As I whip the men into shape, I notice some...inefficiencies. A legendary weaver is making bone bolts while a bone carver is weaving?
Evidently at some point someone thought it would be a great idea to build a maze with no purpose, and then spend a bunch of time smoothing the stone. This comes back to enrage me later.
Noting a severe lack of gems and precious metals, I set up a few strip mining operations on various Z-levels of the fortress, including hollowing out the stone near the lava pool which I noticed contained a number of precious gems already, hoping for some which were not keeping the lava at bay. I found a few.
At this point, I've managed to get everyone working. A ballista and arrows are being produced for additional defense and several new workshops have been built; additionally, all the previous workshops have been queued with orders, giving a steady stream of production.
The elves come to trade. They bring nothing but silk cloth and berries. I attempt to clean them out of everything they have, but they got mad at me when I offered them a bin full of camel-skull totems and ran away, ignoring the fact that there were no live animals within miles, only hordes of undead goats and camels.
I notice a layer of bauxite around the river which had escaped my eye and immediately cancel all the other strip mining projects to excavate this area. For those who don't know why bauxite is the only stone in which rubies, sapphires and diamonds can occur.
Great! More nobles to deal with.
I use this unused area here to make several large rooms for use as offices and living quarters for the nobles, and order several more weapon and armor racks to be produced. I chose this spot in particular for living quarters because of the gem floors. I would love to have used the maze as it is large and already smoothed but it's haphazard design renders it useless for living quarters, though I am able to demolish a few walls to access the single room in the center.
The secret plan is progressing and may yet be completed on schedule. As a teaser I offer the following image. As you can see, I have added a wall and two doors to the fortress, making it a bit more secure.
Still in mid-spring. I've got a lot ahead.
-----
Construction of the great wall has begun. It's purpose shall become clear shortly.
The fortress is out of wood, which is...inconvenient. The noble's rooms are progressing nicely but not interesting until finished. I have raided TowelBoy's old room as it had 37 coffers and I need some of those for the other nobles
Having updated the farms to produce food year-round, I am shocked to see that the planters are abandoning their duties to hunt vermin for food. Selfish pricks.
As everything around me seems to be crumbling, I receive a shocking message! How fortunate! I was not aware that the merchants were even able to reach the trade depot! Hopefully, this will allow for a quick fix to fill my dwarves' bellies while I address the more pressing issue of food production.
Hunting through the very last Z-level in search of glowing pits, we strike Gabbro! I don't realize it at first, until I come across Garnierite, the only ore which produces nickel when refined. This is fantastic news, as Gabbro also contains kimberlite, the only possible source of diamonds! I come across several layers of Garnierite very quickly, as well as multiple clusters of fire opals, gold opals and tanzanites. Score. There's a lot of gabbro on this layer to explore, so this will likely last well into other players' turns. As an aside, the reason I didn't realize I had hit gabbro:
OH SHIIIIIIIIIIT
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT
The third guy I've had to lock in his room for insanity. Melancholia and severe injuries are rampant. Food stores are low and rebuilding the farms is made difficult by people refusing to haul the corpses or...do any work, really. Those few still cutting glass or making doors are reassigned to fishing and cleaning; anything that can help keep the fortress afloat. Things begin to look up, and autumn descends just as a lone child, trapped and scared in the death mines, is burnt to ash by a spirit of flame.
Also, I feel like mentioning the fact that the flame spirits ran into the room holding all their torture victims and slaughtered them all just to be dicks
Engravings already begin to reflect the horrific events in the mines. I can't wait to see the next artifact that is produced.
A dwarven caraven arrives in early autumn and saves the fortress, which was beginning to starve to death. I trade exorbitant amounts of wealth away for massive stores of food, as I have no appraiser left alive. However the fortress is well stocked and should not have trouble with food or booze for a few years yet. As you can see, I also put in requests for lots more food next year, as I don't expect the next few seasons to be terribly productive.
