The news that stop ruling us came as a half-surprise. We were expecting him to continue, thanks to his wonderful achievements in this fortress. Still, we knew many fortresses had a tradition of changing their leader once a year. Seems we are abiding by these traditions. Well, what is a dwarf without 'em, eh?
I was doubly surprised when I was asked to be the leader. I'm a fisher. The only water here is aquifer runoff. Was told something odd about "The Dungeon Master acting strange," an' I agree. He seems to spend 'is days in his deep logings with some peasantry girl sneaking in. Were dwarves! We don't sneak, we announce ourselves to the world in it's defiance!
So yes, seems I'm the new leader. Mayhaps I'll do somethin' right 'bout all these corpses everywhere.
1'st o' Spring:
Looked around everything. Lemmie jus' say things look mighty fine. Like a well greased mechanism, this fort is. We's got a good defense outside, stoneyards, farms, good tombs, more then enoguh rooms fer sleepin', workshops to dream of an' a magma pipe! Running this place should be foine!
Ah Miasma, the mark of any successful fortress!
5th 'o Spring:
D'Awwwwww
Day of fate
Last night I had a horrible dream. Traders came and wanted to, well trade. I ordered the gates open, and the traders came. However, just as the last one came inside an ambush was detected! The Chaos Dwarves rushed inside! The first group was all wrestlers and the previous rulers helped me dispatch them. However, more and more came. Speardwarves, axedwarves, crossbowdwarves! We were overpowered! I ordered everybody deeper into the fortress, but that did nothing. The traders were slaughtered in the stoneyard, many of us fell into the magma pits and several children were snatched in the process!
I awoke to Pruvan telling me traders were spotted on the horizon. I quickly rushed to the gate lever and forbade opening it on the sentence of death! They all looked at me funny, but obeyed my wishes. They understood as soon as they heard the screams of the traders. What to do about this? I'm just thankful for this dream.
27th Spring,
The invaders are currently under attack by our only living crossbowdwarf. Appropriate that she uses chaos dwarf bone bolts to take out chaos dwarves. Of course being outside is too dangerous to collect more, but as long as those bastards pay... I'm fine. She can't get them all though. Only 26 bolts in her quiver.
Still, with a few trips she finally made the invaders flee. Considering that we are all stuck in this infernal castle, there could be many squads lurking outside. No, these gates are staying closed 'till we know for sure.
Mid-Spring,
*Snerk*
Oh crap. Should I open the gates? No, must never open the gates. Chaos dwarves, violent... whatever, we will be killed! No, can't open them...
Actually, if they get on the drawbridges just right...
Success! We retracted the drawbridge beneath them, releasing them into our fortress! They are currently training with some good steel armor from outside and crossbows. We will need them.
Mid-Spring, the 20th maybe,
Dawwwwww
Also, after many years of campaigning, Rovod the Leatherworker has become Mayor. I voted for 'em the first time, and I voted fer him this time!
8th Felsite,
I've had another dream. Invaders, killing everybody. This time, however, something was different. They were fighting us on the graves over the magma pipe. One of us, seeing most of the enemy forces that slaughtered our families, deconstructed the one bit of floor connecting us to the side. Then all of us, invader and dwarf, plunged into the magma pipe.
Then I started seeing strange structures. A Limestone castle on a lake of magma. Invaders being dropped into the lake to appease the demons held within. Wraiths of ash spread through distant obsidian spires, now empty. It is clear this is our home. We shall extend the magma pipe to protect ourselves from the invading menace!
Today we started the construction of the keep. There are a lot of stones in the stoneyard and we won't have room for them soon. Best use them before the big dig.
Summer,
We are advancing nicely with the keep. Already a good portion of the stoneyards are gone. Perhaps I'll stuff stones in the upper levels of the keep, just to save them. Once we have either moved productions in the flooded levels or created new ones deeper in the fortress, we can start the actual construction of the defenses.
12th Hematite,
Well crap.
Good thing I trained those crossbowdwarves. Should work well on these High Elves, which come with only wrestlers and swordselves.
Ha, ran after only three of their kind were killed. One would think such menaces would hold out longer than that.
7th Galena,
Not much happened over the Summer. Migrants came today, so I'm going to see how this works out. Hopefully we find some useful people for the big project.
Bridge systems works without a hitch. If yer legs ken't survive the fall, don't bother comin' 'ere. We have too many stairs.
First of Autumn,
Gah, already Autumn! We must hurry if we wish to get the defenses done in time! But first I needed to construct a system of making sure magma could be drained. Thus I have constructed what the mountainhomes call "Drawbridge Drain." Needless to say, set a dwarf to constantly pull on a specified lever and watch the magma drain away. I have fail-safes made in my room to make sure if magma should flood the fortress, some nearby peasant will be recruited to be trapped in the control room. I will have bauxite floodgates lowered to seal them from all harm, and have them start to pull the lever and drain the magma. Also, warms the floor leading to the dining hall.
18th Limestone,
Started moving all the stones from the stoneyards to the roof. Odd place, but the only place with room. Also, merchants came. If they are not slaughtered within the week, I'll let them in. Can't use the dropbridge method on these guys.
19th Limestone,
Another dream of doom. Woke up in my new room to the screams of the merchants. The magma moat must be put in place. nobody is safe. Nobody...
The cowards ran away after our marksdwarves took out but a few of their kind. They will feel the burn of our tragedies.
Also, Hobgoblin caravan. If more ambushes show up, then all the better.
5th Sandstone,
Somebody let the goblins in, along with a half-dozen chaos dwarves. Alright, so they didn't get in thanks to my quick lever-pulling reflexes, but a novice marksdwarf Meng rushed past the drawbridge to engage the chaos dwarves in not-ranged combat. Then he fell down and started to cry when he got his hip sprained while clonking a chaos dwarf wrestler on the head.
The second the invaders were driven off he got up, patted some dust off and acted like he was going to do some work. Cowardice idiot.
22nd Sandstone,
Those idiots keep vomiting on my roof... When the Crater is finished, they will have somewhere to vomit...
Winter,
Almost there... Pits being designed... We now walk past our ancestors... They call for vengeance...They have our solution...
Moon, stones and stars,
It will not be completed in time. I can only prepare for it. I can only hope. Everything shall be set in place. The magma drain, the paths to our homes, the defenses...
Yes, our next glorious leader shall complete it. I cannot stay. The pipe...
Oh, the pipe. I mustn't make it angry. It hath blessed us, and its fury is unquestionable...
Opals, gems of the deep,
A miner/engraver fell to the fury of the Magma Tube. His whole family except for one Neil, a child. He still parties in the statue garden, and likely won't be told about his fathers demise. We can only pray this has appeased the Magma Pipe.
Obsidian, flesh of the Magma Pipe,
Finally, I may have my peace...
But first, the first releases of the magma! It won't be the grand magma lake that we require, but we have the framework for it! We can do this! We are unstoppable! Glorious molten earth!
Spring, time of birth, time of life,
Alas, I cannot stay for any longer. I fear m-MAGMAPIPEMAGMAPIPEMAGMAPIPEMAGMAPIPEMAGMAPI-y sanity. I could snap at any moment. Somebody else must deal with the... the... I don't wish to speaks it's name. No, none of that. Please, just do something. Just take it away.
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So yes, kinda short. Then again, the number of times I had to restart a season is amazing. Yup, technical problems suck.
File Also, any help with the compressor for the map archive would be nice. Seems I'm running into problems with that.