Sent.
SV digs a Hole - A Dwarf Fortress Succession Game
- Thread starter LurkingWreck
- Start date
- Videogame
Sent.
LurkingWreck
Smol Birb
- Location
- Norway
If need be, you can take til next Sunday if you wish.
LurkingWreck
Smol Birb
- Location
- Norway
Don't be! Sometime shit just happens. I'll make note you have until the 6th.
- Location
- :(
Just to be clear, even though I'd prefer a whole year done before I get the save, a partially completed year is good enough. Please don't feel pressured or embarrassed that you're not totally finished even after the extended deadline. Everyone here understands that we all have real lives and it's better you do what you're able to do instead of worrying about not doing a whole turn.
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Year 255 - Rhel - Spring-Summer
"...and you may rest assured this government is ready to deal with the stresses put on this glorious fortress of ours by these past attacks and will confidently face any future crises! There is no reason to worry and any rumours about me being woefully unprepared... sedition... full force... will be fine... going to be great..."
From the first proclamation of militia captain and self proclaimed military governor Alath Zimathel
So where are we at? Despite last years attacks, the stocks seem to be looking well. Plenty of food and drink. The walls are intact. Nobody's trying to bash anyone elses head in... that I can tell anyway. Most Dwarves seem vaguely content at any rate. Call it the new governments first success!
Other than that just figuring out what's being stored where and what lever does what is a challenge. At least I know which one is linked to the drawbridge, so the plan in case of attack is to raise it and wait until the trouble blows over. Probably give some speeches about how everything is well in hand!
On the 2nd of Granite I was informed by some craftsdwarves that we are apparently out of logs. Despite my insistence that that's as it should be and that there's plenty of good stone lying around they insisted that they wanted to craft things from wood. So I ordered the chopping down of trees around the fortress entrance. Probably just hiding some Elves or Goblins anyway I figure!
4th of Granite, a bunch of civies beat an agitated giant hamster to death in courtyard. Fath Besmartangath has created a masterpiece eagle bone earring. All have been rewarded with a passionate speech thanking them for their patriotic contributions to the safety and glory of the fortress.
5th of Granite, The Guild of Sacks demands a Guild Hall. Having, once again, been almost sober at the time I approved the request, realizing only too late I would now be expected to fulfill it. Oh well. Also, it turns out Besmartangath just really, really, likes making eagle bone earrings. It all helps the fortress I suppose, but he better not expect a speech every time!
11th of Granite, I have designated a new room to be dug out for the craftsdwarves guild, as requested. That should keep people nice and happy!
12th of Granite, some dwarf named ezum Azolsazir has been missing for a week. Or so I've been alerted. I've been informed that publically saying "there's more of the buggers born every minute anyway" comes across as callous and tyrannical. So I've held a speech about how no expense will be spared to find them and if they are dead their glorious sacrifice will be forever remembered.
25th of Granite, it turns out that when this new craftsdwarves guild talked about a guild hall they meant a palace from the legends, with golden roof and silver floor and all that... I have ordered the placement of various furniture as well as the engraving of the floor. We shall see if that's enough to shut them up.
26th of Granite, reports of a forgotten beast called "Eshgor Losis" from somewhere down in the caves. Near as I can tell it's got no way of getting to us and I intend to damn well keep it that way.
14th of Felsite, after months of nothing happening the Guild Hall is nearing completion. Unfortunately one Mafol Nileszon has chosen the occasion to go on a murderous rampage. I've ordered the military to take care of this troublemaker!
15th of Felsite, it turns out the order was unnecessary. Random bystanders took care of the issue. Patriotic speech, medals etc. Everyone knows the drill by now.
Quick out of character question here, am I supposed to be notified when I've fulfilled the request for the Guild Hall? I've built what seemed a pretty large one to me and brought it over 2000 value with engraving and furniture, but haven't gotten any notice.
18th of Feliste, I decided to embark on a major project, worthy of my ambition, and reorganize the fortresses storage. One look at what I have taken to calling the "everything storage" in the central parts of the fortress, along with the fact that this seeming chaos seems to, shockingly, do its job, has dispelled me of this notion.
2nd of Hematite, oh dear...
Goblins. My first real chance to prove I can keep the dwarves of this fortress safe and sound!
5th of Hematite, Hah! Goblin scum! The invasion was repelled in a matter of days and all it took was someone brave and decisive enough to order a single charge and break them! We've suffered some injuries, but every single Goblin who thought to threaten our way of life lies dead on the field.
Maybe taking this job wasn't such a bad idea after all! This is easy!
18th of Hematite, the baroness has been re-elected. Good for her. Someone needs to sign my decisions.
28th of Hematite, Asen Zanosid has become possessed. Let's see what they come up with.
1st of Malachite, they've claimed a Stoneworkers Workshop.
5th of Malachite, yet another forgotten beast has supposedly been sighted, though we haven't been able to find a single trace of it.
14th of Malachite,Two of the forgotten beasts down below have decided this cave's not big enough for the both of them. An entertaining spectacle for the whole family!
15th of Malachite, two beasts enter. One beast leaves.
5th of Galena, after much fighting a giant Bluejay of all things was finally slain in the courtyard.
10th of Galena, every 5 seconds someone reports being attacked by a giant Bluejay, but when I turn up with the guards? Nothing!
16th Galena, Asen Zanosid has finally begun their mysterious construction. Took them long enough, though I suppose the ravenous swarms of giant bluejays might've delayed them.
20th of Galena, Asen Zanosid has made a mug. A pretty neat one. I approve of the use of Bluejay remains. Scum of the skies...
12th of Limestone, a Caravan has apparently "bypassed our inaccessible site" according to a message they sent us. Not sure why it would be inacessable, both our dwarves and the damned bluejays access it just fine.
13th of Limestone, oh dear. Damned thing apparently killed a whole bunch of the merchants too.
14th of Limestone. It's dead... Thankfully. But it's caused more harm than any Goblin siege.
Also, the mountainhomes apparently wand handwear. How lovely.
8th of sandstone, I've been informed a ghost is now haunting the fortress. Just what I needed.
