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Yes, make a new world and start the story over!  It's not a true Dwarf Fortress without Goblin Claus!

4 (30.8%)

No, it's fine.  I prefer to see the story as is run its course.

9 (69.2%)

Total Members Voted: 13

[Urist_McArathos]

It was dinner time for the guards; they were enjoying their rather splendid meal and fresh vodka in the privacy of their sheltered, subterranean dining hall.  Their mess hall had barely a dozen chairs scattered about the few stone tables, but they had plans to improve it.  For the moment, it was little more than a crudely hewn room in the lower levels. 

"I don't trust the convicts, warden," Bob took a long pull from his tankard, setting it down on the stone table.  Dishmab bit into her dinner, and wiped her mouth before answering.

"What are you concerned about?"

"How are we supposed to enforce the laws about food, and drink?  They handle the cooking and the cleaning.  I think we should build our own kitchens down here, and our own still; we'll manage our own food and drink, and let them handle theirs.  Anything they hide is still contraband, but it'll limit how much they can steal."

"It's a good idea, Bob."  Dishmab considered for a moment, her hand idly rubbing her temple.

"We need a well of some kind, too," Conan spoke up, "for the hospital.  You know, we will run into predators in the caverns I bet; we'll need to be able to tend to the wounded."

"Where are we supposed to find water, Conan?"  MacDuggan asked.  "It's all salt water around here."

"Actually," one of the newer guards interjected, "Dohon had us do some surveying.  There's a freshwater table near here that keeps getting contaminated by the seawater flowing into the aquifer from the coast.  If we can pump it out from behind this point, and move it into a cistern, we'd have uncontaminated fresh water for drinking."

"I don't know." Dishmab shifted in her seat.  "We're planning to breach the caverns soon; that's going to be a large project; it could take all summer or more."

"We don't have completed armor yet, though," Dohon countered.  "No point in risking it until we're kitted out in steel.  It's just too dangerous."

"Fair enough.  MacDuggan, you're our mechanic.  Draw up some plans for this scheme, and hand them out to the miners.  We'll continue with the caverns as planned once the cistern and plumbing is finished."

...

The foundry belched forth smoke from its squat roof day and night now; the furnaces were alive with the making of charcoal and the smelting of iron and steel.  Outside, once the brief late spring/early summer thaw had passed, the snows would return in force.  The world froze, but the foundry never saw snow anymore.  The heat from its constantly running forges melted the snow and ice as it hit the hot clay roof, and water dripped endlessly inside.  There it had but a brief life before evaporating into the air once more.  The inside of the foundry was a smoky, steamy place where the heat clung to your skin and left you sticky and sweaty under its oppressive, humid grip.  Logem broke her back on the anvil for hours a day forging the weapons and armor for her captors.  She sighed in spite of it, wiping her ever-wet brow once more as she finished yet another breastplate.  "Last one, boss," she called out weakly before taking a swig from her waterskin.  The guard nodded and stepped forward to nail the bin shut, motioning for two convicts to carry it below with him.  As they exited, Kerlc came in pushing a bin of ore that creaked to a stop before the smelter.

"Magnetite, ready for melting," he thumped the side of it with his fist, then meandered over towards the anvil.  As the guard passed through the door he stopped beside Logem.  "Hurry," he whispered, peering out the open warehouse door.  She swiftly passed him a cloth wrapped bundle before hefting up an ingot of steel, her foot slamming down on the bellows to begin the melting anew.  Kerlc made his way outside and back to the bunkhouse.  Inside Ahra and Cheveux were waiting.  He shut the door and tossed the bundle to Ahra who glanced inside the wrapping for a moment.

"We're almost there; just a little more."  The two pushed aside a bed, and Ahra brushed the dirt and clay from the floor to reveal a small wooden panel.  He pulled it open, and dropped the bundle into the space beneath it.  The panel was quickly replaced and covered once more before the bed was moved back to its home. 

[Urist_McArathos]

((I was going to post some screenshots tonight, but had a minor catastrophe with my computer.  I lost the current season, but minimal stuff went missing (nothing from before the last update, thankfully).  All that was lost was a lot of tiresome micro-managing of the new desalinization system I'm building, and seeing as how it's nearly midnight, I didn't want to stay up a couple more hours to rebuild it.  I'll update again tomorrow with screenshots of the current fortress.  Hope everyone is still enjoying the story!))

[Dohon]

I'm enjoying this story immensely. Looking forward to see the prisoners' scheme in action. Although I'm sure that the Guards won't like it one bit. Dohon will be hammering soon! 

[Ageofbob]

I, too, am enjoying this story. Thank you muchly for including me in your story! I eagerly anticipate each new part!

[Urist_McArathos]

Snow whipped through the trees, practically blinding the group out in the trees.  The howling wind made it almost impossible to hear, so the two at the rear were close together, yelling over the gusts.

"Are we anywhere close, Ral?" The female yelled out, casting an eye to the eight dwarves huddled on the ground before them.  She shivered and pulled her fur cap tighter to her head.

