It has been an eventful couple of seasons. The whole mess actually started a few years ago with the appearance of a forgotten beast, beware its deadly blood! It showed up and promptly dove into the depths of the cavern lake where it skulked for a couple of years. During that time the fort drove back several sieges and became a county! Well, the beast finally decided to emerge and announced itself by breaking a pump stack. I promptly sent in a squad of marksdwarves and axedwarves to deal with it. They sliced it up pretty nice, but as expected, the blood had an effect. Two dwarves and a miner passed out after coming into contact with it immediately. However, after a bit they woke up and that seemed to be the end of it.
A vile force of darkness has arrived! The orcs rushed the gates to be met with a flurry of arrows, cages, and spike traps. The siege was broken quickly. However, it wasn't the orcs directly that began the death toll in the fortress, it was the cleanup effort. The dwarves stepped out into the countryside and began ferrying the dead orcs and their gear inside. In the meantime, it started to rain. The rain washed off the beast's blood still clinging to someone's clothes. This time it was quicker and more potent. 3 children, 2 cats, a dog, and my legendary broker die. I manage to prevent further deaths. I think we got away lucky here.
A forgotten beast has appeared! A giant quadruped, beware it's deadly dust! Again the cavern farms are in dire trouble. However, I have a plan: in the months since the last beast attack I dug out a set of fortifications overlooking an expanse where the beasts are likely to come from. I send several marksdwarves who should be able to take out the creature with impunity. I send a couple of axedwarves just in case. The arrows begin flying, and so does the beast. It easily hops over the wall of fortifications and lets out a massive blast of dust. The attack slams three marksdwarves against the walls, killing one instantly, and brutally injuring the other two beyond recovery. The axedwarves and the others attack. Two more less effective blasts cripple the rest of the squads, but they manage to kill the beast with high fever and unconsciousness.
At this point I get the message "Cancels 'Give Food': no more food." What!? But my stockpiles are full! Wait, they're full of tallow. It will be a full season before the fall harvest... The booze count is dangerously low as well. But what luck! A human caravan has arrived! The remaining able forces move to protect the caravan and guard the entrance.
A vile force of darkness has arrived!
Okay, the caravan might outrun the besieging goblins. The trolls, however, will be a problem (I'm playing this fort with only doors, no drawbridges). I have two squads of reasonably well trained axedwarves and one squad of swordsdwarves. They'll be covered by the remainder of the marksdwarves that aren't vomiting or crippled by fever. The population inside is already uneasy due to lack of food and the deaths of their loved ones. They need this caravan.
The caravan begins its run for the gates with the goblins close behind.
A vile force of darkness has arrived!
Orcs. 5 squads of orcs. Okay... 5 squads of goblins with 20 trolls now have 50 or so orcs by their side. *Deep breath*
My total forces now number roughly 20, with 15 of them outside the gates. Among them are 5 elite soldiers. The caravan speeds toward the fort just as the first goblins and trolls get there. The horses are spooked and scatter in all directions. It is too late for them; the gates are now locked. The might of the invasion falls upon the soldiers with each dwarf surrounded by 5 of the enemy. The fresher recruits are quickly overwhelmed and even the elites are taking massive injuries from the brutal orcs. The caravan is slaughtered. All the melee soldiers are dead.
There is still hope. The trolls, being in the first wave, are mostly slain. Without them, the gates might hold while the archers thin out the enemy numbers. The orcs and goblins, still a sizable force, have camped just outside the marksdwarves' range. Should they take the gates, all will be lost. In the meantime, the fort starves and the families mourn the loss of their fallen.
*Edited for military correctness