safe space to hole up and store our equipment before starting on the outpost proper, which has yet to be planned.

So far, we have not seen much wildlife or any threats, but we have to be play on the safe side, for it was said in the Mountainhome that The Square Towers is home to many a nasty beast like the yeti. We have to take into consideration also that we are only a day's walk from the foul Tower of Fatalwire, which our people are at war with. Other than that, we shouldn't be facing imminent danger from our other enemies - atleast for now. Let us pray that Shotom grant as courage, if and when the enemy comes.”

(Note: The expedition leader appears to have been named Dastot Seshkeskal, Socketshoots. He led the seven dwarves calling themselves Shasadken, The Musical Whims to found the fortress. They hailed from a civilization named The Girder of Light.)


16th of Granite:
“While I and Ustuth dug into the earth and secure our lodgings and Sigun felled some willows, our armorer Logem picked up a bow and went hunting . Seems that there is atleast wombats in the area. All fresh meat is welcome and Sodel set forth to put up temporay butcher's and tanner's workshops next to our wagon.

We struck bauxite and rubies straight away! Praised be Sedur. We will have something of value to trade this year.”

(Note: The dwarves mentioned here are Ustuth Mubunsazir, Practicebridges, a diagnoser; Sigun Dumattilesh, Roughnesstrussed, a carpenter; Logem Gasolastest, Breathcudgel, an armorer; and Sodel Eturrungak, Boulderskunks, an animal trainer -- all female, as far as we could tell.)


23rd of Granite:
“We have finished digging the dormitory while Sigun is constructing beds for us. It is not yet much of a place that we have, but once we smooth the walls and finish digging the rest, this will be a cozy home for certain.”


5th of Slate:
“Finally the brook is thawing and we have managed to dig out places for our underground farm. Next up is setting up a brewery and smoothing our meeting hall.”


27th of Felsite:
“We have finished furnishing our meeting hall with tables and chairs. We decided to call it The Walled Breakfast. This is very satisfying.”


1st of Hematite:
“Summer has arrived. In only one season we have managed to accomplish building some basic necessities and dug ourselves a quite nice hole, even though we are far from the dreams I have for this place.

We have a meeting hall, dormitory, the first workshop area complete with a mason's workshop and craftsdwarf's workshop. Storage space is already completed for seeds, meat, fish and drinks and work is underway for our plant storage. We have also dug out and smoothed our general storage and more is in the works.

During the summer I hope to have same shrines set up, dedicated to Shotom, Sedur and Lêgan Leadermasters the Standard of Authority. We need places of worship, and the sooner we have them, the better. I already feel a bit of uneasiness for neglecting the gods.

There is much work to be done and we have yet to make crafts for the caravan from the Mountainhome, which we are anticipating in the autumn. I want us to prove that this expedition wasn't a fool's errand. I hope we manage to lay the foundations of a small tavern before our brethren arrive. I have already drawn the plans for it.

Ast, while I went to check her brewing, was complaining about the rain this morning. Other than that, all seems to be in order, and I have grown quite close Endok, who has been committing to our masonry. Even though he had no skill in the start, he has shown some talent. Almost like he is a natural. Sigun, too, seems to be a fine fellow and I am happy to call her a friend. I still have to get to know Ustuth, Logem and Sodel better.”

(Note: The remaining of the seven were Ast Unibmubun, Ragpractice, a female planter, and Endok Bålvucar, Growthurns, a male trader. Unfortunately we haven't found out what were the related domains of their gods.)


1st of Hematite, Evening:
“By Shotom! The dead have arrived!

We managed to run inside and bar the doors of our meeting hall in the nick of time. Our livestock, except our cats, were not that fortunate and they are being massacred as I am writing. We are holed up in here with no food, drinks or other necessities of survival. However, we do have our mining equipment, and with some planning and luck, we may manage to deal with this problem.

Cursed be the foul necromancers of Fatalwire! But I am not discouraged, for Shotom is on our side. May she grant us strength and courage to show the undead that dwarves are a hardy lot!”


