Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

40d Talk:Ambush

2008-03-07T02:26:23Z

Furiousfish: /* Ambush messages */

Yesterday, I had an ambush. My woodcutter was ambushed by a group of one goblin bowman and five swordsmen. They were invisible, until attacked him. I had never seen anything like this until 38a. Think, it's something new, should we add the article? What do you think?--[[User:Dorten|Dorten]] 23:23, 6 February 2008 (EST)

: yes definitely. I have been ambushed 3 times already in one year. These attacks seem to coincide with trading caravans. --[[User:Kingzilla|Kingzilla]] 23:28, 6 February 2008 (EST)
::Is this really new? I started with 38a, but from reading i never expected anything else than thieves and ambushes with every caravan.--[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 23:17, 29 February 2008 (EST)

==Ambush messages==
In my experience with last version (38a) it showed 'Ambush, curse them' on kobold thieves, and 'Amush!' on beforementioned goblins. This surely needs verification--[[User:Dorten|Dorten]] 01:10, 7 February 2008 (EST)

:I have:<br>
:38a<br>
:Kobold thieves (2): An ambush! curse them!
:Goblins: An ambush! curse them!

:38c
:Kobold thieves (2): Thief! protect the hoard from skulking filth! (the different message may be caused by increased wealth)

:Goblins: An ambush! curse them!

:You can read back the whole announcements log (page up key) if you have the patience ;) --[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 23:17, 29 February 2008 (EST)

Toady stated that the "Ambush!" message appearing for kobold thieves was a bug, and it has now been fixed. [[User:Furiousfish|Furiousfish]] 21:26, 6 March 2008 (EST)

== Enemy squad supposedly fleeing after the commander's death ==

Well, in my case he got caged, does that count? The squad of the 5 remaining goblin bowmen, however did not retreat, and continued to advance until torn apart by dogs. Only 1, last(after the other 4 died) goblin started retreating. That was 38a. --[[User:Digger|Digger]] 05:07, 1 March 2008 (EST)

:I just had my marksdwarves pump a goblin leader full of timber, and his squadmates just charged. --[[User:Shadow archmagi|Shadow archmagi]] 08:15, 1 March 2008 (EST)

::Alright I'm killing that part then. It's obviously wrong now. --[[User:Digger|Digger]] 09:44, 1 March 2008 (EST)

:::yep, just had an ambush too: leader dead, 1 unconscious, rest dead, and the last bowman was still charging.--[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 11:49, 1 March 2008 (EST)

40d:Ambush

2008-03-07T02:25:00Z

Furiousfish: /* Kobolds */

An ambush is a sudden event in fortress mode when a small force of enemy humanoids attempts to attack your fortress. While smaller in scope than a full siege, ambushes are not related to the number of dwarves in your fortress, and so can be triggered by relatively small populations. An ambush is not announced immediately, but instead is announced when your fortress becomes aware of the attackers, such as when they set off a [[trap]] or come close to your dwarves or pets. It is announced with various messages: "An Ambush! Curse them!", "Ambush!" etc. Ambushs tend to arrive with caravans but can happen any time. They are not limited to one race - Kobolds and goblins can arrive shortly after each other although they will not join forces as such.

== Ambushers ==

=== Goblins ===

[[Goblins]] will send a small force of attackers between the ranges of 4-8 soldiers{{Verify}}. These forces are frequently accompanied by one goblin with somewhat better gear, and he is always of a different troop than the rest.

Usually they send more than one squad at once - up to 4 squads, each with its own leader. These squads may be from different goblin towers{{Verify}}.

Goblin are unable to navigate traps safely and can easily be killed or caught by simple [[weapon trap]]s or [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage trap]]s. They also can not pass forbidden doors.

=== Kobolds ===

Similar to Goblins, [[Kobolds]] will first send thieves dependent on your fort's population and wealth. There are always at least 2 thieves.{{verify}} As soon as they are detected they will flee. Kobold soldiers - usually archers, though swordsmen and spearmen are possible - will begin to arrive if the Kobold thieves successfully steal any items; the number of successive soldiers and thieves who arrive will depend on how many items were stolen previously{{Verify}}. It is also suspected that the number of killed/escaped thieves plays a role. Kobold melee soldiers have copper weapons and little or no armour, making them somewhat easy to dispatch, but ranged attackers can be deadly.

=== Humans ===

Hostile [[human]]s will not ambush.{{Verify}}

=== Elves ===

Hostile [[elves]] will not ambush.{{Verify}}

== Tips ==

''The following is blind-copied from [[Siege]] and is not necessarily true to ambushes. Please modify!''

===Active Defense===
*Put your entire [[military]] on duty. With luck, most of them are not sleeping, eating, or drinking. If a [[squad]] leader is is doing anything of that sort, replace him with a more alert squad member (the squad always clusters about the leader. If the leader's eating, the squad will guard the table). Place melee units at major choke points, so they can meet the enemy head on, but try to keep them out of direct fire from enemy missile users. Place your own marksdwarves where they can rain death down on the enemies. They can also shoot from different Z levels, use this. (This is why you build [[fortifications]].) The building of small towers over the map with only underground acess for your marksdwarves is proven to be very effective against ambushes.

*[[War dog]]s are useful, but shouldn't be the first line of defense, unless you have quite a lot (12+) because enemy crossbowmen, if present, will quickly take care of them. Assign them to your military dwarves, or cage/chain them before the siege, and [[Release the Hounds!|release]] them via lever/pressure plate as the enemy is rounding a blind corner. They're also useful for clearing the field once the battle ends.

*[[Siege weapon]]s, catapults and ballistae, are likely to be ineffective against ambushes as a sudden ambush will likely be close enough to scare away the civilian siege operators.

===Passive Defense===
*If you have no trust in your military's power, keep all the dwarves inside and pull the ambushers into corridors with [[traps]]. Stone-fall traps are cheap and easy, but are one-shot traps with a long reload time; weapon traps require weapons, but reload themselves after a few seconds, until they eventually get stuck. A 10-square-long entry hall filled with weapon traps will break most [[goblin]] ambushes without any help. (How boring!)

*A moat may provide a decent defense when combined with a drawbridge to either keep the goblins from entering, or to drop them right into the water. Substitute magma for some far more lethal results. Even not filled 1-tile wide channel is a fast and effective way to stop ambushers or to guide them into areas you want. Note that water-filled moats will freeze in biomes with a temperate or cold climate, and so should have a protective wall behind them to stop ambushers simply walking over the moat during the winter.

=== Civilians ===

* Your normal dwarves will still attempt to do their jobs during an ambush. The [[Options]]->Dwarves Stay Inside option will prevent them from going outside, but only after walking to the entrance. Since many of your major defenses will be inside the fortress, this is only somewhat useful. Dwarves will run from invaders, but only ''after'' getting within crossbow-range, so their self-preservation skills are lackluster when the enemy has ranged weapons. Therefore, your best bet is to draft the dwarves in question (or simply all civilians) into one citizen-squad and station them somewhere out of harm's way. However, if any of your citizens are set to carry weapons or armor, they may decide to go collect equipment from slain [[goblins]]/dwarves during the ambush, which means they'll run out into the fray. Keep an eye on this, and turn off their [[weapons]]/[[armor]] accordingly.

* Providing indoor pastimes (like [[sculpture garden]], [[zoo]], [[meeting hall]], or a meeting area zone) will make dwarves spend their break time in the fortress rather than outside. This will typically stop all dwarves from hanging around outside. Hunters, woodcutters, haulers and other dwarves who have business outside will still be at risk.

See also: [[Fortress defense]]

[[Category:World]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Fortress Defense]]

40d Talk:Armor

2008-03-07T01:54:32Z

Furiousfish: /* Shields and Bucklers */

Corrected the matter with low and high boots. If you look at the raws you can see that the armor level of both boot types are the same and thus they can both be used as chain and plate armor. My games have proved this to me. Only real difference between the two boot types is that the high boot is heavier and protects more of the body than just the feet. [[User:Noctis|Noctis]] 05:18, 22 December 2007 (EST)

Does anyone know the rules of where you can wear each piece of armor? For example, can you wear a high boot and leggings? or only low boots with leggings? Do you need to make two boots? --[[User:Mitchy|Mitchy]] 20:30, 9 November 2007 (EST)

: You can wear high boots with leggings. Leggings and high boots have different layers. --[[User:JT|JT]] 17:15, 11 November 2007 (EST)

On a similar note, what's the difference between steel leggings and steel greaves? I would've thought leggings would cover below the knee as well. Do I need both to provide maximum Xtreme protection? [[User:Runspotrun|Runspotrun]] 15:17, 18 November 2007 (EST)

: As far as I can tell, greaves are the Plate class upgrade to leggings, which are Chain class lower body armor. Unlike upper body armor however, dwarves don't appear to be able to wear both leggings and greaves at once and will drop their leggings in favour of a set of greaves when set to Plate armor. --[[User:TangoThree|TangoThree]] 14:03, 25 November 2007 (EST)

I would like to know if it's possible to find out the various protection values of different types of armor. For example, we know the material and quality modifiers for armor, but not, say, how much better plate mail protects you than chain. Or whether greaves or high boots offer more coverage.
I ask because I'm wondering if, with high quality modifiers, [[adamantine]] ''clothing'' is viable protection for those who aren't wearing armor. Certainly, it'd make a good halfway measure for those who can't do magma smelting yet, but ''can'' get a Craftsdwarf's Workshop, Loom, and Clothesmaker's Workshop set up to extract the threads, weave them, and make clothes. --[[User:Alfador|Alfador]] 11:48, 13 December 2007 (EST)

==Soldier==

I think some of this article, specifically that stuff in the Using armor section, should be moved over to an article more dedicated to soldier preferences. As it is, it's describing everything about arming civilians with weapons instead of simply talking about armoring civilians; that content seems more appropriate for an article about soldiers or the hunting article. --[[User:JT|JT]] 17:15, 11 November 2007 (EST)

==Verified==

I can verify that whan setting dwarves to chain, they wear gauntlets --[[User:Nog|Nog]] 16:21, 12 November 2007 (EST)

== Table ==

I added a Materials Needed section to the table. Is this OK? --[[User:Nanor|Nanor]] 19 December 2007

:Excellent idea. It looked a little odd in the table, so I moved it to the text instead. --[[User:Turgid Bolk|Turgid Bolk]] 16:47, 19 December 2007 (EST)

:: Much better! Thanks! --[[User:Nanor|Nanor]] 17:50, 19 December 2007 (EST)

== 23.130.23a ==

We had much more info on armor in the [http://archive.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Armor old wiki]. Could someone with an account there bring the relevant bits over? [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 11:18, 22 December 2007 (EST)

== Leather Armor re: Caps and Helms ==

A soldier set to leather armor can wear leather helms, not just caps, and they'll wear a cap at the same time underneath (at least, if it's silk. I haven't confirmed yet if a soldier will wear a leather cap + a leather helm; doesn't really matter). This is a good thing because helms (according to the old wiki) have higher Block. They're heavier too but this shouldn't be a problem. --[[User:Stromko|Stromko]] 19:57:15 (PST), January 06 2007

:In the old versions, the materials of the armor pieces were irrelevant, regardless of the fact that the lowest armor level is called "leather". Leather and chain wearers would wear any kind of legging or boot, and a plate wearer would wear even a pig tail helm, if they happened to come across one, showing no preference for better material types or quality. Has this changed, or does the table in this article contain some wrong assumptions?--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 02:42, 7 January 2008 (EST)

::I seem to recall that 'light' materials like cloth, shell, and bone effectively 'downgraded' armor by one level, weighed half as much, and were 50% of the maximum effectiveness per their type. However! I can see right now in my current fortress a steel cap is 78 pounds and a cave spider silk cap is 13 pounds. This shows not all old information is correct.

Furthermore, bone and shell doesn't become a 'lighter' class. Shell Gauntlets require Chain or above to be assigned, and Turtle Bone Greaves go un-used until a dwarf is set to Plate.

However, I /can/ confirm from this very fortress I'm looking at right now, that dwarves assigned to leather went to pick up and wear Leather Helms. Unless, that is, they already have metal Caps. I'm looking at a marksdwarf right now assigned to wear Leather who has a Steel Cap, a pig tail hood (they all have hoods), and no helm. Everybody else has a leather helm.

I should note my fortress has no metal helms lying around, nor does it have spare metal caps, so I'm unable to verify that dwarves set to Leather wouldn't wear metal Helms or preferentially choose caps (they'd probably choose /either/ Metal Caps or Leather Helms if given a choice). However, I'm pretty sure they would not. Therefore, it is my understanding that they make a distinction between different material types. --[[User:Stromko|Stromko]] 03:22 (PST), January 07 2007

== Shields and Bucklers ==

Hmm it states here that dwarves can wear BOTH shields and bucklers, however in soldiering screen you can select EITHER shield OR buckler, but NOT both. Does this part of article apply to Adv. mode only? Could someone verify, please? --[[User:Digger|Digger]] 18:21, 24 February 2008 (EST)

I would guess the trick is to tell them to use bucklers first, waiting til they pick one up, then telling them to use shields, at which point they'll pick up a shield without dropping the buckler first. Like how you can get dwarves to wear a leather armour, chain mail, and plate on top all at the same time if you set them to leather, then chain, then plate. [[User:Furiousfish|Furiousfish]] 20:54, 6 March 2008 (EST)

== Natural Selection ==

Being a bit of a nooblet, and not having much war in any of my fortresses, I'm confused as to how armor selection works.

Would I be correct if I said "Setting a dwarf to wear Plate armor will cause him to grab plate whenever and wherever possible, but substitute leather, chain, or bone wherever no plate is available. So, for example, if my metalsmiths never make helms, but my leatherworker has caps and helms galore, they'll wear plate armor and a leather helm. Right? If so, this should probably be mentioned. --[[User:Shadow archmagi|Shadow archmagi]] 19:24, 28 February 2008 (EST)

40d:Bone

2008-03-07T01:48:31Z

Furiousfish:

Bone can be obtained from the [[corpse]]s of dead creatures, or from [[severed body part]]s. A dead corpse close to a [[butcher's shop]] will automatically schedule a butchering job, yielding a number of bones proportional to the creature's size.

Bones are processed at the [[craftsdwarf's workshop]] and bowyer's workshop, and can be used to make:

* Bone [[craft]]s, which can be sold. Bone crafts have a value dependent on their quality and an inherent number that depends on the creature it came from. [[Troll]] and [[elephant]] bones are more valuable than goblin or raccoon bones, for example. [[Dragon]] bones are extremely valuable.
* Bone [[armor]]. Bone armor is not particularly protective, but is very light, and easy to make early. High quality armor is more protective, and masterwork bone armor is as protective as basic quality iron armor.
* Bone [[decoration]]s. Any decoratable item can be decorated with bone, which adds to the items' value. No item can have more than one decoration of a certain kind of bone, but can have multiple decorations if the bones come from different kinds of creatures.
* Bone [[bolt]]s. These bolts are fired through crossbows. They are not valuable, so [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]] will use them for practice, as opposed to metal bolts.
*Bone [[crossbow]]s. While they do much less [[damage]] than better materials, they are very easy to make and great for marksdwarf practice. They are one of the few weapons available on maps without much [[metal]].

The [[quality]] of all bone items created depends on the [[bone carving]] skill of the dwarf who creates them, with the exception of crossbows, which requires [[crossbow-making]].

Bone is not a building material.

[[Category:Materials]]

40d:Craftsdwarf's workshop

2008-03-05T15:44:21Z

Furiousfish: /* Weapons */

{{workshop|name=Craftsdwarf's Workshop|key=r|job=Craftsworking
|construction=
1 of
* [[Block]]
* [[Stone]]
* [[Wood]]
|construction_job=No Special Profession
|use=
* [[Bone]]
* [[Leather]]
* [[Cloth|Plant fibre cloth]]
* [[Shell]]
* [[Silk]]
* [[Skull]]
* [[Stone]]
* [[Wood]]
|production=
* Rock crafts
* Wood crafts
* Rock short [[sword]]s
* Wood [[bolt]]s
* Bone [[bolt]]s
* Bone [[decoration]]s
* Shell [[decoration]]s
* [[Totem]]s
* Plant fiber cloth crafts
* Silk crafts
* Shell crafts
* Bone crafts
* Leather crafts
* Bone [[armor]]
* Shell [[armor]]
* [[Adamantine]] strands
}}

A '''Craftsdwarf's workshop''' is a [[workshop]] for any dwarves who can make [[stone]], [[bone]] or [[shell]] crafts. It can also be used to make a few things that aren't strictly crafts, such as shell [[armor]] and bone crossbow bolts.

