Month 2:
Not sure which day it is exactly. been working day and night on completing this wall-up. At least Supergoat cannot get in from the south passage. I had all the newcomers build workshops and sculpt blocks out of microcline, while I was assembling this little barricade. Still a lot to go, but this is a fine start.
I return to the kennels and find them filled with miasma. there's also miasma in the dinning room, my office, and the farms. strange, I remember making this room my office for it's surprising lack of dead people inside.
Took me a day to find where this was coming from. Apparently some of the animals stepped into the frozen breath during the fight, and started rotting away as they walk around the fort. I ordered a random migrant to take care of that, and pasture the animals in the north chamber. I point at the rest of the idlers, and tell them to start pilling the bodies next to the rotting animals. Miasma party inbound.
Yup, definitely was the animals that were causing the miasma. the living space starts to smell better, and the purple gas starts to fill up the sandy cavern.
To be honest, not all animals need to be in the pen with their rotting friends. some are just pets who survived the migrant's unexpected arrival. I order some of the masons to grab a pick, become miners on the side, and start digging little chambers next to the pasture. The newcomers don't all seem to bright, and I don't want one of them butchering a corpse and drop the corrupted meat into our main food stockpile. I'll isolate the infested pets, lock them behind door for a few years, and take the bones out once there is nothing edible left.
The fort is now clean. (ish) As soon as those idiots start to actually produce coffins like I asked, we'll be able to grab the corpses and mke this place fancy again. For now, they are making blocks. Somehow, they are not building the walls like I asked. ''Minion, why is nobody building my fucking walls?''
-Hum, it seems hum... people were asked to use blocks they can't access.
-Well, can't they just use other blocks, like say,
the ones they just carved for that exact purpose?
-I'm afraid not, sir. You must choose which specific block you want from this list of 1200 blocks.
-How am i supposed to know which one is which.
-They are listed by distance.
Ugh, all the blocks are actually the same distance, because there's three layers of storage for that under the center of the fort. aka, unless there is a block or boulder 5 feet away from the building location, there's no way to know which block is which from the list. we have 12 blocks. There are about 100 times that, showing up under every distance possible. I need to find a system.
The miners have done their job with the animalcoves, but they don't have any doors. Ughh, this is getting annoying. Can't anyone do anything here without my direct supervision? I swear, I was accomplishing more on my own. I send the two miners to dig up a crypt. Turning one of the random ore veins into an actual set of rooms shouldn't be too hard, even for those monkey brains.
Mid second month, or whatever:
Not sure which day it is exactly, too busy ordering morons around and micromanaging everything. Pople claim they have no jobs, yet refuse to do the hauling. ''Why can't I haul that one corpse over there, i wanna haul
that one''. No, it's off limit. because the supergoat is too close to it. Haul the one you are sitting on instead. Like, please.
He still asks about the other, unreachable corpse 978 times in a row, and thus spends about 2 weeks at the edge of the burrow, staring at this one corpse.
''It's forbidden, I say.
-But what about that other
-Forbidden.
-Or maybe that other one...
-Forbidden.
-But... but maybe I could go and grab that leg that's...
-The leg is forbidden. The head, the body, every single thing in this fort is forbidden.''
And so I spend the rest of the month being named random objects lying in the fort, and responding to the haulers that no, they can't have it, it's forbidden. Stop sitting near the edge of the burrow trying to attract Supergoat, kthanks. I can't stand it, I need a break. I only have one true friend here in Doomforests.
''I can't take it anymore, they are too dumb.
-....grrrhhhh
-No, I know, but whatever I say, they manage to screw it up. thank the gods you are Minister of agriculture, Smunstu.
-graarg glabu grabbhu
-Hum, that's a valid point, my friend.
Minister Smunstu is right! All I have to do is ask the masons to move the blocks to a very nearby stockpile, and then I'll be able to choose the right blocks.
* * *
Third month:
I hate them all. They refuse to move the blocks. They can't move them from one stockpile to the other, because they haven't even moved them from the workshop to any form of stockpile in the first place. They filled one to half, then stopped, and half of that is soap blocks.
