The Tale of Thunderhelms

Fortress Location:

In the winter of 252, 7 brave dwarves, ostensibly led lead by Supreme Overlord (though he wasn't the brains of the operation), departed the mountainhomes of The Soaked Sabres in search of greater glory. They journeyed far, their goal to create a new fortress to rival the great Alebridges, and finally they could travel no more - their wagon through a wheel when it got caught in a snowdrift. Finally it could be dragged no more, so they camped the night behind a low hill. A miserable night it was, for a great storm blew in, heralding the change of season, and the band huddled, unable to see beyond the edge of their camp, awed and inspired by the power of nature. In the morning, the dwarves decided (after much arguing and crazy ideas) to name their new home "Thunderhelms" (Amudzon in the old tongue). As the Spring sun rose in the year 253, they agreed.

It was time to strike the earth!

OOC (Out of character): Someone who's good at writing can extend that if they want please and thank-you. Some of the details are missing, but will be filled in when they become apparent.

The Dwarves:
Supreme Overlord - Skilled in the art of stone detailing, but dabbles in masonry. He is also good at negotiating trades, judging the value of trade goods and judging people's intent (he convinced them all to tag along, didn't he?).
Alex Steiner - Knows his way around stone, proficient in the science of mining and masonry. He'll oversee the initial creation of the fortress.
The King of Eggs - Seen as a little weird by the others, Eggs likes to spend his time outside, collecting plants (he'd be accused of elf-heartedness if he wasn't so good with an axe).
Darth Skywalker - Another miner, but he sees things from a more technical perspective, and is good with mechanics and building design (he'll be responsible for placing traps and drawbridges at the entry).
Urist McNameless - This dwarf has the magical ability to turn seeds into plants, then plants into booze, and is seen as the heart of any fort.
Urist McNameless - The carpenter of the fort, they can turn logs into beds, and just generally annoy the elves. Helps Urist turn seeds into food, and apparently can make weapons.
Emca - A quiet, mild-mannered dwarf, capable of turning lumps of stone into beautiful trinkets. She can also diagnose and heal most wounds, a skill that will undoubtedly be useful in the future.

Overseers:
1. Alex Steiner - Done
2. Supreme Overlord - Passed
3. Darth Skywalker - Started
4. The King of Eggs
5. Urist McNameless (sign up today!)

OOC: The fortress will begin Friday. Post probably go up Saturday. Feel free to comment and discuss things here.

The Brave Individuals (as at 1st Hematite):

Darth Skywalker:

Alex Steiner:

Emca:

Supreme Overlord:

The King of Eggs:

'Ingizzagod'? Really?
Hmm, sounds ... interesting ...

Supreme Overlord wrote:'Ingizzagod'? Really?
Hmm, sounds ... interesting ...

That's no longer valid. I chose that one for a reason other than the name (something about social skills or something).

The King of Eggs wrote:Umm, wont yiu need to use .17 now?

Why? Odd-numbered versions are buggy, and this one works fine. Too much effort, frankly.

Spring 253:
Overseer: Alex Steiner

1st Granite

Spoiler:

First impressions of a site mean a lot. There is no brook, as the maps had claimed, only a few icy ponds hidden under a blanket of snow. Water may become an issue in the future, but we'll deal with that later. A good mountain can be seen to the east, shrouded in cloud and ice, but it's difficult to judge its size. It is there where we will carve our new home.

Spoiler:

It is a barren wilderness, with only the 7 of us, the dogs and pair of tomcats that were brought along.

Spoiler:

Some Hoary Marmots can be seen sheltering from the snow. I'll consider sending Eggs to hunt them down, some warm meat would do us all good. Darth and I have begun scouting the mountain, there appears to be a sheltered slice cut down the face of the mountain, exposing the underlying Rock Salt and Borax. With a little work it could be carved into a grand entrance for Thunderhelms.

I'll have Adil salvage the wagon for wood, and we'll start digging.

4th Granite
With the stone exposed from the digging, I've decided to place some workshops outside in the snow, get some industry going. I've tasked Overlord to training the dogs to fight. Since we've arrived he's already assigned himself broker, bookkeeper, manager and of course expedition leader. He keeps nagging me to give him an office, even though we've barely dug five metres into the wall. The hide of some people! I'll make the chair myself just to shut him up, as soon as the mason's shop goes up.

