#gerbilgod

After stumbling along searching for my mountain-home, I, overseer Erika, daughter of Hawks, found the fabled Ërtongnòm.

Two things about the fortress that caught my immediate attention was the impressive stockpile of foodstuff. A good abundance to ensure our citizens are well-fed. The other thing was the smell however…

Understanding the discomfort miasma would bring to a fortress, and with discomfort brings temper tantrums, I instructed our miners, the Dwarves Ber and Mistêm, to dig out the dumping pit a little deeper. A crude solution, but one that will suffice until magma becomes our servant.

And in ensuring that refuse and other garbage is to be dumped, I ordered the Dwarf Besmar Närèrith, our fisherdwarf, to specialize in trash collecting so that the only labor they are concerned about, other than fishing, is to ensure our fortress’ stink does not sicken us all. Then I asked Goden Shedlok the Herbalist to specialize hauling food, so that our carefully prepared meals do not go to spoil and spoil all of our moods.

Hopefully, the Dwarves’ other labors do not hinder their new found responsibilities too much.

11’th of Granite

An Elven caravan had just arrived on the morning. They didn’t carry too much, nor was anything too valuable, save the fruits, vegetables and nuts. I felt that the necessary course of action was to simply ignore our nature-protector friends. Afterall, our stockpiles are more than sufficient.

We would find better trading partners later in the year, I’m sure of it.

25’Th of Granite

Looking at the state of the Dwarven Bunks, I decided the best course of action, while the fortress was cleaning up, was to set up personal furniture for the dwarves, so they may have personal coffers to hang up their clothing or other objects of subjective value.

I have the dwarves use the available shale to set up these stone workshops, one will focus production on cabinets, the other on coffers, and the final one on doors.

With the abundance of Rock Salt, and my reluctance to use economic stone for anything other than steel production, I ordered the furniture to be made of rock salt. Not the best material in my not so humble opinion, but us Dwarves make do with what we got. Perhaps when we have more migrants come in, be it this year or the next, we may assign them masons to work specifically on these tasks. But for now, this is work available for anyone.

6’th of Slate

Besmar has been spotted working on refuse removal, yet, most times I spot her praying fervently to her Gods, meditating on their spheres of influence. Though I am not one to get in the way of others’ personal beliefs, I find her lack of work disturbing. Had I any extra laborers, surely this would be no issue, but I must rely on her solely to dump refuse without sacrificing the other Dwarves’ work.

I am happy to report that no complaints of miasma have been announced by any of the Dwarves. So at least we have that.

21’st of Slate

I spoke too soon about the Miasma situation, I turned a corner to check on the bunks, and I find the purple clouds of miasma torturing the animals. The remains of Crundles continue to rot as our dumper continues to pray. 

1st of Felsite

Ask and ye shall receive. Migrants have arrived.

Now our humble fortress of 28 (including monster hunters) is boosted to a modest 59

More children arrived with their parents. Which means more haulers, which hopefully means more refuse dumping. 

Now a new task was set forth, to house all these new workers, for our glorious fortress.

At Elevation Level: (-7) going downwards, I set up mining orders to rapidly set up new housing for the Dwarves as well as any bunks for future migrant waves.

11’th of Felsite

Let it be known, on this day, the farmers of Ërtongnòm have petitioned for a guildhall for the Farmer’s Guild named: “The Guild of Meadows”

In other news, I have switched the children’s chores away from most hauling activity to refuse hauling, in order to better streamline the sanitation process of the fortress. There are poor moods across the board so I hope the construction of the guild will help build the morale of the citizens.

I felt that in honor of a Dwarven Farmer’s Guild, the Hall itself could resemble that of a Plump Helmet. When the final touches of the fortress have been completed (Dug out, smoothed, with some furnishing), we will boast our finished product for all to see (on Tumblr).

22’nd of Felsite

May Lumnum, God of The Stars and Freedom, watch over us. A fearsome beast approaches.

The Worst of these troubles: we only just noticed this beast towards our gate (Because I was only notified as it transformed near our entrance). I pray that the monster hunters, with the aid of our cage traps, can defeat this creature before any of our citizens die, or worse, become infected. 