6th of Hematite:
“We managed to secure our food stockpiles and farms. Endok made a stone door from the limestone who had, and once the dead had left from our halls, we quickly put the door up and sealed it shut. We have most likely lost our yaks and sheep, but our chicken have been spared, and we have food, drinks and, most importantly, our seeds back in our hands.

By Shotom, we can now stay holed up here for as long as need be, and not care about the walking dead milling on the surface. Of course, that is not what we'll do, for we intend to retake the rest of our home from the foul rotting corpses. We'll teach them not to mess with us dwarves of The Girder of Light and that we are not afraid of them. In fact, we have made merry, recited poetry and got to know each other a little bit better during this so-called siege, hah!”


21st of Malachite:
“We are still holed up underground besieged by the walking dead. Their moans and shambling echoe from beyond our barred doors. Yet, we haven't given to despair, despite being isolated for nearly two months already. We have been busy at work; making storage pots out of stone for our crops, smoothing the walls of our meeting hall, brewing drinks, begun digging the temple area and enjoying the company of each other.

Still, we cannot continue like this. We have been sleeping on the floors, for we have no access to our dormitory, even though it is just outside of our meeting hall. Even though we have had good times and Sigun's poetry recitals have kept the spirits high, there is a brewing tension in the air and some are showing signs of boredom. We have to figure a way out of this mess before folk start losing it.

It was calm Endok, who came up with a plan: he proposed that we dig a new, long passage away from our current entry, fill it with a complex set of raising and retracting bridges and a pit. We would breach the surface, lure the dead in, seal them in the passage with carefully timed lever-pulling, and retract the floor from under them, dropping them to their doom - or atleast getting them trapped in the bottom of the pit to be dealt with later. I think that it is a solid plan, and others agreed (except Ustuth, but we can dismiss her thoughts, as she seems to always be a pessimist).

Our main problem is that none of us are particularly skilled engineers, but I do believe that with some patience, we will manage to get Endok's plan to work. I will personally see to the engineering and have full confidence in my abilities.”


1st of Limestone:
“Autumn has come. And with it, the caravan from the Mountainhome should soon arrive. I hope we will complete our plan before it. We have progressed well, but there is still much work to be done. It might be that we run out of time. If that happens, may Shotom help our brethren.”
 

7th of Timber:
“Finally everything is set for the trap. Now we only have to breach the surface and lure the undead in to meet their doom. But first, we shall hold a celebration - Ast and Endok are already simulating the Gite and Leti in our make-shift tavern. I will now join them, and we will decide who shall be the brave one to grab the pick and put an end to this siege.”


7th of Timber, Late Evening:
“It was decided that I and Ast will face together the peril and open a way into our trap. May Shotom grant me the courage.”


13th of Timber:
“It seems our plan did not work. We breached the surface, ran inside and waited. And waited. But the dead did not come inside. We know they are still above us, for occasionally we can hear their harrowing moaning. However, it was not a complete failure, for we dared to reclaim the rest of our humble dwelling and put up a door to block the entrance from intrusion. Now we can continue with our work and in time, the dead will surely give up and leave. I pray that the caravan didn't arrive or that they noticed the undead besieging us and left back for the Mountainhome.

Still, the gods have been in our favour, and for that we will continue the work on the shrines.”


28th of Timber:
“One of our cats has given birth to two kittens. We always have room for more vermin hunters. Speaking of vermin, we have begun work on a way to dispose of their remains and the corpses of our livestock that didn't make it inside in time. I believe I have a good grasp of the techniques used for garbage disposal at the Mountain and surely can replicate it from memory.

Winter is around the corner and still the dead are milling around. We have been under siege for half a year now. I am afraid that sun-sickness may kick in, when we finally can return to the surface.”


13th of Moonstone:
“While digging space for our shrines, we had struck bituminous coal. At first we were disheartened, because we had no wood to get a fire going to refine it. However, some of first workshops are made of wood can be dismantled for firewood. This still doesn't really help us, for our anvils are on the surface. Maybe one of us can make a run for it and try to grab the anvil when the undead are not in the immediate vicinity of us. It is not of the utmost urgency, so I will think on it further before proposing it to the others.”


