You could have a dwarf assigned as a paleontologist. Paleontologist could have their own workshop to study and identify fossils. If the fossils were already discover during world gen then it will be named according to what the world gen Paleontologist chose to name the fossil after. If the fossils are the first of it's kind to be dug up then your paleontologist can name it to their liking(or maybe we can name it, but I prefer to give the paleontologist freedom to name the fossil.)
What I wonder is what these bones will be? Will the fossils be animals with randomly generated looks? Something like,"resemble a skeletal bear with one eye socket and a two long horn. It was first discovered by [Insert name here] in 236."
Or as @crundle_bone_earring suggested, could it be fossilized remains of magical beast that once roam during the myth gen? Maybe these fossilized remains of magical beast might have some sort of magical property, and maybe we can harness their power for our own desire or maybe we can't, but the fossilized remains of magical beast can effect our dwarves. For example, a fossilized remain of a magical beast may turn your dwarf into stone, set them on fire, make dwarves go berserk without reasons, make them depress or turn them mad, or make dwarves lazy to the point where they are too lazy to eat or drink eventually starving to death.
Of course if these fossilized remains of magical beast causes negative effects, their must be a way to combat against these. It will take time for these magical bone's power to be fully awaken, and once your paleontologist have discovered them a timer will start.you will be given two stages of foreshadowing message. Let's say the fossilized remains you have dug up burn people alive, the first stage when someone walk pass the fossil will be." The Dwarf feels hot all of sudden." Then the last warning " The dwarf feels like their skin is burning." Then finally "The dwarf is on fire." When you are given the first sign of the bone's bad omen you can do two things. Quickly grabbed those fossils and store it away in a locked room or take those remains and destroy it.
All it's not in vain though, for those bones may be useful. If you store it away safely in a tightly locked room. You could turn that room into a death chamber. Where you execute prisoners or if you want to be rping turn it into a sacrificial chamber and every year someone is elected to be sacrificed to the blood god(probably have a magical effect that burst a creatures like a pop balloon coating the room in with their red goo) you could also design a room underneath a floor trap and when gonlins walk over the floor trap a dwarf can pull a lever opening the floor and any goblins who fell will meet a death worst than getting their head bashed in.
I am not sure what these magical fossil will do during world gen. Maybe, when guilds are more fleshed out their could be some sort of paleontologist guild where these bones are locked away, but you can see them through a window glass since it's safe to look at them from a window or whatever.
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Topic: Fossils? (Read 1932 times)