So after the first several guards died, I had about 15 miserable dwarves, most of them legendary military armed in full armor, wielding masterwork adamantine swords. I was a bit worried, but was hoping that the sheer value of the fort would help me out on this one. I've spent the last several years making everything masterwork to improve dwarves' moods. Every single bed, table, chair, cabinet, door, chain, chest, statue, or other furniture is of masterwork quality. about 80% of the roasts and booze is also of masterwork quality, and made from a very wide array of ingredients. Every dwarf has his own room with a bed and cabinet (both masterwork), and everything has been engraved by legendary engravers. It's a nice fort.
But then 3 more guards died, almost back to back, all as a result of infections. At first, I thought it wouldn't be a problem - there was a rockin' party in the dining hall, featured on the artifact table, but an artifact statue and artifact cage full of animals were also there. But alas...a mason who had been married to one of the dead guards went berserk. The partiers scattered, and the remaining guards were ordered in to take out the mason. Then 3 guards started tantruming. Then a blacksmith tantrumed. Then some apprentices/haulers started tantruming.
Then a guard went berserk.
At the Trade Depot.
While the Dwarven traders were there.
he was taken out pretty handily by another nearby guard, but not before he massacred several merchants and pack animals. In the meantime, there were about 10 other tantrums going on. A tantruming administrator killed the blacksmith I named after myself. A crafter was also stuck down, and at this point, every single dwarf in the fortress (78 of them) was miserable.
At this point, a strange coincidence occurred - a pet dog was killed. The owner of the dog, the fortress ranger/trainer, decided that now would be a good time to pull a lever and then start some fights. He pulled the nearest lever - the one that releases all of the wardogs in the entrance cage. The dogs quickly swarmed out of the cage and ran to the ranger who had trained them, who happened to be fist-fighting with a clothier. The clothier must have gotten hit really hard, because he went insane, and was then completely torn apart by the dogs.
So right now, I've still got about 75 dwarves, all unhappy, many tantruming. Do I just sit here and watch it all go down, or is there something I can do to help salvage the situation at this point?
edit: I'm now down to about 50 dwarves. Everyone is still miserable, and the entire fort is littered with dead dogs, dwarves, and random body parts. A guard went berserk in the hospital and went from room to room killing all the incapacitated patients, and the sheriff keeps tantruming and beating people to death while he's trying to punish them.