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[Haika]

intro:
-----

The warden sat in his marble throne gnawing on a roasted leg of cat meat when his head clerk rushed into the room with a worried look on her face. Grumbling only mildly, the warden lowered the meal, "What now? I get so few leisure hours in this place.."

"Sorry sir, but an urgent matter came up." The clerk nervously offered a piece of paper to the grumpy dwarf that led this prison. "We have run out of space for new 'guests'." She indicated the listing of names at the bottom. "There are seven more dwarves set to be interred in the asylum than we have beds!" The female dwarf cringed at the thought of having random inmates running around the halls. "What are we going to do?"

The warden grunted once and tossed the meat back onto its plate, enjoying the ringing the iron made as it clanged against the steel table. It seemed his appetite would have to wait. "Prepare a wagon and some basic supplies." A wicked grin played across his bearded face, "I know just where to send them, and those who follow."

-----

Haika slapped the reigns of the pack animals pulling the wagon and swatted at a pack of flies that were currently terrorizing his head. He had taken this option as an escape, but he would not let it best him. He had plans, big plans. And no swamp, amassed enemy, or insane fellows would stop him.

The wagon stalled several times during the trip, and the dwarves had to get out and help extract the wooden monstrosity and it's haulers out of the mud and murk.  Just as tempers and drive were straining the small group finally found the spot that was given to them.

Some dwarves might see this hot, humid, jungle to be a deathtrap filled with all sorts of horrible beast and no proper stone for a dwarf to mine into. Haika however smiled as he noticed the small patches of sand at the edges of the heavy vegetation. To him, this would be paradise. A paradise of shimmering glass. It was here that he would start Zasrimtar, The Crystal Castle!

-----
/intro

Well there you have it. This will be my first attempt at a community fortress.

I haven't chosen the spot yet, but I do have a world made up to use. The site will be heavily forested, with sand, and at least one covering layer of aquifer. I will try to get a brook in it, if not a river or pool. No magma, and no stone will be used except what little we can import. I will choose a small flat area 2x2, and work on turning the whole area into a glass construct from the ground up.

I expect to be using a lot of trees for charcoal to make glass, and I don't expect to make many elf friends. Not that it matters a whole lot. Each dwarf in the fortress will be required to have a quirk, flaw, 'uniqueness' that got him or her sent to an insane asylum/prison. I expect there will be a lot of deaths, and maybe even some very powerful dwarves by the time it ends. It will end when the fort collapses or at such time I deem Zas will survive without any further tampering.

The posts will be in story format based on what happens like what I posted above, but with screenshots(assuming I have no trouble uploading and such). If nothing interesting happens I may from time to time write little back story posts or random tidbits of story around the fortress as I weave the tale.

 I will rename dwarfs and set things up along the same lines at other fortresses, addressing new dwarf immigrations with new sign ups. I will try and post regular updates, but I will only promise at least one a week(though they may come several a day if I get in the mood).

That's the idea anyway. From here on it will be up to how things go, my moods, and if I decide to change plans midway through(especially if people think this overdone, I know there is at least one glass fort going on). So I'm wondering does this sound interesting to you? If so sign up. And lets get started.

[OneMoreNameless]

I'll join!

Bobby, a woodcutter / axedwarf with very, very poor vision who has several times "accidentally" cut down fellow dwarves.

[neo1096]

I'm in.
Neo, an aspiring warrior but with a slight melancholic disposition. When his own fort wouldn't let him into the army as a swordsdwarf he almost committed suicide. He also always wanted to work as a woodburner, as he likes fire.

[hexedmagica]

I'll join.
Hexed, a miner who has often experimented with the hardness of a dwarf's skull.

[Haika]

looks great guys I will get started on this later tonight so should be our first story post then, either that or tomorrow at the latest.

in other news, I've picked out the site:


muhahaha. Hope I can survive long enough to keep things going.

also here are the graphic specs I shall be useing for further screenshots:
    Guybrush 16x16 tileset
         Dystopian Rhetoric 16x16 graphics set
         Bane18 16x16 animal graphics suppliment(partial)

If anyone still wants one of the intial 7, go ahead and post, I'll check back in here before I start the game. Also as a note, mention what gender you prefer, though your less likely to get a dwarf it may be odd having a female dwarf named Joe Tinklebottoms... >.> Then again...

