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Author Topic: Stormrack, Magma Hammer redux  (Read 17020 times)

Crashmaster

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Stormrack, Magma Hammer redux
« on: June 17, 2011, 10:37:09 pm »

The Oracular Universes
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Local map of The Continents of Assembling
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History: Part 1: Nazomzuglar, "The Dreamy Ship"

   The Dreamy Ship, led by King Zuglar Exitsabre founded the mountain homes of Osonul, "Certainmirrors" and Dustiktosid, "Boararmors" in the first year of Dwarves 1.
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   In year 2 the King's loyal general Ablel Hamepartnered was struck down when his head was ripped by the roc Dafo Greaterrun the Brave Leavea who then preceded to devour him unchallenged. In the disorganization of the following months the night man Momuz Tunneledfaint the Crypt of Skulls became an enemy of The Dreamy Ship by trying to assassinate the Dwarven King Zuglar Exitsabre. While defeated, the latter escaped unscathed. However, the chaos and the loss of less note-worthy life led to delays and supplies were getting low.
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   The scout, Zuglar Cryptdents, was promoted to general in year 3. Under the pretext of the treatment of animals he started Kekimalnis, "The splattered War" with two successful attacks in the spring and autumn against the dark stranglers of the Comtemptible Forks, The enemy was met on the fields of Sebshos Logem, "The Mire of Paint." Success came with a price.
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   In the midwinter of 3 Zulgar made a journey to the depths of the world and tamed voracious cave crawlers before returning to Boararmors. The following spring Zuglar led his army in siege against the dark straggler forest retreat of Saxorosum, "Copperfrightful" from the back of a voracious cave crawler mount. Copperfrightful was crushed without resistance. After pillaging Copperfrightful Zulgar's forces moved through Slokstul, "Sicknessfail" that autumn taking light losses and pillaging it as well.
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   While militarily a success Zuglar Cryptdents' campaign failed in it's true goal of pillaging enough food to support The Dreamy Ship and he returned to Boararmors and starved to death in the famine during the early autumn of 4 just before the trade caravan got there.
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   In 5 Atir Dabbleink was named the new general of The Dreamy Ship and led 6 other dwarves in a desperate pillaging raid against Copperfrightful and Sicknessfail. Although they only lost one dwarf they still returned months later with no food. During the early autumn famine of 5, Atir starved to death in Boararmors while King Zuglar Exitsabre starved in the capitol, Certainmirrors, mere moments before the trade cavarvan was spotted in the distance. The Splattered War and The Dreamy Ship as a military force died with them.
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   In 6 Nomal Whiplenses became the Queen of The Dreamy Ship. Famine was rampant. She took Uzol Actfurnace as a husband and promoted him to general but he starved to death in the early autumn of 6. In the mid-spring of 7 following the departure of the trade caravan, the night man Momuz Tunneledfaint the Crypt of Skulls returned to a crumbling Certainmirrors and abducted the Queen Nomal Whiplenses. He imprisoned her in Ostarvesh Kornikol, "Burydust the Cavernous Skulls" and by the end of spring had changed Nomal Whiplenses from a dwarf into a spouse of the night man. Her son, born of Uzol Actfurnace [reference required], was corrupted as well and born as the night man Ozran the Ash of Tombs. The couple harassed the dark stragglers that had returned to Copperfrightful for 30 years, then passed the responsibility on to Ozran. Starving and distraught the rest of The Dreamy Ship had died or wandered off with many oaths of vengeance sworn against Momuz Tunneledfaint the Crypt of Skulls.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2011, 04:57:40 pm by Crashmaster »
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Conan

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2011, 11:04:28 pm »

lol a queen's husband dies of starvation.

why not the queen?

Crashmaster

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2011, 01:43:04 am »

History: Part 2: Dobar Or, "The Creation of Drinks"

   The Creation of Drinks, led by Queen Iden Boltsquest founded the mountain homes of Amkoleshtan, "Counselledsmith" and Rovodgeb, "Archdented" in the first year of Dwarves 1. These fortresses were built up a desolate valley at the edge of The Reticent Desert. Despite some contact with beasts they became productive enough to support founding the mountain home Udistmeng, "Pleatedlash" nearby in year 3. In the late summer of 15 Stukos Windright, general of The Creation of Drinks and husband to Queen Iden Boltsquest, was struck down by the mountain titan Tusnung Seanonsnarled the Oaken Hole in Counselledsmith. He was replaced by Likot Sizzlemine who made a journey to the depths of the world and tamed the giant bats that lived there.
   In the early winter of 26 Queen Iden Boltsquest was struck down by the giantess Os Esteemsearch the Harvester of Actions during the journey back from an inspection of Pleatedlash. The new ruler, Kosoth Tombsshake was a scout who had fought the ettin Sam Topknight and escaped unscathed.
   During the next three years Kosoth Tombsshake started another mountain home, Kosothbavast, "Palacegilded" and completed the construction of two vast underground roads; Arbostminkot, "the Deified Corridors" that linked Archdented to Pleatedlash and Rithlutas, "The Waxy Cave" linking Pleatedlash to the newly founded Palacegilded.
   General Likot Sizzlemine was struck down by the giantess Nongnob Calledcomets the Massive Radiant Quest while defending Counselledsmith in the mid autumn of 32. He was replace by Mafol Ropeattacks who had just got back from taming cave crocodiles in the depths of the world in the late summer of 33.
   In 36 the King continued his expansion of Dwarven control over this territory by founding the mountain home, Elikstukos, "Singlerazors." When King Kosoth Tombsshake was struck down by the giant Atup Specialclimax during the siege of Pleatedlash in the early autumn of 37, general Mafol Ropeattacks arranged for his new bride, Kivish Entrancedsword, to become Queen of The Creation of Drinks. They would carry on with the plans of the old King.
   The Giant Atup Specialclimax returned and attacked Archdented in the early summer of 39. After his left foot was smashed and he barely managed to escape from the giant Atup Specialclimax's onslaught Mafol Ropeattacks settled down and had a son and five daughters with the Queen during which time he saw to the founding of his first mountain home, Nakasdishmab, "Enjoyrampart" in 41.
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   Other than a problem with rocs in Singlerazors that saw in the mid-autumn of 47 the return of the roc Dafo Greaterrun the Brave Leaveain, an enemy of old of The Dreamy Ship, The Creation of Drinks' new mountain homes are successful. The fortresses are defensible but too remote and not equipped for breaking sieges that could isolate them. Wars surround The Taciturn Crest on all sides. It is only a matter of time before they find their way into this valley. Dark straggler scouts are frequently seen by patrols in the woods.

