HUZZAH! Here's the save:
http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=8501And here's what survived of the journal:
8th Limestone: Another baby girl!
18th Limestone: And off go the merchants! See you next year!
22nd Limestone: Fungin has given birth to a boy.
5th Sandstone: The Mad Fool has grown attached to a steel shield.
9th Sandstone: My mandate for the construction of 30 wooden pipes is complete.
20th Sandstone: Urdim Dorenison, Cat, has adopted Thorkild Jarnox.
23rd Sandstone: Some migrants have arrived.
2nd Timber: Urist Nimakmonom has given birth to a baby boy.
5th Timber: Wlerin just beat the crap out of Thaddeus. And evidently, Ducim can't help him because she's handling a dangerous creature.
18th-19th Timber: Two casualties. The caravan from the Mountainhomes is here with our Outpost liason.
20th: Another dwarf found dead. Population down to 68. Could've been worse.
25th Timber: Merchants have arrived and are unloading their goods.
1st Moonstone: Winter is upon us!
3rd Moonstone: Trading day! There's a menacing steel spike worth 3960 gold. I kinda want to buy it just because it's so expensive. I won't though. For some reason, the mountainhomes didn't think to send much of value. So, I bought up the plump helmets and a few other things. I consider it a good day of trading, even if they got a bit more than I had hoped.
4th Moonstone: Onol Azinrigoth has grown attached to a steel shield.
5th: The liasion has pulled us into a meeting.
8th Moonstone: Onol Reglaz, Ghostly Voidspawn Thrall Butcher has transformed into a dwarf! I didn't... know that could even happen...
9th: And now Onol is back as a ghost.
10th: And brought a ghost-child with 'im. Zuntir Dumatlimar.
12th Moonstone: Another dwarven ghost-child has risen and begun haunting the fortress. I guess Haunted Manor is the current theme for MurderMa
16th Moonstone: My mandate for Mechanisms is complete.
Later: A dwarven baby rose from the dead as a ghost.
17th Moonstone: What? Thaddeus the Fail Saint died of thirst just now. Was he injured? Stuck? His body is in the middle of the Trade Depot, so I don't know what happened.
1st Opal: Wow... It's fascinating to see what all of the Void-wraiths used to be before they became indwarven killing machines. A fish cleaner, a cheesemaker... Anima was a Jeweler. Then they got possessed by the actual Void-wraiths. Some dwarves would say that it was the greatest of fortune, but being possessed by an ancient horror from another realm?
5th Opal: Oh no... The Mad Fool has grown attached to an iron spear.
Aww... Thaddeus's widow is unhappy. Haunted by the dead, forced to watch her former husband rot in the Trade Depot... I'd better go check to make sure they buried him. Good.
8th Opal: Fikod Sarveshcilob, Obliterator has grown attached to a wolverine leather cloak.
9th Opal: The hives are done.
12th Opal: Onol Reglaz, Ghostly Butcher, was put to rest.
13th Opal: A snow storm has come!
20th Opal: Rigoth Ushatzulban has grown attached to a pair of steel greaves.
1st Obsidian: Olon Lolokthak has grown attached to a steel shield
7th Obsidian: I swear, I would give a someone a golden statue of themself if they could just find Wlerin's body and shove it in a friggin' box! This is like the fourth time he's injured valuable workers. And I don't want Catten dying the way Thaddeus did. Actually, since Thaddeus's spirit is probably still around, I might just give him Catten's body. Nope. The wounds are too greivious. Plus there's a gender mismatch. Honestly, I think Thaddeus has probably been reincarnated so many times he doesn't
care anymore. Still, I know it would bother me pretty greatly if I didn't come back as a guy. Heh, my only guess as to why Wlerin is being so violent is that some of Terry's left over angst is pouring into him since Terry is keeping his promise not to interfere. Well angst away ghost, it won't get your skeleton put in a box any faster. Also, thankfully someone actually stopped to help Catten. Well...
damn! There's no better way to put it! Catten's infant son is dragging her to infirmary! Now that's family dedication! And people say it's stupid to bother taking care of the children.
8th Obsidian: We've struck native gold.
9th Obsidian: These crow people are getting really obnoxious. They're not really that dangerous, but they're really tricky to find. They keep interrupting tasks. Also, the fact that they're coming up stairs worries me as it means we have a (potential) breach in the cavern defenses. I really should have bothered to booby-trap those things better. I've got all the pieces, I just don't have any available labor really... Got all ten Mechanics working on my super-project Steve. I'm not even bothering with the WOOSH right now. Ah well, Steve's left leg's near done, but I was really hoping to have his heart done before the year Terry's given me ends. Ah well, I don't guess there's a rule that says I have to step down in Spring right? Besides... Anima, who came before me, kept in power for twenty extra days before I was appointed leader.
