Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

ASCII art reward

2009-08-07T21:43:59Z

Termitehead:

If you are sending a [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Site_support|donation]] to [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ Bay12Games], they might send you an ASCII Art Reward in exchange. It is a small scene happening in the Dwarf Fortress world. If the same donator gives more than one time, it is also possible that the bits of ASCII Art follow each other and form a story.

Each piece of ASCII Art Reward belong to the donator who received it, but to appetize new potential donators, sharing them might be a good thing :

==[[User:Beefx|Beefx]]==
===(25 June 2007)===
<pre>"++@k@++"</pre>

Zolon and Morul stood near the steel cage. The brown humanoid inside sat with its hands on its knees, rocking back and forth.

"Clearly, the kobold was molded from stone." Zolon stroked his black beard. He then glanced at Morul, raising an eyebrow.

"Not so fast... the yellow eyes glow. Fire was involved." Morul was a slow thinker, but he was not easily moved.

"Stagis! Bacabadabis!" The kobold began to screech in its low tongue. Zolon and Morul observed in silence until the creature quieted down.

"Was that the wind then?" Zolon asked.

"It seems the interplay of the elements is nuanced in this one, even if the final realization is... lacking."

Morul did not disdain the beast so much that he did not feed it, now that the trapper had entrusted it into his keeping. The philosopher had left a few pieces of old venison in the cage and the creature now lifted one and inspected it. After a few sniffs, the kobold pitched it through the steel bars. The dwarves watched as the meat spun through the air and landed a few yards from the cage. When they turned back around, the kobold was inches away from them, its face pressed against the bars.

"Augis," it moaned. "Augis!" Louder and louder it wailed.

Zolon and Morul covered their ears. "And this is a tempest?" Zolon said facetiously.

"Let's adjourn until the storm passes. Perhaps we can find a meal the thing will accept." Morul turned and walked down a nearby corridor, toward the kitchen. Zolon followed close behind.

After they had left, the kobold stopped moaning and sat back on its haunches. Opening its small clawed fingers, the creature smiled. On its palm rested an iron key.

==[[User:Bombcar|Bombcar]]==
===(30 December 2007)===
<pre>++g~~U~~C+++</pre>

Goblins in tattered rags pulled the chains with speed as the whips
cracked. Slowly the gate rose revealing a grotesque creature bent on
destruction. Its three eyes bounced on their stalks as the monster
pulled itself forward on two huge, muscular arms. It came to a sudden
halt as Ameltoss the wizard stepped into its path. Though he had
raised it from a stinking poisonous egg, the wizard knew not whether
he still commanded the beast. This was the final test. He raised his
staff and commanded the monster to return to its lair. The creature's
lips peeled back to reveal ten rows of razor sharp teeth. Ameltoss
swallowed hard and shouted his command once more. Now was the moment
of truth.

===(13 April 2009)===
<pre>c+||@++c+cc+@@||,.,,.U,ggCgggT</pre>

The dwarf Frankle ran through the corridors, chasing after the many
cats that infested the fortress. He stopped when the alarm was
sounded. The captain of the guard shouted orders. The dwarves rushed
to their stations. Frankle, a reserve marks-dwarf, grabbed up a
crossbow from the arsenal and trotted up the stairs to man the
battlements. When he reached the top he saw the other marks-dwarves
standing, shocked by what they saw. Taking a deep breath, he looked
over the side.

At the fortress gate stood an enormous monster, dragging itself upon
its vicious, clawed arms. Goblins stood around it, jeering, and
hurling curses. A feeling of terror gripped Frankle’s chest. In all
his years in the service he had never fired his bow in anger, but no
bolt could take this beast down. The captain put a hand on Frankle’s
shoulder. Below, a robed man stepped out before the creature. A
fresh scar transected his missing left eye. It was the evil wizard
Ameltoss.

“Lay down your weapons and accept a swift death,” shouted the wizard.
A bolt thudded down between his feet. “Somehow I thought you’d
refuse. Release the beast!”

A troll stepped forward wielding a huge axe. With several violent
chops, the chain binding the monster's wrist was broken. The creature
surged forward. Frankle screamed in fright and fired his crossbow.
His bolt, along with a dozen others, bounced harmlessly from the
creatures hide. As the monster beat down the gate. It seemed their
was no hope. That was when champion dwarf Rokwan emerged from the
keep within the castle.

==[[User:Bott Maggot|Bott Maggot]]==
===(03 August 2007)===
<pre>+&=o=@+</pre>

"You've come, Kogan. The Lordaxe. It is said you have a mighty constitution, but can you hold your own at my table?" The demon slammed the great flagon down on to the center of the table. A few dark drops splattered on the stone and smouldered.

"I can take whatever you offer, fiend, and I'll count you a poor host if that brew there on the table doesn't move me half as much as the whiskey of my homeland."

"Ah, your homeland. It will make a fine gateway to the Underworld someday."

"I wish I could say the dwarves would enjoy making a mine of this palace, but alas, your halls reek of filth. It would be difficult to persuade them."

"Less talk, more drink. You call yourself a dwarf?"

Without another word, Kogan seized the flagon with his scarred fist. He could feel the infernal heat emanating from the brew, and the smell was appalling. Even so, he hefted the drink to his open mouth and downed it completely, setting the empty flagon on the table in triumph.

==[[User:Brownie210|Brownie210]]==
===(22 December 2008)===
<pre>+&@\O+||~~~~~~~~~</pre>
Sweat glistened on the hairy dwarf's body as he wrestled the dark lord
Slandar. Above them lay the steel orifice holding back the sea of
lava that was the last defense against the evil army, if only a dwarf
could pull the lever. The dwarf held the evil general's arm in both
hands as the fiend tried to drive his dagger through the hero's heart.

"Slandar," asked the dwarf, "when did you become so hot-headed?"

The dwarf let go of the villain's arm and pulled the lever. As the
fiend drove his blade through the laughing dwarf's heart, the gates
opened above and a torrent of lava fell from the ceiling, incinerating
them both in a cloud of steam.

==[[User:Caeonosphere|Caeonosphere]]==
===(07 January 2008)===
<pre>,.U-.,.GT.</pre>
The mighty barbarian clenched his teeth as he snapped the arrow
protruding from his chest. He laughed as he bounded through the brush
after the cowardly ambusher. Just another scar among many, proving
his manhood like all the rest. The foolish goblin archer tried to
scale a tree to lose him. Smiling with anticipation of the kill, the
barbarian took a throwing axe from his belt and hurled it at his
enemy. The blade struck the goblin in the helmet, splitting it in
two. As the stunned goblin sank to the base of the tree, the
barbarian approached him, grabbing him by the throat.

"Well, my friend," said the barbarian. "It looks as if this game has
come to an end."

==[[User:Davion|Davion]]==
===(28 July 2008)===
<pre>bBbBbBbB####HU*########||+UU+||</pre>

The master thief leapt from the tower, the royal jewels still in his
hands. The pursuing guard ran to the side to watch in wonder as the
burglar plunged to his death. But lo, a giant hawk flew down and
plucked him out of the sky. The aging king stormed out onto the roof
of the tower, still in his bed clothes.

"Curse you Faltrix!" screamed the king as the bird flew toward the horizon.

The rogue had known the hawk since it was a hatchling. It was then he
had pulled an arrow from its wing. Thus began the most famous
partnership of the age. The hawk rider and his steed were known
throughout the land as heroes of the people, stealing from the rich
and giving to the poor.

A dark cloud rose on the horizon. The smile fell from Faltrix's lips
as the evil creatures sprung their ambush. Bat men! How had these
creatures strayed so far from the mountains? The evil beings rode
giant bats and shot poison darts from their blow guns. Faltrix
commanded his mount to dive low. Perhaps he could lose them in the
trees of the forest below.

===(28 September 2008)===
<pre>kbkkbkb,..,..HU,..*.@,...</pre>

Down, down into the forest canopy they flew. Faltrix's heart raced as
they wove through the trees, the bat men close behind. Just when he
thought he lost them, the hawk called out with a piercing cry. A net
of vines dropped from the treetops above, fouling the bird's wings.
They crashed to the forest floor with a thud and slid forward in the
dirt. Faltrix drew his sword and cut through the web. High-pitched
cackling echoed from above. Kobolds! The rogue set about cutting his
avian steed free, but the hawk did not stir from unconsciousness.

"Agron!" screamed Faltrix. "Agron!"

Black shadows dropped from vines above. The kobolds drew their jagged
blades. As they surrounded him the batmen caught up just it time to
finish him off. A dozen poison darts landed at his feet. Why didn't
they kill him?

"Agron," said the rogue, "if we get out of this, you can eat all the
giant rats you want."

The kobolds parted to reveal a short wizard in a glowing red robe, a
long hood covering his face. Faltrix lowered his blade as the
menacing figure approached. The wizard threw back his hood to reveal
the face of an evil dwarf. Faltrix threw the stolen Eye of Atheria at
his feet.

"Take the jewel," said Faltrix, "just let Agron live."

"Touching," said the dwarf, "but fear not, I will have need of the
rider and his hawk to complete the ultimate quest."

"Quest?" asked Faltrix.

==[[User:Ergot|Ergot]]==
===(14 June 2007)===
<pre>""w"w@%"w"w</pre>

Doran shifted from foot to foot as he looked from side to side. Eventually the dwarf's head dropped and he clutched his beard, his wide eyes wild, staring at the dirt. They were everywhere.

"Cave weevils. Cave weevils on my crops. My pig tails, all of my pig tails are gone. But this season will be different, mark my words, by the Lordaxe it will." The dwarf pulled a bulky glove from his belt. The knuckles were studded with iron. Doran slid the glove over his hand, his mouth twisting into a cruel smile. The farmer's eyes grew dark.

One of the foot-long insects crawled in front of the dwarf, and he hammered it into the earth with his fist, smashing the weevil until it was well-ground. "Flat. I'll pound 'em all flat. We might not have cloth this year, but we'll have plenty of meal."

==[[User:Furiousfish|Furiousfish]]==
===(14 July 2007)===
<pre>++@g####</pre>
"Tell me where the child is being taken and I'll let you live!" Kogan yelled down at the goblin, desperation marking his voice. Mul had shot this wretch in the leg, but the kidnapper had escaped. The goblin hanging by Kogan's hand over the chasm was just a bodyguard. The goblin smiled wickedly, taking delight in Kogan's distress. "Even now, your child is approaching the prison where he'll live out the next decade of his miserable life," it spat. "And then, well..." The fiend began to chuckle. "Where is the child?" Kogan asked with finality. The goblin closed its eyes and was silent. Kogan let the creature drop away into the darkness.

===(27 February 2008)===
<pre>","".g%@.",""."..</pre>
Dorol struggled against the coarse sackcloth. The darkness was total,and it smelled even more foul than his uncle's rotten-toothed whiskeybreath. He had been playing with his miniforge by the cave river when everything had gone black. Dorol had heard a commotion shortly after, followed by terrible undwarven screaming, but afterward just the soft footfalls of somebody running quickly along with the rustling of the sack. At once, whoever was carrying him stopped and let the sack drop hard on the ground. There was a rustling, and the sack opened. It was nighttime, and Dorol could see the face of his captor looking down at him. A goblin! The fiend pulled the cloth down far enough that Dorol's head stuck up out of the opening. The dwarf held tightly onto his toy, uncertain and afraid. "Here, eat this," the goblin said, holding out something. Dorol worked one of his hands out of the sack and took the offering. It wasa piece of spoiled meat, crawling with diseased larvae. The child dropped it on the ground by the sack. "Hey, that's good meat," the goblin complained, reaching down to pick it up. "The master gave it to me just for you." The goblin lowered its voice and mumbled. "I'd eat it, but he is always watching me, and he knows when I've been bad. "Now eat up," the goblin drew closer and pushed the meat into the dwarf's face. Like a true smith, the dwarven child struck, smashing the hammer of his miniforge into the goblin's eye! The goblin cringed, clutching his face. After a moment he shook his head and looked up at the sack, but the dwarf was nowhere to be seen. Filling with rage, driven by fear of his master's torments, the goblin shouted, "You can't run, you hairy snot! I'll hunt you, and I'll find you!" Snatching up the sack, the goblin ran off into the wilds.

==[[User:Fuzzy|Fuzzy]]==
===(31 October 2008)===
<pre>.,G,@,,.</pre>

The dwarves buried Administrator Zarhan face down, so that when evil
spirits animated his soulless corpse, as surely they would, he would
dig straight down into the Underworld and away from the land of the
living. For a season after, the fortress was beset by a horrible
howling that filled the corridors. The dwarves of the fortress were
driven to near madness. Eventually the sounds faded.

It was not long after that a young engraver found a floor hatch, which
had not been there the previous night. He opened the hatch and put
his head through. Phantom arms grabbed him and pulled him inside.

"You fools didn't think I'd forget up from down did you?" hissed the
ghost of Zarhan.

==[[User:Hellzon|Hellzon]]==
===(17 December 2007)===
<pre>,.@@~~o~~~</pre>

A rock plopped into the cave river from the platform above. There
Durgal and the dwarf girl sat, above the murky waters. Durgal
explained, in great detail, his plans for the future. When the riches
of the mountain were plundered, he would diagram the plans for a
second fortress himself. How the dwarves would love him!

"But in your haste for riches," asked the girl, "would you have time
for the ones you love?"

Durgal's face became red as a cave turnip. He looked quickly away
from her and stared into the dark water. There, eyes gazed up to meet
him. Durgal reached for his axe, telling the girl to warn the others.
A pale, slimy hand reached out of the depths and pulled the creature
upward. It was an olmman!

===(3 September 2008)===
<pre>ff,@,.@,o~~~~~</pre>

"Back!" cried Durgal, "back to the hall!" The dwarf girl turned and
screamed. Two blind cave fish men blocked the way out. Durgal turned
and swung his axe at the olmman, now completely out of the water. It
deftly dodged his panicked swings. The dwarf girl screamed as the
cave fish men crawled toward her, arms outstretched, feeling their way
along the floor.

"By the power of the Lordaxe!" screamed Durgal, holding his axe aloft.
The dungeon rumbled. The sound of water crashed through the tunnel.
The fighters were swept away. The olmman grabbed Durgal's axe arm as
they were washed through the watery tunnel. The dwarf pulled a dagger
from his belt and jammed it into the monster's guts.

"Gula!" cried Durgal, bursting above the surface of the water. He
pulled the axe free of the olmman's grasp and brought the pommel down
on its head, knocking it senseless. "Gula!" he cried again. With
sudden terror, Durgal recalled where this tunnel led -- the chasm.
Only a few seconds until the ultimate terrible plunge.

"Durgal!" cried the dwarf girl, Gula. With all his strength, he
stretched to reach her in the crashing water.

==[[User:Janus|Janus]]==
===(12 October 2006)===

<pre>BgB
B@g
gBB</pre>
Beak dogs and goblins surround the adventurer! What will happen next?!

===(13 February 2007)===
<pre>gg...
.B.B=
..BB.
.%B@/
.-...</pre>
One of the five beak dogs pounced. Rogar leapt, planting a foot on the beast's head and propelling himself toward the tattoed goblin. Just as they collided, Rogar planted his dagger through the goblin's left eye. They hit the ground hard, and Rogar rolled forward to his feet, spinning to face the remaining eight opponents. The beak dog he had jumped on was still shaking its head, wincing. Behind them stood a wiry goblin with a wild mane of maroon hair, brandishing a scimitar, and a lardy goblin holding an iron-studded club.

The beak dogs charged Rogar in unison. His dagger was stuck back in the twitching goblin's face, but weaponless he stood his ground before them. The first dog to reach him received Rogar's knee under its chin, the long cruel spike at the top of the warrior's half-greave piercing the creature's throat. Two more beak dogs reached him as he twisted his leg in the air, trying to free it from his bleeding adversary. The beasts slammed into him, one getting a hold of his right arm above the elbow, the other gnashing at his face. Before it could tear his nose off, Rogar grabbed it by the neck with his left hand and held it back. The other dog sank its beak deeper into the flesh of Rogar's arm. Could this be the end?!

===(5 May 2007)===
<pre>|+@g+++</pre>

Rogar awoke in pain, his wrists in chains, his wounded arm throbbing. He opened his eyes only to be greeted by an all-encompassing darkness. This must be Shalthidon's dungeon, which meant that he was locked inside the Tower of Hate from which no man had ever returned.

A dim light flickered some distance away, and he could see the silhouetted bars of his prison. Beyond them, shadows danced, and he heard a grating sound. The bars slid aside, and the lardy goblin waddled into the chamber holding a torch.

The foul creature stood below Rogar where he hung, an idiot grin perking up the otherwise sagging jowls of its bloated face.

"The master says you are to be entertained," it croaked as it continued to smile.

"I do not desire such pleasures as Shalthidon has to offer," Rogar answered. "Be off with you. The larder has grown lonely."

"The master says you are to feel the fire," the thing chortled. The goblin lifted the torch and took a step toward Rogar.

It was enough. Rogar lashed out with his legs, hooking them around the goblin's neck. In a feat of strength that would become legend, Rogar strained against the chains on his arms, lifting the massive goblin and all its corpulence from the floor. There was a sickening crack, and the fixtures in the ceiling gave way. Rogar fell into the goblin's lardy folds, pushing away desperately until he regained his feet, ready to fight, but the goblin was already dead with a broken neck.

Fortunately, the torch had not been smothered. The warrior picked it up and held it high. There was nothing else in the cell. Aside from the chains, the torch was his only possession. Now it's the master who'll be entertained, Rogar thought, as he strode out into the passageway.

===(7 August 2007)===
<pre>@+++"E"</pre>

Rogar strode toward the great iron doors, leaving a trail of blood that was not his own. In his hand he held a scimitar and from each of his wrists the chains still hung. All of the servants of Shalthidon that lurked within the Tower of Hate were now dead, save whatever was in this room at the pinnacle of the tower. The sword he had seized from the maroon-maned goblin, who had led the goblins in the tower barracks.

The warrior pushed hard on the iron doors and they opened inward with a groan. There, surrounded by brightly colored flowers, was an elf. The sun shone down on the tower top through windows in the elegant curved ceiling. The entire room sparkled.

"Are you a prisoner here? Where is Shalthidon?" Rogar asked urgently.

The elf chuckled pleasantly. "Child, Rogar, I am Shalthidon. My parents named me Lilarilqua, but my attempts to hold the goblins under my sway with that name met with disaster. Are you cold? Let me fetch you something warm." Shalthidon fished around under a dresser and pulled out a plush cloak with lacy frills. "The material was all offered freely from the feather trees, Rogar. You don't have to worry about the animals."

Rogar was still stunned. Shalthidon, the Bringer of Ruin, murderer of his parents, lord of the evil of the creeping wastes that had engulfed half the world, was an elf. Dispelling the cloud over his mind, the warrior focused. That will only make killing him all the more satisfying, he thought. Rogar lifted his blade and advanced.

==[[User:Kosmos|Kosmos]]==
===(11 September 2007)===
<pre>T+TT@C +</pre>

"Twist my arm, why don't you? You louse," Doran had complained as Bomtek continued to bother him.

"Come on, Doran! It's just a bottle of whiskey. The Baron won't miss it. When you deliver his table, just take a little something for yourself. And share it with me."

Now Doran was standing in the Baron's dining room. It already had a fine granite table at its center; the noble had just wanted an obsidian corner piece as an accent. As the dwarf set the table down, Bomtek's repeated needling suggestions still echoed in his mind. It was just one bottle. There are so many in the cabinet. The Baron won't miss just one of them.

The dwarf had to pass the cabinet on the way out. With every step toward it, he felt the whiskey within calling in his heart. Doran's face flushed hot and his stomach felt as if it were being squeezed and twisted. Maybe I'll just look, he thought. Just look and go. He reached out his hand and gently opened the cabinet's door. There was only one bottle inside. Bomtek, you fool, he thought. Yet the whiskey still beckoned him forward, and he continued to gaze on the bottle in silence as it drew him ever closer.

==[[User:Laod|Laod]]==
===(15 October 2006)===

<pre>T..o..T

Trolls are playing dodgeball with a boulder! Who will win?!</pre>
--[[User:Laod|Laod]] 15 October 2006

==[[User:MacGyvers_Mullet|MacGyvers_Mullet]]==
===Rognar:(11 November 2007)===

<pre>%%%@%%%,../.,\</pre>

The sword slid through the goblin's throat and the dying creature fell
to the ground sputtering. Rognar had been born into a world of
violence, and he would not share it with these stinking beasts.
Striding upon their unnumbered broken bodies, the warrior reached the
summit of the corpse mound and surveyed the carnage. The siege had
been broken. Here and there, a wimpering slave of darkness put up
resistance or simply clung to life, but soon they would all be
vanquished and the sun would bring a glorious dawn to the blood-red
battlefield. Rognar smiled. It was a great day to be a dwarf.

