I have modded the game slightly to add in a few new siege races, but nothing drastically different than the vanilla game. I'll give more details on these when they become relevent. I'll be imposing a few challenges on myself as I go along. The first of these is that every wall and floor that is part of the fortress both aboveground and below the surface must be constructed from ice. I've selected a cold map, so there should be a good freeze/thaw cycle. As for the other ideas I've got to make it more "Fun," well... I'll reveal those when I feel like it. I'm open to suggestions though.
PrologueIn Year 21, The great Dwarven empire of The Gilded Walls sent an expeditionary force of seven
gullible brave Dwarves to establish a fortress. Though the seven did not know it at the time, the explorers who first charted the various regions of the known world had a tendency to name their discoveries in ways that made them sound much more appealing than they actually were. Through hard work and determination these alcoholic sociopaths may just manage to survive… or get eaten by a Sasquatch. These are their stories.
“Armok help me, what have I gotten myself into…” Bookworm muttered to himself. It was just a month ago that he was letting the patrons at his tavern try his newest brew… Surrounded by good friends and joy-filled faces.
“Whacha thinking about?” asked Earthmover, seeing the distressed look on Bookworm’s face.
“I’m thinking when we get done with this I’m gonna have to make a
special batch of Sewer Brew to show my
appreciation to that scamming sonofabitch Urist McUrist. Adventurers’ Guild my beard! Shoulda stayed safe in the Mountainhome perfecting my booze.” Bookworm replied
“Nah, theres no need for that… A couple months back, I dug a new magma tunnel for the forges back home… It runs pretty close to the Adventurers’ Guild headquarters if yeh get my drift.” Earthmover said with a wink.
“Yeah, I get yer drift.” said Bookworm, “Whats yer favorite drink? I’ll brew yeh a barrel if we survive the first winter.”
“Oi! I think we’re at the spot!” yelled Greenthumb before Earthmover could reply.
“Gods… is this frozen hellscape really where we’re suppose to build a fortress?” asked Bookworm.
“Yup, looks like it.” Greenthumb replied plainly.
Bookworm checked the map. “The Wealthy Jungle on The Famous Continent eh?” He looked at his surroundings. “Load of Elf crap, this place is as barren as a Goblin’s skull.”
“So whats the first order of business, boss?” asked Treeslayer
“Boss…” Bookworm muttered to himself. He still wasn’t used to that. Sure, he had signed the contract and put down most of the money for the expedition, but leadership was still a new thing to him. “Well… We’ll need to clear the area of trees as best we can, we don’t want them sneaking up on us at night…”
Treeslayer nodded, grabbed an axe and started without needing further instruction.
“… And we’ll need to dig a makeshift shelter until we can establish a proper one…” Bookworm continued.
Earthmover grabbed a pickaxe from the cart. “Just tell me where yeh want me to start diggin’”
Bookworm pointed to a nearby hill. “Over there should be fine. Dig a room big enough to serve as both bedroom and dining room for the lot of us. I’ll be needing a small office… nothing special, just somewhere that I can keep track of our progress and supplies… And we’ll need a farm plot.”
“Actually…” Greenthumb cut in, “The ground’s too hard from the frost. Gonna need some water before I can grow anything.”
“Damn…” muttered Bookworm “Fine, dig out the space for the farm and we’ll worry about irrigating it when the thaw comes.”
“What about me?” asked Woodbutcher.
Bookworm stood silent for a moment in thought. “Furniture first. After that we’ll need some barrels and then maybe some crafts when the first caravan comes.”
“And us?” asked Stonecutter.
Bookworm looked through his notes. “Yer not going to like this…” he said after some time.
“Oh?” Brickhead chimed in.
“Well, the king layed out a few…
unusual guidelines for the construction of the fortress.” Said Bookworm.
“Spit it out already.” Stonecutter demanded. “The Masons’ Guild sent us here to build. Tell us what the king’s requirements are and we’ll build it to his requirements.”
Bookworm paused before finally muttering “Ice…”
The masons stared in disbelief. “Ice? The hell do yeh mean ice?” asked Stonecutter
“Exactly what it sounds like” replied Bookworm. “We’re to build the entire fortress out of ice. All walls and floors are to be constructed from ice, both above ground and as far below as we can take it without it melting in our hands.”
Stonecutter stormed off, grumbling and muttering something about pointless suicidal idiocy. A moment later, Earthmover reappeared, covered with soil.
“Ice eh?” she asked. “And what did the king decide to name this frozen deathtrap?”
“Imnisgak Isholmestthos… Everfrost, the Frigid Citadel” replied Bookworm grimly.
