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To arms! Death to all friends of nature!

32 (66.7%)

Indifferent

4 (8.3%)

Let peace return, we've humiliated them enough.

12 (25%)

Total Members Voted: 48

[Splint]

Woah, I didn't expect this to get a revival. Sadly with holidays and extra work duties sapping my brain I probably won't be able to create any journal entries for quite a while. Good to see Nidorf is still kicking, chuckled at the poker bit, I guess he would be a good bluffer. I will have to go over your entries a bit more thoroughly once I am back.

Was wondering when you'd crop up again! Yeah, the fort underwent a revival, just kinda stalled out due to a combination of drawing and playing Civilization V (as the drawing involves trading three higher end pieces for Beyond Earth.) Sometime in the next month or so I may also be tasked with making a solid story-tutorial fort for the warlocks.

[Splint]

18th Galena, 152

Escorted the caravan from Omon in today, and they looked pale as Medtob. See what I did there journal? Cause Medtob's a ghost? … Screw you journal, I'm not here to impress you. Anyway, I asked the caravan master why they looked so freaked out.

She said it'd be clear shortly, and we heard an unmistakable and familiar sound: Badger war horn. Three squads in all, mostly macebadgers and a squad of berserkers. Fight was “even,” three squads against three squads.

I think we both know who won.

22nd Galena, 152

Seems we have a hell of a leg up on our supposed debt, more than half in reserve! And that's not counting the 100,000 coppers and 45,000 shillings we have! Or at least that's the sum I'm told is in public storage.

7th Limestone, 152

Autumn's here and Rakust has put in a special order for a suit of armor and sword from our new volcanic foundry. Dunno why he did it, and I even asked him since we have plenty of iron, mithril, and bloodsteel to make armor from. He doesn't even remember putting the order in, but  Gusil, the Guard Captain, and myself have all gone over it, and it's valid.

26th Limestone, 152

Might need to put Tirion's squad on full-time duty soon, there's plans to dig out an access tunnel to the crystal caverns, since Mr Frog's old reports say there's a sizable sum of malachite, gypsum, aluminum,  wolframite, and some small ruins with old chests stuck in them down there.

2nd Sandstone, 152



Nidor showed us some items today he got in the altar. He'd been experimenting with various offerings, and... Well, he ended up with a trio of items: A blood spattered journal written with purple ink in a language none of us can read, a scabbard that looks like the owner exploded, and an amulet with a worn out Astrean holy symbol on it flecked with dry blood.

11th Sandstone, 152

One of the fortress guards has been acting strangely withdrawn today. Took over a masonry shop and been rolling rocks, logs, and other crap in since sundown.

18th Sandstone, 152



And another one bites the dust! It was resurrected just before dinner and took the name of “Hallowvale” for some reason.

2nd Timber, 152

Seems our mystery author's been writing more arms manuals. They aren't worth much according to Erib, but they're still valuable. On top of this, our debt will be paid this year! We have 45,000 sovereigns, enough to cover the 30 large they want and 15 years interest on top! All thanks to Arcvasti's coin press.

11th Timber, 152



Rootedsalve, a shiny new coffer! Took the poor sap ages to get the materials, but I'd say it came out stunningly!

12th Timber, 152



A cook came up to offer us troopers a treat this morning journal: The fortress' first batch of candy! Came out pretty damn well I must say. Chewy, but in a good way.

17th Timber, 152

Orcs are here. If we wanna get this shit with the company taken care of, we gotta move in one group and wipe these assholes out quick as possible.

23rd Timber, 152



We lost another one to friendly fire from the dragons. A kobold was spotted while Muthkat was bringing in a bit of copper that'd been left in the storehouse, and Pyro let the kobold have it with excessive force. Muthkat wound up walking out right into the path of the flame burst.

4th Moonstone, 152

The company caravan bypassed us this year, so Rakust has someone going to the embassy to get a second one shipped down this way. Says we'll be out some coin, but we can give them all we got, which will more than make up for it.

12th Moonstone, 152

Took a week, but the caravan was caught on the way south and spun around! There's a schizophrenic soldier mixed in, but he shouldn't be a problem.

-



GODS. DAMN. IT.

27th Moontsone, 152



Seems all that range time is working out pretty good for The Coppers. Just wish we had more dwarves to spare so we could have them on full-time service or at least have them manning one of the gatehouses during caravan season.