-Tarn

===Neandar Begin:(3 July 2008)===

<pre>!!()!!,k,...@,..#######||</pre>

He would never let the fiend escape again. That was what Neandar the
dwarf thought before he flung himself into the black air of the chasm
after the skulking kobold thief. For many seconds they fell, time
enough for Neandar to recall his short life and short career on the
Fortress Guard. Wet matter slammed into the dwarf's face and gave
way. The dwarf smashed through a dozen giant spider webs and hit the
ground running, hot on the trail of the kobold scum.

A huge standing ring of fire dominated the floor of the chasm. The
kobold made for the hell portal with all speed. Neandar stopped in
his tracks. It was one thing to plunge to certain death in order to
retrieve a granite puzzle box. It was quite another to cast oneself
into a dimension of ultimate evil. Yet these kobold cowards could not
be allowed to run about as they pleased. Lifting his axe over his
head, the dwarf charged into the portal of doom.

-Zach

==[[User:McDoomhammer|McDoomhammer]]==
===(6 May 2008)===

<pre>T,.ggUggg..TT------,TT,.T.U.UU.,..TTT</pre>

The three chosen warriors left the Citadel of Hope, strapped on with
all manner of magic weapons that the Council of Elders had presented
them. Shizenbubin was the tracker of the group, always hot on the
trail of danger. Shizentubin was her sister, skilled in the ways of
the blade so that no enemy neck was safe. Azoul Buck was the leader.
She ran her fingers through her short blond hair, her muscular arm
flexing, covered with the crude tattoos of her tribe.

This would be a short quest indeed. A party of goblins had ambushed
the prince on his way to the castle. All the heroes need do is return
him unspoiled. It would be easy to intercept them then on their way
to the Black Fortress, given Shizenbubin's incredible skill. However,
time was not on their side. Goblins grew bored easily and might make
sport of the prince's bodily members. Azoul set the pace, a quick
trot through the woods. She smiled at the easily-won glory that
awaited her squad at the end of the journey.

==[[User:Md5i|Md5i]]==
===(12 May 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||+++@+|</pre>

"That ought to keep 'em out," Doran said confidently, patting the granite
block which he had just slid into place. Ever since the Baron had insisted
on mining out the gold vein in the wall, Doran had been dealing with the
rats. It couldn't be helped. Gold was gold after all, but it was just
Doran's luck that the miners had broken through to a large chasm not far
from the craftsdwarf's room.

The dwarf laid down on his bed and began to think about the next project. A
puzzlebox, perhaps, something challenging. Just as Doran was drifting off
into dreams of the design, he heard a scratching on the block.

"Ha! Keep trying you little demons," the dwarf chuckled. The scratching
continued. It was irritating, but the dwarf could block it out. Then there
was a grating scrape as the block moved an inch. The dwarf sat up and
stared at the wall in amazement. Impossible, he thought.

The block slid forward further. Small, clawed fingers worked their way
around the stone until a gray, furry hand grasped one corner of the block.
The stone turned slightly.

Doran seized his chisel from the nearby table and leapt toward the block,
stabbing downward. The tool grazed the hand, leaving a spatter of blood on
the stone. There was a shriek, and the bleeding hand disappeared into the
dark crack.

The craftsdwarf pushed the block back into place and backed away, chisel in
hand. After a moment, the scratching began anew.

===(07 Jun 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||%r%+@+|</pre>

"Leave me be, you fiend!" Doran yelled, his chisel held toward the stone
block. The scratching became louder and more persistent.

Once again, the block moved, but this time no fingers poked through the
crack. The beast had learned. The slab of granite was being pushed
directly from behind, and it glided slowly toward Doran. The dwarf backed
toward his bed.

The block stopped sliding. There was now enough space to allow something to
pass through the hole in the wall, but the block was large and Doran could
not see behind it. For a long moment, nothing stirred. The craftsdwarf
knelt and opened the chest by the foot of his bed, muttering.

At once, a creature leapt from behind the block and faced Doran. It was a
ratman, ravening, its long yellow incisors surrounded by froth, its
patchy-furred flesh stretched tight over its starved body. The thing
hungered and would have Doran for its meal.

The dwarf stood, a vial in his hand. The ratman lunged forward and Doran
hurled the vial at the beast's face. The glass shattered, and the creature
clutched its black protruding eyes as they steamed. Doran rushed forward
and stabbed the ratman repeatedly with the chisel until it stopped moving.

"Pity about that. I was going to ask Mul to do some etchings for me."

===(15 Jul 2007)===
<pre>##===@=D####</pre>

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mul, it would have been a thrilling project," Doran said,
pausing to take another swig of whiskey. "I can't believe how much trouble
we've been having with ratmen lately."

"Perhaps there's a larger beast down in the chasm riling them up," Mul
replied. "Kogan's child was taken not long ago."

"Yes, surely something unusual is afoot."

Meanwhile, Kogan stood with his axe by the chasm bridge. Ever since the boy
Aliz had been lost, the soldier had tirelessly patrolled the walkways along
the deepest parts of the rift, killing dozens of ratmen and a few large
spiders. He would not be satisfied until the depths were devoid of life.

A foul wind blew up from the chasm. Kogan leaned to the side and peered
down over the edge of the bridge. The impact was sudden and the dwarf was
knocked on his back in the middle of the bridge. Kogan heard the sound of
stone being scraped without respect, and he.found himself staring into the
rotten eyes of a giant decaying reptile.

==[[User:Midelne|Midelne]]==

===Fish Dwarf Begin: (6 August 2007)===
<pre>~~@~~X</pre>

They called him Fish-Dwarf. He was the only worker in the outpost willing to brave the depths of the cave river in order to service the floodgate mechanisms when they became clogged with the seasonal muds.

It was that time again. The farming gates weren't operational, and the planting had to begin immediately. Fish-Dwarf had his tools, and the special fins he had manufactured were secured to broad feet. Everything was ready. The frightened faces of the onlooking children would not dissuade him. Fish-Dwarf understood that this was his calling. He was the only one that could save the outpost. The dwarf inhaled, and his chest swelled to nearly double its original size. Clearing his mind, the dwarf dove into the water.

===(8 November 2007)===
<pre>~~~@%X</pre>

Fish-Dwarf swam down the narrow tunnel to the gate mechanism. The water was murky and even with his superior vision he could only just see his hands sweeping ahead of him.

The upper portion of the mechanism appeared suddenly before him. The dwarf inspected the machinery quickly, mindful of his air, yet confident that he had at least a few minutes left. The top assembly was clear, so the mud must have worked itself into the lower gears. Fish-Dwarf pushed his way down.

The swollen rotting face of a lizardman greeted him, twisted into the gears. Not again, Fish-Dwarf thought, dejected. It would take at least three trips to dislodge all of the chunks. The dwarf removed the chisel from his tool case and began working it into the sticking jam.

===(10 December 2007)===
<pre>+@@+@@@+~~~~~</pre>

"Fish-Dwarf, you have saved us!" the children shouted as the wet dwarf
pulled his way up on to the bank. He had finished his last cleaning
run, and already the floodgate was rising, ushering in the waters that
would prepare the way for the summer harvest.

"Truly, Fish-Dwarf, your mastery of the murky depths never ceases to
amaze us. You are a hero," the Mayor Kogan said, offering Fish-Dwarf
a mug of the outpost's best.

"I am glad I could help," Fish-Dwarf said, draining the mug in one
motion. "If only the river waters were whiskey, my life would be
complete."

"I fear we would never see you again if that were the case!" the Mayor jested.

Fish-Dwarf pondered a moment. "Indeed. Yet the search for the
Whiskey River is a quest for the young, I'm afraid."

"We here at Gladanvil are happy to have you," the Mayor replied as the
crowd dispersed. As the others left, the mayor pulled Fish-Dwarf
aside.

"-- and yet, I fear you cannot stay long. I've received word from
King Dorazar. He has heard tell of your talents, and our liaison from
the Mountainhome has conveyed his request for your presence at the
capital."

"My presence? Surely the engineers of the Mountainhome can manage the
mighty floodgates and channels of Steelpoint without my help."

"It isn't farming trouble, Fish-Dwarf," the Mayor said, lowering his
voice to a whisper. "Many fisherdwarves have been lost to the waters.
There is something lurking in the Lake of Columns."

===(18 January 2008)===
<pre>~~~@/~~%OB%OO%%%~~</pre>

Innumerable stalactites hung from the ceiling of the expansive gem-lit
cavern, many dipping down through the still surface of the black
waters. This was the Lake of Columns, the source of life for
Steelpoint, and now a place of dread.

Fish-Dwarf fit the blades into place on his fins. The citizens of
Steelpoint did not know what the creature was, but no fewer than seven
fisherdwarves had been lost at the shore. No matter, thought
Fish-Dwarf. King Dorazar had charged him to slay the lurking threat,
and that is what he would do. Still, the nature of the creature
eluded him. It had been years since his last combat with an aquatic
beast, and then it was only the cave crocodiles and lizardmen that
occasionally harassed his own community. Steelpoint would not have
sent for him over such a triviality. Hefting his mighty trident,
Fish-Dwarf nodded to the gathered onlookers before leaping into the
lake.

The water was clear, and he could see the broad columns well ahead of
him down to where they joined the submerged floor of the cavern.
Behind any of these formations, the beast could lurk.

There! Nestled between three columns was a gigantic bloated form on
the lake bottom. Fish-Dwarf swam closer, almost drifting. What
manner of beast was this? Great tentacles it had, and a toothy maw
which flopped open as it slumbered, surrounded by half-consumed bodies
of the dead.

Fish-Dwarf was almost upon it now, his trident lifted above his head
as he sank slowly toward the sleeping fiend. As he prepared to
strike, the lurid thing's lone eye flashed open.

===(15 May 2008)===
<pre>------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~@/~%~~~~~~~~~
------------------------</pre>

Tentacles lashed out, looping around Fish-Dwarf's torso and pinning
his arms to his chest. A force stronger than any he had ever
experienced crushed his ribs and a stream of bubbles shot from his
mouth as the breath was squeezed from his body. Fish-Dwarf
desperately slashed at the tentacles with his fin blades and as his
vision faded to black he saw that the water was thick with curling
purple ribbons of the foul beast's tainted blood. The monster's grip
loosened and Fish-Dwarf was able to free his arms. His sight had not
returned, but when he stabbed his trident downward, he felt it sink
deep into the creature. The monster's body convulsed and it raced
into the open water, Fish-Dwarf still clinging to the imbedded weapon.

I cannot let go so long as I cannot see, or I will surely be devoured,
Fish-Dwarf thought, though the beast continued on into the depths at
such speed that the diver could not maintain his bearings, and
suddenly in the back of his mind arose a strange sensation... it was
the need for air, such as he had not experienced for many years. A
tingling came to his throat and nose, and his head began to feel numb
as he became more desperate for breath, and yet slowly, his vision was
returning.

The beast slowed, its energy spent, and it settled on to the lake
bottom, unmoving. Fish-Dwarf jammed the trident into it a few times;
the thing was dead. Now, the surface! Fish-Dwarf pulled his weapon
from the monster and swam upward, but he stopped immediately. As far
as he could see in the now-dark water, a smooth ceiling of limestone
greeted him. The monster had fled into a great crack in the lake
bottom, so far and so deep that the light from the gem lamps was no
longer visible. Just the endless water and rock of the submerged
tomb of Fish-Dwarf, he thought, as he chose a direction and swam.

===Fish Dwarf End: (1 July 2008)===
<pre>,@!,.~~~~~~~~</pre>

He had chosen the wrong direction. Either that or the beast had
dragged Fish-Dwarf so far into the mountain that the fires of the
underworld were closer than the light of the lamps. His breath was
long since gone -- moving forward was all that could keep him from
panicking. After every few kicks, the dwarf would reach up to feel
the limestone. If anything, the rock was closing in. No... what's
this? His hand curled up around a sharp corner. Fish-Dwarf grabbed
it firmly with both hands and pulled, launching himself upward.

The dwarf fully expected to meet a wall of rock, but instead he glided
freely until at long last he broke the surface of the water, gasping
for air. As the dwarf calmed down, he realized that he could still
see nothing. He felt walls close by in all directions, as if he had
just swum up a shaft, though there was a ledge overhanging the water
on to which he could haul himself and rest his weary body. Fish-Dwarf
passed in and out of consciousness for a time, perhaps an hour, before
he sat up and assessed his situation.

He could dive back into the water with his lungs full of air and try
to find the lamps, now unmolested by great underwater beasts, but he
did not relish the idea of leaving the entrance to the shaft behind in
total darkness as he explored the crevice below. The only alternative
was to feel his way along the walls from this ledge above the grotto.
These limestone mountains were laced with natural caverns and after a
brief exploration of the surrounding stone he found this hollow was no
exception -- there was a mud-slicked passage that ran into the
mountain. Without hesitation, Fish-Dwarf struck out into the cavern.

-- How long since he had started on this dreary journey? Though the mud
was often thick, Fish-Dwarf had not trudged through so much as a
puddle these many days. He thirsted for spirits, nay, even water, and
he longed to swim again. The dwarf had long since abandoned his fins
and other equipment as they encumbered him too much on the march.
Every so often, he imagined he saw the gem lamps ahead, though it
could just as easily be the cooking fires of a goblin encampment, or
some darker torture, as the lights of the capital he sought. There
they were, even now... lights! Or light at least, the barest speck
in the distance ahead. Fish-Dwarf moved swiftly, no longer plodding,
still careful of the stalactites but driving forward rapidly all the
same. The speck became an opening, and he could see the mud of the
passage floor illuminated in the distance, with stone walls further
beyond. Only a few more steps...

The cavern opened out upon a rocky river valley in a canyon sheer to
the greatest heights yet welcoming the noon-day sun. The entrance
where Fish-Dwarf stood was at the bottom of the cliffs a short walk
down pebble-laden slopes to the stream below. Instantly, Fish-Dwarf
could tell that these were no ordinary waters. They were the color of
honey, yet the current flowed rapidly. And the aroma! The
intoxicating aroma! There was no question in his mind. Whether it
fell from the throne of some inebriated sky god and vanished into the
underworld to besot the armies of hell made no difference, for here,
in this world, in this very mountain range, ran the slightest stretch
of the Whiskey River. His mind unencumbered by thoughts of duty or
home, Fish-Dwarf made his way down to the riverside to drink his fill.

===Hunger Begin (11 June 2008)===
<pre>,..,.++U+,.+,.+U~U||</pre>

Suffering blighted the land with cruel hunger. Wagons brought foul
fungus from the dwarven mountains. It was barely enough to sustain
those base enough to eat such filth. The rest died. Paldadar rested
against the hilt of his great sword. He looked over his shoulder at
the dark stone castle. Turning his back on mud brick huts, the knight
passed by the scraggly bearded guards and entered the keep.

Form a high window, bright, mocking sunlight shone across the dark
wooden throne and the troubled king that sat upon it. The old man
reached for his cup, and after taking a sip, spat the vile dwarven
brew unto the stone floor. A herald in a mud-smattered tunic rushed
to wipe up the spill, but seeing the knight, rose to confront him.

"You were not summoned, Sir Paldadar," spit the herald. "Go ask the
peasants instead of begging the king for scraps from the royal table."

"Silence, Rodger," said the king.

The herald jumped away like a whipped dog. The king motioned the
knight to come forward.

"The gods have abandoned this place," said the king. "Only through
their glory will the days of bounty return. It is for this reason you
must smite the heathen Farthlings where they dwell across the river.
When their land is in ruin, the gods at last will favor us."

The knight ground his teeth. This was obviously High Priest Igland's
doing. But perhaps there was wisdom in punishing the arrogant
Farthlings for their many insults. Death by the sword was much
preferable to slow certain death by starvation.

===(17 June 2008)===
<pre>==?T?====,.UH,.U</pre>

As Paldadar walked away from the keep, peasants averted their hungry
faces. He was still a knight, even if he represented the most
wretched of kingdoms. A frail sissy approached from behind, leading
two horses. Paldadar swung around, drawing his sword. There stood
Rodger, wearing the snottiest of faces, his nose in the air.

"By the will of the king," he hissed, "I am to be your squire."

Paldadar prayed to the gods for mercy. Would that a Farthling's bolt
find his heart soon that he be saved from further tortures. Together
the pair made their way to the Temple of Love, where High Priest
Igland waited to bless their holy crusade.

The temple was built on a tall hill, a ring of marble columns
surrounding an enormous stone stele, pricking the sky with its
majesty. All around the temple, peasants scrambled to snatch at the
scraps donated by the monks that poured rotten food down the hill. As
Paldadar entered the temple, he was surrounded by fat priests and
priestesses that danced around him in a grotesque, undulating display.

The knight refused a cup of offered wine, which Rodger snatched up
and drank freely.

At the center of the temple, High Priest Igland stood, wearing nothing
save a red loincloth.

"When you wake in the morning," said Igland, "consider Love."

"Many happy couplings," said Paldadar as was the prescribed response.

"You must put an end to the Farthling menace," said the priest,
growing angry. "If their God of Suicide spreads his faith to our
kingdom, none of our desperate peasants will survive. You must strike
the heart of their kingdom and burn their temple to the ground."

Paldadar made the gesture of obedience and departed, pulling Rodger
away from the cavorting priests.

The kingdom of the Farthlings was separated from the kingdom of Love
by the River of Sorrow, whose wide fast-moving waters could only be
crossed in one place. This was the Bridge of Destiny. As the riders
approached, Rodger twitched with fear and apprehension, for it was
said the bridge was guarded by an evil water troll. At the bridge,
Paldadar held up his gauntleted hand. The horses stopped, and the
knight dismounted. Paldadar drew his sword and walked out onto the
wooden planks.

===(3 July 2008)===
<pre>%,..%,.|%.,.UH,%..%%UH,,%.~%,..(%).,.%|,..%</pre>

Green flames shot up from beneath the bridge. Horrid laughter pealed
across the blighted landscape. The knight turned to see Rodger making
tracks back to the temple with the speed of a spooked hare. Slowly
Paldadar looked over his shoulder to see the enormous bloated troll,
dripping with slime and black pus.

"You seek to pass into the land of suicide bearing the message of
love," said the troll. "What will you tell them, knight? Is slow
certain death by starvation superior than the final empowering
choice?"

"Where there is life, there is hope," said Paldadar. "Love will
overcome all obstacles!"

"Spoken like a true student of Igland," said the troll, assuming a martial pose.

As Paldadar cut the monster down, his mind was wracked with doubt.
Was the nation of love superior? He hailed from a place where young
people sold themselves for scraps of bread and yet he sought to bring
hope to a strange country. He found Rodger hiding in a nearby bush
and hauled him, protesting, across the bridge.

The land of the Farthlings was lush and green compared to the land of
love. Cherry blossoms rained down on the two riders as they wound
their way through the hills. Even in these pleasant surroundings, the
demented nature of the Farthlings soon became evident. Bodies dotted
the road here and there, swords plunged into their own guts. Corpses
hung in the trees from hastily-tied nooses, over eager to take their
own lives. As the riders passed, skeletal bodies lifted themselves
from the grass to watch them saunter on.

"Make babies, make babies, make babies," babbled Rodger, madly
reciting the Charm of Making.

At last they reached the capital of the Farthlings. The wind blew red
rose petals through the cold, dead streets. Even the cheerful sun
seemed dim in the vast tomb of a city. Rodger stared straight ahead
as they made their way to the keep, careful not to look into the dark
doorway, behind which ominous rustlings could be heard.

The flag of Farthlingland flew above the ramparts of the citadel. At
the base of the wall lay the piles of bones of those who had
hopelessly thrown themselves over the side. A wide moat circled the
castle. As the two riders approached, a draw bridge was lowered over
the water. Paldadar thought he could see a crowned figure on the wall
beckoning them inside. As they crossed the bridge, Rodger made the
mistake of looking down into the water. The currents were filled with
the souls of those who drowned themselves in desperate sorrow. Eyes
shut tight, Rodger hugged the neck of his horse, and followed Paldadar
into the gate.

==[[User:Onodera|onodera]]==
===(01 November 2008)===
<pre>"",",.@,.T,"""</pre>

"Don't let the sun set on you in the Dark Wood," said the dwarf
crones. "Ole Brick-a-Branch will get you." Nonsense, thought young
Davik as he rode his mule along the twisting green deer path. The
darkness came quickly as the sun slipped behind the trees. As he set
about making a fire, Davik pondered the dark tales of Brick-a-branch
and his mischief.

Not even the elves dared enter the Wood at night. Something older
than time haunted these cursed trees, but this valley was the quickest
way to Port City, saving at least a month of travel. As the night
grew darker and colder, Davik fumbled in his pack to retrieve the
charms and idols he had nearly refused as the journey began.

A great shape emerged from the darkness. It was a gnarled troll, as
old as the hills. It picked up Davik by the ankle.

"Not much meat here," it said.

"Please, Ole Brick-a-Branch, don't eat me," said Davik.

Having said his name, the troll was force to lay the dwarf down.

