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[Muffindog]

I was playing in fortress mode and everything went fine. I just made it to the second year and my first human caravan arrived, after the dwarven and elven ones. We traded and things went smooth.

While they were preparing to leave, I breached the caverns because I was in need of silk desperately. A weaver fell into a strange mood and needed it.

After collecting some of the silk and spinning it into a cloth, he claimed it and started constructing it. I zoomed to the little loom I placed in the caverns in order to collect the silk only to find the merchant dragging his horse across the caverns. A guard was following them too. I went trough the announcements and saw that they embarked on their journey, but why into the caverns? They ventured into the dark parts I didn't explore yet, I don't know what happened to them. I'll send a dwarf to explore it as soon as I can.

Has this happened to anyone else? I don't know if it's a known bug, I tried searching for it, but didn't find anything like this.

[proxn_punkd]

Were the surface entrances/exits less accessible to them for some reason? Merchants departing through the caves is a known thing, though I believe it's usually seen with dwarf caravans rather than humans.

[Muffindog]

They were very free to leave using the surface. My trading depot was just bellow the soil layer, and pretty much close to the map edge. They had to go through some rather long corridors through my entire fort in order to venture deeper.

You're right, dwarves traveling through the caverns makes sense, but why humans? And it's actually the first time it happened to me with any caravan, after about half a year of playing. And I usually open up the caverns.

So... bug or feature?

[Cellmonk]

They were very free to leave using the surface. My trading depot was just bellow the soil layer, and pretty much close to the map edge. They had to go through some rather long corridors through my entire fort in order to venture deeper.

You're right, dwarves traveling through the caverns makes sense, but why humans? And it's actually the first time it happened to me with any caravan, after about half a year of playing. And I usually open up the caverns.

So... bug or feature?

Feature. Definitely feature. If you were a merchant in helm's deep during a siege, and you wanted to get home, where would you go? The caverns, naturally. You'd probably want a dwarf guide though.

[Sphalerite]

Caravans will only arrive on the surface, but they will leave through any edge tile they can get to, whether it's on the surface or in the caverns.  They seem to pick randomly among the edge tiles they can reach when they decide to leave, and if they pick an edge tile in the caverns, they then will attempt to leave through the caverns.  If they make it to the edge alive, it counts as them successfully leaving and they are assumed to make it back to their civilization somehow.

[Cellmonk]

Caravans will only arrive on the surface, but they will leave through any edge tile they can get to, whether it's on the surface or in the caverns.  They seem to pick randomly among the edge tiles they can reach when they decide to leave, and if they pick an edge tile in the caverns, they then will attempt to leave through the caverns.  If they make it to the edge alive, it counts as them successfully leaving and they are assumed to make it back to their civilization somehow.

Do they only choose reachable edges? Like if you block their access to the surface while they are walking, and open their access to the underground, will they switch the edge they choose to path to?

[NonconsensualSurgery]

All a departing merchant cares about is whether or not it has an open path to one of the corners of the map. The z-level is unimportant. Goblins will also use an open map corner underground to retreat if it is closer.

This would be a great feature if all the stuff that comes out of cavern map edges would stop beating sentient beings into red meringue.

[Cellmonk]

This would be a great feature if all the stuff that comes out of cavern map edges would stop beating sentient beings into red meringue.

Isn't that the whole point?

and I think this is a nice way to deal with sieges. "the fort is closed for business, but I can forward you to the department of cavernous exploits"

Has anyone tried this with HFS? will merchants leave through the circus if there is a route?

[CriticallyAshamed]

"Right lads, looks like we can't get back through the main gate because it's closed. We'll take a little detour through the 7th circle of hell, maybe they have some spice to trade"
"Err, sir shouldn't we just ASK the dwarves to leave through the front gate?"
"Poppycock and rubbish! Off we go chaps, be on the look out for Satan and all his little imps"

[rhesusmacabre]

Has anyone tried this with HFS? will merchants leave through the circus if there is a route?

They will:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The dead dwarves were caravan guards, and the blood/vomit is from an injured yak. Fortunately, I had a squad nearby so I saved the merchants.

[Cellmonk]

Has anyone tried this with HFS? will merchants leave through the circus if there is a route?

They will:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The dead dwarves were caravan guards, and the blood/vomit is from an injured yak. Fortunately, I had a squad nearby so I saved the merchants.

Its almost as cool as the northwest passage.

[Muffindog]

DF never fails to surprise me with some new behaviour. Just as I think I've seen it all, I discover some new things. Toady thinks of everything indeed!

I just hope the elves decide to take a detour while visiting my fortress. And hopefully a forgotten beast will show up then...

The weaver finished his creation. Nothing special. At least I have a legendary weaver now 

[Loud Whispers]

Make him create infinite amounts of rope reed and pig tail cloth crafts

Also, red cloaks.

And yeah, I'm pretty certain almost everyone has had this happen to them at least once