Eggs has started clearing the entrance of trees, and collecting the last winter berries. Pray that this snow clears soon, so we can see the dark earth beneath our feet. The snow's making it difficult to start growing the seeds that Eggs collects, and the soil here is thin.

8th Granite

Spoiler:

Just what we need! Another snowstorm has blown in. Still, we must work through it if we are to survive out here. Adil has begun making beds for us, the entrance is beginning to take shape, and hopefully that dog training will be done soon...

10th Granite
I finished Overlord's "Marble throne", and I've placed it under the edge of the entry, and he can start record keeping or whatever he does. He's finally done some good and trained some of the dogs.

Spoiler:

Digging continues apace, inwards and downwards.

17th Granite
The initial digging is complete, so a cobaltite trade depot shall be placed at the end to become the centre of the fortress. Around I envision a large stockpile room, with 4 banks of staircases linking the fortress top to bottom.

Spoiler:

Outside, snow still covers everything. Our supplies are still stacked around the remains of the wagon, but as soon as the main room inside is done, that'll all move in.
I'm getting Darth to build a mechanics workshop to get some traps set up. Can never be too careful.

23rd Granite

Spoiler:

Since we've arrived, Emca and Shem have not had much to do yet, so I've set them to clean up the remains of the cats' vermin hunting. Overlord is helping them, since he has nothing to do now either (since finishing the stocktake). We finally have enough space to move our foodstocks out of the weather. The rest is soon to follow.

I've assigned two of the wardogs to Eggs to help keep him safe out in the wilderness. The rest continue to follow Overlord, they seem to believe he's their mother.

8th Slate

Spoiler:

All at once, the world has thawed around us. Now we just have to wait for the slush to dry up :\ . Emca and Shem don't appear to be doing too well cleaning up the refuse, but they've been helping to clear the stone down below. The stockpile room is complete, and furniture has been moved in. Soon we'll expand upwards and downwards and move the workshops out of the wind!

Spoiler:

15th Slate
After these 45 days of work, the others were getting tired. I suggested they set up the beds in the corner of the room, but no one made it that far. I may as well nap while the others do...

Spoiler:

21st Slate

Spoiler:

Onwards! The workshop space has been planned out. All of the narrow doorways will be expanded later, but for now this will suffice. There appears to be a supply of lignite and bituminous coal up here, so as soon as we come across some ore, we can begin the forging. It's time to set up a food supply...I'll send Shem up onto the hill above the entrance to start some plots. Farming underground is totally unfeasible at this time - with no nearby water, we can't do anything.

28th Slate
Now that Darth is almost done with those mechanisms, and everything is moving inside, I've requested some cages be made. Our new stockpiles are also a problem - it's all stacked haphazardly. Some wooden bins are needed. Emca, twiddling her thumbs for a month and a half, is about to earn her keep, a craft workshop is constructed in the new space.

24th Felsite

Spoiler:

It's been a while since I last made an entry, but it is because I have been busy - digging the rest of the workshop space, carving doors from marble and hauling the rocks out of the way. Here is the completed centre section. The excess boulders are being heaped in the corners. I plan to have Overlord carve them into blocks for easier stacking, and to improve his skills at masonry (he's a total novice).

Spoiler:

The farming hasn't gone well - we don't have any seeds for outdoor plants. I have ordered several berries to be brewed to free up seeds, but until then we must survive on the dried meat and plump helmets we brought with us.
The traps at the entry are going in steadily, cages to trap would-be invaders.

27th Felsite
Still no alcohol being produced, but soon, soon I'm told.

Spoiler:

I've revised the workshop design, and I'll put the suggestions to the group early summer. Not that it matters what they think, but it makes them feel better.

28th Felsite
Sooner than I thought, it seems...planting has begun! Finally, the last day of Spring brings new growth.

Spoiler:

Hopefully we'll have fresh berries within the fortnight.

1st Hematite
Summer has begun, and we enter a new stage of growth. The dining hall will be started soon, and then the bedrooms below. The workshop space will have to be expanded, and these boulders cleaned up.

But for now, we party.

Summer 253:
2nd Hematite
After our partying, we have moved on to serious expansion. Here are my plans:
The dining hall is first on the agenda, below the depot.

