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[Crustypeanut]

Caverns level 2 and 3 for my fort:

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Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And Crazycow, very nice writing, I look forward to seeing what happens next

[Crazy Cow]

What happens next is a visit from the local Batman population
No survivors. I'll try again in a bit here.

[thegoatgod_pan]

I attempted to reclaim Twistedtowns, which went down earlier on the board to a cave ogre. First group to come was no succesful, the band of axedwarves met a giant cave spider which previously rampaged through Twistedtowns, before getting caged.  The cave spider was right by the surface entrance and killed two.  Band rioted, militia leader killed one man herself and then all of them were eaten by a vorcaious cave crawler.

Second attempt--quardaped made of coal and cave crawler got them.

Third attempt: killed F.B, killd cave crawler

Settled abandoned cavern and began gathering bodies and goods.

Militia succeeded for a simple reason--tons of points in dodge and shields

Giant scorpion F.B. with deadly sting came to be promptly stabbed in the brain--no more hunger!  (seriously we keep hitting the "hunting small animals stage")

Tamed a giant olm and a voracious cave crawler.  Perhaps this outpost won't perish this time.

[franti]

Update -My Fortress Guard were off dealing with a Giant Bat that had attacked a farmer when a group of trogs entered the fort and killed a doctor and my weaponcrafter. The Doctor was married to a member of the Fortress Guard. When your well trained military starts tantrum spirialing, your fort won't be far behind. Fort #6, dead.

Created another fort. Found a lot of Schist and Slate in cavern level 1, so I have a lot of Sphalerite and Native Copper. Modded Brass to be a weapon material. Testing in the Arena shows that Bronze is superrior to Brass and Brass is superrior to Copper, however, the difference between Brass and Copper is much greater than the difference between Bronze and Brass, so I consider it a useful material given my situation. In a fight between 10 Swordsdwarves with a Shield and Short Sword of Brass and Bronze, Bronze ususally survives. Of course, this being Dwarf Fortress, I use that word very loosely.

[Crazy Cow]

Journal of One Oslosmosnaz, Expedition Leader

Everyone knew about the brand new expedition that was to push the borders of our great nation even further, exploring the deep underground caverns. Everyone heard of the great disaster that struck, leaving no survivors. It was no surprise that the Empress wished that another attempt be made. The surprise was that she picked me, of all people.
Of course, I could never turn down the offer, especially when the Empress made it to me personally. She assured me that I could have whatever supplies I wished, and that every person in the capitol was at my disposal. I went over the few records we had of the first expedition with a fine-toothed comb, determined to lead this expedition and get back out in one piece.
I ordered the usual provisions, along with plenty of medical supplies. I requested three other warriors skilled at using spears, someone with skills in masonry and carpentry, a craftsman, and a doctor. When I met with those six people, I was in for a pleasant surprise. One of our warriors, Rotstong, was part demon. With everything packed and ready, we departed with all intention of arriving within the first week of Granite.
Once we arrived, I handed picks to everyone and started digging down. We came out on this nice platform, with an underground lake and another defendable position not far off. The first expedition had one thing right, however, in walling everything off, which is exactly what we did. A second layer was necessary on one side. The next step was to carve out stockpile space, and then to move everything in.
Once the food was moved in, we went and secured a second area. This will be our meeting area, dining room, dormitory and hospital all in one, and where most of our time will be spent. We have begun to decorate it even now.
Our prospects look good. We have sighted no strange underground creatures, we have the basics set up and supplies to last a long time. We must not get overconfident, however. Even the slightest mistake might very well lead to doom.


Note:
Gnolls have a rare caste that is part demon. Apart from appearance differences, they are larger and smarter. Females can throw fireballs, and males can cause severe pain and nausea in any non-Gnoll.

[franti]

Advice: Bring a hunting dog. For some reason, creatures that will attack a dog or a war dog won't attack a hunting dog. From Crundles to Voracious Cave Crawlers, creatures that you would think could easily kill a dog. They seem to somehow know that this dog is specifically trained to help kill, dismember, and eat them. They approach as if to attack, and then run away again.

