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Powdered Sweet Pod

Crushed Mermaid Scale

Elven Bone Marrow

Flaked Adamantine

Ground Unicorn Horn

[Taupe]

Yeah we can probably open the bridge as fast as the water comes in. The graphic is there to show the building steps, but not the actual speed. Once water comes crashing, it should be rather fast.

[Iamblichos]

I seem to remember that there is a fair amount of hematite in Astville... why are we so concerned with mining goblinite?  I mean, waste not want not and all that, but if we have plenty of iron ore and a magma smelter, we're pretty well set.  They don't wear steel.

[Taupe]

Clothes

[Salmeuk]

24th Sandstone, Mid-Autumn

Editors Note: Almost two seasons have passed since the last entry into this dwarfs personal journal, which seems to suggest he was occupied elsewhere. Perhaps it took that long to move everything down? Considering the age and breadth of wealth that Doomforests contained, and the ferocity with which Fath commanded her underlings to move all those goods, I wouldn't be surprised.

It's been some time wince I've had even a moment to jot down my thoughts. These past seasons have been rough on my body - every day was a new barrel to carry, bin to heave or cart to roll. We took everything that a new fortress might need, including wood, food, barrels, bins of trade goods and raw material, smelted ores and bars of coal, weapons, clothing, even entire beds! All of this was thrown down the shaft, to some new location deemed fit by Fath and her council of miners.

We weren't even allowed down there until we finished dumping all these goods. Once we dropped the last of the bins, however, a pathway was show to us and we were all told to grab any last things. This was to be the last time any of us set foot in these halls. In Fath's mind, this move was a purification. For the rest of us, it was inconvenience, heartache and regret: we didn't want to leave these halls because of the memories we shared within them. Unluckily, the coalition of miners who supported Fath and her policies were beefier than the rest of us, even our soldiers. We had no choice in the matter.

As we traveled down the winding path, carved wide enough for a caravan to pass, we stumbled past rough boulders and ungraded ramps. It was clear this new fortress wasn't complete. Arriving, finally, at the entrance itself we were greeted to even more rough stone, along with some half-smoothed walls and two golden gates, set up to protect us from the outside. The fortress itself was of an interesting, if claustrophobic, design. A main corridor wrapped around a magma pipe, with offshoots on each level assigned to the various faculties needed to run a fortress. At the highest level were wide, open rooms suited for craftmaking, followed by some trade-goods storage, then personal rooms and a dormitory, a dining hall, more food storage, and finally the farms.

While I can't criticize the design itself, it all feels too fresh to have meaning. Too forced - just what compelled a dwarf like Fath to give up on our history?

In any case, the rooms are nicer and some dwarves seem to have taken a liking to the new dining room - it isn't full of dessicated corpses or half-chewed bones like the old one. Not to mention the majority of rooms are carved from marble, one of the better kinds of stone to craft from. While I have certain concerns about our future, I can't argue with the cleanliness I see before me.

OOC:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

http://imgur.com/a/kql46

Here is an album of what the fortress looks like, in lieu of the DFMA upload that will be coming upon finishing my turn. I wasn't kidding about nothing interesting happening, so we shall see what comes this final winter. Hopefully something to write about!

[mate888]

I feel like all my efforts have been for nothing. 
Did you also abandoned Astville? And the jails? If so, I'm thrice as sad.

[Salmeuk]

Worry not, mate888! Time will pass, and the dwarves might find their new abodes not as. . . welcoming. . . as they expected.

(haven't you learned? nothing, not even something as dramatic as a forced migration, is permanent.)

[Taupe]

But Astville, man. My awesome rooms! They were so fancy...

[greatconcavity]

Hey,
read the whole thing over the last few days, what a great story full of amazing randomness! My favorite part is where Ast meets Olin seemingly washing his clothes at the well. What a coincidence! Made me laugh harder than candy.
I'm looking forward to the future development of the fort - will the new location bring peace and stability? Also love the design spelled out by Taupe. I prefer water to lava, make the goblins suffer before they die! With magma it always happens in the blink of an eye; also, less chance of random !fun!.

[mate888]

But Astville, man. My awesome rooms! They were so fancy...

I engraved my own room, placed statues on it and added a dining room and study on it! Is it all abandoned?
What about the entrance to the exterior? Is it as defendable as the coutryard of Old Doomforests?
Is there even an entrance to the exterior?

[SkaiaMechanic]

Yeah, looking at the design I was wondering how the traders got to the Depot. Should be interesting to see how it ties into the rest of the fortress!

[Taupe]

Is it as defendable as the coutryard of Old Doomforests?

We must not be talking about the same courtyard. Sealable, yes. defensible, hardly. People can climb the wall or jump down inside...

[PsychoAngel]

One doesn't simply mention defenses in Doomforests. You already know that our greatest asset for fortress defense was SOAP of all things.

[SkaiaMechanic]

Doing okay Salmeuk? You're almost at the two week mark on Feb 2nd. Do you think you'll be ready by then or do you need an extension?

