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[squamous]

For centuries, the east was shrouded in mystery. Vast oceans, impenetrable mountains, and terrible monsters kept all but the most intrepid, brave, or mad, from getting there, much less coming back alive. But time changes all things, and in this new era, the powers that be stir with forgotten ambition. The gaze of mighty empires, aspiring kingdoms, fleeing refugees, and scheming lords turn once more toward the east, towards the new world. And now, with the advances in both science and magic, that once mysterious land is a mystery no more. Zeppelins, flying skiffs, sailing craft, and stranger things still take foreigners to this uncharted domain. But they are not alone, for away from the prying eyes of the rest of civilization, a unique way of life has developed for centuries, pursuing its own path in a land of high magic and constant warfare. With the arrival of alien colonists, this way of life shall be put to the test. Already, change looms on the horizon as the blade is exchanged for the musket, the horse for the autocarriage. Change may be inevitable, but defeat is not. Who is to win in this struggle for the new world? The colonial powers, seeking to revive fading glory and regain lost wealth? The natives of the frontier, with their strange codes of honor and curious customs? Or stranger things still, things born of mankind, but now separate from it as their own desires drive them ever further from their kindred? This is a pivotal age, and whoever can claim victory on this distant land will surely create a legacy that will last far into the future.
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What is Colonialism?

Dwarf Fortress: Colonialism is a total setting overhaul that takes the game mechanics of dwarf fortress and places them in an entirely new setting, in this case a fantastical colonial/age of sail-inspired era, with new civilizations, races, and creatures. This one is a bit different from the rest, however, by being an entirely human-centric universe, with humans as the only civilized race in the game, for the most part. The difference civilizations are populated by different "species" of humans, i.e. different ethnic groups, each with their own culture, strengths, weaknesses, and equipment. For the most part, the various playable groups can be divided into three different categories. The first category is the native peoples. These humans, much like the land they live in, are heavily derived from Japanese history and mythology. Yes, you can play a samurai and swing a katana around, or go full Nobunaga and blow your enemies away with musket-wielding ashigaru. While they are less technologically advanced than the other civilization types, they are far more populous, as there is no limit on how many native civilizations can spawn in the world. The second type of faction is the generic colonial empires. Most of these are simply civilizations of humans derived from a particular historical nation or culture, with a bit of fantasy thrown in here or there. The biggest advantage colonial factions have are their advanced automated vehicles. Essentially, they have access to a wide range of "mounts" that, while technically creatures as the game understands them, function like machines, including requiring a pilot to function properly. (These will be much more fun when the mount update comes out). You can field things like the aforementioned zeppelins, wheeled landships, wooden tanks, and self-propelled hang gliders. And you can definitely expect an enemy colonial faction to use these in sieges. Which vehicles you have access to depends on the country you play, however, so keep that in mind. The native factions also have vehicles, but will not be able to field the larger and more advanced models. The last type of faction is the post-human faction type. These factions have, either accidentally or deliberately, through the use of magic, mad science, alchemy, or some other method, drifted apart from humanity and can no longer be considered conventionally human. These factions usually have access to very strange technology and abilities, and can be very dangerous in a fight. As a general rule, these last two faction types will only ever spawn one civilization each per map. This is for the sake of keeping the atmosphere of the mod intact by keeping the colonizers low in number and the native population high, as one would expect things to be. For a full overview of each civilization, see the bay12 page for this mod, and if you are reading this on the bay12 page, scroll down.

Download link: http://dffd.bay12games.com/file.php?id=13916

Special thanks to Vherid for the Natural tileset.

HOW TO INSTALL:
Just download it, place the folder somewhere, and play it. This mod comes with its own .exe and everything, you do not need to copy and paste, drag and drop, or otherwise move any files around beyond the initial step. It works exactly like installing and playing the vanilla game.
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Changelog:


1.95 Changes:
-Spawn frequency of sky beasts greatly increased, hunting them should be more viable now. Again, be careful when embarking near savage oceans.
-New vehicle added, the firecracker cannon. It has a slow firing rate, but as you can imagine shoots fireballs instead of chunks of metal. Due to the destructive nature of this weapon, it is rarely used, found only in Namahage and Nambun civs because they are crazy enough to use them, and Sherxouan civs because firecrackers and Chinese culture go together very well and I couldn't resist.
-New ammo type usable by muskets added. You can now craft musket pellets which scatter out in an arc when fired, represented by their damage type being more akin to an axe than a normal piercing ammunition type. This makes them less effective against armored targets, but murderously lethal against unarmored animals and unruly civilians.
-There has been an issue with the Halokkut race where the emotionless drones would lose focus due to their inability to feel emotion causing them to feel unfulfilled when filling a need even though they don't have emotions so they shouldn't be bothered by this. To work around this issue, Knights now have a passive buff ability that they will constantly cast on the drones in their line of sight, which increases their focus attribute to maximum for a short time, so long as the knight is still around to direct them. This should alleviate the problem a little but feedback on it is appreciated. Note that the buff does not give you any message of it being cast because it would get really spammy really quick if that were the case. If it works then it should make a Halokkut playthrough more interesting as it increases the importance of knight-class beings and serves as motivation to keep them alive and happy.
-Three new "wizard" types added. Pyrokineticists are the simplest type. They have control over flame, but their fiery attacks have long cooldowns so they don't burn themselves up (it can still rarely happen though). Occultists dabble in hexes, curses, and rituals, and have less direct ways of making you suffer. They can make you randomly bleed, faint, become unlucky, or just go crazy for awhile. The last type is the Alchemist. They are essentially scientists who have extensively studied human anatomy, and through a combination of surgical techniques, quaffing potions, and possibly a few jolts of electricity, have transcended their human limitations, gaining huge buffs to many mental and physical attributes, but no special attacks. You can only choose one of these paths per character, so keep that in mind. I will likely add more stuff like this later.

