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Author Topic: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress & Adventure [DF 0.47.05]  (Read 82965 times)

brewer bob

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #390 on: December 15, 2022, 11:33:58 pm »

Part XXI:
How About 'Amethysts'?




7th of Granite, 371

There was not much sleep that night, for dawn was closer than the companions had thought, and they wanted to set off at first light.

With little sleep and rain pouring the five left the camp: it was time to hunt some ettin.



The location where the lair of the two-headed giant supposedly was lay only a short stroll to the north.






The companions almost thought that there was no lair: they searched and searched the forested hills, but found no signs of such a place.

As they were just about to give up, they stumbled accidentally on a well-hidden entrance into the dirt -- it had to be the lair!

“It is best you wait here,” Suwu addressed the short-nosed goblin. Someone who has been for years a prisoner was in no shape to take on giant-kin -- especially without any kind of equipment.



The dirt walls of the passage soon changed to ones of shale...



...leading straight into a cave, its floor littered with all sorts of items and at the back of it the ettin stood looking down at the intruders!

The pale brown-skinned ettin was tall and fat with long, curly hair the color of burnt umber. His left head was much narrower than the right one, which gave him a curious look.




“I AM NOT SCARED,” the ettin's left head began and the right one finished the sentence, “...OF ANY PUNY LITTLE ONES!”

It grabbed a bronze buckler from the pile of items and charged forward.

Suwu was at the ready to slice the giant in the leg and make it fall down, but this one was a nimble one and the scuffle quickly turned into a dodging battle.



Suwu kept missing the ettin and while Cañar hit it, the blows seemed not to be as effective as hoped for.

“I AM THE FOE OF ELVES,” the ettin's heads bellowed in unison, “THEY SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN THE TREES THEY SO LOVE!”



Cañar's war hammer struck the monster in its chest with a loud whack, and as the giant reeled from it, Suwu managed to get a slash in -- she hit it in the right head.

But the cut was not deep.



The battle took a turn once Ova came in and distracted the ettin with his hammer-waving, allowing Cañar to land a mighty blow on the giant.

It howled as it dropped its buckler.



The fight went on as a dodging competion until finally Cañar landed another good blow from his war hammer: a solid smack on the right shin twisted its knee and the chubby ettin fell over.




But even on the ground, the ettin was a tough and resilient one: many of its bones were chipped and broken, blood flowed from deep wounds in necks and heads, yet it kept going.

A slash from Suwu and a blow from Ova into the ettin's gut caused it to retch.



In the end, the ettin came down after both of its heads were crushed into pulp by Cañar's hammering.

There its lifeless body lay on the cave floor on its hoard now covered with ettin gore, viscera and vomit.

This was the longest battle they had done with one of the giant-kin.






The companions cleared the ettin's lair of any loot. Normally they would not have bothered to take anything except the most valuable items, but their new camp was close -- even a heavier load could be easily moved there.

It was mostly clothing and worthless items, though there were some coins too. Rin was quick to take them, “We need a treasurer to keep count of our coin,” he had explained.

Among the hoard lay also three skeletons: presumably a human, a dwarf and an elf. They too were taken. It was only right to give them a proper burial: their final resting place would be at the companions' camp.

And as they returned, they cut down trees, for the forest here was more dense than at the waterfall.

Otherwise things went smoothly, but Suwu almost managed to fell a tree on herself -- luckily she was quick to react and dodged the trunk as it came crashing down.





Days passed after the venture into the ettin's lair.

The companions worked on their stronghold, erecting walls, felling trees in the nearby forests and admiring local wildlife. These lands were filled with creatures most of them were unfamiliar with, though some they had seen in Waterlures when the elves arrived to trade and brought all manner of fauna with them.

Giant tortoises were among such creatures.



Large herds of cow-like beasts with high shoulders sloping lower to the rear -- gnus, Ova enlightened them -- were a common sight. These magnificent antelopes were known to migrate in massive groups in these northern savannas and plains.



As work progressed, the companions decided to venture back into the halls of the fortress where they had encountered the forgotten beast. Much loot had been left behind and since soon they were going to have storage space, they went to retrieve all manner of goods: clothing, weapons, armor, well-preserved food and even furniture.



They gained the trust -- or at least enough trust -- of the freed goblin prisoner that he finally introduced himself as Gozru. He had named his daughter after himself -- a common thing in his family, he said.

When Gozru heard the others talk about the vile sorcerers one day, he mentioned that he knew of one of their twisted creations and how horrible they could be.

“Olngö Terrorpaints was his name,” Gozru told them, “But folk call him 'the Mucous' -- an awful smell of rank wine wafts around him always. A drunk he may be and an abomination, but he is also a murderer: he killed Tosid Blockadegrooved! Yes, the forces of Kadol himself attacked Vinemeads and there the foul deed was done!”



For nearly a week they toiled on the main building before it was completed with roof and all.

It was satisfying to finish up some work.






13th of Granite, 371

Heavy rain fell outside as the companions gathered around the tables to eat and discuss.

