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[zombster]

Veldakost, the Linefloor: a foulab succession game

This succession game is being worked on by members of and friend of the Montreal hackerspace Foulab (www.foulab.org).

We're using version .31.25.  From the time you get  your save, you've got two weeks to send it on and to upload your turn on here. If you can't do it, let people know.

If you want to join, pipe up. Preference will be given to foulab friends or members but ya never know.

Current turn sequence:
Turn 1: zombster
Turn 2: legionlabs
Turn 3: Fabien
Turn 4: Danukeru
Turn 5: cleverdick
Turn 6: Pablo

Out of character: I totally forgot to note the months when I took my screenshots. I wrote my text afterwards so don't remember the actual months, so I've grouped it per season.

Also, I can't figure out how to have the pictures be IN the text... If someone can tell me that'd be awesome!

Dathaecamo, yr 6.

Spring

It is the dawn of time and the world is waiting to be discovered.

I am Mosus Catanenshal. I am the Channelbud. I am a miner. That is what I am. Not a captain, not a warrior, not a leader of dwarfs. 

I am a good miner, however. And in my home, where political one-upmanship is frequent and agressive, a good miner is threatening to many. Especially when that one is female. I had no political aspirations. I was content to work my craft, to dig deep in the earth and find metals for the metalsmiths and crafters to work with. Yet, and despite this, there were many who saw me as a threat to their own political advancement. Hence this assignment.

I have been assigned the task of leading a group of seven dwarves into the world for the greater glory of the Blood God, to dig and build machinery and wage war on the elven and goblins and humans and other enemies of dwarves. Purportedly, I have been sent out to enhance the glory of dwarvenkind. In reality, I have been sent to my death.

Nevertheless, I am a smart dwarf. As such, I chose my companion dwarves wisely, assigning to my party highly skilled dwarves, craftdwarves and gatherers and creators all of them. I have chosen to equip my party with the minimum amount of goods. We travel light and we travel fast.

SPRING.

We have found a site. It is a beautiful site. It is hilly and forested. We name it Veldakost, the Linefloor. Nearby, there is a small lake. Game seems to be bountiful and it feels peaceful. If I get my druthers, we won't be waging war for a while and will get a chance to settle down first and make a sustainable base here.



We set to work. As the dwarves set about gathering plants and wood, I work my pike, digging into the earth. Right away, we unearth clusters of crystal. The gem-cutter is pleased. Yet, I wish for something more useful as dwarves have not yet discovered a way to make from gems weapons and tools to dig into the earth and into our enemies.



Quickly, we expand, and create a rudimentary network of underground rooms. I will not have us living under the open sky and stars. I will take us within the earth's embrace. On the first level, we set up wood, stone and gem workshop areas and a trading center. One level below, I envision our living quarters, a feast hall and food processing workshops. One thing I realize when carving out our new home is that not a one of us is skilled in crafting. We are quickly inundated with raw stone and we have no-one to craft it into tradable goods. I can only hope that migrants from other dwarven settlements will soon arrive and that one of them will be skilled in such things.

I grab my pike and with the help of my brethren, we dig towards a small lake. I mean to breach it so that we can hydrate the soil and grow crops. My dwarves want meat but I know that meat can be scarce in the winter and I do not trust in our capacity to properly process it yet. I want fertile crop land with which to grow mushrooms. Mushrooms to feed us and mushrooms with which to brew mead.



The dwarves have been clamoring for an assignment of roles. I have no love for this political positioning yet I oblige them. I assign myself the role of broker and parse out the rest to other worthies. For now, I will leave the roles of sheriff and militia captain empty. Until we have a population size where crime and attacks are a likely occurence, I won't parse out roles unecessarily.



Summer

It is summer and I take a lover. Having worked many a months side by side with my fellow miner Shorast Scouredworked, I have come to rely on his strength and willpower. Together, we dig.

