Obsidian 11th, Year 5. Late Winter.
Hamlet Craftbridge
The Deep Mines
Magma Forges
"Get the bodies out of here!" Duke Ustuth Riddledbolt snarled. "Get The Riddled Machines down here, now!" Erib Longcrafts nodded in a short, jerky motion and dashed towards the stairs. "Oh no, not you too!" Ustuth snarled, and snatched Ushat Boatpears by the back of his Cow Leather Hood. "It's flooding!" he snarled. "Forget the Microcline down there, it's lost!"
"But I called dibs on it!" Ushat snarled back. "That stone is mine! Mine I tell you!"
There was a hiss as Magma lapped at the bottom of the ramp, and the Microcline dissolved. The Magma slowly receded into the lower level of the pit. Ushat stared down into the hole. "Fine," he said. "Maybe I'll stop this one time."
Ustuth shoved Ushat towards the staircase that led up to the rest of the fort. "Go get me that new fellow, the Gelder. I think his name is Doren. Tell him to grab a Pick and get his ass down here like the clowns of Hell are after him!"
Kivish Runlance jogged up to Ustuth. "There's a fire on the surface," the Legendary Gem Cutter announced. "Looks like the reality distortion snatched them out of the magma and up onto one of the frozen murky pools up there, flash-froze them, dumped them in the lowest cavern's lake, before depositing them down here. But apparently they were on the surface long enough to start a fire."
Ustuth paled. "The Depot. We've cleared the way from the Fortress to the new location, but not from the outside to the new Location. The Bowery. The Carpenter's and Woodcrafting Workshops!"
"The fire's on the island on the far side of the river." Kivish saw Ustuth's brow furrow. "The High River, not the Low River. It's sweeping towards the Bridge. There's no telling, right now, whether or not it will catch the Bridge on fire, and cross over to our side of the river."
"If it does," Ustuth spat. "It will burn the entire surface. The bridge to the Low River Island is madeof wood, and we hadn't hooked up levers to raise either bridge yet." He paused, and looked up at the ceiling imagining what it must be like 60 layers up. "There's 500 logs up there that hadn't been brought inside, yet. Never mind the Logs used to cover the tops of the old Murky Pools."
Ustuth shook himself. "Get everyone inside. The Ward Dogs are chained up far enough inside that even if the Main Gate burns, they'll be fine."
"Sir," Kivish said tentatively. "The Main Gate is on a Silty Clay layer. The Traps may stop the fire, but some of those cages are Wooden."
Ustuth's eyes bulged as the three military dwarves from The Riddled Machines clattered down the final steps. "Don't just stand there!" Ustuth said as he wheeled around, his eyes frantically looking for a boulder. "Pull the lever! Seal us in! We have one or two emergency bolt holes that were opened to make hauling easier. The Charcoal Makers can make it in on their own! The last thing we need is for this fire to sweep through the Grazers, the Caged animals in their wooden Infinity Cage, and the Food Stockpile. My gods, man. If for nothing else, think of the booze!"
Kivish's eyes widened, and he darted for the Not-So-Temporary-Anymore Dining Room. "The lever isn't even built yet!" he called over his shoulder. "I'll get everyone I can to safety!"
"Where are the Anvils?" Ustuth bellowed. "We need to get this hole covered before an Imp or a Magma Crab comes up through it! Riddled Machines! Stand ready!"
[Editor's Notes]
I.....may have made a....slight miscalculation when I designated some channel areas (to deepen the Magma) where I should have dug, instead. Our resident Level 20 Miner Dwarves got caught in the Magma. They were teleported to the surface, where they continued to burn on top of a frozen pool, not melting it like I hoped. I dumped water on them, but they merely froze instantly. They were then teleported to the lowest cavern's lake, where they were extinguished and started drowning, before they were teleported to the Magma Works floor.
Rest in Peace Founder Zuglar Delightgolds, Legendary Miner. I will be sure to have a Fine Pewter coffin Sarcophagus made for you, out of your favorite metal.
Rest in Peace Inod Ringedmoistened, Legendary Miner. In accordance with your preferences, we shall make you a Pig Iron Sarcophagus.
Seriously guys, my bad.
You'll be missed.
I'm a little concerned that magma pressure may cause the magma to back up into our magma works, so we will be sealing what should have been glass grates with whatever stone we have available. In the future, some nameless guinea pig will try opening up one of the blocks--with a dwarf ready at the lever to open the floodgate in case of magma flooding.