6th Opal, 152

Seems Rakust doesn't wanna take any chances for the big breach into the crystal caves from our new tunnel, and the Fell Buckets are getting outfitted with new bifrost spears. There's also a big new leather and cloth storage being set up in manufacturing apparently, with the intent to mass produce studded leather and dragon scale armor for only Rulush knows what purpose and to bulk produce the clothing for over a hundred dwarves.

Maybe we'll finally get new cloaks and hoods in the next year or so.

11th Opal, 152

Saw the goods being moved into the new store rooms. Piles and piles of cloth from the pig tail farm mostly, but still. Also saw more of the raptors on the loose, one with Mayor Erib and two with Tirion.

21st Opal, 152

There's been... Well, for lack of better words, a strange happening near the western gate. There seems to be, well, walls, just sort of.... Materializing I guess?

1st Obsidian, 152

One of the farmhands is acting odd. Rakust has the Guards keeping an eye on him, just in case whatever's made him withdraw from society is causing those walls to spring up.

12th Obsidian, 152

No word on that guy who went all funny upstairs, so I'm gonna assume he died or something. I've been watching the wall's expansion, seems to follow a little more rhyme and reason heading for the eastern gatehouse, and I coulda sworn I saw the first segment glowing and reorganizing itself for whatever fucked up reason. Maybe the power causing this has some kind of disorder, but after it was done, I drew a sketch of it to show to the others since he hadn't told anyone about and the smiths are busy working on the north gate.



14th Obsidian, 152

Someone's toppled the braziers that light up the south bridge at night,  Unib says it happened sometime this morning, so I'm gearing everyone up. Got the Darkness standing picket at the main gate, while I take my squad Riverside, and Fenglel takes hers to the west bridge, to keep tabs on those braziers.

My money's on the snowmen, since they seem to be trying to content themselves with smashing glass and knocking our shit over since they keep dying trying to fight like real soldiers.

Worldender giants my ass.

-



I fucking called it journal, caught a frosty ripping out the portcullis on the south gatehouse! Made for a fine bit of decorating with the bright cyan blood... water... Whatever the fuck they use for blood smeared on everything. Kinda thick and nasty looking though, and Rakust is already having some of the kids wash it off. “A clean fortress is a good fortress” or some nonsense.

If this place was clean I wouldn't wake up with a dead lizard or rat stuck in my boots, in my backpack, in every thrid barrel I open to refill my flask or get food... You get the idea.

We really need to get rid of all those fucking moleweasels, because I'd rather trip over a live lizard than find one stinking up my bedroom or dangling from a banister in the dining hall. Hell, I'm pretty sure the dwarves in charge of the coin press have been finding them gumming up the damned thing on a bi-daily basis, and I don't even know how they'd get in there to start with!

-

Just got a report, ambush party to the north. Gusil was setting up a trap when she ran smack into a group that had torn out the north portcullis: Hammergiant leading some wrestlers. Ngithol says they'd barely managed to save her and her son, and both had more than a small number of busted limbs.

I gotta commend Gusil's son though, according to the report the little bugger kept managing to wriggle away and stay conscious the entire time, crying and biting at the giants the whole while while his mom was out cold from a shattered ankle.



Oh, and the kid crawled away from them, and killed himself on a trap when the pain finally caught up to him. Not proud of it, but I started laughing pretty damn hard.

Never done that before, hope I never do again, but goddamn did it feel good to laugh at a tragedy for a change.

21st Obsidian, 152

Drow are here, and we found a second raid party fording the river through the cracks in the wall that haven't solidified yet.

1st Granite, 153



Yilodagi, the mother of damn ear every boar born here for close to six years now, has finally died. One of the kids found her in the main hall just laying there. One of the wards burned out as well, but that's less of an issue. Left behind a big-ass lead sword.

Duke's announcing a cessation of wood farming until our (honestly fucking huge,) reserves of everything are gone through. Glad he did that yesterday though so there'd be no business type crap to have to go over at the big new years feast.

16th Granite, 153

The drow are trying to load their wagons now, finally. I say try because... Well, the Duke said he wanted those (fucking expensive 5000+ sovereigns!) crates of bloodsteel, and Nidor, who Erib tasked with taking care of trading since as a Priest he has literally nothing better to do right now, had some of the others move an ungodly amount of old battlefield salvage into the depot.