Poor Puff, those Crow-people keep waking him up from sleeping. I figured out how they're getting past our defenses though. Like with most of the other creatures that have been a nuisance to us, Crow-people can fly. Unfortunately, Murdermachines doesn't really have a way to take out flying creatures effectively right now.
10th Obsidian: Ah good, he finally made it to a room with a door. Puff's sleeping soundly in a bed now.
15th Obsidian: Sazir Akgosletmos was possessed! Maybe it's by the same armorer that's responsible for Nutglide. Cool, it'd be nice to have a left gauntlet to go with it.
17th Obsidian: Ezum Timnarkulet, CARPlord has given birth to a baby girl. I was going to say beautiful, but then I got a look at her... I mean, she's got a great complexion and all, but that facial structure's kinda weird and her hair is like wierd looking. I'm sure she'll grow out of it. Besides, she'll probably be a military dwarf, just like her mother. ( Assuming she I can keep her alive that long. Even under such a benevolent ruler as me, this is still a fortress. I'm just glad I stopped the Death Room. And, like Tekkud, I'll give Ezum maternity leave. Oh. Apparently she's the Captain of the Void-Wraiths and she won't step down. And her soldiers won't let her either. Well... I'm not about to argue with Anima. So... I don't know... Maybe if I can convince her to let Anima take over while she's taking care of her baby.
Oh wow. She's not just Captain of the Void-Wraiths, she's the commander of the entire militia. Wait... So how does that work? She outranks me in the military... but I outrank her in civilian and administrative affairs... but the Mayor technically has the authority... Wait. Is the Fortress Guard even a part of the military? Isn't it like... it's own separate entity? So, as Captain of the Guard, don't I rank even with her? Argh! This is complicated! To think we might have a Baron soon! Haha, on that note, I found it funny that despite being probably more advanced than the Mountainhomes of this Dwarven civilization, with a resident eldritch abomination acting as its genius locii, and being home to several chronically reincarnating dwarven wraiths, and creatures of pure evil made of corrupted souls, magma, and mildewed cheese, we're still only considered the "Village" of Murdermachines. Even despite our full title being "Murdermachines the Blood Citadel." Can anyone else appreciate the irony of us being the "Village of Murdermachines the Blood-Citadel"? It's almost pathetic... but back to the issue at hand. I'm going to try discussing it with Anima. Being as he's essentially the oldest dwarf, if you count all of his iterations, and more than competent and powerful enough to run a military, he could easily step in as Military Commander. If I can convince him to depose Ezum. I'll make sure to insist that it's temporary.
What do you know? It worked! I don't know exactly what he said, but effective immediately Anima is the leader of the entire military. I'm a bit scared to have given the one they call "the Void God" so much power. I wonder how he liked that bed I gave him? Anyways, it seems Anima always was second in command below Ezum and that he only let her keep her position out of respect. I wonder how difficult it will be to get him to relinquish the title and transfer power back to Ezum when her girl is weaned. Ezum rejoins the commoners as a Presser.
Hehheh. Immediately after Ezum stepped down, there was a goblin ambush. This should be a good chance for Anima to prove himself to me personally. Off he goes now. At least it's not Voidspawn. Also, I've really got to find that stupid crow. Wow... and Puff's just really having a bad time. The goblins are chasing him now.
What? Really? Ok, so Puff outruns a goblin ambush, right? Well get this, he runs straight into
another goblin ambush! >.< Well, I guess Puff is our new hostile creature magnet. That'll be good for later in case any of the old Deathgate folk try to repeat history. In the meantime, what can we do to keep poor Puff alive? Yeah... it turns out the answer is "nothing". He put up a valiant fight, but he was up against eight axegoblins, seven marksgoblins, and a pikegoblin. So, it was pretty much inevitable what was going to happen next. One of the goblins ascended to legendary status as a result of killing Puff though. I don't really know if that can be called an achievement.
18th Obsidian: I've ordered everyone inside and am still waiting for the Void-wraiths to mobilize. I know I said it earlier, but I'll say it again, we really need to move their barracks to the surface. It shouldn't even be that difficult to do, I'll get the Masons on it while they're stuck inside.
21st Obsidian: And that ends that. About twelve goblins killed, the rest fled. All soldiers on the surface in case they return. Puff was the only casualty. Poor Puff.