"I will not eat you," said the monster, "If you can answer me these
riddles three."

==[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]]==
===(16 May 2007)===
<pre>=@()++@</pre>

Doran stirred the bubbling pot of syrup. It was ready! "Pour, pour, pour!" the dwarf sang. Into the molds the syrup flowed. "Another batch," the dwarf said, satisfied.

Just then, he noticed somebody standing in the doorway. "Ah, Glornol. What brings you to the kitchens this early? Come to try a sticky treat? I have some Anvil Drops cooling now. Just a moment."

Doran turned to the tray on the table when he was startled by Glornol's shouting. "What is the meaning of this? Isn't there a war on?"

"Even soldiers need sticky treats, Glornol!" Doran picked up two chocolate goblins and began to speak in a high-pitched throaty voice.

"Ooo, it's Glornol!" the first chocolate goblin said.

"Glornol's scared of the mean, mean goblins!" the second chocolate goblin observed.

"Let's eat the dwarf! Yummies for tummies!" the first chocolate goblin offered.

"The dwarf might eat me instead! Oh no!" the second chocolate goblin replied. Doran held the goblin out to Glornol.

Glornol was not amused, but he snatched the candy from Doran's hand. "Hrmph," he grunted, and biting the goblin's head off, he walked out of the kitchen.

==[[User:Qwip|Qwip]]==
===(05 December 2006)===

<pre>...@T@..###S#</pre>

Taking a break from their duty, the two guards sat at a table with a scenic view of the chasm.
They did not notice as they drained their mugs that they were being watched from the shadows
by clusters of pale eyes. A table by the chasm?!
--[[User:Qwip|Qwip]] 05 December 2006

===(09 February 2007)===

<pre>.@......####
...T@@~S####
.......#####
</pre>
Dolan was chatting with Aliz about the health benefits of dwarven beer when Aliz disappeared.
Dolan sprang to his feet and saw that Aliz was being dragged toward the chasm, a thick rope of
translucent silk wrapped around his left ankle. At the lip of the chasm, a bloated form slowly
reeled the line in with her spindly legs.
Dolan knew immediately -- it was the Wolf-Mother of Darkness.
He grabbed his axe and ran toward Aliz, who was now only a few more pulls from the beast.

As he was hauling ore to the magma smelter, the peasant Kogarak saw the situation, screamed,
dropping his load, and ran toward the barracks. As he heard the sound of an axe ring against
stone behind him, he wondered if he would make it in time.
:— [[User:Qwip|Qwip]] 08:40, 9 February 2007 (EST)

===(18 April 2007)===
<pre>@@@...@.####
@..T..@S####
.......#####
</pre>
The axe had scored the stone floor where it had severed the silk line. The Wolf-Mother chittered
angrily and pounced at Dolan, moving with surprising quickness. Dolan was knocked to the ground,
the enormous body of the foul creature pressing him into the stone. His axe clanged some distance
away. The blunt knobs at the end of the Wolf-Mother's forelegs dug into Dolan's ribs as her
dripping mandibles drew closer to his face. He grabbed her head with both hands, trying
desperately to keep her at bay. A foul-smelling spittle dripped on to his cheek.

Aliz, still dazed from his initial fall, slowly made his way to his feet. Seeing Dolan's desperate
struggle, he drew his sword and hacked at one of the Wolf-Mother's legs. The bumpy skin was
incredibly tough, but the steel blade left the appendage hanging by tatters. The Wolf-Mother
belched a grating rasp and rolled away from Aliz and faced the dwarves. Dolan crawled toward his
axe, but the nauseating venom drenching his face and beard had left him almost powerless. The
Wolf-Mother hesitated, her wound oozing white ichor as Aliz stood his ground.

There were several sharp cracking noises, and the Wolf-Mother crumpled, several iron bolts
protruding from her many eyes. In the distance stood Bomtek and the other marksdwarves,
accompanied by Kogarak. Aliz rushed to Dolan. The dwarf was breathing heavily.

"My body feels like gravel. I need a drink," Dolan said.

"The Wolf-Mother is dead. Brace up. I'll bring you your mug." Aliz fetched Dolan's mug from
the table and brought it to the dwarf where he lay on the stone floor. The mug was almost empty.

"The brood," Dolan whispered. "The night brood will come."
:— [[User:Qwip|Qwip]] 12:28, 14 May 2007 (EDT)

==[[User:Rewolf31|Rewolf31]]==
===(13 April 2007)===

<pre>.B@.~~~
</pre>
And so Alor, a wrestler of renown, found himself between a great boar and the wide river. For six days they struggled, and as the sun descended behind the hills on the evening of the seventh day, Alor finally collapsed in exhaustion. The boar spoke and said, "I too am tired. The sun has fallen. Let us rest." And so Alor and the boar slept, and the sun arose on the morning of the eighth day.

===(21 July 2007)===
<pre>,.,B@~,~,~</pre>

"Whiskey?" Alor asked the boar, holding up his flask. The wrestler had not spoken for a week.

"Gladly," the boar said, taking the flask up in its mouth. "You block my path to the river, and now you offer me your flask. Strange are the ways of your people."

"Your path? I was seeking to cross the river and found myself menaced," Alor said.

"The squirrels tell me I am a terror to behold when I am thirsty," the boar said as it drained the flask. "Do I menace you now?" The boar looked mild and plump. Indeed, the gentle creature reminded Alor of his daughter.

"No, I am not menaced. I am reminded of home," Alor said fondly. At that moment his stomach growled, for he had not eaten in some time.

"Hopefully I do not remind you of your dinner table," the boar laughed, "though it remains to be seen who would have the final mastery in our contest." Alor smiled broadly and the boar guided Alor to the ford, where they parted as friends.

===(12 September 2007)===
<pre>++@a@+
</pre>
"Daddy! Daddy!" the little girl cried happily as she ran toward the mighty dwarf where he stood under the archway.

"I missed you, sweet pod!" Alor crouched down and lifted the child up to his shoulder, where she sat, beaming. "Have you been good while I was away?"

"I made a puzzle box. See!" The girl held out a soapstone box. The master craftsdwarf always started the young ones with the material since it required little strength to carve, though it crumbled easily. Even so, the box was quite exquisite.

"That's beautiful. Now let me see here..." Alor pressed a button and the lid popped open. There was nothing inside. "Hey, where's my treasure?" he said in mock indignation.

The girl took the box and made a series of complicated motions along the inside of the empty compartment. A second lid opened, revealing a piece of dwarven sugar candy. The child giggled and smiled broadly.

Alor scratched his head and laughed. Coren was only six, but she was already beyond him.

"Did you win, daddy?" Coren asked.

"Ah, the tournament? Yes, sweet pod, there hasn't been a dwarf born yet that can beat your father," Alor looked at the puzzle box. "At least not at wrestling. And you know what else?"

"What else, daddy? What else?"

"I met a talking boar and we became friends."

"Again?" Coren complained. "I want to meet your animal friends soon."

"I'll invite them over for your party next month. Until then, you have to work hard. Do you have a lesson today?"

"Yes. Mr. Goldlocket says he'll let me try marble today."

"Marble, eh? That's amazing. You really are your mother's daughter. I'll walk you to the shop." Together they strolled down the passageway. Alor admired the carvings and architecture, occasionally pointing an engraving out and explaining its history, though his daughter had heard it all before. It had been two months since he left for tournament, and the wrestler had missed his home very much.

"The three of us should have a feast tonight. What do you say?" Alor asked. Coren did not respond.

The dwarf looked down. His daughter was not there. She was not in the passageway. There was no sign of her.

"Goblins!" A scream echoed through the tunnels. "Goblins in the fortress!"

===(18 September 2007)===
<pre>,..|mBL@+++++++g+</pre>

"I'm sure she's in there," Alor said from his place behind the boulder where he looked down upon the rusted iron doors of Chatteltomb.

"We must act now, while there's still time," the boar urged. This was the same boar that Alor had befriended by the riverbank, and it now came to aid Alor in his time of need.

"The door is locked. Even with our combined strength, I doubt we can force entry," the leopard observed. This was the same leopard that Alor had befriended in the high grasses, and it also came to aid Alor in his time of need.

"Don't worry. The guards were drunk in the ravine below," the marmot announced as it scampered up the slope with the key in its mouth. This was the same marmot that Alor had befriended on the mountainside, and it came to aid Alor after promises of food.

"I've only challenged the depths of this black pit once in my life. It is a memory I have longed to forget, though it will serve me now," Alor said. "It sickens me that my daughter is kept there. The way to the dungeons will not be heavily guarded, as fear of this place keeps all but the foolish at bay. That said, the tower above is garrisoned with unnumbered horrors. If the alarm is raised, escape will be impossible."

The group made their way down to the entrance. With some effort, Alor forced the key into place. The great doors swung open with a grating noise, exposing a palpable darkness that hung heavy in the stale air like a fog of soot. The thick shadows were penetrated from beyond by sinister red lights which gave vague form to the smooth obsidian corridors.

Once all had passed into the tower, they closed the door behind them. "We can only hope it is not unusual for the doors to sound. Do you see anything?" Alor whispered to the leopard.

"Several doors down, a goblin is standing," the leopard spoke softly. "It has turned to face us. I don't think it can make us out yet, but its night eyes are almost as strong as my own. It is coming this way."

Indeed, Alor could barely make out twin spots of crimson shining in the distance. The dwarf felt the leopard slip from his side. In a moment, the crimson spots disappeared from view. No sound accompanied their departure. Alor and the others padded quietly forward, approaching the stairway and the dungeons below.

==[[User:Senso|Senso]]==
===(29 April 2007)===
<pre><+@?++&~~</pre>

The wayward manager Aliz stepped quietly down the last flight of stairs into the lowest depths of the abandoned halls. The air of the room was stale and warm. The light of the dwarf's torch illuminated a stone pedestal, on which rested a gray book.

"The Tome of Suffering," Aliz whispered. In its blood-stained pages, the collected wisdom of countless outpost managers waited for his perusal. Never again would his charges starve. Never again would they complain for want of whiskey. Never again would Aliz have to consult the half-baked scribblings of his uncle Toran.

The ground shook and Aliz's ears were assailed by a deafening crash. When the dust cleared, the entire chamber was illuminated by a sinister red glow. In place of the far wall was a yawning pit filled with bubbling magma and flames. From the inferno came a betusked fiend, ravening, its slavering maw belching foul vapors through which stared its cruel bulging eyes. Its clawed hands kneaded the lardy folds of its corpulence as if it sought to make room for this latest morsel.

Aliz was terrified. The dwarf clutched the Tome to his chest. The horrific beast crouched by the magma pool, muttering in a grating whisper:

"It will be eaten. It will be eaten, the dwarf. Eaten. Eaten alive."

==[[User:Shanty|Shanty]]==
===(30 June 2007)===
<pre>@@+U@</pre>

Rogar spun again and again, staring into the darkness. The scraping had begun all at once and it seemed to come from every direction. Nothing could be seen beyond the limit of the flickering torchlight.

There! A shadow moved slowly out of the darkness. It had the stature of a dwarf, but Rogar knew the outpost had been abandoned for decades. After a moment, the warrior could see clearly. The shuffling thing had no flesh. The bones of its feet clacked and slid across the stones. The dead were walking in this place.

There were more, many more. Rogar was completely surrounded. He held up his sword and turned from threat to threat. The dwarves were unarmed, with tatters of cloth hanging over their skeletal remains. Bits of beard were still visible stuck around their garments and their skulls. The dead stopped short of Rogar's weapon and stood completely motionless. There was no way the warrior could pass without forcing his way through.

The skeleton he had seen first raised its bony hand slowly, curling all of its fingers save one into its palm. Its index finger pointed toward Rogar. From somewhere within its skull, it emitted a long, low moan which ended in a hiss and faded into silence.

==[[User:Spelguru|Spelguru]]==
===(19 November 2006)===
<pre>
..@.M.~~~~...
</pre>
The adventurer, transformed into a ghoul by strange forces, crawls toward the Everlasting River of Curing, barely clinging to his life, such as it had become. Suddenly, from the ceiling dropped... Adamantine Man! Is there any hope?!

===(19 December 2006)===
<pre>
...M.~~~~..".
.....@~~~~...
...."~~~~~...
</pre>

Adamantine Man spoke and said, "Unfortunate stranger! You wish to cast off your affliction? Drink then, and be blessed."

So the adventurer drank. The soothing warmth of the water spread from the center of his body, out to his deformed fingers and toes. Without pain, they shifted and were set in their proper places, along with the other marks of the affliction. All was well.

The adventurer looked at Adamantine Man in awe and asked, "I am grateful, Adamantine Man, for I had been without hope. For years unnumbered, my people have deemed the River unapproachable. 'Adamantine Man is there', they said, and yet, I have found naught here but a generous host and the cure to all that ailed me. Tell me Adamantine Man, why are you so feared? I am humbled by your graciousness, but am I truly free from danger?"

Adamantine Man spoke for a second time and said, "Indeed, be not afraid. Your people regard me with terror, for they do not understand me, and verily, who among you can understand Adamantine Man, who does not understand himself?"

The adventurer bowed his head and said, "It is true. Even now I am unsettled, for though you have granted me renewed life asking for nothing, still, even now, I wish to leave and never return."

Adamantine Man spoke for a third time and said, "So it has always been. Go now in peace."

The adventurer left without looking back. Overjoyed, his family accepted him, no longer an outcast, and soon all in the land had heard that he who had once been tainted was made whole by the River.

Some years later, a man, broken in body, came to the adventurer's abode. "I seek your aid, for it is said that you who were once tainted were made whole by the River. Tell me, where is the River, that I might be restored?"

The adventurer looked at the man, and he said, "Adamantine Man is there. Be content now, as I shall never be again." The man departed, and the adventurer remained.

===(25 March 2007)===

The adamantine man story ended.
<pre>
@-***=.T
</pre>
The Pulson-9000 seared the sky trailing ion-energized purple lightning. The XZ-Trollmech Mk7 didn't stand a chance. Another contract, another payment. Rogar was the last dwarf of his village, and after many hardships had fallen into the tough life of a mercenary warrior. He had stolen his first fighting bot, but after three years he had enough money to build and repair his own. He spent his offtime tinkering, which soothed his still-dwarven heart.

For now though, he was in enemy territory. True, the contract was complete, but he had fought his way deep into the personal citadel of the vile cyber-modded troll Vanquidor in order to blow his Mk7 body to pieces, and now he had to laze through the bodyguards and sentry droids he hadn't already obliterated. The dwarf had very little ordinance remaining. Rogar put on his shades. Things were about to get hot, but he was cool as a sonic-fan. Time to fire it up! Yeah!

==[[User:SupSuper|SupSuper]]==
===(19 April 2007)===
<pre>+R@%+@+%</pre>

"Hya! Hya!" Kogan screamed as he careened around the corner astride Lomrin. He had acquired the giant rat from the dungeon master for a vial of liquid fire. It had been a barrel of laughs, especially after a mug or three.

As they passed the foodpile, Lomrin stopped suddenly to inspect a large plump helmet biscuit. Kogan flew over the rat's ears and landed on his beard, sliding to a stop at a pair of black leather boots. Kogan waited a moment for his head to clear, and then he rolled back on his bottom and stared up at the face of Mul. It had to be Mul.

"On a bender again, are we Kogan?" Mul admonished.

"We? I swear I haven't given Lomrin a drop!" Kogan said indignantly.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Mul said, indicating the food stockpile with a nod of his head.

Kogan turned his head. Lomrin had pried the lid off of a whisky barrel. Only her rear legs and tail were now visible.

"She takes after her uncle Kogan!" Kogan beamed proudly. Mul knocked him down to the ground with a push from his foot.

==[[User:Syndlig|Syndlig]]==
===(18 May 2007)===
<pre>oU++@@</pre>
The man struggled against the chains. The dwarves stared at him, smiling in satisfaction.

"That should ward you off our treasures, human. Be glad we don't send for the Hammerer."

The human scoffed. "Ha! I may be a thief, but at least I'm not a dwarf. See how I tower above you! I may not have a trade, I may not have any notable achievements whatsoever, but I am still a man."

The blackbearded dwarf turned to his companion. "You know, Mul, I suppose we could call for the Hammerer. The Baron will understand. After all, it was the Baron's goblet we found in his pack."

The dwarf named Mul considered this. "The Hammerer could certainly give him a new perspective on life. From two or three handspans lower down, at that. Start at the ankles, perhaps?"

"I always preferred the kneecaps, myself," the blackbearded dwarf said as they turned to leave. "It's really up to Rashok to decide though."

Mul hummed in disappointed affirmation. "Hmm, Rashok gets to have all the fun doesn't he?"

"Wait! Don't leave, my little friends!" the man screamed as the dwarves disappeared through the iron gate.

The blackbearded dwarf poked his head back into the dungeon. "We'll spare some whiskey, don't worry!" He disappeared again.

"Watered down, of course..." Mul could be heard saying as their footfalls faded away.

==[[User:Termitehead|Termitehead]]==
===(4 November 2007)===
<pre>%,.@.""k</pre>
The mighty warrior felt the power run through his arms as he held up his fallen enemy's sword. He laughed as the body beneath him oozed the last of its life into the dirt. It hadn't even been much of a challenge. It was as if the worthless cur just gave up his life for nothing. Now all he had to do was return the villain's sword to the king and claim the reward.

On his way back to the castle the warrior swung the sword around his head, singing cheerfully as he skipped along. A small quick hand darted from the branches above and snatched the sword from his grasp. The warrior yelled and searched the trees above for a glimpse of the thief. A pair of yellow eyes stared back at him. A kobold!

==[[The Toad Preservation Society]]==

Toady One and ThreeToe are continuously working on Dwarf Fortress since 4 years ago (well, when that was that written, in early 2007). On the same Idea, the Toad Preservation Society is trying to bring a very modest but continuous support. One result of this support is that ongoing series of art rewards. Slowly a story unfolds. Of course, the main target for the donation is not to get the reward, but to show the [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ Bay12Games] team that we love their project and value their effort. So let's consider each bit of that series as a nice present.

===(11 October 2006)===

<pre>.M.@$.</pre>

Deep in the fortress, a lava man springs an ambush on the treasurer, who is happily
counting coins. Could this be the beginning of the end?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 October 2006

===(12 November 2006)===
<pre>
######.....M#~~~
@..@@@......M~~~
######..M%$.#~~~
</pre>
Hammered and burnt by molten fists, the treasurer collapsed. That will teach him to
count coins near the magma flow. More lava men erupt from the magma as a fortress patrol
enters the room, one of them the treasurer's wife. Fighting back tears, she screams in
wild rage as the soldiers charge the beasts. Will vengeance prevail this terrible day?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 12 November 2006

===(5 December 2006)===

<pre>
..=# #############~~~# %
[@.#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
.=..........@.-....~~~#,
############..@%-.#~~~####
` '###########.=====........##
% #############~~~####
</pre>
Indeed, vengeance did prevail, though it was bought with the lives of soldiers.
The Axedwarf Aloran, wife of the treasurer, grieves now over the charred body of her
husband, her grief-stricken face shining red in the magma's light. Yet the lava men
were only driven forth by rumors deep within the earth, ever rumbling now, ever
approaching the lip of the glowing pit discovered by the miners not long after the
bridging of the magma. The sound reached even the heart of the fortress, where
Regukar the Mason has begun a mysterious construction. What fey mood has possessed
Regukar?! Will Aloran's mourning be troubled by even greater dangers?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 5 December 2006

===(10 January 2007)===

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[@.#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@..........-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########..
` '###########.=====....@.&.##
% #############~~~########..
</pre>

A great crash echoed down the inward passageway.

"More beasts deeper in the mines?" said Narol fearfully, a recruit, the only member of the patrol save Aloran to survive. His right arm was burned horribly and he now held his axe in his left hand, weakly.

"Tell the Baron that lava men have entered the mines. I'll remain here." Aloran unmoving eyes stared over the bridge toward the mines. There would be no discussion. Narol stumbled up the opposite passage to the workshops.

Regukar was in the lower mason's shop, gazing into his hands, his face aglow with the light shining upward from his palms. The Baron was there as well.

"What is this? Did I not commission an obsidian throne? Why was this workshop built so near the magma flow if I'm to be seated on granite for the rest of my days?" The Baron sounded annoyed, but he was also trying to stare over Regukar's shoulder to see the treasure. The Baron reached for Regukar's wrist, and the mason turned violently and spat in the Baron's face just as Narol careened into the chamber.

"The Stout Wheels have held the bridge, but lava men are in the mines! Many are dead... Aloran is guarding the mine entrance alone..." Narol collapsed, breathing heavily.

-

Narol was gone, but Aloran did not notice. "I will kill them all," she said, and she walked down the bridge into the mines, leaving the bodies of her husband and the recruits behind. As she descended into the mines, the magma's light faded and she was engulfed by the dimness in which she had spent most of her life. Yet ahead she discerned an eerie glow. The miners had located these pits not long ago as they hunted for hematite. The lava men must be using them, accessing the mines away from the magma flow, Aloran thought, though she did not dwell on it long. Soon her mind was focused again on death.

