There, at the far end of the boreal forest known as The Forest of Jailers, you might find the place where The Euphoric Seas meets The Ignited Ice, where glacier falls into arctic ocean, and where seven dwarves chose to settle a new fortress.
Lertethraz, 'Tangletooth'
founded in year 121 by a group known as The Ambiguous Emerald,
who took the following symbol:
'An image of a trillion cut gem and dwarves. The trillion cut gem is falling. The dwarves are contemplating the trillion cut gem.'
The seven dwarves were greeted by a troupe of emperor penguins upon arrival.
Three elephants were lead along with the caravan, and would hopefully create a large herd of powerful offspring.
For now, the ground was covered in snow - would Summer bring a change in the frozen sea?
A large cut in the seaside glacier would be attempted, allowing for a staircase to be created through any aquifer present there.
The shoreline was covered in a forest of larch and sparse underbrush, with berries and tubers that might be worth digging up.
Ice walls were constructed from some of the leftover bits of glacier.. and more ice was harvested to heighten these.
A very tall aquifer was struck underneath the glacier. Eventually stalling downward progress. Screws and pipes were ordered from the carpenter, and the excess water would be pumped out and evaporated.
The fortress of ice grew taller. Shale block walkways supported the inner walls.
In mid-Summer, migrants arrived, two of them. Unib the Miner and his child, Stakud.
Finally, in late Summer, the 18 z-level aquifer was pg, who are truly suffering inierced and the lower stone layers made accessible.
It was Autumn when the first Mammoths were spotted. If we captured them, they would prove even better creatures to raise than those elephants we brought alon the arctic temperatures. The mammoths, however, were rather fuzzy, and would be most suitable to ranching. Thus the construction and armament of cage traps was begun at first sight of these great creatures.
The dwarven caravan arrived, and a trade depot was hastily constructed.
Around that same time more migrants arrived, bringing Tangletooth to 13 total population.
We traded a number of mechanisms and wooden items for spare materials, in case of strange moods, as well as an additional pickaxe. Just in case.
The first mammoth was captured in mid-Autumn of 121. Training of this exotic beast began immediately.
By mid-Winter, the population had grown to 19 dwarves.
A small outpost was constructed just beneath the aquiferous layers. Some temples and a dining hall were carved from the mudstone.
The caverns were discovered in mid-Winter. A giant flock of elk birds invaded the staircase almost immediately. The vermin were large, unruly, and apt to knock over random things.
Two more mammoths were caged that winter. These large beasts would need a pasture to match their appetite.
Plans were laid for a large fungal pasture near the third cavern layer.
The first cavern layer remains undiscovered, but it is likely just full of mud. .
Mistem and his pet two-headed boar Uvash explored the caverns, discovered two unusual volcanic walls, studded with gems.
Once trained, the mammoths were released into the larch forest to graze on wild ferns and berry bushes.
Our elephants gave birth to two calves. Rejoice!
A large artifical lake was designated in the spaces between the third cavern layer and the second. This would take at least a year to dig, clear, flood, and so on. It would be worth it, though, for the sake of the mammoths.
Five more mammoths were captured by the end of Spring, 122. So many of the beasts were being caught that it was difficult to keep up with training.
A large hallway of bedrooms was dug, allowing space for forty-odd dwarves to reside in semi-luxury.
Three more elephant calves were born that Spring.
The surface ice keep needs a roof. Progress is slow - further migrants refuse to appear, likely due to a lack of consistent trade.
The mother elephant of the five calves has been named 'Momma Tusk'.
Mammoth Haircut day was established as 19th Galena in the year 122, in honor of the first inagural shearing of the wooly mammoths. Each mammoth produced a ridiculous amount of hair, enough to fully cloth a dwarf.
A minecart man was captured. What a strange creature! It still carries an iron pick.
The dwarven caravan arrived. In exchange for a caged elk bird and a handful of precious gemstones, we received a steel mail shirt, a few bins of albino gorilla leather (
), a smattering of meats, fruits, cheeses, and fish, and some spare thread.
It was realized that filling the mammoth sanctuary lake may prove difficult and lengthy, if the water is drawn from the lower cavern lakes. Instead, the other caverns will be searched. Perhaps the first cavern layer can be discovered by the end of the year.
In mid-Autumn of 122, migrants arrived - 21 of them! More than doubling our previous population.
Luckily there was drink and food to spare. Bedrooms, well, those would be finished eventually.
If we accept too many citizens, than the promise of 'one mammoth per dwarf' may be unfullfilled.
Goblin snatchers were spotted in early Winter. A sign of things to come, yet Tangletooth had no real military.
