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[Sappho]

I was digging through some old documents and stumbled upon this story that I began and never finished.  I like the way it was going and though the save file is long gone by now, I'm thinking of starting up another fortress using this idea and beginning a new story.  What does everyone think?

I'll post it bit by bit over a few hours or so, so that no one gets paralyzed by the wall of text.

***

Elves.  They were all around her.  Laughing, singing, chanting, and hugging trees.  Litast was tired of elves.  She was tired of trees.  Most of all, she was tired of elves protecting the trees.  'The only good tree is one that's been turned into a barrel and filled with ale,' she thought to herself, trying not to sneer at the slim, hairless elven face looking back at her.

"I'm sorry, my brutal friend, but we are interested only in your more... ethical works.  You have insulted us once already by offering us the skeletons of animals, but now you try to trade with the skeletons of trees?  Life is life, my bearded friend, and we'll not be a part of its destruction."  Litast held herself back from yelling, 'Then how do you eat?' and instead fixed her gaze on the pile of wooden trinkets the craftsdwarves had spent the last two months carving for trade.  She could deal with their refusal to trade in animal bone, but wood?  This was crossing the line.  Her face began to grow red underneath her beard as she tried to keep her temper under control.

The elf, either not aware of Litast's mood or not appropriately concerned for her - or his, they all looked like women anyway - safety, sighed and addressed the dwarf once more.  "I'm afraid we're going to have to take measures to protect the life around this fortress of yours.  Between now and next year, when we visit again, you are not to damage any more than one hundred of these trees, lest we find it necessary to protect them... by force."  That soft, gentle voice, overly confident despite its weakness, its frailty, its... elvishness.  Litast was not used to being talked to in this way, certainly not by the beardless tree-huggers, and she would not stand for being threatened by one.  She fought to keep her rage contained, but rested her hand on the hilt of her axe, strapped to her belt.

"Now you listen to me, you beardless..."  Deep breath.  "Listen here, we've got a need for that wood and we'll use as much of it as we need.  This is the bloody capital of the region, we've got hundreds of dwarves living here, and we'll not put ourselves through hardship just for the sake of some elven ritual!"  Her hand tightened its grip on the axe handle as the elven liaison replied, calm and condescending as ever.

"I'm afraid we're not giving you much of a choice, good dwarf."  One of those hideous elven smiles washed across her... his...  its face, thin and smug.  That was just too much for Litast.

She pulled her axe out with a single motion, yelling, "We'll just see about that!"  But as she swung it in front of her, every one of the elven guards, as though in response to some unspoken command, simultaneously drew and aimed their bows.  In an instant Litast had twelve deadly arrows aimed at her head.  'Oh, not again,' she thought.  'I've really got to learn to control my temper...'  She managed to force a laugh, slowly lowering her axe.  "Er...  Just kidding?"  The elves weren't laughing.

"Litast?"  Even the tiny voice of the clerk was enough to make her jump, then squeeze her eyes shut and brace herself for the barrage of arrows in response to her sudden movement, but it didn't come.  "...Litast?"  The squeak came again, and she dared to open one eye.  The elves had lowered their bows, but their expressions made it clear that they were more than willing - and able - to draw them again if necessary.  Litast took a deep breath, then slowly turned around to see Morul, the palace clerk, standing behind her, trembling.  "Sorry to, er, interrupt, but eh...  The King would like a word with you?"

'Oh no,' Litast thought.  'Not again.'

[Sappho]

One more section tonight, then I'll post more in the morning:

"I've really done my best, Litast.  I thought that the change of scenery would help calm your temper, but I suppose I was wrong."  As he paced back and forth, the King's voice boomed down at Litast, already used to these sorts of talks.  She only prayed that he wouldn't order the hammerdwarf to punish her.  His temper did tend to get the best of him at times.  She put on her most pathetic expression, hoping to garner sympathy.

"Don't you give me that look!" bellowed the King, but she could see his expression soften a bit.  That one always worked.  He sat back down in his throne.  "Litast, when your father died I promised him I'd look after you.  But how can I help you if you insist on causing trouble in every post I give you?"  Litast looked at the floor, unsure of how to respond.  Stubborn though she was, she knew she had made a mistake.  Silence filled the room as the King stroked his beard thoughtfully.  Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind.

"Alright, Litast, you clearly have difficulty with authority.  But what if I put you in charge?"  Litast's eyes grew wide at the suggestion.  This was something she hadn't expected.  The King smiled as he worked the plan out in his head.  "I've heard reports from scouts that indicate the presence of a great deal of precious metal ore in the hills to the north.  What would you say to leading a party to start an outpost up there?  You may have a temper, but you're certainly bright enough, and maybe the added responsibility will calm that stubborn rage of yours.  Yes, yes, I'll gather a few others to go with you..."