23rd of Opal:
“Yet again we witnessed the birth of more kittens. They are quite adorable little creatures. And most importantly, they hunt those disgusting hamsters (such despicable creatures) that are the enemy of every food store.”

(Note: This is one of the only entries to prove that the dwarves were fond of cats.)


(Note: This entry is from the personal diary of Endok. Alas, parts of the text are missing.)

Obsidian 5th:
“Today Sigun recounted our tale in [missing] so far [missing]. Everything's alright, though I sure long for my family at the Mountainhome. It gets a bit lonely sometimes. And it would be nice to have a own room. Sort of embarrassing to sleep without one. But, I guess everyone's got the same problem currently. Wish the undead would leave soon.”


“The entries from the first year end here. We did manage to find journals for the second year, but they will require more work from the undersigned and my colleagues. Much of the entries are missing and we will have to piece the puzzle together from various notes, scrawlings and other pieces of information we found. In due time, I hope to present these for your entertainment.”
-- Urdim Fondledwhipped

[Salmeuk]

The Stupid Pattern, our winding brook.

a good name for a brook.. it suggests whoever named it had some grievances with the thing.

[brewer bob]

“Dearest reader, here I humbly present to you the second -- and last -- part of the tale of a dwarven fortress from the plane of Êrkar. It begins with diary entries from the overseer (or expedition leader, if you will) Dastot Seshkeskal, Socketshoots. However, at some point for reasons unknown Dastot stopped writing these entries. We were fortunate that he had still kept notes and when it concerned migrants, he went into very minute details of each and every one of them. As with the first part of this pieced out legend, I have added some personal notes, which should be easily distinguishable from the main text. Without further ado, good readings!”
-- Urdim Fondledwhipped

The Fortress of Anurìtdùn Kun, The Wondrous Charm of Cats
Second Year

1st of Granite, year 751:
“Spring has arrived and with it, a new year, the second at our new home!

We are still holed inside while the dead continue to roam the surface. I'm beginning to feel uneasy after the lack of decent meals for such a long period, and to make matters worse, it our shrines are not yet completed. Without a proper place to commune with Shotom just can not do. It is of the utmost urgency to complete our place of worship. Other than that, everything is bearable, even though life is quite unexciting. Atleast we have plenty of work and staying occupied helps for now.

Maybe we shall hold a small celebration and take it easy for a while before continuing our work.”


16th of Felsite:
“We have had some time off after finishing the shrines. While hanging out with each other, we decided that one of us would take the task of running to the wagon and try to pick up the anvil and maybe some other necessities if possible. None seemed too eager to volunteer, so we rolled some dice and leave the decision to [unintelligible]. In the end, it was Ustuth who was chosen by the divine will of [unintelligible].
(Note: we were unable to decipher the name of the deity in question, but our scholarly guess is that a god of Fate was in question.)

May Sedur be on her side and answer her prayers.”


1st of Hematite:
“Our plan did not work. Every time Ustuth tried to make a run for it, the dead started heading towards our hole. However, we did manage to lure two of them into the pit trap. The main force of them doesn't seem to fall for our tricks though.

It is summer now, marking one year of being under siege. We have to do something about this situation before things become unbearable. We will try to together brave the perils outside and reclaim our equipment.

I pray to Shotom for strength and guidance.”


5th of Hematite:
“When we gathered our courage and made our way above, we noticed that the dead were no more to be seen. Praise the gods!

Now we can get back to work, finally!”


16th of Hematite:
“All of the dead hadn't left or fallen into our pit trap after all. A reanimated wombat skeleton was still roaming around. We thought that it wasn't a real threat, and so Ustuth grabbed our only war hammer and set to finish it off. However, that was not the case.

Ustuth just returned, her head covered in blood with a horrified look on her face. The skeletal remains of the wombat had proven to be quite ferocious, but Ustuth managed to put it down. She has deserved some rest. We will set up a makeshift infirmary in our dormitory and Endok shall tend to her. It was an ill choice to put Ustuth for this job, for she is the one of us who is most competent with healing skills.”


