New players: You might not want to read this. There are some -heavy spoilers- in this story, and if you don't want to spoil the "endgame", skip this story and come back later.
The tale of Relicviolence, a mountainhome without a kingThis is a sad tale, so do not even try to contain your tears.
Years ago, a group of seven harder than steel dwarves set out to colonize a waste so foul that not even the goblins would dare to lay foot on that soil. The terrain was rocky, no trees or plants grew within a hundred miles and day and night it rained human blood. The fortress prospered though, and eventually reached great heights. The population was nearing its third full hundred, its riches reached 15 million dwarfbucks and it was made a mountainhome of the Diamond Works. Under some shady conditions there was some kind of misunderstanding though. Some say this was intentional, but we may never know.
As the word about the newly gained status reached the fortress no dwarf stood idle: A glorious chamber was dug for the king, delicacies of legendary status were prepared and grand engravings were scribbled. As the king's escort arrived the ever so strong army of 60 dwarves was placed in honorary guard at the main gates. Nearly three hundred dwarves were eagerly waiting and glaring at the approaching figures, in awe and excitement as their king would soon be walking in their halls. Great was the surprise and wonderment when a band of 5 legendary royal guards marched inside with a stray alpaca in tow. No signs of any king were found, and the royal guard said no word of it. No matter the conditions, the fortress now had a king: All hail the Stray Alpaca, may his reign be long and filled with prosperity!
He was turned into a stew later on.
Ever since the discovery of adamantine in the depths it was established that the fortress should dig deeper than any dwarf had ever dwelled. There were rumours of vicious beasts lurking in the unknown abyss, and the countess took no chances. The army was equipped with the best weapons and armour, the fortress was organized in a network of drawbridges and military training was of the highest importance. After some years of careful planning, calculating and training, the countess gave the command.
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http://i.imgur.com/FMtOl.pngThe last pieces of adamantine were struck and a horrifying cavern was found. Over a hundred demons arrived to investigate the newly appeared hole. The miners ran for their lives. Strangely, the demons didn't pursue far. The miners retreated safely, and the demons took their time in appreciating the curious natural formations on the tunnel walls.
The soldiers were called in position and the gates were closed. The next step would be to call in the bait.
For some reason nearly all the soldiers were thirsty, although they all had waterskins filled with tasty beverages.
The countess found this most strange, considering the fortress also has a steady stockpile of over 2000 drinks. Everyone was in position. The burrows were being prepared and the children called in. The military, although missing some members, was prepared for combat. Then suddenly, screams of terror were heard - from the other side of the fortress.
Demons. Inside. How?!
A horrible mistake! The demons have somehow managed to escape the small tunnel and are now in the great lava sea. This sea is connected to a number of points in the fortress, including the main staircase and workshops. The workshop is quickly closed with the drawbridge, and a mason hurries to wall off the staircase. A few dwarves were lost.
The two access points are sealed, but one point still remains: The the very base of the staircase there is a small gap leading in the sea of lava. Demons begin pouring in from this hole, and the military is called back. Chaos erupts.
As the military forms up it is noticed that they are still lacking some numbers. A small search turns up evidence that some of the very key members of the militia have been imprisoned. Turns out they have been breaking an order of mandate. The closed off areas of the workshop are devoured in fiery explosions.
At this point the demons launch one of their rumoured and largely feared tactics. It feels as if time itself has died.
On the surface some of the dwarves are ordered to close the gates. Should the fortress lose this battle, at least the chaos they have released shall not touch the world outside.
As the dwarves are panicking the countess orders them to retreat in the royal chambers. The military is ordered to regroup and gather their strength before attempting to retake the staircase. Many of the dwarves feel thirsty at this sudden feat of exercise.
The dwarves are gathering in the king's chamber. All are eyeing the adamantine throne, sitting empty and abandoned. Many of the dwarves feel the same way about themselves. Did their king foresee this? In midst of this chaos, the mayor Erith Kivishanam decides to ban the export of toy boats.
The mayor also decides to attend a meeting in the staircase with a curiously shaped mudstone.
She doesn't seem that worried about all this demon business. A proper lady should always maintain her cool.
Four the children reach the baiting zone. Interestingly, that is probably one of the safest spots in the fortress now. Also pictured, Setoc Onaicen, a human law-giver is investigating a stock of military supplies.
Most of the surviving dwarves have gathered in the royal chamber. Many are afraid. The members of the militia have somehow managed to lose large portions of their gear and have decided to prepare themselves with copper weaponry instead of using the perfectly fine adamantine versions of similar instruments.
Misten Fikodahir, a marksdwarf of some skill has decided to counter this threat all by himself. Feeling quite excited he fires adamantine bolts at the demons. He dies instantly.