Litast was stunned.  Leader of an expedition!  It was the perfect job.  And yet, something didn't sit right with her.  "Excuse me, highness, but did you say the hills to the north?  As in, the edge of the... forest?  With all the trees?"  But it was too late for objections.  The King had made up his mind and was lost in his own head, making plans and preparing orders.

Suddenly he made eye contact with Litast again, a wicked grin under his beard.  "And Litast, my young friend, remember: if you mess up this job, I won't be able to save you from the consequences."

Litast swallowed hard.

[rickvoid]

This looks promising. I have feeling we'll soon be instigating a war with the Elves...

And perhaps the Dwarves as well? Dwarven Renegade/Human Alliance for the win!

*Edit* Actually, I've never tried to start a war with my home civ. Will they siege you as well?

[Blackburn]

I've read that they won't.

[Sappho]

I wish I knew where the save file was so I could pick up where I left off, but it's probably on my old computer back in the States, which is packed away until I can have it shipped to me.  But if this seems worth it, I'll start up a new game with the same theme and create the story again.

***

The table was strewn with maps and surveys detailing the area where they were to establish the outpost.  Litast looked over them thoughtfully.  She was being given little choice about the destination (nor the overabundance of trees), but she had been given authority to name the outpost, as well as the group of dwarves to accompany her.  She was even allowed to select the provisions to be brought.

Looking over the charts, suddenly she broke into a grin.  She filled in the name of the group, "The Merchants of Muscle," and that of the outpost: Ashenplants.  She chuckled to herself at the image of all the plant life being burnt to ash.  She became lost in the image, which became a fantasy, and her eyes began to go glassy as she pictured the elves struggling to put out the flames, their clothes catching and burning their very flesh off.

Slowly, she became conscious of a small voice and brought her vision back into focus.  Morul was saying her name, a touch of worry in his expression.  "Litast?  Are you alright?"  He was holding out a list of recommended provisions for her approval.  She grabbed it from him, skimmed over the list, and promptly tore it in half.

"No, Morul, this will not do.  I'll make up a new list.  See that the wagon is loaded."  Morul, looking concerned, but too meek to object, nodded his head and waited while Litast made her changes, then walked out without another word.

Litast Singedclasp:
Axedwarf
Negotiator
Appraiser

Bomrek Splatteredfountain:
Competent Miner

Zasit Crowdedlanced:
Competent Miner

Ineth Shakenclasp:
Novice Mason
Novice Building Designer
Novice Mechanic

Dastot Castlefortress:
Novice Grower
Novice Herbalist
Novice Brewer
Novice Cook

Zulban Webbedwhipped:
Novice Butcher
Novice Tanner
Novice Leatherworker

Stinthad Metalcrab:
Wood Cutter
Novice Carpenter

[Sappho]

Litast looked around with obvious distaste at their new surroundings.  There was green everywhere.  Trees, shrubs, grass...  The image of flames flashed into her mind for a moment before she shook it off and turned to see her little band of dwarves.



"Listen up now, we've got a lot to do, but first I want to lay down some guidelines.  You may have noticed that we didn't bring a lot of... plants with us.  From this point out we do not eat plants.  We eat meat cooked with alcohol flavorings and nothing more."  She paused for a moment to judge the reactions of her dwarves.  Several looked unhappy, but none voiced a complaint.  She continued: "We brought seeds for growing plump helmets, which will be used for brewing wine, and we will acquire seeds from other plants from the traders later.  As for a meat source, we will work on trapping some of the local creatures.  This is a fairly tame area, so that shouldn't be a problem.  Until we can rely on wildlife, we will breed and eat the animals we brought with us."  Another pause.  One or two of the dwarves looked sadly at the adorable dogs that had been brought with them, but again no objection was raised.  This group had discipline.

"Alright, then, time for your individual orders.  We need to get established before we get to our primary mission here."  She was about to start giving orders when the farmer, Dastot, cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, Litast, but what precisely is our mission here?"  Questioning murmurs were let out by the other dwarves.

Litast hesitated, the image of burning trees still not quite gone from her mind.  Finally, with a glimmer in her eye, she looked at Dastot and said, "The King sent us here to make use of the ore he believes will be found underground."  Before he could ask anything more, she started giving out orders.

The two miners were given directions on how to set up the outpost underground, clearing an area for plump helmet farming and workshops in the soil before digging down to the rock and working on the bedrooms.  While they got to work, she turned to the rest of the group.  "While we wait for space to build workshops, everyone else get to work gathering edible plants -- but not for food!  Dastot, as soon as you can get a still ready, I want this garbage turned into something dwarven."  Dastot nodded his understanding.  "Stinthad, start clearing out these trees.  I want their corpses turned into beds and barrels as quickly as possible."  Stinthad winced at the use of the word 'corpse,' but nodded fearfully and ran to the nearest tree.  For all her supposed skill, she was nervous and made slow progress, chips of wood flying onto the grass with each strike of the axe.  Litast watched, entranced, and within minutes found herself relieving Sinthad of her axe.

