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Huzzah!

26 (81.3%)

Bah!

6 (18.8%)

Total Members Voted: 32

[darkflagrance]

So it seems Sheget recaptured my character and proceeded to mutate him horribly once again.

Such is the fickle nature of goblin existence in Iituem's world.

Although, it's not as if crafting is really that necessary. Have you tried using the manager to assign jobs? Also, Dwarf Therapist can be used to enable the requisite labors.

[Neyvn]

Well its up to you... Restart, but Kiku must return...

[Iituem]

Yesss!  Victory for Dwarf Therapist!

The problem wasn't assigning the jobs, it was turning on the labours.  Fortunately, this crisis has now been averted thanks to Trey Stout's superb application.  All our base belong to us.


And, well, leatherworking's pretty necessary.  At least when we've got sixty trolls to 'process'.  XD

[Neyvn]

So it actually works, cause last time I used Therapist, it just turned them on but the Dwarves didn't notice that it was on...

EG, I turned on Masonary for 20 Dwarves, and a Season and a half later of idling nothing was done...

[Iituem]

12th Slate, 70

Finally got those trolls out of our hair.  Skrunge had a great big cave dug out for them in the ice, and we loaded the lot of them in.  I'm setting up a workstation above; time to put my years of experience in disjointing things to use.





-----

You need to click the button that actually processes the changes.  It queues them up when you select them, but unless you order the program to put them into DF it doesn't do anything.  Also, hurray for burrows!  An end to pesky animal management.

[Neyvn]

No no no no... I mean that even after I put them into DF, DF had the labours highlighted and everything...

[Jim Groovester]

Man, Stonesense really brings these forts to life.

[Iituem]

7th Felsite, 70
Goxa's Journal

Been here two months now.  The good news is, those trolls don't half give up a lot of meat when you cut them down!  We can get enough from one to last us a few solid months.  Good thing, too; they don't exactly breed fast.  Though as Kiku is keen to point out, the alpha seems inclined to do his damnedest to counter this.  Not really sure what they're eating.  Vermin of some sort, I'd guess, but where they get it from in this place is beyond me.  Got huge fat stores on them, though, so I guess they can go a long time without eating.  When they're not rutting, most of what they do all day is sleep anyway.

Skrunge and Dostgnosp continue hollowing out chambers for storage and workspaces.  They don't seem very sure of why they're doing it, but does it matter?  They're slaves.  That's the beauty of slaves; you tell them to do something, they do it.  No questions, no whining.  Unlike the frees in the group.  Uzulek isn't going to let go on this.  Sooner or later I'll have to tell him what's happening.  Well, maybe we'll have a decent room to eat in by then.  I think he's going to need the best damned persuasion I can give him to swallow this one.  At least Kiku's kept his mouth shut about it.



8th Felsite, 70
Vignette: Out, damned spot!

Goxa rubbed his eyes again, frowning at the empty hallway.  He was sure he had seen something.  He shook his head and continued chipping away at the troll tooth with his tools.  The little figurine was starting to take shape, vaguely resembling a tiny troll.  The activity kept his mind off the lack of sleep he'd had lately, or the cold water he'd had to drink with his hands.  When would Ozo get a move on with the damned bucket already?  They had a massive pit of fire, if he'd just get around to setting up the damned anvil they could make use of that haematite vein they'd hit and get some decent iron forged.

Goxa ran his fingers over his face and shook his head.  The troll stared at him from the hallway.  He blinked.  The empty hallway was silent.  He frowned and started scraping one of his nails with the carving tool, trying to get some of the dried cyan blood out from under his fingers.  Damn it if the bleeding things didn't have so much of the stuff.  He wished that the damned ichor wasn't caked into his leather robe, either.  Augh.

The troll loomed over his shoulder.  If only the damned miners wouldn't keep chipping away at all hours he might finally get a decent night's sleep.  He spun around and glared angrily at the barren wall of ice behind him.  A proper room would be nice, too.  Or some chairs.  Not to mention how hungry he was getting, since the food hadn't been cooked through properly.  He'd have to assign Dostgnosp to that.

The tiny half-sculpted troll figurine glared accusingly up at him.  He snarled at it, then decided to change the design to a giant olm instead.  Sleep, food, proper water and a decent room.  That's what he needed.  That'd get his mood back to normal.

Yeah.  That'll do it.


The troll continued to stare.

[Dbuhos]

Epicness !

