Update:
So I've been at it for quite a while now and I still have not found anyone willing to forgive me for kicking that dog. I guess it's just as well, because I've killed quite a few people in their sleep and I don't think anyone would buy an excuse like 'preemptive self defense' any more than they would believe I could accidentally decapitate someone.
My original goal as an adventurer was to achieve over a thousand notable kills and be seen as a hero in the eyes of every civilization in the world. Well, I certainly had over a thousand
kills:
At this point I think I'm willing to lower the bar a bit, and settle for finishing off the inhabitants of this town, and any others that have become hostile, before going to look for work elsewhere. In a way I suppose that this new goal is grander still than my old one. I'll just have to leave 'murdered an entire civilization' off my resume.
My skills and attributes have progressed quite a bit since the fighting began:
Sadly, some of the more awesome feats of swordsmanship still elude me. For example as my skill has increased the likelihood of a slash to the lower body cutting the target in half seems to have actually decreased. Maybe it has something to do with my using a bronze longsword, rather than iron, but I could hardly swap it out now that it has eight-hundred and forty-nine kills to its name (I guess that means I've killed over a hundred and fifty people with my bare hands?).
In other news, I've noticed that the area surrounding this town I've been fighting in has an oddly appropriate name:
Maybe this means they're used to countless murders occurring? My rampage certainly hasn't seemed to bother the townspeople much, I just passed back through the square by the markets, where I had created a veritable carpet of corpses, and found that the markets had been re-inhabited while I was away. In fact many of the houses around town where I brutally murdered all of the tenants seem to now be occupied by both the corpses I left to rot and a number of new residents. It's somewhat puzzling that they don't mind the mutilated corpses and blood stains covering all the floors, walls, and furniture.
All in all I've been killing for the better part of two day straight now, and there are still more townspeople showing up all over the place. I'm not sure if I
can kill everyone here, as it seems they pop up again as fast as I can slaughter them. It's actually kind of a shame, this is the most populous and interesting town I've seen up 'till now, what with the humans, dwarfs, and goblins all living together in some kind of bizarre harmony. There are also loads of shops including several weapon-smithies and armorers, although they only have copper and silver items available, so they're not really of any use. I've searched several bowyer's shops for anything impressive, but have yet to see a single masterwork item.
Eh, guess they're not so interesting after all. Back to work then; I think I see another couple of markets ahead, this time I'll try to lure them all onto the same tile and create a pile of corpses fifty feet high.