Alright, let's keep trying here.
Ch 5 - This title really doesn't have anything at all to do with what's below.
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7th of Limestone, Ast's log.
Our two wounded have not recovered as of yet. I have been told that Atir, our miner and olm-slayer, has decided to change her name.
So long as it does not interfere with her duties, I suppose we can permit that.
We've begun the third span of the bridge, but this one requires a a ramp section, so I foresee this going on for quite a while given our terrain.
According to complaints from Cerol, we are going to be slightly off with our first support structure - damn and damn again.
Tun has made his first masterpiece, I believe it's a table for our nobles. - we look forward to seeing what he creates in the future.
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10th - Our caravan from the dwarves has arrived. I doubt we have met their trade agreement - Cerol's mechanisms will have to do - again.
Tun has been possessed, much like Sakzal. I wonder if we are perhaps digging into a burial ground of sorts? Given our stone status, I don't expect much trouble meeting his demands.
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15th.
The merchants arrive, and Tun begins his construction, using orthoclase, beryls, and morions.
Again, I hope it does not portray any fire imps.
---
The events of the 18th of Limestone.
Tun smashed and twisted the stone in his hands, single-mindedly focused on his goal - The Depression of Drenching...
Suddenly, all the pieces came together, as if Thetdol herself had given him the final blueprint. It didn't involve dancing or partying though - it was a cabinet.
He had never built a cabinet before, he thought. But he still knew how.
And so he worked, and carved, and smoothed, until he had it.
Catriddled the Depression of Drenching - the cabinet to end all cabinets. Three red diamonds of beryl adorned it, and, on the back, was another image of the cabinet.
As Tun admired his work, things slowly coalesced in his head - what had happened, what he had made, and how he got the idea.
As he stared at the infinitely recursive image he had etched, Tun had a strange desire to return to normalcy - so he went to the farm-bed to clear more stone.
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Ast's log, the 18th.
Tun has finished his work, but the dwarves bring with them news of note - goblins have been smelled in the area by their pack animals.
While they have their guards, we have none - so we shall have to see if Cerol's defenses will work in a time of danger.
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20th - the last stone from the farm beds has been cleared away. Cerol is hard at work on the floodgate system.
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The events of the 20th.
Ast stared longingly at the dozens of barrels of booze and food ahead of him.
Deduk, the merchant, slapped him. "Are you daft? You think you can just take that?"
"Well, I was hoping to."
"Well, it's not going to happen - we're not going home empty handed."
"Well... how about some mechanisms?"
"Is that all you have?"
"Well, yes, actually."
Deduk sighed. "Fine."
As the Ast trundled off to his meeting, Deduk cursed. "I know Iden said these guys were hillbillies but I didn't know it was this bad... mechanisms? They didn't even have mugs this year!"
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21st of Limestone
Aslot crept slowly towards the caravan. He had been travelling for over a month now, to this place, in search of his next promotion - and meal. A weakling dwarf outpost would do nicely for both. All he needed to do was to get past the marching civilians and their stones undetected, grab a baby, and run, before anyone noticed....
Curse their gods! A labourer spotted him before he made it up the slope. Aslot paused, considering what to do next, before rushing towards the slope, intent on a mad dash to either freedom or babies.
Unfortunately for Aslot, Aban Bridgemoistened, chief mason/miner on the bridge, was that labourer. Pick in hand, he descended to meet the goblin threat.
But all was not lost - Aslot's companion, Snodub, was still undiscovered - briefly.
Catten, one of the original seven dwarves to arrive at Metalwind, had spotted him. While he was only a fisherdwarf, he was mighty fast - hopefully fast enough to snare an enemy, like a fish in a net.
Catten and Snodub collided on the slopes surrounding the mansion. Catten had gotten a sucker-punch on the goblin's chest, winding him.
The goblin, now in fear of his life, leapt away - but Catten was too fast - a bunch to the lower chest now, bruising the vital organs. And a swept to the leg, sending Snodub to the ground.
Catten had no mercy - he broke almost every bone in the goblin's body, spilling the lifeblood of the beast into the earth from which it had crawled only a few years ago. Catten slapped his hands on his trousers, and went back to the river.
