1st Granite.
Well, it seems that after ordering the construction of some kind of huge structure right outside our door and losing a large number of dwarfs to a goblin ambush, the prior leader has just upped and left. I have taken command of the fortress for the moment, despite the state that it's in. There are several points that I feel need to be addressed:
- We have a defensive island. It's a good start, but it seems the designer forgot they were building a fortress half way through and decided to plonk a little house on it. As it would be a lot of effort to clear it away and would probably upset the occupant if I destroyed it, I'll have to see if I can build some proper fortifications around it, or move the entrance elsewhere.
- There's a pretty structure built out of well formed blocks, but nobody's managed to build any kind of fortifications, roads, walls or even a bridge across the main river. The traders still have to sit in a depot made of rough stone.
- The fort's layout isn't at the height of efficiency. There doesn't seem to be any real careful layout. Or nearly enough proper bedrooms, for that matter. There's going to have to be a fair bit of rearranging.
- If we had a standing army, we don't have one any more. Some more recruits are going to need to be trained.
To start off with, I'll organize what jobs everyone is doing. We don't really need 3 fisherdwarfs, or a herbalist when we have about 500 seeds. I'll designate a couple or areas for mining out as well, as a basis to better organizing the fortress.
7th Granite.
Our stonecrafter has been possessed. Hopefully she won't want any rough gems, as we don't seem to have any. We don't have any leather as well, but given the number of dogs around, that shouldn't be a problem.
That reminds me: set up a butchery. I can't stand having these animals wandering around everywhere, and there's not nearly enough wood around to make cages at the moment.
15th Granite.
Oh hooray.
Talking about useless things, the elves just turned up. Hopefully they'll have some wood or cloth, but I mainly expect mountains of pointless weapons, useless clothing and weak booze. But I can hope.
26th Granite.
As expected, the elves came with 3 bits of wood and nothing else of value. I traded for the wood in exchange for as many stone trinkets as they could carry. Hopefully the humans will come with something a little better.
14th Slate.
Migrants! Thus we begin to rebuild the population of Dunesplattered.
1 Clothier
1 Cook
6 Peasants
1 Lye maker
1 woodworker
1 Carpenter
1 Bowyer
1 Herbalist
2 Children
1 Furnace operator
1 Woodcrafter
1 Metalsmith
1 Engraver
1 Armorer
1 Bone carver
1 Craftsdwarf
and 1 Brewer
Giving a total of 23 new dwarfs, and a Dunesplattered a total population of 47. I had built and designated a meeting area off of one of the many statues we have in storage for them to all gather in, and adjusted their jobs to make them a little more useful.
4th Felsite.
Work on the new entrance and proper trade depot is complete. Our first champion is also trained, although it's only in wrestling, as we lack the armor for me to let them comfortably practice with proper weapons yet. I'll melt down what little goblin junk we have lying around, and possibly some of the nickel ore we dug up during recent excavations.
22nd Felsite.
It's taking a long time for anything to be dug out currently. This is probably due to the huge amount of mining I asked to be done for project 'Get some proper tombs made'. I stumbled across our current cemetery and was rather alarmed to find it consisted of nothing much more than a room with a wall lined with coffins. I designated a number of reasonably sized rooms to be dug out deep below the desert, and I shall decorate them with some of the statues we have lying around in the stockpile.
We do seem to have a lot of statues lying around. I'm really not sure why.
12th Hematite.
It seems that the Human caravan has been sighted on the horizon. What brings them all the way out here is beyond me, but I'm sure we'll be able to get something decent out of them as they've come with wagons. Something better than the elves, at least. I'll have the mountains of goblin clothes we have lying around sent to the trade depot. It may be utter junk to us, but I hear that the humans love narrow cave spider silk socks.
14th Hematite.
One of our stone masons got taken by a fey mood. Also, I really need to do something about the vast number of dogs that just seem to stand in the corridor there. I ordered an area to be dug out for a butchery, but project 'Dig some proper tombs' is taking up all the miners.
28th Hematite.
The stonemason finally finished his artifact, a Schist armor stand. I'm sure we had something similar a year or two ago...
The traders have also made it to the trade depot, but it's taking quite a long time to haul all the bits of narrow clothing to it. I'll have to have some more bins made.
9th Malachite.
Trading has been done. I had all the metal bars, wood, cloth, leather and meat the traders had on them purchased in exchange for a mountain of useless clothing and stone crafts. When the Guild representative finally manages to get the chance to have his meeting, I'll have much the same stuff brought next year.