I haphazardly set up a burrow called the Panic Room in the Oily Chestnut and a small space where the lever is so that a dwarf may press it before the monster can invade… hopefully.

23’rd of Felsite 

Our Prayers are answered, Stinthäd Melbilastel, the were-lizard (and not a citizen btw) has worn off her transformation. Which now gives us ample ability to destroy her. Though I pity her and her curse, I cannot allow such a threat to exist near our fortress endangering our proud citizens and those lazy monster hunters who did nothing. I organized a small militia of Dwarves to deal with this threat. Even though we had no military equipment, we at least had numbers. Finally, with no casualty to us (no injuries or deaths) we walk off in mourning of this poor soul. The least we could do is engrave a slab in memoriam. 

26’th of Felsite

I would like to personally congratulate comrade ‘jv’ for their victory in the fortress elections. You represent the will of the people, may you lead us to glory!

By the gods’ very flame, one of our children has been afflicted with a strange mood! I eagerly await the artifact young Urdim Cilobrulush will create!

They claimed one of the Craftdwarf workshops on the main floor, and has been seen hauling giant mole bones to their shop.

Five Days Later…

Finally, I turned my attention towards the merchants, and decided against purchasing any foods or such, but did trade for some leathers in bins. Having leather fashioned into cloaks, I believe, would give our military dwarves some extra protection.

3’rd of Malachite

A little outside the Tavern is the entranceway to the housing facilities for our Dwarves. Mud marks the path forward and I found it appropriate to till out some farm plots for more cavern diet variety. It completely slipped my mind to build additional bunks for so many new Dwarves. So I immediately worked to remedy that. I also started to commission more furnishing for our veteran Dwarves, the dwarves that were here before the wave. Though fortress life is hard, a comfort here and there can make it all worth it.

15’th of Malachite

The worshippers of Lumnum, who band together as “The Tenebrous Order,” have requested for the construction of a temple in service to the God of The Stars and Freedom. A small temple, humble and non-obstructive to our time, could be arranged. Though I’m not too religious myself, I recognize the faith of the people in their gods, and I hope morale could be raised by this new holy site. Very well my Dwarves, construction is underway.

Because Lumnum is the God of The Stars as well as Freedom, I thought the best way to honor that sphere of influence was to design the temple in the shape of a five-pronged star. I’ll commision some statues of copper in the image of Lumnum to decorate the temple. 

11’th of Galena

And now we find ourselves with yet another uninvited guest to our territory. Mostly unarmored Dwarves position themselves behind the drawbridge, and I bring the monster hunters out of their comfort zone to help defend our fortress. Our soldiers, due to the armor not yet being fully forged, are mostly unprotected, with only Hammers to keep them safe.

I lead our Dwarves onwards to battle. Unfortunately, not every Dwarf had heard the call to the Tavern and several children were playing in the mud outside. So, bravely, I led our soldiers to dispose of this garbage, and swiftly, the threat was taken care of, with only one fatality.

Unfortunately, one of our soldiers, young Mörul Likottorad was lost during the conflict. We know not their whereabouts, but we assume the worst. Due to the missing nature of the body, we will engrave a memorial slab in her honor. Go to the ancestors lost hero, your struggles are over. 

Haphazardly, I arranged for a hospital to be built on the main floor. Though our casualties were minimal, some Dwarves, like our siege operator Kulet Alisbesmer, had sustained some injuries, they for example had lost their ability to stand. We will need to commission some crutches, and our Chief Medical Dwarf (CMD) will need to treat their wounds.

1st of LimeStone

Now, don’t ask me how, but Kulet seems to have gotten better with minimal input. She wasn’t even on her last legs, she could barely stand, now here she is, working as if nothing traumatic happened. Ah well, Dwarves are just built differently. Construction of the Hospital is going well enough, we have some beds, a coffer to store our medical supplies, and I am building a Soap Maker’s Workshop inside the hospital so we may be able to clean wounds in the future. This really should’ve been something I built first, but better late than never. Across the Hospital, where the training barracks are, I am constructing a Bedroom, an Office/Dining Hall, and a set of prisons for the new Captain of the Guard, Minkot Datantoral/Ironlaw (I mean come on, with a name like that, why not?!). I also realized the mayor JV needed some extra effort into their living standards, being mayor and all. And why not, surely ImpossiblePackaged, for their labors as overseer, requires a new living standard. 

