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[Splint]

I feel unloved now.

[GreatWyrmGold]

That was unintended. I knew you'd notice, I was just wondering if other people were reading. I'm working on the whole "make my words mean to other people what I mean them to mean" thing in real life, too.
Anyways, I've got just enough for another update!

-----

From the journal of Rimtar Degelbekar, Outpost Liason to Zonnish Kukon in the year 127.

I'll be honest, I didn't want anything to do with this place. Staying far, far away wasn't an option, though, it was either become a liason or get sent here, and not come back. King Rith treated it like a favor to me--I guess it was, given what I had done to the queen's niece, although the little slut came on to me*! But that's neither here nor now. The important bit is that as my first assignment as a royal liason to the more distant outposts of the Mountainhomes, my first assignment was Zonnish. Thankfully, the reports of Zonnish's fall came before I could go to that undead-filled wasteland, and I had a year longer to train and prepare for being sent to prison before I actually did.
My first and most important assignment was to figure out how well Zonnish Kukon is doing. They have a bunch of walls and stuff, more than half complete when I got here and with a good bit more being put up by a couple dwarves as I waited for this GreatWyrmBrass to finish up trading. Their military, officially composing about half of the fort's population, is composed primarily of various unarmed, unarmored, and often untrained dwarves who are still evidently a decent fighting force. That kobold I saw (whose corpse is lodged into a fishery), and a giant slug who evidently didn't react well to being tamed, have been this fort's only kills so far, but seeing as they have about zero metal weapons and only a couple copper breastplates and shields, that's still impressive. They seem to have a system of some sort involving minecart tracks and a hole in the ground, which is supposed to take wood from the surface and send it down into the fortress with ease, but it's being hindered because no one wants to unload the wood from the cart for some reason. The main entrance to the fort seems to involve a large pit; thankfully, some stairs are also pointed out.
Soon, I go inside. The entrance is by a narrow, wooden staircase surrounded by wooden walls, evidently to keep out the aquifer's water. Going deeper, I soon find myself in a sort of meeting hall, with a kitchen in one corner and a cage in another. Nearby is a large, but mostly rough and empty, dining hall, and the living quarters. A lady is smoothing the floors; I offer myself to her chivalrously*, but she rebukes me harshly. In short, it seems to be a typical growing fort.

Then I saw the grate.

Rith, if you're reading this, sorry about the comment on your niece-in-law, and you really need to see this grate. It's gold, still with bits of rock and stuff clinging to it (native gold, they call it), but a lot of it's microcline. There's also some limonite, and hematite, and some kind of leather...mere words can't describe it. There's a bunch of neat stuff, every inch is covered in beauty, but you've got to see it. There's this image of a bunch of dwarves around you, and they're putting a lovely microcline crown on your microcline head, and it's really neat in part because you can see the back wall of the guy's office through it. Trust me, you need to come here. Visit. Say it's an inspection or something, just come.

Anyways, they asked for the normal stuff-metal, alcohol, fuel, lye, stuff like that, it's all in my full report. GreatWyrmBrass also requested a bunch of yellow gems, and tin, too. When I asked him why, he said he was paying off an old debt to someone. Says he wants to start some fortress on the coast or something. He asked me to bring a message to a Cilob, asking me to tell him about the status of the fort and inquire as to his current employment status. Says this place has a tons of beasts he'd like.
Negotiations have been impeded by a few factors. For instance, a barrel shortage. We did, however, get the export agreement settled by the time Opal rolled around.
I learned a lot about how the fortress was ever-improving. Ore was being mined; the walls and floors were being smoothed; more walls were being put up; a moat was being dug; a mineshaft was being dug to find the caverns (it had already been dug down 70 levels, though); a buthery/tanning area is being built in the actual fortress; and so on. I think they made some rock pots to deal with the barrel shortage; the pots were being made by someone who I think might be mute. She even only smiled when a little girl mimicked her, playing in a mechanic's workshop. (Very multitalented, that mute one.)
Eventually, we also made some import agreements. In descending order of the Mountainhome's needs, we have: armor, spears, hammers, cloth, anvils, seeds, amulets, cloth earrings, blocks, drinks, and shell crowns. The guy here promises to do his best, but can't make any guarantees. I leave on the third of Opal, leave the region allotted to Zonnish the next day, and catch up to the free traders within half a week.

