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[Greymane]

Well, MY village didn't last.

Things started out really good. Harvested surface plants and got farmland set up both above and underground. Built my desired highway and a few nice houses for my starting 7 that had not only above ground living space and basement breweries, but subbasement familial tombs as well.

Problem was that I'd got too use to playing with a tiny population thanks to Clan of the Cave Spider, so having about 25 migrants turn up on my doorstep in the third immigration wave _alone_ caught me completely unprepared. By the start of the second year, my population doubled in one go. Plenty of food and booze at first (so much sweet, sweet booze) but nowhere NEAR enough shelter, beds, dining room space, ect...

Did my best to accommodate them with work and temporary shelter, but migrate waves just kept coming. Apparently the fabled brews of our already-legendary brewer were all it took to make EVERY dwarf want to move to this humble village (the stone block highways possibly as well). They drank us dry, ate all the plants and animals (slaughtered nearly everything and cooked every egg in sight to try to keep people fed, to no avail), stole the beds in the hospital for themselves...

Labor force allowed me to get my massive brewery established along the side of the stream, but then there was almost never anything left to brew. Which also meant we had nothing to trade to the elves or even the second-year caravan except a bunch of empty barrels (which I DID trade to the dwarves, though we did not get enough to last us out a month in return). Starvation hit, along with complaints about drinking nasty water, lack of tables, lack of chairs, beds, weather - everything.

In the end, we didn't even survive to the first military raid. Dwarves just started rampaging. Tantrums were thrown, furniture heaved about. I don't know who started the first fist fight, but it swiftly escalated into a full-scale riot as dwarves began to slaughter one another left and right. I sealed whoever I could into safe locations, but it seemed like whenever more than one shared a space, one was bound to go mad and assault the other. The few who didn't go violently crazy just went quietly mad instead. Some committed suicide. Some headed for the hills to live as naked jibbering madmen. One of them somehow got into the cistern I'd made for clean water within the brewery, thus lacing everything with dwarf blood and resulting in only more misery to those left alive. Any tools I had were now in the hands of murderous madmen and the already-tiny food supply was being guarded by one.

About 8 or so sane dwarves somehow lingered in isolation within the brewery, eating bugs and drinking water tainted with the blood of their own kind. Another migrant wave arrived, but efforts to draft them into a militia to kill the dozen or so madmen only resulted in the new comers being slaughtered (wasn't a weapon among them). Third year elves turned up and were killed or chased off. The crazies owned the hosues, they controlled the streets. Finally, I could watch the suffering no more and put an end to the universally miserable survivors by collapsing the brewery onto their heads (yes, my brewery had a kill-switch cause... well, you never know, right?). One actually survived for a day or two afterwards with massive headwounds, until an axe-wielding madman came along and cut his arm off.

Let this be a cautionary tale to you all: do not let the liquor industry into your small town. It brings nothing but trouble.

[lordnincompoop]

My own settlement has begun, and is progressing nicely. I've dug out a little building at the centre of the map, and will begin erecting buildings for the planned industries as I go. I'm just thankful there's so much wood around.

Spoiler: Stonesense (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Dwarf Fortress (click to show/hide)

EDIT: My fort is about to die already - my dwarves are being slaughtered and wounded by their own pet beetles and crabs. They're not fighting back, and it's just getting worse. I don't think slauughtering them all would do much good - it'd be too slow, and almost all of my dwarves have suffered some kind of wound.

Spoiler: A log of an attack. (click to show/hide)

[Cheveux]

I think your problem is that everyone is stuck in a really small space. Make a big pasture and put every animal there and see if they continue to attack your dwarves.

[Paulus Fahlstrom]

1st of Granite Early Spring 601

Annual fortress log of Oklititdun (Villagecharm)

A more peaceful valley could not have been found for us to set up our little village. We arrived with no problems and have quickly set up camp.
With three miners to begin with it was decided among us that perhaps the best way to pay off the settlement debt would be to provide mining resources to the mountain-home. The little hill to the south of our wagon is designated as the main shaft, at least once things get properly underway. For now it serves as temporary housing. The first building proper is built, though the upper floors are incomplete. We've dug out the cellar for food storage. The main floor serves as the inn and dining hall and the upper floor will serve (eventually) as our leaders office and military supply post.

We've also found ample gemstones in the hills which we've removed and stored. Trading cut gems and blocks with the mountain homes allowed us to buy at least a little food to supplement our stores but the phyllite blocks didn't fetch as much as we'd hoped and the pack animals simply couldn't carry too many blocks. Still, our food supply is stable for now and we've had some animals born that should provide food reserves if necessary.

The most excitement we saw this year was collapsing the support to remove the upper crust of the hill. Sakzul was standing too close to the crabs, or perhaps it was the dust cloud that caused him to trip but he managed to break his leg in the process. One of the roosters was also hurt by flying debris but not fatally so. Sakzul recovered after my getting him into a bed and seeing to his injuries.