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The Starting TeamBookworm (Male) – 5 points Brewer, 4 points Cook, 1 point Judge of Intent (to assure he is the leader)
Earthmover (Female) – 5 points Miner
Treeslayer (Male) – 5 points Woodcutter
Woodbutcher (Male) – 5 points Carpenter, 5 points Woodcrafter
Stonecutter (Male) – 5 points Mason, 5 points Building Designer
Brickhead (Female) – 5 points Mason, 5 points Stonecrafter
Greenthumb (Female) – 5 points Grower
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Meet the Dwarves Bookworm - Born: ~45 years before the start of the current ageBookworm is a 65 year old male Dwarf with cinnamon skin and a long and neatly combed moustache and beard. His head and sideburns are both shaven. His nose is long and narrow and his voice is somewhat raspy
Bookworm tries to serve as a leader and mediator for the group. Though he lacks experience, he has a natural talent for organizing and keeping records. He is incredibly intelligent, has a great memory, and strives for excellence in everything he does. Though he is slightly socially awkward, he tries to be straightforward and enjoys helping others.
Before the formation of The Golden Hammer, Bookworm owned a small tavern in the Mountainhome. His dream is to one day brew the perfect drink. He was tricked into the group by Urist McUrist, leader of the Adventurers’ Guild, who promised untold riches and access to undiscovered plants that might prove useful in brewing.
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Chapter 1 – The First StepsYear 21Bookworm surveyed the area. The wagon had stopped on top of a large hill. Slightly north of their site, a stream split, both parts running nearby. Scattered across the area were several small ponds, still frozen. Already, the band of Dwarves was in enemy territory… Trees surrounded them on all sides. Countless trees. More trees than they could count.
“Elves must have caught wind that we were coming…” Treeslayer muttered, “They’ve set their sentries all ‘round the hill.”
Bookworm grabbed a few papers from the cart and started studying them. The plans required a great deal of open land… More than they had to work with. The land just wasn’t suitable… There wasn’t enough flat area for the fortress the king demanded. It would likely take at least two years before the hill could be leveled and any proper progress made.
Bookworm turned to Earthmover and gave his first order. “I want yeh to cut some ice free from the frozen ponds around here. We won’t have long before the Spring thaw comes and I’d like to get as much done as possible before then. Once the ice begins to melt, stop digging and come back.”
He then turned to Stonecutter and Brickhead who were still grumbling about the ice “It’s going to be some time yet before the hill can be leveled. Because of that, we won’t be able to build much… However, on the east side of the hill, there’s enough space to get started on the eastern towers.” He handed Stonecutter a chart “Do as much as yeh can before the thaw. We’ll worry about the rest come winter.”
“If we survive until winter…” Brickhead mumbled.
Bookworm just glared as he and Stonecutter started gathering Ice for the towers.
Once they were out of sight, he turned to Treeslayer. “I want yeh to start clearing the trees at the top of the hill. As soon as we have shelter, I’m going to have Earthmover start digging away at the hill and I’d prefer no trees get in the way.”
Treeslayer nodded and started walking towards the tree highest on the hill.
“As for you…” Bookworm said, turning to Woodbutcher “Build a workshop and trade depot, then get started on some furniture for our shelter and trade goods.”
Work went smoothly for the first month or so. The foundation of the eastern wall and towers had been set and deforestation was going on schedule. Once the ice had begun to thaw, Earthmover was ordered to start leveling the hill. There had been no trouble from the wildlife.
A few months passed without incident. It was now Mid-Summer. Bookworm was locked in his office, taking stock of the supplies.
“Food should last until the caravans come easily... Probably won’t need it, but we can trade for more to be on the safe side…” he mumbled to himself.
There was a knock on the door.
“Who is it?” asked Bookworm.
“It’s Treeslayer, we’ve got a problem.”
“What is it? Goblins? Kobolds?”
“Worse…”
“Elves?”
“No… just come see…”
Bookworm undid the lock and opened the door. Outside the temporary shelter stood a crowd of Dwarves, five new faces in total.
“Just what we need,” Thought Bookworm. “More mouths to feed.”
“Go make yerselves useful and haul wood. When I get a chance, yeh can tell me what yer good at and we’ll see about giving yeh proper work.”
After finishing taking stock of the supplies, Bookworm interviewed the new arrivals. One had worked as a weaponsmith. Another was a woodcrafter. The third had some experience as a brewer. The last two were a fish dissector and an animal trainer… entirely useless. However, the fish dissector had served in the military briefly. Though she did not have her armor or axe, these things could be acquired in time with a little effort. As for the animal trainer… Well, he would just have to learn to wield a weapon properly. Bookworm hadn’t bothered to learn their names yet. There was still too much work to be done before the first caravan arrived in Autumn.
