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       #Post#: 3800--------------------------------------------------
       My Little Fortress: New Canterlot/Ironmurder
       By: Sepheris Date: October 9, 2014, 5:38 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=trebuchet ms]2nd February 156
       Apparently, fortune is in my favour, despite my prior actions
       that I'd rather not pen to paper, Princess Celestia herself saw
       fit to bestow upon me an incredibly important task. Apparently,
       I am to lead an expedition in a couple of weeks to set up a new
       colony to aid our trade routes. I realise the timing is a bit
       sudden, but when the Princess herself selects you for such an
       important task, you learn not to question the little details
       like that.
       11th February 156
       I'm running short on time to sort out my own business. I did
       plan on selling it, but apparently there's no one wanting to
       purchase it... not that I can blame them. Had to send a letter
       out to my father, see if he could take care of it until it gets
       sold.
       In cheerier news, I met a few of the folks I'll be travelling
       with. Princess Celestia mentioned there'd be another six with
       me, so there's still a couple I'm yet to meet, but I'm sure I'll
       get a chance to later.
       The four I'd met all, apparently, had made the trip up from
       Ponyville. Ryo I'd met before, so we just had a quick catch up.
       Potato Ponie was an odd fellow, claiming to be a hero of some
       kind. He seemed to know a bit about farming, so that will
       undoubtedly come in useful, I hope. Then there was A. Capella
       Schwambart, he was rather reluctant to reveal what the A stood
       for, but I didn't really press the matter. He was a pegasus and
       had a bit of a musical flair and a decent sense of humour. Not
       sure what he'd be able to help with, but time will tell. The
       last I'd had the pleasure of meeting was Dark Matter. A unicorn
       and, from his brief demonstration, a pretty decent illusionist.
       Again, he didn't reveal a great deal, but I'm hoping he'll be of
       some use.
       There's a couple left for me to meet, but, at this rate, it'll
       be on the day of departure when I finally see them.
       19th February 156
       I was right. Didn't meet them until the trailers were packed and
       ready to move out. Almost thought it was just going to be the
       five of us. Princess Celestia was there to bid us farewell,
       which was a pleasant surprise. The two late arrivals didn't feel
       like sharing much, though I did manage to get a name and
       profession from the two, Candy Growwork, an earth pony, said she
       was a carpenter while Buckpepper, a pegasus, claimed she was a
       mason. Two skills that I'm sure will come in useful while we get
       shelter constructed.
       25th February 156
       Hasn't been a week yet and things are going to Tartarus in a
       hurry. Past couple of days have been nothing but wind and rain,
       making the trip rather dreary. What was worse, however, was the
       loose river bank. Lost two of our wagons before we even realised
       what was happening. Nopony was hurt, thankfully, but we're down
       to only the one supply wagon now. I've rummaged around in it and
       there should be enough to last us until we get some farms set
       up.
       28th February 156
       The rain didn't let up for another week. Everypony is cold and
       miserable and cursing their misfortune on being selected for
       this journey. Honestly, I can't blame them. The final straw
       happened today, the wheels on our final cart fell off. Upon
       closer inspection, the entire axle was rusted and had
       practically disintegrated, I've been trying to work out how it
       had managed to get us this far. I've looked at a few of the maps
       we were provided, they've not particular big, showing just
       enough to get us to where we were supposed to be.
       I decided we were close enough, which got a couple of cheers,
       though the hard work starts now. There seems to be plenty of
       trees and plant life in the immediate area along with a stream
       nearby, which I'm sure will no doubt be useful. For now, I've
       told everypony to rest up and get ready, for tomorrow we strike
       the earth.[/font]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/3uzv7gdh.png[/img]
       #Post#: 3801--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My Little Fortress: New Canterlot/Ironmurder
       By: Sepheris Date: October 9, 2014, 7:06 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=trebuchet ms]1st June 156
       I haven't had a moment to stop yet. It's been three months and
       things are... well, honestly, slow. Really slow.
       Schwambart seemed to know his way around the axe we had, so I
       set him to work clearing some trees and giving us some room.
       Dark Matter showed himself to be useful for appraising what we
       had, so I asked him to keep a decently accurate inventory on
       what we have. I also had Potato Ponie start gathering some of
       the local plants, see what's edible.
       The first couple of trees that Schwambart managed to fell went
       towards setting up work spaces for Growwork and Buckpepper. I
       grabbed a pickaxe and set to mining myself, Ryo seemed a little
       lost so I dragged her along too. Haven't found much in the way
       of metal, but in the three months we managed to get the starting
       of a mine. The stone we did mine out has been made into building
       blocks to get some basic buildings up and roads laid. There
       isn't a single finished building yet aside from the Trade Depot,
       which seemed important if we were to be helping traders make a
       long trip. The surface is made of a lot of sand and clay, made
       easy work for myself and Ryo to carve some basic rooms and put
       some beds inside. Sure, it's not much, but we have shelter to
       sleep in until somepony gets into gear and actually finishes a
       house.
       There hasn't been much to cause concern, though Potato Ponie and
       Schwambart told me a few things about the plants and trees. The
       whole place seems to have some taint creep along the ground and
       several of the trees seem to be taintwood and fleshwood. Aside
       from the rather uninviting names and appearance, they seem
       rather benign, but I've asked them to take care around them. I
       actually went to see if Growwork had any issues with the unusual
       trees only for her to have already carved three doors and a
       couple of tables from the stuff, so I guess she was fine with
       this. Not sure if that's a good thing or not.
