Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Deus Asmoth]

Update on why we haven't seen bloodkin: their population trigger is set to 5, so we won't be seeing any till we hit 140 or so dwarfs. Their other triggers also seem to be missing, I'm not sure if that will have an effect or not. If we edit their entity file in the save, we might be able to get them to show up sooner.

[CaptainArchmage]

I got a personal message I’m just about to get around to, we need a backstory, right?

Here’s what I posted:

Hey guys, do you think I could have a turn please? Sign me up with a dwarf too...

Male (if possible)
Name: Captain + Dwarf’s first name
Profession title: Wizard
Actual profession: Crossbowdwarf, Siege Engineer, Weaponsmith, or Armoursmith.

Captain <Dwarf’s First Name> is a foul-mouthed but honest Crossbowdwarf/Siege Engineer/Weaponsmith/Armoursmith who, as a result of magical abilities and enhancements, was “sent" to Demongate to put his abilities to "good use". He is called “The Wizard” because of his magical abilities, which may or may not be any good (if his skill is below “proficient”, absolutely terrible; if his skill is “proficient” to “adept”, reasonable; if at or above “expert” they do really give him an edge). He is quick to anger (DFhack this in if possible), and hates the Bloodkin because they are the reason he was sent out to Demongate in the first place. Thanks to a goblin ambush, he is also paranoid and a "bit of a” (READ: HARDCORE) survivalist.

He’s going to become a nervous wreck if he does work outside the fortress (outdoors), and would build weapon or cage traps into his rooms if given the chance. He would probably build himself a personal sanctum.

[Gnorm]

He is quick to anger (DFhack this in if possible)[. . .]

I don't know where you're from, boy, but we do thangs the old-fashioned way 'round these here parts.

[CaptainArchmage]

He is quick to anger (DFhack this in if possible)[. . .]

I don't know where you're from, boy, but we do thangs the old-fashioned way 'round these here parts.

Fine. Then make that “in a constant state of internal rage”. I want this fucking turn to be fucking awesome.

That’s right, Captain <dwarfname> uses fullstops on sentences that should normally use exclamation marks unless he’s really fucking angry enough.

[fractalman]

I pondered.

"Yes, that might help. if you can't convince the overseer that your clan is prone to strange moods requiring barrels of blood, I can request it myself when i next visit the trade depot.  But if you'd rather do it above board by feeding the overseer some line about how your clan occasionally endures strange moods where you need different types of blood for...whatever...then that's your buisiness."

what magic do you use?

"...you are, I think, the first person to ask me that out of sheer curiosity..."

I pondered for a full minute of awkward silence, weighing what to say.

"Your clan wrests power from forgotten beasts. For a time, I did the same thing but with dead demons; I have since abandoned the practice in favor of a hodgepodge of various...lesser magicks.  I will not teach you the former, but I can teach you the latter...I must go now, I have tarried here long enough."


______________

later that day...
so. someone's ordered up a thaumometer or two.  Can't wait to see the looks on their faces when it goes bonkers every three seconds.  Despite the presence of the hypocritcal anti-magic order, there's almost as much magic in this fort as there was in steelhold.     

[Gnorm]

Gnora's Journal
Schooling
--
Tarmid is now the overseer, and his first order of business is to build a school-house for the fortress. I can't really understand why he is so interested in teaching us his skills, nor why counting on your fingers is so cringe-worthy to him. Still, he seems nice enough, and I think that he really does care; I just can't understand it. Talking of Tarmid, Joyce wanted me to pick up a "foll-ee-oh" for him, so I'll ask for one the next time I see the scribe.

[MDFification]

Journal of Cptn. Vlad

Guard duty continues to be boringk. And Thane is nowhere to be seen, yes? If not for 'prayer sessions' with Brother Cornelius and one of the recruits fantastic Brenzen impressions, Vlad vould have nothingk to do here but train.
Have asked Tarmid to create a squad of marksdwarves, but he seems to be busy teachingk the dwarves to read, or somethingk. Joyce keeps tryingk to get information out of me as to what Tarmid is doingk, so I tell him he is preparing for the inevitable var vith the 14-headed crow people or somethingk similar each time.

Since (according to recruits, at least) Brenzen has been shirking his duties to attempt to recruit one 'Jack Shit' (am unaware of vho this is) it is fallingk to me to oversee defenses. Vell, I am overseeingk.
The archery tower is too small to accommodate full squad, yes? Even if they manage to follow orders and all squeeze into it, there is no room to dodge enemy fire. If I had my vay, ve'd expand our entrance corridor so it vas big enough to be fightingk in, then make a larger archery tower facing inwards only. That vay, archers cannot fire at my soldiers, and as soon as they enter the corridor to fight my dwarves, our archers can shoot them in the back, yes?
The ballista battery is also not lookingk very well designed; there are big gaps in the firingk line They should be built staggered and fired in volleys, yes? If they were positioned to fire in front of entrance to the main gate, and valls were placed to force enemy to line up in front of gate, ballista could make our jobs much easier, yes?
Finally, ve are vulnerable to archers positioned on hill. They can be firingk directly into main fortification, yes? The walls are needingk to be higher, at least in that direction. Is also good idea to remove ramps on hills to force enemy through choke points - if ve build tunnels leadingk to pillboxes by these choke points, ve could put more siege veapons (impractical option - don't do this) or position archers in line to get a few volleys into enemy forces before they can approach fortress.

