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Yes! Let the death pinchings commence!

6 (75%)

Eh, I could go with ants or crabs.

2 (25%)

No! I want my promised giant ant death pit!

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 8

[Splint]

After a day on watch, Mantis decided to take the group on patrol, if only to find their peregrine falcon that had flown off the day before during their scuffle with the macebugs and seemed to be hurt. “There you are little guy!” Corai said as he scooped up the hurt falcon. “Poor little fella's got a broke leg!” He said, cradling the wounded vermin hunter. “At least we know it's safe...Ish.” Mona said. “Come on, I think I saw something on the hill.” Mantis said, leading the group to their 'Control Point' that lead up. Suddenly snatcher made a particularly poor choice of action: He managed to get a hold of Wren, but was also surrounded by the clan's entire militia. Skull was closest and dive tackled the kidnapper, Usi managing to grab the bag before it hit the ground. “Thought you were smart you son of a bitch?” Skull said angrily, punching the xelic in the face before it's extra limbs grabbed him and threw him off. Corai descended upon the snatcher next, the mere sight of the grab-bag sending him into a flying rage where he sliced off the snatcher's legs. Skull got to his feet while Usi opened the bag revealing a confused Wren whom he handed back to Mona. “Hold him down Corai!” Skull said with a scowl, tossing his shield aside. Corai gladly obliged, planting his boot on the xelic's head and holding it in place, where Skull, using both hands, brought it down hard and sliced the xelic in half.

Autumn arrived on their calander a few days after the incident. Cleaning up the weapons and shields the xelics left easily took days on end simply because the bugs brought so many shields (Not that it mattered against the battleminers in particular.) it was nearly a week into Limestone and the remains of the battle still had yet to be cleaned up, much to the clan's annoyance. A kobold was also spotted and found himself bludgeoned to death by Targe with a headstone for one of the kobold's comrades. By the river, they discovered the remains of an entire violet xelic ambush aprty and their chitin and kit had to be fished out of the river; evidently the group had been sliced to ribbons trying to push across. Ringo suggested that as their stores of “donated” weapons grow, they eventually line the river with armed slice-you-up traps to discourage the adventurous. The Xelics waved goodbye as they departed down the roadbed, apologizing for all the anivils since they were informed that the clan needed them by the hobgoblins, likely as a ploy to deny the merchants profit. A week later the humans left, their wagons laden with dwarven goods and thie faces bear smiles as they waved goodbye. The clan also decided to make use of some of the gypsum they had gathered, making plaster powder in case they needed it. Feral also decided to lead a chopping expedition so they could finally furnish the dining hall at long last, whch only had a few sparse tables and chairs before, and asked for some small scale material mining be done in the workshaft. Skull meanwhile organized a small party now that, after nearly a month, the battles were over and the messes cleaned up. Only the chirps of a tribe of thrips folk and the grumbling of their POWs broke the silence outside as the watch animals are mostly asleep, save the guard beetles outside the armor and Ragushat who watched over her mix and match herd with amazing dedication. It seemed that, aside from Mona being stung by a honey bee, nothing could go wrong this Autumn.


[ta da! Another small update. Hopefully with the humans leaving with hefty profits we'll get migrants, though I do doubt it strongly. We have depleted our stone and wood stores, have probably a decade's worth of food, 5 years worth of drink based on the estimates and our current numbers, more weapons than dwarves, and piles of baubles and chitin-plate attire. All in all, I'd say we're doing pretty good.]

[Mephansteras]

Sounds like things are going well.

Maybe time to start digging out some more lavish quarters? That should help bring in migrants.

[Splint]

Actually I'm in the process of digging out a large space. Right now it serves no purpose but any other dwarves who come may well have it as a central meeting place.

[Aseaheru]

make it several levels, so we can have marksdwarves ready to kill anything that passes below.

[Splint]

If it isn't obvious I shun the use of marksmen unless I think it's worth my time and I have the infrastructure to support them.

[Aseaheru]

still. think of all the story ideas!and if you have dining halls below there can be even more!

[Splint]

It's more it's proximity to the caverns and surface honestly.Although with all the food we take in it may eventually end up a massive storage area.