1.9 Changes:
-Vehicles temporarily altered. The first change is that they no longer die of old age, and the second is that they no longer explode when killed. As unfortunate as the removal of the second feature is, my tests have found that killing a single vehicle in a siege often results in a chain reaction of explosions that instantly obliterates the entire army, which while amusing was making invasions far too easy to defeat. I will try to find a solution that is equally fun but less devastatingly violent.
-A new vehicle added, the Dreadnought. It is a massive airship almost twice the size of an adult dragon, with eight cannons. It is 25% slower than a zeppelin, but with twice the firepower and double the size. As of now, only the Norten Merchant League, the Sherxou Dominion, and the Republic of Tercais will start with Dreadnoughts, but they can be stolen by other civs in wars and raids and such. This vehicle is important because I needed something that could reliably kill certain other somethings I have placed in the game, but don't worry about that.
-Sherxou rebalanced, should do better in worldgen now.
-Several new sky beasts added to savage oceans, good hunting.
-Three new civilizations added. The Bainu, which are a native ethnic group of rugged survivalists found in tundras and deserts, the Confederates, which is the collective term for the various ambitious and desperate colonists arriving from small and unimportant nations across the known world (aka you can personalize them to a much higher degree than the other factions), and the Amazons, which are a race of warrior women secretly under the thrall of evil pagan tree gods who use them as expendable slaves in their quest to conquer the world.

1.8 Changes:
-Buffed fire rate for cannons
-Some bug fixes and tweaking
-Savage Ocean biome is now much more important. This is a new feature that won't be relevant until the mount update, for reasons that will be made clear in a second. Basically, savage oceans are now populated with gigantic flying sea creatures. They are usually rare spawns, with the percentage chance of getting on never higher than 10%, and often lower (this may be changed). However, the body parts of these creatures can go for thirty to three hundred times the cost of a normal creature's bodyparts due to their alleged medicinal properties. Hunting these giant creatures, termed sky beasts, has thus become a very lucrative business for those who live long enough to profit off of it. But of course, hunting these creatures would be rather difficult in adventure mode normally, since swimming is a pain and they can fly on top of that. Which is why when the mount update is released, you will be hunting them by riding airships. Of course, if you are playing a pacifistic merchant, these sky beasts are now your number one problem as you sail from one island to another to sell your goods, and while you can out-fly them in smaller ships, if you have a large but slow-moving zeppelin your only hope is to either avoid them or hope your cannons drive them off. And as for fortress mode, I would be very careful about choosing to set up a fort next to a savage ocean, because you will be exposed to giant flying predators, some of which will ambush you. Should be fun.

1.75 Changes:
-Lots of bugfixes and rebalancing
-More fleshing out done to the first cave layer. Most notable is the inclusion of treasure chest "creatures" that can be destroyed to reveal a valuable artifact. Armor, furniture, weapons, gems, precious metals, tools, and other things can be found within. However, these chests will rarely be trapped, and explode violently when destroyed. A few more enemies have been added as well. I would have liked to add more, but felt that the bugfixes necessitated a quicker release. Said bugs weren't game-breaking but I like to correct that sort of thing as soon as possible.

1.7 Changes:
-First cavern layer biome moved to the second layer because people kept domesticating herds of woolly mammoths in worldgen when they shouldn't be doing that. Also, ice age style fauna will now only be found in the second cavern layer.
-First cavern layer is now a gigantic ruined city/dungeon biome that I'm going to turn into an actual tabletop style dungeon with loot and bosses and stuff. Right now there is only skeletons and regret. But dungeon diving in adventure and fortress mode should end up much more profitable when I have creatures drop valuable items on their death.
-Fixed Behatarian animals from spawning in the wild.
-Yokai should no longer be domesticated.
-Hat stacks won't happen anymore maybe.

1.6 Changes:
-Halokkut changes reverted for now, they made the problem even worse, still working on a fix for it.
-More bug fixes.
-First cavern layer overhauled, it should now be a snowy wasteland filled with arctic creatures, warmed by hot springs.

1.56 Changes:
-Halokkut drones now have the [NOTHOUGHT] and [NO_THOUGHT_CENTER_FOR_MOVEMENT] tags. With just the no emotion tag, they still got distracted from unfulfilled needs. I'm hoping this fixes that issue. This should be compatible with saves but back yours up just in case. If it doesn't work let me know, this is sort of experimental.

1.55 Changes:
-Halokkut knights should be more dangerous, with a high healing factor. Meant to compensate for their weak drones. Only 20/1000 Halokkut are knights, for reference.
-Behatarian war animals nerfed slightly.
-Throwing spears fixed. The 'thrower's gauntlet' weapon will be the universal throwing weapon used to launch "thrown" projectiles.

1.5 Changes:
-More weapons added, including jutte, shurikens, and throwing spears.
-In native civs, captains of the guard and their soldiers are renamed to Shinsengumi and will be found in town castles. You should be able to be recruited by and do missions for them but this is kind of experimental for me. If you want to roleplay as a member of a morally ambiguous secret police force and go around being cool and mysterious, this is the job for you.
-Kami civs are now babysnatchers (though lore-wise they probably do their enslaving in a more dignified way as opposed to stuffing children into sacks. It'd be more like picking out a puppy from a pet shop. Humans aren't really people, just pick one off the street and keep it, no one will stop you.) The reason for this change is that the constant warfare keeps their population nice and low and they won't dominate in worldgen. That said, they'll probably kill exponentially more of their enemies than their enemies will kill of them. Should make for some interesting legends mode stories.
-Some new yokai, demons, and sacred beasts added, including two semimegas that will take over civs. Some of these are thanks to the Mostly Mythical Monsters Modular Mod having already made some of the creatures I intended to add.
-Some rebalancing, bug fixes, and grammar corrections.