“These have been good days,” Ova said while eating some fisher berries, “We have built ourselves a place to rest and recuperate, to plot our next move. It is so great to be surrounded by family like you -- and I mean you too, Rin.”

“Yes, family is important,” Suwu hopped in, “It is a wonderful thing to be surrounded by one.”

“You know,” Gozru said from the door with a slight look of sadness on his face, “You are absolutely right...”

Suwu turned to address Gozru, “We will help you get back to your family safely, do not worry. But first we have other business to take care of, unfortunately.”





15th of Granite, 371

Work continued for a few days.

While they had a roof over their heads and walls around them, they did not feel yet safe enough. So they decided to erect a palisade and gates around the grounds. Work on the walls of Waterlures had taught them much and that knowledge proved useful here.

During this week of toil their plans had shifted from a base where to rest and research (once they had books) to one of a grander, more ambitious nature.

“If we are to wage war,” Cañar had spoken one night when Gozru wasn't near, “If we are to defeat this evil that plagues the Enchanted Dimensions in battle, we must do so from a place far from our home. Far from Waterlures.”

And a decision was made to make their base a fortified stronghold -- one that could be defended. And one where there was space to house a host of mercenaries, if need be.






The companions walked along the bank of a stream in rain, enveloped by fog. The day was still young and they were headed west and to the south.

For they had learned from Gozru that he had heard of a third ancient dwarf fortress nearby: Ïngiztaron, 'Ceilingyell'. Gozru knew not much more. Only that it was abandoned -- presumably due to one of the beasts prowling beneath the surface of Minbazkar.




As they walked, Gozru turned to look to the other side of the stream.

“Those Kadol's demons,” the goblin said, “I've heard they come from Islandfences. Some kind of dark tower of the evil sorcerers. They say Kadol himself lives there... And that there are still foul things happening even to this day.”

“We have heard some,” Suwu said back, “Such things should be stopped. By any means. These lands have been ravaged by their sick creations for longer than I can imagine... Have you happened to hear where this Islandfences is?”

“No,” Gozru replied, “Not exactly. But I think I overheard one of the elves at the camp speak of 'that cursed tower at the coast', if it helps?”

It was not much to go on.





They followed the winding waterway upstream towards the mountains. From there they would head along the foothills, continuing west and south -- it should eventually lead them to the dwarven hold of old.



Soon they came upon the grounds of a settlement: a hillocks by the look of it.

They were not used to seeing such places built this close to the mountains.



The drinking mound of the hillocks was empty -- no bearded ones there to welcome rain-soaked travelers with a pint of dwarven wine.

The other mounds next to it were empty, too. The companions were not surprised to find yet one more abandoned village in these war-torn cursed lands.




But as they were about to leave and continue their way, they heard sounds from what looked like the civic mound of the hillocks.

Inside they saw three elves who introduced themselves as worshippers of Nature. And indeed they seemed to mean it with their whole hearts, for they all were disrobed, their exposed skin only covered with water from the rain.






After discussing with the nude elves who complained about rain -- it was rather awkward as the companions tried not to stare at the bare bodies of these Nature worshippers -- the companions left the hillocks, heading south and climbing up the slopes of the foothills of quartzite and rock salt.

They learned the name of the hillocks: Charcoalwheel. And it was abandoned, which didn't come as a surprise.




“Haha, 'you are amazing', that was a good one,” Rin laughed thinking of how Suwu hadn't been able to resist commenting the outfits of the elves, “Sure could see from his face that he didn't appreciate it.”

“'You insult me with your flattery, let us move on',” Suwu tried her best to imitate the naked elf who had put his hands on his hips after her remark. She couldn't shake out of her mind the sight of the elf's family jewels dangling between his legs, “I hope we don't have to meet them again any time soon.”





“Regardless,” Suwu wiped off the smile from her face, “It was good we ran into them. It was a fortunate coincidence that they happened to mention about that shield they want back, and that it's possibly at Kadol's tower...”

“Yes,” Cañar said, “And now we know where Islandfences is. We won't be needing to spend time searching for it once we are ready to head there.”





The bold adventurers were nearing their destination. They had just climbed over some foothills and were back on lower ground when they suddenly saw a woman run with incredible speed across the open fields of grama grass.

She wore armor made of iron and bronze, and she had spear and shield in hand as she charged towards the group of five.

Suwu drew her blade.



The human rushed first at Cañar, Ova and Gozru who were in a tight formation.

Gozru lunged with his spear, missing their attacker who retaliated with a thrust gone wide.



The human moved nimbly, dodging blows until Ova landed a bash from his buckler on her head, but it did nothing: the iron helm deflected it with ease. It did, however, create an opening for Cañar to bring down his hammer, hitting the woman in the right forearm with a mighty blow.

But it did not hinder her: her spear struck Gozru in the leg, causing the goblin to fall to the ground.





Suwu rushed into the fray as swift as her paws could carry her.

She was not fast enough. She saw the human lunge with her spear, striking Gozru badly in the neck as he lay on the ground. Blood began gushing from the wound as Cañar and Ova bashed and kicked at the assaillant trying to protect Gozru.

