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SV digs a Hole - A Dwarf Fortress Succession Game

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My apologies, but Real Life™ is happening, and I regrettably have to default. Send the 254 save to the next one on the list.

🙇‍♂️
 
Can't believe I missed this thread; please sign me up for a turn (provided the fort doesn't die to a Hitchcock-movie remake before then).

Qualifications: no fort has starved, drowned, burned in magma or been conquered yet.
 
Kaernetron said:
Can't believe I missed this thread; please sign me up for a turn (provided the fort doesn't die to a Hitchcock-movie remake before then).

Qualifications: no fort has starved, drowned, burned in magma or been conquered yet.
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Very well! Welcome to Graspedrocks. I am putting you down for Year 261, unless somebody else drops.
 
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Year 254 - Karlito - Spring
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    • Yeah, I've been a real butt delaying this. Sorry. Here's the write-up from the first half of the year:

    254 Spring
    Taking stock of where we are-
    Graspedrocks is home to almost 100 dwarves, with food and drink aplenty.

    Some our most unhappy citizens are our children however, or should I say our surviving children. Not surprising they have this attitude after what they've been through.

    The outside is still littered with blood and corpses. The ramshackle wooden palisade increasingly seems insufficient to protect a town of this size.


    That brings us to me, I suppose, Commander Pagelizard. This recent mess falls on my shoulders, I know. I can only thank Zim it wasn't my own daughter taken by the birds. The fort must be made safe for our children.

    I set about to straighten things out but am immediately interrupted by a request from the farmers to expand their Guildhall.

    What's wrong with their current Guildhall you might ask? Well, it's in the middle of the metalsmith's forge, for one. As bizarre as this is, I tell them to suck it up for the time being, I have more important concerns.

    It is but the 6th of Granite and I have given the order for the children to stay inside, when a cry goes up. Young Iton Pageclenched, but 16 years old, has been slain by a giant Bluejay. The militia arrive too late on the scene to do anything but grieve.

    Amaletol has the blood of two children on its talons. Poor Mistem's corpse has not even yet been found.

    Oh there it is. Goodness knows how we'll get it down from there to lay her to a proper rest among the earth and stones.

    While it seems the remaining children are safe, our militia cannot fight the bluejays by swinging hammers from the ground. We must develop a better way.


    Nevertheless, my troops are roused into action, and one of them manages to lure the beast into a fight and slay it


    The remaining Giant Bluejay is confronted by our newly raised marksdwarf squad. I grabbed every dwarf with even a little idea how to shoot a crossbow (all 4 of them), and congratulated them on their new post. They did me proud, and swiftly dispatched the beast.

    On the 7th of Slate some migrants arrive. Well, I say some, I mean an absolute parade. Our population is now 119.


    On the 12th of Slate some rumblings heard in the cavern below.

    Nasty looking fellow was spotted by a miner through a slit in a wall. Fortunately I believe the fortress is sealed off and there's no way for the beast to get inside. I intent to leave it that way.



    In late spring one of the surgeons is taken by a mood and creates one of the finest weapon racks I've ever seen. One of the cults, the Silvery Creed started agitating for a temple, so I've had it stuck in there on display.
     
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    • Year 254 - Karlito - Summer I
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    • 254 Summer

    On the 3rd Hematite, a cry goes out, "Goblins at the Gates!"

    I fear we are woefully unprepared. I have sketched here the large stone wall I had ordered built to replace the wood pallisade, but it is no where near complete. We will have to rely on the old wooden gate to keep us safe. At least there should be no children outside, I've had them all confined to the deeper levels.

    Peeking up from behind the walls, I count the goblins. They number only a dozen, carry only bows and crossbows, and wear only patchy leathers. They have no discipline, quickly scattering through the forest chasing bagers with shrieks of pleasure. I take stock of our own militia, clad in iron and steel thanks to the foresight of my predecessors (or at least the one of them responsible for our metalworks), and I make the decision to open the gates. We shall drive these invaders from our home with hammers in hand!

    I lead the militia forth, catching the nearest goblins by surprise.

    i am not afraid

    their arrows cannot harm me

    my hammer and i are one


    ...

    I come back to my senses when there are no more foes before me. A count of the corpses turned up 12 goblins; none of them managed to run.

    We would find poor Meng after the battle. Aparently he was missing a helmet and took an arrow to the head. He might have lived had he not fallen into a pool and drowned. None of the rest of us were even scratched.

    21st Hematite, after the siege is lifted some more migrants arrive. The pencil pushers tell me our population is 127.

