1/4 Heretic 2022/09/09(Fri)20:37 No. 1043352 ID: 2eaeea
File 166278103871.png - (703.22KB , 1500x1060 , Hezig.png )

That's where we come in! My name is Hezug Zhromor ! Former 22nd expedition leader and newly positioned Foreman of this hold! It's my job to manage all the faculties in this hold and do my damnedest to find the god grave in the miniscule chance that it’s down here…Actually I keep saying "This hold" but there isn't really much of a hold yet, it's a measly fort above ground and all just cold rock below, but everyone starts somewhere!

Now this is a very daunting task, but! I've got a little help!

2/4 Heretic 2022/09/09(Fri)20:38 No. 1043353 ID: 2eaeea
File 166278109216.png - (803.43KB , 1500x1060 , Spirit Orb.png )

You!

Hezug taps his staff against the ground, the large glass orb on the top lights up

I was given an oracle staff to help me do my job better!...Admittedly you're a tiny bit cracked but that's better than nothing! Now let's get started!

3/4 Heretic 2022/09/09(Fri)20:40 No. 1043355 ID: 2eaeea
File 166278121405.png - (583.64KB , 1453x1060 , Entrance.png )

"So here's a little look at the "hold". Currently all we have is the entrance tunnel hall. As the hold foreman I've been appointed plenty of miners and builders to make expansion possible. We however were not given any materials or resources to begin building with since we're expected to mine our own."

"While we're digging we can either find construction materials like metal ore to build with or trade goods like gems or precious metals we can use to hire workers for the hold! We've got steady supplies of food coming in from the surface so there's no need to worry about that right now."

"For now let's choose a direction to dig. We've got a very obvious starting point so let's choose if we want to go left or right."

4/4 Heretic 2022/09/09(Fri)20:41 No. 1043356 ID: 2eaeea
File 166278127289.png - (538.12KB , 1453x1060 , DepthLevels.png )

"Of course we can also go Down. If we go any deeper we have a chance of running into ravenous beasts and other horrors that only get more dangerous the deeper we go. However, the resource pockets we'll find will also get much richer as we go down too! In the even we do unearth some horrible creatures when digging down there soldiers stationed at the entrance's guard post."

"Now I'm no general and very little warfare expertise, but I can tell you the basics. Units possess strength that's accounts for the power of their attacks and how much health they have. Fighting happens simultaneously and at the same time damage is dealt it is also taken. Units move grouped together in a troop and stack strength, so Soldiers have 5 Strength each and there are 5 stationed in the entrance for a troop with 25 strength. Units can only move 1 room per round unless otherwise stated."

"Now I personally would love to go down as fast as possible to try and find the god grave, but if anything dangerous gets up to the surface through our entrance then that's that! Dozens of dead villagers and a terror running loose. So let's make defending the entrance our primary objective, expanding the hold secondary, and finding the god grave tertiary."

"Okay I think I've talked enough for now! If there's anything I missed just ask me!...Actually I'm not entirely sure if you work. I guess now's a good time to test that out! Pick a direction for us to dig."

Right is right

Before we dig...

Who am I? What is my purpose? What is a god?

>>1043356
Go left!

This structure reminds me vaguely of the prison in Chrono Trigger.

the torch top faces right and the key bottom faces right as well,

TO THE RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT

*makes slightly loud noise of excitement in show that it's totally fine and not at all... damaged*

UP

>>1043364
Same go left

Ok so we got no resources, no money, but do have food, and a small number of solders to protect the place should something go wrong. Well alright then.

You said something about hiring workers, how many do we have on duty currently? Also what are some things we can build?

As for where to go... well might as well follow your suggestion and start by digging down. We have no resources so trying to gain a source of building material and/or money should be something we try and achieve sooner rather than later and if something bad does happen we do have those solders like you said. After that we can figure out what we want to turn this fort into and what we want to do with it... besides find the grave that is.

Nothing wrong with playing it safe for now. The God Grave isn't going anywhere. Right.

Hah! Clever, Heretic. This ought to be interesting.

Left!

It’s good to see you again, Heretic!

>>1043356
Go left.

>>1043356
Left as there are crates there should dig to the side alot then down slitering down

1/4 Heretic 2022/09/10(Sat)14:44 No. 1043405 ID: 2eaeea
File 166284626033.png - (496.13KB , 1453x1060 , Malfunction.png )

>Who am I? What is my purpose? What is a god?
Oh didn't expect you to ask… those kind of questions. You're an oracle staff, more specifically the orb on the top. Nubru soothsayers use orbs like you to help them in important matters. From what I understand you're spirits? I'm not magically inclined so I can't give you the specifics. As for what a god is, y'know an all powerful being… Maybe you're a bit more broken than I thought.

>UP
That’s…okay we're off to a bad start. You're definitely more broken than I thought

>the torch top faces right and the key bottom faces right as well
I guess that's a good reason to go right, but-

>TO THE RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT
JEEZ OW! I'd hate to see how a more broken orb acts…I get why you were free now.

2/4 Heretic 2022/09/10(Sat)14:44 No. 1043406 ID: 2eaeea
File 166284628781.png - (1.26MB , 1500x1060 , Miners.png )

>Left
The miners excavate to the lets of the entrance their picks unearthing rich deposits of metal ores, both good for building and for trade. The seam of ore runs deep. It's clear why this location was chosen for a hold spot. It's not likely another pocket this rich will be found for some time.

20 Units of Build Material mined at Depth 1 (21 Materials)
20 Units of Trade Goods mined at Depth 1 (21 Trade Goods)

3/4 Heretic 2022/09/10(Sat)14:45 No. 1043407 ID: 2eaeea
File 166284632616.png - (0.97MB , 1500x1060 , Builder.png )

Hezug stands in the entrance of the hold flipping through pages of his large lexicon
Yup, nothing in here about fixing an orb…guess if it were that easy It wouldn't be such an issue
Boss?
Oh Bozbun! Come in, are the preparations ready?
Jus' about. Unpackin' a few more crates a' equipment for us to start. You find anythin' to build with?
A few resources, we just started after all so it's not too much. Staff this is Bozbun! He's the construction team overseer, I'm gonna be consulting him whenever we need anything built.
Yer talkin' to a stick? Ya hardly started an' the stress is already getting' to ya.
It's an oracle staff bozo, it's supposed to give me guidance on running this place.
Oh yeah? How's that workin' out?
…Not terribly! But it is cracked so the thing acts a little wonky.

>You said something about hiring workers, how many do we have on duty currently? Also what are some things we can build?
Currently all we have are the 5 Soldiers on duty. As for our building options, Bozbun?
Ya got plenty 'a options, but I ain't gonna give ya too many. I know how ya overthink when ya got too many options Hezug, and I don't think that cracked orb'll help ya too much. Here's a list 'a yer current construction options, along with some hire options too. As we go on we'll get more options.

4/4 Heretic 2022/09/10(Sat)14:46 No. 1043408 ID: 2eaeea
File 166284639008.png - (88.89KB , 873x884 , BuildIcon.png )

-UNIT ROOMS-
Barracks (8 Materials): Houses 10 Soldiers OR Gunners (They always get into arguments when they're in the same room for some reason)
Cannon Outpost (10 Materials): Houses up to 2 Cannons
Forge (15 Materials + 7 Trade Goods): Allows Traps to be made and can house 1 Cannon
Mason (20 Materials): Allows Barricades to be made
Kennel (5 Materials): Can hold 1 captured monster or 5 Hounds

-UNITS-
Soldier (5 Trade Goods): Strength 5
Gunners (5 Trade Goods): Strength 3; Ranged
Hound (5 Trade Goods): Strength 3; Can move 2 spaces per round
Cannon (30 Trade Goods): Strength 30; Ranged; Can only be fired once per combat

Ranged Units can fire up to two grid spaces away

-BUFFING ROOMS-
Dorms (5 Materials): Increases the maximum number of units each connected room can house by 50%
Hospital (10 Materials + 10 Trade Goods): 1 Troop of your choice defeated while on the same row as a Hospital is revived at full STR after combat.
Kitchen (8 Materials): Units in a room connected to a Kitchen get 50% STR during combat.
Overseer's Office (15 Materials): Any trade goods mined when exploring in the same column as an Overseer’s Office are worth double.
Storehouse (20 Materials): Rooms built on this floor cost 1/2 the build resources (does not effect trade good costs.

If a number cannot be split 50% evenly it will round down
Only one room can be built at a time in clear spaces in cardinal directions
We don't need to build anything right away if we don't want to, but we've got a good number of supplies to do so.

No need to construct at the moment, let's keep digging. To the right this time!

Hm. Build nothing for now.

You'd want your first building to be a Storehouse to save future material, but you want the room right next to the exit to be a military-aspected one, like a Cannon Outpost, Barracks or Kitchen.

That room is the last chance you have to stop anything nasty from getting up and out, after all, so you want to pile on protection around it, at least to begin with.

If possibly that you can stock more soldiers at the entrance you could consider buying another, oh, 3 soldiers, just to get to an even 40 strength. Juuust in case.

Anyway, progress further Left!

Build a Barracks as soon as functionally possible. I've seen this all happen before I've seen the end of days clamber out of a pit the second a pick strikes a wall I've seen magma surge forth from a wall slightly too warm and the things below the things below the things below

It is imperative that we can get more forces than the ones we start with. 25 STR of forces is a fool's comfort.

It might seem wasteful to build a Barracks without a Storehouse to reduce the cost of building, but trust me, every single defensible position between the cave below and the last life line you have to the outside world is vital.

so we have 5 solders currently does that mean if we get a barracks they'll immediately move in there or are these 5 more or less "free" as in they don't need a specific building to house them?

Cause I'm thinking of getting a barracks and 3 gunners so we can start digging down.

Go right and build a storehouse on the left

1/3 Heretic 2022/09/11(Sun)03:40 No. 1043469 ID: 2eaeea
File 166289285919.png - (211.58KB , 1248x1060 , Barracks.png )

>2 for Don't Build/ 3 for Build
>1 for Storehouse/ 2 for Barracks
Target dummies are hung and cots are placed. The soldiers are the meat of your hold's army; without them every miner and builder would be sitting ducks, and nothing would stand between the unearthed horrors and the surface world.

>so we have 5 solders currently does that mean if we get a barracks they'll immediately move in there or are these 5 more or less "free" as in they don't need a specific building to house them?
There is a guard post in the entrance. It isn't big though, It's got enough room for 5 Soldiers OR Gunners but nothing else really. The entrance soldiers can stay where they are unless we want to move them.

2/3 Heretic 2022/09/11(Sun)03:41 No. 1043470 ID: 2eaeea
File 166289287660.png - (1.89MB , 1500x1060 , Fire Wasps.png )

>1 Dig Right/2 Dig Left
The miners begin digging on the opposite side of the entrance. Another deposit of ores is found, though not as rich as the first it is still welcome
6 Units of Build Material mined at Depth 1 (7 Materials)
8 Units of Trade Goods mined at Depth 1 (8 Trade Goods)

(28 Materials/ 29 Trade Goods)

One miner whistles and sings to himself as he chips away at rocks and ores, the clanging of his pick and the song in his heart keep him from hearing the ever growing buzzing until it is too late. The cavern wall falls away, revealing a large mass of wax and dirt affixed to the back of the cave. An unbearable heat radiates off of the hive, Fire Wasps. The miner drops his pick and runs back to the entrance; the wasp's, though startled, do not follow.

3/3 Heretic 2022/09/11(Sun)03:42 No. 1043472 ID: 2eaeea
File 166289295848.png - (814.36KB , 1796x1060 , Wasp's Nest.png )

"Ugh, okay not great. Luckily they're just regular bugs! Deadly bugs that set people on fire, but still nothing unheard of. They'll make no attempt for the entrance and even if they do they'll hardly be a village ending threat. Looks like they'll only be a problem if we get too close. We could even build at the closer end if we're careful! Any suggestions staff? "

I'VE SEEN THIS ALL HAPPEN BEFORE I'VE SEEN THE END OF DAYS CLAMBER OUT OF A PIT THE SECOND A PICK STRIKES A WALL I'VE SEEN MAGMA SURGE FORTH FROM A WALL SLIGHTLY TOO WARM AND THE THINGS BELOW THE THINGS BELOW THE THINGS BELOW
"Staff I know you're broken and all but I need you to understand that is SO unhelpful."

Let's avoid the fire wasps and dig right.

I think the translation for all that is: "Y'all be reeeaaally careful, and maybe even reconsider how badly you want this to begin with, 'kay?" And one really should question how/why an omnipotent being would come to have a grave, and if disturbing a god's resting place is what one would classify as a "good idea." But if you're sure, you're sure, and we'll be right there to try and help you mitigate the risks.

Building options seem to be limited on this floor, so I wouldn't bother with the storeroom. All the same, we probably shouldn't put anything loud there right away.

Let's get 5 gunners in the barracks for now, and... I think we can get an Overseer's Office into the near-left column as soon as possible to maximize future gains. Those aren't too loud, either!

Oh, and Dig Right.

Dig right, build nothing, it might be lit on fire if those bees move.

A sufficient quantity of gunners should be able to take out that hive. I suggest we start saving up 35 trade goods to buy them. Unless they can take them out by firing twice before the bees reach them, in which case we can buy 4 for 20 and clear out the infestation now. Which also leaves some support on one side for the main exit.

can we get 5 gunners to back up our solders?

Seconding or thirding or whatever dig right, at least. Down below is to be avoided for now.

>>1043472
Let's avoid the bugs for now. If they're not going to actively attack us, then we shouldn't provoke them.

Dig to the right.

>"Staff I know you're broken and all but I need you to understand that is SO unhelpful."
"I'm not crazy, you're crazy! Especially you, Nappa!"

>>1043472
Yeah, we can come back and take care of that later. Dig to the right.

>>1043487
>Especially you, Nappa!
Eeeeey.

1/3 Heretic 2022/09/11(Sun)16:08 No. 1043522 ID: 2eaeea
File 166293772504.png - (646.71KB , 1500x1060 , Gunner.png )

>Hire 5 Gunners
-25 Trade Goods (4 Trade Goods remaining)
The smell of black powder wafts in the barracks as the gunners claim their cots. Rifle cleaning sets and marksman targets are placed and hung while boxes of bullets are hauled in.