Suddenly the light was blotted out, followed by a shaking that almost knocked Aloran from her feet. "COAH! So long I have waited for my master... only to find this sweet hairy dumpling. It must be time for the Great Feast." Aloran could discern its corpulence through the darkness. A lardy bloated creature, like those that made raids from the river, yet more grotesque, covered with translucent boils -- and many times larger. The thing croaked, "I sense... COAH! You have lost someone recently... your husband. Worry not, little dumpling! You will be reunited in my innards when I am done feeding."

Aloran did not speak. She would not entertain the creature -- she would have it dead.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 January 2007

===(11 February 2007)===

And it keeps going and growing !!

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[..#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@.........@-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########&.
` '###########.=====@.@@.@%&##
% #############~~~########.&
</pre>

Aloran hacked at the thing's wide belly with her battle axe. It lurched backward, avoiding the full force of the strike, and crashed into the cavern wall. Immediately, as if its lardy mass had bounced off the barrier, it leapt forward and knocked Aloran to the ground, pressing down on her shoulders with its great slimy hands. Its mouth opened, and a slick lolling tongue poured out like thick syrup and covered Aloran's face. It was going to swallow her whole! Unable to breathe, Aloran fumbled around in her boot and pulled out a small pointed hammer. Struggling to maintain consciousness, Aloran swung the hammer from her elbow. The point pierced one of the great creature's eyes, which popped and drained a viscous pus over the dwarf. The thing backed off of the warrior's body, its fat tongue dragging on the ground, leaving a broad swath of spittle. Aloran stood, breathing heavily, her axe secure in her right hand. She advanced on the retreating beast, her weapon lifted over her head. She wound further backward, then brought the axe blade around in a sweeping arc down on the bloated fiend's tongue, forking it.

Two more silhouettes appeared in the eerie glow above the beast's quivering form. As they approached, she could see they were gray and glistening, partially encased in shimmering pale shells, each walking on four stumpy legs. They look like cave oysters, Aloran thought. She raised her axe.

"Aloran!" Three recruits with swords rushed down the passageway. "The Baron sent for us. Are you all right?" Aloran did not turn to face them as the demonic oysters crawled over their bleeding companion.

--

"How dare you spit on me! You'll receive two hammerstrikes for this!" The Baron was livid. He had called for a peasant to notify reinforcements for the mines, of course, but now he was free to chastize Regukar. Narol was still only semi-conscious, resting on the floor.

"I created it! It is mine!" Regukar's eyes were glowing with a fierce light. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and held his arms close to his body, the light of his creation showing through his interlocked fingers.

"Nothing is yours! You used stone from the miners, the miners carved that stone out of the mountain, and the mountain belongs to me. Now hand the object over for inspection, and your past transgression might be forgiven." The Baron held out his hand.

Before the Baron could react, Regukar grabbed his chisel and brought it down into the Baron's forehead. The Baron crumpled, hitting the stone floor hard. Regukar chuckled and ambled off down the passageway toward the mines.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 February 2007

===(13 March 2007)===
Even if Toady is now deep into its work and the malor works on maps/moving armies, he took time adding a new part to these now ongoing story...

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[..#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@..........-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########..
` '###########.=====@.%%%-&%##
% #############~~~########..
</pre>

Aloran, still winded, faced the two oyster demons. The recruits stood by her side in a line blocking off the passageway. The beasts slid down the toad's massive body, landing before it with a splatter. The fiends moved slowly, but they had almost reached the dwarves.

Two of the recruits, Roal and Daron, cousins who had just began sparring two weeks ago, lifted their swords and assailed the creatures. Roal brought his weapon down hard on the shell of one of the beasts, but it was deflected. From the space between the shell plates, a massive slimy appendage burst forth, ringing Roal and dragging him inside. His lower body dangled from the creature. Daron grabbed his legs and pulled, but Roal would not budge. The other oyster demon raised up on its back legs and came crashing down on Daron. The dwarf's head slammed hard against the passage way and he went unconscious. Roal's legs twitched as the second demon turned back to the remaining warriors.

Aloran had regained her breath and charged with the other recruit, Nlan, a dwarf from the north burrow. The recruit stabbed at the demon's body, sinking his sword deep into its flesh, while Aloran aimed low and hacked off one of its stubby legs with her axe. As it toppled, the thing spit out a stream of goo onto Nlan's face, which began to steam. The recruit chortled and fell to the ground, unrecognizable. Aloran finished off the creature by hacking into its soft body repeatedly.

The other demon had completed its meal. Roal's lower body detached and fell to the ground, and the oyster beast let out a belching noise. Another sound emanated from its shell soon after. "I sense... loss... your husband... reunite..."

"Silence, beast," Aloran spat. "The toad made the same promise and failed to keep it. Your kind use hollow words." At that moment, the toad demon's bleeding body quivered, as if it were laughing.

The oyster spoke again. "Daron... reunite... Roal..." The slimy appendage slid out and looped around Daron's right leg. Aloran ran forward, swinging her axe down on the oozing tentacle. It was cloven asunder and fell to the tunnel floor, pouring out a thick white paste.

As the oyster backed into the toad demon's still quivering form, the entire tunnel filled with a blinding light. Aloran turned and saw the vague form of a dwarf raising its hand, from which the radiance emanated. The light faded just enough for Aloran to make out the details. It was Regukar, the mason. In his hand, he held a glowing schist mini-forge.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 13 March 2007

===(16 April 2007)===
All right, the Reward continues (this is the same story):

<pre>
@@.####
.@@++d+
@.@####
</pre>
Captain Kogan stood with his dwarves on the stone road before the great arch, beard dripping from the drizzling rain that had been falling since the early morning. No word had been sent from the Baron concerning the deep mining operation for nearly two weeks. The King had grown impatient and the Captain had been sent to investigate.

The soft patter of rain on stone was slowly drowned out by a series of whirs and chirps coming from within the fortress. It was like nothing the Captain had heard before. He had his soldiers position themselves before the entrance with the marksdwarves kneeling in front of the others. The sounds drew closer, until a small shape could be discerned emerging from the shadows beyond the archway.

It looked like a lizard, twisted into that form from rusted iron strips, but it walked on its rear legs with a jerking and uncertain gait. In the center of its head, visible through the metal frame, was a drooping lump of granite that appeared to be molded around the iron. The stone glowed with a faint red light.

The dwarves watched awe-struck as the metallic creature continued advancing until it finally stopped under the great arch. Its head swiveled back and forth, eventually settling on the group. The lizard's body grated against itself, and from somewhere within, it emitted a piercing whistle and charged.

"Fire, Bomtek! Now!" Kogan ordered.

The marksdwarf shot a bolt at the creature. It hit the granite lump, shattering it. The iron strips collapsed into a pile.

"W.. what in the name of the Lordaxe was that?" Nunon stammered. "Where are the guards?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Kogan. He walked forward and pushed the remnants of the creature about with his hammer. "Something sinister is afoot. We'll scout as far as the upper meeting hall."

Captain Kogan and his dwarves passed under the arch and disappeared into the dimly lit fortress.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 16 April 2007

===(10 May 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#++++++++++d+++++++..
####+@+O++O++O+dOd+&#
+++++@+++++++++d+++@#
####+@+O++O++O++Od++#
#++++++++++d+d++@#
##################
</pre>

"Get out of there!" Kogan screamed. It was too late. Lokar was lost. Only Bomtek, Nunon and Captain Kogan himself remained. The rest had been mauled beyond recognition by the metallic beasts. The passage to the upper hall had seemed clear, but it was a ruse. The walls had come alive. The lizards were everywhere.

Now Kogan and the others were running for lives, pursued by the iron fiends. They could outrun them if they didn't stop to fight. The dwarves were approaching the meeting hall, though Kogan held little hope for that place now. The only way out of the outpost lay behind them, through a maelstrom of metal fangs.

"The upper hall!" Kogan shouted when he spotted a light ahead. The torches were still lit? Perhaps the guards were able to stand after all! Kogan and the others ran on, the din of whirs and chirps behind them driving them forward. At last, the tired soldiers crossed under the arch and entered the upper meeting hall.

"I'm so pleased you could join us!" a voice boomed from the back of the chamber. Kogan looked out between the pillars. There on a granite throne sat a dwarf, his face twisted in madness. In his hand he held a glowing object. The stone floor before him was crawling with the metal lizards. On his right, a fire burned in the shape of a tall man, lighting the entire hall. On his left, a dwarf woman was tied, struggling against her bonds, hatred in her eyes.

"Do you like my little friends? Arshosh and I will make more, many, many more. The miniforge is all-powerful!" The crazed dwarf cackled. "With it, I enslaved the spirit of fire, bound stone and metal to my will, and soon, soon! Oh, yes. Soon I will use the power of the miniforge to create a new race of dwarves! Aloran will be the first! Then all of you will join her! And you shall call Regukar your master!"

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 April 2007

===(June 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#+d+++++++%++++++++..
####d@dO++O++O%%O+%&#
++++d@d+++%%++++%%%%#
####d@dO+%O%+O+%O%%@#
#+d+d+%++%%%+++%@#
##################
</pre>

The soldiers had been quickly subdued, lashed to the floor by a writhing mass of metallic lizard bodies. Regukar walked slowly to the place where Aloran was restrained.

"Now, Aloran, let us begin the ritual of transformation." Regukar held the shining miniforge near to the dwarf warrior's face as she continued to strain against the ropes. The crazed mason lifted a tiny hammer and struck the minianvil once. The fires of Arshosh rose to the ceiling of the great hall and twisted around its many granite pillars. A tongue of flame engulfed the miniforge and the anvil began to glow even more brightly.

Aloran felt her skin breaking. The unbearable pain spread throughout her entire body. Metal blades tore through the flesh of her arms and legs, and she felt a force trying to subdue her will. "Regukar is your master. Regukar is your master," a voice in her mind whispered. The ropes snapped as the blood-covered blades continued to rise. The voice became louder and louder until it was all she could hear, drowning out her own screams.

Through her tears she could see Regukar had buckled over, laughing uncontrollably, and the sight filled Aloran with an all-consuming hatred. This contemptible dwarf could never be her master. The pain and the voice faded away, and her animosity began to manifest itself in the power of her limbs. The metal was part of her body now, and she felt its presence as surely as that of her own hands.

Looking up, Regukar noticed Aloran's steady gaze, and worry crossed his face. "My slave, the transformation is complete. Call me master," the mason stammered. Aloran said nothing and punched Regukar in the face with her metal-bladed fist. The knives stuck in his head, and the full weight of his dying body hung limply from Aloran's straight arm. Regukar's mangled face slid slowly backward, and free from the blades the dwarf crumpled to the floor and lay unmoving on the stones.

The tongue of flame slowly lifted the miniforge from the mason's clinging hand. As the glowing object slipped from his grasp, his raised arm fell back to the ground, and he breathed his last. The spirit of fire withdrew its flames, bringing the miniforge to the center of its translucent body. The demon turned to Aloran and faded from sight. There was a sudden crash as the metallic lizards fell to pieces.

--The Toad Preservation Society, June 2007

==TomTheHand==

===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>
..g#o@.%
</pre>

Shrolnak glared through the rusty iron bars.

"Eat yer meat, ya hairy maggot," the goblin snarled as it pushed the bowl back towards the dwarven child. "It'll make yer beard longer."

Aliz kicked the bowl away again. "I'm not eating until I get my mini-forge!" Aliz crossed his arms above his plump little belly and turned away.

"Minnn.. what's yer mini-forge?" The goblin was confused. The only toy it had ever owned was a cracked elf skull.

The dwarf child's eyes lit up. "Uncle Kogan made it! It glows in the dark!"

"Glows in the dark, eh... I'll poke around." The goblin scrambled away from the prison and disappeared around a corner. In a few minutes, it returned, its hand cupped around something that glowed purple through its bony fingers.

Aliz moved toward the bars, his wide eyes reflecting the eerie light. The goblin held its right hand through the bar and dropped the glowing object into the child's waiting palms.

"Now eat yer meat." The goblin wandered off.

Aliz was still staring into his hands. A sinister smile spread slowly over his face.

===(12 March 2007)===

<pre>
.T.g..@..
</pre>

"Where is the Soul of the Dark Power?!" Arugor was screaming now. He had fooled a dragon to obtain the wicked gem, and now it was nowhere to be found. Shrolnak groveled before him.

"Master, I.. I don't know..." Shrolnak had never truly adjusted to kneeling before the troll, but it couldn't be helped. His master had been gifted with a cunning far beyond others of his kind, and Shrolnak was powerless before him.

"Lies! Your hands still shine with its aura! Where have you hidden my treasure?"

"T.. that gem? I thought that's all it was. I... I let the dwarf child play with it."

"What?! Fool! I must reclaim it before it is too late." Arugor was bothered that Shrolnak had somehow managed to avoid the intricate traps in the Soul Chamber, but he would leave that matter alone until the gem was reclaimed.

Just as Arugor turned to leave, a plump dwarven child floated into the throne room, trailed by a billowing mist. In his hands, he clutched a deep purple gem. The hovering child had a wicked grin twisted into his bearded face. Arugor and Shrolnak shielded their faces, helpless before the radiance of the wielded Soul.

The child levitated higher, close to the ceiling, and looked down upon the quivering monsters. "With my power, I shall build the greatest mini-forge the world has ever known!" The dwarf was enveloped by the purple light and passed through the ceiling.

==[[User:Trukkle|Trukkle]]==
===(25 June 2007)===
<pre>%%@##B#</pre>
"There it goes!" Doran hollered as the bit of plump helmet sailed out into the darkness. The mason had been at the whiskey all morning, and now he was dangling his legs over the chasm with his lunch, throwing mushroom pieces to the gray fliers. One of the bats sailed silently into view and snatched the food as it fell.

"A bat's a bat, and bats like mushrooms!" Doran slurred as he took another swig from the flagon. "Let's try something a little larger."

The dwarf ripped the cap from one of his plump helmets and tossed it out into the abyss. It dropped out of view, without any sign of the fliers. Doran pouted.

Suddenly, a great shape flew up from the chasm, right by Doran's face, blowing the braids of his beard back over his shoulders. It looked like a gray flier, but many, many times larger, as large as one of the brown bears out in the forest. He watched as it disappeared off above into the distance.

Doran looked down at his lunch. "I... I guess I'll finish the rest myself."

==[[User:Xarph|Xarph]]==
===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>###=@=##</pre>

Kogan hurtled through the darkness, the two long braids of his golden beard streaming behind him. It was too much weight! The wings tied to his arms, made from stretched frogman skin and giant cave spider legs, fluttered uselessly as the chasm walls rushed by. He had been nervous the night before and, as usual, had gorged himself on plump helmet biscuits and dwarven rum. Now he was falling like a granite block. Kogan wondered if the philosophers were correct -- were these chasms were bottomless? He would be able to survive for several days without food or alcohol. Seeing nothing but blackness below, Kogan resigned himself to the journey ahead and began to sing his favorite drinking song.

===(19 May 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*##S##*#*#
#*#*#*#*#*#*#
#*##*###*@#*#
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

It had been two days. Kogan was dehydrated, and he had begun mumbling to himself. "Whiskey... my dear whiskey..."

Suddenly his fall was arrested by a force which seemed to hold him by the arms and legs. He still fell, but slower, and slower still, until he stopped entirely and hung in space. The dwarf tried to spin, but he was unable to move. Thick, translucent ropes held him. The reality of the situation dawned on him, and he felt sick. It was a giant web. He had been ensnared by one of the dark huntresses of the deep.

As he strained his eyes in the near-total darkness, Kogan could see her. A bloated many-legged creature, her body clear, her organs visible within. She was already moving toward Kogan, deliberately picking her way along the lines that were safe for her to grasp with her cruel claws. The creature chittered in anticipation as the dwarf struggled against the webs.

===(20 September 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*#####*#*#
#*#*#*#*S*#*#
#*##*###*@!!!
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

The spider was upon him. With what little motion Kogan had in his arms, he tried to bring the wings between himself and the voracious beast. He flailed helplessly, marshalling a defence that would embarrass even a child of his people.

Yet the spider stopped. She looked upon him with her many emotionless eyes. The dwarf could discern nothing. The spider's head bobbed up and down slowly, and she lifted several of her legs and waved them in simple patterns above the web.

A sudden realization struck Kogan -- the spider legs in the wing frames. She thinks I'm trying to speak to her! Kogan continued to wave his arms around as best he could, and she responded in kind. Giant cave spiders are solitary creatures, Kogan thought, so it must be a mating ritual. "But giant spiders eat their mates after breeding with them," Kogan muttered in horror. "I can't think of a worse way to die!"

===(13 November 2007)===
<pre>+g++%@%%+</pre>

The movement of the spider's legs had ceased. Now she simply looked
upon Kogan with her cold, glassy eyes. Her sinews tensed -- she was
ready to pounce! To what end, none dare say, though many a gruesome
and unseemly scenario had played themselves out in the recesses of
Kogan's strained mind.

A moment passed, and the bloated thing leapt forward! As she landed
on Kogan with the full weight of her body, the dwarf felt himself tear
free, and the web and spider passed up and beyond his sight as he
plummeted downward. Oh, what happy chance is this! Kogan thought.
He was free from fear now. If his body was broken into a thousand
pieces on some protruding rock, what would matter? At least he would
no longer sire an army of evil.

Soon enough, Kogan sensed that the walls were closing in. He could
not see well enough in the oppressive darkness of this deepest part of
the earth, but he felt their nearness. The dwarf said a prayer to the
Lordaxe to grant him a swift death.

Kogan felt his bottom smack hard into a smooth slope and he slid
disoriented into a twisting tunnel. The friction burned, but his
descent was slowed, and Kogan found himself gliding down an obsidian
tube. Out of a hatch he fell, landing face first in a pile of stone
trinkets. Uninjured, but sore, the dwarf stood. It still felt as if
the air was rushing by him, but he was teetering on solid ground.

The chamber was lit by torches. It was almost cheerful. The trinkets
were all finely crafted. It wasn't dwarven work, but each object had
its own peculiar charm. Kogan picked up a slate carving. It was a
rabbit wearing a jester's hat.

"Hey oh, what are you doing in the figure room?"

Kogan looked up. A mountain gnome was peering around a doorway. Only
its tilted head was visible.

"I fell," Kogan said, indicating the hatch.

"Oh my!" the gnome said with an equal measure of elation and surprise.

"You're our first visitor in years!"

"Visitor?" Kogan asked.

"Yes, my friend! I'm Largee Pottums! Welcome to Toy Land!"

===(27 February 2008)===
<pre>+g+@+%%%%+</pre>

"Toy Land," Kogan said flatly, utterly dumbfounded. The sheer
implausibility of the situation managed to drive all feelings of
hunger and thirst from his body.

"Yes, Kogan, it's Toy Land!" Largee Pottums exclaimed, jumping out
into full view. "Where do you think all of your toys come from? Your
crafts shops? Hoy hey! That would be the day!"

"Yes, our cr... wait, how did you know my name?" Kogan scratched his head.

"Do you remember the miniforge you got when you were six?" Largee Pottums asked.

"Th.. yes," Kogan finally resolved to think a little less about his situation.

"Gnomes!" Largee Pottums said proudly. "And the toy axe you got when
you were eight?"

"That too?!" Kogan exclaimed. He had such fond memories of the axe.
He used to beat his friends with it mercilessly.

"Gnomes," Largee Pottums replied, nodding in satisfaction.

"What about the puzzle box I got when I was nine?" Kogan asked.

"That was your uncle Dorol. And you just hated it didn't you? Oh
ho!" Largee said.

"Y... yes," Kogan said, disappointed. He had hoped to have somebody
to blame after all these years. At least he could confront Dorol
should he ever return home.

"Gnomes make the best toys!" Largee concluded. "Mountain gnomes for
the dwarves, garden gnomes for the humans, and dark gnomes for the
goblins. Toys, toys and more toys!"

"Gob... what about the elves?" Kogan asked, not knowing why he cared.
Like any able-bearded dwarf, he held elves in contempt.

"The elves? Hey oh! The garden gnomes used to make their toys. But
they're so finicky! One deer bone figurine and they found us out.
Humans can appreciate a deer bone figurine. The garden gnomes are
much happier now, if I do say so myself. And I do! Oo hoo!"

Kogan grunted in affirmation. He could emphathize with the garden
gnomes. Elves were nonsensical creatures.

"Now, my friend, it's time to talk to the Boss," Largee Pottums
announced, clapping his hands.

"The Boss?" Kogan asked.

"You can't make toys without a Boss. Let's go! We haven't had a
visitor in so long, he'll be excited to see you. Oh yes he will, sure
as sweet pods!" With that, Largee Pottums skipped through the
doorway, with Kogan following after him.