4th of Limestone

More child snatchers arrived, they ran away just as quickly. I pray for peace, my Dwarves have seen enough action.

14’th of Limestone

A Caravan from Litast Likot has arrived to Ërtongnòm. I seem to be getting what I want in terms of peace. So far, things have been relatively peaceful. The problem, I’ve been skimping out on the Fortress’s trade goods production, so as a result, we’re not trading for anything. Shameful, I’m aware, but with the formation of a militia, threats arriving to the fortress and trying to specialize workers into other industries I deemed important for the time, it just slipped my mind. 

15’th of Limestone

A day later and the liaison offers us a barony. Though my thoughts on the nobility are less than flattering, I recognize this is a huge prestige for us Dwarves. So, in honor of their labors in guiding us to this mountain home, I felt it necessary to award comrade ImpossiblePackaged the title of Baron. Glory to our eternal fortress! For my successor, i ordered us some subterranean plant seeds and spawn as well as extra logs for bed production. Make use of this as you will, honored overseer. They want, in return, bracelets, and are offering a 196% increase to purchase any the next time they visit. I’ll commission some bracelets for the fortress and encrust them with gemstones. The future looks bright for us. Glory to the Future!

21’st of Limestone

So, for reasons beyond my comprehension, it did not occur to me to check the finished goods bins for trade goods. Fortunately, the liaison has not left us, so I sent our broker to trade. After considerable trading, and feeling a little ripped off, I bought the fortress additional provisions to ensure its survival. I also purchased bins of different cloths and bags of seeds and spawns. We can craft more goods to replenish our loss and use the new silks/yarn-cloth/plant-cloth/leather to dress our citizens into something fresher.

18’th of Sandstone

 It’s been an uneventful Autumn as of yet. A long while ago when constructing the trash pit, we ran into some semi-molten rock. This could indicate magma below. Right now, coke is becoming a rarity, so magma forges and smelters could be very helpful to us economically necessary. The magma sea was discovered, now to figure out pumps, or move metalsmithing operations downwards. This also means our dumping pit for trash no longer will emit a smell, because the magma will burn it all! So long miasma, you purple cloud of anxiety!

22nd of Sandstone

This is so far what I have for the new magma workshops that will mostly replace our need for refined coke. After the workshops are dug out with storage space, we’ll begin actually channeling into the sea for the forges and smelters. I did see some magma snakes and other nasties, hopefully this won’t present itself as too much of a problem, I may consider putting guard detail down to these depths.

23rd of Sandstone, or as I like to call it, as soon as I unpaused the game:

Made of water, no wonder you were forgotten. Although such an announcement scared me, I realized there was no real way for the monster to enter the fortress properly. It’s in the caverns, we have traps set up for this beast, and it’s made of water. I’ll set up a guard post with our war dog, but I think the monster hunters in the tavern are more than enough. 

1st of Timber

The great big ball of agua fled. Kinda hoping for a fight, but this is probably for the best. At least this means nobody dies. The miners continue to dig deep into the depths of this world. I am eager for some metal bars into our workers’ hands. We also just received a new migrant wave pushing our population from 69 to 77. We deconstructed the upstairs Metal Forges and Smelters. The anvils will be relocated to the lower levels and housing for our smiths will be located near the workshops. And then move the storages near there as well. Because the steel industry still needs carbon in order to forge steel, coke will still be located by the smelters.

10th of Timber

Do you think Armok hides in heaven because they too are far too tired to deal with all this? Our Dwarves do not like listening to burrow orders, so my only solution is to send soldiers to throw themselves at the enemy in order to deal with threats. Here’s hoping we don’t make more engraved slabs.