Unfortunately contrary to my earlier promise I think I have to cut my turn short here. Not only am I increasingly learning that I become completely overwhelmed by anything bigger than the relatively tiny, easy to understand fortresses I've been playing around with, but I've also, again, had trouble finding the time to finish the turn.
I can at least console myself with the fact that I didn't mess up anywhere near as bad as I thought I would starting out. Stores are up, happiness is looking solide, but I can't for the life of me, even after having read two tutorials manage to get people properly buried. But we're up a nice guild hall, so there's that.
Again, I'm really sorry, but I think this is better than holding the whole game up even longer. I'll send you the save right away @plonk.
From the first proclamation of militia captain and self proclaimed military governor Alath Zimathel
So where are we at? Despite last years attacks, the stocks seem to be looking well. Plenty of food and drink. The walls are intact. Nobody's trying to bash anyone elses head in... that I can tell anyway. Most Dwarves seem vaguely content at any rate. Call it the new governments first success!
Other than that just figuring out what's being stored where and what lever does what is a challenge. At least I know which one is linked to the drawbridge, so the plan in case of attack is to raise it and wait until the trouble blows over. Probably give some speeches about how everything is well in hand!
On the 2nd of Granite I was informed by some craftsdwarves that we are apparently out of logs. Despite my insistence that that's as it should be and that there's plenty of good stone lying around they insisted that they wanted to craft things from wood. So I ordered the chopping down of trees around the fortress entrance. Probably just hiding some Elves or Goblins anyway I figure!
4th of Granite, a bunch of civies beat an agitated giant hamster to death in courtyard. Fath Besmartangath has created a masterpiece eagle bone earring. All have been rewarded with a passionate speech thanking them for their patriotic contributions to the safety and glory of the fortress.
5th of Granite, The Guild of Sacks demands a Guild Hall. Having, once again, been almost sober at the time I approved the request, realizing only too late I would now be expected to fulfill it. Oh well. Also, it turns out Besmartangath just really, really, likes making eagle bone earrings. It all helps the fortress I suppose, but he better not expect a speech every time!
11th of Granite, I have designated a new room to be dug out for the craftsdwarves guild, as requested. That should keep people nice and happy!
12th of Granite, some dwarf named ezum Azolsazir has been missing for a week. Or so I've been alerted. I've been informed that publically saying "there's more of the buggers born every minute anyway" comes across as callous and tyrannical. So I've held a speech about how no expense will be spared to find them and if they are dead their glorious sacrifice will be forever remembered.
25th of Granite, it turns out that when this new craftsdwarves guild talked about a guild hall they meant a palace from the legends, with golden roof and silver floor and all that... I have ordered the placement of various furniture as well as the engraving of the floor. We shall see if that's enough to shut them up.
26th of Granite, reports of a forgotten beast called "Eshgor Losis" from somewhere down in the caves. Near as I can tell it's got no way of getting to us and I intend to damn well keep it that way.
14th of Felsite, after months of nothing happening the Guild Hall is nearing completion. Unfortunately one Mafol Nileszon has chosen the occasion to go on a murderous rampage. I've ordered the military to take care of this troublemaker!
15th of Felsite, it turns out the order was unnecessary. Random bystanders took care of the issue. Patriotic speech, medals etc. Everyone knows the drill by now.
Quick out of character question here, am I supposed to be notified when I've fulfilled the request for the Guild Hall? I've built what seemed a pretty large one to me and brought it over 2000 value with engraving and furniture, but haven't gotten any notice.
18th of Feliste, I decided to embark on a major project, worthy of my ambition, and reorganize the fortresses storage. One look at what I have taken to calling the "everything storage" in the central parts of the fortress, along with the fact that this seeming chaos seems to, shockingly, do its job, has dispelled me of this notion.
2nd of Hematite, oh dear...
Goblins. My first real chance to prove I can keep the dwarves of this fortress safe and sound!
5th of Hematite, Hah! Goblin scum! The invasion was repelled in a matter of days and all it took was someone brave and decisive enough to order a single charge and break them! We've suffered some injuries, but every single Goblin who thought to threaten our way of life lies dead on the field.
Maybe taking this job wasn't such a bad idea after all! This is easy!
18th of Hematite, the baroness has been re-elected. Good for her. Someone needs to sign my decisions.
28th of Hematite, Asen Zanosid has become possessed. Let's see what they come up with.
1st of Malachite, they've claimed a Stoneworkers Workshop.
5th of Malachite, yet another forgotten beast has supposedly been sighted, though we haven't been able to find a single trace of it.
14th of Malachite,Two of the forgotten beasts down below have decided this cave's not big enough for the both of them. An entertaining spectacle for the whole family!
15th of Malachite, two beasts enter. One beast leaves.
5th of Galena, after much fighting a giant Bluejay of all things was finally slain in the courtyard.
10th of Galena, every 5 seconds someone reports being attacked by a giant Bluejay, but when I turn up with the guards? Nothing!
16th Galena, Asen Zanosid has finally begun their mysterious construction. Took them long enough, though I suppose the ravenous swarms of giant bluejays might've delayed them.
20th of Galena, Asen Zanosid has made a mug. A pretty neat one. I approve of the use of Bluejay remains. Scum of the skies...
12th of Limestone, a Caravan has apparently "bypassed our inaccessible site" according to a message they sent us. Not sure why it would be inacessable, both our dwarves and the damned bluejays access it just fine.
13th of Limestone, oh dear. Damned thing apparently killed a whole bunch of the merchants too.
14th of Limestone. It's dead... Thankfully. But it's caused more harm than any Goblin siege.
Also, the mountainhomes apparently wand handwear. How lovely.
8th of sandstone, I've been informed a ghost is now haunting the fortress. Just what I needed.
Unfortunately contrary to my earlier promise I think I have to cut my turn short here. Not only am I increasingly learning that I become completely overwhelmed by anything bigger than the relatively tiny, easy to understand fortresses I've been playing around with, but I've also, again, had trouble finding the time to finish the turn.
I can at least console myself with the fact that I didn't mess up anywhere near as bad as I thought I would starting out. Stores are up, happiness is looking solide, but I can't for the life of me, even after having read two tutorials manage to get people properly buried. But we're up a nice guild hall, so there's that.
Again, I'm really sorry, but I think this is better than holding the whole game up even longer. I'll send you the save right away @plonk.
