Apologies for the lack of updates until now: Jools cancels Dwarf Fortress - Interrupted by Social Life.
Won't happen again. ;-P
Spring update follows...
Extracts from the diary of Dodok Dodokkir, Abbeyverse, 1053:
1st Granite:
This new administrator, now he's calmed down a bit and returned to speaking in Dwarfish, seems to be a reasonable sort. I've seen many administrators come in and re-order everything, even to the point of deconstructing the fortress to point it in a more auspicious direction, but this one seems happy with what we've done so far - a few tweaks here and there, some more tasks added to the jobs list (mainly bins, which we were short of, and some more beds) and some more mining, exploratory tunnels searching for veins of metal.
The plans for the giant rock salt tower or administrator seems intent on building are hanging up in the meeting hall to "inspire" us, but it seems we don't have to do anything about it yet. Getting the season's planting done is apparently more important.
We are also building a jail, apparently a place to keep any dwarves who are "disappointing". One of the chambers dug out as a small tomb near the bedrooms is being used for this. Can't say I wholly approve of this, but at least this sort of justice is better than having a Hammerer turn up and kill everyone who doesn't make him 50,000 gem encrusted mini-forges.
17th Granite:
Elves have arrived. And nobody else wants to trade with them. I've reluctantly agreed to do the job, on the basis that that's what I'm good at, but I've also managed to wangle an extra ration of Dwarven beer in exchange for putting up with the snooty gits.
18th Granite:
Our guard force is beginning to take a little more shape - our lowest recruit has picked up enough skill to be reckoned as a marksdwarf. He's still not very good, though, but is wearing his new title with pride.
Our new administrator noticed him practicing up on the small fortified platform we built by the main gate, and I found him watching the crossbow bolts fired by our recruit miss the target and fly through the firing slits and out across the landscape. He seemed slightly concerned that one of these might end up hurting someone, so I pointed out that it might hurt our trading partners like the elves who would shortly be arriving.
On hearing this news, our administrator declared that this set up was fine for now. Maybe I won't have to trade with them after all.
Meanwhile, our miners are reporting striking many different varieties of rock, but as yet no metal ores. I hope they find some nice copper and tin.
28th Granite:
Migrants have arrived. From the top of the guard platform, I can just make out a distant Siege Operator. And a saltwater crocodile lurking in the bushes nearby. I hope they all make it to the fortress in one piece - I don't want to have to rush out and retrieve all their gear, especially as most of it will be inside the crocodile.
Still, they should be able to spot it and avoid it. I've stayed well away from all crocodiles, but according to a tale my cousin Urist told me, they all emit a loud mechanical ticking noise and so are distinctly unstealthy.
We have a new Siege Operator, a Miner, 4 Peasants, a Gem Cutter, a Trapper, a Jeweler, a Weaponsmith, a Fishery Worker, a Bowyer, a Stone Crafter, a Tanner, a Woodworker, an Engraver, a Ranger, an Engineer, a Metalcrafter, a puppy and two foals. I've had to sort out most of the reassignments to useful duties; our rather unstable administrator immediately collared the Engineer and starting talking to him about the construction of vast towers, to touch the very top of the sky itself...
The first jobs are to dig out some new rooms for all these migrants, and expand our workshop capacity, fields and other food supplies to get them all working for the greater good.
Meanwhile, Keldor has declared himself Mayor and Kazindir "Captain of the Guard". Apparently our influx of migrants means that they suddenly need weapon stands, armour racks, statues and the like to beautify their quarters. My modest request for such fripperies as a table to go in my office have been denied as unimportant for now.
3rd Slate:
I finally get round to talking to the traders. They've brought 5 muck roots, 5 prickle berries, and several tons of rope reed cloth. I haven't the heart to point out that we're surrounded by prickle berry bushes and are weaving our own rope reed cloth. Maybe if I buy a decent chunk of this stuff they'll bring some good stuff next time... or maybe they'll just load up on more cloth to bring to us. I'll just buy the food and a little cloth, and load them up with our lower quality stone crafts. Oh and I'll buy the bin the cloth is in - we haven't got round to making many of those yet. Actually that's probably the most useful thing the elves brought.
4th Slate:
Our deep exploratory tunnels have thus far proved fruitless, and more importantly, oreless. But as soon as we started expanding the living quarters, we hit iron ore. Maybe now we can start making some metal...
7th Slate:
Some Ranger got himself killed by an alligator. And then everyone rushed out to grab his stuff, and are being chased by a pair of alligators. One of the new fortress guards is dealing quite well with one alligator, but the other is off chasing a Tanner.
What a mess. I've asked Kazindir and his squad to sort it all out. There's two alligators and a crocodile, and annoyingly none of them are fighting each other, they're teaming up and hunting dwarves - and our war dogs and puppies. One of the puppies got hurt, and now the river is running red with its blood. I never knew there was so much blood in a tiny little puppy.
Note to self - in the next mailbag that goes to the Mountainhomes, remember to send a note to that chap who works for the Gourd of Ramsays and ask him for some good black pudding recipes.
The alligator now seems to be bored with dwarf-killing and is hunting warthogs instead.
Kazindir has said he will "Take my request (to deal with the alligator) under advisement" and then promptly went to bed. I must ask Keldor or our rather odd administrator to have a word with him after all this is over. For now, I've sent Kivish and his pair of marksdwarves to go alligator killing.
22nd Slate:
The elves are finally leaving. I think perhaps we upset them a little by dragging all sorts of dead things past the trade depot - warthogs, puppies, chunks of unknown animals... they're probably not best pleased, but they got some good deals from us so they might come back.
3rd Felsite:
One of our Engravers has entered a strange mood. Chucked someone else out of a workshop. She's now dashing off all round the fortress grabbing stuff. I hope she doesn't want metal, we still don't have our own smelter or forge.
She's working furiously now. I didn't catch what she grabbed - I hope it was rock salt...
7th Felsite:
I stopped by Keldor's quarters today, to inspect the engravings that have been ordered made there. In there I found "The Vice of Grips" an image of a dwarf and dwarves. The dwarves are refusing the dwarf. The dwarf looks dejected.
It's bad enough being told I can't have a desk in my office; but now they have to rub it in by commemorating the event in an engraving?
9th Felsite:
The Engraver with the fey mood has produced a rock salt earring. Nice. A lovely item for a young ladydwarf. Only she's gone and called it "The Romance of Chastity".
Guess I won't be asking her out, then.
24th Felsite:
Things seem to be settling down. I'm trying to ensure this place doesn't fall apart while our administrator busies himself in private, fiddling with his designs for a rock salt tower. Currently the priority is cranking out beds and doors so everyone has a bedroom... but I have a side project - ballista parts, and wooden ballista arrows. With our trained Siege Operator here, anything that comes to raid us should have a bit more to worry about than just some wrestlers and marksdwarves.
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Topic: {succession/community} Kulettögum, Salt Mines Beneath the Mire (Read 83557 times)