With fury Suwu brought down Sarveshsazir as she closed in, striking true.

The spearwoman fell to the ground, her head split in two.

“Agh! I am done for!”, Gozru yelled in pain and terror, coughing blood out of his mouth, “My time is due...”



The companions gathered around Gozru who lay there, unable to move. His breath was heavy. He was wheezing.

He was dying.

“I-I feel so fragile...”, the goblin wheezed, “My life... It is over...”

Cañar knelt down and tried to stop the flow of blood from Gozru's neck wound.

“Gozru, breathe slowly,” Suwu began, “We have known only for a few days. We may not yet be friends, but I have grown fond of you. I would like to call you one. But friends or not, we must remember other priorities, too.”

It was an odd thing to say at the moment, but it was all Suwu got out of her mouth.

“I am glad you came to trust us enough to tell your name, Gozru,” she continued as she saw life slipping away from the goblin, “Telling the truth is the right thing to do. You have done right, Gozru.”

“I... I see now...”, the goblin replied deliriously, “I see the nuances and value of such things... I feel cold...”



“Gozru!”, Suwu shook the goblin's shoulder, “Stay awake! Where should we take you?”

“Huh? Is... Is that you, my child?”, the goblin looked at Suwu, seeing the face of his daughter, “Are we... Home? T-They... They saved me...”





“I am... Afraid... So cold,” Gozru said, barely being able to breathe, “T-this is horrifying...”

Then he went limp, the last breath escaped his lips.

The companions stood there, around the body of their new companion -- friend -- in the rain, far, far away from the home of the goblin.





With heavy hearts the companions continued their journey towards the dwarf hold.

They took Gozru's body with them. He would be given a proper burial once they returned to their stronghold.





It was only a short walk to the fortress from where Gozru had fallen.

There was not much talk between the companions as they entered the massive halls made of green-hued shiny stone, their footsteps echoing, clouds of dust billowing.

Whatever the reason this place was ruined, they would try to find out. If there was a threat they would take care of it. If not, ever the better: the sooner they could then return.



Down they went once again, down the ramp twisting around the shaft hewn into rock salt...



...Rock salt giving way to gabbro, then diorite, and much deeper still veins of gold spread across the walls...



A wayshrine with a pedestal and statue. It depicted a long-forgotten dwarven deity: a dwarf with a long beard as his only clothes, his beard and hair growing twigs and leaves, his skin as rugged as the stone of the mountains -- perhaps a god of nature and stone, then?



They lost track of how deep they descended, but it must have been hundreds upon hundreds of feet, and when they were beginning to feel that the passage was endless, they came to a hall opening both north and south, continuing far into the dark.

They had reached the main levels of the ancient fortress.





The companions four began their exploration of the dusty and dank halls.

“Be prepared, stay close,” Suwu whispered in the lead, “Who knows what manner of old forgotten horrors lurk within these halls.”

Gripping their weapons tightly, keeping watchful eyes they stepped forth.



If the previous fortress they had ransacked was full of treasures, it was nothing compared to the amount they encountered here: the stores were crammed with beautiful furniture, clothing, armor and all manner of crafts.

They would take as much as they could once the place was secured.



Winding passage after winding passage, living quarters and large halls with statues was what they encountered.

In one large room an array of a different kinds of weapons were set on display. Possibly an armory of sorts.



The southern half was a maze, but they went through it all.

No beasts were found there. In a sense, it was a relief, for the death of their new companion was still fresh in their minds. They were not keen on more fighting.

And yet, here they were, searching ancient halls for even older beasts.



The northern hallways were full of small rooms: the private living quarters of the dwarves who had called this place their home.

Onwards they went...



...Room after room they searched...




As Suwu opened the last room of the corridor, a horrible hiss came from inside!

In front of her was a towering twisted, bloated form which could only be described as a viper with an enormous shell on its back. It was coiled around a cabinet of limestone and stared at Suwu with its one eye, fangs dripping venom.

“Beast!”, Suwu shouted as she slashed at its head without hesitation.

The battle was on.



The viper sprung at Suwu, but she rolled out of its way into the room, opening way for the others to reach the fight -- and cornering herself at the same time.



Suwu kept leaping away from the beast's charges as Ova rushed in. She scored several hits on the beast, but they were mere small cuts.

An opening, a well-timed stab close to the head, and Suwu's blade tore muscle and connected with spine.



Dodge, slash! Dodge! Stab, stab!

The viper had been slowed down by the blow and Ova joining the fray distracted it enough for Suwu to score many a deep wound.

The beast was spraying blood, painting the halls crimson.



But all it did was anger the beast.

As Ova struck it on its shell and his war hammer bounced off harmlessly, the viper bit the mandrill man in his leg -- tearing the whole leg off!



“Ova, no!”, Suwu yelled furiously, “You will not take my friend away from me!”

She stabbed the beast, hitting deep and causing it to loose its stance.

Dazed and wracked with pain Ova bashed it from the ground in its unprotected parts with a solid thud.



