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[Rictus]

The benefit of going last is that I guess much of the terrifying wildlife would have been hacked to death by then.  I've never been much good at fighting off unicorns or elephants.

[Rictus]

Oh, by the way, is there a decent image provider that we can use to post screen shots of?

[Savok]

If I know what you mean, http://www.imgplace.com/  might work.

[Koji]

http://rapidshare.com/files/57044767/save.zip.html

There's the world if anyone wants to explore it. Not much to see of Axefather in that link, since it was saved in mid-spring.

[Koji]

The World of Dawn
Libashurem - "Axefather"

Spring 1051

The heat was intense, and the swarming bugs were worse. Despite the fact that it was still early spring, sweat streamed down the faces of the entire expidition--members of The Green Crypt who had decided to excavate The Fancy Tower. Even as we untied the horses from the wagons, I had concerns about their safety. We had seen harpy nests on the way in, and something about the land felt a bit...off.

My grizzly bear leather dress felt oppressively hot. We all wore dresses. It's the style in Abalthidasdastot. Suitably so, since the name means "The Pale Frilly Sword." There's a story in the annals of history about how this all came about, but honestly...let's get back to the matter at hand.

We had drawn lots for leadership of the expidition, having each equally funded it. I knew little about the excavation and construction of a proper fortress, but Monom and Unib assured me that they could handle things. I set about moving our food into a pile and wishing Thikut well as she went off to hunt alone.

Thikut managed to get the drop on a brood of harpies! She told us of how she was able to bring them down with her crossbow before they could harm her. I pray that all our challenges are this easy.

Wonderful. The river teems with turtles, and as I speak, Thikut is carrying a carcass of some sort back to us. For lack of anything better to do, I have begun engraving designs on the outer walls of the fortress. We have no exploits of our own to rave about (yet), but the symbols will tell of our history, where we come from, and what we hope to accomplish.

I have laid out a basic design for the workshop. At my early days in the guild, I became well acquainted with the tools and workspace an artisan needs. Unib finds it "too esoteric", but he's not the leader, is he? I spent the day engraving an image of the demon Usp Mellowsunder, who legends say was imprisoned in adamantine deep within this very mountain. Other symbols kept popping into my mind as well, so I engraved them. A Dwarf, to represent the Pale Frilly Sword, and Griffons, the symbol of The Green Crypt. That day, I heard the shouts of the miners inside--we have struck copper AND brass!

That night, I dreamed of Thikut. Her firm, stocky form stalking the savannah like some great cat. She was the huntress, and she had brought down my heart. But how to tell her?

I have come up with an ingenious design for our entrance, despite my earlier misgivings. A long corridor leads to a single door, beyond which the hall diverges. One passage leads to the workshops, while the other is currently a dead end. I suppose eventually we may build some living quarters there, or perhaps a kitchen and dining hall.

Curses! There was a river hidden underground and it nearly drowned both of our miners! They survived, but this will severely alter my plans for construction...

I had some beds put out in the halls for us to sleep on between shifts. It's nothing fancy, but it's better than sleeping in the mud. I noticed Thikut had dragged a warthog carcass to her bed and fallen asleep like some short, overmuscled jaguar. She truly is beautiful.

Spring Report: We've dug out the rudiments of an outpost. We've got a small number of workshops up and running, and we've found a bit of metal. Things are going swimmingly!

[Koji]

Axefather

Summer 1051

   

Summer has come, and I have decided to create a kitchen and dining area. It's an ambitious project, and I hope to complete it before my term is up.

   

I have ordered the construction of a trade depot, and begun smoothing out rock and planning a road to the west. Our human neighbors will pay a high price for the goods we produce here.

   

Thikut has been wounded! Her cries of pain wrench at my heart. I must do something to prevent this from happening again!

   

Kogan has discovered quarry bushes growing naturally within the cavern. It will be a little while yet, but soon we will have more food than we can handle!

   

Horror of horrors! We are running low on alcohol! I hope this drives the miners to dig faster, as we have nowhere to build a still until they clear out our kitchen area.

   

Dumat the metalsmith has arrived. Great, now we have someone to haul trash outside for us. Why would he have thought our forges were ready?

