Essential idea:
-capture megabeast/forgotten/dragon/etc
-treat it in some way that renders it prone to a...
-Mage who arrives and demands certain items be gathered for a...
-ceremony which takes the power from the beast (and a couple virgins) and uses it to...
-re-incarnate one of your dead dorfs as a Mage or...
-create some epicly useful item that causes a huge power struggle between civs or...
The following is a slightly rp example.
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A group of dorfs with the alchemy labor enabled 'experiments on <caged creature>', running through dozens of guinea pigs, and between them eventually discover that <extract/combination of extracts> is a non-toxic anasthetic/sleep inducer!
(which particular extract/combination of extracts had that property was decided at worldgen)
The recipe is refined gradually, tested on larger and larger creatures. The alchemists periodically submit reports (with a +/- range of accuracy) to the chief alchemist as to its efficacy (in 'effective dose'/size). A dragon has been caged, and many a dorf has pondered on how it might be used to the fort's benefit...
In the end, it is put under the effect of the previously mentioned recipe, it's belly cut open and it's fire-breath is attached to an external mechanism!
His flame has been harnessed (cruelly as heck, the dorfs LOL hard whenever they see him. mega value)!
The beast is used variably, now to add a particular Shine to metal goods crafted in workshops heated by his breath, and then: FIREWORKS to entertain his mad and maddening dwarven captors.
BUT THEN!!
The Mage <Magename> Has Heard of <Fortressname>'s Mastery over <Dragon'sName>!
He comes To Put His Flame To Full Use!
The Mage demands certain goods, and a small number of female virgins, to be gathered at a 'casting zone' by a certain date.
He arranges a procession of dorfs to chant/some other ritualistic gobbledeegook(communal event, not a single mage-dorf that starts it!), and... creates some epicly useful item (triggering huge power struggle between civs)/re-incarnates one of your dead dorfs with certain powers (would be an interesting way to generate magic-using dorfs, who seem pretty un-magic naturally)/loses control over the beast (perhaps related to how well kitted out your casting zone is), thus accidentally inviting a horde of his vengeful kin into the very bowels of your fortress/godknowswhatelse but preferably related directly to the qualities of the beast...
</random shtuff>
The rest i'm not sure about, but i basically thought it would be cool if, instead of suddenly learning magic and running around like wee harry potters yapping fireballs all over the place, the dorfs took a measure of control over some EXTERNAL power (in this case, a beast), and then channeled it via the guidance of some other external power, into something dorfy...
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Topic: tangential randomness (Read 796 times)