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[ViridiLupus]

So, I'm getting back into DF after about two years (the last time I played was, in fact, the abortive succession game of Bristlewalled), and I decided to just do... a normal fortress. No evil biomes, no self-imposed challenges, just a perfectly normal embark and playthrough. Or as normal as it ever gets in DF.

Because I have some friends who are interested in DF but aren't currently playing themselves, I've been documenting my experience in screenshots and short writeups over on imgur. Since I'm already doing that, I figured I might as well as share it over here as well. I will probably be posting additional narrative tidbits in here outside of imgur -- dwarf diaries, rundowns of what's going on in legends mode, that kind of thing. The first 5ish parts are already online and available for you to peruse.

This is the story of Koganatol, the great equatorial fortress on the coast. Highlights include:

• A dwarf is killed by a windmill
• The heroic stand of the Crystalline Actions
• Goblins do something useful for once
• A human man who cannot be killed by arrows
• A complete lack of any iron
• A God of Painting. Just painting. Nothing else.
• The Captain of the Guard is arrested
• Operation PUMPJOB
• The queen worships the goddess of death
• Everyone is related to the first necromancer in history
• A suicidal giant
• A very mean crab
• I am very bad at obsidian casting
• The Blackspires

CHAPTERS

• Part 0: World Overview and Embark
• Part 1: Striving for Self Sufficiency
• Part 2: Military and Mechanical Mishaps
• Part 3: Hot Lead and Cold Iron Copper
• Part 4: Bronze Giants, Broken Goblins, and Crushed Skulls
• Part 5: Planning PUMPJOB
• Part 6: PUMPJACK Rises
• Interstitial 1: A Meeting of the Central Executive Council
• Interstitial 2: Journal Entry of Vucar Lashedtulon
• Part 7: Two Steps Forward, One Pump Stack
• Part 8: PUMPJOB Begins and Ends
• Part 9: Raising the Curtains
• Interstitial 3: Royal Decree of Queen Ducim
• Interstitial 4: Royal Consultation with the Architects of Koganatol
• Part 10: Obsidian Blues
• Part 11: Weapons, Walls, and Alcohol Poisoning
• Part 12: Tales of Conquest and Cyclops

[ViridiLupus]

Noting here that Part 6 is now up, wherein we negotiate an end to a civil war, begin work on the pump stack, fortify our surface defenses, and kill a lot of goblins. Also, a surprising arrival who may spell doom for the whole fortress.

[ViridiLupus]

After I posted Part 6 last night, I went ahead and did a dump of the legends info to get a better idea of what's been going on in the world since embark. I also took the time to really go through and study the relationships between the dwarfs, and learned a few surprising things. Using my newly acquired knowledge, I went ahead and wrote a bit of interstitial "narrative" prose. I'll be doing these bits from time to time, describing the day-to-day life of the fortress from the viewpoint of its inhabitants.

This one is the minutes from a special meeting of the Central Executive Council -- the "working nobles" who actually do stuff and run the fortress (in fiction, at least). The meeting takes place just before/immediately after the end of Part 6.

Spoiler: Interstitial 1 (click to show/hide)

Meeting Minutes of the Council of Koganatol
Year 132, the Seventh Since the Founding of the Fortress
Month of Slate, Day 6

Subject: The Queen; Military Readiness; PUMPJOB Progress; Surface Expansion
Recorded by Vucar Lashedtulon

In Attendance:
* Kogan Lilarbomrek, Mayor
* Vucar Lashedtulon, Manager and Bookkeeper
* Catten Dodokanriz, Militia Commander
* "Doctor" Ast Dodokrulush, Chief Medical Dwarf
* Onget Ekirrigoth, Tavern Keeper