Suwu went for its eye, but the strike went wide as the monster lashed at Ova. The blade hit the side of the viper's head, cutting deep. Suwu could feel the cracking of bone.



On and on the fighting went -- slash, whack, stab, dodge -- and despite its many wounds the foul monster showed no signs of defeat.

Suwu landed a blow on the viper's eye, but alas! It did not go as deep as hoped for and her sword was stuck in the scales for a moment.

'This fight must be finished quick,' Suwu thought as she glanced at Ova who was losing blood by the second.



Suwu lost count of how many times she had slashed and stabbed at the beast, but it must have been dozens upon dozens. Ova, too, had bashed it from the ground, the sound of cracking bones heard through the wailing and shrieking of the viper.

Finally, Cañar reached the fray, punching it in the mouth with a heavy whack.

Maybe the three of them could bring it down, for Rin was still nowhere in sight.



And indeed, finally the beast fell -- or what was left of its mutilated body.

Suwu looked at the viper's severed head at her feet.

“Another beast slain,” she slightly panting after the battle, “Another ancient home made safe...”

She then looked at Ova.



The mandrill man lay on the ground, exhausted, in a growing pool of blood -- both his and the viper's. He looked pale, his eyes wandered.

“Ova!”, Suwu screamed in panic, “Cañar, help! Ova needs help!”

She knelt over him with the elephant man, desperately trying to stem the flow of blood from the stump of a leg.

“No, Ova, no!”, she felt a lump form in her throat. She did not want to loose another one this day. Especially not Ova.

“Stay with us Ova,” Cañar said with a calm, but concerned voice, “Look at me, stay with us.”







It was night and the stars were out. A cool breeze blew from the open plains to the west.

Suwu, Cañar, Rin and Ova sat around a campfire they had made next to a cashew tree. They had survived the events of the harrowing day, their packs full of treasures -- though, the price of the venture had been heavy.

“Damn it, Rin!”, Suwu finally broke the silence, “What took you so long again? I told you to stay close!”

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry, alright?”, Rin replied with a slight hint of annoyance in his voice, “I got lost. I turned the wrong way! I tried to follow the sounds, but... But they only led me further away! I tell you -- that place was cursed!”

Suwu was about to confront Rin, but Ova put his hand in front of her mouth and spoke, “Rin, it's alright. It could have happened to anyone of us. The place was a maze. You can't deny that, Suwu.”

Suwu sighed, “I guess...”

“I might have lost my leg,” Ova continued. The pain the wound caused could be heard in his voice, “But so did Edu. And it not hinder him. No, not one bit it didn't. He pushed on. Until the end.”

Suwu looked up at Ova. She was not used to such wise words coming out from the mandrill man's mouth. And she thought of Edu. Indeed, he lost his paw, but he didn't loose his fight, his spirit. He took a crutch. He continued to toil. He continued his life. Until the end.

“Ova speaks true,” Cañar said and looked at the stump left behind of the mandrill man's leg, “Though, I fear your fighting days may be over, friend. We have a long way back, but I will help you carry your weight.”





Rin stepped slightly away from the camp as the others went through the day's events.

He peered into the darkness. He felt afraid. Of what he had done.

He was lying when he said he got lost. No, he had stayed behind. The voice had commanded him. It said the beast will take care of the others and then...

And then Rin could take the slabs.

But the voice had been wrong: the others -- his friends -- they did not fall.

'RIN,' once again Rin heard the voice of Bazsa the Sinful echo in his mind, 'DO NOT QUESTION ME. DO NOT THINK YOU CAN BETRAY ME. NO. YOU WILL DO AS I SAY. SOON, THE TIME WILL CO--'

'Oh shut up! Shut up, will you!', Rin shut his eyes in anger and tried to shake the voice out of his head.



He stepped back to the camp.

“A song, maybe?”, he interrupted the discussion of the others with a smile on his face. He was happy. He was happy that Ova was still alive. He felt guilty, certainly, but his friends had survived.

The others turned to look at him in surprise.

“Why, certainly,” Ova smiled back, “What did you have in mind, friend?”

“How about...”, Rin paused for a moment, “Amethysts?”






=====

Yikes! Thought we'd loose Ova there.

Fortunately the bleeding stopped almost as soon as the combat ended.

All fights were surprisingly long (and tough compared to previous ones), well except the one with the intelligent undead (completely forgot to give Gozru some armor though we had a whole bunch available)... Guess I was getting a bit too overconfident with our heroes abilities. Ain't the case no more.

Not sure if I'll manage to get one up tomorrow. Got other stuff and prolly much of game time will go on building the camp of the adventurers.

...Oh, and we met some naked performers finally!

what, you don't worship pagan gods in the nude? how vanilla

Don't even have to worship pagan gods! There was the early Christian Adamites, which was revived in the medieval period by the Brethren of the Free Spirit and other heretics. So, even good christians can be all nude during worship!  :D

King Zultan

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #391 on: December 16, 2022, 05:57:36 am »

Dang things were looking pretty grim there for a minute.


