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Author Topic: Mistywhiskers  (Read 1962 times)

Zorgn

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Mistywhiskers
« on: November 08, 2008, 01:52:16 am »

Decided I'd finally get into making a story-driven fort. I have a basic idea for a few things I plan on doing, and have my starting dwarves planned for several things, but may on the immigrant waves assign interested members a dwarf. I plan to mostly go with what happened in-game, but have no problem bending truth for story reasons. Running this in 40D, with the Legendary Lands mod.


Characters:

(I'll add a personality when I figure out exactly who these people are...)

Atis Lancemassive - Miner
Zulban Violetbooks - Miner
Ezum Chambersensed - Miner
Iden Rackwayward - Woodcutter
Solon Wonderedclasp - Mason/Leader
Ingish Merchantfancied - Stone/Metalcrafter
Ustuth Ragroars - Farmer

Story time.



First Entries: Spring's Dawn

We'd been discussing it for a while, Ezum and I, before Zulban joined joined our nightly talks and things really began to take shape. The mountainhomes were good and all, we agreed, but there wasn't much opportunity for an enterprising dwarf to rise beyond the norm. We were a rich people, but the best things in life always went to the nobility.

We decided not to live that way forever.

I, Solon, was a mason by trade, and both Zulban and Ezum were miners. We quietly asked around for several weeks, until we found Ustuth the farmer, Iden the wood cutter, Ingish the craftsdwarf, and Atis, a third miner. They were a bit wary at first of our ideas, but in the end decided there was little to lose in trying. Come spring, we'd set out to find a place of our own, and get filthy rich.

☼   ☼   ☼

Looking back on that time, I realize what a bunch of fools we were. We never should have bought a map from a map from a human. Where there was supposed to be majestic mountains, with gems glittering from the heights, we found a very flat wasteland. Someone leveled our mountain, Atis grumbled, after we checked our calculations against the map a third time. From where we parked the wagon, everything east was a flat, conglomerate waste. Westward, the swamp we crossed to arrive at our new home steamed in the afternoon sun. One small hill was the only thing that rose taller than the trees. If I ever saw that human again...

There was little to do but get to work. We had stolen from the king (a wonderful golden flute) and would not be welcomed back home.

☼   ☼   ☼

The names were chosen without consulting me it seems. We are the Golden Flute of fortress Mistywhiskers. To whoever finds this journal, know I murdered them all because they were idiots.
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Zorgn

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2008, 05:18:51 pm »

Second Entry: Progressively Worse

We've been here several days already, and our situation has only gotten worse. Immediately after my last entry, I ordered Iden to begin logging a section of the swamp nearby. She grumbled a bit, but set out into the murk soon enough.

The miners I ordered to begin construction of a central stairwell down into the rock for our fortress. They dug down two levels easily enough, and on the third hit a magnetite deposit. Right under our stairway was iron ore to make us rich when our metal industry came online. Unfortunately, before they were able to dig any appreciable length into the deposit, the chamber they had created began to flood at an alarming rate. All three escaped unharmed, but Atis nearly drowned before he was pulled out. Barely below the surface we have a surprise aquifer stopping our descent. Sooner or later, we're going to have to take of that, but we're stuck for now. I've ordered storage and living space carved out of the rock we can safely get to, but the going is slow.

For my part, I've made a carpenter's workshop, and have begun making beds. They're ugly as hell, and any one of the others will gladly complain about them incessantly if given the slightest chance. Not a one of them has taken my suggestion to try the ground instead.

As to our namesake, the golden flute, we have not decided exactly how to protect it. At the moment, it's still in the wagon, hidden in a bag of plump helmet spawn. I haven't had the time or courage to play it yet, but maybe I will someday.



OOC:
Any suggestions on how to protect the golden flute from thieves, yet still let it have a sort of shrine?
« Last Edit: November 08, 2008, 09:59:37 pm by Zorgn »
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Boksi

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2008, 05:21:13 pm »

Clear glass walls if you have sand. Otherwise a drawbridge that's usually retracted.
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[BODY_DETAIL:NAIL:NAIL:NAIL]
[HAMMER:HAMMER:HAMMER]

[TSU_NOUN:nose]
[SUN_TSU_NOUN:art:war]

Shoruke

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2008, 06:00:55 pm »

Make a vault, three stories high, of clear glass (or really valuable rock/metal if no sand). On the outside of the chamber have a perpetual waterfall (or inside if no sand; it's kinda hard to see through solid rock walls). Then it will be The Temple of The Golden Flute. Station guards around the temple to protect the valuable artifact.
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The Unforgotten Beast, Shoruke, has come! A pale-skinned human. It has heterochromatic eyes and moves in an unpredictable manner. Beware its rapier wit!

