During the night, we managed to get a signal out of Goodwhip again, but only briefly. I was able to take full scans of the fortress and some additional log into, but… it was clear that our connection to that place had been lost. We are currently recalibrating, and will start recording as soon as we find another signal. Until then, enjoy this retrospective look at Goodwhip.

The exterior site of Goodwhip during the final moments.

The living and dining level of Goodwhip, shortly before the end.

The industry and crafting level of Goodwhip, shortly before the end.

A creature stumbled into the fortress just as the last dwarf, LoneCandle, slowly burned to death. It looked like this:

I have put out the call for brave Adventurers to visit the site and make it ready for a reclamation attempt. There is too much of value there to abandon it entirely.

Go here for more details on how you can help!

Well, today started off with a bang – literally. We installed the parts and switched the system on, and there was a very loud explosion from the server room. It turns out that one of the power supplies we used had a short, and it ignited one of the hygrogen fuel cells which was leaking… long story short, the room was destroyed. It took all day to replace the equipment in that server room, but we’re back up now. It seems that Ezum’s day has begun on a similarly frantic note…

This… thing… crawled out of some dark, hidden corner of Hell and made its way into our excavations. We dispatched it after several casualties. Their deaths will be remembered, but the work must continue. – Expedition Leader Ezum Tironineth

Spring, 252

Just as the thaw set in, a horrible beast crawled out of the depths. We banded together and were able to kill it, though the battle was fierce and many were killed. Tekkud Necikmosus, Onul Stigazir, Iton Tekkudthol, Deler Debbenrovod, Dastot Budamiden, Stadir Itebrabed, and Fath Isanstinthad have all perished, either at the fangs of Tustra Rushanslushu or form the psychological scars left by the battle. Shortly afterward, apparently attracted by the blood of that battle, a great cave crocodile named Matkisat attacked those resting their wounds from the battle with Tustra.

Another fierce battle ensued, though this was much shorter. Matkisat was felled, though she managed to slay Stakud Unibtosid and Olon Adasurdim in the fighting. I have ordered memorial slabs for all of our fallen dwarves, as well as the two worthy foes, to be engraved and then placed where all incoming merchants, immigrants, and visitors will be able to see our history.

With spring came new immigrants to the fortress, and a huge increase in our mining activity. I have ordered all useful stone, gems, and ore to be mined from the living levels regardless of aesthetics – we need more. The jeweler is hurriedly cutting the various gemstones we fine for use in trade, and he is becoming quite skilled. I have renewed our work quarrying as much of the glorious adamantine as we can before someone comes to take it.

The gleam of light from the stone blinds, I’m falling into a strange sleep, I’m floating above the floor, a little left. I can hear the sirens in my mind, calling me to dig deeper, a little more, a little left. They’re hurt by stone that binds, walling in the sleepers, there is no door, a little left. The metal called adamantine, pulling me towards the reaper, beneath the floor! A little left!

At that point, her entry trails off into gibberish and strange rhymes for a while. I assigned each page of notes to a different intern for translation – I thought it a good precaution. One intern got overly curious, and she is lucky that our health plan includes ocular nerve damage due to excessive bleeding. While she was recovering, though, she drew a picture of the creature.

About fifty pages of strange runes later, Ezum suddenly becomes sensical again and continues with her report.

The miners have been busy. I will summarize our last season of delving. First some schematics of several important events:

Again! It must be fate! I was alone and it was my pick that shattered the crust of this ancient place! This space is much larger, and there is the sound of water in a very large space nearby. We may be able to set up a camp near here for some time, if we should have to move closer to the dig.
Even better, the light I saw before came back! I could see it hover over the water and then plunge down, below the surface. Dig! We must dig! – Expedition Leader Ezum Taronineth

It has happened. I found it. I knew it. The third time, it was me again! Destiny. I have decided that my pick will be the first to bite that sacred surface as well.
My pick crushed through into the cavern below, and it was like bursting a great bubble. Wind and magic whistled through and into the shaft I was digging. It brought with it the color so thickly that I wept. When my vision cleared, I saw that the light had not faded as it always had before. Reflecting off of some large underground sea, the pure light of the purest, the greatest, the Godmetal.
Adamantine.
Praise the miners. We will begin quarrying and studying it immediately. I hope to begin producing goods with it in a fortnight.
Where in my mind the call of the light was, I now feel a craving to have more and more of this miracle discovery.
The caverns we found were littered with ancient, millennia-weathered ruins, further proof that the Dwarven legends of this blood of the Earth are true. – Expedition Leader Ezum Teronineth

Finally. The others told me that when my pick broke open the core of the Adamantine Spire, they heard terrifying screams the likes of which they had never heard before.
I did not.
I heard a chorus of praise, and I could feel the tendrils grasping my mind in an approving, loving manner. I await those below with excitement. – Expedition Leader Ezum Teronineth

Between Ezum’s strange ravings and the blood we had to clean out of the lab after the intern’s mishap, I don’t think that these dwarves are going to be around much longer. I have already begun calibrating a second receiver array to the next individual. Further updates as we get them.

I’m going to go straight into Ezum’s logs:

Late Winter, 251

We let our guards down after the success repelling the first invader from the Stars, and so the second got away from it. I include here descriptions of the creature and of its escape.

A second beastly creature, likely servant of the stars, came into our stockpile last night. It’s physical description is recorded herein.

This fat little hellspawn lives to thieve from someone else, but she’ll not return.

As you can probably tell, the spring thaw has finally begun. I suppose I should begin heading my entries with 252 soon, once we determine which day to start measuring from.

The very minute, it seems, that the thaw was in full force, a group of 26 new immigrants arrived. Twice the current population for the fortress! All expecting a hot meal and a warm bed and new clothes and a workspace and unlimited supplies. And we have to dig! I have decided to list their names in the official record, and assign half of them to the digging project and half to logistics duties. We must begin producing salable gem-crafts and stone-works, or we will starve in the next winter. Should any of them prove to be of particular worth, I will mention them here but all that really matters is the digging.

I must get our supply situation sorted so that we can go back to the digging.

Here, again, the transmission breaks down into static, this time accompanied by a deep, droning chant. Feedback caused our entire system to fail several seconds later, but the chanting sounds persisted for hours.

We have decided they, too, should be marked as ‘Completely unimportant and no further research required.’

Once we have the equipment repaired and installed into the new location, we will resume our regular submissions.