Journal of Tekkud Bomrekostar, first year of Mafolmundul, 1051.
9th Felsite
We've arrived and begun initial excavations around the chasm. Temporary workshops and stockpiles have been set up to process the raw materials on the wagon (mostly leather into bags and wood into beds), as well as a masonry and a crafts shop to begin to deal with the large quantities of obsidian we've mined out.
Today, a squad of batmen emerged from the chasm, but were quickly killed or driven off by our axe-wielding woodcutter. He's been bored so far, since we've not finished the stairway up to the wooden mountain plateaus above.
17th Felsite
We're up to the top of the cliffs. Not only are there are a lot of trees (all slated to become logs) but copious quantities of edible plants. This should help us stretch the food supplies we brought with us.
3rd Hematite
Curses, that damn chasm is more heavily infested than initial reports had led us to believe. And, in my stupidity, I didn't bring any crossbows, and none of our party is likely to be a worthwhile shot anyway. The others are blaming me for this, but, as I keep pointing out, none of them thought of it either. We've dug a temporary barracks/dining hall, we'll hole up there while we prepare a military party to clear out parts of the cave, and allow our masons to get to work constructing a floor out there.
17th Hematite
Well, I'm the only person that knows how to work with wood, so I'm going to build a bowyer's shop and turn out a few crossbows. I think that Kubuk can probably make a few sets of bolts, which might give us the equipment we need to take down the creatures in the chasm. Meanwhile, three fire imps have crawled out of the magma pit on the other side of the brook. So far they haven't dared cross the water, so hopefully we won't have to worry about them for a while. If need be I'll have one of the miners deepen the water a little, that ought to hold them off for a while.
3rd Galena
Not much time to write lately, what with the pace of things. Kivish, who was to be our farmer, has taken up the first crossbow I made, and has stationed himself on the edge of the chasm with some of Kubuk's bolts. I think he's a bit odd, he claims he's able to slip into a trance that makes him more warlike. He might be right, because there's only one batman left! Although, there is an awful lot of stinky miasma billowing out of that hole.
With the threat of attack lowered, the mason (aided by the two miners, Atir and Besmar, who have been made his apprentices) have begun a floor stretching out into the cavern. It'll be a bit tight in there when it's finished, and I'm not convinced it's stable, but they assure me it will stay up. Put it this way...I'm not going to be the first person to spend the night out there.
8th Sandstone
Why didn't anyone tell me a caravan had arrived? I quickly had both the bins of stonecrafts hauled to the depot and sat down to haggle for some new supplies.
9th Sandstone
What garbage they had! A bin of cloth, a log, and some meat. No drink, nothing we can grow. It's going to be a tight winter, the farms still aren't set up. If we make it through the winter, whoever takes over from me might want to set up some temporary farms up in the soil above.
11th Sandstone
Ok. Well, it's obvious that whichever school trained the mason wasn't very good. He insisted that there was no way to build a wall enclosing the corners obsidian floor being constructed in the chasm, because there was no 'walkable perimeter'. I told him that fancy book learning doesn't get you anywhere without some common sense. I told him to build a segment of floor, then build the wall, then remove the floor. He still didn't understand, so I drew him a picture:
===?
+++
We need a wall at ?, so we put a floor here:
===?
++++
then build the wall:
====
++++
then remove the floor:
====
+++
and build the wall along the next side:
===O
===|
It really isn't that hard. He's still complaining that I made him make all the floors and walls in there out of obsidian blocks, rather than raw obsidian, but if we're going to do this, it should be done properly!
14th Sandstone
I can't risk it.... I know we're supposed to only build farms in the chasm, but there's hardly any meat left, and nothing to brew more booze! I've set up some small farms hidden up the cliffside, in the soil layer above. We'll just run it until we get on our feet, then collapse it. No one has to know about it...it'll be our little secret.
21st Sandstone
Well, it just goes to show the power of advertising. Those merchants didn't bring much, but they must have been impressed with what they found, because word has spread and a band of migrants have arrived. A planter, Monom, who will be sent straight to the farms (after being told to keep her mouth shut about it!), and a brewer, ingiz. Four unskilled labourers, a trapper, a jeweller, and someone who claims to be an animal dissector. There are 17 of us now, more than double our original number. I'm definitely glad that work has begun on the farms already, because they all look hungry and dangerously sober after their trip up the mountain.
I've asked Logem the trapper, Ilral the dissector, and one of the peasants to grab crossbows and patrol the chasm. Kivish is needed up at the farm instead.
Someone from the caravan was still hanging around. Apparently, we've been assigned a Liasion (i.e. someone to spy on us and report on our progress to the King). I asked him to bring more meat, some wood, and an anvil back next year. Keep him away from the ecret-say arm-fay!
26th Sandstone
I caught one of the peasants boasting about her conversation skills while admiring the work in the chasm. To teach him a lesson, I've told her to build a masonry and start cranking out blocks. If she's going to drink our booze, the least she can do is help out a bit. The last thing I need is more idle chatter around here. Kivish and Monom are on full time planting duty. They are allowed to sleep, eat, drink, plant and harvest. And that's all.
18th Timber
I caught Degel and Lor, the two remaining peasants, laughing Zuglar for being coopted into working as a mason. Now we have two more masons. This frees up the miners to head up the cliff and quarry out a bunch more obsidian for the tower.
19th Timber
On the plus side, our three marksdwarves are very enthusiastic about clearing out the chasm's occupants. On the minus side, they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Looks like we'll be needing plenty of bolts, because no one is crazy enough to climb down and get any back.
1st Moonstone
In what I hope will become a Mafolmondul tradition, I've asked for a single row of the main entryway to be smoothed and engraved in my honour. Future leaders are encouraged to commission another row at the end of their reign (say, the start of winter). Zulgar, the peasant I forced to take up engraving and masonry has volunteered. I don't think she's ever actually engraved anything, so I don't have my hopes up.
10th Moonstone
He's done. Let's see....from left to right we have:
Hmm. Not bad. Not good, obviously, but the kid's got promise.
ALso, the first harvest of Plump Helmets is ready. We should make it through alright after all.
19th Obsidian
My time here is almost up. As a final act, I asked for a line of stone fall traps to be placed across the entrance. Not much, but better than nothing.
A summary of my accomplishments:
Temporary farm, dining room/barracks
Cleaned out a good portion of the cave creatures.
Stabilized our food and booze situation.
Trained up three marksdwarves.
Got a couple of dwarves working on crafts to trade at the next caravan, and bolts for our military to slaughter ratmen with.
Began the 'Hall of History' in the entryway to Mafolmondul
Made a start on the top level of the Tower. Look, I don't really have a good suggestion on how to extend it lower. I tried asking for some stairs, but none of the masons could figure out a way to do it. They offered to build a ramp, but could only make an 'up' ramp, and we need to go down. Perhaps my successor will be smarter than I am.
We're off to a decent start on the Tower, but we're still very exposed, because all the workshops are outside (but, so far, vomit free). Keep an eye open for intruders.
There is plenty of ore exposed in the cliff faces, iron, gold, aluminum, copper, lead, so once we get our workshops sorted out inside we should be able to turn out some of our own weapons and armour. Good luck, Mafolmondul is in your hands now....
P.S. Sorry about the stink in the chasm. The only thing that smells worse than a LIVE ratman, apparently, is a dead one.
28th Obsidian, 1051
Farewell, Mafolmondul, farewell, Chambergrave.
[ March 16, 2008: Message edited by: NPComplete ]
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Topic: The Chasm-Challenge (Read 31028 times)