Now, I know enough about DF to start a basic fort, and get it to survive a year or two. However, we are hoping this fort will last a bit longer.
After surveying the surroundings, digging in to the closest hill looked like a reasonable plan. So I set the miners to work and dug a tunnel, with room for a Trade Depot, a staircase and a storage room. After all we want everyone out of the elements as quickly as possible because Dwarves tend to be a surly bunch.
One of the biggest problems with using this hill in my initial survey was lack of soil for farming. But we had enough food and beverages to last a little while so, I decided to postpone creating a farm for a while. So I set about telling the miners to go deeper and create a workshop area. I also told the woodcutter to fell as many trees as possible in front of the fort. There does seem to be an abundance of trees.
After a bit of time, the miners dig out an area for stone, wood, workshops, finished goods. And they are even ambitious enough to make an area for a dining hall and food storage down below.
Workshop and dining area
Next I task the dwarves with building some bedrooms for our band of miners and craftsdwarves. It doesn’t take too long to hollow out and furnish a few rooms for the existing dwarves. But as luck would have it as the last bed was being placed a wave of migrants appeared. Eight more adventurous souls from the dwarven kingdom.
First migrants
As unfortunate the timing is with the lack of beds, the timing couldn’t be more perfect for help getting the fortress up and running. The existing dwarves were over tasked and under paid. With the new migrants it was time to make some farms. Looking at the top level there appears to be some soil (not much). The miners quickly dig it out and we create some farms. At the same time, we finish construction on a trade depot. And just to make things interesting a thief shows up. Unfortunately we have no standing army at this point, so what do dwarves do but build cage traps. So we build cage traps and line the hallway hoping to catch us a thief.
Main entrance area
As we finish getting the traps setup a caravan arrives from the Dwarven Kingdom of Ushat Okang. The traders came a bit earlier than we were hoping, but they bring much needed supplies. We trade all of our remaining rock mechanisms for food and ale. The traders get a good deal, but we needed the food and drink badly as our farms were just starting to get setup.
Life in the fort goes on for a bit, we start digging down looking for precious metals. But continually find no metals. A fair number of gems do appear. In preparation for finding metals, we begin hollowing out another area for wood burning, metal smelting and gem cutting.
Metal processing area
By now it is starting to get colder outside. The leaves are falling. Another thief appears but we are happy with our traps for now. Another set of slaves…I mean migrants…from home appear looking to help us outlast the winter by eating our food. Immediately they are put to work building and hauling.
Second wave of migrants
Generally up to this point in the game things have been going alright. Although we do not have an army, but we have built a barracks (and dormitory for the waves of migrants). We have been digging down in the earth looking for metals and just trying to get everything stable for the next year. Unfortunately two unforeseen things happen simultaneously. And here is where the fun begins.
Although the screenshots don’t show it, we have been digging down our central staircase. We are about 30z levels down, and *tada* we find a huge cavern. ‘Trinity’ Ritharuzol our expedition leader curses. “We need magma for forges, not caverns full of danger” she screams at Alban Uzolbelal the mining foreman. “Seal up the staircase” she demands. We can’t oh great leader, we don’t know how to. “We asked the architects to draw something up but they are bumbling idiots.” Alban pleads.
Giant cavern
Meanwhile…Ollin Estilsakzul the gem cutter suddenly seems distant. He no longer visits the Great Hall, and is sour. His friends don’t seem to notice, but then he perks up and runs to the Jewlers Workshop and grabs 3 uncut gems. But, wait something is wrong…he starts drawing pictures of leather on the walls. But there is no leather to be found.
It is quickly brought to the attention of ‘Trinity’. “Can’t something be done to help him?” Trinity asks. “I’m afraid he just keeps asking for leather” Aban informs her. “Frankly his drawings and mutterings are starting to panic the other dwarves. I don’t even want to get near her” Aban continues. “Was she down in the mines?” ‘Trinity’ queries. “That’s the strange part, she was eating fish…” Aban informs her. “This is truly an ill omen…Ask master architect Zefonidrath to seal her in the Jewler’s shop” states trinity. “Who knows what she will do next, and we can’t risk the fort.”
What will become of this hardy band of dwarves? I’m guessing the best is yet to come with an unsealed staircase to the caverns below and a crazy jeweller.
Losing is fun! 