Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Splint]

War. Nearly three miserable centuries of it.

287 years ago, the High Elves, hypocrites most foul, lead the outland elves into The Ageless Dimension. And the many dwarven and scattered human nations fought hard, but it was ultimately futile. The Elves of the region fractured, falling into civil war further hurting the defense of the region, and the humans could barely fight against a growing tide of man and dwarf eating terrors. Even the largest of the dwarven nations still standing, The Hame of Conflagration, held only a few hundred dwarves; perhaps six hundred rounded up. Six-hundred waging war against tens of thousands.

The monarch, Ingish Figurerooters, had become obsessed with immortality following the defeat of The Crafts of Muting (marked on all remaining dwarven maps with a crossed out circle and the word "Rash," death, beneath it,) and knowing she couldn't hope to find the true secrets of immortality, settled for taking up a mighty mace. She would be remembered as a great warrior! It was immortality of a sort, after all.

She wanted to do more however. She arranged for a great baggage train with a full sixth of their people to march north, through the ruins of the Crafts of Muting, to establish a mighty bastion in the heart of the elf land, a beacon to draw the invaders for miles around. Her people would haunt their stories, give them pause when facing dwarves in other lands. They would face future dwarven kingdoms, and they would remember her people, of how hard dwarves could truly fight! Of the ocean of mutilated and mangled carcasses of their wood-loving kin left gently wafting against their walls, ankle deep on even the largest Rocs! And so, with as much fanfare as could be mustered by a battered people, the labor of love to be wrought by The Hame of Conflagration, a company to be called The Superior Torches that was one-hundred strong set forth.

Passing the ruins of their northly neighbours, they were almost immediately set upon by tragedy.

Outcast elves, dishevelled and wielding wood that seemed half-rotted, attacked from the rooftops and burnt residential mounds! Most of the dwarven company's defenders formed up quickly with discipline only dwarves could have, and bronze spears bit into charging elves. Hammers rose, and hammers fell, leaving the hated knife-ears in mangled heaps! It was entirely seemly for their enemy to lie mangled so, but by the skirmish's end, two soldiers and two laborers lay dead.

They pressed on, salvaging a crate of bismuth bronze and pile of cow leather as they went, but without warning, several Rocs descending on the dwarves sending them scattering as they left the ruins! Several wagons and nearly a dozen dwarves were taken by the frightful birds, and though the soldiers who remained tried to save them, the flying monsters flew too far into the Peaks of Toning to pursue. Following a second attack by the outcasts and a troop of human bandits, the company had been reduced to 71 by the week's end, and they still had another three at least.

They tried their best to avoid passing through the elf cities themselves, but a dozen times insurgent and outlander forces attacked them, claiming more and more of them each time. For two miserable weeks, elf rangers picked off sentries and made the forest swallow up their pathfinders, and several times wagons caught fire seemingly at random; by the third week of a month long journey, only 20 dwarves remained. They were doomed, and they knew it now.

"Giving up isn't an option now." A wagon driver, Tulon Hameblotted said. "We're well past the point of no return."

Most of the survivors nodded in agreement. "He's right" one said. "And we still have our raw materials, and 10 soldiers."

"It's a good thing too, we're about to pass through the worst part of the area..." Mumbled the group's only surviving smith.

Someone looked at their map, and seemed visibly distressed.


[Campsite 2 on the map, just outside the Steppe]

"What is it Lorban?" A soldier asked.

"The Smeared Steppe... It's a terrifying place, filled with giant beasts. Possibly undead. I doubt we'll all make it through. And even if we did, there's just more elves to contend with on the other side." Lorban set the map down. "No other way through though, unless some of you happen to be shipwrights."

The dwarves simply coughed, sat silently, or shifted their weight.

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it. Everyone eat and turn in. We're close enough to the Steppe that the elves should leave us alone." The Expedition leader said, standing up to speak. "Whatever's ahead of us, we can handle it, as all dwarves have in the past."

One of the soldier spoke up suddenly, standing himself. "Just as our ancestors ages ago fought on in the face of defeat, we must succeed here! Our forebearers have left a price to uphold against these elves: FREEDOM OR DEATH!" He finished his piece by brandishing a flanged mace menacingly.

