Everyone had seen it coming, the end of Gwolfski's command. He had spent Crewedgear's first year rather foolishly, attending to pet projects and dangerously tinkering with the natural flow of the river's course. After community outrage boiled over due to multiple preventable deaths he had decided to step back and appoint a successor.
While his resignation was predictable, no one could figure out who he would appoint to the position of Overseer. Talon, resident legendary miner, was a popular bet. He was friends with most and displayed the intense courage that dwarfs appreciate in a leader. So, too, was the engraver, seemingly Gwolfski's closest and most trusted friend.
So when Gwolfski appointed Salmeuk, the lonely carpenter who's only friend was a skittish cat, the rest of the dwarfs were shocked. Who was Salmeuk again?
THE CARPENTER? What skills did he bring to the position of overseer, beyond his ability to accurately estimate forest reserves and to craft wooden furniture? Gwolfski calmed them, as best a twilight leader could.
He told them of the late night meeting where Salmeuk outlined a detailed system to promote individual organization and fortress growth. Gwolfski had secretly viewed this as a great way to step away from his much maligned position of leadership and still maintain a slight grip on the reigns, while still appeasing any calls for his removal.
The summarized plan, or "The Five Paths" as Salmuek introduced it, follows.
- 1. Establish efficient and expandable food production
- 2. Create functional living spaces to meet the needs of our immediate community
- 3. Outline a military hierarchy and begin training the leadership
- 4. Centralize the fortress layout, increasing crafting efficiency
- 5. Construct adequate surface defenses in the form of walls and moats
Whether or not we would accomplish these quests would soon become known.
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Gwolfski the Founder:
Salmeuk the Overseer:
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4th GraniteOne of the farmers was promoted into a crossbow-wielding minion today. She has moderate skill, but that still places her high and above anyone else in the fortress. She goes by 'Maxcat' and can usually be found target shooting.
Maxcat the Minion:
She keeps telling us that she shot a parrot. I think she's proud or something? She wouldn't stop, though, so we told her to go 'practice shooting rocks or something.'
Later, Gwolfski showed us a picture of a Kakapo in one of his loose-leaf animal encyclopedias.
Congratulations Maxcat, you've killed one of the least threatening creatures on this planet. What amounts to a flying avocado.
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17th GraniteSome elven traders arrived today, but they soon left after Gwolfski told them we had nothing to trade.
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19th GraniteKubok's son, Bomrek, has taken over a craftsdwarfs workshop in some sort of strange mood. He's only grabbed a single stone, however - no one thinks his little project will succeed.
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2nd SlateThese dwarves arrived today:
1 Bowyer
1 Animal Dissector
1 Marksdwarf
1 Glazer
1 Mason
7 Children
Our total population being 34, that means just under half the fortress is made up of children. Our hands were fairly full beforehand, and with another mass of idle mouths we're questioning how to simply feed everyone.
The Marksdwarf was placed in the same squad as Maxcat. The mason was instructed to make stone blocks, and the others were told to bring the rest of the wood into our stockrooms. The children began eating.
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3rd SlateBomrek was found collapsed in the workshop today, after working on his creation for over a week without stopping to rest or eat. Neither of his parents (nor any other dwarf who tried) could wrest him from the carving bench before this point, and so as we rushed to the workshop we feared his death. To our surprise, he was pulled from the shop still breathing, and clutching a carved rock bracelet of legendary design!
It was utterly immaculate, yet because it was made from but a single chunk of kaolinite the bracelet was also nearly worthless. And immediately after this amazing act of creative power, Bomrek went right back to being useless.
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14th SlateTulon Chantmine has begun expanding our food production level. He hacks away the soft loam in huge chunks, easily doubling our food storage and production shops. Next up is a dining hall.
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29th SlateWork is coming along nicely on the tower. The floor is almost finished, and once we get some glass stockpiled the construction should be finished relatively quickly.
And so,
Spring has come to an end. Unmentioned progress includes extending the 3x3 stairway to a depth of 50 z-levels (without piercing a single cavern!), constructing a diorite block wall on the surface, terraforming the nearby cliffs to later place a bridge, and the establishment of a marble mine. Masons have already begun carving those pure, white marble dining tables that dwarfs can't resist admiring. The fortress is growing, and so too the spirits of the dwarves within.