[The council members assemble in the Mayor's office shortly after midnight. Onget is the last to arrive.]
ONGET: Madame Mayor, with all bloody respect, what in Dozeb's name is worth calling us here this hour? Decent dwarfs should be asleep at a time like this.
CATTEN: Good thing you're not a decent dwarf then, uncle.
ONGET: You best remember who serves your ale, lass.
KOGAN: Both of you, please. I don't much like meeting now either, truth be told, but Mister Vuck has some urgent news that needs to be shared.
ONGET: Well Vuck? Spill already so we can get back to sleep.
AST: What about Obok? Shouldn't he hear this too?
CATTEN: Captain Ottanendork has gate duty tonight.
VUCAR: Unfortunate. But perhaps it's for the best that he be kept out of the loop for now. That way he can't be implicated if things go... poorly.
ONGET: (Clearly distressed) Implicated?
VUCAR: [Ignoring Onget.] Madame Mayor, would you call the meeting to order?
KOGAN: Certainly. [Clears throat.] The Central Executive Committee of the Fortress Koganatol is now in special session. Mister Vuck, please start the minutes with Onget's arrival. You have the floor.
[Everyone sits down except for Vucar.]
VUCAR: Thank you, Mayor. [Coughs nervously.] Honorable comrades, I apologize for the lateness and the suddenness of this meeting, but I believe you will agree that it was necessary.
ONGET: (Agitated) Maybe if you'd tell us already instead of talking about how you're going to tell us!
VUCAR: As you wish. I shall abridge the political background and give you the beer barrel. Despite the negotiation of an armistice in the Outrageous Conflict and the reopening of the trade routes to the mountainhomes, there have still been sporadic outbreaks of factional violence in the south. As distant and isolated as we are here, this would, normally not be of any concern for us, so long as the trade caravans continue. However, I have received word that her majesty, Queen Ducim, intends to relocate the capital to Koganatol--possibly permanently--in an attempt to insulate the royal government from the factional rivalries between the old fortresses. She will be arriving with her entourage in a matter of days.
[Vucar sits down. There is a moment of silence.]
KOGAN: ------'- ------!
AST: Kogan!
CATTEN: No, she's right, ----- -- - ----! I should know, she's my cousin.
ONGET: She's also your queen.
CATTEN: So? That just means --- ----- -- - ----.
KOGAN: No, Onget is right. We shouldn't say such things. Mister Vuck, please strike our thoughtless comments from the record.
VUCAR: Of course. However, while I certainly wouldn't use those exact words, I am forced to concur with your general sentiment. This development is... less than ideal.
AST: In what way? Surely we only stand to benefit from becoming the capital.
CATTEN: Steel.
VUCAR: A succinct summation, Commander. Once the queen arrives, we will no longer receive caravans from the mountainhomes, because we will have become a mountainhome. Given the lack of iron ore at this site, it was our intention to import iron from the mountain mines. That option is no longer available to us.
AST: What about the human caravans? Or the goblins?
VUCAR: It's true that the human merchants do bring some iron with them, but the amount is minuscule compared to what we would have been able to import from the mountainhomes. As for the goblins... Well, the entire point of refining steel was to provide ourselves with better armor and equipment to defend against the goblin raids. If we have to rely on them for our supplies of metal...
AST: Based on what I've seen--or rather, haven't seen--in the hospital, it would seem that Catten's troops are doing a fine job of it right now.
CATTEN: The assaults are only going to get worse once the queen shows up. Do you remember the colossus, Doctor?
AST: I distinctly remember that you and your troops hid inside the gatehouse until goblins killed it.
CATTEN: Yes, the goblins killed it. After it had slain a score of their number, and countless others before them. But they still managed to defeat it. Because they outnumbered it by forty to one. My troops are good, but when the numbers are big enough, quantity counts more than quality.
AST: They'll have to run out of goblins eventually.
CATTEN: Bet your life on it? Bet all our lives on it?
[Ast shifts in her seat, obviously uncomfortable.]
KOGAN: What about our surface fortifications? Those can be improved easily enough, can't they?
CATTEN: More easily than making steel, at least. If they're going to become our first line of defense, then there's a lot we need to do to improve them. The outer wall needs to be raised, the upper access tunnels need to be sealed, a ditch needs to be dug for a ha-ha, and we could do with more firing positions. All simple enough, but they'll take time.
VUCAR: Which will likely delay PUMPJOB even further -- although we could recruit more masons to focus on making blocks for the walls while the rest of them work on the stack.
ONGET: What about weaponizing PUMPJOB?
[Another moment of silence.]
CATTEN: I think we have enough problems as it is, uncle.
VUCAR: Agreed. Besides, PUMPJOB won't be ready soon enough to be a useful weapon, even if we could do so safely.
KOGAN: And when will it be ready? Or do you even know?
VUCAR: Our timetable is one to two years right now, but that could change. 135, at the latest.
CATTEN: And when will the Foundry be fully operational?
VUCAR: Within a year of PUMPJOB. That will, at least, allow us to produce enough steel to outfit your current troops.
KOGAN: What about mercenaries?
CATTEN: What about them?
KOGAN: Could we hire some to supplement your troops?
CATTEN: Maybe. I don't know how I feel about letting them into the fortress.
ONGET: We could build surface structures for them. If we're talking about humans, they tend to prefer being aboveground anyways.
KOGAN: There's an idea. If we fortify our surface defenses, we can expand out behind them and build visitor quarters. A tavern, a temple, that sort of thing.
AST: Perhaps a library? We could certainly use one here.
[Catten mutters something, but only Ast hears it.]
AST: Sibrek's not my grandfather.
CATTEN: Lucky you. But you know who else is his granddaughter? The queen. And I happen to know that she worship Kat, and not casually. So think about that, and then tell me if you want us to still build a library.
VUCAR: Commander, I think you're being paranoid. Excessively so, that is.
CATTEN: Wouldn't you be, if Tombcyclones was your grandfather?
ONGET: He's my father, but I'm not afraid of books.
CATTEN: I'm not afraid of books. I just don't trust them.
KOGAN: Comrades, I believe we're straying. Does anyone have anything else they want to say about the queen for the record, or can we close this session?
VUCAR: I've said my piece already.
CATTEN: I have plenty to say, but not for the record.
ONGET: Queen Ducim is my favorite niece and I think she's an excellent ruler.
AST: I prefer not to engage in blatant flattery.
KOGAN: Very well. This special session of the Central Executive Council of the Fortress Koganatol is now concluded. Mister Vuck, please seal the minutes.

