From the journal of Mistem Athellal:
1st of Granite, 376Spring has arrived, and with it a new year. However, we’ve only been here since the 1st of Timber so that is quite meaningless. Haven and I have just about finished constructing the palisade; there are just two more sections to go. I’ve drawn up designs for a series of bridges to act as an ‘airlock’. The design will include two bridges: one inner bridge, and one outer bridge. The trade depot will be between the two to act as a buffer zone. The inner bridge will be raised most of the time to ensure our safety inside the palisade walls, while the outer bridge will remain open to leave the depot accessible to traders or migrants.
I’ll have to build myself a proper mechanics workshop before hand, though. I think it’s about time I’ve got one of my own I think.
I don’t know when or if a caravan is expected to arrive, but I’m still worried about not having enough goods to trade with them. The second that wall is complete I’ll ask Haven to start working on those stone trinkets. He’s gone a long time without a break from work, and I admire him for that, but we can’t be lax now.
The following was written in the early afternoon of the 1st of Granite, 376Dire news I’m afraid. We are out of alcohol. I don’t know how it slipped by me but we haven’t had any alcohol for some time now. I went down to the store room and noticed an empty barrel sitting in the furniture stockpile. I asked the closest Dwarf if we had any alcohol, and he gave me scowly look; Logem, I think his name was. My lists say he’s the cook and the brewer. I immediately ordered him to brew us some more Strawberry Wine or River Spirits using the plants we have in storage. I’d been so busy with the wall I’d never noticed… I feel ashamed of myself.
6th of Granite
The palisade is finally finished and the bridges have been built. All that’s left to do is mechanize the bridges and build the pit-trap Haven suggested. In addition to the mechanisms needed for the lever assembly for the air lock bridges, I’ll also have to build a good number for those stone-fall traps. I’m going to be very busy for the next week or so.
Haven also carved out his first trinket today, a rough looking felsite crown. It doesn’t look like it’s worth much, but I’m sure if we can get enough of them we’ll have something going. Keeping with the good news, I’m glad to record in this journal that we once again have proper drinks. There’s a fresh barrel of Strawberry Wine sitting in the still. Not only that, but Domas reported that not only was there indeed aluminum in the rocks near the depot, but he managed to carve out three useable chunks of it.
3rd of Slate, 376No sign of traders or migrants yet.
I noticed the fields looking pretty barren and the plant stockpile fairly empty so I went to investigate. It seems our designated farmer has been spending most of her time fishing instead of planting. As a result we’ve only got a single bundle of Rope Reed left. Luckily we have plenty of Wild Strawberry seeds to replenish the fields with. I’ve been very busy constructing mechanisms for the bridges. Its slow work making sure all the notches and gear line up and work correctly. I fear I might not build enough mechanisms in time to install them all before trouble arrives. It’s a good thing the surrounding wilderness has been fairly quiet this last month or so, but you never know what may be lurking out there.
7th of Slate, 376Domas has finished carving out an adequate number of extra rooms, in addition to all the other miscellaneous things that need digging, so I’ve instructed him to help with the construction of a small guard tower overlooking the trade depot. Actually, I think he’ll be building it himself; Haven is busy carving stone trinkets and I’ve been working on these mechanisms. Everyone else is either fishing or tending to food related matters.
While he was up on the walls he spotted what looks like groundhogs roaming the slopes just south of the Hill. It’s well enough away from the ruins that I’ve allowed Morul to resume hunting. The mountain goat she brought back has all been used up now, and something other than fish would be nice, even if it’s just scraps of groundhog meat. The hides and bones will give us some material to work with as well.
21st of Slate
I don’t know what Morul was thinking when she decided to go way past the ruins into the heart of the river valley… To hunt mountain goats, she said. And I said it was too risky going past the ruins. Thank Lilar that she returned safe and in one piece, not to mention with a mountain goat corpse. She also said that she found another cluster of brightly glinting ore in the hillside.
Sometimes I think I’m being overly cautious about the ruins. Morul has ventured out there enough times now and still she hasn’t been harmed or reported any viscous creatures lurking in the shadows. I’ll let Domas head out and mine that ore. Haven should be pleased. We’ve amassed a small pile of it and placed it next to his workshop. His crafts are coming along nicely, and should collectively fetch a good price once traders come. If they come.
26th of Slate, 376While mining out the aluminum ore Domas spotted a group of migrants traveling up the river valley. He greeted the lead migrant, a stonemason, and told them where to find The Hill. When they arrived they were all justifiably confused, and angry. I gave them a short history of The Hill and explained we’re in the same boat as them. Thankfully most of them seemed to believe me. I think some doubt still lingers in some of their minds, though. The 9 of us will have to watch the new migrants closely for the next few weeks. There seems to be some hot-heads among them. I do hope none of them believe for very long that the little hole we’ve carved out at The Hill was the supposed gleaming fortress of Tongsrenown…
Among the migrants there was:
1 Mason, who seems to be the leader of this group
1 Metalsmith
1 Animal trainer
1 Hunter
1 Potash Maker
1 Gem Setter and her child who makes believe being a demon... strange child.
1 Brewer
1 Jeweler
1 Armorer
2 Peasants
1 Thresher
1 Milker
1 Dyer
1 Siege Engineer
And they brought with them as pets:
1 Kitten
1 Donkey foal
That makes a total of 16 new Dwarves. I'll have to get Domas to mine out more rooms; I underestimated just how many would come.
A few useful Dwarves in there; the mechanic will be of great help in setting up the traps in the pit, and with a trained brewer we can get some truly decent drinks. Now that isn’t to say that Logem hasn’t been doing a fine job of providing us with sorely needed alcohol, but he just can’t compare to a trained brewer. The hunter will help with the food situation and help alleviate my fears whenever Morul decides to hunt; a trained hunter will be able to take care of themselves in the wilderness a lot better than a weaponsmith. And if we ever strike some ore we now have a team of trained weaponsmiths, armorers and blacksmiths.
Still, there wasn’t what we really needed among them: a trained woodcutter and their axe. It’s been so long since I’ve slept in a bed I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like.
28th of Slate, 376I was familiarizing myself with some of the new migrants and I was very pleased to learn that they had passed over a large cluster of Magnetite ore on their way here. It’s a ways off down the river valley but it’s very good news indeed. If we procure an anvil we will be able to forge our own axe and finally get us some beds.
I’ve made it a point to discuss the labour duties of the new migrants with Kib Nisfakstinthad. She seems to be their self-appointed leader. I don’t want to come off as too demanding and domineering so soon. I made it a point to stress the fact that every Dwarf must do their best if we are to survive out here. With more us now our food and alcohol stocks are going to be strained even more so than they are now.
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Topic: The Ghost Fortress of Tongsrenown (Community Story) (Read 7887 times)