Third log as overseer, Paladin Mitch, Chaplain of Icemachines.
Date? Fucked if I know, too busy dragging bodies of the fallen out of a ditch.I woke up to the sound of an ear piercing howl. I wake up to see Arzun kicking my door down (and I detected that he did so out of spite and not urgency) and screaming at my face! I was sober at the time so it took me a while to register the words coming out of his gaping maw, "Blarghthfgh HELP hgsgfhgh BEAST drhgeht-"
I stood up to attention and took a swig of my beerskin, "Ah, my head is much clearer. Now what is it you were saying?" I calmly replied as he flailed his arms around.
"A forgotten beast made it through! Sphala didn't think it would and now it's in the base!"
I stormed out the door, him tailing my large strides with nervous running. I ordered the guards to my side and we ran to the cavern door. Hatebeard took the lead, and turned to me before opening the door. I nodded and cheerfully said, "After this how 'bout a round next to the arena I'm going to make?"
We sprawled out of the tight doorway to the sound of the disturbance. What we saw shocked us.
It seems the cave-fish-people beat us to it. The forgotten beast was shredded by their crude weapons; they hadn't even taken a single injury. We looked amongst each other with confusion, before slowly backing out. Those things could defeat a demon-spawned forgotten beast, there's no way I'll risk a dwarf to those heathenistic fish things.
On our way back a dwarf came up to me holding some stupid earring. On it was some stupid image about some stupid shit. I was not in the mood to care about his mood. Now I had to fix my door... But he blocked my path and shoved the trinket in my face again. "Yes yes, it's very nice. I've got work to do-"
"It is isn't it? I'm blessed by the gods!"
A look of intrigue spread across my face, not because of this artifact but because of a wave of faces I hadn't seen before.
They neatly arranged themselves into a line and told the bookeeper their name and profession. I stood by and watched; we needed more miners. Most of the newbies were useless but one caught my attention; Zefron Soardpainted. A handsome fellow; and a useful one at that. An expert of marksdwarfery! I greeted him and told him of our lack of a ranged military force. I didn't plan on immediately drafting him, but I told him it was a possibility in the future. First I had to be ready to equip them. Which reminded me; one of Sphala's notes said something about under-equipped soldiers. Just as I took note of this a dwarf told me we had run out of strands.
I was about to address the issue when I heard the sound of a horn. Just as the last of the immigrants came in I heard screaming and yelling.
"Goblin siege!"
I gritted my teeth. I had ten problems at once, I did not have time for this. Atleast it gave me a chance to test out the new Icemachine. I had been studying it for quite some time and had to admit; it certainly was a marvel of dwarven engineering.
Now dear diary, I hate Felsite. Fell is such an evil word. And from this day forward I will hate it even more.
There was easily 50 enemies above; trolls, hordes of archers and master level goblins swarmed the snow ridden landscape.
I did not like the amout of trolls that came bearing down on us. I had the access switch turned off, and heard the clunking of dwarven mechanics. But the green vultures above still ran toward our
UNLOCKED main entrance. Just as a couple of dwarves came up to make out in the trade depot:
Luckily I ordered the door locked and the outer bridge raised. Now a couple of trolls were trying to brake the doors down and the others had thankfully diverted to the Icemachine. I sent a squad of dwarves up top to prepare for when the trolls broke through.
I waited for the swarm to enter the trap. Every single one did!
I turned and bellowed, "Now! Pull it now!"
But we were too slow. The positioning of the levers away from the meeting areas of idle dwarves meant that it was quite a trip until anyone could pull the lever. Some of the enemy got past the trap, but around three quarters suffered the wrath of the gods.
The remaining squad was mostly goblin archers, so I ordered all of our squads to meet outside of the door that locked them in. When all were ready; 'Wes' lead the charge.
It was a quagmire that I pray every day to retry. Wes and another dwarf were injured, Wes more so. I don't know if Wes will recover, but the other dwarf has.
All my comrades were cheering but I took it as a bittersweet victory. If only I had been quicker with my order to pull the lever maybe we would have gotten all of them and Wes would not have been injured.
I retreated to my room to plan my next course of action before another dwarf interrupted me with his turd earring.
I told him the get out, I had to think. He told me in his excitement that it distracted everybody from the new beast that invaded! I simply sighed and sent him on his way. I did not feel like smiting him that day.
I decided to drink myself to sleep before I was interrupted by two
ingrates nobles (at least this time Arzun didn't break my door.) One spouting something about needing low boots for the army. I agreed and sent the order for two adamantine low boots. He skipped happily out of my room and left me in peace. Arzun solemnly turned to me and spoke softly.
"We both know these are hard times. Even the defenders of this place are feeling the pressure;
Peregar's 'streak' was a one time thing and I apologise on his behalf. Wes has taken injuries to his leg, which even though we won the day against a vast army I know you are feeling forlorn about.
Despite his injury he is as we speak training with his comrades, trying to relieve you of your guilt. Now, the matter of the highest importance; we need 3 splints. I know we don't have wood, but make it happen. Chop chop."
He continued talking my ear off and I started slipping in and out of conscience but from what I gathered he wanted a few things. A new stockpile, engravings in his room and for the army to be better equipped.
When I woke up again in an hour he was still nagging, "...and I wan't that engraving
removed from your chambers! It is insulting and I will not suffer it!"
I sat up and looked toward his pointing finger. Then I burst out laughing.
"Arzun! I didn't know you wept! Perhaps you could go to the kitchen and fashion me up a plump helmet roast after you clean the blood out of the trap!"
He went red in the face. I recalled his previous orders and remembered a couple of things I had forgotten to mention in previously; I had indeed made a new stockpile. For everything. There was an oddly large amount of tombs, four if I recall correctly. I know it's disrespect to the dead, but they'll understand it's for the good of the fortress when I tell them I used all the unused tombspace for the new stockpiles. I had also previously ordered fifteen of every armour in adamantine available;
Except adamantine shields because they are as effective as other shields but are less useful for bashing in the skulls of heretics.
The soldiers were in uproar about abandoning the clothes they were used to.
Now I don't know why he was asking me to engrave his place; it was already fully engraved. Perhaps the insanity of nobility was getting to him. Maybe that's why he asked me to make a tin throne for his tomb (I assume he want's his remains to be placed on it in a kingly position instead of in his coffin), and maybe why he ordered three splints for Wes instead of letting us use the many we had remaining.
He stormed out of my chambers. I should read these engravings more often. One caught my attention; I believe I had seen it somewhere before...
...a homage to a picture of cheese. It sounds familiar.
I spent some more time fishing. I took a liking to one of the new immigrants; another fisherman. Goes by the strange name of Nimote. Nice guy, I'd be interested in him if he wasn't already married to another immigrant.
Celebration next episode! +10 dwarfbucks to whoever gets the cheese reference!
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Topic: Icemachines, saving the world from starvation [SUCCESSION_FORT][NEED_OVERSEERS] (Read 32242 times)