We have successfully tapped and drained the lake and our underground farm is seeded with mushroom spawns. Booze and food for the dwarves!



A group of bedraggled migrants arrive. Amongst them are children and undernourished beasts. They are well meaning, hard working folks hoping to make here a better life for themselves. Amongst them is a Atir Torasber, a skilled craftdwarf. I set her to work making stone crafts out of our dug-up boulders.



Her arrival was well timed as a few months later, a trade caravan arrives. We trade to them Atir's craftmanship and in exchange obtain meat, iron ore, cloth, rope and a bronze spear. We are still sorely under-armed... Yet, between the bounty we obtain from the traders and the harvest that is beginning to come in from the mushroom farm, we will soon enough have enough food to weather winter, or eve a siege if need be. I now need to set the dwarves to making weapons.

Fall

A mason dies of thirst. It is a blight on my leadership that I do not know what happened. Our mead stocks seem plenty. Our farm is thriving, we have empty barrels. There is a water source nearby. What happened? I do not know. Nevertheless, this occurance makes it clear that before I turn to weaponsmithing, I need to ensure that our home is well tended-to and meets basic dwarven needs. I restock our supplies, develop our workshops, set dwarves to polishing the stone walls and floor of the recently built bedrooms and hall and we build a grazing corral for the animals who had previously been allowed to live amongst us.



Winter

As winter arrives, another wave of migrants arrive. We have enough workers, and at first I do not know what to do with them. One of them, Shem Sigunam, approaches me. He is a hulking male whose double-braided moustache hangs low. His pet alpaca never leaves his side. "I am no worksman. I am a warrior. Set me to captain your militia". And so I did. And so I did. Little did I know that Shem has a good deal of fancy for romance. He soon takes a lover in our cook Erush Bomrekablel.



The new migrants settle in and we weather the winter... We sleep and make love and dig the earth.

[drakon136]

If you want the pictures to show up as pictures instead of links, put img tags before and after the link, like this:

Code: [Select]

[img]http://www.flickr.com/photos/71123985@N05/6433844421[/img]Also, those links won't work even if you put them in img tags. If you want them to work, you'll have to upload them to a different website, like tinypic or imgur.

Also, I wouldn't mind having a turn.

[Legionlabs]

Reign of Fearless Leader Legionlabs

Day 0:

Arrived at fortress, with the task of building a strong Dwarven State for the glory of the Blood God. Well fed, drunk dwarves were socializing in a common meeting hall. Immigrants had just arrived and were welcomed into the friendly community. No metal had yet been found, yet dwarves sat lazily chatting.

Armok knows that no tool that becomes useful without being hammered on an anvil. These dwarves were soft and lazy... if they had no beards they could have been Men or Elves. Yet, it is my task to harden them, in fire if necessary.

   Directive 0: To let you live is no gain. To execute you is no loss. You will be
           buried in a mass grave and your clothing will be sold to elves.
                     They are enchanted by our more ethical works.
   Directive 1: All dwarves not working are to remain confined to their quarters
   Directive 3: The Meeting Area is to be removed. The Blood God needs no idlers.
   
This degenerate society forces me to declare a state of indefinite emergency. Explaining martial law to a colony with no standing army proved difficult.

Day 1:

We have no source of metal to build the sharpened implements necessary to ensure the security of the Dwarven State, let alone to quench the infinite thirst of great Armok. Sent miners to find metal. Promptly found silver, lead, and zinc ores. Silver is dense and makes acceptable war hammers, though I hoped for iron.

Began manufacturing silver spears. They dull easily and so offer a slow death. Perfect.

Expanded masonry operations to construct private cells for all dwarves. Citizens are henceforth no longer permitted to speak.

Day 90:

More than half the population has been confined to private quarters. Dwarf Domas Indenorrun threw a party to celebrate.

   Directive 4: Gatherings of more than 2 dwarves are not permitted.

I have made a note to execute Domas Indenorrun as soon as circumstances permit.


