Year 4 has finished at Relicblaze
Autumn trading went well with more ore for making steel and bronze being imported. Main export item was glass and copper trap components. The fortress (rated a city) is doing well enough that the Mountainhome is willing to make it a barony. One of the Original Seven (the expedition leader) was selected for the nobility by the recently elected mayor (2nd one so far). Since the new baron also does the book keeping and job management duties his "office" will be given extra filing cabinets.
The semi-annual clear-cutting of the embark was interrupted in early winter by the second minotaur attack. He chased haulers and woodcutters to the outer ditch and then stopped to destroy a door in the new perimeter wall. His pounding was interrupted in turn by six melee dwarves erupting through the door. The lead hammerdwarf managed to hit the minotaur in all four limbs plus a gut bruising blow before a dwarf planted a morningstar in the minotaur's brain. Another slab for the barracks area to memorialize another monster downed by the garrison.
The predicted goblin siege arrived in late winter. Hammer goblins led by an axe goblin mounted on a cave crocodile. The garrison took them out cleanly with a combination of crossbow fire and a swamping attack by the melee squad while the goblins were disorganized.
Since the next attack should be larger the militia program was started up and additional squads have been mustered. There is an armor shortage, but basic gear, shields, and weapons are available. And the marksdwarves have a good supply of bolt and some archery ranges to practice at. Besides, it takes thirty dwarves out of the idle pool.
Fortress development at this point is a mix of expansion and internal improvements:
- A DWR was constructed to power a mist generator for the main dining hall entrance.
- The baron got a nice set of quarters next to the dining hall
- Tunnels to map out the extent of the first cavern are being dug out. (And to discover the second cavern!)
- Various workshops are being shifted to better locations; or temporarily removed to allow for flooring over of dirt surfaces
- Animal pastures are being shifted
- Snow is being removed from locations that are now roofed over and otherwise enclosed
And the engineers are discussing some ideas regarding how to weaponize mine carts as an anti-goblin device.