Autumn had come, and with it, the yearly freeze. Earthmover was busy digging through dirt and ice and Treeslayer kept busy clearing the hill of plant life. A few bins of crafts had been prepared for the coming caravan. Bookworm grinned, things were going on schedule. He had even managed to make time to learn the names of a few of the migrants.
There was a knock at the door.
Bookworm jumped from his chair and opened the door. It had to be the caravan… he had given the order to be informed as soon as it was spotted and he had been told one would be coming in Autumn. His delight soon turned to disappointment as he was greeted by another group of new migrants.
Bookworm sighed. There were now 19 Dwarves in total and only Greenthumb was able to provide food. Supplies were high enough, but it still concerned Bookworm.
“Ok, fine just…” Bookworm started, but was interrupted by a loud yell of pain and then the scream of a horrible beast.
Bookworm pushed his way past the migrants and climbed the hill. At the top, he found Treeslayer, hunched over in pain, and a Sasquatch fleeing.
“What happened!?” asked Bookworm
“Damn beastie attacked me, so I put my axe in its gut.” Treeslayer replied
“Those wounds look pretty bad, we should get yeh inside.”
“Bah, these scratches are nothing, I’ll be fine. The beast was tough, but nothing compared to some of the trees I’ve had to fight. Besides, if I start slacking off over something like that, the
real threat will gain the upper hand.”
“If yer sure…”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Takes more than a hairy monkey to do me in.”
A few more weeks passed. It was now late Autumn. As Treeslayer had assumed, he had recovered quickly. Construction on the east wall continued. There was another knock at Bookworm’s door.
“I swear, if this is another wave of immigrants, I’m going to throw the lot of yeh in a pit with a few sasquatches!” Bookworm yelled
A large mace smashed through the door. As the dust settled, Bookworm could see three Dwarves standing outside his office. On either side were two trained military Dwarves, one with a crossbow and one holding the mace that had just splintered the door. Between the guards was a smaller Dwarf with copper skin and charcoal hair. His hair was wavy and neatly combed and his long beard was arranged in a double braid.
The Dwarf’s voice was very clear as he spoke “I am yer liaison from the Mountainhomes.”
“Oh…” replied Bookworm weakly.
Bookworm discussed business with the liaison. He had decided that food and ore would be the most useful things the caravan could bring next year. When he was finished, he bartered a few crafts for some extra food, still concerned about the growing number of hungry Dwarves.
The rest of the year was fairly uneventful. Another Sasquatch had interrupted the work around the hill, but left without attacking anyone, and a Kobold thief had been spotted, but there were no major incidents. In just a year, the group had swelled from the 7 original Dwarves to a full 19. Food supplies were fine and no one had been killed seriously injured. Now, all Bookworm had to do was find out what type of booze Earthmover wanted and continue clearing the land.
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So Treeslayer was attacked by a Sasquatch. He suffered a couple of broken bones, which healed almost immediately. It could’ve been much worse… The Sasquatch attacked one of the few Dwarves capable of holding his own against it. After having its lower body mangled, it wandered around a bit, vomited all over my wood stockpile, and ran off the map.
For his bravery, I present…
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Meet the DwarvesTreeslayer – Born: ~58 years before the start of the current ageTreeslayer is a 79 year old male Dwarf. He is very muscular with straight, neatly combed hair, moustache and beard. He has copper skin and goldenrod hair which is arranged in double braids
Treeslayer is a veteran of five wars against trees, or as he calls them… the Wooden Menace. It is common knowledge among Dwarves that trees are actually spies sent by the Elves to undermine any efforts of Dwarven expansion, but Treeslayer suspects they are up to something more sinister. He has vowed to not rest while the Wooden Menace is at large.
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Earthmover, Treeslayer, and an unnamed migrant miner are all legendary.
Currently Unnamed DwarvesFemale Miner (legendary)
Female Weaponsmith
Another Female Weaponsmith
Female Blacksmith
Female Carpenter/Woodcrafter
Female Bonecrafter
Female Fisherdwarf
Male Brewer/Cook
Female Brewer/Cook
Female Wood Burner/Lye Maker/Potash Maker
Male dwarf who will eventually become military
Female dwarf who will eventually become military (married to the above male future military dwarf)
(Damn that’s a lot of female migrants)
If you have any name suggestions, I’d like to hear them. I just ask that the names are either particularly Dwarfy or follow the theme of naming them after what they do.
Author
Topic: Everfrost, the Frigid Citadel (Read 2109 times)