In the Halls of Endok Eggut, 63Udib Scaldedworked, lying half a mile below the ground in a cell that measured six by six by eight feet, sighed and reflected yet again on the contrasting dimensions of his position. Having accidentally delivered a stack of twenty-five copper bolts to the trade depot- to trade to a civilization which was perfectly friendly, mind- he was likely to be killed in a few hours slowly and painfully by hammer.
It was not fair.
He was but a lowly administrator's apprentice, learning basic organization, trading and administration skills as his ticket out of the Mountainhomes. Oh, most of his /friends/ were perfectly content to mooch off the abundant food and luxurious accommodation, making friends all day, never amounting to anything. In a fortress where jobs were scarce and the free provisions lavish, there were only three ways to become
someone, anyone, rather than a senseless, pointless moocher.
The first was to get your way into the guilds and become a master. This was difficult if you had connections, and for Udib, who had none, it was impossible. The guilds were monopolies, owned the government, and kept a tight control on the production of raw materials and goods to make sure their skills were immune to competition.
The second was the military. Udib had tried this, and indeed became somewhat skilled with a battleaxe, before being passed over for an equipment promotion to a guildsmaster's nephew, who received an armor upgrade because "he's more valuable to the life of the fortress." Udib promptly left the army in disgust.
The third was to leave the Mountainhomes, which was extremely hit-or-miss.
Anyone could sign up for a colonization mission, get a month of training in a basic skill like carpentry, and leave on a wagon for Armok-knows-where. Over half of these, however, did not survive. The official policy, Roll Back Evil, was to send masses of unskilled nobodies to labor in dangerous locales. If they died, it didn't really matter; the supplies sent with them were cheap for a mature fortress like the Mountainhomes, and the peasants were, well, peasants. If they lived, so much the better; even if it was a hole in the ground, it was a dwarven hole in the ground, and represented a claim on land and resources, a sink for excess population, and a source of supplies and soldiers.
Alternatively, and only if you got decent administrator training and pulled a few strings, you could be sent to look over one of the island colonies that were also being planted, albeit fewer of them. Here, invasion from goblins was impossible, the climate forgiving, and threats far and few between; you could die of old age in a large, comfortable bedroom.
It was this that Udib had craved, and by a spot of luck he had gotten a foot in the door. He had always had a head for numbers, and was able to get a recommendation for the Advanced Administration Track at the academy by his old math teacher, Catten Goldencloister.
And then, just a week ago, it had all fallen apart...against the queen's wishes, and quite by accident, he had brought a load of bolts to trade to the humans.
Now he awaited trial...
---------
The door of the cell swung open.
"Udib Scaldedworked? It's time."
He followed the guard, a burly, middle-aged dwarf clad in iron and wielding a bronze sword, up the stairs, down a cold, empty stone hall, and finally at a great, wide pair of wooden doors.
The guard swung the knocker, and the door opened to reveal a courtroom, carved of pure marble, with mahogany furniture. He sat down in the defendent's bench, and looked up at the judge.
"Mr. Udib Scaldedworked, the 3rd of Moonstone, year 63, on twenty-five counts of trading away an item deemed vital to fortress security. Mr. Scaldedworked, do you know what sentence is usually given per count of trading an item whose export is banned?"
"No, Your Honor, I don't."
"Ten swings of the hammer. That works out to a round two hundred and fifty, Mr. Scaldedworked, if I'm not mistaken."
There was silence, for a very long time, before Udib spoke up.
"I was not aware of such a ban at the time I brought the bolts to the depot, Your Honor."
"The
law, Mr. Scaldedworked, makes no such distinction. You are guilty by virtue of bringing to the depot an item on which there was an export ban, and the punishment for
that is two hundred fifty hammer strikes."
Udib gulped. The hammerer, Morul Plankoils, was an old war vet with three hundred goblin kills to his name and an artifact golden hammer at his side. Two hundred and fifty hammer strikes was virtually a death sentence.
"However, Mr. Scaldedworked, the
judge may make such a distinction- if he acts within the leeway the law gives him, and does not overstep usual procedure...Mr. Clerk, please hand me the most recent volume on court cases involving all defendents with last name starting with S, and look for any cases involving a Mr. Scaldedworked since the publication date..."
The clerk rummaged through a bookshelf at his side, producing a thick, leather-bound book which he handed to the judge, who began to peruse it; then he pulled out a thick folder and began to peruse through
it.
"Mr. Clerk," said the judge after a short period, "have you found any convictions?"
"No, sir."
"Then, Mr. Scaldedworked, I presume I am correct in noting that this is your first time you have been brought to trial?"
"That's correct, Your Honor."
"What was your former profession before your arrest?"
"I was training to become an outpost administrator, Your Honor."
"And your skills?"
"I have some skill in brokering, Your Honor, and I can do basic bookkeeping. I have a rough knowledge of anatomy and medicine, allowing me to make a diagnosis, if need be. I also have some skill fighting with a battleaxe and shield from a short stint in the military."
