We investigate the river that flows through the cave.
Lokum gazes dreamily into the water. "Think there are any fish in there?"
I don't know how he did it but he just reaches into the murky depths and within moments hauls a fish straight out of the water.
"Now thats lucky,"he says.
Then he does it again!
I look at the flapping fish on the shore, "I guess you'll be spending some time here then."
Ducim had been watching from the background and suddenly steps forward,"You know my father showed me how to clean these guys up ready to cook."

"Well we best get you somewhere set up to try out your skill," I say.
Looks like we aren't going to starve just yet.

I thought about home, it was just turning summer now, our first in the outpost and hopefully many more. Spirits were high but we had so many trials ahead of us.

Burst Pipes

Besmar seems to have got the hang of mining, she's at least as good as the novices you see in the pits. She now jokingly insists that we call her a miner, and that lightens the mood a little.

Doren grows concerned that the remains of our animals will rot and will make our living space even more unpleasant than it already is. He spent some time gathering lichen from the entrance area and says he should be able to generate enough heat to cook the stuff off.
I agree thats a good plan and we head up the tunnel to find Bezmar "the Miner".
While they are sorting that out the rest of us take anything not immediately useful outside and dump it on the ground.

We're all getting thirsty now, it's unpleasant and I see many eyes turning my way for help. Nothing to do but pray that Besmar strikes some sort of water source I suppose. We could try getting a well working and bore deep. That would require a precious piece of wood and some blocks. Both of which we would have to make without knowing how.

Doren tries to distract himself by cooking up the meat and rendering the fat. I don't think it helps much. I also have no idea how he got the stone slabs hot enough from just lichen and a small flint.
We can't wait any longer for water, and desperately try to knock up some sort of well, it takes a lot of effort to get the basics together but finally we are ready to build it. Though we all need to sleep first, a horrible thirst ridden sleep of unsettled dreams.

It takes a group effort to get the well finally in place and Besmar knocks through to a stream beneath giving us precious liquid to drink. Almost immediately everyone starts talking again even though we had to throw some of the food out as it was turning.

Thikut seems to fancy himself a mason, he did do a good job on the block for the well so I get him to construct a door for us so we can shut out the cold and stop the draft. He gets his act together pretty fast, he seems to have a knack for it. Soon we are nestled behind the door vaguely proud of ourselves.

Typical, not long after we build the well using up some of our precious wood, we see Besmar come barrelling down the tunnel propelled by a wave of water. Luckily she gets swept around the well which gets demolished by the torrent and she washes up safe and sound.

She smiles weakly at us, "Now that's one way to travel."

Onol Orbhatchets

It's spring, we have no food and worse we have no drink. Time is against us, the cold penetrates to the bone.
"We need to get inside before I lose something important," says Besmar.
I surveyed the surrounding. No trees, no plants,nothing. Except off in the distance some strange beasts I didn't like the look of.
"All right Besmar how about you get us started," I motioned her towards the pick.

I have fond memories of Besmar from before the society degraded. We would drink and sing loudly together in the ale halls. It would be a long time before we enjoyed those times again.
"Oh and what are you boys going to do?" she asks testing the weight of the pick in her hand.
"We are going to work out what to do next."
Besmar mumbles something under her breath and struck the stone clumsily.
After a few swings the pick began arcing more gracefully into the mountainside.

I turn to the others and look each one sternly in the eyes. "Any ideas?" I asked almost nervously.
Lokum Hoistshot was idly tapping the wagon with his knuckles."Well I think i can salvage some usable wood from this thing"
"Good, get started with that."

Besmar has dug enough of a tunnel that we can all crowd inside to keep warm. Concern is growing about supplies. We need ale or at the very least water. I have a brief discussion with Besmar and we soon agree that our only hope for survival is some sort of water source deeper in.


She begins digging again in earnest as the rest of us huddle around to keep warm. Lokum suggests starting a fire with the only three logs we have, but enough of us know that wood is essential for some things we may need.

Besmar strikes a vein of tin ore, at least the survey was correct. That means hopefully there will be other ore around. Though I realize now that we have no anvil. I begin to brood, why did I bring them here?

Dastot says he has an idea and persuades Besmar to hollow out an area in the tunnel. It doesn't take her long and soon after Dastot grabs some stone and starts chipping it away into various shapes and positioning it around him. We just sit in the tunnel and let him carry on, maybe he's losing it.

Dastot has finished whatever he was up to and comes rushing out past us and into the cold. Minutes later he comes back in dragging our horse. He ushers it past us as we squeeze against the walls to let it past.
Moments later there is a nasty sound.
Then out comes Dastot, grabs our Mule and pulls the creature up the tunnel.
There is another noise.
We all know what has happened, it was necessary i suppose.
Exactly how he did the deed is a mystery to me, I can see the axe just beyond the cave entrance. I shall have to be wary of getting on Dastot's bad side.

The Escape

Perhaps I should explain how we come to be here. Perhaps not, the exact details are unimportant. Suffice to say we were prisoners, sentenced to receive punishment from the Hammerer for starting a rebellion.
We were tired of living life in conditions so horrible I can't bring myself to write them down. But someone knew what we were up to. Someone talked.

Fortunately the prison was badly constructed, the restraints worn and frayed, the cages dilapidated. It wasn't long before one of our number broke free. After releasing the rest of us we stumbled down a small tunnel which the nobles have long since forgotten about and eventually out into the night.

We had to leave that place and we had to leave fast. We took a nearby cart which contained meagre supplies. Gathered a couple of animals to haul it and set out. There was only one place to go. A place they would never look for us.

It had been surveyed long ago, a miserable sinister location in the frozen north. It was a viable spot for an outpost but no dwarf wanted to weather the harsh conditions of that barren environment.

Our supplies dwindled on the journey and now all we have is a wagon, and a couple of old tools which were stashed inside it. A mining pick and an axe.

Somehow we had to survive and the prospect of life in this place was not an inviting one.
None of us were trained in any skills of note, we were haulers by trade. But we would learn, we would learn or we would die.

New Tale

I've really liked the stories that have been posted occasionally on the dwarf fortress forums. So I thought i would rough one out and see where it went.

So here is the setup.
Nothing purchased on the setup, no skills, no food, no drink.Just basic tools.
Map is Freezing, No Trees, No Plants, No Trade.

I apologise in advance for sudden changes in tense. I was very tired when I started this game.
Also the image quality is a bit off, but you get the idea.