Also the only true way to worship a god is while naked!
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The Lawyer opens a briefcase. It's full of lemons, the justice fruit only lawyers may touch.
Make sure not to step on any errant blood stains before we find our LIFE EXTINGUSHER.
but anyway, if you'll excuse me, I need to commit sebbaku.
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brewer bob

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #392 on: December 16, 2022, 10:03:47 am »

Dang things were looking pretty grim there for a minute.

Yeah, that FB was one hell of a beast to chew.

Don't want to imagine what would've happened if it had a dust attack...

Salmeuk

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #393 on: December 16, 2022, 02:23:06 pm »

do you find that the adventure construction is painful or tediuous? I have avoided it somewhat and, well, might simply hold out on further deep-dives into adv mode until it is brought onto the premium version

Also, lucky Ova... that snake was TANKY. some beasts seem fleshier than others. Were you striking the shell perhaps?
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brewer bob

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #394 on: December 16, 2022, 02:59:37 pm »

do you find that the adventure construction is painful or tediuous? I have avoided it somewhat and, well, might simply hold out on further deep-dives into adv mode until it is brought onto the premium version

I might not be the best person to ask since what I find enjoyable is often something others find painful, tedious and micromanagery.  :)

But anyway, personally I find it a very simplified version of fort mode building: you just slap down the plans without need to think of building access, then press 'start working'. It takes time if you don't have many workers (it'll stop when hungry/thirsty/too tired), of course. I'd prefer something similar to fort mode building, but I'm fine with how it's currently. (Just waiting for the time in the distant future when we can swap seamlessly between fort & adventure...)

Now if you'd go with DFHack's advfort on the other hand... That'd get tedious, but what can I say: I like dragging and putting things down one piece at a time.

Also, lucky Ova... that snake was TANKY. some beasts seem fleshier than others. Were you striking the shell perhaps?

Yeah, that viper was no joke. It took an insane amount of hits to the neck & head before going down. Ova kept striking it in the shell with no effect, but Suwu was tearing scale, muscle and fat all the time (not to mention dozens of severed arteries and yet it didn't bleed out). I guess a spear would've been better than a short sword there (stabs were far more effective than slashes).

Also, pretty sure I won't get an update up today. Hopefully tomorrow, but it depends on how quickly I get the building stuff completed.

And a question about the next move:

Should our heroes first go "borrow" books from Fencereined or head off to take care of the tower of Islandfences?

Or possibly other ideas and/or wishes?

TurboDwarf

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #395 on: December 16, 2022, 03:24:15 pm »

what, you don't worship pagan gods in the nude? how vanilla
What's wrong with vanilla? vanilla is good. Sure today it's just nudity, but tomorrow it'll be human sacrifices and ripping out still-beating hearts from their chests.
...According to their raws, elves at least don't do this... yet. Otherwise i'd say it'd be right on point for them.

But i digress. Poor Gorzu... I was so hoping for a better conclusion to his story. But alas, that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes.
Ova too, but i guess one could say he got lucky. That beast was a pretty scary one.

King Zultan

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #396 on: December 17, 2022, 03:12:24 am »

And a question about the next move:

Should our heroes first go "borrow" books from Fencereined or head off to take care of the tower of Islandfences?

Or possibly other ideas and/or wishes?
I say go take those books and just keep them, they probably don't appreciate them anyway.
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The Lawyer opens a briefcase. It's full of lemons, the justice fruit only lawyers may touch.
Make sure not to step on any errant blood stains before we find our LIFE EXTINGUSHER.
but anyway, if you'll excuse me, I need to commit sebbaku.
Quote from: Leodanny
Can I have the sword when you’re done?

Salmeuk

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #397 on: December 17, 2022, 11:19:40 am »

+1 to book thieving. Perhaps Ova wishes to retire in his homeland, after the injury?
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brewer bob

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #398 on: December 17, 2022, 11:52:11 am »

I say go take those books and just keep them, they probably don't appreciate them anyway.
+1 to book thieving. Perhaps Ova wishes to retire in his homeland, after the injury?

Yeah, the books anyway make the most sense currently.

And speaking of Ova, seems like you've been reading my mind Salmeuk: I've been having the exact same idea, haha.

It's also entirely likely that the others will remain at their new stronghold for quite some time. Their plans seem to be getting more ambitious with all this talk of "waging war" against the evils of the land...

I might get a update done today, but if it'll be short, I'll probably combine it with tomorrow's stuff. So, either today or tomorrow at the latest there'll be something up.

In the meanwhile, here's a little "treat" of what happened yesterday pretty much right after our companions headed back to their camp. Enjoy Rin's brutality:


(For the love of Ôsed! Why Rin, why!?!)

TurboDwarf

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #399 on: December 17, 2022, 12:10:39 pm »

The longer i think about it, the more absurd - and thus funny - the mental image of that whole act becomes. DF combat is - pardon the pun - nuts.

