Dwarf Fortress: The Fortress Rises

The dwarves had weathered the hard years. Melbilrab, Tomeglow, fortress of the brave and mighty had risen from the corpses of goblins and trolls alike. The invaders still have not ceased their efforts, but their attacks became routine and negligible. Their corpses now provide us a steady source of bones, copper, and iron after the rot is melted away.

The dwarves thickened the walls and constructed fortifications to service archers. The main upper building was now two floors high and completely enclosed. The building now housed the barracks of the Order-Trumpets, our bravest soldiers, and the Oiled-Lamps, our cowardly archers. A sign of our hubris, a trading post made entirely of gold, was constructed above oak wood near the fortress gate.

The wooden grass enclosure was improved to accommodate all manner of egg-laying creatures. A cow and bull were introduced to each other and provided with romantic music but have yet to produce any calves after a number of years. Our handlers suspect the gazes from the dozens of nosey fowl and the nearby sounds of hundreds of goblins dieing regularly may be off-putting.

We finished our above-ground farms and tunneled a few underground farms adjacent to the existing. We began growing all manner of berries and roots. Our cloth production was kick-started with one of the underground farms growing pig-tails in the warmer months. I'm informed they're a fibre and not the by-product of some mad experiment with pigs and their tails.

We finally carved out a pair of proper burial chambers. The dwarves unearthed all of their dead and moved them down hall in a very messy process requiring a handful of buckets and an animal handler to keep the dogs away. A special tomb was constructed for Etur Emalkogen, our duchess, and Kol Usendodok, the dwarven hero of legend. The duchess' tomb was filled golden objects and the coffin itself was an artifact constructed by an inspired stonemason and covered with spikes. The dwarves were surprised to hear the coffin wasn't engraved with pictures of bins and quivers, of which the duchess has been mandating endless amounts of be constructed.

Ending Year: 260