A flock of flying books were spotted…what did I just write? Are we under the spell of a glacial wizard?
The surface ice keep is almost complete. The trained mammoths are seen climbing up the in-progress rooftop. They seem overly attached to the dwarves that feed them - I wonder why?
A baby mammoth was born in Winter of 122. However, the calf struggled to forage for food in the harsh snow and began to starve.
A flying book was captured. A most strange thing indeed, it looks exactly like a real book, yet behaves more like a pidgeon or a crow.
Two artifacts have been created so far, both rings:
-Triterhymes, shale ring with hanging rings of pruple spinel, *5000
-The Dreamy Periwinkle, larch ring with an image of hill titans.
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Day 2
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Zaneg almost starved while operating one of the pumps - he had been locked into the pipe system and was entirely trapped. A rescue pathway was carved and Zaneg ran to the tavern.
The lake begins to fill. It may take longer than expected, as the water is evaporating quickly before it reaches the far end of the pool.
In late Summer, the broker Onul created an artifact perfect gemstone, a pinfire opal named Adilgidthur, 'The Walled Grasp'. It is encircled with bands of point cut pinfire opals.
In late Summer, the fortress ran low on food. So many migrants and so many mouths to feed. Twoof the mammoths were butchered - the dwarves were curious what these beasts might taste like.
Each Mammoth provided over 200 units of meat, organs, and plenty of bone and leather.
A long throne room was carved for the Mayor and any future nobility.
The dwarven traders arrived. 23 mammoths were stuffed into a single cage, and offered to the caravan. Yet they only wanted to give us ~6000 dwarfbucks for the trouble. A single mammoth, butchered and cooked and so on, would net us about that much (so the cooks tell me) so the deal was refused and the mammoths released.
In mid-Autumn, disaster struck when the desert titan Nganiz Umcilasiv Zegaared, 'Nganiz Chanttulip the Whiskered Fog' trundled out of the northern icefields.
'Nganiz' was a gigantic feathered scorpion with large mandibles and a regal bearing. Its feathers were green and downy, and it carried a lethal poison sting.
The military of Tangletooth was not a military, but some guy with a two-headed pig and a dull iron axe.
What would come of this encounter with 'Nganiz'?
Quickly the dwarven citizens fled into the safety of the dining hall, leaving the visiting traders confused. Behind them loomed 'Nganiz' whose six legs slipped and skittered across the sea ice, towards them at the trade depot.
Cilob 'Boatsdays' was a 53 year old swordsdwarf, and annoyed at being caught in a snowstorm. She was the first to see 'Nganiz' and rushed towards the beast, leaping over piles of wood logs, bronze short sword at the ready.
She spoke adamantly during the fight: "I have a part in this. This might require an answer." Her first three swings landed solid hits to legs and feet.
The second caravan guard Urist arrives with her copper hammer and begins to bash the creature's cephalothorax . Eventually destroying the creatures brain with a powerful swing.
Urist felt the fight was too easy: "I have improved my hammer. That was not satisfying."
And so, 'Tangletooth' was saved by two un-bearded brethren from the Mountainhome.
On the 2nd of Moonstone, early Winter, a goblin siege party arrived, seeking a parley. We obliged as there was still no military to defend us.
Aban, the mayor, approached the goblins (who had brought a single troll to knock down our doors).
The goblins demanded one of our artifact rings. A small price to pay, in order to avert loss of life.. the goblins had successfully blackmailed us.
The water intake pipe was widened, to better fill the artificial lake.
On the 1st of Opal, 123, 'Nônub' attacked. A green glass quadruped with three tails and deadly spittle.
It quickly found the open staircase in the third caverns (curse our hubris! not even a door...) and rushed towards a hapless cave chicken. The dwarves were none the wiser to 'Nônub's invasion.
The chickens squawking was heard throughout the staircase.. the miner's assembled hastily and ventured towards 'Nônub'.
Mistem, dwarven child, daughter of Kogan the stonecutter, was busy hauling a diorite door into position when 'Nônub' burst through the nearby staircase and rushed towards her. Quickly, Mistem locked the door and hid in the empty water canal.
'Nônub' grew bored and traveled upwards. Dwarves began to perish as the green glass beast crushed them against the walls of the staircase, and spat noxious liquids over all the steps.
Eleven died during this fight, and 'Nônub' took on a new full title of 'Nônub Soldiermobs the Splattered Quakes'.
After all the nearby dwarves were dead, 'Nônub' retreated into the water pipe system. Doors were locked such that the beast was somewhat trapped - it would need to jump down a pit in order to escape.
So at the moment, 'Tangletooth' was saved. Yet with so many dead it was not a pleasant result.