       All in all, a fairly uninteresting first three months. Summer is
       starting to arrive now and I'm hoping to get our own homes built
       soon.[/font]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/wNTeefOh.png[/img]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/Jsy1PfZh.png[/img]
       #Post#: 3823--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My Little Fortress: New Canterlot/Ironmurder
       By: Sepheris Date: October 10, 2014, 3:26 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=trebuchet ms]16th June 156
       Things have been slow going. Only having one pony skilled in
       masonry and stone work is leaving our construction rate at a
       crawl. Myself and Ryo have provided enough stone, but Buckpepper
       insists on making them into bricks before using them. Honestly,
       I can't argue, the few 'roads' we made with just the mined stone
       are a mess. With only the one pony trying to both make bricks
       and build with them has limited the amount of progress we've
       been making. And the constant rain is starting to become a drag.
       Ryo tried helping out in the workshop, but... the less said the
       better, really.
       I thought long and hard about it, but I came to a decision.
       We'll move into the caves. There was some grumbling at the idea,
       but when I pointed out that we can have homes and workshops
       carved out in a few days they soon quieted, especially at the
       prospect of having a roof over head.
       28th June 156
       Me and Ryo have just finished carving the remaining rooms for
       now. We'll expand as we need. Using the stone that was
       originally going to be walls, Buckpepper has replaced the rough
       dirt floors with actual paved slabs. Makes the whole place a lot
       nicer. Can almost imagine us just living in a large fortress of
       some kind.
       Our food has been keeping steady, Potato Ponie has managed to
       gather a decent supply of vegatable and, between mining session,
       Ryo has managed to fish. A lot. I'll be honest, I've never
       considered fish before, but it's nice to have a back up. She
       actually came to inform me on a few occassions that she had
       fished out several of the ponds already. I'm just glad there's a
       river then.
       Dark Matter has been keeping me upto date with our stocks and
       valuables. Seems a day doesn't go by where I don't get another
       sheet with numbers that hardly move. My fault, I suppose, asking
       for as up to date records as possible. It's a mess at the
       moment, but I'm sure I'll be thankful for it all later.
       13th July 156
       Seems everypony has gotten used to the whole "living
       underground" thing now. I imagine giving everypony their own
       room and work area likely helped. I can't help but wonder how
       much progress would've been made had we remained outside. Likely
       still in half constructed rooms with no roof while we sleep in a
       small dank room hastily carved in the cave.
       I actually had Schwambart approach me today, claiming he saw
       some more ponies heading in our direction while he was out
       chopping some more wood. I thanked him before making my way to
       the entrance to what had now become our home. Took a couple
       hours before the first pony came into sight, but sure enough,
       there were more ponies here to join us.
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/RFYtR36h.png[/img]
       The leader, a unicorn mare by the name of Rampart, said word had
       spread that Princess Celestia had arranged for a hospitable
       settlement out here. She mentioned that it was about time
       someone settled here, since there was nothing around for miles.
       I had to correct her, informing her it was a major trade route.
       She looked dubious, but who would doubt the Princess' word.
       After the rest arrived, I tried to keep an air of cool
       professionalism while I asked a couple of the adults to speak in
       private. They had arrived with four "foals". Explanations were
       due. One of them walked on two legs and their front legs ended
       in some odd appendage with five wiggling digits. I was told she
       had been cursed by the god of blood. Also, apparently there's a
       god of blood now. I was assured that she was friendly as any
       other foal, and the strange appendages were called hands and
       almost as useful as unicorn magic for handling things.
       This lead onto the second issue. One of the foals seemed to have
       a carapace like the changelings, only... it's hard to describe,
       but it appeared to be more vicious. I was told there's others
       like her, touched by something called the "Dark Voice", but not
       nearly as friendly and that I should take precautions should the
       feral one arrive. I asked why she was different, they said she
       kept her sense of self and free will. Lovely.
       Turns out they've been living in the wilds for a while, the
       children not welcome anywhere and the adults unwilling to leave
       them. I had my own doubts about it, honestly, but they haven't
       attacked anypony yet and we could always use the extra help. I
       welcomed them in and introduced them to the others. The two
       foals drew the most attention, though a lot was curiousity when
       they showed no ill intentions.
       The foal touched by the Dark Voice seemed like she was made
       purely for the purposes of fighting. If that's anything to go
       by, I should look into some kind of fortifications. And army of
       them would pose many issues if they're hostile to ponies. I'm
       suddenly very glad we moved into the caves. Makes this easier I
       guess. No where to run though... thoughts for another time, but
       my concerns are starting to mount.
       21st August 156
       I was in the process of setting up my forge so I can begin
       production of metal works (there were some complaints that I got
       such a big work area, but I welcomed any input into shrinking
       the required space. Shockingly, there wasn't any), when a
       resounding crash echoed throughout our home. Upon investigating,
       turns out that some ponies weren't so bright when I asked them
       to deconstruct the beginnings of the earlier town to reclaim the
       building materials. I found Dark Matter unconcious on the ground
       floor with the ponies nearby saying he removed the floor
       supporting where he stood. I asked someone to drag his sorry ass
       to the earlier communal dormitary and now make-shift hospital. I
       was tole he doesn't seem hurt, thankfully, and I'm hoping he
       learnt a lesson in gravity today.