[Crazy Cow]

Really? I'll put up a hunting dog instead of a war one at the gate this time around. Thanks for the advice.

[franti]

Really? I'll put up a hunting dog instead of a war one at the gate this time around. Thanks for the advice.

I may be pulling this out of my ass, but I do have some evidence: A Crundle attacked my War Dog, but a Voracious Cave Crawler would charge and and then retreat from my Hunting Dog. If it is true, then it probably only applies to animals: I doubt Trolls care what it is they're attacking. Tests need to be done.

Also, just because Rutherers run when you try to kill them doesn't mean they cant fight back. Learning is fun.

[franti]

OHSHITOHSHITOHSHIT. Cave Dragon. Saw it on the Unit screen in the 3rd cavern, nestled on the other side of my future magma vein.

Update- Turns out it doesn't matter. Giant Cave Spider got me first.

[Chocolatemilkgod]

A cave dragon AND a Giant Cave Spider? Man I envy you. I would have totally lured them into cage traps! I don't think I've ever even had a cave dragon at my forts...

[Crazy Cow]

Journal of One Oslosmosnaz, Expedition Leader

As we were moving the last few items underground, a swarm of badgers appeared out of nowhere. Our doctor was mauled before we killed the damn animals, and we had to set him up in our dormitory/hospital. He wasn't very badly hurt, but he will be out of the picture for a while. Hopefully, he will recover before we need to do any fighting.
Our entrance is guarded by several cage traps and a hunting dog. Not much can get by without us knowing, although without kobolds the dog probably won't be very useful. We need to get ourselves some military might, as we have no weapons or armor to go with our expertise. Our craftsman has started to toss together some armor from bones and leather, and I told him to make some rough spears from stones and wood. It's hardly the best-case scenario, but having someone else's skin ripped off you is much better than loosing your own. We've set up a barracks and we are training often.
Our living space is set up properly, with tables and chairs, beds, and engraved walls. We tapped the lake nearby and have a source of fresh water, and enough meat to last us a long while. We won't be worrying about any king of farming any time soon.
Our animals have started giving birth to babies. Our hens are still sitting on eggs, but we will have a whole flock of chicks soon, and plenty of new meatshields are fighting playfully about their parents. We have yet to see anything but a pair of strange walking mushrooms, and so far this place has been good to us. I need only think about the last settlement, however, before going back to work with grim focus.

The last of our reinforcements arrived. We have plenty of metalsmiths, and yet we have a total of zero ores or metals in this place. The last person, however, was quite a pleasant surprise. He stood nearly a head taller than me, lacking a single hair and instead sporting blood-red skin, with black patches of thicker, rougher skin. Our little outpost has two demonic gnolls in it, and I couldn't be happier. I think I'm going to lock him and myself in a room for a month, if you get my drift.
Our equipment is almost done; due to a misunderstanding, we have a half-dozen pairs of greaves instead of gauntlets. We will also be tacking on various leather items as our supply grows. The current outfit is a bone helm, gauntlets, and leggings, along with leather armor and boots, a wooden shield and an obsidian spear. Still no sightings of any dangerous creatures, but it is only a matter of time.

[franti]

So, I broke through a wall and found that Cave Man Civ, and there are A LOT, around 20. They all charged, and my Fortress Guard countercharged. At this point, they're armored in the Bone and Leather of their slain enemies with their characteristic Black Bronze Breastplate and Chain, Black Cap Shields, and Obsidian Swords. It was the closest thing DF will ever have to dancing. There are 4 dead, 3 dying, and my Fortress Guard, outnumbered 5-1 because two of them decided to take a nap, don't have a scratch, and it's been around 5 seconds. Epic.