Salmeuk

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #400 on: December 17, 2022, 05:11:16 pm »

now THAT is a DF exclusive ! I kind of wish I worked as a urologist so i could wear a shirt with that screenshot on it for vasectomies
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brewer bob

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #401 on: December 17, 2022, 09:14:05 pm »

Part XXII:
The White Fountains




11th of Slate, 371

Ova sat in the corner of their new dining hall, a wooden cup filled with plump helmet wine in front of him. Next to him sat Rin with feet on the table and opposite Ova was Suwu slumped on a chair. The elephant man Cañar, however, didn't sit: he stood beside the table, a cup of wine at the ready. Another long day was at its end, the sun high in the western sky.



“I'm starting to get a hang of this,” Ova said to Cañar, patting the wooden crutch leaning against his side, “Quite satisfying, this crutch. With it I almost forget that I lost my leg to the snake-beast.”

“You are lucky you lost only your leg, Ova,” Cañar replied, “But it is good to hear from your lips that you are getting used to your crutch. I think this might have been what was needed now: this concentrating on our new camp, our stronghold. And now it's completed, at last.”

Ova raised his mug, “A drink then, maybe? To celebrate the occasion -- and to sample Suwu's wine!”

“A drink!”, Suwu joined in, “It's a long time since we made merry! A drink and a song!”

“A drink and a song!”, the other three repeated, Ova and Cañar raising their cups as Rin began to fill his from the wine barrel.





For nearly a month the four had been hard at work, building a place for themselves from where they could launch their coming expeditions. During that time they had almost forgotten why they were here in the first place: to complete Lòr's quest and bring an end to the Darkness ravaging these once beautiful lands.

The main building was not large and the dining room hardly spacious enough for celebration, but it sufficed. Upstairs were four rooms and a place to craft.

The next building contained a still, a farmer's workshop, a loom and a clothier's. It seemed they would remain here for a considerable amount of time, and thus decided to prepare for the eventual: clothes becoming threadbare and tattered.

The third one had a tannery and leatherworks in its ground floor: they were meant for Ova, who would be the one spending most of his time here, keeping guard and hearth warm. And he needed something else to do than stare at the waterfall and wildlife while the others were gone. Above Ova's workplace was a make-shift library where they would be storing books for their research -- once they had others than those found in Finderblunts, which Cañar had insisted should be kept behind lock and key.

Next to the lime tree growing in their courtyard was a shrine for Gozru -- similar to the one they built for Lòr near Controlledseal. Gozru's remains were entombed here and on a pedestal next to the shrine the skull and bones of his killer were on display in gruesome fashion.

The gate houses were currently only used for storage, but if their grand plans would ever bear fruit, they would serve as barracks for warriors and mercenaries joining their cause -- their stores already held more than enough armor and equipment for such a force.







“Are you sure about this, Rin?”, Suwu asked the goblin with a hushed voice. They had been waiting for night to fall in the hills just south of Fencereined for a few hours now. Their trek here had gone without incident and their intention was to sneak into the fortress to take books from the Sanctuary of Geniuses back to the camp at the waterfall.

“Yes, yes,” Rin answered restlessly, “Look, I'm the best bet we have. I'm stealthy and my goblin-eyes are better suited for dark than yours. Besides, if I get stopped, I'm the least conspicuous of us: we saw plenty of goblins here. I could easily pass off as a traveler -- make up a name or something if asked -- but you guys... Well, no offense, but it's not that common to run into a capybara woman, elephant man or mandrill man.”

“Hmm,” Cañar said, stroking his trunk, “We will remain here then. At the ready. But, Rin, remember: if anything goes wrong, run. And yell. Do not do anything foolish on your own. We will come to aid with haste if things turn dour.”

“Yes, yes,” Rin muttered as he began to creep towards the walls.

“Good luck, friend,” he could hear Ova say from behind.





Rin crept slowly along the narrow gap between the fortress and the stone.

He heard sounds from within the walls. 'Damn it. I hoped they'd all be asleep, Rin cursed in his mind.




Gorlaks.

A whole bunch of gorlaks. Sleeping on the floor of the large main hall like it was some common dormitory. Rin had never seen so many gorlaks at once during his long life.

But there were voices, voices that could be heard faintly over all the cacophonic snoring.

“Hey, I'm fine with it,” one said and was answered by another -- presumably a gorlak, “Yeah? Just don't get on my bad side... You don't want any of that.”




'Damn! They've seen me, Rin cursed again in his mind as he noticed some of the gorlaks who were talking give him a quick glance. They didn't, however, seem interested in him.

'Might just as well pretend I'm a visitor to the library,' he thought as he tried to put on as casual a face as he could muster -- he wanted to appear like any simple scholar from the camp.

Well, like a armed and armored scholar, anyway...



The upstairs of the Sanctuary of Geniuses was crammed with sleeping gorlaks. Rin had a difficult time walking between them to the bookcase.

When he was certain nobody was watching, he crammed a bunch of books into his pack without looking what he took.





Rin wasn't satisfied with the meager amount of books the library had to offer. Gorlaks were plentiful, dozens upon dozens of them sleeping in piles, but books, they were few.

As he pondered should he go look through the tents, he looked at the shaft leading down in the center of the grand hall.

He couldn't resist the temptation and headed down...