Kaernetron
Feuergeist
- Location
- Weit, Weit dort Oben
I believe you only get notified once the timer runs out.
LurkingWreck
Smol Birb
- Location
- Norway
LurkingWreck
Smol Birb
- Location
- Norway
You have the inenviable task of going through an additional 6~ months of game time. If need be you could get extra time.
- Location
- :(
Have now played a few days of the save. I don't want to spoil but !!Fun!! is on the way. I will try my best but this could be fortress ending.
EDIT: I will write my report up to the !!Event!! and see what you guys think. This is very very bad and I'm pretty good but I'm not sure how recoverable this is.
EDIT: I will write my report up to the !!Event!! and see what you guys think. This is very very bad and I'm pretty good but I'm not sure how recoverable this is.
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Surprise Interrupt! Year 255 - plonk - Autumn
- Location
- :(
7th Sandstone
Okay, don't kill me, I can explain.
Allow me to go over the events of the last few days. Following the glorious death of our beloved former overseer, I was hefted out of the dining room and told the position was mine. I begged, cried, and vomited, but unfortunately I was told it was "my turn".
I first of all, like any good dwarf, took a brief overlook of our Booze stocks - 600 quarts, we need far more for a fortress of this size!
I looked around the outskirt and saw the remains of the last caravan, presumably slain by our prior uninvited guests. I saw some scrolls, the beginning of a library perhaps! We have an abundance of pigs tails, and we merely need a press and we'd have a paper industry! But I do go on.
I took stock of our defensive perimeter. They needed work. Thick walls are nice to look at, and a moat is a great barrier in a pinch, but do little to address our real problem which is having to fight out in the open. Put in a roof, and put down some sort of trap room and a false entrance, and we'd fear neither feathers nor greenskins
We had far too many farmers and a huge surplus of plants and food, yet not enough of basically everything else. Everyone pitching in to tilling the soil, but other jobs needed doing. I cut their numbers to around 6 of the best.
Our soldiers live in dirt. No good! I made a mental note to spruce these up.
I was unsure why, but we did not have a dedicated brewer. I grabbed our best alemaster and told him if he wanted to keep drinking he had better start filling up the barrels he drained.
Work orders were a mess. Some clothing orders only triggered if there's less than 10 of an item. Perhaps it's necessary when we're all barefoot and shirtless, but I'd rather get the dwarves to work making some shoes and cloaks before that point.
Further, very few workshops have a dedicated dwarf, meaning every dwarf will do whatever job is necessary at the time and therefore is a master of none. Very little gets done quickly and thus many dwarves are idle - sparing those on farm duty.
We'll start with our clothworks. They grumbled when I dragged them out of the dining hall, but if someone goes around calling themself a "Grand Master" weaver then they had better get weaving!
Let's get that roof in.
8th Sandstone
Our administrator, Tekkud, was stuck up a tree, fighting a bird. I sent a woodsdwarf and a military escort to liberate him, though my hopes of successful rescue are low.
Meanwhile, work begins on the roof.
10th Sandstone
Our men have been keeping our trapped administrator company. Birdwatch reports nothing, however we remain on high alert-
Are you fucking joking.
Jesus Christ.
Gods above, no.
I peered out into the corridor outside the general stockpile (another job I wanted to sort out) and saw this. An entire pile of at least half a dozen dwarves were writhing on the floor, covered in bites. I came across a group of other terrified dwarves further up the stairs. I can only hope it was not their own blood and vomit that covered their faces.
Finally some axe dwarf took off the head of the last one - skulking in the living quarters.
20 Dwarves have died by the last count, maybe more. Who even knows how many more are infected? It is my third day as Overseer.
Our deceased previous overseer suffered a Weregiraffe attack before his death and, evidently, missed the bitten dwarves. They lived amongst us and then, at the very moment we were all mobilised to put on the roof the moonlight grew pale, we saw our friends contort and grow taller… taller… taller…
I have already considered throwing myself into the reservoir. Then I came to my senses. I now ask you assembled dwarves what is to be done here. We can quarantine as we did last time, true. We can also expel anyone with a wound, which may be a mercy for our supposed loved ones however then we unleash them on the world. I can draw up a list of those to be quarantined or exiled - there may be former overseers amongst them. But unless action is taken this will be the end of us all.
Okay, don't kill me, I can explain.
Allow me to go over the events of the last few days. Following the glorious death of our beloved former overseer, I was hefted out of the dining room and told the position was mine. I begged, cried, and vomited, but unfortunately I was told it was "my turn".
I first of all, like any good dwarf, took a brief overlook of our Booze stocks - 600 quarts, we need far more for a fortress of this size!
I looked around the outskirt and saw the remains of the last caravan, presumably slain by our prior uninvited guests. I saw some scrolls, the beginning of a library perhaps! We have an abundance of pigs tails, and we merely need a press and we'd have a paper industry! But I do go on.
I took stock of our defensive perimeter. They needed work. Thick walls are nice to look at, and a moat is a great barrier in a pinch, but do little to address our real problem which is having to fight out in the open. Put in a roof, and put down some sort of trap room and a false entrance, and we'd fear neither feathers nor greenskins
We had far too many farmers and a huge surplus of plants and food, yet not enough of basically everything else. Everyone pitching in to tilling the soil, but other jobs needed doing. I cut their numbers to around 6 of the best.
Our soldiers live in dirt. No good! I made a mental note to spruce these up.
I was unsure why, but we did not have a dedicated brewer. I grabbed our best alemaster and told him if he wanted to keep drinking he had better start filling up the barrels he drained.
Work orders were a mess. Some clothing orders only triggered if there's less than 10 of an item. Perhaps it's necessary when we're all barefoot and shirtless, but I'd rather get the dwarves to work making some shoes and cloaks before that point.
Further, very few workshops have a dedicated dwarf, meaning every dwarf will do whatever job is necessary at the time and therefore is a master of none. Very little gets done quickly and thus many dwarves are idle - sparing those on farm duty.
We'll start with our clothworks. They grumbled when I dragged them out of the dining hall, but if someone goes around calling themself a "Grand Master" weaver then they had better get weaving!
Let's get that roof in.
