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[Caldfir]

Day 3 (continued)

Swimming in the river, I see a lamprey upstream, and decide that perhaps this is not the best time for swimming.  As I turn to go, I notice that the hillside is almost entirely obsidian!  Perhaps there is a volcano nearby...

Arriving back in town, I finally manage to locate the well.  Stopping for a drink, I strike up a conversation with a passing doctor, Jasmuk.
"So, what do you know about this region?" I ask.
"Well," replies Jasmuk thoughtfully, "around these parts there's not a lot but goblins and ourselves.  I hear that far to the south, in the Bloodspire, there's a giant chinchilla infestation though." 
"Giant chinchillas?" I ask.
"Giant chinchillas." he responds, somberly. 
Perhaps the Bloodspire isn't completely safe, but it's the only mention of dwarves anywhere thus far, and truthfully, giant fluffy creatures sound like a far less menacing adversary than fortresses full of goblins or hordes of undead. 



Heading back through town, I again find myself trying to find a guide.  While I ask many if they will accompany me on my travels, it seems that nobody is interested.  Perhaps the nearby fortress will be of more assistance. 

Upon reaching the fortress, I call out, and here no reply.  Impatient, I head inside, to be greeted by flocks of buzzards and owls resting lazily on the fortifications.  The fortress looks abandoned, but I head to the keep regardless, but I find no one and nothing inside.  It seems so wasteful for these humans to be living exposed in the nearby town when this much more defensible location is so close by, but then again humans live out in the open beneath the sky all their lives.  Perhaps they do not see the obvious sense in this as a dwarf would. 



Lost in thought, I head off towards the east again - just a short trip through the hills to the next human towns, but upon noticing the setting sun, decide to stay in one of the fortress towers for the night.  Not far to the east, it was snowing elfblood snow.  I do not look forward to tomorrow's journey. 



Day 4

I prepare my morning meal by a fire in the castle before setting out.  Luckily, there is no trace of the blood snow I saw the night before.  The journey forward is uneventful but for the flocks of birds occasionally wandering past, and before noon I reach my goal - another human fortress. 

Unlike the previous one, this is occupied; after making my way up stairs and along winding corridors I meet a human lord, Rafeb Sculptedtoasts.  Glad to at last find a fortified structure, I set out to look for worthy companions for my travels, but soon discover that apart from Rafeb, the structure is completely empty. 
I ask Rafeb about this, and he replies, "I am lord of Icetempts.  We have no soldiers, but someone needs to stay here to make sure the castle is manned.  That only requires one person, so the soldiers can be deployed to more sensible locations." 
That almost makes sense, but I am getting frustrated with these seemingly mad humans.  There are supplies littered about the keep, and if I don't use them, I'm not sure who will.  I take a bucket, a second backpack, and an iron shield, and I head out towards the nearest hamlet, Crossheat.  I am once again out of water, and hopefully the well will not be so difficult to locate this time. 



I reach town, and the well is the first structure I see.  The water is mostly frozen by the time I hoist up the bucket, but I manage to fill my water containers.  A bucket of water in my backpack is just like a really big waterskin, right?  After that, I start asking around for someone to join me on my travels, which now seem inevitably to be towards the Bloodspire.  However it is that I got here, it is clear that the Bloodspire is the closest dwarven settlement, and these human villages are completely defenseless.  After not too much inquiry, a farmer named Sushsath Wildnesswad agrees to come along. 
"You're right, little dwarf!"  he says, "Surely any place is better than this!", and the two of us set off immediately. 

Sushsath Wildnesswad


A medium-sized creature prone to great ambition.

He is average in size.  His wavy hair is extremely long.  His eyebrows are high.  He has a clear voice.  His head is short.  His taupe eyes are somewhat narrow.  His ears are somewhat narrow.  His hair is golden yellow.  His skin is tan.   

As we begin to walk, Sushsath leans in close and says "Listen, dwarf, I know you think the people are mad for staying here, but that isn't it."
I stop and turn to him, but he urges me on.
"Keep walking, and try not to look startled when I tell you this.  There is a vampire lair nearby, called Puzzlingmurk the Night of Controls.  There are ancient vampires there that have killed thousands apiece, and now hold the nearby towns in their sway.  Act out and they will come for us immediately.  A great adventurer might come and slay them someday but," and he looks at me and my equipment, "but I think perhaps this isn't the job for us."

