Bloodline:PuzzledBridges

The Story of PuzzledBridges This is the still in progress bloodline game of the fortress PuzzledBridges

For players who are late: There is a 48hour period to claim your turn, however, if its missed, you are only bumped down one step in the order, not outright skipped, if your done for a weeks time, you are dropped out of waiting for all until you return for at least 24hours

List if nothing goes wrong:

TrueWolves - Ian_K - [Tuxd] - BirdoPrey - wildfire1 - Foa

Notes: if there is a way to compress parts, please let one of the players know.

Year 1 - TrueWolves (Drake)

Spring

Well, I may have failed in my soldiering duties... but my mining and other skills have netted me another job! Me and a band of a few others are all to start out an outpost on a river and waterfall. The resources in the area are said to be great, if we can reach them at least... I can't wait to set off myself. Being I am the book keeper of supplies, I am also going to keep a log of are doings here, as well as some drawings in some paints I won in a bet with a drunk elf. Damn elves can't hold there alcohol I say! Sucks to be them. Perhaps if this outpost prospers, I can lead it's military... and be legendary threw out the mountain homes... That would be the day.

Granite 1st - Well, we made it here on the very start of the year... what luck, I told them I only plan to lead the first year before I wish to do simpler things, I can't be known if I'm the one sitting in the desks all the time. We will start digging near the lower river's edge... I just hope those fish... 'carp' Won't be coming out to eat us. I'v heard the stories of those evil fish.

Granite 3rd - We finished digging the entry tunnel, it's quite long. That way we can set up traps if need be. The dirt here is easy to dig threw for are crew as well.

Granite 8th - The farms are up! and so be the Trade Depot, things are going perfectly. File:Granite 8th Farms PuzzledBridges.gif

Granite 12th - We need beds, and stone for a bridge, so the real mining has began.

Granite 24th - Damn those carp!!! They won't let us finish the bridge. There staring even now... it gives me the creeps, almost as bad as that damn sun.

Slate 24th - Nothing is happening much, it's dig this, plant that... The carpenter with us has began to chop down some trees, brave man to leave the fortress like that. The bridge is done, hopefully the carp leave it alone.

Summer

Hematite 1st - Damn those carp! they got the butcher, Looks like we won't be having any fresh meat for a while... Right when we finished digging out the dining hall... He will never see it himself, at least... at least it is summer now.

We struck Bauxite! My mining knowledge knows this rock to be one of the few unmeltable stones out there! We may be able to make some sort of magma forge pumping system now... if we find any magma.

Hematite 26th - Things are Uneventful for the most part, The carp keep making swipes at my friend Tun... He may have to start chopping trees up the hills rather near the damn blue river!

Malachite 16th - RUBIES, we found some while mining out all the stone in the bauxite strip mining, To bad we do not have a jeweler at the moment.

Galena 6th - Things are going nicely... The carp are leaving us alone for now, and we got some stills up to replenish are alcohol... I was fearing we would run out of drink, I don't want to near the river as long as I can help it.

Galena 7th - More bauxite, We should not run out if we keep finding it like this. More of it was found while digging out a large storage area for food.

Autumn

Limestone 1st - Who knew all this work would be so boring? besides losing Mosus a while back... nothing has happened, the fish are watching but the mining is going fine. Soon we will have enough tables and chairs and will be able to eat off the floor, and the rooms are finished and large, just got to get the doors installed and the beds in them.

Limestone 11th - The carp are gathering! what are there plans? I must know!

Limestone 17th - The dwarves under me think they are funny, They got to the traders before me and based on are rough stone bridge, called the place "PuzzledBridges" What kind of name is that?!? it stuck though... so now I am the great leader of puzzledbridges, what a name I think. Anyhow, we were able to trade some of are fine tables and chairs in for blocks of stone and food we don't quite need, but we need more to come... and the best way to do that is to show are fine craftsdwarfship! Got a cat as well, so perhaps it will catch all these damn flies.

Sandstone 20th - Seems the mountainhomes sent us some fresh dwarves, perhaps they brought some damn games... the place is getting boring as hell. I'll put them to work soon enough, Also I got my self a very large room to sleep in now and work away my crafts I do. I may not be a solider yet, but when we have an army, I hope I can lead it... tell then I am starting to smooth the walls and floors to make this place look nice, and the bauxite is nearly mined out.

