Ringing in the changesThe surviving dwarves of Battletrials continued to clean up after the major sieges which ravaged their population.
One of the advantages of so many goblin casualties was a huge swell in the amount of armour and armaments. The only issue was that they were
everywhere... the dwarves nearly went mad trying to gather them up.
Jester and Shorast supervised the repair of the main fortress gates. With the fortress once again secure, the dwarves could now focus on rebuilding their shattered military.
Unfortunately, some dwarves were so down about the loss of their loved ones and pets, they just couldn't handle it. Crusoe the Marksdwarf descended into madness, babbling about trolls and war while he shambled up and down the corridors of the fortress. Jester did his best to bring him around but, alas, Crusoe was beyond all help.
Shorast was trying to keep Jester away from the sight of the dead dwarves as much as possible. She made him spend his time down in the barracks, drawing up new squad rosters, while she kept an eye on the burial proceedings.
Sloth was laid to rest, along with Hatchy. Jester forced his way into the burial proceeding to say a few words about her passing. The dwarves who attended stood solemly, listening to Jester's heartfelt eulogy as she was laid into her casket.
Shorast stood next to Jester as the coffin slab was slid into place over her tomb. His voice cracked slightly as he said, "It's just not the same without her."
"I know. She is irreplacable. But she wouldn't want you to stand around moping."
Jester nodded, smiling faintly. "You're right. We have too much to do. Those goblins could be back at any time."
SuppliesThe dwarves were boosted by the arrival of a human caravan. The merchant and escort were somewhat wary of the blood-soaked outer fortress walls and the red sand which led to the fortress gates. Shorast and the broker were quick to make their guests feel at home.
The dwarves had manufactured a large volume of gold crafts from their plentiful golden bar stockpile. The dwarves took all of the caravan's wood, metal bars, food and weapons in exchange for half of the golden crafts. The remainder were given as a gift to the human leader, which they gratefully accepted. They promised to bring a bigger range of goods next year as a thank-you gesture for the beautiful golden gifts.
The traders departed, and Shorast happily broke the news to Jester about the new weapons.
"It's such a shame that we can't wear the human's armour," she said sadly. "A lot of it is metal and would certainly help reduce the amount of casualties suffered."
Jester thought for a second. "Why don't we just buy their armour next time, then melt it down into bars so we can re-forge it?"
Shorast pondered that for a moment. She sighed and smacked her palm against her forehead. "That would've been the start thing to do, wouldn't it?"
Jester winked. "I'm not just a crippled gladiator. Occasionally I have a good idea." He then snapped his fingers as a thought occurred to him. "How is the bridge doing?"
"Oh, yes! I almost forgot all about it," Shorast said, brightening up. "It's finally finished. We now have access to the other side of the river. The next step is to build a road from the fortress gates so we can connect the fortress to the road network on the other side of the river."
"Excellent," Jester said. "That should help any new migrants find their way... we're going to need them!"
===
New traps and new constructionsShorast was in her office with the fortress manager, signing off on production orders.
One order in particular made her smile.
Jester is going to be very surprised... pleasantly surprised!She had a new trap system in mind, but she decided to keep it from Jester for now.
She also gave orders to construct new armour stands, as well as giving permission for all fortress resources to be made available to Rimtar the Clerk, who had withdrawn from all fortress life in order to construct a masterpiece. Rather than risk losing any further dwarves to madness, she felt it better to let any dwarves who displayed the kinds of strange moods normally associated with strange constructions have whatever they needed.
===
New systemJester had gathered the dwarves of Battletrials together in the main dining hall. He had nailed several pieces of parchment to the wall. Each one had the name of a military squad, plus the equipment requirements.
"Thank you everyone for attending," Jester said loudly, quietening down the chatter that was taking place amongst the dwarves. "The recent goblin invasion has resulted in a need for new military volunteers. Not just that, but I have changed how our squads are organised and equipped."
Jester started handing out leaflets to the attending dwarves as he continued. "Rather than having dedicated gladiator squads, there will be several squads who will specialise in one particular weapon, for example, the Hammerdwarf squad will live and breathe their war hammers. With the weapons we stripped from the goblin dead, there are plenty to go around. Each squad leader will be equipped with metal armour, and as a reward for their service, a special weapon."
Jester stood behind one of the dining room tables, quill in hand. "I need volunteers for the squad captains. Any takers?"
The dwarves started talking excitedly amongst themselves. Several stepped forward, relishing the chance to try out an exotic weapon.
"There will be two squads which fall outside of this. The first, Lokum's Lambdas, will honour the memory of the heroic Lokum, and will be made up of those dwarves who prove their heroics in the training room and the arena. They will get the best weapons, and best armour. They will also be picked solely by me."
"The second special squad will be the Spartan Bezerkers. They will be the first into battle, wielding spears and will be largely unarmoured. Their purpose? Scare the crap out of the enemy by charging head-long into combat no matter the odds. This will be a strictly-volunteer squad, but those who serve will gain the most glory. Any takers?"
The dwarves talked amongst themselves, but none stepped forward. Jester's face fell slightly, but was then ecstatic to see Nixus the Speardwarf step forward. He signed on the dotted line to be squad leader of The Bezerkers. "The rest of this lot might be cowards," he said confidently, "but I am proud to defend my home. I have killed goblins before, and if none of you want to join me in the Bezerkers, just means more for me."
Jester clapped Nixus on the back, as several other dwarves started signing up for the Bezerkers.
Jester hammered the last of the rosters to the dining room wall. "I want everyone to think carefully before they sign up to the dotted line. Yes, service will be dangerous. But with it comes great personal glory and fame. If you have any questions, I will be right here."
With that, the military commander sat down on a stool next to the sign-up sheets. Dwarves stepped forward one at a time and started to sign up to the fortress' new squads.
===
Sorry PatriotSaint... tantrum spirals are a harsh mistress. Would you like to be re-dorfed into the marksdwarf squad under a different name? ShadowHammer, what about you?
I haven't dorfed Maverus or Marisa yet as I wanted to find out what squads you'd like your dwarves to be in.
Also, I had started building that bridge an age ago, but with all the sieges I had forgotten all about it. I was originally planning on building a new, awesome arena there but I'd like to open this up to the floor. This is how much space is available on that side of the bridge.
I circled one bit because I was thinking that, to give myself more space, I could wait until the winter freeze-over, re-channel the river around the circled bit so that it runs straight across the map instead of its current jagged path, then dam & floor-over the old river bed.
Thoughts?
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Topic: Battletrials - Wayward Warriors (Community) (Read 27852 times)