[ViridiLupus]

So, a couple points of order:
1) I misread part of the wiki and assumed that becoming a mountainhome removed your ability to receive dwarven caravans. It actually just removes your ability to make trade agreements, which is basically the same thing for me. Still, I went ahead and wrote another interstitial piece to explain away this misunderstanding in-universe (and to add to the NARRATIVE)
2) Pump stacks are literally the worst holy crap why are they like this

Anyways, Part 7 is here. The interstitial piece is in the spoiler below, and takes place early on during Part 7.

Spoiler: Interstitial 2 (click to show/hide)

From the Journal of Vucar Lashedtulon, Manager of Koganatol
Year 132, the Seventh Since the Founding of the Fortress
Month of Galena, Day 25

Two items of note today.

First, a major development on Operation PUMPJOB. After examining the Engine, and consultation with pump stack architect Mebzuth Berok, it has been conclusively determined that the cause of the upper stack collapse [see entry for Hematite 5, Year 132] lies completely with the gear assembly used to control the transfer of power from the Engine to the stack. When this was disengaged to prepare the Engine for testing, the pumps below it were unintentionally disconnected, leading to their collapse. The disengagement gear is being moved to a different assembly to avoid a repeat of this incident.

Also, we've had a breakthrough in our construction technique that should allow us to complete the entire stack in only a few more months. It will require circumventing a few of the regulations of the Guild of Masons, Mechanics, and Architects, but the Queen has barred the guilds from operating in Koganatol for the time being -- apparently part of her efforts to centralize power. These efforts are troubling, but for now they are to the benefit of the fortress.

Second, on the subject of the Queen. She invited Mayor Kogan and myself to dine with her this evening, apparently in a genuine effort to ingratiate herself among the fortress's upper hierarchy. She seemed quite pleased with what we've accomplished here, and expressed a particular interest in PUMPJOB -- the mountainhomes are typically carved deep enough that they rarely need large pump stacks, and PUMPJOB is by far one of the largest projects of its kind. (Although the dwarfs of the Somber Lash have, supposedly, constructed an even larger pump stack within the Hot Spike which carries magma almost a mile to their mountaintop forges. I would love to see such a thing one day.)

The subject, inevitably, turned towards the metal industry and our lack of local iron. When Mayor Kogan mentioned, off-handedly, that we would be unable to import ore from the mountain mines, the Queen was in turns surprised and then angry. She asked why we expected to be unable to receive caravans from the other mountainhomes.

"They told us so," replied the Mayor. Which is technically true, although we had already assumed such prior to the Queen's arrival. After all, the mountainhomes trade almost exclusively with their holdings, and only very rarely with each other.

"They told you they wouldn't send caravans?"