2/3 Heretic 2022/09/11(Sun)16:09 No. 1043523 ID: 2eaeea
File 166293774183.png - (1.31MB , 1500x1060 , Underground Forest.png )

>Dig Right
Picks clang and shovels dig. Though many miners find themselves needing machetes and clippers to cut through thick roots and vines jutting out from the rocks

3 Units of Build Material mined at Depth 1 (4 Build Material)
8 Units of Trade Goods mined at Depth 1 (9 Trade Goods)
(32 Materials/ 13 Trade Goods)

Soon enough the rocks give way to walls of vegetation. Roots, vines, and leaves are cut away revealing fully grown tree's, an underground forest has been discovered; silent aside from the chirping of insects and light by the hovering sunlight bugs. Miners carefully walk through the trees but find no threats, though many seem astonished by the beauty of the woods.

3/3 Heretic 2022/09/11(Sun)16:10 No. 1043525 ID: 2eaeea
File 166293785781.png - (648.34KB , 1758x1060 , The Sisters.png )

"Very strange! There's no way these tree's could've grown here for so long. Must be another magic thing. Still very pretty! The workers definitely love it too. Look! Someone made a shrine to the Sisters! That's wonderful!"
"And we can absolutely pull so many resources from this forest! Fallen trees and roots in the walls. This is absolutely fantastic!"

+2 Materials every day

Might be worth investing into an Overseer's Office.

Can we guess which column is worth the most in advance?

>>1043525
Um... The Sisters aren't who we're trying to grave-rob, are they? It'd be terribly awkward if they were. Or is the identity of this god who can ostensibly die unknown?

>>1043526
Agreed on building an Overseer's Office, though I think we need to just guess where the best spot is. Not that it'll be very hard to, what with there only being one truly viable unoccupied spot; the near-left space before the fire wasps.

As for where to dig, I suppose we should bite the bullet and dig Down from the Overseer's column.

>>1043531
We should probably clear the fire wasps before we could build anything next to the otherwise we should build right.

>>1043535
>build right
^dig right

So what do we know about those wasp? Do they move two spots per turn or just one? Because if it’s one the gunners could take them out before they can even reach them

Heretic 2022/09/11(Sun)22:22 No. 1043564 ID: 2eaeea
File 166296016756.png - (1.15MB , 2038x1060 , New Office.png )

>Mine Further Right
Miners dig out the cave further to the right excavating further precious metals
10 Trade Goods mined at Depth 1 (11 Trade Goods)
+2 Materials gathered from the Underground Forest (2 Build Materials)
(34 Materials/ 24 Trade Goods)

>Build Overseer's Office
The builders work very carefully with the Fire Wasp hive nearby, but the room get's finished.
I'm allergic t' Fire Wasps so ya better 'ppreciate it Hezug
I don't think an allergy matters against bugs that set you on fire when they sting you
I mean I can't eat 'em, I swell up
That's not-Whatever, thank you Bozbun
Mhmm

Hezug takes a seat in his new office
Y'know staff I was really hoping we'd get around to building an office. Having a place for all my notes and somewhere to sit is nice…Might want to uh…do something about the wasps though.

>So what do we know about those wasp? Do they move two spots per turn or just one? Because if it’s one the gunners could take them out before they can even reach them
They'll chase if provoked, but they don't move too fast. Yeah some gunners would probably be able to blast that hive apart before it can do anything.

>Um... The Sisters aren't who we're trying to grave-rob, are they?
Lord no! Never! They're the saints all of Iiavell look up to! Without them we'd have never made it to the far lands or even off of the Hubork Empire. They freed us with key and led us with torch and gave their lives to make sure we could stand on our own. Besides, they're no gods. No the god we're digging for seems to have lost their name long ago. How this god died is unknown, but if we keep digging maybe we'll find out more!
Y'know I sort of figured you'd know more about Nubru past, but I guess since you're cracked you're not as Knowledgable. I'd be more than happy to tell you about any of our history! I lead the 22nd expedition because of my interest in history and archeology!

Ooh! History time!

How many gods are there? How many are dead? What miracles did they work before they died? Can they still work miracles?

We’ll never turn down a story time!

But yeah, unless you think you can tame the hornets for their honey or something might as well have the gunners take them out.

>>1043564
We may know the secrets thousands of worlds beyond the reach of this realm but we know not of what has never been yet

>>1043564
Perhaps we should tame firewasps a portable heatsource and lighter

"As you said we are a Oracle Staff, not a History Staff even if we know Histories and Stories anyways YAY STORYTIME Please mr Hezug

Heretic 2022/09/12(Mon)00:48 No. 1043593 ID: 2eaeea
File 166296891442.png - (408.64KB , 1500x1060 , Gods.png )

>How many gods are there?
"As far as I know? around 3, but gods are sluggish and fickle things. Sleeping for thousands upon thousands of years if they please or simply leaving our world and coming back when they wish, so there could be more, or LESS actually! Sometimes I've been told gods like to just change their names and act like different beings for whatever reason."

>How many dead?
"No idea, you never hear about gods dying. They don't exactly announce their deaths or host funerals for gods."

>What miracles did they work before they died? Can they still work miracles?
"Everyday you do not randomly become subject to a gods whims, whether it be strange pranks or cruel toying, is a miracle. We Nubru worship no god, though the spirits hold a great deal of our respect, and we love our saints of course."
"Spirits are ethereal entities tied to physical natural places such as the Spirit of Mt Onnels, The Spirit of the river Myamex, and the Spirit of the Red Forest. They can perform magical acts depending on the size of their physical location."
"Saints once lived, but died and due to their great deeds inspire the people who idolize them; You've got to have large impact on a wide number of people with a truly heroic action to be a saint, like The Iiavell Sisters."
"Gods are untethered, born all powerful, flighty, and dangerous. The only reason they do not simply ruin our world for fun is due to the fact that they only exist if we know about them. The spirits will exist without us, the saints will usher to glory with them, but gods will wither out and fade away if no one acknowledges them. It's very likely the god of the god grave was forgotten some how, or targetted by the other gods for some unknown reason."
"I may be wrong about some of my information, gods are a tricky topic."

>Perhaps we should tame firewasps a portable heatsource and lighter
>But yeah, unless you think you can tame the hornets for their honey or something might as well have the gunners take them out.
"We'd need to build a Kennel to keep it in, but it's possible! I guess that's enough talking for now, but you can speak to me about history or stuff like that anytime! But for now let's discuss our next moves."

Creatures defeated in combat can be revived and tamed at an empty kennel with their full Strength
Kennel (5 Materials): Can hold 1 captured monster or 5 Hounds

>>1043593
Well then we should build a Kennel on the right-most cave before we deal with the firewasps.

>>1043594
Agreed, that's an easy investment for 20 strength's worth.

Dig Right!

>>1043594
>>1043595
Agreed

Do you know about the DWARFS?

Heretic 2022/09/12(Mon)13:26 No. 1043609 ID: 2eaeea
File 166301441816.png - (1.06MB , 2653x1060 , Flood.png )

> Do you know about the DWARFS?
A little bit, They're creations of mountain spirits that do their bidding. Dwarves are pretty reclusive though so I've never met or spoken to one.

>Dig Right
The miners continue expansion
5 Build Materials and 5 Trade Goods mined at depth 1
2 Build Materials gathered from the Underground Forest
(21 Materials/ 34 Trade Goods)

A miner strikes the cave wall, and a stream of water spews from the rock, before he can understand what was happening the wall bursts open from the force of the river behind it. The mining team is swept away as the deluge continues into the previous empty cavern, and into the underground forest, both becoming flooded. Many miners end up injured, but luckily no major losses occur.

"Oh no! I didn't think we'd run into a river at this depth…then again didn't think we'd find an underground forest either. I suppose we should count our blessings, the casualties are minimal with just a few injured, and we lost no soldiers or gunners in the flood. We can't build that kennel with the room we planned on using flooded. We can get the builders to drain the rooms right Bozbun?"
"Yup, costs extra though"
"What? Really?"
"Yup, contractual stuff. Buildin' some pump rooms might help with stuff like this in the future. Keep ya workers from drownin', more importantly keepin' ME from drownin'"
"Noted. Looks like that river goes on for a bit. I don't think we'll be able to mine right on the first layer anymore."

Pump (8 Materials): Liquid cannot move through or damage this room. A Pump can be activated to flood if desired

Draining a room costs 5 Trade Goods

Well the damage is mostly done and the only thing this costs us is the ability to build anything here or, uh, explore downwards without drowning.

Ehhhh fuck it, it's worth draining ONE space for that Kennel. Let's stick it right next to the Barracks.

>>1043617
That's the room that gives free materials. Better keep that intact. And, uh, well-watered now. Drain it for 5 trade goods.

I think we should just dig down from the overseer's office and build a kennel there, hoping nothing too bad's just down there. Then we can expand further on that level.

Can the water be used for anything else? Maybe mace an aqueduct, to move that water to somewhere else, public baths or even agriculture. We could reduce the amount of food we demand from the surface and become self sufficient.

I just feel that it would be a waste to have that water and don't do anything with it.

Also, is there a way to predict this kind of things? Be prepared for what it could be on the other side of the rock?

>>1043609
Good thing the orb doesn't have a way to smell anything. I'm sure all of you fuzzy guys must smell really bad when wet!

Try digging down from the Overseer's Office.

>>1043609
Could we use that water to spray the Fire Wasps? It would help us quickly get rid of them!

>>1043624
Wow, that's very rude!

Dig down from the Overseer's Office so he can make bad jokes about seeing over stuff.

1/3 Heretic 2022/09/12(Mon)23:50 No. 1043654 ID: 2eaeea
File 166305182869.png - (1.24MB , 1500x1060 , Hound Mole.png )

>Drain Forest
-5 Trade Goods
Builders work to clear the water from the forest, a few trees have been knocked over and the soil's been ruined, but all in all It could've been worse. The forest can still be used for a little longer

>is there a way to predict this kind of things?
"As far as I know? No. If I knew how that probably wouldn't have happened."
>Can the water be used for anything else? Maybe mace an aqueduct, to move that water to somewhere else, public baths or even agriculture. We could reduce the amount of food we demand from the surface and become self sufficient.
"Water isn't in short supply, and I don't see a reason for cutting ourselves off from the outside."
>Good thing the orb doesn't have a way to smell anything. I'm sure all of you fuzzy guys must smell really bad when wet!
"Shut it"
>Dig under overseer office
The miners get to work, much more organized under Hezug vision and note taking. Carefully the team break down into an open space. Pebbles and stones fall down awakening the beast sleeping in it's nest. A lone hound mole's nest has been disturbed; the angered mole climbs up through the hole chasing the miner's away from it's den, before entering Hezug's office.

2/3 Heretic 2022/09/12(Mon)23:50 No. 1043655 ID: 2eaeea
File 166305185627.png - (1.22MB , 1500x1060 , BOnk.png )

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

3/3 Heretic 2022/09/12(Mon)23:51 No. 1043656 ID: 2eaeea
File 166305187890.png - (1.04MB , 2653x1060 , Why.png )

Hezug bravely defends himself against the hound mole, which returns to it's nest.
"…WHY!? Why is my office surrounding by wild animals?"
"Maybe we could stop minin' and start a zoo?"
"None of them will be hard to deal with…Guess I could've had my office flooded that would've sucked."

Hezug takes a deep breathe and pulls out a journal to start taking notes
"Okay! So I'm going to assume we still want that Kennel, and if we ice that fleabag we'll be able to build it right away."
"We could also build over that forest, I think since it flooded it may not stay useful forever, but getting those last few resources out will be nice."
"Also one of you is suggesting we make our own food and become a bit more self sufficient. We COULD do that, we'd end up having to track our food and it'd effect how many workers we can hire. If we did I think the village above would appreciate selling their produce instead of giving it to us. We could probably get some trade goods and materials out of the deal if that's worth worrying about our own food."
:Hezig: "And to get it out of the way sooner, where do we dig next? Thoughts orb?"

No thoughts, only pain. Do not bonk again.

Answer hazy, ask again later

No bonk pls

>>1043655
“Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop hitting us against that beast!”

>>1043656
>Thoughts orb?
“I think you made our crack bigger from using us as a weapon.”

“Send some Soldiers down there to take out that Hound Mole.”

>>1043656
Exterminate the threat. Use the ranged troops to execute it with no casualties.

Before we do anything to the mole we need to drain the cave next to the lake and then build a Kennel in it to store the mole.

>>1043656
>thoughts?
La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo

Huh? Oh sorry. Still a little dizzy from getting bonked.

But if your wild animal problems last longer than 4 hours, you should go see a doctor immediately.....because of all the scratches and bite marks you're going to have.

>>1043663
>problems last longer than 4 hours, you should go see a doctor immediately
Lewd!

>>1043661
The mole isn't terribly impressive I day we use the gunners to kill it and then build a kennel in its place so that we can put the much more useful firewasps in it

Yum yum water, you should let me taste it to see if it’s fresh or salty, cuz there’s different types of animals that live in the seaaaaaaa

EAT THE MOLE. EAT IT, FEAST ON ITS FLESH AND GIVE US ITS SOUL!

>Worry about food
Please take care of this on your own.

>>1043656
Ice the fleabag, build the kennel, tame the firebugs. It is a plan and it is sound. Just... remove all flammable documents and objects from your office when you do the taming.

Dig right (from new Kennel)!

>>1043656
How good are mole hounds for digging there senses could help locate creatures on the otherside or smell the water

Kill the mole, build that kennel and tame those wasps.
Then let's dig down from the kennel to keep it between us and whatever might lurk deeper.
Also, those gunners seems really useful, we should recruit 5 more. It's not like we will be short on melee units with the kennel!

ok yeah, give me a minute, the room is spinning.

...ok, ok I think I'm good now. ho boy. Yeah get the gunners to take out the mole, build a kennel, then what would we have to do to capture the fire wasps to start collecting their honey? Cause I heard it can be used to make a hell of a spiced mead.

