So... I took a break from DF for a while due to life being rather busy, and decided to come back with a new fortress, and new fortress layout.
Things were going well, and a couple of migrant waves in, I had a military of about 30 newbies, slowly training up, wearing full bronze armour and weaponry. I had pierced the caverns, which was my only supply of wood.
I get that lovely message about a forgotten beast with poisonous gas, a humanoid made from bronze (or some other metal). I quickly walled up the caverns and forgot about him.
Later, I get a message about ANOTHER forgotten beast. This was a giant worm of some kind... that could fly, with deadly blood. Somehow he got into my main stairwell from the caverns to the mining area, with which I managed to dispatch rather easily with my untrained troops.
Things went on alright, with only 2 dwarfs dead, and I get told of a 3rd forgotten beast coming along (so now I've got 2 again). This is a giant feathered lemur with deadly excretions... Lots of fun when he's in the water that I use for my well... however, I think I'm pretty safe from him coming into the fortress, so I ignore him.
perhaps 6 months after, I get an announcment that urist mcminer cancels dig, interrupted by forgotten beast. Thinking that it's the lemur, I send my full military in, just to be sure I kill it... It was the bronze humanoid...
Long story short, he single handedly obliterated my ENTIRE military, only laying a sinlge strike on one of them. I managed to completely wall him out of my fortress, accepting the losses.
So, I lost a shit ton of dwarves, and they all seem to be related to each other. As a result, I fear a pending tantrum spiral (my first if it gets out of hand). Only one has gone mad so far, but many are miserable... actually... there is one ecstatic dwarf. Apparently his whole family didn't get touched, and he didn't know any of the victims... He's got nothing but good thoughts :p
To add to this, I just discovered a vampire (ok, to be honest I was suspicious when he came in and I saw he was a great mason, and great speaking skills, as well as a few suspicious things in his personality). He's my best mason, andproducing a lot of stuff, so I think I'm going to accuse a no name hauler without family to be sure he stays alive... for now. Also, he's now the mayor... I guess I'll get sick of quivers sooner or later
So, my fortress isn't in a good state. My only defense is drawbridges, and everyone is in a bad way. I have a vampire on the loose to add to the troubles.
I have got my farmers working overtime producing the full variety of underground crops for both booze and food. I have beekeepers working just to add a little more variety to the food, to get as many happy thoughts as I can. Lavish meals are being prepared on repeat, and booze production is going full bore. The masons are working their asses off to make and engrave slabs for everyone dead to save a fortress of ghosts. I can't get their bodies because of the stupid metal forgotten beast (who is fully dented, but otherwise unharmed). The bedrooms are being upgraded as best I can, and I have a few just making friends. I think the only thing saving me is that they're breeding like rabbits! Babies popping out here, there, and everywhere, meaning happy mummy and daddy.
Is there anything else I can do to help save my fortress? A new wave of migrants just arrived, which means more mouths to feed, and more bedrooms to dig
Edit: confirmed he's a vampire by looking at the god he worships, where it says that he got cursed 40 years ago... found the god after looking at another suspicious immigrant with great in 2 doctor skills, and expert in 4 speech skills