Dwarf Fortress Succession Game III:Jawmetal

I have found myself elected to lead the fort. Setting aside in some partiality my traditional occupation in the fort, I set about the new task laid before me with trepidation. I am having a hard time deciding if we are a fortress, grave yard, midden heap, mad house, or a combination of them all in one Armok cursed mass of insanity.

Our current fort has a number of problems. While we are secure and industrious we are lacking in trash and prisoner handling. The stockpiles are also too small for our current holdings. I need to embark on a series of projects to rectify all of these issues.

There are piles of mangled bodies from would be infiltrators and ambushers trying to bull through the traps only to wind up splattered and segmented about the entrance of the fort. Others are confined to the cages and at the future mercy as our captives.

For those unfamiliar with dwarven justice, often the only punishment handed down to invaders is death. Sometimes prisoners are given over to arenas, fed to wild beasts, or loosed into the wild to face their gruesome death against hostile wild life or dangerous natural features.

The truly unlucky are turned over to dwarven tinkers to test fiendish devices of destruction or absurd curiosity.

Most forts prefer more direct methods. Execution chambers that have retracting spikes powered by lever, weapon traps, and drowning chambers are popular. Some forts that have access to magma are known to throw naked captives into the magma to die rapid but agonizing deaths.

It is still the first quarter of the year. We have had multiple thieves and a few snatchers being caught trying to sneak into the fort. They are frequently run off before any they can achieve any mischief.

I have laid the ground work for our corpse and trash issue. Some suggested a dwarven annihilation mechanism. Tempting to be honest but I prefer to use the nice efficient volcano we have access to.

Specifically I am putting easy access to a garbage room that drops the trash into a lava pit. It will also double as a handy execution chamber for our prisoners. The mangled bodies of their already dead comrades and allies will be simply dumped into the lava.

The trash heap is overrun with largely unused remains of animals as well as corpse parts. More disturbing are the desiccated remains of our own laying out to rot in the sun. We have a shortage of coffins and space to put them. I found our small burial chamber down below. While generically fitting for the fallen common dwarves it needs expanding and coffins. We need to bury the dead to cease the harassment from spirits.

The other benefit would be an improvement on the dismal mood of the dwarves. The recent deaths have only lead to more unhappiness among the other dwarves. Our morale is suffering.

I have had the garbage chute installed and rigged up for its double duty. The execution chamber has a copper hatch that is to be removed when needed. I plan to replace that with a retracting bridge at a later date if I am not busy correcting current issues.

I have also ensured any captives still possessing their personal belongings in the cages have been stripped of them in preparation for their ultimate fates. Yes I have already decided they will all die preferably by a short fall into magma below.

Their garments not of even a right size to fit a dwarf are ordered incenerated along with jung dwarven clothes. The other materials will be kept for trade, emergency wear, or in the case of metal gear preferably melted. Many of their weapons are copper which is to be melted down and used for crafting.

The excessive animal population especially those cats will be drastically reduced to expand our food and leather stores with the rest of the remains being thrown into the lava tube that feeds the forges. They are cluttering up the halls and adding congestion of foot traffic.

We have had two ambushes this quarter. The winters end was rough and mid spring is proving to be rougher still. The dwarves are stubborn and slow to get tasks done with any speed. I need to reorganize labor to ensure we can clean the fort up.

The ambushes are only adding frustration and anguish to the problems. The attackers corpses, as they are sprayed across the forts entry in rainbows of blood, bones, flesh, and loose body parts, are an impressive sight. They also leave more garbage and lead to their wreaking blood being trailed into the fort.

The worst part is they have left more dwarven corpses to rot on the ground as we build the coffins and expand the burial chamber to accommodate the corpses. It seems that some dwarves believe they are above the others and ignored the order to take shelter in the burrow. They were ran down and slain by the ambushers.

Trash like rotten food, vermin remains, and worn out clothes litter the fort. My patience with the dwarves is growing short. I am tempted to have one tossed into the new magma pit as an example to motivate the others. Their insolence and slowness to work is only hurting others toiling honestly and drunkenly.

Much to my aching now ale soaked heads grief, I found why trash is littering the fort. Apparently one of the previous overseers was enamored with hauling trash up the mountain to be thrown into the volcano directly from the lip.

Not only does this take a long time it is taking valuable dwarf labor away from tasks and exposing many dwarves to ambushes. I canceled all orders of that hauling job and brought the dwarves from up the mountain back to the fort proper.

I have inspected the military mostly on a whim. They are an impressive and honestly mildly frightening fighting force. Armed with some of the best gear dwarves can make and intense training that has honed them into impressive warriors.

To see just how skilled they were I decided a test of their mettle was needed. So I sent them out against the latest ambush. It was swiftly routed with nearly all of the assailants bodies laid to bloody ruin on the side of the mountain above by the swords dwarves.

Only a few left their corpses to clutter our entry way or fill a cage. However those few, mostly trolls, caught in the cages have pushed another issue to the breaking point.