"Mayor Eral of Rakustkib said that a mountainhome should be self-sufficient, and that his dwarfs can't and won't do the work to support two full fortresses -- they already have enough holdings to manage as it is. The other mayors said similar things."

"Eral! I should have known he would be behind this. His people have been trying to undermine me since Aunt Monom abdicated the throne to me. Don't you worry about your trade agreements, I'll see to it that they're upheld."

So, the Queen is going to resolve our trade dilemma. She may not be able to force the other mountainhomes to send us supplies -- she has not yet centralized her power to that degree -- but she can make sure that the outlying hamlets and holdings continue to send us caravans each year. Truth be told, it probably won't be hugely to our benefit, as the hamlets have only limited mining operations, and we'll probably be running an export-heavy trade deficit, but every little bit counts. More than that, it is heartening to know that the Queen is invested in the welfare of the fortress, even if it's only to guarantee her a secure power base.

I did not ask her about the skull.

[ViridiLupus]

So we had our very first game crash today, which cost us about a day's worth of progress. In the interest of maintaining a decent pace of output, I'm tossing up Part 8 still -- you can find it here. I'll be redoing the parts that we lost as closely as possible, and picking up Part 9 from there.

[ViridiLupus]

We're back! This one took a while, since I had a QM midterm to deal with earlier this week. To start with, here's the link to Part 9. Not a ton of action in this one -- just a goblin siege, some general housekeeping, an attack by a giant, working on the surface defenses, and continuing to melt down every scrap of metal we can get our hands on.

Also, I've got another interstitial segment for y'all. This one takes place near the end of Part 9, and is mostly setting things up for our next project.

Spoiler: Interstitial 3 (click to show/hide)

Royal Decree of Queen Ducim
Calling for the Construction of a Tower
Issued from Koganatol in the Year 134

WE have resided these past two years in the Mountainhome of Koganatol.

IN SUCH TIME, WE have
OBSERVED, that the great equatorial isthmus upon which the Mountainhome of Koganatol is sited is lacking in prominent landforms;
NOTED, that His Excellency, Mayor Eral of Rakustkib, has objected to our decree, Elevating the Fortress of Koganatol to the Status of Mountainhome, on the basis of this first point; and
WITNESSED, that the Mountainhome of Koganatol possesses craftsdwarfs and architects of masterful skill.

THEREREFORE, WE find ourselves
DESIRING, to place the status of Koganatol beyond question;
DESIRING ALSO, to engage the fortsmiths of Koganatol in worthy work; and
WISHING, to glorify our Mountainhome, our royal personage, and our whole people.

THUS, WE hereby
DECLARE, our intention to create a symbolic mountain above Koganatol in the form of a great tower;
REQUEST, that the architects of Koganatol draw plans for this tower, to be presented to our royal personage for consideration three months hence; and
STIPULATE, that all proposed designs must include a suite of royal apartments, a temple to Kat the Thundercaller, quarters for the royal guard and entourage, a library and clerical offices necessary for the administration of the kingdom, and a great hall for the display of the historical artifacts of Koganatol and Thob Vir.

SO BE IT DECREED,
by Ducim Bomrekes, Queen of Thob Vir, Lord of Koganatol, Champion of the Thundercaller

[ViridiLupus]

Another double update. The interstitial piece is a meeting between the fortress architects and the Queen, and is following up on the previous piece as well as laying out the narrative foundation for our next major project. It takes place during/right before the opening of Part 10, which you can find here. The interstitial piece is, as always, in the spoiler below.

Spoiler: Interstitial 4 (click to show/hide)

Royal Consultation with the Architects of Koganatol
Year 134, the Ninth Since the Founding of the Fortress
Month of Sandstone, Day 18

Recorded by onul Ilralezum

In Attendance:
* Ducim Bomrekes, Queen
* onul Ilralezum, Royal Liaison and Aide-de-camp
* Vucar Lashedtulon, Manager
* Mebzuth Berok, Pump Architect
* Catten Domasost, Structural Architect
* Eral Ablelgoden, Mechanical Architect