Spoiler:

I'll leave room for future expansion outwards. I'll get onto carving some more chairs and tables to fill it with.

Spoiler:

I've decided to go with this design for workshops, since it's more space efficient and symetrical. Digging on it will begin next month.

After some thought I've decided to go with a design similar to this for the bedroom layers:

Spoiler:

I'll put Overlord in the middle to shut him up. Small rooms can be combined to make larger quarters in necessary. Only the centre will be dug out for now.

Overlord can begin smoothing the entryway, so as to make a good impression when the envoy from the mountainhomes arrives.

21st Hematite
For all my grand plans, little seems to get done. Since my last entry, some rocks have been moved, 4 beds have been made and around 5 square metres of entry have been smoothed. Digging is yet to start. The rest of our stockpiles have been moved safely inside, and farming continues, so it's not all bad.

11th Malachite
While digging the dining hall, I receive word of great news. The harvesting has begun, and booze is under production.

Spoiler:

As well as this, Emca has created a masterful marble mug, Thunderhelms' first masterpiece!

Spoiler:

It is valuable enough to trade for 4 barrels of Longland beer (oh how I love thee).

16th Malachite
Since our wealth is growing, I am beginning to fear the attention of goblins and kobolds.
I ran a drill where all dwarves are ordered within the central bound of the fortress, away from the entry. Everyone performed well (with Overlord last down the ramp...typical), so I'm now happy with our trap defences.

18th Malachite
Great news! While exploring the mountainsides, Eggs came across some different rock deposits exposed. Upon closer inspection, they were found to be large amounts of magnetite, eroded by the wind and rain!

Spoiler:

I'll extend the staircases upwards to collect safely from the inside, where more is surely to be found. I absolutely adore magnetite, and our forging shall begin!

25th Malachite
Some Migrants have arrived! A pair of scruffy travellers. One, Ducim, is a high master brewer, so I've dismissed Shem from her duties. Anything for good booze. Interestingly, Ducim is also an adequate architect, just ahead of Darth. I'll let them share the duties, since it's an unimportant job.

Spoiler:

Her travelling partner, Cerol, is a competent woodcutter, but our needs are covered by Eggs, so we'll leave him to it. Instead, I'll use their skill as an accomplished cook to improve the food situation. With them comes a dog, a mule foal and a bull calf.

8th Galena

Spoiler:

Some of the bedrooms are dug out. I've assigned the first room to myself, so I can finally get some peace. I just need to finish carving some doors for it...

12th Galena

Spoiler:

I've moved Overlord's stuff downstairs in among the rubble. Sitting around up there is making the place look untidy. It must look its best for the traders!

24th Galena
It's nearly Autumn, the entry is finished, and Emca continues to produce masterpieces.

Spoiler:

I'm pretty happy with how they're performing now, and another farm is working now that we have more hands to work.

28th Galena
As summer comes to a close, Thunderhelms is graced with new life.

Spoiler:

The dining hall is about to be furnished, and around half of us have beds of our own now.

1st Limestone
With my term in charge here halfway through, I'm proud of our achievements. Now we need to start thinking about securing a water source for winter, getting forges up and running and improving the quality of the existing architecture.

Autumn 253:
5th Limestone
The fortress is now rolling in puppies, after several other births. Two other dogs are pregnant as well.

Spoiler:

I have come up with a solution to our water problems.

Spoiler:

I will dig a reservoir, then drain a pond into it, and shelter it from the cold. Dwarves can get water from there in times of need. I'll probably have it connected to the main fort and sealed off from above, but for now it can stay separate.

Interestingly, the stairs I wanted dug up to the magnetite haven't been completed. I'll have to look into this.

16th Limestone
The dining hall is taking shape, tables and chairs are in, more to come. Smoothing will be done when Overlord "Get's around to it". The reservoir is almost complete, and another 3 puppies have been born. I've expanded the workshop space, and put in a few more rooms downstairs. Still no stairs upwards...

22nd Limestone
More migrants! I'm going to need to commission more beds for the 7 of them. Among them is a talented carpenter, a jack-of-all farming trades and a high master armorsmith. Maybe it's time to start a military. Just as soon as I can get some steel collected. One of them brought a battle axe.

