Timber 263
1 Timber 263
Timber is late Autumn. A wise dwarf checks his pantry before winter, though winter in this festering swamp brings no discerned difference from summer; yet the Tradition is not worthless.
Markus showed me the records. There is plentiful drink but food runs short, unless I permit cooking seeds. Farm yields are still small which is expected with only the labor of one inexperienced farmdwarf.
Therefore I ordered more plant-gathering from outside. I permitted cooking with dwarven wine and longland beer, which are the most plentiful drinks.
There are two mares and one stallion. To ensure more horses I would not slaughter any. However the mule is spare. I ordered its slaughter for meat.
Then I went below to return to the masonry in the magma chamber. Once sealed no Bats of any size may enter to taunt.
5 Timber 263
K0npeito completed mining work in the Project. I will proceed with masonry after finishing work in the magma chamber.
7 Timber 263
There is a crop of dimple cups but still no pig tails.
At least TyrantSabre planted plump helmets. A cave spider has left new webs in a lower hall which Tarezax has gone to collect and spin into thread. It will be slow to get much silk but apparently faster than pig tail fiber.
11 Timber 263
Angry Ed has organized a party. The useless dwarves Willie Tomg the thief, and Locomotive Breath the War Peasant, are the only attendees. I suspect Angry Ed avoids his assigned butchery. He has no experience in that task but no dwarf at Gemclod does and he is the cook. I will remind him after his party.
13 Timber 263
Although the masonry is not done, the sluice is ready: I can flood the magma at any time. I ordered the flooded cave pierced above the water-line. It is another risk to the fortress but only briefly: as soon as that task is done I will wall the access tunnel and then the floodgate and water will protect from nefarious entry.
Any living thing that comes in with the flood of water will be boiled on the magma.
15 Timber 263
Dwarves from the Mountainhomes were spotted! A caravan has come to trade. It is well; we can use cloth, thread, foodstuffs, and have bone and stone trinkets to trade. If that is not enough there are many cut gems.
The Liason is also here. He is Ber Kolottan.
Even while the dwarves shouted to the traders Perfect Potato breached the flooded cavern. I left Markus to organize a welcome for the traders so I could Supervise below.
18 Timber 263
The cavern is breached and the floodgate now holds back the cold water. I ordered a wall (which I must build) to block the access to that cavern.
21 Timber 263
Every idle dwarf hauls goods to the trade depot. I went below and walled in the sluice. No other preparations remain: I locked the doors to the magma chamber and then to my surprise Pozzo wandered in. I asked her her purpose and she claimed as Sherrif it was her duty to pull the lever.
That is not true but if pulling a lever is work then it is more work than Pozzo has done in a year. Therefore I allowed it and Pozzo pulled the lever.
The water pressure was low. I anticipated torrent but instead it was trickle. Pozzo and I waited but grew tedious and she left soon. Thereafter I left as well. The process will take many days.
25 Timber 263
The trade liaison followed Markus to his bedroom where he was greeted but Markus subsequently slept. It was reported the liaison watched Markus as he rested which is not Traditional and also disturbing.
I was not present because word came of another Leopard. I went above into the dizzying sun and viewed it stalking in the southwest. That is where the cage trap is located!
27 Timber 263
Water pours onto magma below.
The violent steam eruptions and sharp reports of cracking blocks of obsidian rumble beneath the fortress and all hear it. It now occurs to me that pieces of solid obsidian will drop through the molten magma to plummet far below... where the adamantine awaits. I hope it will not disturb whatever fell powers might lurk there.
28 Timber 263
I did not know that Markus had sent Willie Tomg, Thief, to trade. I went to see the results and dwarves were already hauling huge piles of goods back to storerooms. Willie Tomg appeared smug. The traders also appeared smug. I demanded the Thief explain but he insisted there had been only amicable trade. I saw traders packing items made at Gemclod but the quantity appeared reasonable.
Dwarves hauled many barrels of prepared food and drinks, stacks of cloth and thread and tanned leather, bags, cages containing a mare and a cow, and other items.
Unable to identify larceny I made no further protest. Winter arrives and the pantry is full. Below our feet a shelf of obsidian grows across the magma pool like ice on a freezing lake. Outside, a Leopard stalks, avoiding the cage set for it.
ObMeiste wrote :-
The mountainhome needs toy anviiilllls
Oh that Cooky liason!
Angry_Ed wrote :-
Journal of Angry Ed Akrulison
12 Timber, 263
Being a chef, while not exactly what I'm qualified for, is a lot like smithing I guess. Only instead of bashing on a piece of hot metal for a while, I'm slicing and dicing up meat and cooking it...ok maybe it's not that much like smithing.
The overseer got on my case for a bit for throwing a (very small) party last night but to be honest when all you have to cook is the same damn thing every night you need a bit of time off to unwind. Really I hope every day for a new dish to at least attempt though for that to happen we need to catch a new animal. Apparently the latest attempted acquisition is a jaguar, but so far any attempts to ensare it have ended in failure of varying degrees of hilarity.
(figured I'd keep it short, my dorf's life isn't exactly the most exciting yet)