Craftsworking includes several different skills:
*[[Bone carving]]
*[[Stonecrafting]]
*[[Woodcrafting]]
*[[Metalcrafting]]{{Verify}}

==Uses for crafts==
===Armor===
Bone and shell, like any other material other than metal used to create [[armor]], has 50% of the standard protection of iron. While poor in protection value, it is still a good start for protecting your dwarves before you get a metalsmithing operation going. It is not very usefull in the first few years since you aren't likely to be attacked by anything too powerfull but is still a preferable option over leather armor since while bearing the same protection value, leather can be used for more usefull purposes such as [[bags]] or leather [[clothing]].

Making bone and shell armor can be an effective way to meet certain nobles' mandates if metal armor production is difficult.

===Bolts===
Bone and wood [[bolts]] for crossbows can be made at a Craftdwarf's workshop; bone bolts can be made for next to nothing and when the dwarf reaches the top experience levels, bone bolts approach damage levels like that of metal ones<sup>{{verify}}</sup>. Also, dwarves will not use metal bolts to practice, instead preferring bone and wooden bolts.

===Crafts===
General crafts, such as idols, scepters, mugs, etc. are only good as trade items. It is a good idea to include a Craftsdwarf with both Bone Carving and Stone Crafting in your beginning party, so you can start producing ammunition and getting rid of those massive piles of rocks. A few bins of well-made trade goods are usually sufficient to buy any vital supplies from the first caravan to arrive at your fortress.

===Weapons===
You can create [[stone]] short [[sword]]s at the craftsdwarf's workshop out of any sharp stone. In the unmodified game, these short swords can only be made from [[obsidian]]. These have the same damage as steel, so they are extremely useful for early traps if you can find or produce obsidian. However, they require one unit of [[wood]] in their construction, making them mostly impractical on maps with no or little forestation.

The weapons are described as being clubs with a sharp stone edge affixed to the side. According to [[Toady One]], the weapons are supposed to wear very quickly but this functionality has not yet been implemented.{{version|0.27.169.33a}}

They are most likely based on Aztec [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macuahuitl Macuahuitl.]

{{Workshops}}
[[Category:Workshops]]

40d:Bauxite

2008-03-05T15:33:31Z

Furiousfish:

{{Stone|name=Bauxite|tile=+|color=#800
|location =
* [[Sedimentary layer]]s
* Found as large clusters
|properties =
* [[Magma proof]]
* [[Material value]] 1}}
Bauxite is the only [[stone]], apart from [[Raw_adamantine|adamantine]], which is suitable for the construction of [[mechanism|mechanisms]] to be used in [[floodgates]] which will come into contact with [[magma]].

Bauxite occasionally contains small clusters of [[Gem|rubies]] or [[Gem|sapphires]].

[[Category:Stone]]
[[Category:Sedimentary Stone Layers]]

40d:Bauxite

2008-03-05T15:33:21Z

Furiousfish:

{{Stone|name=Bauxite|tile=+|color=#800
|location =
* [[Sedimentary layer]]s
* Found as large clusters
|properties =
* [[Magma proof]]
* [[Material value]] 1}}
Bauxite is the only [[stone]], apart from [[Raw_adamantine|adamantine]], which is suitable for the construction of [[mechanism|mechanisms]] to be used in [[floodgates]] which will come into contact with [[magma]].

Bauxite occasionally contains small clusters of [[Gem|rubies]] or [[Gem|sapphires].

[[Category:Stone]]
[[Category:Sedimentary Stone Layers]]

ASCII art reward

2008-02-27T09:55:16Z

Furiousfish: /* (14 July 2007) */

If you are sending a [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Site_support|donation]] to [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ Bay12Games], they might send you an ASCII Art Reward in exchange. It is a small scene happening in the Dwarf Fortress world. If the same donator gives more than one time, it is also possible that the bits of ASCII Art follow each other and form a story.

Each piece of ASCII Art Reward belong to the donator who received it, but to appetize new potential donators, sharing them might be a good thing :

==[[User:Janus|Janus]]==
===(12 October 2006)===

<pre>BgB
B@g
gBB</pre>
Beak dogs and goblins surround the adventurer! What will happen next?!

===(13 February 2007)===
<pre>gg...
.B.B=
..BB.
.%B@/
.-...</pre>
One of the five beak dogs pounced. Rogar leapt, planting a foot on the beast's head and propelling himself toward the tattoed goblin. Just as they collided, Rogar planted his dagger through the goblin's left eye. They hit the ground hard, and Rogar rolled forward to his feet, spinning to face the remaining eight opponents. The beak dog he had jumped on was still shaking its head, wincing. Behind them stood a wiry goblin with a wild mane of maroon hair, brandishing a scimitar, and a lardy goblin holding an iron-studded club.

The beak dogs charged Rogar in unison. His dagger was stuck back in the twitching goblin's face, but weaponless he stood his ground before them. The first dog to reach him received Rogar's knee under its chin, the long cruel spike at the top of the warrior's half-greave piercing the creature's throat. Two more beak dogs reached him as he twisted his leg in the air, trying to free it from his bleeding adversary. The beasts slammed into him, one getting a hold of his right arm above the elbow, the other gnashing at his face. Before it could tear his nose off, Rogar grabbed it by the neck with his left hand and held it back. The other dog sank its beak deeper into the flesh of Rogar's arm. Could this be the end?!

===(5 May 2007)===
<pre>|+@g+++</pre>

Rogar awoke in pain, his wrists in chains, his wounded arm throbbing. He opened his eyes only to be greeted by an all-encompassing darkness. This must be Shalthidon's dungeon, which meant that he was locked inside the Tower of Hate from which no man had ever returned.

A dim light flickered some distance away, and he could see the silhouetted bars of his prison. Beyond them, shadows danced, and he heard a grating sound. The bars slid aside, and the lardy goblin waddled into the chamber holding a torch.

The foul creature stood below Rogar where he hung, an idiot grin perking up the otherwise sagging jowls of its bloated face.

"The master says you are to be entertained," it croaked as it continued to smile.

"I do not desire such pleasures as Shalthidon has to offer," Rogar answered. "Be off with you. The larder has grown lonely."

"The master says you are to feel the fire," the thing chortled. The goblin lifted the torch and took a step toward Rogar.

It was enough. Rogar lashed out with his legs, hooking them around the goblin's neck. In a feat of strength that would become legend, Rogar strained against the chains on his arms, lifting the massive goblin and all its corpulence from the floor. There was a sickening crack, and the fixtures in the ceiling gave way. Rogar fell into the goblin's lardy folds, pushing away desperately until he regained his feet, ready to fight, but the goblin was already dead with a broken neck.

Fortunately, the torch had not been smothered. The warrior picked it up and held it high. There was nothing else in the cell. Aside from the chains, the torch was his only possession. Now it's the master who'll be entertained, Rogar thought, as he strode out into the passageway.

===(7 August 2007)===
<pre>@+++"E"</pre>

Rogar strode toward the great iron doors, leaving a trail of blood that was not his own. In his hand he held a scimitar and from each of his wrists the chains still hung. All of the servants of Shalthidon that lurked within the Tower of Hate were now dead, save whatever was in this room at the pinnacle of the tower. The sword he had seized from the maroon-maned goblin, who had led the goblins in the tower barracks.

The warrior pushed hard on the iron doors and they opened inward with a groan. There, surrounded by brightly colored flowers, was an elf. The sun shone down on the tower top through windows in the elegant curved ceiling. The entire room sparkled.

"Are you a prisoner here? Where is Shalthidon?" Rogar asked urgently.

The elf chuckled pleasantly. "Child, Rogar, I am Shalthidon. My parents named me Lilarilqua, but my attempts to hold the goblins under my sway with that name met with disaster. Are you cold? Let me fetch you something warm." Shalthidon fished around under a dresser and pulled out a plush cloak with lacy frills. "The material was all offered freely from the feather trees, Rogar. You don't have to worry about the animals."

Rogar was still stunned. Shalthidon, the Bringer of Ruin, murderer of his parents, lord of the evil of the creeping wastes that had engulfed half the world, was an elf. Dispelling the cloud over his mind, the warrior focused. That will only make killing him all the more satisfying, he thought. Rogar lifted his blade and advanced.

==[[User:Laod|Laod]]==
===(15 October 2006)===

<pre>T..o..T

Trolls are playing dodgeball with a boulder! Who will win?!</pre>
--[[User:Laod|Laod]] 15 October 2006

==[[User:Qwip|qwip]]==
===(05 December 2006)===

<pre>...@T@..###S#

Taking a break from their duty, the two guards sat at a table with a scenic view of the chasm.
They did not notice as they drained their mugs that they were being watched from the shadows
by clusters of pale eyes. A table by the chasm?! </pre>
--[[User:Qwip|qwip]] 05 December 2006

===(09 February 2007)===

<pre>.@......####
...T@@~S####
.......#####

Dolan was chatting with Aliz about the health benefits of dwarven beer when Aliz disappeared.
Dolan sprang to his feet and saw that Aliz was being dragged toward the chasm, a thick rope of
translucent silk wrapped around his left ankle. At the lip of the chasm, a bloated form slowly
reeled the line in with her spindly legs.
Dolan knew immediately -- it was the Wolf-Mother of Darkness.
He grabbed his axe and ran toward Aliz, who was now only a few more pulls from the beast.

As he was hauling ore to the magma smelter, the peasant Kogarak saw the situation, screamed,
dropping his load, and ran toward the barracks. As he heard the sound of an axe ring against
stone behind him, he wondered if he would make it in time.</pre>
:— [[User:Qwip|Qwip]] 08:40, 9 February 2007 (EST)

===(18 April 2007)===
<pre>@@@...@.####
@..T..@S####
.......#####

The axe had scored the stone floor where it had severed the silk line. The Wolf-Mother chittered
angrily and pounced at Dolan, moving with surprising quickness. Dolan was knocked to the ground,
the enormous body of the foul creature pressing him into the stone. His axe clanged some distance
away. The blunt knobs at the end of the Wolf-Mother's forelegs dug into Dolan's ribs as her
dripping mandibles drew closer to his face. He grabbed her head with both hands, trying
desperately to keep her at bay. A foul-smelling spittle dripped on to his cheek.

Aliz, still dazed from his initial fall, slowly made his way to his feet. Seeing Dolan's desperate
struggle, he drew his sword and hacked at one of the Wolf-Mother's legs. The bumpy skin was
incredibly tough, but the steel blade left the appendage hanging by tatters. The Wolf-Mother
belched a grating rasp and rolled away from Aliz and faced the dwarves. Dolan crawled toward his
axe, but the nauseating venom drenching his face and beard had left him almost powerless. The
Wolf-Mother hesitated, her wound oozing white ichor as Aliz stood his ground.

There were several sharp cracking noises, and the Wolf-Mother crumpled, several iron bolts
protruding from her many eyes. In the distance stood Bomtek and the other marksdwarves,
accompanied by Kogarak. Aliz rushed to Dolan. The dwarf was breathing heavily.

"My body feels like gravel. I need a drink," Dolan said.

"The Wolf-Mother is dead. Brace up. I'll bring you your mug." Aliz fetched Dolan's mug from
the table and brought it to the dwarf where he lay on the stone floor. The mug was almost empty.

"The brood," Dolan whispered. "The night brood will come."</pre>
:— [[User:71.230.107.222|71.230.107.222]] 12:28, 14 May 2007 (EDT)

==[[The Toad Preservation Society]]==

Toady One and ThreeToe are continuously working on Dwarf Fortress since 4 years (well, when that was that written, in early 2007). On the same Idea, the Toad Preservation Society is trying to bring a very modest but continuous support. One result of this support is that ongoing series of art rewards. Slowly a story unfolds. Of course, the main target for the donation is not to get the reward, but to show the [[Bay12Games]] team that we love their project and value their effort. So let's consider each bit of that series as a nice present.

===(11 October 2006)===

<pre>
.M.@$.

Deep in the fortress, a lava man springs an ambush on the treasurer, who is happily
counting coins. Could this be the beginning of the end?!
</pre>
--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 October 2006

===(12 November 2006)===
<pre>
######.....M#~~~
@..@@@......M~~~
######..M%$.#~~~

Hammered and burnt by molten fists, the treasurer collapsed. That will teach him to
count coins near the magma flow. More lava men erupt from the magma as a fortress patrol
enters the room, one of them the treasurer's wife. Fighting back tears, she screams in
wild rage as the soldiers charge the beasts. Will vengeance prevail this terrible day?!
</pre>
--The Toad Preservation Society, 12 November 2006

===(5 December 2006)===

<pre>
..=# #############~~~# %
[@.#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
.=..........@.-....~~~#,
############..@%-.#~~~####
` '###########.=====........##
% #############~~~####

Indeed, vengeance did prevail, though it was bought with the lives of soldiers.
The Axedwarf Aloran, wife of the treasurer, grieves now over the charred body of her
husband, her grief-stricken face shining red in the magma's light. Yet the lava men
were only driven forth by rumors deep within the earth, ever rumbling now, ever
approaching the lip of the glowing pit discovered by the miners not long after the
bridging of the magma. The sound reached even the heart of the fortress, where
Regukar the Mason has begun a mysterious construction. What fey mood has possessed
Regukar?! Will Aloran's mourning be troubled by even greater dangers?!
</pre>
--The Toad Preservation Society, 5 December 2006

===(10 January 2007)===

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[@.#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@..........-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########..
` '###########.=====....@.&.##
% #############~~~########..
</pre>

A great crash echoed down the inward passageway.

"More beasts deeper in the mines?" said Narol fearfully, a recruit, the only member of the patrol save Aloran to survive. His right arm was burned horribly and he now held his axe in his left hand, weakly.

"Tell the Baron that lava men have entered the mines. I'll remain here." Aloran unmoving eyes stared over the bridge toward the mines. There would be no discussion. Narol stumbled up the opposite passage to the workshops.

Regukar was in the lower mason's shop, gazing into his hands, his face aglow with the light shining upward from his palms. The Baron was there as well.

"What is this? Did I not commission an obsidian throne? Why was this workshop built so near the magma flow if I'm to be seated on granite for the rest of my days?" The Baron sounded annoyed, but he was also trying to stare over Regukar's shoulder to see the treasure. The Baron reached for Regukar's wrist, and the mason turned violently and spat in the Baron's face just as Narol careened into the chamber.

"The Stout Wheels have held the bridge, but lava men are in the mines! Many are dead... Aloran is guarding the mine entrance alone..." Narol collapsed, breathing heavily.

-

Narol was gone, but Aloran did not notice. "I will kill them all," she said, and she walked down the bridge into the mines, leaving the bodies of her husband and the recruits behind. As she descended into the mines, the magma's light faded and she was engulfed by the dimness in which she had spent most of her life. Yet ahead she discerned an eerie glow. The miners had located these pits not long ago as they hunted for hematite. The lava men must be using them, accessing the mines away from the magma flow, Aloran thought, though she did not dwell on it long. Soon her mind was focused again on death.

Suddenly the light was blotted out, followed by a shaking that almost knocked Aloran from her feet. "COAH! So long I have waited for my master... only to find this sweet hairy dumpling. It must be time for the Great Feast." Aloran could discern its corpulence through the darkness. A lardy bloated creature, like those that made raids from the river, yet more grotesque, covered with translucent boils -- and many times larger. The thing croaked, "I sense... COAH! You have lost someone recently... your husband. Worry not, little dumpling! You will be reunited in my innards when I am done feeding."

Aloran did not speak. She would not entertain the creature -- she would have it dead.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 January 2007

===(11 February 2007)===

And it keeps going and growing !!

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[..#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@.........@-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########&.
` '###########.=====@.@@.@%&##
% #############~~~########.&
</pre>.

Aloran hacked at the thing's wide belly with her battle axe. It lurched backward, avoiding the full force of the strike, and crashed into the cavern wall. Immediately, as if its lardy mass had bounced off the barrier, it leapt forward and knocked Aloran to the ground, pressing down on her shoulders with its great slimy hands. Its mouth opened, and a slick lolling tongue poured out like thick syrup and covered Aloran's face. It was going to swallow her whole! Unable to breathe, Aloran fumbled around in her boot and pulled out a small pointed hammer. Struggling to maintain consciousness, Aloran swung the hammer from her elbow. The point pierced one of the great creature's eyes, which popped and drained a viscous pus over the dwarf. The thing backed off of the warrior's body, its fat tongue dragging on the ground, leaving a broad swath of spittle. Aloran stood, breathing heavily, her axe secure in her right hand. She advanced on the retreating beast, her weapon lifted over her head. She wound further backward, then brought the axe blade around in a sweeping arc down on the bloated fiend's tongue, forking it.

Two more silhouettes appeared in the eerie glow above the beast's quivering form. As they approached, she could see they were gray and glistening, partially encased in shimmering pale shells, each walking on four stumpy legs. They look like cave oysters, Aloran thought. She raised her axe.

"Aloran!" Three recruits with swords rushed down the passageway. "The Baron sent for us. Are you all right?" Aloran did not turn to face them as the demonic oysters crawled over their bleeding companion.