"As it happens, Mr. Scaldedworked, we have a set of six minor criminals whose sentences have been commuted to starting an outpost in a northern region known as the Barbarous Forest. The chosen site is not too far from a Goblin tower, which is why it's imperative to gain a foothold in the area. I shall commute your sentence from hammer strikes to a position as the administrator of the soon-to-be-founded outpost of Forestmurdered; it's a difficult location, but you were going to be placed as an overseer, anyways. Unless, that is...you want to take the hammer strikes?"
"No, Your Honor."
"Then so be it. Mr. Clerk, please note the following: Mr. Udib Scaldedworked has been found guilty on twenty-five counts of violating an export ban on this the third day of Moonstone in the sixty-third year of the fortress. His sentence has been commuted from two hundred fifty hammer strikes to exile and his appointment to the position of overseer of the outpost of Forestmurdered in the Barbarous Forests. The court adjourns. Mr. Scaldedworked..."
"Yes, Your Honor?"
"May Armok have mercy on your beard."
Out-of-Game IntroductionWelcome to Forestmurdered, a succession game in a haunted taiga, where the pine trees stand tall and evil. The world, "The Wonderous Realms," was a large region generated with history ending in the year 300, but I cut it short in 63. In recompense for the evil surroundings, our starting embark points have been beefed up slightly from 1324 to 1500. I increased the probability of a haunted taiga appearing (and made virtually the entire world cold) by giving temperature a 1:40:1:1:1 ratio, and an evil region count of 3 in small regions and 1 in large regions. Minerals are more abundant (1250); in recompense, the number of other terrors has been increased, with fifty titans (now arriving at a population of 50) instead of thirty-three, and the number of megabeast and semimegabeast caves has been increased as well. In essence I'm attempting to make the game very Fun, but also make sure we have the resources we need first to protect ourselves from an early death, and secondly to make sure that our defeats really are our own doing and not just an unfortunate lack of metal. There aren't any succession games I know in a haunted taiga, and I'm enchanted by taiga landscapes.
With danger, however, will come reward, if we're willing to put our beards and muscles to it. There is abundant clay, soil, wood, and metal, and I'm hoping flux as well. There is a river which will be frozen for most of the year, but we can tap it during the short summer thaw and store some of its water in a cistern. (Note to future overseers: Pulling an Ardentdikes with the water supply is not only allowed but encouraged, iff you think you have a shot at keeping the fortress from completely dying). We border elves, goblins and humans, and are not at war with anyone (but obviously hostile with the goblins); I was hoping for a tower, but we'll have enough undead Fun as it is already, I think. Our civilization is called the Attic of Gullies, and there are lots of slopes around the river, which is good (a flat embark is more organized and neater, but being able to dig and wall up a hole quickly can mean life and death). All in all, it's a high-risk, high-reward embark.
The available dwarves are:
Udib Scaldedworked, a guy, whom I am dorfing as Dieter Meyer. (+1 Judge of Intent, +1 Appraiser, +1 Record Keeper, +1 Organizer, +2 Diagnosis, +2 Axeman, +2 Shield User)
Cilob Columnlens, a girl. (+3 Mining)
Uzol Palmsilvers, a girl. (+3 Mining)
Datan Cloisterattack, a guy. (+2 Woodcutting, +2 Carpentry, +3 Axeman)
Solon Craftroads, a guy. (+2 Growing, +2 Brewing, +2 Butchery, +2 Tanning)
Atīs Warcities, a guy. (+4 Cooking, +2 Stonecrafting, +2 Mechanic)
Kogan Brightgilt, a guy. (+2 Furnace Operator, +2 Weaponsmithing)
We also packed:
2 copper picks
Iron anvil
20 each of dwarven wine, ale and beer
21 each of each seed except for dimple cups
15 of two kinds of meat
15 plump helmets
5 silk cloth
5 silk bags
10 silk thread
3 silk ropes
1 copper battle axe
3 sandstone blocks
10 pieces of charcoal
4 pieces of hematite
4 pieces of marble
And we also have some livestock. Nothing with big grazing needs, it'd die (and we'll butcher the pack animals too). Just a couple of cats (same-sex), some dogs, and some poultry:
Female dogs, 3
Male dog, 1
Female war dogs, 2
Male war dogs, 2
Guineahens, 2
Guineacock, 1
Peahen, 2
Peacock, 1
I thought about bringing along a couple of pigs, but at 102 points for a breeding pair, it simply isn't worth it. I'll order a pair in the fall though. Sheep are damned useful, but only once we're secure enough that we can cut out an indoor pasture for them. Our group name is Kenis Zar, "The Meadow of Outrage."
Turn List (
finished,
active,
upcoming,
skipped):
1.
dhokarena562.
Squeegy3.
rumpel4.
ChimpanzeeSign up. In the meantime, it's time to... STRIKE THE EARTH!
Latest Save18th Malachite, 64 (middle of year 1)