I think I enjoy spending time with this GreatWyrmBrass. We agree on many things, such as free traders and how the Mountainhomes should be supporting this prison more. I'm thinking about asking King Rith let me move here permanently.


*Probably not true.
-----
And with that, we return to the journals of GreatWyrmBrass.

[Splint]

And BOOM! Clearly I suck at humor. I was just kidding

[Broken]

I am here and following, man.

[Broken]

We really need to get some metal weapons. Our military can't stand a chance against and ambush now, much less  keep
the prisioners in line.
Also soap. Soap is important. Don't forget to make some. Make some lye, or request it next year. Something

[GreatWyrmGold]

I imported some metal gear from the caravan. I think I have lye; one of these days, I'll make some soap. Might be important, now, for the reason that I'm posting a short update now instead of waiting until I have more.

-----

It's been business as normal in Zonnish. I got the minecart-wood thingy to work, more or less. There's a temporary jewler's workshop next to the depot, with a minecart-shaped hole in the side.
Rampartpaddle made a fatal choice whilst riding the minecart around. Well, not fatal, but a puppy got a broken leg and a lot of bruises from being punted down a pit, and Plaitmansions got stunned when his squadmate slightly enlarged the hole in the wall, but still. The dog's passing in and out of consciousness.
Oh, dear, that's Zon. Creedbell's not going to like this...
On the 11th, tragedy struck again: Rampartpaddle was struck by the minecart again. Her arm was broken and the wooden sword which slew the first invader our fortress has seen was dropped. Rampartpaddle went unconscious. Creedbell swiftly moved Rampartpaddle to the dormitory for treatment. The minecart was lodged firmly in the minecart-and-architect-shaped hole in the jewler's workshop.
Broken has taken a break, so Ransackedsack will be assigned to diagnosis.

...And my computer crashes, sending me back to Moonstone 19th. Thankfully, my word processing program autosaves more than I save my DF.

On the 27th, Creedbell was found dead by broken, with bruised right lower leg skin, superficial [i.e. deflected] wounds to the upper body, and a caved-in skull. Broken, who discovered the corpse under the minecart she was riding at the time, thinks that Creedbell struck obstacles twice after death. Creedbell was, ironically, constructing a track stop to prevent minecart deaths when the minecart struck her, which of course has nothing to do with Broken. On the bright side, once someone else finished the stop, the system worked perfectly.
The diplomat gave his requests from the Mountainhomes. Highest priority was toys (which would sell for almost twice the original price), followed by leather and crutches at around ¾ greater price, ammo and thread at about half again, rings at 1/3 greater, fish at around ¼ greater, and cheese, headwear, and cloth at a 1/6 markup.
On the 3rd of Opal, BerserkNINJA was struck in the head by a minecartload of logs. Broken was seen running off from the scene. She has two broken lower legs, a broken foot, a broken ankle, a broken upper leg (the latter three all right), a mangled left lung, some broken ribs, and bruised guts. I designate the dormitory as a temporary (I hope) hospital, and make sure Broken is capable of getting to BerserkNINJA quickly. Quilltorch, remembering his lost wife, quickly recovers BerserkNINJA. Sadly, Broken seems more interested in standing in her doorway than helping BerserkNINJA...Oh, there she goes. And so starts the first successful medicine in any fort I've overseen (most ended with dehydration before treatment starts or death before the dwarf can even be brought to rest. Or both).
Around the 10th, I made a temporary mason's shop to make a bunch of rutile blocks. I intend to do something with them, I'm not sure what...

[GreatWyrmGold]

New update!