1.4 Changes:
-More wild yokai out in savage wildernesses.
-City-dwelling yokai added. Basically, these work the same as vampire curses, with some changes. When someone is "cursed" what actually happens, as clarified in the legends flavor text, is that the person who toppled the statue was actually a yokai all along, but now the common folk are starting to get suspicious. Most city yokai command powerful magic and are shapeshifters, with a much more powerful form they can change into if things get dangerous. However, not all of them are evil. Some simply want to enjoy the luxuries of civilization and the attentions of mortals, while others do desire to cause misery or feed on people. And some can be both, such as the kitsune, which are either zenko, or good spirits that can be friends with humanity, and yako, which are feral spirits which raise the dead and eat people. It is important to note that only people of the three native cultures can secretly be yokai in disguise, as the spirits have not yet learned how to properly emulate foreigners. Outsiders will have to deal with conventional vampires, however, as they bring that plague in from their own homelands.
-A new native civilization added, the Kami. Kami are a race of immortal, self-proclaimed gods which, if I'm being honest, I've stolen outright from the universe of the Feng Shen Ji manhua, a Chinese publication, and given a Japanese flavor. I do recommend it if you like simple stories about strong people with big emotions hitting each other and wearing flamboyant costumes. Anyway, Kami will form 1 civ per world, and are incredibly powerful individual fighters, with a small percentage of them belonging to one of the six Heavenly Affiliations, schools of fighting which teach mastery over the elements, or one's own divine aura. They are not a forced invader race, so you are not obligated to fight them. For people looking to go up against something that constitutes a serious threat even for legendary soldiers, however, the Kami would make ideal opponents to test your men against.

1.3 Changes:
-Cavern layers partially overhauled. The third layer now has a specific theme going for it, but what that theme is will remain a secret. Have fun.
-Bestial yokai added. This will take some explaining. Basically, these are yokai I've decided were not strong enough to be megabeasts, or sneaky enough to be city-dwelling shapeshifters (expect that type to be relevant very soon) but still dangerous enough to be large predators. Due to their connection with the supernatural, I have given them a certain set of behaviors. For one, they are ambush predators, so in fortress mode they will always have the element of surprise on their side. Two, they are intelligent. Even though they are monsters living in the woods and mountains, yokai are capable of planning and learning. Three, they have a legendary skill in sneaking. In other words, yokai can only be seen if they want to be seen, or you have inhuman levels of perception or get amazingly lucky. And fourth, these bestial yokai feed off of humans. That is, they don't just go on rampages, but will sneakily hunt and devour mortals in worldgen the same way a vampire does, racking up unsolved murders well into the hundreds if they live long enough. I feel this all fits the cultural perception of yokai of being powerful spirits that can vanish you without leaving any trace, and are very hard to find deliberately. So that should be fun. Also, Yokai will only be found in savage regions.
-Tercaisians now have an additional clockwork soldier type.
-Grunstollers can now field attack beasts like wyverns, hippogriffs, and griffons. I felt like it suited their medieval knight aesthetic.
-Some new fauna added to savage cold savage climates. There's no reason for this except I just felt like those biomes could use some sprucing up.

1.2 Changes:
-All megabeasts replaced with new variants based on Japanese mythology, including Kijin, which are Oni of such strength that they blur the line between demon and god. They will sometimes take over evil civilizations and will probably be a huge problem once the villain arc rolls out. Currently there are 4 megabeasts and 6 semimegabeasts, but I will probably add more later.
-Tercaisians still die a lot in worldgen so I have given them the ability to field musket-wielding clockwork soldiers. This has been slightly more successful and I really like the concept so I'm probably going to expand on it.
-Lots of small bugfixes and tweaks.

1.1 Changes:
-Halokkut site type changed to fortresses,  I'm hoping this limits their population somewhat. They also have a few new drone types to play around with, and proper knights are significantly rarer.
-The Republic of Tercais has realized their complete abandonment of metal armor to be a bad idea in retrospect, and will now have the ability to craft cuirasses and metal caps. That said they still don't do very well in worldgen so I may need to tweak them further somehow.
-Native civilizations (Yado, Joman, Nambun) will have appropriately named samurai-style armor and Japanese clothing, such as kimonos.
-Mechanical vehicles now have an "armor" bodypart that SHOULD cover their bodies and need to be destroyed first in order to get at the vulnerable bits, but it doesn't work. At the least it should serve as something else for archers to hit so ranged units will have to work slightly harder to take down any vehicle.
-Namahage civs are no longer baby snatchers because I think that function is broke if they don't live in a Dark Fortress, and also this might make them die out less often in worldgen.
-Vehicles will no longer wear clothes.

1.0 Changes:
-Colonialism released.

[squamous]

The native peoples of the New World:

The native peoples are universally united by a shared metaculture and language, but still divide their nations along ethnic lines, with most natives having extensive family trees and intimate knowledge of their ancestors, who they revere. Indeed, their gods are actually famous humans who they claim performed such great deeds that they were uplifted to the heavens, the exception being the Joman who worship the earth itself. Native civilizations are reknowned for their unique weapon designs, the most famous being the katana, a light and elegant blade known for lending itself to lightning-fast attacks. The most notable trait of the native races, however, is their alleged connection with the ancestor spirits they worship. It is said that there comes a time in the live of any new world human where their ancestors bless them with great inspiration. From this, they will work day and night to realize that dream, creating amazing works of art and valuable treasures. These artifacts are highly sought after by colonial interests, who will pay top dollar for "spirit-crafted" trinkets.

The Joman: The Joman people were the first ethnic group to settle in the new world, many thousands of years ago. Despite this head start, their culture remained primitive for most of their history, with the arrival of more advanced and dangerous tribes pushing them out of most regions. For this reason, they tend to colonize untamed forests more than other peoples, who stick to the plains and rivers. Technologically speaking they are rather lacking, but usually know the land quite well, and make for good guerillas.

The Bainu: The second race to settle in the new world, the Bainu were barely more advanced than the Joman, but their genetic heritage of extreme vitality allowed them to heal from battle wounds much quicker than their rivals. Despite this advantage, the Bainu were never truly conquerors, preferring to make their strongholds in deserts and tundras where other races hestitated to settle. For this reason, the isolationist Bainu cultures have survived more or less untouched through the ages, though with the advent of the colonial empires, this peace may soon be disrupted.