26th Malachite.
All the mining work has nearly been finished. The butchery and tanners workshop is built, space for the tombs has been mined out and now simply need smoothing, and some housing space is underway. A proper bridge has also almost been finished crossing the river.
24th Galena.
The fort has settled into a fairly stable state. Various constructions are underway, and the various rooms that have been dug out are being smoothed and furnished. I half expect a goblin ambush to show up and mess everything up.
I've also had the bar/block stockpile moved indoors, and begun work on using some of the spare stone to make the local area look a little better.
10th Limestone.
The seasons are flying past. The dwarfen caravan has just been sighted on the horizon, hopefully with plenty of useful goods. Progress with constructions is currently being slowed by our lack of suitably skilled engravers, as I wait for the large tomb area I've mined out to be smoothed down.
16th Limestone.
Trading went fairly well. The amount of stuff that they brought was a little disappointing, which may be in part due to the fact that some of the stuff consisted of native platinum blocks and lead cages. I purchased all the wood, metal and meat that they had, and asked for much the same, along with a little cloth and leather, for next year.
23rd Limestone.
Glacies has just come over all quiet and run off to the metalsmithing forge. Wonder what he'll cook up.
Also, a lot of people seem to be getting depressed over not having proper rooms lately. I do wish those stonemasons and carpenters would hurry up and build all the coffers, doors and beds these rooms need.
8th Sandstone.
Very pretty, but not really a practical weapon. Perhaps it can be used in a weapon trap at some point in the future, but I'm not really a traps person.
20 Sandstone.
More migrants!
1 Armorer
1 Engraver
1 Ranger
2 Peasants
1 Mason
1 Bone carver
1 Thresher
I converted all of them into masons due to my need for smoothing and blocks, aside from the thresher, who I've told to farm. Our population now stands at 55. My culling of all these irritating animals has also reduced their population to 21. The hallways are now filled with dwarfs, not puppies.
8th Timber.
After trying to sort out the mountains of paperwork that's been building up, I noticed that Olon has begun calling herself the Mayor and has left a list of demands for a fancier room and office. She also came in and told me to not export any clear glass items. This shouldn't be a problem, as we don't have any.
13th Timber.
Success! There are no animals left wandering the hallways aside from those I couldn't persuade their owners to give up, that distressing wolf in Glacies bedroom, the toad and squirrel which don't have any decent meat on them anyway and a single pair of breeding dogs. No longer will I have to deal with puppies swarming the corridors.
4th Moonstone.
Only half of the tomb area has so far been smoothed, despite the length of time I have been waiting for it to be done. I was hoping to have a tomb for every legendary dwarf in the fortress, but at this rate it seems unlikely. I have assigned one for myself already, however. I shall have it's walls engraved at the end of my reign to mark my achievements.
17th Moonstone.
A goblin snatcher and a kolobod thief interrupted the construction of beautification project. I feel that time may be limited before I am forced to give up my reign, and every delay is costly. The fact that most of the stonemasons are already tied up smoothing the tombs or building bedroom furniture only adds to my concerns. But I will get this project finished, even if I have to focus every dwarf in the fort on it.
28th Moonstone.
Curses! I knew that this peace was too good to be true. I just hope that the champions will be able to take them unarmored and unarmed.
Later that day.
Success! It seems I have nothing to fear from goblin ambushes, as my army of half-naked wrestlers can fend off such a threat. I'll keep them by the entrance for now, in case any more goblins turn up.
15th Opal.
I have managed to furnish enough of the tombs to house myself and the legendary dwarfs of this fortress. The beautification project is not looking quite as good, however, with only half of it complete. Another problem that has presented itself is the lack of barrels, as they have all been used to hold food, leaving us with very little to hold booze. I've ordered some more to be made, and split the stockpiles into one of drink and one of food, restricting the number of barrels in the food stockpile, to help resolve the problem.
5th Obsidian.
We now have barrels for drink, despite a sudden lack of wood. The project is nearly 7/10ths done, but a lack of blocks is beginning to become a problem, as most masons workshops are tied up furnishing the spare tombs.
1st Granite.
It seems spring has arrived. I failed to complete my project before the start of the new year, but the attempt at least will hopefully remain. The project has tired me, thus I shall pass on the rule to the next person who wishes to try and control this place. Evidently I am not suitable to be the ruler of Dunesplattered anymore, considering I am unable to complete projects in a timely manner.
Save.Map.And there you have it. The save is there for the next person in line, and there's a map if anyone what's to take a look at the fort in it's current state.