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Author Topic: Deathgate - And We Must Scream (Finished Succession Game)  (Read 865544 times)

wlerin

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2295 on: September 02, 2012, 10:41:38 pm »

This is... absurdly long. I've summarized important events after the spoiler tags. Spoiler tags make what was already a lengthy read into an impossible one. Here's the summary:


TL:DR;

Zulban, our last skilled mechanic, died of thirst on 2 Granite. Nothing could have been done (and I tried). Some bright dwarf had stashed him behind the arena after he had his leg torn off by a ghost, and he'd been left there to rot.

To prevent further deaths of this sort, I've re-opened Lower Deathgate's hospital**, though I cannot figure out why it was closed in the first place.

There was an epidemic of sorts--a series of dwarves falling unconscious in the hall leading to the hospital. Further research suggests this is the same disease that caused the blistered feet, since the afflicted dwarves were unblistered before this, and their boots have finally worn out. Some of the children still haven't regained consciousness.

I've started work on an aqueduct to bring water directly from the aquifer. Ideally, I want to equalize the pressure using pumps, which would require drawing power from, and completing, the BATTERY. But I doubt I'll have time for that.

And all that pales in comparison to the murderous ghost of Upper Deathgate deciding he'd rather chill in our kitchens. The one Eldes could not find on the memorialize list, nor can I. The one who ripped off Zulban's leg and separated Tirist from his arm.


---------


Journal of Kogan "Irony II" Fikodavuz, Scribe of Deathgate, Assistant to Mayor Kosoth

23 Granite, 779


It's been a while since I wrote a proper entry in this. Not since I was promoted to Scribe, in fact. I have some time now, so I might as well record events as best I recall.

Meeting in the Mayor's Office: The State of the Fortress, and My Project

The evening of my promotion to scribe, the mayor called me into her office, and after small chat, leaned over the desk and fixed me with a stare both grave and weary. At the time, this seemed the most important moment of my life, so I memorized every word.

"As you know, we have spent much of the last few years moving from Upper Deathgate to this new outpost on the brink of Hell. This way, we hoped to focus our efforts on expanding into the Demon Realm, and ignore surface troubles. Let the goblins and Dreamroar's puppets kill each other over it."

At this she grabbed a stone mug from the desk and leaned back on her throne.

"Unfortunately, I fear now that our relocation was too hasty. Certainly we are better off down here, but a number of key aspects of the plan were left unfinished. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost.

"For one thing, we are running low on booze. Plenty left for a few seasons, but without farms... you've seen the tree farm by the kitchen, yes? That wasn't actually supposed to be a tree farm. Still, in the grand scheme of things that's easy to remedy. What isn't so easy is the reason that tree farm only covers a quarter of the room built for it.

"In Upper Deathgate, we had no lack of water. The first cavern boasted a mighty lake, fed by distant underground rivers--virtually inexhaustible. Further, within the fortress proper we had access to an aquifer. But both of those are nearly 1000* steps above us, and while an aqueduct was built to bring water down from the cavern, it is both insecure and by now has likely been overgrown by trees, just as were earlier, less ambitious aqueducts, and the mighty BATTEREY.

"You see, Irony," here she paused and dipped a hand into her mug. When she brought it out, there was mud on her fingertips. "You see, we are running out of water. Just as with booze, we have enough for a few seasons, but I must plan beyond that.

"Normally, I'd have a mechanic, or an architect, deal with this, but our architects have all gone to join the ancestors, and I haven't seen our last mechanic, Zulban, in some time. However, perhaps where expertise has failed, raw creativity can find a solution.

"So, for your first official assignment, I want you to review the existing schematics,"--she pushed forward the pile of stone tablets and parchment scrolls on her desk--"and see if you can find a way to replenish our dwindling water reserves. Ideally make it so it never becomes an issue again, even if we dwell her another thousand years. You will find here the plans for the old water delivery systems, and maps of the caverns above.

"You should also ask after Zulban. I know he was injured in Upper Deathgate some months ago, but I never learned the exact nature of his condition. Perhaps the Mad Fool would know. If he is still with us, his expertise, such as it is, would be invaluable."

I gathered up the documents, and returned to my own, newly provided office. I spent the better part of the next day poring over them, and over a mug or ten.

-----

The Mechanic and The Hospital

I had just begun reading about a large hospital that had been constructed here, in Lower Deathgate, eleven years ago. And yet I, who had lived here my entire life, had never seen it. A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts.