Crashmaster

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2011, 02:19:57 am »

Journal of Asob Oilyfortress: 51:

   It is official. I have declared my site. My plan is favored among the council and I could chose the best of the sites on the war calender. Stormrack will be built at The furnace of Robustness, a volcano beside the stream Pepperinched in The Forests of Gleaming.
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The late development of war with the dark stragglers influenced my decisions when picking my 6 companions. I took the requisite food, booze and seeds, some fine thread, lye and gypsum, plenty of sand, 3 malachite and 6 hematite ore, and of course an anvil of dwarven iron. We left with a breeding pair of dogs and an old tom cat.
   By the time we arrived at the site in the early spring of 51 I felt I knew them all well.
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   Kogsak, Monom and Ushat were at the top of their axe-sparring class and ready for promotion to active service. I had to bluff up my favor with the council to get all three of them away from their trainer. Id Nebelurist is an old acquaintance, an armorer the can brew a decent drink - we go on and on about the merits of taupe gray vs. the colour cream. Rigoth was a rare find in the mountain home and her woods-skills would be needed during the first phases of my plan. Our farmer, Rovod, I picked at random from the crowd of idler farmers.
   I myself studied weaponsmithing, but leaned in my research towards indiscriminate slaughter on a larger scale. Stormrack will be a trap of legends. The sieges of our enemies will break like waves against my Stormrock.
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   We arrive at the edge of the site and it matches the carvings exactly. I had the wagon brought right up against the cliff on the eastern side of the cinder cone.
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   The site is not ready for mining when we arrive so we need temporary shelter on the surface. Carpenter's, wood burning and mechanic's workshops were set up immediately and some training axes made from the wagon. Half the crew started cutting down trees while the other half crawled around collecting local seeds and edibles. I set up a smelter, forge and glass smelter then started on making 3 steel battle axes and a 3 copper picks.
   By summer we had a cabin built and were working on completing a wood palisade. Rigoth has made some superior beds and we shall be sleeping inside from now on - quite fortuitously as it has just started raining. A mining crew has been chosen consisting of the three axedwarves. They mined some rock from the volcano's wall inside the palisade and found it is very rich in malachite and marble. Some will be used for making mechanisms for the gate and for the system on the west side of the volcano. I spend my time crafting superior green glass pipes and corkscrews.
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   More dwarves arrived this summer and autumn bringing our number to 20. Clear-cutting the forest was expanded as well as gathering wild plants.  Id Nebelurist set up a still to brew the local berries and such and had the pack animals butchered for fresh meat. The palisade and a blockhouse with a drawbridge as well as the system on the west of the volcano are completed. We've been stockpiling wood on the roof of the cabin. Kogsak and Monom had to tear up a badger sow that slipped inside the fort unexpectedly. I'm thankful for the walls as there are more of the beasts prowling all around the fort.
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   On the west of the volcano a small windmill-powered pumpstack supplied by a dwarf-powered pump at the river started dumping water into the mouth of the volcano today. When I have my ears to the ground listening - I can hear it in the seismic tones, It's here! but I mustn't think of that yet. The whole volcano would be safely capped  over with obsidian before winter and I can move on with the plan on schedule.
   The trade caravan from Dobar Or had arrived and I hadn't got a depot set up yet so I ordered one fit together out of wood - it should only be temporary - before trading some excess furniture and mechanisms for various foodstuffs.
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   As 51 was coming to a close that winter I ordered the top of the volcano mined down flat to an altitude of 155 Urists in accordance with the plan and all the rock collected and "stockpiled". There was only one minor collapse during the channeling, which caused no injuries. A stair was cut to the obsidian cap to repair a few sections of the cap that hadn't formed right due to blockages. Food supply was getting low and gathering plants exposed too many dwarves to danger for a limited resource so I got farming started with the locally collected seed inside the palisade. A wall had to be started in the palisade where the miners had done their test-mining as that had screwed with the architecture of future plans - not in a critical way though as many wall sections will be needed to fill missing areas. I have set up an "office" in the cabin but haven't spent much time on the books yet.
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Crashmaster

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2011, 09:34:07 pm »

Journal of Asob Oilyfortress: 52:

   This spring a trade caravan of elves showed up, here! They just walked right in and unloaded their junk in our trade depot. I was too busy with my real work to deal with it so Kogsak told them to depart the stockade as well as convinced them to leave all the food and drink they had brought with them since it was dwarven tradition.
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   Kogsak and the other axedwarves had been officially named as Gaurds of the squad The Deep Palisades. They work on their skills right next to the entrance of the stockade. As their replacements on the mining crew dig out usable malachite ore from the work in the volcano, I'm having it smelted in charcoal fires into copper bars from which Id creates sets of armor for The Deep Palisades. I have drafted all the hunters into a squad armed with copper crossbows named The Bronze Whips.
   The pump stack in the west of the volcano was disassembled because I had ordered it in the wrong place, but I blamed the surveying report and everyone believed that.
   In anticipation of a repeat of last year when all of our water sources froze overnight, I had a new miner dig an underground well in a tunnel under the north palisade. The well's small cistern is under ground with a hole punched into the murky pool on the other side of the palisade. I hope no enemies find this culvert bypassing our walls. As if to test this a small siege of dark stranglers showed up in late summer. The Deep Palisade had no trouble slaughtering them as they came through the blockhouse.
   
   Despite the focus I had been placing on mining this summer one of my best miners took time off at the start of autumn to carve a marble rock he had seen in the volcano into a marble armor stand he had seen in his mind. I'm impressed but he is still staying a miner. The caravan from Dobar Or arrived with a new liaison. Degel Pagedabbler replacing our original liaison Zulban Standardwing, why, he wouldn't say. We eventually did a little trading, only surplus equipment for food.
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   There was an accident on the project this mid winter, Mistem Oelerbim was rushing due to the end-of year deadline for this part of the project and caused a minor cave-in. He fell but was un-injured. Another dwarf hauling rock was stunned by the dust blast but otherwise fine. I must say that I'm slightly disappointed by the lethality of these cave-ins so far reported during construction. Could my research be wrong?
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   The volcano is perfect for my plans but still had a few holes. Masons were dispatched to scramble over the outside of the volcano and brick-up a few areas as well as finish the main wall on the west side of the stockade. The haulers who dropped the buckets of water from wooden stairs to plug the magma holes in the obsidian cap complained non-stop, but the floor is fixed now just as I told them it would be. Digging inside the volcano was completed on time despite having to get stairs made to channel out the floor left after Mistem's mining accident.
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Argonnek

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2011, 11:26:12 pm »

This is really cool!

