I'll be editing this post later to add the words in here but just for a preview here are some choice screenshots

Drakonin’s the name

When I first heard that I would be taken away from an awesome job as head supervisor in my last mine, I’ll admit I wasn’t too thrilled. I was leaving a very compact mine of stout and sturdy dwarves. It was a beautiful home to a good two hundred dwarves with little space for each of us. I liked the good bunch of guys that I was with.

Then I realized that I would be able to lead not just the mining under the rule of ridiculous bureaucrats… I can expand and explore the wonders and mines that I always wished to explore. This is going to be great!

First impressions are worth a lot. I wasn’t expecting so many walls everywhere and so much of the mines are spread out. It was incredible to see how much space was used for different things.

I did notice that there wasn’t a hospital. My first order of business was to build a hospital. I also saw that there was only one still… what is up with that? We will run out of brew in no time now that I have arrived. Other initial tasks on my list: make SO many more workshops. I would love to see this place as a wonderful site of industry. I have made 2 more smelts, 10 more mason’s workshop, 2 more craftdwarf’s workshops, a mechanic’s shop, dyer’s shop, bowyer’s workshop, farmer’s workshop, leather works, loom, fishery and clothier’s shop. I also added a few more plots of farm. To have as much brew as I am going for, it is simply a necessity. That was just to start though. I still have some more in mind but all in due time.

So apparently this annoying doctor was all upset about how he had to carry refuse around all over the place… I told him that was going to be his current job so that he knew I meant business. I am NOT in anyway a pushover and didn’t want to be viewed as such. After an appropriate amount of time I decided that it might be a good idea to let him focus on the hospital that I built for his residency. I am actually working on renovations to give him a bedroom and office immediately next to the hospital so that he can stay nearby. He doesn’t know it yet but he will soon be announced as the head of ER along with the chief medical officer title which he already has.

We did run into a little problem. We are having a little difficulty keeping up with a larger population. We are running low on food and drinks. We should be catching up soon but it is a rough stretch for right now. We also discovered a new type of purple cloud… Miasma… trying to get rid of that right now but it isn’t exactly the easiest. I gave the job of cleaning it all up to the leather worker. He wasn’t happy that I said he could only take out the trash, but he cheered up when I said he could have his own shop once the mess was cleaned up. Turns out that again after a little bit the miasma didn’t go away. I put my most trusted workers on it. I figured that if anyone could clean it up, it would be my miners. Men after my own heart. Luckily the miasma is starting to clear up but it was scary for a bit.

We are doing pretty well right now. We have got a larger group of dwarves now. We have increased our population to almost 50 now. We have gotten multiple groups of emigrants. It is awesome that everyone wants to be here... but as my predecessor said “Would it be too hard for some NOTICE”?

Time has gone well. I’ll be honest I am not sure how long I have even been in charge here at this encampment.

Well I realize that there is a lot of work to be done here. There is a little too much work to simply be decided by me all of the time. I think that there should be an election to determine the current ruler. I don’t think we need to be petty like the silly humans and always require a certain time that the rulers are in charge. Being that I am instating this election procedure, I will leave myself ineligible for the first election to show my good will. So I will be taking my vacation now.

Little advice for the next elected ruler…

The caravan is almost here

A wood carver has gone crazy and keeps interrupting tasks

I have greatly increased the amount of farms

I have made most of the workers specialized in their respective fields

Insanity...

To whomever may receive this record, it is I, Litast Sakzulborik, who record these words. Oh, but where should I begin. When we first departed to this area, we had such high hopes. We would find ore, jewels, and our fortunes. And what have we found? Endless drudgery.

Just last week, Ushrir went insane. No, he wasn’t taken by a fey mood or anything --- though that would have been easier. No, he decided that, “A dwarven fortress must be tidy. Not a chip of rock may fall, but it is swept up. I shall go to my room and await the results.”

No, seriously, he did. Now, I have nothing against tidiness. Let’s keep the refuse away from my bedside please, but, “Not a chip of rock”???? We live in a MINE!

At first, we listened. But then we decided to only clean up the top levels. We’ll smelt the ore and it’ll be clean then. Now, I’m sure your thinking, “So what?.” I mean, three years ago, Thrublak and his expedition starved to death, although they might have frozen first. And Gorgrak dug into a river and practiced swimming for about five minutes, at which point he drowned.

But the final insult? We aren’t smelting ore! All hands needed for clean-up. Except, of course, for the jeweler he just hired, and Ushrir himself. Excuse me, I’m off to engrave the walls of our ever so wise leader’s room with platitudes to his greatness. I’m not eating first, lest my stomach betray me.

Although I find it hard to erase the vicious lies of that malcontent, I shall at least correct the record. Incidentally, Litast met with a very unfortunate accident last week. Seems he lost the key to his room and the lock was on the outside.

Pity.

It is I, Ushrir the great who speaks to you! Bow before my greatness. Cough, cough. Excuse me, I find it hard not to mock Litast. Good dwarf, small mind.

Soon after that traitor engraved his story on my bedpost --- He must have been drunk or something --- a new group of migrants arrived. I set them all to smelting ore, sweeping the fortress, and fishing. We received a pump operator, fishery operator, herbalist, gem cutter, wood burner, wax worker, weaponsmith, miller, miner, siege operator, butcher, surgeon, stonecrafter, lye maker, farmer, wood cutter, child and a doctor. Along with assorted farm animals. 18 in all. Would it be too hard for some NOTICE before they double our population. I mean, 18!? Plus even more animals!