===(1 July 2008)===
<pre>##################
###.........%....#
###....%.......%.#
###..............#
gg@+++g+=g%g=%/=|#</pre>

"Now tell me, Kogan," said the white-bearded gnome from his plush
gaudy chair, "why you leapt into the chasm in the first place." The
Boss's coat was nearly bursting at the buttons; the red fabric made
his belly looked like one of his puffy cheeks.

"It was my dream. I wanted to fly," Kogan said sheepishly, "like a
bat, soaring through the still air free as a spark, but my
calculations failed."

"Ho ho ho," the plump gnome merrily laughed. "What a brave dwarf you
are! Now that you're here in our secret workshop, I was concerned
about letting you return home, but perhaps you wouldn't stay up above
very long before daring the chasm again."

"The chasm... the spider..." The dwarf shuddered at the memory.

"Largee! Largee Pottums!" the Boss of Toy Land shouted. "Our friend
Kogan needs some ease for his troubled mind. Why don't you show him
around Wimble Wizzer's workshop?"

"Hoo hey! Right away!" came the familiar voice from the doorway.
Kogan bowed awkwardly to the Boss and followed Largee out of the cozy
room.

--

Kogan was awestruck. It was like a scene out of his wildest
imaginings during one of those late nights at the drawing table.
Airborne contraptions looped and soared beneath the high stone ceiling
as gears turned and wings flapped or rotated according to the whims of
a particular design. Down below, three gnomes repaired and tinkered
with the devices on creaky wooden tables.

"Wimble-wee, Wimble-woo!" Largee shouted into the workshop. "I have
a guest for you!"

One of the gnomes inside turned toward the door and smiled weakly
while shaking his head, "Largee, my boy, who ever taught you to speak
in such a manner? Surely it was a gnome no less exuberant than
yourself."

Largee presented the still-stunned Kogan to the master of the
workshop. "This is Kogan, a dwarf, as you can see (hoo-ee!), and a
fellow maker of flying machines. The Boss has sent him down here to
have a look."

"Ah? So it's to be an inspection, is it?" Wimble replied gruffly.
"Well, you won't find these topside, but we're planning to sneak a few
of the truest models in during the next festival. The timetable is a
strict one, and we're still struggling with accidents." At this,
there was the sound of metal grinding on metal above as one of the
machines lurched and crashed into a table below. "The Boss is jolly
as they come, but he is also a grueling taskmaster."

"Ho ho ho," came the laughter from the doorway. "Wimble Wizzer, you
grumpus, is that the way to greet a new worker?"

Kogan turned toward the Boss, who was now standing beside him. A new
worker? The dwarf's eyes were wider than ever, and he turned slowly
back to the workshop, wearing a smile more full of unabashed joy than
any he had worn in his entire life.

"Well, you know, Largee," the Boss said, turning to the other gnome
standing at the door. "If he wants, we could just let him go back
home, if we found a way to make him forget all about Toy Land."

"We could bonk him on the head! Hee-whoa... bonk!" Largee yelled,
snapping his hand at the wrist.

"Ho ho ho," the Boss chuckled. "Don't you remember? Sometimes you
have to bonk them again and again, and they still won't forget!"

Kogan missed all of this banter, bent over the tables as he was,
looking over the damaged machine with Wimble and the others. After a
moment, Largee and the Boss slipped out of the room, leaving the new
worker to his workshop.

The End

==[[User:Darksaiyan|Darkie]]==
===(14 September 2008)===
<pre>,.,.O@T,...</pre>

Surrounded by a troll on one side and an ogre on the other, dwarf
master Alrin knew these could be the last seconds of his life. As he
gripped the handle of his axe he recalled the teachings of Azrom, god
of war. Matters of great importance should be given the slightest
thought. It was only the minor matters that must be given the most
delicate care. So, without conscious thought, Alrin slammed his axe
handle into the ogre's toe. Swiftly, the dwarf ran between the
monster's legs and delivered a swift kick to its backside. As the
ogre toppled over, the hairy troll launched over the fallen monster
and leaped toward Alrin. As time slowed in an adrenalin rush, Alrin
readied his axe.

==[[User:Draigh|Draigh]]==
===(13 Augustus 2008)===
<pre>.@@|,-.-.kk,k,.k,.</pre>

Malgar, warrior dwarf woman, fought on against the onslaught of
kobolds, her newborn baby still strapped to her back. She lifted her
shield to block another volley of poison darts. She had been hunting,
far from the entrance of the fortress, when she stumbled upon the
skulking trash, no doubt planning a cowardly raid on the fortress
vault. She had to warn the others. With one hand she held the bugle
to her lips, while with the other she parried another deadly strike.

==[[User:Minion21g|Minion21g]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>&||,g.g,gg....,.UU</pre>

Fiends pounded the trail, hunting Belmir and his thieving partner.
The two had stolen into the dark goblin tower in the dead of night and
taken the vial that held the demon king's essence. By destroying it,
they could stop the war and put an end to the demon forever. Why
destroy it, thought Belmir, when it obviously held so much value? He
and Gal would be rich men. Or, he thought, looking at Gal with
murderous intent, perhaps just me.

==[[User:NoNotTheBees|No Not The Bees]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>.M%,..U.,</pre>

The lonely cottage stood underneath a great hill of snow that had been
born of the great blizzard. Wind and sleet kept the pioneers indoors.
That, and the promise of hated predators searching for meat in the
frozen wastes. But as his family grew hungry, Fram knew that he must
join the hunters outside.

Almost immediately Fram saw the danger. Bloody footprints of a great
creature circled the cottage as if a monster sought a way inside.
Grimly, Fram gripped his spear. He must persevere lest his family
starve. He followed the monster's tracks away from his home as he
pulled his furs tight against the freezing winds.

Ahead he saw a shape, a black mound against an ocean of white.
Cautiously, Fram approached. It was the half eaten body of a black
bear. But what could kill such a large beast. As if to answer, a
monster loomed into sight, its body covered with long icicles. A
blizzard man!

==[[User:Scrollhaven|Scrollhaven]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>""@,.UE,."</pre>

With one mighty swing, Alfonso knocked away the prone elf's sword and
placed his boot on his wrist. Many moons had past since the vile
creature had killed poor Jim and ate him. Even now the elf looked up
in defiance. Finally, in these haunted woods far from home, vengeance
would be served. Alfonso held the tip of his sword over the
creature's heart, wondering vaguely if it had one.

"Back off, human," came a voice from behind, "this is my kill."

The human ranger turned to see a dwarf holding a crossbow. By the
state of his boots and armor, Alfonso could tell the dwarf too, had
been on a long quest. The elf saw its chance and snaked its way out
from between the ranger's legs and was off into the brush in an
instant. Alfonso cursed and charged after him, the dwarf close
behind.

==[[User:ToonyMan|ToonyMan]]==
===(16 January 2009)===
<pre>DDDDDDM,..@EU@@EU@UE,.</pre>

Sword and axe clashed again and again as the fighters struggled to
best each other in mortal combat. Arrows rained down on the field of
battle as man, elf and dwarf fought at once to win the day. Randar
took up the sword for the dwarves. With his mightiness he tried to
kill Giltra of the elves, but the champion was too fast. The battle
seemed endless. Roars of terror and pain were everywhere. Just then
a squadron of dragons appeared, lead by Madnar the Evil. Could there
be any hope?

==[[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]]==
===(5 February 2009)===
<pre>CCCCCCC,.,.,.|||@+@+></pre>

Fires burned at the edge of the vast grassland, holding back the
darkness before the dwarf fortress. All night baleful howls could be
heard on the plain, undead cows brought back to life by the evil
wizard Maxelman. He had allowed the dwarves to live in his domain of
evil, if they but bestowed on him one artifact a year. Nothing,
however, could measure the greed of a dwarf. Nothing, that is, save
his thirst for strong whiskey.

A dwarf stood atop the battlement, laughing drunkenly. "Get down
Twan," whispered his fellow guardsman. "The night-wings will snatch
you off the wall!" Twan threw his stein off the wall in defiance.
Such was his vanity that he thought that they only need live through
the night. Little did he know, the dawn would never come.

===(24 February 2009)===
<pre>DgDgg%@@%@~~++++++>>>>^+^+^+^+^%%%%%@</pre>

Twan held his helmet over his eyes and screamed. Fireballs smashed
into the walls, shot from the gullets of a dozen dragons circling in
the smoke-choked sky. Marksdwarves dove from the walls and smashed
into the courtyard below. "Stand and fight!" shouted Captain Krandle.
"Fear no devil!" Twan reached the courtyard just as the gate broken
open wide. Pike-wielding goblins poured through the opening. Captain
Krandle threw his great braided beard over his shoulder and called
forth his squad of elite axe-lords, The Chosen.

Pike and axe clashed again and again as Twan crawled between the legs
of the combatants. A head dropped onto the ground before him. It was
the head of Captain Krandle. Twan pressed on. He would not be
paralyzed with fear. It seemed that the power of Maxelman knew no
bounds, but not even he could breach the inner mines. Dodging the
deadly weapons, and slithering over the bodies, Twan made his way the
center of the fortress.

A dark tunnel lay beyond the entrance to the keep. Twan danced down
the corridor in the intricate steps that avoided the complex mass of
triggers and tripwires that guarded the entrance. Inside were the
mines, stocked with enough dwarven wine to keep them in the cups for
ten years. Twan reflected for a moment on those above who had died.
It wasn't important. He was alive, and would remain so, so long as he
avoided the king and any quests he might have in store.

===(13 May 2009)===
<pre>%@/%+++@+@@@</pre>

“That blasted wizard Maxelman,” came a booming voice. "He shall not
have my artifact staff!”

Curses, thought Twan from his hiding in the cellar, the king! The
dwarf lord paced back and forth, followed by a pleading train of
aristocrats, tears of rage streaming from his eyes. The staff, the
cause of all the suffering the dwarves now endured, was only ten short
steps away. In near berserker rage, the king threw the staff down,
startling the nobles. Twan saw his chance. He shot between the
nobles and snatched up the artifact.

“Scoundrel,” roared the king, “unhand the magic staff!”

Twan leapt onto a keg, holding the staff high.

“Maxelman will burn this fortress to the ground to gain this staff,”
said the rude dwarf. “I will have this power for myself!”

The king growled, plucking the gold rings from his fingers. He hurled
them at Twan, one striking the dwarf in the teeth. “Seize him!”
shouted the besieged ruler. Twan jumped from barrel to barrel as the
purple clad nobles chased him. As he ran from the cellar he heard
king’s cry, “Guards, guards!”

In the enemy camp, the vile wizard Maxelman puzzled over his battle
plans. A dwarf fortress is always a hard nut to crack. One of his
generals, a skeletal shade from the netherworld, summoned him from his
tent. The wizard straightened his aching back, brushed his long black
beard, and stepped to the door. There, standing between two fierce
goblin guards, was Twan, holding the king’s staff.

==[[User:DaWarMage|DaWarMage]]==
===(8 February 2009)===
<pre>@@@@||~3--~~U~gUGUUG~~~</pre>

Dwarves howled as the gladiators fought and bled. They were men and
goblins, imprisoned since the great siege. Now, with the promise of
freedom, they fought. Hanson knew the goblins could not be trusted,
but he had included them in an escape plan with his fellow humans out
of necessity. The dwarves had been foolish to wait so long to condemn
them. It had allowed them to organize.

Once out onto the sand, the gladiators fell in behind Hanson. The
dwarves grew quiet. The Baron stepped to edge of his platform. "What
is the meaning of this?" cried the dwarven noble. Hanson took his
trident up and ran toward the platform, hurling the weapon with all
his might.

==[[User:.Jim|Jim]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>,.U\U,.....M,.UUH..</pre>

So unsteady was the rule of the land that no one walked the halls of
Castle Sanazar alone. It had become fashion for the lords to stab
each other in the back, or perhaps poison each other's beer steins.
Not even a squire was safe. Rumors of war spread as did the news of
Sanazar's weakness. The king called an audience of all the knights of
the realm. A quest was called for -- something to prove the kingdom's
legitimacy.

The tables of the great hall filled with mighty knights as squires
rushed back and forth filling cups. The king looked on silently
through sunken eyes, having recently lost his ability to speak. He
motioned his consort to stand forth to deliver his proclamation. She
was a handsome woman, recently bound to the king, from a kingdom far
to the north.

"The flower that is Sanazar," she said, "is wilting and sick. While
we fight amongst ourselves, hungry jackals vie for their part of the
carcass. What we need is a hero, and what better to prove a hero than
a mighty quest! Far to the east lays Forgotten Quilts, an ancient
dwarf fortress abandoned long ago. It is said that within can be
found Gilded Lunch, the golden artifact boot. Return with the boot,
and return a hero! Who will take the challenge?"

"I shall!" boomed a voice from the end of the hall.

Through the door came Bram, mighty barbarian warrior, a squire
following behind, eyes downcast. The hall erupted into Chaos. How
could this outsider be given the quest? The king's consort looked on
the barbarian, heart racing. "What makes you think you are up to the
task?" she said.

"May I know thy name Madame?" asked the barbarian.

"Scandala," said the consort, brushing a blond hair from her face.

"Lady Scandala," said Bram, "I have slain dragon, cyclops, and ogre.
There is nothing under the sky that I fear."

That same day, Bram found himself on a horse on the road to Forgotten
Quilts, his squire Dolphin on a mule trailing behind. The lords of
the realm had not taken it well. Without the Mandate of the King,
returning with the boot would be useless. Bram must die. No knight
knew this better than Crusier, cruel black night of Petoun. That very
night he left the castle with his squire, taking the fast roads to
arrive on the trail before the hero.

"Help!" cried the boy, "Oh help!"

"Don't trust it Bram," said Dolphin. "I recognize that boy, a squire
from the hall."

"A countryman in distress is just that," said the hero dismounting his
horse and drawing his sword.

As he approached, he found the boy laughing. "Let's see how fast you
can complete your quest without horses!" yelled the boy.

Bram spun around to see Crusier leap upon Dolphin and, a knife to the
boy's throat, ride away on Bram's horse. The evil squire laughed
until Bram turned and brought his sword across the boy's face, leaving
a deep gash in his cheek. "I have marked you," said the barbarian,
"for you are mine now. Lead me to your master's den. Know that if he
harms a hair on Dolphin's head, there won't be enough of you left to
fill your god forsaken tomb!"

== [[User:NobbZ|NobbZ]] ==
===(16 February 2009)===

<pre>@@$@,.~~@,..</pre>

The dwarven toughs stood around the curve in the corridor, taunting
the dwarf lasses as they passed. A particularly vicious young dwarf
fingered his crossbow as he saw a dwarf he knew.

"Hey, Moody," said a thug. "There's the dwarf that owes you that coin."

"Yes," said Moody, stepping up to the dwarf, pointing his weapon.

"You owe me," said Moody. "Hand over the purse."

"I don't have your money!" said the dwarf.

The dwarven outlaws piled onto the dwarf, beating him near to death.

"I'll be back," said the blood-soaked dwarf over his shoulder as he
ran. "I'll be back!"

"You're never coming back coward!" shouted Moody.

==[[User:crash2455|crash2455]]==
===(22 June 2009)===
<pre>"@++@>>>+++@gggggggggggg"</pre>

Torin felt the prick of blade in his spine. It was his curse to guard
the gate to the lower reaches. He had been chosen because of his
great size. The dwarf’s expansive belly was enough to block the
portal by itself. You were wrong, thought Torin. Someone braver must
protect us, not a fat waste of flesh like me. Sharp claws reached out
from the gate and pulled the heavy dwarf back inside. With a whimper,
Torin disappeared into the darkness.

“Where is that ogre of a dwarf?” asked Malak the guards-dwarf.
“Captain, Torin’s late again!”

The captain set his shiny metal cap forward on his head as he
descended the stairs. Another day begins in the fortress, and with
it, another failure in discipline. The captain brought his rod down
onto the table where Malak had been munching on a chicken leg. “See
to it, dwarf!” shouted the captain. “Are you a member of the castle
guard, or aren’t you?”

Malak descended the stairs to the dungeon, axe in hand. It wasn’t
like Torin to miss a meal. Below, in the darkness, were a dozen
shining red eyes. Goblins! The guard knocked a flying blade out of
the air with the hilt of his weapon. He reached for his whistle, but
before he could put it to his lips, they were on him, clawing, biting,
evil!

== [[User:Shzar|Shzar]] ==
===(July 16 2008)===
<pre>&D###ggggggg,.|@@</pre>

The demon king rode high on his dragon as his vast army assaulted the
dwarf fortress below. Catapults smashed the battlements with huge
balls of fire. Bolts and arrows filled the air in a deadly exchange
of fire. Armored trolls ran into the stone gates, smashing into the
rock and sending shards flying. Not one space above ground was safe.

"How could it come to this?" cried Durkan, hands over his ears.

"Courage," said the warrior dwarf Glamsfir.

Pebbles fell from the ceiling as another bombardment rocked the
fortress. Glamsfir stood and peered out of an archery portal. The
situation was fatal. He lifted his crossbow and put down a goblin
archer in an act of defiance, though it mattered little.

"We have not long to live," said Durkan, "do we Glamsy?"

"I told you not to call me that," said the dwarf hero.

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

40d Talk:Anvil

2008-05-06T14:09:25Z

Termitehead: /* Odd anvil materials */

== Cleaning the page ==
I've made some cleanup alterations, both to the article and this discussion page. Hope you all don't mind. [[User:MOOMANiBE|MOOMANiBE]] 23:21, 22 February 2008 (EST)

== Bars needed to make ==
I've noticed this page doesn't list how many bars are required to make an anvil. Anyone who knows offhand? Seems like it'd be useful info. [[User:MOOMANiBE|MOOMANiBE]] 17:37, 22 February 2008 (EST)
:3. --[[User:Alfador|Alfador]] 18:43, 22 February 2008 (EST)

== Getting an anvil from the caravan ==
So is it possible to easily procure an anvil within the first 1-2 years? because if it is, then I'm going to ditch it on the embark screen and spend those 1000pts on turtles.
:Thats a lot of turtles. Get dogs instead. Imagine a swarm of pooches descending on a goblin fortress, taking no prisoners, and leaving no goblin child behind! --[[User:Ikkonoishi|Ikkonoishi]] 15:33, 4 November 2007 (EST)
:In my experience the first dwarven caravan brings one. However they will charge you dearly for it (~1000$), moreso if the anvil is steel (~3000$). Prices are from memory. [[User:Anonymousphrase|Anonymousphrase]] 15:51, 4 November 2007 (EST)
:: The caravan has a high chance of bringing one, it is not certain. --[[User:Soyweiser|Soyweiser]] 09:27, 8 November 2007 (EST)
:::Dearly yes, but a well made stack of food will cover the cost of a steel one so it's not hard to buy out the caravan. I had one caravan turn up with two steel anvils and a stack of plump helmet (5). Seems that was all they could carry :( --10:21, 8 November 2007 (EST)
::::True, but that does take some planning. I never got enough cash (what is the correct dwarven word, the value word...) to buy the anvil in the first year, but I'm stupid and focus on creating goblets, and making enough beds etc for my dwarfs. --[[User:Soyweiser|Soyweiser]] 13:57, 8 November 2007 (EST)
:::::Cash in the first year is easy. I often find myself trading mechanisms because they're relatively high value/item (fewer hauling jobs to the depot), and if you're buying an anvil you're taking a lot of weight off their wagon. Its not like you didn't bring a mechanic... Barring that, it is possible to make enough cheap stone trinkets to buy everything you really want off the caravan, assuming you don't mind carting a couple hundred trinkets to the depot. You had to eat all that stone somehow, right? I've also never seen a caravan without an anvil in the first year, assuming the wagons could get to me. (And heck, it generally takes me to the second year to have enough ready access to fuel to make it worth running a metalsmith anyway, barring nearby known magma) --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 05:28, 22 April 2008 (EDT)

I'd definitely been left high and dry by the first dwarven caravan before. Took me three long years before I was finally able to get my hands on an anvil!—Preceding [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:DaveLawson|DaveLawson]] ([[User talk:DaveLawson|talk]]•[[Special:Contributions/DaveLawson|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}
:I second that statement, I've regularly not seen an anvil show up with the first dwarven caravan. --[[User:Sentack|Sentack]] 11:00, 28 February 2008 (EST)

== Odd anvil materials ==
I have created a zinc anvil (value 200). Is this a bug?
::Anvil (100) made of zinc (x2) with no quality modifier (x1). 100 x2 x1 => 200. Looks right to me. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 12:29, 14 February 2008 (EST)
::Oh! Wait a minute. You aren't supposed to be able to make anvils out of zinc. What version are you using? I remember there was a bug where dwarves would use a different metal than the one assigned in the task, letting even pig iron be used to make stuff. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 12:31, 14 February 2008 (EST)
:::Heh, I'd like to have an archive of that version; I want a bismuth anvil. XD --[[User:Alfador|Alfador]] 11:55, 15 February 2008 (EST)
:::Pig iron stuff... I once had noble mandating pig iron items... He soon got locked in his room for such a crime against dwarvenkind. --[[User:Someone-else|Someone-else]] 07:56, 22 April 2008 (EDT)
::::Remember that anvils can be made of anything if created by a moody dwarf! --[[User:Termitehead|Termitehead]] 09:09, 6 May 2008 (CST)