It's only late autumn, but...I'm done. I'm lazy and tired and overworked and don't have the energy to take updates anymore, so I'm passing my turn early. I've already sent the save. For interest's sake, I'll post the secret project's status in case the next people feel like finishing where I left off.
These levers here link to floodgates that are currently open to allow access to the interior. When closed, they block off the flow of magma (north) and water (south).
One z-level above the entrance a windmill is planned.
With the help of some gear assemblies and axles, this windmill would provide power to the pump, necessary for pulling magma up to the height of the entrance. Using dwarves to operate the pump would be difficult as they eventually tire and the layout of the fortress would make it difficult or impossible to safely switch dwarves in and out.
This was the area planned for breaching the magma pool.
And this, for breaching the river.
Unlike the magma channel, the water channel is covered with hatches to prevent overflow.
And with that, image #42, I end my reign and turn the fortress over to SirPenguin. The autumn was dull and uneventful; the dwarves ate well and, though forced to diversify their tasks, have more or less maintained stability in the wake of the summer slaughter. Immigrants still fear the fortress; I do not know how long until people begin arriving again. My advice to SirPenguin is to try to manufacture some more weapons and armour; the fortress is very vulnerable at present and has few able fighters.
Edit: I lied earlier. Not everyone who has taken control died; Dauros is still alive.
The fortress is out of wood, which is...inconvenient. The noble's rooms are progressing nicely but not interesting until finished. I have raided TowelBoy's old room as it had 37 coffers and I need some of those for the other nobles
-----
A strange mood descends upon the legendary gem cutter!
In short order, he produces a coffer with a badass name. As an apology for taking all his other coffers, I put it in TowelBoy's room.
This is the only thing I've stumbled across in the bauxite layers, but I am not discouraged. There is a bit more bauxite to dig through yet. I don't even remember what the name of these gems was, but it started with a c and was stupid.
I've begun to notice pools of vomit outside, which leads me to believe several of our dwarves now suffer from cave adaptation. I can't be assed to fix it but must be aware of it in the future.
To-do list:
-Find out why so many dwarves are hungry despite high food supplies
-Finish last noble's room and post screenshots
-Lead an expedition against Bonewing
-Finish secret project
It is now mid-summer...still plenty of time to get everything done, I hope.
In short order, he produces a coffer with a badass name. As an apology for taking all his other coffers, I put it in TowelBoy's room.
This is the only thing I've stumbled across in the bauxite layers, but I am not discouraged. There is a bit more bauxite to dig through yet. I don't even remember what the name of these gems was, but it started with a c and was stupid.
I've begun to notice pools of vomit outside, which leads me to believe several of our dwarves now suffer from cave adaptation. I can't be assed to fix it but must be aware of it in the future.
To-do list:
-Find out why so many dwarves are hungry despite high food supplies
-Finish last noble's room and post screenshots
-Lead an expedition against Bonewing
-Finish secret project
It is now mid-summer...still plenty of time to get everything done, I hope.
-----
Having finally established all the nobles with comfortable furnishings, I am furious to find that the dwarves have elected a new Mayor, evidently hoping that the new leader can provide them with food.
Having updated the farms to produce food year-round, I am shocked to see that the planters are abandoning their duties to hunt vermin for food. Selfish pricks.
As everything around me seems to be crumbling, I receive a shocking message! How fortunate! I was not aware that the merchants were even able to reach the trade depot! Hopefully, this will allow for a quick fix to fill my dwarves' bellies while I address the more pressing issue of food production.-----
Hunting through the very last Z-level in search of glowing pits, we strike Gabbro! I don't realize it at first, until I come across Garnierite, the only ore which produces nickel when refined. This is fantastic news, as Gabbro also contains kimberlite, the only possible source of diamonds! I come across several layers of Garnierite very quickly, as well as multiple clusters of fire opals, gold opals and tanzanites. Score. There's a lot of gabbro on this layer to explore, so this will likely last well into other players' turns. As an aside, the reason I didn't realize I had hit gabbro:
-----
OH SHIIIIIIIIIIT
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT-----
This is the second time I've ever played DF, and my first time discovering adamantite. I decide not to fuck with it, and have TowelBoy, the dwarf who discovered the pit, wall it up IMMEDIATELY. He does so, and I leave the adamantite for a braver leader than I.
