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[Talanic]

Hi guys!  I've spent the last couple weeks preparing what should be an interesting fortress.  I'm working on the final touches and would like to get some signups for governors.

There's something different about this fortress.  Something happened here; the dwarves arrive to find a fortress that's been long abandoned (this is not a reclaim - it's something I don't know of anyone else doing before) and things start getting creepy pretty quickly.

Biomes are about half Joyous Wilds (east side), half Terrifying (west side, including mountains), plus a volcano.  The area snows rock (dust, I assume) and occasionally has swarms of disgusting flies drift in from the west. 

The base game is modified with Masterwork Mod.  Much of the modding I applied was derived from Masterwork, but I also received modding help from Hugo_The_Dwarf, Putnam and Deon.  The project would also have been completely impossible without DFHack, so lots of thanks to its creators. 

There is no water already on the map - none convenient at least - but Masterwork has some reactions that produce water from quarry leaves or distill it from booze.

While there is a story behind what happened to this fortress, that's for the players to figure out / come up with.  My current plan is that I'm going to set the scene up and hand it off to the effective first player at or before the start of the summer.   Because of the late start to the game, please hand the map off to the next player at the start of the next summer.  I'm running it until the first winter and then handing it off.

This is my first try at creating a 'special' map like this - I may well do a second, more elaborate try if it goes over well, so please leave suggestions on how to make everything creepier.  I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped, but I learned a lot.

Prospect:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The project is complete and the mayhem is ready to begin!  It all starts here: http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=7457

End of Year 1:  (Writeup)  (File)

Up now: Remuthra
In line:  Spectrelight, IWCoyote, Zombi

CaptainArchmage couldn't take a turn now and requested one sometime in the nebulous future, and Eliphas8 didn't respond - hope he's ok.

[werty892]

Sounds cool. I'll take a turn!

[CaptainArchmage]

Hey, I'd like to sign up for a turn on this!

What exactly has happened to the fortress? Is this an embark-anywhere fort?

[Talanic]

Talanic hefted his pick in both hands, raising it high.  "STRIKE THE -"

"Wait wait wait," Uvash interrupted.  "Not here.  We wanted a river!"

The dwarf relaxed his tensed-up muscles and eased out of the dramatic pose.  He'd been hoping it would make a good statue later, but it didn't appear his companions had been watching anyway.  "River?"

"Yes.  River.  We discussed, remember?  Half happy, half spooky, with a volcano and a river."

Talanic felt as if his aborted pick-swing had hit himself in the head.  "We've walked over five different continents since we figured out the first one wouldn't quite do.  And still you're being so picky?  What, are you sober or something?"

"Well excuse me, but I'm going to be the mayor here, and ProudAnvil is going to be the greatest fort in the proud and storied history of the Pinecones of Usurpation." 

Talanic nodded, smiling as Uvash finished her tirade.  Werty and the Captain were, as usual, using him as a distraction while they opened a cask of dwarven wine and took up positions behind the too-sober Uvash.

They waited, as usual, for the blowhard to run out of air.  On cue, all three of them pounced Uvash and tipped her over backwards into the cask.  They held her under for a ten-count, then pulled her up.

She managed to blurt out, "Guys!  I - " before going back in, this time for a fifteen-count.  This time when they pulled her back up she stayed quiet.

"Okay Uvash.  Let's do this the easy way.  What's the name of our new fort?"

"Rockywires!"

Talanic nodded.  "And - keep in mind that if you get this wrong later you might get executed for treason - who do we owe our allegiance to?"

"The Worldly Dusk!"

"That's right.  And remember that you're not allowed to make demands about what kind of place we settle on.  Not since you declared that that nice place with three mountains was infested with 'booze pixies'.  No, we're settling down right here.  No river, but some nice mountains on the west, one of them a volcano.  The Fair Fires, they call it, which I say is a good omen.  If I were you, I wouldn't go out on those mountains after dark.  The rest of the land is, as you said, 'happy'.  That doesn't necessarily mean 'nice' but you're free to take your chances.  But don't mess it up.  We spent everything we had buying the claim to this ground, and that means we're the first to strike ground.  And who knows?  Maybe we will make a grand fortress of it."