       And, as though that wasn't bad enough, Buckpepper and Schwambart
       managed to strand themselves on top of a wall. I'm still not
       sure how they got up there, considering I never ordered stairs
       to be built there, but there they were. Apparently dehydrated
       and starving too. I'm beginning to wonder if Celestia grouped me
       up with a bunch of idiots. I quickly saw to it that a ramp was
       installed on both wall to get them down and ceased the
       deconstruction of the town. I don't want to have to stand
       around, micromanaging every little thing.
       Upon checking in on the three bumbling idiots, Dark Matter was
       up and about again, as though nothing was wrong, while
       Schwambart and Buckpepper practically locked themselves in the
       food and drink store house. Apparently they couldn't spare the
       few moments it would need to take them to their own quarters.
       1st September 156
       Thankfully, nothing else major has occured. Everyone seems to be
       settling in. Still need to arrange homes for our recent
       migrants, but they just seem happy to have a place to call home.
       My forge is running again and I hope to start more familiar work
       soon. I was growing tired of all this mining, though I fear I
       will still have much to do until somepony else can pick up where
       I left off.[/font] ((Seriously. Ironfire has reached Legendary+5
       Mining already. Ryo needs to pick up some
       slack...))[font=trebuchet ms] Ryo seemed to know some forge work
       and has started helping to prepare the metals into a state I can
       actually use. I need somethign to defend thsi place with. That
       talk of the Dark Voice with the migrants has me worried.
       Potato Ponie has started getting some farms ready. He said he's
       having trouble finding suitable land as there's a lot of patches
       where the dirt was thin and has worn down to the stone beneath.
       He suggested some of our crops might actually prefer a farm
       below the earth. It was an interesting idea, so I told him I'd
       look into making a room for him to use, which cheered him up
       some.
       Ryo, evidently trying to do as much as possible to get her cutie
       mark, has begun working in our latest addition, a kitchen,
       turning the plants Potato has been gathering into actual meals.
       Moral seems to be up, so I guess most ponies approve of this. Or
       they're just happy for a change. I also saw to a still being
       constructed, so that may be factoring into things some what.
       Schwambart has begun carving some basic rock and wooden crafts.
       I asked him about this, said Dark Matter suggested something to
       trade with for when the trade caravans start arriving. Not a bad
       idea, so I let him continue.
       Things are starting to pick up now. My decision to move
       underground has already begun to pay off, increasing the speed
       at which we can set up workshops and housing greatly. I hope to
       get work started on an actual housing district of some kind. So
       far, most of us have been living above where we work, but if
       more migrants arrive, it wouldn't hurt to have somewhere
       prepared to let them settle in right away.[/font]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/P9mN3I8h.png[/img]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/uBFSqpCh.png[/img]
       ((Also, feel free to post in here if you want to ask questions
       or share ideas. There's a reason it's not locked))
       #Post#: 3827--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My Little Fortress: New Canterlot/Ironmurder
       By: Sepheris Date: October 10, 2014, 11:25 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       ((Okay. Descriptions of the claimed characters and their current
       relationships, including Brash, our latest addition. Spoilered
       to avoid making this too big because of images))
       [Spoiler=Brash][IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/dAto734h.png[/img]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/OEQkfjyh.png[/img]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/51h83Vah.png[/img]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/wriNzx4h.png[/img][/spoiler]
       [Spoiler=Dark Matter][IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/5MsdspEh.png[/img]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/USxEqrah.png[/img][/spoiler]
       [Spoiler=Ironfire][IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/wo7T5seh.png[/img]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/Uu9pK7ih.png[/img][/spoiler]
       [Spoiler=Potato Ponie][IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/RxDXIyAh.png[/img]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/AaWwEM1h.png[/img][/spoiler]
       [Spoiler=Ryo][IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/rlzwDPCh.png[/img]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/60GXHGsh.png[/img][/spoiler]
       [Spoiler=A. Capella
       Schwambart][IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/Jlmq88sh.png[/img]
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/4rUII8ph.png[/img][/spoiler]
       ((I'll point out that I have very little to no control over
       these screens))
       #Post#: 3830--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My Little Fortress: New Canterlot/Ironmurder
       By: Sepheris Date: October 10, 2014, 12:39 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       ((Current Skill Rankings. I'll put these as a link as I fear one
       of them is rather a bit long and may cause issues))
       Labour Skills
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/u58CJwK.png
       Military Skills
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/CFfQwdU.png
       Social Skills
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/wdmLZMB.png
       #Post#: 4083--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My Little Fortress: New Canterlot/Ironmurder
       By: Sepheris Date: December 27, 2014, 9:40 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=trebuchet ms]12th September 156
       We've had an uneventful few months, which has helped with
       getting the immigrants settled. It's actually given me some time
       to talk with the others, however I seem to find myself in the
       company of Ryo more often than not. I'd have thought we'd have
       run out of things to talk about with all the time we spent
       together mining, and yet here we are. I think I'm falling for
       her...