1/4 Heretic 2022/09/13(Tue)18:46 No. 1043706 ID: 2eaeea
File 166311998138.png - (528.32KB , 1500x1060 , Reply Hazy.png )

>No thoughts, only pain. Do not bonk again.
>Huh? Oh sorry. Still a little dizzy from getting bonked.
>ok yeah, give me a minute, the room is spinning.
Oh don't be such a baby, I've taken worse hits on the head and my skull isn't made out of crystals.

>Yum yum water, you should let me taste it to see if it’s fresh or salty, cuz there’s different types of animals that live in the seaaaaaaa
Can't tell if that's because you're dizzy or just how you are.

>>1043675
>Please take care of this on your own.
Sounds like a vote for making our own food, but I didn't hear a lot of opinions on that so I won't make the call just yet

2/4 Heretic 2022/09/13(Tue)18:46 No. 1043707 ID: 2eaeea
File 166312000281.png - (1.33MB , 1500x1060 , BANG.png )

>Exterminate Hound Mole
The gunners take point and fire on the mole.
[Gunners (15 Ranged) VS Mole (15 => 0)]

The beast never stood a chance...

3/4 Heretic 2022/09/13(Tue)18:47 No. 1043708 ID: 2eaeea
File 166312003607.png - (1.29MB , 2653x1060 , Wasp Control.png )

With the space freed a kennel is constructed in the cavern
(-5 Build Material)
(16 Materials/24 Trade Goods)

>what would we have to do to capture the fire wasps to start collecting their honey?
We have the kennel, we have the fire power. I've ordered the gunner's to capture their queen and as many drones as they can to start our own hive.
After the kennel is constructed and the gunner's rifles are reloaded the troop takes point in Hezug's office and opens fire on the fire wasp hive
[Gunners (15 Ranged) VS Fire Wasps (20 => 5)]

Gunshots ring out through the office, the hive is riddled with holes but a swarm of wasps still approaches the firing line. Buckets of water are used between reloading to subdue any wasps that get to close, afterwards another barrage of gunfire rings out.
[Gunners (15 Ranged) VS Fire Wasps (5 => 0)]

The majority of the swarm has been defeated, but the remaining workers and drones are jarred and captured, most importantly the queen is caught.
Alright! My office smells like gunpowder and smoke but it's worth it to have those pests gone!...Well actually I'm now realizing one of them's just been moved slightly…At least they're tamed!

4/4 Heretic 2022/09/13(Tue)18:48 No. 1043710 ID: 2eaeea
File 166312012298.png - (1.06MB , 1500x1060 , Beast Master Nozek .png )

Hezug walks down the stairwell into the newly built Kennel inside a number of workers drop off bags of food and water for the animals and double check cage locks. The place has yet to get the smell of animals yet which Hezug hopes doesn't seep into his current office. At the head of it all a nubru holds the queen fire wasp's jar in his hand. Hezug recognizes the man.
Hezy ol' pal! Glad to see you're keepin' an eye on everything around here!
Only makes sense you'd be running the kennels Nozek…Was there a spill? Why's there water every where?
I took a dip in your indoor pool before I started working! Leave it to you to think of everything when designing the hold! I'm assuming the hot tubs will added be later?
That wasn't a pool Nozek, that room just flood-
Oh and look at the fine specimen you've caught! This is quite the healthy fire wasp queen! I managed to round em' all up in this skep I wove! Attack wasps are sure to ruin anyone's day if they're on the wrong end of it.
Oh I believe that.

Hezug returns to his office
Alrighty, now that THAT's been dealt with let's continue working. Where to dig next?

DOWN
from the barracks

>>1043711
Why not? Let's goooooo

Also I nominate Herz's office for best warzone ever

>>1043706
>Oh don't be such a baby
Like you're one to talk! You had such a high pitched girly scream when that mole came into your office!

>>1043710
We should dig down from the barracks.

So Hezug, we want to know more about the guy that's carrying us around and using us as a beating stick. You should tell us something about yourself.

Do you have any family nearby? Do you have a crush on anyone? Are you married? Do you have any kids?

I noticed both the solders and gunners shared a same space, does this mean units can share the same space in a fight? If so having the gunners firing next to the solders who can then come in stop any charging enemy from tearing the gunners apart sounds like a good strategy.

As for where go, sure down under the barracks.

1/2 Heretic 2022/09/13(Tue)23:40 No. 1043738 ID: 2eaeea
File 166313761964.png - (1.06MB , 2653x1060 , About Yourself.png )

>Do you have any family nearby?
Nearby? No. I was born and raised in a town called Delews miles and miles from here. This hold was set up as part of an expedition into the southern far lands, and none of my family came with me. Can't blame 'em though, I've almost died multiple times.

>Do you have a crush on anyone? Are you married? Do you have any kids?
No, no, and no. Lot of romance involved questions there. Didn't know oracle orbs where into that. I wasn't very social in my town, A few friends in my school but I mostly kept to myself outside of that. I'll be honest outside of leading the expedition and running the hold I'm sort of a boring guy. Sorry, I have a hard time talking about myself.

>I noticed both the solders and gunners shared a same space, does this mean units can share the same space in a fight?
Of course!

>Dig Under Barracks
The miners resume their routine
(+4 Materials mined at Depth 2 (+6)
(+4 Trade Goods mined at Depth 2 (+6)
(+4 Materials gathered from the Underground Forest)
(26 Materials/30 Trade Goods)

2/2 Heretic 2022/09/13(Tue)23:40 No. 1043739 ID: 2eaeea
File 166313763582.png - (88.89KB , 873x884 , BuildIcon.png )

We interested in building anything? Here are the schematics we have again, along with what traps and barricades we could make if we had forges
-UNIT ROOMS-
Barracks (8 Materials): Houses 10 Soldiers OR Gunners (They always get into arguments when they're in the same room for some reason)
Cannon Outpost (10 Materials): Houses up to 2 Cannons
Forge (15 Materials + 7 Trade Goods): Allows Traps to be made and can house 1 Cannon
Mason (20 Materials): Allows Barricades to be made
Kennel (5 Materials): Can hold 1 captured monster or 5 Hounds

-UNITS-
Soldier (5 Trade Goods): Strength 5
Gunners (5 Trade Goods): Strength 3; Ranged
Hound (5 Trade Goods): Strength 3; Can move 2 spaces per round
Cannon (30 Trade Goods): Strength 30; Ranged; Can only be fired once per combat

-BUFFING ROOMS-
Dorms (5 Materials): Increases the maximum number of units each connected room can house by 50%
Hospital (10 Materials + 10 Trade Goods): 1 Troop of your choice defeated while on the same row as a Hospital is revived at full STR after combat.
Kitchen (8 Materials): Units in a room connected to a Kitchen get 50% STR during combat.
Overseer's Office (15 Materials): Any trade goods mined when exploring in the same column as an Overseer’s Office are worth double.
Storehouse (20 Materials): Rooms built on this floor cost 1/2 the build resources (does not effect trade good costs.

-TRAPS-
(Require a Forge to make. Once tripped cost 5 resources per trap level to reset. Level 3 Traps are impassable to your troops)
Damage Traps (20 Materials): Any trap that does STR damage falls under this category. Deals 10 damage per level. Starts at level 1, upgraded at a cost of 20Materials per level to a max level of 3.
Stopping Traps (15 Materials): Stops an enemy’s movement in the room containing the trap for a number of rounds equal to the trap’s level. Starts at level 1, upgraded at a cost of 15 Resources per level to a max level of 3.

-BARRICADE-
(Require a Mason to make)
Defensive Barricades (10 Trade Goods) Each level of a defensive barricade has 50 strength. Barricades cannot attack, but enemies must destroy it to pass through. Starts at level 1, upgraded at a cost of 10 Trade Goods per level. Defensive Barricades block line of sight for ranged units and can be used to stop gas and liquid from spreading.
Offensive Barricades (20 Trade Goods) Each level of an offensive barricade has 20 Strength. Like defensive barricades, enemies must destroy it to pass through but take damage equal to the barricade’s strength. Starts at level 1, upgraded at a cost of 20 Trade Goods per level. Offensive Barricades do not block line of sight for ranged units and do not stop gas or liquid.
Secret Passage (50 Trade Goods) These special barricades will allow your dwarves to pass through the hold while keeping your enemy’s options limited. However, be aware that enemies with TRUESIGHT can use these passages. These barricades only have 10 strength and cannot be upgraded.

>>1043738
>Lot of romance involved questions there. Didn't know oracle orbs where into that.
It's probably only us that's into that, since we've got a crack on us.

Also, if you want any romantic help, we'd be willing to give you some advice on that!

>>1043739
>build?
Let's add a hospital in the new room under the Barracks.

It's under the barracks, so build a Dorms or Kitchen.

build a kitchen in the space we just dug out, then dig left from there and build some dorms so we can get some more solders as well as gunners the turn after so we can have 10 each.

Build a dorm under the barracks then recruit enough gunners to fill the barracks.

Be careful how you build stuff - you want to funnel beasties and other harmful things into traps and corridors where your troops can have the range on 'em. Having a bunch of potential pathways for the enemy to take could be bad as it may split your troops, rather than allow them to bunch.

Agree with plan Build Dorms beneath barracks + recruit more gunners.

A thing a bunch of gunners would stack well with is, say, getting a Forge and creating a hallway with Stopping Traps. Guess that'd be a plan for level 3 now though, given that we've already put two holes from level 2 up to 1, making it harder to funnel.

Dig right from kennel.

>>1043771
Agree with everything here!

1/2 Heretic 2022/09/14(Wed)14:30 No. 1043780 ID: 2eaeea
File 166319101723.png - (940.00KB , 2653x1060 , New Dorms.png )

>if you want any romantic help, we'd be willing to give you some advice on that!
"Yes I'm sure you give quality advice. I could shake a magic 8 ball and get twice the useful tips with half the headache."

>Build Dorms
The builders get to work. More basic sleeping quarters are constructed, nothing too exciting.
-5 Materials
(21 Materials/30 Trade Goods)

>Hire Gunners
5 More gunners have been recruited
-25 Trade Goods
21 Materials/5 Trade Goods

>Mine right of Kennel
Miners dig out the space next to the kennel, notably none of the miners who discovered the fire wasps in the first place decided to show up.
8 Trade Goods mined at depth 2 (10)
6 Materials mined at depth 2 (8)
2 Materials gathered from the underground forest
31 Materials/15 Trade Goods

2/2 Heretic 2022/09/14(Wed)14:30 No. 1043781 ID: 2eaeea
File 166319104145.png - (1.01MB , 1500x1060 , Forest.png )

Hezug heads to the underground forest to convene with Nozek and Bozbun. Nozek is swinging from the vines and branches of the trees.
Hey you two…Havin' fun up there Nozek?
Haha! Yes! This forest is wonderful! Alas! Shame it's losing it's usefulness
We pulled the last of the loose materials outta the forest, pullin' any more would damage the trees. I'd say it's worth it though.
No! No! I say we keep it!
We can't jus' keep it fer yer playground wildman. If we dug it up we'd have a nice 20 units of building materials and enough left over to make a Stockpile to expand our resource storage with.
It wouldn't just be a playground! Another kennel! The animals would love this place! I have a deal set up right now. A friend can get me some nicely trained Hounds! A full pack of 5! But it's gotta be somewhere nice, and this place fits the bill! We'd keep the tree, build around them, perfect!
A full stockpile's more important than some mutts
Not mutts brick head! pure breed, healthy hounds we'd have to be insane not to take that!

Nozek and Bozbun bicker back and forward as to what to do with the forest.
Hmm…I'll let you think about this one orb, which do you think is the better option?
Talking to a funny glass ball? Been there friend.

We can place a stockpile anywhere else. Destroying the place sounds like a waste. we can place a stockpile to the left of Herzog's office and place a new kennel for the hounds in the forest.

What can the hounds do, exactly? I would guess that they are great for scouting, using them to attack beasts and, well, people like dogs! The moral would improve.

>>1043781
Hounds are good means more Claw/Tooth Rip/Tear Flesh/Soil between gunners and the Beast below, nubrum you remind me of the creature called owl who inhabit the ring of pain but you bare not there false smile, mammal or foul where do you lay,in hay hatch in thatch or something else

>>1043781
Put a Kitchen in the forest instead, and build another Barracks below it, connected to the Dorms. Get both bonuses, on two barracks!

we do have a good amount of material already so the kennel may be the better option at this time.

>>1043790
This is the smart plan.

But if we must choose - the kennel.

Heretic 2022/09/14(Wed)17:14 No. 1043810 ID: 2eaeea
File 166320085607.png - (1.04MB , 2653x1060 , Hounds.png )

>Kennel + Hounds
Cages and houses are built in the forest, many of the huts are built in the trees connected by rope bridges so the animals had plenty of space. After construction the five hounds are moved in.

Yes! Oh it's perfect! This forest is too beautiful to get rid of! And look at these beauties! Some of the finest hounds I've seen in my life! Powerful creatures.
They're sure to come in handy, and I can't say I hate dogs
I can
Hush! You couldn't appreciate beauty if it bit you on the leg
If one of them things DOES bite me on the leg Nozek I'll make it your damned problem.
OKAY! calm it you two, let's just keep working and try to stay out of each other's hair alright?

Hezug returns to his office
Jeez. Alright! Where to next orb? Don't forget we can still mine to the left on the first layer, and there's that empty cavern right next to my office we can use if we want too.
Also I think since we're going deeper I can convince Bozbun to give us some more room schematics. If you guys think we're ready for that. I know we'll definitely need 'em later.

>>1043810
Mine LEFT of bee kennel. We’ll go down and do a u-turn there to get our ranged killing corridor.

Build a forge next to your office. A cannon there (once we can buy it) will let us cover the exit with a last-minute shot, plus allow us to buy traps.

The dipper we go, the more dangerous it will get. I say we build a Hospital. We'll need it sooner or later.

Not sure we need a hospital or more room schematics yet. Let's mine left, then assess.

>>1043810
Awww, they're adorable! Can we pet one, please?

>>1043822
Yeah, I agree with this.

1/2 Heretic 2022/09/14(Wed)20:25 No. 1043833 ID: 2eaeea
File 166321230929.png - (1.19MB , 2653x1060 , Bad Magic.png )

>Mine LEFT of bee kennel.
The miners dig at the stone, still very hesitant of the hive of bee's not too far from them
8 Materials mined at Depth 2
41 Materials/15 Trade Goods
We're almost at capacity on Materials boss. We'd need a Stockpile to hold more. If our trade goods get too full we'll need a Treasury to hold them too.