[Splint]

It was clear once again no immigrants would come to bolster their numbers when Sandstone passed without incident. Additional traps were lain, and portions of a pond close tot he stockade walls were floored over in preparation to remodel the stockade walls to accommodate  a small apartment complex. Work began after they held a party to celebrate all their good fortune, and after a week or so the first part of the wall was torn down and relocated. The traps came down, and soon the remainder fo the to-be-moved wall would follow. Giant bushtits roamed freely and more giant boar piglets joined their herd which had somehow become dominated by a pair of belligerent cattle they had purchased last year. Feral mapped out an area to begin a mass excavation; the room would serve no purpose, but they could use the stone and figured they could even lure migrants with it as a sort of disguised value booster in their architecture. Perhaps it would eventually serve as a great meeting hall underground? It mattered little however, and when a Vamari caravan crested the hill, they knew I was time to trade again. Their wagons came trundling in and with smiles and waves came dwarves eager to see what they'd brought. Wood they didn't need to harvest themselves, leather, and metals were all things they were eager to see, and they also hoped one of the wagons had the fabled drink of the north, winter wine in them.

Sadly this wasn't the case but their piles of preserved meats and fish, and barrels of booze were all bought happily. Not long after, it was clear goblins were in the area when an inspection of the logbridge shortly before the ice began to form that at least two had died trying to cross. One was a marksman by the looks of his gear, the other a kidnapper. They decided to wait until the river remelted in either late obsidian or early granite to salvage the items and drag in the remains unless they were sure it was safe. They didn't need another death after Nightfire's so soon. There had yet to be a sign of the home caravan however, which was concerning. They did see an unwelcome irritant however in the form of a Zephyre that ran afoul of one of the beetles and was promptly ripped to shreds. The beetle earned the title of 'Nightwheel' for its efforts.They also began to desperately look for anywhere they could store food until it could be further processed. Ringo volunteered to take a little instruction from Mattock and begin cooking the piles of raw ingredients available. Winter also crept up on them and still no caravan from home came, which was nonsensical to the clan. So, in hopes of attracting more hopefuls, after they stored what they could, they began a building program to build open sleeping space that everyone could call their own. Another small space four four to eight dwarves was set to be built from adobe off the wall, held by raised highwood logs and stone pillars. Corai and Wax also set about smoothing out the large chamber that had been dug, in hopes of hearing of large building programs needing workers bringing in hopeful dwarves. It would easily take months to finish all of their work, but they felt it'd be worth it in the long run. They also decided to allow Mattock and Ringo to cook their masses of strawberries, well over 200 of them being stuffed in barrels or still stored in the depot.

“Never seen dwarves so desperate to put up kitchens with such bounty available.” One of the Vamari said to Ringo as she feverishly cooked meals to ease storage concerns. “We may have great bounties of food, but that doesn't mean we wanna waste it. We'll need it for when the migrants start seeping in.” She replied. “GAH!” She squeaked, having burnt her hand. “Please don't talk to me ok? I need to concentrate.” A sudden cray of “rat person!” From muscove starteled everyone, only for her to call “Never mind, the beetle ate it's head!” Mantis rushed over and blade drawn, only to find Muscov using the zephyr's head as a ball and the beetle Hammerchampions gnawing on the carcass. Both we taken away and thrown into the now massive pile of corpses. When Muscov complained, Mantis told her that those ratfolk had all kinds of diseases and could get her sick. The Vamari merchants left in late moonstone, their departure going unopposed so the dwarves felt it safe to recover the goblin equipment. However it was almost two days before anyone noticed that Cobra had been missing. The last place he'd been seen was following Cobalt out to bring in wood, when it dawned on them: He'd been kidnapped by one of the goblins. Strangely though Cobalt and Skull didn't seem to mind, though the rest fo the clan assumed they were just bottling up their emotions. The next snatcher to be stumpled upon by Cobalt however, was dragged to the pile as an almost unrecognizable mass of goop and bone splinters poking out of a lumpy green bag. [She beat the SHIT of of the goblin and snapped every bone in it's body she could before it passed out and she smashed it's head in.] “So, I notice she's taking Cobra being abducted rather well.” Targe said to Skull as she carried the lumpy featureless mass by them. “Indeed. I'm just glad he isn't dead. And if he dies in their care... Well then we'll never know and can always assume he's fine.” Targe nodded. “Not exactly the most logical answer to that, but a sound one all the same.” Suddenly Skull felt something tugging on, nay, chewing on his pant-leg. Sugar beetle nymphs we scuttling around them. “Well look at you little guys!” Targe said as if he were talking to children. He scooped up the nymph in question before Skull could kick the vulnerable little creature in the face. “Yeeeeeah, this one'll be a good and meaty one when it grows up!” He said. “There are no words for how strange that looks Targe.” Skull said, a look that said 'What the hell is wrong with you?' on face. “Oh bite me. You're just mad they don't have bones.” Targe replied, sticking his tongue out. Skull just waved a dismissive hand. Coral Harp was now walking on her own, and with the loss of his own son he was cynical on the likelihood of her growing up amongst dwarves. Soon the hobgoblins would come, and they'd bring better hopes for migrants when they left. To cap off Moonstone though was several of the married couples moving into the small apartment built off the wall. It had taken a month to finish, but not having to sleep ina communal dorm where a panda made noise and sugar beetles tried to steal your shoes would be a welcome change.


