Notes from glowing engravings on a rough block ice wall.I had a strange feeling as autumn steamrollered us over. It was hard to describe, it felt so... unreal. It felt like I was stretched, one limb connected to one of the corners in a room each. And at the same time, they were so close, the corners within a toddler's grasp. The walls were closing in, bending themselves while their foundations remained untouched. My sight was failing, everything was going dark. Was I dying? Impossible. It must have been a dream. But there was no escaping the fact that everything in that room got blown away by some sort of shockwave. A bright light expanding from a tiny dark hole in a circle with light bending towards it. Then it all faded away, the circle of light shrank back into nothingness, and I woke up with Talmurr holding onto me. I asked what had happened and he simply said I fainted. I spoke to Kosoth about it, but he couldn't find any other explanation other than me working too hard. But I was a spirit, wasn't I? Was it Cog's doing, or was he dying? Whatever it was, I can't find any explanation to it. It might remain forever a mystery to me.
1st Limestone
It's autumn and another Naming Day has gone by. Satori went a bit harder this time, letting only one lowly plebeian peasant called Obok Shammanavuz to get a new name. After the naming "ceremony" (read: booze party) was over, I sent the excessively drunken imbeciles back to breaking their back hauling stone and getting pickaxes lodged into the back of their heads in the soon-to-be-carved-out bedrooms. Get to work you lazy dwarves. And stop staring at me. Especially you, Argembarger.
The elf diplomat is still here. I've been trying to convince him to leave, but he's refusing to listen. I suspect he's one of the Queens henchmen, but I've found no incriminating evidence on him. But I'll find some, one day. Then you'll get kicked out of here. With a steel boot.
We have kobolds in the south, and goblins in the north. Apparently they're best buddies or something. I feel so lonely here with no trustworthy ally other than this ice wall. I think I'm going insane.
2nd Limestone
Tirist the milker has been given the task of brewing our delicious booze full time. Evidently, no one was willing to brew any booze at all. We might also need a new carpenter to keep up with the bin and barrel demand.
6th Limestone
I spoke with Satori today. She said the bedroom corridors have been carved out. Well done Satori and Eshtan. Now start carving out the bedrooms. There'll be no slacking here.
8th Limestone
This vomit problem is getting out of hand. There's vomit in the corridors, there's vomit in the stockpiles, heck I’ve even found vomit in my daily morning beer, for crying out loud. I don't know what to do with it. I have a few people cleaning it up, but the vomit is in high traffic areas so for every square feet of vomit cleaned, two more appear. I suppose I could put everyone on cleaning duty but that will put us severely behind schedule. I'm simply out of solutions. I've asked a few dwarves around for ideas, but all they've told me was to use water. That in itself is problematic in such a frozen environment such as this. The other idea was to stop the source of the vomiting itself, which is difficult as I have no clue what's really causing it, if it's some sort of disease running around or that everyone around is just trying to get thinner. Now I'm getting depressed. Happy thoughts, Argoth. Happy thoughts...
15th Limestone
I must admit, now I'm starting to feel sick out of disgust. Besmar, our leatherworker, has sunk to a new level and is now sleeping in a bed covered in vomit. By the jewels of Omer, this fortress has descended from an outpost to a nightmarish place where the destitute and unlawful of the dwarven "kingdom" come to die in psychological terror and despair. I bet the story of Fatal Ice will be written as a mother's scary story told to her child. We must not let that happen.
19th Limestone
I've put a black bear up for adoption; it's chained up near the stone dump. I thought it would cheer someone up. After all, the dwarves are getting a bit nervous, what with the kobolds doing some sort of ritual dance around the late human diplomat. The goblins are still hanging around at the north-western border. I tried negotiating with them via my buzzard liaison, but they don't speak buzzardish. At least it came back before they mistook it for food.
23rd Limestone
A zombie polar bear showed up and is now fighting the kobolds! Go Bear! Drive them off the map!
And there it died. Thank you so much kobolds! You made me lose 10 bucks!
24th Limestone
Given the enemies' presence and the chance of getting migrants, I've decided to plan a few emergency tunnels. They are to be used when transport in and out of the fort is required when it's too risky to lower the main bridge. The bedrooms have been put on hold until further notice or when I can no longer stand the vomit-covered beds. At least until the first one is finished.
26th Limestone
And no migrants this season. Son of a ballista. Oh well, at least we can focus on finishing the dining hall. Oh look, the goblins have left to join the kobolds in their dance.
5th Sandstone
I think I overslept today. I think. I'm more tired than usual these days. Kosoth says it may be the winter blues coming on early, saying something that living underground for a long time can do that to you and that a bit of sunlight should do the trick to make me happy. Great. Sunlight is all I need, isn't it? Can't he see that sunlight burns me every time I venture to the surface? Where did he get his medical degree? I want to know who let that sadist out of medical school with a piece of paper!
11th Sandstone
The first tunnel is carved out and is having its bridge built. I sent the miners back to work on the bedrooms while I have my morning beer. I also have asked someone to make a chart covering the social network in this fortress. The weird thing I find in this chart is that Shem, our wounded vegetable, has absolutely no connections to anyone, with the exception of her deity, whoever that is.
18th Sandstone
Not much seems to be going on here. Everything going as smoothly as it possible can, the kobolds have moved a bit to the east, forsaking the desecrated corpse of the human diplomat and leaving it to the goblins. Our booze and food production is going quite rapidly. Yet no one wants to build the tunnel bridge. I wonder why.