Perhaps with the initial work done we'll be able to get some housing done this next year, build a road so that the wagons will be able to come and of course, get more rock mined. Several of the migrants had metal-working skills so once we are able to dig a little deeper we should be able to add some metals to our export of blocks and gemstones. The flywheel on the mineshaft is beginning to take shape even. The masons have been busy setting up the beginnings of our defensive wall and getting our buildings up. My beloved Zon has been particularly helpful.

Ah... I can't wait for some of the new booze to age. The blackberry cordial should be especially good this year, but the dwarven sherry could use some improvement. I'll make that my particular goal. We've made the inn floor out of wood as well as all the furniture to help soften the effects of bar fights even!

Population is 17. Exports this year was 135 ingots worth of blocks and cut gems. Drink supplies are around 200!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Mephansteras]

My fort goes well so far. Up to 40 dwarves already, and we're only into the spring of the second year. Fortunately, my hunters managed to take down a Land Strider, so we have stupid amounts of meat. (Over 700). And plenty of booze at the moment, with small farms in full swing. Still have a ton of dwarves without any permanent living arrangements, though, and carpentry production is going slower than I'd like.

I'm thinking I may put a pop-cap of 100 in, to keep things manageable.

In any case, I'll post a real journal and some screen shots when I get a chance.

[nil]

I might do this..  I'm thinking of a horizontally distributed, decentralized no-invaders fortress straddling the surface and exporting gargantuan amounts of food and clothing.  Also will exploit my discovery that when you avoid mining stone you avoid FPS (my last fortress observed a strict no-mining rule and hovers around 28 fps at 407 dwarves, while the one before it struggles to get 16 FPS at a population of 70)

[Stronghammer]

hey was wondering if i could join and create a village were every home has its own farm field and i export raw crops only, no processing.

[Mephansteras]

hey was wondering if i could join and create a village were every home has its own farm field and i export raw crops only, no processing.

Sure, it's an open challenge. Anyone can join.

[USEC_OFFICER]

Well, I was thinking about doing some sort of above-ground fort, so I might as well join this challenge. I just need to think about what to export... I'll be off to the wiki for inspiration.

EDIT: Everyone likes eggs, right? (Well, not me, but you know what I mean). I think I'll set up a turkey farm and export eggs/meat to the mountainhomes. Along with turkey leather, because I'll end up with a lot of turkey leather.

(Note to self: Equip marksdwarfs in turkey leather. Call then the Dwarven Gobblers.)

[Stronghammer]

Arrival
We have arrived in a valley close to the mountain homes today. It looks to be a lush and fertile valley with gentle rolling hills, surrounding us. A small pleasant stream ran from the hills through the valley and out to the south. We will have an easy time living here, with plentiful and easy farming. As thanks for giving us this land we have agreed to supply the mountain homes with crops raised here. My fellows are quite happy with our new home, so I must go now to help setup are home.
   Upon arriving we set immediately to logging the area and collecting the various herbs and plants of the valley. We have brought with us crops to grow in the caverns below, however this valley is so comfortable and relaxing that we are hoping to find enough above ground crops to be able to exist above ground. We so far have collected a few raspberries as well as some strawberries; we’re hoping to collect enough to be able to grow our own. Well after we finish cutting down the trees we plan on carving out the soil to provide use with large uniform fields that we can plough and plant. We also will build a shelter for are livestock that we brought with us.
   Several days have passed and we have been able to cut down a large portion of the valley’s trees. This will provide us with plenty of space both for are fields and homes. Already the area designated for are fields are having the top layer of soil cleared away so that there will be no rocks or pebbles to block are fields. Are stockpiles of raspberries and strawberries has increased to the point that the idea of raspberry and strawberry fields is no longer a joke. Well I must return to the fields and the monumental task of setting up a village.

[Teneb]

I'll join this challenge, downloading now.


One small question, however: must the village be above-ground or can I build one inside the caverns? (completely open to the outside, of course, and still village-y)

[Mephansteras]

I'll join this challenge, downloading now.


One small question, however: must the village be above-ground or can I build one inside the caverns? (completely open to the outside, of course, and still village-y)

You can be completely below ground if you want. The idea is for different people to show us what they think a Hill Dwarf settlement looks like. So as long as it is village-y of some sort, anything goes.

[USEC_OFFICER]

On first of Granite, 251 seven brave hill-dwarfs (and sixteen brave turkeys) of the clan Banners of Birds, set out to found the fortress of Lanlarikul Dural. The name hill-dwarfs was a bit of a misnomer. The site of Lanlarikul Dural was as flat as a well-made plate. Yet the site was important, for it represented the first counter-offensive of The Bodice of Theaters against their evil elven enemies. With luck, pluck and determination (along with a fair amount of poultry), these hill-dwarfs could repulse the evil elves and supply the mountainhomes with much needed meat and eggs.

[Mephansteras]

Elves are the least of our worries. The deserts to the West of here are crawling with Sand Raiders.

Which reminds me, I need to post a screenshot of the world and our general area.

[USEC_OFFICER]

Elves are the least of our worries. The deserts to the West of here are crawling with Sand Raiders.

I gen'd my own world, so elves are the most of my worries. But nothing that a strong wall and sharp bolts can't keep out.