    By midsummer construction of the larger curtain wall has resumed. While digging the ditch in front of it, the miners ran into a subsurface access room for the water cistern. Right. Uh, I forgot that was there. As did everyone else I had running this project for me. Additional walls are built below to seal everything up.

    No rest for the wicked. I call the militia once more into battle.

    We clash with the beast before the gates. Brave Alath is first into battle and has his boldness rewarded with a swift death as his head is crushed. The rest of us set upon the beast with our hammers and smash its stony body into dust. He was not the only casualty, several among us are injured. I hope all the doctors around here are good for something.

    What's worse, when we return to the fort we get a report of another death. It seems one of the newest migrants isn't who they claim to be. A monster walks among us.

    I harangue one of the priests into take up the position of guard captain. The culprit is unknown, but I need to put my trust in someone, and Ezum has been here over a year. What's more, she might have the skills to track down the culprit.

    To cap off the bad news, opening up the Cistern seems to have had an unintended consequence. Sorry friend, it's yet another dead to weigh upon my conscience. At least it wasn't a child. I'm keeping Kadol's disappearance hush hush, just in case anyone feels like having a drink.

    I get a report of another victim before summer's end. We have a serial killer among us. Ezum assures me she has a suspect, and will arrest him soon.

    "So this is the vampire?"
    "He broke easily under interrogation: confessed to the murders, and a dozen other conspiracies besides."
    "Huh, what made you suspect him in the first place?"
    "I just started with the palest looking dwarves in the fort, and worked my way up. He's only the second most suspicious looking fellow in the fort. What really convinced me is when he started confessing to crimes that happened 50 years before he was supposed to have been born."

    Ezum tells me Dwarf Law will have him out of his chains in a year and a half, but I can't let such a creature loose in the fort again. I order his cell sealed shut. May the gods forgive me for this choice.
     
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    • Year 254 - Karlito - Summer II
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    • 254 Summer's End
    24th Galena- The giant bluejays returned, and one broke into the fort itself and killed two dwarves. At least after the marksdwarves shoot it and the other down, the woods are free of them again for the moment.

    As Autumn arrives, the gods make their own judgement of Kubuk the vampire known when they favor Ezum with the gift of inspiration.


    I swear to Tum, that's the most beautiful sock I've ever seen. A good thing it wouldn't fit on anyone so none will be tempted to soil it with their feet. And of course I must admire the tasteful use of bluejay bone. It will be displayed in the artefact hall. I can only hope this is a good omen for the rest of the year.
     
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    • Well, you did have a !fun! first half of the year.
    That bit about the Guildhall is a good example of funny stuff I've come to expect from succession forts - utter nonsense that made perfect sense two overseers ago. :)
     
    Kaernetron said:
    Well, you did have a !fun! first half of the year.
    That bit about the Guildhall is a good example of funny stuff I've come to expect from succession forts - utter nonsense that made perfect sense two overseers ago. :)
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    The layout of the fort is just a total mess in general especially in terms of how and where the workshops are laid out, and someone should fix it, but it's currently functioning basically without any input from me, which is good since like 50% of my attention was taken up with The War Against Birds.

    I expect to post the other half this evening.
     
    Jesus Christ. Giant bird attacks, a vampire, a forgotten beast, a titan, and a gobbo siege. It's not even autumn yet. Everyone's done well considering the circumstances.
     
    Year 254 - Karlito - Autumn
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    • 254 Autumn
    17th Limestone- the caravan arrives from the dwarfhome. We meet them in the trade depot, outside our still unfinished walls

    The outpost liason goes to meet with the new mayor- I'm still not sure about her. She was elected while the were were outside battling the forest titan and between the vampire and the reappearance of the bluejays, I've barely had a chance to see the woman. Aside from being the first most suspicious looking dwarf in the fort, there doesn't really seem to be any reason to mistrust her, and at least she seems to be getting along with the children.

    Well maybe I should have sat in on that meeting, because Mayor Fikod went and got herself appointed Baroness! At least we won't need to make new rooms for our self-proclaimed nobility.

    The trading was apparently going well, when the ghost of Cog, one of our militia members who drowned last year, arose to terrorize the caravan. Apparently her body was never recovered from the river. Her son Iton had been killed by Bluejays in the spring, so at least he can be spared the appearance of his mother's restless spirit. My own spirits are low enough that I consider that a mercy.

    I order memorial slabs engraved for poor Cog and the other other empty tombs. Honestly, we've lost so many that we need to remember, so I'll see if the stone crafters can get memorial stones for the rest of them finished as well.

    But that work might be delayed since the mayor, er sorry, Baroness, needs her own tomb now despite her apparently being currently alive.