...And entered the main level of Fencereined after a somewhat long descent.

He stopped, breathed in deeply, taking one step after the other, heading into the dark. Whatever was the cause of the strange happenings and turmoil here, Rin would soon find out.






Rin startled his companions when he scrambled down the slope to them, pebbles and sand rolling down in his footsteps.

“Let's go,” the goblin exclaimed waving a book in his hands, “I've got them. All of them.”

“What took you so long?”, Suwu asked as she looked around to see if Rin had been followed.

“No time to explain,” the goblin replied, “I might have been spotted. Let's move with haste.”





It was late night when they arrived back at camp. They all were too tired to question Rin about what had happened at Fencereined.

It could wait until morning.






12th of Slate, 371

They slept late the following day. It was almost midday when they gathered for a late breakfast with mugs of plump helmet wine to wash the hyena meat down.

“Look, I tell you,” Rin was recounting the events of the previous night, “There is definitely something strange going on in Fencereined. Something odd. And it's certainly no beast from the deep, I tell you...”



“Gorlaks. Tens of them, possibly even hundreds! The library was full, the tavern was full and the temple was full -- I even went down the shaft into the deeps and, I kid you not, the halls there were crammed with gorlaks! It was like a endless sea of yellow balls there. I had to watch every step not to step on one of their round bodies -- or heads, whatever.”

Rin paused for a moment, taking a swig from the cup.

“There's some kind of sinister invasion of those tawny blob-heads going on, mark my words. I'm certain of it! Why, I didn't even know there could be so many gorlaks in the whole world!”

“Oh, come on, Rin,” Suwu scoffed, “Surely you exaggerate?”

“I swear,” Rin stood up holding his hand to his heart, “I am not lying! There were even... Plump helmet men -- you know, like 'Avo'?”

“I believe you,” Ova said when he noticed a slight agitation in Rin's voice, “Why would Rin lie about this, Suwu?”

“Alright, alright,” Suwu sighed, resting her chin in her hands, “But let us move on... What else?”




“Well...”, Rin continued, “The library, the Sanctuary of Geniuses, it was awfully empty... Not much books there. They must have cleared it out when this invasion -- pardon, mess -- began. So, I snuck to the tents to see what they got there...”

“And?”, Suwu asked when the goblin paused.

“Scholars, poets, bards -- I think... All sleeping together with some who looked like noble types. They shared tents with their prisoners, too! But, yes, a couple had books with them. Cuddling them in their sleep like babies their favorite rags. Nothing old Rin couldn't snag from them though,” Rin continued and patted a book in his lap, “Like snatching a dwarf baby left to fend for itself -- excuse me for the goblin expression.”

“And, uh,” he hesitated for a moment, “Some were actually awake -- not in the camp, mind you, but in the halls -- and I think they saw me... And now that I think of it, I believe I heard one mention my name...”

Suwu and Cañar looked alarmed.

“No, no! Do not worry!”, Rin quickly continued, “I'm certain it was just my wild imagination playing tricks on me! And even if they somehow knew my name, so what of that? It's not like knowing my name will lead them here...”

“No, not here,” Cañar said with a stern voice, “But to Waterlures. There is the possibility that word of our deeds has spread farther than we have traveled.”

“Mhm,” Suwu nodded, “We haven't exactly kept it secret where we came from, unfortunately. I should have known better... But when I told those stories about Edu and Waterlures, the nature and scale of our quest was not yet clear.”

“Suwu,” Ova finally joined in, “None of us knew. But what then if the scholars now know of Rin and Waterlures? How could they be a threat to it? I'd like to believe that Kumil and the monks can deal with any trouble this might cause -- if giant-kin and werebeasts can be handled, surely a group of scholars is nothing?”





The sun shone on the companions from above as they stood in front of Gozru's tombshrine.

“Rin,” Suwu turned to the goblin, “What does Gozru mean? How would you translate it?”

Rin looked at Suwu. It was a weird question. And a bit awkward to answer, but answer he did, “Uh, you sure you want to know? Well... Gozru means... Hell. Yes, HELL.

Suwu raised her brows. It shouldn't have come as a surprise -- goblin names were often grotesque, fiendish even. But it was something that one easily forgot. Especially when spending much time with the greenskinned ones, forgetting that according to myth they entered the world only when Darkness and Night arrived.

“Hell,” Suwu spoke her thoughts aloud, “Gozru... Hell. Hmm... I think I've got it now. The name. For our stronghold.”

“Name?”, Cañar turned to Suwu. He hadn't thought of such matters. But Suwu was right -- a place needed a name. And he was interested what Suwu had in mind. Whatever it was, he would go with it. He trusted Suwu's judgment.

“Yes, a name. For this place,” she said waving with her hand at the palisade surrounding the courtyard, “I think Shashzokun, Hellsieges, would be fitting. It'd be a homage to Gozru and it'd symbolize our quest: to lay siege on the Evil, the Hell, that threatens all the living.”

“Well...”, Cañar wavered slightly, but then continued, “I suppose it is a name...”