[So yeah.... We have more food than we have any business having now, not enough dwarves to eat it (a first for me in a long time) and Cobra got nabbed because he just had to follow mommy while she went to bring a log in. Oh well. Just means I don't need to worry about him now, though a decade down the line he may end up coming to kill us all. Also after a month and a half of work, we have several married dorfs in thier own beds. By Spring, hopefullt the remainder and a few of the milita vets that aren't hitched will have cots to call thier own.]

[Aseaheru]

consitering i have a fort of 50-odd dwarves, with 600 plants, tons of fish and meals galore, i know how you feel. only thing to dousent have is storage space and fresh water. yet.

[Mephansteras]

Hmm. The lack of a dwarven caravan concerns me. You might have a fallen dwarf civilization. Can you check the civ screen for them?

You might be in a situation where you're going to have to breed up your own population. In which case I strongly suggest making a secure burrow for the kids and assign them to it.

[Splint]

All is fine an dandy. Queen and general are alive and well, and so long as at least one of the two is alive you'll still get migrants pooped into existence (I did an expieriment concerning this.)

[Orange Wizard]

If it isn't obvious I shun the use of marksmen unless I think it's worth my time and I have the infrastructure to support them.

You and your freaking spears.

Anyway, the food problems can probably be mitigated by selling said food. Of course, when the caravan turns up.
Are you sure the caravan never arrived? I've had traders arrive and subsequently leave without me noticing before.

[Splint]

no announcments, no wagon bypasses, nothing. ONly merchants for two autumns now since an accident years ago trahed a wagon have been the vamari. And actually it's mostly picks and swords.

On that note, Slade hgot a weirdly firring title since he uses a scourge.

[Splint]

Weeks seemed drag by slowly with nothing to do around the settlement. Additional beds and chests were made, but work on the second living complex was stalled because of snowfall. So to make up for it, Mantis had Feral assemble an armor stand to mark out an area for them to do solo practice in by the farm. “I need someone to try and sweep the damned snow out of the other apartment.” Feral said, looking over his plans. It was known that snow could stay in place while indoors. “I want to get it done and have the children moved in so Stockadeball and Hammerchampions can keep the kids safe.” Osprey sat up from his bed in the dormitory and grabbed a crude red panda hair broom. “I got it.” Osprey said, heading out intot he seemingly endless light snowfall.

Sandstone crept by quickly, with the apartment being built with nothing for the dwarves to do otherwise. Mantis actually found herself wanting bugbears or xelics to attack, if only to give them something to do. At least Corai and Wax had their giant pointless chamber to smooth the walls of. Mantis decided to sequester the space around the armor stand and asked a proper barracks be built and furnished. “It'll take time to get the necessary highwood to build the walls.” Feral said when Mantis made the suggestion. “Forget the highwood, why can't it be built from adobe like everything else?” Mantis asked, wondering what their leader's obsession with highwood was about. “Because it's going to be built right into the wall!” He retorted, and then held up a hand to stay her remarks “That small apartment doesn't count because it's walls aren't built into the stockade's.” He said, grabbing his axe. “On that note, I'll b back. We're clearing some more of the smaller trees. You'll have your barracks in good time.” He said, going out into the light snow.

Giant bushtits migrated through as the end of obsidian approached, and with it the ever impending hobgoblin caravan. Highwood was raised as it became available. And as per the norm, a hobgoblin caravan arrived. This obviously heralded the ambushes when, as Feral, Splint and Zinc went to the top of the armory to wave them in, a squad of macebugs led by a pikebug struck, an apparently over-eager xelic lashing out at the caravan's guards. They watched in horror as the battle began to unfold.