Winter

Moonstone 1st - Well, Winter is here... still nothing great. I know I could make this faster... perhaps I'm not cut out for this job?

Moonstone 15th - That's it, we need something that everyone will see... so I started a great construction of a tower up to the top of the sky and to as deep as we are daring... when this is done, perhaps this outpost will be known far and wide! We can host are barracks in here as well.

Opal 5th - Bauxite again, so I'm done trying to find the stuff when we find it everywhere, though I still have the stone masons using only small amounts of the stuff.

Obsidian 10th - no... the worst has happened... we have run out of booze! the troubles are getting to much, I personally am done as of today keeping track of events. I will do only my mining, smoothing, and stuff keeping jobs. As for leading the fortress? I only hope they don't elect me again, I'm not doing a thing...

I need my booze... what am I going to do with out my booze? no... I must stay sane, for the others. This outpost may be out of my hands, but I still must do my job. At least I can keep my room. perhaps... perhaps I can build a well in to the river from above, so those evil carp can not get to me... but alas, no rope, perhaps another time... damn... evil... fish. the stills will be running once more, and on the double!

Obsidian 12th - My last note here... unless I have a change in heart, besides the death by carps and the drink shortage, this outpost is doing fine. Perhaps it will last as long as the 200 year old mountainhomes them selves.

Year 2 - [Tuxd]

I was awoken with a start today, namely my face kissing the smooth obsidian floor of my bedchamber. The fuck? A rustle of papers. Papers were never good. It meant someone spent money to put you somewhere.

So it seemed. 'Puzzledbridges' the Commander told me, laughing heartily before suggesting in a rather serious tone that I stock up on cheese and wine before we reached the front gates of our fort. A quick hand while walking through the workshops netted me a couple bags that I stuffed with cheese while I was getting my gear together. Guess I have to play caravan watch for a week or two..

Spring

1st Granite, 202 Last night, those bastards left me while I was sleeping. They took all my wine. All of it. Didn't even leave me with real bolts, just some wooden sticks that I had seen them training with the day before. So, after working my way down the mountain, I slip into a cave by the river. Lo and behold, Puzzledbridges. I'd never even seen the bridge. I got dragged by an Engineer with seemingly nothing better to do up to a Noble in bright purple. "So, this is your work order from the King? TAKE IT!" With seemingly insane laughter, he snagged a crossbow from the corner and bolted from the room, dropping the hat he wore on my head.

What the fuck is this. Seriously. I really don't understand how I got here, or why I'm here. However, things are seemingly going smoothly enough. The other wood workers keep mumbling about fish, and I had the engineer start setting up some cage traps. From the looks of the land, we may have a chance at stumbling onto some magma, and with a healthy supply of Bauxite, woe be the enemy...

4th Granite I'm going to give them a reason for this name. We've started channeling down the slopes, forcing all comers to take the bridge. It seems one of the miners punctured the river some how, which is no matter for the moment. We may have a small moat at the from gates sooner or later, either aesthetics or convienence..

7th Granite Huzzah! Perhaps this could get a little better. We've struck Milk Opal, Sphalerite and Orthoclase down in a shaft that the former ruler had designated.. Speaking of which, he is still hauling stone. I'm here a week, and all he's done is throw his hat at me, laugh, and then mumble about fish. Soon enough I'll go out to check the work on the re-construction of the mountain's face.

14th Granite Today, the turdly Elves will no longer be welcome here. It took them over a week to climb down the topside of the mountain: by the time I leave this place, they'll be lucky to get here in months. The prior ruler left me not quite high and dry, more just dry. No trade crafts, no crafts, not much of anything that I could sell, and here come these 'HOW DARE YOU CUT DOWN THE TREES' assholes with some loot... The channeling down of the slopes is slow, but its working. Floodgates are being constructed, as are the makings of screw pumps. I dare these hippy bastards to step on our lands again. I may have to move the trade depot out doors to make this more feasible, but fret not: all shall be protected. I'm digging a tunnel from the interior of the fort to an outdoor barracks I am building: with any luck it will be done by summer. The second floor will be entirely for archery, with fortifications built in, and overlooking the new trade depot location.

