Alright, play is beginning at a slow, contemplative pace. First update here.
Journal of Erica, Demigod of !!constructs!!
Granite 1st, 211
I won the overseer elections this year, which I should be grateful for after being curb stomped by Gizogin and Ilral both last year. Hopefully this will actually put me in a decent position. Gizogin for instance had me design, smooth, and engrave his own royal quarters and promptly decorate it with our most precious silver furniture, so I should be able to achieve similar feats without drawing any more attention to myself than he did. Luxury lies with nobility, I suppose.
Granite 2nd, 211
Ieb is pestering me about joining Lûk’s Vanguard “to set a good example for the others.” After going over what remains of previous overseers’ notes that Gizogin somehow missed in his grand history-burning spree, which coincidentally included all the notes and labels about the control center he built, I’ve concluded that I’m in way over my head as it is, and having to worry about Lûk or my duties to that guard squadron are the last things I want to add. She’s been trying to artificially boost the squad’s members elsewhere as well, such as producing an artifact trinket that not surprisingly was largely ignored by the populace. Now if she’d made a warhammer…
I contacted Arcangelsd about the control room issue, and even though he and none of his other acquaintances can recall which lever did what, they were able to determine which ones were linked to the specialized defensive measures Gizogin installed. I’ve opted to simply inhibit them all for now until we actually figure this out and restore those labels. It’s unclear what the rest of the levers do, if anything at this point, but we specifically acknowledge 5 defensive systems.
Granite 3rd, 211
We’ve come to an agreement on an agenda for this year:
1) We need to at least triple the size of our armed forces and ensure they receive swift and effective military training.
2) We must mine for tin and copper ores to produce more bronze gear for this militia
3) Design and complete a working trap to level the playing field for the military. If any of the previous leaders had ever wanted to make a statement it should have been “Fuck the undead and conquer the World.”
4) We will also acquire additional adamantine rations to use in armor and weaponry.
5) I, arcangelsd, and possibly a few other stoneworkers and engineers will be given more appropriate dorms to reflect our importance to the survival and success of this fortress.
6) We need to construct additional power supplies and extend the magma pump stack to the surface as a weapons system. We can even couple it with heated aquifer water to produce what we’re calling a glacial devastator for use on invaders.
7) Abandon whatever the heck was going on with that staggered-wall chamber with the bridges and shit. I’m not even sure what it was supposed to do, but it’s certainly not killing goblins, undead, or any other nasty beasties that are plaguing this world. If someone had actually shared with me and my crew the plans, we sure as hell would have gotten it done on schedule, but no; they wanted us to consult them directly. I firmly believe it has something to do with devine powers and the legend of Aluonra, but those fools insist that’s just a myth.
Reestablish my own prowess in the ethereal sense. The dreams I had since childhood weren’t just dreams, but memories, and possessing this new body after being killed is proof enough for me. I’ve even begun to develop other strange abilities, like terrorizing people by somehow reaching out and making them excruciatingly uncomfortable.
9) Figure out what the hell those memories actually mean. This tundra is as intimately involved as any other location I can recall, so there’s not much reason to wander off.
10) Ensure that the fortress and its populace are stable and in good condition before my run as overseer runs out.
Granite 6th
While beginning my first round of designations, I overheard one nobody whining that some other nobody was acting like an elf for refusing to let him butcher a pair of kittens that the second nobody had adopted. I couldn’t help but chuckle. Don’t think they found me very amusing…
I’m beginning to assign the less notable figures to militia squads. They still have nothing going for them, but hopefully I can jumpstart their training and gear acquisition. I’m contemplating using goblin equipment at first, replacing it with bronze, and leaving the next overseer with instructions to purchase a metric crap-ton of flux from the caravans, which I intend to order.
Reudh was complaining about being assigned double duty between all crafting labors and all Stoneworking labors, so I let him slide down to full time stoneworker with the chance to do bone carving on his break time. None of the other stoneworkers besides him and Arcangelsd are permitted to hold any labors besides mining, masonry and detailing, and architecture. Not even health-care labors. I may have to be more lenient in the future, but anyone with stoneworking experience who wants more than a coffin to their name in this fortress will have to settle with full time mining and construction, because it’s going to be a full-time job getting all this together.
The rest of the populace may well end up with military duty, including a lot of time training, so food production especially may slow, which could be dangerous. Some old bureaucrat came to me to proclaim his prowess as a warrior. He was fairly persuasive so I permitted him the chance to lead our third squad, the Strong Tongs. Legendary teacher is about all he’ll be, soon. His squad I might have to keep an eye on, though, because it includes plenty of dwarves with good friends and one or two mothers with children. Disaster waiting to happen… He also has that CatalystParadox in his ranks. Not sure what to think about him, but he may not prove trustworthy in a fight.
Granite 9th
I decided to oust the mayor and claim that title as well, just so I can control what goes on a little better if I’m the one making the mandates.
After designating two full squads of nobodies (and a CatalystParadox) I've almost run out of dorfs. The stoneworker force may actually need a little more laborers, and the entire fortress is actually significantly underdorfed. I may well make getting migrants inside and safely and increasing the population my top priority.