Diary of Salmeuk, Overseer - 9/13, Year 9A few days have passed.
My first order of business was to check in with all the previous leaders. Not only did I want to glean useful information, but I also felt it prudent to build social connections with powerful people.
First, I talked to Imic, who I knew quite well as we had spent long hours discussing medical procedure and technique.
I ran in to Icy Tea and his horde of maddened warducks. Apparently he was never actually an overseer? Still, a sight to behold.
I met Sprig at the surface keep, near the pastured sheep. He tried to lecture me about lying, and I feel like he might know the truth about the 'hidden election'. . .
I found
applet the duckverseer roosting near a golden duck statue. He recognized me with a hearty "Quack!" and puffed out his chest feathers. He looked every part a mortal incarnation of some ancient duck deity.
I saw Travis Bickle across the dining hall and we shared a meal. He wasn't doing very well, apparently, and he spent most of the meal complaining about his miserable life. At the end, though, he perked up and said he really enjoyed being the manager of the fortress, and that it might be one of the few things holding him together.
And to think I had been planning on firing him. . .
------------------------I was ready to make some changes. I drew up a list of 21 dwarves. Farmers, masons, carpenters, and glassmakers, these dwarves would make up the backbone of Ukarlanlar, "Wavebirds" military. Three squads of equal size were created, Wing Squad Alpha, Wing Squad Beta, and the Pond Guard. Our fighting dwarves were now titled "Wing Rangers," and were each given a quickly-casted steel battle axe. Their equipment is lackluster, but with training and experience they will become fearsome warriors. The Pond Guards train and patrol amongst the ducks.
The new military commander was named. The dwarf who single-handedly killed a rampaging Minotaur. I felt this was appropriate.
THIS HERO STILL ISN'T DWARFED, I MIGHT ADD.
Yet, this military draft was not without it's consquences. Certain industries suffered, and a number of existing production lines were ceased. I moved some dwarves away from their craftwork and into the forges. We need the weapons and armor.
I also ordered the jeweler to begin work. I truly appreciate the time it takes to gain skill in the art of gemcutting, and Eshtan Fightfence seemed like the right kind of dwarf to perform the work. I told him he would no longer be bothered with menial chores like hauling and cleaning, and instead he could focus on his craft. Sure enough, a day later, he appeared at my door with a gigantic citrine!
The honeyed yellow jewel gleamed in the torchlight and I felt a wonderous, comforting warmth in my heart at the sight of it's brilliance. I commended Eshtan and ordered our cooks to cook up a great feast!
After the feast, a few dwarfs felt the need to sing and put on a performance of The Cerulean Incenses. I was entranced by their droning rhythms.
While touring the lower tunnels, I encountered what was perhaps the longest, silliest tunnel I have ever encountered in my 64 years. Props to whatever dwarf dug this thing.
-----------------------------------My newest idea, is to reformulate our entrance. I propose to move it north about 4 squares, and the new ramp would lead directly into the eastern wall of our most beautiful duck temple.
By doing this, we can centralize our defenses and also clean up the mess that is the current trade depot:
To re-dig the entrance is always dangerous, so care will be taken to maintain our defenses. I also have plans to centralize our levers, as the current hodgepodge of control mechanisms has us CONSTANTLY running up and down staircases to find the right switch. I'm not the most athletic dwarf
so we should probably fix this
before my heart fails me and I die a sad, lonely death before someone important gets hurt.
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OOC:
how are these images? Are they too big, too small?
I'm going to slaughter all the sheep and the pigs. . I don't think our FPS can afford too many more ducks and we need to consider the long game. Maybe even expel a few dwarfs if needed.
I'm not talking about ducks very much. Don't worry, their time will come. I just need to get a handle on the chaos machine that is a community fortress :]
I'm not sure how many players are still present & invested, but feel free to write diaries or reactions to what you read. Or don't, and simply enjoy the simulation-based narrative!