Uvash nodded.  "We're the first here?"

"Yep."

"Then who built that?"

All heads swiveled as one to see what Uvash was pointing at.  Three stone pillars jutted from the ground.  "Dunno," Talanic said.  "But the pattern looks familiar."

"Looks to me like a depot entrance.  You know, to make the wagons come from that way?"

Talanic's eyes widened.  "Dip me in wax and shave my mustache, she's right.  Someone's trying to jump our claim!"


********

[Talanic]

File updated.  This map is kind of an adventure.  Good luck.  I've put probably 10+ hours into making it; it's not your average fort.

The player starts with a fort already done, but it's late summer, and some sections of the fort are walled off.  I wanted to use walls constructed of strange 'cursed stone' but the game refuses to reveal properly (yes, all of this is hidden but you can find info if you look) if you use constructed walls or locked doors - so I had to redo with obsidian.  All of the engraved walls that exist right now are meant to be dug out, but *NOT RIGHT NOW* - you will get slaughtered.  The bottom level has to be dug into, then a stairway down dug from the middle of the obsidian block.  I'm afraid that that info has to be put upfront or the whole thing falls apart; this was harder to do than I'd feared, but it worked.

Edit:

If you're curious, you can download it yourself and reveal it, but go by the honor system - DO NOT tell anyone what's down there, or reveal if you're going to be a governor here.  Please report glitches that you come across.

[CaptainArchmage]

File updated.  This map is kind of an adventure.  Good luck.  I've put probably 10+ hours into making it; it's not your average fort.

The player starts with a fort already done, but it's late summer, and some sections of the fort are walled off.  I wanted to use walls constructed of strange 'cursed stone' but the game refuses to reveal properly (yes, all of this is hidden but you can find info if you look) if you use constructed walls or locked doors - so I had to redo with obsidian.  All of the engraved walls that exist right now are meant to be dug out, but *NOT RIGHT NOW* - you will get slaughtered.  The bottom level has to be dug into, then a stairway down dug from the middle of the obsidian block.  I'm afraid that that info has to be put upfront or the whole thing falls apart; this was harder to do than I'd feared, but it worked.

Edit:

If you're curious, you can download it yourself and reveal it, but go by the honor system - DO NOT tell anyone what's down there, or reveal if you're going to be a governor here.  Please report glitches that you come across.

So, whose up for this turn after you then? Do we just all have a go at this fortress and totally mess things up, or not? If we go by signup order, its werty892 first and then me. How long do we play for?

Edit: Do we need to have the DFhack stuff for this or not? Also ugh, tileset.

[Orange Wizard]

Sounds fun.
I'll take a turn after the Captain I suppose.
My dwarf can keep his starting name, but give him/her the title "The Mad One".

And can we get some more info on the embark site? Region map? Is there flux? Metals? Trees? Sand? Clay? How about a Prospect, or will that spoil something?

[Talanic]

Prospect shouldn't spoil anything.  Adding details to starting post.

I'd say Uvash (as written above, if people decide to keep treating her as the Pinky of the fortress) might deserve the title of The Mad One. 

[eliphas8]

If i'm able to use a modified tileset I'd be willing to try my hand at a turn. And I'd like to be Dorfed as the chief medical dwarf.

[Talanic]

If you're capable of applying it (and removing if the next governor wants it gone) then I have no reason to object.

[eliphas8]

If you're capable of applying it (and removing if the next governor wants it gone) then I have no reason to object.

What tileset is it using by default? Just ASCII? Because I can do ASCII.

[Talanic]

It's Phoebus currently.

[eliphas8]

It's Phoebus currently.

Oh, thats great. I use that anyway.

[Orange Wizard]

Aw, I don't like tilesets, and I can never remove them when necessary.

[werty892]

Right, downloading now. Update will be toady, with any luck.