Shoruke's Log. 13th of Felsite. (late spring, year 24)
Inaluct made his first ever masterwork green glass cage today. Usually when I make orders for cages he's busy making blocks, so that's why he hasn't made a few dozen of them before now.
I'm making a 'training area' for the miners and engravers (which includes myself). We're going to dig out a huge section, smooth it all out and engrave it. Then, in a thousand years when there's no megabeasts and the goblin armies are led by kidnapped dwarves, historian/adventurer type people can explore our fortress and learn our great history. Or who knows, maybe our civilization will last that long. Anyway, it looks like this:
(It's on a level without aquifer)
Shoruke's Log. 17th of Felsite. (late spring)
One of the furnace operators got a fey mood! He was hauling... I don't know what to I don't know where, but he stopped what he was doing right in the middle of the Grand Staircase and went off to claim a magma forge. I do hope he succeeds in a)making something outrageously valuable, and b) becomes a legendary furnace operator... all this metal takes too long to melt.
Anyway, he collected two iron and one aluminum bar, plus a turtle shell, and now he's standing around in the magma forge drawing pictures of
-bars of metal... quite a few
-a shell
-glass
-square blocks
-stacked leather... quite a few again
-square blocks
Thuellai, who is dilligently working on creating iron bins to hold our crafts in the adjacent magma forge, has told me he's getting slightly creeped out.
Anyway, since Litast (the fey furnace operator) has obtained three metal bars and a shell, I assume once again that he requires that he obtain the materials in order for whatever reason. Which means his next requirement, which we are unable to meet, is raw glass... normally I would supply him with the cheap stuff, but if this is to be a metal widgit (and presumably quite valuable) I'm going to have Inaluct make him some of the good stuff... raw clear glass. I happen to know we have leather in abundance and beyond, and assuming he'll take rock blocks, all of his other requirements seem to be met as far as I can understand.
Shoruke's Log. Supplementary.
Glasswork is not being done right now, because all of the workerdwarves are busy hauling items to bins (except the miners, who are busy carving away the new training area). After some thought, I figured out the cause of the sudden rush of "Hauling Item to bin, sir!". Because I've had the metalsmiths create so many iron bins recently, we find ourselves in a position where dozens upon dozens of items need to be relocated into their appropriate bin.
This fortress seems to be just one labor crisis after another. I dearly hope we can satisfy that furnace operator.
Shoruke's Log. 20th of Felsite.
Inaluct dutifully created the raw clear glass, handed it to me, and asked why the sudden change in production schedule. I answered that the fey furnace operator had drawn glass, and presumably wanted it for an artifact. Inaluct then went to examine his sketch, and proclaimed that it was a sketch of raw GREEN glass, not just any old glass. Fuming ever so slightly, I told him to please make that.
Shoruke's Log. 22nd of Felsite. (late spring)
Some skeletal camels were harassing the craftsdwarves who were going outside the fortress to collect bones. The skamels of course fell prey to the cage traps. Now there are more of them to the south, and I'm sending Rick out to deal with them so they won't interrupt production.
In other news, The Fey Furnace Operator does indeed deem rock blocks to be satisfactory, and he should begin production on his artifact relatively soon.
Shoruke's Log. 26th of Felsite. (late spring)
The hottest part of the year draws closer by the day, but the important thing is that that crazy furnace operator has begun work on his... whatever it is. He's assembled...
-2 iron bars
-1 aluminum bar
-1 turtle shell
-1 piece of raw green glass
-1 bauxite block
-1 gneiss block
-1 each of dog, cat, and cheetah leather
I can understand the metal bars, and I can kinda understand the rock blocks. I've come to terms with the fact that turtle shell seems like a necessary component for almost any artifact. I disagree with his insistence upon having green glass as opposed to clear glass (clear glass is more valuable and shiny). But what the hell kind of sick person would use dog and cat skin as components in production?!? *looks down at my own cow leather shoes* oh... right. All dwarves would. Still, I've heard more horrifying stories; dwarves who took another dwarf to the butcher's shop, slew them where they stood, and fashioned an artifact from their still-bleeding corpse! At least it would be nice and dwarf-sized, if slightly tight... perhaps it's wise to pick a rather fat dwarf for that. (hmm... nobles...?)