OOC: Sorry for the lack of posting; work is taking its toll on my free time. I'm going to be posting in monthly updates, which should help to keep them short and easy to manage. This should also allow anyone who wants to RP to react to what's going on in the fortress better.
Excellent Write-up style so far, I like it
I'm glad you like the style. Given that my dwarf is a doctor, I was going for the sort of report I would expect a doctor to make as if she was diagnosing the fortress. I should point out, though, that my dwarf is a female named Doc, not a male named Travis.
Fortress Report
Overseer: "Doc" (a pseudonym)
To: Whomsoever it may concern
Date: 1 Slate, 502
IntroductionWith one month of my overseership finished I feel that it is once again necessary to put into writing exactly how the fortress is progressing. Given that I am still unaware as to whom these reports will eventually be given it is likely that several of these reports will go written and unread before finally being delivered to the reader. This will, however, let the eventual recipient see the gradual evolution of the fortress under my leadership.
Industry in DoomhollowOne of the first actions I took as overseer was to cancel a large order to smooth out the present living space. The labor of our stoneworkers is too valuable to be wasted on such a task at this time, especially considering my long-term plan to have another level dug out below, which will render many of these rooms that were being smoothed out obsolete. On a related note, I declared a moratorium on our glass industry, much to the chagrin of Ryuken (see footnote 1). My reasoning was that we already had more than enough glass goblets and that our glassworkers would be more beneficial to our fortress as metalworkers and furnace operators. As of this writing, we are sitting on a large supply of iron, steel, and other valuable metals which should be put to better use than dust collection in the stockpiles. Given that the fortress is hardly secure as it is, the first thing this metal will be put toward is armor and weaponry for our fledgling militia. Fig. 1 is the first list of orders I gave to the manager, Erin Quill, during my tenure. Note that the statues are statues of our gods to be used in future temples that I am planning.
Fig. 1
Although I sense that some of the dwarves are unhappy with the changes I have made, I am confident in their capabilities to fulfill my orders. The mayor, at least, seems to be on my side, as she issued a mandate for the production of greaves shortly after I gave my order to the manager, perhaps as a way to motivate our metalworkers. On the topic of our metalworkers, Striker, a blacksmith who arrived last year, seems enthusiastic to get to work in the forges. Her love for swinging the hammer is something I can describe only as baffling. Given that I will eventually need to have a justice system established in this fortress, I asked her if she would be willing to serve as the hammerer and occasionally strike flesh with the hammer instead of metal. I barely finished asking my question before she happily agreed and went back to work in the forges. I hope that we will not have to make much use of her hammer for anything other than metalworking, though. Although I understand the need to enact punishment on criminals, as a doctor it is my role to heal flesh, not damage it. I am happy that I will not have to be the one to swing the hammer.
The MilitiaThe militia—if it can even be called that (see footnote 2)—had only two members before I became overseer. As of now, two new members have been enlisted. Both of them were formerly involved in the fishing industry, an industry that has no real presence in this fortress. Despite their lack of experience, I am hoping that they both take to their new roles well. Once the steel armor gets finished, at least, they should be well-protected against most attacks and relatively safe.
Fortress DevelopmentsThe greatest change to the fortress during my first month of leadership was to the layout of the fortress itself. I could not think of a way to effectively re-route the wagon access to the depot around the guard tower stairs, so my solution was to dig a new entrance to the fortress entirely. Once the drawbridge is built at the new entrance and linked up to a lever, we can connect this pathway to the main entry ramp and seal off the original entrance. After that, we can connect the entrance level of the fortress to the main fortress with a new staircase. Fig. 2 depicts the plans for this new entrance.
Fig. 2
Down below in the fortress proper, I have had the first drawbridge taken out and the entry point blocked off with a wall. This should make it harder for our enemies to gain access to the residential sections of the fortress. The pathway to the downward stairway and the tombs has similarly been sealed off and a new path to them from the stockpiles has been dug. Now, if we need to seal ourselves off in the event of a siege, we will not lose access to our mines, forges, and tombs whilst at the same time giving our enemies free access to them. Several security problems still need to be addressed, but I am happy that at least this one has been taken care of.
As I mentioned before, I am planning on having another floor dug out in the fortress below the present main floor. My plan is for this new floor to be less cramped and have more workshop and stockpile space than we have at the present. Currently, the only sections that have been designated are a long hallway connected to the main stairway and a large dining room, capable of seating many dwarves comfortably. This dining room will also be where the levers shall be moved, so as to have them within easy reach of the dwarves. Fig. 3 depicts the plans for the hallway. Fig. 4 depicts the plans for the dining room.
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
TradingIn the middle of the month a caravan of elves arrived to trade with us. Fortunately, elves do not bring wagons, so the fact that we have not finished the new entrance did not deter them. Erin Quill conducted the brief trading with these visitors. A few goblets and cut gems were enough to buy a few spare sets of clothes, some of their exotic foods, and a set of extra barrels for storage. I also instructed Erin to purchase several splints and crutches from the elves, as I find such simple yet life-saving tools are often absent when you need them the most.
New FacesIn addition to the elves, several other interesting individuals showed up in just one month. Many of them were scholars, travelling such a far distance just to study in a cramped library. Amongst them were a mathematician, two scholars, an astronomer, a geographer, and a sage. One of the scholars happened to be a two-humped camel man, whose interesting appearance didn't seem to deter the loud discussions about right triangles which could be heard happening in the library. Other visitors included a couple of bards and an engineer. Another new face that made me much happier was a baby dwarf boy born to one of our clerks. I hope that he will be able to grow up safely within the walls of Doomhollow.
Footnotes1. Ryuken seems to have a particular dislike for me. It seems as if she overheard some of my comments about her mental state as I looked over the layout of the fortress. This should serve as a reminder that dwarves speak in hushed voices in this fortress for a reason, that reason being that there is often someone listening.
2. I am not confident that our original "militia" could have held off even the smallest of sieges.