[DF] Fortress Embark & Year 1 (Ronin Storm)

[Ronin Storm]

This is the first diary for our Dwarf Fortress succession game. As I've got a bit more to do than the average player, I'm making a start before the weekend to give myself more time next week.

Feel free to post questions and comments. Enjoy!

Havonia: mostly harmless. That's probably what the guidebook says about our continent. Not that we read the guidebook before setting out on our expedition.

We are Kezat Urmim of The True Lances. Some call us "The Dangers of Swimming". We have pressed north towards the colder regions 'cause every dwarf knows that warm beer is a travesty. At least this way we won't have to import snow.

I am Stormius Maximus, leader of this party of adventurous souls seeking our fortune for the glory of The True Lances. May we dig deep, build tall and become known across all of this fair continent!

I've staked a claim on the edge of a mountainous region. Our distant cousins in The Narrow Wheel and The Unswerving Gorge are off to our east. To the north, the mountains rise. To our west and south, freshwater marsh, woodland and some good hunting. A brook, Puzzlesearched, runs through the western part of our claim. I hope to build an incredible water powered forge in the years to come.

There are trees and plants, if we want to engage in that sort of frippery. There should be ore aplenty, including flux. Black sand for farming, though we'll be taking that underground as soon as practical; also should be useful for glass, if we find the time.

I'm told that there is plenty of wildlife in the area, though hunting just seems like a way to have dwarves die alone and leaving their equipment as a sort of dwarf-death honeypot. We'll try to avoid hunting as much as we can.

I still need to review the state of our supplies but I have a couple of days to do that, yet.

Oh, and I've picked us out a name for our fortress: Ekastbom Kib, or "Safehomes of Nets" in the common tongue.

Back to travelling, for now...

 

[Ronin Storm]

Here is a map of Havonia.

 

[Ronin Storm]

The year is 1051 and it is the beginning of spring. We have arrived at the site for our soon-to-be-mighty fortress, Ekastbom Kib, and have begun surveying the area. We have extensive maps of the above-ground area and I now need to choose a site for us to fortify and start our excavation. We need somewhere safe to sleep and eat without goblin raiding parties thinking we're easy prey.

We have made camp around our wagon on a hill side just north of a small pond. I noticed coal further north and some exposed veins to the north east embedded in the hill side. The inclines are not particularly steep so traversing the terrain should be easy. Honestly, I'm thinking that digging straight down will probably suffice, though I may wish to press a little further north into more rocky terrain before we begin digging.

A stream runs in the valley to our west but I intend to give that a wide berth for now. Swimming: dangerous at the best of times. Besides, none of us can swim.

Anyway, allow me to introduce our team:

• Stormius (that's me). Intrepid leader of this expedition and budding miner with a love for picks. Who else would you trust to design your fortress?
  
• Udib, my co-miner and the dwarf I'll be looking towards for any tricky construction work. For some reason, he detests oysters.
  
• Shorast, the lumberjack and carpenter. Another member of the oyster-hating club. Also, don't mess with him; he has a wicked temper and knows how to use that axe!
  
• Ushat, our medic and part time gem cutter. When she's not cutting one thing, she's cutting another... yet another hater of oysters.
  
• Feb, one of our cooks with a focus on herbalism and farming. Talks about flowers and sunshine a lot. Bit of a hippie really.
  
• Kivish, all round craftsman and mechanic. He'll be straight underground producing stuff for us to sell. Just don't talk to him.
  
• Zan, our other farmer and cook, with a focus on the fauna side of things. Has a side in leatherworking.

So, aside from all the oyster hatred, a sound team. Add a few dogs and cats and a camel (who brought that camel?!) and we're in pretty good shape.

Last part of the report for now:

I was told there was going to be plenty of wildlife and all I've seen is one mountain goat. Just a goat. I can feel a demotivational t-shirt coming on...

 

[Ronin Storm]

Well, to start with, I've designated the pool immediately south of our wagon as the only acceptable water source. Absolutely no going to the river for these dwarves! Gods only knows what in that damnable river.

To the north, we're going downwards. I plan to have a dormitory and mess hall in place as quickly as possible, along with appropriate kitchen and brewing facilities just below surface. We'll use a vertical shaft stairwell for the first few levels and harden the surface with a stone wall just to be safe.