Treasury (20 Materials) Increase your maximum trade good supply by 50. If you have more than 100 trade goods in your supply there's a small chance to attract hostile creatures every turn .
Stockpile (20 Materials) Increase your maximum build material supply by 50. if you have more than 100 resources inyour supply there's a small chance to attract hostile creatures every turn.

In the cavern, a miner's pick strikes the ground and hits something aside from cold dirt. His pickaxe seems to have uncapped a small golden urn, a voice inside leaks out and speaks to the miner.
:URN: "One wish…One wish for whoever released me from my tomb~"

The miner quickly scoops up the urn
:MINER: "Wh-Really! Oh man then…I-I wish to be rich! I want wealth! My weight in gold!
:URN:: "Soooo you've wished it…SO SHALL IT BE~"

The urn erupts in a flash of red light, cracking the cavern's walls and causing stalactites to fall in the havoc.

2/2 Heretic 2022/09/14(Wed)20:25 No. 1043834 ID: 2eaeea
File 166321233717.png - (1.42MB , 2653x1060 , Bad Magic 2.png )

Other miner's are drawn to the noise, but all they find is a statue made of solid gold resembling one of their co-workers holding an empty urn. A few are worried, but more notice how valuable to hunk of gold looks, it's quickly thrown with the rest of the precious ores without a second thought.

The voice once in the urn now free, uninterested in the hold or the farlands, the wisps of malevolent magic snake their way out into the ether never to be seen again
30 Trade Goods collected from an odd statue
41 Materials/45 Trade Goods

Wow! That's a lot of gold! Lucky for us huh?
Yup.
Anyway, anything we ought to build?

WAIT NO KEEP THE STATUE ITS OUR FRIEND

NO, BEFRIEND THE STATUE

Also, let's get a defensive barricade up now, so we don't have to use it in an emergency later. Put it where enemies are likely to be forced through.

>>1043834
Stockpile next to the office and mine to the left of the first layer so we have a place for a treasury

>>1043864
Do this

>>1043860
Would need a mason to build those!

Perhaps we should pump out the water to the right to use as secure storage. Forge/mason perhaps, too.
Does a pump use a whole room, or is it an add-on similar to the barricades?

Overall, though, would suggest a storehouse, perhaps to the left of the fire wasps, plus 5 gunners.

Hire 5 more gunners and build a hospital to the right of the wasp kennel in case they are hurt in a fight. And then let's dig down from the wasp kennel.

>>1043834
That gold statue is your miners body so keep it as a warning to stupid miners stealing what they are hired to dig up and making stupid wishes

the gold statue is one of your miners that found a curse object and touched it without a second thought. Probably should tell your workers not to touch magic things they don't know what they do, especially if they talk to them and offer deals.

As for what to do next... build that stockpile right next to your office and maybe start working on pumping out the water in the rooms next to the kennel so we have more space to build things.

Let's not look a curling monkey paw in the hand and just use the gold. And we don't need stockpiles if we use our resources up - it's when we start gaining more than we can keep we should create extra storage. Don't think we're quite there yet.

Dig DOWN from the leftmost level 2 chamber.

BUILD a Forge (-15 materials, -7 trade Goods) in the leftmost Level 1 chamber. Purchase a CANNON (-30 Trade Goods) and put it in the Forge. One miner's life = one cannon, huh. Law of not-so-equivalent exchange, I suppose. That cannon can help save a lot more lives, certainly.

Build a Stopping Trap (-15 Materials) in the empty room just below the Exit. For... reasons. Just trust me on this.

>>1043880
Yeah I agree with this.

1/2 Heretic 2022/09/15(Thu)14:24 No. 1043905 ID: 2eaeea
File 166327708699.png - (1.22MB , 2653x1060 , Gold.png )

>WAIT NO KEEP THE STATUE ITS OUR FRIEND
I mean I get it's a very life-like statue but-

>That gold statue is your miners body so keep it as a warning to stupid miners stealing what they are hired to dig up and making stupid wishes
>the gold statue is one of your miners that found a curse object and touched it without a second thought.
Ah…That's unfortunate. Yes, I'll make sure the miner's understand the dangers of magic items…That being said? This statue is solid gold all the way through: A; It's too valuable not to use, B; I'm certain this miner is no longer alive…

Hezug clasps his hands over his heart and tilts his head upward
May you walk with the sisters now friend.

A meeting is called with the miners, the dangers of magic is talked about and a warning is given to all workers. Hopefully they understand and listen, in this instance it wasn't too bad, but a poor move in the future could spell further disaster not just for the poor soul who stumbles on bad magic, but for the whole fort.

>1 for Hospital/ 1 for Storehouse/ 2 for Forge/ 3 for Build Stockpile
(-20 Build Materials)
More room for stone and metal. Crates hold brick and clay, and cranes haul loads of materials up and into storage rooms.

>Hire 5 gunners
(-25 Trade Goods)
5 More gunners are brought into the barracks, the rooms now full.

>Drain Empty chamber
(-5 Trade Goods)
The builders get to work, the cavern has been drained and the entrance to the river refurbished so no more flooding will occur.
(21 Materials/15 Trade Goods)

2/2 Heretic 2022/09/15(Thu)14:25 No. 1043906 ID: 2eaeea
File 166327710859.png - (1.32MB , 2653x1060 , Ancient Library.png )

>Barricades and Traps
We lack the Forge or Mason to make those, though I do think making those as we go on will be very important

>Does a pump use a whole room, or is it an add-on similar to the barricades?
A pump is a room and requires a whole space, however to drain a room we simply need to spend 5 Trade Goods

>2 for Dig Left/ 3 for Dig Down
>1 for Beneath Wasp Kennel/ 2 for Beneath leftmost Empty Chamber

As miners dig down, they soon find their picks are no longer digging away rock and begin to hit tiles. As they break through further they find the ruins of an old building. Shelves of tattered books line the room, many still stand, but the books on the shelves are tattered. Worn and disintegrated pages and scrolls litter the floor and are strewn over large stone tables.

A miner approaches an interesting looking book and reaches out to inspect it before his partner stops him, reminding him of the danger out touching unknown artifacts in the caves and swearing she could feel an arcane energy lingering in the room. The miners done with their task retreat to the upper levels

WOAH! There must be whole books worth of lost information in this ruin! Let me decipher the sigils and the carvings, I've been studying the Farlander runes and I'm fairly certain-
Hezug. Ya just talked about how touchin' weird magic stuff could be bad.
But-
Brick head's right Hezy. It'd be a bit silly if you went touchin' everything down there after warning everyone.
Oh come on! It might be useful to us! Right? Orb, come on. I mean think of the benefits! All the stuff we could learn! And the magic could be beneficial too!

Researching the ancient library has a 50% chance of causing Good Magic and a 50% chance of causing Bad Magic and can only be done once.

well from what I can sense, you basically got a coin flip. Something good MIGHT happen, but you have the same odds for something bad happening. But seeing how we're in a good spot right now it might not be a bad idea to check it out now then wait until we're dealing with something else or running out of resources and try and get desperate. Just make sure you have some solders nearby incase shit does hit the fan.

You must poke the magic books. They are not weird magical artifacts, they are just books. Maybe read a passage or two aloud, just to get a feel for the contents. And it will prove to Nozek and Bozbun that it's safe.
Beside, you have studied this stuff and you are smart and also knowledgeable. What could go wrong?
Nothing is what could go wrong. Poke the books.

READ THE BOOKS READ THE BOOKS

nothing/everything could go wrong!!

Heretic 2022/09/15(Thu)15:21 No. 1043912 ID: 2eaeea
File 166328048514.png - (1.29MB , 2653x1060 , MAgic Book.png )

>Research
Hezug excitedly pours over books, scrolls, and stone tablets. Other scholarly Nubru join him in his studies. Hezug reads through pages and pages of runes and sigils, managing to translate multiple texts into notes and journals. Many of the writings speak of an ancient horror that waits below, a squirming mass of decaying god flesh that seeks to rend the world with the fury of a mortal and the power of a god.

As the books are studied, their latent magic is revealed.

GOOD MAGIC
Pick a Troop

>>1043912
Doggos.

Using the magic in the hounds does sound interesting. I guess it's a random boon. Yea sure, as long as we take advantage of the hounds, let's buff them.

Beeees!

Bees!

Hm...
B.

Wasps!

Heretic 2022/09/15(Thu)22:53 No. 1043932 ID: 2eaeea
File 166330760935.png - (1.63MB , 1500x1060 , Good Magic.png )

>Fire Wasps
The fire wasps' hive begins to glow, before the number of wasps in the hive nearly doubles in size. The hive's strength increases with it's new numbers

Well that was not only completely worth it, but it actually went our way! I told you guys you'd have nothing to worry about
I do like that we have more fire wasps.
Y'know we could probably jus' build libraries instead of diving into old ruins like that.
Not the same! Rows of lost lexicons unearthed from the ground is the exact reason I wanted to do this!...But yeah I'll take building library's too.

Library(15 Materials) After building causes a Good Magic effect to activate. Each Library can house 5 Mages.
Mage (7 Trade Goods): 4 Strength, Ranged

Also! I found some more writings about the Dead God! A lot of it's illegible, but I did pick something up about a malignant source of hate and terror born from the god corpse's rotting flesh that if released will try to end us all.
Hez, do you think it's possible to not sound so excited about deep horrors that we're digging toward?
Sorry, when I read about ancient lore I get excited, even if it's relevant to our possible demise
Please just tell us t' dig or build somethin'

Uh, speaking of possible demises, how much magic can you pump into something before it becomes sapient? Because for some reason I’m getting some static noise that kind of sounds like a prophecy about bee people. Probably just lingering magic messing with the crack.

>>1043932
Dig RIGHT from ancient library. No build.

Let's dig down from the hive. We have a lot of ranged units, they need clear line of sight. Digging down from the hive allows us to station the gunners in your office and shoot at whatever is coming twice, once before they reach the wasps and once when they engage the wasps. That's 45 more damage.
Let's also build a hospital to the right of the wasps, to keep them healthy.

>>1043932
I still want to dig to the left of the storeroom so we can put in a treasury

Build a Forge above the Ancient Library, and Dig Right from the very same to under the bees.

How funny your hunger for gold to harvest the miners flesh they have not died as the body is perfectly preserved as what never decays

1/2 Heretic 2022/09/16(Fri)14:44 No. 1043970 ID: 2eaeea
File 166336469917.png - (1.09MB , 1500x1060 , Smith.png )

>Build?
Hmm…Doesn't seem like any of you can agree. Well, I'd hate to waste time not building anything at all. How about I pick? I personally think the Forge will do us some good.
(-15 Material/ -7 Trade Goods)
6 Materials/13 Trade Goods)

The forge may possibley be one of the more difficult work spaces for the builders to make, a lot more heavy machinery for the furnaces and anvils are carried down and constructed. The heat inside the forge was intense, as it needs to be to process the metal for traps and cannons.

Hezug walks down to the Forge and inspects the facilities. With the intense heat and loud sounds he makes a note not to pass through here if he can help it. A nubru woman works at one of the forges hammering away at the ore, She stops when Hezug walks past.
Yo! Boss! I didn't get a chance to chat when we were getting' the place set up. Name's Kamev, and I'm the blacksmith captain
Nice to meet you Kamev! Glad they sent someone down with more experience, I was worried Bozbun would be have to lead the forges, I don't think he'd do well in the heat.
Yeah, heat's no big deal to me though. Speakin' of heat, is it true we're gonna be gonna be running into horrible monsters that could rip our guts out and super murder us?
Uh, yes. The deeper we go the worse it'll get, that won't be a problem will it?
No! I'm into it! When we get to makin' kill corridors and cannons those fuckers won't know what hit em!
I appreciate the enthusiasm. I look forward to working with you
Right on.

2/2 Heretic 2022/09/16(Fri)14:45 No. 1043971 ID: 2eaeea
File 166336475852.png - (1.70MB , 2653x1060 , Emerald Cavern.png )

>They have not died as the body is perfectly preserved as what never decays
They turned into a solid pile of gold, that seems like dying to me.

>Dig Right from Ancient Library
The miners look for a good spot to dig into in the ancient library and begin to work. As the rock is excavated a miner stumbles across something shiny glimmering in the rock. An emerald sticks out from wall, and as the miners continue they find more and more until they break through into a cavern full of the gems. An emerald cavern has been discovered, the miners quickly get to work harvesting the cavern.

At the beginning of each turn before exploration, the emerald cave will generate Trade Goods + Depth. There's a small chance for the cave to be exhausted as it's being mined
The emerald cave is affected by the Overseer's office above it

Lucky find. We better get as much outta that cave as possible.
We'd need a place to put all of it first though. I'd hate to lose track of any goods that aren't in our reserve
Oh! That reminds me! I was supposed to give you guys a message when I came here! I got to excited with my new forge and almost forgot. The Capitol says you guys are open to trading any excess good you have
Good way t' get more materials or goods If we need 'em.
Right? Also note to self: Trap that shoots emerald shards. That's a winner.

Resources can be traded 2 to 1 (2 Materials for 1 Trade good or vice versa)
Trading's a good resource to have, but it's probably for the best if we only do it when we need. After all, it is still a loss in materials. Anyway, you know our next move orb? If you can't decide on what to build this time I'll pass on making anything, might help us save up resources.
Just know I won't pass up on digging if there's no choice, expansion is our obligation after all

Emerald under Overseer's office? Lucky!

Dig Right from emerald area! Build nothing. You need to save up for clever investments.

Build Nothing, obviously. We only have enough for a kennel, and one full unit is enough for now.

Let's not press our luck too much while resources are low: Dig left of the Storeroom. But if you're out of horizontal space, dig right from the Dorms instead.

Build nothing, dig left of storeroom

1/2 Heretic 2022/09/16(Fri)20:54 No. 1043985 ID: 2eaeea
File 166338689452.png - (1.77MB , 2665x1060 , Cavern.png )

>Left of Stockpile
8 Emeralds (x2 from Overseer) mined at Depth 3 (+19 Trade Goods)
5 Build Materials mined at Depth 1 (+6 Build Materials)
12 Materials/32 Trade Goods)

The miner's learn an important lesson as they dig: Never relax in the tunnels, A miner nearly falls down a large cavern.