21st Granite The former ruler of this place may be the first to try out our little water trap, but for the least he is now the sole member of our 'army'. I hope he can wrestle. A wave of dwarves came screaming past me with him at the lead earlier, something about a kobold with one of OUR axes.. and there he goes, with one of our axes.. Turns out the former ruler had never removed the wagon. This has been dealt with now. Work resumes on the barracks and channel, and I'm about to start whipping a carpenter if he doesn't start spitting out my screw pumps..

14th Slate The past month has been largely uneventful, aside from me running around screaming frantically for things to get done. Don't these people understand anything about time management? So far the channeling is about half complete. It is turning into a moat, so I'm going to dig in, and build a bridge inside as well, linked to a lever down near the bauxite cavern. The smelter has been erected.. how long will the wood furnace sit?

Hey, read this

So, I had a trojan smack my computer up like a punk bitch last night. BSOD right before the end of spring, so no autosave. I played through most of spring the exact same, mostly the exact same shit happened aside from the numbers changing slightly from the Elf theft. If things look different/better/whatever, its because I've reinstalled and I'm worm free now. Enjoy. (:

15th Slate

The new trade depot has been completed, as well as most of the first floor of the barracks, and the roof. Beds have been moved in, now I'm just waiting on my immigrants. The former ruler has named himself Clerk, which is fine, as he is somewhat more accessible now, and he's given me a pretty good tour of the place. At the very bottom of the mine shaft, platinum was discovered. The wood burner is burning full blast now. Since I saw the carp, dreams have plagued me. A wave of migrants come, which is a good thing. This will give me marksdwarves. The second floor of the barracks will be used as such, the third (if its completed during my time here; I won't be able to take much of this much longer) a bedroom for swordsdwarves, and the fourth their training room. Work has been moving swiftly, so I may be able to finish by the fall, but I doubt such luck will befall me.

6th Felsite

My dream came true. I have migrants.

14th Felsite

Things have been, I say, a success this season. Our stocks are way up (thanks hippies!), we now have 32 people, and a small squad of soon to be marksdwarfs. I have had a seige workshop and a ballista constructed, placed in the barracks, aimed at the trade depot. One luck I happened to notice when we broke rum with it was that if we place a fortification to the north of it, we will have perfect aim at the bridge, once it is the only access. I feel safer already. More rooms are being dug out, the carpenters are being run ragged adding now the third floor to the barracks in under a season.. Hah!

22nd Felsite

HAHAHA! I've cut off anyone not coming across the bridge. Come and try that thieving again, little kobold.

Summer

11th Malachite

Here are how things stand at the moment. The past month has passed with very little activity, aside from building. The guard is supposed to be training upstairs with crossbows, however they feel better groping each other I guess. Whatever. A few aren't getting worse by any means.

20th Malachite

A carpenter withdrew from society, and claimed a Carpenter's Workshop for some secretive reason today. Who knows what she's up to, it's not like she's doing very badly.

22nd Malachite

She gave me a fucking Alder casket. ARE WE HINTING AT SOMETHING?! Either way, its worth some serious money, so either I'll build myself a tomb and stick it in, or I'll sell it. PERHAPS THE HIPPIES COULD CHERISH IT.

Autumn

12th Limestone

Well, work has completed on the third floor of the barracks (floor wise). The roof is starting today. The Carpenters are throwing themselves a party at a table in the dining area.. Well deserved, if you ask me. My plans have mostly been completed for the fortress. Hopefully, by the end of the Winter, I won't have to do this anymore. Perhaps I can con the Mechanic/Siege Engineer into the job... Sheriff sounds like a nice cushy job for someone like me, especially with what I've accomplished.

25th Limestone

I woke up with a carp snapping at my face. Apparently I fell asleep out by the pumps after that wild ass party.. what? Two weeks ago? TRADERS?! BUILD THAT BRIDGE NOOOW!

