Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Mephansteras]

Wow. My compliments to everyone involved in this story. It's truly epic! I've been reading it slowly for the past...week or two I think.

If you ever get some more migrants, can I claim a dwarf? Make him/her a swordsdwarf named Runeblade. That can be the last name, if you prefer. Or a custom title. Hmm...that's a cool thought. A dwarf who inscribes runes on his blade in the belief that it makes him a better warrior. If he doesn't start off as a swordsdwarf, have him engrave for a while to up his stats and give him some skill with runes.

[Heavy Flak]

Wow. My compliments to everyone involved in this story. It's truly epic! I've been reading it slowly for the past...week or two I think.

If you ever get some more migrants, can I claim a dwarf? Make him/her a swordsdwarf named Runeblade. That can be the last name, if you prefer. Or a custom title. Hmm...that's a cool thought. A dwarf who inscribes runes on his blade in the belief that it makes him a better warrior. If he doesn't start off as a swordsdwarf, have him engrave for a while to up his stats and give him some skill with runes.

You've got it, pardner!  I've got my fingers crossed that with the sudden birth of a child (and miscarraige by the Duke's consort), that perhaps my fortress may once again be graced with new life.  If not ... I've got other tricks I can employ to bring some more bodies onto the scene.

In short, you're on the list

[Jools]

If not ... I've got other tricks I can employ to bring some more bodies onto the scene.

Living ones, or dead ones that aren't quite ready to stop moving yet? ;-D

[Heavy Flak]

From the files of Aryn Estetar
1^st of Granite, 1064

Population: 133
New Births: 1
Deaths: Numerous.
Notes: I'm pleasantly surprised Likot hasn't tried to take her position as Mayor back from Ineth.  She just spends her time at the shooting gallery, plugging away at target after target with her custom-made crossbow Edtulalod.  This is for the best, because the majority of her time is spent out of the way... just looking menacing before her target. 

The pond has finally refilled, safety measures put into place against the Green Horde.  There have also been three levels of water removal added in case any renovations need to be performed, though I can't imagine what else might happen. 

Blueprints: The current lay of the fort

[Heavy Flak]

The events of the 10th of Granite, 1064

Deep within the darkness of the crypts, forms began to gather.  They filtered in slowly, their robes stirring up little cyclones of dust as they glided past.  The meeting room was the newly garnished crypt.  A single candle sat atop Likot's platinum coffin, a half dozen cloaked figures grouped around it, their faces illuminated by the flickering light.

"Your silence has been very appreciated," Akroma said quietly.  "In these grave times, it is easy to forget that a simple slip of the tongue can bring down the best laid of plans."

There was a murmer of agreement from the surrounding figures.  Opposite Akroma, Dojango spoke.  "Bax Unostotho through us quite the surprise, using his growing power to breath life once more into Likot."

"That was a show of strength," Akroma said.  "And a way to place the minds of our brethren at ease.  Fear not, we are his servants.  Though we may dream, we are also awake.  As his oldest of servants in this desolate waste, HE has spoken to me alone, and asked I pass this message down to you all."

Akroma pulled a piece of weathered parchment from inside his sleeve, unrolling it atop the coffin.  One end he weighted down with the single candle, the other he held with his hand.  Scrawled on the sheet was the lettering found on the back of their robes:
BAAAB AAABB BAAAA ABBAB AAAAA BABBA AAAAB AABBA AAAAB AAAAA ABABA ABBBA AAAAB

Inked under it, in Akroma's steady hand, was this:
SOON I WILL RISE

"His time grows nearer, brothers, sisters.  It will be shortly that we will be one with The Great Star God.  With him, in his arms, he brings heaven incarnate.  This is our reward."

Slowly the chanting began, the low hum of many voices, floating through the tunnels of the crypts, "Bax Unostotho dutsmon Olsmo"

[bigmcstrongmuscle]

Crap on a crutch! After reading the descriptions of the quarry, I definitely expected something less... insanely ambitious. I just spent about ten minutes scanning the thing for the support pillars holding up the roof. I'm surprised you didn't just collapse the top levels of the damn thing.

My hat goes off to you, sir!

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

Looking through the thread, I finally thought about getting round to doing something a while ago.
I'd like to have a dwarf called Maggarg, if that's possible. It doesn't matter if I'm alive or, um, differently alive.
I'd like to be a swordsdwarf, possibly with other useless skills.

