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[Marlowe]

Autumn 203

As predicted there's a lot of wastage this season. Our pig tail and plump helmet crop is growing faster than our ability to store and process it and in spite of my attempts at increasing our refining capabilities, we only have so such labour to go around. A number of crops wind up withered and on the refuse stockpile. Same deal with some raw turtle. This is a GOOD sign, on the whole, but it still offends me.

 I've established a farm plot on the surface with the intention of starting dye production. We have some plants our herbalist has grabbed. I don't know what any of them DO. We'll find out.

 We have a quern (made out of microcline, unfortunately) a dyer, and a dyer's workshop, but our dyeing industry keeps hitting a stall owing to a shortage of bags. I put the leatherworks and the clothier's on fixing this, but both individuals have a lot to do, it seems. We DO get two bolts of Phantom spider silk dyed black. Bad ass. If we can keep doing what we just did I might just make black phantom silk robes our official uniform.

 The traders from the mountainhomes return. We make a pretty good showing this time around. Three platinum goblets, the usual stone junk (I should stop being so dismissive about Ubid's work. He's managed a few masterwork items now), some more of Rickvoid's earlier work and a few silk clothes for metal (I made sure to grab another black bronze bar) booze, barrels, several bins of leather, a couple of bits of wood, and meat. And a bag of Dimple cup spawn. We don't manage to totally buy them out, they leave with a lot of leather (OK, I COULD have got several bins of horse leather for the price of the cave crocodile leather bin, but who could resist crocodile leather?), but time is obviously working in our favour. We also got a dog, unfortunately it turns out to be female, same as the one we already have. That's a bitch.

 Oh, remember the humans? They've left some sort of envoy here, who keeps trying to talk to me or to Kubuk but who can't seem to tell us apart. I'll talk to him when I've got a free moment, but this is Fogcrystal and free moments are hard to come by.

 I found a large iron dagger and some blood smears in one of the traps. Hum. Something happened.

 Oh yeah, Ubid's legendary now.

 We got some migrants. Finally we're at a stage where we actually had bedrooms finished and mostly furnished in advance. A stonecrafter (good, he can help out Ubid), a bone crafter (that's not so good, when we already have Rickvoid), a wrestler, several peasants, an animal dissector (ARMOK! STOP IT! BAD GOD!) and another fisherdwarf (we're starting to have a lot of fisherdwarves).

 Oh, Kubuk was happy with the vest and now wants a coffin. Easily done.

 Within five minutes of the migrant wrestler turning up I get word he's been struck down. Seriously.

 Seriously.

 He came into the fort, helped himself to our armour stockpile, and immediately went out to fight a werewolf. And lost.

 The irony sickens me. The rest of us, unskilled or inappropriately so, have survived this far with only the loss of Neo. We FINALLY get a professional military dwarf, and he's dead in minutes.

 Well, we have to get his body back. And the items he took from our stockpile. It's not worth calling out the champs. I send Koji and KLAR! to deal with the werewolf. They're the only founders that don't have werewolf kill yet.

 Koji arrived first, and smashed the wolf into the ground.

 I think we're going to build a tower. I'm sick of playing wall.

 

[neo1096]

And this is why founders and the 1st immigrant waves are awesome later on: They're so pumped that they kill beasts w/o military training.

[Marlowe]

Oh, and Neosen's out of bed.

[neo1096]

Woot, I'm finally healed... . I would like to request a profession change to werewolf-slayer.

[Marlowe]

You and me both kiddo. Also Ubid, Kubuk, Rovod, Koji, and a couple of Champions.

Out of interest, the animal dissector and one of peasants (or was it a milker? I can't remember) are;

say it with me kids;

Drafted.

[rickvoid]

Another bone-crafter? In my lair!?

I sense rivalry ahead... 

[Marlowe]

The Third Winter

We have begun our tower. It's to have walls of Jet, and each floor is to be made from a different coloured stone. Until we run out of colours that is. The second level has Olivine floors, and is connected to the curtain wall walkway by fortifed Olivine constructions to west and east

I'd like to have made these retractable bridges, but we couldn't fortify those, and the chances of a nasty accident would be be increased. [Also, they wouldn't show up on 3Dwarf]. The third level has floors of Mica. And Slate. Ok, so I ran out of Mica. It's all the same colour. The tower gets wider as it gets higher. I have a certain vision.

