Big update:
28th Malachite, 302
Our first child was born today! Cattan Ramdatan, one of the fortress's soldiers gave birth to a little boy today. In honor of our leader, she named him after him. Young Kib Ardeszas clings to his mother while she spars in the barracks. I went down to see the child, quite a cute little lad, up until he threw up all over me...
1st Galena, 302
With our population now an even 50, Kib declared that we should hold elections and elect a mayor. We were all a bit puzzled by this, but he said a legitimate government must be run by somebody who has the duly elected authority of the people. There was really nobody other than Kib we wished to lead us, and his election as Mayor was unanimous. As mayor he decided to enact a few new changes. First and foremost, a re-designation of all dwarf titles. His first rule was that no dwarf should ever be called a peasant again, deeming it a derogatory title. All unskilled dwarfs shall be known as laborers, assigning several other dwarves to the group. Their primary tasks will be hauling, but he believed they all should be trained in engineering, and stoneworking. He assigned more than just former peasants the new job title also. Many of the craftsdwarves and the old stoneworkers were given the title also. He also laid out designs for a new grand dining hall, and workshop space as well. His last order was to give me a promotion to fortress manager. I'm not quite sure about that last order, but I hope I will do well with the new duties responsible of me.
2nd Galena, 302
Kib and I had a private meeting today. We went over future projects for the lads to work on, as manager of course, it would be my responsibility to keep track of them, issue orders, and make sure all work gets done. Kib laid out three major projects that he has in mind. First was to properly furnish our dining room with a grand set of statues and a long spanning table and seats. Second, equipping the living quarters with a bed, cabinet, chest, weapon rack, and armor stand for every dwarf. Third was to equip our soldiers who have all become quite adept at wrestling, with proper iron armor, and weapons befitting our glorious fortress. I nodded and agreed to his requests, however I added a fourth one to the front of the que: Barrels. Our food industry is desperately lacking in them, and we need many barrels to have a properly functioning alcohol and food industry to keep us fed, and have plenty of alcohol to go around.
10th Galena, 302
The miners have been moving quickly! More than half of Kib's newly ordered crafting area has been dug out, and the new laborers have begun setting up their workshops in the space. I ordered the deconstruction of all craft shops on the surface, so all non-military dwarves can start to move downstairs on a more permanent basis where they will be safer from any enemies out there. Who Kib seems to think are quite a few...
15th Galena, 302
The miners have finished digging out the crafting areas, and have now started digging out our dining hall. I've ordered up I ordered up 60 rock tables, chairs, and statues for the laborers to make, in anticipation of the soon to be dug out hall.
19th Galena, 302
We've ran into a bit of an alcohol shortage I'm afraid. Mainly spurred by the lack of barrels to properly store up a decent stockpile. While Asmel was sleeping, many of the new lads quickly swallowed up the last of our alcohol supplies. I'm going to talk to her today about the possibility of her taking on an apprentice brewer, so we can increase production, and not run out of alcohol if she has any problems preventing her from performing her duties.
24th Galena, 302
After a three-way meeting with Kib, Asmel, and I. We decided from now on Asmel shall be known as the brewmaster, and it will be her responsibility to keep our thirsts quenched with a steady supply of alcohol. She took on an apprentice as well, Thikut Lorbamakgos, who was a laborer. I noticed Asmel and Kib seem to be quite close, I've even spotted her sneaking into Kib's office sometimes when she is done with her duties. I think there might be a bit of romance there.
1st Limestone, 302
Everybody is a bit thirsty as we all wait for Asmel to brew more alcohol. As soon as a barrel comes out of the still there's a small que waiting to get a drink out of it. Luckily work on getting plump helmets acclimated tot he cold environment seems to be working well, as they're starting to grow a little larger. Some good news to note, the dining hall is coming along nicely, along with space set up for stills down near our area as well. This means the brewing can be done down by our stockpiles, and less distance for the brewers to walk back and forth. Also with space for two stills, we can now double our alcohol production!
