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Author Topic: Is this life?  (Read 2287 times)

CaptainLambcake

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Is this life?
« on: December 19, 2012, 09:31:42 pm »

My General (AKA leader of my Melee Squad)  is 142 years old.  As you can see, he will die of old age soon.  Recently, however, he was crippled in a SOLO battle against a Forgotten Beast (that he won).  He has 2 infections, and is currently in traction, where's he's been for awhile, as he has an overlapping fracture on his right hip bone, among other smashed bones.  My question is, as he cannot walk, because he was already a crutch walker from past injuries, should I leave him in this Traction for as long as is needed, which will clearly be awhile, or should I let sweet death find him in the form of armed goblins being let out in the Hospital?  He's our forts #1 hero, by the way.
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You wake up in (suddenly) your room not somewhere Armok knows where. Travels in deserts and goblin forests turned up to be a dreams borned by procreation of your autistic imagination.

darkflagrance

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2012, 09:36:31 pm »

Well, do you think heroic dwarves prefer a peaceful death of old age surrounded by loved ones?

Or perhaps they detest slowly withering away fettered by their broken bodies and doctors' bindings, and would prefer to go out in a spray of bloodshed, preferably with innocent company?
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...as if nothing really matters...
   
The Legend of Tholtig Cryptbrain: 8000 dead elves and a cyclops

Tired of going decades without goblin sieges? Try The Fortress Defense Mod

CaptainLambcake

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #2 on: December 19, 2012, 09:42:37 pm »

The latter, but I can't bring myself to allow some creature to have the satisfaction of killing the most hated Dwarf (by goblins) in my fort.  On another note, I was sieged by Humans last year, and this year they came to trade, no Diplomat to ask for peace or anything... Is it possible to be sieged by Bandits?  There was only one squad after all.

EDIT:  I love your picture darkflagrance, and I don't know why.
« Last Edit: December 19, 2012, 09:52:57 pm by CaptainLambcake »
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You wake up in (suddenly) your room not somewhere Armok knows where. Travels in deserts and goblin forests turned up to be a dreams borned by procreation of your autistic imagination.

pisskop

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #3 on: December 19, 2012, 09:55:17 pm »

Viking funeral.  with magma.  Shame there's no chloroform.

And the pic reminded me of a cool patrick the starfish from spongebob.  Underwear on head, too.
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CaptainLambcake

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2012, 09:56:13 pm »

It's really just a question of morals, how would you honor someone that helped you and everyone around you, say, a soldier in the army of whatever country you reside in.  He's old, and withering away.  Would you let him die a peaceful death, or one in glorious combat?
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You wake up in (suddenly) your room not somewhere Armok knows where. Travels in deserts and goblin forests turned up to be a dreams borned by procreation of your autistic imagination.

Urist Da Vinci

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2012, 10:09:08 pm »

It's really just a question of morals, how would you honor someone that helped you and everyone around you, say, a soldier in the army of whatever country you reside in.  He's old, and withering away.  Would you let him die a peaceful death, or one in glorious combat?

ASK THE DWARF (i.e. interpret his personality traits)!

darkflagrance

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #6 on: December 19, 2012, 10:24:11 pm »

It's really just a question of morals, how would you honor someone that helped you and everyone around you, say, a soldier in the army of whatever country you reside in.  He's old, and withering away.  Would you let him die a peaceful death, or one in glorious combat?

Since you are opposed to the idea of letting a pathetic goblin have the pleasure of killing him, perhaps you should take the third option mentioned by pisskop and go with the (live) magma funeral, with a memorial to his name erected in a hall somewhere. You could always wait till the next forgotten beast and let him challenge it as well.
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...as if nothing really matters...
   
The Legend of Tholtig Cryptbrain: 8000 dead elves and a cyclops

Tired of going decades without goblin sieges? Try The Fortress Defense Mod

CaptainLambcake

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #7 on: December 19, 2012, 10:34:22 pm »

"Next"  We have about 10 in the Caves, this one was the closest thing to him while my guys were collecting silk for some crazy Clothier.  Either way, he's healed all injuries but his overlapping and another bone, and he has 8 more years (minimum, as they can live to be 170)  I think i'll give him a bit more time and wait and see.  He has his own personal Tomb near his office.  (He's Captain of the Guard.) 
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You wake up in (suddenly) your room not somewhere Armok knows where. Travels in deserts and goblin forests turned up to be a dreams borned by procreation of your autistic imagination.

