The DF Forums were down all day for me so I continued the adventure a bit more and it ended up being quite a long one this time. Please enjoy.
Hydrocyanide, mate, this is incredible. Thank you so much. I think Vucar really got the short end of the stick here. Really a one-hit wonder, just because the world only likes riddles. Just reciting We See Mead for eternity...
Third Adventurer: Mistem Mouthgrooved
Primary Goal: Train at least one of every race up in their musical abilities.
Secondary Goal: Leave one of every race in a different civilization.
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It's time for dear Mistem to leave retirement, he's been relaxing in Lashmurders for a year, presumably singing songs on the hillsides and spending the nights drinking. It's quite cold in the dwarven lands snowing most nights. Mistem talks to someone to see what the latest news is, and seems to be aware of what just happened:
Kivish 'Samwise' must have chatted with Vucar in the break. I'm glad to see Sam gave her a beer for a riddle (this feels very good to see dwarves interacting.) Samwise presses the real issue:
We walk around Lashmurders and give everyone a round of songs. Zaneg, one of the local leaders, let's us know about a new shop to the south: a place which sells instruments and instruments alone. What luck! The Fellowship of the Sing rush to the southwest.
Hesitantly, we approach. Ah. This must be the place.
Mistem and the group walk through a farm area, but mysteriously, no stout farmers are working the fields. Pigtails and Purple helmets sit in the fields ready for harvest. Some unwatched swine dig in the moist loam.
A butcher's area rests in rough carved stone. Still, no one to be seen. The band walks down to the main hall. A nice place, a little rough, and there's a fine powder of atomsmashed gypsum everywhere. Mistem, trying to be polite, clears his throat in the darkness and feels it echo silently through the fort. He walks down the main hall and sees excellent instruments resting in workshops. But still, no dwarves.
Helping themselves, the band gear up with musical tools they do so deliberately loudly, hoping someone will come around and ask for a fee. Mistem even encourages the group to perform a piece. They gain some attention: but only from one of the non-sentient residents of the fortress.
Mistem walks toward the end of the fortress's main hall. He and the group kick down one of the doors to see a dwarf resting on his bed, for some reason he has shoved his cabinet and chest under the bed in some sort of lofting attempt. They assault him with song.
The Fellowship go from room to room, barraging the residents with music. One of them even joins in, but hates the experience. Such strange dwarves they make instruments but feel no joy for music.
After talking to all the dwarves, it's become clear they've caught the old dwarven disease: fort madness. They're complete shut ins. Uninterested in any social interactions, even if that includes trade. Poor bastards. The group leaves them to wallow in their sadness, now richer for the experience.
Note: I didn't get a screenshot of this, but the thusest is useless. As a stationary instrument, it must be set up to be played - so I can't play it, as I can't install it in adventure mode (maybe if I built a site. Didn't try.) If I held it in my hands and chose a song for the thusest, I still only had the ability to simulate it.
I distribute instruments. Iden "Frodo" is getting good at singing, so I take the ozkak for a while. Kivish "Samwise" is pleased to pick up the laluth.
We leave the fortress and head back toward Lashmurder, then Bowpainted, and Oldclasped. We sing and play wherever we go, and clearly our performance has been improved by these masterful instruments.
Interestingly, I introduce myself to some of the dwarves and find Erush Bekarobok. If you recall, this world was used by a friend and I for a legacy fort. Erush was one of our first migrants, our first mayor, and our first execution (crushed by a bridge after she murdered a citizen in a rage). Good to see she's doing better in this timeline.
The band sets out for their real world-tour. They travel down to Birdappears in the elven lands. Surprisingly, the site looks abandoned. The trees are all mostly empty of elves. Eventually, we stumble upon a truly shocking sight.
A yak stands confidently on a single branch, twisting and groaning under its weight.
In the hopes of finding some citizens to impress with song, The Lord of the Sings just start performing under the elven trees. It seems to get a response by luck.
Mistem scrambles up a nearby tree and finds a group of 8 elves chatting with each other. These seem like an...interesting group.
Mistem sings a few songs, accompanied by Frodo and Sam who stand attentively on the forest floor. One of the elves expresses interest in joining us, welcome to the band, Icemi!
He follows Mistem to the forest floor and gets the customary initiating ritual:
And finally, a nickname:
Unfortunately, The Lord of the Sings has to remain a trio, which means we have to lose a member. The group talks it over, and Samwise is chosen to stay with the Elves. Goodbye Sam, you've been a great companion.
And with that, we're off toward the human town - rumor has it, they've reclaimed Thunderedbolts. The group will perform as many times as possible along the way.
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Notes:
A companion who joins you for entertainment, will not perform with you if you've formed a performance troupe - until they are also invited into the troupe. This is weird, as random civilians will join a performance troupe's song when they're not members. I'm guessing it's actually a pathfinding thing with preference to any troupe members who can get there. I didn't try it inside a tree, while Icemi was in the tree with me. I'll test this again in the future.
I've been performing in every house and tree that has residents. Basically, this is just a way for me to keep performing without just sitting in one place hitting the buttons over and over. There's no mechanical benefit to being witnessed for your performance skill, I don't think.
The other members couldn't perform with me in the tree, as they weren't on the same Z-level. They also didn't zoom up to me as they usually do when music starts.
Samwise was a proficient dancer and strong musician when we started. Their performance skill increased, but wasn't their highest skill, however the category of performing skills are still a majority of their skills. Frodo is very close to having singing as his primary skill, so I'll keep performing with him to get him there. Samwise also refused to give up the laluth, so I let him keep it as a going-away present. I might have to go back to Stringflicker in the future. Here's what Sam looks like, for those interested:
The time commitment for this is getting a bit bloated. I want to find a way to cheese the performance skill and max it out quickly. If anyone has any ideas, let me know.
Finally, I composed a few more songs, but all only have three parts and almost always those parts are "chant, ozkak, and laluth" - which seem to be Mistem's specialty.