11th of Malachite:
“We have been working hard to make up for all the time lost during the siege. Ustuth has made a recovery and is continuing mining new storage space, Logem is making stonecrafts to be traded once the caravan from the Mountainhome arrives, Endok is busy making more building material as Sigun is refining the bituminous coal we found and Sodel is fishing, so we may have something else to eat than eggs and plump helmets, while me and Ast are doing various jobs that need to be taken care of.

We had several new kittens born this morning. Our cat population seems to be growing well and all manner of vermin will soon know to tremble in fear of the feline hunters prowling our halls!”


1st of Limestone:
“It is the 1st of Limestone and autumn has come. We have had next to no time off since the siege lifted. We are anticipating the arrival of the caravan any time now. I'm quite certain we have enough trade goods to barter ourselves some new clothing and other items that we're currently not yet able to produce.

We have dug out some new rooms, which will serve as our own personal spaces. There has been some grumbling about the lack of privacy and it was one of the highest priorities to be done. The rooms are still quite barren, but with some furnishing and smoothing of the walls, they should be quite cozy and spacious. I have drawn some ambitious plans concerning the living spaces - including waterworks to generate some nice waterfalls! The blueprints are still far from finished, but I am quite excited about them. I will show them to others once we have been able to trade and can take some time off.

Time to get back to work!”


25th of Limestone:
“The caravan arrived and we traded all the crafts we had made. Endok brokered the deals, but we didn't manage to acquire as much as I hoped for. We mostly traded for food - specifically meats and fish to have something else to eat than plants and mussel. The food should last for some time. That is, unless we happen to get some migrants from the Mountainhome.

Speaking of which, the outpost liaison didn't arrive with the caravan. How odd. They said before the expedition that the liaison would come to check on our progress with the traders. Maybe the siege we faced had something to do with it? I sure hope they haven't forgotten us or left us to fend for ourselves. Endok tried to ask from the merchants for news, but they didn't have anything to say and quite frankly, seemed uninterested in anything than having the bartering over.

In any case, after finishing hauling the goods, it is time to take some well-deserved time off and organize a feast.”

(Note: This is the final entry from Dastot's journal. However, there were some notes to be found here and there from which we have pieced together the rest of the story.)


Around the end of Sandstone seven migrants arrived at the fortress. They were:

Thob Mörulrulush, Pagesplashes, a female furnace operator and faithful worshiper of Âst the Cyclopean Molds. According to the notes left by the overseer, she was one who rarely felt discouraged, was unforgiving and sought vengeance; she had a deep dislikeofother cultures, yet she was curious and friendly. (Note: a seemingly interesting yet difficult person, I would imagine. Someone who probably is not of the best make for fortress life in the farther reaches of the kingdom.)

Id Udarmeng, Rainedlashes a male ranger and dubious worshiper of Asën. He was in some sense quite different from Thob: he was not one to hold a grudge or lean towards pessimism, and he tended to think before acting. Yet he, too, was at least somewhat uncomfortable with those not from the dwarven kingdom.

Olin Lolokalåth, Granitebolted, a female fish cleaner and casual worshiper of Sûbil Hilltrees the Earthen. She was a coward and a person full of inner conflict: she valued creativity and artwork, yet was completely unfazed when presented with such things. She also appeared to be very pleased of herself and had an inflated sense of self-worth. (Note: it is possible that the overseer's notes are biased and based upon his impressions of the migrants. However, if these descriptions are true, I would imagine many of these migrants did not migrate so voluntarily, but were more likely forced to do so.)

Bëmbul Logemrabed, Paintedfreckle, a female lye maker, and another worshiper of Asën. She was a dreamer and loner who disliked fights, yet she was stalwart and brave when danger reared its ugly head. As an assertive person with a very loud laugh, she wasn't easily ignored despite her sticking mostly to herself.

Unib Likotidith, Inksystem, a female mechanic and worshiper of Bisón the Clearings of Sun. Seemingly a dwarf with a very low self-esteem who was emotionally obsessive, though she was rarely jealous. She was sloppy and messy and liked to take it easy, but at least she was tight with resources when working and rarely wasted anything.