15th Limestone, 302
The dwarven traders have appeared on the horizon, braving the cold and bitter ice. I'm afraid we don't have a whole lot in terms of trade goods... but I'll see what I can get from them. Hopefully they brought our shipment of wood and barrels like we requested.
17th Limestone, 302
As I was waiting for the traders to get set up, a goblin attemtping to kidnap our children was caught in one of my cages! The idiot! Kib looked over our captor, with hatred in his eyes. I'm not sure what he plans to do with him, but I know it won't be pretty.
18th Limestone, 302
A fairly good haul off the traders. Not nearly as many barrels as I would have liked, but a good supply of wood. Also got some more meat, some big fat juicy plump helmets, and a few hunks of cheese. Could be worse, could be better. Had to give some more of our roast to get it though... we need to start producing some trade goods if we're ever going to start getting proper supplies.
25th Limestone, 302
Kib sat down with our liaison to talk over trade goods today. Kib seems a bit perturbed about how few barrels the traders brought with them. Especially a number of which they tried to charge several thousand dwarf bucks for just because they had a bit of gems encrusted in them.
27th Limestone, 302
I heard shouting come from Kib's office today, I don't think the talks are going very well.
28th Limestone, 302
The liaison stormed off in a huff of anger and made a beeline for the icy planes. Kib talked to me, something along the lines of us not meeting our production quotas set by the mountainhome. What a bunch of rubbish. I told Kib that I doubted we'll get much supplies next year, and he seemed to be happy about the idea.
3rd Sandstone, 302
The laborers finished making enough chairs and tables to put together a decent dining room. I ordered the construction, now to start ordering up furniture for the housing. On the barrel front, we're up to 47, 13 iron ones we manufactured ourselves, the rest have been imports. Still, we need a lot more, but I think it will get us by for now. I talked to one of the metal workers, a dwarf calling themselves 'Rugged' seems to be a bit of a self-centered dwarf, about practicing his armor craft making some bucklers. And we can sell the crappy ones off for profit while he hones his craft. I'm not sure if he liked the way I suggested he needed to get better at making armor, but rushed off to prove how well he can armor our dwarves. We have 52 iron bars at the moment, and 23 units of fuel. Need to see what we can do about expanding our furnace operating dwarves in the future.
10th Sandstone, 302
I think Rugged is pouting, hasn't started working on the bucklers, and instead says he is 'on break'. What a silly dwarf, I'm thinking about assigning a more willing spirit to be our official armorsmith instead...
12th Sandstone, 302
Rugged still claims to be 'on break' I decide to have a talk with Kib about it. While he thinks that every dwarf should have a day off every now and then, 2 days sulking because you're offended that you need to practice making armor is a bit much!
15th Sandstone, 302
I threaten to assign Rugged to the military if he doesn't get into shape. He thought I was bluffing, but when I showed up with Ineth at my side, him holding his ax and grinning his twisted little grin, Rugged backed down, and ran off to work.
22nd Sandstone, 302
The whole metal working industry has ground to a halt today due to a coal shortage. We DO have coal, but it's all in the smelters. And the furnace operators say they can't use it until a laborer moves it out of the smelter and into the coal stockpile. I asked them who setup such an insane rule, and they said it was by the order of Kib. I groaned loudly, and see what I can do about it. Rugged, who was taking the shutdown in the line for an opportunity to smoke a pipe while leaning against the wall outside the forge gave me such a pompous look. I growled so loudly once I was safely locked up inside my office where nobody could hear me... I hope.
23rd Sandstone, 302
Okay, I got this whole damn thing situated. Against their protests, I ordered the furnace operators to do their own damn hauling. They can carry the refined coal the whole 5 feet needed to clear it of the furnace, where it can then be used to make more coal. I assured them it was a temporary measure until we get more dwarves. Then I can assign a few lads to do it full time. They seemed to accept this, and went to work. What I wouldn't give to have access to magma... but alas, no such luck.
