Razorcrypts--a DF AAR

[MadImmortalMan]

I wasn't gonna do this but I already kinda did. My last fort ended in dragon fire. I'm a year in on the new one and all my dwarves are Languishites. Plus I need help and advice. Here we go.

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Spring 112.

I am told I have little choice. My crimes are too great to pardon, and my atonement must be swift and brutal. I am to take command of a colony group headed north to found a new fortress. The site is in the frozen wastes at the far northern edge of the spine of mountains that forms the nexus of the realm. There is nothing beyond. Nothing but cruel ice.

The new home is to be called Razorcrypts. Which is itself a bit of a cool name. But when placed in the context that our group is named The Languishing Razors (or something like that), it seems..a bit more ominous. But I will make the best of it, as I clearly have no choice--and likely neither do any of my new-found comrades. I wonder what it was they did to deserve this fate.




We find ourselves embarked upon a sheer cliffside with no good way up or down for the wagon, which has broken a wheel in any case. This is to be our spot for better or worse. Or swift sweet death.

We are on a small plain interrupting a swift downward slope to the east. There appears to be a small plateau above and nothing but freezing falling death below. There is no indication of non-frozen water anywhere near us, but luckily we have brought a decent supply of ale and wine. Hopefully nobody is injured before we can find some or the summer thaw brings some running snowmelt.



The small outcropping above to the northwest seems the best place to dig in and wait for our friends to arrive to provision us for the next winter.



Slightly higher and to the south lies an even harsher land of snow and rocks. At least there are stunted and hardy-looking trees on the ledges we have found, but this place is fit for only ice beasts.



The ragtag pile of excrement assigned to this mission consists of six dwarves plus me.

[Jaron]

I really enjoy reading these. Thanks for posting this. I'll follow this eagerly.

[Jaron]

What the eff? No Jaron dwarf?

[MadImmortalMan]

Polar bears? I'm a decent hunter, but I'll stick to whatever hoary marmots and mountain goats I can find for now.

The first thing on the vast list of things to do is begin digging a fucking hole. Tonitrus and Admiral Yi get started on that right away. I try to convince them that this hole in the ground will one day become an international trading hub, but they just look at me like I'm crazy and start swinging the picks.



Strike the motherfucking earth.

[MadImmortalMan]

What the eff? No Jaron dwarf?

There is, actually. I haven't gotten there yet. 

[MadImmortalMan]

Water.


That's our main problem now. Most of the time, dwarves survive on booze. But the injured and sick need water. And everything here is frozen or simply doesn't exist. We need to find a reliable water source right away. And that means digging for the deep caverns. Caverns haunted by evil beasts, demons and forgotten things of which we do not speak.

We have to find the underground caverns, hopefully with water in them.

In the meantime, we've set out some areas for crafting below the main fortress. In the future, all of the above-ground activity will be moved here.



Nothing is there yet but a craftsdwarf's workshop, but it will not be long.



Our miners have been exploring for some time now and finally have found what we have been searching for. After months of digging down in various places, Tonitrus' pick pierces the roof of a mighty cavern, filled with water! Armok be praised!

[awesome pic lost  ]


It turns out the water is directly below one of our main staircases, so Toni and Admiral Yi get to work immediately extending the stairway all the way down and extending a couple tiles for the well.

After all the well stairways are done, we need to clear out the stones and channel out the floor over the same spot on every level. I only have enough ropes for one well right now, so I decide to put it in the hospital. Only sick dwarves drink water. And ones who have no booze, but we can't let that happen because it slows them down. Dwarves can't work sober.

Hospital with well planned:



Dug out with dwarves drinking:



For some reason, a batch of migrants have arrived from the Mountainhomes. I have no idea if they are bounty hunters, fortune hunters, or simply fools. But we can use all of the help we can get. Most of them seem to have some fighting skill, even if it is on a fake battlefield wearing relics of old, but that is better than nothing. One can brew beer, which should take some pressure off fahdiz, who has too many tasks right now. And brewing is nothing to take lightly in a dwarven hall. Also, garbon has taken over duties making bolts and wooden crafts, fahdiz rejoices this day!

[MadImmortalMan]

A stack of fighters is nothing to laugh at in these frightful wastes, and we're glad for them---even if we can't properly outfit them. That time will come quickly.

Ed--Military dwarves are taking the herbalist title because they are extra hands harvesting plants in the polar summertime. We don't have Habbaku's precious farms up yet.

[PDH]

You need a Peedyaitch historian someday.

[Alexandru H.]

Beware the vampires!

[Tonitrus]

I feel obliged to follow this AAR, but it is also my pleasure. 

[garbon]

I like how Jaron has not a single skill that he's competent at.

[sbr]

My very own dorf, and one of the founders? 

I can't wait until I can swing my axe in defense of Razorcrypts.

[MadImmortalMan]

My very own dorf, and one of the founders? 

I can't wait until I can swing my axe in defense of Razorcrypts.

I'm likely to get you horribly killed. For some reason, I'm just bad at creating a decent military. 

Maybe I just need to armor the dwarves to the teeth right off the bat. Any tips on that would be useful. Other AARs always wind up with a couple really awesome champions that are nearly un-killable. I have NEVER been able to achieve that.

[sbr]

My very own dorf, and one of the founders? 

I can't wait until I can swing my axe in defense of Razorcrypts.

I'm likely to get you horribly killed. For some reason, I'm just bad at creating a decent military. 

Maybe I just need to armor the dwarves to the teeth right off the bat. Any tips on that would be useful. Other AARs always wind up with a couple really awesome champions that are nearly un-killable. I have NEVER been able to achieve that.

I could build a decent military in the first 3D version, but I haven't played around with the new military system to have any idea what to do or how to train dwarfs.  I have just started my first new fort in about 3 years so I will let you know if I come up with anything.

[Jaron]

I like how Jaron has not a single skill that he's competent at.

I"m still finding my place in the world.