The external walls be complete, and the rear bridge is set to be deconstructed. That will be the last great work of my term: I will endeavour to spend the rest of my time linking up the last of the mechanisms, cleaning and organising the fortress and generally getting Murderflood’s affairs in order. It does not do to be slovenly, even in one’s final hours. Nay,
especially in one’s final hours. A dwarf should be productive to the very end, and the same holds true for a fortress.
I found a paired set of empty engraved rooms in one of the middle levels, below the tombs. They look like they were designed as noble quarters, but never used. Truly fine work by our legendary engravers.
Well there be an obvious course of action here...
... and it be to order our ridiculous surplus of coffins and slabs transferred to them. That should help organize things a little better upstairs.
While Smomper (heheh) be otherwise occupied gassing crundles...
... some dwarves have snuck into the 3rd caverns on my orders to fell nether caps. Normally we would have little use for the stuff, but I realised that if the right axles and gear assemblies be switched out for magma proof materials, the dome’s pumpstack will be able to run a little longer before their power is cut by the magma. Every little bit helps!
Yar, these bilge rats again.
“Goblins? Crap. Should I raise the bridge or get the militia, overseer?”
“Neither! Ye should be letting them in.”
“
What?”
“Think about it. Do ye really want ta’ be trekking all the way out there and back again ta’ dump goblin corpses? If we let them in, they can haul themselves halfway to the dumping tower for us.”
“That seems... incredibly reckless.”
“Yar, it be a fine line between reckless and genius. I'm not surprised ye cannot tell the difference. Let the militia keep working for now, it’ll take the goblins some time to form up and organize a charge.”
After some time, the goblins started moving towards the trade depot.
They find an innocent there, and be drawing the first blood of the battle.
Sorry, beastie. Ye will be avenged!
The four frontrunners walk headlong into our weapon traps. Three are knocked unconscious with varying injuries, while one just barely dodges through and begins to nervously cross the bridge.
Alright,
now the militia can stop work.
The battle itself ends up being a fairly straightforward affair: it only takes the first 5 members of the militia to arrive to wipe out the entire invading army. Aban, Imic the Keamaster, Solon, Dumat the Titanslayer, and the other Aban will go down in history as "those dwarves what beat up a bunch of goblins". Their terrible bloodlust be unable to be held back, and so they end up traversing the length of the entrance in one mighty charge, slaughtering everything in their path.
Excellent. The only casualties be Fath, a craftsdwarf who was hit with a stray crossbow bolt, Imic, who suffered a few bruises from a goblin mace, and Shem, who... jumped off the dome?
What the hell, Shem? Well, I guess I’ll need to find a new Dome Piercer for the time being. Who else be young and useless? Oi, ye there! Yeah, ye! What be yer name, young one? Zuglarkul? An' ye be shipcats brother, ye say?
Ye're perfect.
OOC: Shipcats parents have had birthed more than 10% of the fort's population. I think they're trying to take over by out-breeding the rest of us.
Haha, it be payback time.
Go, little zombie! Avenge yer own cowardly death!
... what.
Well screw ye too, ye crundead bastard..
Both crundle corpse and forgotten beast are making a beeline for the entrance. Woodcutters, get back inside. We’ll have to lock the door, but
not yet. If we can just get those spikes linked up before they get here.
Dammit, no! The crundle be already at the gate. Haerdalas took care of matters...
... but it interrupted the mechanic tasked with hooking up the spikes. And now the beasties corpse be wedged in the door! This be bad! This be real bad! It be gonna get in aaaaaa- oh, ye've got the corpse out? Thank ye random corpse hauler! Oh god it be coming! Lock the door!
Okay, what've we got. A different mechanic managed to get one of the spike traps hooked up. Unfortunately...
... he hooked up the
middle spikes, and the beastie be standing on the
left spikes. So now Smomper be bashing ineffectually at the door, and we be having no way to kill him without exposing ourselves to his deadly vapours. Dammit, the noise is going ta' drive me nuts.
Triaxx II has taken up the noble art of duel wielding. I suspect he be having an inferiority complex, since his wife be a far better fighter than he.
Armok be damned, how many of these things do we have?
I mean, I'm all for being prepared to die, but do we
really need to be outnumbered 3-to-1 by our own coffins?
Okay, screw the salt beastie, I'm not having it locking us out of our own damn caverns. I've discovered a hatch that should allow us to throw dogs at it.
Go forth, little dickless doggie of doom! Go forth and lay waste to the enemies of dwarvenkind!
.
Kill it! Tear yon beastie to shreds! It be yer destiny!!!
... or not. Alright, whose got the next do- no. Wait a second.
It be standing on the linked trap.Eeeeeheeheeheeheehee. Oh this is going to be beautiful. One pull to retract the spikes....
[SHING]
... and then....
BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Take that, ye scumbag! We'll die by our own hand, ye hear! Dwarvenkind will
never succumb to the like of ye!
And now we be beset by human streakers aparently.
I mean, really. Put some clothes on, nobody wants ta' see that.
OOC: Her hair is extremely long. She is corpulent. Her broad short ears are very flattened. Her teeth a tangled. She has high cheekbones. Her head is somewhat narrow. Her hair is white. Her skin is pale brown. Her eyes are taupe. NOW WE WILL KNOW WHY WE FEAR THE NIGHT.