-

“To arms Silvina!” The leader of the guard detail said, charging at the xelics. One of the younger warriors struck first at the xelic who blew the strike team's cover, disabling a hand with a quick thrust after batting aside a swung morningstar. A short jog above, the leader fo the guards, Mino Boothate rushed at the enemy leader, aiming to break the back of the ambush before any harm could be done to his charges. He rushed forward at the pikebug as both side's subordinates clashed, his heavy morningstar missing its mark and causing only superficial chips in the bug's leg chitin. “You will have to do better than that, goblin!” The xelic said. Mino didn't take kindly to being compared to his honorless cousins and was sent into a rage, denouncing the entire violet xelic people as he did so and slammed his morningstar into the xelic with all his might, but was blocked by one fo the many shields the bug carried However, Mino would not be dissuaded from his kill so easily and charged, swinging his morningstar in a great low arch beneath the bug's shields and into the man-bug's leg, the spikes shattering the chitin and ruining the limb as a whole. A macebug rushed to his aid but found himself smashed into the snow by the enraged hobgoblin. “NO INTERRUPTING.” Mino spat angrily, before bringing down an angry bootheel on the pikebug's chest and smashed both of the hands holding its pike. The bug thrashed around wildly until he brought his heavy mace down on the creature's head, splitting the chitin and a spike wrecking it's brain. By now, the macebugs, two of them wounded, were facing the full assemblage of hobgoblin warriors, one of whom was still very upset with them. “EVERY BUG FOR HIMSELF!” one of the smaller ones chittered in its strange language in absolute panic. The bugs scattered, their morale dropping as their leader, the best fighter amongst them, had his head crushed. “Kill as many of them as you can comrades! CHARGE!” Mino ordered. While several were swift and fled into the deeper brush quickly enough, one was unfortunate enough to get a bright read piketip sent through his leg, sending him crashing face first into the snow covered bamboo shoots, where he was met with the uncompromising wrath of the guards, leaving him a beaten and perforated mess in a puddle of ichor. A second was also less fortunate, getting winged with a small stone before having the lead guard beat him to death. They promptly stopped one of the wagons, threw the bodies and gear in and told the driver to dump them by the stockade gate to “Save our friends the trouble.” Zinc and Feral were yelling and hollering in joy, while Splint just  smiled. “What's all the noise?” Corai asked, poking himself up through the hatch. “Xelics just got their asses handed to them.” Splint replied, pointing o the clean up. “Good show then! Saves us the trouble of killing them ourselves!” Suddenly Feral started waving and shouted “LOOK OUT!”

A hammerbug leading a group of spearbugs lept out at the lead wagon, startling the merchant but evidently only irritating the wagon-bugs, one of which bit the xelic sergeant's lower left hand clean off when he opened his guard to swing his maul.It suddenly wound up eating the footboard of the wagon and foundhimself between two agitated beetles which, to the horror of the spearbugs, tore him to shreds, claiming first the rest of one arm, then a leg, and finally pulling the poor insectoid in half. The spearbugs seemed intent on victory however and three surged forward. However, Mino clambered on and lept off the wagon onto one, while the merchant delivered a vicious kick to the upper body of the middle bug, who was set upon by the beetles. “GAH! Get them off me! Get them off!” The poor creature shouted in fear as he swatted ineffectually at the bugs attacking him. He managed to scramble away, only by kicking the bug in the face and trying to crawl to safety as Mino worked on his next victim, swinging away as the violet xelic. Barely blocked each blow until a lucky swung sent a copper spike through her head. Finally Mino was able to finish the job, simply strolling over and smashing the wounded bug's head into a fine paste. He turned, and waved his mace to the dwarves, who waved in kind. “Get these things loaded onto the wagon. We can use them to pay for accommodations this year.” Mino ordered.

“Damn that was close.” Feral sighed, watching the procession. “I think the beetles on that wagon got hurt.” Zinc said as an afterthought. “So long as they keep coming, I don't care. Corai, come on. We gotta bring the stuff to the depot.” Splint said, managing to shove his way past Corai. “Right behind you! I hope they brought some more gold!” The broker said happily.


[So here's a little more for Limulid! Mino Boothate has become known as The Jade Knife amongst violet xelics, as is one of the beetles, who is called Rohirmones, “Demonband.” It was touch and go for a minute, but Mino managed to play big damned hero. To avoid the snatchings since I can't seem to draw migrants (I keep getting a none attracted message) I autodumped the bodies and weapons of the xelics. Got the bottom floor of a new living space and, and a barracks is no under construction, though it'll remain a practice area until we get recruits. I still have crap that needs to be offloaded but spring may yield food being sold to grease the wheels of commerce, possibly resulting in Limulid becoming this world's china (you know, the world's factory: Thier raw materials come in, their shit goes out.)]