[Theoclymenus]

Hi there! I'll take a dwarf of either gender, whichever is free. 'Theo' if male or 'Chyla' if female.
Have him/her as the cook that pays maybe a little too much attention to detail in what he/she is doing. And he/she loves using lots of different ingredients.

I'll be interested to see how this fortress runs, I really don't envy the idea of making a glass fortress without magma... Good luck!

[Haika]

current available dwarfs: female fisherdwarf, male hunter/marksdwarf

Spring, Year One, Day One
POV: Haika

I was roused from an irritating night of humidity-soaked sleep by the arguing voices of those around me. With the late night arrival last night we didn't have much time to get a good look at our new 'home' and I was eager to try and see how much sand we had to make glass with. I scanned the faces of the small group sent along with me and was rather pleased at the variety.

The 'argument' seemed to be between the miner and the woodcutter. Bobby, the woodcutter seemed quite insistent that a normal battle axe was the best tool for cutting anything down. The miner, Hexed preferred a pickaxe, apparently with an over handed swing. Something tells me these two are NOT talking about wood and stone to use their tools on...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The next dwarf I spot is one of the two females sent along with us on this trip. I think she said her name was Chyla, but I'm horrible with names. She is a cook by profession, and has basic understanding of plants that will help us gather and grow food. It seems rather ironic to me that our meals will be prepared by a female, traditional you could say. It is as it should be. Or however that saying goes. Either way, don't let Chyla know, she still came from the same prison as the rest of us, and the thing about cooks that worries me is that they never seem to be without a cleaver.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I didn't catch the name of the other female, she seems a quiet sort. Either that or at least she was taken aback by the long journey and her imposed stay at the prison. She was already gone from this morning gathering, I assume off to fish. It was one of the few tidbits of information I got out of her during the brief time we talked the other day, hopefully she will catch some extra food.

The hunter is gone too, He was an odd one. Apparently in charge of a whole slew of animals when he was sent to the asylum, and managed to bring several of them with him. After a little encouragement I was able to find out that most of them were trained attack dogs.

Finally in the group we have Neo. If the hunter is odd, Neo is a few fire imps short of a magma pipe. The dwarf is currently sitting on a large root outcropping and using a torch to burn some of the low hanging branches. The look on his face as he watches the sticks burn is deeply disturbing. I'd worry about him torching the whole forest, but it's wetter than a mermaid's foot out here. That, and Neo was the only one of us armed with a proper weapon. The steel hilt at the fire-obsessed dwarf's hip kept most of the others from questioning his behavior.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Giving my best speech about how this is dangerous terrain and it would be better if each dwarf had some sort of protection, I managed to make sure every dwarf had a dog assigned as a guard. Leaving the two hunting dogs to remain with their original master. We also apparently have a breeding pair of cats with us. As tempted as I am to slaughter them now, I think they would be best used to catch vermin... as long as something else doesn't catch them first.



Taking a quick inventory I looked at what the warden had sent us. It wasn't a whole lot. Other than Bobby's axe, Hexed's pickaxe, and Neo's sword we had a crossbow and a handful of bolts that the hunter had already claimed. The rest of us were on our own for weapons and protection.

We had a small stockpile of drinks in three types, it would last for now. Some normal food supplies in the form of Dwarven Mushrooms and a barrel full of turtles. The last gave me some pause for a moment, I thought we were the odd ones not the ones supplying us. I shrugged it off and moved on, the bones and shells would make for decent trinkets to trade with the caravan sent to trade-snoop on our little settlement this coming fall.

The final part of the supplies held a metal cage and four ropes. Frankly I wasn't surprised we didn't have more of these. Coming from a prison. Perhaps we can set up some sort of meat farm in the future.

After checking the wagon, I turned to survey the full area in the sun that was quickly warming up the wet air. Not much here at all.  Plenty of unfamiliar trees speckled with some familiar ones, and the brook.



I sent Bobby off to start chopping wood. He ran off with a gleam in his eye when my answer to his question of what to cut was "anything, just start clearing".