--

"How dare you spit on me! You'll receive two hammerstrikes for this!" The Baron was livid. He had called for a peasant to notify reinforcements for the mines, of course, but now he was free to chastize Regukar. Narol was still only semi-conscious, resting on the floor.

"I created it! It is mine!" Regukar's eyes were glowing with a fierce light. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and held his arms close to his body, the light of his creation showing through his interlocked fingers.

"Nothing is yours! You used stone from the miners, the miners carved that stone out of the mountain, and the mountain belongs to me. Now hand the object over for inspection, and your past transgression might be forgiven." The Baron held out his hand.

Before the Baron could react, Regukar grabbed his chisel and brought it down into the Baron's forehead. The Baron crumpled, hitting the stone floor hard. Regukar chuckled and ambled off down the passageway toward the mines.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 February 2007

===(13 March 2007)===
Even if Toady is now deep into its work and the malor works on maps/moving armies, he took time adding a new part to these now ongoing story...

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[..#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@..........-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########..
` '###########.=====@.%%%-&%##
% #############~~~########..
</pre>.

Aloran, still winded, faced the two oyster demons. The recruits stood by her side in a line blocking off the passageway. The beasts slid down the toad's massive body, landing before it with a splatter. The fiends moved slowly, but they had almost reached the dwarves.

Two of the recruits, Roal and Daron, cousins who had just began sparring two weeks ago, lifted their swords and assailed the creatures. Roal brought his weapon down hard on the shell of one of the beasts, but it was deflected. From the space between the shell plates, a massive slimy appendage burst forth, ringing Roal and dragging him inside. His lower body dangled from the creature. Daron grabbed his legs and pulled, but Roal would not budge. The other oyster demon raised up on its back legs and came crashing down on Daron. The dwarf's head slammed hard against the passage way and he went unconscious. Roal's legs twitched as the second demon turned back to the remaining warriors.

Aloran had regained her breath and charged with the other recruit, Nlan, a dwarf from the north burrow. The recruit stabbed at the demon's body, sinking his sword deep into its flesh, while Aloran aimed low and hacked off one of its stubby legs with her axe. As it toppled, the thing spit out a stream of goo onto Nlan's face, which began to steam. The recruit chortled and fell to the ground, unrecognizable. Aloran finished off the creature by hacking into its soft body repeatedly.

The other demon had completed its meal. Roal's lower body detached and fell to the ground, and the oyster beast let out a belching noise. Another sound emanated from its shell soon after. "I sense... loss... your husband... reunite..."

"Silence, beast," Aloran spat. "The toad made the same promise and failed to keep it. Your kind use hollow words." At that moment, the toad demon's bleeding body quivered, as if it were laughing.

The oyster spoke again. "Daron... reunite... Roal..." The slimy appendage slid out and looped around Daron's right leg. Aloran ran forward, swinging her axe down on the oozing tentacle. It was cloven asunder and fell to the tunnel floor, pouring out a thick white paste.

As the oyster backed into the toad demon's still quivering form, the entire tunnel filled with a blinding light. Aloran turned and saw the vague form of a dwarf raising its hand, from which the radiance emanated. The light faded just enough for Aloran to make out the details. It was Regukar, the mason. In his hand, he held a glowing schist mini-forge.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 13 March 2007

===(16 April 2007)===
All right, the Reward continues (this is the same story):

<pre>
@@.####
.@@++d+
@.@####
</pre>.

Captain Kogan stood with his dwarves on the stone road before the great arch, beard dripping from the drizzling rain that had been falling since the early morning. No word had been sent from the Baron concerning the deep mining operation for nearly two weeks. The King had grown impatient and the Captain had been sent to investigate.

The soft patter of rain on stone was slowly drowned out by a series of whirs and chirps coming from within the fortress. It was like nothing the Captain had heard before. He had his soldiers position themselves before the entrance with the marksdwarves kneeling in front of the others. The sounds drew closer, until a small shape could be discerned emerging from the shadows beyond the archway.

It looked like a lizard, twisted into that form from rusted iron strips, but it walked on its rear legs with a jerking and uncertain gait. In the center of its head, visible through the metal frame, was a drooping lump of granite that appeared to be molded around the iron. The stone glowed with a faint red light.

The dwarves watched awe-struck as the metallic creature continued advancing until it finally stopped under the great arch. Its head swiveled back and forth, eventually settling on the group. The lizard's body grated against itself, and from somewhere within, it emitted a piercing whistle and charged.

"Fire, Bomtek! Now!" Kogan ordered.

The marksdwarf shot a bolt at the creature. It hit the granite lump, shattering it. The iron strips collapsed into a pile.

"W.. what in the name of the Lordaxe was that?" Nunon stammered. "Where are the guards?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Kogan. He walked forward and pushed the remnants of the creature about with his hammer. "Something sinister is afoot. We'll scout as far as the upper meeting hall."

Captain Kogan and his dwarves passed under the arch and disappeared into the dimly lit fortress.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 16 April 2007

===(10 May 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#++++++++++d+++++++..
####+@+O++O++O+dOd+&#
+++++@+++++++++d+++@#
####+@+O++O++O++Od++#
#++++++++++d+d++@#
##################
</pre>

"Get out of there!" Kogan screamed. It was too late. Lokar was lost. Only Bomtek, Nunon and Captain Kogan himself remained. The rest had been mauled beyond recognition by the metallic beasts. The passage to the upper hall had seemed clear, but it was a ruse. The walls had come alive. The lizards were everywhere.

Now Kogan and the others were running for lives, pursued by the iron fiends. They could outrun them if they didn't stop to fight. The dwarves were approaching the meeting hall, though Kogan held little hope for that place now. The only way out of the outpost lay behind them, through a maelstrom of metal fangs.

"The upper hall!" Kogan shouted when he spotted a light ahead. The torches were still lit? Perhaps the guards were able to stand after all! Kogan and the others ran on, the din of whirs and chirps behind them driving them forward. At last, the tired soldiers crossed under the arch and entered the upper meeting hall.

"I'm so pleased you could join us!" a voice boomed from the back of the chamber. Kogan looked out between the pillars. There on a granite throne sat a dwarf, his face twisted in madness. In his hand he held a glowing object. The stone floor before him was crawling with the metal lizards. On his right, a fire burned in the shape of a tall man, lighting the entire hall. On his left, a dwarf woman was tied, struggling against her bonds, hatred in her eyes.

"Do you like my little friends? Arshosh and I will make more, many, many more. The miniforge is all-powerful!" The crazed dwarf cackled. "With it, I enslaved the spirit of fire, bound stone and metal to my will, and soon, soon! Oh, yes. Soon I will use the power of the miniforge to create a new race of dwarves! Aloran will be the first! Then all of you will join her! And you shall call Regukar your master!"

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 April 2007

===(June 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#+d+++++++%++++++++..
####d@dO++O++O%%O+%&#
++++d@d+++%%++++%%%%#
####d@dO+%O%+O+%O%%@#
#+d+d+%++%%%+++%@#
##################
</pre>

The soldiers had been quickly subdued, lashed to the floor by a writhing mass of metallic lizard bodies. Regukar walked slowly to the place where Aloran was restrained.

"Now, Aloran, let us begin the ritual of transformation." Regukar held the shining miniforge near to the dwarf warrior's face as she continued to strain against the ropes. The crazed mason lifted a tiny hammer and struck the minianvil once. The fires of Arshosh rose to the ceiling of the great hall and twisted around its many granite pillars. A tongue of flame engulfed the miniforge and the anvil began to glow even more brightly.

Aloran felt her skin breaking. The unbearable pain spread throughout her entire body. Metal blades tore through the flesh of her arms and legs, and she felt a force trying to subdue her will. "Regukar is your master. Regukar is your master," a voice in her mind whispered. The ropes snapped as the blood-covered blades continued to rise. The voice became louder and louder until it was all she could hear, drowning out her own screams.

Through her tears she could see Regukar had buckled over, laughing uncontrollably, and the sight filled Aloran with an all-consuming hatred. This contemptible dwarf could never be her master. The pain and the voice faded away, and her animosity began to manifest itself in the power of her limbs. The metal was part of her body now, and she felt its presence as surely as that of her own hands.

Looking up, Regukar noticed Aloran's steady gaze, and worry crossed his face. "My slave, the transformation is complete. Call me master," the mason stammered. Aloran said nothing and punched Regukar in the face with her metal-bladed fist. The knives stuck in his head, and the full weight of his dying body hung limply from Aloran's straight arm. Regukar's mangled face slid slowly backward, and free from the blades the dwarf crumpled to the floor and lay unmoving on the stones.

The tongue of flame slowly lifted the miniforge from the mason's clinging hand. As the glowing object slipped from his grasp, his raised arm fell back to the ground, and he breathed his last. The spirit of fire withdrew its flames, bringing the miniforge to the center of its translucent body. The demon turned to Aloran and faded from sight. There was a sudden crash as the metallic lizards fell to pieces.

--The Toad Preservation Society, June 2007

==TomTheHand==

===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>
..g#o@.%
</pre>

Shrolnak glared through the rusty iron bars.

"Eat yer meat, ya hairy maggot," the goblin snarled as it pushed the bowl back towards the dwarven child. "It'll make yer beard longer."

Aliz kicked the bowl away again. "I'm not eating until I get my mini-forge!" Aliz crossed his arms above his plump little belly and turned away.

"Minnn.. what's yer mini-forge?" The goblin was confused. The only toy it had ever owned was a cracked elf skull.

The dwarf child's eyes lit up. "Uncle Kogan made it! It glows in the dark!"

"Glows in the dark, eh... I'll poke around." The goblin scrambled away from the prison and disappeared around a corner. In a few minutes, it returned, its hand cupped around something that glowed purple through its bony fingers.

Aliz moved toward the bars, his wide eyes reflecting the eerie light. The goblin held its right hand through the bar and dropped the glowing object into the child's waiting palms.

"Now eat yer meat." The goblin wandered off.

Aliz was still staring into his hands. A sinister smile spread slowly over his face.

===(12 March 2007)===

<pre>
.T.g..@..
</pre>

"Where is the Soul of the Dark Power?!" Arugor was screaming now. He had fooled a dragon to obtain the wicked gem, and now it was nowhere to be found. Shrolnak groveled before him.

"Master, I.. I don't know..." Shrolnak had never truly adjusted to kneeling before the troll, but it couldn't be helped. His master had been gifted with a cunning far beyond others of his kind, and Shrolnak was powerless before him.

"Lies! Your hands still shine with its aura! Where have you hidden my treasure?"

"T.. that gem? I thought that's all it was. I... I let the dwarf child play with it."

"What?! Fool! I must reclaim it before it is too late." Arugor was bothered that Shrolnak had somehow managed to avoid the intricate traps in the Soul Chamber, but he would leave that matter alone until the gem was reclaimed.

Just as Arugor turned to leave, a plump dwarven child floated into the throne room, trailed by a billowing mist. In his hands, he clutched a deep purple gem. The hovering child had a wicked grin twisted into his bearded face. Arugor and Shrolnak shielded their faces, helpless before the radiance of the wielded Soul.

The child levitated higher, close to the ceiling, and looked down upon the quivering monsters. "With my power, I shall build the greatest mini-forge the world has ever known!" The dwarf was enveloped by the purple light and passed through the ceiling.

==[[User:Spelguru|Spelguru]]==
===(19 November 2006)===
<pre>
..@.M.~~~~...
</pre>
The adventurer, transformed into a ghoul by strange forces, crawls toward the Everlasting River of Curing, barely clinging to his life, such as it had become. Suddenly, from the ceiling dropped... Adamantine Man! Is there any hope?!

===(19 December 2006)===
<pre>
...M.~~~~..".
.....@~~~~...
...."~~~~~...
</pre>

Adamantine Man spoke and said, "Unfortunate stranger! You wish to cast off your affliction? Drink then, and be blessed."

So the adventurer drank. The soothing warmth of the water spread from the center of his body, out to his deformed fingers and toes. Without pain, they shifted and were set in their proper places, along with the other marks of the affliction. All was well.

The adventurer looked at Adamantine Man in awe and asked, "I am grateful, Adamantine Man, for I had been without hope. For years unnumbered, my people have deemed the River unapproachable. 'Adamantine Man is there', they said, and yet, I have found naught here but a generous host and the cure to all that ailed me. Tell me Adamantine Man, why are you so feared? I am humbled by your graciousness, but am I truly free from danger?"

Adamantine Man spoke for a second time and said, "Indeed, be not afraid. Your people regard me with terror, for they do not understand me, and verily, who among you can understand Adamantine Man, who does not understand himself?"

The adventurer bowed his head and said, "It is true. Even now I am unsettled, for though you have granted me renewed life asking for nothing, still, even now, I wish to leave and never return."

Adamantine Man spoke for a third time and said, "So it has always been. Go now in peace."

The adventurer left without looking back. Overjoyed, his family accepted him, no longer an outcast, and soon all in the land had heard that he who had once been tainted was made whole by the River.

Some years later, a man, broken in body, came to the adventurer's abode. "I seek your aid, for it is said that you who were once tainted were made whole by the River. Tell me, where is the River, that I might be restored?"

The adventurer looked at the man, and he said, "Adamantine Man is there. Be content now, as I shall never be again." The man departed, and the adventurer remained.

===(25 March 2007)===

The adamantine man story ended.
<pre>
@-***=.T
</pre>
The Pulson-9000 seared the sky trailing ion-energized purple lightning. The XZ-Trollmech Mk7 didn't stand a chance. Another contract, another payment. Rogar was the last dwarf of his village, and after many hardships had fallen into the tough life of a mercenary warrior. He had stolen his first fighting bot, but after three years he had enough money to build and repair his own. He spent his offtime tinkering, which soothed his still-dwarven heart.

For now though, he was in enemy territory. True, the contract was complete, but he had fought his way deep into the personal citadel of the vile cyber-modded troll Vanquidor in order to blow his Mk7 body to pieces, and now he had to laze through the bodyguards and sentry droids he hadn't already obliterated. The dwarf had very little ordinance remaining. Rogar put on his shades. Things were about to get hot, but he was cool as a sonic-fan. Time to fire it up! Yeah!

==[[User:Rewolf31|Rewolf31]]==
===(13 April 2007)===
<pre>.B@.~~~
</pre>
And so Alor, a wrestler of renown, found himself between a great boar and the wide river. For six days they struggled, and as the sun descended behind the hills on the evening of the seventh day, Alor finally collapsed in exhaustion. The boar spoke and said, "I too am tired. The sun has fallen. Let us rest." And so Alor and the boar slept, and the sun arose on the morning of the eighth day.

===(21 July 2007)===
<pre>,.,B@~,~,~</pre>

"Whiskey?" Alor asked the boar, holding up his flask. The wrestler had not spoken for a week.

"Gladly," the boar said, taking the flask up in its mouth. "You block my path to the river, and now you offer me your flask. Strange are the ways of your people."

"Your path? I was seeking to cross the river and found myself menaced," Alor said.

"The squirrels tell me I am a terror to behold when I am thirsty," the boar said as it drained the flask. "Do I menace you now?" The boar looked mild and plump. Indeed, the gentle creature reminded Alor of his daughter.

"No, I am not menaced. I am reminded of home," Alor said fondly. At that moment his stomach growled, for he had not eaten in some time.

"Hopefully I do not remind you of your dinner table," the boar laughed, "though it remains to be seen who would have the final mastery in our contest." Alor smiled broadly and the boar guided Alor to the ford, where they parted as friends.

===(12 September 2007)===
<pre>++@a@+
</pre>
"Daddy! Daddy!" the little girl cried happily as she ran toward the mighty dwarf where he stood under the archway.

"I missed you, sweet pod!" Alor crouched down and lifted the child up to his shoulder, where she sat, beaming. "Have you been good while I was away?"

"I made a puzzle box. See!" The girl held out a soapstone box. The master craftsdwarf always started the young ones with the material since it required little strength to carve, though it crumbled easily. Even so, the box was quite exquisite.

"That's beautiful. Now let me see here..." Alor pressed a button and the lid popped open. There was nothing inside. "Hey, where's my treasure?" he said in mock indignation.

The girl took the box and made a series of complicated motions along the inside of the empty compartment. A second lid opened, revealing a piece of dwarven sugar candy. The child giggled and smiled broadly.

Alor scratched his head and laughed. Coren was only six, but she was already beyond him.

"Did you win, daddy?" Coren asked.

"Ah, the tournament? Yes, sweet pod, there hasn't been a dwarf born yet that can beat your father," Alor looked at the puzzle box. "At least not at wrestling. And you know what else?"

"What else, daddy? What else?"

"I met a talking boar and we became friends."

"Again?" Coren complained. "I want to meet your animal friends soon."

"I'll invite them over for your party next month. Until then, you have to work hard. Do you have a lesson today?"