    The caravan departs on the 18th of Sandstone. Our broker did well trading away much of our used clothing to be recycled in exchange for much needed seeds and drink. Or so they tell me, I've been avoiding the planters and farmers guilds all year because they won't shut about about how they need new guild halls. Maybe our newly enthroned Baroness can start taking those meetings...

    A few days later a small column of migrants trickle their way into the fort. I hope the new walls (yet still under construction) impress them. Our population is now 127 living dwarves.

    Crisis! Yet Again! A swarm of Keas descended upon the depot as the caravan was departing, and apparently the Baroness was injured! Her condition is dire.

    The surgeons tell me she's having difficulty breathing, but she's certainly been chatty enough. Just in case I have her tomb rushed to completion.

    Her spine is fractured. It seems as though the surgeons will need a miracle.

    In the mean time I take vengeance upon the Kea swarm.

    I'm told the Baroness is recovering well. It seems the surgeons are worth something after all. The children of the fort keep her company like always. I order her to take it easy for a while, no more running outside to fight the wildlife.

    As autumn comes to an end, my stone wall is finally complete! Next time goblins show up the marksdwarves will be able to stand atop the parapet and shoot down on them! Ezum called the colors "garish", but I told her the word she was thinking of is actually "striking".
     
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    • Year 254 - Karlito - Winter
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    • 254 Winter
    3rd Moonstone - just a scant few days into winter, and the call comes up from the watcher on the wall, "Goblins!". They're back again so soon. My new wall will already face their first test.

    The merchants are still in disarray from the Kea attack haven't yet left, and they seem unwilling to leave their donkeys to flee for the safety of the fort. I suppose we should move the trade depot inside the walls for the next year...

    This group is almost the same as the last one, a dozen goblins with bows. Unlike the previous group, they run straight for the fortress.

    The gate is raised, but the goblins quickly move to attack the caravan guards. Kumil the marksdwarf shames my cowardice by leaping from the battlements to face the goblins directly in battle. Dammit, I just want to keep my own people safe.

    The bridge is lowered and we thunder across, too late to save Kumil, but perhaps quick enough to save his two squadmates who leapt down after him. It seems that I may need to order some architectural adjustments to discourage such heroics in the future. The goblins put into disarray by the caravan guards and Kumil's efforts are no match for our hammers.

    Bembul and Asen, Kumil's two wall-leaping squadmates, are rescued and brought to the hospital. Their recovery will be a long one.

    18th of Moonstone. A bit of good news for once, when my second daughter is born. She's the first baby to be born this year, I believe. Of course, I quickly scoop her up and finish the armor demonstration I was leading.


    More rumblings are heard from below, but it takes a month before anyone catches a glimpse of the new beast lurking in the caverns. They remain sealed off by my order.

    17th of Opal- Every dwarf tomb has now been memorialized. Recovering the remains of those that are still lost to us may have to be a project for another year. I count 10 dead under my watch this year alone- two by goblin, one by the forest titan, two by the vampire, one accidental drowning, and the remaining four by the Giant Bluejays that plague us.

    Late winter is fortunately quiet. A roof over the battlements is installed, to hopefully make wall leaping heroics less tempting. The trade depot is moved inside the walls as well.

    Bembul and Asen, the two marksdwarves who survived a jump off the walls are mostly recovering well, though Asen's headwound is looking a little nasty.

    I understand the Baroness continues to struggle with her injuries, but it hasn't stopped her from soothing the worries of our most troubled dwarves. Some of children are starting to look cheerful again.

    All I can do is continue to drill my squad, so that we might be strong enough to face the dangers the next year will bring.

    -END OF 254-

    So yeah, that's 1 year with 2 goblin sieges, 2 forgotten beasts (undefeated), 1 forest titan, a spree-killing vampire, and like 4 separate bird attack incidents. Also the new Baroness might be an undead monstrosity. I think I probably cursed myself by choosing to play as a military character. @Mortis sorry again I was so late to get this finished and posted. You ready for the turn?
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Sorry, but stuff has been Happening recently and I don't have the energy to write up a turn right now. Pass along the save to Baughn please.
     
    Holy crap you had an eventful year. Well done on sticking it out.
     
    A fifth year worthy of legendary succession forts!

    Still cracks me up: new mayor becomes baroness, baroness may be an undead abomination is a noble, gets heavily maimed by krutzing kea and fails to die from her injuries. Damn you, natural selection! *shakes fist* :lol:

    edit:
    I was wondering - just why has our tomb complex a 2:1 ratio of coffins to doors? The slabs I get, but why all these doors?
     
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    It looks like it was converted from a set of old bedrooms, is why, I suspect. That or a love of doors.
     
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