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[Karakzon]

MUHAHAHA!
i have unearthed the metal thatll turn Derm into a unstoppable killing machine...
again.

I hope to get a pair of picks and put into the millatery, To train a miner millita for back up to the ordinary millatery when im not needed quite so much as a miner anymore -though if you use my work around, it should still work with miner labour enabled, depends if youve got the patcience for it-

[aussieevil]

How's my dwarf been doing after making the mystical millstone?

[Brisk]

what do you want to do with the magma? pumping it up 150 levels is going to be a chore. instead of looking for coal you could just build some magma forges down there.

[Masked_Hunter1825]

Elephants are no match for Heavy Weapons Guy! Mind posting his screen with personality, stats, likes, fear of worms perhaps?

[Time Blossom]

I think the idea of pumping it to the surface is more to dorfify the bridge than to use it for forging, Brisk.

After all, it's not a proper megaproject unless you're running the risk of killing everything with magma. 

Although, if all the pumps are going to be made out of glass anyway, it may indeed be prudent to make some magma glass furnaces down in the deeps. Could you make a deep pit from the surface so that folks could dump the sand directly down to the furnaces instead of hauling it down 150 flights of stairs, by the by? Is that a thing? I think that's a thing.

[varnish]

Elephants are no match for Heavy Weapons Guy! Mind posting his screen with personality, stats, likes, fear of worms perhaps?

Surely:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

A Short Meeting:
 
“I told you, I damn well told you! Adamantine exists! And I found it!” Karakzon was almost hopping up and down in glee.

Turk shrugged.  “Yeah, well, even a broken sundial is right twice a day.”

This prompted a puzzled look from Aban, who was busy keeping the minutes for the meeting. “Is it? I think if it was broken, it wouldn’t show much of anything.”

Aussie Evil spoke up “I suppose it would depend how it was broken. Like, if there was a crack in the base, it would still be pretty accurate, but if the… pointy bit broke off, it probably wouldn't show any time.“

"What if you replaced that bit with a stick or something?"

“Ok, ok, forget I said that! The point is… I forget what the point was. It's just surprising. I still don't quite believe it exists."
 
“So, what is adamantine, exactly?" Aban said, in an attempt to get things back on track "I mean, I’ve heard of it, but I don’t really know anything aside from legends.”

“It’s this… amazing, mythical... ok, semi-mythical metal. Light as cloth and hard as steel, and so on. Supposedly they once found a small amount back in the Mountainhomes, but the last of that is said to have disappeared during the reign of Maniacal King Shem. It's said he used it to make tiny hats for his pet cats."

"It takes all kinds to make a world."

"True"

 "So. It's mythical, but we have it now. And magma, which is good? Um... what are we going to do with it all?"

The suggestions began to fly faster than Aban could write them down. "Make weapons!"

"Build a better sun dial!"

"Build some forges down there so we can use the magma to make our weapons!"

"Pump that magma to the surface and we won't need any weapons, is what I say."

Aban shuffled through her papers "Ah, right, Gar. In fact, aren't we already intending to do that? Pump magma to the surface, I mean. I seem to recall that being part of your bridge plan." She paused, thinking. "I guess it can't hurt to try."


Meanwhile, and apropos of nothing:

The Great Elephant Hunt had begun.






((Yes, we're going to try it. You can never have too many mega-projects, right? Also, Aussie Evil is doing fine. He's taken a lover recently. Everyone has. This is the fortress of love.))

[Masked_Hunter1825]

Elephants. Kill them, and make them into delicious sandvichs.

[peregarrett]

When we have magma, we can cast middle supports to our bridge. I mean, huge obsidian pillars from ocean bottom - aren't these great?

But we'll need some technical constructions to be made. Like this:


########
#hhhhhh# - Drop zone: magma-safe hatches, each linked to single lever
#hhhhhh#
#hhhhhh#####
#hhhhhhX~~~X - magma portioning device.
#hhhhhh#####
#hhhhhh#
########

So, this works as follows:
Portioning device must hold enough magma to cover whole drop zone with 1/7 magma level, no more, no less. Okay, with a few excess bits, to compensate vaporing.
First portioning device is filled, then stored magma is released to drop zone and floods evenly over it. Then you begin opening hatches, each 1/7 portion drops to water, transforms to obsidian tile and falls to bottom. Thus, one by one you get solid pillar.
If we open all drop zone at once, there is a chance of getting parasite outgrowths, that can't be mined out because it is submerged undersea. Those outgrowths can ruin the whole project, so I recommend slow and reliable one-by-one method.

[varnish]

((That looks reasonable, peregarrett. I have been wondering how we would build supports, and that method certainly beats trying to drain the ocean.))


Exerpts from Records of The Great Elephant Hunt, by Cilob Craftsizzled:

We left early in Obsidian, keenly aware of the long journey that lay before us. Indeed, it took upwards of an hour to find our prey. I and my companion, the crossbowman Heavy Weapons Guy heard the trumpeting first. There were four of them, playfully basking in the tropical winter’s sun. Beautiful, powerful creatures, these elephants, yet with a gentleness in their nature that can only be attributed to long lives of peace and plenty. I felt a brief pang of guilt at the idea of hunting such magnificent creatures, but I reasoned that we were only doing this to provide for ourselves, and our children. And because it was tremendously fun.



Each of us had our own style of hunting that we preferred to use in order to bring down the beasts. I myself favored the exclusive use of my crossbow, and fine elk bird bone bolts.

Derm’s method, which involved hacking everything that moved with an axe until the elephant and several surrounding trees were dead, was unconventional, but I could not fault its success.