10th Timber, 302
Well things are running smoothly again. Kib seemed to not have taken any interest in my recent intervening, and hasn't mentioned it to me. If ind it's best not to raise any issued with Kib that I don't need to. He seems to be spending a lot of time in his office lately, says he's trying to come up with adequate fortifications. He still thinks we will be attacked soon, by what, I don't know, but he is always worried about our defenses. With his absence, a lot of the dwarves have turned to me for guidance and I often find myself the mediator of differences, or fixer of problems. I took the liberty of ordering the miners to dig out another block of living quarters, as we'll need the space to expand soon, I'm sure.
11th Timber, 302
Tekkud, one of the metalsmiths that migrated to our fortress recently stopped smelting magnetite, taken by some sort of strange mood, kicked Rugged off of the forge while he was making a buckler, and set off collecting supplies. The other metal workers are watching her carefully, Rugged seems especially angry about the upstart taking control of the forge while he was busy making very important bucklers. Apparently she is shouting for rock blocks, so I ordered some to be made right away.
18th Timber, 302
Blocks made, Tekkud seems to have gathered all the materials she needs, and has started to work on some sort of project. There is hopes it will be good, or at least made of iron, which is always good!
22nd Timber, 302
Well Tekkud finished her project, a wonderful iron short sword! She named it'Domainbraved' a really nasty looking Iron Short Sword, that should make fast work of any poor goblin unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. Here's a sketch of the nasty thing:
27th Timber, 302
Rugged seems a bit upset about getting kicked off his forge, but is back to work. I figured it's probably a good idea to have a couple more forges, so I ordered Rugged to make two new anvils before setting back to work on bucklers. This way we can produce more than just one metal item at a time.
1st Moonstone, 302
Winter has arrived, and with the bitter cold, we all are huddling inside the warmth of our deep home. Kib came out of his office today and had a word with me. He said he wished me to conduct an inspection of the fortress and make a report of how we were developing. I should also see how we can improve our efficiency as much as possible. I nod and set off to work on my project.
6th Moonstone, 302
Inspection part one: Miners
Our mining outfit consists of 3 miners, Iton and Olin who founded this fortress, and one newcomer, Humaan (don't ask about the name) The 3 have been working hard carving out our home. They are also assisting with stone hauling, as we attempt to make an attempt at clearing up all this stone cluttering our halls. Attached is a sketch of Humaan as he works on expanding our housing.
14th Moonstone, 302
Inspection part two: Metalworkers
Our metalworking outfit consists of 4 dwarves. Most concentrate on refining coal and smelting magnetite, while one concentrates on a specific project. We just finished expanding our forges with two new anvils. Rugged has been working rather hard on making bucklers to practice his armor making skills. Rock still litters most of the metalworking area, although the laborers have made good progress on getting most of it hauled away. Laborers also haul in raw ore for the furnace operators to smelt, hopefully limiting the time they need to wander around the mines to a minimum. Attached is a sketh of Rugged toiling away on some bucklers.
22nd Moonstone, 302
Inspection part three: Laborers
Our laborers are the backbone of the fortress. 20 strong, there are lots of them, and they are all over the place. They do the various hauling jobs that need to be done, as well as stoneworking and mechanic jobs. They have taken over a large number of spaces in our crafting hall for their masonry workshops, where they work to build enough furniture to properly furnish living quarters worthy of a free dwarf. Their hauling tasks are quite numerous, especially with our attempts to clear out so much stone that is literally everywhere. I'm starting to think we're going to need to figure out some sort of method for destroying all this stone, or putting it to some sort of use. Here is a sketch of the craft halls, and you can see many laborers running around on their many tasks. This is one of the few places where stone is starting to clear noticeably, as the laborers suck it up to convert it into furniture.
26th Moonstone, 302
Inspection part four: Dining Hall Project
I am glad to report the Dining Hall is coming along quite nicely. We have constructed two long rows of tables and chairs, with plenty of space for everybody, and then some. Lots of elbow space to go around. The only downside I'm afraid is the place is covered in rubble. Rocks everywhere left over from when it was excavated. There's a large area for food storage on the north and south sides of the hall, as well as two stills, and two kitchens. Attached is a sketch of the dining hall, as some dwarves relax in the large spacious hall and enjoy their dinner.