13th Sandstone

The merchants embarked, only getting to glance upon us as we loaded the depot with what goods we could scrounge. The dolt architects wandered for over a week claiming they had nothing to do. Now I get the dirty stares in the hall. When I get the chance, I'm going to give up this position and take the Sherrif spot. Hopefully after a while I will be able to become a Hammerer and take my revenge on the lazy assholes who caused this.

12th Timber

We've got a healthy stockpile for winter. Floodgates have been installed in the entrance chamber, as well as a ballista/fortification/doors/traps setup. I feel the defenses are adequate at the least with barracks out front and the squad on patrols. A tunnel from the bauxite chamber, down, up and to the barracks has been dug for times of emergency. I'm building supports around the fortifications on the barracks in case we need to flood the area, to prevent any back-flow. The mechanic seems all for it...

24th Timber

The armorer is in a fey mood now. I should say, man, that's what you get for sleeping in a blood splattered barracks!

Winter

16th Moonstone

I copied down what the Hamlet Liason was babbling at me. Maybe the mechanic can make heads or tails of what they need from us by next year..

20th Moonstone

Told you guys to stay away.. not even 10 seconds and already being beaten to a pulp by 3 wrestlers. That's no way to go through life, son.

7th Opal

The armorer has gone fully insane. He's currently throwing the butcher down stairs. The guard has been notified, I hope we can save him...

9th Opal

We weren't fast enough. However, I believe that the butcher and the glassmaker, who escaped with mere scrapes, are friends of the Wrestlers... They made the Armorer pay dearly.

25th Obsidian

HAHAHA! They've sent me a fresh noble to turn this place over to. Must have pissed those hippies off or something, so they went bawling to the King. Either way, more of a reason for me to take the Sheriffs position. Oh look, they just finished my office, too.

Year 3 - BirdoPrey

Spring

Granite 1

Tux has been pressuring me for some time now to take over his job as overseer of the fortress. I was reluctant at first, thinking of my wife and young daughter, but I was assured that my post would only last for one year, and I figure this is a good opportunity to make things flow a little smoother around here.

Granite 4

I've spent the first few days here walking around and compiling a list of concerns and bottlenecks in production. I came across some fellows sleeping on the floor of an unfinished tower near the entrance... Apparently some doofus dug out a couple dozen bedrooms but neglected to tell anyone they could use it. I took care of that quickly. I also noticed that our armed forces were milling about with nothing to do. There were no practice bolts for them to train on so I had a crafts workshop dug out next to the wood stockpile and ordered our woodcrafter to make some bolts for them. I also streamlined some stockpiles to hopefully unclutter some of these messy workshops.

Granite 15

I've ordered the miners to dig out grids on the bottom level, hoping for ore of some kind. It has come to my attention that we are without a forge... We really must get one next time a caravan passes through.

Granite 16

Speak of the devil!

Rather useless as far as traders go. I'm not even sure it's worth the effort to bring out goods for them. I may simply look at their wares and seize what I think is worth taking.. I've never liked those smug bastards.

Granite 21

Olivine, olivine olivine! All I hear from the miners is reports of more olivine! Idiots, if I liked puke green I would go out in the sun more often!

Also, among the useless ropes the elves brought, they had a caged jaguar! I think I'll chain it up out front. The elves didn't seem too thrilled when I relieved it from them, but bugger them.

Slate 11

Some migrants have arrived!

I believe I have enough lodgings for everyone, but I may have to ramp up the farming a bit. Finding something to do with them will be a bit harder though. I need some kind of project to focus our attentions on. I'll be thinking on it.

Our population has gone up significantly. We now have over 50 able bodies! Drake has proclaimed himself the mayor and Tux has started the fortress guard.

Slate 16

I have the new arrivals Dumping the limestone from the residential area near the craftsdwarf workshop. Limestone goods should be quite valuable!

Also it is beginning to bother me how cramped the barracks and archery range is. Our soldiers are practicing their marksmanship from 5 feet away! I've decided to lengthen those sections of the tower.

Slate 24

The extension to the tower is underway. Drake has decided to start throwing his weight around. He's demanding even nicer lodgings and some copper items to be made. I'm not sure how he expects us to make copper without copper ore or a forge. I fear the power is getting to his head.'

