Dwarf Fortress 42_06 : Toy Land
Metropolis of Tongsburns
Spring of 954
The new Mayor of the Fortress had a plan. Not a plan a drunk Dwarf would make. No, the simple, deadly, sober, plan of a Goblin. He ordered that the hospital would never be opened. Ever. Unless they found a way to flood it with water (which would not work given that the hospital was under the tavern) or loose bolts into it from a safe place the hospital would become a tomb. That gave him an idea...
Looking over the records he also noticed four Dwarfs who had no real job titles. They were peasants, teenagers who had become adults, and were just joining the work force. Two were made into Temple Performers, one was made a Miner, and the last was made into a Hauler.
At this point a new series of petitions to reside inside the city started to come across his desk. Of course, being a Goblin, he approved all of them that he saw. He was somewhat a friendly sort, for a Goblin. He liked weapon racks and shields, he enjoyed passion fruit wine, and at over 700 years old he had learned many skills, such as networking.
On the 8th of Granite it seems Ral Zatthuddatan, in his normal state, was going insane and was breaking stuff while trapped in the hospital. The Mayor suggested the Nobles keep track of the damage and send the bill to Ral's parents. The Nobles were not amused.
On the 12th of Granite Lokum Godenlebes were killed by Militia Captain Nomal Stakudkeskal. It looks like the Bowyer attacked first. It was totally one sided fight as Nomal used her steel crossbow at close range, bashing the other Dwarf, till the head exploded.
Sadly it seems that this was not enough for the Captain. And blood flowed as she attacked the nearby civilians. The Soap Maker, Lolor Akrulginon, was killed, head crushed by the Captain. Even when a child joined the battle the Captain did not back down. The dead body of the Glazer, Zutthan Budnumeng, joined the bodies on the blood soaked dirt floor. Soon to be followed by the dead bodies of Dastot a Stonecrafter, Momuz a Gelder, and Cilob a Doctor. The last body to fall was that of the Ex-Captain, who had finally been stopped by the mob.
More beds were ordered for the small hospital as the wounded slowly headed to it. And the Mayor was saddened by such a event. Many good workers had died. At least those who survived would be stronger for it.
In the end only two wounded reported to the new hospital, an amazingly small number, thankfully.
On the 18th of Granite Rere Rostfencosin, Human Maceman and Vampire, announced his arrival in the area. The Mayor and his fellow Nobles knew what was needed. They waited till he was in the tavern and called out the Geared Angels and the Emerald Chambers to kill the vampire. It seemed, this time, that the militia were willing to use crossbows at a distance before closing with the vampires. They learned tactics!
In a panic the creature fled deeper into the Fortress, right into the arms of the militia coming to join their comrades. He was overwhelmed and killed in a very short time. His real name had been Uquur Gorhaxispran and on his person were found many items made from Human and Dwarf hair and bone. Sadly, he was not the only death. Ingish ingizzes, a Miner, was found dead - no doubt a victim of the confused battle which had gone from level to level.
The Janitor Mosus Athelegen took the dead vampire to the ocean to be tossed in.
Dwarfs were complaining that the arrow slits made in the walls of the old hospital were leaking out miasma from the dead werekangaroo.
Yet life went on. Animals were milked and butchered. Meals were prepared and drinks brewed. Trees were cut down and fish were caught. On the other hand the Trade Depot was covered in bones and blood again. As were many of the hallways and workshops.
The arrow slits allowed everybody to hear the murder of Catten as one of the werekangaroos noticed the Dwarf. Then one of the beats kill the other and so there was on creature left.
The beast was smarter than anybody had thought. It used the water tunnels, under the wells, to enter the Temple Complex, killing one of the Poet and tossing his body down the well! The monster was Ral Zatthuddatan. The door was locked but nobody believed it would hold him back.
"All squads!" shouted the Mayor, "All warriors! Kill it! KILL IT!"
Before the warriors could even get to the temples the monster dived back into the well, into the water. But it crawled back out, no doubt realizing it could not breath under the water.
The door was unlocked and the military and visiting warriors prepared for the worse. Most of the military who were trained in dodging and the use of both shield melee weapons closed with it as those armed with crossbows peppered it a few times from a distance.
One of the visiting Female Goblin Hammerman was badly mauled and wounded by the creature but the militia dodged and blocked the werekangaroo's attacks while launching attack after attack. Soon it was losing fingers and blood as it was worn down.
Things got worse when a Farmer (why was he in this fight?!?!) entered the temple chamber to punch the monster. The brave idiot was grabbed by the werekangaroo and most assumed at least the Farmer would have a swift death. Sadly the monster decided to twist and bend the Farmer, crushing hips and breaking limbs. Even while doing so more warriors attacked it and more bolts were fired into it. One bolt even hit it in the head.