 Bembul, the woodcrafter I've got helping Ubid has become a craftsdwarf. I'll get to him later.

 Our Herbalist tells me the black dye is made from a plant growing only in evil areas, and that he can both farm it and gather more. We also have a smaller amount of Blade weed, which makes green dye, and a bag of Dimple cup seed. The Dimple cups make blue but require use of our underground farms.

 Then again, that may not be a problem. I've had food storage expanded to avoid a repeat of last season's wastage, and produced barrels like mad. I may have to order a fallow season.

 The Herbalist warns me that if we clear out all the forest we'll have no silk to gather. He leaves after he realises I'm not going to stop laughing soon.

 I'm still holding off on engraving the dining hall. Got them to engrave my office instead. I did put a few jewel-encrusted statues in there.

 Anyway enough blather. As with last winter, our ponds are fished out and our adventurous fisherdwarves are wandering further. From one of these, maybe a woodcutter, I get a sudden shout. Goblins!

 It's a squad of six wrestlers led by a bowman, meaning the only things useful they've bought for us are their bones.

 I order all civilians indoors. The Goblins are close, to the nor-nor-east of the fort between us and the brook. Fortunately our woodcutters are working close to the gate. But there's a fisherdwarf out in the brook, almost cut off.

 I don't bother with the bridge. I order the champions to muster with with crossbows at the gate, tearing random items of clothing out of their hands so they'll actually bring ammunition.

 The fisherdwarf I contact using the mysterious dwarven art of [UNPRINTABLE], and tell him he's now a recruit, and that he's stationed within the perimeter. He goes for it, right past the goblins. They run to head him off but don't seem to have grasped interception tactics very well and he slips through. It's a dead run for the gate, arrows nipping at his wheels. He takes a hit that breaks his hand but he keeps running.

 The goblins are right behind but a couple of champs are manning the gate fortifications now, with two more coming up the stairs. It seems practice has paid off. Iron bolts rip into the lightly-armoured wrestlers. The two lead goblins crawl forward far enough to die on the traps, three more are shot down amongst the gumprongs and black vines. The bowgoblin takes a hit and crawls out of range before lapsing into unconsciousness. The two arriving champions deploy outside the gate and finish him off. The last of the wrestlers runs for it.

 While I'm surveying the carnage I get word a snatcher has been sighted (by a fox, presumably)He's already running away. I order the champions on guard, send our fisherdwarf to bed to heal up and order the corpses looted and recovered.

 While this is going on, a kobold turns up in the wrong place at the wrong time: unmasked right before the gate. He's cut down in seconds. Well, at least we got ONE weapon out of this.

 All's quiet now. We shall see for how long.

 I've been dragging my feet about the Rickvoid vs Urist McNewbiebonecrafter business, except for ordering that only Rickvoid can use his workshop. Easy way out of it is to build a new workshop for our newbie and order him to work only on shells, where rickvoid works on skulls and bones. He is the Lord of the Bones after all. The other can be Knight of the Shells.

 Bembul has just entered a secretive mood. He's grabbed some logs, some shells and some gems and taken over the woodcrafter's workshop. He's working right now. Looks like we might be about to get a legendary woodcrafter. Of all the useless things.

 Kubuk has banned the export of coffins. I'm wondering if she knows something I don't.

EDIT: Minor update and correction. It wasn't Bembul who got the mood, it was another craftsdwarf by name Ushat. He produced a wooden piccolo. These guys are all looking alike to me.

I'm a little disappointed to note that the only werewolf engraving we have are those of that idiot wrestler getting himself killed. That reminds me, I need to think of something appropriate to put in his tomb.

Neosen today saved Thikut the trapper from another werewolf. Well, it was a bit frightening really. He smacked the werewolf 30 feet north, hacked off it's leg and tail, and sent it flying another 40 feet east. It didn't get up.

I'm going to have a bit of a talk with that boy.

[Marlowe]

The end of winter

Wait, Rovod's an engraver? And he's getting masterpieces? When did that happen? I must have gently nudged him to assist Koji from time to time and then forgotten all about it.

