Okay, so I recently installed Fortress Defense Mod II and after genning two or three worlds to get one where I still had access to both elves and humans I embarked on a half terrifying forest half untamed wilds badlands next to a terrifying ocean embark that claimed to have multiple shallow and deep metals. Lo and behold, it turns out the shallow metals are gold and kaolinite and the deep metals are galena and microcline, it seems. Oh well, whatever, I say, I'll make due. Silver weapons and leather armor, until I hit candy, and then candy for as many people as I can!
Near the end of the first season, I hit the Magma sea and begin setting up my forges. As is typical, revealing the sea reveals the first vein of adamantine. Instead of going for it, though, I begin digging out a tree farm, since I've walled myself off from the surface temporarily until I have a working military.
Come fall, I get a notification of a cave in and another discovery of adamantine notification. In the second cavern (z level 10 or so) (which mysteriously is full of "grass", not cave fungus), something
has fallen. It's not clear what. What is clear is some sort of lake is draining into the cavern, because it is full of waterlogged trees. In any case, it seems the cavern has a pillar of adamantine reaching into it. I'm not initially perturbed by this, even though it is a good 35 z levels above the magma sea.
About this time I decide I might as well mine out some candy, and head over. Being a dirty cheater I am, I savescum it. I dig towards it at about Z level 0, which is just below the third cavern, figuring I'll be safe there. Turns out, I hit the tube.
For future reference, I look at the tube, and see it stretches to around Z level 20. "Man, that's a high tube," I think. I reload and try again at Z level 20.
Turns out z level 20 was just the limit of my vision. A few more savescums later, and it becomes clear that the tube to hell goes all the way to Z level 43.
So finally, at Z level 44, I begin digging out the adamantine. I've curently only dug out three levels fully, but my staircase in it makes it clear it stretches to at least z level 76.
Moreover, this whole time random unknown cave ins in the cavern have revealed three other tubes, all of which stretch to the 2nd cavern (and thus possibly as high as this tube!).
It seems I may have come to the promised land. Admittedly, no adamantine elevator to the sky, but so much adamantine you can do whatever you want with it, and no reduced FPS! Aside from the occasional (maybe once every season or so?) cave ins in the caverns. I'm guessing this might be from some sort of floating mud bug caused by the draining into the cavern.
Anyways, so, normally I wouldn't make any candy weapons or armor until I have a legendary dude, but with no other good options at this embark and with so much candy, I'm thinking I might break that rule. It also seems prudent to just start making furniture. Or hell, roads and walls! Maybe an adamantine tower to the sky?