Finally an iron spear was lodged firmly into the creature's chest and there was no longer any doubt on the outcome. But even while it was stabbed, smashed, and bashed, it ripped off limbs, broke bones, and fought on.
On the 27th of Granite the Werekangaroo, Ral Zatthuddatan, was killed. Now the Nobles and the Mayor had to carry out damage control. First, many of the wounded visitors had to be put down and put down swiftly. Two visitors who had taken part in the fight were attacked, turned on by the soldiers they had fought side-by-side with.
After that the old hospital was opened. It would be receiving many warriors who would have to be...well, cut off from the rest of the Fortress. The populace realized that the wells would need to be destroyed and covered up. The water was stained with werecreature's blood and it had destroyed the floodgate that would allow them to stop the flow and drain the water tank for cleaning. Also, two bodies, Etur Stukosnitig and Tosid Kolvod, were left in the waters where they had drowned. Even the door that accessed the tank would be walled off in case invaders somehow found their way into the water tunnels.
A new Chief Medical Dwarf had to be assigned and two new Militia Captains were recruited from the warriors. The blood was cleaned up and the memorial slabs were put on order from the workshops.
Amazingly, as the old hospital was still walled off the tiny hospital is where all the wounded had ended up. It was walled off. Just in case.
The smarter of the civilians pointed out that the next transformation would be around the 23rd of Slate. If nothing happened by then the Fortress was clean.
By now normal reports about normal stuff was reaching the Mayor's desk. Such as reports of Giant Albatrosses being hunted by the Hunters. And Poults were hatching in the pens.
By the 9th of Slate the wells were covered by new floor pieces. The Nobles wondered if making a new well would be worth it if enemy soldiers and the creatures of the night could use the water tunnels as an access point.
On the 11th of Slate workers on the surface detected a migrant group to the west. The Mayor and Nobles were shocked that somebody would want to come to a city full of vampires, werebeasts, and chickens. Few of them had some medical skills and hunting skills that kept them out of the military. The rest were welcomed with military assignments and their own private mug. Welcome to Toy Land!
At the same time a few babies were being born. So maybe Spring would not be all about death and screaming and blood all over? Little did they know.
It was found a lot of people were idling and so the Mayor went over the records. Of course he left the Miners and Farmers, many of them wore two hats as they were sometimes also in the military. But, for example, when he found two soap makers he would turn one of them into a Hauler, Janitor, or Nurse.
Of course, it was found a few of them were idle because they were in the trees. A never ending problem with this lot.
On the 16th of Slate a Dwarven Child withdrew from society. A kid named Rimtar Kirdakost. Not that anybody could do anything for the lad as he was one of those trapped in the hospital with all the other thirsty Dwarfs. If one of the adults was infected his life would be short and bloody.
On the 18th it was decided more workshops were needed and the Second Level was expanded to make room for them. The staff was ordered to make two new Craftsdwarf's Workshops and two new Mason's Workshops.
And the workers from the surface came in, complaining about Giant Mosquitoes. Well, Spring had official arrived. From the number of complaints the swarm of these creatures must have been larger than normal. Until the reports were compared and it was found to be one lone creature.
On the 23rd of Slate the Mayor and some of the Nobles went to wait outside the wall that blocked off the tiny hospital from the rest of the Fortress. A hospital full of civilians all complaining about the lack of water. The Mayor turned to the nearby workers and Nobles. "Nobody seems to be changing. Let them out on the 24th of Slate."
Then he heard the screams. "Never mind. Start working on more coffins and memorial slabs. And get the arrow slots made."
A few hours later the growling and snarling stopped. To the amazement of the Dwarfs waiting outside those in the hospital announced they had killed the beast.
"Or you wounded?" asked the Mayor. The shouted answer was no.
"Nobody believes you," shouted the Goblin Mayor in return. He turned to the crowd and added, "Continue with the arrow or bolt slots. The innocent will die while the infected will live. We will not let them out. They will be killed and we will clean this place of their evil once and for all."
By the 1st of Felsite things were settling down. The slot that would allow warriors to fire bolts into the tiny hospital was being worked on while the newcomers had become part of the city's populace. Giant bugs were not being seen on the surface and much of the messy pools of blood and piles of bones were, mostly, removed from sight. Mostly.
And for some reason the Soap Maker could not do his job even with tallow all over the place. No tallow no soap. But the tallow was all over and so was tons of fat (which nobody seemed to want to render). But nobody seemed to be able to find it.
"But it's right THERE!" screamed the Mayor, pointing at the barrel with the items in question.
"Where?" said the Dwarf looking confused. "In the barrel? Nobody would put it in a barrel."
The Mayor went to his office to drink and wonder how Dwarfs ever learned to survive without Goblins to help them. At least there was barrels and barrels of booze to drink. Apple cider, cherry wine, quinoa beer, and even some sewer brew if you wanted it. Of course the Dwarfs also made Dwarven wine and beer based on their own secret formulas. There was also plum wine and whip wine for those of different tastes. If it could be brewed the Dwarfs stuffed it into the stills and brewed it.