   

Ogres! What hole were they hiding in for this long? Dumat was chased down and savagely killed by the terrible creature not one week after his arrival. We lost a dog as well. I can only hope that the she-beast's bloodlust has been satiated. As a preventative measure, I have personally seen to the installation of several traps at the entrance of our outpost.

   

Good gods, no! (His dress is ruined!)

[ September 20, 2007: Message edited by: Koji ]

[Koji]

The ogress has retreated for now. We shall call her Lecadtithleth, or "Cleanrumor." Why Cleanrumor? Well we first heard tales of her from Dumat, who was at the time gathering refuse of somesuch. We did not believe him, and look where it got us! Yeah, that explanation makes perfect sense!

Great times, great fun, great gods, let's have rum!
--Ancient Dwarven Prayer

Thikut has been bedridden nearly all summer. I have decided that no further hunting shall take place until such time as we have established regular military patrols. With ogres about, we needn't take any chances.

Summer report:
We constructed a bowyer's workshop, a loom, the beginnings of a road, a dining hall, a still, a butcher's shop, and plenty of goods to trade. We were met with a new threat in the form of a wandering ogress, and lost our first immigrant, Dumat Alathstigil. Work continues on our kitchen areas, as well as general artistic endeavors. In such a dangerous environment, I feel it is better to proceed slowly and cautiously.

[Koji]

Axefather
Fall 1051

One of the horses we brought has given birth to foals. Delicious, delicious foals...

In other animal-related news, our one remaining dog has had three puppies! Hopefully they will grow into strong defenders, or at least good pets.

The caravan has arrived! This will be a good chance to stock up a bit of food before winter. In the meantime, I have expanded our great work hall with the addition of a clothes maker's shop and a tannery. I do not want to overcrowd the hall, so I may trunctuate it after the next two workshops and build another similar row deeper in for our furnaces and the like.

For fun, I engraved some images into the road outside. I didn't get the effect I wanted, but it was servicable nonetheless.

I won't tell them they're trading for a dead man's clothes if you won't.

We have finished the kitchen and dining area, and have begun stocking the latter with tables and chairs. My hope is to decorate the entirity of the dining hall with engravings, but I am extremely busy, and I wonder if I can complete it before my term is up...

Wonder of wonders, migrants have arrived! They sent us three metalsmiths and a jeweler! Hooray! Note my sarcasm!

The quarry bushes that we found earlier have been processed. Their leaves will become our biscuits, and their seeds will enable us to grow our own quarry bushes next spring.

The harpies have returned! Quick thinking and a swarm of puppies scared them off.

Fall Report:

With few setbacks, Fall rolled by very quickly. We secured enough food to get us through the winter and managed to establish the beginnings of a road. I have personally seen to it that the ground has been smoothed and cleared of trees, now all that exists is to lay down flagstones.

I'd like to get the beginnings of some sort of warrens established. We're all tired of sharing three beds or sleeping on the hard stone floor. We need indoor stockpiles, too.

[Koji]

Axefather
Winter 1056

We've started making some crossbows, finally. This place is too dangerous to go without them. Maybe we can put together a military before too long.

Thikut is finally well enough to go back to work! I told her that as long as I was running things, she wouldn't be hunting anymore. She gave me an odd look, then blithely went about her business.

On the advice of my comrades, I've ordered the river to be bridged. The other side should be far enough from the workshops to construct our warrens.

The harpies are getting to be a problem, as they constantly harrass the workers who are trying to bridge the river outside. It's time to take action.

That's the last straw. Guys, get out there!

...guys?

[Koji]

 

There we go. They come to snuff the rooster and all that.

   

Beautiful.

   

With the harpies eliminated, we were able to complete the bridge. Our dream of a road is not far off. To celebrate, I engraved two images of our victory. Astesh shooting Rootedspeaks the harpy was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

Thinking it was safe to hunt, I let a trapper go out again. He apparently forgot to bring a crossbow and was mauled by Riderlurched the jaguar while trying to wrestle it. He tried to run, but his dress was too frilly to allow him to move very quickly. He did not survive. Zon Swamcloisters, we hardly knew ye.

   

My last major initiative is to begin a massive indoor stockpile. My hope is that it will one day be big enough to hold all the supplies that the nearby workshops might need.

   

Winter report: I created a military, armed them, and was able to wipe out the harpy menace surprisingly quickly. These creatures must be kept at bay or it becomes impossible to work outside. I (mostly) cleared out an area to serve as a kennel, and food was not a problem for the entire winter.