13th of Timber

No deaths!!! The giantess Istrath Absamistrath Muraktesum is dead by the hands of Mebzuth Athelilrom, the killer of the cyclops invader that resulted in the death of another Dwarf in the months prior. Truly, the title of Hero of Ërtongnòm is earned here.

26th of Timber

I dug out the forge shops and this thing came out of the rock. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!?! We are going to lose miners and gain some coffins and slabs. I have the soldiers guard a hallway that leads to the rest of the fortress so that the soldiers can regroup and not take this thing one at a time.

1st of Moonstone

There are so many casualties. That THING charged the blokade and killed seven soldiers (Including Mebzuth) and ten civilians. I ordered the Dwarves to wall off the forges. A vile siege of darkness has arrived to Ërtongnòm. Goblins charge the gates. The Gates are closing, whoever is outside is just going to have to fend for themselves, because we absolutely cannot defend ourselves. After more dwarves threw themselves to kill the fiend, thus killing themselves, the thing finally died, but we are out of soldiers. A vile force of Darkness has arrived. We have no soldiers, our workforce was cut by 27% and the winter has only just begun. The gates are closed. Armok save them, because I cannot.

16th of Moonstone

The baron, ImpossiblePackaged, was injured during the fight in their fight against Skullscrypt the Lurid, that maroon fiend that slaughtered much of our citizens. Though they killed the beast, they are left in critical condition that has already been patched up, and sutured. The only task left to do is to clean them up, lest they die of infection. A statue in honor of the death of the Lurid will be erected of course, but it will be a somber moment. Too many lives were lost thanks to that death machine.

19th of Moonstone

I’m not sure which of the Gods I’ve angered, but I'm going to assume I did something serious. This must be the third Forgotten Beast that has visited our fortress. We still haven’t been able to rebuild our militia, so I think it’s best to simply keep the gates closed, and never venture out into the wild.

20th of Moonstone

It got into the fortress. It came from the caverns and attacked our war dog first, then it set off our many stone traps. In a miraculous turn of events, it fell into the entrance of the garbage pit. A small hallway that is inaccessible to the rest of the fortress. So now we have a pet monster that I hope starves to death. In any case, I need to replace that dog. It served us well and will be remembered.

7th of Opal

Some Good news…finally. Likot Idudos, our mechanic, has entered a strange mood and is gathering goods for their latest artifact. I am excited about what new goody we may yet receive!

12th of Opal

Our Newest artifact! Though I would’ve preferred the creation of armor or a weapon, this artifact will truly be a delight to display around the fortress. Perhaps I’ll set it up in the guildhall or the temple, and allow those buildings to finally be complete.

4th of Obsidian

As I realize my tenure as overseer draws to a close, I look back at my progress here in the fortress of Gerbilgod. Could I have done better? I came here smelling the miasma, hoping to clean it. Then the migrants came to help, then the monster came to feed. We have no more coal to refine into coke, and thus, an end to our metal industry. To try to substitute, I awoken the slumber of a beast best left forgotten. My Dwarves, oh my precious Dwarves, will you ever forgive me? The gates remain closed. Perhaps the next overseer will find success in my downward descent into madness. I truly hope so, for the sake of Ërtongnòm. The previous overseers built great foundations for wealth, but the outside world proved too hostile, too greedy. To any overseer who wishes to avenge our people, build up our strength, destroy the beasts in our fortress and prove to all the glory of Ërtongnòm! My final message to you all: bring us Glory!