2/2 Heretic 2022/09/16(Fri)20:55 No. 1043986 ID: 2eaeea
File 166338690510.png - (1.74MB , 2665x1060 , Mail.png )

A courier stops by the hold carrying mail for the workers and soldiers, messages of well wishes from friends and family hoping them the best in their dangerous job. A letter comes for Hezug as well; A message from the commander of thr 65th Iiavell Fleet Gezol Zhromor, Hezug's older brother.

Salutations Hezug

I heard of the success you had with the expedition. Congratulations on exploring the Southern country, and for your new role as Hold Foreman. Unbelievable that after all these years you'd end up running the hold and I'd be out on ships; Father was so certain it'd be the other way around. You've been practicing your swordsmanship right? Say yes even if it's a lie, the idea of you crawling around out in the wilds of the southern far-lands waving your sword like a pus-lapper waves it's tounge sends a shiver down my spine. What would auntie Hovun think if you were still behind?

Anyway, I did not send this note purely to catch up. I don't know if you caught the news all the way out there but the negotiations on borderlands didn't go as smoothly as we had hoped. War has been avoided but we can't be sure for how long. The Yisnan continue to make wild demands, and though we've managed to quell them for now tensions still remain high. Recently they've demanded we move our border in a way that gives up The Sisters' Steps; we haven't moved it yet, but we all worry they'll make that very same demand again next time, and we aren't sure if next we'll be able to end negotiations peacefully.

Our fleets have only been used to hunt and stave off sea monsters, though we're well equipped the Yisnan have experience in naval battles with other ships that we lack. Allies from over shores are helping us run drills and provide supplies, but the senate believe that the treasure of the "god grave" will be necessary to ensure complete victory. Personally? I don't think it's a real thing, but I do know holds like yours are necessary for valuable ores and other supplies. I'm not as worried about the hunt for a myth as I am about keeping our forces strong. I know how you can get when you're stressed, but I think we both know our positions would supply us a great deal of worry when we took them. Keep up the good work Hezug, practice your blade arts for sisters' sake, and stay safe, and who knows? Maybe you will stumble upon this so called god grave, if anyone in the world would do it it'd be a Zhromor that's for sure. I'll send more letters.

May the sisters' guide you.
Gezol

Man, I almost forgot about the borderland situation. Just more reason to keep working!...Damn I have been slacking on my swordsmanship.

Sounds like we might want to dig down a bit more often than we are currently. For instance, we can dig down from the crystal cavern.

Mason time! We gotta grt some defenses up.

>>1043986
Build a treasury to the right of the forrest/kennel
Dig to the right of the dorm

>>1043986
So your people and the Yisnan seem to have a turbulent history, to say the least...

Build a treasury to the right of the dog kennel, it's out of the way of things from the deep.
Dig down from the ancient library so any creature going up won't damage the emerald cavern on their way.
Is it possible to build a door between the library and the big cavern? We could maybe build an elevator in there?
And ask Kamev or Nozek if they want to train with you.

If we can afford it, build a Treasury to the right of the hounds' Kennel and commission a Cannon for the Forge.

If we need to up our timetable, let's Dig Down from the Ancient Library. Maybe start moving all units toward the new breach, just in case.

... Say, Bozbun, what can we do with a super tall chamber? Maybe something that can't be done with just one space of verticality? Got any special/unique projects like that?

>>1043999
...Like a rocket? :3

>>1044001
... How the Hell do we build that? Does that technology even exist in this world?

I wouldn't count too much on th grave. The power that we are looking for might be corrupted beyond our expectations. But, the resources and the knowledge that we find here might help in the front. Maybe creating new tecnologies might help too.

1/2 Heretic 2022/09/17(Sat)16:44 No. 1044031 ID: 2eaeea
File 166345826035.png - (409.84KB , 1500x1060 , Yisnan.png )

>So your people and the Yisnan seem to have a turbulent history, to say the least…
It's hardly a history. I'd say the issue started fairly recently, within the last few years. Yisna was a neighboring kingdom of the Hubork empire, the empire we had fled from, who had part of their territory seized by the Hubork. The Yisnan became part of The West Alliance, a collection of other nations who wanted the Empire gone, and took down Hubork. Afterwards they decided to split up Hubork's territories among themselves.
Now the Far-lands were NOT part of Hubork's territory, but the Yisnan made the claim that since the Huborks were targeting it next it counted. So, the Yisnan got ready to take it, but decided to invade the Lonamel Isles first, under the guise that there could be Hubork loyalists there, and that…took them a while. It took them so long that we Nubru had already settled a good portion of the Far-lands, and by the time they had finished the Lonamel invasion they'd learned that we were here.
The rest of the Western Alliance isn't sure where they sit on the matter. They were fine with Lonamel's invasion due to the possible Hubork presence, but there's no good excuse to try to push into here. We've been trying to negotiate with the Yisnan for a while, but they've been getting more hostile. It seems soon they'll disregard what their alliance thinks and just attempt an invasion anyway.

>And ask Kamev or Nozek if they want to train with you.
Kamev seems like she's more interested in cannonry and trap making than sword fighting. Nozek would make a better partner but he's pretty rough when we're sparring. I'll consider asking him later.

2/2 Heretic 2022/09/17(Sat)16:44 No. 1044032 ID: 2eaeea
File 166345827157.png - (2.28MB , 2665x1306 , Emerald Cavern 2.png )

3 Emeralds (x2 Overseer's Office) gathered from crystal cave at Depth 3 (9)
12 Materials/41 Trade Goods)

>Build Treasury
Treasury cost: (20 Build Materials)
Current resources:(12 Build Materials)
"We lack the resources to build that room."

>Say, Bozbun, what can we do with a super tall chamber? Maybe something that can't be done with just one space of verticality? Got any special/unique projects like that?
"A couple 'a facilities do need more room, The museum and the temple. We could also use it for an elevator, or slap a drawbridge over it if we wanna keep movin' to th' right."

MUSEUM (50 Materials + 50 Trade Goods) (2 Grid Spaces): After defeating an enemy there is a 1 in 4 chance an trophy will be added to the museum to commemorate your victory and gain +10 STR against that type of enemy (Beasts, Undead, Constructs, etc.) in future combats. Each Museum can house four of these trophies.

TEMPLE (20 Materials + 20 Trade Goods) (2 Grid Spaces): Choose the temples purpose: Protection or Purity. A Temple of Protection allows you to pay 5 Trade Goods and place a Shield with 20 Strength on a unit or Troop. A Temple of Purity allows you to ignore a Bad Magic result by trapping it within the temple. Temples can house three Clerics and need at least one Cleric to activate their effects. If all the Clerics of a Temple of Purity are defeated, the trapped Bad Magic is released on the hold.

ELEVATOR (5 Materials): Instantly move units up or down the elevator’s length. Enemies take 2 rounds per grid to ascend an Elevator shaft

DRAWBRIDGE (15 Materials): When you build a drawbridge, it is open. During combat, you may close the drawbridge to prevent enemies from crossing. Enemies take 50 STR of damage for every open grid space they fall should the drawbridge close while they’re in its grid space.

>Dig down from library
The emerald vein was bigger than first thought, another crystal cavern was uncovered.
"Too lucky, other shoes gonna drop eventually."
"I'm more worried about where we're gonna keep it all. We can't be build that treasury yet."
"I'mma just save us the headache and trade any excess wealth we gain for building materials."

M A S O N

Heretic 2022/09/17(Sat)19:20 No. 1044044 ID: 2eaeea
File 166346765820.png - (88.89KB , 873x884 , BuildIcon.png )

>>1044043
-CURRENT RESOURCES-
(12 Materials/41 Trade Goods)

-UNIT ROOMS-
Barracks (8 Materials): Houses 10 Soldiers OR Gunners (They always get into arguments when they're in the same room for some reason)
Cannon Outpost (10 Materials): Houses up to 2 Cannons
Forge (15 Materials + 7 Trade Goods): Allows Traps to be made and can house 1 Cannon
Mason (20 Materials): Allows Barricades to be made
Kennel (5 Materials): Can hold 1 captured monster or 5 Hounds
Library (15 Materials): After building, cause a Good Magic effect to take place. Can house 5 Mages

-UNITS-
Soldier (5 Trade Goods): Strength 5
Gunners (5 Trade Goods): Strength 3; Ranged
Hound (5 Trade Goods): Strength 3; Can move 2 spaces per round
Cannon (30 Trade Goods): Strength 30; Ranged; Can only be fired once per combat
Mages (7 Trade Goods: Strength 4; Ranged

-BUFFING ROOMS-
Dorms (5 Materials): Increases the maximum number of units each connected room can house by 50%
Hospital (10 Materials + 10 Trade Goods): 1 Troop of your choice defeated while on the same row as a Hospital is revived at full STR after combat.
Kitchen (8 Materials): Units in a room connected to a Kitchen get 50% STR during combat.
Overseer's Office (15 Materials): Any trade goods mined when exploring in the same column as an Overseer’s Office are worth double.
Storehouse (20 Materials): Rooms built on this floor cost 1/2 the build resources (does not effect trade good costs.)
Treasury (20 Materials: Increase your maximum trade good supply by 50. If you have more than 100 trade goods in your supply there's a small chance to attract hostile creatures every turn .
Stockpile (20 Materials): Increase your maximum build material supply by 50. if you have more than 100 resources inyour supply there's a small chance to attract hostile creatures every turn.
Museum (50 Materials + 50 Trade Goods) (2 Grid Spaces): After defeating an enemy there is a 1 in 4 chance an trophy will be added to the museum to commemorate your victory and gain +10 STR against that type of enemy (Beasts, Undead, Constructs, etc.) in future combats. Each Museum can house four of these trophies.
Temple (20 Materials + 20 Trade Goods) (2 Grid Spaces): Choose the temples purpose: Protection or Purity. A Temple of Protection allows you to pay 5 Trade Goods and place a Shield with 20 Strength on a unit or Troop. A Temple of Purity allows you to ignore a Bad Magic result by trapping it within the temple. Temples can house three Clerics and need at least one Cleric to activate their effects. If all the Clerics of a Temple of Purity are defeated, the trapped Bad Magic is released on the hold.

-INFRASTRUCTURE ROOMS-
Pump (8 Materials): Liquid cannot move through or damage this room. A Pump can be activated to flood if desired
Elevator (5 Materials): Instantly move units up or down the elevator’s length. Enemies take 2 rounds per grid to ascend an Elevator shaft
Drawbridge (15 Materials): When you build a drawbridge, it is open. During combat, you may close the drawbridge to prevent enemies from crossing. Enemies take 50 STR of damage for every open grid space they fall should the drawbridge close while they’re in its grid space.

-TRAPS-
(Require a Forge to make. Once tripped cost 5 resources per trap level to reset. Level 3 Traps are impassable to your troops)
Damage Traps (20 Materials): Any trap that does STR damage falls under this category. Deals 10 damage per level. Starts at level 1, upgraded at a cost of 20 Materials per level to a max level of 3.
Stopping Traps (15 Materials): Stops an enemy’s movement in the room containing the trap for a number of rounds equal to the trap’s level. Starts at level 1, upgraded at a cost of 15 Resources per level to a max level of 3.

I think an elevator would be a strong investment in that deep gap. We can have it act as the centerpiece of our mining operations and build defenses around it. Once the crystal mines run out, we can set up defenses there. This means any tribals on the third and fourth rows will be forced to slog through a deathtrap, followed by either a long haul up a disabled elevator out of greed, which you can slowly reinforce with your main army, or up across the forge at which point they'll be overconfident with new weaponry as it isn't exactly designed to fight 40 STR points of flaming hornets.

But we don't have enough supplies, so let's just buy that cannon. It'll let us take on more risk, and it's easily in defense range of the hornets.

Hmm, if we build a pump next to the river, how far away can we flood rooms? If we start digging down from that room, can we flood all rooms below it?

Seconded. Anything for home defense.

The elevator is great, if invaders are forced to use it we can safely shoot them while they climb.
If we dig down from the bottom of the elevator, does it extend it? And can we dig left or right of the elevator shaft without constructing a drawbridge?
Anyway, build an elevator and dig down from it. We can't dig from the emerald caverns until they are exhausted, it would be a shame to lose them.

>>1044048
Presumably the pump only floods the room it's put in - this is the underground but water will still drain, so flooding too much with one pump is not realistic - but it'd be nice to have clarification.

>Emerald luck
This is great! We'll get quite a bit each turn now until those veins are exhausted, so now's a good time to start prepping for disasters by stepping up your hiring. Unfortunately we don't have a lot of options thanks to the lack of Materials to build new rooms.

It's fair to say any Trade Good overflow should be swiftly traded for Materials until we have enough to build a Treasury (designated spot: right of the guard doggos) so we don't have to stress out over the valuable Trade Goods having to be converted straight to Materials without our say-so.

>wat do
Buy a Cannon for the Forge. Build nothing, save Materials.

I like the idea of making an elevator and getting defensive positions on the sides of it.

1/2 Heretic 2022/09/18(Sun)14:14 No. 1044090 ID: 2eaeea
File 166353564795.png - (1.86MB , 2665x1306 , New Cannon Smell.png )

>if we build a pump next to the river, how far away can we flood rooms? If we start digging down from that room, can we flood all rooms below it?
Liquids always flows out to the left or right two grid spaces, or down as far as it can through holes and stairwells, but note that miners will not want to dig while hostiles are roaming the halls of the mine.
>Elevator
(-5 Material)
The long cavern is turned into an elevator shaft, with the cab constructed and affixed to the top.
>If we dig down from the bottom of the elevator, does it extend it? And can we dig left or right of the elevator shaft without constructing a drawbridge?
It extends the shaft yes, and your miners can use the elevator to dig left or right of it without a drawbridge.

>We can't dig from the emerald caverns until they are exhausted, it would be a shame to lose them.
Well if you still want to fill out the hold we have plenty of empty space to the right to dig around.