8th Sandstone
Our administrator, Tekkud, was stuck up a tree, fighting a bird. I sent a woodsdwarf and a military escort to liberate him, though my hopes of successful rescue are low.
Meanwhile, work begins on the roof.
10th Sandstone
Our men have been keeping our trapped administrator company. Birdwatch reports nothing, however we remain on high alert-
Are you fucking joking.
Jesus Christ.
Gods above, no.
I peered out into the corridor outside the general stockpile (another job I wanted to sort out) and saw this. An entire pile of at least half a dozen dwarves were writhing on the floor, covered in bites. I came across a group of other terrified dwarves further up the stairs. I can only hope it was not their own blood and vomit that covered their faces.
Finally some axe dwarf took off the head of the last one - skulking in the living quarters.
20 Dwarves have died by the last count, maybe more. Who even knows how many more are infected? It is my third day as Overseer.
Our deceased previous overseer suffered a Weregiraffe attack before his death and, evidently, missed the bitten dwarves. They lived amongst us and then, at the very moment we were all mobilised to put on the roof the moonlight grew pale, we saw our friends contort and grow taller… taller… taller…
I have already considered throwing myself into the reservoir. Then I came to my senses. I now ask you assembled dwarves what is to be done here. We can quarantine as we did last time, true. We can also expel anyone with a wound, which may be a mercy for our supposed loved ones however then we unleash them on the world. I can draw up a list of those to be quarantined or exiled - there may be former overseers amongst them. But unless action is taken this will be the end of us all.
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LurkingWreck
Smol Birb
- Location
- Norway
Well, that is a shitty development to say the least. I would say a simple quarantine is to be put into effect so we can determine who is infected, killing/expelling the confirmed ones, and then we pray to Armok it holds. Mind you given my own less-than-stellar run as Overseer I doubt my word carries much weight around here anymore.
- Location
- :(
This issue isn't quartering them honestly, it's the sheer amount of infected and the huge amount of exposure makes it borderline impossible to effectively catch everyone. I'll do my best but frankly I'm considering just sending anyone with so much as a scratch into the wilderness.
There are certainly non-wounded left, yeah. I estimate maybe 40 wounded but I haven't done a headcount yet.
There are certainly non-wounded left, yeah. I estimate maybe 40 wounded but I haven't done a headcount yet.
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Kaernetron
Feuergeist
- Location
- Weit, Weit dort Oben
Quick question: does lycantrophy spread only by bite, or does drinking contaminated water also work (like vampirism)?
If you can't be rid of them, join them.
If you can't be rid of them, join them.
- Location
- Spain
Quick question: does lycantrophy spread only by bite, or does drinking contaminated water also work (like vampirism)?
If you can't be rid of them, join them.
Only biting.
Year 255 - plonk - Winter
- Location
- :(
I sat down to play, thinking I'd just go up to 1 total year and finish the rest after doing an update. Ended up having such a blast I lost the whole public holiday Friday and got my entire turn finished. Oh well, my loss is your gain. This'll have to be a two parter because of the number of images.
—
12 Sandstone
Things have not returned to "normal", but perhaps that is a good thing. The first few days of any crisis are the most vital. There is a time for tears and there is a time for action, and it is important they are put in the correct order.
As much as one might want to blame the previous overseer, the blame is not theirs. We relied on open-field combat for far too long, had very little discipline with preventing civilians into the line of fire. Defences are simply not sophisticated enough for a fortress of this size. The weregiraffe issue is the summation of many problems which should have been fixed far earlier.
If I am granted enough breath to draw to see my term through, I will turn this ruin into an impregnable metropolis. But I beg, let me see this next month through.
We collected the wounded. There are not enough hospital beds nor is there enough time to make more for all the extra wounded.
Duzzit, the saviour of the last weregiraffe plague, is amongst them.
He beckoned me close, and whispered… "my… office…".
In the hospital library, I found shelves upon shelves of his research on the accursed beasts. A description of symptoms, autopsies… and, importantly, how to properly quarantine.
I will not fail you, Duzzit.
With no rooms left, we stack the remaining wounded in the hallway. There is no time to build more. We treat the wounded as best we can, but eventually we will have to leave them to fend for themselves.
We have walled them off. Gods be with them.
23 Sandstone
I caught some farmers working the fields with cloth around their faces, hiding fresh sutures. Had there not been others there I would have ripped out their throat where they stood. Not for being infected, but for their cowardice! The other wounded stay in quarantine, risking certain death, while these weaklings taste freedom for another month and put us all at risk!
I held my rage, and merely sent them away. Good riddance to cravens.
This full moon approaching creeps under my skin. I can only hope I have done everything right.
8 Timber
It begins.
Asen refused to leave her husband's side. She assumed she was bitten too, and they'd both go mad together sharing the same bed. Romantic. She was wrong. We could hear her screeching through the stone as it ripped her throat to ribbons. These beasts disgust me.
10 Timber
They have transformed back, and we know exactly who carries this curse.. I ordered the hospital unsealed. Per Duzzit's records, those who have healed from their wounds will have turned, those still injured will be safe.
Amongst the corridors we found the unlucky few who had the safety of a room nor an infection, and thus likely to be mauled by the werecreatures among them. Frustratingly, more of the uninfected were in the open area than in the rooms and as a result were slaughtered. Had we had more time they could have been saved.
Forgive me Duzzit… He was not infected, but was among those in the open hospital when two of them turned. I couldn't have known. The uninfected put up a good fight considering their condition, and even managed to kill one of the two weregiraffes...
Only one of the uninfected wounded survived. Safe in her barred room, Muthkat Bravepage, heard the agonies of the slaughtered through that thin stone door.
Judging by the dead, the vast majority of the openly exposed wounded were not infected while most of the patients in the rooms had taken the curse. This was probably the worst possible outcome for those quarantined uninfected. I take full responsibility.
I swear to you all that it will not be in vain.
We went from 110 dwarves to 60. Nearly half of our population when the outbreak started. If we go from the beginning of the year when we numbered over 120, we lost over half our population. Things could have been worse, true, but the cost was far too high.
Our leadership has been decimated. Some of the finest talent in the realm gone too. We cannot afford this to happen again.