Vucar Amkolbomrek, Counselwhipped, a male spinner and dubious worshiper of Sedur. He was a serious and unhelpful creature who dominated the spaces he visited. Still, he was not unfriendly nor ungrateful and returned favors. Despite his overbearing personality, he was quite the nervous fellow and leaned towards pessimism, always believing the worst would come to pass.

Bomrek Onshenkib, Chantnets, a female animal trainer and another worshiper of Sedur. A carefree and careless dwarf who became utterly helpless when burdened by stress. Thinking came to her more naturally than doing, and when living a fast-paced life like she did this often must have resulted in accidents. She was also a quarreler. (Note: I wonder how long the other dwarves would have stood her had the fortress and world lasted longer than it did.)


The undead returned to plague the surface once again at the beginning of Moonstone. However, the dwarves once again shut their gates, sealing them off from the above, and spent the time having time off. A grand feast was held and the dwarves had plenty of time to socialize with each other.

Work was not completely halted, however: new passages and rooms were mined out so that everyone could have their own living quarters and not sleep communally at the dormitory.

The dead continued to lurk above and the dwarves continued their leisurely lives. In Opal, Bëmbul, one of the new arrivals, told a story to Sodel. It was a story about the undead above, who were apparently part of a group called The First Nets and were led by an elf void corpse named Nine Bravedsuitors. (Note: It is unclear what a void corpse was and what powers they carried other than being a form of undead with intelligence.)

Still holed up, the dwarves appointed Unib Likotidith as their bookkeeper on the 7th of Slate 752. The fortress was in its third year at this time, however, it was also where everything would end. For a time after this there were no more notes to be found nor evidence of the world continuing to move forth.

And so ends the tale of what little we have learned of the fortress of Anurìtdùn Kun, The Wondrous Charm of Cats, from the lost world of Êrkar.

[Salmeuk]

well-wrought descriptions! strange how many questionable personalities this game generates. yet despite their RNG nature you can almost imagine these characters as-written. the little quirks and oddities lead to these interesting, contradictory tendencies, which is highly realistic in my experience..

[brewer bob]

well-wrought descriptions! strange how many questionable personalities this game generates. yet despite their RNG nature you can almost imagine these characters as-written. the little quirks and oddities lead to these interesting, contradictory tendencies, which is highly realistic in my experience..

I absolutely love the personalities the game generates. Especially the contradictions make them interesting. Sometimes when doing a writeup, I spend probably too much time thinking how would this and that affect what this character says, haha.

If I'd be running any ttrpg at the moment, I'd probably use it to flesh out NPCs. There's only so much you can create with your own imagination before things start to repeat themselves.

I've still got quite a number of these old notes/half-finished writeups from forts. And actually I few more when moving stuff from my old laptop to the new one. So, probably I'll keep posting them once in a while when I'm struck with a mood to do it.

(Also, if someone else wants to share old dusty writeups that they haven't for one reason or another published, but feel like doing it now, you're free to use this thread if you don't want to make your own.)

[brewer bob]

“While me and my colleagues from the Faculty of Applied Planar Sciences delved deeper into the secrets of the planescape in search of residual patterns of lost worlds, we made a curious discovery. At first we thought that we had stumbled upon a singular world with many tales to be uncovered, but when we examined closer, we came to the realization that what we had found, in fact, were multiple instances of the same world, each straying on a different path at a certain point of history.

This world was called Entar, the Legendary Land, and in this dissemination we present several short stories of dwarven outposts and ventures, each from an alternative version of the world. Some of them are only brief glimpses, but some give us a closer look into these variations of the same plane forged by Armok.”
-- Urdim Fondledwhipped, Antiquarian and Planar Traveler


This first story tells the tale of dwarves from The Treaty of Images who head to the ruins of an old tower named Îtonokil, Halltest, and establish an outpost there. There were very little notes other than the diary of the expedition leader, so, alas, we know not more of the world than these entries tell -- even the name of the outpost is not known.