>Cannons
-30 Trade Goods
Kamev gets to work building a cannon for her forge
"Mmm new cannon smell. This ones a powerful one. I can feel it. Yup, your name is Zozo big guy. You'll do very good."
"I'm sorry I couldn't make you shoot emerald cannon balls. Hezug said it was a 'waste of materials'."

(7 Materials/ 11 Trade Goods)

2/2 Heretic 2022/09/18(Sun)14:15 No. 1044092 ID: 2eaeea
File 166353573945.png - (2.27MB , 2665x1306 , The Greatest Show On Earth.png )

>Mine down from elevator shaft
9 (x2 Overseer bonus) Emeralds mined at depth 3 (+21 Trade Goods)
9 Emeralds mined at depth 4 (+13 Trade Goods)
10 Build Materials mined at depth 4 (+14 Trade Goods)
(21 Materials/ 45 Trade Goods)

The miners dig until they find something strange, a stair case dyed in bright colors leading downward. Many stay behind, but a few curious workers continue down the steps. As the nubru descend they begin to hear calliope music and smell cotton candy, only the music is distorted and the sweet smell is overwhelming almost sickening. At the bottom of the stairs there's circus; tent's, lights, and an odd pink haze that distorts what should be the cavern roof. From the tent laughter and screaming can be heard, and from the tent's entrance the miners see two bright eyes peer through the darkness and leer at them.

A few minutes later the miners run screaming from the cave, though nothing has followed them.

Circus of Chaos. This circus of fear and horror has a 1 in 4 chance of spawning a Creepy Clown (Strength 30; Truesight) at the end of every turn. The circus can be collapsed but requires 20 Trade Goods be sacrificed and a Cleric be sacrificed
"…Am I reading this report right? There's an 'Evil Circus' at the bottom of our elevator?"
"I can hear all the shit going down if I get close enough to the far wall of the forge. Whatever it is it's bad news for sure."
"If one of my hounds eats a demonic clown would it get sick?"
"Maybe, but it sure would taste-"
"Stop"
"It'd taste fu-
"You know I can fire you right?"
"You're no fun"
"Really bad time fer that you two, we need to do somethin' about th' well of horror at th' bottom of our elevator. Here's a schematic for buildin' shrines, we're gonna need a cleric if it get's bad."
---
Shrine 20 (Materials)When building a Shrine, you must also choose its purpose: Defense or Fortune. A Shrine of Defense counts as a level 3 trap your troops can safely pass. A Shrine of Fortune increases the value of all trade goods found by 3 .Shrines can house a single Cleric and need a Cleric to activate their effects.
Cleric (8 Trade Goods): Strength 1; Applies Strength 5 Shields to adjacent units for every cleric in troop
---
Well…nothing's come out of it just yet, and it's in a defensible position. I don't think we need to worry just yet, but getting ready to deal with it should be important. Also orb, note the connecting corridors and stair cases on the map, if you feel any rooms need to be connected you can make one without paying anything, though it will count for our build project of the day.

I think your miners were still panicking when they made their report, because it's a bit weird :
>10 Build Materials mined at depth 4 (+14 Trade Goods)
Did they find Build Materials or Trade Goods?
If it's Build Materials you should build that treasury next to the dog kennel.
I think you can leave that circus alone for now. If a clown comes out of it you should have enough time to haul the canon to the top of the elevator and shoot it.
Dig down from the empty room between the wasp kennel and the dorms to make room for a temple.

By the way, can a kennel contain a Creepy Clown? Because we have room and material enough to build one, and enough firepower to capture the thing.

We have just enough materials for a shrine and more than enough trade goods for a cleric. I say be build a shrine of defense to the west of the dorms and staff it up.

>>1044099
There's a thought. As it stands, we can wheel the cannon into the shaft (assuming it can be moved) and blast it whenever one appears. Right now, though, we need an answer to our growing surplus: Build a Treasury next to the flooded room. Also: Fill the Ancient Library with Mages.

Knock down a door between the Forge and the Elevator Shaft, and if that's a free action in terms of digging, dig left of the shaft's center.

>>1044092
I'm sure if those hounds ate a demonic clown, it'd taste funny. We should probably not encourage that, otherwise our hounds will start acting funny.

We better prepare ourselves in case there's any funny business!

Let's just remove this clown tent before it turns into a problem.
Build a shrine below the entrance, set it to Fortune (It won't exactly do much for defense; even if you were to open up the east wall, there's still a cleaner path across the overseer's office), and staff it with a cleric. Tax them to the limit to purify this crazy conspiracy and retire, and immediately hire a fresh cleric.

Dig to the left of the bottom of the mine shaft, and start from there. We'll work on digging the upper levels of the elevator once we can get some basic defenses and infrastructure plans ready.

Heretic 2022/09/18(Sun)21:29 No. 1044158 ID: 2eaeea
File 166356177680.png - (2.05MB , 2665x1306 , Treasury .png )

>Treasury
-20 Materials
Workers migrate armfuls of gems, gold, and other valuable unearthed artifacts to the new treasury. Watchmen keep look out over the hoards of treasure
No doubt when this thang get's full it'll attract thieves…or worse.

>Knock down a door between the Forge and the Elevator Shaft, and if that's a free action in terms of digging, dig left of the shaft's center.
"Creating a connector between two rooms takes up time building, since we already built the treasury we cannot make a connector. I'd also like to interject; keeping the elevator shaft as difficult to climb as possible may be important with that circus down there, it might be better to make a staircase from the forge to the stockpile so the cannons can be moved upward and over to the elevator and denying the clowns an easier way to ascend out of the shaft. "

>Dig down from the empty room between the wasp kennel and the dorms
10 (x2 Overseer bonus) Emeralds mined at depth 3 (+23 Trade Goods)
10 Emeralds mined at depth 4 (+14 Trade Goods)
5 Trade Goods mined at depth 3 (+8)
(1 Materials/ 90 Trade Goods)

The circus is not performing today

We may be low on Materials, but we can absolutely trade 40 Trade Goods for 20 Materials and make that shrine right away if we want to get rid of the circus right now; Then 16 Trade goods for 2 Clerics. 56 Trade goods might be a bit expensive but with the emeralds we're mining we can afford it, our Treasury is almost full again anyway.

>We may be low on Materials, but we can absolutely trade 40 Trade Goods for 20 Materials and make that shrine right away if we want to get rid of the circus right now; Then 16 Trade goods for 2 Clerics. 56 Trade goods might be a bit expensive but with the emeralds we're mining we can afford it, our Treasury is almost full again anyway.

Yes, let's do this. Banish the clown

Build a Fortune Cleric Shrine, you probably should have done that last turn.

1/2 Heretic 2022/09/19(Mon)00:19 No. 1044172 ID: 2eaeea
File 166357199491.png - (2.53MB , 2665x1306 , Coulrophobia .png )

>Build a Fortune Cleric Shrine, you probably should have done that last turn.
Hey even if a clown did arrive, cannons and gunner's would've been able to take It down. Sure we lost the opportunity to get some extra resources, but that isn't too bad.

The trades are made and the facilities are built and a cleric is hired (-56 Trade Goods).
The cleric takes a look at the circus and quickly gets to work. A ritual circle is made and precious gems and metals are placed in various patterns, the cleric begins to chant and dance, his body glowing with ethereal golden light. As the light grows and the cleric's movements speeds up he begins to float into the air; there's a flash, once the light fades the cleric sits breathing heavily on the ground. The circus is gone, reduced to ashes, but the cleric has lost his connection to the sisters. He weakly rises to his feet and leaves the hold, no longer able to provide his services

I was never very close to the work of clerics being out in the wild…do they really lose their ability to use magic after shutting down evil portals?
Yeah, but the capitol see's clerics using their powers in such ways as a very noble act. Lots of clerics view sacrificing their powers to destroy a evil as the pinnacle of their career. When I send a report back with the cleric named he'll no doubt be awarded.

Another cleric is hired and stationed in the shrine. All together the ordeal cost 76 Trade Goods
(1 Materials/20 Trade Goods)

2/2 Heretic 2022/09/19(Mon)00:20 No. 1044173 ID: 2eaeea
File 166357201904.png - (2.18MB , 2995x1306 , Sparing.png )

>Dig to the left of the bottom of the mine shaft
6 Emeralds (+3 Fortune Shrine) (x2 Overseer Bonus) mined at depth 3 (+21 Trade Goods)
6 Emeralds (+3 Fortune Shrine) Mined at depth 4 (+13 Trade Goods)
6 Build Materials mined at depth 3 (+9 Materials)
(10 Materials/54 Trade Goods)

Hezug and Nozek spar in his office.
"You footwork is slow! Keep you sword up! Don't aim at where I am, aim at where I'm going to be! You're not twisting your thrusts enough!"

Nozek having a spear gives him a clear advantage in the sparing, but you get the feeling even if he had a sword Hezug would still be floundering. In counting Hezug has been disarmed 10 times, tripped 5, and smacked with the spear haft 28 times. You have had a good view on the floor after Nozek knocked you over. Hezug's movements and footwork clearly shows signs of training, but are unrefined.
"Nozek isn't it unfair for you to have a spear?"
"Fightin' ain't fair Hezy! You'll no doubt be in many a confrontation where your opponent has the upper hand and you've just gotta deal with it!"
"But this is sparring! I'm just supposed to be practicing."
"There's no better way to practice than to get right into the tough stuff! That way when you get around to the easier drills they'll be a piece of cake, like when your parents threw you into the water as a hatchling and you had to swim or drown. It's great practice"
"My parents never-"

Hezug is cut of by a sweeping spear haft knocking him on his ass, he has now been tripped 6 times.
"This is fun! We should do this more, maybe next time I'll get a sword. Oh! I could ask the forge captain for a hammer"
"Please don't swing a hammer at me Nozek. Orb, can you use your infinite knowledge to give me some sort fighting pointers?"
"Asking the magic bowling ball for help is cheating. You will learn like many others before you have learned, by losing several fingers and sustaining a couple of flesh wounds"
"You just said fighting isn't fair."

>>1044173
Dig down at the bottom of the shaft. WE MUST GO DEEPER

Increase Elevator Shaft, add LV1 Barrier to the new room, then dig left of that.

Lower the elevator shaft down one (i.e. don't dig deeper than we already have)

You should consider building a proper training room. Or maybe a hospital...

Extend the elevator shaft and dig down !
Downward we go into the depths !
If extending the elevator don't take up our building project for the day you should refurbish the ancient library and hire mages, we have a lot of trade goods, it's a good time to recruit.

Ummm, here: https://www.wikihow.com/Win-a-Swordfight

Question: If we knock down a Connection between the Shrine and the Dorms, will the Cleric capacity jump to 2? (If not, extend the Elevator Shaft (assuming it's cheaper than building one from scratch).)

Also, fill the Ancient Library to total Mage capacity.

Dig Right from the Dorms.

As for sword-fighting... it seems you need more basic instruction before you take on spear!Nozek. Maybe him having a sword will be more your speed, but my true suggestion is maybe save Nozek's "advanced course" for after you can win against a normal Soldier at least semi-frequently.

>>1044173
I think we should be thinking more long term in how we dig.
I propose that in the future we only dig down to extened the elevator shaft and then dig to the right from the elevator to explore/prospect.
Also we should line the colum next to the elevator with things like kennels and barracks to ensure a swift response to anything that tries to come up.

Query: can we do things like build a second kennel and tranfer our firewasps, or are they stuck in their current room?

>>1044187
Oh yeah and:
Build an extension to the elevator
Dig to the right of the lower emrald cluster

>>1044173
Dig down from the kennel with the hounds.

>>1044173

>>1044182
Sword stuff, let's see...
Uh, ignoring the two handed grip, that seems about right. I'll add you should get a buckler/shield, knife, gauntlet, /anything/ other than wasting the off-hand.

And when you can, BRIGANDINE! By the Living and Dead, soldier and king both swear by it and monsters can't use guns. The sword is an extension of YOU, guarding yourself WILL make you a better fighter.

Oh, and uh dig down below the elevator too.

>Sword fight
Do you know how to dance? It's very similar to that. Yo dance matching the movements of the opponent, or partner in this case, never standing still. You move when he moves, he moves when you do.

You can use the "Fool's guard". You leave yourself completely open on purpose, waiting for the attack, and react to it.

When facing a spear, you have to close the distance. Take away the range advantage. Spears are long and clumsy up close.

Use your environment to your advantage. Muve around and find a convinient position, use pilars, chairs, tables to muve around. Look for uneven ground, rocks and other things liying around to trip your oponent.

And most important of all, fight dirty. Use low blows, hit hands, kick and punch your way to victory. My personal favorite? POCKET SAND.

>>1044188
This works. Shouldn't the elevator have expanded when the evil clown circus disappeared anyway?

Heretic 2022/09/19(Mon)14:47 No. 1044221 ID: 2eaeea
File 166362404806.png - (2.25MB , 2995x1635 , Mages.png )

>Ummm, here: wikihow.com/Win-a-Swordfight
W-what? What is this? What are these…things? Some sort of other worldly sword fighting handbook, what are these weird gangly creatures? I guess it is pretty interesting. I'll study over it when I have the time. Thanks for sharing orb.
>maybe save Nozek's "advanced course" for after you can win against a normal Soldier at least semi-frequently.
Yeah maybe I could find a soldier willing to spar

>>1044215
Alright, this all sounds pretty helpful! I'll keep all of this in mind while practicing, hell I might even keep sparring with Nozek to see if things go differently.

>Fill library with Mages
(-35 Trade Goods)
5 mages are hired and stationed in the library. The magic users obsess over the ancient library and the tomes on the shelves, the books are translated, reorganized, and stored safely; while the shelves are used to hold thaumaturgical journals and scrolls
>Extend Elevator shaft
Done.
>If we knock down a Connection between the Shrine and the Dorms, will the Cleric capacity jump to 2
Yes, builders construct a new corridor between the two areas. The Dorms and the Shrine are now connected.
>can we do things like build a second kennel and transfer our firewasps?
Yes, you can transfer any troop to any other troop housing as long as there's room.