Mayor Kosoth entered, looking grimmer than ever, and bade me accompany her. We descended to the Arena, and crossed to rooms I'd never visited before. The smell of urine and putrefaction wafted from within.



The Mad Fool, looking madder than ever, met us within.

"Well?" demanded Kosoth. "What happened to this dwarf? Why was he left here to die?"

I don't remember the Fool's response, as I was too distracted by the mangled body lying on a cot in the middle of the room. His flesh was pale, greenish, and drawn. His lips cracked, his eyes shut tight. His one leg--for he had only one, the other had been... cut? Torn? off at the hip--bent at a frightful angle. Death no longer held any terror for me, but the pain this poor dwarf must have endured...

"... a hospital to work in. Poor Zulban would not be lying here forgotten if I had a hospital."

The mention of a hospital brought me back to the mayor and the madman. I cleared my throat, and, encouraged by the expectant silence, mentioned the hospital I had discovered in the records. The Fool's eyes gleamed with ... greed... and other emotions I cannot name. Something briefly flashed in the mayor's eyes as well, but I could not place it before she smiled reassuringly.

"That, at least is settled. I'm afraid you won't be able to draw on Zulban's expertise for your project. He had a run in with a ghost in Upper Deathgate, and the fiend tore his entire leg from him. But he might have lived, if he hadn't been... dumped here to rot." I could see her trying to control her anger, a fist clenched at her side.

"Yes, yes, most unfortunate. Most unfortunate," babbled the fool.

We found that the hospital mentioned in the records** had, at some point, been locked up and walled off, though I could find no mention of why. Taking a break from tabletwork, I watched as the walls were torn down, and the door locks picked. At the first breath of stale air, I felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding. It smelled of a tomb, and something else I could not place. The Mad Fool and NRDL, last of the fort's medics, rushed past me bearing glow-lanterns, eager to plumb the darkness. Instead, I turned back and headed for the booze stocks.

-----

The Epidemic

On the way, I saw a child passed out in the stockpiles. I thought little of it then.



The next day, on some errand I can't recall, I saw the same child lying there, and another dwarf, Krosan, a marksdwarf, also lying in the same hallway.

More dwarves, both children and adults, began to fall unconscious in the hall, the same hall which led to the newly opened hospital. All three of the adults were Marksdwarves.



When I saw no one else step forward, I took it on myself to bear the child, who I now saw to be the one called Lashidang, to the hospital. Others followed my example, and some of the adults regained consciousness and made their own way there.

At first, gossip was that a new and terrible epidemic had broken loose, and that perhaps we would be joining the ancestors that much sooner... not that we hadn't already, since many of those very same ancestors still walked the halls.

When NRDL finally emerged, he quieted our fears. The afflicted dwarves had all been previously free of the demonic taint which the rest of us bore, as evidenced by the blisters on our feet. The symptoms now were the same as had afflicted the fortress when the taint first appeared. There was nothing to fear.

Now that I thought about it, I had myself experienced the same symptoms when my own taint manifested. How silly I had been. Still... the children seemed to be affected more severely than the adults.

-----

Aqueduct Redux

Meanwhile, my project was seeing some actual progress. In the schematics I discovered a third tunnel from the first cavern, as yet unused, and perfectly positioned to bring water down from the aquifer even further above. Care would need to be taken to avoid potentially unstoppable backflow, but I already had plans for mitigating the pressure. Even better, this third tunnel opened near the hospital, and so was perfectly positioned for filling up the dry wells and various showers and disease prevention mechanisms therein.

-----

The Killer Strikes Again

On the 20th of Granite, a scream echoed through the halls.



Tirist, a dwarf already frequently accosted and possessed by ghosts, was attacked by one, near the brewery and farms. The ghost literally ripped his lower arm off, and left it lying there in the hall. Blood had flown freely, and pooled all around the ghost, who now floated--no, stood--ominously in the hall, lost in some damned reverie. Tirist, surprisingly, did not go to the hospital. After most of the bleeding stopped, he simply got up, and went back to work.

No one in our records fits the description of this ghost. And since he is not particularly communicative, no one knows what name to memorialize, nor what body to bury. Even worse, the ghost himself appears... tainted. When one is not looking directly at him, shadows seem to bind his feet to the floor. His eyes burn. His skin--what can be seen, at least--looks cracked and burned. I've never seen a ghost so tormented. Or so deadly.