The fortress mood was already soured.
Catacombs were constructed north of the planned artificial lake.
The magma forges were finally finished after a year of stalling. This would allow the proper equipment to be created for a new military force.
The farmers petitioned for a guild in early Spring.
In mid-Spring, an artifact larch earring, 'The Conflagration of Shell,' was made by Dobar the child.
Curiously, a ranger's guild was requested by a number of migrants, who arrived with great skill in tracking and ambushing.
In early Summer, three goblin thieves invaded the fortress, scurrying about the hallways looking for fancy things to steal. They became lost in the hallways and wandered for days, spooking citizens and stressing out the animals.
A hospital was constructed, though furnishing would take more time.
The forges first product: iron short swords and copper picks. Finally, some weapons!
A squad of rangers would be trained in both swords and crossbows, though the former would take priority.
A second water canal was dug to bring water to the artificial lake, since the first one was full of forgotten beast.
In early Autumn, Gognav Ases Kateng, 'Gognav the Dangers of Skinning' invaded the third cavern layer. This was a gigantic cobra with bronze scales and lidless eyes. It possessed thin wings and a poisonous bite.
The newly formed squad of sword rangers were summoned to fight the cobra.
Rigòth Tôsedstukos, 'Stoprazor,' the Ranger Captain, was first to fight the great cobra. Rigòth carried a masterwork iron short sword and a steel mail shirt. The shirt had been purchased in the first years of Tangletooth on a whim.
Rigòth landed a few minor attacks before plunging the sword into the cobras skull, fracturing it. Yet, the beast lived on, and bit Rigòth in the right foot, injecting forgotten beast extract into the Ranger Captain's bloodstream.
The other rangers arrived and all began hacking at 'Gognav,' whose thick scales defended well against the iron blades.
Though the cobra is tough, the dwarves are numerous, and soon 'Gognav' lays dead, with its tongue cut from its great snake mouth. Lokum Bardumeshtan, 'Fightsmith,' the Ranger took the kill with a decapitating blow.
There were no doctors in the foot, yet Rigòth needed immediate medical attention, having been bit by a cobra the size of a schoolbus. Two animal caretakers were promoted - presumably the skills would transfer.
Fortunately, Rigòth survived the poison of the cobra, and would soon recover.
In mid-Autumn, 'Oxut Caverncaves' invaded the second cavern layer. It was a great hairy six-legged sauropod with pine green hair. It also spat flames.
Due to its ability to set things on fire, and our dwarves lack of skill, 'Oxut' would be ignored for the moment.
In late Autumn, a Goblin-cap Ent was spotted wandered through the third cavern. Was it dangerous? How tough was it in combat?
The sword rangers were sent in to investigate.
Vutok the miner went beserk after a failed mood (he demanded silk, yet to harvest webs we would need to fight the fire-breathing 'Oxut') and used his pick to kill and wound multiple dwarves.
At the same time, a pair of giant centipedes attacked herbalists working in the third cavern layer. Some minor wounds occurred as the dwarves fought back against the insects.
The giant centipede's chitin was preserved and stored in the mayor's office, as a trophy.
A soap man stole some cooked centipede intestines, sneaking away through the cavern passages.
Horrible. just horrible.. the children were exploring the fungal forests of the third cavern layer when they spotted a patch of gigantic amethysts. They rushed to collect the gemstones, when to their awful realization, the stones began to show signs of life. Standing up on crab legs, the amethyst crabs began attacking the children, who turned and ran towards safety. Ingiz failed to run fast enough and a crab kicked him in the neck…
Kogan the Stonecutter valiantly found back against the crabs, barehanded, and took many bruises and cuts from the fight.
The sword rangers arrived, hacking apart the crabs, but it was too late for the children who all bled to death from the hundreds of crab cuts. A few others also died, who had tried to help save the kids.
Soon after, the goblins attacked from the south. It was 2nd of Moonstone, 124. The snow was falling as the goblins approached the ice keep.
They went straight for the mammoths, and tried to kill one. . and failed spectacularly.
The poor mammoth took awful injuries, but survived long enough for the rangers to arrived and fight the goblins.
The fight was swift, and not without casualties: Defiyi took a silver bolt to the skull and remains seriously wounded.
A fearsome giant Cave Lobster was spotted in the third cavern layer.
Terrible events. The door to the second cavern happened to be made of larch, and burnt to a crisp when the fungal fire set by 'Oxut' finally arrived at our doorstep.
'Oxut' itself was quick to enter the staircase, where it began to set fire to every passing dwarf, animal and object.
Smoke filled the staircase and the rangers were sent below.
