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[Hydrall]

This really was all on the first day. I don't think I've unpaused very much yet.

RECORDS OF HYDRALL, THE SNIPER OF ULOLGESHUD: Starting 1st Granite, 252

Uhh...

I think they sent me to the wrong fortress.

There's... There's nothing to shoot here!

And why am I leader? What did Zumdol mean, we're switching out every year? Alright, just don't have a nervous breakdown or something... Ha, that's just what we need...

Alright, let's take a look around.

…

Well, first thing I notice is that THERE IS NO BOOZE OR WATER ANYWHERE ON THIS FUCKING MOUNTAIN. And everyone's thirsty. Not to mention that we have no food other than plants.

Oh god we're so screwed.

I first go to get Etur Udilrab to fish.

“Etur! We're going to starve!”

“Bah! Quit yer gibbering, I need to make some potash!” I watched in horror as he almost lit his arm on fire, chuckling as he patted his burning sleeve out. “No worries, lad, this happens all the time!”

Seriously, he's a potash maker but... Has no skills.

“How about you just go find some fish, ok?” I asked weakly.

“Bah! I suppose the ash can wait...” He looked at the stuff with disturbing longing, before leaving. I considered having the area quarantined, but I wasn't sure if Dastot the private could stop these crazy people alone. Also, after some hesitation I sent Edzul Mafolmomuz to help. Deg and Tustem protect them from Carp...

Another thing I found is that we have plenty of charcoal. Why, I have no idea, since we have an easy source of magma right outside. So I canceled the job, as well as the ones making ash (we have about 50 or more units of it at my count... and I'm not asking Zrk2 for that info, the bastard...) and had the guys working there go do more useful things.

For example, BREWING.

Alright, so... fish and booze... Looks like we'll be living simply for a while. Gotta get someone to start crafting, we'll sell the stuff to merchants for food. Oh, and a depot. Gotta have that.

As for the forges...

Walking up the steep incline, I speak with Sodel Eseshkeskal, Weaponsmith. He seems pretty active, running around like his feet are on fire. Fortunately, they aren't, and I stopped him for a chat.

“What are you making?”

“Iron!”

“...Don't we have the materials for bronze though?”

“Iron's better!”

“No, it's not, Bronze is a far... Just make both, ok?”

“Cando!”


Turns out we have silver, too, so I'll have to get someone on making hammers out of it. LAUGH if you want, but I've seen a silver hammer turn a goblin into paste just from the weight. I'll use iron for arrows, bronze for swords and spears and armor and such, and silver for hammers and maces.

Meanwhile, while that topic's up, our military.

We've got two squads now- One headed by me, which will be a marksdwarf group, and one by Zumdol himself, which also also contains Dastot the Private. Both of them are axedwarves, I think. I also added Adil Ibmatbim, the bowyer, to my squad.

And there might be a need for them, too- Some snailmen are intruding on our deforesting!



...Except they ignore the woodworker right next to them, for whatever reason.



How disappointing.

By this point, I suddenly realized I'd turned the display for 'labor skills' off, so it looked like nobody had any skills. Whoops.

Oh well.

I'm getting the miner to remove the ramps leading up here- Well, most of them. I can't do anything about our western border, which is completely exposed... But I'm working on it.

And then...

Then I found out we'd already pierced the cavern system.

I'm going to bed.

[peregarrett]

Cool, my turn gonna have some !Fun!, ambushes usually start on 3-rd year.

[Hydrall]

You mean !!FUN!!, don't you?  Or is it only !!SCIENCE!! that's on fire?

[peregarrett]

Well, let me think....
Woodland. Grass. Volcano. Goblins. Last dwarves in the world...
!!FUN!! is inevitable! 

[Hydrall]

Yeah. Just some info:

• Bronze is better than iron in the current version, so make Bronze shit whenever possible.
• Silver is the heaviest weaponmaking metal [Citation Needed] so as I said, use it for hammers and maces.
• WE NEED A MEAT INDUSTRY. Sadly, we only have a cat and a donkey.
• Military = Essential here, since we can't actually block the west side of the mountain.