       17th September 156
       It probably took me longer than it should have, but I noticed
       that whenever I talk to Ryo outside of the forge, it tends to be
       in the kitchen. She seems to be becoming a half decent cook, but
       I had to ask just how much had she wound up cooking. I had to
       double check the numbers with Dark Matter, and they were right.
       Ryo had managed to cook over a thousand meals. She assures me
       that the meals won't spoil, but I decided to drag her out of the
       kitchen for now and tackle the task I was putting off of carving
       an actual living quarters, instead of sharing the communal bunk
       beds we've been dealing with.
       While I was speaking with him, Dark Matter also informed me that
       Schwambart was getting rather proficient at carving the stone we
       had mined out and he's expecting they'll fetch us a decent price
       whenever the first trade caravan arrives.
       22nd September 156
       More migrants have arrived. About half of them are foals, or the
       equivalent with those humanoids. I'm starting to wonder if we
       truly settled in the middle of the land of outcasts... which is
       giving me a melancholy train of thought as to why we were truly
       sent here. There was no more of those Dark Voice ponies, for
       better or worse, time will tell.
       Fortunately, the living area I had planned with Ryo was made to
       accommodate more ponies than we currently had, so once
       furnishings are finished, we'll still have space for any more
       migrants.
       1st November 156
       The last month went by in a blur, probably helped in part by my
       time with Ryo while mining and forging. Considering that we've
       started sharing a room now, I may as well write it down, we're a
       couple now. The first of many in our growing settlement, I hope.
       The living area has been mined out, giving us 24 homes in
       theory. A couple of the ponies have been "requesting" larger
       accommodation to better fit their status, namely Dark Matter and
       Schwambart. Dark Matter had a point that the extra space will
       allow him to better keep track of our records, so I knocked
       through a wall. I told Schwambart to shove it.
       16th November 156
       Well. I'll be damned. A trade caravan came knocking. They sent a
       message ahead of the caravan itself to give up time to prepare.
       I suppose it was a bit much to hope for a caravan from
       Canterlot. The messenger looked like one of the lunar guard,
       minus all the royal armour. Said they're cave ponies and there's
       a few of them nearby. I've ordered Schwambart's crafts to be
       taken there and informed Dark Matter to be ready to assist with
       the trading. His knowledge of our stocks will doubtless come in
       use.
       27th November 156
       Took us a while to decide on just what we wanted. Dark Matter
       helped significantly. He knew just what we were short of and
       just what seems to be unavailable in our area. Once that had
       been hammered out, took another week just to settle on a
       bargaining price. I think Schwambart was overselling his
       trinkets, however, Dark Matter told me it's as best as we can
       get with sandstone as a medium. Regardless, we had to trade all
       of Schwambarts crafts before the Tradespony accepted our offer.
       We've gotten some seeds for our farms, a few medical supplies
       and a tame giant wolverine. Not my idea, but I was assured would
       be able to act as a guard animal. I also got myself a pet wyrm
       because he was adorable and I wanted him.
       That aside, I've asked Dark Matter to keep a few secrets from
       that trade meeting. We learnt... a lot. Many things that would
       doubtlessly be taboo back in central Equestria, under the
       watchful eyes of the Princesses. Several metals borne of some
       questionable techniques, but I couldn't argue that they are
       without peer. Strange leathers and even stranger creatures (a
       giant, mutant mosquito springs to mind), created by something
       called taint. The things it can do... I can't commit to page.
       Just knowing that myself and Dark Matter are aware of this is
       bad enough.
       Apparently, I looked worse for wear after the trade negotiations
       because Ryo was offering a comforting ear, but I couldn't share
       that. I just took comfort in her presence and sought to lose
       myself in the ringing of the forge for a while.
       1st December 156
       Winter is drawing upon us and Hearth's Warming is just around
       the corner. All the food Ryo prepared is one less thing to worry
       about, but I'm trying to think of a Hearth's Warming gift for
       her.
       The housing district has been shaped, so the walls and floors
       actually look like walls and floors and not just roughly carved
       cave walls. The new dining room is seeing a decent amount of
       traffic and I've relocated the food and drink stores down here
       too, to save on trips. A few ponies, myself included, have
       elected to remain in the rooms above our workshops. I know I
       find the smell of the forge calming. Makes me think of home.
       We've nearly been here a year and I'd like to say we're settled
       in, but there's still a lot of work to do. Our population is
       triple what we came with, and there's definitely trade in the
       area, so things seem promising. Let's see what the rest of this
       year has in store for us.[/font]
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/gHOVe62h.png
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/v92WGlYh.png
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/4sEGzbfh.png
       #Post#: 4088--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My Little Fortress: New Canterlot/Ironmurder
       By: Sepheris Date: December 28, 2014, 12:09 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=trebuchet ms]20th December 156
       OH DEAR CELESTIA. Hearth's Warming is just around the corner and
       I've done nothing for it. The only saving grace is that nopony
       else seems to have remembered. Guess they're still trying to get
       things all running smoothly and settled in, and I can't really
       blame them.
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/XHKKBiJh.png
       In other news, I had Brash approach me today. Apparently, she
       wants to start helping, or contributing in some way to the
       settlement. Apparently has an interest in metal work like myself
       as well as engineering. I let her know I'd set up some space for
       her to work as well as stern words to stay out of my forge. My
       forge.