Buuuuut on the other hand.
We now have Magma forges. Unfortunately Magma life can poke around underneath us, but that's what the military is for. I'm designating a stockpile down there with Glass Blocks and Anvils for quick and easy building. Probably should have done that earlier, but back then I wasn't worrying about our booze stockpiling burning out while the river is frozen, possible magma pressure flooding shenanigans, and Magma Crabs or Fire Imps coming up from the deeps.
Oh, and our seeds burning up in the same surface fire because they're on an underground pasture level.
I'm *relatively* certain the built cage traps filled with wooden traps won't burn. but I'm going to be moving the seeds to a safe place, to be sure. I can order more animals, and as long as a dorf or two survives, I can plant seeds to grow new plump helmets to survive until the water melts.........but dwarves can't drink ice. better safe than sorry.
While Im at it, I'm making a drink stockpile and a food stockpile down in the Magma Works. We needed one down there anyway. And while it will have to be moved later, might as well get some down here before the fire gets close enough.
Ber Tombsmatched (creator of the frilly shirt) is being drafted to temporarily man a pick so we can finish off a couple projects. He had Mining level 5, but he also came with like level 13-14 Clothier and I already had 2 bad-ass miners. Can't spare him from his Clothier role for long, though.
Doren Pleatrims, the Gelder who arrived a few months ago (currently dwarf 33/35 after this), will become a full-timer miner, along with whoever trundles along in the next season or two.
Lower layer, the actual breach.
Upper layer of the Magma cistern, top level of the Magma Sea. One level below the Magma Works. Note the floodgate there, intended for emergency drainage, or simply for pumping Magma up somewhere. It is connected to the lever in the Magma Works.
The layer between the lower level of the cistern and the Magma Works.
The bridge separating the High River Island and the mainland. Also fire. lots of fire. My bad. I feel bad for the bees that are going to burn in wooden hives. I've got like 30 hives set up in varying wooden, green glass, and stone hives.
Low River Island. I *think* it should be safe because of the cage traps? Way down below you can see the new bridges connecting the Mainland Warehouse District to what will someday be the Low Island Depot District. Both are located on an aquifer level. heh. I chose that level because of the ore deposits that I wanted.
http://imgur.com/a/StfWyI had a sudden burst of inspiration to generate power with Magma. Looks like water wheels require wood.
BOO!
just as well. I've never ever used any power generation techniques. like ever. Though a perpetual motion Magma machine would have been awesome.
.....WAIT.
.....NETHER CAPS!!!!!!
Maul_Junior has withdrawn from society
Maul_Junior has claimed a laptop
Maul_Junior begins taking notes furiously
Granite 1st, Year 6. Early Spring
Duke Ustuth nudged a pile of ash that had once been a pile of log waiting to be turned into Charcoal and sighed. It could have been worse. Far worse. The burning, melting dwarves that had somehow been sucked through a space/time anomaly and landed on the surface had set off a fire that had raged aginst the entire surface. The Depot had survived, but the Main Gate had not. But already, a newer, better Gate was under construction, with Green Glass Blocks as building components.
534 Logs had been counted before the inferno had been touched off. Now there were 268. Most of them at the bottom of water. The 15 or so remaining logs that somehow survived the blaze in x-bad-x or xx-worse-xx condition. The Bee Hives hadn't fared well either. Most of the hives had survived, but the xLive Beesx (and xxLive Beesxx) didn't look too good.
And it wasn't just the fires, either. The twin columns of ice that had distinctly Dwarven cut-outs on the inside had melted, and now water was raining down all over the sides of High River Island. That whole island would be unnavigable for at least a year until it finished draining.
Still, Ustuth reminded himself, it could have been worse. No animals had been burned alive. Well, MAYBE a Turkey had been lost. On the other hand, it was getting DAMN old, and hadn't seen anything but the inside of the cage since just after Embark. only a single Masterwork Wooden Cage had been lost (or if more had been lost, Zasit hadn't mentioned it. And, Armok forbid, the flames hadn't reached the Pasture caverns. Even the Ward dogs just inside the Main Gate had survived.
Although that idiot Mechanic Ushat had almost died twice. First when he had tried to replace a Cage and had reached the Trap just after the rear edge had passsed. Then when he tried to path THROUGH the fire. with a METAL cage. First the Magma, and then fire. It had been a near thing, and had required Tekkud, the Expedition Leader and Manager, yelling at him to get his beard back inside, and that he was off the Cage replacement job for him to turn around.