[Iituem]

19th Haematite, 70

Goxa stepped into the break room, giving an appraising look to the stone stools and tables.  Chiefly out of boredom and with little to hunt, Uzulek had taken to smoothing down the ice and stone so he didn't keep tripping on freshly hewn fllooring.  He was leaning against the wall, chatting with Kiku about hunting tips when Goxa entered.  Zom was sat at one of the tables, poring over some fresh trollskin parchment and helping herself to a bit of cold troll broth and water while she worked.

"What do you think about raising up the ceiling here?" Goxa asked.  "A dome, like we've got in the entrance section."

"It'd be pretty, sure," Uzulek said, "but what'd be the point?  We've got basic supplies, we can probably hitch the trolls up to carry most of them.  Why aren't we gone yet?"

"We're not going, Uzulek," Goxa informed him.

"What?"  Uzulek turned to face Goxa, placing his hands on his hips.  "What do you mean we're not going?"  Goxa folded his arms.

"I mean we're not going.  We're sticking around here a bit longer."

"And why exactly aren't we on the move?  In fact, why are we moving at all?  You haven't told me a damned thing since we started on this whole escapade, Malignedtwists!"

"I don't have you tell you anything, Uzulek," Goxa said calmly.

"Yes you bloody well do!" Uzulek shouted.  "I'm not a slave, Goxa, you can't just expect me to follow like a good little beak dog.  Either you tell me what's going on, or so help me I'm leaving right now."

Goxa eyed him carefully, sparing a brief glance to Kiku before he spoke.  The usually loquacious lasher was fortunately keeping his lips sealed, although he had managed to plaster a smug grin all over them.  Zom, in typical slave deference, pretended to hear nothing.

"Alright, I suppose it's time I levelled with you," Goxa said with an air of resignation.  He unfolded his arms and spread them into a gesture of conciliation.  "We're on the lam, as you might've guessed.  One of my old allies turned rival on me, and now there are assassins on my trail.  The messy kind, as well.  Anyone who knows me is in danger, too.  If you, or any of the slaves go back now you'll get tortured for my whereabouts."

"Nice of you to bring us along, then," Uzulek said sourly.  He narrowed his eyes.  "What aren't you telling me, Goxa?"

"Oh, I'm sure they'd have tortured you if I hadn't brought you along, so I'm saving you really.  I'm sure if we just hide out here for a few years the trail will go cold and we can slip back into society again.  Maybe under different names, but better than unpleasant, extended death."

"Cute, but you didn't answer my question.  What aren't you telling me?"

"Plenty of things," Goxa admitted, "but they're not really relevant."

"I'm sure they aren't," Uzulek snorted.  "Alright, tell me one thing then.  Who's this ally-turned-rival of yours that's out to get you?  I ought to know who I'm watching my back for."

"The dark lady's chief administrator," Goxa said after a moment's hesitation.  "He wants me out of the picture in case I ever decide I want to go back and claim the dark lady's favoured position again.  So you can see, it's absolutely imperative for me - for all of us - to stay as far from his reach as we possibly can."

Uzulek gave him a flat stare.

"You're a liar, a cheat and a scoundrel, Goxa.  I'm pretty sure every second word out of your mouth is Sheget's own deceit."  Uzulek sighed and ran a hand through his long violet hair.  "Unfortunately, the true half of your story is probably the bit about me getting tortured if I ever go back to civilisation.  So thanks, Goxa.  I guess I'm stuck with you after all."

Uzulek threw up his hands and stormed out of the break room.  Kiku watched him go, then drew a small bone from his pocket and started cleaning his teeth.

"I don't suppose you believed that?" Goxa asked him.

"Not a word," Kiku laughed, "but the beauty of our arrangement, boss, is that I don't care either way."  He yawned and gave a stretch, his bones clicking audibly.  "I'm off to train.  See you in the morning, boss."  Kiku tipped his head and left the way Uzulek had.  With nobody remaining he cared to talk to, Goxa departed as well.

Zom took a drink from her cup of water, then finishing transcribing the conversation.





----------

Speaking of drinking, I've had to savescum a couple of times because everyone is dying from not drinking.  Normally I try to avoid that, but they have a well and they just don't seem to want to drink from it.  Even open water is a no no.  Or worse, they stick on the 'drink' labour for days and days but just keep getting thirstier.  Kiku is usually the first to die.  Will keep testing this until I can figure out what's wrong.


