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[Kazindir]

It is done! Sorry it took so long. 

"We hope this letter finds you in good health.  This is mostly because your relative, Kazindir, has been struck down in battle, and, as the closest of his surviving eligible kin, you are required, by the Duchess' orders, to take on his duties at Abbeyverse."

I see.

*****

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered I have have arrived at the fortress in the swamps. And what a sight - the spires of the central keep rise high above the trees and a great tower pierces the clouds, although it looks that even more work is being done on it. I had been told about this in letters but thats no match for seeing it yourself.

As I approached however I noticed that inside the walls, the fortress is a complete mess. Mud and waterlogged trees clog up the outer courtyard and even the moat, which although large seems to just be a muddy hole in the ground, seems to be full of corpses and rubbish. A large herd of cows are also wandering around outside.

*****

I've had a bit of a tour but I suspect it will be weeks before I stop getting lost. Managment of the fortress appears to have almost collapsed entirely. An enormous network of caverns is devoted to storing food, enough food to feed the whole population for almost a decade, yet dozens of farmers continue to produce more food. A huge net of mining tunnels have been dug and more are planned even before the rocks and ore have been sotred, let alone used. The main housing level is littered with small piles of coins, which are apparently almost worthless but "shiny". Part of the fortress is actually completely flooded and has been for years - I remember reading about it in a letter when I was young. Instead of dealing with the problem, the waterlogged parts have simply been walled off and ignored.

*****

The child, Melbil Eshtanusan has withdrawn from society. She did this by announcing it in the middle of the dining room, so I think she just needs a hug.

*****

Some mason called Idem keeps complaining he can't get something because it is inacessible. He won;t tell anyone what that item is though.

*****

First things first, I need an office. Everyone apparently wants to have a meeting but I'm not meeting anyone without having something to sit on whilst they drone on. Luckily there seem to be qutie a few empty rooms available so I'll just claim one - anyone who objects can just go and kiss a goblin.

*****

We're going to have to pump out the moat, remove the current piles of debris and rebuild it with proper dwarven stonework. We're also going to sort out the flooded chambers so the Door of Watery Death will no longer be quite so well named...

*****

Dresdor has taken an order from the Craftdwarves Guild, apparently. He didn't say what it was though. Also, Thob Olinmes has become a Hammer Lord today! Meanwhile we're all out of wood and no one seems to know where the axes are.

*****

Melbil has reappeared, running down the halls waving a magnificent sceptre. She's called it Radnilun Kizesterith Asiz, "Frecklewear the Zeal-Labour of Flashing". Made from magnetite and adorned with magnetite rings and bands, it has on it an image of Kadol Rinsedbell the dwarf, celebrating his acesnion to the leadership of the Rag of uns in 176.

Melbil had been paying attention during history lessons, she's also been proclaimed by the Craftsdwarves Guild to be a legendary stonecrafter. Or will be, when she grows up.

*****

It seems the goblins heard about Melbil, as two child snathcers were spotted today. They were run down without too much trouble, although the guards kept getting sidetrcked with killing bonobos instead.

*****

Work goes slowly. Much of the effort in this plce goes tomaintaining the enormous piles of records, rather than actually doing anything with them.

The elves turned up today as well, along with a goblin ambush. The goblins got distracted by a chimpanzee and the elves were told no again about the 100tree issue.

*****

More goblins. I fear the horse who discovered the latest two groups is doomed.

*****

All the goblins have been exterminated.

*****

Apparently there are many forms I have to fill out to actually get a bedroom for myself, as currently I don;t even appear on the list.

*****

The King has arrived with his full entourage. Kulettogum is now a Mountainhome!

So said the Herald, on announcing her Majesty, Queen Urdim Kebonkubuk.

Argh, where are we going to put her!

*****

Panic over, the Queen will be housed in the (now vacant) rooms of Ashtesh the Accursed while the royal suites are planned and finished. she won;t have a tomb but with luck she isn't intending to die any time soon.

Maggarg seems to be hiding at the bottom of the new part of the moat. I guess he is hiding from the royals as they go past, not sure I blame him.

*****

The Queen has brought her Consort as well, who of course wants his own set of rooms.
I remember being told what happened to the first set of nobles who turned up and demanded ever greater rooms - they went insane.

*****

The Duchess has given birth to a baby boy, on top of the great arch in the middle of a crowd in the statue garden up there.