It was this ghost that rent Zulban's leg from him in Upper Deathgate. This ghost whose name cannot be found in any records. This ghost who now stands and waits... waits for what, I do not know, save that when it comes, death will not be far behind.


* Assuming ten steps per "level".
** I believe this is the structure built by Alex the Destroyer. It seems to have been largely ignored following his turn.
« Last Edit: September 02, 2012, 11:41:36 pm by wlerin »
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Eldes

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2296 on: September 02, 2012, 11:54:44 pm »

Are the farms I built no longer working?
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wlerin

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2297 on: September 03, 2012, 12:44:39 am »

They're functional. Just a bit cramped.
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...And no one notices that a desert titan is made out of ice. No, ice capybara in the desert? Normal. Someone kinda figured out the military? Amazing!

NRDL

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2298 on: September 03, 2012, 03:34:10 am »

I'm alive.  That's weird.

And judging by your description of the ghost, the Slenderman's decided to crash the party. 
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GentlemanRaptor

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2299 on: September 03, 2012, 07:01:51 am »

I'm alive.  That's weird.

And judging by your description of the ghost, the Slenderman's decided to crash the party.

Honestly, that wouldn't surprise me.
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ZanVaelius

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2300 on: September 04, 2012, 04:35:36 am »

Huh... maybe Slendy should be modded in for Deathgate II... Every season/year he has a % chance of taking random dorf :P
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EmeraldWind

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2301 on: September 04, 2012, 07:10:05 pm »

Huh... maybe Slendy should be modded in for Deathgate II... Every season/year he has a % chance of taking random dorf :P

There isn't anything that visits forts that will do that. Perhaps once Toady adds the Stalker-type night creatures we'll see something.

Unless the Night Trolls can visit forts, then you might be able to accomplish the effect with a Night Troll Slendy.
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NCommander

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2302 on: September 04, 2012, 07:19:43 pm »

I'm alive.  That's weird.

And judging by your description of the ghost, the Slenderman's decided to crash the party.

Ugh, I already have nightmares about Slenderman, and now he's at Deathgate.

I'm kinda surprised trees popped up in the aqueduct I built though. I thought they won't grow if water was currently present. Easiest thing to do might be to simply pull the shutdown lever and drain it into hell. then floor over the straightaways (there are five of them, two right at the end, two U shaped bends, and the feed mechanism at the very top. I thought about doing that, but the dorfs refused to floor over something with stone in the way (>.<)). It would be faster than building a fourth aqueduct at this point.

Alternatively, dig a straight shaft of stairways from just below the lake, then pop a hole. In hindsight, that probably would have been easier than my way of aquaduct building., and had the advantage that you can get back into it relatively easily. If you want to remove the stairs a well placed cave-in should do the trick.

EIther way, its then just matter of digging a small passage connecting the aqueduct to the wells in in Lower Deathgate, with a pressure plate to make sure we don't flood ourselves in the process.
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Fucking hell man, you aren't just getting the short end of the stick, you're being beaten with it.
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Is your plan really to flush water into hell, and have the CARP marines fight them without threat of flame or disease?  If so, you are awesome, and one of the greatest DF military visionaries I've seen yet ( not that I've seen that many, or any, for that matter )

wlerin

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2303 on: September 05, 2012, 03:37:03 am »

I'm kinda surprised trees popped up in the aqueduct I built though. I thought they won't grow if water was currently present. Easiest thing to do might be to simply pull the shutdown lever and drain it into hell. then floor over the straightaways (there are five of them, two right at the end, two U shaped bends, and the feed mechanism at the very top. I thought about doing that, but the dorfs refused to floor over something with stone in the way (>.<)). It would be faster than building a fourth aqueduct at this point.
It had already been shutdown. That was the problem. There's already a dry aqueduct that's mostly intact, and I've nearly connected it to the aquifer. Well, it might have been an escape ramp... iono. There's already another ramp leading up to the intended New Front Gate, as well as stairs galore, so I'm just going to repurpose this one.

And yeah, my original plan was straight stairs, but there's not nearly enough water left in the third cavern, and getting to the first is going to require multiple switchbacks anyway to avoid the others. That or finding that one. Single. Square. That bypasses every cavern, if such a thing even exists. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Plus, cavern water is dangerous. The first is normally the safest of the three, but iirc all cavern layers are connected on this map, so forgotten beasts in the third can path in through the first.