Some of the braver dwarves seemed to respond well, and cheered for both the expedition leader and their mace-raising protector. The rest simply grunted or tried to ignore the "death" part of that little speech and eat their cave fish and plump helmets.

The following week, death haunted them of course. A murder of undead giant crows destroyed three wagons and killed six dwarves before the dogs and soldiers finally slew them, and before nightfall that same day, the low howls of ogres were evident, and by midnight, they'd fought for their lives against the brutes. Another dwarf was dead by the end of the clash, a wagon destroyed, and another dwarf grievously injured. She didn't survive the night. They were harrassed endlessly by harpies, pairs of undead crows and ravens, and three soldiers were dead by the time they made camp outside the Steppe. Three days of endless travel had left them beaten, and lacking any sort of hope.

Nine remained, and they pulled up a spare map, and took stock of their supplies.



They were still a few days out from the destination, and they projected they'd have only adequate supplies for themselves for a few months, and inevitably, fleeing refugees from all around would try to push through The Smeared Steppe to reach a place of safety. Maybe a little more if they used the dogs for food, though the three surviving soldiers took offence to that (mainly because that put them at risk with no meat shields.)

They trundled onward, unmolested save for passing groups of, amazingly enough, friendly native elves! The elves were happy to guide their allies to a serene plain near their destination. They parted amicably, and the elves promised to try and send a caravan in their direction within the next year or two. As the dwarves pressed on through pleasant lands for two days, they started to get these odd smells on the air... Unpleasant smells. And Kol pointed ahead to a dreary patch of ground ahead.



"Something isn't right here guys." Muthkat said, watching the trees as they got closer. "I think we should stop here."

"Agreed." The Expedition leader said, hopping off the wagon and unharnessing the yaks. "And I already have a name for this place in mind!"

"Oh?" Someone asked, "What is it?"

"We'll call it Ivybolt!"



"Why Ivybolt?"

"Do any of you have any better ideas?"

Nobody said anything, but afer a day, they elected one of the two miners to the position of leader.

<+++++++>

-IVYBOLT-
GRAVEYARD OF ELVES
ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE DORFS WHO JOURNEY HERE

And lo did we have a not-as-good protracted intro. Welcome to Ivybolt, and my quest beat 500 elves to death with a fancy metal club! Why a new fort? Well, I'll list why.
Spiritnet was attacked too irregularly.
The Elves were busy fighting with eachother in the initial attempt; hadn't thought that one through.
Not as much challenge from the all-wood enemy.
The land wasn't dangerous enough. This has been fixed.
I successfully released my elf invasion mod and wanted to make use of it.
I get to build a fort around a feather tree this time around. The White Tree will be watered with the blood of elves!

I've done two things considered "cheaty," which were fuelled by necessity.
Forgot tools, so I had to cheat up two hatchets. Why? Well I didn't want everything laying in a huge pile of shit.
Upped starting count to nine, for two extra soldiers. You'll see why in the first proper update if you can't figure it out.

CHALLENGES
500 STEEL MACE KILLS: Self-explanatory, and my main goal. The mace in question being our bog-standard flanged mace in the supplies tab.
10 CATAPULT KILLS/DEBILITATING INJURIES: Probably the hardest thing here will be the killing or maiming of ten elves using a catapult. Preferably with petrified wood.
LIMITED RIGID ARMOR: Officer armor, helmets, and gauntlets. The rest? Leather, cloth, and chain.
TRADE LIMITATION: Of course no usual exploity stuff unless they have something I absolutely must have.
NO MAGMA: BLASHPHEMY! But necessary. I almost always start using it eventually, but this time around I won't use it at all, being limited to coke and charcoal. If you guys approve, I may attempt my first obsidian farm for a monument.
LIMITED TRAPS: No more than 12 around the surface entrances.

MONUMENTS
Approved building programs for when we have the resources and soldiers to protect the work crews.
Feel free to submit something!
SPIRE OF REMEMBRANCE: A stone obelisk, capped with gold. Depending on design, it may hold a second headstone to all dwarves who die here, and will be surrounded by a moat.