It is time to mourn, and time to heal. There are still dead lying in the corridors. Our remaining stonemasons have been ordered to produce as many coffins as necessary. I fear they will be at it for some time.
Still we cannot afford to be stuck in the past. If I am to be overseer, I will need to whip this fortress back into shape.
12 Timber
I made a difficult choice today.
We exile the infected. I could not send our soldiers to slaughter their friends after they had to slay their own commander not one month ago, even though we all knew it was necessary. Nor could I just keep them as some sort of bestial force to unleash on our enemies. I, frankly, do not want this ticking magma bomb living underneath our walls for some later overseer to unleash on us all. This is our only choice.
With any luck the giant parakeets will pick them off in the forest. I know this is just passing the problem down for countless other settlements to fend off, but executing them all is a problem in itself and keeping them around in a sealed off area will cause other problems. I only pray that it was the last of them for us. But I know it will not be so.
14 Timber
We wiped our eyes, and got back to work. My first project, besides the roof, was expanding the textiles quarter. There was only one skilled clothier in the fortress, who happened to be none other than the sole survivor of the quarantine, Muthkat Bravepage. I suppose the gods granted us two blessings that night.
22 Timber
Creating a library and the future paperworks. It's not enough to survive here, we need to live too.
We started to put the remaining dead to rest. Our miners solemnly tapped away the rock, knowing their friends would return to the stone they took. Those who we could not recover were memorialised. I have scant time to memorialise the already buried on a scale like this, but we shall try our best.
28 Timber
Work continues on the roof, albeit slowly. We need to get this done before the next true birding season. Smaller keas swoop at our builders, who flee to safety only for the moment. Every brick laid is a life saved.
3 Moonstone
It has just passed the first moon of winter and, thankfully, nobody has turned. I don't want to belabour the point here, but we got very, very lucky that we caught the stragglers outside the quarantine and that all of the infected were behind the seal. We are now only 62 in number and I doubt we will see immigrants soon (should they have any sense), but I have been trying my best to keep spirits high and distract everyone with their work.
Unrelatedly, I have set up a cheesemaker's workshop. I'm not sure how, but we have as much milk as ale. Better to preserve it as cheese and at least make it into something useful for our cook. At the very least it'll free up some barrels.
4 Moonstone
Skulking green filth! Some snatchers have arrived to steal our younglings — all two of them. This is not a place to be young. Perhaps news of our catastrophe has not reached the outside world, nonetheless it is our prerogative to strike the thieves down.
Some bystanders apprehended the creature before the militia arrived and ripped it to shreds. Good riddance, but it shouldn't have made it this far. I will assign some guard dogs to watch the gate from now on.
8 Moonstone
Our first pressed paper sheet. I've given some promising dwarves light scholarship duties, though most are too busy to make the most of it. Hopefully some of our many remaining medical dwarves can record their knowledge for later generations when they get the time.
Unfortunately, due to our very limited reading stock (consisting of two scrolls we found in the caravan wreckage) so far the library has mainly been used as an alternative dining room rather than a place of learning. Oh well. It's there if anyone wants to use it, at least.
11 Moonstone
The lower catacombs are finished and, bittersweetly, we no longer have any dwarven dead left which require graves. In fact, some graves have been set aside for pet burial, both as a respect for their companionship and also to empty that godforsaken corpse stockpile. The last of the gore has been cleaned up also — though the screams of the dying still ring in my ears, most days I can smother it away. Some normality has been restored.
Later in the day, keas tried to snipe at the fortress. No such luck for them. Although the roof is still unfinished, our sentry dogs made short work of them once the swoopers got under the ceiling and the winged rats had no escape. If only we could be so lucky every time.
22 Moonstone
The roof is 90% complete. Thanks to the new protection from the skies, we can now afford to dabble in surface trades. Call me a sun-burned fool if you wish, but I don't hold the opinion that the only way to be a true dwarf is to squat in a cave and gnaw on mushrooms.
While this will take many a year to get going as we split the colonies, our enclosed apiary eventually will give us a smidge more variety in our diet and also be an irritant to attackers. Those hives have been sitting in our stockpile collecting dust for years, we may as well use them.
The skies were clear enough for our more foolhardy dwarves to run into the forest and grab some honeybee colonies (with their bare hands!). I've already asked the brewer to begin making mead once we have enough honey to ferment.
Furthermore, the roof doesn't appear to bother our llama flock, who seem content enough to treat it like a stable with the little grass growing underneath — thanks to dwarven engineering, I am told the soil is as tillable as the ground outside. I've no plans to start growing surface crops as there's nothing wrong with sweet pods and cave wheat, but if the next overseers want to they have that option. At the very least they don't have to worry about bird attack.
On the note of the llamas, I have set up the cheesemaking workshop as a milking station, and I've also asked for the thresher to start shearing the flock once we run out of pig tails to process. The thresher has been doing wonders with the pig tail surplus and I want to make sure they're occupied before pig tails are in season again. We already have an abundance of silk too. Already dwarves are discarding their tattered old rags and wearing our latest finery — a small luxury.
25 Moonstone
It's time to establish sophisticated defences. No more fighting outside the walls if we can help it, too many good dwarves are dying in inconsequential fights — let alone facing the risk posed by werecreatures. Work on the trap corridor begins. The furnaces fire up once more, our best remaining weaponsmiths making the finest spears, axes, and components for our hallway of death. I only hope that it is worth it.
On the note of the furnaces, I reorganised the furnace operators and work orders. Now we will have dedicated, experienced operators in charge of smelting rather than every dwarf bumbling through the processes when their turn arises. This will be far more efficient, however it may deplete our ore and fuel stockpile faster than we expect. Luckily there are plenty of exposed veins around.
Meanwhile the roof nears completion. I wish it could have been as pretty as the sheer jet outer walls, but I suppose garish pink will be a statement to those winged bastards.
I considered building a barracks on the roof and some of the walls went up, but I decided I do not want to risk our builders further exposure to bird attack. I'll wait until the new year before I make a decision in any case.
11 Opal
With the roof essentially finished, renovations of the barracks are underway. A dwarven warrior shouldn't need to train in the mud, and for far too long they've been sleeping in the lower chambers — slowing our ability to respond to attack. Some brick floors have been laid, but the tricky part is dismantling the armour and weapon racks without impacting the troops too much. I want to dig out the peat walls and replace them with stone too, but basics first.