Spoiler:

With this talk of military, Cerol (who arrived in the summer) has come forward and claimed to be a moderate fighter, trained in the use of the mace and a shield

13th Sandstone
The reservoir was completed today. As the water was rushing down into the channels, all at once the pond froze over. We now have it about half full, and this should last us the winter. While it is frozen, we can do some proper work, placing floodgates and walls to keep the water from flooding over.

Spoiler:

Morale is improving, most of us are happy with our surrounds, while Eggs is apparently "Ecstatic". Only Overlord remains merely "content". Nothing pleases him...

25th Sandstone
The first snowstorm has come, but we haven't finished the walls for the reservoir. I'll just have to trudge through...

Spoiler:

14th Timber
The floodgates are in place on the reservoir, and now Darth is connecting them to a lever in the dining hall.

Spoiler:

More importantly, the main section of the bedrooms has been completed. As with the dining hall, the walls will be smoothed when Overlord gets around to it. I'm about to go start making doors.
Getting to know the migrants, I found we have a married couple now, Ast and Kib Cogebal. They live together in one room, and have been married only a year. Best of luck to them.

17th Timber
I was right! A dirty kobold thief gave a futile attempt to sneak in to our riches. Lucky for him, he was seen outside, before the dogs could get him. He ran off as fast as his spindly legs could carry him.

Spoiler:

Another! There was a pair of them! This one got just under the eaves of our entry, but was chased off by the dogs.

Spoiler:

While all of this excitement was happening, the traders appeared. With them came an outpost liaison.

Spoiler:

I set all of Emca's creations to be sent to the Depot ready, while I get Overlord ready to negotiate. He's still smoothing the stockpile chamber...


20th Timber
Preparations have been made, goods shifted, jobs canceled to make way for them.

Spoiler:

Overlord, instead of attending to the jobs he appointed himself to in the Spring, sits on a wine barrel and has a drink.

21st Timber
Now Overlord has agreed to trade with the dwarves. He offers them everything Emca has made, which is a total value of 14 630☼, a massive figure. I must toast Emca next time I have a drink...

Spoiler:

In return, we received metal bars; inordinate amounts of food, cloth, and wood; large gems, sand, seeds, and anything else they had on offer. When I went through the figures, however, it turns out Overlord is not that good a negotiator - he gave them a profit of 9316☼, and didn't buy the steel equipment or the valuable dwarven sugar. Apparently the trader thought a 5000☼ profit wasn't enough. It must be our wealth - the traders know we can afford to pay...

Hopefully stories of our wealth will draw migrants and not raiders. More traps will be placed nonetheless.

25th Timber
Instead of talking to liaison, Overlord decides to help me make the doors, the liaison standing nervously next to the workshop. Ordering him out of the workshop, he eventually heads down to his office to meet with the dignitary. I want him to get plaster, horses, glass and potash, things that are hard to make out here.

Spoiler:

Halfway through the meeting (it took several days to get this far, including Overlord's foray to the farms to harvest a strawberry, and his nap in his room) winter closes in on us. The world is now as white as it was during our journey here, and by the time it turns green again, I will no longer control Thunderhelms.

Winter 253
1st Moonstone
In order to get Darth to focus on his trap making and lever-setting duties, I've asked him to stop helping with mining for a while. I might recruit one of the new dwarves to help me with the easy stone (but make sure they stay away from my magnetite).

I'm extending the workshop space, and I'm going to set it up for our new armorer. Then I'm going to make some more doors to lock people in or out of certain areas. After that, it's all magnetite. I've given up on those stairs, I may try digging them from above (before sealing the top entry, can't be too careful).

After the delegate meeting, I'll get Overlord set up to train some more dogs, then back to smoothing the stone. He might want an apprentice...

Anyway, It's time to put this in action.

4th Moonstone
I've asked the armorer migrant named Sigun to help Overlord with the smoothing and engraving, since he has some skill already, and another named Ilral to help with mining. We have enough picks to allow the three of us to mine.

Spoiler:

Here's Ilral clearing the workshop space. She's not very good at preserving the rock from the wall, but it doesn't matter here.