40d Talk:Anvil

2008-05-06T14:07:04Z

Termitehead:

== Cleaning the page ==
I've made some cleanup alterations, both to the article and this discussion page. Hope you all don't mind. [[User:MOOMANiBE|MOOMANiBE]] 23:21, 22 February 2008 (EST)

== Bars needed to make ==
I've noticed this page doesn't list how many bars are required to make an anvil. Anyone who knows offhand? Seems like it'd be useful info. [[User:MOOMANiBE|MOOMANiBE]] 17:37, 22 February 2008 (EST)
:3. --[[User:Alfador|Alfador]] 18:43, 22 February 2008 (EST)

== Getting an anvil from the caravan ==
So is it possible to easily procure an anvil within the first 1-2 years? because if it is, then I'm going to ditch it on the embark screen and spend those 1000pts on turtles.
:Thats a lot of turtles. Get dogs instead. Imagine a swarm of pooches descending on a goblin fortress, taking no prisoners, and leaving no goblin child behind! --[[User:Ikkonoishi|Ikkonoishi]] 15:33, 4 November 2007 (EST)
:In my experience the first dwarven caravan brings one. However they will charge you dearly for it (~1000$), moreso if the anvil is steel (~3000$). Prices are from memory. [[User:Anonymousphrase|Anonymousphrase]] 15:51, 4 November 2007 (EST)
:: The caravan has a high chance of bringing one, it is not certain. --[[User:Soyweiser|Soyweiser]] 09:27, 8 November 2007 (EST)
:::Dearly yes, but a well made stack of food will cover the cost of a steel one so it's not hard to buy out the caravan. I had one caravan turn up with two steel anvils and a stack of plump helmet (5). Seems that was all they could carry :( --10:21, 8 November 2007 (EST)
::::True, but that does take some planning. I never got enough cash (what is the correct dwarven word, the value word...) to buy the anvil in the first year, but I'm stupid and focus on creating goblets, and making enough beds etc for my dwarfs. --[[User:Soyweiser|Soyweiser]] 13:57, 8 November 2007 (EST)
:::::Cash in the first year is easy. I often find myself trading mechanisms because they're relatively high value/item (fewer hauling jobs to the depot), and if you're buying an anvil you're taking a lot of weight off their wagon. Its not like you didn't bring a mechanic... Barring that, it is possible to make enough cheap stone trinkets to buy everything you really want off the caravan, assuming you don't mind carting a couple hundred trinkets to the depot. You had to eat all that stone somehow, right? I've also never seen a caravan without an anvil in the first year, assuming the wagons could get to me. (And heck, it generally takes me to the second year to have enough ready access to fuel to make it worth running a metalsmith anyway, barring nearby known magma) --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 05:28, 22 April 2008 (EDT)

I'd definitely been left high and dry by the first dwarven caravan before. Took me three long years before I was finally able to get my hands on an anvil!—Preceding [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:DaveLawson|DaveLawson]] ([[User talk:DaveLawson|talk]]•[[Special:Contributions/DaveLawson|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}
:I second that statement, I've regularly not seen an anvil show up with the first dwarven caravan. --[[User:Sentack|Sentack]] 11:00, 28 February 2008 (EST)

== Odd anvil materials ==
I have created a zinc anvil (value 200). Is this a bug?
::Anvil (100) made of zinc (x2) with no quality modifier (x1). 100 x2 x1 => 200. Looks right to me. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 12:29, 14 February 2008 (EST)
::Oh! Wait a minute. You aren't supposed to be able to make anvils out of zinc. What version are you using? I remember there was a bug where dwarves would use a different metal than the one assigned in the task, letting even pig iron be used to make stuff. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 12:31, 14 February 2008 (EST)
:::Heh, I'd like to have an archive of that version; I want a bismuth anvil. XD --[[User:Alfador|Alfador]] 11:55, 15 February 2008 (EST)
:::Pig iron stuff... I once had noble mandating pig iron items... He soon got locked in his room for such a crime against dwarvenkind. --[[User:Someone-else|Someone-else]] 07:56, 22 April 2008 (EDT)

Remember that anvils can be made of anything if created by a moody dwarf!

40d Talk:Archery target

2008-05-06T13:54:51Z

Termitehead:

== Dwarves don't practice with metal bolts. ==

"Any sort of bolts can be used to practice with." This can't be correct, unless it's been changed in this version. I have never seen a dwarf practice with metal bolts. --[[User:Kjoery|Kjoery]] 09:15, 7 November 2007 (EST)
:You are correct. In my new fortress, the dorves only practice when I finally built bone/wood bolts. [[User:FFLaguna|FFLaguna]] 17:53, 25 November 2007 (EST)

== Experience ==

Does the distance to the target have any effect on how effective the training is? Are longer distances better, or shorter? Does it depend on the dwarf's skill (i.e. shorter for novices, longer for professionals)?--[[User:Draco18s|Draco18s]] 01:23, 28 February 2008 (EST)

so, am i the only one who is disturbed by the archers happily firing away at the dwarves cleaning up their training bolts? Is this the kind of respect we should show our cleaning personal? --[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 20:22, 5 March 2008 (EST)
:I've thought it odd, but as they don't get hurt its only a minor cosmetic bug.--[[User:Draco18s|Draco18s]] 20:19, 7 March 2008 (EST)
:: I dont think its a bug at all. I was kidding ;) --[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 09:48, 11 March 2008 (EDT)

==Distance==

Anyone know the minimum/maximum distance an archer will train from? --[[User:Bouchart|Bouchart]] 20:06, 5 May 2008 (EDT)

:Well, they won't stand directly adjacent to the target. "... cancels Shooting at Archery Range: No floor space." One space in between is enough. The archery range room has a maximum size too -- can't designate beyond that. They'll still train at the maximum distance. [[User:Anydwarf|Anydwarf]] 23:27, 5 May 2008 (EDT)

Any benefit from using a smaller archery range? Do the dwarves wait for the bolt to hit the target before firing a new one? If so, a smaller range may imply faster training.

User:Termitehead

2008-05-06T13:51:09Z

Termitehead: New page: Why hello thar

Why hello thar

40d Talk:Elf

2008-05-06T13:50:23Z

Termitehead: /* Trading */

==Trading==
I have successfuly traded them Silk items in 0.27.169.32a--[[User:Draco18s|Draco18s]] 00:01, 4 November 2007 (EDT)

:Thanks for testing it, I removed the verify tag. --[[User:Turgid Bolk|Turgid Bolk]] 20:43, 4 November 2007 (EST)

I have to wonder why elves wouldn't accept anything made out of wood, when all they want to trade me is animals in wooden cages, and alcohol in wooden barrels and bows and bolts made out of wood...you know what, almost everything they wanted to trade me was made from wood... --[[User:UltimaGecko|UltimaGecko]] 01:32, 4 November 2007 (EDT)

:It's because the elves ask nicely when they take wood from a tree. Dwarves go out and TAKE IT!--[[User:Xazak|Xazak]] 14:38, 4 November 2007 (EST)

I accidentally tried to trade a wooden bucket with them. The elves scolded me, but still allowed me to trade my stone mugs and scepters. They don't leave straight away anymore.--[[User:Mechturk|Mechturk]] 01:44, 5 November 2007 (EST)

:Ah, I'm glad they're more forgiving now. Fixed. --[[User:Turgid Bolk|Turgid Bolk]] 02:14, 5 November 2007 (EST)

::They may rather be bugged now. There is a bug report that offering them something they don't like will make their mood maximally happy. --[[User:Geekwad|Geekwad]] 14:14, 19 November 2007 (EST)

:::Elfs are stupid. I traded some stone crafts for some of their wooden cages, and then i tryed to trade those same wooden cages back and they get angry at me for killing trees! [[User:Diabl0658|Diabl0658]] 12:09, 1 December 2007 (EST)

What about flours, syrups and the like? Food? The DO buy prepared meals.--[[User:Dorten|Dorten]] 00:32, 3 April 2008 (EDT)

I've noticed something new which may just be a coincidence - As I scale back my harvesting of wood from local sources (outside) the elves bring me a larger quantity of wood to trade. If I start chopping trees down for roads, etc. then they bring me less. Anyone else notice this? --[[User:Termitehead|Termitehead]] 08:49, 6 May 2008 (CST)

== Fortress in Elf Territory ==

I set one up for fun, and so far (1st winter) there's been no effect. The weirdest part is the large number of named trees; I've avoided cutting them down, and the elves haven't bothered me. I've had hunters chase and kill deer right in their midst with no ill effect as well -- it remains to be seen what happens if he misses the deer and hits an elf, though. Will report back when I find something interesting. [[User:Dolohov|Dolohov]] 10:53, 12 November 2007 (EST)

==Pissed-off the elves...==
They seem to be kinda wussy, considering that I confiscated all of their trade caravan's goods (3k in rope reed cloth of various colors and a little bit of alcohol and seeds) and I expected a siege (my fort is in a boring area, and losing is fun) but they won't attack me. I took their junk a season or two ago. When and how will they attack? --[[User:Penguinofhonor|Penguinofhonor]] 19:22, 27 November 2007 (EST)

:Elves are wusses now. It's not even known if non-evil races still siege, much less treehugging wusses like elves. -[[User:Kefkakrazy|Kefkakrazy]] 01:09, 28 November 2007 (EST)

==Elves bringing corpses==
The elves usually bring an animal or two in cages to trade, but many times that bring cages full of corpses... It's either all alive, or all corpses. Maybe the animals died in transit? Anybody else have this happen to them?--[[User:Valdemar|Valdemar]] 22:11, 25 December 2007 (EST)

: "It's not dead, it's resting". Er, the humans do this to me too. Pretty sure it's on the known bug list. [[User:Acama|Acama]] 02:17, 30 December 2007 (EST)

:I'm rather certain that if you're in a climate that you can die from exposure, that this is what happens. Have you gotten a shipment of live animals and a shipment of dead ones while at the same site? If not, then this is almost certainly the case. If so, it's possibly a function of a random number and perhaps the extremeness of the climate. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 04:11, 30 December 2007 (EST)

::I seem to recall it being stated that this was due to the caravan passing THROUGH climates where you can die of exposure on the way to your fortress. If the path a civ needs to take runs through freezing or scorching climates, the elves don't give the animals proper temperature care and they die. In contrast, the elves seem to make it through just fine--who knows, maybe the code is slightly different for caravan entities and separate creatures that happen to be carried along with the caravan. --[[User:Alfador|Alfador]] 12:03, 10 January 2008 (EST)

:I actually prefer this method. I like to trap stuff myself so it makes the cages much cheaper, and the corpse can still be butchered for meat, bones, fat, and skulls. Your butcher will grab the entire cage and take it to the butcher's shop to empty it. --[[User:Ikkonoishi|Ikkonoishi]] 11:20, 30 December 2007 (EST)

== Elves and Animals ==

Doing some testing with using Elves in fortress mode, it seems that they will NOT be attacked by animals. Do you think we might go as far as to write in this page that [NATURAL]creatures will not attack elves? [[User:Zonk|Zonk]] 11:57, 9 January 2008 (EST)

== Elven warnings ==

The elves just warned me about cutting too many trees... I didn't realize that was still in. --[[User:Bobson|Bobson]] 17:23, 27 February 2008 (EST)

== Elven traders ==

I have read that if the human caravans are attacked too many times, that the humans will wage war on you. I have also read that if you cut down too many trees, the elves will wage war on you. But if you let the elven traders die, will they also wage war on you? --[[User:Wafl|Wafl]] 22:14, 13 April 2008 (EDT)

40d Talk:Fire

2008-05-05T00:02:49Z

Termitehead:

How does fire spread in the new version. I don't have magma on my map so I haven't been able to experiment.

Maybe someone with experience could write up on the risks, ie how it spreads, how long it burns, how dwarfs react and what can be done to fight/prevent it. --[[User:Lucid|Lucid]] 21:09, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

god save us if it is affected by the mud/blood bug too [[User:Thatguyyaknow|Thatguyyaknow]] 13:07, 8 November 2007 (EST)

no it ain't the blood bug, it's the fire bug. Someone copy and paste it from the old wiki. --[[User:Frostedfire|Frostedfire]] 22:14, 14 November 2007 (EST)

I can confirm that fire spreads to adjucent squares. My fortress catched fire (long story) and wooden barrels and bins on stockpiles burned. When they completety burned out their contents catched fire and many piles of 20 !!leather!!, 20 !!cloth!! and 20 or more !!seads!! generated '''very''' heavy lags. I didn't pay attention if it spreads diagonally but a burning item on the floor makes all 8 squares around it "warm stone wall" just as magma do to it's 4 directly adjacent squares.--[[User:Another|Another]] 14:26, 26 November 2007 (EST)

Is there a way to intentionally start a fire? [[User:Diabl0658|Diabl0658]] 20:12, 5 January 2008 (EST)
:Dig into the side of a pool of lava. Remove a construction holding back lava. Open a wooden door holding back lava. Open a floodgate to lava. Some combination of pumps, stairs, ramps, walls, and stockpiles will allow you to choose what gets set on fire and where. [[User:Rkyeun|Rkyeun]] 00:59, 9 March 2008 (EST)

Fire doesn't seem to spread by walking near it though... I forbade a few burning corpses and the dwarves had no problem stepping over it without catching fire.

40d:Children

2008-04-23T17:43:46Z

Termitehead: /* Babies */

__NOTOC__
Dwarves are considered '''children''' for their first twelve years. They learn how to become a dwarf through living in and participating in dwarven society with no formal schools, apprenticeships or other formal learning; even parenting seems quite minimal.

In fortress mode, some migrant dwarves are married and may bring children. Children who immigrate to your fortress might be any age from 2 to 12, and there is no way to determine the age of a child.

"Resident" dwarves may also give birth to children. This can be stopped or reduced by editing the init file. Dwarves even can have miscarriages, which causes an unhappy thought for the mother but not for the father.

Some fortresses seem to have a higher fertility rate than others.

==Babies==

When children are born, they are looked after by their parents, who will continue working, leaving the baby in the workshop if they go to get materials. It is thought that babies sharing a tile with their parents always lie down, not the parent. Babies do not have to be born in [[bed]]s, but are born wherever the mother happens to be; the birth will interrupt the mother's current action. If the mother dies the baby will almost always head to the nearest ledge and throw itself off of it, they will continue to do this until they either die or they grow to be a child. Orphans are never adopted by other dwarves.

==Labor==
Children may not be assigned any labors, but perform some activities without any intervention:

* socialising, through arranging [[party|parties]] in [[meeting hall]]s;
* [[harvest|harvesting]] [[crops]], if the 'All dwarves harvest' order is on;
* removing [[construction]]s (such as walls, floors, ramps);
* pulling [[lever]]s;
* filling designated ponds;
* [[hauling]] items to the [[trade depot]];
* eating, drinking, and sleeping as necessary.

Children may not be assigned to the [[noble|nobility]].

==Diet==
Children seem to eat and drink with similar preferences to adult dwarves, including a preference for [[alcohol]] over plain water.

==Kidnapping==
Children are also the target of [[goblin|goblin snatchers]], who will sneak into your fortress and try to kidnap young dwarves by stuffing one in a sack and hightailing it out of there. Like stolen objects, children who are removed from the map are lost forever.

==Moods==
[[Strange mood]]s affect children in the same way as adults. [[Experience]] gained through a strange mood will lead to the dwarf having legendary skill in either [[woodcrafting]], [[bone carving]] or [[stonecrafting]], depending on the artifact made.

==Adulthood==
At the age of twelve, children become adult [[dwarf|dwarves]]. While most then become unskilled peasants, those who have successfully completed a strange mood other than possession will become legendary [[craftsdwarf|Craftsdwarves]]; those who help in harvesting plants throughout childhood may have built up sufficient experience points in the [[grower]] skill to become Planters.

==Dwarven parenthood==

As an oversight in programming, children's parents can become so preoccupied with finding their children that they can die of thirst. This is aimed to be fixed at a later update.

[[Category:Dwarves]]

40d:Driftwood

2008-04-23T17:38:20Z

Termitehead:

'''Driftwood''' is a feature of [[Ocean|beach]] maps. It is not known if it replenishes over time. It cannot be harvested for [[wood]], nor can it be [[smoothing|smoothed over]]. Driftwood can be removed by {{k|b}}uilding a {{k|C}}onstruction such as a [[Road|r{{k|o}}ad]] or [[Wall|{{k|w}}all]] on the tile, which will transform the tile into an ordinary tile of the base [[Stone|rock]] type. Note that you cannot see the rock type of a driftwood tile while the driftwood is present.

[[Category:Ocean]]
[[Category:Map tiles]]

40d:Mining

2008-04-23T17:35:37Z

Termitehead: /* Making a dwarf a miner */

'''Mining''' is an essential part of building a fort in Dwarf Fortress. There are several reasons you might want to mine, such as gathering various [[stone types]], or simply to create the basic tunnels and [[rooms]] in your fort. Only dwarves assigned to "Mining" will actually mine the areas you want to have mined, and then only if they have access to a [[pick]] and can physically reach the site.

== Making a dwarf a miner ==

# Specify your dwarf to be a miner via {{K|v}}iew, {{K|p}}ref, {{K|l}}abor.
# Select "Mining" using {{K|+}} or {{K|-}}, press {{K|enter}}. It should be white rather than gray.
 
[[Miner]]s require a [[pick]]: You can select picks in the [[Dwarf Fortress Mode]] preparation screen, create one using a [[Metalsmith's Forge]], or obtain one via trade with [[Dwarves]] or [[Humans]].

The material ([[copper]], [[iron]], etc) a pick is made of does not affect mining speed. Picks can be used as weapons, however, which is the only situation where the material is important.

== Designating the area to be mined ==

# Press {{K|d}}esignate to bring up the [[Designations]] menu.
# Highlight '''Mine''' (it's highlighted by default) by pressing {{K|d}} again.
# Move the cursor to the starting point, press {{K|enter}}. You should see a green flashing cross symbol indicating that it's in Selection Mode.
# Move the cursor to another point to define the opposite corners of a rectangle, press {{K|enter}} again. A yellow area should now be highlighted, indicating the area to be mined.

== Mined walls ==

When a tile has been mined, the surrounding walls and floor will most likely be some kind of rough stone. To make these surfaces look less primitive, you can [[smooth]] them. Soil, such as loam or clay, cannot be smoothed.

== Stone hauling ==

All the [[stone]] types produced by mining must be hauled away or they will soon clog up your tunnels. Loose stone will not impede movement, but it can prop open doors, slow construction, and prevent open space from being used as a [[stockpile]]. You can assign stone hauling duties to specific dwarwes just like you assigned them to be a miner. Make sure you have stockpiles where all the different [[stone]] types can be stored, too. Be careful which dwarves you assign to hauling if you have a massive dig going, or they might drop whatever other important stuff they were doing just to clear the paths. Typically miners will mine out stone far faster than haulers can properly clear it, particularly if the stockpile is a distance away.

There are alternatives to hauling. [[Mason]]s or [[Stone crafter]]s can build their respective workshops next to or on top of a large pile of stone for clearing, and then create items out of the stone to clear it. Masons can create [[furniture]] (which takes as much space as the original stone itself, but is at least useful); they can also create [[block]]s, which unlike stone and furniture can be stacked in [[bin]]s. Craftdwarves can create various smaller items which can also be stacked in bins. Assuming you have sufficient bins, place a stockpile right next to the worksite and your haulers will only have to take the items a very short distance to place them neatly in stacks. This is a huge timesaver on large projects. Just be careful about what you make. Stone blocks are useful, but a bin completely full of stone blocks is extremely heavy and hard to move around. Crafts of all sorts are usually very light, but certain job types make multiple products out of single stones, which will multiply your hauling problem. Stone crafts, as opposed to, for instance, mugs, will produce single, lightweight, somewhat valuable items that are easy to stack and move.

Not hauling at all is also possible. You don't have to clear the rubble. However, if you are a typical DF player, you desperately want to.

----
Digging has been merged with this article, but I haven't had time to completely merge them. --[[User:Savok|Savok]]
----

'''Digging''' is a group of actions available from the [[:category:designations|{{K|d}}esignations menu]]. Digging is performed by dwarven [[miner]]s in order to create empty spaces, hollow out material or dig stairs and ramps. All dig actions require a dwarf with the miner skill and an available [[pick]].

=== Digging in 3D ===

The map is divided in ''layers''. Tiles on each layer are composed by whatever is on that tile, and the floor (or absence of floor) below it. A virgin rock tile is composed of a wall of rock and a floor of rock, for example. The ''ceiling'' of a tile is the same thing as the floor of the layer above that tile.