-----

BerserkNINJA is recovering slowly, but a lot of work still needs to be done. Thankfully, Broken's been doing little but helping her recover, and even Townbud is helping with her wound-binding knowledge...and her...food-bringing knowledge.
On the 20th of Opal, we found the caverns. We're preparing the prison area.
I was planning a way to drain the river into the aquifer, but the plans were implemented before I could finish them or remember everything I wanted to do. So, if it works, it'll keep the river drained more or less permanently. I'm working on an ad hoc way to turn off the drain involving two grates and some clay.
On the 8th of Obsidian, Plaitmansions began to withdraw from society. He would be perfectly fine if he had built the jewler's workshop a month or two ago when I ordered it, but until we get a traction bench Broken's pretty much done with BerserkNINJA, so she'll be able to do it. After two days, Plaitmansions claimed the shop; three days later, having gathered two rough bloodstones, a rough clear tourmaline, and some metal (pig iron and trifle pewter, both imported), began working. I can't wait to see what he makes...probably some big, cut tourmaline...
The same day, the grates were finished.

On the 15th, a horrible thing happened. A vile force of darkness arrived--eight beak wolves and a giant grasshopper. They're arriving on the farthest chunk of land, so they must cross both narrow bridges to get here. The Superior Mines (except BerserkNINJA) will station themselves on the chunk of land between bridges, the Constructive Fortresses will station just north of that to rain bolts on the enemy (assuming they have the bolts, quivers, and ability to not charge into battle), and the Spears of Urging will be stationed just within the east gate, just in case. Eleven dwarves with various arms against fifteen glorified beasts and an oversized bug? Not even a battle.
I hope...

-----

From the diary of Splint:
Dear diary,
Today was an important day! As the highest-ranking militiadwarf in Zonnish Kukon not bedridden by being banged with some wood (heh, NINJA's never living that down), I'm leading our forces into battle. I need to grab my waterskin and put away this plant barrel and I'll be good. Maybe a backpack and stuff.
The beak wolves just gathered in the southwest for a while, wandering slightly in a tight pack, moving about but on average approaching the fort.
Brassy seems certain that we'll win--he's more worried about that river-draining thing going out of control. Classic hubris, but these things have noting but their beaks and claws against our motley crew of metal, bone, shell, and wool. Maybe we'll be fine. Even filling my waterskin, though, I'll be out there before any of the recruits in my squad. The others are already out, but out of the five in my squad, one is bedridden after being banged with some wood (that joke will never get old), one is busy cutting gems and stuff, and two are claiming that they can't reach the stationing point for some reason. Weirdos. So I'll be alone as the first line of defense.
I pass Shem, the mason, as he wheels in some wood. The beak wolves don't seem to notice, or care, about the mason. Hell, everyone needs some practice, and I needed cover while I filled my waterskin from the river; thats the only reason I ordered the Spears over here. Nothing much going wrong, the wolves are approaching, the waterskin's mostly filled, Shem's grabbing some plants to put in that barrel he's got...wait WHAT? I start to run after him, then realize I need provisions.
[I'm not making this up. Splint has really done almost NOTHING to prepare for battle. This leaves a couple unskilled speardwarves and the marksdwarves, many of which are quiver-deprived, against Zonnish's first siege. Forum!Splint, you should be embarrased about the conduct of Drof!Splint.]
The mason realised his mistake, but swiftly fled...southeast, pretty much as directly away from the fort as he could without running into the squad of beak wolves. The marksdwarves start shooting at the wolves, and I decided to not grab the food until after the battle. The Spears quickly neutralized the forerunner of the squad, with the rest lagging behind. Maybe I can grab that plump helmet after all, the newbs are doing pretty good.
In the middle of this, my squadmate joined the battle. Lokum shouted at me about grabbing provisions mid-battle and described his new artifact. Fateflushed the Mother of Mortality, a bloodstone hatch cover. I saw it after the battle. It's encrusted with eight-sided chunks of clear gems, studded with pig iron and pewter, and encircled with bands of cushion-shaped bloodstone chunks. It also has an image of a tree of some kind (Sappho said it looked like a cedar, the nerd). It's only worth...maybe 2,400 gold [36,000 db], a bit less than a third of The Rumored Wills's, and a bit less than one-eleventh of the total fort value (around 26,000 gold [400,000 db], if I recall correctly), but still...it's valuable enough that Brassy's redesigning the dining room a bit to justify putting the floor hatch in it.
Lolor really shone today. He drove the beak wolves back across the first bride to that one chunk of land, which admittadly wasn't the brightest idea seeing as he's a marksdwarf, but his martial trance was impressive. There was some cowardice, too. Rimtar Quilltorch, the leader of The Spears of Urging, was running to the hospitalormitory for some bruises and torn hands, and Atis (one of the marksdwarves) was heading in with only bruises.
After four deaths, the beak wolves were retreating over the bridge. Their leader on the grasshopper thing was barking and yelping, trying to regroup them. Soon, five were dead, most (including the leader) had fled, and one was being beaten up by that Momuz fellow. I ordered the other Spears of Urging to follow suit and for the rest of us to return to civilian duties. The first siege of Zonnish is over, and no casualties! However, Broken's got her work cut out--five new patients, plus BerserkNINJA.
The new recruits need to learn some proper post-battle ettiquette, though; two sodiers abandoned their spears (one of which was steel!), and one of those left his shield in the field. To say nothing of those who leave their weapons, backpacks, waterskins, shields, and so forth strewn about the fortress.
In slightly brighter news, they're finally burying Creedbell. She's being laid to rest right under the minecart that took her life, with her puppy ever guarding her eternal sleep. Also, the prison's being built. Finally.