Thuellai

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #4 on: November 08, 2008, 06:03:54 pm »

I like Shoruke's idea.  And I'll definitely sign up for an immigrant.
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(name here)

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2008, 06:39:58 pm »

Also signing up for an immigrant. You just need a dog on the only entrence to the area, but you can make a waterfall if you're DWARF ENOUGH.
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Only in Dwarf Fortress would you try to catch a mermaid to butcher her and make trophies out of her bones 

Zorgn

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2008, 09:58:40 pm »

I have no sand, but am liking the idea for a vault. And I am more than dwarf enough for waterfalls. But that's all going to have to happen later on, though. For now, I think my stairwell design is enough to make it unlikely for thieves to get anywhere.

First level
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Seems there's a stone on my up staircase, but oh well. Come down next to the food stockpile/future barracks, and have to go around a 3X3 pit to reach the next down staircase. It's a one wide path, so it works well as a choke point. It widens up farther down. Eventually planning to chain a dog next to the up stairs and that should take care of thieves... But it feels cheap.

Everything non-military is eventually going to move down a few levels, but it works for now. What names do both of you want? Also, preferred professions would be cool.



Third Entry: Ready

We're ready to take a stab at the aquifer. I'm having trouble believing we got here so fast, but there's no denying it. It's time.

Since my last entry, we've finished the first level of the fort. We now have storage for food, rooms to sleep in, and a massive room I've set Ingish to fill with stone instruments. When the mountainhome is finally told where we went, they'll be wanting the flute, or a huge load of trade goods in exchange. I'm estimating the flute is worth 2000☼ most places, so we'll try to send them away with 3000☼ worth of rock junk. If we have any more, I'll try to get as much off them a possible.

They're still complaining about my beds. I've warned them that the next one to complain gets thrown down the central shaft into the aquifer at the bottom. After taking a good hard look at the drop, they ceased to complain within earshot of me.

Now, about the aquifer. The miners have revised their story of the flooding. It seems that the water did not come from the magnetite, but instead the conglomerate that surrounded it. We had the bad fortune to place our stairwell right on the edge of the deposit, and wouldn't have even known about the aquifer until we had dug out of the deposit. We could have flooded an occupied area of the fortress, so maybe it wasn't an unlucky thing to dig where we did. If the miners are right, all we have to do is wall off the water-bearing  conglomerate and we can dig down through the magnetite. Iron is the heart of our fortress.

I've built three pumps above the flooded area and the miners have dug out a room for the water to flood. I, Ustuth, and Iden will pump the water into this room (which will eventually become a farm) and the three miners will quickly seal up the walls in the pit.

I'm off to take a quick look at the flute before we begin.
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Xonara

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2008, 02:05:20 am »

[CHEAPASS]

Dibs on the next male dwarf you get in an immigration! Hell, if a bunch of feminists decide to immigrate to the fort and there aren't any male dwarves I'll take a female one. I'd prefer a butcher, if not then a bonecrafter or siege engineer. Preferably a sadistic immoral freak. But if it means getting in when the first wave of immigrants arrives I'll be a cheese maker for all I care.
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LegoLord

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #8 on: November 09, 2008, 06:29:16 pm »

Male, mechanic/siege operator/siege engineer, calls himself an Evil Genius.
I am one vagabond of a villain.
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"Oh look there is a dragon my clothes might burn let me take them off and only wear steel plate."
And this is how tinned food was invented.
Alternately: The Brick Testament. It's a really fun look at what the bible would look like if interpreted literally. With Legos.
Just so I remember

(name here)

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #9 on: November 09, 2008, 08:58:33 pm »

lock it behind a door with a dog on watch once your pop hits 20, but build a bismuith bronze vault for it if you can.
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Zorgn

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #10 on: November 10, 2008, 06:56:24 pm »

Quote
I am one vagabond of a villain.