[mate888]

One doesn't simply mention defenses in Doomforests. You already know that our greatest asset for fortress defense was SOAP of all things.

Hey, in my shortish experience as overseer, I've seen that trolls can't punch trough solid soap walls.
Also that they aren't that heavy, as a simple bridge works as an effective troll catapult for up to four trolls!

[Dark One]

Journal of Dark One

All the things necessary for dwarves of Doomforests have been dropped down the shaft, and colonisation of new fortress started. Some say this is for the best, but majority of us feels otherwise. Our history lies here, in this blood soaked halls. Many of our relatives died here, including Geshud. We can't leave it behind, as it is our legacy. A legacy of dwarfkind.

I still follow dark disciples by night. They moves were a mystery to me, but I can finally say that I'm moving forward with my research. One night I've caught one of them. I haven't asked for his name, but divulged many useful informations. I've noted our conversation:

*After I caught him waiting for his brethren on the way to the Astville*
- Your quest is vain, you can't stop what has begun many years ago! I won't tell you anything!
- Let's go!
- Where?!
*He struggled with me for a while, but I've managed to drag him to the forges*
- Will you answer my questions?
- No way! I will endure any torture, I won't say anything!
- Hmmph, let's see if your beard is magma safe then!
*I grab his head, and move his face closer to the surface of the magma sea. Only a few little urists stop his beard from contact with molten rock. I took him back. He was horrified*
- And now?
- I'm only a servant of our brotherhood, I don't have any useful information!
- I saw that you are communicating by random gestures, teach me your language.
- Ok, take this book, we give them to new disciples.
*He gives me a leatherbound tome. Opening it I saw gestures with translations in dwarven language*
- Where is your main hall?
- Servants meet in the hallways and exchange duties. I don't know where the main base is.
- Do you know who is a full member of your brotherhood?
- No, but I'm awaiting promotion.
- Great, we will meet soon!
* I walked away*

It seems that they are aware of my moves. I wonder if dark disciples would move their new base to the new fortress. Time to sleep.

I woke up on the rock floating in the void. I can't see anything over a horizon. I hear a somehow familiar voice You'll know soon! They will deceive you Dark One! I try to find it's source, but there is none. Suddenly a being composed of light appears. The Light of Glory has come!

- Greetings my servant!
*It looks at me, as if reading from my soul*
- I see that something troubles you, what is it?
- Do you deceive me?
- What?
- I ask again. Do you deceive me?
- Well... The ways of a god can't be understood by a mortal!
- Tell me the truth!
*I make a gesture I saw in the book that a disciple gave me. It had no translation, and I was curious what it meant. Suddenly vortexes of black energy appear. They are coming closer, I can feel the power going through my veins, and accumulating within me. I'm suck inside one of them, and suddenly scenery changes. We are standing on top a tower, high above the ground*
- What happened? I feel strange...
- I am The Light of Glory, holder of truth and your master! Yield and you shall be spared!
- No! Show your true form. Show yourself! SHOW YOURSELF!
*I gesture again, and light disappears revealing a dwarf standing in front of me*
- I am the master of this tower! I am the necromancer! Before I'll disintegrate you, what is your last wish?
*I think for a while. A crawling sensation goes up my spine. I ask*
- Why me? Why from many other dwarves I have been chosen by Geshud... and you?
- It's easy. Remember what Osp told you? You are soulles!
- What does it mean?
- Everything is infused with energies flowing from beyond. Without them life would escape the mortal boundaries. There'll be no dwarves, or any other living entity. Each being alive haves a soul. In lower creatures it's a substance flowing within veins and arteries. It makes it possible to claim life giving energy. Souls of sentient beings are creation of will, as sentients don't create that specific substance. Lower beings must produce a substance, and if a willpower of sentient is high enough, it can literally unmake itself! How interesting!
- And...
- You are soulles. You don't produce the substance, and you don't have a soul. You don't need any energy at all, but you can still absorb energy!
- What if I overcharge?
- This is the best, you can't overcharge! Souls determine a capacity of energy that cen be held by a living being. Without a soul you can take as many energy as you want!
- Why am I soulles?
- You are among the few beings that were rejected by the life and death themselves. You are not alive and you can't die. If your mortal form is destroyed, you are sent away to The Great Beyond. You still can come back from them. It's just a matter of time.
- Then again I ask, why me?
- An immortal being that can absorb unlimited quantities of magic and other energies is a great asset for ambitious necromancer! Now stand still, and I'll disintegrate your legs and hands, so you can't escape me!
*I make a mockingly grin*
- If I can absorb any energy, I can absorb your spells as well!
*I look at his face. He seems to be surprised and angered at the same time*
- Then I'll use conventional ways!
*He gestures, and dark disciples appear. They explode into flesh and puddles of blood. The bloody mass starts to grow and form a horrifying being. It says*
- WE ARE SALMEUK! WE ARE MANY-AS-ONE!
*It rushes towards me, but I jump out of it's reach and leap over the edge. When falling down I make a gesture...*
I wake up in my bed. Crawling sensation goes up my spine. I feel a strong pain in my chest. I'm barely breathing. I... must...