[Splint]

I am quite embarrased by this. Same thing occured in Spearbreakers while my dorf was broker, although in that case I was usually hauling wounded off a recent battlefield.

[Broken]

Well, clearly i was right coming here: My services will be needed  to no end. Accidents seem to have stopped- for now. I don't trust
much the overseers design abilties.I will have to check the minecart sistem myself, just in case.
Much worse, the gobbos seem interested in us. Probably to stole some of the bubbles our jewellers are making.Those are pretty, but
i don't really think we need them. We should sold them and buy something useful, like armor or soap. The overseer promised me to make
someting, but he has not done anything yet.I just hope nobody dies of infection for this.
Fortunatelly, everybody seems to be going up nicely, and my skills are improving, so i guess everything is fine.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Heh. I have made no jewelry industry, just a workshop that someone worked in. More to the point, Broken's services are very needed. Then again, so are the services of someone who can make seven-league boots--I've lost someone to the militia's slowness.
Back to GreatWyrmBrass's journal.

-----

One good lady I'd like to mention from the siege is Mrs. Gulleytowers, of the Spears of Urging. She killed five beak wolves and awarded herself the title of the New Swcrets of Drying. (She claims there was a typo, but it's already official, so...) The other beak wolf killed was killed in a single shot by Glovedtrumpet, who simply shot it in the head.
On the 27th of Granite, Rampartpaddle saw a snatcher while gathering wood. All militiadwarves not bedridden due to the beak wolves (which, sadly, seem to have waylaid or eaten the winter migrants) have been ordered to aprehend the thief. In case you've forgotten, Rampartpaddle is a hammerdwarf. Sadly, the thief got away.
I decided that the river-drain-blocking-off thing was too time-consuming and unneeded to continue, to I stopped it. Instead, I'll have a wall built along the sourthern coast of our courtyard.
Splint was attecked by some crow-men. He drove them off.
Quilltorch, the former commander of The Spears of Urging, has lost his ability to grasp stuff. He has been relieved from command ( and is being moved into his own squad, The Copper Fates, which he can run as he likes.
The same crow-men who harrassed Splint are attacking the New Ways of Drying.
On Granite 6th, a cat gave birth.
In health news, most of the patients are well; aside from BerserkNINJA and Quilltorch, everyone's working. I'm sure Quilltorch would be working if his hands worked.
Interestingly, the caverns have remained silent. Not a troll or cave fish has shown up yet...Wait a sec, I heard something down there. It sounds like an infant's cry.
Mrs. Manorgloves gave birth to a healthy little girl while she was hauling some ore up from the caverns. This child, who has been given the surname of Paintfountains, is both the first child born to Manorgloves and Tradeplans, but also the first child born in our fortress. Manorgloves takes a moment to pick up her child, then hauls the ore the rest of the way to the fortress proper.
