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[Archi]

Geeze. Sorry about taking so long to update.. I've got so much stuff going on and my computer is hating me for some reason.
But I'm not dead. Should have something up soonish.. >.<

[Archi]

The Journal of Arc Darkhelm, miner, diplomat and follower of the mountain warrior god Dolek.

Entry 12

Those heartless bastards.. They refused to accept any of the few crafts we had to trade! While I was trying to reason with them, a dwarf collapsed and died from thirst right in front of them!

Their excuse? Our crafts were not valuable enough for their crap.
Who the hell keeps booze in a barrel encircled with bands of  violet spessartine and menacing with spikes of calcite?!

In the end, we had to trade off Fedaykin's helmet for the booze.. Nimbus was very upset, but he said he understood the situation, and would be fine.

A strong dwarf.

In lighter news, Shoudai finished his mysterious construction!
It is an obsidian hatch cover, all craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. It's encrusted with obsidian and encircled with bands of obsidian. It menaces with spikes of steel and in the middle of it is an image of steel greaves in obsidian.

He gleefully pointed out how he designed certain parts of it, and how the history of our fort can be recorded on things like these, and I must admit, if his little drawings can result in this level of quality.. Well, there might just be some merit in them.

I still think they're silly looking though.

[Archi]

Alright, alright, I know, I'm taking way too long on this. My computer is pretty much dying on me entirely so it's sorta out of my control.
I think I've almost got it going okay again though, so I'll be using roughly weekly updates for a bit.

[knowbuddyuno]

Glad to know this fortress is still alive. This is the first time I've lent my name (anagrammed, but still) to a fortress, and I'd like to have some closure with my first dwarf's inevitable demise. I like your writing, too, especially the mayor's perspective. Can't wait to hear about the catastrophes that await.

[Archi]

Entry 13

Nimbus hasn't been sleeping too well recently. He kept waking up in a cold sweat. I'm worried about him.
This morning, when I awoke, he was nowhere to be found. I eventually came across him working furiously in the carpenter's shop, twisting bands of towercap together in a way that defied my sense of geometry.
As I watched, he declared "There!" And whipped around to show me his creation, a pained expression on his face.
He called it "Orrunnazom Igothsisal (Roardreams the Competitive Gallows)" a towercap chair, and on it was depicted some kind of writhing, skeletal monster.

"What is this, Nimbus?"
"The thing.. From my dreams. It told me to make this.. Told me that when I did, it would leave my mind alone"

He collapsed then, sinking into a much needed sleep. We carried him back to his bed, he's still there now.

After that interesting incident, we finally finished work on the moat. It's just about ready to fill, I'm so proud!
The thing is very deep, and should provide us with the protection and warmth we need to completely thrive here.
I was getting ready for the celebration party when Shoudai and Bondun who had been rigging up the connections for the drawbridge came running over to me, yelling in a panic.

"What? What happened!?"
"Arc.. Outside! Come! Hurry!"

I ran after them, dashing outside and up onto the wall of the partially constructed gatehouse just in time to see a skeletal horror unlike any creature I've seen before finish tearing apart Bondun's poor dog.
As we watched in terror, the creature reared what must qualify for its head and stared directly at me, its eyes burning with a dark blue flame. It screamed, for screaming is the only way to describe that eldritch sound, a scream that chilled us to the bone.
It threw the mangled corpse of the dog away and tore across the ice with blinding speed, heading for the gatehouse and the bridge that we could not yet seal.
I ordered Shoudai and Bondun to get everyone inside immediately, before hefting my pick and running out to meet the creature. There was no time to collect my equipment. I won't let this fortress fall! I won't lose this place! I won't lose these dwarves.. These people that I can finally call friends.

To be continued

[knowbuddyuno]

No! My poor dog that I didn't know I had! There will be vengeance . . .

[Archi]

His name was Patch, and he had a brown patch over his eye. He was kind of smelly but you loved him anyway.

Edit: I guess he should be called "Smear" now.

[knowbuddyuno]

I wish we could control moods. I would love to memorialize my dog with images of it on a weapon of some kind. Wait, I'm a craftsdwarf. Well, maybe Smear will be immortalized on a dog leather ring or somesuch.

[Archi]

With any luck, one of the engravers will do an engraving of him.
I wouldn't put it past them. Shoudai did "The Ears of Cream", an engraving of a tentacle monster... I really don't want to think about it.

[Archi]

Entry 13 (Continued)

Suddenly, somebody tackled me to the ground. I quickly rolled to my feet and found Anticheese holding on to me, several other dwarves running towards us with Shoudai shouting out orders for placement of mechanical parts.

I struggled to escape Anticheese's grasp, to fight this menace that was threatening my people.

They managed to get the bridge connected properly just in time, with the bridge slamming shut just as the creature was about to cross the moat.
Anticheese released me and slumped to the ground.

They risked their lives just to save me from death, even though my demise would have saved them.

And Anticheese. The look in his eyes, how he makes me feel...
I think I understand these feelings now.

We are to be married in the morning.

[Archi]

Entry 14

The wedding party was cut short by the arrival of elves!

We rushed up to meet the threat, fully armed and ready.

Turns out that it was actually a human/elf trade caravan.
We managed to get so much wood and other supplies from them that we'll need to expand the stockpiles.

After bidding the merchants farewell and sealing the gate once more, I stumbled upon a horrible sight. Minkot Keshshakdakost, a craftsdwarf, threw himself into the lava before my very eyes. Seems that he didn't feel that he could go on living after being unable to construct some craft he wanted to do.

A sad event, but nobody really liked him anyway...

In lighter news, Dasleah and Pexxi also got married! They chose to do it quietly, but ol' Dasleah can't hide anything from me! I had no idea he swung his pick that way, but who am I to judge?

Shoudai has been teaching me to draw up his fancy "blueprint" things, which is tedious, but I can see how they help with design.

Perhaps once this moat is complete, I'll dedicate more time to learning this kind of thing. Might be good for a laugh.

[knowbuddyuno]

No vengeance for Smear?

Bondun, Craftsdwarf, has been stricken by melancholy!

Bondun, Crafstdwarf, cancels mope around: Drowning in ale barrel

[Archi]

I doubt anyone in the fortress would actually be capable of taking it down, that thing is insane.
It keeps coming back and camping outside the fort, too, so maybe we can slam a bridge on it or something at some point.

Edit: Also, I'm STILL confused about the Dasleah and Pexxi thing. It's like the gay in my fortress is spreading! I didn't know that could happen!

[knowbuddyuno]

I've never seen that before either. Had they been isolated from the women on long work duties together? It may be a new development Toady has added without saying anything, but I'm betting it's a glitch. If you report it, you would likely get a response as to whether it's intended or not.

What was the creature, by the way? I've never embarked on a glacier before, and my imagination demands additional source material before kicking into action.

[Archi]

It was actually just another skeletal polar bear, but it wasn't Avanilash (the poet bear!) so I decided to describe it differently to show just how much more evil it was.