[DF] Fortress Year 7

[Ronin Storm]

Spring 1060

It's ludicrous. I'd heard tell of the ill fated fortress of Ekastbom Kib but nothing really would have prepared myself for taking over the reins of management quite like needing to boost myself over the back wall while goblin raiders rushed the front gate.

I have a bad feeling about the next year.

Still, I've rustled up a map of the fortress and have begun making swift plans for the defense, which may well involve shutting and locking the gates and hoping that the guys outside either kill all the goblins or die trying. Either way, they're not getting in here. Damnit.

Better find the captain of the guard and get a proper report.

 

[Ronin Storm]

Still Spring 1060

I have drafted a full squad from the various people around the fortress, most with at least an understanding that the point of all this is to kick the goblin heads in, but some who may not even know that. Terrifying, when you come to think of it. Still, they're being called to the inner gate as I speak with orders to seal the doors immediately.

Everyone else is being called inside, with the exception of the existing squad who have been ordered to retake the outer keep and then, once we hold that again, seal the outer doors.

I have noticed that our depot is sealed into our compound in such a way as no wagon could reach it. I admit that my mind shouldn't really be moving to trade at a time such as this, but I can't help but think that we're going to suffer as a direct result of this oversight.

To battle, my dwarves. To battle.

 

[Xarlaxas]

Must admit I have no idea what the size of an incoming wagon would be, we've only had camels so far! Thought it would be a good idea to have a bigger farm as there are a lot of above-ground seeds that we have.

I think the first squad is pretty well trained, they killed a whole ambush with no casualties earlier in the year so should be alright in keeping things going!

Oh, I'd suggest once the war is over you start a big milking/butchering operation, we have a heck of a lot of animals wandering about the place.

 

[Ronin Storm]

5 Days Later

They've fled. We've hurt those goblins enough that they've called it quits and run off to harass someone else. Or to regroup and bring their bigger mates to come kill us again. Whatever the case, I'm confining everyone to burrows and sealing the outer gates. As soon as I can get the corpses out of the front gate, that is. We have very few wardogs left, so I'll need to train more of those, but I notice that there's a bear in a cage. Why wasn't that chained up by the front gate? That'd have scared the crap out of those goblins!

Whatever. I'm done with gates. We're digging a tunnel and building traps. Lots of goblin maiming traps. I'll find a way to set the depot in a position so that we can bring it behind the traps too.

 

[Ronin Storm]

7th Granite (2 Days After the Goblin Retreat)

I've rescinded my order to keep everyone in burrows. We have equipment spread out everywhere. I have, however, countermanded the insane lumber gathering operation that is taking place a good mile from the fortress with no protection detail.

Can I just say this: I see dead things, everywhere. There's corpses all over the place. We'll have to do something about that. I think we'll pile the corpses just outside the (soon to be sealed) main gate to discourage any further attacks. See what we do to our enemies, goblin scum.

 

[Xarlaxas]

What? Instead of putting the corpses by the stair-case into our fortress? Madness!

That lumber-gathering was for the essential bins, barrels, doors, and beds, as there was pretty much no wood anywhere else, and there were no goblins before. Hehe.

How many of our Dwarves have died?

 

[Ronin Storm]

We've lost 2 dwarves, both in combat, 1 from each of the squads (so one experienced and one inexperienced). The Potash Maker survived, incredibly, probably by pretending that he was doing something useful instead of taking up arms and fighting like a real dwarf.

 

[Ronin Storm]

Mid Spring 1060 - 15 Slate

It's all quiet. Some buzzards were giving us some problems but a few well placed quarrels sent them packing. That said, I've now banned all fishing and hunting on grounds of exposing dwarves to unnecessary risks.

Our wood supplies aren't massive but survivable. Certainly enough for the barrels and bins I've requested. We need to be ready for the next caravan.

Speaking of which, we're ready to break through on the new access tunnel but I'm working on traps first. I think we need another mechanic on the job, though, as creating mechanisms is taking too long. We've got stone fall traps around four deep and then a rank of weapon traps using great weapons that we dwarves have no use for; presumably we recovered those from fallen caravan guards...?

Project Bury The Dead is underway but there are so many, many corpses and assorted body parts. Either way, I've designated a spot outside the fortress for dumping and we'll set up some new dump site within the fortress a little later.

Animal slaughtering is well underway and gradually the fortress looks less like a farmyard. I do love the smell of roasting mule in the morning.

Our injured are mostly back on their feet. I've assigned two full time doctors and two full time medics; the former treat the wounded and the latter recover bring them to the doctors. I notice a previous commandant has built a well at the hospital. I've had some dwarves build a new hospital right alongside as we simply didn't have enough space for all the wounded. Frankly, if the hospital fills up now then we're probably screwed anyway.