GODS

Spoiler: We have a much less varied troop of gods this time around. (click to show/hide)

Alron, The Sienna Diamond of Iron: God of the Earth, and presumably our chief god. Generally depicted as a male dwarf, no dwarf is ever away from Alron's domain.
Ber, The Deep Rocks: Male god of mountains and caverns. Like Alron, his followers need only delve far enough to feel at home.
Laltur: God of fortresses, not much else to say. Patron of all mountainhalls, and clearly has dropped the ball over the past 300-ish years.
Etur Oilyemerald: Goddess of jewels, which leads me to believe she is in general patron god of shiny crap.
The Wealthy Treasures: With no first name, we have our final deity, the goddess of wealth and trade. Fitting, as it will influence how frequently we are warred upon.

[Splint]

--POPULATION--
Numbers will overlap if we have lots of irregulars in the military (most likely marksdwarves) Forumite-owned residents will be listed under the numbers.
You'll learn names of the unclaimed not-founders as people die in accidents, failed moods, or the most unlikely, in battle. The dead will be listed in a post all their own.

Laborers: 53
Soldiers (Part-time, overlaps with laborers): 17
Soldiers (Professional): 5
Children: 4

<FORTRESSBORN>
Laborers: 0
Soldiers: 0
Children: 7

TOTAL: 69

--CLAIMED RESIDENTS--
Miner Rakust Icyfloors [Splint]
General metalsmith/potter Reg Roadowner [Splint]
Colonel (macedwarf) Ironbeard [4maskwolf]
Speardwarf Janthriel "Jan" Quickdyes [Swords-Otter]
Miner/Soaper Sphess Humidcrafted [Sphess_]
Weaponsmith Flame Indigopaddles [TheFlame52]
Furnace Operator/Knife Fighter Sir Taupenstien Preistwheel [Taupe]
Sergeant Senshuken Rootguilds [Senshuken]
Fisherdwarf/Swordsdwarf Zaycen Fencedbasement [zacen299]
Metalcrafter Smakeums Lulbridged [smakemupagus]
Speardwarf/Engraver Crocky Beachedmachines [Monitor Lisard]
Axedwarf/Farmer Maxcat Notchedgold [maxcat61]
Engraver/Siege Engineer Ncommander Trammelboulders [NCommander]
Potash Maker/Siege Engineer Peregarret Fencedmartyrs [peregarrett]
Swordsdwarf Zaythen Earthbreeds [zacen299]
High Master Wood Burner Trogdor Scrappedcanyons [Ardent Debater]
Speardwarf Crunk Typhoonpages [DerUbermensch]
Glassmaker/Jeweler Immortal-D Bridgegilded [Immortal-D]
Speardwarf Lupanian Tombflares [The Lupanian]

AWAITING DORFS

[Splint]

HONORED DEAD
Here, we of course have the dead.

Total Casualties: 7
Fortress: 7
Caravan: 0
Founders Slain: 2/9
Updates since last loss of dwarven life: 0

FAILED MOOD

ACCIDENTAL
Founder/Berserker Muthkat Quakechained, suicide by crossbow in prison (managed to accidentally get stuck in a tree and dehydrate in-game.)

INVADER/ANIMAL
Silk Weavery Worker Medtob Saintcaves, slain by the giant toad Scarwheels

MEGABEAST/TITAN/FB

ZOMBIE
Founder/Miner Rakust Icyfloors: Strangled by "Speechlesssounds," the reanimated troglodyte arm in his sleep.
Fisherdwarf Zulban Dippedhammer: Mauled by "Polishmesses" the zombie Falcon while fishing.
Swordsdwarf Zaycen Fencedbasement: Torn to shreds by the zombie harpy "Searchangel."
Founder/Woodworker Kol Boatsgully: Succumbed to infection from zombie swan attack.
Fish Dissector Fikod Ringsafety: Succumbed to infection from zombie swan attack.

[Splint]

COMMAND LOG
The update archive of course! Can't have any forts in this board without it!