On the 21st, Broken shouts about needing Splint. She rushes to help, when Broken informs Splint that she meant the wooden thing. Splint asked if Broken needed wood; Broken confirmed. Hilarity ensued; Splint got a black eye and was denied treatment.
On the 26th of Granite, I tried accelerating the construction of the prisoner insertion device by usage of a controlled cavein. It worked, although Townbud was right on the edge of a deep drop; I decided to discontinue the concept, at least small-scale. Large-scale, maybe it could propel her back into a corridor. The next day, a big accident happened. Memo to masons: Bridges to not, repeat do NOT hold up walls. The day after that, the mason presumed responsible was found, dead, drowned, after passing out underwater and swimming feebly. If he had swum a little faster, or woken up a little earlier...but weep, for it is not to be.
Shortly after the discovery of Shem's corpse, a snatcher was found. About this time, Manorgloves realised her little girl was missing! Plaitmansions was, thankfully, right next to the goblin; he had recovered from the cavein well, and was soon chasing the snatcher. As The New Ways of Dying and a rookie, quiver-deprived marksdwarf chased the first snatcher, a slightly older-looking goblin was seen. It was carrying a noisy bag.
Sadly, the more successful thief made off without any injury.The junior thief also escaped, having received some ineffectual slaps from Plaitmansions and returned a stab (dealing a glancing wound). Worse, the thief returned an attempted attack from the rookie marksdwarf, breaking her arm and knocking her crossbow out of her head.

On the bright side, Rampartpaddle gave birth to a scrawny little boy who seemed to like the cats in the food stockpile. That's where she gave birth. The new baby was surnamed Sunkengirder. His older siblings were really happy about their new baby brother; Blockadeswords kicked her older brother to get the first chance to hold him. The baby, not her older brother. I removed Rampartpaddle from the military, so as to protect the baby. Oh, and BerserkNINJA has company in the hospital.

On the 8th of Slate, I discovered that the caverns are...less stable than I imagined. I accidently ordered Townbud to order an evidently-weight-bearing pillar, and suddenly she slams into a wall, leading to broken ribs and a torn heart. Townbud swiftly bleeds to death. This accident doesn't even finish the job it was supposed to accelerate! I order Rampartpaddle to take Townbud's place as a miner.
On a brighter note, on the 13th, after checking twice and cleaning my glasses, I note that BerserkNINJA is walking about, pushing a minecart. She's clutching a steel pick and shield, a bismuth bronze mace, and and ash crutch in her left hand as the right is unuseable.

And, just to balance that out, the beekeeper/mason/speardwarf was found dead, inexplicably. Currently my best theory is either infection or complications from the head wounds received during the siege, but it's a mystery.

-----

I'm stopping before I get too far behind.

[Splint]

I lol'd at the Splint - splint fiasco. Good times.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Yeah, except for the snatching.
Although the mother doesn't seem to mind, and the baby is in fact ecstatic about being "free."

Updated OP. Finally.

[GreatWyrmGold]