In remembrance: 26 Lost but never forgotten

Ber Dallithonddom, Miner

Aban Degëlîton, Carpenter

Vucar Dumatrìthar, Herbalist

Besmar Närèrith, Fisherdwarf

Goden Shedkol, Herbalist

Zulban Idbal, Gem Cutter

Kol Össeklikot, Animal Trainer

Zuntîr Rovodmedtob, Macedwarf

Kib Takùthducim, Marksdwarf

Rimtar Estunaban, Trader

Mebzuth Athelilrom, Hero of Gerbilgod

Atír Mosusgoden, Hammerdwarf

Nish Zulbanrutod, Dwarven Child

Zulban Litastkobeb, Sworddwarf

Mörul Likottorad, Hammerdwarf

Rovod Dalzatshorast, Miner

Erika ProudAutsiticComrade (Minkot Ironlaw), Captain of the Guard/Hammerdwarf

Feb Ustuthód, Bone Doctor

Zuglar Akrulfotthor, Metalsmith

Udib Likotuvel, Hammerdwarf

Goden Mebzuthmishthem, Dwarven Child

Amost Tangathlibash, Doctor

Tulon Alåtharist, Farmer

Kogan Likottulon, Glassmaker

Fikod Rakustardes, Pump Operator

We were in a peaty bog, beside a large hill, and across the river from the red sands of that terrible desert. A quick survey from the top of the hill showed us a bounty of plants to forage, many beautiful feathertrees, and the desert stretching out far beyond the horizon.

There were some otters and a snapping turtle in the river, along with a great many fish. And another creature, in the sand.

An elf, carrying a stringed instrument, was standing in the desert, just watching us work. We made a mental note to keep an eye on her, and got to digging. We had barely finished digging out a first farming room when an abhorrent sludge began to fall from the sky. Thankfully, it seemed confined to the desert, but that poor elf was caught in it. We took pity, and hastily constructed a rickety bridge and urged her to come inside. Considering the circumstances, I hope she doesn't mind that its made of wood.

Punching through the aquifer was troublesome, as it was deeper that expected, but Ber the miner did an admirable job. We had to go 15 stories beneath the surface before we got through and the real work could begin. It was the 20th of Slate when we finally started hollowing out our new home.

I laid out a simple floor plan. A carpenter's shop on one side, jeweler and stoneworker on the other, and dining hall, with kitchen and brewery attached. The floor below would have bedrooms, and some food storage.

Or, at least, the floor below WOULD have those things. Instead, while carving the stairs down to where the bedrooms would go, Ber mined his way into a cavern. The floor of the cavern was very muddy, so I decided we had best farm down there, instead. Our crops would like the cavernous soil much more than the peat above. Ber became the manager, and set our stoneworker Zutthan to work making blocks for the wall we were about to build in the cavern.

Summer went by quickly, with little to report. We started cutting gems for trade. A wandering monster slayer found their way here, and offered to hang around and kill anything lurking in the caverns. Some new migrants came, one of whom is a talented armorer. We also began construction of a larger bridge across the river, in case somebody comes by on the wrong side of it. There are quite a few rutherers down in the caverns, large four-legged creatures covered in thick fur. At one point one of them snuck up through the fortress, and wandered off into the desert. Poor beast.

Ah! The first trade caravan arrived, and I've completely forgotten to build a depot! We got it built in time, but still! We traded for some leather and cloth, some rock nuts to plant later, a mixture of food, to give us some more variety.

The rest of autumn was fairly uneventful. A giant cave spider was spotted in the caverns, but we locked the door up tight and it stayed away. We built a grand gate to seal up the front door in case of emergency, and started smoothing the walls up. More monster slayers have offered to stay, but I turned them away so far. And the damn cats keep leaving fluffy wambler remains all over the place!

Just before winter ended, I carved out a small room to use as a rudimentary temple, to keep our spirits up. Eventually that room could be used for something else, and a better temple built elsewhere, but it'll do for now.

The elf from before has been spending some time there, and has actually been making friends with Zutthan, our stone carver. That bard hasn't done any work, or even officially petitioned to stay, but Zutthan likes her anyway. It's funny, because Zutthan is not a musical dwarf whatsoever, but maybe a song while carving out the rock isn't so bad?

In the last month of winter, something like 20 crundles were seen in the caverns. They ventured too close to our cavern entrance, forcing us to close it up for now. Nobody was hurt, thankfully, but our resident monster slayer will have to wait a while before heading back out there. I hope he's alright. He's been upset and depressed ever since he got here. Apparently he's just like that, but I'm hoping a little time off will cheer him up a bit.

Just before the end of the year, I spied a demon rat running around in the desert's muck. Awful creature.