So that's what's got this whole region scared into submission - vampires!  Ancient ones at that.  Sushsath is correct, I'm no hero.  Perhaps someday there might be a way to save these people, but a dwarf who's never done much but drink, and a human farmer are not the heroes needed here.  We decide the best course for now is to head south, then follow the river upstream into the desert, before making our way to the Bloodspire.  No heroics. 

Day 5

As we wander through the evening gloom towards a nearby town, somewhere I lost track of Sushsath.  After a night in the village, there is no trace of him anywhere.  It is too suspicious that the man who warned me of the vampires is suddenly gone before the next day dawns.  It seems I am once again alone.  I head out for Yellpride immediately - I wish to put as much distance between myself and those vampires as possible before the sun sets. 

Upon reaching my destination, I begin asking for any willing to join me on my quest for the Bloodspire (though by this point it is beginning to feel as though any companion who decides to join me is cursed).  All the while I have an uncanny sensation of being watched.  Eventually I make my way to a human bone doctor named Lalgi.  And as my eyes meet his, it is not friendship or indifference or enmity I see there... but hunger.  Knowing that this monster must have been following me for at least a day, and that likely he was involved in the disappearance of Sushsath, I see no other option - if I run, he will follow.  I am no hero, but this is the only way out;
"Whosoever would blight the world, preying on he helpless, fear me!" I call, in what I can only hope is an impressive display. 
The townsfolk begin to gather around and I continue, pointing an outstretched finger at Lalgi, "I call you a child of the night and will slay you where you stand!".



For a moment nothing happens, the townsfolk seem unsure, but it is Lalgi who makes the first move, with animal swiftness falling upon the nearest person.  Then everything went mad - terrified, furious villagers from all directions, and myself, a lone dwarf, all converge on the vampire as he twists and dances away from every blow.  At last, dodging a charging woodcutter, Lalgi trips and falls, and in the confusion I grab him by the throat, and hold on for dear life as an entire village stabs the creature to death.  When it is all over, they begin cheering my name - evidently this is the first victory against these creatures ever to be told.  I know it was not I who felled the creature, though I played my part.  I walk up to the true slayer of the beast, a simple soapmaker.
"Soapmaker, these people praise me, but it was your hand that felled the beast - join me on my adventures to the Bloodspire!"
Kajeth considers for a moment, "Well, I suppose it wouldn't do to stay here - once word that I'm a vampire slayer reaches the others, it won't be safe for me here regardless." 
"Then let us be on our way immediately.  I may be followed, and we should go before we are discovered once more!"
I take the vampire's iron knife as my new weapon of choice, and we head out for our last stop in civilization - the human fortress of Calmplunges. 

Kajeth Swallowedcalm


A medium-sized creature prone to great ambition.

His lower body is bruised.  His left kidney is bruised. 
He is average in size.  His hair is extremely long.  His somewhat narrow nose is incredibly upturned.  His teeth are widely-spaced.  He has a deeply recessed chin.  His nose bridge is incredibly concave.  He has a clear voice.  His head is short.  His eyebrows are high.  His somewhat narrow ears have small lobes.  His hair is copper.  His skin is dark brown.  His eyes are taupe.   

We arrive to find the castle empty but for the large parrots roosting all around.  We will stay here the night, and in the morning make for the river, and thereafter the headwaters and the Bloodspire. 

Alright, so I'm managing to survive here, mainly by avoiding conflict.  It was very tempting to just go straight into that deathtrap of a lair filled with who knows how many vampires with several thousand kills each, but I decided suiciding in there like an idiot would be really dumb.  I hope that this iron knife is better than the copper dagger I've been using so far.  The spear I got as a starting item seems like too much trouble to bother getting skilled with, especially when the dagger seems to have been more successful.  It would probably be simplest for me to just head straight over the mountains, but the fact I'm pretty much standing right next to the only pass through that mountain range to the deserts beyond is a little too good to pass up.  Plus, fresh water will be available.  Actually getting a surprising amount of chatter from NPCs about chinchillas in the Bloodspire - hopefully I will be able to get there and assess the situation for myself. 

Lovely story so far, Caldfir.

What program do you use for the pictures?

I'm using stonesense, and an as-yet unreleased set of graphics for the dwarves.  Not sure when it will bubble up to the official dfhack release, but yeah - stonesense should be included with dfhack.

[Caldfir]

Day 6

After a long, restful sleep, Kajeth and I leave the castle.  Not far outside, we meed a few angry badgers, but they are quickly handled.  Farther on we meet a few ibex, which we took for meat (badger is tough and unpleasant). 