Crashmaster

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2011, 01:34:49 pm »

OOC: thanks

Journal of Asob Oilyfortress: 53:

   In the first days of spring this year a hidden squad of goblins were flushed out by one of the dogs. They were just east of the walls concealed by felled trees. They killed the dog but their stealth was revealed so they charged the gate. As they came through The Deep Palisades made short work of chopping them up using their exceptional steel battle axes that had I made for them.
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   A Peasant made an obsidian figurine today he called it, Playfulfathers the Elder Sheen. It was worth more then Olin Isosmeng's marble armor stand Imazdatur. The new Mayor Mistem Kadolvir was seen to claim a forge as well. I hope it will be uninspired, I believe it was news of Olin's marble armor stand that led that party of goblins to us.
   The construction on top of the volcano's pipe is steadily rising. All of my green glass work is fitting perfectly. The re-designed and re-located pump stack on the west of the volcano is under construction now as well. Some more migrants arrived. I didn't have time to examine them but there are lots of rocks for them to haul in the volcano.
   As if the summer wasn't busy enough we had a siege show up. Not more goblins or our enemies the dark stranglers, they were like giant floppy toads that waddled around! I had never heard of them before and hated their very sight immediately.
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   They crossed the river and came to the north of the stockade where they were met by crossbow fire from The Bronze Whip stationed in the wood stockpile on the roof of the cabin. Some of their ranks fled but others stayed just outside crossbow range hiding in a murky pool. I ordered The Deep Palisade to haul their hideous hides out, slay them to the last toad and then dump them back in the murky pool.
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   It was a good thing that those horrible toad-men were dispatched quickly as yet more migrants showed up on the horizon this week. Behind them came another new foe. Tall humanoid tigers with long bodies, they came in greater numbers then the toad-men. These white tiger men attacked in the same way as the toad men but suffered less casualties from the bolts of The Bronze Whip and reached the blockhouse in numbers. All civilians were ordered to take shelter in the cabin.
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   After they heard the screams of the first four white tigermen to meet The Deep Palisade's axes the remnants of the white tigerman force turned tail and ran with The Deep Palisades in pursuit. The alert was canceled and everyone could return to work.
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   Despite the attacks during the summer both pump stacks, their windmill powerplants and all the related controls have been completed to my specifications by autumn. All internal areas have been cleaned up and deserted and I ordered the first of the magma brought up to the surface through the obsidian volcano cap.
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The obsidian is cast as more migrants arrive. There are few jobs at the moment so many of our population of 72 are idle but my attention must be paid to the casting process.
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   The recruit Atis Shamebrovod had to be rescued from a murky pool after he fell in during a fight with a badger boar. He was all right and the badger boar was no longer interrupting work. The caravan from Dobar Or showed up with yet another new liaison, Nish Cloisteredtoungues. As Degel Pagedabbler's replacement he was equally tight-lipped about the change though satisfied to take some doors and furniture I did not plan on ever using in trade for some food and supplies.
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   During mid winter the obsidian casting was brought to a halt as the water sources froze up once again. Geshud Abanlenod made himself busy carving Oshotshagog Ngubmullitez, a raccoon bone amulet. Kogsak killed the local wildlife enthusiastically. Her agility allows her to get to her squad's targets first and score the most kills.

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   The thaw came in late winter as Kogsack was chopping up raccoons out in front of the stockade. With it however came another siege of white tigermen. We couldn't restart the magma casting until we had got rid of them because the pump to supply the water pump stack from the stream was dwarf-powered.
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   Two members from The Bronze Whip were outside picking up new equipment off of fallen enemies when the attack came. The militia captain Nil Ginonrovod was ordered to stay over on the other side of the bridge over the stream and to wait to see what happened. The recruit from the murky pool, Atis Shamebrovod was caught between a squad of white tigermen and a pack of war jaguars that had not originally been spotted as part of the siege force. He heroically brought down two war jaguars with his copper crossbow and wounded a third before being driven into the spears of the white tigermen blocking his escape and struck down.
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   The blockhouse's drawbridge was used to divide the enemy forces trapping a mace lord. Isolated they died to the steel axes of The Deep Palisade.
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   The rest of the white tigermen's forces were broken by their losses and retreated. Their war jaguars had less sense and stayed with the body of Atis Shamebrovod until Kogsak ran out and cut one down then beheaded two others, the remaining one he killed slowly while the rest of The Deep Palisades were just showing up.
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   In addition to getting casting obsidian started again before the year was out I completed all my bookkeeping calculations last month and have made an assessment of the fort's worth. Kogsak's record speaks well of her.
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Crashmaster

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2011, 09:03:47 pm »

Journal of Asob Oilyfortress: 54:

   Spring started this year with the arrival of migrants and the casting of another level of obsidian in the volcano. Magma was pumped up for the final level just fine but when casting it too much of the water was spilling off the side of the volcano. Something more is needed. Due to the amount of idle dwarves lately I had Kogsak select two more squads of dwarves for military service out of the most fit from our population. One more squad of axedwarves and a squad of hammerdwarves are chosen.
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   As spring was ending the elven traders returned of all things! But right on their heels was a significant force of those slimy, toady frog men mounted on huge elephants and great giraffes. Despite my indifference to the elves I couldn't help but to cheer them on towards the safety of our stockade. The wall lookouts also spotted a squad of goblins taking up camp on our eastern border.
   The elven traders luckily ran towards safety and got inside before the blockhouse drawbridge was closed. During the break in the tension our mayor decided to free us of his mandate banning the export of lay pewter items, of which we have none, and start a mandate demanding that we produce some them then when he knows we have none of the required materials either.
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   A dwarf who no one had noticed before created an amazing artifact quality figurine of some of Kogsak's victories. It is worth a fortune!
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   The elves were so spooked they never unpacked their goods. They just stood at the trade depot refusing to trade and looking anxiously at the now-barred exit.
   Due to the unexpected size of the enemy force outside, I ordered some traps set up inside the blockhouse. We hadn't stockpiled many captured weapons inside the stockade so I could only design three weapon traps with multiple weapons. I ordered another area trapped with cages behind this. All the while the elves are kicking their feet and pacing around still looking towards the exit. 'Let us in! Now let us out!' Spore them all. They're worse then cats. We'll let them out all right, in good time.
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   It was mid summer before the traps were in place and the drawbridge was once again lowered. The elves bolted from the stockade without a word. The first rushed straight past the mounted toad men charging into the open blockhouse entrance. He seemed likely to escape although his pack horse seemed to be slowing him down. Some of the toad men remained by the drawbridge while the others split off and ran down the pack horse and then the elf some ways south of the blockhouse.
   The two elves and two elven pack animals remaining in the stockade promptly went stark raving mad. One elf led his pack horse in an attempt to rush the drawbridge and the two mounted spear toads who guarded it. They didn't get far.
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   As the toads' mounts started stepping on the traps, some hesitated, some froze and one elephant limped slowly south trailing an enormous swath of it's own gore. The Deep Palisades were gathered in the center of the stockade and The Bronze Whips stationed inside the cabin with the rest of us civilians. I gave the order to re-close the drawbridge before the next wave could break through.
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   Once the drawbridge was sealed I had Ushat and Monom from Kogask's squad excecute the mad elf and his mad mule repectively, then proceed into the blockhouse to clear out the frog man filth that had avoided our traps. I wanted to have the traps re-set while we were living safe inside the stockade walls with all we could need but I was informed by the engraver Tulon Logemteling that we were out of food.
   Inspiration was only a moment away.
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   With our food supply bolstered for now with fresh cat, the blockhouse traps were cleaned and re-loaded and I ordered the drawbridge lowered again in the hope of breaking the remaining toad man and goblin siege forces. As the bridge dropped, the wall lookouts marked the approach of a besieging army of white tigermen as well as a large force of goblins mounted on giant rats and leading a squad of trolls. It looked like we were all going to be staying inside for the rest of the summer. All of us that is except for Endok Dorenamen, he locked himself in the pump house by the stream when the siege started back in late spring. He had even been in there long enough already to get thirsty before the siege had even started.
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   The toad men and goblins by the blockhouse were captured, killed or driven off. I ordered the bridge over the stream retracted cutting off the newly arrived mounted goblins and their trolls from our fortress completely. The white tigerman force was led by their general Zasit Scaldclenched who drove his troops right up to the blockhouse drawbridge where they milled around while my mechanics re-set the trap field once again.
   With The Deep Palisades standing at the ready I ordered the drawbridge down and we braced for what we expected might be our biggest challenge yet. But when the mighty dwarven drawbridge crashed down right at his feet crushing four of his personal guards and a war jaguar, general Zasit Scaldclenched promptly turned and ordered his entire force to retreat immediately.
   Meanwhile, Endok Dorenamen had been killed out in the pumphouse unnoticed by those of us in the stockade. I guess one of the goblin squads who had been cut off on the other side of the stream had a crossbow. The goblins must have been satisfied with just killing him too as they quietly left before he was found.
    A possessed peasant finished making a malachite door he called The Cunning Dwelling. He had been too absorbed in his work to heed the alert to take shelter in the cabin and didn't even realize we had just been under siege for four months.
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   We needed to get back to work so early this autumn I had Kogask and her squad finish off the stunned and wounded who remained hanging around out at the blockhouse. Usually they are thorough to a fault but this time they missed a white tigerman axeman who was hiding perfectly still in the refuse pile behind the eastern wall of the blockhouse. When Stakud Lecadmelbil stepped over the drawbridge on his way to haul Endok Dorenamen's corpse back from the pumphouse for burial, the hidden white tigerman axeman charged at him from behind and scratched open his left upper arm. Wounded, Stakud ran wildly and kept just one step ahead of the white tigerman until Kogsak stepped in between them and cut the white tigerman to pieces.
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   Once again the surface was secured for work. Up on the obsidian, a retaining wall to direct the water flow had to be set up. This was not a real set-back as more wall will have to be built eventually anyways. Once the wall sections were built we ran the water pumps for a while to finish casting the top layer of obsidian. As the last holes of magma were cooling I ordered the entire military and all civilians to report to the top of the cylinder. Everyone splashed around in the shallow water while I made them wait to find out why I had brought them up here. I didn't bother to tell them. They were thoroughly rinsed, better then I had hoped, in part due to a mysterious linear 'current' present despite the shallowness of the water that seemed to carry the filth completely away from them. I sent them back to their drinks and duties. This 'current' may prove to be a phenomonon worth researching.
   There was a big incident with a giantess near the end of this autumn. The thing was very fast. It caught and killed Lor Rovoduthmik who was out fishing. Before anyone had even reacted it had run right into the blockhouse and got stuck in a trap.
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   I suspect the giantess' arrival was no accident, it seems she was driven north towards us before another army of goblins coming from the south. They are commanded by their war leader, Ngebzo Ouzobaslot tamer of the giant rats of the depths of the world. Kogsak had the marksdwaves pulled from the walls, they could not stand against that many enemy archers.
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   Ushrir Ustutharan, some idle woodcrafter, was outside when the alert went up. Instead of running straight back inside he looked back, saw the goblins and panicked. The fool of a dwarf ran right into the arrows of the entire squad of bowgoblins. He was mercifully unconscious when the goblin spearmaster ran him through.
   Once again this year, we are besieged. Luckily the common dwarves are not too distracted by it all. I still got all the work done on the rest of the walls, floodgates and controls for the reservoirs on the top of the obsidian and filled the one with magma while the goblins waited outside. It's purpose filled, I ordered the complete deconstruction of the magma pump stack. Some complaints about wasted hard work are muttered but they have no concept of the entire plan beyond it's current stage. That is why I am the leader. The people have no need for a mayor.
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   The team de-constructing the magma pump stack had a accident in the first days of winter. Something fell causing and the entire contents of the pump shaft to collapse to the bottom leaving the windmill platform hanging from the volcano catwalk. Rigoth Iklistthob and some fish cleaner were knocked down the stairs and suffered serious injuries.
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   Their unfortunate fall lead me to discover a trail of blood that led from the pump stack to Endok Diamondcurled's corpse at one end and to the 2/7 magma leaked onto the bottom up stair of the pump stack access at the other. I curse myself for not specifically ordering those access doors locked.
   Another accident! No one reviewed the deconstruction orders after the last accident and so Iton Akrulomer started taking down the volcano catwalk while it's other end was no longer supported. The whole thing fell and blew Iton off down the stairs to the stockade. He complained about pain but he didn't look that bad. A section of the dormitory in the cabin has been designated as a temporary hospital though we can't really spare the space. This sort of thing wasn't in the plans.
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   Throughout the winter several waves of goblins and trolls were allowed to pass the drawbridge into the blockhouse where The Deep Palisades would fight them on the trapped floor. Late in winter the white tigermen showed up again with a new army. If we'd only thought to start building Stormrack ten years earlier we'd have been secure from these constant attacks before they became such a problem. A squad of tough dwarves is pulled from the idle population to train as speardwarves.
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    The goblins soon broke off their attack and departed by the way they had come leaving the white tigermen to deal with us. They approached en masse then charged the drawbridge. Their yelps and yowls as they jumped and dodged through the weapon traps and into waiting cages made me actually smile. I smiled even more when they suddenly abandoned their trapped and wounded to Kogsak's wrath and fled southwards.
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   By the arrival of spring the magma pump stack was torn down save for a few walls. It has seemed an exceptionally long year yet we are a season behind my predicted schedule. Everything is so exposed out here, and the constant attacks. I want to start the mining and get underground like everyone else but I need to spend my time orchestrating these final steps of the casting process because we can't have any mistakes. Everyone able-bodied dwarf is hauling the broken equipment and debris out from the bottom of the pump stack right now. Hopefully well before the magma starts to bubble through the hole in the floor it will all be removed.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