Our prisoner population is far too high. After stripping the last prisoners I ordered their immediate mass execution. The fort paused for a bit as enemy war beasts and prisoners alike were hauled to the execution pit which had been uncapped. One by one they were shoved into the pit.

Their wailing and screaming filling the execution chamber as they burned was accompanied by jeers and cheers of the dwarves. The stench was most foul. Troll fur has an unbelievably horrid stench when it burns with their fat.

As the final dozen prisoners were being hauled to their doom one of the handlers dragging a war animal of some variety I did not recognize, chose to throw a tantrum causing the beast to become loose. The military was on hand for the executions thankfully.

Before it could cause the other prisoners to be freed in the chaos I ordered the military to kill them all. The rampaging beast was quickly slain and the still captive prisoners were held by vengeful dwarves as our military cut them down.

The bodies were summarily put into the garbage section of the lava pit. The blood was then scrubbed from the walls and the execution pit recapped.

Just at the end of the quarter we got another ambush. The enemy has been very active. One more dwarf was killed another had their hand cut off. The ambushers ran into the weapon traps killing two of them causing the others to flee as their viscera was flung all over the entrance in grand style. Shortly before the ambush an elven caravan consisting of four donkeys and four elves arrived. They were sneering and casting insults at the dwarves hauling goods.

I suspect they led the enemy here and presage something worse. When pressed if they knew something they only sneered at me and told me to trade or they would leave.

Deciding they were likely working with the enemy I had a squad of hammer dwarves and the sword dwarves assemble in the courtyard. I then had the trader begin to negotiate. They were stubborn and refused most trade. Finally they took offense to some deadfall that had been carved into an idol and began to leave. They spat at our feet and insulted our heritage.

Deciding that was enough I signaled the military to charge. Their donkeys being beasts of burden and of more noble character then the elves themselves rushed to defend their unworthy masters.

The elves made for the fort entrance like frightened goblin snatchers caught by guard dogs. The sword dwarves were sent after the elves and quickly cut them down. One made it to the traps where he was tripped by a cut to the leg and the trap went off mangling the corpse.

The donkeys were engaged by the hammer dwarves. The biggest one charged the leader of the hammer dwarves. The hammer dwarf smashed it in the face so hard with the war hammer that it knocked teeth tenty feet away in a spray of bone, blood, and teeth. The poleaxed beast then had its head smashed in by the hammer. The other donkeys suffered a similar fate.

I briefly felt pity for the brave beasts but had their corpses consigned to the trash heap. Their former masters were also added to the heap and summarily dumped into the tube.

The first quarter is drawing to a close in a few weeks I shall wait and see what happens before writing again.

The last quarter was rough. A few of the dwarves died in ambushes that I believe were deliberately led to our fort by the elves. Some of the other previous overseers advised me an invasion may be imminent.

Condorito seemed thrilled with the prospect. The Dwarf who would be emperor of a civilization made a bombastic speech from a stool in the dining room on the top floor.

I made sure the burrows had been laid out and reviewed the military. I found on the rosters a completely unmanned squad called the Maces of Mor something or other. I struck them from the military listing and no one seemed to care.

Finally a bit of good news I was able to lay down some new coffins in the slowly expanding burial chamber. A few of the dwarves rotting in the sun have been laid to rest. The spirits disappeared as soon as their bones were laid in the coffins.

However for some it was too late. One dwarf has fallen into what is believed to be a terminal melancholy and will take food or water. They are expected to die in a few days time. Another went berserk and had to be slaughtered by the military. This only upset the other dwarves seeing their companion slain by the military.

I fear this is only the start of a wider trend.

Much to my pleasant surprise a human caravan has arrived and has made their way to the fort. Sadly their wagons had to turn back as they said they could not pass over the heavily trapped entrance without foundering the wagons on the impressive devices.

We did some light trading for cloth, food, and some drinks. I managed to trade some crafted bone items for the supplies. Also progress on the midden heap has been swift. The animal population is falling to more tolerable levels and our kitchens and stills are busy night and day. I have built more various workshops to speed up production. I have also ordered a hospital room dug out nearer to main work level to handle the injured. Beds and traction benches as well as chains and mechanisms are being made for it. I have also ordered more buckets be made.

It seems my advisors were correct. Hunters and scouts reported a large goblin army was spotted on the fringes of our territory. The force is quite large. There are four Goblin squads of 15 led by an officer. They are supported by nearly a dozen trolls. Most interesting of all is this large invasion force is led by a general.

Several of the invaders are mounted on giant rats. The goblin pikemen are seen to the west at the crest of the mountain. Goblin forces moving in on foot are to the north. Bowmen are approaching on foot from the west. Swordsmen are approaching from the south led by the general himself.

I have sounded the alarm and ordered the dwarves inside. As per usual several are defiant and go to gawk at the goblins thinking no harm would befall them. This includes a few well known dwarves with enough renown to garner unique nicknames. Normally they are advisors, council members, and skilled craftsman. Now they are petulant children playing with fire. I invited the humans inside but their guards insist they can defend the caravan from any enemy who makes it through the entry filled with traps.