Felsite 1

Our new glassmaker is showing signs of possession! I'm a bit concerned about our ability to provide what he needs. We don't even have a glass furnace! I'll see what I can do.

Felsite 20

I fear it is hopeless. I made some green glass for him myself, and he took some rope reed cloth, but he's demanding some kind of shell and we have no shells nor turtles of any kind. I told our fisherdwarf to try and find some turtles but I don't have high hopes.

Summer

Hematite 1

I have decided it is time to rid our river of the fishy menace once and for all. I am mobilizing a project to dam the river and let the carp expire on the drying riverbed. I'm going to need pumps... lots of pumps. And some kind of drain. At last I feel like I've found the project that will mark my leadership here.

Malachite 5

Alas, just as we finally caught some turtles and were preparing them, our possessed glassmaker finally snapped.

He mumbles to himself and wanders aimlessly. We will prepare a coffin for him for when he eventually starves to death or wanders into the river.

In other news, the first step of my damming project is underway. The pumps are set up, and the waterwheel to power them is in construction. I believe 3 pumps should be enough to allow me to build one floodgate. Then I'll reposition the pumps, adding a floodgate along the line until the river is stopped completely.

Malachite 22

Excellent! The first floodgate is set!

Galena 27

The carp interfered with the building of the second floodgate. Amazingly there were no casualties, but I was so incensed at the audacity of those hellfish that I ordered our main military squad to take action. Today the river runs red with the blood of carp.

Autumn

Limestone 20

A goblin kidnapper has stolen my precious baby girl! Oddly enough, I don't really seem to mind.

>>TrueWolves:

• you got to love Dwarven Fortress XD

The yearly dwarven caravan has arrived. I hope to trade several binfuls of limestone crap for an anvil. Finally we'll have metalworking! Now if only we could find some ore...

Sandstone 1

The cook was crossing the bridge to pick up some wood when a goblin ambush jumped out! He fought bravely, but the pikeman brought him down.

Before our marksdwarves even left the dining room, the caravan guards were already upon the ambushers, sending them flying.

Sandstone 22

I am somewhat dismayed right now. Several months ago Drake demanded some copper items be made back when we had no means to do it. I had assumed he had forgotten about his crazy demand but just now he ordered one of our training marksdwarves to be beaten because of our failure to complete it! The poor recruit is lying in bed now with a mangled hand and several broken bones. Has our mayor become a menace? I'm not sure what to do.

>>TrueWolves:

• I love what Drake is turning in to >=D

5 Timber

An Herbalist has taken some limestone and rough rubies and started a secret project! I'm eagerly waiting to see what he comes out with.

10 Timber

After 5 days he's finished!

Not the fanciest piece of work but very classy. He seems to have learned a lot from the process though and now he's pumping out incredible stone crafts!

Winter

5 Moonstone

At long last, my project is complete!

Now all there is left is wait until the rest of the river dries out, exposing the carp to the air. I am very satisfied.

13 Moonstone

Calamity! While our dwarves were taking apart the damming constructions, somehow there was a collapse! Our butcher and a child fell in the river and drowned. Our celebrations are now mixed with sorrow.

Editor's Note - Shortly after this last entry, Birdo StandardDrifts was killed by a carp in the river near the entrance moat. It is unclear how he ended up in the river, but we are comforted by the fact that his sacrifice was not in vain (probably).

Since his untimely demise, life in the fortress has continued as it always does. A pleasant tomb has been carved out for him posthumously and his remains will be interred there when they are retrievable.

A goblin ambush was spotted early from our tower and our team of steadily improving marksdwarves routed them with ease. A miner was taken with a fey mood and produced a limestone grate. Everyone politely told him it was brilliant.

Birdo's widow found some blueprints in his coffer; apparently damming the river was just step one. He had planned to build a series of floodgates on the dry riverbed closer to the bridge, hook them all up to levers, and then connect the retractable bridge to a lever. It seems his plan was to wait for any attackers to begin crossing, drop them into the empty river, and then release the flood on them, washing them away.

As the river slowly drained, the dwarves turned to their mayor for leadership, but he had grown increasingly erratic, muttering to himself and talking to no one. People lived in tension of his next impossible mandate and vicious punishments. One thing was clear, it was time for someone new to step up...