Ushat, although a legendary woodcrafter now, is taking forever to do anything woodcraft-related. He'll wind up drafted if he's not careful.

The mayor's office is getting engraved. We have one of Koji killing his wolf. I see the problem, in order for werewolf events to be significant enough to be engraved we've got to let the wolf kill somebody first.

 Probably not worth it. Probably.

 Then again, we DO have a a lot of empty tombs.

 Oh never mind. We have lots of engravings of goblins getting killed.

 The tower continues to rise, although it's annoying me how the dwarves always insist on doing the floors before they start the walls. Makes me feel nervous, seeing those great slabs of floor hanging there naked, supported only by a stairway.

 We are running out of Jet. We have numerous pockets. I'm going to have to find an excuse to carve them out.

 Our head weaver, out gathering silk, was harassed by a werewolf and chased back and forth through the forest. KLAR! went out to attend to the issue but wound up simply chasing after the wolf while the wolf chased the weaver. Sounds like a song.

 Eventually, our weaver decided he was tired of life and stood and fought. He held the beast back long enough for KLAR! to arrive and break his duck, but paid for it with a broken arm and a mangled leg.

 The forest is maybe not as terrifying as we were led to believe, but neither is it kind.

 

[JoshuaFH]

OOC: i broke his duck? atleast my character will be getting 3-4 seasons of (safe) bedrest now. also, make sure i get some food and water every now and then for christ's sake.

[Marlowe]

[You've never heard of cricket, have you?

"Broke a duck" equals scored. No longer has zero. You have a werewolf kill, the last of the founders to do so. The weaver got the injuries, not you.]

[JoshuaFH]

Personal diary of KLAR!, page 4

"Hello diary, i so sorry i haven't wrote in you for a long time, but i lost my pensil! I woulda ask'd tha' nice dwarf rickvoid fer one but all his pensils be made o' bone and i were afraid to use'em.

Neo died diary! one day, the scratching and rapping from Neo's room stopped, and when Dakost unlocked da door an' looked in, he were lying on tha ground in shambles! His beard were grey an' torn, his fingers be bleedin' from the clawin', and he's stomach be sunk in from th' lack o' food! it were a terrible sight diary, an' i'll neva forgets it for as long as i lives.

You 'members that special room i were diggin' fer Neo? Turns out that where they were gonna place 'im afta he died! atleast he got a nice place to rest, his momma'd be proud.

-------

Tha other day, Rickvoid came screaming through the camp 'gain, but this time he seemed happy. turns out he finished what he been workins on. it be a trap o' some sort, but not any trap i ever saw. i'da took a closer look at it but Rickvoid wouldn't put it down fer a second, he sure seems glad o' his work.

---------

oh oh! i just saw them 'coons have little 'coons! naw we have a momma 'coon an' a daddy 'coon a bunch o' little 'coons! Dakost seems happy too.

---------

Dakost is neva 'fraid of the scary howlies, uh, i mean werewolves, thats what Dakost called'em. We gots a new dwarf, Neosen, that be wompin' them werewolves around like nothin'. He's real strong.

------

Dakost is having me dig more o' those rooms next to where Neo's room is. it be disheartening to think what these rooms be fer, but i gots to do my job. i'm just tryin' to not wake Rickvoid up, he be sleepin' down here fer some reason, maybe Dakost be mad at him? whatever th' reason, he's still clutching onto that trap o' his like it were a teddy bear.

------

Lotsa lotsa things happen'd diary, we got more Elves (i din't get carried away n' try to touch any'em this time, i swear!) more werewolves be dead, and more dwarves! I think everything is goin to be alright.

------

Dakost is REALLY not afraid of werewolves. one show'd up by the river, and he went to go kills it himself. he came back cover'd in blood and he were so happy that he drew a picture o' him killing it to show everyone.

-------

Humans came to trade wit' us! they weren't pretty like the elves but they were like taller dwarves with no beards! They had all kinds o' things, i wish i weren't poor so i could ask fo' some of their pretty jewels, my Ruby could use company!