*****

The royal rooms are mostly dug out. Next is an awful lot of hauling, smoothing and fitting, then being told they're too small, most likely. Found some gem clusters in the Queen's rooms, which should please her on the walls, although we only found coal in the Consorts rooms.

*****

Summer has started and Dresdor has changed the Guild wages.
The axle for part of the moat draining equipment still hasn't been finished yet, the royals are moaning, I have mountains of paperwork and lots of people are thirsty. We have over three thousand dwarf pints in stock and multiple wells, so they can all just sod off with their complaints.

*****

The humans have arrived, almost a small army of them, with six wagons an meny more horses and mules.


Shortly behind the humans came a vile force of darkness!
A horde of goblins on beakdogs to the south and another to the north. The guard have been activated, although I note there doesn't seem to be a quick way for the marksdwarves to travel between one vantage point to the next without going through a maze of underground tunnels.

I've ordered the north drawbridge to be closed, we'll deal with that lot later

*****

The goblins draw close.

No one has bothered closing the drawbridge yet so I've moved the marksdwares to the overlook span. Only 3 of our melee squad are near the east gate, in position behind the arena but then that squad is only 6 strong - it seems the military was never really replenished after the great losses in recent years.

Erush, leader of the marksdwarves and one other actually followed orders and went to the battlements. The rest went charging out the east gate, one at a time. If it weren't for the danger they were putting the fortress and the Queen in, it would be good riddance.

The northern force has reached the still-open drawbridge and only two marksdwarves stand at their post. Actually, Dresdor has joined them, wielding a table and followed by a tide of cats.

The eastern gate horde has been broken but the northern gate goes badly. The goblins were slowed at the bridge by a hail of bolts but several of them were trained marksgoblins and Erush has been mortally wounded and lies unconcious on the Span.

Erush certainly gave a good showing, it took the goblins two days to pluck up the courage to try passing over the bridge again but they're finally moving now, under the span.


Unfortunately Erush died from his wounds shortly after he was struck down. I've drafted the first 12 dwarves I laid eyes on and sent them to get weapons.

The easten gate goblins have all been finished off or driven away, so the few survivors of the actual military are on their way back, although they are mainly the walking wounded.

After two days of hard fighting the goblins have been broken at the entrance to the Foe Flusher. A few have escaped, but the eventual arrival of surviving marksdwarves ho ran out of the ast gate onto the Span behind the goblins whilst the Guard fought them at the Foe Flusher seemed to be enough to break their morale.



One of the new recruits has already proven herself enough to be recognised as a true marksdwarf, so she now leads the new recruits.

Clearing up the corpses, there were two  along the main road to the north, at the junction to the strange little outpost up there where the goblin thief hangs. It looks like one of the goblin cavalry strayed into the hidden trap up there, except....there are rather more body parts strewn around than there should be. Maggarg insists he's seen smoke from over there recently as well.

*****

The new marksdwarf squad has been made permanent, split into two and sent off to get practising.

Thob Olinmes, recently made a Hammer Lord, has just been made a Champion by the Queen.

I have ordered that the Span be renamed in Erush's honour. Maybe in future more of the military will follow orders over their own whims.

*****

One of the farmers has been taken by a fey mood the other day but no one noticed because of the goblins. He's just emerged form one of the leatherworks brandishing a fine pair of boots.

Amkinrumad Salir Shithath, "Gladdull the Adoration of Perishing", a dog leather high boot. Encrusted with claro opal, brown zircon, fire opal and encircled with bands of dog leather. It also has hanging tings of goblin bones and menaces with spike of silver. On the item is an image of a toad in rope reed and an image of a dwarf in cave spider silk.

*****

First attempt to drain part of the channel enough to be able to consturct a floodgate down there has failed - we need more pumps. A lot more pumps.


*****

The dwarven caravan has arrived! This time they brought seven wagons and we certainly have more than enough stuff to fill them. In exchange for a large amount of crafts, food and many items of goblin armour for melting down in the magma forges of other Mountainhomes, we've secured some fine new armour for the military, gems and booze.

*****

The additional pumps have been completed and the channels readied. Vucar has pulled the leaver and set the pumps running, I hope they are enough to drain the water faster than it flows in this time!

Meanwhile the Royal suites are progressing well enough for the Queen and her Consort to move in. There are still plenty of finishing toucheds to be done but they were eager to move in as soon as possible - Ingiz has outdone himself with the engraving, creating several masterpieces both in the throneroom various other rooms.