Heavy Weapons Guy soon ran out of bolts for his crossbow. Undaunted, he climbed atop his elephant and began beating it soundly about the head with the empty weapon. I have never doubted his courage, nor his enthusiasm. His intelligence? Well, sometimes.

Karakzon the miner had joined our little expedition, and soon proved that picks that once hewed stone could easily do the same to flesh. Though in a vastly messier manner.

And everyone else piled in with whatever weapon came to hand. Spears, swords, and bare fists were the tools of their trade. Again, not the typical approach, but one that achieved great results.

Our hunt over, we called for a native runner to report back to the camp, and inform them that a great feast was on its way. After the runner told us to “bugger off, I’m busy with the bridge”, we set off, trophies in tow. Truly a remarkable experience for all of us.



((this is my way of saying that nothing is happening, nothing at all. Here's a picture of part of the bridge to make up for that:))

[Brisk]

I think the idea of pumping it to the surface is more to dorfify the bridge than to use it for forging, Brisk.

After all, it's not a proper megaproject unless you're running the risk of killing everything with magma. 

Although, if all the pumps are going to be made out of glass anyway, it may indeed be prudent to make some magma glass furnaces down in the deeps. Could you make a deep pit from the surface so that folks could dump the sand directly down to the furnaces instead of hauling it down 150 flights of stairs, by the by? Is that a thing? I think that's a thing.

You certainly could make a deep hole and make it a garbage zone and dump the bags of sand down it.

Another idea could be to simply collapse a tile of sand 150 levels so that it is right there next to the furnace and a stockpile of empty bags.

[Time Blossom]

Ah; that's pretty ingenious, actually! I think I may have to steal that idea for my current fort.

Meanwhile, back in the topic: be warned. Elephants never forget...

[peregarrett]

((this is my way of saying that nothing is happening, nothing at all. Here's a picture of part of the bridge to make up for that:))

Hey! What's that, at north-east corner of bridge??? You're doing it wrong!
Not this:
▒▒▒▒
++++
╬╬╬╬
++++

But this:
▒▒▒▒
++++
▒▒▒▒
╬╬╬╬
++++

!!!!!!!

I think the idea of pumping it to the surface is more to dorfify the bridge than to use it for forging, Brisk.

After all, it's not a proper megaproject unless you're running the risk of killing everything with magma. 

Although, if all the pumps are going to be made out of glass anyway, it may indeed be prudent to make some magma glass furnaces down in the deeps. Could you make a deep pit from the surface so that folks could dump the sand directly down to the furnaces instead of hauling it down 150 flights of stairs, by the by? Is that a thing? I think that's a thing.

You certainly could make a deep hole and make it a garbage zone and dump the bags of sand down it.

Another idea could be to simply collapse a tile of sand 150 levels so that it is right there next to the furnace and a stockpile of empty bags.

Or you can use a glitch - trample some moss at cavern, it transforms to soil floor, type of soil depends on biome. So, we'll have small tiles of sand.

[varnish]

Woops! Well, at least that's fixed easily enough. I'd only just started that part to get a feel for what it would look like.

I haven't tried collapsing sand yet, but dumping bags down a shaft works pretty well. Collapsing a block of sand might be difficult; there's a small second aquifer that I had to dig around to get to the caverns. Fortunately it only is on part of the map. Dumping the bags is much faster than having them haul it all the way, though, so thanks for the suggestions!

Not much going on in the fort right now. The one thing that's bothering me is that, while the population is now 85, we still don't have a mayor. I thought the expedition leader got promoted at pop 50. Or am I mistaken?

[Karakzon]

Muhaha

Journel of Karakzon:

Has been interesting of late, testing out my picks now im not needed in the mines. Im sure these tools can be put to greater use beyond the earth for the greater good of dwarvenkind!

I feel if nothing else, ill be able to back up that maniac Derm and the rest of the lads. Those goblins wont be ignoring this bridge forever, when its complete its controll may spell the future of the civalisation that controlls it.

[varnish]

From the Journals of Aban Brothertreaties, Granite 193.

Well, this has been an interesting season or two, and no mistake! The ships came again at the end of autumn, bringing some new trade goods, and a letter from the queen. Unfortunately, (I think?) all it said was “last chance to renew your lovely subscription!”, which I’ll admit that I did not understand at all. We’ll just keep working on the bridge and hope that’s what she meant.

One of the newer migrants, a bone doctor was afflicted by that same strange possession as Aussie Evil. None of us had any idea what he would make, considering his profession, but there were plenty of grisly predictions. The elk bone bin surprised us all. I’d been betting on a crutch myself. A sinister left crutch.



Also I had a son. That was a surprise.



I'd say he looks just like his father, but I honestly haven't seen the man lately.


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

Mormota was one of the first to hear about the newest addition to the fortress. She saw Gar hurrying down one of the halls, and shouted “Congratulations, Gar!”

Gar stopped, and looked blank “What for?”

“On... for the birth of your son?”

“Oh, yeah, that. Whatever, move. I’ve got more important things to deal with. They’re building the damn bridge wrong!”

Spring 193: Other Events

Life in the fortress went on at a steady, almost dull pace. The center of the bridge was pushed just a little further out over the ocean, a gorlak made a nuisance of itself in the lower levels before being put down by Karakzon



and the children of Oceanbridge entertained themselves by dropping heavy bags of sand down a 130 level pit, watching them crash into the floor at terminal velocity.




They hadn't hit anyone, yet.

Next: A Single War Elephant, and a Disturbing Lack of Sieges