>Mine down from elevator shaft
10 Emeralds (+3 Fortune Shrine) (x2 Overseer Bonus) mined at depth 3 (+29 Trade Goods)
10 Emeralds (+3 Fortune Shrine) Mined at depth 4 (+17 Trade Goods)
(10 Materials/65 Trade Goods)

A miner drops his pickaxe down the hole and hears a splash, an underground lake sits at the bottom of the elevator shaft.
Alright, so we've reached depth level five.
's that noteworthy?
Yes, at and past the fifth depth things can get more dangerous. Those texts I found at the ancient library mentioned we could run into "ancient monstrosities". Powerful things that could absolutely wreck our hold and break lose if we aren't prepared.
Oh! I'd love something to use some cannons on!
A couple of cannons won't keep us safe from these things if we end up meeting one. Traps, and possibley outside help may be necessary. We'll also be able to find ancient artifacts that could be useful to us beyond money from selling them.

Hire a second Cleric.

Dig right from the Dorms

If nothing shit-nasty appears there, build a Barracks on that new spot and fill it with Soldiers.

Dig down from the cavern below the temple.

Hire a second cleric
Use your wealth to construct a second shrine of fortune below the first (is there a bonus for chaining shrines?) and hire a third cleric.
Dig down from the dorms.

Let's hire another cleric now that the shrine has more room, and dig down from the room under the shrine. I was thinking we could build a museum to start accumulating trophies to help against those ancient monstrosities.

But if things are that dangerous deep down having this river in the way of our nice, defensible elevator is a problem. If we build a pump in the room left of the elevator, can we pump the water away? I don't suppose we can extend the elevator and kinda, you know, carefully lower the lift above the water to allow miners to mine to the right? Or maybe get them snorkels?
We can always go left and around the water I guess, but it will take a lot of time. At least it would leave room for traps.

Eh. Get a mason for barricades. Down from the shrine. Swap for materials to buy the building.
Fits the trade good surplus, though the primary benefit would be the offensive barricades.
Offensive barricades have extremely good synergy with ranged firepower, which we have quite a bit of.
Of particular value would be offensive barricades at the foyer, as well as the surrounding rooms. Plus the rooms to the right of the top of the elevator, as that's a kill-zone.
Should we have the ability to add barricades to the elevator levels... well, our gunners would probably quite like that setup. Oh, can we have barricades as well as traps built for a room, or is it exclusive?

Speaking of, the stockpile is exposed. Perhaps get a second one, so that the existing one can be replaced with a room for defense. Later, though.

For if we hit a powerful enemy, what if we had a pump to the left of the elevator to flood the lower levels? Just for emergencies. Sure, we'd have to drain a lot, but it beats losing the base.

I think we should expand on the 2nd level to make room for more units, before we run into anything dangerous on the 5th level.

THINGS WILL BECOME !FUN! NOW

But before that dig right from the Dorms.

>>1044221
>what are these weird gangly creatures?
They are an ancient race of people known as "humans".

>>1044230
Do this.

Heretic 2022/09/20(Tue)03:36 No. 1044260 ID: 2eaeea
File 166367017082.png - (2.35MB , 2995x1635 , Mason.png )

9 Emeralds (+3 Fortune Shrine) (x2 Overseer Bonus) mined at depth 3 (+25 Trade Goods)
9 Emeralds (+3 Fortune Shrine) Mined at depth 4 (+16 Trade Goods)
6 Trade Goods (+3 Fortune Shrine Mined at depth 2 (+11 Trade Goods)
11 Build Materials mined at depth 2 (+13 Build Materials)
(31 Materials/100 Trade Goods) (Excess 16 Trade Goods traded for 8 Build Materials)

>Hire Second Cleric
(-8 Trade Goods)
A second cleric inhabits the dorms closest to the shrine.

>is there a bonus for chaining shrines?
Every shrine adds another +3 to the value of trade goods found as long as a cleric mans them, if you consider those adding up a bonus then yes.

>If we build a pump in the room left of the elevator, can we pump the water away?
We could drain it normally. Since it's bigger than just a room it'll cost 15 Trade Goods, though that's not too expensive right now is it?

>what if we had a pump to the left of the elevator to flood the lower levels? Just for emergencies. Sure, we'd have to drain a lot, but it beats losing the base.
That'd be a viable form of defense yes, Though not all enemy's can just be flooded away. Right now the price of draining rooms isn't a big issue, but it definetly can be in the future if those caverns run out.

>Build Mason
(-20 Materials)
A mason's workshop is constructed. Hammers, chisels, and crafting tables are moved into the new facilities. Bozbun takes it upon himself to man the first mason.
Just makes sense don't it? I can lead the builders and run the masonry while I'm at it. Plus now I get my own office too.
I just don't get it, why build a bunch of stone walls and shit when you could have automated saw blade traps?
It's jus' practical lady. Not everything has to be fancy tech and gunpowder, sometimes a nice sturdy wall is all ya need to keep ya safe.

Hezug journals the progress of the hold
Nice! dug down to the fifth depth, two emerald veins under our control, We've been doing pretty well…Hey, do you just keep working or do I need to let you rest or you'll over heat? Or whatever oracle orbs do. If you need a break from managing the hold we could take one for a bit, do something aside from taking notes. I wish there was a bar here but we haven't gotten around to making a kitchen yet. Or if you'd rather we continue with buisness I'm all for it, it's not like there's too much to do down here.

A break from managing?
How about we go looking for a present to send your brother?

I don't know if we need breaks, but we enjoy them!
I like the idea of finding a present for your brother. What does he like? Does he like emeralds? Or old books? Or maybe giant fire wasps? You could send him a larva in a jar.
And you could tell us stories of the world outside the hold. We know very little of it.

>>1044274
Story tiiiime

...+3...every fortune shrine you said?
hehehehehe...
🤑🤑🤑
why, that is quite the bonus.
5 would be a huge boost, 10 would be an endless bonanza.
with the crystal bonanza being limited, we should focus on expanding how many we have while we have the funds.
we have enough to build 3 now with staff. with the 1 we have, that is +12!
💸💰💵🤑🏦💱💶💴💷
with enough, low risk areas are worth quite a lot overall.
from there, we fortify to the gills before we go to high risk places below.

dude, you will be so wealthy if you stay alive...

>>1044260
>Hey, do you just keep working or do I need to let you rest or you'll over heat? Or whatever oracle orbs do.
.....that's a good question. I mean, you said we were damaged, so we might have different limitations compared to another orb.

Didn’t you receive any instructions on how to use or care for us when we were given to you?

Heretic 2022/09/20(Tue)14:34 No. 1044290 ID: 2eaeea
File 166370964245.png - (789.89KB , 1500x1060 , Go for a walk.png )

>+3...every fortune shrine you said?...
>dude, you will be so wealthy if you stay alive…
If we want to hold all that wealth we'd need another treasury, and lets not forget that having this much wealth in the hold can attract unwanted attention. Thieves or other malus may be around the corner when we have over 100 trade goods. I do agree though, if we keep this momentum we'll be an asset for Iiavell!

>Take a break
Hezug get's up from his office desk and walks through the corridors of the hold. The halls are bustling with activity workers and builders converse and haul stone and goods around to their appropriate reserves. It looks a little chaotic, but when you understand what goes where it's actually quite orderly, a trademark of Hezug's organization mixed with the unpredictable whims of a cracked magic orb.

>Didn’t you receive any instructions on how to use or care for us when we were given to you?
Every oracle orb has a tome with ways to use it efficiently, unfortunately along with being cracked your tome is missing. So, no I don't have any instructions for you
>How about we go looking for a present to send your brother?
Ooh! That's a good idea! I'll write back to Gezol with a letter and give a gift! But what should I give him? Something from the hold seems appropriate.
>Does he like emeralds? Or old books?
No, he's not interesting in gems and any book I'd get him would probably end up as a paper weight or used to prop up an unstable desk.
>Or maybe giant fire wasps? You could send him a larva in a jar.
Yeah he'd probably enjoy that! Gezol always liked weird things like collecting bugs. I'm sure taking one won't affect the hive too much.

>And you could tell us stories of the world outside the hold. We know very little of it.
Yeah sure, but what should I tell you about…I guess just starting with the Nubru would make sense? That's a bit difficult to do in detail though, being enslaved for years means a lot of our history is lost. A few oral traditions have managed to persist; our main religion is dedicated to the Sisters, but before their sainthood years ago we apparantly worshipped some sort of spirit that resembled a large crow. Again, not a lot of information on it, but from my guess is that spirit no longer lives after the Hubork overthrew our ancestors. If there's anything specific you want to ask about I'd be happy to tell you!

Maybe I should also take sometime to practice more sword fighting, I want to practice those tips I got from you. Best place for that'd be the barracks.

>>1044290
>we apparently worshipped some sort of spirit that resembled a large crow
You mean this guy?
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/ahouseofmanydoors_gamepedia_en/images/3/39/TheLordofCrows.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20170308071723
Found them in the land of the dead.

>Long-term plans
We definitely need more Fortune shrines while our fortunes are still fresh. Even if the crystal mines run out immediately afterwards, we've only gotten started digging and the shrines show no signs of diminishing returns. We should also research advanced shrines for better benefits.
Also, consider moving your office once we detect a sufficiently large deposit.
And yeah, any scanning rooms we can buy?

>What do
More combat practice. Against gunners, this time.
In fact, assume your opponent has a weapon that can fire dozens of bullets per second.
That's a thing.

Who are the Huborks exactly?
And why do you think the crow spirit is dead? Did they kill it? Eat it? Did something mythological to it?

>>1044290
Downtime detected! Switching to dating advice mode!

If you see someone you like, try to get to know them. Take an interest in their hobbies outside of their job. Don't be afraid to hold thier hand and give them kisses!

1/3 Heretic 2022/09/21(Wed)05:10 No. 1044356 ID: 2eaeea
File 166376225186.png - (387.89KB , 1500x1060 , firewasplarvae.png )

Hezug swings by the kennel housing the wasp's skep and carefully jars a couple of larvae from the fire wasp swarm with the help of the beast tamers there.
>You mean this guy?
With no actual pictures for reference I can't confirm or deny, though I get the feeling this isn't it.

>why do you think the crow spirit is dead?
I can't imagine a guardian spirit giving up the people it's become attached to. The Hubork either managed to banish it, or it left us on it's own. Again it's all speculation, I lack complete information.

>Who are the Huborks exactly?
War mongering conquerors who built their empire up from a number of smaller nations and cities. Originating from their namesake capitol, The Hubork would soon begin to conquer neighboring areas to add to their own power.

>consider moving your office once we detect a sufficiently large deposit.
We can construct additional overseer offices; we are not bound to one, I'll assign an overseer myself to man the facility.

>any scanning rooms we can buy?
None that I know of, maybe we'd bring that up to Bozbun when we can.

>More combat practice. Against gunners, this time.
Whu-Hang on.
>In fact, assume your opponent has a weapon that can fire dozens of bullets per second.
That's…I don't know if you haven't grasped this by now or if you just want me dead, but I DO NOT want to be shot at. Just regular sword on sword dueling practice, one handed preferred.

2/3 Heretic 2022/09/21(Wed)05:10 No. 1044357 ID: 2eaeea
File 166376225586.png - (432.13KB , 1500x1060 , Hey!.png )

I'll head to the guard station to see if one of them can spar with me. NOT with any guns.

>Downtime detected! Switching to dating advice mode!
Didn't I already tell you I'm not taking dating advice from a glass ball? Why do you have a dating advice mode?

While Hezug heads for the guard station he's stopped by a worker calling for him from behind.

3/3 Heretic 2022/09/21(Wed)05:11 No. 1044358 ID: 2eaeea
File 166376228481.png - (349.31KB , 1500x1060 , Ludzid.png )

Boss! Hey it's good to finally get to talk to you.
That outfit, are you the skirmish chief? Chief Ludzid
Yup! Sorry we didn't meet sooner. I had a lot of work to do organizing soldiers and supplies for the barracks and such, I've been absent from any real work inside the actual hold.
I'm sure you've done plenty of real work
I couldn't help but notice you and your magic ball talking about needing someone to spar with? I could help you with that, y'know without shooting at you.
I'd appreciate that. You may have to slow down a bit since I'm a bit out of practice.
I've led plenty of sword drills so I know how to pace myself, I missed a lot of the development of the hold. How's the place been doing? Has the magic orb been a good assistant in hold overseeing? I tried getting one for some hunts but there's never been one available, oracles love to hoard those things, but I see they gave you a hand-me-down.

We are not a hand-me-down!
We are an endless fount of wisdom and dating advices, we are a cherished treasure of your hold since at least two weeks and we are only mildly damaged.
Hezug, tell him we are not a hand-me-down.

>Why do you have a dating advice mode?
You don't hang around many fortune tellers, do you? We weren't always on a stick, you know. That, and there's a 50% chance that, at the time of our cracking, relationship advice was involved.

We are amazing, we were rated #4 in the NATIONAL HAREM GATHERING COMPETITION OF ‘99 :tm:
We were just behind the cheesy romance novels, self insert fanfics, and that jerk, anime protagonist! >:(

Don't forget to send those fire wasp larvae and a letter to your brother!

>>1044358
>Ludzid
If he says he can help you practice, then let's take him up on his offer.

>insult
Hey! Just because it's true, that doesn't mean that you should call us a hand-me-down to our face! We've got feelings, you jerk!

How would you like it if we made fun of your missing tooth?

>Why do you have a dating advice mode?
Because we have KNOWLEDGE of many things. And dating is essential to reproduction of species. If you want to be more technical, you can call it "courtship". In the end, it has the same purpose. And YOU, owuner, look like you need it. :3

>hand-me-down.
We WHAT. YOU WANT TO THROW DOWN?! WE DON'T NEED NO HANDS TO WACK YOU, PUNK!

1/3 Heretic 2022/09/21(Wed)21:40 No. 1044425 ID: 2eaeea
File 166382162602.png - (367.07KB , 1500x1060 , Mad.png )

>We are not a hand-me-down!
>We are an endless fount of wisdom and dating advices, we are a cherished treasure of your hold since at least two weeks and we are only mildly damaged
>We are amazing, we were rated #4 in the NATIONAL HAREM GATHERING COMPETITION OF ‘99 :tm:
>We were just behind the cheesy romance novels, self insert fanfics, and that jerk, anime protagonist! >:(
>How would you like it if we made fun of your missing tooth?
>YOU WANT TO THROW DOWN?! WE DON'T NEED NO HANDS TO WACK YOU, PUNK!
I didn't know the damaged ones were this funny!
National harem gathering competition? Er-Well I'm very sorry about them! They can be a bit unstable at times
>Hezug, tell him we are not a hand-me-down.
No no! you're not a hand me down! You're a very important part of our hold and I'm glad you're with me.
Anyway, let's get going to the barracks. I haven't done any man on man fighting in a while!