We'll collect wood and plants nearby and I'm going to see if we can get a farm up before summer arrives, though that may be wishful thinking. Brewing first, as dwarves need their beer.

I've got my eye on the bottle of rum.

Oh, and we've just spotted some wandering slugmen and snailmen. Slimey.

 

[Ronin Storm]

It is the beginning of summer. I can't honestly say that our progress is as good as I hoped but I think that was because I was much too enthusiastic about what we should be doing. My focus needs more focus.

We've completed the initial underground excavations but really only in the last couple of days. I've requested a stonecrafting workshop so we can make doors, tables and chairs and carpentry is already underway creating beds. Got a couple of beds in the designated dormitory but my lunatic companions seem just as happy sleeping draped over barrels of beer in the pantry. With doors, I'll give instructions to sleep in the dormitory under penalty of refuse carrying duty...

Either way, the stockpile is almost entirely underground and the surface entrance is guarded by two of our dogs. I've begun work on a fairly extensive above-ground defensive wall set to contain our wood stockpile and carpentry workshop and ultimately to be some sort of statue garden and meeting place to help discourage cave adaption. Once we're in better shape, I'll look at an alternative entrance that isn't so exposed and is too difficult to seal.

Notes to self:

Get the damn dining room in place. I'm sick of eating while sat on rubble.

And start brewing!

Oh, we've updated our survey maps based on data from the last few days.

 

[Xarlaxas]

Sounding good so far! Will there be a steady production of bins and barrels too? Barrels are essential for the brewing process and bins make the trading so much more simple!

 

[Ronin Storm]

Yeah, barrels and bins will immediately follow a basic set of beds.

 

[Xarlaxas]

Epic! Sounds like we'll be needing a military quickly then if there are all those slimey people running around eh?

 

[Ronin Storm]

They seem fairly peaceful so far. And sticking close to the stream too. As we're not going near the stream just now, I'm happy with the arrangements.

 

[Panda with issues...]

They seem fairly peaceful so far. And sticking close to the stream too. As we're not going near the stream just now, I'm happy with the arrangements.

Wait until you start finding slime trails nearer and nearer to the hold. And dwarfs wake up choking on slime in a preliminary attack...

 

[Ronin Storm]

But see my burgeoning curtain wall! They'll have to get past that first...

 

[Ronin Storm]

I am pleased to report that the defensive wall on the surface is now complete, including a fine double door blocking the entrance. Won't keep thieves out, mind you, but at least we've made the first attempts at keeping invaders out.

Speaking of invaders, we've just got our first batch of migrants. They've arrived at the top of the mountain to the north east, which isn't a terrible spot but they've got a bit of a walk to get in here. I'll have to sort and select from them and find them beds and such.

The dormitory is now ready and the still has started functioning. We've plenty of barrels for booze, though we're going to need more wood before too long.

Door production is underway and I've just kicked off stonecrafting for trade.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of gypsum blocking our building sites so I'm digging a stone collection point two levels down from the main stockpile. Once the sites are clear, I'll stop us hauling stone, but I need clear space for useful things such as the kitchen!

Planning a statue garden around the main entrance but I'm short of suitably qualified dwarves... which reminds me that I need to tell my two unqualified masons to stop pretending that they can build things. I only told them they could wear mason badges just so they'd build the wall on the surface...

 

[Ronin Storm]

Census taken. 5 new dwarves, but two of them are children. Which idiot sent me children? I'm going to write a formal letter of complaint to the Mountainhomes for such a travesty.

One benefit, however, is a suitably qualified Mason. He's set to work straight away, which pleases me. He can stay. I'll even make him a good bedroom.

As for the others... well a soap maker and a lye maker aren't exactly what I'd call useful. They'll set to work hauling and be happy about it. Conversely, I've taken useful people off all hauling and similarly menial tasks so they can concentrate on work.

 

[Ronin Storm]

Probably fair to report that the rum is all gone. I enjoyed it. That is all.

 

[Nanor]

Why is the rum gone?

 

[Ronin Storm]

Indeed...