Day 120:

Private quarters complete.



Work on "Enrichment Program" initiated. Many unskilled new immigrants volunteer for the "enrichment program" upon arrival! Need more silver spears connected to lever for completion.

A dwarf built a legendary artifact mechanism, Decentrace the Scholar of Prowlers. It will be gloriously featured in the Enrichment Program, and I take it as a sign that Armok is pleased.

Day 125:

Dwarves heard talking about enrichment program between rooms. Thick, soundproof stone doors added to quarters to prevent further communication. Can be locked from the outside, which is quite a useful feature.

Day 130:

Enrichment program complete.



Domas Indenorrun first volunteer. Allowed to survive, was taken to room to "rest and recover". Shame we have no buckets to bring him water. Mass production of coffins initiated. Armok thirsts greatly, and does not care much whose blood is offered.

Day 180:

New Migrants came to our glorious fortress. A majority volunteered for the enrichment program. Two dwarves had sufficiently useful skills, and were judged to not require further enrichment.

Day 200:

Economy self-sufficient. Dwarves have all but forgotten social relationships and social skills. No one wonders where migrants go, they are just strangers in a fortress full of strangers. Time to focus on building a small military.

Enriched migrants result in many fine silk items to be sold. No further export industry judged necessary.

Domas Indenorrun, enemy of the People, has starved to death. His room and belongings were immediately reassigned.

Day 250:

Dwarven caravan arrived. Goblin snatchers too. We welcomed them, children eat and do not work much, and their parents have forgotten what they look like anyway. I do not assign them rooms and they sleep and eat on the floor. They are practically feral and easy prey. No one remembers their names.

As a side product of the silver refining industry, a lot of lead is produced. I have begun using it to make lead toys for export to elven children. They are enchanted by our more ethical works.

Dug deep enough to reveal a cave system. Sealed it off. Deep down, I can see obsidian. Also, I found marble, but no other metals.

Trade depot moved outside for security reasons. No need to expose the Dwarven State to the corrupting influence of outsiders.

Day 365:

Statues of Fearless Leader added to 75% of rooms. With this, I retire to travel to a new fortress and leave the current one in the hands of a new administrator.


Pro tip:

Remember to draft useless migrants into a new squad and station them in the enrichment chamber. Forbid the door, pull lever as required. Unforbid door to gather riches and clean up. Remember to bury bodies to silence the ghosts of the enriched.

[zombster]

Awesome turn Sean! Loved the totally epic storytelling and the Enrichment Program especially...

drakon 136 - I've added you to the turn list. welcome!

Can't wait to see where this ends up.

Turn update:
Current turn sequence:
Turn 1: zombster
Turn 2: legionlabs
Turn 3: Danukeru
Turn 4: Fabien
Turn 5: cleverdick
Turn 6: Pablo
Turn 7: drakon136

[Cleverdick]

Day 1: Muddy Despair
Shem Sigunam - Mayor, Veldacost

After weeks of forced marches, my comrades and I arrive.  We'd heard the stories, but we hadn't believed them.  Even if we had, what I've encountered today is far worse.  These creature's aren't Dwarves--they're filthy, foul-smelling automatons.  Any sense or spirit they once had was beaten out of them long ago.  Pitted against one another for ages--is it any wonder that they've turned feral?  I suspect cannibalism, but haven't yet found proof.  They live in muddy, ramshackle pits that are open enough to the overworld that a steady, cold wind blows through them.

No one stops me as I make my way into the remains of a once proud meeting hall.  No one objects when I take my seat at the high table.



Day 28: A New Day
Shem Sigunam - Mayor, Veldacost

We've made true progress in just two fortnights.  We started this transformation with our picks held high, carving out a proper Dwarven settlement deep below the overworld.  No winds will find us here.  Many of our feral brethren have joined our efforts, hauling stone or assisting with basic masonry.  Perhaps they only needed a reminder of what it means to be Dwarf: to carve and break stone; to forge and brandish steel. 