melkorp

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2011, 09:09:34 am »

Hey, this is good.

Spore them all. They're worse then cats.

Now it's great.
Logged
He he he.  Yeah, it almost looks done...  alas...  those who are in your teens, hold on until your twenties...  those in your twenties, your thirties...  others, cling to life as you are able...It should be pretty fun though.

Crashmaster

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #9 on: June 30, 2011, 01:22:12 am »

Journal of Asob Oilyfortress: 55:

   It is the spring of the new year. Deconstructing the walls and mining away the natural casing of the obsidian tower is progressing quickly and a good start has been made on filling the hole in the center. I'm having the idle dwarves stockpile the valuable ores in the stockade despite the near-critical lack of space. It's the prisoners that are the problem. I don't want to divert labor and space into facilities to execute them safely inside the stockade and Kogsak wants to keep them alive for future sport. So they stay.
   The impromptu medical staff have seen to Rigoth Iklistthob. A cheese maker washed his wounds without any soap (I'll see if I can find the lye we brought on the wagon to make some soap with immediately), and our furnace operator Obok Kedsakzul, repaired the compound fractures of his lower spine and both upper legs. The butcher Zefon Kidetdeduk among others tried his hand at suturing. He attempted to suture Rigoth's lower spine's nervous tissue back together although when he was done it was more cave spider silk then spinal cord. After a half month's rest to recover from so much care the mechanic Melbil Sarekiden set his bones and spine in what he guessed to be their proper places and covered his open wounds with rope reed fiber dressings. Melbil says Rigoth will need to be put in traction and he's going to need a traction bed to do so. Rigoth's chances are poor but I'm going to get someone started on some chains for a traction bed right away.
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   There was an herbalist named Olon Bokbonlibash who was possessed during the winter siege of 54. He never claimed a workshop and I wasn't going to waste time playing guessing games with him. So it was only slightly surprising when he died in the cabin after refusing to drink anything these last few months. If the empty coffins right next to mayor Mistem Kadolvir's little 'room' in the cabin were a bit spooky, the occupied ones are undeniably depressing. I have even ordered more of them made in preparation for the next disaster. A few migrants have arrived. I'll sort them out next season.
   With the obsidian's casing removed, except for the bit which houses the water pump stack, the stockade's north and south walls had to be lengthened gaining us a bit more space inside.
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   In anticipation of an attack on our fort this season, I had limited the distance the civilian dwarves can go away from the stockade. When the attack came it was just three squads of white tigermen. The first squad hurried into the blockhouse and was neatly trapped as the drawbridge closed behind them. They were then hauled in cages to the recently created floorspace in the stockade.
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    When the mechanics brought it up that there were no more empty cages to re-load the traps with I decided to chance re-opening the drawbridge right away given the cowardice the white tigermen have previously displayed. Their luck was as weak as their resolve and the second squad retreated. The third squad, seeing the second depart followed them in retreat without even trying the now mostly-defenseless blockhouse at all.
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   Summer brought the completion of the obsidian casting. The leftover magma in the reservoir was cooled or allowed to spread out and dry. Every able-bodied dwarf lent a hand at bringing down the no-longer needed walls.
   Vucar Fokerlikot was taken by a fey mood a withdrew into a craftsdwarf's workshop. Id, my friend the armorer, has produced enough copper armor to outfit all three of the new squads now.
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   Vucar Fokerlikot finished his construction, a decorative yak bone floodgate with a copper image of the diorite figurine of dwarves, 'Glosssieged' upon it. It's just not as good as the original.
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   The summer is coming to a close. The last of the casting equipment is getting deconstructed, the water pump stack and its feed are to be broken down and the last of the natural rock from around where the water pump stack was will soon be mined away.
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   Another siege is reported on our borders. Dark stranglers and goblins with trolls in tow. I have no fears of the dark strangers but the copper armor we have been producing is not very good insurance against the weapon masters of the goblin forces. We have acquired some steel through the caravans from the mountain homes but not yet enough to fully armor a dwarf, let alone an entire squad. The drawbridge over the stream is retracted immediately to cut off the goblin's trolls and a few dark strangers on the other side. The odds against us are better but still not good.
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   The dark strangers advance quickly and some made it into the blockhouse before the drawbridge was raised although they were easily dispatched. The cage traps still sit neglected since we ran out of empty cages in the spring and the order to produce more has not yet been filled.
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   The recent focus on armor production, monopolizing our forge, has led us to a current shortage of bolts. The Bronze Whip are unable to engage the enemy from the walls. With the squads of new recruits nowhere near ready for combat we take our time dealing with this siege. As long as they are driven off before the caravan from the mountain homes arrives we can still claim success.
   Our supply of new cages for the traps is bolstered by the cages of captives who have succumbed to their wounds and can be safely dumped in the refuse pile, of which, I'm not happy to say, we've just had to make one inside the stockade for the time being. The debris jamming the door open between the blockhouse and the stockade has finally been cleared giving us that one more measure of security that has been missing.
   By autumn we were prepared and in position. The goblin forces were allowed into the blockhouse in separate groups by using the drawbridge. Prisoners and heads were taken. The invaders stuck on the other side of the stream were gone when we checked for them.
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   The first stage of Stormrack's construction was now complete. I stood on the top of the obsidian tower overlooking the stockade to the east and considered my plans. Someone yelled up to me that the woodworker Rigoth Lolokthosbut we had brought with us from the mountain home had created a bucket of the highest quality. I would have to go take a look at it.
   Progress has been slowed due to increased enemy presence in the area and that is only expected to get worse. Construction and management of a fortress was difficult at the best of times, but I think we would all be nowhere or worse without the protection of Kogsak and The Deep Palisades. I can't afford to over-tax them despite their assurances to the contrary, so I ordered additional cage traps built in the blockhouse. I just needed more time though more steel would be nice as well. At least for now I could start to get the build-up of refuse inside the stockade taken outside where it belongs.
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   The miners eagerly took to the obsidian with their picks. They cut the entrance to our new home into the east face of the tower. I had the semi-valuable rock stored with the malachite and marble we had already stockpiled.
   Zasit Famousdiamond, our new outpost liaison from The Creation of Drinks arrived from the east with the trade caravan. We had quite a bit of garb taken from dead or imprisoned invaders that I traded for food, sand and lye. I also took the iron, iron ores, pig iron and steel that I had requested last year.
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   Winter arrived, the trade caravan started preparing to leave. Two levels below, along the new entrance hallway, and then again in the depot hall, the miners have dug into veins of hematite. This was the best news I could possibly receive. The hematite was brought up to the surface with the obsidian. We had a surplus of charcoal in the wood burning workshop so production of steel bars was prioritized at the smelter. I kept myself busy producing more giant corkscrews and pipe sections out of green glass made from the sand brought by the caravan.
   Outside of the stockade I ordered Mistem Delerbim, one of the miners to dig under the ice of the murky pool by the north palisade. I wanted a grate installed over the inlet to our well's reservoir to secure it against amphibious assault. He declined claiming to be possessed but at least the work was undertaken by one of the other miners. I had assumed Mistem was faking it but he quickly produced a floodgate of the highest quality, if not necessarily value, named The Stern Prestige.
   A few migrants arrived late this season as well. The crowded sleeping situation in the cabin dormitory is starting to wear on us.
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   The enemy arrive again. The cowardly tigermen we are familiar with, but prancing from the east on cloven hooves came twisted beings with goat skulls for heads. Kogsak told me they were known as foul blendecs and that their enchantments would render our traps useless against them.
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   The drawbridge was raised as a few of the white tigermen are captured. The enemy forces had gathered around the blockhouse but The Bronze Whip fired no bolts down upon then. Deep in my work in the glass furnace I had forgotten that I was the one responsible for keeping them supplied with copper bolts. Kogsak luckily took the initiative and had the carpenters make a few stacks of wooden bolts while I got back over to the forge after having a drink.
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   Once again armed, The Bronze Whip rain wooden followed by my masterwork copper bolts down on the foul blendecs. Interestingly, they vaporize upon expiring.
   Stakud Lecadmelbil who was rescued from a white tigerman by Kogsak back in autumn of last year became possessed. He claimed a craftdwarf's workshop and muttered endlessly of shells. I know where there are shells outside in the refuse pile but no one is going out there yet.
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   With the foul blendecs perforated and vaporized, the drawbridge was dropped and The Deep Palisade sallied forth and decimated the white tigermen at the gate. They also turned up an ambush of goblin lashers who just turned and fled while The Deep Palisade were busy with the white tigermen.
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   The Bronze Whip had set their sights on the squad of white tigermen to the west of the blockhouse. This last squad retreated quickly after a few bolts found their mark leaving a couple of their wounded to distract Kogsak who soon chased the rest of them to our southern border.
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   With the alert dropped, Stakud could get his shells. The miners working on the sections of my underground plans reported striking a few veins of native gold in addition to more hematite and the year ended on a positive note.