--------

Every once in a whiles someone in the mornin' knocks on me door and asks who i wants to be mayor. I think a mayor is our leader, and Dakost is our leader, so i always say Dakost. i dun know what all the noise is fer tho'.

--------

The scariest thin' happened today Diary! another werewolf showed up today, but this weren't like the other werewolves. instead o' having the dwarves with the weapons goin' out to fight'em, Dakost told me to go get'em! I tolds him i were scared to bits, but he yelled at me an said i were the only one without a kill so i had to go fight'em. So i runs out their all scared like, and i see the werewolf chasing one of th' other dwarves, an i know i hafta do something! So i chase the werewolf, and he catches up with the dwarf and starts bitin' an' clawin' him something fierce. I get up to him an' i don't know what to do, i've neva fought anythin' before, so i just closed my eyes and started swingin' my pick around and hard as i could diary. i didn't stop swingin' fer a long time, and when i opened my eyes the werewolf was lying in pieces. i were still scared, but I helped the hurt dwarf back to his bed so he could get some sleep, i sure hopes he don't end up like Neo."

[Sparksol]

Fikod's Journal

Well, I lost my old journal on the way here, so I'll start anew. I was pumping back home for a long time. I didn't mind pumping before I got here and I wouldn't mind it now, it gave me plenty of time to think while my body was doing some solid useful work. However, I've been told I'm to be a mechanic now! I can try putting some of that thinking to the test at last!

...Or maybe not. Daskot, who I've been apprenticed to, showed me the map of the area around us, and while there is a river it's also a fair distance away. This means I'll be limited to...traps and bridges and levers, probably. In fairness, I don't yet know if we'll need anything more than that; I'm also the newest and most inexperienced mechanic here.

Once I've got things down a bit better, and maybe figure a way to bring some of that river water here, I'll redraw my idea for a waterfall tower and see what Daskot thinks. Hmm...we might even have enough water right around us, but I don't know where we'd be able to fit the tower inside the walls. I'll have to wait and see what kind of expansion plans there might be.

[overlordFT]

If his not already taken, can i have rovod?

[Koji]

The Mengthiz Letters


Dear Ma and Pop,

It's beene quite a while since I wrote to you, and for this I am sorry. When I last wrote I spouke about a new outpost being instaled with in the Dour forrests, with me as one of the primarie Miners--me, youre little Lolor!

this is a place fabled forre it's terible dangers, but do not be disheartened. Things are not so bad once we are out of the sun, as Ingish would say. We dig through ore-rich mudstone, which is in, my opinion a solid and goode rock.

~Signed, with love and all prais due to Dakas Canyonjade
Lolor Mengthiz



Dear Ma and Pop,

Our woodecutter has met with an unfortunate circumstans wich I dare not relate for fear of putting Pop in one of his Ways. Insted, please note that I have taken up engraving and have been dutifully recording the histories and romans of are glorious civilization and of the tales of our lord Canyonjade, giver of wealth and keeper of gems, may he never inadvertently strike magma. Amenne

~Signed, with love and all prais due to Dakas Canyonjade
Lolor Mengthiz



Dear Ma and Pop

I have taken a name for myself, as is custom, and frome now on may be adrest as Koji, tho I will not fault anyone for calling me by Lolor, which is a goode name in all respects and I am thankful for it. even though it often was mayde fun of in my girlhood

I have ardentely beene digging, ensuring that all dwarfs do live within humble corridores and such, as is custom, and that no commoner myself included lives above their station. it Is tough, unrewarding work and thus the only kind that matters

~Signed, with love and all prais due to Dakas Canyonjade
Koji Mengthiz



Dear Ma and Pop

To-day I strode out in to the forrest to confront an horrible foe--a werewolf! The fiend had laid low a wrestler sent to us from the mountainhomes and it was my duty to retrieve his bodie. Let it be said that I posess Ma's strength of arm as well as Pop's fleet-footed doging, and with but few strokes of my pickaxe subdued the man-beast.

to-night I will begin plaiting my beard as is custom for one who has beene victorious in battle, though I shall keep the plaites simple and modest as befits my statione.

~Signed, with love and all prais due to Dakas Canyonjade
Koji Mengthiz

[Xenomorph]

If there's an axedwarf going begging, I'll take him.