In dead chat...."Jim!" Tiruin shouted, "You need to wall off the primary staircase or else evil monsters will fly through it!"
1st of Hematite, 127I had a strange hunch about something. Like somebody was telling me to do something. Somebody from the beyond.
I found Persus. "Hey, you know our staircase?"
"Yeah."
"The one that opens into the cavern?"
"Yeah."
"Can you seal that off so that evil monsters can't fly through it?"
"Yeah."
Later in the day I made a vast restructuring of the labors all our dwarves worked. I posted it in the dining hall.
Mining and Engraving
Masonry, Carpentry, Mechanics, Architecture, and Engravnig
All Craftskills and Jewelry
All Farming skills, with the exception of Plant Gathering
All Fishing and All Farming labors, with the exception of Plant Gathering
All Metalworking skills
All Healthcare, Mining, and Engraving
All Hunting and Farming skills, with the exception of Plant Gathering
Wood Cutting and Plant Gathering
Special Note: The Mayor is to cease all labors so that he has more time to meet with citizens
"Ah, no!" 4maskwolf groaned. "I hate meeting with citizens! That's why I mine all day!"
"I'm a cheesemaker, not a miller, planter, lye maker, soap maker, dyer, thresher, spinner, beekeeper, milker, butcher, tanner, potash maker, lye maker, brewer, cook, or a shearer!" mastahcheese proclaimed.
"I say we strike!"
"Yeah!"
"Hey, now." I said. "I'm just the fortress overseer. If you have a problem with your current labor situation, I suggest you take it up with the mayor, who now has time enough to meet with his citizens. Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...." I laughed as I left the dining room.
2nd of Hematite, 127"Necromancers!" A dwarf came in running through the gates. "The necromancers are back!"
All dwarves were ordered immediately underground, and the gates were closed. Those who were left outside would be on their own.
After a tense day as our soldiers watched the gate, no corpses rose to fight us as undead. It appears the intent of the necromancers was to frighten us. After doing so, it appears they left.
10th of Hematite, 127Human traders arrived today. I talked with Toaster about what we could sell.
"We have a few stone crafts, meals, elven trade goods from their caravan, and some stone crafts." Toaster said.
"That won't be enough to buy what we need from them." I replied. "What else do we have?"
"I'm not sure I should even suggest it, but," Toaster scratched his temple. "We could try offering them our dirty laundry."
"Our dirty laundry?" I asked. Then I realized. "That's brilliant! Get everybody to bring their old clothes to the depot!"
Toaster sighed and rolled his eyes.
In dead chat...."They do." The Dark Star said.
"They don't." notquitethere said.
"You're on, buster." The Dark Star said, shaking notquitethere's hand. "You'll be wishing you hadn't made that bet when the humans walk away with a wagon full of old, smelly dwarven laundry."
"We'll see about that."
14th of Hematite, 12715th of Hematite, 12717th of Hematite, 127"As mayor, I promise I will ensure that all dwarves have jobs, and that I will continue to listen to your problems." 4maskwolf said, delivering a speech in the dining room.
A scant few dwarves clapped.
I collected the votes. "4maskwolf, 4maskwolf, 4maskwolf, aaaaaand 4maskwolf." I counted. I stood up and offered my hand. "Congratulations, mayor. You've been reelected."
4maskwolf shook my hand.
19th of Hematite, 127"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Toaster said, approaching the depot. "I just had to finish up a few things. Let's trade!"
The human traders and Toaster exchanged what they were willing to trade and what they would offer. They were nearing finalizing the deal.
"One thing I don't understand about your offerings," The human trader said, "Is these clothes."
"Ah, yes, these." Toaster said, grabbing a pig tail dress with its end covered in mud, blood, and vomit. "These are the finest in dwarven fashion, the absolute most avant-garde clothing with designs fresh from the mountainhomes."
The human trader looked impressed.
"We're but a small outpost and work is aplenty, so we never get the chance to wear these for ourselves." Toaster said, putting the dress back. "Which is why we're offering them to you. You'll be the talk of the town, no the city, and think of all the high-priced offers you'll get for the height of dwarven fashion."
The human traders conversed amongst themselves briefly, nodding their heads eagerly. They returned to Toaster. "You have a deal."
In dead chat...."Yes!" The Dark Star cheered.
"Dammit!" notquitethere cursed.
20th of Hematite, 127"We got some wood, leather, cloth, plants, and seeds." Toaster said.
"Excellent." I said. "That was some nice selling."
22nd of Hematite, 127The materials we bought from the traders were just what the screaming dwarf asked for. Once he got hold of some leather he began working immediately.
23rd of Hematite, 127"What do you mean we can't start the clothing industry because we can't plant any of the seeds we got?" I asked a farmer.
"We just can't."
"But we bought ramie and kenaf fiber thread and cloth from the human caravans."
"Yeah, well, we can't grow them."
"That's ridiculous!" I shouted.
"Well, that's how it is."
It seems the fortress won't be able to get hundreds and hundreds of bags along with cheaply produced craft goods in the near future.
25th of Hematite, 127"Are the troglodytes bothering anybody?" I asked Dorsidwarf.
"Not currently." He replied.
"I'll order some cage traps put at the entrance all the same."
27th of Hematite, 127"I've done it!" The dwarf shouted.
Cheers erupted around the fortress at the completion of an artifact.
1st of Hematite, 127It turns out the troglodytes were trouble, after all.
Perhaps one of the dwarves spooked them, or they spooked one of the dwarves, but blood was shed today.
We lost a fisherdwarf and a baby to the troglodytes, and a child has gone missing. I'll have the soldiers look to the river.
Goden Othlestolin was a town Baby!Tulon Masossibrek was a town Fishery Worker!Vucar Arzeszuntir was a town Child!Hopefully the cage traps at the cavern entrance will prevent future tragedies like this from happening.
13th of Hematite, 127"We need a hospital set up!" mastahcheese told me. "Now!"
"Why?"
"Because there are injured dwarves who need medical treatment." He said. "Like me!"
"Oh?" I said. "And what's your injury?"
He held up his hand, where his fourth finger was swollen. "I broke my finger when those troglodytes showed up and it's been hurting ever since!"
"Fine, I'll set one up now."
"Mom," pisskop ran in. "Migrants are here."
"Mom?" I asked myself in confusion.
4 farmers
marksdwarf
swordsdwarf
two children
craftsdwarf/marksdwarf
One particular dwarf caught everybody's attention. A dwarf aged one hundred and twenty-nine walked into the fort, all eyes on him. Whispers filled the crowds assembled to see him. He was Urvad Ardeskogan, one of the first of his kind.
14th of Malachite, 127"The additional recruits are helpful, but in my opinion, we need more soldiers." Dorsidwarf reported.
"Very well, I'll set up a squad of soldiers who are able with the crossbow."
"Very good."
I am now captain of the Mechanisms of Perplexing, a squadron of marksdwarves.
19th of Malachite, 127I'm a mother!
I gave birth today. Which is rather confusing since I wasn't aware I was a mother, or that I had a family, but apparently I do. I now have eight children.
Two other dwarves gave birth today.
24th of Malachite, 127I hunt again!
But I didn't get any kills. Hopefully nobody noticed that I came back empty-handed.
The labors I set up are the labors I use in every fortress. It may not be the most efficient setup but it makes sure that work gets done, even if it isn't high quality work.
I also really wanted some rope reed seeds or some other fiber-producing plants. I wanted to start getting bags going so I can start glassmaking in earnest, but it looks like somebody else will have to do that on their turn.