-----


I was busy the last few days, but I should have time tomorrow for another update. And this time my perfectionism isn't going to get in the way. Hopefully.
« Last Edit: September 05, 2012, 03:43:04 am by wlerin »
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NCommander

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2304 on: September 05, 2012, 09:42:27 pm »

I'm kinda surprised trees popped up in the aqueduct I built though. I thought they won't grow if water was currently present. Easiest thing to do might be to simply pull the shutdown lever and drain it into hell. then floor over the straightaways (there are five of them, two right at the end, two U shaped bends, and the feed mechanism at the very top. I thought about doing that, but the dorfs refused to floor over something with stone in the way (>.<)). It would be faster than building a fourth aqueduct at this point.
It had already been shutdown. That was the problem. There's already a dry aqueduct that's mostly intact, and I've nearly connected it to the aquifer. Well, it might have been an escape ramp... iono. There's already another ramp leading up to the intended New Front Gate, as well as stairs galore, so I'm just going to repurpose this one.

And yeah, my original plan was straight stairs, but there's not nearly enough water left in the third cavern, and getting to the first is going to require multiple switchbacks anyway to avoid the others. That or finding that one. Single. Square. That bypasses every cavern, if such a thing even exists. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Plus, cavern water is dangerous. The first is normally the safest of the three, but iirc all cavern layers are connected on this map, so forgotten beasts in the third can path in through the first.


-----


I was busy the last few days, but I should have time tomorrow for another update. And this time my perfectionism isn't going to get in the way. Hopefully.

I find it hugely amusing that we have three aqueducts already running to lower Deathgate, and all three are officially dead. Given there isn't a lot of traffic between Upper Deathgate and Lower Deathgate, if we need a fifth one, it might not be a bad idea to wall off the central stairway, and dump the aquifer into it. The side ramps would still provide access to the surface and the stairs should take you right above the reservoir for the wells.
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Quote from: TheFlame52
Fucking hell man, you aren't just getting the short end of the stick, you're being beaten with it.
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Is your plan really to flush water into hell, and have the CARP marines fight them without threat of flame or disease?  If so, you are awesome, and one of the greatest DF military visionaries I've seen yet ( not that I've seen that many, or any, for that matter )

wlerin

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2305 on: September 06, 2012, 01:27:59 am »

That's... that's not a bad idea. There's only two dead ones, though, unless a future overseer shuts this one down too. Well... unless the dead goblin memorial hall was used as an aqueduct too... that would explain the trees amidst all the magma.
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...And no one notices that a desert titan is made out of ice. No, ice capybara in the desert? Normal. Someone kinda figured out the military? Amazing!

NCommander

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2306 on: September 07, 2012, 07:05:04 pm »

That's... that's not a bad idea. There's only two dead ones, though, unless a future overseer shuts this one down too. Well... unless the dead goblin memorial hall was used as an aqueduct too... that would explain the trees amidst all the magma.

I love how the goblin drops used by noodle0117 can be mistaken for a memorial hall.

I think the trees sprouted up when the obsidianizer malfunctioned and flooded part of the trap hallway.
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Fucking hell man, you aren't just getting the short end of the stick, you're being beaten with it.
Quote from: NRDL
Is your plan really to flush water into hell, and have the CARP marines fight them without threat of flame or disease?  If so, you are awesome, and one of the greatest DF military visionaries I've seen yet ( not that I've seen that many, or any, for that matter )

noodle0117

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2307 on: September 07, 2012, 08:05:53 pm »

Sorry, but I'm going to have to back out of this turn.
University life has started for me and every day is hectic.
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ThatAussieGuy

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2308 on: September 07, 2012, 08:49:06 pm »

Sorry, but I'm going to have to back out of this turn.
University life has started for me and every day is hectic.

Hahah. AhahahahahMUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

GentlemanRaptor

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Re: Deathgate - Götterdämmerung (Succession Game)
« Reply #2309 on: September 08, 2012, 06:21:12 am »

Sorry, but I'm going to have to back out of this turn.
University life has started for me and every day is hectic.

Hahah. AhahahahahMUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh, crap.
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Amusingly, he's a Marksdwarf, which gives me the mental image of him conducting medical malpractice an appendectomy from fifty paces with a crossbow.
On bay12, a poll option of basically 'nuke the world' named 'Apocalypse Hitler' is like asking an alcoholic if they want some whiskey.
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