The Yado: One of the last cultures to settle the new world, the Yado are also the most powerful and prosperous race on the continent. They are the only native people to have mastered steelworking, and possess intricate and complex social codes of etiquette. The other races often mock them for their supposed weakness and unwillingness to fight, but the disciplined and well-equipped armies of Yado states can be dangerously effective when negotiations fail. Yado-dominated nations are typically the most difficult for the colonial powers to subdue, and in some cases they even outmatch a colony in technological and societal advancement.

The Nambun: Believed to be closely related to the Yado, the Nambun are also very different from their cousins. Possessed of a warrior spirit and martial culture, the Nambun people are well-known for producing great warriors and generals, and are reputed to have a supernatural ability to channel the spirits of their warrior ancestors to help them focus in combat. With all this military might, however, they still tend to play second fiddle to the Yado nations due to their inability to mass-produce steel, a fact which the Nambun shoguns greatly resent. Even with this technological inferiority, however, they tend to pose a significant threat to their neighbors.

The foreign empires of the Old World:

The Norten Merchant League: Decadent, massive, and wealthy would be the words that would spring to mind if asked to describe the League. Started by the kingdom of Norten as a royally-sponsored company, the League rapidly became a powerful syndicate of influential merchants, and expanded their enterprises across the globe. Using trade embargoes and underhanded negotiation to bring rivals to their knees, along with a disciplined and well-equipped army, the League has become the largest empire in the known world, possessing more landmass than any other nation. Though they are beginning to lag behind as other countries begin to develop their own ambitions, the sheer size of the Norten Merchant League ensures they will remain a major player for a long time to come. The League's colonists are well-trained in the pike and shot style of warfare, a slightly outdated but still effective means of combat. Furthermore, the sheer size of the League allows them to establish multiple colonies in a small area. Of course, given the cutthroat nature of this empire, it wouldn't be a surprise if infighting and intrigue broke out between supposed allies. Leaguers, as they call themselves, come in every shape and color one can see in a human, having been drawn from a diverse array of countries across the world. While their infantry equipment might be lagging, the League prides itself on keeping up with developments in mechanical vehicles, and will field every model they can get their hands on.

The Engri Khanate: The Engri people have long had a contentious relationship with their neighbors. Notorious for being the home of a great warlord who carved out a massive kingdom for his people, which collapsed shortly after his death, the Engri are notorious for their skilled horsemen and lightning-fast military strategy. Despite this, they have not yet uncovered the secrets of steel-working or gunpowder, and as of the present day are a rapidly fading relic of history. In a risky move, the leader of the country has exhorted the other khans to travel to the New World and plunder it so the Engri might once more be relevant on the world stage. With such a significant commitment to this venture, it is likely that if the Engri colonies fail, the homeland will crumble shortly after. Humans of the Engri race are distinguished by their catlike eyes, natural skill with animals, and innate stealthiness. Furthermore, they seem to have a bitter rivalry with the Norten Merchant League, and fights will often break out between them. While the Engri military is mostly outdated compared to modern armed forces, their advantage comes in the form of the large fauna native to their homeland, which they have domesticated and trained into powerful attack animals. Most notorious are the massive apes of the steppes and the giant eagles that soar above them, though less outwardly vicious but no less dangerous is the powerful auroch, which serves as a heavy cavalry beast.

The Tercais Republic: A new and rising star, the Tercais republic was formed after a bloody revolution led by a charismatic demagogue, who preached a new way of life where everything would be made by the people and for the people. After seizing power, they initiated a violent purge of all dissidents, abolished private property, and set about modernizing the Tercaisian military. Though he was assassinated shortly after, as was the leader to come after him, and the one after that, the Tercaisian goverment as a whole has managed to not only retain power, but begin to expand as their gunsmithing research began to bear fruit. As of the present day, the Tercaisian musketeers are some of the finest in the world, fielding not just conventional muskets but powerful wheeled cannons and the notorious heavy musket, a Tercaisian specialty with triple the stopping power of a conventional rifle. In addition, they are rumored to have made great advances in clockwork automata, creating mechanical soldiers and other creatures to supplement their human military. However, in their quest for modernity the Tercaisian military has abandoned full armor plating, dismissing it as outdated and cumbersome compared to a simple cuirass and helmet, at the most. Whether the radical new ideas of this fledgling republic will bring about a new golden age or spread ruin and chaos remains to be seen, and it is certain that the fate of this regime hangs on their success in the new world. Like the Norten Merchant League, the Tercaisians can field any mechanical vehicle, relying on them to protect their lightly-armored soldiers.

The Kingdom of Grunstolle: Though they have certainly lagged behind on a technological level, the shrewd royal family of Grunstolle has managed to stay relevant even to this present day, albeit with a fair amount of baggage holding them back. A relatively small kingdom protected by nigh unconquerable natural obstacles, Grunstolle is like a relic of the past centuries, complete with feudalism, knights on horseback, and a lack of proper steel. Despite this, the people of Grunstolle can easily hold their own in a conflict, owing to their great size, two heads taller than the average man and just as broad, which allow them to wear full plate and wield massive weapons with ease, making them a powerful foe to face in melee. With the advent of the musket, however, the power of the knights of Grunstolle is fading fast, and the kingdom needs a serious advantage if it intends to stay in the spotlight. For this reason, the royal family has shipped off a fleet of pioneers to the vast new world, to either restore glory to the crown or die in the attempt. Grunstolle, despite its insistence on the use of heavily armored melee infantry as the core of its strategy, has begun forays into utilizing mechanical vehicles as well, primarily focusing on the larger and bulkier ones while eschewing lighter models.

