1003U - SUMMER
In individual rooms they snored.
Out in the fields, the smell of fish guts and oil hung in the air, courtesy of Aqua and his newly appointed help: a former surgeon turned speardwarf named "Vlad McStabber" and a fish cleaner known only as "Greasebeard."
Only Greasebeard was actually seen fishing. Aqua and Vlad spent their time clashing with wooden spears in the grasses near the fishery station using a bag as a landmark for their sparring grounds. Neither of them were very familiar with the weapon but surely it wouldn't be long before they would be spearing goblins on real metal spears.
Indoors, EmperorJon lingered around the booze struggling with a headache.
"You look glum, boss," said his new apprentice Smith Junior.
"I'm plenty glum. The reason should be clear enough: I've got nothing to do here. I've spent a year standing around ordering up a wooden wall. Great and all, to be sure, but our guild is going to have me on a spit for not sending back even a single goblet."
"Maybe them humans have some ore we can work with, eh?"
Blunderbooze, eavesdropping, popped in, "And we've been producin' charcoal for the kiln. Plenty of wood to burn around here. Sure we could spare a few units for some smithery. Autumn's coming on. We could use some central heating indoors."
"Fantastic!" EmperorJon exclaimed before turning to Blunderbooze and letting out a yelp, "Ye gods, man! What happened to your face!?"
"Nuffin' serious, just spent some time gettin' my bumblebee hives set up. Fuzzy little buggers just love to nuzzle with the wrong end is all."
"Figured the smoke from the wood furnace'd keep my babies here too sleepy to keep jabbin' me. So far it's worked."
As they spoke some elves were seen walking through the pastures.
"Are we milking them now or what?" asked Smith Jr.
"Elves? Where? We had elves come to visit?" EmperorJon
"Must not have been important."
***
The situation with Kadol had gotten completely out of hand.
Nobody was certain how to handle the mad dwarf. One morning he'd just cracked and began screaming about "the fluffy wamblers." He seemed convinced that they were following him around and trying to prevent him from from completing some project he'd been planning that he'd never spoken of out loud. As the day progressed other dwarves attempted to console him in their own way: offering him booze, swatting him up the backside of his head and saying "there ain't no fluffy wamblers here." By mid-day he was running through the halls trying to get everyone to pay attention to the fluffy wamblers, which he claimed were controlling their minds and making them not construct "the proper facilities with for which I may must use to make it." After hours of this he began throwing his clothes upon the ground in an attempt to "catch them."
Eventually he ended up huddled in a corner next to a hill hugging himself in fear.
Not even the Doctor was able to get him to come out. He wouldn't accept food or drink. Since nothing could be done, they decided to leave him until he improved on his own.
***
A couple of soldiers and farmers showed up with some kids. None of them had personalities or skills of note, and were thusly assimilated into the workforce.
Sucks that I haven't gotten a single migrant wave with suitable dorfs for the remaining members.
While waiting for his personal offices and masonry zone to be carved out, the doctor set off to make blocks out of sandstone in advance. He'd barely finished five before the miners announced their completion of the rooms and left to work on digging into the rock. Their skills had advanced significantly given that there were only two of them.
Once in his office, the doc began cooking up the first marks of a truly dwarven fort: paperwork.
A URIST scribed up several copies of the appointed positions report and nailed it in plain sight across the fort. It established the doctor as record keeper, manager and broker as well as head doctor. Spera, Aqua and I Punch Faces were all cited as the military authority with Spera in general command of the armed forces.
An addendum was attached, "Miltiary positions may be voted on if a meeting is called."
I Punch Faces was happy to have a functioning barracks, even if it was cluttered with random objects and debris. It just made for practicing his footwork. He used the empty wooden armor rack as a punching dummy and proceeded to perform as many daily face punchings on it as he was physically capable.
***
"What in Armok's name is that SMELL?!"
"Kadol, doc. He's, well . . . he's dead."
The doctor shuddered with disgust and rage, "There is a CORPSE in the HALLWAY?! Clean it up! For the love all that is stone, a man died in the hallway! Why is he being allowed to rot!? And so close to the farms! What if it gets into the groundwater!? The well is right down the hall!"
"Hail!" came a shout from the pastures. Humans had arrived for trade. The Doctor did his best to pull himself together and came out to meet them. He made sure to position himself between the liaison and the body that lay just a few beard-lengths behind him.
"H-hail to you!" replied the doc in his best humanspeak. Their tongue was unrefined and sloppy, a crude sort of consonant-less yelping and grunting compared to the highly refined dwarven language. It was like comparing a lump of pumice to a perfectly cut topazolite. They'd apparently come to visit as an offering of goodwill towards a newly established fort. Human custom: the "housewarming."
"I wasn't aware that your kind were keeping tabs on dwarven progress," the doc said with suspicion. The human liaison grinned and slapped the doc on the back, which nearly brought the doc to responding with a blow to the foppish fool's kneecap.
"Nay, jes'a lil' bit o' enterprise me mate. Jes'a lil' bit o' trade. We been keepin' it on yer progress, aye we have, for th' chance to help us both prosper. Y'got it? S'great plan, innit?"
Having understood only half of the words that had just come out of this man's mouth the doctor nodded slowly and cautiously before moving in to inspect what they'd brought. Nevermind, of course, that the only thing the fort had to trade were piles of elephant meat.
Jacen was tasked with the duty of depositing Kadol's corpse in his coffin, which RTiger had overseen the construction of.
Meanwhile, on the northern slopes, PBD's frustration at the lack of his project having been initiated turned into something completely unexpected.
He set about gathering all materials that he would need for something truly great. As he did so, he paused to inspect a soon-to-be clear-cut section of hillside where he might build his other masterpiece.
At the end of the month, the miners had discovered their own worst nightmare: a second layer of groundwater beneath the first. Mipe decided she'd had enough and, after clearing all labourers from the site, collapsed the inner ring of the breaching project around the stairs they'd dug. The concussive force of the impact had knocked her clean off of the hill, but she got right back up like a true dwarf.
Uninjured.
THE FORT AS IT STANDS
STOCKS: 
I had to AGAIN put everyone's orders that involved stone on hold for the second aquifer layer. I didn't trade with the elves for lack of goods to trade. Humans are here now, and I'll try trading them some meat for metals and get a temporary forge set up in the same room as the kiln.
That means the following people have NOT had their orders completed:
Valrandir: still need to dig downstairs
Crazyteddles: did not get sword or shield yet
PBD: personal project needs to be worked on (what material for the spires? wood? stone?)
Blunderbooze: needs to be put in a squad
Spera: not enough critters to attack due to Ineth killing them all first. Perhaps an archery range would be good?
Greymist: no study carved due to lack of stone surroundings, will a dirt one suffice?
Dorna: no control room due to lack of stone surroundings, again, a dirt one?
RTiger: no engraving done yet
Vabok: no soapmaking rooms yet due to lack of stone surroundings
Jacen: no training yet, will do so ASAP
Everyone else has been doing what I told them. Aaronius wasn't mentioned but he's been making non-stop barrels. We have 95 barrels right now. All stocks are 100% accurate at present so details on them can be requested. We now have management: workshop profiles can be requested! Make a place all for yourself! Keep those filthy other workers out of your business!
Mipe and Stiric are both
Legendary Miners. When we get more picks they may each request five mining hands to help dig.
My apologies to UristImiknorris, RathofRTS, flieroflight and SethCreyld for the lack of suitable dorfs, although really the RNG should be apologizing in spite of the fact
it never does nor will.
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Topic: The Hill of Deceivers .25 - A Community Fort of Treachery and Treason (Read 77934 times)