[Heavy Flak]

Crap on a crutch! After reading the descriptions of the quarry, I definitely expected something less... insanely ambitious. I just spent about ten minutes scanning the thing for the support pillars holding up the roof. I'm surprised you didn't just collapse the top levels of the damn thing.

My hat goes off to you, sir!

I originally tried doing that, I was just going to collapse it onto itself and call it a day.  But I did some tests, and it would have taken just as long to do it that way, as this.  As such, we have many more floors to excavate before the Quarry can be called complete.  (Did you find the single support pillar on each floor?)

Looking through the thread, I finally thought about getting round to doing something a while ago.
I'd like to have a dwarf called Maggarg, if that's possible. It doesn't matter if I'm alive or, um, differently alive.
I'd like to be a swordsdwarf, possibly with other useless skills.

You've got it, buddy.  I might as well throw in the disclaimer for you, too.  It'll be a little bit while I either round up some bodies or some migrants show up, but you'll get in either way.

[Heavy Flak]

The events of the 17^th of Granite, 1064

Aryn was all smiles and pleasantries today - Miss Deerowl, the lovely Elven Diplomat, had arrived with the caravan of goods.  The other Dwarves weren't as happy, having been set to task to scrub the stones until they gleamed in the sun and instructed to suffer their noble effrontery with tact and grace. 

He was in the mess hall, sitting across a table from her, beaming over a plate of Dojango's masterfully prepared Plump Helmet roast, which boasted exceptionally minced plump helmet, masterfully minced plump helmet, exceptionally minced plump helmet, and was tastefully garnished with superiorly minced plump helmet.  Deeowl picked at hers daintily while Aryn talked, his voice oily.

"And of course, my dear Deerowl, we'd love to see trades increased.  I think we've had a benifital relationship for years now, the Dwarves and Elves, and what better way to cement it than in crease in profits for both?"
"So true, my dear Estetar," Deerowl said with a smile.  "Though don't sell yourself short.  Our trades have been going on for years - you were one of the first to break the embargo so many years ago.  We elves don't forget."
"And neither do I, that you were so welcoming of my goods in those days.  This is why my offers have been so fair now."

Their conversation was interrupted by a dejected Glacies, followed by Mookie who was talking so fast no one could understand her.  Aryn, his eyes narrowing, turned towards them.

"I told you to stay out of here," he hissed.  "Miss Dearowl doesn't like you uncouth lot."
"Sir," Glacies said, "We've had a problem."

Aryn tensed immediately.  "What kind of problem."
"No one said anything about trees being an off-limit item!" was one of the few things Mookie said that anyone could understand, "They said meat, and leather, and bone, and I left all those in the store room!  But why trees!"

"Oh, Lenod smite them all," Aryn moaned, lowering his face into his hands.  Deerowl had gone pale, her golden eyes boring a hole through the two intruders.  "What did the traders say?"

"...They said..." Glacies said, gulping, "That our disrespect of nature is deplorable.  They started packing their things to return home."
"What do you mean, they started."
"Well... Stravitch was in the courtyard, and told them if they were too proud to trade with us... they could leave us either their goods, or their hands as payment for crossing into our courtyard."
"HE SEIZED THEIR GOODS?"

Aryn nearly knocked Mookie down as he barreled past her, his cloak flapping behind him.  He vanished out of sight, Glacies following quickly behind him.  Deerowl sat at the table, her food forgotten, trembling with suppressed rage.    Mookie fidgetted a little, and slowly reached into the pouch at her side.

"That's a lovely coat you're wearing, ma'am," She said, pulling her hand from the pouch.  She opened it to show off a few small trinkets, carved from maple.  "Perhaps you'd like to trade?"

[Prometheus]

"That's a lovely coat you're wearing, ma'am," She said, pulling her hand from the pouch.  She opened it to show off a few small trinkets, carved from maple.  "Perhaps you'd like to trade?"

Oh damn. It was already awesome with Stravitch seizing those damn hippies' stuff but that last bit made it pure win.

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

I can only imagine the look on the elves faces.
Priceless.

[Vactor]

just got caught up on the last week, i have to say Dodik-Come-Lately has really grown as a character, its great to see, i commend you on the subtly in which you use her profession of choice in regards to innuendo.

by the by..
if you've still got any whips laying around from the gobbos, Dodik's looks like it could use a small weapon stockpile, for defensive purposes of course

[Heavy Flak]

The events of the 25^th of Granite, 1064

Carrying buckets of feed, Jools stepped inside his newly-completed animal sanctuary, whistling a jaunty tune.  The pains of the Zefonists had been momentarily put aside, the hardships of the Dwarven lives forgotten as he began to purchase the stray animals around the fort, saving them from the slaughter.  The others, though skeptical at first, soon began to take tours of the area, watching the cattle as they lazed in their pen, the horses frolick and buck, and the Jaguar, purchased so long ago, stalked the pit in the top left watching the onlookers hungrily.