The Falaqa Sultanate: A relatively unknown variable, the Sultanate of Falaqa has had little diplomatic dealings with the more established powers, though it can certainly be said that people know of their songs. The Falaqai have a strong culture of music and poetry, and their bards can be found all over the world in royal courts and lowly taverns, or at least just their songs. Militarily they tend to rely on the vastness of their bordering desert to keep foes at bay, and allow them to conduct slaving raids without fear of retaliation. While they restrict themselves to light armor, this is a careful strategic choice when weighed against the greatest natural ability of the Falaqai people, that being their remarkable sprinting speeds, which allow them to travel great distances with ease and rapidly overwhelm unprepared enemies in lightning raids. For reasons known only to the sultanate, a band of ambitious explorers have been granted permission to travel to the new world and set up their own provinces, and only time will tell just what they have in mind for this untamed land. The Sultanate also uses mechanical vehicles, primarily lightweight, high-speed variants, though they will field zeppelins as well.

The Confederates: While the colonial powers may dominate the invasion of the new world, there are always lesser vultures hoping for a chance at the spoils. From countless small and insignificant countries across the world come settlers driven by greed, ambition, and desperation. Each colony of confederates has its own unique culture brought from their nameless homeland, but they tend to share the same pidgin trade language and general technological level, though many of the vehicles they use were likely pilfered from government armories or bought on the black market. Confederates tow the line between civilized nation and bandit horde, and are an unpredictable variable in the rush to tame the new world.

The strange and uncanny:

The Namahage Hordes (not playable): Found all over the new world are strange forests with an almost artificial look to them. Travellers in such places must beware, for they have stumbled into a nest of the loathsome Namahage. Hideous humanoids with visages that seem to be perversions of the human form, the Namahage spring up anywhere wilderness can be found and are a constant threat for the peoples of the continent. One of the most alarming facts about the Namahage is that they seem to have some devious witchcraft that lets them charm the animals of the wilds, turning them into vicious killing machines. Many a seasoned samurai has contended with hordes of screaming savages sprinting alongside maddened elk, cougars, bulls, serpents, and all manner of dangerous wildlife. In most regions, Namahage are swiftly subjugated before they can become a threat, but their rapid maturation, a mere two years to reach adulthood, means that any Namahage enclaves that are missed or not completely obliterated will rapidly swell into a city-threatening catastrophe. But recent reports, and native folklore, hints at an even more sinister message behind the Namahage; that they are mere castoffs, exiles, and failed experiments. That the terrible threat they pose is little more than the afterthought of sinister powers with foul designs for not just the frontier, but the rest of the world as well.

The Oni Menace (not playable): And indeed, the worries posed by the Namahage are correct. For another breed of corrupted being exists in this realm, one far more dangerous than the primitive savages of the trees. lurking in the distant and dead places of the world, the Oni and their enigmatic masters scheme to topple all of mankind. Led by the mysterious, self-proclaimed rulers of the underworld, the Oni hordes are the most feared sight in the new world. Skilled in warfare, strong like an ox, and stubborn as the mountain, Oni can devastate massive swathes of land, requiring the utmost cunning and skill to drive back. Rumor has it that in recent decades, they have even begun developing further, mimicking the modern vehicles and firearms that have been changing the face of combat and turning it to their own dark purposes. The truth of the matter is unknown, but the people of the frontier, new and old, fear what may come when the Oni decide to wage their final war against civilization.


The Sherxou Dominion: Once a well-respected empire with an ancient and storied history, the dominion of Sherxou has recently undergone a significant change that has greatly affected its reputation, and caused many once-friendly allies to quietly withdraw from what is shaping up to be a disaster in the making. The shift in perception occurred a late night almost a century ago, during the height of the summer solstice. During this very moment, the esteemed noble-mages that ruled the dominion had finally completed a working they had spent centuries designing, all for this exact instant. In their ambition, they intended to tap into the ley-lines of the world and ascend to godhood, at the expense of the humanity of every other citizen in the realm. In stories, this would have been stopped at the last second by a plucky band of heroes, the people saved and the ambitions of the sorcerer lords put to rest. But as everyone knows, that is not what happened. The ritual was a resounding success, allowing the ruling class to transcend their humanity, becoming mighty, immortal dragons. As for the people they sacrificed, their fate was to warp and twist into vile beast-men, monstrous amalgamation of man and animal. With an iron claw, the dragon emperors brought to heal the marauding populace, using their sorceries to bestow upon them a new sentience, devoid of the memories of their past. Establishing themselves as gods among mortals and gaining a fanatical following, the dragons began a great undertaking, the rebuilding of their shattered nation, brick and border. So far, they have made short work of it, the self-styled conquerors who had moved into what they thought was a broken, failed country overrun by hordes of ravening crusaders. And now the eyes of the imperial dragons have turned towards the new world, one they have known of for a long time, separated from it by impassible mountain ranges filled with peril and marked by sheer cliffs. But with the advent of new flying machines, this barrier can now be surpassed, and the Sherxou can set their sights on virgin soil, ripe for the taking. But perhaps, some believe, should they succeed in this venture, the ambitions of the dragons will turn them towards neighboring states once considered unassailable. Should that scenario come to pass, only the gods know what manner of chaos would break out. For the most part, the military strategy of the Dominion is simple; throw beastmen at a problem until it stops being a problem. The feral savagery of the beastly hordes tend to overwhelm most foes in short order, though against skilled and disciplined troops things can start to get difficult. There are twelve different beastmen including the dragon gods, and about half, the most populous types, such as rats, dogs, rabbits, and roosters, are actually smaller than the average human. The other rarer types, like tigers, bulls, and horses are larger and more powerful than humans, but also rarer (and typically given positions of power, along with the cunning pig men). This discrepancy in power has prompted the Dominion to begin investing in mechanical vehicles and gunpowder weaponry to supplement their horde tactics, giving them a much-needed edge in dealing with enemy troops.