Further, I have drawn up plans for a grand tavern — we are already rife with dining halls and temples, but we're sorely lacking a place to have a tankard with friends after a day's labour. I've left plenty of space, and we have a few artefact instruments to install for public entertainment.
The tavern also exits into an exposed vein. My thought was the miners were the hardest drinking sort, and the drunker we get them the better they'll dig. We'll see how this experiment goes.
I have been a little indulgent and given the keg store solid gold walls. Nobody complained, we all deserve a little luxury after this year's horrors. It's more appreciated there than if it were smelted into baubles, after all.
6 Obsidian
An uneventful winter so far, and hoping it stays that way. We're having a severe container shortage, though I'm ordering our carpenters in tandem to produce as many barrels as possible.
Another thing of note is we are officially out of pig tails — not necessarily bad, we now have an abundance of cloth and paper to work with, and plenty of seeds for next year's harvest. Regardless, we also have nearly 700 (!) yards of cave spider silk of excellent quality. Once we've worked through the pig tail linen and the clothier has good practice we can start making silk wares to be proud of.
In the meantime, we're using the papermaking quern to mill our cave wheat. I'd prefer a millstone, but a windmill is too vulnerable to fliers, and the engineering required to set up an internal watermill with our reservoir gives me chest pains.
Further, we are advancing the realm of cheese science. I have never tried it myself, but I've been told our cheeses are "edible". I'll stick to meat for now.
1 Granite, 256
Spring has come. Little of note has happened in the last month, which I wish I could have said about the entire year.
This has been a terrible year for the fortress, but we have recovered. I understand that an overseer has responsibilities for an entire year, and so I will see out my turn if the others will have me. But for tonight at least I retreated to a dark corner of the tavern, lapped at my drink, and tried to forget.
—
AUTUMN-WINTER 255
12 Sandstone
Things have not returned to "normal", but perhaps that is a good thing. The first few days of any crisis are the most vital. There is a time for tears and there is a time for action, and it is important they are put in the correct order.
As much as one might want to blame the previous overseer, the blame is not theirs. We relied on open-field combat for far too long, had very little discipline with preventing civilians into the line of fire. Defences are simply not sophisticated enough for a fortress of this size. The weregiraffe issue is the summation of many problems which should have been fixed far earlier.
If I am granted enough breath to draw to see my term through, I will turn this ruin into an impregnable metropolis. But I beg, let me see this next month through.
We collected the wounded. There are not enough hospital beds nor is there enough time to make more for all the extra wounded.
Duzzit, the saviour of the last weregiraffe plague, is amongst them.
He beckoned me close, and whispered… "my… office…".
In the hospital library, I found shelves upon shelves of his research on the accursed beasts. A description of symptoms, autopsies… and, importantly, how to properly quarantine.
I will not fail you, Duzzit.
With no rooms left, we stack the remaining wounded in the hallway. There is no time to build more. We treat the wounded as best we can, but eventually we will have to leave them to fend for themselves.
We have walled them off. Gods be with them.
23 Sandstone
I caught some farmers working the fields with cloth around their faces, hiding fresh sutures. Had there not been others there I would have ripped out their throat where they stood. Not for being infected, but for their cowardice! The other wounded stay in quarantine, risking certain death, while these weaklings taste freedom for another month and put us all at risk!
I held my rage, and merely sent them away. Good riddance to cravens.
This full moon approaching creeps under my skin. I can only hope I have done everything right.
8 Timber
It begins.
Asen refused to leave her husband's side. She assumed she was bitten too, and they'd both go mad together sharing the same bed. Romantic. She was wrong. We could hear her screeching through the stone as it ripped her throat to ribbons. These beasts disgust me.
10 Timber
They have transformed back, and we know exactly who carries this curse.. I ordered the hospital unsealed. Per Duzzit's records, those who have healed from their wounds will have turned, those still injured will be safe.
Amongst the corridors we found the unlucky few who had the safety of a room nor an infection, and thus likely to be mauled by the werecreatures among them. Frustratingly, more of the uninfected were in the open area than in the rooms and as a result were slaughtered. Had we had more time they could have been saved.
Forgive me Duzzit… He was not infected, but was among those in the open hospital when two of them turned. I couldn't have known. The uninfected put up a good fight considering their condition, and even managed to kill one of the two weregiraffes...
Only one of the uninfected wounded survived. Safe in her barred room, Muthkat Bravepage, heard the agonies of the slaughtered through that thin stone door.
Judging by the dead, the vast majority of the openly exposed wounded were not infected while most of the patients in the rooms had taken the curse. This was probably the worst possible outcome for those quarantined uninfected. I take full responsibility.
I swear to you all that it will not be in vain.
We went from 110 dwarves to 60. Nearly half of our population when the outbreak started. If we go from the beginning of the year when we numbered over 120, we lost over half our population. Things could have been worse, true, but the cost was far too high.
Our leadership has been decimated. Some of the finest talent in the realm gone too. We cannot afford this to happen again.
It is time to mourn, and time to heal. There are still dead lying in the corridors. Our remaining stonemasons have been ordered to produce as many coffins as necessary. I fear they will be at it for some time.
Still we cannot afford to be stuck in the past. If I am to be overseer, I will need to whip this fortress back into shape.
12 Timber
I made a difficult choice today.
We exile the infected. I could not send our soldiers to slaughter their friends after they had to slay their own commander not one month ago, even though we all knew it was necessary. Nor could I just keep them as some sort of bestial force to unleash on our enemies. I, frankly, do not want this ticking magma bomb living underneath our walls for some later overseer to unleash on us all. This is our only choice.
With any luck the giant parakeets will pick them off in the forest. I know this is just passing the problem down for countless other settlements to fend off, but executing them all is a problem in itself and keeping them around in a sealed off area will cause other problems. I only pray that it was the last of them for us. But I know it will not be so.
14 Timber
We wiped our eyes, and got back to work. My first project, besides the roof, was expanding the textiles quarter. There was only one skilled clothier in the fortress, who happened to be none other than the sole survivor of the quarantine, Muthkat Bravepage. I suppose the gods granted us two blessings that night.