All the rangers lay dead.. there was one chance left. To release the trapped 'Nônub' and pray for an even fight between the cavern beasts.
If two beasts weren't enough, a third creature joined the party: 'Kul Hexlost' the ankylosaurid with a bloated body.
Only ten dwarves remained. Onget, locked in his bedroom, asleep. Defiyi, absorbed by a strange mood (what a terrible time for such things!). Cog, burning at the flames of 'Oxut'. Zaneg, obliviously training mammoths in the snow.
Aban, mayor, resting in the hospital. Logem and Onul, emergency recruits, staging for a last stand at the ice keep. Finally, Dobar, Sodel and Lorbam, all children, all scattered, wandering the glacier.
'Oxut' charged the hospital doors, chasing down Dobar, who had wandered below foolishly. Aban went unnoticed, and quickly locked himself and the child in the hospital.. sealing their fate to 'Oxut's flames, but saving the remaining dwarves from a similar fate.
Somehow, seven dwarves remained. Exactly as many as had settled Tangletooth.
Defiyi's mood prevailed and their artifact work began in earnest once 'Oxut' was sealed away.
The second cavern layer remained open to attack - would the ankylosaurus move in to finish off the fortress kill?
Instead, 'Kul Hexlost' became distracted fighting strange creatures known as 'bone towers'.
However, it was 'Nônub' who then moved in. The green glass quadruped was a horrible sight to behold, covered in scrapes, dents, chips, and smeared with dried mud, blood, and centipede guts.
Defiyi's artifact? A diorite earring referencing Triterhymes the artifact shale ring, and Sigun the dwarf. Modest. In context? Kind of amazing.
'Nônub' attacks via the dining hall and pulverizes Onget through a doorway. Yet this allows for the doors to be hastily locked and so 'Nônub' is now trapped in the dining hall.
Five dwarves remained. Only Zaneg was in fair spirits, apparently having a very calm demeanor after being rained on last year.
With so few hands available, it became impossible to feed the caged mammoths calves. They were let loose to fend for themselves. Swarms of baby mammoths roamed the landscape for weeks.
Zaneg died after being unable to access a drink for weeks.. the others were distracted or depressed an unable to fill the bucket.
Miraculously, migrants arrived on the 21st of Slate, mid-Spring of year 125. Twenty dwarves of various skill wandering into this place of great death and destruction. I wonder what they expected before they arrived? Certainly not hallways full of burnt corpses and more mammoths than people. .
'Tangletooth' would persist, as the new citizens carried low expectations, and the surviving five would be assisted in recovery.
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Day 3
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Twenty new souls wandered into Tangletooth. They were told of two great beasts who lurked in the locked interior rooms, and how those awful creatures killed the rest of the dwarves.
'Oxut Cavercaves the God-Forsaken' and 'Nônub Soldiermobs the Splattered Quakes' were trapped in the hospital and dining hall, respectively.
A pile of burning teeth (belonging to the late Urvad) fill the lower rooms with smoke.
The dwarves are busy removing corpes and sweeping up piles of ash. The mammoth calves roam freely.
In the caverns, 'Kul Hexlost' the ankylosaurid fights a giant rutherer.
Among the twenty new dwarves was Onul Wheelfountain, a renowned intellectual. Onul was a legendary critical thinker, high master student, professional logician, adept read, and proficient writer.
Onul had immigrated with his partner and wife, Muthkat the Animal Caretaker, as well as his cousin Asen the Herbalist.
In mid-Summer, ten more dwarves arrived, bringing Tangletooth to 35 citizens. The fortress mood was fair, if concerned - the place smelled of burnt hair and mammoth dung.
Onul's talents would go to waste without a library and some paper to go with it.
A new hallway was dug underneath the trapped forgotten beasts. Perhaps they could be convinced to fight.
A new hallway was dug and the offices were reclaimed. Sarvesh, the newly appointed manager, went to work on processing orders.
A new squad was formed, 'The Copper Lions,' and equipped with sword and shield.
On the 2nd of Limestone, 125, the goblins arrived from the west - a single squad of bow wielding invaders.
The fresh squad collected in the courtyard of the ice keep, and waited for the goblins to approach.
In her haste, Zefon rushes out of the doorway, only to be shot in the leg with an iron bolt.
The remaining siegers are fought and killed, and all returns to normal at Tangletooth.
Zulban the Cook thoughtlessly entered the old dining hall, oblivious to the presence of a hulking green glass beast 'Nonub'. Soon, the creature stirred, and attacked.. Zulban was dead.
And so the bridge-filled hallway was complete, and the two beasts would be prodded and poked until they wandered into this hallway and fought each other, or became trapped there.