Hexed I asked to start digging out a temporary hole in the dirt to live in. I also mentioned that he should start thinking about what he will do after the small amount of digging is finished. He informed me with a creepy smile that he knew a thing or two about carving bone.

I was about to ask Neo to gather some of the wood Bobby was cutting when the wood burner managed to catch a small beetle on fire and sat unmoving watching it twitch.

...

I was never so happy to be off picking 'herbs' with Chyla

Oh, and I am pleased to mention that I was elected leader of this little jaunt.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

We named ourselves Fikod Zulash, "The Glaze of Pain".

You know, like on sticky buns. mmmm... Sticky Buns... on a glass plate!

[Shikon]

i shall steal the hunter named Ankas ( giant seeker)

he tends to "forget" his crossbow to wrestle  it out.
he doesn't like metal. and isn't fond of wearing leather. especially if its made from his own animals.
he is found of pigtail cloth tough and would wear it over anything Else


yeah i suck at thinking of weird things =o but refusing to wear armour would make you get trown in the asylum if your a dwarf i bet so =D

[Makahlua]

Yoinking the fisherdwarfette! 

Lucent got her nickname because she's one of those odd dwarfs that -prefers- outside. Her family decided she needed to be sealed up to 'cure' her, but decided to try doing it themselves first...so now she's clausterphobic too :x Unless there's windows, she can handle it if there's windows or something to let light in (she should -love- this place )

[Haika]

Spring Year One POV: Haika

I've set up some basic stockpile locations near the wagon for the gathered plant materials and chopped logs. They aren't overly large, but should give us someplace to gather things together until we get some storage chambers dug up out of the mud. I also have some good news, while talking with Chyla I learned some about our other two members.

The hunter is named Ankas, and seems to be fairly forgetful in many aspects. He was sent to the asylum for refusing to wear any armor other than gauntlets. Apparently he doesn't like getting his hands dirty. Oh and I should mention that it's metal gauntlets. He is almost elfish with his animal loving ways.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Lucent is the fisherdwarf. Apparently she is an outdoorsdwarf, and prefers the light of the sun or moon instead of a sturdy rock home. I can agree with this, even if it is abnormal. I suppose we are all in the same wagon as it seems.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

-
It's not often that I am surprised, but I was taken off guard by the sudden appearance of the dead gibbon. I can only assume that the hunter made good on his skills. As he's ran off again and I have no idea where. A quick survey of the area has shown there is another gibbon out there, as well as a lungfish gulping along the muddy ground. Let's hope Ankas can keep up the work.

-
I've given Neo the task of butchering and tanning the results of Ankas' hunting. He didn't seem overly upset until I told him not to burn any of the useful parts. Luckily the promise of being able to burn as much wood as he likes later calmed him down.

Designating a few spots outside to build workshops I've mostly focused on food production now. Butcher's shop, tanner's shop, fishery. We have food at the moment, but I'd not want to see the results of work rotting in the humid air. I've also moved our wood storage to the first level underground, along with setting up a carpenter's shop for further construction nearby.

-
Our cats have taken to bringing the corpses of the vermin they catch to Neo. He happily 'disposes' of them in his own special way. Unfortunately I think they've grown attached to each other. I begin to wonder if I shouldn't have slaughtered the cats when I had the chance.

-
Elephants. I heard them long before I saw them. Apparently Ankas has run into them in the jungle before now, but didn't bother to inform anyone. Bobby was out cutting wood when two of the large beasts got a little too close. Apparently though these elephants are not the vicious beasts I had heard of.

I had a good chuckle watching bobby's war dog chase one of the elephants around the whole area. They circled the camp at least twice before the dog got bored and the elephant was able to escape.

-
I've given the order to move the food stockpile underground. As damp as it is here, the mud is still cooler than the air, and hopefully this will keep some of the rations from rotting. I left a smaller area for raw fish out near the river where Lucent can deposit her catch.

Along with the move I've zoned out a section for mushroom farming. As well as put in a few workshops nearby. The three food processing shops, I call them. A kitchen, still, and farmer's workshop.