Arund noon, I spot a hole in the ground.  I am nervous about investigating, however I am equally nervous about spending the night in the open.  Creeping inside, I spot a dwarf vampire, crouching naked in the corner.  Returning to the surface, Kajeth and I discuss the situation in hushed tones, and realize that the vampire is likely not alone, and that we are not in the least equipped to fight such a creature - let alone the possibility of there being more of the monsters inside.  Our only hope, it would seem, would be to head into the mountains to camp when night falls. 



We soon reach the foothills of the Helpful Barbs, and I find myself more at ease.  I hadn't realized how tense the strange creatures of the plains had been making me until I was back in a proper dwarven setting.  We make camp in the mountains that night. 

Day 7

The night passed without incident, and we set off westward in the morning.  The supply of water is getting low, but we are only half a day's travel from the river.  Setting off toward the west, we are attacked by a pair of wolverine-men, however we win easily.  Why would such frail creatures even try to fight?  Farther on I steer us around groups of vicious camels.  Kajeth seems confused by my reluctance to fight them, but I tell him that I've seen my share of the monsters' savagery.  They make the vampire menace look altogether cheerful by comparison. 

It takes almost until dark before we locate the river we have been seeking for the past two days.  Our supply of food should be sufficient for a desert crossing, and so long as we follow the river's path, we should have no fear of running out of water. 



At night, the river freezes, and we make camp on one of the bluffs overlooking the river valley beneath.  It is quite a sight indeed. 



Day 8

In the morning, we are awakened by growling all around us - we are surrounded by dingoes!  I cannot see Kajeth anywhere, but a dingo leaps out of the smoke from our fire and attacks me!  It takes a few moments for me to fully regain consciousness, all the while rolling away from the dingo's attacks, and down the hill.  Twice I fall from a shallow ledge and am winded.  Finally I manage to stand up and shake off the daze.  I grab the dingo's throat and smash it's head with my shield and it dies.  I return to the hilltop to see if Kajeth is still alive, and find him standing over the broken bodies of the other three dingoes.  He is more than a little worse for wear, but nothing that won't heal given a bit of rest. 



We go back to sleep, but I awaken, feeling uneasy a few hours later.  I don't see anything around camp, but Kajeth has some trouble with a vulture before he scares it off. 

We follow the river for most of the day, as it winds it's way down the narrow valley farther inland.  Without warning, an alligator springs from the water and attacks Kajeth!  I run over to help him, but Kajeth is dead before I reach him. 



Desperate, I flee from the vicious alligator, but it is too fast for me!  I toss my backpacks to the ground, and keep running, but it is no use - before I can reach the cover of the hills to hide, it is upon me!  I try stabbing at it, but it is so large the knife is barely a concern for it.  I try to strangle it, but am not strong enough.  Finally I bleed to death. 



Alright, well, that was not the death I expected.  Sudden alligator attack!  I think my error was in breaking my habit of abandoning my followers whenever they were in any kind of trouble.  I suppose it would have been a better strategy to train up a bunch before going anywhere, but I started off in such an isolated location and without ready access to drinking water or food that I had to set out pretty much straight away. 

Overall, this was a good experiment with playing DF adventure mode without fast-travel, since I knew that the moment I tried I would be swarmed by goblin patrols (that whole area is teeming with goblin sites).  What ended up happening was that my followers one by one succumbed to the temptation to wander off after wildlife.  I thought that if I followed a river bank, then that would reduce the amount of idiocy my followers would have, and provide me an escape route should anything seriously dangerous come up by swimming across - unfortunately I did not take into account the possibility of dangers in the water itself.  Watch out for them 'gators!

I'm aware I get 3 chances at this, but I think that writing-as-you-go makes more sense to just do one.  Put me back on the turn list and I'll try again later!

save is here

[kesperan]

Well that was a very good story Caldfir and I especially liked your screenshots.

This is a very unforgiving world indeed!

[Orange Wizard]

My turn next, is it? Can I have it delayed for a couple of weeks while I finish my turns in other succession games?

[Krevsin]

Sooo..... Is it my turn now?

[Sappho]

Caldfir, excellent storytelling. Shame about that alligator - better luck next time!

InsanityIncarnate, you've been bumped down to the bottom of the list, so yes, Krevsin, it's your turn.

[Krevsin]

Lovely. I'm downloading the save now.

edit: You really weren't kidding, the save file is massive. It takes ages for my DF to load it.

edit no.2: My first adventurer is done. It started off well, but ended up poorly. The pics are coming up. The next adventurer will have a better story, I promise.

edit 3: so, my computer overheated and shut off. the repairguy said it is nothing serious, I just need to let it cool off during the night.