Stepping up onto a small stool, Jool's leaned over the grate and hung up one of the buckets for the cows, calling them by the names Dojango gave them.  "Cerol, Edzul, come now!  Dinner time!  Din-din-din-dinner time." 

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and glancing to his right, caught sight of Ex-Mayor Likot standing at attention outside the Jaguar's cage.  The animal sat across the pit on it's haunches, staring back at her green goggles with it's yellow unblinking eyes.  His voice catching in his throat, Jools got willed the nerve to raise a hand and give a small wave.  "Miss... Ropetunnel?  Is everything alright?"

"This was my jaguar, you know.  You have it locked in this pen."

Jools stifled a moan of dismay.  "We- I know, ma'am.  After you..." He paused, his tongue peeking out to wet his lips.  He hoped it wouldn't be a faux pas, and quickly pressed on, "After you died, this graceful animal was left alone in your room.  When he was remembered, we found him almost completely starved.  It's...gained a lot of weight since we brought it here, it's healthier now.  We're hoping the Elves will bring him a mate in the future."

"This animal guarded my room for years.  It preformed it's duty ably.  I'm ... glad to see it taken care of."

Jools exhaled hard as he stepped down from his stool.  He walked over to the jaguars' cage, standing beside Likot in silence for a few minutes.  Eventually, he turned to look at her mask-covered face, asking, "Did you ever name it?"

"No.  Names come from service, not from the whims of Dwarves."
"But he served you so well.  He can't go unnamed forever.  Would you... like to name him?"
"...Yes.  I believe I would.  I will think on it."

They stood in silence once more, watching the graceful animal watch them from behind the safety of the bars.  Without warning Likot stood up a bit straighter, her face raised towards the sun.

"What is it, Miss Ropetunnel?"
"There has been a death."

***

Down in the barracks, Merkil was stripping the armor off of Erush Claspfancies.  She had collapsed during training, he face pale - though that was nothing new.  She had looked bad for months now, a slow string of black curling up from the stump of her arm and along the veins. 

"Get water!  Hurry, water!" he bellowed, tossing aside the sections of steel plate.  Without the plate on, they could see she was still breathing, but it was shallow and infrequent.  As others gathered around her, distracted from their jobs, Merkil sat back on his haunches, his face grim. 
"How many of you are trained in health care?"

Every dwarf in the room raised their hand.  Merkil's frown deepened, "How many of you are trained to do more than shove water and food down a patients throat?"

Every hand dropped, except for a butcher near the front.  "Get out of here!  Give her room, and peace!" He screamed at the startled onlookers.  They quickly fled from his anger, leaving him in the barracks with the one-armed guard.  He held her until she died, and carried her down to the crypts himself. 

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

Since I'm obsessed with holding on to old worlds and resettling near where I last died, it is now 1089 in my DF world.
Guess what, my favourite goblin king sent some marksgoblins to say hello with steel bolts.
Again.
You were right about the name Olsmo, I guess.
More on topic, I like the zoo scene, and I also like the zoo.
That's all I can think of now, I'm tired and have the thinking power of a
commodore 64. 

[Heavy Flak]

From the files of Aryn Estetar
6^th of Felsite, 1064

Glacies has shown that the net-worth of the fortress is almost three billion in monies.  This is mind blowing to me, that we could go from literal rags to swimming in riches in thirteen years.  This was much better than I could have ever anticipated...and this wealth isn't even counting The Great Quarry or the slag we pull from the goblins bodies. 

To celebrate, I paid a healthy sum of my own personal fortune to the metalcrafter Kadol Machineblown to commemorate the event.  His work is masterful, though I take personal insult that my own rock mug Stesokavog looks so slovenly next to it.  I did the best I could with all we had on hand, simple garnerite and gabbro.  Kadol has produced his steel goblet Mivid Am, encircled with steel and platinum and silk, with steel spikes.  On it's face is a picture of the warhammer Sombith Kirin in Horsebone.

My mug has been safely secreted away in my cabinet, this new goblet proudly on display at my desk.  Within a few months, we'll be pushing past the three billion range.  Within a few months, I'll have created the single most economically successful empire Dwarven Kind has ever seen.