The stone that we pull out of the earth is being dumped into the same muddy bog that our predecessors once inhabited.  The hideous death chamber that terrified them for so long now lies in ruins, buried deep beneath heavy stone.
 


Day 105: Progress and Prosperity
Shem Sigunam - Mayor, Veldacost

Uninhibited progress!!  This truly is Veldacost's golden age.  The citizens have formed a common bond and are working together to construct veritable marvels of engineering!  New farms have been constructed deep underground.  An irrigation system has been developed as well as vast cistern that provides water for cooking and washing--both of these have been connected to a nearby river.  The citizens of Veldacost shall never thirst again!

A specialist engineering team has been created to scour the fortress and ensure that it is impenetrable.  The military has been expanded as well.  The militia's ranks swell now that it has been purged of sadists and butchers.  A fortress guard has been created as well and already boasts 10 members within its ranks.  Both squads train 18 hours a day and sleep 6.  We are prosperous now, but we cannot afford to get caught unawares should disaster ever befall us. 

Day 193: Blood for the Blood God
Shem Sigunam - Mayor, Veldacost

An enormous cyclops attacked the fortress in a mad frenzy.  It could not reach is in our new home, far below the earth.  The Militia did their best to scare it off, but in the end were forced to take the creature's life.  I'm told, that this was done with a single shot by a talented crossbowman named Meng Gikkencatten.



Day 195: Under Siege
Shem Sigunam - Mayor, Veldacost

Uncanny horrors are upon us.  A massive, blood-hungry goblin army has surrounded our borders.  Caravans of traders or immigrants face lethal ambushes and no prisoners are taken.



They've attacked the fortress as well.  Both the Militia and the Guard have faced them in innumerable battles, but the goblin's numbers have overwhelmed us.  The Militia has been decimated and only three Guardsmen remain.  The countryside is has been painted red with the blood of heroes.  Meng Gikkencatten has been made the Guard's new leader.  He's young, but he's proven himself in battle many times already.

I've informed the citizenry that the Guard will be drafting new members.  Now, more than ever, we need to build a strong military. I've also instituted food rationing and a curfew.  The citizens may not like these measures, but they will surely understand their necessity.



Day 270: Usurped!
Shem Sigunam - Goat Milker, Veldacost

Shame overwhelms me.  Usurped by a farmer named Atir Toroster, I now spend my days milking sheep and slaughtering donkeys.  I can only hope that Toroster is wiser than he looks or sounds.

Day 290: Quenching Armok's Thirst
Shem Sigunam - Goat Milker, Veldacost

Toroster's done any number of foolish and asinine things since taking office, but I'm happy to say that he's more or less left the military alone.  A great victory for Meng Gikkencatten's guard today as they repelled not one, but two Goblin ambushes.



Something weird is up with the ale supply.  We should have plenty with our massive cistern of water downstairs and a functioning still just 8 paces away from it.  I haven't had an ale ration in over a week and I haven't even seen a water ration today.  It's a bit of a puzzle, given that we have a near infinite supply of water at our disposal. 

Day 340: The Coup
Meng Gikkencatten - Captain of the Guard, Provisional Mayor, Veldacost

It is my sad duty to report that former Mayor Shem Sigunam died of thirst just a few days after he wrote that last log message.

Atir Toroster as it turns out, was a terrible Mayor.  A bureaucratic error on his part recently led to the decommissioning of our still and the reassignment of its brewmaster.  Unable to admit that he'd made such an error, Toroster ultimately ignored it and in doing so caused more than a dozen Dwarves to die of thirst.  Toroster was arrested and executed after a member of the guard found him tampering with the still in an effort to destroy evidence.

The still has been reactivated and the Dwarves of Veldacost are once again able to drink ale.  While I continue to act as Provisional Mayor, I am willing and able to step aside whenever an appropriate candidate to lead this fortress steps forward.