Oh, and by the way, I let him out. I’m not THAT mean. Just a little lesson in respect.

Anyway, we are kinda busy for the moment. I’ll write more later.

I am Alath Akrulafen, noted surgeon. When I agreed to travel to this godforsaken outpost, I was to be the medical authority. And what does that idiot have me do? Haul the trash. Haul the dirty, disease ridden, disgusting trash out with these surgeons hands. Maybe, when he needs my help, I won’t wash my hands. Serve him right. Oh, I know that a community of 34 doesn’t NEED multiple doctors, but I’m a surgeon!!!!

I’m starting to think I should build a jail. Or maybe a bed under water. First, Litast and now Alath. I think they sent me the looney bin sometimes. Heh. I wonder what that says about me.

On 14 Felsite, the elves came to trade. They liked our ethics and I looked to pick up all the seeds I can get. We’ll see what else is available. Contrary to Litast’s rant, I established the jeweler’s for trade goods and it might pay off. Let’s see what I can get for the gems.

We traded off some gems and got three new varieties of seed, two of them for cloth, and gave a couple small 10* gems as a gift.

Horrors! A thief entered our fortress to kidnap Etur, the only dwarven child on the site! Fought the thief off.

Um. Thob Ortirist, our pump expert, just went bananas. He seized the craftsdwarf workshop and won’t come out. He was drinking in the dining hall when he was struck by moodiness. He’s never been the brightest bulb so I have no idea what he’s going to do.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention. I’m fencing in the pasture and topsides stuff. Can’t be too careful, especially as we’re growing so much bigger.

FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So things were going pretty well, The exploratory mining was going awesome I think that we might mine that whole level out it is so nice, and I just started a new bedroom wing. I kinda flubbed the trade caravan, but hey novice trader here. Anyway I am going along just peachy, even starting a fledgling military when whammo out of no where I get a pink slip and am sent packing. :( Bummer huh dudes.

Well I suppose I am off to try and get back into the beard growing world. Since I admit I have started to grow kinda attached to this place, do you think(you the next adminstrator guy who finds this note I am tucking in the office) could update with a couple of maps and other updates, just so I can keep up to date?

1 Granite.

So here I am having just graduated with an advanced degree in dwarven beard growing, ready to lead a life of luxury and style as one of the few dwarves able to competently wear a bear longer than they are tall when the economy tanks and suddenly beard measuring competitions don't bring in the money that they used to. Well since I was broke I went and signed up for government service expecting to be able to work in the capital as some mindless grunt. Instead because of my degree I get bumped to the officer class(being an officer is a rip, too much work not enough gold and jewels) and assigned to lead an expedition to start some new colony.

WHAT!!! can you believe it? I am the guy that would be happy if I had never seen the sun in my life and I have to go traipsing overland in a WAGON!!! Well anyway I don't see anyway out of this so here I am. Hopefully we can get a pretty good place dug in so I can quickly revert to proper dwarven underground dwelling ways.

So Today we arrived and wow I have to say that I am actually fairly impressed with this place. We scouted around a bit and I can see visible veins of mangetite(one of the Iron ore) and coal. Sweet I can set up a pretty sweet little steel industry here.

There is also quite the amazing waterfall here. We have a little brook running through the area and it drops a massive ways and then for the remainder of the local area it has sheer walls for many hundreds of feet. Wow that is amazing.

Well we are digging down and making camp. It looks like we have a couple of fairly tip-top shape miners and a grower to start us growing some nice plump helmets to brew for some brew.

So I forgot to draw any maps before I got started but here we have the beginners of the fortress.



Well we have been making fairly good and smooth progress it is now the middle of summer and I figured I would add some more drawings to send back to the capital about our progress.

A couple of levels down we are doing some exploratory mining and ripping out huge amounts or magnetite and coal. I built a wood furnace to jump start the smelting process, since nobody thought to bring any fuel.(Gee who packed our bags?) I also have a smelter going full steam using coal to make coke. Once I get a good chunk going I want to starting making Iron and then Steel. You can never have enough steel. Especially if it is shaped into pointy objects.

So here is the 1st level(well 1st large level we drop a few levels at first so we can cut under the brook). It has grown quite a bit. We have a barracks, quite a few little workshops setup and a couple of big stockpiles. That reminds me I think I need to make a refuse pile outside.

I have also started on some nice bedrooms several layers down. Gotta keep away from those miners. Man they are noisy.

Here is what I think might become the main level of the fortress. We have a kitchen and a still as well as a pretty sweet little dining room. I think in the back there I pulled a chair up against a wall to make a little office for the recordkeeper/expedition leader.(ME) Originally that large room was going to be the dining room but it kept getting larger since the walls were made of magnetite. It still could be quite the room once we smooth those walls and floor out. It will be legendary.

We have picked up a couple of immigrants. One really sweet and talented engraver that is hard at work smoothing our walls. We also picked up a slick little brewer.Although I am having problems juggling everyone and keeping everyone active. I have never really been much of an admintstrator.(Competitive beard grower remember?). Anyway. I will check back in when the caravan comes and maybe when we hit winter as well.