The dwarves in the royal chamber are beginning to feel thirsty. It is considered that they would dig their path beneath the demons and attempt to reach the surface. However, no-one thought of bringing a pick with them. It is decided that the military will try to buy some time and the general populace will attempt to rush past and climb the staircase.
By this time the fortress has lost some dwarves. A steady population of 225 dwarves is still plenty, but further losses would hurt the economy. Many valuable artifacts have been destroyed.
Unfortunately, as the countess is giving orders and preparing everyone for the assault, a few members of the militia grow bored and decide to call it a day. The countess, much frustrated, orders everyone to move out and grasp the opportunity.
Few are those things that can stand in the way of a thirsty, hungry or sleepy dwarf. Massacring any demons in their path, the weary soldiers head for their bunks.
Much painful, fiery death occurs.
By this time, the countess is informed that a foreign diplomat was visiting the fortress. As the countess is somewhat occupied in her other duties, the diplomat leaves unhappy. The countess decides to send an apologetic letter later on should she survive.
Some dwarves make it to the surface. They rush to the surface booze stockpiles and engage in professional alcoholism.
Setoc Onaicen, a human law-giver, is going through the mayor's agenda. He makes notes on some of the recent criminal activities committed in the fortress.
Somewhere in the middle levels of the great staircase. This picture could well be the header of this story.
The main fortress level is abandoned. What was previously a glorious hall of industry, machinery and great craftsdwarfship is now nothing but a desolated lair of demons.
By this time Geshud onelnekut, the militia commander, has grown somewhat dissatisfied about her surroundings. She sits in her cell chained to the wall, accompanied by nothing but a rotting corpse of the previous occupant of the cell. If only she could use her adamantine battle axe to cut herself free.
In the cell down the hall, Datan Etmosus, a fisherdwarf, is sitting his term for the murder of two dwarves. He grows increasingly paranoid and schizophrenic, up to the point where he decides to attend a meeting by himself.
Up the stairs in the hospital near the surface the mayor and a miner are resting in the hospital, slowly dying due to their wounds. The mayor manages to keep her cool, but the miner throws tantrums in his fevered dreams.
Down in the depths of the fortress Geshud is the final surviving member of the fortress, locked up beyond any hope of rescue. No-one knows if the decayed friend refers to the very corpse in his cell. Luckily, at least he finds some comfort in the fine chain that he is attached to.
At some point a band of 22 war dogs decide that it's time to take action (I forgot I had them pastured).
The dogs charge at the demons growling. The demons respond with a hail of snow and poison.
The dogs are massacred. Now Geshud is the only non-demonic lifeform inside the fortress.
Geshud, possibly unaware of anything that has happened in the entire fortress, decides to name herself the mayor of this fine cell. She grows thirsty, but calmly waits for the jailors to arrive and give her something to drink. Surely she will be released soon.
Geshud is shocked when one of her old friends from the militia arrives through the wall as a ghost! Libash Bronzeblock informs Geshud about the events that have happened, and tells her that she is now the only living dwarf in the fortress. He then proceeds to haunt Geshud.
Seeing that his mission is done, Libash Bronzeblock moves on to the afterlife (I have no idea why he did that. Don't you always need a memorial slab?)
Geshud gives in. The mountainhome without a king has seen its end.
----
This was my first attempt at colonizing hell. As of late I've found it boring to play in the normal biomes, so I've been going at increasingly more difficult areas. Alas, one cannot really play vanilla Dwarf Fortress in any of the hostile biomes with the default settings as the weather has a nasty habit of causing major FPS loss. In this game I prepared A LOT for the demons. My soldiers were all somewhat skilled and most had at least portions of adamantine armor and weapons. Unfortunately, it seems the military AI doesn't quite excel if left to work alone: my soldiers were constantly returning to sleep, changing equipment, or complaining about thirst when they had a full waterskin with them (filled with booze).
I was quite surprised when I noticed that tiny small hole at the base of my fortress. By time I saw the first demon lurch in I knew the fortress was a lost cause. I'm not entirely sure where the demons managed to slip in the magma sea, but I assume that some of the molten stones had a diagonal access square or something. I tried my best at managing my military, organizing them into hunting demons in smaller numbers and trying to keep the population safe, but it was a an utter failure. I also grew impatient with the horrible FPS.
My next game will be with Masterwork Dwarf Fortress I guess. Hopefully I can disable the tileset and most of the new features (I really dislike the turrets for one), so I can simply enjoy a faster framerate and keep going on further
Meanwhile, Relicviolence was my most *FUN* fortress so far.
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Topic: Relicviolence, a mountainhome without a king [Spoilers][Large images] (Read 2079 times)