The First Story:
A Fortress and a Tower

From the Journal of Shorast Nakaskeskal, expedition leader:

“15th of Granite, year 250:

We have arrived at our destination: the remains of Îtonokil. A tower that used to be a base of operations for a group of dwarves delving in the dark arts. It is eight years since it was destroyed by the armies of our kingdom, fearful of what sinister plots were being planned here. Once destroyed, Îtonokil was left to be forgotten and in time, wiped from the minds of our fellow dwarves. But were all the previous inhabitants slain or did some of them escape? According to stories and rumours that I have heard, some of them remain alive. However, that is not why we are here. We are here because of all the possible secrets and knowledge left behind, for by all accounts, they were not destroyed.

All life seems to have withered from the immediate vicinity of the now abandoned tower: an eerie silence hung upon the dead swampy forest we travelled through to reach our destination. Not even any mosquitos or other insects bothered us. We stopped our wagon on a hill overlooking the tower and some mound-like structures scattered around -- possibly some burial halls.

There seems to be an abundance of loamy clay, though it is hard to say if it will yield any crops, for all the grass appears to be dead. Some outcroppings of siltstone can been seen on the hillsides, so at least we have some stone to work with. There is hardly any wood, except for the dead trees, but to the south there is a few small live ones.

Our first task is to explore the oddly shaped tower and the surrounding mounds and secure them. After that we'll haul our equipment to be stored inside and set up some basic necessities for survival, before even starting to learn the secrets of this mysterious place.

May Datan keep us strong and our fire burning hot.”


“1st of Hematite, 250:

It is now summer. We have explored preliminarily all of the area, made up crude lodgings, dug out a cellar under the tower and moved most of our equipment to our new home. So far the food and drinks we brought along have been enoughed and are still plentiful. Our herbalist Minkot managed to find some edible and brewable plants from the surrounding area. All isn't dead after all, though it's hardly enough to be of sustenance in the long run. It shouldn't be a problem, for we dug up space to plant plump helmets and other underground plants that we brought with us.

Our next step is to make a common dining and meeting hall, erect a wooden palisade around the tower for safety and make personal quarters for each of us. We shouldn't face any immediate danger despite being close to goblin pits, but caution never harmed anyone. Besides, the road runs close to the tower and we want to keep nosy travellers and treasure seekers at bay.”


“1st of Limestone, 250:

Time for a seasonal update. Autumn has come. We have soon been half a year busy at work, but we are still far from being able to relax and concentrate on what we came here for. The palisade is being built, even as I write. I am certain that with this slow of a pace we will not have it up before winter -- certainly not before the dwarven caravan passes us. I am afraid that the outpost liaison will come around, for despite us trying to keep our venture secret, we did not succeed in it. Well, if the liaison shows up, we'll have to invent some cover story why we left for this particular place without personally informing or for that matter asking permission from higher authorities.

The weather here has been mostly favourable, except for some occasional rain. We've sighted some wildlife even though we initially thought this place was devoid of life. So far, only birds though -- ravens, ducks and a swan couple. During summer the grass began to grow, so maybe the dark magics practiced here haven't entirely tainted and corrupted the land. Possibly with time nature will heal itself and we'll have an abundance of lumber.

We just set up our meeting hall and decided to name it the Granite Meal. To be honest, it has been quite boring here as all the time has gone into tedious and menial tasks. We need some excitement and change before everyone gets grouchy. Maybe a short break is in place, once the palisade is closer to completion. And we have yet to erect some shrines to honor the gods.”

(Note: from this entry gives us a hint that the dwarves were not on a mission sanctioned by their ruler. It is unclear whether their purpose was the attainment of knowledge, mere curiosity or perhaps something more sinister.)


“1st of Moonstone, 250:

Winter has come and we faced our first challenge. We hadn't kept stock of our beverages and managed to run out. Without a proper well, we were forced to drink from nasty swamp water from the stagnant, foul ponds in the east. This has lowered our spirits and I can imagine this episode will haunt us for some time. Fortunately Asmel, our cheese maker, had some experience in brewing, so she built a still and began brewing a new supply of alcohol. It will take some time to fill our stocks.

