Curator's log, Humphrey RithothAt last! I've finally found the logbook. The trip here was most unpleasant, and certain items were "lost" along the way, including my beardicure set which I swear was snatched by that damn peasant we had load us up with supplies in the last town we stopped at. I never trusted him, not for a moment.
Ah, but to dwell on such the past is meaningless, as it clutters the mind. That is what this logbook is for, after all, and I'm most happy to have found it again.
I still have no idea how that cat got hold of it, but no matter.
My name is Humphrey Bellsknots, and I was "promoted" to this peculiar location by the late Duke of Alebeard (the poor soul drowned to death in a terrible accident), which hosted my previous museum of antiquities for nigh on twenty-three years. That fool, Ropeclasped, is now in charge. I shudder to think of what he's doing to the exhibits I spent so long collecting...
But I digress. I was tasked with building a new museum complex, fully sustainable, in a location that would lend itself more easily to archaeological pilgrims and curiosity seekers from the surrounding mountain halls.
A grand endeavour, to be sure, and certain to enlighten generations of Dwarfkind to come.
If only the place assigned to me were not so dull and desolate. And, frankly, dangerous.
The terrain here is rather dry, with numerous sunken bowls in the earth which must have once been lakes in some colder age, before it became so dreadfully hot here.
However, one should not preoccupy one's self with such matters, as inside the sweet rock of the cliffside it is perfectly cool, so visitors will not be bothered by the heat while they peruse the exhibits. One must always consider the wellbeing of such folk.
But my fears, however, lie not with the climate, or indeed the craggy terrain which is rather taxing on the legs. No, it resides solely within the embrace of the wildlife.
Alligators, saltwater crocodiles, and whatever foul beasts that bottomless pit to the northeast coughs up have made our stay here rather perilous, to say the least. Already, one of our one has had his head ripped off by a vicious alligator while trying to defend us from the beast! We have given him what little accomodations we could provide for such an event, but his sarcophagus will have to be moved later in the development of the museum, as it currently resides squarely inside what is to be the ticket booth. Hardly fitting.
And those are just the things above the ground! While carving out one of the hallways, the miners (there were still two then, rest his soul) discovered a pocket of lava hidden away inside the mountain! Although this would normally be a joyous find (think of the attraction value! Dwarves would come from miles around to enter into a magma viewing gallery), the denizens of this particular establishment were less than friendly. Although it pains me to speak of such a distasteful thing, they had to be dealt with. Permanently.
Although the full scale of the museum is far from being recognized, the entranceway and adjoining corridors are starting to take form, I am happy to announce. And, even in these early stages, I have recieved word that an old colleague of mine (I daresay, "adventuring buddy") has found pieces from the legendary "Oshok Gipest Seggu Lastrikdiso", or "The Last Feast of Seggu Lastrikdiso", a fantastic set created by an unknown human artisan several ages ago.
Although the set has never been found in its complete form, my hopes soar at the promising finds my friend has already discovered. He has offered to provide me with what major pieces he can find, in order to give my new museum a good start! I no longer regret those long years spent crawling around and trying to pick the grime out of my beard (it was significantly shorter in those days) as we explored dust-filled caves and dust-filled tombs, all in search of some dumb beast who had earned the ire of some dust-filled noble.
I've ordered an exhibit (with appropriate viewing access, as well) dug out to accomodate these finds when we are ready for them, but it will require a great deal of work before such things come to pass.
The new ruler of Alebeard, a far less amiable fellow than the late Duke, has ordered that due to the hostile environment I find myself in, he will be dispatching a group of volunteers to aid with the construction of the museum, along with some military officer who will take command over from me and oversee that suitable defenses be set up.
I hope he doesn't get too carried away... There are few things less inviting to a prospective patron than seeing the spiky and unforgiving walls of a fortress instead of an inviting museum entrance.
But, the matter is out of my hands. I hear the group approaching, and it is important I make a good first impression to our new guests. I lay this book aside, and-
Heavens, I thought I'd picked all the teeth out of here already!
Oh well.
Technical details(OOC):
Alligators and saltwater crocs do indeed wander into the map from time to time. One of them took the head off of one of the caravan guards, and then did the same to one of the miners, earning himself a name.
That alligator then wandered northwards in pursuit of an antman, when he was attackes by a giant cave spider that had crawled up out of the chasm. This resulted in one very wounded antman, one very dead alligator, and one very spritely named giant cave spider. There's also a pack of naked mole dogs sitting near there, but they haven't done much.
Ironically, all these hazardous creatures have been rather beneficial, aside from the dead miner. At least two if not three thieves (it said "ambush" each time, even though it was just a single kobold) have met their end by walking too close to the eight-legged beastie.
Staff quarters are a ways away from the main museum, and are not well designed. There is enough food and drink to last the populace for some time, and we've hit a pocket of magnetite (damn I love that stuff), and we're sitting in a layer of chalk, with a magma forge and smelter set up, as well as several bars of coke processed from a couple nearby bituminous coal veins.
This place could've been the steel mill to end all steel mills. Who knows, it might end up being just that, with a museum on top of it.
The designated area near the bottom of the magma pocket is the rough location of where the viewing gallery is supposed to be. In there, it should be set up with chairs and other decorative things, and the walls are to be made out of glass windows (with impressive-looking steel or bronze support pillars in between, of course).
The large area directly opposite from the entrance is the "Oshok yaddayadda etc." exhibit. The designations marks the positions of statues placed around a table. The two at the end are to be the main attractions, one silver and one gold. The rest are retainers, and should thus be made of bronze. The table I haven't figured out yet, but it needs to be something impressive.
A patchwork design would be best, since the set has never been completed. If the gold and silver statues are procured, then rejoice. The rest can be put in random slots around the table. You can even fill in blank spots with chairs made out of the same material as the table.
Ehh, can't think of much else right now. Just watch out for that chasm, keep an eye out for ambushes, and don't complain too much about the effectiveness of the rooms I've laid out. They'll all have to be moved somewhere else sooner or later.
EDIT: Bugger. Had to remove some null links that added themselves to the bottom of the post. Also, sorry about the double post (if it at all matters).
[ February 13, 2008: Message edited by: Kagus ]
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Topic: Succession Game - The Museum (Read 12730 times)