The most basic dig action is {{K|d}} '''mine'''. When this option is selected you can mark areas to be hollowed out from the current layer. Any useful material such as rock or ore is deposited on the ground excavated by the tile. Digging a tile preserves both the floor and the ceiling of that tile.

[[Image:DF_Terraform.PNG|thumb|664px|Graphical representation of several situations. This is a cross-section. "Sky" is dug-out, even underground, green is floor, non-sky cyan is no-floor, and "rock" is rock.]]

A similar action to dig is {{K|h}} '''channel'''. With this option it is possible to either select floor tiles (already dug out with {{k|d}}ig) or 'full' tiles. When dug out, the floor (as well as a wall if it exists) on your layer will be removed and the tile on the layer below will be dug out. Creating a channel could be described as 'strip mining'.

Because it has the potential of removing two layers of wall and one of floor, channeling has the potential to be the fastest mining method. However, be careful that multiple miners working on the same channel don't undermine each other, causing them to fall through to the tile below. If this happens you may need to build a stair or a ramp in order for the fallen miner to escape.

Indiscriminate mining may cause [[Cave-in]]s.

=== Stairs & Ramps ===

For dwarves to move upwards and downwards between levels the construction of [[stairway]]s and [[ramp]]s is required. The most reliable way to assist your constructions is to dig an [[upward stairway]] on the lower level and [[downward stairway]] above. '''[[Stairs]] down''' only remove the floor, and '''Upward stairways''' do not affect the floor or the ceiling. '''Up/Down stairways''' act as a combination of both.

You can also construct these out of rocks or wood, but well placed dig commands are quicker. Digging downwards from the surface, first dig a {{K|j}} '''downward stairway'''. If you wait for this to be dug you will then see a visible block on the layer below where the stairway connects. In this tile dig an {{K|u}}'''pward stairway'''. Your dwarves will now be able to access both levels using these stairs. It is advisable to build one of these before channeling in order for your dwarves to escape.

It may be convenient to build an {{K|i}} '''up/down stairway'''. This style creates an X symbol and allows dwarves to ascend or descend on the same tile. You can also make a long series of up/down stairways directly above/below each other to make a long staircase that encompasses many levels.

Upward [[Ramp]]s remove the ceiling above them and create a down-ramp automatically. They can't be used by dwarves unless built specifically. Up-ramps can be found in the same submenu of the {{K|d}}esignation menu as up- and down-staircases.

Ramps should be avoided until you need to provide access to caravans as dwarves on the upper level cannot perform actions such as dig, or build when standing on the ramp ''(imagine they are 'half way' up the ramp)''.

Stairs and Ramps can be removed using the {{K|z}} '''remove up stairs/ramps''' command, ''if those ramps were originally built by digging''. Select this and mark the stairs/ramps to be dug out.

==Dig Priority==

Dwarves mine in veins: after mining a tile, a miner will pick the "next" tile (a tile that is adjacent to the one just mined). If there are several possible "next" tiles, miners use an algorithm to determine which to mine next. This can be inefficient and break a large area into a large number of veins.

To pick a vein (which is to say, a tile designated for some kind of dig job), dwarves seem to use a strategy similar to the one used for chopping trees or selecting plants to gather. Generally, they seem to pick the deepest, northwestern-most vein{{verify}}. Notably, dwarves do not pick the closest vein.

Dwarves have a priority over which side they will mine out from. Unless there is something in the way, miners will try to walk around unmined areas to reach these preferred sides, even if that path is very long. In order from most preferred to least preferred, dwarves prefer to stand on the tile to the: <blockquote>West > East > North > South > NW > SW > NE > SE</blockquote> of the tile being dug.

Because dwarves all use the same method to choose veins, dwarves tend to dig tiles near other dwarves. This makes having multiple dwarves dig together a bit problematic, as they will often get in each others' way.

Z-axis preferences untested, though it appears to me that dwarves prefer to dig out lower areas from a diagonally located area (i.e. not standing on the down stairs while digging out the up stairs directly below the down) {{verify}}.

These details are accurate for version 38b; they are likely to change in later versions.

== Map structure ==

If you are still confused about tunnels, floors and ceilings created by the mine command then look at the following diagram:

TOP VIEWS: SIDE VIEW:
LAYER 3 FROM ->
██████..- 5 ██████
██████..- 4 ██████
->██████..- 3 ██████__
██████..- 2 ████
██████..- 1 █████████

LAYER 2
████████.
████████.
->████.....
████████.
████████.

Key:
█ Solid rock
. Floor, visible from this layer
- Empty space, with a floor below
_ Ceiling (undermined section)

The Top Views try to show how digging into the mountain (on Layer 2) leaves a ceiling (floor) on the layer above. This is represented on the Side View by a thin line. Try to think of the mountain as a series of boxes where with a thin lid ontop of each. At any place the box can be filled or empty, and the lid above be there or not there. For example, you can create a wall and build a floor ontop of it. (Building a wall creates a floor on the next level by default, but this doesn't stop you building another floor construction ontop of it!)

''Revised theory'': Imagine the 3D world as a grid of boxes. Each box can have one of three states; [[Wall]]ed, [[Open space]], [[Floor]].
*Each cube can only be in one of these states.
*If a tile is Walled it is inaccessible, but the box above can be walked on (if an Open space or a Floor).
*If it is [[Open space]], then it has no Floor and may be accessible.
*If a Floor is present, then the box is accessible.
*Additionally, floor constructions can be built in an Open space or a Floor box provided there is access from the side
--[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] (Please discuss)

== Caveats ==

"''They eat your caves!''"

* Mining into damp walls usually leads flooding. Be especially careful near large rivers and aquifers. The game will warn you before this actually occurs. Note that damp walls still occur below rivers and aquifers but will not flood unless the above floor is removed (digging [[ramp|ramps]], etc).
* Mining into warm walls usually leads to magma flooding. The game will warn you before this occurs. Like damp walls, mining warm walls will not flood magma if you are 1 z-level below the magma unless the floor above is also removed.
* Building [[channel]]s will not only remove the floor of the current level, but also mine the walls out of the level below. It is not possible to remove the floor without also creating empty space on the level below.

== See also ==

* [[Map tile]]s – Different types of walled, floor and open spaces
* [[Exploratory mining]] – Mining focused on finding valuable [[stone]]
* [[Stone]] – A list of different types of stones and ores left behind from mining. 
* [[Soil]] – A list of soil types.

[[Category:Guides]]

40d:Mining

2008-04-23T17:31:20Z

Termitehead: /* Caveats */

'''Mining''' is an essential part of building a fort in Dwarf Fortress. There are several reasons you might want to mine, such as gathering various [[stone types]], or simply to create the basic tunnels and [[rooms]] in your fort. Only dwarves assigned to "Mining" will actually mine the areas you want to have mined, and then only if they have access to a [[pick]] and can physically reach the site.

== Making a dwarf a miner ==

# Specify your dwarf to be a miner via {{K|v}}iew, {{K|p}}ref, {{K|l}}abor.
# Select "Mining" using {{K|+}} or {{K|-}}, press {{K|enter}}. It should be white rather than gray.
 
[[Miner]]s require a [[pick]]: You can select picks in the [[Dwarf Fortress Mode]] preparation screen, create one using a [[Metalsmith's Forge]], or obtain one via trade with [[Dwarves]] and [[Humans]] (?).

The material ([[copper]], [[iron]], etc) a pick is made of does not affect mining speed. Picks can be used as weapons, however, which is the only situation where the material is important.

== Designating the area to be mined ==

# Press {{K|d}}esignate to bring up the [[Designations]] menu.
# Highlight '''Mine''' (it's highlighted by default) by pressing {{K|d}} again.
# Move the cursor to the starting point, press {{K|enter}}. You should see a green flashing cross symbol indicating that it's in Selection Mode.
# Move the cursor to another point to define the opposite corners of a rectangle, press {{K|enter}} again. A yellow area should now be highlighted, indicating the area to be mined.

== Mined walls ==

When a tile has been mined, the surrounding walls and floor will most likely be some kind of rough stone. To make these surfaces look less primitive, you can [[smooth]] them. Soil, such as loam or clay, cannot be smoothed.

== Stone hauling ==

All the [[stone]] types produced by mining must be hauled away or they will soon clog up your tunnels. Loose stone will not impede movement, but it can prop open doors, slow construction, and prevent open space from being used as a [[stockpile]]. You can assign stone hauling duties to specific dwarwes just like you assigned them to be a miner. Make sure you have stockpiles where all the different [[stone]] types can be stored, too. Be careful which dwarves you assign to hauling if you have a massive dig going, or they might drop whatever other important stuff they were doing just to clear the paths. Typically miners will mine out stone far faster than haulers can properly clear it, particularly if the stockpile is a distance away.

There are alternatives to hauling. [[Mason]]s or [[Stone crafter]]s can build their respective workshops next to or on top of a large pile of stone for clearing, and then create items out of the stone to clear it. Masons can create [[furniture]] (which takes as much space as the original stone itself, but is at least useful); they can also create [[block]]s, which unlike stone and furniture can be stacked in [[bin]]s. Craftdwarves can create various smaller items which can also be stacked in bins. Assuming you have sufficient bins, place a stockpile right next to the worksite and your haulers will only have to take the items a very short distance to place them neatly in stacks. This is a huge timesaver on large projects. Just be careful about what you make. Stone blocks are useful, but a bin completely full of stone blocks is extremely heavy and hard to move around. Crafts of all sorts are usually very light, but certain job types make multiple products out of single stones, which will multiply your hauling problem. Stone crafts, as opposed to, for instance, mugs, will produce single, lightweight, somewhat valuable items that are easy to stack and move.

Not hauling at all is also possible. You don't have to clear the rubble. However, if you are a typical DF player, you desperately want to.

----
Digging has been merged with this article, but I haven't had time to completely merge them. --[[User:Savok|Savok]]
----

'''Digging''' is a group of actions available from the [[:category:designations|{{K|d}}esignations menu]]. Digging is performed by dwarven [[miner]]s in order to create empty spaces, hollow out material or dig stairs and ramps. All dig actions require a dwarf with the miner skill and an available [[pick]].

=== Digging in 3D ===

The map is divided in ''layers''. Tiles on each layer are composed by whatever is on that tile, and the floor (or absence of floor) below it. A virgin rock tile is composed of a wall of rock and a floor of rock, for example. The ''ceiling'' of a tile is the same thing as the floor of the layer above that tile.

The most basic dig action is {{K|d}} '''mine'''. When this option is selected you can mark areas to be hollowed out from the current layer. Any useful material such as rock or ore is deposited on the ground excavated by the tile. Digging a tile preserves both the floor and the ceiling of that tile.

[[Image:DF_Terraform.PNG|thumb|664px|Graphical representation of several situations. This is a cross-section. "Sky" is dug-out, even underground, green is floor, non-sky cyan is no-floor, and "rock" is rock.]]

A similar action to dig is {{K|h}} '''channel'''. With this option it is possible to either select floor tiles (already dug out with {{k|d}}ig) or 'full' tiles. When dug out, the floor (as well as a wall if it exists) on your layer will be removed and the tile on the layer below will be dug out. Creating a channel could be described as 'strip mining'.

Because it has the potential of removing two layers of wall and one of floor, channeling has the potential to be the fastest mining method. However, be careful that multiple miners working on the same channel don't undermine each other, causing them to fall through to the tile below. If this happens you may need to build a stair or a ramp in order for the fallen miner to escape.

Indiscriminate mining may cause [[Cave-in]]s.

=== Stairs & Ramps ===

For dwarves to move upwards and downwards between levels the construction of [[stairway]]s and [[ramp]]s is required. The most reliable way to assist your constructions is to dig an [[upward stairway]] on the lower level and [[downward stairway]] above. '''[[Stairs]] down''' only remove the floor, and '''Upward stairways''' do not affect the floor or the ceiling. '''Up/Down stairways''' act as a combination of both.

You can also construct these out of rocks or wood, but well placed dig commands are quicker. Digging downwards from the surface, first dig a {{K|j}} '''downward stairway'''. If you wait for this to be dug you will then see a visible block on the layer below where the stairway connects. In this tile dig an {{K|u}}'''pward stairway'''. Your dwarves will now be able to access both levels using these stairs. It is advisable to build one of these before channeling in order for your dwarves to escape.

It may be convenient to build an {{K|i}} '''up/down stairway'''. This style creates an X symbol and allows dwarves to ascend or descend on the same tile. You can also make a long series of up/down stairways directly above/below each other to make a long staircase that encompasses many levels.

Upward [[Ramp]]s remove the ceiling above them and create a down-ramp automatically. They can't be used by dwarves unless built specifically. Up-ramps can be found in the same submenu of the {{K|d}}esignation menu as up- and down-staircases.

Ramps should be avoided until you need to provide access to caravans as dwarves on the upper level cannot perform actions such as dig, or build when standing on the ramp ''(imagine they are 'half way' up the ramp)''.

Stairs and Ramps can be removed using the {{K|z}} '''remove up stairs/ramps''' command, ''if those ramps were originally built by digging''. Select this and mark the stairs/ramps to be dug out.

==Dig Priority==

Dwarves mine in veins: after mining a tile, a miner will pick the "next" tile (a tile that is adjacent to the one just mined). If there are several possible "next" tiles, miners use an algorithm to determine which to mine next. This can be inefficient and break a large area into a large number of veins.

To pick a vein (which is to say, a tile designated for some kind of dig job), dwarves seem to use a strategy similar to the one used for chopping trees or selecting plants to gather. Generally, they seem to pick the deepest, northwestern-most vein{{verify}}. Notably, dwarves do not pick the closest vein.

Dwarves have a priority over which side they will mine out from. Unless there is something in the way, miners will try to walk around unmined areas to reach these preferred sides, even if that path is very long. In order from most preferred to least preferred, dwarves prefer to stand on the tile to the: <blockquote>West > East > North > South > NW > SW > NE > SE</blockquote> of the tile being dug.

Because dwarves all use the same method to choose veins, dwarves tend to dig tiles near other dwarves. This makes having multiple dwarves dig together a bit problematic, as they will often get in each others' way.

Z-axis preferences untested, though it appears to me that dwarves prefer to dig out lower areas from a diagonally located area (i.e. not standing on the down stairs while digging out the up stairs directly below the down) {{verify}}.

These details are accurate for version 38b; they are likely to change in later versions.

== Map structure ==

If you are still confused about tunnels, floors and ceilings created by the mine command then look at the following diagram:

TOP VIEWS: SIDE VIEW:
LAYER 3 FROM ->
██████..- 5 ██████
██████..- 4 ██████
->██████..- 3 ██████__
██████..- 2 ████
██████..- 1 █████████

LAYER 2
████████.
████████.
->████.....
████████.
████████.

Key:
█ Solid rock
. Floor, visible from this layer
- Empty space, with a floor below
_ Ceiling (undermined section)

The Top Views try to show how digging into the mountain (on Layer 2) leaves a ceiling (floor) on the layer above. This is represented on the Side View by a thin line. Try to think of the mountain as a series of boxes where with a thin lid ontop of each. At any place the box can be filled or empty, and the lid above be there or not there. For example, you can create a wall and build a floor ontop of it. (Building a wall creates a floor on the next level by default, but this doesn't stop you building another floor construction ontop of it!)

''Revised theory'': Imagine the 3D world as a grid of boxes. Each box can have one of three states; [[Wall]]ed, [[Open space]], [[Floor]].
*Each cube can only be in one of these states.
*If a tile is Walled it is inaccessible, but the box above can be walked on (if an Open space or a Floor).
*If it is [[Open space]], then it has no Floor and may be accessible.
*If a Floor is present, then the box is accessible.
*Additionally, floor constructions can be built in an Open space or a Floor box provided there is access from the side
--[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] (Please discuss)

== Caveats ==

"''They eat your caves!''"

* Mining into damp walls usually leads flooding. Be especially careful near large rivers and aquifers. The game will warn you before this actually occurs. Note that damp walls still occur below rivers and aquifers but will not flood unless the above floor is removed (digging [[ramp|ramps]], etc).
* Mining into warm walls usually leads to magma flooding. The game will warn you before this occurs. Like damp walls, mining warm walls will not flood magma if you are 1 z-level below the magma unless the floor above is also removed.
* Building [[channel]]s will not only remove the floor of the current level, but also mine the walls out of the level below. It is not possible to remove the floor without also creating empty space on the level below.

== See also ==

* [[Map tile]]s – Different types of walled, floor and open spaces
* [[Exploratory mining]] – Mining focused on finding valuable [[stone]]
* [[Stone]] – A list of different types of stones and ores left behind from mining. 
* [[Soil]] – A list of soil types.

[[Category:Guides]]

40d Talk:How do I stop miners from falling in channels as they dig them

2007-12-18T16:34:58Z

Termitehead:

Where does it 'already exist'? I sure couldn't find it, so that edit looked like vandalism. --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 17:30, 6 December 2007 (EST)
:It already exists as an identical article by you. The only change is that this one does not have a "?" in the title. --[[User:Metal chao|Metal chao]] 12:42, 7 December 2007 (EST)
::It may show up in Search that way, but I can't access the other page and changing one changes the other. I guess the wiki is just acting up and we should ignore this. --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 13:33, 7 December 2007 (EST)
:::We should delete one of them, or at least remove the tag adding it to the guides category. Having two of the same thing right next to each other on the list looks silly. --[[User:Metal chao|Metal chao]] 14:26, 7 December 2007 (EST)
::::Get rid of the older one, then. I changed it to a redirect. But make sure its the older one, because it's hard to get ahold of even without the redirect. --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 17:44, 7 December 2007 (EST)

Why is this considered a 'bug'? It seems to be working as designed, there's lots of times an object a dwarf is looking to move/use gets moved by someone else, given the messages that come up. While this one has more negative consequences, I'm not sure it is a *bug*. Unless Toady has said otherwise? --Gotthard 16:50, 7 December 2007 (EST)
:http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev_bugs.html#Bug463 --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 17:44, 7 December 2007 (EST)
::Alright that is amazing, me and my brother were looking for something like that. Thanks! --Gotthard 18:22, 7 December 2007 (EST)

New develpoment: starting from df_27_169_33f, this is fixed.
:Yeah this seems to be fixed in 33f. Miners will no longer dig a channel if someone is standing on it. QUESTION - if there is no space to stand on to carve a channel, will they mine the space they are standing on? I assume they do.

40d Talk:How do I stop miners from falling in channels as they dig them

2007-12-18T16:21:39Z

Termitehead:

40d Talk:How do I stop miners from falling in channels as they dig them

2007-12-18T16:21:21Z

Termitehead:

40d Talk:How do I stop miners from falling in channels as they dig them

2007-12-18T16:19:12Z

Termitehead:

Where does it 'already exist'? I sure couldn't find it, so that edit looked like vandalism. --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 17:30, 6 December 2007 (EST)
:It already exists as an identical article by you. The only change is that this one does not have a "?" in the title. --[[User:Metal chao|Metal chao]] 12:42, 7 December 2007 (EST)
::It may show up in Search that way, but I can't access the other page and changing one changes the other. I guess the wiki is just acting up and we should ignore this. --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 13:33, 7 December 2007 (EST)
:::We should delete one of them, or at least remove the tag adding it to the guides category. Having two of the same thing right next to each other on the list looks silly. --[[User:Metal chao|Metal chao]] 14:26, 7 December 2007 (EST)
::::Get rid of the older one, then. I changed it to a redirect. But make sure its the older one, because it's hard to get ahold of even without the redirect. --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 17:44, 7 December 2007 (EST)

Why is this considered a 'bug'? It seems to be working as designed, there's lots of times an object a dwarf is looking to move/use gets moved by someone else, given the messages that come up. While this one has more negative consequences, I'm not sure it is a *bug*. Unless Toady has said otherwise? --Gotthard 16:50, 7 December 2007 (EST)
:http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev_bugs.html#Bug463 --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 17:44, 7 December 2007 (EST)
::Alright that is amazing, me and my brother were looking for something like that. Thanks! --Gotthard 18:22, 7 December 2007 (EST)

New develpoment: starting from df_27_169_33f, this is fixed.

Yeah this seems to be fixed in 33f. Miners will no longer dig a channel if someone if standing on it.

40d:Ramp

2007-12-03T14:45:32Z

Termitehead:

A '''ramp''' is a map feature that allows dwarves and caravans to move between levels. Unlike a [[stair]] ramps have no 'top', they only have a bottom. The tile above a ramp must be clear for it to operate. Ramps are less useful in construction then stairs because they do not provide access to adjacent tiles on the floor above them. Ramps are the only way that [[wagon]]s can move between levels in order to access your [[trade depot]].

== Construction and Materials - ==

There are two ways for your dwarves to construct ramps. The first is to carve them into the earth itself (see [[digging]]), using the ground below or walls of stone, dirt, and ice as a building material. The second is to build a ramp out of materials such as [[stone]], [[wood]] or [[block]]s or [[bar]]s.
* Digging ramps upwards is not much use unless the tile directly above is empty and there access to the side. You may want to use a [[stair]] instead.
* Digging a ramp uses the material in the tile you created, and the colour.
* Constructing a ramp uses the colour of the material used.