A back cavern(if you can call them that in these mudpits) behind the wood stockpile has been designated a general stockpile for basically anything not already spoken for. Along the same lines I plan to set up an area outside near the butcher's shop to hold animal surplus.

-
The Elephants are back. This time they brought friends. Apparently this doesn't make them less cowardly though. It's both amusing and slightly sobering to watch a whole herd of giant beasts run and scatter from Ankas and his two hunting dogs. I wouldn't be surprised if he manages to kill one of them before too long. Ivory would make good trade goods.

-
I noticed today that some of the bolts fired by Ankas were not damaged. I set about gathering them and letting the others know to bring them back into the stockpiles so Ankas can use them again. It was then that I noticed the bronze crossbow from our initial supplies sitting on the wagon.

I managed to flag down Ankas and ask him what was going on. The hunterdwarf shrugged and showed the copper crossbow he had brought with him. "But why don't you use the bronze one, isn't it more sturdy with a better recoil?" His answer was another shrug. Apparently the copper crossbow was important to him.

After all this, I also figured that it might be better to start wooden bolt production, so he wouldn't have to run back and forth from the stockpile to pick up one steel bolt at a time. As fun as it was watching Ankas try to run up to an elephant and beat it to death with the copper crossbow.

-
Overall I think progress progresses. The outdoor shops should have some sort of stockade built around it. Though I'm also pondering the thought of blocking off our side of the brook with a channel around the area. Sort of a moat for the castle.



In the mud hole Hexed dug out for us we have a growing food stockpile. I've started work on more barrels to hold all that junk, and maybe some bins for the general stock




It will be a while before we can start glass production, but it seems the 2nd level below the mud is all black sand. Unfortunately beyond that is the aquifer, so it's all a muddy mess currently.



As summer approaches it gets warmer and warmer. I think we've all lost of few pounds from sweat alone. Hmm, maybe we can use that to attract people here. "Come to Zas, free sauna, 24/7" Ok maybe not... but it's still damn hot.

[Haika]

Summer Year One, POV: Ankas

Silence was a hunters best friend. Ankas knew that, as did the dogs he had trained from puppies. The dwarf elected to lead this 'adventure' did not. As Haika crashed through the jungle Ankas swore slightly under his breath and tried to motion for the other to be quiet.

In the glade ahead two sleek furred shapes rested briefly against a tree. One was sipping water from the wooden flask it carried. They wore no clothing other than the fur and stripes of their animal brethren, and carried only crude spears made from jungle branches.

"There's only two of them, maybe we should try and scare them off?" Haika whispered in what was a loud shout for Ankas' ears.

The hunter's eyesight had been going downhill for years, but he had learned to hone his other senses to peak performance. "Two will bring more if they see us." Was his whispered response. He paused for a moment considering then added, "Stay here."

Ankas hoped Haika would take his 'advice' as he moved off into the brush. A silent gesture and both Aban and Cerol were prowling at his side. His mind briefly darted to what might happen to the other dogs now scattered around the camp as bodyguards, but focused on matters at hand.

After circling to the east side of the river, Ankas carefully loaded his crossbow. Taking aim at one of the two Tigermen he pulled the trigger, starting to move almost as soon as the bolt was released.

The first bolt hit the Tigerman in the shoulder, and a terrified howl of feline pain echoed into the glade. Both of the beastmen grabbed their weapons and rushed to where the bolt came from. Only to have another bolt come from the side and strike one in the unprotected flank.

This was enough to discourage further investigation, and the two bolted away from the hidden dwarves as quick as their feline muscles could propel them. Ankas followed them to the edge of the zone Haika had declared would be their land, making sure that neither of them circled back upon the camp.

[Haika]

Summer Year One, POV: Haika

Our hot and humid summer starts off with a loud gathering of chimpanzees along the western side of the camp. However they proved just as weak as the elephants to Ankas' crossbow. We have a good stock of meat growing, with luck we will be able to trade some of it when the time comes.

-
I've asked Chyla to take up carpentry and help me get some things made from our most abundant resource. She and I seem to get along well, and with the amount of meat and fish being pulled in by the others, we need more construction than we need farming right now.

-
I received news today that Ankas was injured during his hunt. Apparently he managed to shoot himself in the hand. Something tells me this has happened before. It also explains his desire for gauntlets.