[Crazy Cow]

Journal of One Oslosmosnaz, Expedition Leader

Our first encounter with the wildlife of the underground ended extremely well. A sudden roar echoed around the caverns and a large, hideous monster burst from around a corner. It charged straight down our entrance and stepped on a cage trap. We currently have it in the middle of our dining room while we design a drowning trap for it; our bookkeeper claims it is a troll.
I was lounging in my room with Otuk, the new demonic gnoll who might or might not have been forced to stay in there when I was informed someone was knocking on the bridge that blocked the way outside. I was angry at the disturbance, and when the bridge was lowered and I saw it was the diplomat I was outright pissed. I didn't feel like haggling for trade prices when I would never trade, period, and I was about to ask for five helpings of cow crap when he informed me that the Empress would like to make our small colony a formal settlement. I was caught quite off guard, and thanked him but said we weren't quite ready. I have no idea who to make the baron, and I don't want anyone getting power hungry and ordering slade breastplates or similar crap.
Work has died down now. The only project still going is our drowning trap; after that is finished we will start exploring the caverns and kill any helpless wildlife we come across. We might set up some farms soon, and explore for any metals that might be down here. But, as always, we will proceed with caution.

The drowning trap so far hasn't proved terribly effective. I will wait for the small chamber to fill entirely, but the troll doesn't seem to be horribly dying like I intended.
Speaking of horrible death, our woodcutter went exploring for us. He found a half-eaten gnoll corpse lying face-down in a pool of blood, completely unidentifiable. There was also a splatter of some other kind of blood; I brought our bookkeeper out and he identified it as cave crocodile blood. My seemingly paranoid caution has now been proven at least somewhat reasonable, and I'm glad a disposable spare migrant is out there right now. We are setting aside an out-of-the-way place for burial even now.
Two of our soldiers have married; Rotstong, our female demonic gnoll, and Ulspa, another soldier, have both claimed males. Hopefully, our population will start growing somewhat. I am spending a lot of time with Otuk; he may be part demon, but he is still male, and I can claim him any time I wish. Not that I'll be very rude or pushy about it; he deserves some respect because of his powers.

Note:
I am reminded just how fucking awesome this game is. The diplomat, when he was finished with the meeting, left through the caverns. I gave him no thought until I stumbled across the horribly mutilated corpse over here. There is this nice long blood trail and little bits of diplomat everywhere, with only a single blood splatter to finish the tale. There is so much life to the world, even when you aren't there. I can imagine the horror of storming away after having traveled far to deliver a message, only to be coldly turned away. Suddenly, you realize you are going the wrong way. You look around, completely lost, when you hear the soft pad of footsteps behind you...
In the depths, no one can hear you scream.
Damn, this is my favorite game ever, and I'm constantly reminded of it.

[thegoatgod_pan]

Expedition Leader's journal.

Twas' only for a minute that I looked away, and only because the gang and I were off hunting a horror of salt (and it blew apart when me love hit it with her hammer) but two men were killed in our absence, both falling to a tribe of troglodytes.  We avenged them well and purged the foul tribe three times, until the third cavern was putrid with the smell of their bodies.

It was then the dwarf caravan came, descending to the third cavern, where we had built our trading post--right near where the deep road will be.  As just as soon as they come a great big skinless dinosaur comes rambling in.  Deadly blood it had, they say.  Well it tore a merchant's head right off but their guards got it.  Me and the crew, we sat this one out, and when they were gone released a tame antler bird into the gory mess.  Blistered it's feet is all,  mayhaps well send a person down there soon.  Our animal trainer was torn to bits by the trogs, but she trained a score of the deep horrors, giant rat, giant mole, voracious cave crawler and me pet, a giant olm. 

Our pride and joy is Tabitha--soon to be mother we hope, we're making her a nice nest for her and her broodlings.  We tamed her so she won't give up her silk that easy, but we've got plenty of crundles and trogs to feed her come time. 

[franti]

If you go into advanced parameters and set openness to 90-100 and density to 45-55, you get wide open spaces with "forests" of thin stalactites in between. Makes for cool-looking caverns.