So, I made a vrykul "fortress", and gotta say, making an above-ground mining town, as opposed to a classic dwarven-style fort, is pretty fun.
I have a hole dug in the mountain where my workers go for mining expeditions, in front of it I have several houses (also one which is bigger and like a "noblemans house" which houses several families), a pub and a 2-story inn which temporarily also serves as a barracks. Once I get enough stone and make more houses on the other side of the river I'll make a big great wall around the perimeter to protect everyone in town from beasts.
Also helps having good diplomatic relations with centaurs and, uhhh, "borrowing" war lions and tiger-buffalo's from a nearby elven civ.
I still lost several vrykul due to some of them eating plants that cause them to transform into massive, fatty, legless mutants (first person that died was the wife of another migrant, who himself died later, so I guess they're atleast together now), but overall it's been going fairly well.
I still need to get a stronger military, though. I have access to iron and copper ores, which helps.
Gotta say though, pretty funny playing as an aggressive race, especially since they quarrel a lot. Leads to job cancellations on unfinished houses and fights until one of them is knocked unconscious.