*****

The pumping isn't quite going as planned, as the channel doesn't seem to be draining consistently. However the moat as a whole does seem to be slowly emptying, The heaps of debris at the bottom have been stirred up by all the water movements, sending drifts of bones, rotting clothes and rusting armour scraping along the bottom towards the pumps - I prey Gembish will see they don't clog the pumps as I certainly don;t want tobe anywhere near those axles if the pumps get jammed...

*****

Iden has still lost his "item". I don;t know why he keeps telling me about it though.

*****

My tomb has been completed, next to that of my father.

*****

A brewer was possessed today, he's locked himself into one of the craft workshops in the Bonehoard.

Also ones of the pumps got badly damaged by a twisted mass of rust it sucked up and sprung a bad leak. We've had to stop pumping until it can be repaired. I saw a horse swimming in the moat on my way to look at the pump, I didn't know horses could swim.

*****

Pump unclogged, repaired and turned back on by the Queen herself.

A fisherdwarf reported there is nothing left to catch in the swamps at the moment - maybe the carp have eaten everything else? That said though I've yet to see any of the fearsome beasts I heard so much about and I hope it stays that way!

*****

The delay in the pumping might hit us hard. We are approaching midwinter now and the moat level is still deep enough to drown in, despite all the pumping. We might have to take drastic measures to empty the moat - there is a drainage system planned and almost complete to draing the flooded chambers into the vast network of mined out tunnels deep below the fortress, where the water will eventually spread out and evaporate. It is entirely safe, like all dwarven engineering, so I've ordered an additional floodgate to be installed. Originally the plan was to drain the moat first then breach the wall, to limit the amount of needing to evaporate in the tunnels but it will work just fine with the moatwater included - even if it takes longer dry out.

Several of the recruits have joined the horse in swimming the moat as well, practicing their swimming skills learned from dabbling about in the swimming pool. They defnitely need the practice, because they keep complaining about the "dangerous terrain". Armok knows why though, it's not like anyone told them to go down there.

*****

The Queen has made Ustuth Cilobmistem has become a legendary champion!

*****

A fisherdwarf fell into a small pool just outside the outer walls and drowned today. How or why he ended up in the pool or why he didn't just climb out, I don't know.

The moat level has fallen pretty quickly over the last few days, leaving some of the debris piles sticking out above the surface, triggering a wave of dwarves jumping in to try and get something the want, only to complain to me that they got wet.

*****

Atolast, the great statue, has been installed in the Throne room, standing behind the golden throne thrones of the Queen and the silver throne of her Consort, where it is sure to stun petitioners and diplomats. Hopefully it will also stop her Majesty complaining about the standard of her rooms, although more work needs to be done on the others.

*****

The Bronze Colossus Issha Neltiamec has come!

He's gone and someone trapped himself in a small wooden cage. I was expecting something more epic, but at least nobody got hurt I suppose.

*****

The Queen has honoured Morul thobeshtan and made him a champion! Our military is growing stronger, although she is just on of the Royal Guards, so is unlikely to be seen on the surface much.

*****

Rakust has headed off to breach the wall to the sunken chambers.

It's done and he escaped back over the grates without even getting wet - now that dwarven engineering for you. He's not legendary for nothing!
I think the grates might have actually been rather larger than necessary, as looking at the flow half of them remain dry. Oh well.

*****

Terrible news, the Queen has gone stark raving mad!
It doesn't look like there is much we can do for her, she'd locked herself in the throne room and seems to be running round shouting at the statues.
Her tomb is complete at least, so she will know peace when the time comes.

*****

Besmar, one of the engineers, has given birth to a baby girl and the hydra appears to have drowned in the half empty moat. It's corpse was found early this morning in one of the deper puddles left in the moat, no one seems quite sure what happened.

*****

The moat is no more soggy than wet now. Easily wadable through, so it is now full of industrious dwarves clearing up the debris, but much of it is not dry enough to permit the construction of proper walls yet.
I've drawn up plans to install additional floodgates leading to a new pumping station to allow the moat to be drained (hopefully) more easily in future, although there willnot be time to build a channel to take that water back to the river.

*****

The first intrepid dwarves have bad it inside the sunken chamber. The water in the deepest part is only waist height now, meaning we will soon be able to reclaim the rock salt stockpile that was lost i the flood all those many years ago.