Speaking of which, a large Armory is being set up finally. First stockpile is for whatever junk we get off enemy soldiers that doesn't fit (which is generally something to the order of 70% of whatever intruders have on them,) second for the copious amounts of weapons, one for armor of our own, and one for ammunition of various sorts, so that it isn't all cluttering up the depot or laying in bundles around the woods.

It'll probably be some time before I write again journal. Not a whole hell of a lot going on around here, and probably won't be until Spring's End.

25th Granite, 153



Poor guy finally snapped. Least it wasn't a violent sort of snapping, saves the Fortress Guard from having to kill one of our own directly. On a different note, I'm taking by dwarves out to kick some giant dingo ass.

14th Slate, 153

-The following does not seem to be written by the owner of the journal, being in purple instead of the usual gray ink, and is indeed written in a strange language normally used by the foulest creatures, demons and other horrors of the darkest places of the world.-

Voodoo and Shadowleaf, Crystal and Fungi, these we trade for Silver, Silver changed for Gold, Commerce for our Freedom. Orichalcum, four in all. Drawn from leaden Silver and Copper pure.

Terror owns this land. Walls of violet and black rise from the earth by the hands of no mason. One wall sits misshapen, small compared to those intended. A reflection perhaps, of the ill-proportioned place it raises itself to protect. Corpses of beasts that were friend to dwarf are set aside. None speak of it, for none find it strange. They who learnt the ways of War and Magic, arts that have always found union, feel the Evil tug at their minds but cannot find the source.

Their gods cannot help them, for they know not what lies here either. But those who speak of the Darkpact know. They can feel this place reaching out. Perhaps they will come, to seize what they consider holy. Perhaps those few who study evil to destroy it will come as well; the minions of Astrea: Cassadin, Bastion, Velerum. Protector, Hunter, Healer. The Dragonfather knows they will come.

The Dragons feel the evil presence, and can do nothing. They did not live in this place before the Dragonfather, so the dwarves don't heed their warnings. When the warning are validated, they have resolved to burn it away as long as they can – the Dragonfather's madness cannot be allowed to spread, and those fell magicians not allowed his secrets. Minions to Astrea they may not be, but allies, all the same.

Should you learn the words needed, take heed: The Dragons speak the truth, and evil resonates within this place like worms in the mind. Your beardkin know little of how the Dragonfather's masters manipulate them beyond the veil. But trust not Bastion, for the madness will reach him as well, and in his good intent much harm may come. Such has happened in the place before - You have found and seen many of the remains of the fortress Akrulnil, a source of they who walk with evil now.

You will know soon when the servants of the Evil will come: The Dragonfather will walk amongst you again, as will one of the Dragonfather's masters appear and walk amongst the beardkin. Warriors will ready themselves to strike down both, but not Dragonfather or beast will make effort to harm any. When the minions come, it will slay them, and with their blood enact a foul consecration to ensnare the souls of all who perish not consecrated by the Beggar-Priest, for purposes I do not know.

Make ready for sorrow beardkin, for hell will come in the Dragonfather's wake.

Note to self: Find whatever fuckstick scribbled this shit in my journal and shove my boot up his ass. If they're gonna write some long-winded shit, they could've at least have the courtesy to write it in dwarven or merchant!


Merry Christmas! Merrrrry Christmaaaaaas! *Fires a pistol at Reagan!*

In all seriousness, Merry whatever the fuck you celebrate. We has a short update!

We lost a couple people, but not really anyone overly important. A baby passed out on a trap after our manager was horribly injured (she's fine now, just needed a cast for a few weeks,) and it was actually close to a seaon before we got the other half of him out of a tree. We lost another dwarf to friendly fire due to a kobold and bad timing this time, one went stark raving mad due to mood failure, and a caravan merchant turned out to be a Carp Cultist. Figures my first experience with it was sorta anticlimactic.

Made an artifact, the “magic” wall is coming along well, foisted a ton of garbage on the drow caravan, dug out a huge stockpile for all the oversized bits of armor and various weapons littering the place, tree farming is temporarily halted, and we now have four fresh orichalcum bars thanks to digging and partly completing an access tunnel to the crystal caverns, which after paying off the company are going to be used for four (and if we can get more ore to process, five) things if possible.