"Yes. Mr. Goldlocket says he'll let me try marble today."

"Marble, eh? That's amazing. You really are your mother's daughter. I'll walk you to the shop." Together they strolled down the passageway. Alor admired the carvings and architecture, occasionally pointing an engraving out and explaining its history, though his daughter had heard it all before. It had been two months since he left for tournament, and the wrestler had missed his home very much.

"The three of us should have a feast tonight. What do you say?" Alor asked. Coren did not respond.

The dwarf looked down. His daughter was not there. She was not in the passageway. There was no sign of her.

"Goblins!" A scream echoed through the tunnels. "Goblins in the fortress!"

===(18 September 2007)===
<pre>,..|mBL@+++++++g+</pre>

"I'm sure she's in there," Alor said from his place behind the boulder where he looked down upon the rusted iron doors of Chatteltomb.

"We must act now, while there's still time," the boar urged. This was the same boar that Alor had befriended by the riverbank, and it now came to aid Alor in his time of need.

"The door is locked. Even with our combined strength, I doubt we can force entry," the leopard observed. This was the same leopard that Alor had befriended in the high grasses, and it also came to aid Alor in his time of need.

"Don't worry. The guards were drunk in the ravine below," the marmot announced as it scampered up the slope with the key in its mouth. This was the same marmot that Alor had befriended on the mountainside, and it came to aid Alor after promises of food.

"I've only challenged the depths of this black pit once in my life. It is a memory I have longed to forget, though it will serve me now," Alor said. "It sickens me that my daughter is kept there. The way to the dungeons will not be heavily guarded, as fear of this place keeps all but the foolish at bay. That said, the tower above is garrisoned with unnumbered horrors. If the alarm is raised, escape will be impossible."

The group made their way down to the entrance. With some effort, Alor forced the key into place. The great doors swung open with a grating noise, exposing a palpable darkness that hung heavy in the stale air like a fog of soot. The thick shadows were penetrated from beyond by sinister red lights which gave vague form to the smooth obsidian corridors.

Once all had passed into the tower, they closed the door behind them. "We can only hope it is not unusual for the doors to sound. Do you see anything?" Alor whispered to the leopard.

"Several doors down, a goblin is standing," the leopard spoke softly. "It has turned to face us. I don't think it can make us out yet, but its night eyes are almost as strong as my own. It is coming this way."

Indeed, Alor could barely make out twin spots of crimson shining in the distance. The dwarf felt the leopard slip from his side. In a moment, the crimson spots disappeared from view. No sound accompanied their departure. Alor and the others padded quietly forward, approaching the stairway and the dungeons below.

==[[User:Admin|Senso]]==
===(29 April 2007)===
<pre><+@?++&~~</pre>

The wayward manager Aliz stepped quietly down the last flight of stairs into the lowest depths of the abandoned halls. The air of the room was stale and warm. The light of the dwarf's torch illuminated a stone pedestal, on which rested a gray book.

"The Tome of Suffering," Aliz whispered. In its blood-stained pages, the collected wisdom of countless outpost managers waited for his perusal. Never again would his charges starve. Never again would they complain for want of whiskey. Never again would Aliz have to consult the half-baked scribblings of his uncle Toran.

The ground shook and Aliz's ears were assailed by a deafening crash. When the dust cleared, the entire chamber was illuminated by a sinister red glow. In place of the far wall was a yawning pit filled with bubbling magma and flames. From the inferno came a betusked fiend, ravening, its slavering maw belching foul vapors through which stared its cruel bulging eyes. Its clawed hands kneaded the lardy folds of its corpulence as if it sought to make room for this latest morsel.

Aliz was terrified. The dwarf clutched the Tome to his chest. The horrific beast crouched by the magma pool, muttering in a grating whisper:

"It will be eaten. It will be eaten, the dwarf. Eaten. Eaten alive."

==[[User:md5i|md5i]]==
===(12 May 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||+++@+|
</pre>
"That ought to keep 'em out," Doran said confidently, patting the granite
block which he had just slid into place. Ever since the Baron had insisted
on mining out the gold vein in the wall, Doran had been dealing with the
rats. It couldn't be helped. Gold was gold after all, but it was just
Doran's luck that the miners had broken through to a large chasm not far
from the craftsdwarf's room.

The dwarf laid down on his bed and began to think about the next project. A
puzzlebox, perhaps, something challenging. Just as Doran was drifting off
into dreams of the design, he heard a scratching on the block.

"Ha! Keep trying you little demons," the dwarf chuckled. The scratching
continued. It was irritating, but the dwarf could block it out. Then there
was a grating scrape as the block moved an inch. The dwarf sat up and
stared at the wall in amazement. Impossible, he thought.

The block slid forward further. Small, clawed fingers worked their way
around the stone until a gray, furry hand grasped one corner of the block.
The stone turned slightly.

Doran seized his chisel from the nearby table and leapt toward the block,
stabbing downward. The tool grazed the hand, leaving a spatter of blood on
the stone. There was a shriek, and the bleeding hand disappeared into the
dark crack.

The craftsdwarf pushed the block back into place and backed away, chisel in
hand. After a moment, the scratching began anew.
===(07 Jun 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||%r%+@+|
</pre>
"Leave me be, you fiend!" Doran yelled, his chisel held toward the stone
block. The scratching became louder and more persistent.

Once again, the block moved, but this time no fingers poked through the
crack. The beast had learned. The slab of granite was being pushed
directly from behind, and it glided slowly toward Doran. The dwarf backed
toward his bed.

The block stopped sliding. There was now enough space to allow something to
pass through the hole in the wall, but the block was large and Doran could
not see behind it. For a long moment, nothing stirred. The craftsdwarf
knelt and opened the chest by the foot of his bed, muttering.

At once, a creature leapt from behind the block and faced Doran. It was a
ratman, ravening, its long yellow incisors surrounded by froth, its
patchy-furred flesh stretched tight over its starved body. The thing
hungered and would have Doran for its meal.

The dwarf stood, a vial in his hand. The ratman lunged forward and Doran
hurled the vial at the beast's face. The glass shattered, and the creature
clutched its black protruding eyes as they steamed. Doran rushed forward
and stabbed the ratman repeatedly with the chisel until it stopped moving.

"Pity about that. I was going to ask Mul to do some etchings for me."
===(15 Jul 2007)===
<pre>##===@=D####
</pre>
"Yes, I'm sorry, Mul, it would have been a thrilling project," Doran said,
pausing to take another swig of whiskey. "I can't believe how much trouble
we've been having with ratmen lately."

"Perhaps there's a larger beast down in the chasm riling them up," Mul
replied. "Kogan's child was taken not long ago."

"Yes, surely something unusual is afoot."

Meanwhile, Kogan stood with his axe by the chasm bridge. Ever since the boy
Aliz had been lost, the soldier had tirelessly patrolled the walkways along
the deepest parts of the rift, killing dozens of ratmen and a few large
spiders. He would not be satisfied until the depths were devoid of life.

A foul wind blew up from the chasm. Kogan leaned to the side and peered
down over the edge of the bridge. The impact was sudden and the dwarf was
knocked on his back in the middle of the bridge. Kogan heard the sound of
stone being scraped without respect, and he.found himself staring into the
rotten eyes of a giant decaying reptile.

==[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]]==
===(16 May 2007)===
<pre>=@()++@</pre>

Doran stirred the bubbling pot of syrup. It was ready! "Pour, pour, pour!" the dwarf sang. Into the molds the syrup flowed. "Another batch," the dwarf said, satisfied.

Just then, he noticed somebody standing in the doorway. "Ah, Glornol. What brings you to the kitchens this early? Come to try a sticky treat? I have some Anvil Drops cooling now. Just a moment."

Doran turned to the tray on the table when he was startled by Glornol's shouting. "What is the meaning of this? Isn't there a war on?"

"Even soldiers need sticky treats, Glornol!" Doran picked up two chocolate goblins and began to speak in a high-pitched throaty voice.

"Ooo, it's Glornol!" the first chocolate goblin said.

"Glornol's scared of the mean, mean goblins!" the second chocolate goblin observed.

"Let's eat the dwarf! Yummies for tummies!" the first chocolate goblin offered.

"The dwarf might eat me instead! Oh no!" the second chocolate goblin replied. Doran held the goblin out to Glornol.

Glornol was not amused, but he snatched the candy from Doran's hand. "Hrmph," he grunted, and biting the goblin's head off, he walked out of the kitchen.

==[[User:ergot|ergot]]==
===(14 June 2007)===
<pre>""w"w@%"w"w</pre>

Doran shifted from foot to foot as he looked from side to side. Eventually the dwarf's head dropped and he clutched his beard, his wide eyes wild, staring at the dirt. They were everywhere.

"Cave weevils. Cave weevils on my crops. My pig tails, all of my pig tails are gone. But this season will be different, mark my words, by the Lordaxe it will." The dwarf pulled a bulky glove from his belt. The knuckles were studded with iron. Doran slid the glove over his hand, his mouth twisting into a cruel smile. The farmer's eyes grew dark.

One of the foot-long insects crawled in front of the dwarf, and he hammered it into the earth with his fist, smashing the weevil until it was well-ground. "Flat. I'll pound 'em all flat. We might not have cloth this year, but we'll have plenty of meal."

==[[User:beefx|beefx]]==
===(25 June 2007)===
<pre>"++@k@++"</pre>

Zolon and Morul stood near the steel cage. The brown humanoid inside sat with its hands on its knees, rocking back and forth.

"Clearly, the kobold was molded from stone." Zolon stroked his black beard. He then glanced at Morul, raising an eyebrow.

"Not so fast... the yellow eyes glow. Fire was involved." Morul was a slow thinker, but he was not easily moved.

"Stagis! Bacabadabis!" The kobold began to screech in its low tongue. Zolon and Morul observed in silence until the creature quieted down.

"Was that the wind then?" Zolon asked.

"It seems the interplay of the elements is nuanced in this one, even if the final realization is... lacking."

Morul did not disdain the beast so much that he did not feed it, now that the trapper had entrusted it into his keeping. The philosopher had left a few pieces of old venison in the cage and the creature now lifted one and inspected it. After a few sniffs, the kobold pitched it through the steel bars. The dwarves watched as the meat spun through the air and landed a few yards from the cage. When they turned back around, the kobold was inches away from them, its face pressed against the bars.

"Augis," it moaned. "Augis!" Louder and louder it wailed.

Zolon and Morul covered their ears. "And this is a tempest?" Zolon said facetiously.

"Let's adjourn until the storm passes. Perhaps we can find a meal the thing will accept." Morul turned and walked down a nearby corridor, toward the kitchen. Zolon followed close behind.

After they had left, the kobold stopped moaning and sat back on its haunches. Opening its small clawed fingers, the creature smiled. On its palm rested an iron key.

==[[User:Shanty|Shanty]]==
===(30 June 2007)===
<pre>@@+U@</pre>

Rogar spun again and again, staring into the darkness. The scraping had begun all at once and it seemed to come from every direction. Nothing could be seen beyond the limit of the flickering torchlight.

There! A shadow moved slowly out of the darkness. It had the stature of a dwarf, but Rogar knew the outpost had been abandoned for decades. After a moment, the warrior could see clearly. The shuffling thing had no flesh. The bones of its feet clacked and slid across the stones. The dead were walking in this place.

There were more, many more. Rogar was completely surrounded. He held up his sword and turned from threat to threat. The dwarves were unarmed, with tatters of cloth hanging over their skeletal remains. Bits of beard were still visible stuck around their garments and their skulls. The dead stopped short of Rogar's weapon and stood completely motionless. There was no way the warrior could pass without forcing his way through.

The skeleton he had seen first raised its bony hand slowly, curling all of its fingers save one into its palm. Its index finger pointed toward Rogar. From somewhere within its skull, it emitted a long, low moan which ended in a hiss and faded into silence.

==[[User:Bott Maggot|Bott Maggot]]==
===(03 August 2007)===
<pre>+&=o=@+</pre>

"You've come, Kogan. The Lordaxe. It is said you have a mighty constitution, but can you hold your own at my table?" The demon slammed the great flagon down on to the center of the table. A few dark drops splattered on the stone and smouldered.

"I can take whatever you offer, fiend, and I'll count you a poor host if that brew there on the table doesn't move me half as much as the whiskey of my homeland."

"Ah, your homeland. It will make a fine gateway to the Underworld someday."

"I wish I could say the dwarves would enjoy making a mine of this palace, but alas, your halls reek of filth. It would be difficult to persuade them."

"Less talk, more drink. You call yourself a dwarf?"

Without another word, Kogan seized the flagon with his scarred fist. He could feel the infernal heat emanating from the brew, and the smell was appalling. Even so, he hefted the drink to his open mouth and downed it completely, setting the empty flagon on the table in triumph.

==[[User:Kosmos|Kosmos]]==
===(11 September 2007)===
<pre>T+TT@C +</pre>

"Twist my arm, why don't you? You louse," Doran had complained as Bomtek continued to bother him.

"Come on, Doran! It's just a bottle of whiskey. The Baron won't miss it. When you deliver his table, just take a little something for yourself. And share it with me."

Now Doran was standing in the Baron's dining room. It already had a fine granite table at its center; the noble had just wanted an obsidian corner piece as an accent. As the dwarf set the table down, Bomtek's repeated needling suggestions still echoed in his mind. It was just one bottle. There are so many in the cabinet. The Baron won't miss just one of them.

The dwarf had to pass the cabinet on the way out. With every step toward it, he felt the whiskey within calling in his heart. Doran's face flushed hot and his stomach felt as if it were being squeezed and twisted. Maybe I'll just look, he thought. Just look and go. He reached out his hand and gently opened the cabinet's door. There was only one bottle inside. Bomtek, you fool, he thought. Yet the whiskey still beckoned him forward, and he continued to gaze on the bottle in silence as it drew him ever closer.

==[[User:SupSuper|SupSuper]]==
===(19 April 2007)===
<pre>+R@%+@+%</pre>

"Hya! Hya!" Kogan screamed as he careened around the corner astride Lomrin. He had acquired the giant rat from the dungeon master for a vial of liquid fire. It had been a barrel of laughs, especially after a mug or three.

As they passed the foodpile, Lomrin stopped suddenly to inspect a large plump helmet biscuit. Kogan flew over the rat's ears and landed on his beard, sliding to a stop at a pair of black leather boots. Kogan waited a moment for his head to clear, and then he rolled back on his bottom and stared up at the face of Mul. It had to be Mul.

"On a bender again, are we Kogan?" Mul admonished.

"We? I swear I haven't given Lomrin a drop!" Kogan said indignantly.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Mul said, indicating the food stockpile with a nod of his head.

Kogan turned his head. Lomrin had pried the lid off of a whisky barrel. Only her rear legs and tail were now visible.

"She takes after her uncle Kogan!" Kogan beamed proudly. Mul knocked him down to the ground with a push from his foot.

==[[User:Trukkle|Trukkle]]==
===(25 June 2007)===
<pre>%%@##B#</pre>
"There it goes!" Doran hollered as the bit of plump helmet sailed out into the darkness. The mason had been at the whiskey all morning, and now he was dangling his legs over the chasm with his lunch, throwing mushroom pieces to the gray fliers. One of the bats sailed silently into view and snatched the food as it fell.

"A bat's a bat, and bats like mushrooms!" Doran slurred as he took another swig from the flagon. "Let's try something a little larger."

The dwarf ripped the cap from one of his plump helmets and tossed it out into the abyss. It dropped out of view, without any sign of the fliers. Doran pouted.

Suddenly, a great shape flew up from the chasm, right by Doran's face, blowing the braids of his beard back over his shoulders. It looked like a gray flier, but many, many times larger, as large as one of the brown bears out in the forest. He watched as it disappeared off above into the distance.

Doran looked down at his lunch. "I... I guess I'll finish the rest myself."

==[[User:Syndlig|Syndlig]]==
===(18 May 2007)===
<pre>oU++@@</pre>
The man struggled against the chains. The dwarves stared at him, smiling in satisfaction.

"That should ward you off our treasures, human. Be glad we don't send for the Hammerer."

The human scoffed. "Ha! I may be a thief, but at least I'm not a dwarf. See how I tower above you! I may not have a trade, I may not have any notable achievements whatsoever, but I am still a man."

The blackbearded dwarf turned to his companion. "You know, Mul, I suppose we could call for the Hammerer. The Baron will understand. After all, it was the Baron's goblet we found in his pack."

The dwarf named Mul considered this. "The Hammerer could certainly give him a new perspective on life. From two or three handspans lower down, at that. Start at the ankles, perhaps?"

"I always preferred the kneecaps, myself," the blackbearded dwarf said as they turned to leave. "It's really up to Rashok to decide though."

Mul hummed in disappointed affirmation. "Hmm, Rashok gets to have all the fun doesn't he?"

