.40d era.
Prissy noble drew the last straw, by once again forbidding the export of green glass, iron items, and scepters. Greenglass trade goods (including scepters) were still the primary export of the fortress, and we direly needed the supplies the caravan had brought.
I asked if there would be any reprocussions from his untimely death here on the forums. I was informed that life would simply go on as if he had never existed.
I installed him in a lavishly furnished "heated bedroom", locked the doors, then told him to pull the lever. He complied. And stood there, motionless, as the magma slowly burned him alive. I imagined him being so detatched from reality that he simply refused to accept that he was being burned to death, shouting orders at the magma to stop being so unpleasant in impotent rage.
Once the magma had consumed his arrogant ass, I poured water in from above, (Used the magma reaction chamber as his new bedroom. hehehe) then mined out all the obsidian, paying careful attention to which wall had formed where he was standing previously. I forbid all other stones in the fortress, saved (for a savescum), then made stone crafts. Reloaded until I got a scepter-- decorated it with green glass gems, and GAVE it to the elven caravan.
Fortress life was never better after that point. All the supply and logistics issues just melted away.
I was never the same after that.