And as for food. Well, their stockpiles had tons of salmon, cuttlefish, bat ray, shad, squid, mackerel, flounder, anchovy and every other sea creature the Dwarfs could drag onto the shore.
Of course there was the eggs - over a thousand eggs!
They also had plump helmets, garden cress, chicory, sweet pods, cave wheat, prickle berries, fisher berries, and all kinds of plants that the populace grew or collected.
Then there was the cheese and flour, which only made up a tiny part of the available food stocks.
Then the meat. Donkey meat and pig meat. Chicken meat and turkey meat. Prepared giant slug eyes and prepared giant snail hearts. Yak brains and albatross livers.
It made for some interesting meals at the tavern's tables. Did not feel like squid roast? Well, you could have pecan roast or onion roast? Or how about a prepared mule spleen roast? Sick of roasts? Well, how about a raw cuttlefish biscuit? Or a prepared horse eye biscuit? Goes great with beer!
On the 6th of Felsite one of those Giant Flies were back and had attacked one of the Dwarfs on the beach. Once again most of the workers and warriors just shrugged. It was springtime after all. And to chase after it was a huge waste of time. Also it was just a visiting Hammerdwarf so nobody really cared.
Another Giant Fly was stupid enough to get itself shot down by copper bolts. It seems a visiting Marksdwarf was NOT as scared of the Flies as the Hammerdwarf.
In fact the Marksdwarf shot down another Giant Fly. Seemed to dislike the damn things greatly and even entered a martial trance while fighting them.
The Mayor gave out a few titles on the 11th of Felsite. He made ushrir Olonlikot the new Scholar of the Fortress's only library. He also made a few semi-useless laborers performers to a few of the temples.
On the 13th of Felsite the survivors in the tiny walled off hospital shouted and pounded on their walls. The corpses were releasing miasma. They were ignored as the miasma didn't seem to be leaking out and bothering the rest of the Fortress. Well, it did a little, but only into the bigger hospital which was empty at the time.
More and more Giant Flies were being encountered. And more and more of them were being shot down.
Everyone was waiting to see what would happen on the 23rd of Felsite with those still in the hospital. If any had survived that long without food or drink.
On the 21st of Felsite the screams and roars brought the Mayor, some Nobles and workers, to check on the tiny hospital, now called the 'cage' by some of the more humorous of the citizens. It seems the transformation had happened early. One of the kids and the Beekeeper changed into werekangarooes.
"Get the militia here. They can loose bolts through the slots. Maybe kill them before the remaining uninfected child is hurt! Quick!"
It was too late of course. Before the militia were even ordered into action the child was fighting for his life. And the child was had killed the Beekeeper. Also it seemed that the warriors could not fire through, or would not fire through, the slots. Making them, both, worthless.
And a fight broke out on the beach between the Tavern Keeper and a Fisherdwarf. Nobody has a clue on why as they were focused on the werebeast issue! To be honest nobody cared. The Tavern Keeper was killed and the Mayor assigned a new one - he picked the remaining Soap Maker who was too stupid to make soap.
He then planned for a small tunnel to be made next to the tiny hospital, with bolt slots. The tunnel would be narrow enough so that the warriors would HAVE to be standing right to the slots, like it or not, which would force them to FIGHT! Or in this case loose bolts on the remaining child monster.
Even while drawing out the blue prints he got a report about an Engraver attacking a Dwaren child. It seems another Engraver come to defend the child (who may have been winning).
"What is wrong with you people?" the Mayor declared as he pounded his fists on the desk. "Are you all insane?!?!?!"
Then word came from the barracks. Some of the soldiers were fighting. The Mayor sighed, shook his head and sat down. "I guess I just have to wait to see who is left over. You stupid, stupid bastards."
And the fighting spread.
By the 27th of Felsite it had seemed to have stopped and the workshops were told the first order of business was coffins and caskets. Nobody knows how it started - somebody snapped because of all the death, the loneliness, the crowding? Maybe somebody just bumped into somebody else and they couldn't take it anymore. Luckily they now had a perfectly good hospital available even if it was missing a well.
True, a new Hammerer had to be selected and a few new Captains had to be assigned to the Squads. Yes, Olin Gebarushat the Ex-Hammerer, had been killed in the fighting by another Miner. They had fought with mining picks and it seems the other Miner was better at it.
The Mayor prohibited the export of shields after all of this. He liked shields and many felt it was his way of dealing with the stress of running a bunch of insane Dwarfs.
The Stops of Shielding, a performance troupe, entered the city around this time. No doubt they thought they might get a better welcome then the silence of shaken workers, the smell of dried blood, the sight of dead bodies.
Summer came. And the toys were still being made.
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Topic: The Story of Olinning - Toy Land (Read 5501 times)