I think that fall damage acts as a high-contact-area attack using the ground's material, so you basically got slapped by a frying pan made of neutron star.
Not just that, but there's a density multiplier for the material type. Slade is the densest material in DF existence, and even a 2 lvl fall can break bones. Dodges from ledges can really screw you, and the Angels seem to know their advantage.
On the other hand, one shot at a flying Guardian will pretty much wreck them, and will at least shorten the fight if not outright end it.
Alright, that explains it - I did notice even a fall that didn't break bones showed the "you slam into an obstacle" message, which confused me a bit.
On a different note, I retired my orc swordmaster who used 6 different swords and 2 shields, along with his band of 8 or so drunks. Took over a ruined and possibly glitchy town.
The town itself, Fatherchanced, was originally a human town. The civ went to war with a nearby orc civ, lost, and the town was subsequently taken over. The new government, the Fellowship of Women, seems to be...glitched? Legends viewer brings this up:
So the government took over the town in 127 but something happened that made them dissolve in 126? When checking the entry for the Fellowship, the map, instead of centering around the town, centers itself on the upper left corner of the entire world map.
The town itself had people living in it, and merchants in the marketplace, but talking with them didn't bring up a "ask about local ruler" option, and asking about the site's neighbors had them say "there is nothing organized here". On top of that I was also given the option to "Give in to starvation" instead of "Retire at this location". Until I took over, then the latter was an option again, and the "ask about local ruler" dialogue option was restored - I haven't asked any of the townsfolk about the neighbors.
Two temples were also supposed to be on the city grounds, they showed up on the map structure list, but I couldn't find either of them in the area; normally they're in plain sight.
So...what the hell is going on? This is possibly the most confusing world I've ever had.