As you no doubt notice, I didn't breach adamantine but the pit itself. Having walled it off, however, I take a brief moment to peruse the levels above, which have all become visible. This room full of screaming dwarves, elves and humans mounted on spears, surrounded by bones and ashes, provides a warning I am eager to heed.
Further glimpses at the treasures the demons guard.
Unfortunately, my wall accomplishes nothing. The Demon Lord of the Pit spawns outside the wall and promptly obliterates TowelBoy's leg, crippling him. You can't see the demon proper, as he is wreathed in the smoke from a fireball.
The Demon, laughing, proceeds to topple the wall.
Shit.
Unable to flee with any speed, TowelBoy is struck down by a Spirit of Flame.
BUT NOT BEFORE HE SLAUGHTERS THE LORD OF THE DEMONS WITH HIS BARE HANDS. HOLY SHIT.
Everyone caught within the tunnel is killed, including several babies and children who had evidently been invited to a poorly-timed "take your kid to work" day.
The layout of the floors makes any sort of defense impossible against the rampaging Spirits of Flame. The tight corridors fill with smoke and provide a killing field for the Spirits, who can launch fireballs to slaughter my dwarves from afar. In contrast to TowelBoy's heroism, here we see Domino throwing the first of many tantrums.
The slaughter is so widespread that a young child goes insane. Fuck.
Finally, after at least a score of dwarves are killed by the rampaging spirits (no fewer than twelve Spirits of Fire have gone on a killing spree throughout the lower mine - most of whom were killed with heavy losses after they broke through to the higher levels - not one frog or tentacle demon appeared, just my luck) the orders I assigned at the beginning of the invasion are carried through. The stairs are collapsed. Eight men are left to die in the tunnels below.
Had I the foresight to toggle "all items forbidden on death" at the beginning, things would have not been nearly so bad. As it was, my men simply threw themselves to their death attempting to scavenge their fallen comrades, heedless of all other orders and making any attempts to seal the pits away fruitless. Finally, I drafted one of the few remaining workers who had not gone insane to carve away the stone and block any chance of escape from the death mines - by anyone.
Word of the disaster makes it out, despite the total lack of survivors who have not gone insane. The workers in the workshops are blissfully ignorant of the catastrophe unfolding below them, while those who witnessed the events are mentally devastated at "watching a friend decay".
Is the fortress fucked? Well, kind of. The secret project is certainly not going to be completed on schedule. There are still some dwarves capable of work and the population, though decimated, has not been irreparably damaged. If I can get the survivors to stop throwing tantrums and focus on rebuilding the farms, the fortress will continue on. My opinion is that this is a salvagable situation, and disasters like this keep things interesting.
If I get besieged anytime soon, though, that's going to be the end of things.
As you no doubt notice, I didn't breach adamantine but the pit itself. Having walled it off, however, I take a brief moment to peruse the levels above, which have all become visible. This room full of screaming dwarves, elves and humans mounted on spears, surrounded by bones and ashes, provides a warning I am eager to heed.
Further glimpses at the treasures the demons guard.
Unfortunately, my wall accomplishes nothing. The Demon Lord of the Pit spawns outside the wall and promptly obliterates TowelBoy's leg, crippling him. You can't see the demon proper, as he is wreathed in the smoke from a fireball.
The Demon, laughing, proceeds to topple the wall.
Shit.
Unable to flee with any speed, TowelBoy is struck down by a Spirit of Flame.
BUT NOT BEFORE HE SLAUGHTERS THE LORD OF THE DEMONS WITH HIS BARE HANDS. HOLY SHIT.
Everyone caught within the tunnel is killed, including several babies and children who had evidently been invited to a poorly-timed "take your kid to work" day.