"Wait! Don't leave, my little friends!" the man screamed as the dwarves disappeared through the iron gate.

The blackbearded dwarf poked his head back into the dungeon. "We'll spare some whiskey, don't worry!" He disappeared again.

"Watered down, of course..." Mul could be heard saying as their footfalls faded away.

==[[User:Furiousfish|Furiousfish]]==
===(14 July 2007)===
<pre>++@g####</pre>
"Tell me where the child is being taken and I'll let you live!" Kogan yelled down at the goblin, desperation marking his voice. Mul had shot this wretch in the leg, but the kidnapper had escaped. The goblin hanging by Kogan's hand over the chasm was just a bodyguard. The goblin smiled wickedly, taking delight in Kogan's distress. "Even now, your child is approaching the prison where he'll live out the next decade of his miserable life," it spat. "And then, well..." The fiend began to chuckle. "Where is the child?" Kogan asked with finality. The goblin closed its eyes and was silent. Kogan let the creature drop away into the darkness.

===(27 February 2008)===
<pre>","".g%@.",""."..</pre>
Dorol struggled against the coarse sackcloth. The darkness was total,and it smelled even more foul than his uncle's rotten-toothed whiskeybreath. He had been playing with his miniforge by the cave river wheneverything had gone black. Dorol had heard a commotion shortly after,followed by terrible undwarven screaming, but afteward just the softfootfalls of somebody running quickly along with the rustling of thesack. At once, whoever was carrying him stopped and let the sack drop hardon the ground. There was a rustling, and the sack opened. It wasnighttime, and Dorol could see the face of his captor looking down athim. A goblin! The fiend pulled the cloth down far enough thatDorol's head stuck up out of the opening. The dwarf held tightly onto his toy, uncertain and afraid. "Here, eat this," the goblin said, holding out something. Dorolworked one of his hands out of the sack and took the offering. It wasa piece of spoiled meat, crawling with diseased larvae. The childdropped it on the ground by the sack. "Hey, that's good meat," the goblin complained, reaching down to pickit up. "The master gave it to me just for you." The goblin loweredits voice and mumbled. "I'd eat it, but he is always watching me, andhe knows when I've been bad. "Now eat up," the goblin drew closer and pushed the meat into thedwarf's face. Like a true smith, the dwarven child struck, smashingthe hammer of his miniforge into the goblin's eye! The goblin cringed, clutching his face. After a moment he shook hishead and looked up at the sack, but the dwarf was nowhere to be seen.Filling with rage, driven by fear of his master's torments, the goblinshouted, "You can't run, you hairy snot! I'll hunt you, and I'll findyou!" Snatching up the sack, the goblin ran off into the wilds.

==[[User:Bombcar|Bombcar]]==
===(30 December 2007)===
<pre>++g~~U~~C+++</pre>

Goblins in tattered rags pulled the chains with speed as the whips
cracked. Slowly the gate rose revealing a grotesque creature bent on
destruction. Its three eyes bounced on their stalks as the monster
pulled itself forward on two huge, muscular arms. It came to a sudden
halt as Ameltoss the wizard stepped into its path. Though he had
raised it from a stinking poisonous egg, the wizard knew not whether
he still commanded the beast. This was the final test. He raised his
staff and commanded the monster to return to its lair. The creature's
lips peeled back to reveal ten rows of razor sharp teeth. Ameltoss
swallowed hard and shouted his command once more. Now was the moment
of truth.

==[[User:Caeonosphere|Caeonosphere]]==
===(07 January 2008)===
<pre>,.U-.,.GT.</pre>
The mighty barbarian clenched his teeth as he snapped the arrow
protruding from his chest. He laughed as he bounded through the brush
after the cowardly ambusher. Just another scar among many, proving
his manhood like all the rest. The foolish goblin archer tried to
scale a tree to lose him. Smiling with anticipation of the kill, the
barbarian took a throwing axe from his belt and hurled it at his
enemy. The blade struck the goblin in the helmet, splitting it in
two. As the stunned goblin sank to the base of the tree, the
barbarian approached him, grabbing him by the throat.

"Well, my friend," said the barbarian. "It looks as if this game has
come to an end."

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

40d:Party

2008-02-25T22:36:54Z

Furiousfish:

If you have a [[Meeting hall]] designated from a table ([[dining room]]), a cage ([[zoo]]), a [[well]], or a [[statue]] ([[Sculpture garden]]), dwarves will often throw parties there and many of your precious productive workers will now display the status '''Attending Party.''' This has benefits, in that dwarves will get happy thoughts from admiring fine or finely placed [[statues]], [[cage]]s, will make [[friend]]s and will develop their social skills but it may slow down your fortress' work as they idly hang-out, sometimes for more than a [[season]].

Dwarves attending a party will sometimes make friends with each other. You can see the friends of a dwarf in the relationships screen that can be accessed by pressing {{k|v}} {{k|p}} {{k|z}} {{k|r}}.

Dwarves get happy [[thoughts|thought]] from making a new friend and talking to an existing friend. An unhappy thought is produced on the death of a friend, and a severe unhappy thought is produced if the friend's corpse is not buried quickly and rots. Dwarves can also develop other kinds of [[relationships]].

Funnily, dwarfs usually cancel party attendance to get a drink or some food. Despite their numerous desperate attempts they obviously know next to nothing about how to roll in style.

Parties can be canceled if starting from a dining table by "free"ing the table via {{k|q}} {{k|f}}. Even if you immediately recreate the room the party goers will disperse. Canceling the meeting hall status is not enough.

40d:Legendary artifact

2008-02-25T22:29:42Z

Furiousfish:

Dwarves in [[strange mood]]s will create '''legendary artifacts''': unique, "named" items which are of unsurpassable quality (and usually cost). An artifact is the ultimate expression of a dwarf's desires, fears, memories and hopes in art form, and each dwarf will produce only one in their lives (or die trying). Dwarves that create artifact are often granted the status of [[legendary]].

Dwarves will normally carry the artifacts they create until they die, lose the limb in which it is held, or throw it away in a tantrum. A dwarf carrying a job item artifact, such as a pick or an axe, will use it to perform that job. A dwarf with an artifact weapon will use it to great effect in battle if drafted or forced to engage in combat. Drafting them into the military can sometimes have the effect of causing them to drop the artifact, this may be related to weapon assignment [need further research into this]. Once it has been dropped, they will not pick it up again under any circumstances, except for hauling purposes. Any dwarf that creates a heavy artifact (such as a [[floodgate]]) will inevitably be slowed down by the burden.

Artifacts were originally set to have a 5 year timer (possibly varying as much as a few years). When reached, an event will happen (also reported to go down in history), and the dwarf will either drop the artifact, become obsessed with it and carry it around as normal, or become nervous and hide it. The timer is currently bugged and is a great deal longer than normal, so much so that most fortresses may never see such an event unless they have been running a very long time and have managed to keep their artifact-wielding dwarves alive.
As of v0.27.176.38c, dwarves will no longer carry artifacts around obsessively, and will instead drop them as soon as they are made. They can then be used just like other items. However, be warned that according to current bug reports, when a dwarf equips an artifact item (as a weapon or armour) he will never drop it, and may even carry around several artifact weapons in each hand. Of course, you might not see having a champion swordswarf wielding eight artifact adamantine scimitars at once as a bad thing.

Artifacts cannot be destroyed unless lost in a chasm. They ''can'' be stolen by marauding parties; an artifact lost to you will have a note to that effect in the Artifacts screen.

Artifact items have a [[Quality|quality modifier]] of 120×. This is applied on top of the item's [[Quality|base value]], its [[decoration]]s and the value of all [[material]]s used in its construction. Dwarves will use anywhere from one to ten items in their construction. If you view (['''q''']) the [[workshop]] a dwarf has seized while the dwarf is in it, you can see what materials he or she plans to use (see [[strange mood]]s for further details).

Artifacts will automatically have one "free" decoration of the same type as its base material. For instance, a "Perfect Ruby" might have "Images of mangrove trees in Ruby". This decoration doesn't consume additional materials: in the above example, only one ruby was used.

Artifacts can range in value from 2,400☼ to well over 100,000☼ (for the curious, the limit is 648,000☼ if adamantine isn't used). Since [[immigration]] totals are based on your fortress's "Created Wealth" (and held/worn items count double in the total), expensive artifacts are commonly the driving factor behind how many immigrants show up each year.

[[Category:Items]]

40d:Legendary

2008-01-25T09:47:14Z

Furiousfish:

Legendary is the highest ranking any dwarf can achieve in a skill. Dwarves with legendary skill(s) often have very high [[toughness]], [[agility]], and [[strength]].

In fortress mode, whenever a [[strange mood]] occurs, and a dwarf succeeds in creating his [[Legendary artifact|artifact]] item, the [[skill]] related to the item made will be legendary. A [[possessed]] dwarf will not gain legendary skill after creating an artifact. Note that the skill improved is not always the one you might expect - a dwarf who creates an artifact stone amulet might become a legendary [[Engraver]] rather than Stonecrafter, or one who creates an artifact metal toy might become a legendary [[Furnace Operator]] rather than a Metalcrafter.

Example: Dwarf has claimed the carpenter's [[workshop]], and created a wooden artifact. He is now a Legendary [[Carpenter]].

ASCII art reward

2007-11-22T22:43:08Z

Furiousfish:

If you are sending a [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Site_support|donation]] to [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ Bay12Games], they might send you an ASCII Art Reward in exchange. It is a small scene happening in the Dwarf Fortress world. If the same donator gives more than one time, it is also possible that the bits of ASCII Art follow each other and form a story.

Each piece of ACSII Art Reward belong to the donator who received it, but to appetize new potential donators, sharing them might be a good thing :

==[[User:Janus|Janus]]==
===(12 October 2006)===

<pre>BgB
B@g
gBB</pre>
Beak dogs and goblins surround the adventurer! What will happen next?!

===(13 February 2007)===
<pre>gg...
.B.B=
..BB.
.%B@/
.-...</pre>
One of the five beak dogs pounced. Rogar leapt, planting a foot on the beast's head and propelling himself toward the tattoed goblin. Just as they collided, Rogar planted his dagger through the goblin's left eye. They hit the ground hard, and Rogar rolled forward to his feet, spinning to face the remaining eight opponents. The beak dog he had jumped on was still shaking its head, wincing. Behind them stood a wiry goblin with a wild mane of maroon hair, brandishing a scimitar, and a lardy goblin holding an iron-studded club.

The beak dogs charged Rogar in unison. His dagger was stuck back in the twitching goblin's face, but weaponless he stood his ground before them. The first dog to reach him received Rogar's knee under its chin, the long cruel spike at the top of the warrior's half-greave piercing the creature's throat. Two more beak dogs reached him as he twisted his leg in the air, trying to free it from his bleeding adversary. The beasts slammed into him, one getting a hold of his right arm above the elbow, the other gnashing at his face. Before it could tear his nose off, Rogar grabbed it by the neck with his left hand and held it back. The other dog sank its beak deeper into the flesh of Rogar's arm. Could this be the end?!

===(5 May 2007)===
<pre>|+@g+++</pre>

Rogar awoke in pain, his wrists in chains, his wounded arm throbbing. He opened his eyes only to be greeted by an all-encompassing darkness. This must be Shalthidon's dungeon, which meant that he was locked inside the Tower of Hate from which no man had ever returned.

A dim light flickered some distance away, and he could see the silhouetted bars of his prison. Beyond them, shadows danced, and he heard a grating sound. The bars slid aside, and the lardy goblin waddled into the chamber holding a torch.

The foul creature stood below Rogar where he hung, an idiot grin perking up the otherwise sagging jowls of its bloated face.

"The master says you are to be entertained," it croaked as it continued to smile.

"I do not desire such pleasures as Shalthidon has to offer," Rogar answered. "Be off with you. The larder has grown lonely."

"The master says you are to feel the fire," the thing chortled. The goblin lifted the torch and took a step toward Rogar.

It was enough. Rogar lashed out with his legs, hooking them around the goblin's neck. In a feat of strength that would become legend, Rogar strained against the chains on his arms, lifting the massive goblin and all its corpulence from the floor. There was a sickening crack, and the fixtures in the ceiling gave way. Rogar fell into the goblin's lardy folds, pushing away desperately until he regained his feet, ready to fight, but the goblin was already dead with a broken neck.

Fortunately, the torch had not been smothered. The warrior picked it up and held it high. There was nothing else in the cell. Aside from the chains, the torch was his only possession. Now it's the master who'll be entertained, Rogar thought, as he strode out into the passageway.

===(7 August 2007)===
<pre>@+++"E"</pre>

Rogar strode toward the great iron doors, leaving a trail of blood that was not his own. In his hand he held a scimitar and from each of his wrists the chains still hung. All of the servants of Shalthidon that lurked within the Tower of Hate were now dead, save whatever was in this room at the pinnacle of the tower. The sword he had seized from the maroon-maned goblin, who had led the goblins in the tower barracks.

The warrior pushed hard on the iron doors and they opened inward with a groan. There, surrounded by brightly colored flowers, was an elf. The sun shone down on the tower top through windows in the elegant curved ceiling. The entire room sparkled.

"Are you a prisoner here? Where is Shalthidon?" Rogar asked urgently.

The elf chuckled pleasantly. "Child, Rogar, I am Shalthidon. My parents named me Lilarilqua, but my attempts to hold the goblins under my sway with that name met with disaster. Are you cold? Let me fetch you something warm." Shalthidon fished around under a dresser and pulled out a plush cloak with lacy frills. "The material was all offered freely from the feather trees, Rogar. You don't have to worry about the animals."

Rogar was still stunned. Shalthidon, the Bringer of Ruin, murderer of his parents, lord of the evil of the creeping wastes that had engulfed half the world, was an elf. Dispelling the cloud over his mind, the warrior focused. That will only make killing him all the more satisfying, he thought. Rogar lifted his blade and advanced.

==[[User:Laod|Laod]]==
===(15 October 2006)===

<pre>T..o..T

Trolls are playing dodgeball with a boulder! Who will win?!</pre>
--[[User:Laod|Laod]] 15 October 2006

==[[User:Qwip|qwip]]==
===(05 December 2006)===

<pre>...@T@..###S#

Taking a break from their duty, the two guards sat at a table with a scenic view of the chasm.
They did not notice as they drained their mugs that they were being watched from the shadows
by clusters of pale eyes. A table by the chasm?! </pre>
--[[User:Qwip|qwip]] 05 December 2006

===(09 February 2007)===

<pre>.@......####
...T@@~S####
.......#####

Dolan was chatting with Aliz about the health benefits of dwarven beer when Aliz disappeared.
Dolan sprang to his feet and saw that Aliz was being dragged toward the chasm, a thick rope of
translucent silk wrapped around his left ankle. At the lip of the chasm, a bloated form slowly
reeled the line in with her spindly legs.
Dolan knew immediately -- it was the Wolf-Mother of Darkness.
He grabbed his axe and ran toward Aliz, who was now only a few more pulls from the beast.

As he was hauling ore to the magma smelter, the peasant Kogarak saw the situation, screamed,
dropping his load, and ran toward the barracks. As he heard the sound of an axe ring against
stone behind him, he wondered if he would make it in time.</pre>
:— [[User:Qwip|Qwip]] 08:40, 9 February 2007 (EST)

===(18 April 2007)===
<pre>@@@...@.####
@..T..@S####
.......#####

The axe had scored the stone floor where it had severed the silk line. The Wolf-Mother chittered
angrily and pounced at Dolan, moving with surprising quickness. Dolan was knocked to the ground,
the enormous body of the foul creature pressing him into the stone. His axe clanged some distance
away. The blunt knobs at the end of the Wolf-Mother's forelegs dug into Dolan's ribs as her
dripping mandibles drew closer to his face. He grabbed her head with both hands, trying
desperately to keep her at bay. A foul-smelling spittle dripped on to his cheek.

Aliz, still dazed from his initial fall, slowly made his way to his feet. Seeing Dolan's desperate
struggle, he drew his sword and hacked at one of the Wolf-Mother's legs. The bumpy skin was
incredibly tough, but the steel blade left the appendage hanging by tatters. The Wolf-Mother
belched a grating rasp and rolled away from Aliz and faced the dwarves. Dolan crawled toward his
axe, but the nauseating venom drenching his face and beard had left him almost powerless. The
Wolf-Mother hesitated, her wound oozing white ichor as Aliz stood his ground.

There were several sharp cracking noises, and the Wolf-Mother crumpled, several iron bolts
protruding from her many eyes. In the distance stood Bomtek and the other marksdwarves,
accompanied by Kogarak. Aliz rushed to Dolan. The dwarf was breathing heavily.

"My body feels like gravel. I need a drink," Dolan said.

"The Wolf-Mother is dead. Brace up. I'll bring you your mug." Aliz fetched Dolan's mug from
the table and brought it to the dwarf where he lay on the stone floor. The mug was almost empty.