I will try ice packs and see if it will work today. I have my save (first adventurer) on a flash drive, so little progress has been lost.

[Krevsin]

The Short Story of The Bloody Annoyed One, a human peasant



  I assessed my belongings. They were meager, as I could only afford the barest of essentials, a copper spear, a cheap waterskin, some fish and a copper knife to cut the fish with. I filled the waterskin and shoved it, along with the food, into my backpack, put it on my back, grabbed the spear and set off for adventure!



  As I stepped out of the house and took in the glory of the morning, I heard a loud noise from the house next door. I rushed to see what the fuss was about and saw Ases, one of the local militiamen, on the ground not moving. I knelt beside him and shook him. The old fool must've fallen asleep on duty again.
  But this time, it was different. He did not jump up and yell: "I'm okay, young whippersnapper!" as he usually did. He just lay there, immobile. I poked his face. There was no response. He was dead. And he still had all of his (very good, when compared to mine) gear.
  I quickly looked around myself to see if anyone was still watching. It was still early in the morning, so very few villagers were awake. I grabbed the old man's legs and pulled his corpse behind the corner.

  He had a very nice shield, a metal cap and a very nice, shiny halberd. I reached for the halberd and tried to lift it, but by gods, it was heavy! So I decided I'd stick to my copper spear for now.
  I took his shield, it was a very nice shield. Made of iron, it was. And as I lifted it from his corpse, I also noticed he was wearing a leather armor. I took that as well. I ditched my cloth cap and took his metal one (made of copper, that was. Very nice stuff). His name, "Ases", was scratched into it. I realised, people might get the wrong idea if they saw me wearing a cap that bore his name. Then, I saw he also had a hood on his cloak. I ripped it off and used it to cover up the scratching. I was going to scratch my own name later on.
  I finished looting the old man's corpse and took stock of my possessions.



  Lovely. I felt much better prepared for the dangers that lurked outside the village.

  I met up with the other militiamen and asked them if they would join me on my adventures. They looked at me, then they looked at eachother and then burst into laughter. "He says he wants us to join him!" said one of them, between fits of laughter. "I know, right? Us? Seasoned warriors, joining him? A newbie? Oh, that's too rich!" the other one replied and laughed.
  I left the two "seasoned" warriors and walked into a house as quickly as I could. I bumped into a ranger. Just the person I need, I thought. Surely, he will have a quest so I can prove myself!
 
  "Okay, mate, here's the deal." he said. "There's this horrible guy, right outside the village, like. He turns into this horrible beast, every full moon, like. He can only be harmed by bronze. So, are you in?" he asked. "But all I have is this thing!" i replied and waved my copper spear. The ranger stroked his chin. "Hm, I see how that could be a problem. Here's what, there's another bloke, in some city or somesuch. He's a bloodsucker, like. He's killed" he stopped and counted on his fingers "eight hundred and some more folk in his lust for murder. You in?" he asked with a grin. I went pale with fright. Eight hundred people! That's more than I've seen in my life! I shook my head.
  "I guess that's a no, then. How about this. There's another werebloke, also right outside the village, like. He turns into a horrible monster every full moon. He can only be harmed by bismuth bronze. You in?" I waved my copper spear at him. Again. I was starting to think he was either trying to piss me off.
  "Hrm. Okay, here's what we'll do. There's another bloke, also right outside the city. He turns into this massive, horrible monster every full moon. He can only be harmed by steel. Now how's that sound for you?" He said and smiled. The bastard smiled.

  I grabbed him by the neck and squeezed. "DO I LOOK LIKE A FUCKING FULLY-FLEDGED DWARVEN WARRIOR TO YOU?" I shouted at him. "LOOK AT THIS THING! IT'S MADE OF COPPER! FUCKING COPPER! HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO HARM A THING INVULNERABLE TO COPPER?" The ranger struggled for breath. "OH, DON'T TELL ME. IT DOES NOT KNOW THIS IS COPPER, RIGHT?" He flailed his arms wildly. I decided to loosen the grip.
  He gasped for breath. "L...look, mate. If you don't... want to kill it when it's in its werebeast form, it's just... going to be a normal human being." he said, gasping for breath. I raised my eyebrow. "Normal human?" "Yes." "Pervious to everything?" "Yes." "Oh. Sorry for this, then." I said and released him. He stumbled backwards. "You're a bloddy easily annoyed one, aren't you?" he said between gasps.
  I heard something go "ting!" inside my head. "That's it!" I shouted. The ranger looked at me, confused. "What's what?" he asked. "My adventurer name! Henceforth, I shall be known as "The Bloody Annoyed One! Slayer of Werebeasts!" I exclaimed. The ranger shook his head. "Whatever floats your boat." he said.