1st Granite: Ah... the start of a new year. How wonderful Spring is. I hope this year will be just as productive and fruitful as the last. Terry's promise of protection runs out today. I'm not worried though, and why should I be? I'll get Steve done this year, I'm sure.
11th Granite: There's been some tell of rumblings down below... I'm concerned as to what these might be, but I honestly have no clue.
12th Granite: I feel an omnious feeling coming from below... I can't quite describe it.
13th Granite: Nothing seems to have changed about the caverns at all, yet something isn't quite right, I'm sure. I really wish that everyone would hurry.
14th Granite: Maybe Terry feels I've overstayed my welcome? I don't see why... wouldn't he be happy? There was enough bloodshed this year... right? And I kept all the babies safe. Everything is going so well... Yet I'm stricken with the dread of something to come. Call it whatever you like...
Later: Some news to put me at ease, we now have another addition to the fortress. Zuglar Omdakost has birthed a baby boy. He is called Asmel Avuzsokan.
15th Granite: Zefon Oiledclashes was down in the deeper caverns today, storing something in a stockpile. I don't think he came back though. His body is still intact, but he's started calling himself "Chaos Maker" and he has a strange look in his eyes. He was one of the ones in the summer migrant wave, I wonder if he might have brought some sort of spirit with him. Still though, it doesn't make any sense that it would lie dormant for months... right? His 82nd birthday wasn't too long ago, maybe it's one of those age related spells. More likely, some sort of otherworld creature, like myself, grabbed him. Still, I don't know if I can trust said creature, so I'll just keep him under close surveilance. "Chaos Maker" seems like a name that won't be too friendly though.
In less threatening news, Thaddeus also claimed a new body today. That of a diagnoser.
16th Granite: Chaos Maker has been talking with Anima and the possessed dwarf a lot here recently. It's really suspicious, especially with how sly he's being about it.
18th: Chaos Maker made some cryptic remarks about something in the depths... I don't really know that I want to find out what he's referring too. Unfortunately the Void-wraiths all seem to really like him. He's especially played off the "insult" I gave to Ezum by having Anima replace her. He's even doing it openly now. For someone who just showed up, he sure is bold. Unfortunately for me, relieving the CARPlord was a very unpopular move. Surprisingly, Ezum spoke up for me saying that civilian life is treating her okay, except for all the useless hauling jobs. She went on to say she has really appreciated the time she has gotten to safely spend with her daughter. She did say that she looked forward to returning to her post as soon as possible. I'm glad to have her on my side. Still, I think Anima is wavering and I fear Catten is beginning to question my competence and my priorities. She feels I put too much effort into my Steve project and not enough on actively setting up defenses. I countered saying that I installed a ballista, a catapult, annexed a new area into the surface-fort and have nearly completed the wall for said annex. She made no comment as she walked away.
That's not the end of my troubles either, Thaddeus's new body happens to be that of Catten's husband. He's not too pleased with me letting him die of dehydration. So that's two of the Deathgate wraiths, half of the Void-wraiths, and the mayor against me. Chaos Maker sees this. He knows this. And he's playing with it. I know exactly what he's trying to do, but I'm not going to let him successfully pull the rug out from under me. So what if I made some bad choices? Everyone does. I'd like to see this guy do better.
19th Granite: For the past two days, I've been trying to garner support. I've got a considerable portion, but Chaos Maker's political faction, or more accurately the ones who don't want me in office anymore.
20th Granite: It happened today. Chaos Maker came into my office flanked by Anima and The Mad Fool. That's two squadrons against my fortress guard... and my fortress guard consists only of me right now. Chaos Maker explained exactly how things were going to go, my job or my life. Simple as that. He had too much support, the mayor, the military, and the medical... Thaddeus used his new position as the mayor's husband to get himself appointed as Chief Medical Dwarf. ( He did deserve it, he inhabits the best medical professional we have, with full access to all of those skills. ) Not only that, Chaos Maker somehow became the Hammerer of Murdermachines. I shudder to think... I couldn't really do anything without risking an outright fight of the spectres. Keep in mind that Anima, The Mad Fool, Thaddeus, Chaos Maker, and I are all more than the bodies we're borrowing. Even in a four-on-one fight, a fight between spectres can ravage any place and cause much injury to everyone around. Not to mention all the rouge ghosts and Terry. So, I stepped down from Overseer today. I was able to keep my job as Captain of the Guard, so the Peacemakers are still mine to control, when we get some troops to fill the positions.