Kogan Daggerheat, Macedwarf/Milker/Tour Guide24th Sandstone, 553
Hello, new friends! Welcome to Oiledgod, the greatest
*COUGHCOUGHONLYCOUGH* fortress in the entire northeastern hemisphere of Zuza Slospu! I'm here to help you get adjusted to your new life here in "Uzolnom" and see that you are properly "taken care of", as our leader, the glorious queen Led Luredknives, has charged me to do! We'll be showing you to our "vistor's center", which you probably caught sight of on your way in, later, but first, the grand tour.
Oh, right, meet my friend Geshud, and his dog, "Visecrypt". That dog's a true hero - he helped put down a giant bat attack, just the other day. Yeah, that's why he walks like that, sure, but he gets by just fine! Don't worry about him, lookit 'im - just as happy and friendly as ever, dragging himself all around the fort!
The other dogs include Herock's dog: Palacewhiskers, the big but skinny one, and Meng's the little (compared to the others!) one - Meng belonged to one of the original founders, Kadol Tombquakes. That means that dog has been here at Oiledgod longer than any dwarf in the entire fortress! Geshud and I make up the military of the fortress, plus all the dogs of course. They're the real heroes here - and as you can see, we grow them big in Oiledgod! Not to worry though, attacks from fell beasts from far below the earth are few and far between - why, we go some days without an incident at all! - and more often than not, you won't even need to wipe layers of blood off the tables before you sit down to eat.
Yes, there are many perks and amenities, living in Oiledgod. See that enormous room there. Yes, the one bigger than the dining halls, workshop areas, and bedrooms. That's the great tomb! Yes, anyone dying in Uzolnom can look forward to a burial worthy of a
king. Just look at those zinc sarcophagi glisten! Oh, all those dwarves frantically pulling rotted corpses and bones out of coffins and examining them? Pay no heed. Minor mixup about who's buried where. Oh, look, that's Ducim the Demon-Beekeeper's skull! Looks like they accidentally put him in Litast's tomb... hoo... better not tell Led that one.
... Did she hear me? Okay good.
Now, have a look at our state-of-the-art hospital! What? What do you mean it's small and dirty? I'd like to see you find a better hospital within a hundred miles! Elves? Oh... Okay. Anyway! Here's Herock - a hero of the fort! He displayed remarkable skill in tricking a nasty troll to its demise! No no, the troll's appearance, that was totally a fluke. We don't have trolls anymore. It was a long time ago. Why is he still in the hospital 6 months later you ask? Hey, broken elbows take a LONG time, alright? Nothing to do with our lack of gypsum plaster, thread, soap and medical dwarves who actually care to look after patients. Plus, look at these ready stocks of delicious Elephant Tallow! And that lovely Water Buffalo Skull Totem in the corner - I can't imagine a better thing to gaze at every day as I recover. Yes, our unfortunate crippled dwarves truly do get the best care.
Oh, that ghost? Uh... no, I don't know who that was. Yeah they probably died before any of us got here... there are a lot of those. He's just sticking around to admire the fine Hospital! I bet he wishes they had one like that when he was alive, ha... hah... Look, its a friendly ghost, it's just... er... keeping Herock company. Really.
... Ignore that smell.
So, here we are above ground again! Did anyone have any questions? Where do we get such a variety of food? Well, we trade for it! Mostly - we also fish a rather enormous amount of turtle from the salt bogs, and have been fairly successful growing plump helmets. Yes, believe it or not we still get merchants, all the way out here. They just love our gneiss crafts! Ha, get it!? Yes, next... Where did all this wooden clothing come from? Well... I understand the local elf tribes are VERY GENEROUS. A little too generous - no dwarf really wants all this crap, after all! Next?
No, of course you won't be killed. Why would you be... Oh, please excuse me. My companion here, the good Hammerdwarf Mr. Bodiceflashes (Don't ask why we call him that) tells me I have to go kill a Naked Mole Dog that somehow made its way into the dining room. You just wait here in the Visitors' Center, in the shade of this nice tall Microcline slab. I'll be back in a jiffy!
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Edit)
*YELP*
Oh... and, uh... Someone get started on a wooden box for Herock's dog, okay? Damn... Didn't know a mole dog could do that....
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Edit II)
Oh god... Poor Melbil. Geshud won't be happy about this. That's two of our three Military hounds down... And Meng's
still the longest-time survivor in the fort.
((I wish there was a good way to screenshot this - the moledog wandered above ground and while the rest of the military was beating on it, Led wandered over and started CONDUCTING A MEETING with them, DURING THE COMBAT. "So Geshud." *splatter, hack, crush* "I was hoping to talk to you about the training schedule of the new recruits, is now a good time?" *slash, snarl, scream* She's calm in the face of action, alright.))
Scratched roughly into the rock, far below...
They call to me... The voices of the Great Ones.
Imprisoned... below...
They call to me. I can feel the vibrations in the stone, their voices cry for release. Their perfect metal is below us, and below it - our masters.
I must go to them. I must set them free.
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Hey folks. It's been a while, and I apologize. In my defense, life rather swallowing me whole lately.
Notes: Its actually Geshud that has the Ecstatic mood, and keeps killing everything, but his companion Kogan just has such a better
name. Bob's finally back down to earth and merely "Extremely happy" but, to my great surprise and pleasure, everyone (Except some metalsmith named Onul, and she has WAY more happy thoughts than bad, and the bad are just the standard haunted/vermin stuff anyway! Bleh, whiner) seems pretty much content. Even Herock is happy, despite the haunting. I guess this 'Sodel' ghost is also an Armorer - maybe they're just talking shop?
What I would like to know is - are people enjoying this? Is it worth it to continue? I certainly want to keep playing, for myself, but it is sometimes hard to tell if I am actually providing entertainment to others or not. Anything you want more of/less of?
ArK - when you title it "Log" of Herocks Bellsmyths... I like to imagine it is carved into a literal log. We do have way too many of those lying about - especially in Upper Uzolnom.