Moonstone
1 Moonstone 263
TyrantSabre came to inform me that according to Lore the only plants that will grow in winter are plump helmets and dimple cups. I observed that in this hot damp swamp there is no winter but he was not persuaded.
He added that pig tails also cannot be grown in spring.
Therefore it will be at least summer of 264 before we might grow pig tails. The Thief has obtained pig tail cloth and thread for us though so we will not wear rags. However I ordered bags made first because seeds are stored on the ground and are raided by rats.
4 Moonstone 263
I have resumed work on the Project although the loose stones in the way vex. I ordered the stones dumped.
Today the spare mule was finally struck down.
Its meat was no longer needed because the pantry is well stocked;
Nonetheless mules will not breed and we have no other use for a pack animal. Its bones will provide material for legendary Shorter Than Some's carving.
I asked Star Guarded about the Leopard. He said the Leopard is a like the Jaguar but capable of leaping over tall obstacles. I asked if it could surmount the palisade and he professed that it might.
It is no matter because the doors are open. Perhaps the Leopard will deign to enter . If so I will subsequently lock the doors and then the militia will have no further excuses.
Unless the Leopard deigns vault the wall to escape their wrath?
8 Moonstone 263
Tarezax has been taken by a Mood!
Apocadall who was present reported that she was hauling items to the stockrooms when she suddenly halted and stared at the accumulated piles of material with slyness and then ceased her assigned labor without leave.
She has claimed the Clothier's shop, and not the Loom as I expected.
Tarezax has no experience with clothmaking but the only dwarf at Gemclod who does is life_source who is Novice at a variety of crafts and thus is unlikely to take discouragement from being supplanted.
9 Moonstone 263
The merchantdwarves from the mountainhomes announced their intention to soon journey.
I have no objection. They will report our success to those few dwarves that remain in the cold halls and perhaps next year more migrants will come. That is well because Gemclod prospers and there are spare bedrooms.
The sluice still waters the magma. We have all become accustomed to the distant vibration of new obsidian being forged. I judge a quarter of the surface now covered.
11 Moonstone 263
While observing the flow I noted the untimely arrival of a huge, many-toothed monster! I locked the door and retreated. It has no other avenue of entry. Nonetheless the magma chamber will now require regular surveillance.
12 Moonstone 263
Tarezax has finally begun to labor!
She has gathered pig tail cloth, willow logs, yellow zircons, and (regrettably) the bones of the butchered mule. Its skull remains in the refuse pile but Shorter Than Some will be disappointed.
13 Moonstone 263
Today the merchants traveled.
I inquired as to the nature of the monster in the cavern. After reporting its description to him Star Guarded declared it a Giant Cave Dog.
The Giant Cave Dog lurks above the mouth of the sluice. It languishes in clouds of steam which billow up from the hot obsidian.
I considered sending the militia but judged the flow of water into the magma too treacherous. If the monster remains when the magma is fully capped then we will harvest its bones.
16 Moonstone 263
Tarezax emerged from seclusion to reveal a dazzling garment of perfect beauty! She called it Usithistbar which means “Grimroses.” Every dwarf celebrates another successful Artifact.
Oddly Tarezax insisted she still had no skill in clothesmaking. Rather she reported sublime understanding of weaving. I inquired how a shirt might be made without clothesmaking but she insisted she had Weaved it.
Vexing. Gemclod still has only novice clothesmakers. But I suppose our adequately-tailored clothes will at least be constructed of only the finest cloths which is consolation.
18 Moonstone 263
Mehuyael's skill at engraving is now the equal of his skill at stone crafting. Most of the Great Hall's floor is smoothed.
With his improvement in skill comes improvement in speed. I informed him of approval and noted his muscles have become Mighty from constant labor with hammer and chisel.
23 Moonstone 263
Half of the magma is covered but I am impatient.
The Giant Cave Dog still lurks.
I resolved that at the end of the month I will seal the floodgate and then permit the militia to slay the monster.
While contemplating I recalled the Leopard and investigated but CommaToes reported it was not seen for days. The trap is empty.
The miners have been idle all month. More workshop rooms can be used so Markus and I designed them.
Markus inquired again about the room behind our offices so I told him it was now for storage of unused statues (which is not lying). He puzzled so I distracted him with description of the Giant Cave Dog and its habits.
27 Moonstone 263
The legendary miners carve stone with unparalleled speed. It is a marvel to observe them hewing the rock like two-humped camel cheese.
The Giant Cave Dog has ventured out onto the obsidian shelf.
It wallows in the warm water and gapes displaying at least fifty sharp canine teeth. Its hide is rough and scaly and will make excellent armor or perhaps boots for Enzer.
dreamy wrote :-
It seems like civilization is slowly seeping into Gemclod. Their latest artifact, Grimroses, still features undyed pigtail cloth and pieces of bone, but the design sounds quite marvelous.
It is a pig tail fiber shirt. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. It is encrusted with yellow zircon and encircled with bands of mule bone. It is made from pig tail fiber cloth. The object menaces with spikes of pig tail fiber and willow.
I confess to you, that I find myself eagerly awaiting news from the hole in the swamp.
TyrantSabre wrote :-
From the Farcical, Frenzied Admissions of "TyrantSabre" Gemgrowths, Mudreaver-in-Chief of Gemclod
2 Moonstone 263
I believe the Overseer has been taken in by my intricate prevarication. In between discussions of ground dimple cups and the need for bags before we can store more seeds, it has become winter, and no vile pig tails have been sown. I duly reminded the Overseer that the Lore does not speak that pig tails may be grown in winter or spring, and while I do not know the Farming well enough to know whether the Lore speaks true, I am in no particular hurry to find out.
The last of the sweet pods has been sorrowfully harvested and I am now left with naught but the staunch plump helmet and the ornamental dimple cup to plant. While I am secretly glad that we have little pig tail fiber littering our fortress, but for what the Thief gleaned for us from the caravan, I too am feeling the lack of bags to store seeds in. I may swallow my pride and take some pig tail bags seek out the most skilled leatherworker to see if no bags can be made from hide, as I know we have butchered a mule recently.