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[Fourdots]

But you don't think the Overseer is actually sane, do you?

Ah, of course. I tend to fall into the mistake of doing things logically.

That said, the outcasts need* a winding maze, to prevent the caretakers from finding them. Ideally with lots of unused rooms which can be re-purposed as needed, and maybe a largish (artificial) underground cavern with bedrooms opening off it, and the dining room in the center. Farms above, as they'll need** soil.

* That is, I vote for this happening!
** Pretty necessary for farming, but only really a need if they're going to farm.

Though if that doesn't work, a tiny minimal fortress is good.

And ... can I claim outcast #6? The idea of a novice animal trainer doing his best to fill an underground maze with animals appeals to me. Whenever the outcasts have the time to build cage traps, anyways ...

[addictgamer]

Well, After we build a cool entrance, I think we should build that maze.
I vote for it!

Can we have the main fort down in the caverns?

[Ilmoran]

If you can give me a pretty good idea of what you want, I can try to do it.  I must warn you, I think the caverns are like 30z levels down.  I tweaked the cavern layers to give myself more room to build the Facility.

I'll see what I can do for a nice, confusing labyrinth entrance, although the caretakers really want nothing to do with you.  I'll probably even assign the caretakers to a burrow in the Facility so that they don't, say, rush out to steal your wood or booze

And yes, I think farming will probably be critical for you, unless you intend to brew your drinks from berries picked on the surface 

That said, the Overseer didn't think to give you any seeds (plus, 'surface' farming is easier currently; no need to irrigate).  And I'll go ahead and make an axe for you asap, because the overseer didn't give you any empty barrels (in the mean time, the outcasts will happily through their food on the ground to have a barrel for precious booze; at least, I assume they will )

Fourdots:  Got a name you want for the "engraver"?

[Ilmoran]

Journal of Deler Thalaltun, Overseer, Galena 2, 1051:

The Caretakers have calmed in the weeks after the arrival of our first Residents.  I have spoken with each of the Caretakers individually, and they understand now the service we are providing to the Residents.  We shall keep them safe and happy.  If one of us should die, we will mourn, but the Residents shall know no heartache.  The Caretakers understand this now, and they hurry to provide for the needs of our honored guests.

Indeed, they are quick to defend our fledgling facility:  Today, two kobold thieves were spotted.  I told the caretakers to kill the skulking filth, and they did so with a vengeance.  While one of the dogs was tearing at the leg of the first kobold, and the other caretakers were raining blows upon it, Mosus strangled the life out of it.  The fight lasted mere moments.  While carrying in the trophies of the fallen kobold, a second one was sprung from hiding.  I thought the first fight was brutal, but this time, Obok gauged and clawed at the creatures face, while Nish strangled it, and Melbil, in what could only be considered an insult to the creatures shadowy ways, held its nose...  Truly, the Caretakers are fierce in defense of the residents.  Oh, and a caretaker sustained minor bruising.  Barely worth mentioning.

Spoiler: First kobold beatdown (click to show/hide)

In other news, we have prepared the southern expanse of our surface area to capture the unicorns and giant jaguar.  While the cage traps were being placed, 3 of the unicorns and the jaguar tried to bolt, but they ran away from where Fath was placing the traps... which of course led them to where he had already laid the other traps.  The remaining 3 unicorns now cower on the southern island formed by the moat.  For now, we will leave them; there will be time to capture them.

The caretakers have completed their rooms; once we finish arrangements for the Residents, I shall have them turn once more to the earth, and dig deeper.  We still need a grand dining hall, as well as areas for the doctors and military we shall eventually require.

For now, I leave you with this image of the pathetic unicorns cowering.  We shall eventually see if we can find a way to tame these creatures, but for now they will sit in their cages.

Spoiler: Unicorn trap (click to show/hide)

[Ilmoran]

Journal of Fath Eseshinod, Grand Architect, 19th of Timber, 1051:

The dwarven caravan has arrived, as well as some immigrants.  I shall not record them here, as they are not my concern.  We have given some a place among the honored residents, and others have been recruited for Caretakers.  Deler seemed upset about giving rooms to one of the immigrants.  Apparently, he is a skilled craftsdwarf.  But he make wooden crafts.  Useless, elf-tainted, wood.  And he makes trinkets out of it.  He should be turned aside, and his room saved for one who is deserving of it, but that is not my place.