"I don't know!  It's, this place is trackless.  There's no roads or anything!  Really the middle of nowhere."  Ral looked around, running a hand over his frosted beard; it was futile, the snow obscured almost everything.

"By Zon, what is that stink!?  Do you smell that?"  She wrinkled her nose at the odor, amazed it could be noticed over the wind.

"Smells like a skunk, only fouler."  He thought he saw something through the trees.  He narrowed his eyes, and managed to see something brownish through the haze.  A fence!  "There!  Led, that's the fence they were talking about.  The prison's just a little ways further."

"Alright then, let's get them moving."  She turned around, nudging one of their group with her boot.  "On your feet, prisoners!  We're almost there."

"I'll bring up the rear!" Ral shouted, Led nodding in response.  She began walking through the blizzard, the weary and demoralized eight dwarves behind her taking their time following.  "Where did I put my truncheon?" Ral mused, looking around him for the club.  He heard a strange sound, and suddenly a brown blur shot out of the corner of his eye.  He felt teeth lock onto his arm, and he screamed.  He fell onto his back and saw a wolverine atop him.  He tried to punch it with his right hand, but the creature clawed at his face and suddenly twisted its head, jaws still clamped onto his arm.  His efforts stopped as he felt unbelievable pain sear through his arm, and he let forth a blood-curdling yell, his voice rising even above the arctic winds.  He pulled his arm from the creature and cradled his hand, only to feel hot warmth all over his chest.  He glanced down to see what had happened, only to recoil in horror.  His hand was gone!  The ragged stump was gushing blood, and he felt woozy already.  The wolverine gave him mere seconds to contemplate the tragedy of his situation before it was upon him again, clamping on his chest and shaking its head, tearing muscle and skin while he desperately fought back.  Suddenly a wooden club cracked the wolverine on the skull, and it rushed off into the woods, still holding Ral's arm as its prize.  Led knelt beside him, yanking off her jacket.  "Led, Led don't..." he was barely audible over the wind.

"Oh, no no no.  Ral, hang on!"  She rushed to tear free a strip of cloth, something to use as a tourniquet.  His blood poured onto the snow, steaming as it melted into the white ground and staining it a deep crimson in contrast.  "Ral, hang in there!"

"My hand; it took my hand, Led."

"Gods, you're bleeding everywhere!"  She pressed her jacket against his torso, shoving his arm atop it while her other arm desperately squeezed his stump.  "Hold that, Ral!  You need to put pressure on those bites.  Come on, we need to get to the prison hospital!"

"Never...I...saw it coming..." he leaned his head back in the snow, and sighed.



...

Dishmab peered down the wellshaft, and nodded before patting MacDuggan on the back.  "Well, it took nearly the whole damn summer, but we got it done.  Cistern looks great, and the pump is up and running."

"Yep; the plumbing shaft from the aquifer will be done in the next few weeks or so.  It was the most difficult part, but we'll be finished before long.  Oh, Dohon says the steel's almost all smelted and forged?"

"That's right," Dishmab nodded, making her way to a nearby table.  She took a seat and grabbed her waiting mug.  "We'll start digging into the caverns next, see if we can make our way to the magma below.  It'll be slow going, sure, but we'll manage in time."  The sound of footsteps approaching brought their attention to the mess hall's entrance.  A blood-soaked dwarf stood before them, clutching a torn winter jacket in her hands; she was clearly distraught.  Dishmab got to her feet immediately.  Soon after Tape walked in as well.  "Tape, who is this?  What happened!?"

"New arrivals, Warden.  This is Led Oddomrithar, one of the guards sent to escort them."

"Led?  Why are you soaked in blood?  What happened to you?"  Dishmab crossed the room in a hurry, but Led just stood there quietly.

"My partner was killed on the way; a wolverine ripped his hand off, and he bled to death in the snow."  The three others stood a long moment, the silence lingering heavily in the air.

"MacDuggan, get the poor girl a drink," Dishmab finally ordered.  "I'll go upstairs, have a coffin made.  Tape, you and Bob take the miners below; we're going to need to carve out a catacomb."  MacDuggan took Led to the storeroom in the back, and Dishmab sighed.  "Send someone out to find the body" she whispered to Tape, who nodded quietly and went upstairs.

[Urist_McArathos]

((So, the fortress had its first casualty, and I've learned that a wild wolverine is not to be trifled with:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Within seconds of the fight starting, he had my dwarf's hand for a snack; the next THREE pages are just the wolverine clamping firmly, shaking him like a rag doll, and then repeating.  He bled out on page 4, finally.  Satisfied with his murder for the day, the beast went home.  Insanity.