Crashmaster

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #10 on: July 01, 2011, 02:47:16 am »

Journal of Asob Oilyfortress: 56:

   Stakud Lecadmelbil finished his work and presented a mussel shell crown called Betancuggan. It smells terrible and is only worth 2400*.
   The work underground goes well. I have prioritized the magma reservoirs since they will need the most mechanical workings. No working or living space is as of yet being prepared underground, prisoner storage though has been moved to the future depot hall.
   Spring ends with the arrival of 5 squads of white tigermen from the north and west and an ambush squad of goblin bowmen that opened fire on the marksdwarves dwarfing the blockhouse walls. Kogsak and her squad ran out and cut down the goblins without delay. I had ordered them to return to the stockade as soon as they were done, which they did, but I can tell Kogsak is unhappy in the level of faith I put in our military. The increase in cage traps has obviously been taken as an insult.
   The three squads of white tigermen from the northern border took heavy crossbow fire from The Bronze Whip up on the wall as they passed along the east side of the stockade. The lucky ones just kept going south, now in retreat. As the remains of their force reached the blockhouse another besieging army arrived - the vile, hideous toad men. They came led by their general, Cuthefi Elethaene surrounded by a personal guard mounted on war elephants and war giraffes and supported by two more squads plus two loose groups of war elephants and war giraffes following.
   There does seem to be little use for the traps as of the 60 or so white tigermen that arrived only 15 made it over the drawbridge. Another 15 were scattered immobile around the entrance. Cuthefi and his mounted squad charged the open drawbridge, foolish courage in his grotesque amphibian eyes. My hatred for this awful creature curled my lip into a sneer beneath my beard. Kogask, at station beside me, looked to me and leaned towards the drawbridge as if restrained. I only said, 'go' and she was running outside, the rest of The Deep Palisade following once they realized what was going on.
   The slaughter was quick, the white tigermen close by just disappeared in a cloud of blood, limbs and fur. The entire Deep Palisade were in martial trances. Cuthefi's mount was disabled by a marksdwarf's bolt right in front of the drawbridge but The Deep Palisade split to the east and west to take on the war giraffes and war elephants coming from these directions respectively. They were lost in blood lust, joyfully putting axe to meat over and over and over again. Cuthefi's maimed war giraffe suddenly stood up and started to slowly limp away bearing him southwards. I could never allow him to escape alive.
   The three recruit squads were ordered into the fray. They swarmed Cuthefi relieving him of his mount and his right foot. He was inexpertly struck many times before Commander Atir Osathel of The Faiths of Steel axedwarves took his head earning himself his first kill.
   The rest of the battle was a free for all for the recruits. The last of the defeated died trying to escape past The Deep Palisades who watched and waited at the southern border.
   Wounds amongst the recruits were limited to cuts and bruises. Ablel Thobunal said her right foot was too cut to stand on but when everyone went to celebrate in the booze stockpile she left her hospital bed to join in. She eventually would return to get it washed and dressed. Our soap is made from the those tasty jaguars of the white tigermen.
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   Just as things seemed to be back to normal, in the last days of spring a goblin ambush struck down a tree-cutter on the east bank of the stream. The Deep Palisades pursued and allowed only one of their hands to make it back west past the bridge over the stream.
   
