It's been an eventful journey to mountainhome status.
I made an investment at embark in two elephants. They bred successfully, producing five calves before the male got stuck in a peach tree and died. The female has sinced killed enough goblins to gain a name. They go flying when an elephant kicks them.
I built a tavern quite early and one of the first visitors was a goblin risen corpse. I had decided not to tolerate goblins in the fortress so I sent my new axe squad in their pond turtle shell armour to deal with it. They succeeded, but one died and another five were seriously injured. I didn't have soap production up and running but fortunately they were still patched up without getting infections.
I allowed a troupe of poets to join the fortress without going to the trouble of figureing out who the members were. I was appalled at first when I realised one of them was a dirty tree hugger, but my expedition leader doesn't have the usual dwarven suspicion of nature and actually likes working outdoors. Since she's the most successful expedition leader I've ever had - duchess now and consistently elected mayor - I decided that the fortress would seek peace and cooperation with the elves. Several more have gained residency, but none have petitioned for citizenship yet.
A couple of necromancers have also visited the tavern and I decided not to tolerate that either. A more established military made fairly short work of them but the second one killed two residents, a dwarf and a human, then raised them as sallow hunters with his dying breath. They retained their resident status and I have since granted them citizenship so that I can have an undead squad.
Four goblin sieges have attacked the fortress. The first was defeated by a barely armoured axe squad, though the naked and unarmed recruit that got there first was killed. A spear armed mercenary took it on himself to chase a kobold thief to the edge of the map just in time to be slaughtered by the second wave of attackers. The military was a bit more prepared this time though and when a few more soldiers arrived they quickly dealt with them. I thought the pattern would repeat itself with the third siege as one axe dwarf returning from a raid ran across the map. But she went into a martial trance and started lopping arms and heads off all around herself as bolts and arrows sailed past her. All that while holding a baby - she's the fort's champion since then, and her son is doing fine.
The latest siege had 14 goblins or humans with bows or crossbows. My main military was away at the time attacking one of their dark pits. Only one of the sallow hunters was a citizen then and I sent her with a war giant tiger, a war leopard and three war dogs to try to defeat the vile force of darkness. The animals were quickly turned into pincushions, but she almost beat them. 10 kills before she lost the ability to walk, then two more. Once the enemy had run out of ammo I had the guard come out to finish them - three unarmed and unarmoured wrestlers. The sallow hunter was pretty much shredded and after diagnosis there were three pages of treatments scheduled. She's slower now, but still pretty badass. She could probably have beaten all of them if I'd given her any armour.
I haven't really managed to replace those animals. I managed to upset the last elven caravan with a woolen bag, so I had to sieze their animals. I got a giant dingo and a coyote - but I can't train them as war animals. I've got one unicorn and one giant perregrine falcon too, but that just means some odd eggs so far. They're not even valuable. Oh, I siezed an elephant from them too - female unfortunately so I still seem five years away from more breeding.
Her son is throwing tantrums though. He was one when she died and is three now. His mum doesn't sleep and neither his father nor any of his aunts, uncles or older sisters have taken on the responsibility of putting him to bed. I don't think he's slept for two years. In his latest tantrum he smashed up a magma forge in the temple of the Crystalline and he has been cursed. I can find no clues as to what kind of curse, but I guess there may be some fun ahead.
Speaking of tantrums, the other dwarf that has started throwing them is one of the axe squad that took on that goblin raised corpse. Her spine was severed in the fight and she's a scholar now. She seemed okay for about four years, then had a bout of depression, followed by a couple of tantrums. Most of my workshops are in temples, so it seems like she'll wind up cursed too unless old age gets her first - she's 122.
When one of my human residents died recently, the statue my stoneworkers made showed him stealing an artifact copper shield. He didn't bring it with him to the fortress, so I had my hammerdwarf squad go look for it. They asked questions in about six distant taverns, carousing in each of them, before succesfully stealing it. It's now the symbol of their captain. I may make a tradition of each squad going out to claim themselves a symbol.
The queen's symbol is a wolverine bone coffin that she carries around in her left hand. She's a legendary bone crafter, so I guess she made it herself. I think I'll give her something else though, and put the coffin in her mausoleum.
In the second year of my fort, the queen attacked another dwarven civilisation, putting my fort on the front line of a dwarf-on-dwarf war. I've stayed out of it so far, but now that the queen has come in person I think it may be time to get involved. The duchess likes mail shirts so I have an excess of bronze ones. I've made some helms to go with them and I'm training up a lightly armoured hammerer squad to try to conquer a site from the enemy.
I'm yet to find any of the flux stone that I was promised at embark. I've bought enough steel and flux stone to get ten axes, ten spears and five suits of steel armour. Then I have a fair bit of bizmuth bronze armour too. I hope I do find some flux of my own though - I have plenty of iron.
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Topic: What's going on in your fort? (Read 6231981 times)