Of course, this commingk from me and not Brenzen, Tarmid is unlikely to be doingk anythingk. And rest of fort does not seem to be likingk Vlad right now. I don't know vhy. Someone has been spreadingk the rumors that Vlad is bad guy! Vho vould do that? (Except Gnora, Brenzen, Danetheman - I varn him if he does not stop the staringk at Thane I vill be cuttingk him - dwarfs proud of local piss beer quality...) I guess Vlad can only really be countingk on his squad (the boys are callingk it Vlad's Vultures now). And Thane. And Cornelius - you trust dwarf vho's church you pass out in, and vho gets to perform surgery on you.

I ask Tarmid for support again, yes? And maybe Brenzen if I find him, and he doesn't tell me to 'leave strategy to trained officers, Vlad - the knights have been leadingk troops for centuries and you are jumped-up sell-axe' again, in vhich case I vill be tellingk recruits to place dung in his boots as 'sneaking exercise'.

[Rhaken]

Tarmid shivered, feeling light-headed. His eyelids were heavy, his ears were ringing. He felt almost exactly the way he did after a night of excessive drinking. Except he couldn't recall getting plastered the previous night. He remembered giving the speech, then walking to his chambers and going to bed. Not a single drink in the meantime. After some effort, he managed to open his eyes.

And sat up screaming.

A figure jumped off of him, hissing and snarling, coming to rest on hands and feet like a sinuous panther. It looked like an average dwarf, except for the blood dripping from its elongated canines and onto its beard. A soulless, ancient hunger burned in its eyes. Tarmid clambered backwards, fingers scrabbling against his nightstand. His heart blasted through his ears, pumping what blood he still had in him.

The vampire lunged.

Tarmid ducked sideways, onto his nightstand. His assailant sailed over him, face-first into the scribe's headboard. Tarmid rolled off the bed, grabbed the first heavy object that came into his hands, not even registering what it was. The vampire stood, groggy, and lunged him again.

Tarmid swung.


The door hurtled inward, and Sir Brenzen ran in, pick in hand.

"Tarmid! I heard the scream. What happened? Are you alright?"

"Yes," the knight heard, faintly, from the corner of the room. "Yes, I'm... I'm fine."

The knight's eyes adjusted to the gloom, and what he saw baffled him. Near the far wall of the room stood Tarmid, facing the corner, a rumpled cloth in his hands. The other end of the cloth was tied around the wrists and ankles of a dwarf who lay face-down on the ground, semi-conscious. In the middle of the bedroom stood a broken mudstone nightstand, a spatter of blood on one of its edges.

Sir Brenzen approached the scribe, walking slow as a hunter around dangerous prey. "Tarmid," he pleaded, "what happened?"

"This thing attacked me," Tarmid replied, sounding less than wakeful. "I hit it over the head and hogtied it."

Brenzen pulled the scribe's shoulder, trying to get a look at the dwarf on the ground. As Tarmid turned, the knight noticed two puncture holes in his friend's neck, still dripping. Alarmed, he pushed Tarmid away and ducked to inspect the downed dwarf.

"Fangs," he concluded. "A vampire in Demongate." He pointed a hard stare at the scribe. "You know what this means, Tarmid."

"Yes I do. But he didn't turn me. I feel fine. I-"

Tarmid fainted.


"How long was I out this time?" This was getting repetitive.

"About a week," Brother Cornelius said. "You lost a lot of blood. Everyone in the fort is going on about how you gave a vampire a concussion with a piece of furniture."

Tarmid shrugged, blinked. "I panicked."

The doctor sighed. "You should be fine now, though I insist you take a couple of days off until your head clears."

"Very well, I'll do that." Tarmid actually meant it for once.

A short while later, as he nursed a drink in the statue garden while poring over his blueprints, a hand clapped Tarmid's shoulder. He craned his head to find Gnora's smiling face looking back at him.

"Feeling better, Tarmid?"

"Hello Gnora. Yes, the anemia has cleared up nicely." She looked confused. "The blood loss, I mean."

She nodded understanding and sat down next to him. "Are those the plans for the school?"

"Well, they're early designs," Tarmid replied, "nothing special. Though now that you're here, Gnora, I would very much like to know what's been going on while I was in the hospital."

"Well..." the farmgirl summed up the events in her head. "Thane came out of the forges yesterday holding this really fancy warhammer. She says it's called The Tar of Goals, but she doesn't remember making it. Weird, considering she slaved away all week to make it."

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"Vlad's squad has been awfully chummy whenever they head inside for a drink," she said, clearly a bit disgusted. "I heard they call themselves Vlad's Vultures now, or something to that effect."