The more crazies the better. It would be interesting to have the starting 7 be sane, and the others, not so much, but I'd settle for an imbalance in the crazies favor. Unfortunately, at my speed, it's likely to be a while before an immigration wave. So many writable things going on, and I've been told I'm somewhat long-winded. Oh, well. Story time once again.



Fourth Entry: Unforeseen Outcomes


I'm sitting on my bed, soaking the sheets and dripping on the pages of this log, yet I feel that for the future leaders of this place, I must delay all else until I have told my story.

The pumping operation failed. Currently, we still have a small pit filled to the brim with water. I made the mistake of not using all three pumps immediately, and instead had all available hands stand ready to seal up the pit as I pumped water out of it. Not once did I get it to a low enough level for the others to safely enter and begin their work. After a short time, I drafted two others who, for the life of me, I cannot recall, to pump alongside me. In short order, the pit was drained, but the room we planned to flood quickly filled and we almost drowned.

Fun times at Mistywhiskers.

As the rest of us fled to upper levels to dry off and complain, Ezum came up with the interesting idea to dig down from the half-flooded rooms into the aquifer, citing some old mine-rat's tales of 'draining aquifers into aquifers'. I was skeptical, but decided it probably wouldn't hurt too much to allow him to try. It might even work. So, he sloshed back down the stairs, pick in hand, and began digging. Not ten minutes later, I was called down urgently to see something. I came down to find a massive area of the floor was gone, and Ezum was beaming as water that had earlier been neck high rushed into the hole.

At first, I couldn't quite comprehend the situation. He'd barely had time to walk across the chamber and swing his pick a half-dozen times before he had called. And then I saw. As the water disappeared into the hole, I saw that it was not water to the brim, as in the pit far behind us, but another chamber below. When it looked safe, I crawled on my hands and knees to the edge and peered into the new chamber. Below, a giant, soaking mole looked up at me, sniffed twice, snorted, and dashed off to some hole. I hardly payed attention to where it went as I saw the most surprising feature of this unexpected room. Far wider than our entire fortress, an abyss just kind of sat there. I'm surprised to be thinking of a nothing as a something, but that pit loomed, if it didn't quite stare back.

The things I could see from my vantage far from the rim of the pit far made up for the pit. They stared back just fine. I'm sorry to say it, but I was scared fair enough there. There were things flitting about in there I'd rather not think about right now. I ordered the construction of a grate to cover the hole, and expect it to be in place by now. Good riddance to those things.
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LegoLord

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #11 on: November 10, 2008, 07:31:40 pm »

We have a chasm? Awesome, I bet I'll (my dwarf) have all sorts of schemes related to that!
(waterfall that converts to a drowning chamber, perhaps?)
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"Oh look there is a dragon my clothes might burn let me take them off and only wear steel plate."
And this is how tinned food was invented.
Alternately: The Brick Testament. It's a really fun look at what the bible would look like if interpreted literally. With Legos.
Just so I remember

Zorgn

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #12 on: November 10, 2008, 07:40:23 pm »

We have a chasm? Awesome, I bet I'll (my dwarf) have all sorts of schemes related to that!
(waterfall that converts to a drowning chamber, perhaps?)

Actually a bottomless pit. And the top level is right on the level of the aquifer, so I see fun there. But oh, man, if has some serious nasties flying around in there. Legendary Lands pulled no punches.
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LegoLord

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #13 on: November 10, 2008, 07:47:39 pm »

We have a chasm? Awesome, I bet I'll (my dwarf) have all sorts of schemes related to that!
(waterfall that converts to a drowning chamber, perhaps?)

Actually a bottomless pit. And the top level is right on the level of the aquifer, so I see fun there. But oh, man, if has some serious nasties flying around in there. Legendary Lands pulled no punches.
Catch as many as you can.  An evil genius needs miscellaneous monsters in his lab.
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"Oh look there is a dragon my clothes might burn let me take them off and only wear steel plate."
And this is how tinned food was invented.
Alternately: The Brick Testament. It's a really fun look at what the bible would look like if interpreted literally. With Legos.
Just so I remember

Zorgn

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Re: Mistywhiskers
« Reply #14 on: November 10, 2008, 07:55:39 pm »

Catch as many as you can.  An evil genius needs miscellaneous monsters in his lab.

I think I just had an evilgasm.
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