   Summer was productive underground, we had some more migrants arrive, everyone was busy, most of the obsidian floodgates were installed, two of the magma reservoir pumpstacks were nearing completion and much mining was done. The end of summer brought an unremarkable attack by three squads of white tiger men.

   Ber Arkikrost finished an inspired creation, Fongbezasiz, a native gold scepter that rivaled Queen Entrancedsword's own. All glory to Stormrack.
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   When more migrants arrived mid-autumn I met them in the blockhouse and ushered them underground right away. I told them I had been waiting for a skilled group such as themselves for some time. They bought it and I told them that I needed some stone detailing done in utmost secrecy. One tried to point out that none of their group had any experience in stone detailing but I stifled that by saying they all had exactly the experience required. I showed them to their work areas described the job needed and explained that the obsidian floodgates were there for their own protection from other dwarves jealous of their important positions. I checked back in a week and the obsidian floodgates were pleasingly warm to the touch.
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   Goblins laid siege to Stormrack during the end of autumn. Four squads with trolls. The two squads of bowgoblins lead by bowgoblin elites worried both myself and Kogsak. The Bronze Whip were pulled from the palisades for now. Their trolls were deployed close to the drawbridge while the rest of the force arrived from the west. The trolls harassed a few civilians who were caught outside but Kogsak and her squad responded quickly enough to save them, slaying the trolls at the drawbridge and allowing the panicked civilians enough time to get inside the stockade.
   Most of the bowgoblins were cage trapped in the blockhouse, the other squads shut outside. While the caged prisoners were seen to as winter set in, Id was proud to present The Deep Palisades with three basic sets of steel armor, most of it masterworks. Once equipped they went forth to break it in against the remaining goblins and returned all smiles with their new armor painted red with goblin blood.

   There was enough space prepared underground now to start moving some of our industries inside and out of the cold. While this was going on I received reports of ghost sightings around the fortress. The apparition of some dwarf no one knew was apparently drifting around moaning of treachery. I instigated rumors that it was a member of this autumn's missing caravan, killed by the goblins besieging us (though I knew better). I quietly ordered nine memorials carved, telling the craftsdwarf they were a special order for the mountain homes.
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   Two squads of those foul blendecs came at the end of the year. They were driven off by the Bronze Whip who are becoming excellent marksdwarves.
   Some cave spider webs turned up in a tunnel on the lowest level, there may be access to the caverns under our fort.
   The miners have cut the killway and associated passages from the obsidian tower although one of the magma reservoirs is still barely started. Individual bedrooms are being furnished finally. Rigoth Lolokthosbut has been busy producing masterwork beds, anything lesser is only fit for trade. Other furniture is being made exclusively from obsidian. Magma has been slowly flowing into the power array for our new magma smelting and forging workshops, it has now reached reliable operating levels.
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Argonnek

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #11 on: July 02, 2011, 12:18:02 pm »

What mod is this? Fortress Defense? Reading this makes me want to try it out.

Crashmaster

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #12 on: July 03, 2011, 12:28:59 am »

Yeah, Fortress Defense, basic mode. Great mod.

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #13 on: July 23, 2011, 03:13:13 am »

Journal of Asob Oilyfortress: 57:

   The elves showed up again this spring. They dragged their willowy hides into the fortress under suspicious glares from most of the laboring dwarves. No one is sure why they persist in returning as they have left that much the poorer for each visit. This unknown factor breeds mistrust, which in respect to elves is expected and justified. I think they sense the growing hostility towards them so I let them wait in the trade depot and stew while I work the forges.
   Like clockwork the sieges arrive. There are many of them including two squads of ranged goblins and winged creatures called furies that we have not seen before in the flesh. Our marksdwarves The Bronze Whip are ordered off the exposed walls again.

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   This season's battle was cast the same as many a previous one; the attacker's swarmed the blockhouse and were divided by the drawbridge, trapped and imprisoned underground or cut down by the axes of The Deep Palisade.

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   Instead of seeing the elvish traders personally I had a drink and went to bed leaving a unoccupied fish cleaner to inform them of what goods we were seizing this year. They started packing for the journey back to their cursed forest soon after.
   The summer dragged on. Once no more enemies equipped with ranged weapons could be seen alive outside, The Bronze Whip re-mounted the walls and drove the remainder away under a hail of copper bolts.
   The furies never did attempt to assail the stockade, remaining near the border of our territory. I am guessing they are scavengers of the battlefield unwilling to engage in direct combat.
   The elves could not be accounted for for a while. I had a moment of concern that they had infiltrated the underground fortress (as I suspected might be their motive for returning to such an unwelcoming outpost) until various moans and wails were heard coming from the top of the obsidian tower. I told Kogsak to go and ask the elves to leave and she returned in short order to report that she had to axe some of them twice.

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   Our drawbridge was never opened this summer due to uncertainties about the goals and abilities of the furies in the southwest. They were still there when a new force entered out territory, dark stranglers, this time led by their law giver Ocust Lurutosp. On their heels were another new foe, nagas, and bownagas at that. The mechanics were thoughtful enough to warn me that their slithering snake-like lower bodies would be unlikely to trigger the mechanisms of our traps.

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   I wanted the military of Stormrack, such as it currently was, to strike a significant blow against the dark stranglers. They have been a long-standing enemy of dwarf-kind and killing their law-giver would bring us much acclaim.
   When offered the chance Monom and Ushat volunteered to sortie against the enemy. Kogsak was asleep and they seized on the opportunity to fight without her sprinting ahead to monopolize on the glory and kills.

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   The dark strangler army came in waves and Monom and Ushat cut through them as though they were water. The Bronze Whip fired a few bolts from the walls just for show.

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   Approaching the blockhouse each group was engaged, decimated and chased south where the axedwarves would then wait covering the route to escape.

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   Ocust Lurutosp and her personal guard rounded the obsidian tower and beheld the battlefield strewn with the mutilated corpses of their hideous brethren. The marksdwarves spotted her as well pointing her out to Monom and Ushat.

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   She lost her nerve after the first of her guard was felled by a well-placed bolt and called for a retreat but Monom and Ushat predicting such cowardice had cut them off and charged straight into her bodyguards chopping their way through to their target.

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   Their leader dead the rest of her guard broke formation and fled, a few of them getting an axe in the back on the way.