"The brood," Dolan whispered. "The night brood will come."</pre>
:— [[User:71.230.107.222|71.230.107.222]] 12:28, 14 May 2007 (EDT)

==[[The Toad Preservation Society]]==

Toady One and ThreeToe are continuously working on Dwarf Fortress since 4 years (well, when that was that written, in early 2007). On the same Idea, the Toad Preservation Society is trying to bring a very modest but continuous support. One result of this support is that ongoing series of art rewards. Slowly a story unfolds. Of course, the main target for the donation is not to get the reward, but to show the [[Bay12Games]] team that we love their project and value their effort. So let's consider each bit of that series as a nice present.

===(11 October 2006)===

<pre>
.M.@$.

Deep in the fortress, a lava man springs an ambush on the treasurer, who is happily
counting coins. Could this be the beginning of the end?!
</pre>
--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 October 2006

===(12 November 2006)===
<pre>
######.....M#~~~
@..@@@......M~~~
######..M%$.#~~~

Hammered and burnt by molten fists, the treasurer collapsed. That will teach him to
count coins near the magma flow. More lava men erupt from the magma as a fortress patrol
enters the room, one of them the treasurer's wife. Fighting back tears, she screams in
wild rage as the soldiers charge the beasts. Will vengeance prevail this terrible day?!
</pre>
--The Toad Preservation Society, 12 November 2006

===(5 December 2006)===

<pre>
..=# #############~~~# %
[@.#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
.=..........@.-....~~~#,
############..@%-.#~~~####
` '###########.=====........##
% #############~~~####

Indeed, vengeance did prevail, though it was bought with the lives of soldiers.
The Axedwarf Aloran, wife of the treasurer, grieves now over the charred body of her
husband, her grief-stricken face shining red in the magma's light. Yet the lava men
were only driven forth by rumors deep within the earth, ever rumbling now, ever
approaching the lip of the glowing pit discovered by the miners not long after the
bridging of the magma. The sound reached even the heart of the fortress, where
Regukar the Mason has begun a mysterious construction. What fey mood has possessed
Regukar?! Will Aloran's mourning be troubled by even greater dangers?!
</pre>
--The Toad Preservation Society, 5 December 2006

===(10 January 2007)===

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[@.#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@..........-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########..
` '###########.=====....@.&.##
% #############~~~########..
</pre>

A great crash echoed down the inward passageway.

"More beasts deeper in the mines?" said Narol fearfully, a recruit, the only member of the patrol save Aloran to survive. His right arm was burned horribly and he now held his axe in his left hand, weakly.

"Tell the Baron that lava men have entered the mines. I'll remain here." Aloran unmoving eyes stared over the bridge toward the mines. There would be no discussion. Narol stumbled up the opposite passage to the workshops.

Regukar was in the lower mason's shop, gazing into his hands, his face aglow with the light shining upward from his palms. The Baron was there as well.

"What is this? Did I not commission an obsidian throne? Why was this workshop built so near the magma flow if I'm to be seated on granite for the rest of my days?" The Baron sounded annoyed, but he was also trying to stare over Regukar's shoulder to see the treasure. The Baron reached for Regukar's wrist, and the mason turned violently and spat in the Baron's face just as Narol careened into the chamber.

"The Stout Wheels have held the bridge, but lava men are in the mines! Many are dead... Aloran is guarding the mine entrance alone..." Narol collapsed, breathing heavily.

-

Narol was gone, but Aloran did not notice. "I will kill them all," she said, and she walked down the bridge into the mines, leaving the bodies of her husband and the recruits behind. As she descended into the mines, the magma's light faded and she was engulfed by the dimness in which she had spent most of her life. Yet ahead she discerned an eerie glow. The miners had located these pits not long ago as they hunted for hematite. The lava men must be using them, accessing the mines away from the magma flow, Aloran thought, though she did not dwell on it long. Soon her mind was focused again on death.

Suddenly the light was blotted out, followed by a shaking that almost knocked Aloran from her feet. "COAH! So long I have waited for my master... only to find this sweet hairy dumpling. It must be time for the Great Feast." Aloran could discern its corpulence through the darkness. A lardy bloated creature, like those that made raids from the river, yet more grotesque, covered with translucent boils -- and many times larger. The thing croaked, "I sense... COAH! You have lost someone recently... your husband. Worry not, little dumpling! You will be reunited in my innards when I am done feeding."

Aloran did not speak. She would not entertain the creature -- she would have it dead.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 January 2007

===(11 February 2007)===

And it keeps going and growing !!

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[..#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@.........@-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########&.
` '###########.=====@.@@.@%&##
% #############~~~########.&
</pre>.

Aloran hacked at the thing's wide belly with her battle axe. It lurched backward, avoiding the full force of the strike, and crashed into the cavern wall. Immediately, as if its lardy mass had bounced off the barrier, it leapt forward and knocked Aloran to the ground, pressing down on her shoulders with its great slimy hands. Its mouth opened, and a slick lolling tongue poured out like thick syrup and covered Aloran's face. It was going to swallow her whole! Unable to breathe, Aloran fumbled around in her boot and pulled out a small pointed hammer. Struggling to maintain consciousness, Aloran swung the hammer from her elbow. The point pierced one of the great creature's eyes, which popped and drained a viscous pus over the dwarf. The thing backed off of the warrior's body, its fat tongue dragging on the ground, leaving a broad swath of spittle. Aloran stood, breathing heavily, her axe secure in her right hand. She advanced on the retreating beast, her weapon lifted over her head. She wound further backward, then brought the axe blade around in a sweeping arc down on the bloated fiend's tongue, forking it.

Two more silhouettes appeared in the eerie glow above the beast's quivering form. As they approached, she could see they were gray and glistening, partially encased in shimmering pale shells, each walking on four stumpy legs. They look like cave oysters, Aloran thought. She raised her axe.

"Aloran!" Three recruits with swords rushed down the passageway. "The Baron sent for us. Are you all right?" Aloran did not turn to face them as the demonic oysters crawled over their bleeding companion.

--

"How dare you spit on me! You'll receive two hammerstrikes for this!" The Baron was livid. He had called for a peasant to notify reinforcements for the mines, of course, but now he was free to chastize Regukar. Narol was still only semi-conscious, resting on the floor.

"I created it! It is mine!" Regukar's eyes were glowing with a fierce light. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and held his arms close to his body, the light of his creation showing through his interlocked fingers.

"Nothing is yours! You used stone from the miners, the miners carved that stone out of the mountain, and the mountain belongs to me. Now hand the object over for inspection, and your past transgression might be forgiven." The Baron held out his hand.

Before the Baron could react, Regukar grabbed his chisel and brought it down into the Baron's forehead. The Baron crumpled, hitting the stone floor hard. Regukar chuckled and ambled off down the passageway toward the mines.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 February 2007

===(13 March 2007)===
Even if Toady is now deep into its work and the malor works on maps/moving armies, he took time adding a new part to these now ongoing story...

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[..#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@..........-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########..
` '###########.=====@.%%%-&%##
% #############~~~########..
</pre>.

Aloran, still winded, faced the two oyster demons. The recruits stood by her side in a line blocking off the passageway. The beasts slid down the toad's massive body, landing before it with a splatter. The fiends moved slowly, but they had almost reached the dwarves.

Two of the recruits, Roal and Daron, cousins who had just began sparring two weeks ago, lifted their swords and assailed the creatures. Roal brought his weapon down hard on the shell of one of the beasts, but it was deflected. From the space between the shell plates, a massive slimy appendage burst forth, ringing Roal and dragging him inside. His lower body dangled from the creature. Daron grabbed his legs and pulled, but Roal would not budge. The other oyster demon raised up on its back legs and came crashing down on Daron. The dwarf's head slammed hard against the passage way and he went unconscious. Roal's legs twitched as the second demon turned back to the remaining warriors.

Aloran had regained her breath and charged with the other recruit, Nlan, a dwarf from the north burrow. The recruit stabbed at the demon's body, sinking his sword deep into its flesh, while Aloran aimed low and hacked off one of its stubby legs with her axe. As it toppled, the thing spit out a stream of goo onto Nlan's face, which began to steam. The recruit chortled and fell to the ground, unrecognizable. Aloran finished off the creature by hacking into its soft body repeatedly.

The other demon had completed its meal. Roal's lower body detached and fell to the ground, and the oyster beast let out a belching noise. Another sound emanated from its shell soon after. "I sense... loss... your husband... reunite..."

"Silence, beast," Aloran spat. "The toad made the same promise and failed to keep it. Your kind use hollow words." At that moment, the toad demon's bleeding body quivered, as if it were laughing.

The oyster spoke again. "Daron... reunite... Roal..." The slimy appendage slid out and looped around Daron's right leg. Aloran ran forward, swinging her axe down on the oozing tentacle. It was cloven asunder and fell to the tunnel floor, pouring out a thick white paste.

As the oyster backed into the toad demon's still quivering form, the entire tunnel filled with a blinding light. Aloran turned and saw the vague form of a dwarf raising its hand, from which the radiance emanated. The light faded just enough for Aloran to make out the details. It was Regukar, the mason. In his hand, he held a glowing schist mini-forge.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 13 March 2007

===(16 April 2007)===
All right, the Reward continues (this is the same story):

<pre>
@@.####
.@@++d+
@.@####
</pre>.

Captain Kogan stood with his dwarves on the stone road before the great arch, beard dripping from the drizzling rain that had been falling since the early morning. No word had been sent from the Baron concerning the deep mining operation for nearly two weeks. The King had grown impatient and the Captain had been sent to investigate.

The soft patter of rain on stone was slowly drowned out by a series of whirs and chirps coming from within the fortress. It was like nothing the Captain had heard before. He had his soldiers position themselves before the entrance with the marksdwarves kneeling in front of the others. The sounds drew closer, until a small shape could be discerned emerging from the shadows beyond the archway.

It looked like a lizard, twisted into that form from rusted iron strips, but it walked on its rear legs with a jerking and uncertain gait. In the center of its head, visible through the metal frame, was a drooping lump of granite that appeared to be molded around the iron. The stone glowed with a faint red light.

The dwarves watched awe-struck as the metallic creature continued advancing until it finally stopped under the great arch. Its head swiveled back and forth, eventually settling on the group. The lizard's body grated against itself, and from somewhere within, it emitted a piercing whistle and charged.

"Fire, Bomtek! Now!" Kogan ordered.

The marksdwarf shot a bolt at the creature. It hit the granite lump, shattering it. The iron strips collapsed into a pile.

"W.. what in the name of the Lordaxe was that?" Nunon stammered. "Where are the guards?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Kogan. He walked forward and pushed the remnants of the creature about with his hammer. "Something sinister is afoot. We'll scout as far as the upper meeting hall."

Captain Kogan and his dwarves passed under the arch and disappeared into the dimly lit fortress.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 16 April 2007

===(10 May 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#++++++++++d+++++++..
####+@+O++O++O+dOd+&#
+++++@+++++++++d+++@#
####+@+O++O++O++Od++#
#++++++++++d+d++@#
##################
</pre>

"Get out of there!" Kogan screamed. It was too late. Lokar was lost. Only Bomtek, Nunon and Captain Kogan himself remained. The rest had been mauled beyond recognition by the metallic beasts. The passage to the upper hall had seemed clear, but it was a ruse. The walls had come alive. The lizards were everywhere.

Now Kogan and the others were running for lives, pursued by the iron fiends. They could outrun them if they didn't stop to fight. The dwarves were approaching the meeting hall, though Kogan held little hope for that place now. The only way out of the outpost lay behind them, through a maelstrom of metal fangs.

"The upper hall!" Kogan shouted when he spotted a light ahead. The torches were still lit? Perhaps the guards were able to stand after all! Kogan and the others ran on, the din of whirs and chirps behind them driving them forward. At last, the tired soldiers crossed under the arch and entered the upper meeting hall.

"I'm so pleased you could join us!" a voice boomed from the back of the chamber. Kogan looked out between the pillars. There on a granite throne sat a dwarf, his face twisted in madness. In his hand he held a glowing object. The stone floor before him was crawling with the metal lizards. On his right, a fire burned in the shape of a tall man, lighting the entire hall. On his left, a dwarf woman was tied, struggling against her bonds, hatred in her eyes.

"Do you like my little friends? Arshosh and I will make more, many, many more. The miniforge is all-powerful!" The crazed dwarf cackled. "With it, I enslaved the spirit of fire, bound stone and metal to my will, and soon, soon! Oh, yes. Soon I will use the power of the miniforge to create a new race of dwarves! Aloran will be the first! Then all of you will join her! And you shall call Regukar your master!"

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 April 2007

===(June 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#+d+++++++%++++++++..
####d@dO++O++O%%O+%&#
++++d@d+++%%++++%%%%#
####d@dO+%O%+O+%O%%@#
#+d+d+%++%%%+++%@#
##################
</pre>

The soldiers had been quickly subdued, lashed to the floor by a writhing mass of metallic lizard bodies. Regukar walked slowly to the place where Aloran was restrained.

"Now, Aloran, let us begin the ritual of transformation." Regukar held the shining miniforge near to the dwarf warrior's face as she continued to strain against the ropes. The crazed mason lifted a tiny hammer and struck the minianvil once. The fires of Arshosh rose to the ceiling of the great hall and twisted around its many granite pillars. A tongue of flame engulfed the miniforge and the anvil began to glow even more brightly.

Aloran felt her skin breaking. The unbearable pain spread throughout her entire body. Metal blades tore through the flesh of her arms and legs, and she felt a force trying to subdue her will. "Regukar is your master. Regukar is your master," a voice in her mind whispered. The ropes snapped as the blood-covered blades continued to rise. The voice became louder and louder until it was all she could hear, drowning out her own screams.

Through her tears she could see Regukar had buckled over, laughing uncontrollably, and the sight filled Aloran with an all-consuming hatred. This contemptible dwarf could never be her master. The pain and the voice faded away, and her animosity began to manifest itself in the power of her limbs. The metal was part of her body now, and she felt its presence as surely as that of her own hands.

Looking up, Regukar noticed Aloran's steady gaze, and worry crossed his face. "My slave, the transformation is complete. Call me master," the mason stammered. Aloran said nothing and punched Regukar in the face with her metal-bladed fist. The knives stuck in his head, and the full weight of his dying body hung limply from Aloran's straight arm. Regukar's mangled face slid slowly backward, and free from the blades the dwarf crumpled to the floor and lay unmoving on the stones.

The tongue of flame slowly lifted the miniforge from the mason's clinging hand. As the glowing object slipped from his grasp, his raised arm fell back to the ground, and he breathed his last. The spirit of fire withdrew its flames, bringing the miniforge to the center of its translucent body. The demon turned to Aloran and faded from sight. There was a sudden crash as the metallic lizards fell to pieces.

--The Toad Preservation Society, June 2007

==TomTheHand==

===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>
..g#o@.%
</pre>

Shrolnak glared through the rusty iron bars.

"Eat yer meat, ya hairy maggot," the goblin snarled as it pushed the bowl back towards the dwarven child. "It'll make yer beard longer."

Aliz kicked the bowl away again. "I'm not eating until I get my mini-forge!" Aliz crossed his arms above his plump little belly and turned away.

"Minnn.. what's yer mini-forge?" The goblin was confused. The only toy it had ever owned was a cracked elf skull.

The dwarf child's eyes lit up. "Uncle Kogan made it! It glows in the dark!"

"Glows in the dark, eh... I'll poke around." The goblin scrambled away from the prison and disappeared around a corner. In a few minutes, it returned, its hand cupped around something that glowed purple through its bony fingers.

Aliz moved toward the bars, his wide eyes reflecting the eerie light. The goblin held its right hand through the bar and dropped the glowing object into the child's waiting palms.

"Now eat yer meat." The goblin wandered off.

Aliz was still staring into his hands. A sinister smile spread slowly over his face.

===(12 March 2007)===

<pre>
.T.g..@..
</pre>

"Where is the Soul of the Dark Power?!" Arugor was screaming now. He had fooled a dragon to obtain the wicked gem, and now it was nowhere to be found. Shrolnak groveled before him.

"Master, I.. I don't know..." Shrolnak had never truly adjusted to kneeling before the troll, but it couldn't be helped. His master had been gifted with a cunning far beyond others of his kind, and Shrolnak was powerless before him.

"Lies! Your hands still shine with its aura! Where have you hidden my treasure?"

"T.. that gem? I thought that's all it was. I... I let the dwarf child play with it."

"What?! Fool! I must reclaim it before it is too late." Arugor was bothered that Shrolnak had somehow managed to avoid the intricate traps in the Soul Chamber, but he would leave that matter alone until the gem was reclaimed.