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"They finished putting the roof on the outdoor chapel some days back, but there is still a stained glass window to install, so someone is taking care of that. And I think Sir Brenzen wants to see you soon."

"Oh, I almost forgot," she said. "Could I have a fo-lee-oh?"

Tarmid arched an eyebrow. "Certainly. I'll pass by the farms later and give you one. Though I'm kind of curious-"

Shouting out in the hallway. Tarmid went to the door to have a look. Up from the main stairwell came a hunter hauling an injured dwarf. Lokast, the silent one, a couple of limbs bending the wrong way, the bones jutting out into the air.

Brother Cornelius cleared the doorway into the hospital. "What happened to him?"

The hunter dragged Lokast inside. "Draltha attack. Split his arm and leg before I could drive it off. He's lucky I was nearby; silent bastard wouldn't even scream in pain."

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"Lucky indeed." Cornelius closed the hospital doors, ending the fortress's peepshow.

Gnora fidgeted, concern dancing in her eyes. "I hope he'll be okay."

"Me too, Gnora. Me too."

Now that was interesting. What was Lokast doing down in the caverns?


Vladamir took a seat across from Tarmid in the scribe's office, clearly a bit puzzled.

"So Tarmid," he began, "you vanted to see old Vlad, yes?"

"Yes indeed, Vlad. I've asked you here to seek your advice."

Vlad's eyebrow shifted toward the ceiling. "You are vanting Vlad's advice? On vhat?"

"Demongate's defenses."

"And vhy you not ask Brenzen? He is trained knight and commander, yes?"

"Oh, but I did. Hours ago. I want to know your thoughts as well. You are a captain here too, after all."

Their talk carried on well into the darker hours before Vlad called it a night, leaving Tarmid with a considerable heap of notes and Vlad with possibly a new opinion of the scribe. He would go over these notes with Vlad, Brenzen and the masons later. For now, it was time to get some rest. Tomorrow would be a busy day.

"Vampires don't interrogate themselves," he muttered darkly.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[jrrocks05]

Um can you simulate a conversation where I inform you I'm educated, you ask question so I can prove it, I refuse to tell you where I learned it and I ask to teach history. Oh this is for Thanatos by the way.

[MDFification]

Hooray! Things for Vlad to do!

Edit: Seriously, I'm kind of grasping at straws to find reasons to write about Vlad. He mostly just sits in the barracks, being marginally relevant to whatever dumb shenanigans we decide to have in the fort.

[Deus Asmoth]

The metal is taking shape.
"It's... beautiful."
It is only a thing. Beauty is where you see it.
"So where can I see you?"
It is... best that you do not.
"Why, who are you?"
I suppose I might as well tell you, you won't remember any of this anyway...

Thane's Journal
My head hurts. The last thing I remember is talking to Vlad, and then I was holding this war hammer. I knew its name as though it was a long lost friend, but when I try to remember crafting it, all I get is a dim sense of light and fire. In any case, I have what I've always dreamed of; a weapon fit for a hero. Ob Kat. Vlad doesn't seem too happy when I mention joining the militia, but it's something I feel I need to do. Most of the recruits still seem barely capable of telling one end of a sword from the other in any case, so I'm not all that far behind. I guess I should probably check with Tarmid that there's not anything in the vows I took when I started learning under him that would stop me learning to use a weapon. It's odd. There's a lot that I can barely remember now, even things that had nothing to do with Ob Kat. It's as though someone's been tramping around my head, opening drawers and not tidying up after themselves.

[danmanthedog]

*slam the door open.* "Tarmid! What happened to you? *Sniff* Ah a vampire got to you... does he have *cough cough hack.* the sign of infection? Mhm *exhale sharply* if you are infected then there nothing we can do to cure you... but I know a high level shaman spell to slow the infection. I will need venom from and venomous animal, blood of six different animals, and a live animal sacrifice, but tit will slow the infection not cure it.

[Gnorm]

I don't know if this is what you intend, but I get the image of Dantheman being an incredibly excited, slightly paranoid, motor-mouth who runs around the fortress babbling wildly about hunting, magics, and exotic beasts.

*slam the door open.* "Tarmid! What happened to you? *Sniff* Ah a vampire got to you... does he have *cough cough hack.* the sign of infection? Mhm *exhale sharply* if you are infected then there nothing we can do to cure you... but I know a high level shaman spell to slow the infection. I will need venom from and venomous animal, blood of six different animals, and a live animal sacrifice, but tit will slow the infection not cure it.

I just imagine him barging into Tarmid's office, saying all of this in under half-a-minute, and running outside as quickly as he came.

[danmanthedog]

Yes that is indeed how am in real life, also my proofreading is shoddier then an ice fortress in hell.

[Rhaken]

Going has been slow, since I have a million things to do both in and outside DF. A note to danmanthedog: it is not wise to talk about 'spells you know' to members of an order famous for prosecuting magic users. I'll let this one slide on account of your dwarf being the resident eccentric.

Also, this.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)