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[Crashmaster]

With a path down to the riches under the sea now conceivable I am struck with uncertainty on how to next proceed. For the meantime I joined the others in removing the various constructions composing the now defunct drill-caster. The rotten goo and vomit covering everything make it difficult at best to see what you are working on. The Card, of course wasn't paying the least bit of attention and got turned around. That clumsy fool broke a support wall, dropping a floor on one of my kids or something, and knocking myself and a few others out.

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The debris crashed through two floors destroying our still and fishery and scattering their contents. Cerol was struck and died of his injuries on the spot a few hours later. My fifth-eldest son if these documents are right.

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We commit to a stair down to bedrock.

GreatWrymLimestone hits an aquifer two levels under the seabed. Work abandoned to plan.

Aseaheru has noticed little Stakud has been missing for a week, is really unhappy and is demanding an official meeting with me to complain about loosing a second child. Personally  I'm more worried that we have a disturbing shortage of tables. I'll work out the tables situation while pretending to listen to Aseaheru yell about her our dead kid kids. Whatever.

New tables are set up where the seeds stockpile was. It's decided that we'll hollow out under the seabed, channel into the aquifer and dump magma down into it. The first order of business was to preserve a cache of lava on the surface. Cerol's corpse is entombed inside behind a wall.

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A small portion of our farm has been cultivating the few pigtail seeds saved from the wagon. The children, who are getting older, have so far simply gone naked in the heat and our own clothes are decaying to mere tatters. Malthas is weaving the fibers into thread whenever she finds a minute between having babies, cooking, brewing, farming, masonry and architecture.  We aim to soon have stockpiled enough to produce our own textiles this year in advance of cooler temperatures underground.

While the magma level is still high Peregar co-ordinates the casting of the other spur of native subterranean rock encompassing it into the fortress. GreatWrymLimestone hollows it out and carves a viewing area as well. The surface is cleared of everything but the sealed well-house and the exterior doors are locked. It would be nice to start making some headway in getting this place cleaned up inside.

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Preparations were started as the group undertook the next problem of penetrating the aquifer but halted again when GreatWrymLimestone came back to report encountering a stratum of shale in the wet red sand. After a nap and a drink and a break he returned to sink an exploratory stair that both bypassed the aquifer and yielded promising mineral samples.

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The year ends on a high note. Aseaheru is still unhappy about something.

[Thecard]

What is with me and cave-ins?

[Crashmaster]

OOC; Heh heh, The Card has also managed to become a skilled mason by sneaking away from wall-construction to make blocks before I got the workshop profile set-up. In addition, as an accomplished fisherdwarf he's close to escaping the fool's assigned role of skill-less red-shirt.


Malthas and Peragar have been working non-stop in the textiles sub-workshop producing rack after rack of fine clothing. There has been enough material for cloaks and hoods for everyone as well.

The Card has made some well-crafted statues to install on the roof of the well house as an official dwarven claim to the 'territory' here. He states they will also act as a signal to rescuers. He seems ok otherwise.
In a day they are covered and obscured by a thick coating of rotten goo.

My kid ghost Stakud turned up after being missing for a few days or so. He's missing his lower body... I think that must be what Aseaheru's been unhappy about.

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GreatWyrmLimestone bearded my ghost kid into a slab and walled it in a corner where Aseaheru can't find it before returning to mine the valuable ores under the seabed. The same stratum has a coal vein in it as well but care must be taken as the aquifer all but surrounds this section of dry rock and extends through at least 3 more levels down.

Mining continued into the summer as smelters were set up on the lower levels. The second-last piece of wood is burned for charcoal to light the coke-fires and smelting of the tetrahedrite began. A dump-cart shaft is dug to send all our supplies down below and a painfully slow re-organization begins. At least our new rooms look great.

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I want the guards to have all the armor they want, better weapons and some time to get back in shape while we search for and secure an entrance to the caverns so the rest of us are going to have to take on some additional duties for the time being. I've heard the tales told by merchants returning from besieged fortresses. Malthas says he has used a sword before in his travels but is beyond rusty. I will have some made so we might spar as well. Only the prepared will have any chance to survive for long and success will still require a miracle.

[Person]

You're still using wood for fuel? Didn't you try using the dfhack command suggested? Or did you forget to make obsidian non economic in order to build the furnaces.