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   Success did not go to the heads of the military however. The nagas still drove towards the blockhouse and the lethality of their arrows was no small matter. The entire Stormrack military, trainees and all gathered in the open blockhouse to ambush them. I suddenly remembered that I had urgent fortress business to attend to below the surface.

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   The element of surprise was well played. The ranged advantage of the nagas was negated as the two forces clashed immediately in melee range.

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   With their ranks cut down in minutes and the sounds of battle turning to dwarven cheers I emerged from the underground to issue congratulations to the trainees for bloodying themselves in glorious battle. The furies had even departed unseen during the battle so the surface was ours once again.

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   Several of the inexperienced and poorly armored trainee dwarves were slightly wounded in the fight. I visited them in the hospital as they waited for the chief medical dwarf Eshyan Kibnar. Despite explicit orders to see to the wounded he had been spending all of his time since the beginning of this autumn creating a native gold floodgate called Bekarnoram. Were it not for the incredible quality and value of the object I would have had him lashed.

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   The worst wounded of the bunch turned out to be Thob Lanlaravuz, a carpenter who had never even seen battle at all. Questioned, he related finding a beautiful room floored in smoothed native gold with a superior quality gold statue of a dwarf watching over nine memorial slabs to some dwarves he had never heard of. Apparently a crowd of dwarves and animals congregating around one of the memorials had started fighting for no reason.
   I stormed down below to the supposedly secret memorial room meant solely for the spirits of the nine dead migrants who had breached the magma pipe on my orders and found a full-blown riot in progress! I separated the fighters and kicked everyone out of the golden room. The door was securely locked this time, the dwarves sent back to work and punishments doled out to the true instigators of the ruckus.

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   Migrants arrived as well as the caravan from Dobar Or. I no longer bother to inquire as to the name of the new outpost liaison. Many of us, myself included strip the corpses in the blockhouse to bring their clothes to the trade depot. We have not manufactured much in the way of sale-able goods nor plan to in the near future. It was while doing this that I got the biggest scare in my life to date! A sword goblin rounded the corner of the blockhouse wall as I was pulling some cave spider silk socks off of another goblin corpse. He was no more then one urist away from me, we were ambushed, I was ambushed!

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   I called for Kogsak and stepped backwards, the goblin was slowed by a flurry of blows from a weapon trap and luckily stumbled right into a cage trap before it could do me any physical harm. The Deep Palisade rushed out and slayed the remaining goblins. They stayed on station at the blockhouse entrance and caught another ambush squad a few hours later.
   As winter set in I finished trading with the caravan, we needed lay pewter to satisfy the demands of the mayor Mistem Gemstar who was getting impatient due to the lack of lay pewter items made to satisfy his mandate.
   The freezing of the stream was used to finish carving the fortifications that would act as the inlet to our main water reservoir and Kikrost Rakasavuz created quite a nice bag, as nice as something made of rope reed fiber can be I guess.

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   A plague of snatchers preceded a siege of goblins and white tigermen that arrived as the year drew to a close. The goblins had again brought bowgoblins and crossbowgoblins with seasoned elites of both types holding ranking positions in their force.

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   They charge the blockhouse as as though their fate will be different from those who came before them.

   Progress underground has crawled along steadily despite repeatedly sidetracking the work on the main project to mine out valuable veins of minerals while they are accessible. The magma reservoirs and pump stacks are complete as well as is most of the passageways for the power infrastructure. The main water pump stack is finished and work is about to resume on the water reservoir shaft as soon as one of the refuse processors is at least readied enough to start accepting the refuse that is currently overflowing outside. The first half of the training facilities have been cleared out if not yet set up and the magma forges areas are being cleared before the forges can be built. With the wealth of hematite we have mined and our large stockpile of marble we will be able to produce enough steel for an army. Of special note in my progress sketches is the expanding prisoner population in the greeting hall that outnumbers us by three to one.

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Crashmaster

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Re: Stormrack, death monolith to Armok
« Reply #14 on: July 23, 2011, 10:55:15 pm »

Journal of Asob Oilyfortress: 58:

   The door from the blockhouse into the stockade has been jammed open with refuse and foreign armor for some time. It wasn't anymore then a minor safety issue until the outpost liaison decided to leave while we were still besieged and got her skull punched in by a troll.
   Spring and summer were abnormally calm. White tigermen were the only ones foolish enough to attack in force and presented no challenge to The Deep Palisades who made sorties to protect our woodcutters on both occasions. A couple goblin ambushes spiced up the action but were generally of no consequence. I even gave the elven traders that showed up this spring a sack of gloves for their food and thread. Since we have not yet been visited by the neighboring humans the elves may be our only option to export goods beyond the mountain home.
   A couple more artifacts have been made though they are no longer of much note to me when viewed against the wealth of the fortress as a whole and they are as usual patently useless as well. The water reservoir shaft was finished by the end of summer and the magma forges and smelters are set up and waiting to melt down the glut of equipment taken from the battlefield. Refuse is being taken to the new processing location safely underground, at some point I will have the the old piles outside the stockade moved down there as well.
   As the seasons change to autumn the floodgates to the magma reservoirs are opened for the first time.
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   With the level in the magma pipe dropping temporarily the miners are locked in the top with food and drink and ordered to channel out the floor before the reservoirs fill up - or else.
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   They finish with plenty of time to spare and the masons wall up the access point with obsidian. The mechanics are laying the required power transfer equipment for the pump stacks.
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   The trade caravan from Dobar Or arrives on schedule. We trade for the usual goods but this year also send a large offering of exceptional sets of copper armor back to the mountain home. We will soon have steel to replace it and I want to curry favor with the nobles of the mountain home. The Deep Palisade escort the caravan to the edge of our territory when they leave.
   The miners start their work on the more luxurious parts of the living areas; dining room, meeting area and an actual hospital all safe underground. They have to begin at the top due to the design of my waterfalls that will pass through these areas after they fall through the central area of the sleeping quarters.
   
   OOC: FUCK! damn tired eyes, that will bug me for the rest of this fort's life.
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   In the winter the prisoners are finally stripped of their gear. I will allow no more cages to be built and Kogsak will have to dispose of these wretches soon. The furnace operators are put to work meting down every poorly-made foreign piece of metal the haulers bring down to them. I work the new magma forges producing statues and a large number of grates from gold bars to be used around the waterfalls. More white tigermen arrive and a couple goblin ambushes are exposed outside the blockhouse. All of the cage traps are out of commission now but no invaders pass the door to the stockade. Winter ends on a quite note.
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