The Halokkut Sovereignty: One of the most studied events of the past few decades is the creation of the so-called Halokkut people, born through an unknown means and unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. During a typical Norten League invasion of a lesser nation, the League forces were stymied by surprisingly determined and effective resistance. Reports filtered down of people who felt no pain and never tired, endlessly harassing the encampments and marching armies with weapons of an unknown make and possessing bizarre functions. Much to the alarm of the guildmasters, the invaders found themselves being forced back as other nearby countries began speaking of strange things happening in their own lands. What has been learned is that someone, or a group of someones, had desperately wished to drive the League back, and in their madness dabbled in forbidden branches of arcane science, creating artificial men, the homunculi, to serve as tireless, mindless soldiers. And indeed they served their purpose. It took several years to halt the Halokkut advance and beat them back to their "homeland", a gruesome war still fresh in the minds of many. However, it was noted at the end of the war that the homunculi seemed to have been adapting and evolving. Rumors now abound of new breeds of powerful artificial men stalking the ruined land of an extinct people, no longer fighting, but organizing, putting the mindless drones to work and building a new, strange society from the ashes of the old. And these rumors are correct. From the teeming hordes of empty minds arose an uncanny sapience, almost human but not quite. These are the Knights, the rulers of the Halokkut and the only thinking beings in the entire nation. Small in number, but powerful, they regulate and control the expendable drone workers and the invaluable automated womb-vats that endlessly create more of their kind. Using mad science and normally impractical magitech, the Halokkut create unique and powerful weapons and armor, sometimes even implanting these objects directly into their bodies as if to further mock and defile the sanctity of the human form (in the view of some). As their existence is completely without precedent, no one can predict what the Halokkut will do, though it is spoken of in hushed whispers that their zeppelins have been seen in the skies of the new world, floating towards distant mountains. Halokkut military tactics rely on using their drones as expendable fodder, sending them on suicide missions to do as much damage as possible or fight to the death to hold vital chokepoints, or even just stubbornly hold the line when anyone sane would have given up. Meanwhile, their knights are deployed to key positions and treated much more delicately, as the people of Halokkut are loathe to sacrifice one of their sapient bretheren. That said, the most dangerous thing one can face in a battle against the Halokkut are the Halokkut themselves, be they drones or knights. Thankfully, they don't have much in the way of heavy offensive vehicles, though the vehicles they do utilize are tougher and more durable than their mundane counterparts.

The Behatar Empire: Isolated from the rest of the world for centuries, the end of the isolationist policies of the Behatar Empire took the world by storm, messengers running to all corners of the civilized world carrying news of the wonders within the subcontinent. And wonders there were, for the Behatarians were a people apart from the rest of the world, not by chance, but by design. Behatar hosts the greatest and most skilled biomancers, those who manipulate flesh and engineer living creatures into useful tools, known to man. Behatarians travel by whaleship, and fight duels on the backs of elephants armed with organic cannon emplacements, or simply send a pack of combat beasts to rip their foes asunder while listening to a chorus of birds simulate an orchestra. For while Behatarian soldiers cannot be said to be any more effective than the common infantryman, the effectiveness of their fleshcrafted servants cannot be understated. Their ways have caused a fair bit of contention between their culture and the more conventional nations, however, as many see their actions as an affront to the natural order of things, to which the Behatarians reply that the natural order of things is for mankind to sculpt the world as he pleases, and they are simply following the proper path of life, eschewing artificial, polluting mechanisms in favor of the flawless potential of life itself. Yet outcry still persists about darker undercurrents to this philosophy, imagining a future of mind-shackled serfs serving immortal aristocrats, freedom, dignity, and the very humanity of the masses subjugated and erased. Perhaps that is the goal of Behatar, or perhaps not. Much is still to be discovered of their culture, and only the most studious of investigators will unravel the truth of the matter. That said, there are certain things that are well-known among the common folk, one in particular is their mounting tensions with the enigma that is the Halokkut. Most Behatarians react with horror and disgust upon hearing of or encountering Halokkut specimens, stating a marked revulsion at their existence, finding the patchwork stitching of their bodies an affront to the art of biomancy, and their willingness to surgically attach metal and inorganic weapons to their body a further insult to their design philosophy of beauty and harmony. Many more well-informed people privately hope the two factions will come to blows and destroy one another, neatly solving a great many looming issues that mar hopes for tomorrow. Behatarian military tactics rely heavily on using their war animals as front-line fighters, their sheer size and strength a counter to the armor and weapons of human soldiers. When the enemy is sufficiently disorganized, the Behatarian infantry or mounted units will begin their attack, swooping down on the weakened and embattled foe.

The Amazons: While many bawdy tales regarding this all-woman civilization circulate among colonial taverns, the truth of this forest-dwelling society is far more sinister. The Amazons themselves are in fact little more than slaves of a strange and inhuman species known as the Yashu Sento, or forest gods (collectively, they and the Amazons are referred to as the Yashu Kusa, meaning 'those who dwell in the forest'). These beings, believed to be some sort of powerful fae, resemble mobile trees that pull themselves along by their roots. Uncounted years ago, they are believed to have abducted humans unlucky enough to venture into their forest homes, and through a mixture of magical indoctrination and selective breeding and culling of their human stock, created a race of servants to ensure there would always be an expendable horde of loyal fanatics to use as tools to work their will, using their pagan magic to allow their servitors to reproduce through "miraculous" conception, though in reality it is believed to be a form of cloning, not unlike how alchemical homunculi are crafted (indeed, many comparisons have been made between the Halokkut and Amazon races and their similar reliance on third-party entities for reproduction.) While the Amazons seem to run their own society, each one is fanatically devoted to the will of the Yashu Sento, and constantly seeking to increase the power of their masters through the expansion and enslavement of anyone unlucky enough to dwell near an Amazon-infested forest. The frequent attacks by the minions of the forest gods often lead to other races considering Amazons as sub-human, and extermination campaigns are a common occurrence (Though trading and cooperation has been known to happen as well, one must always be wary of attack). However, it has been documented that Amazons forcibly removed from the influence of the forest gods at a young enough age can be re-educated and live as normal citizens. But due to their inability to bear children without the magic of the Yashu Sento, any rehabilitated Amazon communities will rarely last more than a single generation.