“Yes,” Ova piped in, excited, “A very good one! Let's go with it!”





Later that very same day they gathered at the dining hall, which they had named Kabnal, 'The Named Hour'. More drinks were had and there was happiness and joy in the air once more.

Cañar stood up, mug in hand, a jolly smile on his face.

“A proper stronghold needs a warden,” the elephant man spoke, “A warden who would not be master, but see to it that power is shared. One who is willing to give -- and has given -- all to keep their companions, their friends, their kin, safe... I say all hail Lady Suwu, the Warden of Hellsieges!”

“Hear, hear!”, Ova clapped his hands and almost fell down when he forgot he needed his crutch to stand. Rin sighed and rolled his eyes, thinking, 'Share power. Right.'

Suwu hopped on to the table, laughing. She lifted her cup to the roof.

“Now all hear me!”, she tried to imitate a person of noble blood the best she could, “I, Suwu Cleanmusics the Confusing Smokes, am from this day forth to be known as Lady of the White Fountains -- that is us -- and I rule these vast lands from my grand throne room, the Named Hour!”

“White Fountains?”, Rin grimaced, “Seriously?”

What an awful name. He hated it. Yet, somehow, he knew it was going to stick. Not 'Giant-Slayers' or 'Beast-Enders' or something that actually described them.

No. They were the White Fountains now.






(The Stronghold of Hellsieges, mid-spring 371)



=====

So, not a super long update, but not short either, and nothing special happened really, but...

I think this concludes a chapter of Suwu and Company's adventures.

There really isn't any clear direction for the, err, "White Fountains" (it was the first name the game offered, so I stuck with it just to piss Rin off) before they research. So there'd be a time skip (which we already had with the building).

So. If I don't get any sudden ideas before tomorrow, I think I'll be passing the save then.

The next turn will be adventure mode only, and I will send a PM with options from what could be possible. Not gonna be giving free hands. So, Avolition has already asked for a turn, but Salmeuk asked a long time ago first.

Which one of you would like it? Should be a relatively short turn ingame (maybe 1-2 weeks ingame time), and hopefully not much longer than a week real time.

Not yet putting up the save since there's some tedious stuff I have to do "offscreen" before it: for instance, Cañar's backpack is still crammed with a shitload of tables, chairs, beds, cabinets and whatnot from the dungeon crawling, lol.

(Also, I think I need a short break from this Waterlures saga stuff. Haven't really got my personal mod stuff forward during this, and I'd still like to get another game running up this month. If folks are interested to know more of that, I'll put some info in this thread behind spoiler tags.)

King Zultan

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #402 on: December 18, 2022, 05:27:49 am »

The fort looks to be of a nice size in the screen shots but the 3D version makes it looks really small.

Also I would be interested to know what your personal mod is about.



(For the love of Ôsed! Why Rin, why!?!)
Damn that's pretty brutal, what did that dingo do to Rin to deserve that anyway?
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The Lawyer opens a briefcase. It's full of lemons, the justice fruit only lawyers may touch.
Make sure not to step on any errant blood stains before we find our LIFE EXTINGUSHER.
but anyway, if you'll excuse me, I need to commit sebbaku.
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Salmeuk

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #403 on: December 18, 2022, 08:02:40 am »

hey, you've earned that break... and let Avolition have a go if they are available, since I am still on this trash laptop and cannot do adv mode justice.

I'm tempted to draft up a .pdf of your narrative once I return, akin to the classic stories, you approve of this compilation?
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brewer bob

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Re: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress (Succession Game)
« Reply #404 on: December 18, 2022, 08:38:23 am »

The fort looks to be of a nice size in the screen shots but the 3D version makes it looks really small.

That's probably because it is actually quite small (though showing the full 3x3 map makes it seem even smaller). :D

Also I would be interested to know what your personal mod is about.

Short version: loads of new trees/plants with expanded uses, new crafting possibilities, alchemy (built on other mods), some changes to smelting, more different real life animals (and some fantasy critters), new civs with most playable, most spheres have their own secrets (so, sort of much more magic stuff), potions from creature body parts (including procgen beasties - stole the idea from Adventurecraft)... So, basically a bloated amount of content using bits & pieces from other folk's mods and mangling them beyond recognition (and probably lots of new bugs & broken reactions!). Plus a couple of surprise things...

It technically should be playable already. Just want to add and fix a few things.


(For the love of Ôsed! Why Rin, why!?!)
Damn that's pretty brutal, what did that dingo do to Rin to deserve that anyway?

The dingoes interrupted Rin's and the others' sleep. So, totally deserved. I'd be pissed off too if a pack of feral dogs woke me up. Not sure if I'd bite the "geldables" away, though...

and let Avolition have a go if they are available, since I am still on this trash laptop and cannot do adv mode justice.

Let's do that then!

I'm tempted to draft up a .pdf of your narrative once I return, akin to the classic stories, you approve of this compilation?

No problems with that. If you want to do it, go for it. It'd be an honor.

(The animated gifs will be a problem with pdfs, but it's not like the animations are super necessary.)
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