So, the surface level has been expanded a bit, but it looks fairly close to before:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The dormitory was expanded to house 60 beds; the foundry in the south is finished, and hard at work.  A HUGE refuse pile was added, and a couple more workshops are in place.  We have everything but a textile industry; I might add that later for ropes.  I won't bother making clothes until the bug with dwarves not wearing new ones is fixed.  We'll just assume they're clad in fur and leather   

Here's the guard living area:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The new kitchen and still for them has yet to be dug, but I'm doing that now.  The place is about to be smoothed by the numerous idle cons, and once I finish some mechanisms there will be wells.  The next order of business, while the caverns are breached, is to outfit a second guard squad and get some silver and such melted to decorate this place.  The guards aren't going to live in opulence by any stretch, mind you, but they will have some comforts.  As the prison goes on they may even begin taking some pride in their home, making it like a city.  We'll see.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Here's a shot of the well-end of the cistern.  It was a bitch to snake plumbing through the place with constructed walls and floors, but its done.  Because the shaft counts as above ground (having been exposed to the outside to breach the aquifer), I can't pump water in most of the year.  However, we now have drinkable water.  Yes, I could have used the well exploit, but I'm really trying to minimize such things in the interest of a more realistic fortress.

As always, comments, suggestions, etc. are welcome.  We have over FIFTY unclaimed dwarves, so don't be shy out there!))

[Conan]

The !!FUN!! has begun.

Awesome, but now you should start making the guards live like kings. Get the idle prisoners to engrave the dining room.

Also, you should consider a four-block thick wall and towers, like a real prison.

[Urist_McArathos]

The !!FUN!! has begun.

Awesome, but now you should start making the guards live like kings. Get the idle prisoners to engrave the dining room.

Also, you should consider a four-block thick wall and towers, like a real prison.

((Well, the guards won't live like kings yet, mainly because they still consider this a prison, and they're too military-minded right now to consider creature comforts.  Watching the inmates, maintaining security, etc. are top priorities.  They're still outnumbered 4 to 1, and they're in the process of forcing the inmates to endure the harsher rationing ordered by the queen.  So, concerns about prison riots and the like weigh heavily on their minds right now; to say nothing of the fact they JUST now have full steel gear.  Over time, as they get comfier in their positions and more confident in their authority over the place, they will definitely begin making their homes more luxurious.  There's galena in the mines, as well as other rare metals.  In time they may dine upon silver tables with bronze statues overlooking their own bathhouse, and gilded weapon and armor racks in their barracks.   As for the thicker walls, that's definitely on the table.  Dishmab's next unit will be marksdwarves, and stone guard towers and reinforced walls are the next plan.  Since this mod also includes barbed wire, there will be (as in a real prison) an inner and outer ring of razor wire instead of the crude wooden palisade they have now.  I'm still tweaking the plans, but trust me: it will be very dwarfy.))

[kerlc]

are you using a trap component (barbed wire) or is it purely decorational? 

[Urist_McArathos]

((I believe it's a trap component; this is my first time playing with this mod, so we'll see.  I plan to, if a riot ever breaks out, use a utility to make the inmates into hostiles (so they'll attack and fight guards and "loyalist" convicts), so ideally if the barbed wire is a trap, it should help with cons that attempt to rush the towers or the like.  I'm not sure what it does in reality (or if my plan to turn the cons hostile will work at all), but if nothing else it'll make for a nice bit of decoration that fits the theme.  After all, this is as much about telling a story as it is about seeing what's in this mod and giving it a chance to shine.))

[Conan]

There's a utility to make select creatures hostile? What is it?

[andyman564]

Runesmith can be used to give some of your dwarfs the "Invader" tag. though the same effect could be achieved through the use of the military system and telling a squad of inmates to attack the guards.

[Conan]

I see. Military route is better. I was hoping for something that could toggle creature tags without too much hassle, so I can get friendly forgotten beasts or the sort.

[Urist_McArathos]

Dishmab stood at the foot of the coffin, the dozen guards that could be spared behind her in a semicircle.  She removed her steel helm, tucking it under her arm.  The dwarves bowed their heads, and she cleared her throat.  "We did not get to know you Ral, but your lot was ours: to serve the mountainhome here at Icehole, the Frozen Prison.  Though your service was brief, you still earned your resting place here amongst our ancestral stone.  So passes another life."

"Flesh to stone; life becomes legend," the gathered group uttered, then knelt as one before the coffin. After a reverant pause, they rose and slowly filed out.  Led paused by the coffin, her hand resting on the geometric engravings that spelled the departed's name on the coffin lid.  She shook her head and withdrew her hand.

"Goodbye Ral."

..........................................................................

Tape loved sentry duty.  He spent many hours at the main gate, watching the glacial ice and permafrost tundra.  It was peaceful work, especially since the trees had been cut so far back.  Where before one could barely spit from the gates without hitting wood, now the clearcutting to feed the forges had driven the forest back almost a hundred yards.  "It's remarkable" Tape thought, reflecting as he stared at the endless white around them, "that all this work is done here, in the ends of the earth.  We didn't just settle for handing them picks and digging a new project, no we sent them out to the most inhospitable chunkof frozen dirt we could find, then demanded they scratch out a living and support the society they wronged.  Is that justice?  I don't even know half their crimes."  He paused to tighten his hat, feeling a wind picking up strength.  After, his thoughts resumed but for a momet.  He saw a pair of yaks moving out of the woods, laden with goods.  A stout guard marched alongside.  "Ah," he spoke aloud at last, "the caravan is here."

[TapeNoot]

Coming along brilliantly so far ^.^