But the year is ended. It was uneventful, overall. We have bedrooms, food, drink, a place to eat, a place to pray, and we've started making some crafts to sell to the next caravan. They'll be bringing lots of seeds next year. You can never have too many, I always say. But anyway, it's time for me to retire, do some whittling, and cook some food.

First of Granite, year 153 in the fortress Ërtongnòm: Gerbilgod

Well this is a right mess I’ve found myself in. The latter end of the past year has not been kind to this fortress, so much so that I - a passing stranger - have found myself thrust into the role of overseer for the time being. As shocking as this is, I am loathe to turn my back on my fellow dwarves.

My first order of business is to carve out a place to put all those poor souls to rest. Monuments for those wholly lost, and coffins for those whom we can still find some remnant of. No dwarf will go unhonored. It is the patience, or rather the lack of it, of the dead that has me worried.

The design is something concocted in quick desperation to appease both the living and the dead. A central hall for monuments, large enough for our immediate needs. Off of this will be dug space for coffins. The rooms are meager and the hallway narrow, but I’m afraid that such spaces is the limit of luxury we can presently afford.

After all, a vile force of darkness is upon us.

 It hasn’t even been one day yet.

8th of Granite:

Praise the Gods, the siege was short. The small band of invaders swiftly dispatched by visitors loitering outside the gate. With that settled, I’ve ordered it lowered. I hope to gather what wood we can.

13th of Granite:

I’m convinced this fort is cursed.

A terrible winged beast with the gift of flame has come to us. The thing arrives by way of the muddy caverns that much of this fort is built into. I pray that the hands that this fort was previously in had managed to plug any unsecured holes.

Not making matters any better are the returned spirits of our fallen warriors.

Ah, brave souls! If only you yet lived to protect your home!

17th - 19th of Granite:

The beast has disappeared from sight, and we are out of wood. If there is a way for it into the fortress, I hope it takes it through the monster hunters and poets that live under our roof.

It is not all ill news, however. Despite the goblin attack, we are met with an elven caravan. In the chaos I haven’t had much time to assess any needs trading could alleviate, and with the rain of abhorrent sludge impeding the gathering of plants and trees I have to consider-

What.

This... Odd little warrior has scarcely stepped foot in the bog surrounding the fort before his intention to steal one of our beloved rings was made known.

Huh.

He does not seem compelled to act peaceably, and so I send the militia to contend with him.

24th of Granite:

Tragedy and outrage!

While my attention was elsewhere a deadly brawl broke out between some monster slayers and citizens. Our poor Mayor and one other of our own died in the conflict.

To add to the outrage the beast Ongor had snuck up and, just outside the very tavern, claimed the lives of two children.

The rampage continues unabated. Fire and fang claim dwarf after dwarf.

The hunters continue to do nothing.

Tragedy after tragedy, crisis after crisis. I don’t know if I can salve this.

The beast did fall, its last victim - and opponent - a stray puppy. It decapitated the poor creature, but died soon after. I know not the cause. Did a God finally take offense to this last act? Did it die to its own fire and smoke? I don’t have the time to find out. The dead keep piling up.

13th of Slate:

twice now within the past week two humans have come with ambition to steal Tamemoon, and we are unable to really offer much in the way of resistance.

Damn it all. I’m shutting the gate.

20th of Slate:

Migrants! Oh, praise the miners. A large mass of manpower that brought our struggling population up to 77 from a floundering... 44? 40-something. With all the death I didn’t dare keep count, lest I tempt fate.

I hope we have enough room for everyone.

3rd of Felsite:

The construction of the catacombs is going achingly slow. Not helping matters was our manager having no office. With that fixed, hopefully all will go more smoothly.

The fortress also has a new artifact to its name!

A grate will be useful in some project later on, I’m sure.

2nd of Hematite

Summer graces the land, and some measure of stability has been tentatively achieved. The mood in the fortress is dour and our wood supply has run fully dry. I have assigned some to work as woodcutters, but the lack of action has me suspecting a shortage of tools. Hopefully some new iron axes will solve that problem.

11th of Hematite

A human caravan from Erianthath has come! Bless them. Hopefully they come with tools.

