The city of swamphandles is a military-focused fortress. My fortress entrance is through my primary sworddwarfs' barracks, which is adjacent (via fortifications) to my primary marksdwarf barracks, and a hammerdwarf barracks.
There's magnetite, bituminous coal, limestone, and lignite. So no problem getting steel.
I've had a couple ambushes by by third year. Neither one made it to my fortress, as the first time I rushed above to try and save a jeweler that was roaming about, and the second time after carefully burrowing my civilians and issuing orders for my military to wait for the invaders to enter... I find one of my sworddwarves wanted to engage the enemy instead. So I rush forward, wipe out a few squads. Turns out the idiot was the leader of my primary squad. He was a teacher with my best armor user skill (although it wasn't great).
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I got a forgotten beast in the first cavern; I wasn't sure if I should be afraid or not! It was a blob made of grime and filth. Well, I had been setting up my secondary marksdwarf barracks to overlook my planned entrance into the caverns, so I decided to let them take some shots at it once it was set up.
I hear a combat report... that must be it! I zoom to look -- it's dead already. A single wooden crossbow bolt. I guess blobs of grime and filth aren't beasts to be afraid of!
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I went to explore the depths, and I unfortunately missed a chance to get a rather interesting report. It would have gone:
- You have discovered an expansive cavern deep underground.
- Raw adamantine! Praise the miners!
As cool as that would have been, I can't complain that I found the magma sea first, as I know the spire is already solid that far down.
I should count my blessings; the third cavern could have been a lake which would have promptly flooded my lovely adamantine spire!
One of these days I'll remember to go cavern hunting *before* I start settling the magma sea.
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Incidentally, there are gold veins adjacent to my adamantine spires (they're also all over the edge of the magma sea). I assume adamantine overrides gold? Or are the gold veins eating away my adamantine? :'(