Work at the moat is going quickly now bottom is drying up. Ran out of mechanisms earlier today, would make more myself but I've been stuck in a mind numbingly dull meeting for the last few days.

*****

Alas, Her Majesty, Queen Urdim Kebonkubuk has died of thirst. She has been interred in her tomb which is now being sealed.

*****

The Duchess has hurled herself into the pumps near the river, taking her two babies with her! What in Armok's name  is going on! Was she overcome with grief at the Queen's death? Why did she refuse to use the door to get out?  The pumps can't be turned off, as they are the only thing keeping the river (and the carp) back, both from the moat and, now, her.

I've also recieved bews that one of the Royal Guards has gone mad. Tragic but at least this one has a reason - he's been laid up in bed since before I arrived with severe injuries, it seems they got the better of him.

The Duchess has been rescued but one of her children had already drowned.

Madness! She's jumped back in!

This time she'd made sure to doom herself and she has drowned. We will have to brick up the door and leave her in her chosen watery grave - where she landed is inaccessible without opening the whole fortress to flooding. MOre to the point, leaving the door accessible will mean well meaning but foolish dwarves will constinually slowly flood the place whilst trying to retrieve the corpses, or loot them.
Luckily, Jools the Duchess Consort is ecstatic, despite having lost a wife and two children.

*****

The next caravan seems to be running late and nobody has seen Maggarg for a few days, so I'm going to keep on for a few days and make some notes on this map about the new levers for Maggarg, whenever he reappears.

I overran by a few days, sorry! I wanted to be sure I wasn't leaving the fortress in "about to catastrophically flood" mode, thanks to the silly Duchess, so waited until the wall to brick her corpse up was built. Easy enough to remove if you want but at least this way some enterprising looter won't inadvertantly flood everything during your first week. There are a fair few walls still needing built but they shouldn't take too long now the masons have pulled their fingers out.

Save
Map

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

Boo.
So, time for me to mess up that which you have set right.

[Keldor]

After all that buildup, the Queen arrives and goes insane within a year?  How anticlimatic.  XD

Of course, we're bound to get a new duke/duchess now.  And a consort.  How wonderful e.e

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

After all that buildup, the Queen arrives and goes insane within a year?  How anticlimatic.  XD

Of course, we're bound to get a new duke/duchess now.  And a consort.  How wonderful e.e

I'll start building a DF Bethlem.

[Kazindir]

Do you get replacement Queen/Kings? Or was that it? 

Maggarg, as long as you wait a few weeks for the walls round the stairs to finish building before you flood the moat, everything Will be Fine(TM). 

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

You mean fine as in "it'll be horrible, but at least we won't be drowning."
I seriously want a Bedlam now.

[Kazindir]

Yep, a lack of drowning is a key part to every dwarfs healthy lifestyle!

[Jools]

Brilliant stuff. Everything going to hell in a handcart, madness, tantrums, floods and completely anticlimatic Colossus appearances. Oh and mass flooding. I'm sure stuff would be burning too if it wasn't too damp.

<Now having seen the map>

Epic. I like the new rooms for nobles, and I'm glad that the strip-mining project is vast enough to easily swallow the moat when we need it drained.

I like the bonepile being filled up faster than it can be turned in to bolts and totems. That's just so right, somehow.

[Kazindir]

The miners poked some holes between the three mine levels so there is rather a lot of "drying space" down there.

Please sign me up for another year at the end of the list!

[Keldor]

Whatever are you thinking??  Getting mud all over our pristine deeper chambers??  :-0##>

Put you on the list for the next round.  (Round 5.... o.0 )

[Kazindir]

I did that years ago, this was draining them :p

[Keldor]

Hmm... It sounds like you simply spread the mud around then.  At least it was contianed before!  XD

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

Damn.
Damn.
A combination of appallingly low FPS (rarely reaches 7) and AS level homework have effectively crippled my ability to donate time to DF.
Sorry.

[Keldor]

7 FPS???  Ouch!

[Kazindir]

It was trundling along at around 18 for me. Oddly, although the FPS is low things still get done reasonably quickly - probably because there are a lot of dwarves and most of them are legendary. 
Sounds like some FPS management is up next then - blocking off the mine levels would be a quick and easy step (just wall off the tunnel and see if FPS increases with that much less pathfinding routes).

I tried turning off most of the farms (bar a few for drinks) so the dwarves would start eating through our food but it didn't really work. I think the food is breeding.