Yeah, !!FUN!!.

[peregarrett]

Yeah. Just some info:

• Bronze is better than iron in the current version, so make Bronze shit whenever possible.
• Silver is the heaviest weaponmaking metal [Citation Needed] so as I said, use it for hammers and maces.
• WE NEED A MEAT INDUSTRY. Sadly, we only have a cat and a donkey.
• Military = Essential here, since we can't actually block the west side of the mountain.

Yeah, !!FUN!!.

1,2 for traps it doesn't matter too much... I'm going to use them as primary defence, with military mercykiling survivors.
3 Traders!
4 Never say "can not' to a dwarf 

[Hydrall]

Good point.

Maybe a wall?

No... A trap filled labyrinth.

[RandomNumberGenerator]

hi!
can i join as the first migrant, what ever it may be?

Sign me up for the next available slot. A metalworker or the soap maker would be preferable.

Sorry, but I would rather stick with just the starting 7 for now.

WHY IS THERE NO BOOZE?

Because I forgot to make barrels 

There should be plenty of plants to brew, however. I also have a butcher's shop set up, but there haven't been any non-slugmen animals, so hunting has been, well, non-existent.

[Hydrall]

ENTRY TWO: 19th Slate, 252: Mid-Spring

So we attracted no migrants this season... Actually, they're probably on their way, considering how scattered everyone is.



Also visible- The bar and block pile.

I've also started moving all of the workshops inside, although work is proceeding slowly. Observe.

Etur: “ALRIGHT, I'll move my ashery... If yer so desperate.” He begins taking it apart, but as soon as the last block is taken down...

FOOF!



A veritable sea of ash spreads out, covering the ground. The same thing happened with the mason's shop.

=_=

I'll have to make a stockpile for it, I suppose...

Meanwhile, SLUGMEN! I wonder if they're unfriendly, unlike the meek snailpeople...

Sadly, they ran away before I could draw a bead on them or they could prove their friendliness.



ELVES!



And a thief, too. I'll make sure the elves never see him...

Well, he ran first. That seems to happen annoyingly often.

Meanwhile, I buy all of the elves scant food supplies, and find them absolutely devoid of anything else useful.

What a bunch of dicks.


...So while I was writing this entry, I realized we lack a hospital. That won't do, but... The doctor's Zrk2. I guess there's not too much reason for it, but I hate that guy. Doesn't have a creative bone in his body, and he tells me my designs for crossbows suck!

So I'll just let him go without for now.

It is now summer.

[Hydrall]

Aw, man, the images are too big... Guess my computer screen is too large for the forums to handle.

[mcguinty]

hi!
can i join as the first migrant, what ever it may be?

Sign me up for the next available slot. A metalworker or the soap maker would be preferable.

Sorry, but I would rather stick with just the starting 7 for now.

Okay, sounds reasonable. This looks like it's turning out to be an awesome fort. I look forward to more updates.

[Kipi]

Err.. RNG...

My name is Kipi, not Kupi... 

[RandomNumberGenerator]

Erm...

Woops.

[Hydrall]

I'll probably be done the year later tonight. ^_^ I think things are going... not well, but better.

[Hydrall]

IT'S BECAUSE I SAID THAT, ISN'T IT, DWARF FORTRESS? THAT'S WHY YOU DID THAT.

ENTRY 3: 24th Hematite, 252, Early Summer

Just before the merchants left, I got something off of them.



I'm thinking of her up on guard at the front gate, but unfortunately she wouldn't be able to chase anything down like that. We need an animal trainer...



I fee like I'm doing something wrong... Why does no one want to come? What's the problem? Is it that I'm not building fast enough?

Arrrgh!

