So right now, my fortress is in the midst of a tantrum spiral. This sounds fun, but it isn't. None of my dwarf are trained in any combat, so this is just a long ans slow punch fest, one that makes the "dwarf A cancels stockpile because of angry dwarf" message constantly flash across the screen. But that is not my question.
My question involves how this started. One of my dwarfs, (he some kind of farmer dwarf, i think something like grower?) struck a fey mood. he then went to the meeting hall and stood there, not demanding anything or doing anything, for about 10-20 minutes. Well I didn't know what to do, so I made him carpenter and hoped he would scurry off and do something. No dice. He went mad, and started beating up every one. I think. He then was mobbed and died, but not before killing 5-7 other dwarfs and a hand full of critters. Now my entire base is in a tantrum shit storm, one which won't END. It has gone so long that migrants came and the seasons have changed and they wont DIE. I wish they would die or do something so they can make more ale, but they WON'T. They just mope about while the bits of dwarf brain slowly slide down the wall and dry on the floor.
My question is what did I do wrong? Why did he just stand there and what can I do to change that the next time it happens.