[Splint]

As the merchants and wagons trundled in, the head merchant traded accomodation following trade for the shields and arms of the dead xelics. Cobalt volunteered her time to trade, and waited as they unloaded the boxes and barrels of trade goods. A snatcher was also spotted, shouting obscenities and demanding to be released while Feral was bringing in a highwood log to raise as part of the barracks. Another ambush came as once again, overzealous rookies lead by a pikebug rushed at the numerous guard animals of the stockade's main gate. The rookie macebug that blew their attack, managed to deal shattering blows to the nameless beetle that struck first, spattering hemolymph and breaking chitin, but he suddenly found a cave crab of all things clamping a pincer down on one of it's arms,  And suddenly the beetle he had been strike lept up and bit it off at the elbow, the crab tossing aside the severed arm while the xelic clutched his stump in pain. “Get it off! Help me!” The poor macebug shouted as the beetle clamped its mandibles around his leg. He knew full well that if it decided to jerk its head in either direction he'd be done for. Instead though, it let go and instead headbutted him in between his legs, throwing him off balance as his abdomen and leg went sideways, and had the crab clamp down and begin twisting his foot, tendons  and muscles popping as it tried to rip away his foot. He then found one of his shield arms pinned with a mighty stomp and then viciously ripped from the joint by the beetle stomped on his head in a bid to kill him, but only slightly damaged his chitinous head. Suddenly though, he was dragged away from the beetle by the cave crab, which stood triumphantly over him, seemingly gloating that it had won. “Make it quick...” The xelic managed to rasp, and the crab obliged, pinning him by his neck and pulling his head off before crushing it and squirting brainmatter out of the cracks.

The guard bests surged forward into the advancing raiding party,an unblooded cave crab leading the attack with the headcrusher close behind, but suffered a foot amputation from the macebug's flail, but in the instant his guard was open, the crab, newly named by the xelics Youngrims, clamped down painfully with a pincer, crushing it in her grip. The xelic broke free, but was toppled by a charging war beetle, which, when he hit the roadbed, bit his leg off at the hip. Youngrims then crushed its foot and held it in place as the beetle smashed its head in its mandibles. The Xelic leader was then cut off as beetles and crabs poured between her and her troops. However, the macebugs continued to take the brunt of the animals' counter assault, one managing to damage the top carapace of Youngrims, and receiving a destroyed foot for her effort. Soon two beetles were also biting and snatching at her, and slowly but surely she was torn to shreds. Youngrims also scored a  kill from the enemy leader after Ragushat smashed into the xelic sergeant, sending her skittering across the roadbed into Youngrims' reach.Youngrims let go of her enemy long enough to bring her pincer down in a crushing blow on the bug's head, crushing brain and chitin alike. The others fell swiftly to a hobgoblin axeman who brought his people's steel down upon xelic chitin, splitting the head of one and bisecting the other, both unable to fight back while trying to escape the beetles and crabs.

After the battle, the equipment was salvaged and the xelics brought to a  predefined rotting space to await the chitin to be left hollow for treatment.Trade was conducted for metals, though they wanted more, they didn't have the goods for the hobgoblins' expensive void crystal weaponry and contented themselves with undyed thread and more food, seed, cages, barrels and booze. “We have to thank your men, Mino was it?” Feral said, shaking the maceman's hand vigorously. “You saved us from a great deal of trouble.” the hobgoblin held up a dismissive blood spattered hand. “Think nothing of it. They compared us to our runtling cousins so they had it coming.” Mino said. A short distance away, the animals that fought were being showed with praise by Targe and Squid, the wounded ones being fed saucers of booze to dull the pain of their injuries and given rewards of food. They seemed pleased with such encouragement and care from their masters.


[And so we have another short update with violence! Kinda got lackluster because of someone in Tinychat.

And here's a list of named animals:

War Beetles
Hammerchampions
Nightwheel
Stockadeball
Swordbusts
Clinchrooms

War Crabs
Youngrims

Elephants
clapbasment (Generally refered to as Ragushat)

A few of the animals were injured but not irreparably so. Nobody still wants the  panda, and we bought yes, more food. If only to keep the amounts brought high. Also scored a crucible steel bar. Maybe now that two caravans have left with good profits and reported a big open fuck all cavern getting dug out we'll get migrants.]