CaptainLambcake

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2012, 10:40:08 pm »

It's really just a question of morals, how would you honor someone that helped you and everyone around you, say, a soldier in the army of whatever country you reside in.  He's old, and withering away.  Would you let him die a peaceful death, or one in glorious combat?

ASK THE DWARF (i.e. interpret his personality traits)!

Extremely quick to heal, super agile and tough, very rarely sick.  He's a keeper.  Not to mention he literally has no relationships except his Wife.
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You wake up in (suddenly) your room not somewhere Armok knows where. Travels in deserts and goblin forests turned up to be a dreams borned by procreation of your autistic imagination.

Callista

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #9 on: December 19, 2012, 10:44:35 pm »

It's really just a question of morals, how would you honor someone that helped you and everyone around you, say, a soldier in the army of whatever country you reside in.  He's old, and withering away.  Would you let him die a peaceful death, or one in glorious combat?

ASK THE DWARF (i.e. interpret his personality traits)!
Yep, I would go for this one. In terms of human psychology, most humans find that life with disabilities or chronic illnesses--even including painful ones--can be quite satisfying. But dwarves might not be the same. Perhaps a dwarf considers his life to have ended at the point where he can no longer drink his way through a keg of dwarven ale, and would prefer a magma burial to a year in the traction bench. Or maybe it's the opposite--he'll be perfectly happy even if he's broken every bone in his body, just because somebody brought him food and water and he's lying in a nice soft bed.

You wanna role-play this? Think of your fort, its culture. Do they value the injured and elderly, or not? Do they see death as a horrible thing to be avoided at all costs, or is life something that can be bargained away for a valuable enough trade--or perhaps even something to be thrown away on a whim? Do dwarves fear old age, or do they see it as something that makes you worthy of honor, and perhaps automatically a badass just for having survived that long?

If you're talking about just gameplay mechanics, the obvious choice is to keep the dwarf in the hospital for the doctors to practice on. A long-term patient can be quite a valuable resource that way.
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Loud Whispers

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2012, 11:27:46 pm »

Well, do you think heroic dwarves prefer a peaceful death of old age surrounded by loved ones?
Yes. Death by old age is the final frontier for Dwarven kind, so few reach it.

DrTaco

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #11 on: December 20, 2012, 12:25:27 am »

I think the best thing you can do is let him die peacefully in the bed, and move into a massive tomb next to the magma sea, surrounded by piles upon piles of gold coins, statues, and any other valuable shit you can find. If you have some war animals that are pretty badass, have them guard the tomb for the rest of their lives. All his armor and weapons are now to be retired and placed next to his tomb. While you put in the last few touches, put a lot of goblins in cages over a retracting bridge over the magma sea, and drop them in there to commemorate his achievements. Also, put a memorial to every important figure, like a forgotten beast, that he's killed. SPARE NO EXPENSE, HE IS A KING AMONG MEN.
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Di

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #12 on: December 20, 2012, 03:47:58 am »

I don't see any problem with dwarf crutchwalking to the battle. Apart from reduced speed it doesn't hurt at all. And magmafying a champion so goblins wouldn't kill him is just silly.
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Noobazzah

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #13 on: December 20, 2012, 10:10:33 am »

Judging by his lack of friends apart from his wife, I'd imagine that he cares little for anything that hasn't got something to do with fighting. So, maybe he'd rather die doing what he loves, in a blaze of glory that'd be remembered for generations.
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VerdantSF

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Re: Is this life?
« Reply #14 on: December 20, 2012, 12:38:06 pm »

I agree.  This dwarf deserves a glorious death in battle!  On a side note, I've never had a dwarf die of old age.  My forts have never lasted that long.  Do you get a message "Urist McHammer has died of old age," or do elderly dwarves just go "missing" until another dwarf comes across the corpse?
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