We're finally approaching completion of the big prison project. Thanks to some daring effort on the part  of Rampartpaddle, who I should note did a pretty good job of running just ahead of the dust cloud, the big drop-pit was completed ahead of time. Next we need to make the bridge itself.
On the 21st of Slate, migrants arrived.
Total fishery workers: 2. I'm classifying all future fishery workers as prisoners; most of them fit the bill anyways.
Brimurns, a scrawny ranger. He is married to one of the prisoners but is childless.
Fairinks, a long-haired and tall-headed grower. She's cautious and single, exceot for a gigantic and fat baby rooster named Kivish Parchedorb.
Five members of a family came. A married couple-Auburnurns the shark-loving fishery worker and axedwarf; his muscular brewer/cool/shearer wife Torchdaubs; their thin, irritable but usually laid-back nine-year-old daughter Chainedworked; Torchdaubs's quiet aunt, Whimsconstruct; and Whimsconstruct's husband, Dyeluck, a farmer.
Another family, a scrawny bed-loving gem cutter/cattle farmer named Staffglided, his three children (all of whom should be in adulthood--it's 12 years, right?), his tense and antisocial fishery worker wife Tatooedgolds (Brimurn's aunt and owner of a pet bunny). They also have three non-migrating children.
Also coming along is the aunt of the late beekeeper and...oh, god, so many, I'm not even going to record all of them. Just the notable ones, like the non-fishery prisoners.
There's a prisoner called “The Giant” due to her predilection for those creatures. She's named Knifechaos, which was an oddly appropriate name. She has a husband (also a prisoner), and four grown children.
Howlclasps, a muscular and fat metalcrafter. He is also a former macedwarf, and has a wife who did not come with. However, he was accused of being a vampire, so into the prison he'll go.
Channeldrives, a carpenter married to another prisoner. He has two grown daughters and was thought to be involved in some dangerous experiments with saltpeter that destroyed part of the Mountainhome near a resivour.
Lancecontrols, a farmer married to a prisoner and with another for a daughter. She wants to join them. She also wants her youngest daughter to come, but I can't allow that.
Strengthlashed, a slow-tiring blacksmith. She's married to Orbgrooved, an administrator. They have a grown daughter. Strengthlashed is the aunt of a stonecrafter that just immigrated.
Also coming along were some livestock: A male water buffalo calf, a female one, a mule foal, a baby alpaca (female), a keet, and a baby llama. There's also someones' pet ram, baby alpaca, keet, and piglet.
Our population is now 54, with 9 children and 10 dwarves awaiting incarceration. We have five dwarves in The Superior Mines, seven in The Constructive Fortresses, Splint, The New Ways of Drying, and a newb in The Spears of Urging, and Rimtar's picked up Orbgrooved for his squad.

My first order of business is to make sure Sappho isn't busy. The next order is to order some quivers for our militia. Also some coffins. We need coffins. And while I'm at it, some more walls would be nice. And traps.

On the 6th of Felsite, our one patient awoke and said he was too injured to fish. I allow Rimtar to take her into his squad.
On the 12th, two elves showed up. I have all of our crafts hauled to the depot, along with a log in case I need to drive them off.
First, I offer a bracelet and a figurine of one of our previous queens (Mafol Wheelstomb), both of donkey hoof, in exchange for an exotic bird. I then buy some beer for two mussel shell earrings. I then trade one of our large gems--a bloodstone--and a couple donkey bone scepters for a pair of high boots. We can't make those, so this is an important trade. Then, I trade an assortment of crafts for a wild boar sow. Next, I bought a roll of cloth for some donkey bone jewelry. Finally, some donkey bone figurines of dwarves and a scepter were sold for a raven, primarily to encourage more animals to be brought next year. There isn't really anything left I want to trade for, so I bid the elves farewell.
I assign Strengthlashed to mining detail.
On the 18th, a snatcher was spotted! Thankfully, it was seen by Splint, when it stabbed Splint in the leg. Not thankfully, Splint's leg injury evidently slowed her down enough that the thief got away.
On the next day, a horse foal was born. On the 20th, The New Secrets of Drying (I don't know why I've been writing Ways so much) announced that she was attatched to her silver spear that she used to kill all of those beak wolves.
On the 21st, a goblin snatcher was caught; another fell into the cage trap opposite. After a bit of consideration, I decide to build a separate prison for invaders. This decision is swiftly followed by the capture of some crow men. Hm...what to do, what to do?

-----

I am interested in your suggestions.

[Splint]

Live practice targets for the tower guards.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Heh. An option...what would I do? Stuff all the crowmen in one cage, then set up a lever to release them? Ideally in the same room as the militia?