While contemplating this exact question, a goblin snatcher snuck in the front gate and was trying to make off with one of the children. Quickly, our only experience axe dwarf, Shorast, call anyone with any weapons at all (both miners, Stormius and Udib), to cut down the foul intruder. The goblin was quick and dashed westwards over the river, dwarves harrying his heels. In the resulting engagement, Shorast lost his right hand and, I suspect, any chance of doing anything useful for the fortress again. The goblin may have escaped, though will probably have bled to death somewhere in the hills beyond our claim.

We do have a medic but, frankly, I'd not be comfortable putting myself under her knife...

Time to set up a hospital.

For posterity, here's a map of the carnage, including blood trails leading westward from the fortress.

 

[BiG D]

I am pleased to report that the defensive wall on the surface is now complete, including a fine double door blocking the entrance.

Whats the plan for a trade depot? Having supplies before winter sets in is important.

 

[Ronin Storm]

Yeah, we'll be dropping a depot just outside the curtain wall, possibly in an enclosure of its own. Haven't got that in place just yet but it's just turned autumnal so I'd better get on that shortly.

Our food production is non-existant. I was just putting in place what I needed to start underground farming but I've not completed that yet.

We've had another snatcher. Shorast promoted himself to Militia Commander in the first snatcher raid. I was wondering whether he'd regret that after losing his hand and possibly even his axe buried in the first goblin. So this second snatcher arrives as the stupid children are wandering around outside the fortress walls. Quickly, Shorast's squad is put back into action. Get this...

Shorast, with no right hand and no weapons, rushes out of the fortress, chases down the goblin and punches him to death with one hand. He's my hero.

However, I think that means we're short one axe, which could be a serious problem.

Hospital is up and running and the herbalist Ushat has been promoted as the chief medic so hopefully the wounded children and Shorast will actually get some medical attention now.

 

[Ronin Storm]

A thief made off with something. I'm not sure what as the militia were too slow in mobilising. I'm not going to worry about it.

It's winter and the liaison and caravan from Mountainhomes has arrived with supplies. We've had a trade depot up for a week or two so it's not too difficult to respond.

We've had a second migrant arrival as well so we've got a lot of layabouts that I'm not sure what they're doing. Been focusing on getting farming running, which has involved digging channels on the surface to irrigate the black sand below. It's been semi-successful and the first alcohol farm is now in place though crops will take a while to turn round.

I have, however, bought alcohol (including rum) and lots of food from the traders, plus some training weapons, a little armour, and anything that looked cheap (quite a bit of leather, some cloth, some bags, a few cages, etc). All in exchange for rock crafts, some of which are masterpieces as one of the new arrivals went into a strange mood and came out a legendary stonecrafter.

I'm thinking that our front gate now needs the guard dogs and that, ideally, they should actually be wardogs.

There's a bit of a profusion of animals on the surface. Perhaps we should be slaughtering them all? Not yet dug in a butchers, though, so maybe I'll leave that for the next overseer.

The fortress maps have been updated though a lot is still in progress, including the covering of the irrigating channels to prevent unwanted visitors leaping in.

I'll continue this log later after a large feast. We've been short of food for a while...

 

[Ronin Storm]

Winter 1051. No snow yet but I'm expecting some freezing. I've noticed some complaints about a lack of a well. Honestly, if I was in office for longer then I'd probably undertake that as my next project. We could route water from the pool to the south of the farming room into the chamber we dug looking for deeper black sand. The sand was only one layer deep but the chamber could be the start of an internal reservoir.

Unfortunately, to do it safely would take a couple of seasons and we've not got the time. Perhaps my successor will consider it a priority.

Either way, we're still short of an axe as the caravan brought none with them (for trade, at least, and we're not taking on those guards to steal their weaponry!) This could be a problem and tells me that we need to start forging much sooner than I'd intended. Fortunately, we have coal so we shouldn't need to start coke production and we should just be able to skip straight to metalwork. Maybe that's where I'd better focus my remaining time as handing over an injured (though heroic) lumberjack and no axe would be deeply crap.

I notice there are civilians sleeping in the hospital, which annoys me. There's a perfectly good dormitory right next door. They even had to walk further to get to the hospital. Either way, it implies that I need to start on proper living quarters with rooms for each dwarf. That'll mean more doors, more beds, possibly even cabinets... so more wood, and thus we need an axe. I'll work on the metalworking right now. At least I have an anvil. Two, actually, as I bought a second one from the caravan for a pretty nice rock sculpture.