The layout of the floors makes any sort of defense impossible against the rampaging Spirits of Flame. The tight corridors fill with smoke and provide a killing field for the Spirits, who can launch fireballs to slaughter my dwarves from afar. In contrast to TowelBoy's heroism, here we see Domino throwing the first of many tantrums.
The slaughter is so widespread that a young child goes insane. Fuck.
Finally, after at least a score of dwarves are killed by the rampaging spirits (no fewer than twelve Spirits of Fire have gone on a killing spree throughout the lower mine - most of whom were killed with heavy losses after they broke through to the higher levels - not one frog or tentacle demon appeared, just my luck) the orders I assigned at the beginning of the invasion are carried through. The stairs are collapsed. Eight men are left to die in the tunnels below.
Had I the foresight to toggle "all items forbidden on death" at the beginning, things would have not been nearly so bad. As it was, my men simply threw themselves to their death attempting to scavenge their fallen comrades, heedless of all other orders and making any attempts to seal the pits away fruitless. Finally, I drafted one of the few remaining workers who had not gone insane to carve away the stone and block any chance of escape from the death mines - by anyone.
Word of the disaster makes it out, despite the total lack of survivors who have not gone insane. The workers in the workshops are blissfully ignorant of the catastrophe unfolding below them, while those who witnessed the events are mentally devastated at "watching a friend decay".
Is the fortress fucked? Well, kind of. The secret project is certainly not going to be completed on schedule. There are still some dwarves capable of work and the population, though decimated, has not been irreparably damaged. If I can get the survivors to stop throwing tantrums and focus on rebuilding the farms, the fortress will continue on. My opinion is that this is a salvagable situation, and disasters like this keep things interesting.
If I get besieged anytime soon, though, that's going to be the end of things.
-----
The third guy I've had to lock in his room for insanity. Melancholia and severe injuries are rampant. Food stores are low and rebuilding the farms is made difficult by people refusing to haul the corpses or...do any work, really. Those few still cutting glass or making doors are reassigned to fishing and cleaning; anything that can help keep the fortress afloat. Things begin to look up, and autumn descends just as a lone child, trapped and scared in the death mines, is burnt to ash by a spirit of flame.
Also, I feel like mentioning the fact that the flame spirits ran into the room holding all their torture victims and slaughtered them all just to be dicks
-----
Engravings already begin to reflect the horrific events in the mines. I can't wait to see the next artifact that is produced.
A dwarven caraven arrives in early autumn and saves the fortress, which was beginning to starve to death. I trade exorbitant amounts of wealth away for massive stores of food, as I have no appraiser left alive. However the fortress is well stocked and should not have trouble with food or booze for a few years yet. As you can see, I also put in requests for lots more food next year, as I don't expect the next few seasons to be terribly productive.
It's only late autumn, but...I'm done. I'm lazy and tired and overworked and don't have the energy to take updates anymore, so I'm passing my turn early. I've already sent the save. For interest's sake, I'll post the secret project's status in case the next people feel like finishing where I left off.
These levers here link to floodgates that are currently open to allow access to the interior. When closed, they block off the flow of magma (north) and water (south).
One z-level above the entrance a windmill is planned.
With the help of some gear assemblies and axles, this windmill would provide power to the pump, necessary for pulling magma up to the height of the entrance. Using dwarves to operate the pump would be difficult as they eventually tire and the layout of the fortress would make it difficult or impossible to safely switch dwarves in and out.
This was the area planned for breaching the magma pool.
And this, for breaching the river.
Unlike the magma channel, the water channel is covered with hatches to prevent overflow.
And with that, image #42, I end my reign and turn the fortress over to SirPenguin. The autumn was dull and uneventful; the dwarves ate well and, though forced to diversify their tasks, have more or less maintained stability in the wake of the summer slaughter. Immigrants still fear the fortress; I do not know how long until people begin arriving again. My advice to SirPenguin is to try to manufacture some more weapons and armour; the fortress is very vulnerable at present and has few able fighters.
Edit: I lied earlier. Not everyone who has taken control died; Dauros is still alive.
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