Designating a 'water source' seems to work for the moment, but that means I haven't got a well yet.  Not 100% sure how this one's going to pan out once the well goes in.

[Jim Groovester]

The water in the well is probably freezing on its way up in the bucket. Even though you've got liquid water, you'll have to move the well to a non-freezing layer.

Also, I know I mentioned it before, but Stonesense really does make these things look absolutely fantastic.

[Iituem]

27th Haematite, 70

Uzulek sat atop the igloo dome, cleaning the parts of his crossbow.  The worst of the anger had worn off, enough that he was actually bothering to look at Goxa again, but it still irked him to be trapped here.  He exhaled, watching the breath crystallise in the crisp polar air, and looked up at the vivid peach and orange of the dawn sky.  He reassembled his crossbow with calm efficiency, then loaded it.  Time to investigate those figures on the horizon.


----


The three goblins crested the hill and were met by a pair of crossbows, levelled at their faces.  Goxa and Uzulek steadied the weapons, while Kiku stood close by with his copper-barbed whip.  The lasher seemed puzzled by something, but Goxa was more focused on the approaching goblins.  The leader of the trio paused, giving a pair of wary glances to his companions, then raised his hands to chest height.

"Ho there," said the dark-skinned, fuschia-haired goblin.

"Ho yourself," said Uzulek over the length of his crossbow.  "What are you doing here?"

"Well, what are you doing here?"

"I'm the one with the crossbow.  You do the answering."

"Fair enough," said the goblin.  "My name is Ago, and I and my partner Nako were travelling this way with our slaves.  Then we ran into you.  Again, why are you here?"

"We live here," Goxa interrupted.  "But I don't believe for a second you merely bumped into us.  Why did you come here?  Who sent you?"

"Nobody sent us," Ago replied.  "But you are right, we did come here specifically.  There was talk of a firehole in this region, and we spotted the steam.  It looks like you got here first, though."

"Well, we're not clearing out," said Uzulek in a low voice.

"And we're not leaving, now that we've got here," said Ago, shifting his stance.  There was a pause.  "You should know, there are eight of us, and many have fought before."

"There are seven of us, and we actually have weapons," Uzulek rebutted.

"Then it seems we're at an impasse," said Ago.

The six stared at each other for a long moment.  Goxa could feel his finger instinctively beginning to squeeze the crossbow's trigger when suddenly Kiku burst into laughter.

"Something funny, friend?" Ago asked, flexing his fingers.

"Oh always," chuckled Kiku.  "Your face in particular.  But before we get into a fight, maybe you ought to take a better look at mine."

Ago frowned at the lasher, then after a moment his eyes widened in recognition.  A grin spread across his face.  He gave a bark of laughter.

"Kiku, you son of a beak dog!  What in Sheget's name are you doing here?"

"Now see," Kiku said with a shrug, "the boss has already said not to tell you that, but if you meant with this crew, it's a job."

"Kiku," Goxa said slowly, trying to repress the itch in his trigger finger, "are we missing an introduction here?"

"Right you are, boss," Kiku said.  "This here's Ago Fissuretorment, an apothecary by trade and a hell of a partner in a fight.  We were in a raiding crew together what, twenty, twenty-five years back?"

"Twenty-two, but who's counting?" said Ago.

"You trust him?" Goxa asked.

"Not as far as I can throw him," said Kiku, "but he's not stupid.  We've got the advantage in a fight.  A slim advantage, but he won't start anything unless he can win with minimal losses."  Kiku put his lash up.  After a moment's hesitation, Ago and his companions relaxed into a loose stance of their own.  Finally, Goxa and Uzulek put up their bows.

"Great!" said Kiku.  "So who's up for a drink?  We have water, water and for those who like something a little harder, ice."





--------

8 Immigrants so far!  Very skilled at that.  Several with some basic fighting skills, one very skilled weaponsmith (also an excellent gemcutter and gemsetter), a talented butcher (and milker, and hammerman - frightening!) and one fish dissector.  Yeah, the last one is probably getting drafted.

[darkflagrance]

The grimly lit ice makes everything look slightly ominous, like the frozen grave of an fallen archangel. I also love the little goblin sprites.

[Neyvn]

Its odd this... You have a way of writing Kiku that I myself would write him...

[Shidoni]

If I could, I'd like one of the new migrants.

Name: Yilmug
Gender: Female