The preliminary work on the palisade is nearly complete, and after it I think we should take some time off during the winter months. We haven't accomplished as much as I hoped for, but it was expected. There is only seven of us and much work to do. More hands would ease the burden, but we don't want to risk attracting any attention to our expedition. Luckily the dwarven autumn caravan either bypassed our location with us not noticing or then they just didn't come this way -- it wouldn't be a surprise since grim tales are still being told of this area. It is not that long since the practitioners of dark arts were defeated here.”


“1st of Granite, year 251:

Spring arrived and with it a new year. We have been around for a year now in a couple of weeks. Winter passed quickly and we took most of the time off and getting to know each other and our hopes and ambitions better. I grew ever the closer with Cerol and a special bond grew between us. One thing led to another and eventually a romance bloomed. Nothing serious yet and I certainly won't let it impede my duty as the expedition leader.

Now that winter is over, work must continue. The walls are yet not enough as even the clumsiest of goblins could easily climb over them. But they do keep the wildlife at bay, and it certainly was a good thing we built them: several alligators have been spotted crawling nearby.

Our plan is to get settled well enough in the coming year and begin work on uncovering the secrets possibly still hiding in this place. The space in the tower is fairly limited, but Stukos with an eye for achitecture has sketched some plans on how to expand it in a fashion that is true to its original design. He is by far the most creative of us and I trust in his skills.

I will return once there is more to report.”

(Note: Unfortunately Shorast never returned to report and this is where the entries end. There is no inclination why things stopped when they were only getting started and interesting. Perhaps it was the will of the Supreme God that this world was not worthy of His attention, and, thus, it was broken down at the Anvil? We will never know and can only guess...)

[brewer bob]

This second story is a very short and brief glimpse into a curious joint venture between dwarves and humans. Instead of telling a tale of cooperation between the civilized species, it rather shows us how quickly an outpost can fall due to the unpredictable and cruel machinations of Nature. It is a reminder of how fragile the unprepared mind can be.

The Second Story:
Caught in the Rain

In the year 250 a group of seven dwarves from Mafol Ngalák, The Chamber of Abysses, and six humans of The Confederacy of Bearing along a muskox man and elf headed out into the frontier lands to build a new outpost. Their purpose was to found a small hamlet on The Hills of Shattering on the coasts of The Sweltering Water, just north of a cave called Maroonhollow and west of Aurahame, a castle that was part of an unspecified human kingdom.

They called themselves Debbenboshut, The Cheerful Alliance, and name outpost Rekedmìshos, Butterbeach. Their purpose was to found a fishing outpost, but their venture was not a successful one.

“15th Slate, 250:

Spring is already halfway through, but it is still snowing and the ice hasn't thawed yet. Supplies are non-existent as our group arrives.”

(Note: this is already a sign that the settlers had not properly researched where they founded their new home. If their purpose was to fish, it is hardly a good sign that the whole of winter and half of spring the waters were frozen with no sign of an end to the cold.)
“1st Hematite, 250:

Summer. Work is slow, but the main structure of the central longhouse is built. Temporary space was dug into the hillside for protection from the rain... The rain. It has been nearly constant and made most already grouchy. Also, the ocean is still frozen. Maybe this proved to be a bad spot to settle after all.”

(Note: here one who is familiar with the frailty of the mind when subjected to long periods of foul weather can already guess where this will end.)

These are the only two whole entries left behind from the failed venture, but from scattered notes and other evidence a picture can be painted. It never stopped raining for more than a brief period, which rapidly broke the spirits of the settlers. This led to dissatisfaction and complaints, and when nothing changed all the pent up frustration erupted in tantrums and fights.  Before summer's end the settlement had crumbled with not even the basic necessities completed, and the whole expedition was scrapped as a complete disaster.

This in itself is a very unremarkable story, but it is one that is repeated from world to world. Perhaps we may learn something from these stories and avoid the common mistakes that have led to the downfall of so many a settlement?