Luckily for Ankas, Chyla and I have managed to put together a barracks and dining room general use area. Let's hope the dogs can keep us safe for the time being.



-
Hexed started work on a line of bone crafts. I'm glad I'm not the one handling those remains. He did make a rather interesting gorilla skull totem. I wasn't even aware that we had gorillas here, but seeing as how we seem to have every other type of ape, it's not that surprising.

[Haika]

Summer Year One, POV: Haika


"Whew." Haika exhaled a long sigh as he pushed together the last few pegs on a wooden bin. The things were extremely hard to make in the sticky, humid air, and the woods they had to work with were very soft and pliable.

He was moving the newly made bin to the furniture stockpile nearby when Bobby entered the room. "Hey boss, I've got an idea."

"Alright, lets hear it." Haika carried the bin to the other side of the room and lowered it onto the stockpile. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he turned to the other dwarf, and only momentarily wondered why Bobby was still facing the carpenters shop on the other side of the room.

"We are going to build the trade depot soon right?" The woodcutter's voice had an oddly devious sound to it. "Why should we go out of our way to trade with those dwarves that sent us out here in the first place?"

Why indeed. Haika had been wondering what exactly he would do with the trade caravan that was set to come within the next season, but hadn't come up with any ideas that would keep them getting much needed trade goods.

Bobby waved his axe emphatically, "We rig the depot to take their stuff without them knowing it!" He was still facing the empty carpenters shop. "Then we can send them on their way with empty wagons, and they won't know what happened and we can deny anything."

It dawned on Haika that Bobby was focusing on the last spot he heard Haika talk from. The woodcutter could barely see, and might even be blind in at least one eye. Deciding it was better to keep quiet about it, Haika made a point of responding verbally, "That could work, we would have to destroy the depot afterwards and rebuild it though, so there would be no evidence." The glass-obsessed dwarf had no problems with stealing things, but that was his former life, and he had been trying to get away from it. "But after this season I want to try and deal with traders fairly."

Bobby quickly turned to the source of the voice and nodded emphatically, "Aye, but it's good to know we can if this works." They spent a few moments going over the details and Haika gave the woodcutter the ok to build the new depot out of wood just outside the main entrance.



Summer was drawing quickly to a close, and autumn would be upon them soon. Normally this would bring cooler temperatures, but Haika doubted that here in the jungle things would be that much different.

[Haika]

Autumn Year One, POV Haika

-
It seems someone had been spreading a rumor that I gave the order to ignore furniture built and leave it in the workshops. I tried asking around about who started the rumor, but that didn't lead me to anything. Frustration aside, I've promptly told everyone to move the furniture to the stockpile near the workshops. I'm not doing it all myself.

-
Augh, after the fourth puppy underfoot, I decided it was time to use the cage brought with us. I set it up in the lower right corner of the dining area. That way those that like playing with the puppies can still enjoy them. I've given the order to gather up all the spare animals roaming about that aren't useful and have them caged in that area.

-
Well the 'caravan' is here. Two full wagons and two pack animals. Also four guards. I can only hope Bobby's plan works. Or this could be very ugly for us. I've taken some of our bone crafts to the depot to trade normally, if the traps in the depot work, we will soon get them back.

Hexed does good work, in only the short time we've had him carving, he's made up around 1000 stones worth of bone crafts. It may not be much this time around, but they will only get better with practice.

Our haul looks to be very well rounded. A couple caged horses and a donkey that hopefully will give us a breeding pair to make more animal products. Plenty of food and drink is there as well. What astounds me is that there are several pieces of quality weapons and armor. Whomever asked these merchants to trade with us, obviously didn't tell them the details of who we were. Either way, we will put them to good use.

-
I saw one of the caravan guards looking very shifty. He seemed to be examining each one of us closely, as well as everything we did. I expect this is the agent of the warden sent to check on us. I gave Bobby the cue to activate our little 'trap' and engaged the guard in conversation about how much he would pay for the gauntlet I 'traded' for earlier.

-
The plan is a success! Merchantly goods are piled up in the small cavity below the trade depot, and we hurry to haul it all inside without anyone noticing.