Aban, however, had lost his mark - he was too slow. So it was back to work for him.
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23rd.
Urist, the incoming carpenter, and Rovod, a mother of two and a freshly-minted engraver, were busy hauling back Catten's kill to the stockpiles, when the both stopped suddenly.
Urist sniffed. "Do you smell something, Rovod?"
"No. Just the strawberries in the field and... no, wait, you're right."
Urist smiled, content in his nose. "I could smell lobster from a mile away."
Rovod shook her head. "No, it's not lobster, smells like the armour almost. More earthy."
Then Rovod bumped into a heavily camouflaged goblin.
Damsto Lambcurses cast off her garb - no use hiding now. In her tongue, she spoke clearly - "Greetings from Smunstu!"
Unfortunately for her, not only did the dwarves of Metalwind have no clue who Smunstu was (The Goblin king, who was known as "The Demon Reincarnate"), but Goblin-tongue, to most dwarves, sounds like a harsh, guttural scream - the sound someone would make if they were being eaten alive, except with a little bit more "I AM THE HELLSPAWN THAT WILL DESTROY YOUR CROPS AND STEAL YOUR WIVES" thrown in.
Rovod and Urist smashed her in the face, squishing her eye and strangling her.
Rovod gasped. "Well! That was exhilarating!"
Urist laughed. "I'll say! Let's go have a drink, shall we?"
---
Adil was back. Just as persistent as last year, although Ast managed to tune him out for a while as he carved turtles - he was almost starting to get the hang of it, although the smell was still terrible.
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28th.
Atis kicked a stone, elicting a large yelp from something. As a stonecrafter, Atis never knew stone to yelp - so it was obviously an enemy.
He grabbed at it - but the goblin knocked him out cold. With a stab to the right area -- Osta finished him off in a single blow.
But the entire fortress was upon him.
Specifically, Sakzal and her axe. Off with one leg... off with one arm, off with the other hand --- it didn't matter.
Osta fell - in several different areas - to Sakzal's heavy axe.
---
This time, looking after Kuli fell to Catten.
"How is going out there?"
"We have been under threat from goblins as of late..." Catten muttered, as she attempted to hide the bloodstains from her clothes.
"How go the battles?"
"They are all but over now - we lost but one, and killed three."
"Oh no - another dead."
"Don't be so sad - it's less work for you when you get better."
"Do you not care about your fellow dwarf?"
"I'm only here for the money and the fame, as Shin would want."
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Ast's log, Sandstone..
I have lost track of time in this meeting. Adil and myself have finally worked out an agreement - food for bracelets. While he says the rest of the dwarven world will frown upon this agreement, it is the most beneficial possible one to us.
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11th. Ast's combat log.
Another snatcher arrived. A trapper and I managed to take him down quickly.
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21st. Cerol is working on the last mechanical component of our farm. Our potash maker has finally proven himself useful and dug out the required channel to flood the farm.
Tun has kindly pulled the required levers.
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27th. A snakeman fell to his death, and Cerol attempted to grab one last stone from the flooding area. I have forbidden access to the area while the floodgates are open.
Also, apparently I forgot to design a way for the water to leave.
Curses.
We'll have to channel it into the chasm. I've ordered the construction of the appropriate parts.
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6th of Timber - so far no problems with drainage system construction. Cerol was too busy making masterpieces to link up the third floodgate. I've ordered her to stop immediately.
The fourth bridge segment is under construction... now.
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10th.
The stray mule has been killed by our butcher, Haven. In return for some +mule leather pants+ I plan to give him full run of the butchery system here... if we ever start one.
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18th. My lover Ilral has become a farmer...
Also, the flooding of the farming area is coming along quite slowly. We may have to figure out some way to speed up the process. However, tower caps have already started to grow in the area, meaning we have done our job right.
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Winter is upon you!
Lots of progress on the bridge this time, the flooding chamber is PAINFULLY SLOW D: and goblins! Yay goblins!
Also, I had to pierce the chasm - I used a vertical grate, but I don't know how effective it'll be at keeping Caveswallowmen out of the area.
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Topic: Metalwind - Suburbia shall arise (under-rise?) {Fort/Story a la Migrursut} (Read 4150 times)