The Kami: In ancient times, in the primordial mists of creation, when the world was young, the Kami came to be in this reality. Powerful gods beyond human understanding, they carved a mighty empire unlike anything ever known in the world of man. But it was not to last. Their power dwindled, crowded out by the many enemies they had made in their ambitions of conquest, and they dwindled, becoming a shadow of their former selves. But even so, the Kami are without a doubt the rightful gods of the world, even now. All fear and respect them, and soon they will learn of their true place, under the shadow of the living gods. So they say, anyway, for the truth of the matter remains unclear to unbiased historians. Regardless of the truth, the Kami live up to their reputation of being incredibly powerful, even the least of them more than capable of defeating the average human with ease. The gap in power between man and god is truly immense. But, perhaps, it is not so wide as to be uncrossable. Though the Kami rule over the humans near them with an iron fist, using them as slaves and tributary states at best and practice for their martial skills at worst, there have been rare humans who stood up to them and lived, who showed their kin that life is possible without the rulership of the gods. Furthermore, the rule of the gods is often contested by those who have never lived under their rule, the free men and woman of distant shogunates and empires who see the atrocities committed by these self-proclaimed divinities as nothing more than wanton cruelty. Often they are broken, but not always. And with the arrival of even stranger things, human and otherwise, from distant lands, carrying strange new weapons of war, far removed from the power of the gods, they find themselves on the brink of dwindling once again, perhaps even fading from memory forever. But anyone who seeks such a victory has a long road ahead of them. In addition to they innate physical power and imposing stature of the Kami, there exist among them elite Greater Gods, masters of one of the six Heavenly Affiliations, schools of martial arts that teach the secrets of supernatural techniques involving the mastery of the elements and one's own inner aura to gain absolute supremacy. Only someone, or something, who has surpassed their mortal limitations could have a chance to best a Greater God in single combat. And even higher still are the Sage Kings, the most powerful of the Kami, who command not just mastery of every fighting style, but have a sharp mind that seems almost designed to develop into a cunning tactician. Truly, to fight against the Kami is to go up against some of the most powerful individual beings in the world as we know it. But with courage, cunning, skill, or perhaps something more, it may be that the last dominions of the gods may yet be shattered before they can truly return to their ancient levels of power, and shackle existence under their rule once more.

[squamous]

A Guide to Mechanical Vehicles:

This mod features a large selection of vehicular contraptions used by various factions in the world. This is something of an experiment for me, and I know they definitely might be daunting for players who are using them for the first time. Here's the rundown on the traits of vehicles and the types one can find in the world.

The unifying feature of all vehicles is the fact that they are, technically, animals. That is, the game recognizes them as animals from a gameplay standpoint, though in terms of their body and such they ought to appear like they would be expected to, with fixed wooden frames, cannon emplacements, and other such things. This means that they will meander around. This cannot be helped, but can be alleviated by pasturing them in 1x1 squares when not in use. Lore-wise, they are possessed by artificial spirits that assist with piloting, so there you go. Another unifying feature is the fact that they use a pressurized steam engines to get around, and because of this will violently explode into boiling shrapnel when destroyed. For smaller vehicles this entails some singed eyebrows, but larger ones can vaporize anyone near them when they go down. It should be noted that due to balance reasons, vehicles do have limited lifespans, and because of this will violently explode upon their natural death as well, even if, say, in the middle of your fortress. For this reason, vehicles should be isolated when not in use. Here are the different types of vehicles found in the mod:

Aerobikes:
Construction Time: 2 years
Role: The Aerobike is an incredibly light air vehicle that can reach speeds of over 100 kph, making it the fastest vehicle in the world. However, it is also the most fragile, and even a simple well-aimed sword-swing can bring it down. Scouts and massed squads can make good use of these devices, however, serving as interceptors and preventing other aerial threats from closing in on bigger and slower transports. An aerobike pilot armed with a musket, bow, or crossbow can be a surprisingly lethal if short-lived fighter, and is absolutely devastating if the enemy has no air defenses.

Gyrocopters:
Construction Time: 2 years
Role: While gyrocopters have been rendered more or less completely obsolete in their role as light interceptor aircraft by the advent of the aerobike, they are still employed by various countries due to the cheap cost of making or purchasing them, and the ease at which one can train gyrocopter pilots. These more stable, but significantly slower light aircraft make good stationary sentries or defensive air emplacements if one is lacking in other aerial defenses, but for the most part remain an inferior choice of aircraft in all ways but price.

Landboats:
Construction Time: 5 years
Role: Landboats are the archetypal merchant's craft, capable of carrying great amounts of supplies atop their cumbersome frames. While they lack weapons, they are large and fairly durable, meaning that it can survive the depredations of monstrous attackers for long enough that the rider(s) can mount a defense.

Autowagons:
Construction Time: 5 years
Role: Autowagons are a new arrival on the face of the world, touted as a lightweight alternative to the landboat. Modeled after the horse and carriage, minus the horse, autowagons have seen limited success in this regard, but are typically far too fragile to be useful outside of city roads, where they risk attack and detonation. That said, some who value speed over armor utilize them to rush through dangerous areas or overtake vehicular caravans.

Aeroskiff:
Construction Time: 7 years
Role: While landboats trudge through the muck, their counterpart soars through the sky. Aeroskiffs are durable, decently-fast aircraft with a respectable carrying capacity. While they can be overtaken by interceptor aircraft and some types of flying monster, Aeroskiffs are fairly reliable transports for people who need to get somewhere in a hurry, and are seen as the transport of choice for the well-off and wealthy. That said, they also have use on the battlefield, providing a sturdy alternative to aerobike squadrons at the cost of movement speed.

Automatic Cannon:
Construction Time: 7 years
Role: A type of self-driven cannon chariot, the slow but deadly automatic cannon fills the niche of the artillery piece, bringing considerable firepower to bear as they roll alongside legions of infantry. Automatic cannons are slow and fragile, but when properly stationed they can be a devastating threat to enemy formations. In addition, they can be re-purposed into door-breaking battering rams in a pinch.