[The architects are assembled in the throne room, waiting for the Queen to arrive. The doors open behind them.]
ONUL: Her Majesty, Queen Ducim.
[The dwarfs bow as the Queen proceeds to the throne. After taking her seat, she motions for them to rise.]
QUEEN: We thank you all for attending us today. We have previously declared our intention to construct a great tower at this site, and directed that plans be prepared for such. As the preeminent architects of the fortress, you have now been summoned before the throne to present your individual proposals in turn, and then to offer your collective expertise in judging their merits. Onul?
ONUL: The first proposal comes from Catten Domasost, originally of the hillock of Enseboddom, settled in Koganatol in the spring of 128. Trained in structural architecture, Miss Domasost is responsible for much of the surface fortifications of Koganatol.
QUEEN: Thank you, Onul. Miss Domasost, you may speak.
CATTEN: Your Majesty, in your decree you stated that the goal of this project is to give Koganatol a symbolic mountain of its own to cement our status as a mountainhome. Upon reading this, I spent many hours in contemplation and prayer to Datan, pondering the essential nature of mountains, so that I could produce a plan that best fulfills this purpose. I have concluded that the essential aspect of a mountain is not in its height--trees are tall but are not mountains, while many mountains are short and yet remain mountains--but in its weight. With this in mind, I have drafted designs for a grand pyramid, as wide as it is tall--and it will be as tall as the tallest of towers, I can assure you--built from solid blocks of granite carved out of the heart of the earth itself.
QUEEN: An unorthodox but bold direction. However--and do correct us if we are mistaken--but for there to be any significant amount of useful interior space in the upper levels of such a pyramid, it would have to be very wide indeed, would it not? Else it would be little more than a spire of solid rock atop a few large rooms on the lowest levels.
CATTEN: Your Majesty is correct. However, the nature of the design is such that it can easily be scaled up to be as wide and as tall as your Majesty desires.
VUCAR: [Polite cough.] If I may?
[The Queen nods to Onul.]
ONUL: The throne recognizes Vucar Lashedtulon, who led the expedition that founded Koganatol, and who has served as its manager for these last 9 years. Having studied under the master masons of Cudistast and received the Order of the Fortsmith in Silver, Mister Lashedtulon is well-versed in all aspects of architecture and logistics. Moreover, no dwarf knows more about the design and underlying geology of Koganatol, save perhaps the Chief Miner, Ast Ducimzoz.
QUEEN: Your insight is welcome, Fortsmith.
VUCAR: Thank you, your Majesty. [Turns to address Catten.] Miss Domasost, you know as well as I--or perhaps even better--the layout and structure of our surface fortifications, which makes it all the more surprising that you have seemingly overlooked them. Tell me, where exactly did you intend to construct this pyramid?
CATTEN: It was my intention that the current gatehouse be demolished and the pyramid sited in its place.
VUCAR: I see. So you would seek to place many thousands of tons of stone directly over the loose soil near the cliffs, which has been further weakened by the extensive tunneling undertaken as part of the fortification efforts?
CATTEN: I... had not considered the geology of the site, Mister Vuck.
VUCAR: Calling it geology is rather generous, I think. We have teams of carpenters shoring up new holes that have opened up on the surface every other month--some of those tunnels are more timber than mineral now. [Turns to the Queen.] While I must commend Miss Domasost for her vision, I must respectfully counsel your Majesty against it. It is unfortunate, but the strata of this site simply do not permit a structure that imitates the weight of a mountain.
QUEEN: Thank you, Mister Lashedtulon. And thank you, Miss Domasost, for your proposal. Onul, you may call the next speaker.
ONUL: Eral Ablelgoden, originally of the mountain hall of Avuzroldeth, settled in Koganatol in the spring of 128. Miss Ablelgoden has been trained in mechanical engineering, and is responsible for many of the mechanisms used in the operations of the Foundry and the gatehouse.
[The Queen gestures for Eral to speak.]
ERAL: Your Majesty, when I learned of your desire for a tower to rival a mountain, I immediately set upon the task of determining the absolute physical limits upon such a structure's height. This is, of course, a function of the materials used, and in that regard we are rather unlucky, for our most abundant building materials are timber, stone, and lead. Naturally, I have dismissed the very idea of using wood, which leaves us with stone and lead, neither of which lends itself to building tall, free-standing structures--they are both far too dense, and lacking in certain mechanical properties which would be desired. As a result, I have been forced to compromise somewhat, and have drawn up plans for a series of multiple towers: several shorter stone structures arranged in a ring around a taller central tower, which would be constructed primarily of lead and copper, with silver and steel used strategically to reinforce certain structural elements.