Oh, that bear is chained up by the gate. Still not sealed it up but until the access tunnel is complete we've no other way to get to the dump sites outside.

I figure we will need more wood eventually. I'm going to commission a tunnel/wall combination to keep the lumber crews safe, but the main fortress entrance will have to be completed first before I entertain that project.

 

[Ronin Storm]

A Week Later

17 new arrivals and, just to be novel, I believe these will be the first unharassed arrivals in a long time. I need to get our work crews properly organised. There's mass confusion about who is supposed to be doing what. Indeed, everyone seems to think that farming is their job. Well, it isn't. We have enough food and far too much trash. Hell, I think I'm going to make some of these arrivals into "bin-dwarves".

Buzzards are back and causing some minor problems. You'd think dwarves could shoo off a few birds, wouldn't you?

 

[BiG D]

That well was from all the way back during my reign. I'm assuming this means that the ice melted nicely and it's working as expected? (Also that it didn't fill the fortress with water? )

 

[Xarlaxas]

I had everyone designated to farming as it only took the lot a minute or two to plant everything, then go back to their jobs, then harvest the things at the end of the season, the food and alcohol must flow!

Aye, D, the well seems to be working from what I can tell, if we'd all drowned I imagine Zoogy would have mentioned it!

Might be an idea to allow some of the empty coffins to have pets put in them, but I was personally planning to build a pet cemetary at some point.

 

[Ronin Storm]

We're not burying pets. We have too many dwarves to bury. Just before I finished last night, I was chasing off a goblin ambush (spearmen) and had almost defeated them when my two squads (around 18 dwarves) were hit on the return to the base by a second goblin ambush that almost totally wiped them out. I think 4 dwarves made it back into the fortress and we sealed the front drawbridge. I'll post a map shortly. I'm seriously considering just hiding inside. We've got food and booze and fresh water. I even built a wall around the water wheel to prevent some sort of insurgent attack on our fresh water supply.

I'm also going to seal up the outer doors at the top. They're just asking for trouble.

 

[Traxata]

When you get the option can we see an updated map?

 

[Ronin Storm]

Autumn 1060 (3rd Limestone)

What is it about these goblins and start-of-season ambushes? I hate them. HATE HATE HATE. You hear that, you small, green, putrescent sacks of filth?! In short, fuck you!

*cough*

So, yeah, we're hiding. Inside. Where it's safe. I'm not sure we're ever going out again, except possibly to do some lumber collection. Even that's probably not safe.

I've taken a breather to update our map. Note the blood. That was our militia. They're almost all dead and those that aren't are in hospital, except the last few brave ones who are stocking up and watching the drawbridge.

Oh, and we've shut the human trader in with us. I think we'll do our business, rearm our traps, and then let him out to try his luck with the goblin swordsmen outside. Maybe his guards will do better than our tinpot militia?

Meanwhile, I better draft even more into squads and see what we can do about getting some people who can actually fight. Pansies.

 

[Ronin Storm]

You can tell things are awry when you start to consider the possible applications of magma to improve the situation...

 

[Ronin Storm]

On an only tangentially related note:

I believe Trax is up next. You up for that Trax?

If not, I think it's probably D...

 

[Traxata]

Uhm, D can take the next go, before he maybe gets a new job, and then I'll take the next week?

 

[Xarlaxas]

Sheesh, how many more have died since I left then?

By the time I had finished the cemetary there were about 12 or 14 empty coffins that weren't being filled, which is different as coffins used to be filled almost instantly!

I have the feeling that whoever told you this plot of land was safe may have been lying. . . .

What's our current population?

Oh, will we be getting a bigger barracks soon as well? We can get more sparring and what-not then.

 

[Ronin Storm]

Our population is larger than when you left it. Around 64, I think, though 3-5 of those are babies and children. We've lost maybe 20 in total since the beginning of the year but our migrations have been good. However, we are short on hardened fighters, though, partly because they're going out as wrestlers. I'm going to set up squads of axemen in mail and see to it that we have a real fighting force of professional soldiers.

We have a new real barracks by the new depot on the main route in. That is where we'll be training. I should also set up a squad of archers. In fact, I'm beginning to think that that most important thing I can do now is ensure that we have a real fighting force. I'll set up a second barracks just south of the first to house the to-be-created crossbow squad. It's like Sun Tzu said: stand on top of a hill and shoot them with crossbows and you'll kick their arses.

 

[Xarlaxas]

Sounds like a plan! I'm more of a civilian governor/under-taker, you deal with the killing and I'll bury the piles of dead. . . .