I have ordered the military to the courtyard to intercept any who manage to pass through the traps and protect dwarves as they pour in from chores outside and to ensure the human caravan does not come to harm.

Now casualties may have been light or non-existent if not for those who ignored my authority. To my horror and the horror of many in the fort we watched as the goblin archers approached and then sprayed the stubborn dwarves with volleys of arrows.

Many were wounded in the first volley. Most were struck down in the following volley’s trying to flee. Several were slain so quickly their screams had just reached our ears and they were dead or dying on the hills in front of the fort.

A few dwarves tried to rush out and help the wounded. Most of them were in turned wounded at least one killed by more volleys.

The archers began to move up the step to fire on the fort entrance and try to drive the military back. Deciding I could not let more dwarves be injured or slain so horribly. I sent all the squads out to engage the archers directly.

The weight of the entire military and the fortress guards fell on the archers. As I watched the first archers take the hill top the hammer dwarves were the first to reach them. The goblins on top were slain almost immediately.

I watched from a position of height and viewed with awe as fragments of bone and teeth erupted from the whirls of battle like fountains.

The archers were soon beginning to retreat. The northern troops by this point had reached the traps and the human caravans guards rushed out to meet them.

For humans they were impressive fighters. They slew five of the enemy from the north before the first few had trickled around them to become snared in cages or mangled by the traps.

At that point I sent one squad after the remaining enemy from the north, ordered the hammer dwarves to press the bowman to annihilation and let none escape if possible. I sent the other squad to the south.

The Goblins to the North were rapidly slain by the dwarves pursuing them with the help of the humans and the fortress guard. They are rapidly turned west up the mountain to engage the pike man on their mounts. Some of the human soldiers are helping engage the goblins on the lower slopes.

The force from the south has reached the traps and cage. A few are captured or killed on the weapon traps. The Goblins are pinned by the dwarves and prevented from retreating. The hammer dwarves have finished the bowmen and are rush to the melee. The rest of the enemy are struck down in fountains of blood.

By this point the goblin pike men have been driven back up the mountain by the fierce counter assault. The Human guards retreated back to guard the caravan.

As the last goblin pike man was being pursued on the slopes I began to survey the toll.

Seven well known dwarves and nearly a dozen others died under the arrows of the goblins. The body pile outside is choked with our dead civilians.

Not a single military dwarf, fortress guard, or human guard lost their lives. The goblins were struck down or captured to a m an.

As I was considering with heavy heart what to do with our dead an excited dwarf captain brought me some quite pleasant news. At first I had hoped the generals’ body had been found mangled on the traps. It was much better. The damned fool had been captured in a cage trap after his mount had been ripped apart on the weapon traps.

When I arrived to inspect the prisoner he had been beaten with weapon hafts, clubs, and gouged violently with spent bolts, arrows, blades, and spears. Clumps of his greasy hair had been ripped from his head. Having the guards disperse the angry crowd I had him stripped naked and placed with the other prisoners in the cage storage area.

Just before I released the burrow order dwarves were already hard hit by the shocking seventeen dead from the goblins. One of the council members and advisors even got into a brawl in the dining room. Other advisors advised we may see more dwarves going insane.

Much to my dismay a smaller invasion force has arrived near the end of the summer quarter. My advisors suggest that the much smaller force are the reserves of the larger invasion that had been held up for unknown reasons. I re-reorder burrows and immediately send the full military after the invaders. In shorter order most of them are killed and the rest retreat before they are cut down.

After having defeated multiple ambushes and large number of goblins from their military many believe at most we will be harassed by the usual thieves and snatchers at most.

This is a good thing. Multiple dwarves have since gone berserk in their insanity and grief. They had to be killed to stop them from hurting others.

This only adds to the spiraling morale problems. We are burying the dead as fast as the coffins are coming out of the workshops and the burial chamber is expanded.

The corpses from the fallen enemy have been incinerated as have most of the prisoners. Any remaining prisoners can just sit and rot for all I care I have other things to worry about. They will die in due time.

To my shock the vampire imprisoned below has gone completely berserk in his cell. He is pounding on his cell door with force enough to make it shudder. Fearing him breaking loose I have ordered him finally to be put down.

Many objected believing he could be of use somehow. Not wanting to risk it I dismissed the idea and he was decapitated by a master swordsman ending his fiendish unlife.

Not long after a dwarf in the quarters below also went berserk and had to be killed.

Many are not happy with all the deaths lately, I can hardly blame them.

I have examined our stockpiles in detail and noticed whoever created them had no damn idea what they were doing. Stockpiles were mixed non-like items like finished goods being stored with wood and food in one case.

Our stockpiles also could not hold all that we had. I ordered a massive area dug out to make room for a new stockpile area and began shifting items to the new stockpiles as they are made. I made more and larger stockpiles with additional bins and barrels being churned out to accommodate the additional storage. This project will take some time.

Only thing occurring is continuing of all previously started projects and preparing the fort for turn over. Whoever follows can alter labour and project organization to their own ends at that point. Should we be assaulted again our military with doubtless perform a repeat of crushing defeat of the large enemy army.