       21st December 156
       Not much to report, but the merchants finally decided to leave.
       After my questions, their leader took it upon himself to entrust
       with me a book. After a brief look, it's full of some rather
       dark stuff. I think he was hoping I'd produce some of it to
       trade for next time. I'm really unsure, but I locked the book
       away as opposed to burning it. Maybe there's something that
       doesn't scream taboo in there.
       9th January [s]156[/s] 157
       Well. Myself, and everypony else, not only missed Hearth's
       Warming, but also new years. I'm making a note here to remember
       to do something next year.
       Another of the foals feels ready to start work now too. Having
       grown tired of mining, I've decided to pass on my pick so I can
       focus more on my forge work. And running the place. Can't forget
       that...
       It's taking a lot longer to furnish the new bedrooms than I had
       originally hoped. Things are just in chaos as far as building
       new things like beds and cabinets go. Dark Matter has assured me
       he'll soo to things running much more smoothly with his office
       ready now.
       With the old communal dorm and dining area no longer needed, I
       ordered the furniture to be hauled down stairs (to a fair amount
       of grumbling, it must be said). I had the two rooms joined and
       expanded. Let's see just what Potato Ponie had in mind when he
       mentioned the underground plants... It must be said, he was
       rather happy to have his own work area for once.
       9th February 157
       Another uneventful month. Though Potato Ponie has been pestering
       me to get a decent above ground farming field ready for him.
       It's not made easy with all the sandstone in the ground. I'm
       sure I'll figure something out. At this point, I'm just tempted
       to ask the miners to dig a damn skylight.
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/1M9U4W2h.png
       In other, more concerning news, one of the young foals has begun
       speaking some unintelligible gibberish, hardly making sense,
       speaking about bones and stone before promptly claiming a
       Craftpony's workshop. Specifically Schwambart's workshop. He
       wasn't even using it at the moment and is acting as though this
       ruins all his plans. Starting to think he's along just to annoy
       me at this point.
       A few of the migrants said that the foal is under some kind of
       possession. Mostly harmless. As long as we provide what they're
       asking for. Apparently, I was told that if we lack the
       resources, we'd better have a strong door. Like I said,
       concerning... I'm hoping we have what the foal wants. Celestia
       help us if we don't.
       [/font]((Fun fact, we don't. Plants and fish don't give
       bones))[font=trebuchet ms]
       12th February 157
       [/font]((I should mention that the "home civilization" is
       Heropantomime, which I will refer to as Canterlot because the
       odds of creating a world with a civ actually called Canterlot is
       rediculously low))[font=trebuchet ms]
       It's only taken the better part of a year, but it would seem
       Celestia hasn't forgotten us. She's sent us a trade caravan and
       a liaison. Should be fun when they see the odd ponies.
       Unfortunately, Schwambart hasn't had time to make anymore crafts
       for trade, and the loss of his workshop isn't speeding that
       along. I've had to move some of my metal bars to trade and a few
       of the gems that Dark Matter cut. Let's see if there's anything
       worth while.
       15th February 157
       That was more awkward than it needed to be. The liaison was
       chasing down Schwambart, apparently his paper work named
       Schwambart as the leader and he refused to listen to any
       statements to the contrary. It's not going to do me any favours
       with the demands Schwambart makes with what he feels entitled
       too, but at this point, I just wanted to sort things out with
       the liaison. He took notes and my requests for certain supplies,
       after relaying them through Schwambart before letting me know of
       things that they themselves would offer us good prices on next
       time.
       16th February 157
       So, apparently, we may need another trade depot. We got our
       second trade caravan this month. A group of rainbow ponies,
       apparently. I'm actually curious as to if the Canterlot caravan
       will make room or if I DO need to sort out a second trade depot.
       I'm trying to organise one just as a precaution.
       17th February 157
       Okay, even I'm confused now. Hardly a day has passed and we've
       gotten another trade caravan. Crystal ponies this time. At least
       it's a group of ponies I'm familiar with. I'm thinking a
       complete redesign may be needed for next year if their going to
       all come at once like this. An entire trade centre.
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/eCzUipUh.png
       [/font]((Seriously. Three caravans in one week. The default game
       is lucky to get that many a year. I'm actually wondering how
       this will work, never heard of more than one caravan arriving at
       once))[font=trebuchet ms]
       1st March 157
       If memory serves correct, I do believe this marks the 1 year
       anniversary since we first moved here. I'm sure we'd be doing
       something except we're so busy with the sudden large influx of
       visitors that we're just simply too distracted. I'm actually
       scribbling this note down between talks with traders (good news,
       they have bones. I can only hope it'll satisfy the possessed
       foal). Anyways. Here's to another great year.[/font]
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       #Post#: 4094--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My Little Fortress: New Canterlot/Ironmurder
       By: Sepheris Date: December 29, 2014, 10:05 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=trebuchet ms]3rd March 157
       I've grabbed all bones and similar items from the traders, but
       the possessed foal still doesn't seem to be satisfied. I'm
       actually starting to consider buying some of the tamed "dumb"
       animals. While I'm hesitant to do it, I'm fairly certain that
       the remains aside from the bones can be used with that book I
       have. It's an idea, but I'd rather not lose a foal into some
       form of insanity when the solution is staring me in the face.
