Quarterly Report, 1st Hematite, Early Summer, 125 by CaptainArchmage
The first season is over! Well, technically, this is a seasonal report, because it isn't yet the 15th, and we arrived here on 15th Granite.
We got to here from Rooterroom, the capital of The Cradled Tours, and established the outpost Firecastle in The Dim Muscular Forests. There was some dysentery on the way, which goes to show none of us should be eating crows that have been dead for more than a few days. As a result, I'm doing most of the food-related work. I think this is decent as I'm out in the open rather than underground for now, but that's going to quickly change.
We've set up a large pasture on the surface on a flat area that could easily house a large keep in the future, along with modest logging operations. The surface plant gathering has obtained a lot of spices and edibles. I'm wondering whether we really need underground farming, but then we also need some proper dwarven food grown in a safe space. We have a loom for obtaining thread from the strange webs we have on the surface, and a carpenter's shop for IMMORTAL-D to do all his carpentry work in. So far Zanzetkuken has finished cleaning the accessible webs off the surface, and hasn't got any more work to do. We've got eight beds, then barrels, a minecart, some wheelbarrows, a bin, and two stepladders made. I also asked for a bookcase and I think IMMORTAL-D's work is quite exceptional, though it isn't masterwork yet. IMMORTAL-D's life goal seems to be mastering a skill and I think he's going to get there sometime soon out here.
Wish I had the inspiration to make a great work of art, like a really powerful sword.
Underground, I'm having the miners encircle the chalk underground by digging out the soil. This requires a lot of telling them what to mine and I think it's taking over my life. There's some crazy shit going on with magnetite being mined out in the black sand, and not knowing where the sand ends, but we've also got our first barracks done underground. We've planted all our sweet pods and quarry bushes. I was going to have Gwolski plant some plump helmets too but he decided to scour the surface for more plants instead. Once we get the storeroom for food finished, we'll move all that underground along with the anvil and the furniture that has been finished.
The rattlesnake situation was resolved when IMMORTAL-D kicked out it's teeth and one of it's fangs. We now have a supply of rattlesnake teeth to work with, though the snake escaped.
Strange things are afoot across the river. Around 19th Slate, I saw a herd of rhinos in one of the trees across the river. They're gone now but I'm absolutely positive they were up in the trees and not on the ground. Maybe I should cut down on the sunshine.
I've included a copy of the fortress' economic situation as it stands below. There are seven of us, and we have produced about 5300 Suns worth of wealth so far. We need to improve our booze production, though our plant supplies are holding out thanks to foraging.
Journal of CaptainArchmage, 4th Hematite, 125
Our dogs sighted two kobolds trying to thieve our stuff! Damn, they must have a cave or residence near here. I'd better get everything underground before worse happens.
16th Hematite
No sign of the kobolds, but I've decided to take today to install the bookcase in the dormitory. We'll have a library in this fort and the first name suggested was The Mansion of Walls. Yes, I know, the dormitory is for sleeping in and will be a barracks but we have to start somewhere.
20th Hematite
In a decent season I wouldn't have to make these reports every few days. This isn't one of those seasons. Today we've got migrants. The list is below.
Arthropleura, a stonecrafter who can handle the hammer easily.
Sanctume, a glassmaker who seems to have been through way too many fist fights.
Marcellus Bladedancer, a brewer and, I suspect, a sunshiner, who is quite competent with a sword.
Sanctume Bladedancer, the second of the two swordsdwarfs who are married and have two kids. She isn't apparently related to Sanctume, but what are the odds?
Marcellus and Sanctum's daughter and son, aged six and seven.
Jumping Jack, who is great at stonecrafting and masonry.
Moobediah Jones, a hammerdwarf and a great wax worker.
I selected Moobediah Jones as sheriff, since we're a large number of beehives off from doing waxworks here. Apparently, he has a "friend" called Kahlish in tow, probably arriving at the next migrant wave. I now have to direct the excavation of the trade depot.
Note: I'll pick someone whose name fits in, and does a PTW, to dwarf as the daughter and son of Marcellus and Sanctume bladedancer. They will have the name "Bladedancer" in there. I hope I've fixed everything else I need to.