The only real concern I have, though, is if the dwarven merchants that we're expecting to arrive next month will be able to make it through the enemy hoard.
28th Sandstone
I think something's wrong with my booze. Yesterday I asked Kosoth if he had something to keep me awake. He gave me some sort of herb, which he got from... somewhere. He told me to put it into my morning beer. But it made the chill booze taste sour. At first I thought I had got vomit in my beer again but I checked, there was no such thing in there. So naturally, I went to get a fresh pint of beer, emptying the cup over the sleeping chief medical dwarf. I filled it with the best dwarven beer we had but it still tasted sour. I asked Tirist if there had been some problems with the still but he couldn't find any. Either something's wrong with the soil upon which we grow our plants, or we have a spy in our midst.
5th Timber
Finally, someone starts working on the bridge. I'll be sure to reward Vulcan for his devotion to our cause.
13th Timber
The bridge is finally built and I can start rigging it to a lever. I just hope the caravan gets through here before the kobolds or goblins do. What in Omer's name are they doing with that corpse?! Get away from here!
Oh what, so you've killed all those merchants and diplomats and you probably are eating their corpses for food, but you don't have the decency to kill those deer? Ugh, I need to take a break sooner or later. Where's my beer?
15th Timber
Caravan's here along with the liaison, but the emergency tunnel isn't ready. Even worse, there's a band of kobold in the caravan's path to the main entrance. Don't you dare get in combat with them! Stay out of sight until the tunnel is finished. Unless you're working with the Queen in which case, feel free to charge right into to the kobolds' bloody spears.
The liaison is getting cut open by the kobolds to the south. And now he's dead. Bloody kobolds! And they brought friends with them. Ambush!
It's been decided. The threat level is too high to allow anything in or out of the fortress. No one is to lower the bridge. The caravan will be on its own until they can wipe out the current threat.
The fortress is under lockdown.
16th Timber
Thieves are back. And it looks like the caravan's doing better than I have expected. We might get some trading done this year after all.
Threat level has been reduced to 3 kobolds. I think I'll lift the lockdown and lower the bridge. May Armok have mercy on us should there be another ambush lurking around the corner.
People should start hauling trade goods soon. We're emptying this place of all the junk that's laying around for Urist knows how long.
I think I jinxed myself. There’s a goblin ambush behind the caravan. Can't they ever give us one moment of peace? Wait, they have a priest with them? Are you kidding me?
17th Timber
The caravan lost their only crossbowdwarf. Why isn't the bridge lowered yet? We have a freaking chance of making a successful trade, you morons!
An ambush! Of one goblin! The end is nigh! For him.
18th Timber
The merchants are safely inside the fort but the escort is having their hardest fight ever with the priest. He must be the gods' chosen one. He's got two armed dwarves unconscious and one heavily winded. He's armed with nothing more than a simple copper crossbow and a few pieces of silk and leather armor and clothes.
Looks like the priest ran off somewhere. Probably late for a service or something.
24th Timber
That escort won't survive. They've encountered another goblin ambush. What is it with goblins and kobolds coming here? Is it actually worth it? That is an answer I'll never get.
25th Timber
Looks like the escort's dead now. Great. I wonder if I can get the caravan out safely before they go berserk.
26th Timber
Trading has been successful! We managed trade away a lot of our junk for some more important goods; Metal bars, steel armor, gems, barrels, sand, dye, seeds, food, plaster, anvils and cheese. Total exchange: 15839 bucks. Come back again, should you survive your journey back to the capital. Just don't go near the Queen.
27th Timber
The bedrooms are finally carved out. Satori and co. surely took their damn time finishing it. Strangely though, I can't seem to find Eshtan anywhere. I wonder where he's gone.
Six months. Six months is how long it took for Caraca to break the silence. The elf diplomat, the spy most likely, has finally decided to talk with Grendal. What about, I have no idea. I'm no longer connected to Grendal. I must find out what they're talking about. I'm also bringing with me my axe, in case I need it for some old-fashioned elf-killing.
I found Eshtan. He was standing near the stairs, staying as far away from people as possible, cowering in some corner whenever I tried to talk to him. What's wrong with him?
28th Timber
I overheard Grendal's discussion with the diplomat. I couldn't hear it all as clearly as I wanted to but it was a heated discussion. The diplomat left the room with angry steps. This can't bode well for us.
1st Moonstone
Winter is upon us. The snowy winds are coming and the land is entering eternal darkness. Not much happened here this season until the end. Our industry is still limited to food and booze but I hope to create more crafts during the winter. I haven't heard anything from Vabok yet. I fear the worst has happened. Still, I can't put all of my time into my quest when there's a fort to be run. But I swear there's something wrong the alcohol here. It was sour before, but now it's tasteless.
As the darkness embraces this tiny patch of land, I can't help feeling the effects of winter depression. I get so tired these days. I think I'll hand over the job once winter has passed. Until then, I must concentrate on getting something done. The bedrooms will not be smoothed during the winter. Instead, I'll put as much dwarfpower as I can into the dining hall and possibly the first tunnel.
It's getting more and more frustrating to engrave this onto the wall. Controlling Cog's body is also growing difficult. Everything's going dark again. So drowsy... I must… I must…
OOC: Yeah, not much happened in autumn, so there's more filler than in previous ones.
About that diplomat discussion, I was building some pieces of floor in the dining room to help them smooth out the last pieces when I must've hit b on the keyboard just when the dialogue showed up. Hopefully the elves won't declare war on us.
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Topic: The Fatal Ice - Succession - 31.12 (3 slots left! O:) (Read 14507 times)