-Bringing in a squad of Astrean Darkpact Hunters: Arcane Protector Cassadin, Witch Hunter Bastion, and Cleric Healer Velerum
-Bringing back Arcvasti in a sense for story purposes (as The Dragonfather,)
-Summoning a demon, and using it to kill some warlocks.

I'm also going to declare war on the warlocks just for some variety since they're alive in Riverrun's world. I figure a place emanating evil magic will draw those guys like a moth to a flame. We've also finally lost out cragtooth matriarch, Yilodagi, slayer of a berserk elf diplomat many years back. May her oinks be remembered fondly each new years. Also as you can see, the frosties are still resorting to petty vandalism in an effort to annoy us. It hasn't worked thus far.


Anyway, enjoy guys, such as it is. Sorry it took so long for so short an update. An Alpha Centauri binge and new dog have been eating my time.

[Splint]

Symbolysim in Riverrun's World: A Primer.

Symbols in Riverrun's world are, like in any DF world, many and varied. Some make sense, others.... Not so much. Today we get to see what sorts of symbols we have for what civilizations! I'll also try to provide a reason behind it that may make sense, as well as a badly drawn image of it. This little history lesson will be fairly short, so save your groaning about it.
The Artificial Wickedness, Orc: A Pine Tree.
The damned things are everywhere, like orcs. They're very green, also like orcs.
Probably the most solid rationale they'd give too.


Ta da, crappy pine.
The Hidden Nation, Bandit: Twin Willows.
Considering the overlap with Shovelhope territory and the fact there's rivers out the ass in the whole region both nations call home, it isn't surprising they'd identify with a tree that's plentiful.


Equally crappy willow trees, with a pond added to the symbol for some sense. Would be kind a nice if it was a full scene though.
The Sinful Profanity: Glass of Prickleberry Juice
It's red like blood and they happen to like juice as a culture. Not much else to it.


Delicious.
The Trussed Avalanche, Chaos Dwarven: Crossed Scabbards
Why scabbards? Well they can't kill you with their weapons sheathed. It symbol stems from the idea of if you can see it, the weapons that the scabbards held are already coming at you.


Scabbards.
The Vocal Oil, Badger: A manifestation of nothingness (represented with a circle w/ slash through it, in-game quite literally a blank space.)
They're very belligerent, so it's only fitting they see themselves as the manifestation of the endless void of death in some way.


This symbol is death to our Badgerman enemies! Problem is it's supposed to be ours and has only heralded their own.
The Occult Hate, Frost Giant: Several books
They have a surprisingly deep respect for knowledge and value their history.
Who knows, maybe they have the entirety of Norse Mythology tucked away in their ice fortresses?


Books.
The Hollow Clearing, Pandashi: Poison Glass crystal tree
Frankly I'm flummoxed by this one considering they don't have any "deep" fortresses or holds anywhere.


I'll be honest, I didn't try hard on this by any stretch. Not like there's a handy reference for Poison Glass trees anywhere either.
The Shovel of Hope, Dwarven: Wandering Ghosts
A symbol adopted by the current monarchy, the wandering ghosts represent the many dwarven soldiers who lost their lives in The Rent Conflict who went unburied.
A grim reminder to all what they had done and what was lost - Friends and family for the living, the chance for the afterlife for the dead. According to their beliefs anyway.


Ghostly warriors
March solemn and slow,
Ghostly warriors
Cannot finish their last show.
The Joyous Steel, Dwarven Group: Round Cabochons
Now, on the subject of dwarves, we have The Joyous Steel's symbol, described in-game simply as "round cabochons." This actually meshed astoundingly well with my idea of the Joyous Steel being a merchant company.
 

Here I stylized it a bit, with a gem triangle in the background and using the colors of what we had on-site: Amethysts, Moonstones, and Emeralds. First because they're easily our most common, the other two because they happened to be the first ones I located when I looked. Had to look up the colors.
The Eastern Seducer, Automaton: Unknown, but for the purposes here, a cog surrounded by an octogon of thigh bones and a dwarf skull in the center.
Cog to represent the machines, bones to represent the organics who fought at their side, skull to represent their dwarven general Solon. You don't get an image for this one cause I'm lazy as all hell.