Firecracker Cannon:
Construction Time: 7 years
Role: This type of automatic chariot has seen little use outside of more reckless nations due to the collateral damage it tends to cause. Capable of launching fireballs at a slow but steady rate, this vehicle makes for a great siege weapon, but it will often completely destroy whatever is being attacked, especially the wooden towns and villages often found in the new world. If these devices are sighted on the battlefield, taking them out should be a priority.

Battering Spike:
Construction Time: 6 years
Role: Another type of automatic chariot, the battering spike is a niche weapon designed specifically to break down doors. It is as slow as an automatic cannon and lacking in any ranged defense unless the pilot carries a musket, but is invaluable due to its siege-breaking abilities. Battering Spikes are often used by nations too poor to afford fleets of automatic cannons, keeping them in reserve until the enemy's defenses are vulnerable.

Light Tank:
Construction Time: 8 years
Role: Light tanks are rapidly becoming the favored weapon of those who can deploy them, the dual cannons mounted atop its hull a devastating offensive power augmented by a sturdy body. Light tanks are valuable heavy weapons, best placed behind infantry ranks so it may unleash salvos of cannonshot in relative safety.

Heavy Tank:
Construction Time: 10 years
Role: Heavy tanks are incredibly complicated machines, requiring a long time to construct and breaking down faster than most other contraptions. However, in the time they are viable, heavy tanks absolutely dominate the battlefield, their six cannon emplacements laying waste to anything in their way. Heavy tanks can be used to crush melee infantry and outgun ranged musketeers, and require a great deal of manpower to put down.

Zeppelin:
Construction Time: 10 years
Role: If one was asked to name the defining vehicle of the modern era, the zeppelin would likely be their answer. The largest of aircraft, and indeed the largest vehicle in existence, zeppelins are seen as the ultimate answer to air transportation, capable of carrying massive amounts of goods, people, and war machines across all manner of locales. Protected by four cannon emplacements along with their natural defense of looming high in the clouds, zeppelins are all but immune to most threats. Massed musket fire, cannons, or flying monsters can still pose a threat, but for the most part zeppelins remain indomitable as they soar across the skies.

Dreadnought:
Construction Time: 10 years
Role: While the zeppelin was once thought to be the largest an airship could get, recent advances in levitation technology have proved those theories to be resoundingly wrong. The dreadnought is a radical new innovation in vehicular technology, only fielded by the most advanced or resource-rich of nations. At over twice the size of a common zeppelin and with eight shipboard cannons, the dreadnought is truly a sight to behold. Its advanced firepower can obliterate almost anything in a one on one duel, and against land-based armies or monsters it is devastatingly effective. While it has the same weaknesses as a zeppelin, these weaknesses are significantly less immediately destructive thanks to the sheer bulk of the craft. Surely, the dreadnought heralds a new era of supermassive sky vessels, and is an ominous portent of a new, devastating kind of war.

[squamous]

reserved

[Lidku]

squamous..This..This

I can't even fathom this..This is simply amazing. So much work was put into this

[squamous]

squamous..This..This

I can't even fathom this..This is simply amazing. So much work was put into this

I actually wouldn't say this all that much compared to some of my other mods, but really it doesn't matter either way because dwarf fortress is super easy to mod once you learn the basics. I whipped this whole thing up in like three days, roughly 6-8 (I'm terrible at math so don't quote me) hours of actual work. Nothing I've done here couldn't be done by just about anyone with a decent understanding of the available tools, I just seem to stand out since modding has been slowing down in the past two years or so, with less projects being published per day/week/year/whatever compared to previous versions. However, I am trying to encourage new people to try their hand at modding, and am fairly confident that the period of stability starting at the beginning of the Big Wait will do a lot to re-ignite passion for modding the game.

[Lidku]

What is the ethnic/creature name for the Falaqa Sultanate?

edit: nvm, I found them

[Lidku]

As soon as I unpause an Alligator attacks. lul

[squamous]

What is the ethnic/creature name for the Falaqa Sultanate?

edit: nvm, I found them

Yeah, connecting the creature to the culture should be fairly easy I think. I gotta sleep now but feel free to continue posting your adventures in here.

[Lidku]

What does it mean to be economically linked to a site? A Dark Oni pit just aligned itself with me apparently even though we're from completely different civs? What benefits does it have?

Currently I'm building this "lovely".."Settlement".. Admittedly this is my first real effort to make an above ground settlement instead of the usual shindig. That and the fact aquifer is everywhere.

[Lidku]

Was the ammo rate 'nerfed' in this mod? Instead of the usual bundles of 25 I got from the Bowyer workshop, its now shortened to only 5. This essentially makes hunting impossible.

[herrschor]

I like your mod already. It would be nice to see some steam-punky elements in it later. Like maybe fixed cannons as siege weapon and some kind of coal energy generation

[squamous]

Was the ammo rate 'nerfed' in this mod? Instead of the usual bundles of 25 I got from the Bowyer workshop, its now shortened to only 5. This essentially makes hunting impossible.

I didn't do anything to change ammo rates so that is weird, I'll look into it.

Edit: Actually, could you tell me what sort of ammo you made? Maybe its based on the size of the ammo itself, so making an item that is bigger in size means you get less of it per reaction?

What does it mean to be economically linked to a site? A Dark Oni pit just aligned itself with me apparently even though we're from completely different civs? What benefits does it have?

Currently I'm building this "lovely".."Settlement".. Admittedly this is my first real effort to make an above ground settlement instead of the usual shindig. That and the fact aquifer is everywhere.

I've got no idea about economic link stuff unfortunately. Maybe try raiding it? Back up your save first ofc.

[squamous]

I like your mod already. It would be nice to see some steam-punky elements in it later. Like maybe fixed cannons as siege weapon and some kind of coal energy generation

New siege weapons are impossible to make unfortunately, and fixed cannons can't be done in any effective way using animals, so we'll have to wait on that. I could try something with coal energy, but since smithing already uses coal that angle seems covered. I'll keep thinking though.

[justaguy3]

Hi! I just started using this mod and it seems very promising! I was wondering how mechanically the vehicles work, I started with an aeroskiff and I'd like to put it to use somehow.