The dwarven caravan arrived today.  We traded the gear from the kobolds for some drinks, a few metal blocks, and some extra bags and barrels.  Deler traded for sand, even though we're standing on miles of it.  Apparently the dwarves from back home will sell you a bag of send for less than the bag alone.  A few minutes after the trade was made, the Caretakers emptied the bags so they could be used for something useful.

Aside from that, Autumn has been quiet.  After a few months of the unicorns grazing to the south, Deler finally got fed up with them and ordered everyone not currently working to move in a pack toward the unicorns.  This continued until each unicorn was steered toward the cage traps, which I would reload before the next unicorn was unceremoniously bullied into the traps.  Now that we have caught the entire herd, more wildlife has appeared.  We've seen another herd of unicorns, a herd of elephants, and a leopard.  Our cage traps are now in front of the bridge entrance, but none of the animals seem to approach our territory.  I have considered placing a few traps south of our moat, as both elephants and unicorns have frequently strolled alongside the banks of the moat, as though mocking our inability to snare them.  But we will get them one day...

For now, we keep digging.

[Fourdots]

Just Outcast Six will do. With the custom title of "Outcast." Suitably anonymous; I assume that he(?) isn't especially inclined to talk about himself after leaving the mountainhome only to be told that the fortress doesn't want him; could do horrible things to self-esteem, that. Not to mention that getting too connected to people in an under-supplied group of outcasts could lead to trouble.

And just as I was about to post this, more story posts! The overseer scares me a bit.

[Ilmoran]

And just as I was about to post this, more story posts! The overseer scares me a bit.

She's supposed to.

Yes.  She.

More scariness:  She and the Grand Architect have gotten married.

[addictgamer]

More scariness:  She and the Grand Architect have gotten married.

 


Yes, dig a maze all those 30 z-levels.
And build a farm on the surface -.-
Make sure to close it in with constructions.

[Ilmoran]

<Scrawled on the stones in Room 1A>

I think something is wrong in this fortress.
More than the obvious.
We are prisoners here, but I know not why.
Sure, they gave me a nice room, and a decent bed.
The doors are quite well carved.
They give me gems to cut, and make no demands on how fast I must cut them.
But still we are prisoners...
They feed us and give us drinks... but we are prisoners.
And now, something worse is wrong.

I think... I think the Rum is gone.
Not just the Rum either.  The Wine and Beer seem low, and I think there's no Ale.
I think they're rationing our drinks.
I get thirsty now... they never let me get thirsty in the last... how many months have I been here?
Was it 8?
Or 6?  Yes... 6.  They haven't let me go thirsty in 6 months until now..
Something is wrong...
They send in a barrel, and let me drink my fill, but then they insist I send the barrel back out.

There must be others like me, who are having their drinks rationed...
I wonder, do our "Caretakers" get to drink?
They are probably guzzling down our brew and we are shorted because of their gluttony...

My turn for the booze!

[Ilmoran]

Overseer's Journal, 12th of Obsidian:

Thrice-damned and cursed be these imbeciles.

It has been a long winter, and I fear that the Caretakers lack the will to see it through.  Things were going well until I noticed our booze stockpiles were running low.  Providence has seen fit not to send us a brewer, so we have only what we brought from the mountainhome, and the meager 4 barrels the autumn caravan brought us.  We have received no immigrants this season, both a blessing and a curse.  When I realized the stockpiles wouldn't hold through spring, I ordered the booze to be rationed for the Residents, and the Caretakers would have to suffer drinking water for a time.  It will make them stronger, if they can survive it, but they refuse to see sound reasoning.  I cannot allow one of them to brew anything either.  The Order of this fortress must be maintained.  If I allow a Caretaker to brew drinks, I would have to make him a Resident.  But then the safety of separation would be compromised.  If one of us were to die, the former Caretaker could take it poorly and tantrum.  Similarly, if said Caretaker-turned-Resident were to die, the other Caretakers would mourn the loss.

No, for the safety of the Residents, no Resident may know the Caretakers.  We will drink water, and we will survive.

[addictgamer]

...We will drink water...

The dwarfs now hate the overseerer.

Can't wait to see the outcast's update.

[Ilmoran]

...We will drink water...