10th Moonstone
Overlord has finally continued the meeting with the liaison. The mountainhomes are apparently in most need of cloth and handwear, then they want cut gems and figurines, followed by maces, windows and meat. They also want drinks, earrings and plants. I'm not really worried about it - it's mostly Overlord's problem, since it's his negotiating that fouled the last deal.

Spoiler:

Finally it's over, and the liaison can leave. I send Overlord back to smoothing everything.

14th Moonstone
Another thief was caught at the entrance, so, there are probably more out there.

Spoiler:

Before going, the kobold spitefully struck out at Eggs!

Spoiler:

Eggs is now unconscious and in extreme pain. Emca, the resident doctor, has been dispatched, and I await her report. She seems intent on her crafting, I have to order her out of her shop before she realises what has happened.

15th Moonstone
The merchants just left, and Eggs has gotten up before Emca reached him. Apparently he is off to fell a tree outside, like I'd requested. I'm going to tell him to stop it, and come in and get himself looked at. I don't want him outside in the cold.

Spoiler:

One step further, he cancels doing that and falls unconscious. I hope he gets better soon.

16th Moonstone
Eggs just got up and was on his way to the new hospital when he lost consciousness again. He fell onto the trigger of a cage trap, and is now trapped.

Spoiler:

I'll have the cage moved down to the hospital, then I'll let him out. At least he got caged and didn't fall onto the stonefall trap. I don't want to clean up that mess.

19th Moonstone
The cage is down in the hospital, but no one wants to let him out...

Spoiler:

Emca isn't helping, instead loitering in her room (in her doctor's gear and all). Maybe she'll notice once Eggs is released.

22nd Moonstone
I'll try linking the cage to a lever, but since Darth was drinking, I've gotten Emca to do it.

Spoiler:

23rd Moonstone
Success! It's taken nearly ten days, but Eggs is finally being seen to. I await the doctor's report...

Spoiler:

Apparently his right lower leg and right upper arm are fractured. Emca has left the room, and Eggs is resting. Emca says she's cleaning the patient in preparation for bone-setting. She complains about the lack of supplies. She needs thread, cloth, plaster and soap. The first two are easy, the third can be made from a kiln using the gypsum collected, but the fourth is just going to have to wait. Emca also wants a traction bench constructed.

26th Moonstone
Eggs is becoming Hungry and Thirsty, but no one is attending to his needs. There is a water source for just this eventuality. Ah, now he has been fed and given water, it just takes a while.

Emca is constructing the traction bench herself, Eggs is sleeping peacefully, surrounded by his dogs and their puppies. The fortress is starting to need logs, so I've given Cerol Eggs' responsibilities.

3rd Opal
Traction bench complete, Emca is in the process of suturing Eggs' wounds. I hope infection doesn't trouble him without the soap to clean.

Spoiler:

I tested the floodgates today. They worked as expected, so that water source is secure. I'm not sure how I should get the water nearer by. With no running water, long distances are very difficult. Perhaps the hospital should be placed out there?

8th Opal
I've been speaking to the other dwarves lately. They're all ecstatic with Thunderhelms (I must admit I am too), except for Overlord. He's "happy" with how things are going. Even The King of Eggs, bedridden and in pain is happier than him. Overlord is losing what respect I had for him. Emca is dressing Eggs' wounds now.

Spoiler:

It's time to start mining magnetite. I've sent Ilral back to her duties, and Darth and I are climbing the mountain.

10th Opal
I just got the news. Infection has set in Eggs' leg wound. There is a chance he will recover on his own, but unlikely. According to Tobul Lisidkogan, soap is made by combining lye (from ash, from wood) with tallow (from fat, from an animal). To make one bar of soap, I'll need a butcher's shop, a wood furnace, a kitchen, an ashery and a soap maker's workshop. I'll have to try.

13th Opal
These workshops have been built outside, and it turns out Domas Idrathuzol has the skill to use most of them. I'll have to butcher one of the puppies for their tallow. I'll salvage the skin, meat and bones.

Spoiler:

16th Opal
Ash is made, Lye is in production, a puppy is on its way, and Emca is casting Eggs' arm. This crash course in hospital management has been good for me.

20th Opal
We need more buckets. They're needed for an ashery, the soap maker's workshop, making lye itself, giving water, making plaster. I've got Adil on it, and they'll be done quickly.