14th of Hematite

The rock itself trembles. Another great beast has come to claw at our walls.

Fortunately for us it lurks in the lowermost caverns, of which there is no present entry to our fort. None that I am aware of, at least.

Unfortunately, that means my plans to breach the cavern for a sludge-free source of wood will have to be put on hold. Without a military proper I dare not face it.

1st of Malachite

Our human guests are still here, and have handily dispatched a prospective thief. Why so many seek Tamemoon, I’ll never know.

The caravan, alas, had slim pickings. I bought two bins of both woolen cloth and leather, as well as some cheese and cheap cages. In exchange we gave them a bevy of stone trinkets and worn clothing. Not the most glamorous of goods, but I made sure to be generous enough to entice them to bring a larger selection in the future.

[breaking character to note that I’m experiencing a bug where the diplomacy menu is unavailable. The diplomacy popup just disappears when I click on it. Hopefully that wont have any lasting consequences.]

There are rumors of a new overseer to arrive by the start of next year. I confess that I hope the rumors to be true. I was an ill pick made of desperation. Still, Hopefully I can stay the course well enough that the fortress will be prime material to be shaped by more brilliant hands.

The catacombs, though rough, are slowly being filled with coffins and bodies. Ghosts are being laid to rest as monuments start to fill the hall.

Outside the fortress our new lumberjacks make quick work of producing lumber for our otherwise idle carpenters.

4th of malachite

A small wave of migrants brings the fortress up to a population of 84.

Tamemoon has also been stolen. It appears that it was held within one of the bins of goods I had brought to the depot. Out of pride I will have the guard investigate this. Privately, however, I am glad if the thing would disappear. Perhaps now we’ll have less trouble with wayward brigands.

24th of Malachite

Our broker accused a human maceman of the theft. Good enough for me, I thought, and ordered the conviction. The man now lies dead.

I should probably care more. Meh.

Unrelated to that I’ve decided to cover up and wall off the pit outside the tavern. There was probably a plan for this, but I’m desperate to avoid another Ongor disaster.

14th of Galena

A monster of the surface, for once!

Thankfully it is one vulnerable to cages. With traps in place in the entrance. I had thought to simply raise the alarm and let the thing stop itself. Unfortunately, a spat of children and one dimwit of a carpenter remained outside. The carpenter, one Urvad Onuculdist, perished. The children, however, seem to have made it out alive. One of our two hammerdwarves slew the beast.

This does bring to mind, however, our woefully sparse defenses. We also lack a water supply within the fort itself. I doubt I have time to fix it wholly, but I can try.

Ghosts continue to rise as we struggle to find corpses and engrave slabs fast enough.

23rd of Galena

The Oily Chestnut has been enclosed!

The drawbridge is linked to one of four new levers I purpose built for new defenses, on the main floor, off to the side of the central stairwell.

It has been labelled for clarity of use. With industry on pause I doubt I can make a fully outfitted death tunnel in time, alas. But perhaps I could get one started...

1st of Limestone

Autumn has come, and with it a vile force of darkness. Raise the gates! Hunker down! We still have food and drink enough down here to last us. What we don’t have is manpower enough to fight them off.

Unfortunately, a Gelder was lost when trying to lower the gate for them. Our outside livestock is also being slaughtered. The herbalist Dumed also didn’t make it back in time, and was slaughtered in a tree.

9th of Limestone

The cheesemaker Olon Cattenbidok is not accounted for, and we can only assume they to have perished outside. Damn it all, if only there was some way we could properly fight back...

18th of Limestone

The raiders have dispersed and a caravan from the Mountainhome has arrived. With them comes news that, yes, a new overseer will arrive in the coming spring. All I have to do, then, is keep the place from falling apart.

For next year I requested an all-around spread of weapons, clothing, trap components, cages, cloth and leather. Toys for the little ones as well.

An axedwarf, meanwhile, has slipped into a depression. This can’t be good.

15th of Sandstone

Another axedwarf has slipped into depression, the both of them being among the monsterslayers currently residing in the fortress.