       5th March 157
       Trade has slowed down. Dark Matter disappeared at some point and
       I don't know where. I'm trying my best solo, but I've never
       traded in these quantities. My only saving grace is that by
       trading my iron ingots, no pony know their value better than me.
       6th March 157
       Dark Matter has been found. I want to be angry at him for
       sleeping on the job, but he was passed out at his desk while
       looking over various work orders. Maybe I should assign somepony
       else to take one of the jobs off of him, I'm clearly running him
       ragged.
       7th March 157
       I retract my earlier statement. Dark Matter has volunteered for
       testing duty when I get around to reforging a replacement
       hammer. The guy had organised a party in the dining area while I
       was fumbling through the trade.
       9th March 157
       Well, my concious is feeling slightly better. Turns out that a
       few of the migrants we've gotten eat meat fairly regularly. It's
       apparently not that strange of a thing out here, so I've
       assigned one of them to do it and decided to put it as far out
       of my mind as I can.
       10th March 157
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       The means are a little questionable, but I have received word
       that the foal has begun actually working towards something now
       instead of just making demands. As long as they aren't going to
       go insane, I hope I can rest well having made such a decision.
       13th March 157
       That didn't take much time, I suppose. The foal seems none the
       worse for wear, a little dazed, but cheery enough, all things
       considered. I was shown the "artifact". It's rather grim. Makes
       me wonder just where in Equestria we have wound up and just what
       we have to fear. I'm strongly considering dropping all
       non-essential projects and passing word around, seeing if
       there's any willing recruits for a military.
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/gzL5tATh.png
       In other news, Schwambart was happy to get his workshop back.
       Said he was a little freaked out whenever he went to check in
       and just saw the motionless foal, muttering about stones and
       bones. And a happy Schwambart means he's not annoying me for a
       change.
       15th March 157
       Maybe I was a little harsh on Dark Matter, this isn't a bad
       party and it seems like half the ponies of our growing
       settlement have come along to join in. It's a little late, but
       this works well as the anniversary of our founding.
       [/font]((God dammit. It seems like everypony that does the work
       is busy having a party and all work has ground to a halt. Screw
       you Dark Matter))[font=trebuchet ms]
       26th March 157
       Party wasn't bad, and it certainly lifted everypony's spirits,
       but it's back to work now. The last of the merchants have left
       now, leaving us to ourselves once again. Really not sure what
       happened (maybe all she needed was a pick-me-up like the party),
       but Dress, our mason, seemed to go into overdrive with cranking
       out the needed furniture for the living area. I swear I have
       more than I actually need, and that's after taking into
       consideration the additional rooms. I suppose we can store them
       should more migrants arrive.
       [/font]((We go a few in game months with the occasional door or
       bed, and suddenly she throws out the remaining doors along with
       24 chests and 24 cabinets in the blink of an
       eye))[font=trebuchet ms]
       28th March 157
       I swear they're doing this on purpose. Fresh migrants. Almost
       doubling our current population. I've had to rush through the
       job orders to get an additional level of housing and all the
       relevant furniture work orders to go with it.
       With that out of the way, I took it upon myself to greet them
       all. Many of them have very little in the way of skills and even
       those that do have little in the way of use or we already have a
       pony better suited, but I can't argue that spreading the load
       will ease others. We got another of those ponies touched by the
       "Dark Voice", though this time I was told they're usually
       referred to as a Blade Pony. Certainly less of a mouthful, I'll
       say that much. And it's a pretty apt name too.
       Admittedly, it was hard not to bow and give respect when I saw
       him. We have an Alicorn. I thought only the Princesses back in
       Canterlot, Ponyville and the Crystal Empire were Alicorns. Talk
       about an education. It's apparently the result of a rare
       mutation brought on by something called "Taint" that's not all
       that uncommon in these parts. He seemed normal enough, and I'll
       admit I had a chuckle when the others from my original group had
       a similar reaction to me, but he says he's no real different to
       other ponies and to treat him as such. Certainly a load off of
       my mind. Mostly because we don't have access to resources to
       make a throne room like that at Canterlot, or anywhere, really.
       After that little awkwardness was over with, things sort of
       settled back into a normal routine, though I imagine the miners
       are going to be a bit busy.
       I hate to admit it, but having seen the Alicorn and learning
       he's a product of the taint, I find myself looking towards that
       damned book more often.
       13th April 157
       Things have slowed down a little since the last month. The
       miners are slow again, so I'm heavily considering setting up
       another dorm for those without assigned housing until they get
       things into gear. In more pleasant news, the first foal born to
       our settlement was today to Forest Styletulip. An anthropony
       filly. I'm not even going to question it at this point. My
       "weirdness scale" is just maxxed out at the moment. I don't have
       time for little things like that. As long as the parents are
       happy, I really don't care.
       19th May 157
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       The entire fortress has been put into lock-down. Those scouting
       the area all rushed reports of a wave of undead sweeping the
       land. The lack of anypony jumping at the chance to form a
       military has meant we'll just have to lock the door and hope
       they pass. Though saying that, the sudden realisation we're not
       quite as safe as many originally though has brought a few forth
       to sign up for future military under the promise I don't just
       shove them out the door right now.