"What are you doing?  You're going to lose a finger!  Just give me the axe, I'll take care of the trees.  Go gather berries and whatnot with the others."  Relieved to be given a safer job, Stinthad nodded quickly and ran to the nearest berry bush without a word.



Litast held the axe in her hands for a moment, feeling its familiar weight and eying the notch already made in the tree.  At last she swung the weapon back, and hit the tree with such ferocity that the blade ran clean through the trunk.  She grinned as she saw it crash to the ground.  'I'm going to like it here,' she thought to herself as she walked to her next victim.

[Neruz]

*subscribes*

[Sappho]

Bomrek and Zasit didn't take long to dig out an area for the farm and the first few workshops before heading straight down, as they had been instructed, until they hit rock a few levels below and began to carve out the bedrooms.  One by one the other dwarves stopped gathering plants and started building and running their workshops.  Within a few days, everyone had plenty of work to do, and the stockpile of food and booze was steadily growing.



Litast spent every hour of the days chopping down trees, pausing only to give orders or eat, relishing each swing of the axe.  Stinthad gave up completely on her former woodcutting profession, focusing her efforts instead on crafting everyone a bed, then churning out barrel after barrel.  Near the end of spring Litast told her to make cages for a while instead, to use for traps.  There were plenty of wild animals around just begging to be caught and slaughtered.

In the heat of summer, once the dining room was complete and all the necessary rooms had doors, Litast burst into Ineth's workshop and told him to stop what he was doing and focus all of his efforts on carving smooth stone blocks.

"Blocks?" responded Ineth confusedly.  "For what?"

Litast tried not to grin too wickedly.  "We ought to pave a nice road for the caravan wagons to use to get to our depot, eh?"

Ineth was a little worried about the expression on Litast's face, but did as he was told and started churning out stone blocks.



In order to ensure that they had enough stone, the miners were directed to start carving out large areas in the lower levels, and to preserve as much of the stone as possible.



As soon as Litast was back outside chopping trees, Bomrek set down his pick for a minute and turned to Zasit.  "So...  What exactly do we need this stone for?"

Zasit shrugged.  "Who knows," she said, pausing to swing his pick at the wall.  "I heard her say something to Ineth about stone blocks.  Maybe we're building above ground?"  She took another swing and the granite wall collapsed perfectly.

Bomrek shook his head slowly, staring at the floor.  "There's something odd about her, isn't there?  I've never seen a dwarf enjoy being outside cutting trees so much, and some of my best friends are carpenters."

Another crash as Zasit's pick collapsed more granite.  She leaned on her pick for a moment to wipe some of the sweat from her beard.  "Know what I think, Bomrek?"

"No," he replied.  "What do you think?"

She smiled and lifted her pick once more.  "I think you should stop talking so much and get back to work."

He laughed, shrugged, and swung his pick against the wall.

[Sappho]

"THIEF!"  Dastot cried out as he ran from the hideous thing creeping down the staircase.  "KOBOLD THIEF!"



The ugly creature was startled by the yell and, knowing it had been spotted, took off at a run away from the outpost.  It was several minutes before Zulban, the butcher, was able to calm the farmer down.  "Relax, pal, it's gone."  He chuckled at his cowering friend.  "I'll go talk to Litast about getting some security around here."

He found her, unsurprisingly, brutally smashing the trunk of an already-fallen tree to pulp.  "I think it's dead, boss," he said, making her jump.

"What do you want?  I'm busy."  She turned to the next tree, intending to ignore him.

He sighed.  There was something not quite right about her, he was sure of that, but it seemed harmless enough.  "Dastot caught a kobold trying to steal some of our supplies.  I think we ought to do something to keep them out.  We haven't put any effort into security at all since we've been here."

Litast nodded distractedly.  "Sure, whatever you want, go take care of it."  He walked away without another word as she began to swing again.

"I'm setting up a kennel," he said to the others when they asked what she had said.  "I'll train a few of the dogs to hunt the little buggers.  We should build some stone-fall traps around the entrance, too, just in case."  This sounded perfectly reasonable to the others, so they didn't bother to ask for details about their conversation.  No one had much luck talking to Litast anymore.



It was over a month before the little creeps dared to visit Ashenplants again.  Ineth laughed as he saw the hunting dogs take off after the intruder.  The beasts seemed disappointed that it got away.



***

And, unfortunately, that's it.  That's where I left off.  The save file is out of reach, possibly gone forever.  I could start another fortress with this same idea, reusing the introduction and changing the names I suppose.  Or I could get another fortress to this point more or less and continue as though nothing is different.  I don't think there are any massive events here that couldn't be replicated or at least approximated.

Input?  Does anyone want me to start this one again?  And would you prefer that I start from scratch, or just keep going, changing the names and nothing else?