QUEEN: Is it absolutely impossible to dispense with the outer towers and simply make the central tower somewhat wider to facilitate a greater height?
ERAL: Not with the materials we have on hand, your Majesty. Perhaps if we had access to the iron mines of Fathducim...?
ONUL: That is, unfortunately, not an option at this time. The southern mountainhomes are committed to maintaining their embargo against us, and the outlying hillocks simply don't have the kind of industry necessary to supply such an endeavor.
QUEEN: Disappointing. Still, you have done the best you could in the face of daunting limitations, Miss Ablelgoden, and for that, we commend you. Onul, the next speaker please.
ONUL: Mebzuth Berok, originally of the hillock of Abaned, settled in Koganatol in the spring of 127. Mister Berok is an expert in fluid engineering, and was the lead architect on the pump stack, for which he was awarded the Order of the Fortsmith in Steel.
QUEEN: Fortsmith, we have been awaiting your proposal with great anticipation. Tell us, what are your designs?
MEBZUTH: Your Majesty, I am honored by your faith in me, but I must regretfully inform you that I do not have a proposal for a tower. I do, however, have a potential solution for Miss Ablelgoden's material problem.
QUEEN: Explain yourself.
MEBZUTH: When I received your decree, I fully intended to present you with my own tower design. However, I very quickly arrived at the same conclusion as Miss Ablelgoden--that our existing materials are simply inadequate to construct a tower of sufficiently grand height. Therefore, I turned my attention to devising a method of obtaining suitable material. My plan, such as it is, is to create a chamber for casting obsidian from magma, making use of the existing architecture leftover from PUMPJOB. While obsidian cannot match the material properties of steel, it is significantly lighter and stronger than anything else we have ready access to, and would allow for the creation of a much taller tower without a significant increase in its ground footprint.
QUEEN: A laudable display of initiative, Fortsmith. Miss Ablelgoden, how would this change your present designs?
ERAL: Without performing new calculations... the height of the central tower could be increased by, oh, perhaps fifty to seventy percent?
CATTEN: What about a hybrid approach? Dispense with the outer towers and build a single, tiered tower that is loosely pyramidal but still taller than it is wide.
ERAL: That could work. Yes, that would definitely work. You'd get the most height for the smallest footprint. Although it would constrain the interior volume.
VUCAR: Two towers then. Here, look... [He fishes a sheet of paper and a bit of charcoal out of his pockets and quickly sketches a rough diagram of the gatehouse and interior walls.] You could site the towers here and here, where the soil is firmer. This pond would have to be drained and filled, and this area here might need some additional foundation support, but you could easily get both towers over fifty meters in height, at a minimum.
CATTEN: We could connect the towers with an aerial walkway here...
MEBZUTH: Perhaps a waterfall...
ERAL: Use steel to widen them again near the top...
[The architects lean in over Vucar's diagram and begin making marks upon it while conferring in hushed tones. Eventually, they all nod and Vucar turns to address the Queen again.]
VUCAR: Your Majesty, we'll need some more time to settle on the finer details, but I believe we've settled on a plan that is amenable to all of us.
QUEEN: Then that is the plan we shall use, Fortsmith. Do as you see fit to enact it. We shall expect regular reports on your progress, but beyond that, the details are left in your capable hands.
VUCAR: [He bows.] As you say, your Majesty.
[The Queen yawns, suddenly disinterested.]
ONUL: If the architects have no further counsel for the throne, may I ask that they leave the Queen to attend to her other duties?
[Murmurs of assent from the other dwarfs. They all bow, before being shepherded out of the room by Onul.]
QUEEN: (Addressing no one in particular.) Towers of black glass... if only they knew.
ONUL: The gods work through the hands of every dwarf, your Majesty.
QUEEN: But which gods, Onul?
ONUL: Only they know.
QUEEN: For now.

[ViridiLupus]

Part 11 is now up. We deal with a goblin siege, fix the walls, start work on the foundations of the Blackspires, and deal with another goblin siege. Also, Onget is fired from his position as tavern keeper after an unfortunate death. Read it here.

Next up, we're going to try out a mission and see if we can't take the fight to the goblins.

[ViridiLupus]

Part 12 is up now. Wherein we continue work on the Blackspires, crash stonesense a bunch of times, fight a cyclops, and finally get around to building that surface inn. Oh, also, we start taking over the world.

Read it here, or check the link up in the topic.