       The door itself was a fast job. Well, it was when it was
       discovered we need it done right this second. I made the damn
       thing weeks ago and it's been sitting in my forge since. For
       future defence, I actually had Brash approach me, suggesting
       various traps that may befit the fortress under future attacks.
       If she can arm them, I can most definitely provide the sharp
       components.
       24th May 157
       Somepony asked about the animals grazing outside. I had
       forgotten about them, admittedly. An unfortunate thing, but
       better them than us. I'll have to work on an enclosed area for
       the animals to graze in future.
       1st June 157
       Our farms are sealed in the fortress with us, so we should be
       able to last quite a while yet. Unfortunately, I've received
       word that this may not just be a band of wandering undead and we
       may have a necromancer to deal with. I'm trying to keep a brave
       face, to be somepony the others can rely on and it seems to
       work. The others seem to be going about business as usual.
       Just... no sunlight for a while. Damn. Why couldn't the miners
       have at least finished that damned skylight for the indoor
       outdoor farms. Could've at least had some sun then.
       Here's hoping I'm still alive to write the next report.[/font]
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       #Post#: 4098--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My Little Fortress: New Canterlot/Ironmurder
       By: Sepheris Date: December 30, 2014, 11:30 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=trebuchet ms]3rd June 157
       It's official. The migrants have informed me that there is, in
       fact, a necromancer's tower in the area. They were a little
       vague on how far away it was, but the point is he'll continue to
       be an issue, even if he moves away with his undead army, he'll
       likely return at some point. Though, I'd have more time to
       prepare, given a second chance.
       5th June 157
       I've been in talks with Brash. She seems to have a decent idea
       on how to go about dealing with invasions. There's another pony,
       Talyserra, who's volunteered to help with the military side of
       things, apparently having prior experiance in the area. Between
       the three of us, I think we've managed to design what I hope to
       be a huge help in dealing with future problems.[/font]
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       #Post#: 4100--------------------------------------------------
       Re: My Little Fortress: New Canterlot/Ironmurder
       By: Schwambart Date: December 31, 2014, 12:50 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=arial black]8th June 157
       Sweet Celestia, this could be a problem.  Y'know that Ironfire
       guy who's been keeping these journal entries thus far?  Yeah, he
       seems to have gone off the deep end in a big way.  Just take a
       look at the last page.  Nonsense and scribbles. He's holed
       himself up in our spare mason's workshop and keeps demanding
       that we supply him with wood and stone. Remarkably similar to
       when that foal apparently got possessed.  I'm still a bit hazy
       on the details of how it works, but ugh.  Such a bad time for
       him to be asking for wood.  We're all out! And with the legions
       of undead setting up shop just outside, there's no way we're
       getting more from out there until they're gone.
       This is major.  A while ago I started joking about how I'm the
       boss and everypony should do what I say...and the really funny
       part is that ponies have played along.  I was even the one the
       trade liaisons from the trade caravans insisted on talking to,
       which was hilarious by the way, but I'm pretty sure everypony
       knew who was really in charge.  But...now Iron's gone mad or
       been possessed like that poor foal before, and now it seems like
       a lot less of a joke when everypony looks to me for leadership
       and does what I say.  This is real.  This is not funny.
       Well...maybe a little.  I'm sure I'll find it funny in
       retrospect.  But not right now.  Hopefully we're able to get
       Iron what he wants and he'll go back to normal, like what
       happened before.  I'd definitely appreciate it if he just
       recovered right now with no drama, but...looking back on his
       journal entries from the prior incident, I think some
       precautions should be taken in case whatever has hold of him
       isn't appeased.  I've ordered a door we can block to be placed
       over the workshop.  Celestia forbid we're forced to use it.
       10th June 157
       Okay, still holding up so far.  I've been informed by several of
       the migrants that there's a honeycomb of caverns below us.  I
       failed to see how that would matter to us, but then it was
       mentioned that there are underground trees and giant mushrooms.
       Trees.  UNDERGROUND TREES.  Oh my goodness, you learn something
       new every day!  How do they survive?  What do they look like?
       What do they use in place of sunli-
       Maybe I should be writing this in something more erasable.  Back
       on topic. They also warned that strange beasts make the
       galleries below their home. Possibly. Weighing the options,
       though, I think I'll chance rumors of critters over 100% real
       zombies and the prospect of Ironfire never returning to sanity.
       All other mining operations are being put on hold.  We need to
       get down there.  For Ironfire's sake, and by extension the rest
       of the settlement.
       19th June 157
       Good news!  Sort of.  We're about halfway through where I had
       the miners start digging to.  Problem with that, though, is that
       "halfway to my orders" and "halfway to a cavern" are by no means
       guaranteed to be synonyms.  Optimally, we'll find one before
       they're done with the current task, but with my intuition I'm
       sure we'll stop just short of one or miss several by
       hair's-breadths of stone.
       As worried as I am, though, I'm sure this is even worse on Ryo.
       She and Ironfire were getting pretty close from what I
       understand.  She's been keeping busy, but I'm almost certain
       it's a way of coping and keeping from thinking about what will
       happen if
       I'm not going to finish that thought.  We're on our way,
       Ironfire.
       21st June 157
       This is not my job, I did not sign up for this.  The scads of
       undead on our doorstep weren't enough, apparently.  Now there's
       a werecat out there.  I didn't know what that was before and I
       was willing to bet that it wouldn't be something I'd like to
       meet in a dark alley.  Or any alley.  I've now been informed.