6th Opal, 302
Inspection part five: Living Quarters Project
Unfortunately the living quarters project has not progressed very well. It is of course second in priority to the dining hall, which we have just completed... for the most part. A lot of furniture needs to be made for the living quarters, but on a positive note, we have acquired a decent amount of lumber, and as such, a good number of beds have been made, and more are on their way. Kol our Carpenter works day and night to make as many beds as he can, and has gotten quite good at it over the last few seasons too. We have 65 beds at the moment, which is one for every dwarven head, although many need to be set up. Also need to manufacture a lot of doors so we can start assigning rooms, even if unfurnished. Here's a sketch of the living quarters as they are now. I currently estimate it will probably be about a year before they are all fully furnished and up to our standards.
10th Opal, 302
Inspection part six: Food production
Farming seems to be well established, and plump helmets are coming at a steady pace now. Our small patch of dirt is doing well at feeding us, along with what supplies we get from traders, we are doing quite well. Animal population is also starting to boom, and the need for a coral is quite evident. I've given a design to the miners to dig out, and they are off to work on it, but we'll need a lot of rope or chain to keep all the cattle tied up, and stop them from wondering all over the fortress, and leaving their little 'cow traps' as the lads like to call them, lying around. Attached is a sketch of some of the farmers working our field. As you can see, the plump helmets are still rather poor, but several years of selective fertilization has managed to make some that are starting to get good at growing in the cold.
14th Opal, 302
Inspection part seven: Military
Our ten military dwarves have been progressing quite well. They are still practicing wrestling, as I do not think they should start sparring with weapons until all have been equipped with excellent armor worthy of our fighting force. They have picked up the bucklers that Rugged has been producing, and practicing shield use with them. Under the excellent training of Ineth, all have become legendary wrestlers in their own right, and our all in peak condition. They are still novices with shields, but are learning quickly. Ineth has promoted one of the new recruits, Octavio, to be his second in command. The two run a very tight squad, and are all eager to show their might for our glory. Attached is a sketch of Octavio sparring in the barracks.
22nd Opal, 302
Inspection Conclusion:
Work is progressing well on our fortress, but we still have much to do. We need more labor if we are to speed up the progress of any large projects. Preferably more labor for increasing our metal production, and stone hauling tasks. Other than that, things seem to be progressing quite well. Food shortages are not likely, but we're still having a hard time keeping alcohol supplies up.
24th Opal, 302
Kib made a decree today, no exports of balista parts. I'm starting to get worried about him. He's spending too much time cooped up in his office, I'm starting to think he's lost touch with the rest of us. We don't even have a siege engine workshop, let alone a balista to export!
5th Obsidian, 302
Rugged decided he was tired of making bucklers today, and started producing chainmail. I figured it's for the good, if anything, it'll get the lads used to wearing armor while he improves his armor making skill. Then once he becomes really good at making armor, they can all upgrade to plate armor.
13th Obsidian, 302
Rugged has now stopped making armor altogether, I think he's been affected by some sort of strange mood, and has started hoarding metal bars into one of the forges, in an attempt to make some sort of project! The other metalworkers are keeping a close eye on him, but he works secretly, and snaps at anybody who tries to take a peak at what he's gathering.
17th Obsidian, 302
After scowering the fortress for a long list of items, Rugged seems to have gotten all he needs, and has begun working on a mysterious project. We all wait with anticipation for word from the metalworkers what his project will be.
21st Obsidian, 302
Rugged has finished his project. Apparently he is rebelling from all the armor he has been forced to make, and put together an iron bracelet. It is rather nice, and worth a decent bit. Lots of spikes, and bands on the thing, not sure if it's a bracelet, or a wrist mounted weapon. Here's a sketch of it, for your viewing pleasure. Finished with his project, Rugged has gone back to work on armorsmithing with little complaint.
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Topic: [story/community fort]The Exiles of Laborpride (Read 3278 times)