2/3 Heretic 2022/09/21(Wed)21:40 No. 1044426 ID: 2eaeea
File 166382165409.png - (496.07KB , 1500x1060 , Sparring .png )

Hezug and Ludzid head to the barracks and find an unused room to spar in. A couple of training swords sit in an untouched locker, the gunners have little use for these but the sparring duo take the best pair and begin.
Okay! I'm going to go a bit slower just to get a feel for your level of skill. Now watch your footing and keep your sword up, It's important that you-

Hezug parries, moves forward, disarms Ludzid and knocks him over
Well, I didn't think you'd be starting that slow. I'm not a hatchling Chief, I know basic footing and you don't have to act like you haven't held a sword before.
Ha! My apologies overseer. I just wasn't sure how much training you'd had before, I didn't mean to offend you.
Give me a good sparring session and I might forgive you.

Hezug and Ludzid spend the next hour fencing. Hezug does a lot better when he's not against Nozek's aggressive spear fighting, slowly being eased back into the flow of sword fighting mixed with the advice given by you Hezug does significantly better than he did with Nozek. The score between the two is tied by the time they've finished their sparring with both having 16 wins.

You're a lot better than I thought you'd be
Tha-Wait, how bad did you think I'd be?
Don't worry about that, worry about the tie we need to break later. Winner owes loser a drink
Fine…I'd have to construct a kitchen first. That reminds me! We were supposed to use that fire wasp honey for spiced mead.
That sounds good. Buy one of those for me when I beat you okay?
Yeah sure, don't you have soldiers to wrangle?
Hezug returns to his office.

3/3 Heretic 2022/09/21(Wed)21:41 No. 1044427 ID: 2eaeea
File 166382171149.png - (2.26MB , 2995x1635 , Off break.png )

…and done! The larvae have plenty of food, note's written, and I got a really good sparring session! I'll hand this off to a courier when I get the chance.
Hope ya enjoyed yer break boss. Don't wanna lose any a' that momentum we had, so let's jump right back to it.
It was a good break. We can take another later if we want, but for now let's get back to work. Where to next orb?

(11 Materials/92 Trade Goods)

>>1044427
Dig down from the dorms. We’re glutted with trade goods, and it’d be good to build another barracks there to fill up with gunners.

Hey, just a theoretical

So like, could we train some units to fight using different tactics, sorta like what you did with Ludzig? So if the guards that use spears are in a tight spot, we could get them to use bows too? Just in case.

deeper, must go deeper
Down from the cavern below the shrine.

Dig from the dorms, build a second fortune shrine below the first and staff it with a cleric.

We need to use these trade goods before they overflow and cause issues.
First let's drain the water from the lake at the bottom of the elevator. It will allows us to access the more dangerous depths from a safe chokepoint.
Then, I see two options.
First option, dig down from the dorms and build a room that can house more troops. I like the idea to build a library because it will also cause a good magic effect, but a kennel could be nice too if it can benefit from the dorms. More exotic creatures !
Second option, dig left of the top of the elevator shaft and build a kitchen to support troops stationed at the elevator. I like this one a lot because it gives us a lot more strength immediately. We should also build a hospital in the first floor when we have the time, just in case.

Whatever we do, we should keep some trade goods, just in case. We don't need to fully staff pour rooms immediately. It's more important we have enough ressources for future buildings.

Heretic 2022/09/22(Thu)03:16 No. 1044463 ID: 2eaeea
File 166384178202.png - (2.36MB , 2995x1635 , Wishing Well.png )

>Down from dorms
13 Build Materials mined at depth 3 (+16 Build Materials)

The miners work their way down from the dorms, much to the dismay of those that sleep there. The miners break through into an opening in the rock, though instead of a stony cavern a lush green sheets of moss cover the stone of the cavern floor; The uneven moss covered rocks almost look like rolling hills. Atop the highest hill, a well is set into the rock. A miner cautiously approaches the well, orange smoke begins to leak from the well until it forms a bellowing cloud. A pair of glowing white eyes emerge from the smoke and peer down at the miner
…So…You wanna make a wish?

A report is made immediately to the overseer, and Hezug ventures down to see what's in the cavern.
I'm here!...What's the situation?
It's uhh…It's a magic-y situation.
Hey…the "situation" is over here, and it has a name…sort of.
What do the mages have to say about it?
Oh my god…I'm right here, quit talking about me like I can't hear you.
Fine. What's your deal?
My name is Wish, and this is my well. My wishing well! Not like a literal wishing well, I can't make your dreams come true, but I can make magic happen.
What kind of magic?
Good. Bad. It's a 50/50 chance of either. 10 Treasures and you can find out which it is.
(27 Materials/92 Treasure)

Once per turn, you may pay 10 Treasures* to cause a good or bad magic spell to take effect
*They're called Treasure instead of Trade Goods now

Try not to blow up this well, who knows if you'll find another down here…

Ask the spirit if there's a way to make them a body. Then ask about the neighboring rooms, any long-lived friends, and whatever the hell this place was originally about.

>Gamble
Not yet. If things go really badly, the contents of your treasury could turn into cheese.

Well, we do have a lot of treasure... We could build a temple of purity just to be safe then give it a shot. But let's not try our luck just now.
We still have a building project for the day, yes? We should drain the lake at the bottom of the elevator and extend it.

Hi Wish! Cool place.

While 10 treasure is cheaper than building a Good-Magic-Guaranteed Library (30 is converted to material) and doesn't take up a room, it can come at a straight loss. We should just keep Wish on tap for desperate situations.

Also, if we HAVE to make a wish, try not to dig into a new area - with new possible dangers - at the same time as you're making a wish. If we don't make a wish, DIG RIGHT from Mason.

If we make a wish, DIG from EXIT to SHRINE. That way gunners can move one room left and have good range down.

Additionally, build a Cannon Outpost (10 materials) beneath the Shrine and purchase 2x Cannons (60 treasure). While a 1-off, 60 damage is nothing to sneeze at, and it'd be in range to last-minute-blast at the exit should any monsters juke and approach it from the side.

> Assessing...
Okay, I'm back. Kinda scratching my head about why we put a non-unit room next to the Dorms, but okay. How do those work, BTW? Do they just add difficult terrain or room health that friendly units can walk right past, or what? Can they share a space with a trap? (I'd be surprised if the answer to both of these is "no" - traps are just straight-up better, if so.)

> Sword-Training
O-oh. Well! I will say this; Nozek is only partially wrong about his approach - he actually has the beginning of some wisdom with lesser exercises being pup-play in comparison, though I won't deny that he's giving you too much, too soon.

It's called Incremental Training. Ideally, you want to always be just outside of your comfort zone when you train. If you feel like you're about to reach a point where you can complete the exercise consistently, that's when you ramp it up, not after you've already achieved it.

After you have that promised final duel with Ludzid, regardless of the victor, you need to move on by giving him a superior-reaching spear, or maybe two normal Soldiers with swords. Your choice, there. (Do this, and you'll be ready to take on Nozek in no time.)

> Wish?
It's tempting to give it just the one spin to test it, even if we really should save it for when we really need a boon immediately. (It's also an easy money sink; we're getting close to the safe limit on Treasure.)

... Ah, screw it. Let's give it a whirl.

> Build
Build a Library next to the elevator shaft, and fill it with Mages after resolving the Magic. What? I'd like some insurance against Bad Magic, at least! (Unit rooms are also another excellent money sink.)

> Dig
Dig left from the Elevator Shaft's bottom. I don't think we should ditch the "one shaft with offshoots" plan, guys.

If money becomes that much of a problem we could build more treasuries. We can hire at any time but we can't get that money back if we need to repair something or drain water from a flooded room.
And trading treasure for materials is a bit wasteful.

1/2 Heretic 2022/09/22(Thu)15:22 No. 1044491 ID: 2eaeea
File 166388536575.png - (610.50KB , 1500x1060 , Wish.png )

>Ask the spirit if there's a way to make them a body.
Why would I do that? We hardly know this weird spirit thing I'm certainly not going to go out of my way to build it a body.
That's fine. I don't really want one anyhow

>Then ask about the neighboring rooms
The world around me's been changing for an unknown amount of time while I slept. I couldn't tell you what's around me.

>whatever the hell this place was originally about
This place belonged to uh…well I forget exactly, but they used me to make magic. Lot's of societies across dozens of worlds and times made wells to summon me. I wouldn't doubt it if this wasn't the only well down here.

2/2 Heretic 2022/09/22(Thu)15:22 No. 1044492 ID: 2eaeea
File 166388537642.png - (2.43MB , 2995x1635 , Cannon Outpost.png )

The miners forgot to send back the emerald cavern reports…
7 Emeralds (+3 Fortune Shrine) (x2 Overseer Bonus) mined at depth 3 (23 Treasure)
7 Emeralds (+3 Fortune Shrine) Mined at depth 4 (+14 Treasure)
(41 Materials/100 Treasures)
(28 Treasures traded for 14 Materials)

>We still have a building project for the day, yes? We should drain the lake at the bottom of the elevator and extend it.
(-15 Treasures)
With lots of work and buckets, the lake is drained, and the elevator shaft is extended downward, though both of those leave time to build something afterwards.

>How do those work, BTW? Do they just add difficult terrain or room health that friendly units can walk right past, or what?
By "those" I assume you mean Mason barricades?
-TRAPS-
(Require a Forge to make. Once tripped cost 5 materials per trap level to reset. Level 3 Traps are impassable to your troops)
Damage Traps (20 Materials): Any trap that does damage falls under this category. Deals 10 damage per level. Starts at level 1, upgraded at a cost of 20 Materials per level to a max level of 3.
Stopping Traps (15 Materials): Stops an enemy’s movement in the room containing the trap for a number of rounds equal to the trap’s level. Starts at level 1, upgraded at a cost of 15 materials per level to a max level of 3.

-BARRICADES-
(Require a Mason to make. Can be repaired for 15 Treasures for evert 20 Str lost)
Defensive Barricades (10 Treasures) Each level of a defensive barricade has 50 strength. Barricades cannot attack, but enemies must destroy it to pass through. Starts at level 1, upgraded at a cost of 10 Treasures per level. Defensive Barricades block line of sight for ranged units and can be used to stop gas and liquid from spreading.
Offensive Barricades (20 Treasures) Each level of an offensive barricade has 20 Strength. Like defensive barricades, enemies must destroy it to pass through but take damage equal to the barricade’s strength. Starts at level 1, upgraded at a cost of 20 Trade Goods per level. Offensive Barricades do not block line of sight for ranged units and do not stop gas or liquid.
Secret Passage (50 Treasures) These special barricades will allow your dwarves to pass through the hold while keeping your enemy’s options limited. However, be aware that enemies with TRUESIGHT can use these passages. These barricades only have 10 strength and cannot be upgraded.

>Build Cannon Outpost and hire Cannon's (10 Materials + 60 Treasures)
>Build Library and hire Mages (15 Materials + 35 Treasures)
Another stalemate in options huh? I know last time I said I'd build nothing, but that feels like such a waste. Since money's no object at the moment, I could go with buffing our defenses a bit more. Let's make the cannon outpost.

Kamev immediately gets to work forging more cannons, Clearly ecstatic to have been commissioned for not 1 but 2 cannons. Ludzid comes to move the armaments to the outpost.
Fuckin' rad. These two are named Obby and Donner, take good care of them
Oh don't worry, I'll make sure they'll get plenty of upkeep in the outpost

(31 Materials/25 Treasures)
Now where to dig next?

Are we allowed to dig down from the wishing well without breaking it? Dig either from there or the cannon room.

>>1044493
Yee

>>1044492
Dig to the right of the Mason and build a Kitchen there.

>>1044498
Dig below the Cannon Outpost instead. We'll have 90 Strength shots ready to unleash hell at a chokepoint.
BTW can you do some extra research on investments? I get the feeling we could have done even more with those emerald mines.

We need to dig past depth 5 to progress, and with those new canons we are probably as ready as we are ever gonna be. But I'm in favor of digging down from the canon outpost and then left to build a museum. Those monstrosities and artifacts belong in a museum.
I also have a question about the kitchen, it says it affect connected rooms, does it means it affects any room in the hold as long as there is a path to the kitchen?

>>1044500
+1

Heretic 2022/09/23(Fri)04:48 No. 1044537 ID: 2eaeea
File 166393369068.png - (3.22MB , 2995x1635 , Blinding Gas.png )

>Down from Cannon Outpost
5 Emeralds (+3 Fortune Shrine) (x2 Overseer Bonus) mined at depth 3 (19 Treasure)
5 Emeralds (+3 Fortune Shrine) Mined at depth 4 (+12 Treasure)
11 Treasures (+3 Fortune Shrine) Mined at depth 4 (+18 Treasure)
(31 Materials/74 Treasures)

A miner's pick strikes down onto stone and a geyser of gas spews from the crack. Thankfully the gas is not poisonous nor flammable, but it is thick and makes the eye's water.
Blinding Gas: Ranged units cannot target creatures behind or in the gas

That'll make things harder for the gunners and cannons.
We can damn it up wit' a barricade. Can't do anything about the gas source but, boardin' it up'll do us good if we gotta.

>question about the kitchen, it says it affect connected rooms, does it means it affects any room in the hold as long as there is a path to the kitchen?
Small change for clarity
Kitchen (8 Materials): Units in adjacent rooms connected to a Kitchen get 50% STR during combat.

>Can you do some extra research on investments? I get the feeling we could have done even more with those emerald mines.
Investments? Every room we build in this hold is an investment isn't it?
Invest in the charity of Bozbun
You get paid for your work Bozbun I'm not giving you extra money for nothing
Worth a shot.
If you have any ideas I'm all ears, but for now are we building anything?