I'll take a Chief Mechanic, named Dariush. Known to be insane.
Are you walled away from the demons yet?
Also, you'd probably want to add spoiler warning to thread title. That'll warn away those few who don't know about hell and gather those who do
We're walled away for now. The demons didn't actually spawn until the miner fell down the pit, and they didn't rush the fortress like they normally would, so there was plenty of time to secure the fort.
Good idea about the spoiler tip. It is done.
*****
Sethrist's Journal, Late Autumn, 227Trade with the caravan went well. They suspect nothing, I think. Still, if it isn't one embarrassment it's another.
These gross rodent people started coming out of the brook a few days ago. They're hideous, and Crumby offered to go take them out with his squad, so I let him. It turns out that they're much stronger than they look.
The rodent people, that is, not the squad. The squad, well...
The squad has been reassigned. Gods only know how we're going to deal with the demons with dwarves like these.
I can't sleep. When I close my eyes I can see the eye staring at my very soul. There's nowhere I can hide from it. And now there are noises coming from the deep, from beyond the marble gate that seals us off from doom. Why must we be those whom fate would choose?
I can't sleep. The night is wrought of terrifying sights. I can see so clearly what is going on beyond the gate. My encounter with the abyss has given me a blessing of vision, a curse of madness, or a gift of both.
Down below, the creatures of the cave do battle with cthonic hordes, as they have for centuries.So many years have honed their skills, but even they will fall eventually.Their strength is great but their numbers are few. Soon they will die out, the last line of defense for the world will be lost.They must be reached. What they know is what must survive.
ZarozA new outpost always needs a good doctor. You've replaced the field medic that so often accompanies a founding expedition, and there hasn't been much for you to do, which one assumes is a good thing, all things considered. The Overseer has presented you with a tablet requesting that no adamantine thread be used for the suturing of wounded dwarves. It goes on to say that a new hospital is being built near the well, and asks if you have any special requests in regard to its construction.
You have also been offered a non-standard office and bedroom near the hospital, complete with a fully stocked private dining room. It would seem that being Chief Doctor has its rewards.
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You arrived at this Quakemortal place just a few days ago. In light of your combat experience you've been promoted to Militia Commander. You've been helping extract strands of adamantine while your barracks awaits completion.
At the moment, there are only two soldiers under your command, Fikod and Zuntir. You've met them in passing and assume they're decent enough fighters, but you haven't decided if you should try and develop a friendship with them; after all, who knows if they'll even survive their first combat? Still, trust in one's comrades can be valuable. At least, that's what your old commander used to say, before he was beaten to death in his bedroom.
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A good weaponsmith is never lacking for work, but you have enough money. When the caravan returned with tales of Quakemortal's wealth, you knew you had to be there, where piles of raw adamantine await your craft to unleash their inner form. You intend to leave your mark on this world as a great weaponsmith of legend.
Your reputation precedes you. You were greeted by the Overseer himself, who gave you priority clearance over the forges. He explained that magma forges were a momentary impossibility, but that's okay, you can use charcoal well enough.
But talented as you are, you're no legend, yet, and that means the adamantine is off-limits to you. Most unfortunate. But perhaps you could persuade the Overseer to bend the rules?
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Mad, they said, You'll show them who's mad. You aren't the greatest mechanic there is, but you're the best that Quakemortal's got, and you've been made Chief Engineer. Olin was right, this WAS a good place to relocate! She's been made Broker of the fort, so the two of you should be set for life. You're pretty lucky to have such an intuitive wife. You've been making mechanisms every day for the Danger Room, and the Overseer has presented to you a request for a defensive system schematic.
There's so much adamantine here. Perhaps if you fudged up the stone ledgers you could use a couple pieces for a couple raw adamantine mechanisms? There's so much here, surely no one would miss just a couple of boulders...
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The Militia Commander, Chief Doctor, Mechanic, and Weaponsmith meet with the Overseer at the latter's request. It is late in summer of 228. Sethrist tells you about demons, and a great hole to the underworld. He explains that the current reserve of adamantine is all they could get before they had to seal of the caves: There are 62 pieces of the precious ore left, no more, no less. Any further mining efforts will be complicated by the risk of mass injury and accelerated mortality.
He explains he could not flee from the discovery. A dwarf named Rimtar asks, ""How long do you think you'll maintain this facade?", her arms crossed.
"Long enough, one hopes." Sethrist answers. "This responsibility has been foisted on us, but nonetheless it is ours to bear. A force of legendary fighters must be assembled."
The fate of the world apparently depends on Quakemortal. Sethrist goes on to say that the truth of this place must never get out to the Mountainhome, who would cease all contact with them, resigning the world to chaos and death. Their fear would defeat us, he says.
"You'll probably want to add some kind of warning to visitors," said Dariush, who was known to be insane. "That'll warn away those few who listen and gather those who don't."
Agreement was formed. A sign was erected north of the fortress.
The meeting is adjourned with the understanding that such meetings will take place on a regular basis.
How do you react to the news of demonic legions swarming beneath the place you sleep?After you all leave, alarms are heard from outside the fortress walls. Fikod rushes into the hallway, saying that a human caravan is heading to our fort and that they're being chased by a large group of goblins.
"Commander Derm, what do we do? Should we help the humans?"