Lugging the demon-spawned cage with him.
The Duke made a mental note to keep Ustuth FAR away from any professions, situations, or objects that could burn or made to burn. As est he could, anyway.
At least they had gotten the backup, STONE, Depot set up on Lower River Island. It had to have been built outside, as there was no way wagons cold path through the winding, Limonite-vein pathways that currently led into the main fort.
Ustuth sighed and headed towards the Bee hives. He had to replace a few Bees after the fire.
It had been a near thing, he had to admit, as he looked back towards High River Island. The fire had VERY nearly been contained to the one island. But a thrice-damned tree was growing in the perfect side, on the Mainland side of the river, to catch fire from a tree on the High River Island side.
And then nearly 300 logs had been swept away.
And the damn Elves were paying attention to the trees, now. What would they think, the Duke wondered, when they arrived and saw all of this?
If they blamed him and attacked, it would be time to institute a yearly weaponized burn, with Magma pumped from the Sea as the ignition source.
THAT would flush out any Ambushers, Ustuth knew.
He grinned. Plus it would kill all kinds of trees. Killing two elves with one Magma Pipe.
On top of that, he had the funerals for Inod and Zuglar to plan, and had to make sure the proper Sarcophagi got built.
Still, there were bright sides. A proper census had been taken, and the damn doctor, Momu Tattoedfountain, had gotten away with doing NOTHING for years. Same with the Trader Meng Earrazors. They had been drafted into the Mining Corps, freeing up Ber for his Clothier duties.
Ustuth still hadn't decided what to do with the Gelder, Doren. But he knew that the freeloader Haulers had to earn their keep.
Also, the Fort had an actual Magma cistern now. It was filling up more slowly than the pump would have allowed, but things were progressing smoothly down there.
And the giant party the Fort had thrown while the world burned above them--brought down only a little when Zasit realized some of his Masterwork Cages were burning--had been an enormous success. Who knew. Maybe a couple new kids would come out of this whole fiasco.
No, things were definitely as bad as it had seemed at the time. No Imps, no Crabs, no fire in the Caverns. Yes the raised Gate had burned down, but they needed a new Gate anyway. And it had burned down slowly enough that the fire had passed it by on the other side--preventing any wooden cages just on the far side of the Gate from catching fire. And the Ward Dogs burning alive while still chained to the cavern walls. And the fire spreading through the rest of teh grazers, the seed stockpile, the food and drink stockpiles......
And yes, lots of wood had been lost.
However, now the Smiths were unleashed. Wood Burners would have to find new jobs. Smelting jobs would only last so long.
And Thob, the Glassmaker.....NOW he would shine. Ustuth had to get leather and cloth bag jobs back in the running. And Sand Bag filling. It would be a long way to haul, but now that the Smithies didn't need Charcoal anymore.....
Ustuth began the task of sweeping out dead bees from the hive grimly, but a smile began to spread across his face.
Craftbridge had seen a bit of a setback, but what had been accomplished BEFORE the setback outweighed things.
By a cave dragon-sized Queen.
***
Granite 8th, Year 6, Early Spring
Craftbridged
Magma Works
"KILL IT!" The Duke screamed, scrabbling away from the neat line of Workshops in the Magma works. "KILL IT WITH MAGMA!"
The Magma crab ignored him as it scuttled up through the floor. It chittered as it looked around in confusion. Ustuth swore as he ducked behind a half-finished Magma Glass Furnace. What a time for this. Construction was under way, and two thirds of the Militia had decided it was a good time to sleep.
The Magma crab slashed at Ast Laborcrafted, his Masterwork Willow shield easily blocked the blow. With a mighty swing of his steel battle axe, one of the crab's wings went flying, and Ast whirled around, easily dodging the Magma Crab. With a yell, Ast swung his axe, and smacked the Crab in the mouth, wrecking it completely. Dishmab the Miller jumped in and punched the Crab's left wing, then scrambled back as the Crab took a swipe at him, in turn. Dragging Ast and his Steel BAttle Axe, sttill firmly lodged in the creature's mouth, along with him. Ast leaped into the air, and kicked at the Crab with both feet, forcing his axe free, and rolling back behind a Magma Smelter.
