~~
21st Moonstone
So far winter has been a bit more calm. We still have about three giraffes running wild, but the caravan has left, and we've sealed ourselves off for the season.
I've sketched out a plan to build some walls to make a funnel entrance from the draw bridge, that we can fill with traps once we have enough mechanisms.
Meanwhile...
A cave! I started digging once we let the merchants go. We need a water source, and underground is our best bet. However this first cave is dry as a bone. There's evidence of both normal cave spider, and the giant kind in webs. But for now, I'm going to seal it off, and continue downwards in hope of water.
~~
22 Moonstone
I have decided that the volcano is too dangerous to leave exposed. So, I've asked everyone to take up masonry for the time being, to get a wall around the lip of the volcano. It's slow going, since most of our stone is still down in the moat.
~~
23rd Moonstone
We've struck our 2nd cavern, but unfortuantely, while this one is far more green-er. There is no water to be had.
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25th Moonstone
Oi, Erith is looking horrible down in the moat. He was down there trying to get some of that stone to use on wall building, when a Giraffe went crazy on him. We still have no water, and he has shattered bones all over the place, and the giraffe is still pounding on him. I've sent the military in, but it may only be a matter of time.
Wow, that giraffe is crazy. It just wouldn't let up on the poor miner he caught down in the trench. Luckily, Bembul was nearby and when I told the military to go after it, he rushed down the channel with his pick in hand, laying into the giraffe, embedding the pick into the creatures skull, finally stopping the onslaught on poor Erith.
I fear however it is too late. They could still live, but chances are very very slim.
Khenal has begun to carve a coffin for him. May he rest in peace.
~~
26th Moonstone
Our military is angry. I can see it in their eyes. The giraffe that killed Erith was taken down by Bembul, but their lust for revenge is still there. I can see it in their eyes as they go after this next giraffe. One dwarf came in from the north, as two others charge up from the south, trapping the beast in the narrow corridor. Armed with obsidian short swords, the eyes of the military gleam with bloodlust.
The obsidian swords are little more than training weapons. But they repeatedly bash the giraffe. I'm not quite sure how, but Bembul even slammed the hilt of his weapon into the Giraffe's eye. That dwarf is mighty agile to reach all the way up there.
Not wanting to waste time, Peregarrett has shown up with one of the copper battle axes, and is chopping away at the giraffe, as the others continue to beat upon it. This is really helping some of the military take out their frustration from loosing Erith. However! An attack from Garrett is all the beast needs to jump away from the fumeing dwarves, and take off down the narrow channel. They rush after it to continue the job, managing to push the creature into one of the newly set cage traps. We will be having giraffe for dinner tonight. Or perhaps the military can make a room to just train by beating the crap out of it.
~~
6th Opal
We still are not done with the Giraffes it seems. That poor boar of ours seemed to be cursed from the start. This time, a sharp kick to the skull was all it took.
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13th Opal
We've breached the third and final cavern.
Finally! some water. I've begun plans to sink a well shaft. Only time will tell if I get it done before spring.
~~
5th Obsidian
The last Giraffe has finally been taken care of. The military chased it around the outside of the channel a bit, before it jumped away, and fell face first into the channel against hard obsidian stone. It must have been quite a sight.
~~
1st Granite
Spring has finally arrived. And with it, comes the death of our Giant Rats. Jake said it was merely from old age. I wonder how long the creatures actually live, and if we bought a bad pair back in the mountainhomes. Either way, they gave us a litter of pups that will keep the species alive, and we will butcher the parents for food. I hope rats can survive some heavy in-breeding. Not sure where we would get a new source.
Augh... it seems the pups are all female. It saddens me to think that one of our more exotic species of creatures is basically dead now. Nothing I can do but move on I suppose.
The status at the end of the year isn't quite as good as it was in Autumn, at least as far as drinks go. Shade has been helping out with all the stone hauling and blocking of the volcano as best they can. So we are getting a little low.
The well has been channeled out, and planned. We need to remove the stones down in the shaft, then put a floor over the top of the stairs. It will take a while to crank up a bucket of water, but it should work.
My final thoughts and ideas for the next overseer:
Since we have the caverns opened up, every bit of dirt should be mined out into a cave that can start growing moss. Build supports out of obsidian, along with some stairs, and take out anything that isn't rock.
After that, other projects could include personal bedrooms, a better dining hall. And proper crafts using bone, leather, and other animal products like yarn and wool. These arn't as vital as the bedrooms or dining hall, since my food should work well to keep us in trade goods for a little while now.
Defenses are still a bit slim. We have the main entrance trapped, but are running low on cages. The channel around the hamlet keeps animals and other beasts out, but the dwarves are still being scared away from jobs by random mountain goats wandering about outside, so a widening of it inward, and a wall along the inside edge might be a good idea as well.
Other military concerns might be to set up a barracks someplace for training. There are two giraffes in cages that you could put up with levers and a locked door for military to beat to death in training. Or you could build a kennel and try to tame them for easier pathing to the butcher's shop. We don't really need more of the large beasts in our pasture other than the current tame family group. You might also want to dispose of the obsidian short swords now that hematite and iron weapons are possible.
Speaking of, the veins of hematite should probably be mined out, smelted, and turned into arms and armor. Weapon trap blades might be a good idea as well, three strong serrated blade filled weapon traps at the end of the drawbridge funnel will go a long way to keeping us safe from goblins or other hostiles that might make it past the drawbridge and the initial cage traps.
And don't forget to put a floor over the top of the well shaft once all the stone has been hauled out of there. Don't want any flying beasties to get in that way. Might want to put a cage trap or two at the entrance to the well room, just in case.
These are all just options. I'm content to turn things over to you, and focus my work on cooking.
Author
Topic: Feregen, 'Beastgift' (Read 9315 times)