  I said goodbye to the ranger and set off on my quest that would surely cement the name "The Bloody Annoyed One" into the annals of history for all eternity. I arrived at the foul werebeast's den later that day. I examined the entrance to the lair. Nothing special, just a slope leading to the cave. I heard something move just beside the entrance.



  I slid down the slope, right into a peasant. "I AM THE WEREBEAST!" He exclaimed at me and attacked. I dodged his attack and moved deeper into the cave. Then, I saw a strange figure. "Well, well, well." It said. "What do we have here?" It turned and I saw its barred teeth. It was a vampire. Damn. "LEAVE HIM TO ME! HE IS MINE! I CALL DIBS!" The peasant exclaimed. The Vampire rolled its eyes. "Come on, now, the rule of the strongest applies. I am clearly the stronger here, so I am the one who gets... 'dibs', Is that not right?" it said. The peasant somehow... shrinked. "Okay. But I get the ribs." he said. The vampire grinned. "That's a good boy."



  Then, He charged at me. I struck with my copper spear at him, missing. I felt him punch me in the leg, the foot, the chest, and I felt my heartstop for a second from the sheer force of the blow. I regained my posture and... I lost control. I became enraged, madly trying to strike at the vampire, missing, his counterstrikes hurting me more than my strikes hurt him. I felt my time upon this world was nearing its end. In a brief moment of clear-headedness, I tried to run for the light, get outside, die in the open.



The last thing I felt was the vampire punch through my chest. Then, all went dark.


  I turn my ghostly head. "So, that's my story. What's yours?" I ask the ghost sitting next to me in the Lobby of Afterlife. "Well, mine's much simpler." He started.
  Then he slapped me. Despite being dead, I felt the burning sensation. "Hey! What was that for?" I shouted at him. His head stubbornly turned forward. "That, young whippersnapper, was for desecrating my dead body."

OOC: Okay, so this was brief. I'll try my luck with another adventurer.

[Sappho]

Hahaha, excellent story! Now that is losing with style. The world is really full of undead abominations, so I recommend sneaking and throwing a lot if you don't want to get ripped to shreds. Good luck on the next attempt! I'm looking forward to reading about it.

[Krevsin]

Due to the beast commonly reffered to as Life, I won't be able to make another adventurer. Save file is coming up.


edit: save

[Sappho]

PMed Argonnek about his turn. Sad to hear you can't continue, Krevsin. Hope you can take another turn eventually!

[Argonnek]

Downloading the save now.

NOTE: This will be written in the perspective of whatever companion I'm traveling with at the time.

The journal of Upu Rirdestape, Farmer, 14th of Timber.

I have a friend, named Leto Pikamuti, and she has been acting very strange lately. Today, she got up, walked over to the road, and started throwing clods of sand. She spent the majority of the day doing this. She's gotten frighteningly good at throwing things, so I'll join her and try to make sure that she doesn't hurt anyone.

15th of Timber.

After traveling two towns over and sleeping in a house, we then moved to the local river where Leto jumped right in. She then started panicking and I had to haul her out. She then jumped right back in. I hopped in as well to try and help her learn to swim (my father taught me as a boy), but she ignored me until I helped her out again. So I sat back and leaned against a tree to watch. After a few hours she seemed to get it, but was still clearly a novice.

Derp. Encased in ice...


NEXT ADVENTURER IN LINE PLEASE (I'll be playing a second one)!

[jmnmaui]

These are the kinds of stories that make me say "God, this game is merciless."

[Argonnek]

Journal of Leto Ethroaloc, 5th of Moonstone.

I have seen the tyranny of the undead. I have watched as bloodsuckers silently drained innocents of blood. I have seen undead hordes bring an end to towns, to cities, to empires. But no more. I have trained. For days I have trained. Trained so that I might end the threat to our homes - our lives.

I seek a vampire who has invaded our town. For too long, we have done nothing. There are few of us now, many houses lie abandoned, and some have decayed into useless wrecks. But I have found her. A glazer named Pak Tamedjamas. Hello, Pak.


Aaand goodbye Leto.


I'm done for now. Save is here.

[Ruhn]

I've never done Adventure mode yet but this looks like fun.
Sign me up for a turn, maybe I'll get some practice in time.