22 Timber
Creating a library and the future paperworks. It's not enough to survive here, we need to live too.
We started to put the remaining dead to rest. Our miners solemnly tapped away the rock, knowing their friends would return to the stone they took. Those who we could not recover were memorialised. I have scant time to memorialise the already buried on a scale like this, but we shall try our best.
28 Timber
Work continues on the roof, albeit slowly. We need to get this done before the next true birding season. Smaller keas swoop at our builders, who flee to safety only for the moment. Every brick laid is a life saved.
3 Moonstone
It has just passed the first moon of winter and, thankfully, nobody has turned. I don't want to belabour the point here, but we got very, very lucky that we caught the stragglers outside the quarantine and that all of the infected were behind the seal. We are now only 62 in number and I doubt we will see immigrants soon (should they have any sense), but I have been trying my best to keep spirits high and distract everyone with their work.
Unrelatedly, I have set up a cheesemaker's workshop. I'm not sure how, but we have as much milk as ale. Better to preserve it as cheese and at least make it into something useful for our cook. At the very least it'll free up some barrels.
4 Moonstone
Skulking green filth! Some snatchers have arrived to steal our younglings — all two of them. This is not a place to be young. Perhaps news of our catastrophe has not reached the outside world, nonetheless it is our prerogative to strike the thieves down.
Some bystanders apprehended the creature before the militia arrived and ripped it to shreds. Good riddance, but it shouldn't have made it this far. I will assign some guard dogs to watch the gate from now on.
8 Moonstone
Our first pressed paper sheet. I've given some promising dwarves light scholarship duties, though most are too busy to make the most of it. Hopefully some of our many remaining medical dwarves can record their knowledge for later generations when they get the time.
Unfortunately, due to our very limited reading stock (consisting of two scrolls we found in the caravan wreckage) so far the library has mainly been used as an alternative dining room rather than a place of learning. Oh well. It's there if anyone wants to use it, at least.
11 Moonstone
The lower catacombs are finished and, bittersweetly, we no longer have any dwarven dead left which require graves. In fact, some graves have been set aside for pet burial, both as a respect for their companionship and also to empty that godforsaken corpse stockpile. The last of the gore has been cleaned up also — though the screams of the dying still ring in my ears, most days I can smother it away. Some normality has been restored.
Later in the day, keas tried to snipe at the fortress. No such luck for them. Although the roof is still unfinished, our sentry dogs made short work of them once the swoopers got under the ceiling and the winged rats had no escape. If only we could be so lucky every time.
22 Moonstone
The roof is 90% complete. Thanks to the new protection from the skies, we can now afford to dabble in surface trades. Call me a sun-burned fool if you wish, but I don't hold the opinion that the only way to be a true dwarf is to squat in a cave and gnaw on mushrooms.
While this will take many a year to get going as we split the colonies, our enclosed apiary eventually will give us a smidge more variety in our diet and also be an irritant to attackers. Those hives have been sitting in our stockpile collecting dust for years, we may as well use them.
The skies were clear enough for our more foolhardy dwarves to run into the forest and grab some honeybee colonies (with their bare hands!). I've already asked the brewer to begin making mead once we have enough honey to ferment.
Furthermore, the roof doesn't appear to bother our llama flock, who seem content enough to treat it like a stable with the little grass growing underneath — thanks to dwarven engineering, I am told the soil is as tillable as the ground outside. I've no plans to start growing surface crops as there's nothing wrong with sweet pods and cave wheat, but if the next overseers want to they have that option. At the very least they don't have to worry about bird attack.
On the note of the llamas, I have set up the cheesemaking workshop as a milking station, and I've also asked for the thresher to start shearing the flock once we run out of pig tails to process. The thresher has been doing wonders with the pig tail surplus and I want to make sure they're occupied before pig tails are in season again. We already have an abundance of silk too. Already dwarves are discarding their tattered old rags and wearing our latest finery — a small luxury.
25 Moonstone
It's time to establish sophisticated defences. No more fighting outside the walls if we can help it, too many good dwarves are dying in inconsequential fights — let alone facing the risk posed by werecreatures. Work on the trap corridor begins. The furnaces fire up once more, our best remaining weaponsmiths making the finest spears, axes, and components for our hallway of death. I only hope that it is worth it.
On the note of the furnaces, I reorganised the furnace operators and work orders. Now we will have dedicated, experienced operators in charge of smelting rather than every dwarf bumbling through the processes when their turn arises. This will be far more efficient, however it may deplete our ore and fuel stockpile faster than we expect. Luckily there are plenty of exposed veins around.
Meanwhile the roof nears completion. I wish it could have been as pretty as the sheer jet outer walls, but I suppose garish pink will be a statement to those winged bastards.
I considered building a barracks on the roof and some of the walls went up, but I decided I do not want to risk our builders further exposure to bird attack. I'll wait until the new year before I make a decision in any case.
11 Opal
With the roof essentially finished, renovations of the barracks are underway. A dwarven warrior shouldn't need to train in the mud, and for far too long they've been sleeping in the lower chambers — slowing our ability to respond to attack. Some brick floors have been laid, but the tricky part is dismantling the armour and weapon racks without impacting the troops too much. I want to dig out the peat walls and replace them with stone too, but basics first.
Further, I have drawn up plans for a grand tavern — we are already rife with dining halls and temples, but we're sorely lacking a place to have a tankard with friends after a day's labour. I've left plenty of space, and we have a few artefact instruments to install for public entertainment.
The tavern also exits into an exposed vein. My thought was the miners were the hardest drinking sort, and the drunker we get them the better they'll dig. We'll see how this experiment goes.
I have been a little indulgent and given the keg store solid gold walls. Nobody complained, we all deserve a little luxury after this year's horrors. It's more appreciated there than if it were smelted into baubles, after all.
6 Obsidian
An uneventful winter so far, and hoping it stays that way. We're having a severe container shortage, though I'm ordering our carpenters in tandem to produce as many barrels as possible.
Another thing of note is we are officially out of pig tails — not necessarily bad, we now have an abundance of cloth and paper to work with, and plenty of seeds for next year's harvest. Regardless, we also have nearly 700 (!) yards of cave spider silk of excellent quality. Once we've worked through the pig tail linen and the clothier has good practice we can start making silk wares to be proud of.