The dwarfs now hate the overseerer.

Can't wait to see the outcast's update.

Oddly enough, the Residents hate the Overseer more than the Caretakers.  Every Caretaker is bloody ecstatic right now.

Also, they are all "Calm, Slow to Anger, Almost Never Feels Discouraged, and Can Handle Stress".  My dwarves are freaks of nature.

Edit:  Ok, just checked.  First, it all my dwarves, second, its because I got a little carried away modding.  I'm hereby confiscating my dwarves happy pills.  I don't think it will affect my current dwarves, but future dwarves should be more varied than my emotional automatons here.

[Ilmoran]

Journal of the Grand Architect, 29th of Obsidian:

We are almost out of Winter, and not a moment too soon.  Though the Caretakers are coping well enough to the restrictions on alcohol, some occasionally lose control.  A number of times I have witnessed incidents involving barrels of alcohol marked for transfer from one Resident to another.  An off-duty Caretaker will come to guzzle a quick drink before anyone notices;  then, another Caretaker, tasked to haul the barrel, and fearful of disobeying orders, will snatch the barrel away and rush to the room it is to be delivered to.  Inevitably, the first Caretaker will chase the fleeing barrel of booze, and bemoan his poor luck for a few moments after the barrel ducks into a burrow, out of reach.

But, despite these desperate moments, the Caretakers seem to remain in good spirits.  I believe it is fortuitous that we struck platinum in the early winter;  I ordered it to be mined out, the room smoothed, and I created a few tables and chairs for it.  The Caretakers may have complained about eating standing up for 9 months, but they now see it was worth the wait.

Spoiler: The Dining Hall (click to show/hide)

We also have a Medical Facility and a Military Complex set aside 2 floors up.  I'm not entirely sure what is required for the military.  We will expand as needed.

Spoiler: Medical and Military areas (click to show/hide)

In other news, we have fish in the moat:

Spoiler: I hope lungfish taste good. (click to show/hide)

Oh, and Deler and I plan to get married in Spring, to set an example for the others that we can all persevere through these hard times.

<----End Year 1---->

[Ilmoran]

Overseer's Journal, 28th Slate, 1052:

Immigrants have arrived!  I must see them to their rooms, and I will make a detailed catalog of their skills later, but for now the important thing is:  A Brewer has come!  And not one of these questionable competent slackers who calls themselves a Farmer or an Engraver.  An Accomplished Brewer!  I must begin preparations to ensure a smooth transition, but we held fast during our crisis and have been rewarded for our steadfastness!  Tonight, we all drink!

Felsite 2, 1052:
The process of sorting the new arrivals was long, but worth it.  Among our new residents, we received a brewer, a clothesmaker (really, he has several craft skills, but this fills our current need), a crossbowyer, a skill fishery worker, who will both catch and clean fish from the moat, which has been ingeniously connected to the inside of the fortress by my husband.  Oh, yes, Fath and I got married on the 19th of Granite.  Back to immigrants, we also got a tanner, a butcher (a useful pair), a lye maker, a milker, and 2 carpenters.  The carpenters and brewer will be busy for quite a while.  We also got a few dwarves who have been recruited for military duty, a few more haulers, and a digger.  I debated placing the digger in the military, and I still might, after his demonstration while entering the fortress.  A kobold sprung from ambush and slashed at Iton with a dagger.  Iton, lightning-quick, parried the attack and planted his copper pick into the kobolds skull.  No one realized what happened until the corpse hit the ground, it was over that fast.  I would have drawn the scene, but as I said, it was over so fast no one really got a good look [read as:  I forgot to take a picture, and the Report is empty now].

Spoiler: Overseer marriage (click to show/hide)

The immigrants weren't entirely good news, however.  Several immigrants arrived who must have heard about the fantastic living conditions here, and expected to get a free ride.  They have skills of little use or experience, or skills which our facility has fulfilled already.  I have turned them away, for none will be given shelter here without earning their keep.  But let it not be said that I am cruel; I have given them a pick, some wood, and a few barrels of food; enough to start reasonable attempt at shelter, at least such as most dwarves are used to.  So long as these outcasts keep to their side of the brook and do not interfere with my work here, I care little for what they do.

However, we will still observe them.

[addictgamer]

That's one awesome miner