Just as Arugor turned to leave, a plump dwarven child floated into the throne room, trailed by a billowing mist. In his hands, he clutched a deep purple gem. The hovering child had a wicked grin twisted into his bearded face. Arugor and Shrolnak shielded their faces, helpless before the radiance of the wielded Soul.

The child levitated higher, close to the ceiling, and looked down upon the quivering monsters. "With my power, I shall build the greatest mini-forge the world has ever known!" The dwarf was enveloped by the purple light and passed through the ceiling.

==[[User:Spelguru|Spelguru]]==
===(19 November 2006)===
<pre>
..@.M.~~~~...
</pre>
The adventurer, transformed into a ghoul by strange forces, crawls toward the Everlasting River of Curing, barely clinging to his life, such as it had become. Suddenly, from the ceiling dropped... Adamantine Man! Is there any hope?!

===(19 December 2006)===
<pre>
...M.~~~~..".
.....@~~~~...
...."~~~~~...
</pre>

Adamantine Man spoke and said, "Unfortunate stranger! You wish to cast off your affliction? Drink then, and be blessed."

So the adventurer drank. The soothing warmth of the water spread from the center of his body, out to his deformed fingers and toes. Without pain, they shifted and were set in their proper places, along with the other marks of the affliction. All was well.

The adventurer looked at Adamantine Man in awe and asked, "I am grateful, Adamantine Man, for I had been without hope. For years unnumbered, my people have deemed the River unapproachable. 'Adamantine Man is there', they said, and yet, I have found naught here but a generous host and the cure to all that ailed me. Tell me Adamantine Man, why are you so feared? I am humbled by your graciousness, but am I truly free from danger?"

Adamantine Man spoke for a second time and said, "Indeed, be not afraid. Your people regard me with terror, for they do not understand me, and verily, who among you can understand Adamantine Man, who does not understand himself?"

The adventurer bowed his head and said, "It is true. Even now I am unsettled, for though you have granted me renewed life asking for nothing, still, even now, I wish to leave and never return."

Adamantine Man spoke for a third time and said, "So it has always been. Go now in peace."

The adventurer left without looking back. Overjoyed, his family accepted him, no longer an outcast, and soon all in the land had heard that he who had once been tainted was made whole by the River.

Some years later, a man, broken in body, came to the adventurer's abode. "I seek your aid, for it is said that you who were once tainted were made whole by the River. Tell me, where is the River, that I might be restored?"

The adventurer looked at the man, and he said, "Adamantine Man is there. Be content now, as I shall never be again." The man departed, and the adventurer remained.

===(25 March 2007)===

The adamantine man story ended.
<pre>
@-***=.T
</pre>
The Pulson-9000 seared the sky trailing ion-energized purple lightning. The XZ-Trollmech Mk7 didn't stand a chance. Another contract, another payment. Rogar was the last dwarf of his village, and after many hardships had fallen into the tough life of a mercenary warrior. He had stolen his first fighting bot, but after three years he had enough money to build and repair his own. He spent his offtime tinkering, which soothed his still-dwarven heart.

For now though, he was in enemy territory. True, the contract was complete, but he had fought his way deep into the personal citadel of the vile cyber-modded troll Vanquidor in order to blow his Mk7 body to pieces, and now he had to laze through the bodyguards and sentry droids he hadn't already obliterated. The dwarf had very little ordinance remaining. Rogar put on his shades. Things were about to get hot, but he was cool as a sonic-fan. Time to fire it up! Yeah!

==[[User:Rewolf31|Rewolf31]]==
===(13 April 2007)===
<pre>.B@.~~~
</pre>
And so Alor, a wrestler of renown, found himself between a great boar and the wide river. For six days they struggled, and as the sun descended behind the hills on the evening of the seventh day, Alor finally collapsed in exhaustion. The boar spoke and said, "I too am tired. The sun has fallen. Let us rest." And so Alor and the boar slept, and the sun arose on the morning of the eighth day.

===(21 July 2007)===
<pre>,.,B@~,~,~</pre>

"Whiskey?" Alor asked the boar, holding up his flask. The wrestler had not spoken for a week.

"Gladly," the boar said, taking the flask up in its mouth. "You block my path to the river, and now you offer me your flask. Strange are the ways of your people."

"Your path? I was seeking to cross the river and found myself menaced," Alor said.

"The squirrels tell me I am a terror to behold when I am thirsty," the boar said as it drained the flask. "Do I menace you now?" The boar looked mild and plump. Indeed, the gentle creature reminded Alor of his daughter.

"No, I am not menaced. I am reminded of home," Alor said fondly. At that moment his stomach growled, for he had not eaten in some time.

"Hopefully I do not remind you of your dinner table," the boar laughed, "though it remains to be seen who would have the final mastery in our contest." Alor smiled broadly and the boar guided Alor to the ford, where they parted as friends.

===(12 September 2007)===
<pre>++@a@+
</pre>
"Daddy! Daddy!" the little girl cried happily as she ran toward the mighty dwarf where he stood under the archway.

"I missed you, sweet pod!" Alor crouched down and lifted the child up to his shoulder, where she sat, beaming. "Have you been good while I was away?"

"I made a puzzle box. See!" The girl held out a soapstone box. The master craftsdwarf always started the young ones with the material since it required little strength to carve, though it crumbled easily. Even so, the box was quite exquisite.

"That's beautiful. Now let me see here..." Alor pressed a button and the lid popped open. There was nothing inside. "Hey, where's my treasure?" he said in mock indignation.

The girl took the box and made a series of complicated motions along the inside of the empty compartment. A second lid opened, revealing a piece of dwarven sugar candy. The child giggled and smiled broadly.

Alor scratched his head and laughed. Coren was only six, but she was already beyond him.

"Did you win, daddy?" Coren asked.

"Ah, the tournament? Yes, sweet pod, there hasn't been a dwarf born yet that can beat your father," Alor looked at the puzzle box. "At least not at wrestling. And you know what else?"

"What else, daddy? What else?"

"I met a talking boar and we became friends."

"Again?" Coren complained. "I want to meet your animal friends soon."

"I'll invite them over for your party next month. Until then, you have to work hard. Do you have a lesson today?"

"Yes. Mr. Goldlocket says he'll let me try marble today."

"Marble, eh? That's amazing. You really are your mother's daughter. I'll walk you to the shop." Together they strolled down the passageway. Alor admired the carvings and architecture, occasionally pointing an engraving out and explaining its history, though his daughter had heard it all before. It had been two months since he left for tournament, and the wrestler had missed his home very much.

"The three of us should have a feast tonight. What do you say?" Alor asked. Coren did not respond.

The dwarf looked down. His daughter was not there. She was not in the passageway. There was no sign of her.

"Goblins!" A scream echoed through the tunnels. "Goblins in the fortress!"

===(18 September 2007)===
<pre>,..|mBL@+++++++g+</pre>

"I'm sure she's in there," Alor said from his place behind the boulder where he looked down upon the rusted iron doors of Chatteltomb.

"We must act now, while there's still time," the boar urged. This was the same boar that Alor had befriended by the riverbank, and it now came to aid Alor in his time of need.

"The door is locked. Even with our combined strength, I doubt we can force entry," the leopard observed. This was the same leopard that Alor had befriended in the high grasses, and it also came to aid Alor in his time of need.

"Don't worry. The guards were drunk in the ravine below," the marmot announced as it scampered up the slope with the key in its mouth. This was the same marmot that Alor had befriended on the mountainside, and it came to aid Alor after promises of food.

"I've only challenged the depths of this black pit once in my life. It is a memory I have longed to forget, though it will serve me now," Alor said. "It sickens me that my daughter is kept there. The way to the dungeons will not be heavily guarded, as fear of this place keeps all but the foolish at bay. That said, the tower above is garrisoned with unnumbered horrors. If the alarm is raised, escape will be impossible."

The group made their way down to the entrance. With some effort, Alor forced the key into place. The great doors swung open with a grating noise, exposing a palpable darkness that hung heavy in the stale air like a fog of soot. The thick shadows were penetrated from beyond by sinister red lights which gave vague form to the smooth obsidian corridors.

Once all had passed into the tower, they closed the door behind them. "We can only hope it is not unusual for the doors to sound. Do you see anything?" Alor whispered to the leopard.

"Several doors down, a goblin is standing," the leopard spoke softly. "It has turned to face us. I don't think it can make us out yet, but its night eyes are almost as strong as my own. It is coming this way."

Indeed, Alor could barely make out twin spots of crimson shining in the distance. The dwarf felt the leopard slip from his side. In a moment, the crimson spots disappeared from view. No sound accompanied their departure. Alor and the others padded quietly forward, approaching the stairway and the dungeons below.

==[[User:Admin|Senso]]==
===(29 April 2007)===
<pre><+@?++&~~</pre>

The wayward manager Aliz stepped quietly down the last flight of stairs into the lowest depths of the abandoned halls. The air of the room was stale and warm. The light of the dwarf's torch illuminated a stone pedestal, on which rested a gray book.

"The Tome of Suffering," Aliz whispered. In its blood-stained pages, the collected wisdom of countless outpost managers waited for his perusal. Never again would his charges starve. Never again would they complain for want of whiskey. Never again would Aliz have to consult the half-baked scribblings of his uncle Toran.

The ground shook and Aliz's ears were assailed by a deafening crash. When the dust cleared, the entire chamber was illuminated by a sinister red glow. In place of the far wall was a yawning pit filled with bubbling magma and flames. From the inferno came a betusked fiend, ravening, its slavering maw belching foul vapors through which stared its cruel bulging eyes. Its clawed hands kneaded the lardy folds of its corpulence as if it sought to make room for this latest morsel.

Aliz was terrified. The dwarf clutched the Tome to his chest. The horrific beast crouched by the magma pool, muttering in a grating whisper:

"It will be eaten. It will be eaten, the dwarf. Eaten. Eaten alive."

==[[User:md5i|md5i]]==
===(12 May 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||+++@+|
</pre>
"That ought to keep 'em out," Doran said confidently, patting the granite
block which he had just slid into place. Ever since the Baron had insisted
on mining out the gold vein in the wall, Doran had been dealing with the
rats. It couldn't be helped. Gold was gold after all, but it was just
Doran's luck that the miners had broken through to a large chasm not far
from the craftsdwarf's room.

The dwarf laid down on his bed and began to think about the next project. A
puzzlebox, perhaps, something challenging. Just as Doran was drifting off
into dreams of the design, he heard a scratching on the block.

"Ha! Keep trying you little demons," the dwarf chuckled. The scratching
continued. It was irritating, but the dwarf could block it out. Then there
was a grating scrape as the block moved an inch. The dwarf sat up and
stared at the wall in amazement. Impossible, he thought.

The block slid forward further. Small, clawed fingers worked their way
around the stone until a gray, furry hand grasped one corner of the block.
The stone turned slightly.

Doran seized his chisel from the nearby table and leapt toward the block,
stabbing downward. The tool grazed the hand, leaving a spatter of blood on
the stone. There was a shriek, and the bleeding hand disappeared into the
dark crack.

The craftsdwarf pushed the block back into place and backed away, chisel in
hand. After a moment, the scratching began anew.
===(07 Jun 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||%r%+@+|
</pre>
"Leave me be, you fiend!" Doran yelled, his chisel held toward the stone
block. The scratching became louder and more persistent.

Once again, the block moved, but this time no fingers poked through the
crack. The beast had learned. The slab of granite was being pushed
directly from behind, and it glided slowly toward Doran. The dwarf backed
toward his bed.

The block stopped sliding. There was now enough space to allow something to
pass through the hole in the wall, but the block was large and Doran could
not see behind it. For a long moment, nothing stirred. The craftsdwarf
knelt and opened the chest by the foot of his bed, muttering.

At once, a creature leapt from behind the block and faced Doran. It was a
ratman, ravening, its long yellow incisors surrounded by froth, its
patchy-furred flesh stretched tight over its starved body. The thing
hungered and would have Doran for its meal.

The dwarf stood, a vial in his hand. The ratman lunged forward and Doran
hurled the vial at the beast's face. The glass shattered, and the creature
clutched its black protruding eyes as they steamed. Doran rushed forward
and stabbed the ratman repeatedly with the chisel until it stopped moving.

"Pity about that. I was going to ask Mul to do some etchings for me."
===(15 Jul 2007)===
<pre>##===@=D####
</pre>
"Yes, I'm sorry, Mul, it would have been a thrilling project," Doran said,
pausing to take another swig of whiskey. "I can't believe how much trouble
we've been having with ratmen lately."

"Perhaps there's a larger beast down in the chasm riling them up," Mul
replied. "Kogan's child was taken not long ago."

"Yes, surely something unusual is afoot."

Meanwhile, Kogan stood with his axe by the chasm bridge. Ever since the boy
Aliz had been lost, the soldier had tirelessly patrolled the walkways along
the deepest parts of the rift, killing dozens of ratmen and a few large
spiders. He would not be satisfied until the depths were devoid of life.

A foul wind blew up from the chasm. Kogan leaned to the side and peered
down over the edge of the bridge. The impact was sudden and the dwarf was
knocked on his back in the middle of the bridge. Kogan heard the sound of
stone being scraped without respect, and he.found himself staring into the
rotten eyes of a giant decaying reptile.

==[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]]==
===(16 May 2007)===
<pre>=@()++@</pre>

Doran stirred the bubbling pot of syrup. It was ready! "Pour, pour, pour!" the dwarf sang. Into the molds the syrup flowed. "Another batch," the dwarf said, satisfied.

Just then, he noticed somebody standing in the doorway. "Ah, Glornol. What brings you to the kitchens this early? Come to try a sticky treat? I have some Anvil Drops cooling now. Just a moment."

Doran turned to the tray on the table when he was startled by Glornol's shouting. "What is the meaning of this? Isn't there a war on?"

"Even soldiers need sticky treats, Glornol!" Doran picked up two chocolate goblins and began to speak in a high-pitched throaty voice.

"Ooo, it's Glornol!" the first chocolate goblin said.

"Glornol's scared of the mean, mean goblins!" the second chocolate goblin observed.

"Let's eat the dwarf! Yummies for tummies!" the first chocolate goblin offered.

"The dwarf might eat me instead! Oh no!" the second chocolate goblin replied. Doran held the goblin out to Glornol.

Glornol was not amused, but he snatched the candy from Doran's hand. "Hrmph," he grunted, and biting the goblin's head off, he walked out of the kitchen.

==[[User:ergot|ergot]]==
===(14 June 2007)===
<pre>""w"w@%"w"w</pre>

Doran shifted from foot to foot as he looked from side to side. Eventually the dwarf's head dropped and he clutched his beard, his wide eyes wild, staring at the dirt. They were everywhere.

"Cave weevils. Cave weevils on my crops. My pig tails, all of my pig tails are gone. But this season will be different, mark my words, by the Lordaxe it will." The dwarf pulled a bulky glove from his belt. The knuckles were studded with iron. Doran slid the glove over his hand, his mouth twisting into a cruel smile. The farmer's eyes grew dark.

One of the foot-long insects crawled in front of the dwarf, and he hammered it into the earth with his fist, smashing the weevil until it was well-ground. "Flat. I'll pound 'em all flat. We might not have cloth this year, but we'll have plenty of meal."

==[[User:beefx|beefx]]==
===(25 June 2007)===
<pre>"++@k@++"</pre>

Zolon and Morul stood near the steel cage. The brown humanoid inside sat with its hands on its knees, rocking back and forth.

"Clearly, the kobold was molded from stone." Zolon stroked his black beard. He then glanced at Morul, raising an eyebrow.

"Not so fast... the yellow eyes glow. Fire was involved." Morul was a slow thinker, but he was not easily moved.

"Stagis! Bacabadabis!" The kobold began to screech in its low tongue. Zolon and Morul observed in silence until the creature quieted down.

"Was that the wind then?" Zolon asked.

"It seems the interplay of the elements is nuanced in this one, even if the final realization is... lacking."

Morul did not disdain the beast so much that he did not feed it, now that the trapper had entrusted it into his keeping. The philosopher had left a few pieces of old venison in the cage and the creature now lifted one and inspected it. After a few sniffs, the kobold pitched it through the steel bars. The dwarves watched as the meat spun through the air and landed a few yards from the cage. When they turned back around, the kobold was inches away from them, its face pressed against the bars.

"Augis," it moaned. "Augis!" Louder and louder it wailed.

Zolon and Morul covered their ears. "And this is a tempest?" Zolon said facetiously.

"Let's adjourn until the storm passes. Perhaps we can find a meal the thing will accept." Morul turned and walked down a nearby corridor, toward the kitchen. Zolon followed close behind.

After they had left, the kobold stopped moaning and sat back on its haunches. Opening its small clawed fingers, the creature smiled. On its palm rested an iron key.

==[[User:Shanty|Shanty]]==
===(30 June 2007)===
<pre>@@+U@</pre>

Rogar spun again and again, staring into the darkness. The scraping had begun all at once and it seemed to come from every direction. Nothing could be seen beyond the limit of the flickering torchlight.