Screw this, I'll try to use trigonometry to determine the right blocks by locating the ones closest to a soap block. Time is running low, we need to stop fucking around.
* * *
Third month, some other week maybe:
The feverish child finally died today, and moments later, a random migrant was possessed by the departed spirit. The fool runs trough the unfinished barricade, and claims a bowyer workshop. ''We will avenge mommy and daddy, the dwarf says with an otherwordly, childish voice.'' I need silk, and wood, and gems, and rocks, and gems, and gems, and thread!''
Ugh, this is terrible. If we let him finish, he'll run around like a dumbass to grab his items, and attract the Supergoat. If we deny his requests, he may go berserk, run off, and attract the Supergoat. What to do, what to do...
Well, we have stone, and thread and silk, no problem. It's actually the only stockpiles we have access to, aside from leather. Rock, obviously, is no problem. cut gems, tho...
''Holy wow, says a dwarf I don't recognize. This place was excavated on a single level following gem clusters. Haven't seen this kind of fort since Boatmurdered, when ol' Stark went raving mad.
-You know something about gems, I take it?
-Aye, name's SkaiaMechanic. Currently building coffins, but I could cut you a few gems if you want.
-Yeah, grab some citrines, I'll tell the miners to demolish a wall in the workshop room to get you something to work with.''
Now, all we need is wood. We have none, even if we had access to most of the fort. The only logs left are in Astville, and I sure as all hell ain't going down there just for some bloodcap. I know where to get some, tho. I saw a tree when I jumped off the tower. ''Minion, grab an axe, and go cut some wood in the military tower.''
Some dwarf with the ghost of the former Senshuken's ghost.
''I hate you all, I should be alive and leading the army, not a fucking ghost. I told them this would end badly.
-Well, you are dead, so go away, this is our fort now.
-No, screw you wusses, I'm staying here, and I'm taking over your stupid bedroom.
-Yeah, well, I'm, hum... I'm taking over your
name!
-You can't just... do that!
-Sure can, just did, replies Senshuken II.
Inspired by the former expedition leader, an eager mason decides to rename himself to Drokles the second. I name him Commander, so that he can designate some soldiers to begin training. It's not like they'll get muscles by carrying my fucking blocks around, like i asked. Drokles II names Senshuken II as military captain, and assigns a decent fighter to be his training partner. they turn one of the offices into a basic barrack, and grab whatever equipment they find on the floor. ''yeah, I'm sure that'll turn out great'' nags the ghostly Senshuken.
I'm not sure we can afford to have the possessed guy running around, so I start doubling my efforts to locate the right block, and seal this place off. Salmeuk is apparently smart enough to locate a good block, and seals the caverns. then he falls alseep in them. Ughhhh.
Next, old Drazoth's doorway has to be sealed. This will complete the first half of the barricade. People keep going in and out to grab corpses and legs. ''They're forbidden now, build that stupid wall!''
He finally has enough to start his damned crossbow. ''Not a second too soon, that was the last of the available citrines, declares skaiaMechanic. Well, back to making coffins for me!'' In gathering his incredients, the moody dwarf disturbed the Supergoat, and almost wiped out the fort. We have no time to lose. Just seal the wall, at any cost!
Uggh, I can't believe I'm going to say that. The only blocks I'm able to locate efficiently amidst the 1200 blocks are the soap ones. we build the second half of the barricade out of soap. It's completed within 5 minutes.
Good job, PsychoAngel. You saved the fort
again.
The fool returns with an artifact crossbow, not a second too soon. As soon as he walks in, we seal the wall as Supergoat starts giving chase. The fort is now impervious to its attacks for the time being. My nemesis is contained by the barricade o' soap on one side, and the raised bridge on the other. with the need for blocks fulfilled, I announce to Drokles that he is now the head of the masons, and thus our manager. I will no longer be working with him. He is now responsible for the production of slabs and coffins.
''But what will you do now?
-Operating and running a mechanics operation, I respond while reaching for a set of blueprints protected by a bull-shaped wax seal. It's time for the next part of my little project.''
It is now summer, I notice while eyeing the giant olm inside his cage. Things are about to get very interesting...