26th Opal
Amazingly, the stairs to the upper level are complete, so the stockpile space will extend up there soon, with a built in limonite vein. I've got some fuel under production, and smelting will start soon. Apparently lye freezes when left outside. More ash will have to be made, but this time inside.

13th Obsidian
The soap will finally be made shortly, and Emca is still collecting water for that cast. The dining hall is being smoothed, and storage above the workshops is being set up. The workshops outside should be brought in soon, now that we have the emergency soap. Emca's crafting has all but halted in lieu of her doctoring duties, so income will be down when the elves arrive.

18th Obsidian
Soap has been made! Puppy -> Fat -> Tallow + Log -> Ash -> Lye = soap!

23rd Obsidian

Spoiler:

There's something wrong with Emca. She's been standing at the water for nearly a month, with other dwarves stopping and going away again to give water to Eggs. She is ostensibly applying a cast, but she hasn't moved in ages. She needs to be watched for her own health and safety.

28th Obsidian
A new puppy was born on the last day of winter, ore is being smelted for the first time, and Overlord's efforts in the dining hall starting to show. Steel is the next thing on our agenda. It needs iron -> pig iron, then pig iron + iron -> steel. Hopefully my successor is competent enough to do that. More traps are going up, Eggs is being healed, but not as well as I'd hoped. Emca has just given up on the cast application in order to eat and drink for a second time since she started applying that cast a month and a half ago.

Spoiler:

The bucket lies abandoned.

1st Granite
1 year after I arrived at this godforsaken place, and it has come a long way. The population has risen to 16, we have moderate stockpiles of food and alcohol, a good supply of ore, and a moderate defence. The only thing I might have addd to the defence is a drawbridge in the entrance (where Overlord's office used to be). Bonus points if you dig a channel in front of it, I suppose. Keep any invaders from tampering with it. The citizens know how to flee indoors in times of crisis, (m -> a -> Alert State 2 -> Enter), and most things can be done inside. Water is still an issue, and indoor farming as a consequence. A sealed aboveground area, accessible only from inside the fortress would be better than the current system. The burrow defining the safe zones would need to be expanded to match. The hospital needs a dedicated room, perhaps on the next layer, or in one of the minor noble quarters (merged to one room). I leave Thunderhelms in this state:

Spoiler:

Oh no. I just found out who is succeeding me. Supreme Overlord has claimed control of the fortress. Doom is sure to follow. I might lock myself in my room and cry myself to sleep.

Wait, no, Overlord's elfed out. Instead Darth will be running the show. He has a good mind, but he's a bit clumsy and unassertive. Riots may ensue, but at least he's not a risk-taker...

Armok's blood! Now Darth's disappeared into his own little world. Eggs has stepped (limped) forward, and will run the place as best he can.

I'll still stay in my room until someone tells me to come out. I'm too old for this stuff.

We're all doomed.

The King of Eggs wrote:Oh I am sooooooo Fu*ked. OL you let me die i will haunt you so... *Reads version number* damn!

General comments on my management and setup?

It looks cool in winter, and there's no loss of water now.
Always a priority.
My first hospital.
Thanks. Each layer is the same size central area, which divides into 4, while outside divides into 2s or 5s.
They're both male . I don't like vermin.
Agreed.
Alright.

The King of Eggs wrote:Any way of locking individual floors off?

What do you mean? Making it modular? No. The staircases are wide open. The plan is to not let enemies get that far. Any way of making them safer makes them slower.

Notice I've only dug 5 levels out; 2 up, 2 down?

Aha:
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=66754.0
"Casts are still broken. Get rid of all your Gypsum plaster and make splints instead."

Should be splints there, just dump or forbid the plaster.

Or:

- Forbid ALL buckets but one (or a couple, in a busy fort with several patients)
- Wait for a dwarf to initiate "bring water" or "fill pond" job
- Once the bucket is filled, forbid it.
- Wait for the dwarf to drop the bucket
- Un-forbid the bucket; make sure all empty buckets (and lye buckets) are forbidden
- Your medical dwarf will dutifully grab the filled bucket, and apply the cast to the dwarf. Voila!

Designating a pond zone is probably the simplest way, since there's only one patient.

BUMP

Where are you Darth?

I've PMd him. If he doesn't reply within 48 hours or so, I'll pass it to Eggs.