With a yell, Ast charged the Crab, sending themem both beak over beard. Ast leaped to his feet and lopped off the creature's left wing with a casual, almost careless, backhand swing. The crab spat a gob of lava at Ast, but he ducked, and the magma hit the wall next to the stairs and fell to the ground, spent.
With one, final swing, Ast buried his battle axe into the creature's body with a sickening crunch. The Magma Crab shuddered, and became still.
Ast Laborcrafted yanked his axe free and spat into one of the open Channels. "As you were, Duke." He rested the axe, still dripping gore, on his right shoulder. "Yell like that again if you need me." He looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I think that's eight for me. One more, and I'll have the kill total of the rest of the militia, combined." He flashed Ustuth a grin. "I know you're the architect, and all. But yo do realize the impassable tiles are a darker green, right?"
Duke Ustuth slowly and carefully rose, trying to ignore the embarrassed color rising to his cheeks. The Magma Crabe had gotten in because he had made a mistake, planning. Now, instead of the neatly ordered rows of Workshops, the Forges would be slightly off. Ah, well. He madea mental note to give Ast his own squad and his own lackey to train up as soon as possible.
[Editor's Note]
The Elves want to cap my tree felling.
To One Hundred.
OKAY!
DEAL!
If there are 100 trees left standing, I'll be shocked.
Don't need Charcoal to power forges anymore. That means training up Metalsmith/Blacksmiths. Charcoal purely for Steel.
And I can get at LEAST 2-300 logs (probably easily 500) that I won't possibly be able to use.
100 trees?
THE HORRORS!
Now bring me some damn exotic war animal breeding pairs! No more wolf no-war-trainable bullshit.
Elves: Okay, 113, YOU MONSTER!
......You had me at 100. you're giving me more trees?
YOU BET!
....just realized I can floor ovr the former Channel, and fix the spacing in the Forge. >.<
Let's do that.
Granite 23rd, Year 6
Craftbridge
Magma Works
It was a quiet moment, as things went, when the final piece of the Magma Kiln was secured, and became operational. Tulon looked over the neat rows, and smiled to herself. Four Kilns, Seven Smelters, Four Forges, and Three Glass Furnaces. There would have been Eight Smelters and Four Glass Furnaces, but unfortunately the original plans had been just *slightly* off.
Still, with only four metal workers, no potters, and only a single glass worker, at full capacity only a third of the Magma Works would be used. Maybe half capacity if all the Wood Burners became Furnace Operators. However, the fort was still very young, and there was lots of room to expand the Magma Works--even in this single cistern. With the Floodgate and Lever already installed, it would be simplicity itself to construct another, larger cistern, if the population ever warranted it.
She wasn't done down here, of course. Not by a long shot. There was still a lot of stone to clear out, a lot of hauling to bring all the bars down, the Pump needed to be disassembled and safely stored, and finally the Mechanic's, Craftsdwarf's, Mason's, and Jeweler's Workshops torn down and the composite stones removed.
But it was a good start.
Tulon smiled at the pair of Dwarves from The Riddled Machines that had been keeping an eye on her while she worked. One of them on more parts of her than the other. Ast, the ferocious and Dodok, the Swordsdorf. Stinthad, their fearless leader, had wandered off to get a drink. Right now they were clad in a mix of bronze, iron, and steel armor, with the odd copper piece here and there. Every effort had been made to preserve the limited charcoal stocks.
Now, the Metal crafters would be unleashed. They could be properly equipped.
"We're clear, boys." The dwarves looked up at Tulon one by one. Each had their weapons drawn and readied, and had been watching the former hole to the magma cistern like a falcon. Tulon grinned. "Nothing short of a building destroyer is getting through there."
Ast flashed a grin. Dodok leered at her as he gave her a quick nod. Tulon brush against her trousers. "With these babies up and running," she rapped her knuckled on the glass of the Kiln she had just finished, and waved a hadn expansively at the rest of the Magma Works, "We'll be able to outfit you properly. And then you'll be set for whatever comes our way."
Ast threw his axe over his shoulder carelessly and ran a gloved hand over one of the Magma Forges. "I wouldn't mind giving this kind of thing a shot," he said quietly. "It's been a while since I did anything creative."
Tulon laughed. "Talk to the Duke. I'm sure he'd be happy to have you mood up a Platinum Mace to top Handleparches."
Ast grinned. "Maybe I will, Tulon, maybe I will."
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