-1 Granite 126-
We arrive at our destination. Datan wasn't lying, this place is strange indeed.
Eyeballs of varying sizes litter the ground, some dead and rotting, others that
blink and stare as you walk past. Pink wormy tendrils grasp at your boots when you
walk through the foilage. Our dogs seem happy enough nipping and biting at these
abominations, and no harm has come from the ingestion of the flesh.
I'm glad we brought these dogs.
-2 Granite 126-
We broke ground today, cutting forth a hole from the purple slope. This land is
old; huge cliffs mark the route of the many waterfalls.
As we agreed on the trail, I am to become the resident woodsman. I know very
little about the trade of carpentry but cutting down trees comes easy enough. I
don't mind getting away from the others, though being alone in the strange forests
of this place worries my mind.
I suggested that I would be safer with some dogs to watch my back, and Datan
agreed. I shall name the black one Dodok and the tan one Zulban.
-7 Granite 126-
We have dug much in the last 5 days. A large room is forming under our willing
picks. Deduk noticed a moisture, though, and work was put on hold while we
determined the source. Through careful pacing we determined the moistness lay
directly under some shallow pools above our dig; the water must be leaking through
the pourous loam. Work resumed, and all is well.
I tried working with wood today but found it difficult and time consuming. The
strange wood of this land makes work even tougher, as slippery and foul smelling
as it is.
-25 Granite 126-
We have lasted a month. Our wagon has been unloaded into our new home, as well as
a modest pile of wood I cut. We have plenty of booze and about 80 salted chickens
left, though the taste is sordid. Mebzuth professed his will to cook us something
to go with the sweet rum we brought along, but he has yet to show initiative.
Datan will tell him off, though, if he doesn't get to work soon - Datan doesn't
like to compromise with others. He's a good leader, though. If work needs to be
done he makes sure we know of it.
He tells us he has commanded other expeditions, but I have never heard from a
dwarf he has led. His great weight tires him easily, but his mind keeps working
while he rests and no one thinks him lazy for it.
-26 Slate 126-
We dug downwards. Not one layer of soil had been removed before Deduk noticed a
moistness in the dirt and called a halt. Datan slid down into the damp hole we had
dug, sniffed the air, and told us it was an aquifer. He told us it was dangerous
to keep digging, and that we would have to scrap our plans for a tunnel to the
nearby cliffs.
Meb recruited Obok and together they plowed the loam at the far end of our cave,
making rows of overturned soil suitable for crops. I have heard tales of
fortresses being wrought from the stone of mountains, how they must lay down
complex mechanical pump systems to simply grow food. The pumps draw up water as
well as the rich, black mud from the riverbed and spread it over the carved stone
floor. It sounds intriguing but I am thankful for the ease of our situation.
The strange, purple wood that grows in this land is completely unsuitable for use
in the fortress. The smell of sulfur and decayed flesh is unbearable, and even a
month after cutting that first door the odor is fresh. I hope to dump the unused
wood outside the fortress, but have been busy carving beds for the dwarves.
-20 Felsite 126-
We saw horrows today. Datan and Rakust left the cave to take our pack animals out
to graze. I barely made 3 cuts on the door I was carving when the two rushed back
in shouting about horrid creatures from the sky. I dropped my tools and went with
the other dwarfs, cracking open the doors and peering into the grey world beyond.
I caught a glimpse of our horse galloping away from five or so small black
creatures, flying through the air. The water buffalo who had so gratefully pulled
our wagon was nowhere to be seen. Datan explained they had barely walked ten feet
from the door when a dozen black creatures dropped out of the sky and onto the
animals - the dwarfs barely had time to drop the leads and run back to the doors.
I looked back from Datan just in time to see a black shape slam into the door and
squawk. Rakust, who had been holding the door ajar, quickly closed it and latched
the thick wooden beam that was our lock.
It sounded like a crow and looked like a crow, but crows don't smell like rotting
flesh - unless they are dead. And dead crows don't fly.
As we retreated to our cave, we heard the piercing screams of a horse. It was loud
enough to penetrate the thick soil walls, and I was frightened at the painful
sound and what it meant for us. No one was suggesting we try and save it, no one
was even speaking. And when it stopped, our silence was it's.
-26 Hematite 126-
We heard knocking on our door today. Axes at the ready we cracked it open, only to
see the smiling faces of five migrant dwarfs. They were concerned by our story,
but told us that there weren't any black creatures outside and that the water
buffalo had been happily grazing by the riverside. We were amazed and confused but
ultimately relieved. Despite searching low and high, the corpse of the horse was
never found, though we followed it's hoofprints to the edge of the waterfall.
Maybe it chose to end itself?
The migrants had all traveled from the mountainhome, hoping to join our
expedition. We gladly gave them rooms and jobs. Two were amateur carpenters who
relieved me at the woodshop - I was glad to see the tools used as they were meant
to be. A weaponsmith had arrived too - he professed his great talent as a shaper
of metal, but that has yet to be tested. A warrior arrived as well, saying he knew
a little about fishing but was mostly trained in combat with a mace. Finally, a
novice ranger who looked a little rough around the edges but was the most eager of
the bunch. He was the one who asked the most about the black creatures, he seemed
convinced that a few well placed bolts would take down a creature of that size.
Our food stores were growing, now that the plump helmets began to rish from the
ground. Datan told me to keep a tally of how much food we have, and considering
that I already keep this journal I agreed.
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000000000000000000000000000000000
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I don't write very much but this fortress had just enough character to motivate me. If anyone is interested in seeing more, I have the rest of the year written up. All this did happen, too - frickin awesome game that DF is.
And if people are interested in playing this save, I could turn this into a succession fortress as well! The embark is one of my favorites in recent memory.
Author
Topic: Outpost Berstigaz, "Earthrasps" (Read 1381 times)