Edit; Using a different host for Chapter 2 pictures, not sure if it makes a difference.
Quick intro; Thought I would share my latest Masterwork Mod fortress, with the purpose of both entertaining and educating. My goal is to show some of the features like Guilds & new animals, plus explain the utilities like Quickfort & Workflow Manager. If there anything in particular you want to see done or explained, just lemme know. Or if you just want a simple dorfing, that's fine too
(*Author's commentary denoted like this*)The year is 100
Since time immemorial, life has been a struggle here on The Domain of Prophecy. As every Dwarf knows, Armok continually reshapes the world upon his Sky Anvil to suit his needs. Clearly this time is a test of his chosen. Yet the Dwarves of The Bone Swords have flourished, despite the hardships. We have a strong ally in the Gnomish Empire. They are kindof hippies, but at least they are industrialized, and we welcome any help in the fight against the myriad Evils. High King Meph, in his infinite wisdom, has declared that though our civilization thrives, we lack one crucial item as a show of true wealth. We need glass, and lots of it.
Thus it was that the valiant Dwarves of... umm. *pst*, what's the name of our group again?
...Seriously? Alright fine. That we set out to construct a mighty sandcastle for the glory of The Bone Swords, providing the Dwarves with much needed windows & weapon traps. This new Fortress has been dubbed
...Sure, why not.
Anyways, here is a rough sketch that the prospectors made; nestled between The Desert of Pains, The Seas of Impaling, and... surely I'm misreading that last bit?
Here is the ledger, outlining all of the equipment we are able to pack into a single wagon. Considering the general sandy and evil nature of beaches, I expect our early farming to be entirely underground. To that end, we have obtained a stash of the Dwarven essentials; Pig Tail seeds & Plump Helmet spawn.
Additionaly, we have a small compliment of versatile animals to help us. The bats are excellent vermin hunters, and the domesticated ones like we have are docile enough that their wings can be sheared, ultimately processing into leather scraps.
The Boulder Crabs will provide a steady source of meat and eggs(*Turns out they don't reproduce, but should. Ah well, live and learn. Edit: A hotfix was posted, but does not seem to affect existing Crabs. Several other players have verified the fix however, so Boulder Crabs are once again a excellent source of meats & eggs. And occasionally Flux Stone.*); plus their chitinous shell is tough as granite, making for good bone armaments. The crabs can actually be decent in a fight, if allowed to mature. There are tales of monster crabs reaching upwards of 1,500,000 cm3! At the moment however, ours are barely fit for soup, and must be carefully nurtured.
(*Masterwork Mod includes a number of cool animals and equipment to embark with. Ever tried an engineering fortress? You embark with Fire Bombs, Gatling Guns, and no food. Much !FUN! to be had.*)We have arrived, and the situation doesn't really seem so bleak.
There are legends you see, of Fortresses past, horror stories really.
Entire towers obliterated by sky pigs, even an outpost
where the very land itself rose up against the Dwarves. Such fairy tales have no place here though, we have work to do. We decide to dig in at a small grotto located due North.
Despite the relatively serene surroundings, we are all too aware of the evil which borders the outskirts of this world. The wind picks up, and the air grows stale. A storm is coming, but something is off.
Ew. Thankfully, the cursed rain seems confined to the frozen wastes South and West. So busy are we with setting up camp, we don't even notice when our Oxen become agitated.
Well at least they didn't make off with anything important like the tools or booze, and the Oxen managed to squish a few of the little buggers.
The Miners decide that breaching the Aquifer here is simply too risky, what with the shifting sands, the entire hillside could collapse on us. Also considering the torrent of blood rain just beyond the meadow, speed is of the utmost importance. I recall the prospectors mentioning the Aquifer dropped off further South, near the border of The Desert of Pains. Eventually we find a dry spot, and a proper mineshaft is dug down across several layers, until we are certain we have bypassed the soil. This ultimately proves to be a sound idea; we discover the Aquifer extends across 3 full layers!
There is going to be some inefficiency during the first few months, as we are essentially moving our operation over, down, and back again. The good news however, is that bypassing the Aquifer allows us to breach it from the side, making controlled water flow for farming and wells significantly easier. Our Dwarf power is limited, so the Miners are ordered to focus on hollowing out a farming cavern and a layer of bedrooms. This should give us stone enough to begin setting up a basic infrastructure. As you can see here, the Miners thought to bring a few blueprints with them. What would have normally taken days to designate is ready for digging in less than a minute!
(*Quickfort really is fantastic like that. I can share my blueprints if anyone wants, it's simple as Ctrl-f to choose, Ctrl-d to dig*)With the creation of a central stone pile, several work orders are queued, and 2 coal veins are marked for excavation.
(*Shown here is Workflow Manager and a DFHack command called 'Dig Vein', which does exactly what it sounds like. You can see the orders automatically entered at the Furniture Workshop*)Fortress morale takes a plunge during the first months, mostly due to the disturbing frozen blood. Even worse is that awful blue sky, but the remains of our gear must be brought safely inside. Thankfully, the haulers have been diligent, despite the weather. Just in time it seems, as the unholy rain has painted the landscape, and made the ocean waves... well, let's just say that fishing is forbidden until further notice.
All points considered, not a bad start, but the year is yet young. As the first dormitory is finished and our new accomodations hauled into place, the Fortress's first challenge presents itself... next time.
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Topic: Irdoren, the happiest starving beach in the world (Read 1344 times)