Year 4 - Wildfire111

As I strolled into the valley I spied a beautiful scene - a rushing river, trees everywhere. I knew this would be a pleasant change from the Mountainhome.

Spring

2nd Granite

Oh god, my eyes deceived me. The fort is a shambles, with only a few crossbow dwarves standing between us and the goblins. This will be high on my order of business, at least my predecessor started to drain the river with the intention of making a trap. I think I can improve on his design though, the bridge with which he was going to drop them in is far too small. Something to dwell on later.

4th Granite

My first move was to organize some trade goods of which we had perilous few. I appointed a Master Chef, VR98 to make some lavish meals to trade to the gullible elves for a fortune and then appointed a Brewmaster, Dudely and an assistant brewer to replenish our drink stocks. Our Mayor, Drake came to me to complain that he couldn't fit all his belongings into his measly single chest and threatened to mandate adamantium items if I didn't rectify the situation. I fobbed him off with promises, I'll attend to that later.

6th Granite

This fort is full of rock just lying around, I got rid of the stone stockpile and instead designated a spot where all the rock can be dumped and enlisted every member of the fort into clearing out the place. It will look much nicer then.

9th Granite

Elves! Let's see what the treehuggers have for us this time. Unfortunately I think my Master Chef has been slacking off, so we don't have much to offer. We'll just have to do our best! I have also begun works to improve our defenses, especially in the bridge area. The river is very slowly draining.

17th Granite

I've started digging out extra space to store whatever else we might need.

20th Granite

Useless elves! All they brought was cloth and alcohol... Nevertheless, I traded a few paltry meals to them in exchange for some cloth and all the booze I could carry then sent them packing.

2nd Slate

Monkeys!

Not to worry, our fort guard filled them with arrows and they didn't get away with anything... ...But it was a ruse! As we were clearing away the corpses, the goblins sprung an ambush just as the Caravan was leaving

The caraven legged it - straight into our fort

But the goblins were no match for our marksdwarves, but a lucky shot managed to kill poor Oddom who had only just graduated to Marksdwarfship. They also managed to kill our Jaguar :(

14th Slate

I've decided that I've done enough loafing and I've ousted Drake from most of his Managerial duties, he's now able to focus purely on being mayor which most dwarves seem relieved about - less chance of him doing something silly. Of course, with my new rank it demands certain... priveleges. Construction of my new quarters has begun immediately, and I have plans laid out for my future tomb. The fort is ticking along nicely and the cleanup is taking forever.

25th Slate

Migrants!

17th Felsite

We have a fey mood :) He's claimed a masons workshop and is using Limestone, Oak logs and Silver Bars.

He's finished! It's an... oh...

Summer

Current ambitions for this season is to upgrade our defenses. I've started construction on a backup bridge so I can remove the current one and make it longer, all the better to drop people with. I also plan to make it automatic - we'll have to see how that pans out.

12th Hematite

Er, we have a problem. The new bridge wasn't constructed in time, and... er... since the wagons couldn't fit across, the humans have decided to give us a miss. Oops! They'll be back next year though.

13th Hematite

The bridge is finished. If those humans had given us one more day! *shakes fist*

17th Hematite

Some of the humans have deigned to visit our fortress but once they made it to the safety of the trading depot (relative safety that is), the accursed goblins struck everywhere, ambushing one of our donkeys and killing a wayward marksdwarf who for reasons unknown decided to take a stroll away from the fort.

22nd Hematite

Once again I have bested the traders and taken what we wanted for the mere cost of 2 meals. Here is what the humans are after for next year, but I suggest keeping on with the sumptuous meal production so that we can buy as much as we want with minimal outlay.

27th Galena

Not much of import has happened recently, the new bedrooms have all been cleared of rubble, I've ordered a few new stockpiles made, oh and my rooms are almost complete :>

Autumn

2nd Limestone

Today Mebzuth, our resident Metalsmith became reclusive and quiet - I wonder what's up with him? He's locked himself in his workshop with some metal bars and is sketching pictures of more metal and shells. I have no idea where I'm going to procure those for him...