-
Neo and I may have a problem. Immediately after giving birth, the kitten produced by our two vermin hunters was swooped up and adopted by our wood burner. One kitten is all well and good, but there's never just one kitten...

-
It seems luck is on our side with caravan. They left today bidding us farewell and looking forward to trading with us next year. Hopefully by then we can be more honest in our dealings.

The genders of the horses work out well. Two prime stallions to use as breeding stock with the mare we had from our own wagon. I've decided to chain them both in a new mud pit just south of the general living area.

The donkey we received was male just as the one we had from the wagon. I picked out the best stallion to keep, and gave the order to butcher both donkeys and the other horse. We don't really need the meat or hides, but anything to cut down on wasteful mouths to feed is a plus.

-
Inod is the name of the Outpost Liaison sent with us to organize trade matters. As we sat in the communal area I tried to gauge the look on the dwarf's face, but made no progress past this particular bushy beard. We discussed what trade goods we should look for in the future.

The first order of business was what to ask them to bring us. My first choices are obvious. Pearlash and charcoal, as much as they can bring us for the soon to be started glass production. I also asked for wood, though we aren't currently in a huge need of it. Beside those choices, I let him decide what else to bring.

-
In the middle of the trade meeting, I hear an uproar above us from Lucent. It seems a thief was spotted out near the remains of the trade depot. The little kobold quickly left, but it's not known if they stole anything. I take a moment to 'urge' the dwarves to get that stuff inside before we have more problems. This mostly consisted of yelling.

-
After I calmed down some, I returned to the seating area to listen about what Inod wanted us to make, but was interrupted again by a different cry. Migrants! Or this was what Chyla called them, they were in truth more inmates sent to the full prison shuffled out to our little humid patch of heaven.

Hopefully this would make hauling easier at least. I waited for them to gather into the meeting area before I went over their skills.

1 carpenter(male)
1 woodcutter(male)
1 metalcrafter(female)
1 bone carver(male)
1 fisherdwarf(female)
1 milker(female)
3 peasants(2 female, one male)

Along with the metalcrafter came another mare and another puppy, like we needed more. The woodcutter oddly enough brought along a pet bull. Maybe he needed help hauling his axe collection around? I made a point to ask him later.

Overall they should all be put to some use. The metal worker and milker would be left to hauling for now, but were probably destined for some sort of military service. The fisher and bonecarver would be put to use, as would the wood developers.

I greeted each of them briefly, and then returned once more to try and finish my meeting with Inod.

-
Hmm, it seems the mountainhomes are in most need of Earrings and Cheese. I looked Inod in the eye when he said this. I don't think he was kidding. They also wanted a whole slew of other useless things, some of which we might be able to make by the time the Dwarven caravan returned, but I mostly just smiled and nodded.

-
I was informed just recently that a pack of Mandrills were roaming the area. I tried to wave Hexed's concern away with my hand. It's not like we haven't had every other monkey in the jungle pay us a visit. Even with the further knowledge that they were stealing the spent bolts left scattered around by Ankas' hunting, I was not impressed. I did however give the order to reclaim those spent bolts. The metal ones at least we could use again or trade back to the merchants when they come.

-
With that last order of business finished I bid Inod a good travel with a fairly convincing smile. The Calendar has brought us to winter for this year, though it's still as hot and humid as ever. I plan to use the time to get glass production started and I have taken it upon myself to begin updating our stockpile records.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Free dwarfs if anyone is interested. If they arn't what you want, I can adapt them into it. Remember to give a quirk or flaw or something to make them more suitable for the story.

Also, feel free to post critique good or bad here in the thread. I like to know how I'm doing. It may seem a little dry now as things get started, but I hope I have more story type posts going in the future. Those who have dwarves are also encouraged to write out their backstories and why they were sent to the asylum if they like.

Not a whole lot of screenshots this time around, I'll try and do better for the winter post. For now, here's an end of autumn look at the animal pit:

[Xonara]

It's great so far! I've got my eyes on the male peasant. Could you post a little summary of all the jobs each dwarf is currently assigned?

EDIT: Oh, by the way, will player journals be allowed? I'm not sure I'd even have one, but I'm just wondering.