In a sorry twist of fate, the locking mechanism trapping 'Oxut' into the hospital became unlatched and this awful fire breathing monstrosity was released into the hallways.
So it began again..
'Nonub' was released in a desperate attempt to neutralize both beasts at the same time.
The forgotten beasts duel in the staircase. Spouts of flame erupt in all directions, setting alight multiple swordsdwarves.. the nearby sheep look on in horror.
Yet the two creatures are evenly matched, with the green glass body of 'Nonub' impervious to the fleshy attacks of 'Oxut', as besides the fire they posessed no natural weapons.
How long would these two creatures fight?
In the bedroom closest to the staircases, Vutok sleeps while her door burns down.
From the corner of the hallway, the ghostly stonecutter Endok stares. She doesn't feel anything here - she has seen this all before, and will likely see it again. The terrible fires of 'Oxut' burn before her.
In a last ditch attempt to save the fortress, all the mammoths were recalled to the tavern… twenty hair, hulking beasts loyal to our own trampled down the staircases towards the fighting beasts.
For some reason, 'Nonub' and 'Oxut' split up, preferring to attack our citizens instead of each other.
Two mammoths greet 'Nonub' in the staircases. Yet the green glass is impervious even to those great tusks, and they are swiftly defeated. Without proper war training (another regret!) the mammoths are almost useless against the glass and the fire.
'Oxut', meanwhile, destroyed a few shrines, then returned to hunt down 'Nonub', continuing the epic struggle for forgotten beast dominance, and deciding what horrible creature will inevitable take over the ruins of 'Tangletooth'. Unless by some miracle the creatures can be trapped or defeated.
On the 26th of Limestone, 'Oxut' emerges from the staircase and into the courtyard of the ice keep, where 'Nonub' awaits it. 'Oxut' is covered in mammoth and elephant blood, as well as globs of 'Nonub's spit.
Nearby, an elephant calf, a sheep and a pig watch in disbelief.
The flames of 'Oxut' began to melt the natural ice walls of the lower courtyard, destroying the ramps allowing for exit from the keep. The melting ice turned to slush, then steam, as 'Oxut' continued to bellow forth these awful fireballs.
'Nonub' remained present, unaffected.
Burning mammoths were seen falling from the parapets as 'Oxut' mercilessly set everything aflame.
Most horribly, the slush and water from above flooded the staircases. Dwarves trying to escape from the fortress were met with a waterfall of freezing fluid. As the outside temperatures fell, this water froze… entombing the dwarves.
To freeze to death like this, while a fire rages next to you..
At this point, 'Oxut' is heavily bleeding, but rages on. Where is 'Nonub'?
What's this? 'Nonub' lies defeated at the hands of a dwarf..
It was Cog Cloutpaddle with a masterwork iron short sword who finally defeated 'Nonub', with a slash that cut the creature in two. Cog fought 'Nonub' while on fire, which adds to the overall impressiveness of the kill.. but does not bode well for Cog who is still very much on fire.
Still, 'Oxut' makes their appearance, and gives Cog the heroic recruit one final chance at redemption.
Yet Cog is mortal, like all of us, and falls unconcious and perishes from the magical flames of 'Oxut'.
Above, a soap man is terrified by these events. A small creature in the form of a walking bar of soap. In any other circumstances it might be adorable, but here? Just another strange feature of this burning pile of disaster.
Then, a moment of grace: 'Oxut' returned to the dining hall and was locked inside.
A chance for respite, to put out the fires, to bury the dead.. but no.
Endok the ghostly stonecutter, who had seen all this before, and knew she would see it all again, felt that now was the time to see it all again.. and unlocked the dining room door.
Just like that, 'Oxut' was free, and at this point it almost seemed as if the gods were punishing 'Tangletooth'.
Sixteen dwarves remained. Many were injured, lost in dead end corridors, surrounded by smoke and miasma. Piles of bone and teeth and ash lay everywhere.
Those that remained chose to flee this place rather than recover it. For, what was left to recover but the blood stained hallways, filled with mammoth skulls, those incessant reminders of this awful Autumn tragedy?
Onul, the Legendary Critical thinker, was far too smart to stick around. So when 'Oxut' became trapped between two doors in the lower fortress, Onul led the remaining dwarves to the surface, where they hitched a cart to a couple of mammoths and rode off towards the mountainhome. 'Tangletooth' thus fell to the firey beast 'Oxut Caverncaves the God-Forsaken' on the 14th of Sandstone, 125, though some dwarves managed to escape.
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Topic: What's going on in your fort? (Read 6211032 times)