However, if someone wants to have a go at it, be my guest and I'll include it.
The Patterned Wather, Elves: Fucked if I know.

Usually caravan guards have the civ symbol on their body armor or helmet. The last few didn't and I melted all the armor from the soldiers we killed. So here's a fun fact instead: Their untranslated elven name is "Lalaladafo." I'll update this when I find out what their symbol is. Probably due to fucking a tree cap quota one time too many. Because let me tell you guys, building that wall required several fucktons of trees becoming bin fodder for Tirion.

So there's a bunch of symbols! An update will come soon, and with it a dead dorf who failed a mood, among other things.

[smakemupagus]

>> So here's a fun fact instead: Their untranslated elven name is "Lalaladafo."

 

[Splint]

>> So here's a fun fact instead: Their untranslated elven name is "Lalaladafo."

 

Funny lookin' name isn't it?

[Asan W]

Posting to watch . Also love the writing!

[Tirion]

Good to see this one is still alive, and my character as well. How is my squad doing?
Also, what's up with that magic wall?

[Splint]

Good to see this one is still alive, and my character as well. How is my squad doing?
Also, what's up with that magic wall?

Your squad's doing just fine. When I finally crack open the crystal caverns they'll probably be put on full time. They've also been issued Bifrost spears to ensure anything they run into won't have much of a chance; years of solo drills and watching the surface troops do thier their job has made them surprisingly skilled.

As to the wall, I figured if the place has some kind of horrible magic/force/whatever about, why not have weird shit happen?

Also, mephites summoned by Warlocks in enemy (that is, player) territory tend to turn against the warlock who summoned them.

[Insanegame27]

can i be dorfed as the 2ic of a squad?

[Tirion]

I hope my squad is well armored. Mithril at least, shouldn't be hard given how much the elves brought as invader equipment.

[Splint]

can i be dorfed as the 2ic of a squad?

I'll assume that means 2nd in Command. Sure thing, I'll get a list of candidates when I get back on my computer.

I hope my squad is well armored. Mithril at least, shouldn't be hard given how much the elves brought as invader equipment.

I think I armored them up in bloodsteel plate armor. Don't remember off the top of my head.

[Tirion]

That's good. And I see you researched the Rune forges, do you plan to use them?

[Splint]

can i be dorfed as the 2ic of a squad?

I'll assume that means 2nd in Command. Sure thing, I'll get a list of candidates when I get back on my computer.

Unclaimed squad seconds are
Cuggan Tunnellull, The Flighty Rift, Male
Weapon: "Noiseless" the mithril kriss
Squad: The Soaked Darkness
Legendary Swordsdwarf

Urvad Barbaricspoon, Male
Weapon: "Boardedtrade" the bloodsteel shortsword
Squad: The Granite Paints
Legendary Swordsdwarf

Urosh Sackticks, Female (Fortressborn, 13)
Weapon: Steel Bayonet Musket
Squad: The Thunderguard
Untrained Rifledwarf

Zas Gangfisher, Male
Weapon: Mithril relic Recurve Bow (found by archaeologist)
Squad: The Thirsty Coppers
Adequate Bowdwarf

Ilral Blacknessuncertainty, Male
Weapon: Gem Warhammer
Squad: Fortress Guard
Dabbling Hammerdwarf, Legendary Mason

There's your choices. Also, whoever wanted that windkin to be named Bobnose (formerly known as Bim,) wish finally granted. Sorry about that.

That's good. And I see you researched the Rune forges, do you plan to use them?

Defensive runes have already been fielded in limited capacity with the units most likely to see combat (surface squads.) They have protection from pain, nausea, stunning, and exertion, though the stun protector doesn't always kick in (however 9 times out of 10 it does, greatly reducing the headache of fighting black barghests.)

[Tirion]

How about my squad, why isn't it in the list? I'm sure there is a second in command, and reasonably sure he/she has a spear.

[Splint]

How about my squad, why isn't it in the list? I'm sure there is a second in command, and reasonably sure he/she has a spear.

Yours is already claimed, by Draeath. I listed the unclaimed ones (Mine's Fergus, Bobnose is Khaziraad's 2nd, and Lien to Fenglel, all of whom are claimed.)