Well, life proceeds as normal- It appears Adil and PereGarret have gotten in a relationship- It's the talk of the fort! Also, Dastot shares my opinion of Zrk2, it seems. Just yesterday he almost beheaded the guy while doing an... 'Individual Combat Drill', he calls it, but I call it swinging your weapon around and pretending to slaughter goblins. Well, he can't be all bad.



The gods have smiled upon us, or at least given a little twitch of their lips! We've struck aluminum! That sweet, shiny metal will surely make us rich!

Unfortunately, it's where I was planning another farm, so it looks like I'll have to wall that section off.

Meanwhile...



Just as I solve the booze problem, the water problem becomes clear. Namely, we have a couple of pools and they're all salty. What you see diagrammed above is the beginning of my plan for fixing it- A screwpump will pump it into a reservoir, which will be drunken from by the dorfs and used for water, etc. I'll have to put protective barriers over the floor and such, so that it doesn't come into contact with groundwater and be recontaminated, but I hope it can be done.

Maybe even within my reign, too.



Dastot's training paid off- When it came time to fight some slugmen who were pestering our weaponsmith, he killed two of them himself, plus another pair in the next engagement. Those little bastards might not attack, but they sure are annoying... I'm proud to say I got one as well.

Also, I've built another magma smelter and forge. Can't have too much metal, can we?

By the time Fall is upon us, progress on the reservoir is... slow. We're finished the floors, but the actual body isn't even near done yet. I can only hope my successor understands what I'm trying to make...

Last but not least I've begun a temporary wall around our western side, until I or another can get around to building a trap-filled labyrinth for any would-be ambushes.

I suddenly heard a pitched, gurgling sound from over by the south ramp. Looks like those weapon traps work.

…

And so my time as the overseer of this fortress comes to an end- WOAH WHAT WAS THAT SCREAM OF PAIN?



OH SWEET ARMOK, DEG AND TUSTEM! GOBLINS!

I hear someone run by, screaming that they got the metalsmith. NO! SODEL!

EVERYONE! GET INDOORS!

...A few minutes later, we hear the goblins screaming and running, having met our weapon traps and perished.

But...

We've lost our weaponsmith. We've lost Sodel Eseshkeskal.

Our one source of metal, and a good friend to all.

He didn't deserve to go like that, ambushed from behind, an axe buried in his brain...

I'll take up his duty for the time being, my first job to make a suitable tomb for him.

But then another one! Zumdol is caught this time, as well as Adil, out by the reservoir! He's cut down by a lasher, and Adil quickly follows! Oh god, they're heading towards the fortress, there's nothing I can do- They're coming for me! My arrows can't stop them!

I awaken, to a kick from Zrk2.

“Ye were screamin' in ye sleep,” he grumbled angrily, before stomping off. I pulled myself together.

A dream. Prophetic, maybe? But I suddenly realize why they'd been down there in my dream- Zumdol ordered small pockets of copper, found in the mountainside, dug out. Sodel had been out collecting it, when...

...I immediately forbid anyone from going after it. They give me funny looks, but I explain it away as being 'undwarfy' to just pick the minerals out of the mountainside, which while it annoys Zumdol it has the desired effect.

All I can do now is build- Build the wall, pray it will protect us.

When the other militia and I checked the weapon traps, lo and behold- They were filled with dead goblin corpses. As I watched them in apprehension, I realized what day it was.



1st Granite, 253.

I will pass my duty onto someone else, as per tradition... PereGerret is next, I think. I'll find him as soon as I finish this entry.

-Hydrall, Second Overseer of Ulolgeshud





Just to note:

There may be goblin ambushers running around, I don't know. Also, the manager ([j] then [m]) is incredibly useful for getting jobs done precisely: Currently I've got them making armor and ammo for everyone, not to mention serrated disks and spiked balls.

WE NEED BETTER DEFENSES. The wall is not yet finished, and neither is the reservoir- To operate it, just have a dorf manually pump some water into the thing, and it'll be magically desalinated and drinkable. I've already got a well prepared.

Pretty much all information is recorded in notes, accessed with [N].

I'll upload the save shortly.