       Pardon me while I fly through the ceiling and away to freedom.
       Not really.  I need to stay here.  For whatever reason, these
       ponies seem to be relying on me for leadership.  Ironfire, I
       really hope we can get you better soon.  I'd say I wonder what
       they eat, but I know some of it.  I wonder, though, if the
       walking dead just outside would please its palate.  That would
       be nice.
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/SjznnJHh.png
       5th July 157
       Found out some idiot had stored some remains in the stone
       storage. The place was rancid. I had it taken care of as soon as
       possible, but I don't think the Masons are going to be happy in
       there for a while.  I probalby wouldn't be.
       Better news time. Ironfire's second living area is progressing
       nicely. It's not quite finished yet, but all the furniture is
       ready and the first couple of rooms are set up and already
       claimed. At least everypony has their own space again.
       Honestly, this is really starting to wear on me.  I wish I had
       somepony close to talk to, but I have such a hard time really
       connecting with anypony.  I can make jokes, but that's about it.
       This stress is going to eat me alive.
       8th July 157
       Reports in from the miners. They've hit damp stone. They tell me
       it's a sign of water on the other side. Talking with a few of
       the migrants has raised my hopes. I do believe we've located a
       cavern.
       9th July 157
       Sweet Celestia and divine Luna who watch over us and regulate
       the heavens, thanks be to thee!  It's true!  We have indeed hit
       a cavern!  That by itself wouldn't be so big, but there are
       signs of trees already!  Oh, gosh and golly, I could kiss
       I don't know who I could kiss.  That just dampened my spirits.
       Still!  Looks like we're that much closer, Ironfire!
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/rFByabxh.png
       11th July 157
       Our early scouting indicates that the cavern should be safe.
       Safer than the alternative, at any rate. More good news?  I get
       to be the one who gathers it.  Sort of unhappy, considering it
       needs to be me because I'm the only one who really knows
       woodcutting, but I'll take it.  It's been a couple months since
       I've been able to split a good cord of wood.  That could be
       enjoyable, at least.
       17th July 157
       That was a long walk. I hadn't realized just how deep I'd asked
       the miners to go.  Well, I mean of course I realized, but
       connecting that distance with actually traversing the distance
       was a bit of an experience. The good news is that it certainly
       does look safer than an undead horde.
       And OH MY GOODNESS these trees down here are GORGEOUS!  They're
       not like regular trees, they actually seem to be made of some
       kind of crystal.  It seems like such a shame to be cutting
       these.  If we weren't in such dire need of the...would it really
       be called wood?  Can we still use it as wood?  Whatever, if we
       didn't need it so badly I'm not sure I could manage to bring
       myself to harvest them.  Ironfire, though.  And...think of what
       could be made with these!  The art!  The beauty!  And...I'm sure
       it could fetch a neat price, but honestly, just to have an
       opportunity to work with these!
       Ironfire sure was enthusiastic about retrieving the wood for his
       project.  He almost didn't wait until I was done cutting to
       enter the blood circle to take it.  I hope to Celestia that this
       will be enough for him to do whatever it is the possession is
       making him do.
       20th July 157
       It's finished. Ironfire completed his little art project. Well,
       I call it a little art project.  It's a masterpiece.
       Workmanship far beyond me, and definitely far beyond somepony
       whose main occupation is the working of metal rather than stone
       and wood.  Does a table really need that many spikes, though? Of
       course, I guess it wasn't really Iron that made the thing, it
       was...whatever it was that got ahold of him.
  HTML http://i.imgur.com/I94aDXuh.png
       21st July 157
       Ironfire has gone and enclosed himself in his room. I don't
       blame him.  Being in charge is difficult enough, imagine the
       toll having your body seized might have on you. The fact that
       he's not gone insane has cheered a few ponies up, noticeably Ryo
       more than others.  I'm pretty high up there myself, but yeah,
       pretty sure Ryo's the one who had the most invested in his
       recovery.
       With that ordeal over, the miners have gotten back to work with
       the plans Ironfire laid out for a second entrance and military
       barracks.  I think I need a nap.
       14th August 157
       Since Ironfire's recovery, things have definitely been calming
       down. Considering the still-current possibility of beasts in the
       caverns, they've been walled off for now. I did gather some more
       crystal tree "wood" first, though, and some from the giant
       mushrooms.  Those aren't so nice to look at but they're so
       interesting!  I swear, if this place had a sun, I honestly
       couldn't think of a reason I would want to leave.  We don't
       really have any use for more wood at the moment, but better to
       have some and not need it than need some and not have any.
       Some of the spores from the caverns have made it to the surface.
       Places that had dirt or clay floors have begun to sprout moss,
       bushes and trees that were present down in the caverns. I had
       the miners dig a larger area to see if we can grow anything
       interesting up here too.  I'd like a crystal tree of my own,
       maybe start a family and pass it down through the family,
       distributing seedlings through my own family tree...some neat
       symbolism right there...
       1st September 157
       I think Ironfire is back now. I think I can hear him yelling my
       name with what sounds like a hint of murder to it, so I think
       I'll just ditch scribble these last notes down and leave it here
       for him while keeping my distance for the foreseeable
       future.[/font]
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