In the meantime, we're using the papermaking quern to mill our cave wheat. I'd prefer a millstone, but a windmill is too vulnerable to fliers, and the engineering required to set up an internal watermill with our reservoir gives me chest pains.
Further, we are advancing the realm of cheese science. I have never tried it myself, but I've been told our cheeses are "edible". I'll stick to meat for now.
1 Granite, 256
Spring has come. Little of note has happened in the last month, which I wish I could have said about the entire year.
This has been a terrible year for the fortress, but we have recovered. I understand that an overseer has responsibilities for an entire year, and so I will see out my turn if the others will have me. But for tonight at least I retreated to a dark corner of the tavern, lapped at my drink, and tried to forget.
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Year 256 - plonk - Spring-Summer
- Location
- :(
Spring-Summer 256
19 Granite
We need a safer supply of water, so I've ordered the construction of a protected well using the reservoir. Yes, it sort of spoils the moat, but we can easily dig around it later.
Any gossip about a dead body in the water supply is, frankly, hysteria. And even if it were true, the fish have probably eaten it by now so everything is fine either way.
24 Granite
Our first written work, a delightful read. Hopefully first of many.
I will also note that the author is the same dwarf that got stuck up a tree a few months ago. I assume it was an intellectual turning point for them.
26 Granite
So be it. No closing the gate here, several dwarves are already outside building the enclosed well.
Thankfully I had the foresight to assign the entire military as protection for the labourers beforehand.
I almost pitied the thing. Every dog, dwarf, and axe fell upon it immediately. It died quickly and we had no injuries.
28 Granite
The wellhouse is finished, and with its completion we no longer have to expose ourselves to the outside world to wash ourselves or fetch water. If need be, it can be extended to create a fishing grate for a protected supply of fish too.
16 Slate
A giant skunk wandered through the gate. I had hoped it'd make it to the cage traps, but unfortunately the dogs got it first. Oh well. It'll make a nice supper in any case.
23 Slate
We spotted movement to the southeast. I had nearly ordered the gate shut, fearing the worst, but as they approached we heard dwarven voices. Despite news of last year reaching other settlements, seven migrants took the risk. Among them was another brewer, which was welcome, though most were either unskilled or had completely irrelevant trades. No matter. We'll find something for them to do.
27 Slate
Reg Oaskmirrors threw a tantrum, which mainly consisted of him running into the woods and killing a groundhog. Hopefully wildlife remains the only target of his frustration…
Also, later in the day, two giant hamsters attacked. One ran straight into a cage trap, while the other tried to attack a dwarf caught outside (the citizens continue to astound me with their constant need to be in peril…) however was chased off by the dogs.
6 Felsite
The expanded workforce meant that we could start enlarging industries. With some of our dimple cups getting milled into dye at the quern, we can begin to bring some colour to our wares.
7 Felsite
Look, I don't how, I don't know why, I don't want to know who, but can dwarves please stop leaving their trousers on the library floor?
18 Felsite
Not to tempt fate but it's been very quiet for most of this month. Our captured giant hamster has been calmed down with some food and while hardly domesticated it's not hostile any more. If only we could capture a breeding pair…
28 Felsite
I was tempting fate. The giant bluejays have returned for the year. I can only pray our precautions have worked. The military have been put on high alert, and all civilians have been ordered below ground until the danger passes.
One landed directly on a cage trap. It's ours now.
3 Hematite
A goblin snatcher picked an extremely bad time to try to break into the fortress. The thing is sitting in the general stockpile right now, hurling insults at uninterested craftsdwarves. I'm not sure what to do with it, really. Perhaps if we catch more they'll make good practice for the military.
18 Hematite
We're veering into a fuel shortage. I've stopped all metalworks until our miners can find another coal vein. We have lignite, but it's not enough for the scale we want.
8 Malachite
Our apiary is starting to show returns with the first kegs of mead making it into the stockpile. The brewery is, unfortunately, awash with plump helmet wine and I'm having to hear complaints about the growing lack of booze variety. I've asked one of the two active stills to focus on other brews, but considering we have over a thousand plump helmets the issue isn't going away any time soon. Although, it's not a terrible problem to have.
Those damned bluejays are still circling. Dwarves are still confined to the inside, and I doubt we'll be able to safely continue construction works on the surface until the birds leave. Part of me wants to bait them in, but I do not want to risk further death.
16 Malachite
I made a mistake. Some of the steel orders were not cancelled in time for the coal smelting sprint and we are out of fuel. There is already chopped wood outside the gates, however the four giant bluejays are circling right over it.
There's nothing else to be done here. We'll have to chase the bastards away.
19 Malachite
One marksdwarf injured and no dead, and I nearly had a heart attack when the axedwarves wandered too close to a deep pool, but we drove them off for now. A successful patrol, and we can fetch the logs.
27 Malachite
We have fuel again. There's already plenty of metal bars and steel equipment, so the furnaces will spend most of the year making a decent coke surplus before we get back to smelting more steel.
One of our wrestlers has been taken off the line and given light duties in the library as a retirement. While I appreciate the work ethic, the man has been on crutches for years… No matter, there are plenty of combat trained dwarves ready to take his place.
4 Galena
They're back. Thank the gods we moved out while we could.
One dwarf dead, a doctor, and a few of our guard dogs. Three giant bluejays captured - giving us a breeding pair if we wanted. Attacks this brutal usually do worse damage so I should be thankful, but we can't keep losing people like this. Perhaps one day they'll merely be an annoyance.
23 Galena
I've decommissioned the upper bedrooms. We have far too many open bedrooms of much higher quality to keep on letting dwarves live in the mud. Maybe it'll improve everyone's mood a bit too.
We also had success training the captured bluejays. As much as I'd wish to give them war training, having them not try to murder every dwarf in sight is good enough. Hopefully a breeding program will see some results… though the other dwarves have reservations at having them inside the fortress after going through all that effort to keep the buggers out.
On a similar note, the smaller birds have been given nest boxes. Just this morning I had a wonderful cheese omelette, everything sourced from our farms.
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