== Collapse ==

Be sure to avoid mining out all of the floor tiles surrounding a ramp or staircase above and below it. If you do this, not only will the structures themselves be useless, they'll collapse, both of which can leave your dwarves trapped.
{{Furniture}}
[[Category:Constructions]]
[[Category:Designations]]

40d:Siege

2007-11-14T17:18:45Z

Termitehead: /* Civilians */

A siege is a special time in Fortress mode when an army attempts to attack and kill all of your dwarves. It is at this time you should activate your military, raise the draw bridges and pray you've enough food stocks to last the winter.

During a siege, the option on the main menu 'Abandon Fortress' changes to 'Succumb to Siege'.

<blockquote>
Note: As of the current release, sieges are not functioning properly. The siege groups are content to sit at the edge of the map and wait there until some hapless dwarf wanders too close. After wiping the floor with the dwarf, they return to their spot on the edge of the map.
</blockquote>

== Siegers ==

=== Goblins ===

[[Goblins]] will attack whenever they feel like it, after your fortress reaches a certain point. Possibly triggered by fortress wealth now rather than nobles. Sometimes they will even attack when a caravan arrives.

Come in squads of about 15 goblins each, frequently led by individual goblin weaponmasters (or even evil human mercenaries) and sometimes mounted on beak dogs, and ocassionally accompanied by up to 3 squads of 5-8 trolls. The first siege you see with a given fort might consist of as little as a single unmounted squad with no trolls, but the goblin forces will escalate in size as the game progresses. Later on you may be seeing 100 or more goblins show up in a single siege, all mounted, with 10 to 20 trolls.

[[Trolls]] are the goblin "siege engines". They are faster than beak dogs, and will make for buildings and start demolishing. Locked doors will keep the goblins out, but can be demolished by trolls.

If you deflect enough sieges, the ruler of the goblin nation may lead a squad. He's equipped with extra-good quality equipment.

=== Humans ===

Unknown if humans still siege this version, someone confirm.

=== Elves ===

Unknown if elves still siege this version, someone confirm.

== Tips ==
{{old|0.23.130.23a}}
===Active Defense===
*Put your entire [[military]] on duty. With luck, most of them are not sleeping, eating, or drinking. If a [[squad]] leader is is doing anything of that sort, replace him with a more alert squad member (the squad always clusters about the leader. If the leader's eating, the squad will guard the table). Place melee units at major chokepoints, so they can meet the enemy head on, but try to keep them out of direct fire from enemy missile users. Place your own marksdwarves where they can rain death down on the enemies. (This is why you build [[fortifications]].)

*War [[dogs]] are valuable, but shouldn't be the first line of defense, because the enemy bowmen will quickly take care of them. Assign them to your military dwarves, or cage them before the siege, and [[Release the Hounds!|release]] them via lever/pressure plate as the enemy is rounding a blind corner. They're also useful for clearing the field once the siege ends.

*[[Siege Weapons]], catapults and ballistae, can be effective during a siege, but can also be entirely useless. They don't have a wide field of fire, so you'll need to design your fortress ahead of time to funnel your attackers into the weapons' field of fire and then delay them with winding passages while in range. To use them effectively, you really need trained Siege Operators for the task, since siege weapons take up to three real-time minutes for inexperienced operators to load, and the weapons cannot be fired at a precise time; they will fire whenever the operator shows up. Fire early and often: siege operators are civilians, and will run away once the oncoming hordes get too close.

===Passive Defense===
*If you have no trust in your military's power, keep all the dwarves inside and pull the siegers into corridors with [[traps]]. Stone-fall traps are cheap and easy, but are one-shot traps with a long reload time; weapon traps require weapons, but reload themselves after a few seconds, until they eventually get stuck. A 10-square-long entry hall filled with weapons traps will break most [[goblin]] sieges without any help. (How boring!)

*A moat may provide a decent defense when combined with a drawbridge to either keep the goblins from entering, or to drop them right into the water. Substitute magma for some far more lethal results.

=== Civilians ===

* Your normal dwarves will still attempt to do their jobs during a siege. The [[Options]]->Dwarves Stay Inside option will prevent them from going outside, but only after walking to the entrance. Since many of your major defenses will be inside the fortress, this is only somewhat useful. Dwarves will run from invaders, but only ''after'' getting within crossbow-range, so their self-preservation skills are lackluster when the enemy has ranged weapons. Therefore, your best bet is to draft the dwarves in question (or simply all civilians) into one citizen-squad and station them somewhere out of harm's way. However, if any of your citizens are set to carry weapons or armor, they may decide to go collect equipment from slain goblins/dwarves during the siege, which means they'll run out into the fray. Keep an eye on this, and turn off their [[weapons]]/[[armor]] accordingly.

* Providing indoor pastimes (like [[sculpture garden]], [[zoo]], [[meeting hall]], or a meeting area zone) will make dwarves spend their break time in the fortress rather than outside. This will typically stop all dwarves from hanging around outside. Hunters, woodcutters, haulers and other dwarves who have business outside will still be at risk.

* Lock the front [[door]]s. If you still have valuable dwarves outside looking for a way in, you might try the [[Maxwell's Demon]] approach: keep locking and unlocking doors just as dwarves arrive so as to keep as many dwarves in as possible. If you don't understand why this is called Maxwell's Demon, read [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell's_demon this Wikipedia Article].

[[Category:World]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Fortress Defense]]

Up/down stairway

2007-11-14T15:50:41Z

Termitehead:

[[category:designations]]

Up/Down stairs act as both an [[upward stairway]] and a [[downward stairway]] on the same tile. Like the [[downward stairway]] this must be designated on a wall, not a floor like downward stairways can be.

== Carving Up/Down Stairs ==
# Press {{K|d}} to open the designate menu.
# Press {{K|i}} to select "Up/Down Stairs".{{verify}}
# Move the cursor to a position on or near a wall and press {{K|enter}}.
# The spot you marked changes to a blinking green "+" indicating where the area you wish to start carving stairs.
# Move the cursor to any position, across the area you wish to carve stairs and then press {{K|enter}} again. This area must be a non-built wall. Any area of floor, construction will not be selected.
# The wall tiles in the area you defined should blink similar to mining but with a "X" pattern.
# Wait for a dwarf to do the job.

Upward stairway

2007-11-14T15:41:25Z

Termitehead:

[[category:designations]]

This will carve an upward stairway into a wall. Unlike a [[downward stairway]], this cannot be designated on a floor and it must be a wall. Smoothed or engraved works fine. If no wall is present it can be built using the build interface ({{k|b}}{{k|C}}{{k|u}}).

== Carving Upward Stairs ==
# Press {{K|d}} to open the designate menu.
# Press {{K|u}} to select "Upward Stairs".
# Move the cursor to a position on or near a wall and press {{K|enter}}.
# The spot you marked changes to a blinking green "+" indicating where the area you wish to start carving stairs.
# Move the cursor to any position, across the area you wish to carve upward stairs and then press {{K|enter}} again. This area must be a non-built wall. Any area of floor, construction will not be selected.
# The wall tiles in the area you defined should blink similar to mining but with a "<" pattern.
# Wait for a dwarf to do the job. You will need to designate/build a [[downward stairway]] for each upward stairway.

40d:Engraving

2007-11-14T15:31:43Z

Termitehead:

Engraving encompasses both smoothing stone and engraving it. Both jobs are accessed from the [d]esignations menu, and require the Stone Detailing [[labor]] to be turned on.

A [[wall]] that has already been smoothed can be engraved on. Engravings increase [[dwarf]] [[happiness]], raise the [[value]] of a [[room]] and provide a record of the [[history]] of your fort. [[Fortification]]s cannot be engraved on. A [[masterwork]] engraving that is destroyed or defaced ([[magma]] and [[goblins]] do the job nicely) may cause the [[engraver]] to [[tantrum]].

== Engraving a wall ==
# Press {{K|d}} to open the designate menu.
# Press {{K|e}} to select "Engrave Stone".
# Move the cursor to a position on or near a wall and press {{K|enter}}.
# The spot you marked changes to a blinking green "+" indicating where the area you wish to engrave extends from.
# Move the cursor to any position, across the area you wish to engrave and press {{K|enter}} again.
# The wall tiles in the area you defined should blink with a light blue regular pattern.
# Wait for a dwarf to engrave the stone on the walls.

== Engravings ==

Engravers are inspired by the history of your fort and will use them in the engraving. Like when your [[axedwarf]] bravely held a crucial part of the fort and slew some [[goblin]]s, your engravers can make a picture of it.

Engravings can be viewed by pressing 'k', moving the cursor over the engraved area, using the + or - keys to move down to the engraving and pressing enter. [[Adventurer]]s are also able to view these by revisiting your old fortress. The art and the story behind the engraving, will show up in the [[legends]] mode.

[[Category:Designations]]

40d:Engraving

2007-11-14T15:30:24Z

Termitehead:

Engraving encompasses both smoothing stone and engraving it. Both jobs are accessed from the [d]esignations menu, and require the Stone Detailing [[labor]] to be turned on.

A [[wall]] that has already been smoothed can be engraved on. Engravings increase [[dwarf]] [[happiness]], raise the [[value]] of a [[room]] and provide a record of the [[history]] of your fort. [[Fortification]]s cannot be engraved on. A [[masterwork]] engraving that is destroyed or defaced ([[magma]] and [[goblins]] do the job nicely) may cause the [[engraver]] to [[tantrum]].

== Engraving a wall ==
# Press {{K|d}} to open the designate menu.
# Press {{K|e}} to select "Engrave Stone".
# Move the cursor to a position on or near a wall and press {{K|enter}}.
# The spot you marked changes to a blinking green "+" indicating where the area you wish to smooth extends from.
# Move the cursor to any position, across the area you wish to smooth and then press {{K|enter}} again.
# The wall tiles in the area you defined should blink with a light blue regular pattern.
# Wait for a dwarf to engrave the stone on the walls.

== Engravings ==

Engravers are inspired by the history of your fort and will use them in the engraving. Like when your [[axedwarf]] bravely held a crucial part of the fort and slew some [[goblin]]s, your engravers can make a picture of it.

Engravings can be viewed by pressing 'k', moving the cursor over the engraved area, using the + or - keys to move down to the engraving and pressing enter. [[Adventurer]]s are also able to view these by revisiting your old fortress. The art and the story behind the engraving, will show up in the [[legends]] mode.

[[Category:Designations]]

40d:Engraving

2007-11-14T15:20:11Z

Termitehead:

40d:Smoothing

2007-11-14T15:19:50Z

Termitehead:

'''Smoothing''' walls will increase the value of [[rooms]] and change their appearance to that of rooms with rough-hewn walls.
Smooth walls are also needed if you wish to [[engrave]] walls to further increase the room's value. Smoothed walls look similar to manually constructed [[wall]]s and they join neatly with corners, t-junctions and straight bits. A single smoothed rock will appear as a pillar until joined to adjacent walls.

== Smoothing a wall ==
# Press {{K|d}} to open the designate menu.
# Press {{K|s}} to select "Smooth Stone".
# Move the cursor to a position on or near a wall and press {{K|enter}}.
# The spot you marked changes to a blinking green "+" indicating where the area you wish to smooth extends from.
# Move the cursor to any position, across the area you wish to smooth and then press {{K|enter}} again.
# The wall tiles in the area you defined should blink with a white regular pattern.
# Wait for a dwarf to smooth the stone on the walls.

== Note ==
*When selecting the area to smooth, there's no highlighting of that area, like when you designate where to mine. You have to image the rectangle stretching from the green + to the cursor position yourself, otherwise the action is the same.
*You cannot smooth soil, such as clay, loam, peat or sand. However, unlike previous versions, metal ores and other valuable stones can be smoothed.

[[Category:Designations]]

40d:Ashery

2007-11-14T15:09:53Z

Termitehead:

{{Workshop|name=Ashery|key=y|job=Potash Making or Lye Making
|construction=
* [[Block]]
* [[Barrel]]
* [[Bucket]]
|construction_job=
* [[Potash Making]]
* [[Lye Making]]
|use=
* [[Ash]]
|production=
* [[Lye]]
* [[Potash]]
}}

The Ashery is used for creating [[potash]] and [[lye]] from [[ash]]. This building is really only necessary if the player wishes to create clear [[glass]] or [[fertilizer]].

{{Buildings}}
[[Category:Workshops]]

40d:Ash

2007-11-14T15:06:14Z

Termitehead:

:Required Building - [[Wood furnace]]
:Required Material - [[Wood]]
:Required Skill - Wood burning
:Used In -

Ash is used to make [[potash]] at an [[Ashery]] which is then used to make clear [[glass]].

40d:Ash

2007-11-14T15:05:49Z

Termitehead: New page: :Required Building - Wood furnace :Required Material - Wood :Required Skill - Wood burning :Used In - Ash is used to make potash at an Ashery which is then used to make [[...

40d:Potash maker

2007-11-14T15:03:36Z

Termitehead:

The potash maker skill turns [[ash]] into [[potash]] or [[lye]] into [[potash]] at an [[ashery]]. Higher skill level affects only production speed.

40d:Building designer

2007-11-14T15:00:30Z

Termitehead:

{{Skill
| color = #848
| skill = Building Designer
| speciality = Architect
| profession = Administrator
| job name = Architecture
| tasks =
* Construct Building
}}

The '''building designer''' [[skill]] is used to plan [[building]]s before the actual construction can begin.

It affects anything created with the 'architecture' [[labor]], which includes [[bridge]]s, [[smelter]]s, paved [[road]]s, [[screw pump]]s, [[windmill]]s, [[watermill]]s, [[support]]s, and [[trade depot]]s. [[Dwarves]] that have high building designer skills can make [[masterwork]] structures, which can give dwarves very happy [[thought]]s from admiring the excellently designed buildings. Also, dissembling a masterwork structure will not cause a [[tantrum]].

A relatively easy way to train a dwarfs architecture skill, is to build a lot of [[support]]s and tear them down again. Note that building a support also requires masonry. If you don't want to involve a mason, you need to cancel the construction of the pillars one by one once they have been designed.

[[Category:Skills]]

40d:Building designer

2007-11-14T15:00:01Z

Termitehead:

{{Skill
| color = #848
| skill = Building Designer
| speciality = Architect
| profession = Administrator
| job name = Architecture
| tasks =
* Construct Building
}}

The '''building designer''' [[skill]] is used to plan [[building]]s before the actual construction can begin.

It affects anything created with the 'architecture' [[labor]], which includes [[bridge]]s, [[smelter]]s, paved [[road]]s, [[screw pump]]s, [[windmill]]s, [[watermill]]s, [[support]]s, and [[trade depot]]s. [[Dwarves]] that have high building designer skills can make [[masterwork]] structures, which can give dwarves very happy [[thought]]s from admiring the excellently designed buildings. Also, dissembling a masterwork structure will not cause a [[tantrum]].

A relatively easy way to train a dwarfs architecture-skill, is to build a lot of [[support]]s and tear them down again. Note that building a support also requires masonry. If you don't want to involve a mason, you need to cancel the construction of the pillars one by one once they have been designed.

[[Category:Skills]]

40d:Adventurer mode

2007-11-14T14:45:30Z

Termitehead: /* Ranged */

= What is adventure mode? =
Basically, you pick a race, [[elf]], [[dwarf]] or [[human]], start out in either a town of your race or in a previous fortress you played on. You get [[quest]]s, venture into the wilderness to find caves, abandoned towers and other villages. You can even visit your old fortresses and find whatever riches were left to be guarded by the creatures that fated your fortress.

= Your First Adventure =

== Picking a Race ==
When it comes to picking a race, there is difference in skills. Dwarves cannot wear human sized [[armor]]. Elves have a slightly different set of skills.

== Choosing Skills ==
Basically, if you want to start with a weapon, you need to avoid having the most points spent in unarmored/[[wrestling]]. If you for example choose start out with most points in [[swordsman]], you will start out with a [[sword]]. When you have chosen your preferred set of skills, you can press {{key|Enter}} to embark.

== Setting Out ==
If you chose human, you will start out inside the mayors house. You will see the mayor (purple) and lots of drunks. Press {{key|k}} and talk to the mayor. Press 'services' for a [[quest]]. You can talk to the drunks and recruit them to your party for some additional combat aid. Be sure to read the [[Adventure Mode quick reference]] or use the help files for more information on the commands in Adventure mode.

== Trading ==
In towns you can find merchants inside some buildings. Talk to them to trade with them. After buying an item, you must pick it up manually from somewhere in the shop.

== Equipping your adventurer ==
'''Needs editing'''

= Travelling the world =

== How-to ==
You can walk around the whole world tile by tile if you wish, but given the size of the world, you might want to consider using another method. Pressing {{key|T}} will let see a very zoomed out map of the surrounding area. Moving about on this map is much faster, as well as it heals your adventurer, keeps him from starving, dehydrating, or getting tired. To exit this screen and explore the area you've reached, press '>'.

== Finding quest locations ==
'''Needs editing'''

== Visiting your abandoned Fortress(-es) ==
If you start an adventure in a world with one or more abandoned fortress(-es), you can take your adventurer to see the sites of your previous endeavours. When you find one of your old fortresses, you will find that everything is a mess. Items are scattered about, things are smashed up and there are probably new hostile inhabitants that you will need to fend off. Visiting your old fortress(-es) might prove to be rewarding, since you can find armor and weapons you made (if you made any). The best thing to be found in your fortress would probably be any left behind artifact weapon or armor. This is also probably the best (and only?) way to get artifact-quality weapons and armor.

Also remember to check out any engravings you made while in fortress mode. When checking out engravings in adventure mode, they reveal alot more specific information about the event that is engraved.

= Combat =
Fighting is extremely detailed in adventure mode! This adds alot of fun in the battle, since there are so many ways to injure your opponents/victims.

== Ranged ==
If you have a [[weapon | bow]] or [[weapon | crossbow]], you can shoot arrows or bolts at enemies. You can also throw anything you can carry at enemies. Ranged attacks are highly efficient when you hit.
To fire your bow or crossbow, press {{key|f}}, and move the marker to the enemy you wish to fire upon, and press {{key|Enter}}. Same with throwing stuff, only press {{key|t}} and choose wich item to throw, then choose the victim.
''Note: Throwing is slightly bugged. You can throw captured flies, socks and even vomit if you want, with lethal effects. A fly once pierced the heart of some creature, due to this bug.''

== Close combat ==
To fight a creature by hitting it, you just need to walk towards the creature. Alternatively, you can press {{key|a}} and choose your target. When you've pressed {{key|a}}, you can use {{key|Enter}} to choose between normal attack, and [[wrestling]].
A normal attack will make the adventurer hit the target with whatever weapon he holds.
In [[wrestling]], you must spend a few round locking the target's limbs to be able to break and splinter them (good times).

[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Adventurer mode]]

40d:Kobold

2007-11-14T14:41:01Z

Termitehead: grammatical error

Kobolds are small humanoids, (slightly smaller than [[dwarves]]). They are technologically backward and use [[copper]] weapons.

Kobold thieves will raid you in [[fortress mode]], generally timing their attacks to coincide with the arrival of [[caravan]]s. They are able to bypass any and all [[trap]]s, and are an excellent reason to channel all traffic in an out of your fortress to a single location, which should be guarded at all times. Once discovered and caught, a kobold can generally be killed by any armed dwarf and even most unarmed civilians.

Kobold marksman parties may occasionally show up to ambush your dwarves outside. This is similar to an elf attack - the kobolds will hold back and kill all dwarves who venture near with their bows. This is not a siege. The kobolds will leave after some time. Because they are archers, these raiding parties can be quite dangerous to an unprepared fortress, especially one reliant on resources such as trees and surface water.

== Kobold Caves in Fortress Mode ==

Occasionally, on maps that have caves present in them, you'll find a Kobold Cave. These pose a possible hazard to your dwarven settlers, as - should they discover you and become irritated at your presence - they can attack your settlement and any wandering dwarves they come across. As mentioned previously, kobolds aren't very tough, but when they gather in large numbers (with more than a few armed kobold guards and other nasty variations of the common kobold thrown in) they can pose a significant threat to your young, underprepared fortress. On the up-side, in the vicinity of the kobold cave and inside the cave itself, you'll find all kinds of random trinkets and other items, with the possibility of valuable goodies being tossed in. If you manage to clear the kobold cave on your map, any potentially valuable crap that they've accumulated is yours for the taking.

== Kobold Caves in Adventure Mode ==

In adventure mode Kobolds live in caves. They will have guards, soldiers, civilians, children, and the occasional quite dangerous weaponmaster. Kobolds are deadly with a bow but generally an easy match in melee, even for a novice adventurer. Kobold caves are full of trinkets, and they often wear clothing, weapons, and small-sized armor.

{{creatures}}
[[Category:Races]]