LOG 1: The Arm.
LOG 2: Caravans.
LOG 3: Swamp Monsters
LOG 4: The Election
LOG 5: The Noble

[Splint]

RESIDENTIAL ENTRIES
Any IC content involving claimed dorfs, or OOC stuff by thier owners, independant of the dorf(s).

[4maskwolf as Colonel Ironbeard]
Ironbeard's Journal 1
Ironbeard's Journal 2
Ironbeard's Journal 3

A simple Patrol
The Duel
Muthkat's Suicide Note

[Senshuken as Swordsdwarf Senshuken]
Senshuken's Journal 1

[Swords-Otter as Speardwarf Janthriel]
Janthriel's Journal 1

[Splint]

Alright guys, have at it!

[4maskwolf]

Yes yes I'll bite as usual.

I'll take a soldier, doesn't matter which.  I'll go with a male one if we have one just because roleplaying cross-gender is hard.

I'll go by the name of Ironbeard, if you will.  If possible, I'll be the first wielder of the mace in question, if not, that's fine too.

[NCommander]

I feel kinda bad, Gemgorge died on the last livestream, and in chat, they liked the idea of friendly goblins/evil elves, so I'm doing that for my next fort. I'm mostly keeping it on reddit; the Bay12 thread for gemgorge was dead, and its really hard to do a community fort that streams since you can only write updates (easily) from done saves :-/

Queue me up for a seige operator/engineer

[Taupe]

Give me a soldier. Sir Taupenstein.

[Splint]

Yes yes I'll bite as usual.

I'll take a soldier, doesn't matter which.  I'll go with a male one if we have one just because roleplaying cross-gender is hard.

I'll go by the name of Ironbeard, if you will.  If possible, I'll be the first wielder of the mace in question, if not, that's fine too.

Colonel Ironbeard it shall be then!

I feel kinda bad, Gemgorge died on the last livestream, and in chat, they liked the idea of friendly goblins/evil elves, so I'm doing that for my next fort. I'm mostly keeping it on reddit; the Bay12 thread for gemgorge was dead, and its really hard to do a community fort that streams since you can only write updates (easily) from done saves :-/

Queue me up for a seige operator/engineer

On the queue, and shame about Gemgorge. Good luck on the next go around!

Give me a soldier. Sir Taupenstein.

As our other two soldiers are female, I'll assume you want a male dorf. Any particular weapon you'd like?

Oh, and guys, the initial update has been delayed due to rain (no really, the lights are kind of flickering here and I'm afraid the power's going to go out due to the storm that just rolled in about 20 minutes ago.) But, here's a spoiler!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Zombie harpies

[Swords-Otter]

You may have forgotten but I asked if I could have a founder of this fort in spiritnet If thats ok I would like a dwarf please female soldier named Janthriel (Yan-Three-Ell) if she cant be a founder ad her in the first migrant wave

[maxcat61]

Dorf me please. I would prefer to have an axedwarf, but anything is ok with me. Looks like a good setting for !!fun!!.

[Splint]

Dorf me please. I would prefer to have an axedwarf, but anything is ok with me. Looks like a good setting for !!fun!!.

If gender isn't an issue, there happens to be one available (a female dwarf swinging around a bardiche specifically.)

You may have forgotten but I asked if I could have a founder of this fort in spiritnet If thats ok I would like a dwarf please female soldier named Janthriel (Yan-Three-Ell) if she cant be a founder ad her in the first migrant wave

Ah right. You said you were cool with a speardwarf right? I'll get on it when the storm passes.

[Taupe]

As our other two soldiers are female, I'll assume you want a male dorf. Any particular weapon you'd like?

Maybe a spear? Anything you can get your hands on easily, really. In the face of haunted plains and zombie harpies, one wields what's at hand.

[Splint]

As our other two soldiers are female, I'll assume you want a male dorf. Any particular weapon you'd like?

Maybe a spear? Anything you can get your hands on easily, really. In the face of haunted plains and zombie harpies, one wields what's at hand.

I'll set you up with a whoopass stick in accordance with whatever skills a migrant has or thier preferences then.

Back to work, storm's passed (more or less.) Should be up in an hour or so, maybe less.