The following are excerpts from the diaries of a certain inhabitant of Helmauthors, one of the old colonies. We've chosen mostly those that seem relevant to the history of the fortress as a whole.Amost's journal
6 GraniteAm writing this while eating in my room. These lax policies are really getting out of hand; someone once described me as being "slow to anger," but after a year of having no official place to eat, I'm getting pretty angry. I don't like to bother the other dwarfs, but I'll talk to Melbil about it tomorrow.
7 GraniteWell, that's it. I talked to Melbil. The conversation went like this, as close as I can recall:
"Well, Amost. what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Melbil sighed.
"...Dining room."
"What about it? Is it too big? Too small? Not legendary enough?"
"Not there."
Melbil stared at me for a few seconds. "Not
there? What are you going on about? It's on the second level, right across from my office. All the dwarfs eat there."
"...No it's not. 'S not official."
"Not... wait, are you saying it's not a dining room until I-"
"Official."
Melbil rubbed the sides of her temples, as if to ward off a headache. "Alright, Amost, I'll make the announcement tomorrow and post a notice on the wall. The room that all the dwarfs have been eating in will now be the official dining room."
"...Thanks."
Then I left.
This is the first time I've ever made a demand of a governmental dwarf, and it worked! The system works! I'm so glad. Maybe I'll start involving myself in policy more often; there are a few things that need to be fixed around here.
At the least, maybe I could keep that Alåth at arm's reach. She seems like a nice girl, but she's far too... bubbly for my tastes.
9 GraniteI found something else that needs a bit of tightening up: somebody decided to store the refuse bin in the kitchen. I can kind of see the logic here; like after a bout of cooking, you throw your garbage onto the big pile. Unfortunately, it's not very practical. Unsurprisingly, having a huge pile of garbage in the kitchen makes a terrible smell.
I tried to talk to Melbil about it, but she claimed she was so busy that she didn't have time for small details.
Small details! Maybe this is that "bureaucratic red tape" I've heard about...
But the day wasn't a total loss- I made a friend! At least, I think so; I haven't been able to find a universal definition.
It was Obok! He started talking to me about my sudden involvement in local policies. I got the feeling he disapproved of it in general, but didn't hold any grudges. I don't remember exactly how the conversation went, but that's no surprise. It was odd having him talk to me after so long, but I think it was my sudden interest in the fortress' governing. Maybe it made him see that I'm more than how I might appear on the surface? Oh well. I'll talk to him again later, I'm sure!
13 SlateIt's been a while since I've written here, but things have been busy. Y'see, I noticed that we had run out of space to store things made in the workshops... Actually, it was my darling Obok Cudgelscribed that let me know. I knew the place was crowded, but I didn't know if that was normal; engraving's more my thing. But when I went to visit him while he was working, Obok's carpentry shop was so cluttered, there were bins stacked almost to the ceiling! He said it was getting hard to work, and asked me to talk to Melbil about it. Normally, he assured me, he wouldn't get involved with things like that, but his carpentry was very important to him. I was already sympathetic, given that Alåth's gem workshop was right next to his. So I headed off to Melbil, whom I knew was in her office.
I walked into the office, and there she was, busily working at her desk. I stared, waiting for her to notice me.
She looked up, saw me, and quickly looked down again.
I waited for minutes, but she seemed to be becoming more and more absorbed in her paperwork.
"Melbil." I said aloud.
She froze in place for a moment, and then looked up slowly. "Yes, Amost? Is there something you need?"
"Space for the workshops."
"The workshops? Isn't there enough space already?"
"Stockpiles. Bigger ones. Now."
She looked taken aback, likely by my can-do attitude.
I went on, deciding to outline in detail so that she could understand. 'The carpentry workshop is cluttered. There needs to be more room for storing things."
"There's plenty of room for goods! Now, I have some very important business to attend to, so if you'll excuse me..."
I stood resolutely in the doorway; I've heard anecdotes about dealing with bureaucracy, and the best way to get what you want is to be stubborn. I decided to repeat the request.
"...More. Room."
Melbil looked astonished for a second, and then turned slightly red. "Alright! The storage room will be expanded! Now please, just... leave me alone!"
I turned and walked away without saying a word. I was really getting the hang of this policymaking thing!
Anyway, a few weeks later, the mining was all done, and it's looking good!
Obok was VERY grateful. You should have seen the way he looked at me.
4 FelsiteA HUGE amount of immigrants arrived today!
Twenty-four of them, to be precise. One of them, Imush the cheese maker, tried to make some idle conversation with me, but I shut him down pretty quick. If Obok is as interested in me as I think he is, it wouldn't be proper to be talking to other males.
He didn't seem to be too upset, though, and started in on Alåth instead. She talks to anyone, so they got along well. I doubt he'll remain a cheese maker for long, though; we don't have any milk here.
In fact, a lot of the immigrants seemed to have useless jobs. I took it upon myself to correct that, and caught Melbil in the halls. I succinctly explained the jobs I felt would best fit some of the more... worthless immigrants. She didn't seem to understand at first, and tried to walk away, but I persevered. I think she's really starting to appreciate my side of things.
Anyway, Imush is now a Mechanic, a Potash Maker is now another Miner, and several Peasants are now training in more... fit positions. Including one that i felt we badly needed.
Disappointingly, I forgot to have Melbil fix the garbage problem in the kitchen.