It is with a heavy heart (and some relief) that I relinquish the crown. Tonight we draw lots for the next leader. I hope that my time at the helm has been productive and that things continue to go as smoothly as they have. I'd also love some obsidian stuff...I had an obisidian sword for all of two seconds before my military career was over and I had to dump it. Oh well. Maybe I'll settle down with Thikut and live the rest of my days as a simple artist. Maybe not--she's changed a bit, she's grown very distant since her ordeal. Will she get better? Who knows?

To my successor I leave the following bit of advice: get some glass and metal works together before one of us gets a strange mood. I'd feel partly responsible if someone died or went insane because I didn't provide the right materials.

Download link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/57108590/save.zip.html

[ September 20, 2007: Message edited by: Koji ]

[Nekose]

(Awesome job Koji. I hope I don't kill us all in the second year.)

1st of Granite, 1052
Dear Diary,

   Today I began my journey for the mining outpost “Golden Fist”. My past 3 years of slaving at the ministry of Terrain Relocation has finally paid off! Onward to greater things! I'll never have to deal with that bastard MkGovinigan in dwarven resources again. The look he gave me when he found out I went over his head was hilarious.
   
   Not to mention his face when he found out where I managed to get posted! Golden Fist has a reputation as the finest operation in the northeast district, and I'm going to be entrusted with its operation for the next 10 years. I'll be filthy rich and that beardless piss-for-brains MkGovinigan will rot for all I care.

   I can hardly wait for the caravan to arrive. My life is finally starting to look up.

[Nekose]

2nd of granite

   Today is the worst day of my life.

   I guess MkGovinigan wasn't through with me after all. He must have switched the paper work at the last minute before departure. My dismay was practically tangible when I found my true destination was in fact this sorry heap of rubble.

       

   After taking one step out of the wagon I was buffeted with the maniacal cawing of distant harpies. I can see thousands of them in nests along the mountain side. I'm still trying to convince these people of the danger such creatures represent, but they assure me they're “Alright once you get used to 'em.”

   Apparently this place is named “Axefather”, I can only assume because the man who decided on its creation should have been killed long before it reached fruition. The site itself is nestled deep within a dark foreboding forest. A forest which is marked on most maps as “to dangerous to fully map out”, and until recently a place I had assumed no one would be stupid enough to think could sustain a profitable mining outpost. I apparently thought wrong.

   The heat here is absolutely oppressive. I'm going to finish moving my belongings indoors for now. Hopefully I'll be able to sort this whole mess out and be gone before the harpy stench gets into my clothes.

[ September 21, 2007: Message edited by: Nekose ]

[Nekose]

5th of granite.

   It appears my situation here may be a little more permanent then I imagined. From behind the scenes MkGovinigan must still pull the strings of the tragic puppet show my life has become.

   Because of its remote location. Axefather makes contact with the outside world only once per year when the dwarven supply caravan arrives. If I'm to have myself reposted, then I'll have to wait until fall before I can let my superiors know of the mistake. For now, if I'm going to be stuck here, then changes will have to be made.
   
   First of all, the population of the fortress has taken up residence in the main entrance hall.

I cant count the times I've stepped on a snoring face while making my rounds. My first order of business will be to set up lodgings.

   In addition to that, It appears the previous foreman decided to place our food supply in the hands of fate by piling it outside of the fortress:

There it sits, exposed to the elements and marauding harpies. I imagine this daily gauntlet of sprinting through the mob of winged demons to secure your rations must be doing wonders for fort morale. Obviously this is also on my list to be rectified.

   Frankly the place is a mystery to me. The location offers no defensive advantage to the empire, and the mountain range is fairly low on useful resources. I tried speaking with the previous foreman Koji about the direction the fortress is supposed to be taking. Instead of answering he dodged my questions by asking me to critique his artwork:

I told him I didn't get it.

[Shades]

quote:Originally posted by Nekose:
<STRONG>
I imagine this daily gauntlet of sprinting through the mob of winged demons to secure your rations must be doing wonders for fort morale.</STRONG>

This made me laugh out loud in the office, people now look at me strangely, I blame you Nekose.  

[Nekose]

alright guys, I finished my turn and writing my logs. I'll post it all later today after work.