I have been permitting any and all such warriors to stay, even if there are no monsters to be had. Hopefully they will eventually petition for citizenship as a soldier, wherein they can help quickly bolster our military.

I’ve made a new squad to host two human warriors who have already done so, along with some other citizens that have some skill with weaponry. For now the squad is simply standing by. They’ll need barracks and a place to train, hopefully I’ll remember to get around to it.

In other news, a small band of migrants has come to the fort, bringing the population up to a servicable 92. With some careful management I’m sure much can be done to bring this fort back on track. Straight after that, a stonecrafter by the name of Fikod was possessed by a strange mood, and claimed a crafter’s workshop.

17th of Sandstone

Another forgotten beast has come.

Thankfully, it would appear that the Oily Chestnut is secured enough to keep the beast out. We can hear its rampage outside the walls, and feel the heat of its fire warm the rock. But for now, we are safe.

1st of Timber

Fikod emerges from his mood, holding high the newest artifact to the forts name!

A bright moment amidst all the gloom.

I have also allowed entry to the inactive magma workshops, that the bodies left there may finally be buried. I’m embarrassed that they slipped my attention for so long. Hopefully this will greatly improve our ghost problem. I’ve had to extend out the memorial hall for all the monuments!

18th of Timber

A guild of craftdwarves, aptly named the Company of Crafts, has formed and requested a guildhall.

Following the sensibilities of my predecessor, I have designated for one to be dug out in the shape of a hammer.

1st of Moonstone

Winter is upon us. My tenure as overseer is nearly done. For these last few month’s I aim to get some things cleaned up and smoothed out. Try to finish more bedrooms, perhaps. The catacombs continue to fill up with what few remains can be found.

In hindsight, a few erected slabs may have been made in the honor of those that languished in the magma workshops. Ah well, the poor souls aren’t undeserving of it.

9th of Moonstone

Damn it all! The depressive slayer, Zaneg, has toppled the still in a mad tantrum. Hopefully the damage wont go beyond that.

1st of Opal

Better late then never is my motto for these last few months. I have constructed the beginnings of a death tunnel. Though we don’t have much materials as of yet, with enough weapon traps this worm of a passage should defeat most any invaders without us having to lift a finger.

The drawbridges and their levers have both been labelled. The levers themselves being among those Constructed on the main floor.

Along with this I thought to dig out a section of the dirt portion of the mountain to become an enclosed grazing area. It seems that it’s shaping up to be more stone than dirt, but it gives me an idea. Why not expand up into the mountain? After all, just this much into the area has revealed limonite and coal both.

3rd of Obsidian.

Word has come from the Mountainhome that the next overseer is on their way. Looking back, there's much I could have done differently. Hell, there’s much I could have just done.

My biggest regret is not making a special place of rest for our fallen major. Jv rests among the rest of us. But who knows, perhaps that is what they’d want.

10th of Obsidian

One more beast to see me off!

This one, to, arrives via the muddy caves. I wonder if its kin with Paboz? I had hoped the two would kill each other, but Omus would soon fall after a prolonged battle with a blind cave ogre.

25th of Obsidian

My last act as overseer is the designation of digging out an inside pasture further up the mountain.

Can you see it? The home of our people? The great mountains from which our mothers and fathers sprung forth, a mere hundred and fifty years ago?

The mountains of our home are warm and loving, not like that profane peak to the east. Some of us have taken to the western forest, maybe one day to settle among the blissful hills rumored to lie on the other side. That is, if the elves of that land will let them. Both south and west of us are the humans, stone towers rising above the plains. And all around, goblins lie waiting, and watching.

But damn the neighbors, there is work to be done. Our last time attending the Constructive Celebration has come to an end, and we must leave. We will miss Threathells, once a goblin settlement, now shared between both goblin and dwarf, but new soil awaits.

Our queen, Sibrek Zatamiteb, Cloutedposts, has given us leave to settle farther from the Mountainhome than any other dwarf of the Torch of Ink ever has. There are many natural treasures in the eastern bog, which would be reason enough, but they say our Queen was once a spy, and she sees the value in a fortress that can keep an eye on the horrors wandering the desert.