[Aseaheru]

dont you have stone now?

[Crashmaster]

You're still using wood for fuel? Didn't you try using the dfhack command suggested.? Or did you forget to make obsidian non economic in order to build the furnaces.

I struck bituminous coal veins so I decided to not try the 'enable magma forges' command since it was unavailable on embark. I'm sure I could also just sink a stair to the magma sea for the in-game announcement to enable them.

dont you have stone now?

I've had stone since casting the initial lava flow from the volcano. Now I have metal! and a plan...

[Crashmaster]

A new fresh water source is arranged. Supplied by the aquifer the well is rebuilt underground over the new reservoir. The new well is used to fill a pair of wash-ditches with some new zinc buckets.

Weapon and armor production continues.

I started a stair downwards to search for access to the caverns.

The well-supply is tapped to prepare a room for farming closer to our new operations. We have a large stockpile of plants so it may not be needed.

As the end of winter approached I finally breached the caverns ceiling. I took a quick look to survey the local area and noted a strange and unsettling object;

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[GreatWyrmGold]

GWL will claim the pick!
Somehow!
He'll demand that we get it!

It's our duty to examine it!

[Aseaheru]

PICK?

[Itnetlolor]

♫DUN duh DUUUNNN!!!!!♪

:in classic 1950s TV show announcer voice:
Our island inhabitants have come across a disturbing discovery! Who was here before them? Why where they there? What does this pick mean? Where are they now? What got to them?

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION TO FIND OUT!!!!

Brought to you by Microcleane: Get rid of that unsightly stain with an unsightly stone!

Now back to our program.

[Crashmaster]

I put off my exploratory mining and by mid-summer a secure entrance to the cavern is ready. The air is stale, close and still. Near by some trees can be seen. The mysterious pick should be just around the corner to the east.

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The rumors about the discovery of the 'caverns pick' range from salvation to imminent doom. Before we risk entering the caverns themselves after it I've arranged for GreatWrymLimestone to try and channel some information from the statue hall's walls. This natural rock has seen all of history and dwarven engravers can enhance the walls' surfaces to bring out imprinted events from the past.

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It hardly seems possible there could have been others facing our same situation before but their apparent failure is even harder to doubt. If the Theater of Branding was carrying goods with that memorable and hilariously lewd trading mark of the Sensitive Handle we'll know at least where they were from. The lack of suffering or pleading dwarves in the engravings is a promising sign at least.
The new fields are now muddied but stand untended as the remainder of the year is spent with all dwarves actively training. At least we're finally gonna get some more beds. We may end up confined to them for the rest of our lives but dammit those practically-bastard kids of mine are constantly sleeping in MY bed and I have to sleep on the floor.

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Have I ever mentioned how nothing ever seems to get done?

[Aseaheru]

moar beds?

[Person]

Can you update the map on the archive?

[Crashmaster]

 Map (some useless layers cut)

 Save


The others trained, I spent more time mining instead.
It was suddenly summer again and an exploratory shaft I was working hit the top of a deep cavern.

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I'll get that walled off soon. It looks interesting enough and we agree to build a second secure entrance for exploration.
The first cavern's bridge was opened and the squad getting assembled when suddenly Malthas just heads on out to start yanking away on giant cave spider silk threads. The worst thing that could happen right now would be to draw the ire of some web-spewing eight-legged monstrosity.

However no animals were encountered at all only several more dusty items; a couple bags, one with some cave wheat seeds, a copper battle axe and and entire barrel of dwarven wine, all with the Sensitive Handle's mark. I investigated personally and found that the cavern is completely sealed off and contained. It's possible that sections of the cavern collapsed trapping or killing whatever brought these things here.

By winter we were bringing up wood as well as a other 'lost' items I want to have handy.

The upper caverns' entrance was attacked by a towering one-eyed tortoise during construction. Peregar was still nearby after linking the outer door to the lever and sealed it in the airlock at the last second. We had to wall The Card in the control room to safely release it after constructing more suitable containment.

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We had been ready but the beast's arrival shook several dwarves' resolve. They say the caverns are too dangerous and unpredictable. I was always committed to trying but news from The Card will swing the debate in favor of leaving.

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I looked for support from the one dwarf I could be certain would join me.

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I only hope I can at least half-deliver.

[Aseaheru]

uh... um... what?