From the journal of Fikod "RPB" Ledpaddle, Craftsdwarves' Guild:
It has finally happened. I am to be dispatched to the ex-penal colony Mountainwatchful. The governor says that Mountainwatchful is a fine fortress in the making that will benefit from my skills and insight. In reality I know I am only being sent away because I called the treasurer's wife a dirty she-elephant to her face. I have heard of the frozen wilderness Mountainwatchful sits in. What could this assignment be except a punishment?
No matter; I do not mind the cold. Perhaps this assignment may even be advantageous to me. Should I succeed here it will bring great credit to my name.
17th Slate, 1057
After a long trek over the frozen wastes I have arrived at last. In the distance I can see a fine impressive gate structure welcoming me to my new home. By Armok, though, any fortress would look inviting after a trip like that! I'd happily throw myself into a goblin stronghold if it meant getting out of this arctic hell. Surely nothing could be worse than getting caught out here again!
19th Slate, 1057
I have been proven wrong. The situation here is worse than I'd thought. Many dwarves stand around idle for lack of work, and others have nothing better to do than to haul stone around. Few have any noteworthy skills; even the untested apprentices accompanying me on the journey have as much experience to show. This will be harder than I had thought. There are many fine public halls of grand design, but very little room for production.
20th Slate, 1057
A fellow immigrant, Urdim Unnosvabok, seems to be acting a bit strange. Bit fey, even. He seems to have some sort of special project in mind. I confess I do not know enough about metalworking to know what he's going on about, but his determination is heartening. Maybe this might just work out after all.
Meanwhile I've begin work on my own little special project. At first I was appalled to see so many miners and so little digging, but their numbers have proven to be a blessing. I've even had to draft several idle craftsdwarves to help the digging along.
26th Slate, 1057
Urdim seems to have stopped work. He just sits sullenly in his forge, staring across the magma, ranting and raving about ore. I don't know what his problem is; there's stockpiles of the stuff right behind him, full of gold and silver and iron. What else could any dwarf want? It's a pity, really; after all the work he's put in I had been looking forward to seeing what he was working on.
From what the other dwarves are saying it sounds like he'll only get worse from here. It seems as though this sort of insanity is common here. I can't say I'm surprised; I'm not sure I can stand much more of this myself.
28th Slate, 1057
Stopped in on Urdim again to see if he's doing any better. Still ranting about ore, I'm afraid. What's really creepy is the way he just stares, gazing across the magma as if it was challenging him. What could possibly be so engrossing about the far wall of the magma?
Wait... what's that? That isn't silver... it's a vein of platinum! No wonder Urdim was so obsessed about it. Platinum. Well, that settles it. I order a bridge to be built across the magma. It will take some of our precious steel, but for this it will be well worth it. The smiths are clearly reluctant; they mumble excuses about "fiery hell-pits" and "demons". Ridiculous! Finally they get to work and the miners carve out the first nuggets of platinum the fortress has likely seen for some time. Urdim cackles with triumph and hauls off some of the precious ore to begin work on his... whatever. Frankly he's even creepier now than when he was sulking, but it seems as though he'll have something truly impressive to show out of it.
11th Felsite, 1057
It is finished! Urdim has crafted a truly magnificent battleaxe which he dubs Tunur Unnos, The Style of Hooves. It puts to shame even the magnificent axe Nasseng crafted in this very fortress several years ago. No doubt Mountainwatchful will become duly famous for its weaponcrafting, but for now there are more immediate concerns.
22nd Felsite, 1057
Vile beasts! A handful of batmen fly out of the chasm, frightening the dwarves. The traps lain along the bridge take care of them, but the disruption they have created is annoying.
1st Hematite, 1057
The beginning of summer comes, and I am getting impatient. In spite of the great number of mechanics inhabiting the fort they seem utterly incapable of actually getting anything accomplished. I am beginning to worry that all my efforts may be wasted if the mechanics cannot complete their task.
18th Hematite, 1057
A human caravan has arrived laden with goods. With it come a handful of skulking kobolds. A mere nuisance, but while the soldiers are distracted a terrifying magma man comes from the depths. Fortunately the only casualty is a pet cat, which frankly I'm just as glad to have out of the way. Damned pests!
22nd Hematite, 1057
The mechanics are finally making some headway at last! Unfortunately an unexpected rift in the chasm has interrupted work for the moment. The delay is frustrating, but I can wait. Now that the mechanics are moving I am confident of success.
7th Malachite, 1057
The new bridges are ready at last. Almost as if on cue, a squad of batmen emerge from the chasm. I was not worried, as they have never been a problem before, but one of them managed to shove a dwarf off the edge of the newly built bridges. Securing the bridges will have to be my next priority.
3rd Galena, 1057
To my dismay the mechanics are not yet finished, but at last the end is in sight. Something strange has seized the metalsmith Sodel Rimtartherleth, though. He's commandeered one of the forges and is gleefully hoarding materials for some secret project. It doesn't look to be as impressive a work as the artifact Urdim made in the spring, however. So far he mostly just seems to be collecting tin and... cloth?
15th Galena, 1057
It is finished! It is finished! It has taken most of two seasons, but it is finished. Here the fortress's production facilities can be concentrated into a more manageable area, along with dining and sleeping quarters. It may not be as impressive as the fortress's grand old halls, but it's better suited to working in. I look forward to a productive autumn and winter season.
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Topic: The Icy Heart: A Succession Game (Read 16988 times)