There! A shadow moved slowly out of the darkness. It had the stature of a dwarf, but Rogar knew the outpost had been abandoned for decades. After a moment, the warrior could see clearly. The shuffling thing had no flesh. The bones of its feet clacked and slid across the stones. The dead were walking in this place.

There were more, many more. Rogar was completely surrounded. He held up his sword and turned from threat to threat. The dwarves were unarmed, with tatters of cloth hanging over their skeletal remains. Bits of beard were still visible stuck around their garments and their skulls. The dead stopped short of Rogar's weapon and stood completely motionless. There was no way the warrior could pass without forcing his way through.

The skeleton he had seen first raised its bony hand slowly, curling all of its fingers save one into its palm. Its index finger pointed toward Rogar. From somewhere within its skull, it emitted a long, low moan which ended in a hiss and faded into silence.

==[[User:Bott Maggot|Bott Maggot]]==
===(03 August 2007)===
<pre>+&=o=@+</pre>

"You've come, Kogan. The Lordaxe. It is said you have a mighty constitution, but can you hold your own at my table?" The demon slammed the great flagon down on to the center of the table. A few dark drops splattered on the stone and smouldered.

"I can take whatever you offer, fiend, and I'll count you a poor host if that brew there on the table doesn't move me half as much as the whiskey of my homeland."

"Ah, your homeland. It will make a fine gateway to the Underworld someday."

"I wish I could say the dwarves would enjoy making a mine of this palace, but alas, your halls reek of filth. It would be difficult to persuade them."

"Less talk, more drink. You call yourself a dwarf?"

Without another word, Kogan seized the flagon with his scarred fist. He could feel the infernal heat emanating from the brew, and the smell was appalling. Even so, he hefted the drink to his open mouth and downed it completely, setting the empty flagon on the table in triumph.

==[[User:Kosmos|Kosmos]]==
===(11 September 2007)===
<pre>T+TT@C +</pre>

"Twist my arm, why don't you? You louse," Doran had complained as Bomtek continued to bother him.

"Come on, Doran! It's just a bottle of whiskey. The Baron won't miss it. When you deliver his table, just take a little something for yourself. And share it with me."

Now Doran was standing in the Baron's dining room. It already had a fine granite table at its center; the noble had just wanted an obsidian corner piece as an accent. As the dwarf set the table down, Bomtek's repeated needling suggestions still echoed in his mind. It was just one bottle. There are so many in the cabinet. The Baron won't miss just one of them.

The dwarf had to pass the cabinet on the way out. With every step toward it, he felt the whiskey within calling in his heart. Doran's face flushed hot and his stomach felt as if it were being squeezed and twisted. Maybe I'll just look, he thought. Just look and go. He reached out his hand and gently opened the cabinet's door. There was only one bottle inside. Bomtek, you fool, he thought. Yet the whiskey still beckoned him forward, and he continued to gaze on the bottle in silence as it drew him ever closer.

==[[User:SupSuper|SupSuper]]==
===(19 April 2007)===
<pre>+R@%+@+%</pre>

"Hya! Hya!" Kogan screamed as he careened around the corner astride Lomrin. He had acquired the giant rat from the dungeon master for a vial of liquid fire. It had been a barrel of laughs, especially after a mug or three.

As they passed the foodpile, Lomrin stopped suddenly to inspect a large plump helmet biscuit. Kogan flew over the rat's ears and landed on his beard, sliding to a stop at a pair of black leather boots. Kogan waited a moment for his head to clear, and then he rolled back on his bottom and stared up at the face of Mul. It had to be Mul.

"On a bender again, are we Kogan?" Mul admonished.

"We? I swear I haven't given Lomrin a drop!" Kogan said indignantly.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Mul said, indicating the food stockpile with a nod of his head.

Kogan turned his head. Lomrin had pried the lid off of a whisky barrel. Only her rear legs and tail were now visible.

"She takes after her uncle Kogan!" Kogan beamed proudly. Mul knocked him down to the ground with a push from his foot.

==[[User:Trukkle|Trukkle]]==
===(25 June 2007)===
<pre>%%@##B#</pre>
"There it goes!" Doran hollered as the bit of plump helmet sailed out into the darkness. The mason had been at the whiskey all morning, and now he was dangling his legs over the chasm with his lunch, throwing mushroom pieces to the gray fliers. One of the bats sailed silently into view and snatched the food as it fell.

"A bat's a bat, and bats like mushrooms!" Doran slurred as he took another swig from the flagon. "Let's try something a little larger."

The dwarf ripped the cap from one of his plump helmets and tossed it out into the abyss. It dropped out of view, without any sign of the fliers. Doran pouted.

Suddenly, a great shape flew up from the chasm, right by Doran's face, blowing the braids of his beard back over his shoulders. It looked like a gray flier, but many, many times larger, as large as one of the brown bears out in the forest. He watched as it disappeared off above into the distance.

Doran looked down at his lunch. "I... I guess I'll finish the rest myself."

==[[User:Syndlig|Syndlig]]==
===(18 May 2007)===
<pre>oU++@@</pre>
The man struggled against the chains. The dwarves stared at him, smiling in satisfaction.

"That should ward you off our treasures, human. Be glad we don't send for the Hammerer."

The human scoffed. "Ha! I may be a thief, but at least I'm not a dwarf. See how I tower above you! I may not have a trade, I may not have any notable achievements whatsoever, but I am still a man."

The blackbearded dwarf turned to his companion. "You know, Mul, I suppose we could call for the Hammerer. The Baron will understand. After all, it was the Baron's goblet we found in his pack."

The dwarf named Mul considered this. "The Hammerer could certainly give him a new perspective on life. From two or three handspans lower down, at that. Start at the ankles, perhaps?"

"I always preferred the kneecaps, myself," the blackbearded dwarf said as they turned to leave. "It's really up to Rashok to decide though."

Mul hummed in disappointed affirmation. "Hmm, Rashok gets to have all the fun doesn't he?"

"Wait! Don't leave, my little friends!" the man screamed as the dwarves disappeared through the iron gate.

The blackbearded dwarf poked his head back into the dungeon. "We'll spare some whiskey, don't worry!" He disappeared again.

"Watered down, of course..." Mul could be heard saying as their footfalls faded away.

==[[User:Furiousfish|Furiousfish]]==
===(14 July 2007)===
<pre>++@g####</pre>
"Tell me where the child is being taken and I'll let you live!" Kogan yelled down at the goblin, desperation marking his voice. Mul had shot this wretch in the leg, but the kidnapper had escaped. The goblin hanging by Kogan's hand over the chasm was just a bodyguard. The goblin smiled wickedly, taking delight in Kogan's distress. "Even now, your child is approaching the prison where he'll live out the next decade of his miserable life," it spat. "And then, well..." The fiend began to chuckle. "Where is the child?" Kogan asked with finality. The goblin closed its eyes and was silent. Kogan let the creature drop away into the darkness.

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

40d:Smelting

2007-11-19T23:22:43Z

Furiousfish: /* Smelting Ore Results */

== Building and using a Smelter ==
Metal bars you produced with a smelter are usable in a wide variety of goods, and fuel is usable in a smelter, metalsmith's forge, kiln, or glass furnace.

To build a [[smelter]] you need to have a dwarf with the building designer skill, a Fire-safe material and the appropriate craftsdwarf. You place a smelter building using the keyboard commands '''(b)(e)(s)''', after which your architect dwarf designs it and then your craftsdwarf builds it.

Using a smelter requires a dwarf with the furnace operator skill and one unit of fuel. You require ore to make a metal bar, or bituminous coal or lignite to make coke. Just like any other building you give a smelter a task using '''(q)'''.

Please note that you have to already have a fuel source in order to make fuel in a smelter, so you either have to bring a unit of fuel with your caravan, trade for fuel, or use a [[wood burner]] to make charcoal.
==Smelting Ore Results==
All ores smelted alone have a % chance of turning into a certain kind of bar. The following table shows those chances.
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! [[Ore]]
! [[Iron]]
! [[Gold]]
! [[Silver]]
! [[Copper]]
! [[Nickel]]
! [[Zinc]]
! [[Platinum]]
! [[Tin]]
! [[Bismuth]]
! [[Lead]]
! [[Aluminum]]
! [[Adamantine]]
|-
| [[Hematite]]
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Limonite]]
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Magnetite]]
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Garnierite]]
|
|
|
|
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Platinum nuggets]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Gold nuggets]]
|
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Silver nuggets]]
|
|
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Horn silver]]
|
|
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Galena]]
|
|
| 50%
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 100%
|
|
|-
| [[Tetrahedrite]]
|
|
| 20%
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Copper nuggets]]
|
|
|
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Malachite]]
|
|
|
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Sphalerite]]
|
|
|
|
|
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Cassiterite]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 100%
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Bismuthinite]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 100%
|
|
|
|-
| [[Aluminum]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 100%
|
|-
| [[Adamantine fibers]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 100%
|}
Note that [[galena]] smelted alone often produces [[lead]] which is only used in producing [[lay pewter]], a low quality alloy.

==Coke Smelting==
Please note that [[wood]] is not actually smelted, it is burned in the wood [[furnace]]. It is not called [[coke]] when burned, it is called [[charcoal]].
*[[Bituminous coal]] smelts into 3 [[coke]]
*[[Lignite]] smelts into 2 [[coke]]
*[[Wood]] burns into 1 [[charcoal]]

==Flux==
[[Flux]] is that stuff you use to get the impurities out of [[steel]]. There are 5 kinds of [[flux]]: [[Calcite]], [[limestone]], [[dolomite]], [[chalk]], [[marble]]. All function the same way so if you see [[flux]] in a recipe, any will do.

==[[Alloy]]s==
There are 2 sets of recipes for [[alloy]]s. The first set use only [[ore]] while the second set use only [[bar]]s. You cannot mix the two.

==Recipes using Ore==
Please note that when [[copper]] or [[silver]] [[ore]] is needed, any type of ore that produces [[copper]] bars or [[silver]] bars may be used.
This means that you can actually make [[billon]] bars out of just [[tetrahedrite]].
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Ingredient 1
! Ingredient 2
! Output
|-
| [[Copper ore]]
| [[Cassiterite]]
| [[Bronze]] bars[2]
|-
| [[Copper ore]]
| [[Sphalerite]]
| [[Brass]] bars[2]
|-
| [[Gold nuggets]]
| [[Silver ore]]
| [[Electrum]] bars[2]
|-
| [[Copper ore]]
| [[Cassiterite]][3]
| [[Fine pewter]] bars[4]
|-
| [[Copper ore]]
| [[Cassiterite]][2]
| [[Trifle pewter]] bars[3]
|-
| [[Silver ore]]
| [[Copper ore]]
| [[Billon]] bars[2]
|}

==Recipes using Bars==
The following are all the recipes when smelting bars at the smelter.
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Ingredient 1
! Ingredient 2
! Ingredient 3
! Ingredient 4
! Output
|-
| [[Copper]] bars
| [[Tin]] bars
|
|
| [[Bronze]] bars [2]
|-
| [[Copper]] bars
| [[Zinc]] bars
|
|
| [[Brass]] bars [2]
|-
| [[Iron]] bars
| [[Coke]]
| [[Flux]]
|
| [[Pig iron]] bars
|-
| [[Iron]] bar
| [[Pig iron]] bars
| [[Coke]]
| [[Flux]]
| [[Steel]] bars [2]
|-
| [[Gold]] bars
| [[Silver]] bars
|
|
| [[Electrum]] bars [2]
|-
| [[Copper]] bars
| [[Tin]] bars [3]
|
|
| [[Fine Pewter]] bars [4]
|-
| [[Copper]] bars
| [[Tin]] bars [2]
|
|
| [[Trifle pewter]] bars [3]
|-
| [[Copper]] bars
| [[Tin]] bars [2]
| [[Lead]] bars
|
| [[Lay pewter]] bars [4]
|-
| [[Copper]] bar
| [[Nickel]] bars [2]
| [[Zinc]] bars
|
| [[Nickel silver]] bars [4]
|-
| [[Silver]] bars
| [[Copper]] bars
|
|
| [[Billon]] bars
|-
| [[Silver]] bars [3]
| [[Copper]] bars
|
|
| [[Sterling silver]] bars [4]
|-
| [[Gold]] bars
| [[Silver]] bars
| [[Copper]] bars [2]
|
| [[Black bronze]] bars [4]
|-
| [[Gold]] bars [3]
| [[Copper]] bars
|
|
| [[Rose gold]] bars [4]
|-
| [[Copper]] bars [2]
| [[Tin]] bars
| [[Bismuth]] bars
|
| [[Bismuth bronze]] bars [4]
|}
Note: Every recipe that is not used in [[steel]] making (except [[electrum]]) requires some [[copper]]. If you want to have a variety of [[metal]]s in your fortress, you will want to conserve this resource.

A spreadsheet listing these recipes can be found at the following link. Work is being done currently to allow a person to input how much [[ore]] and [[bar]]s he has, and the sheet will tell him how many of what kinds of [[metal]]s he can make. Both Excel and Open Office formats are included: http://mkv25.net/showcase/df/Ore%20Smelting%20Chart.zip
--[[User:Chthon|Chthon]] 10:11, 3 November 2007 (EDT)
[[Category:Guides]]

User:Furiousfish

2007-11-19T23:19:54Z

Furiousfish:

Furiousfish

alexquayle@hotmail.com

40d:Bucket

2007-11-19T15:47:25Z

Furiousfish: removed repetition, read before you edit please

Buckets can be made out of [[metal]] at a [[Metalsmith's Forge]], or [[wood]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]], and are used in [[well]]s, dyer's shops, asheries and for dwarves to take water to wounded or jailed dwarves.

40d:Tantrum

2007-11-19T15:42:05Z

Furiousfish:

Dwarves are fickle creatures, and when pressed to the breaking point of their happiness, they will tantrum. A tantruming dwarf will run around attacking people and breaking things, and will eventually calm down.
Dwarves will get happy thoughts for each fight they start and building they break.

Dwarves will tantrum if very unhappy, or worse. If a dwarf has created a masterpiece-level item, they will also throw a tantrum if it rots, or is ever destroyed or stolen.

A tantruming dwarf will make a bee-line for the nearest designated meeting area, and hang around in the bottom right corner of it picking fights with any creature or dwarf unlucky enough to pass by.

40d:Metalsmith

2007-11-14T22:47:27Z

Furiousfish: /* Other Objects */

{{Workshop|name=Metalsmith's Forge|key=f|job=Metalsmithing
|construction=
* 1 [[Anvil]]
* 1 [[Block]]
|construction_job=
* [[Metalsmithing]]
|use=
* [[Aluminum]] bar
* [[Billon]] bar
* [[Bismuth Bronze]] bar
* [[Black Bronze]] bar
* [[Brass]] bar
* [[Bronze]] bar
* [[Charcoal]]
* [[Coke]]
* [[Copper]] bar
* [[Electrum]] bar
* [[Iron]] bar
* [[Gold]] bar
* [[Lead]] bar
* [[Nickel]] bar
* [[Nickel silver]] bar
* [[Platinum]] bar
* [[Fine pewter]] bar
* [[Trifle pewter]] bar
* [[Lay pewter]] bar
* [[Rose Gold]] bar
* [[Silver]] bar
* [[Sterling silver]] bar
* [[Steel]] bar
* [[Tin]] bar
* [[Zinc]] bar
|production=
* [[Animal trap]]
* [[Anvil]]
* [[Armor stand]]
* [[Ballista arrowhead]]
* [[Barrel]]
* [[Battle axe]]
* [[Bolts]]
* [[Boots]]
* [[Bucket]]
* [[Buckler]]
* [[Cabinet]]
* [[Cage]]
* [[Cap]]
* [[Chain]]
* [[Chain mail]]
* [[Chest]]
* [[Coins]]
* [[Crafts]]
* [[Crossbow]]
* [[Door]]
* [[Enormous corkscrew]]
* [[Flask]]
* [[Floodgate]]
* [[Gauntlets]]
* [[Giant axe blade]]
* [[Goblet]]
* [[Grate]]
* [[Greaves]]
* [[Hatch Cover]]
* [[Helm]]
* [[Instrument]]
* [[Large serrated disc]]
* [[Leggings]]
* [[Mace]]
* [[Menacing spike]]
* [[Metal blocks]]
* [[Pick]]
* [[Pipe Section]]
* [[Plate mail]]
* [[Sarcophagus]]
* [[Shield]]
* [[Short sword]]
* [[Spear]]
* [[Spiked ball]]
* [[Statue]]
* [[Table]]
* [[Throne]]
* [[Toy]]
* [[War hammer]]
* [[Weapon rack]]
* [[decorations|Studded goods]]
* [[Adamantine wafers]] (Magma Forge only)
}}

The '''metalsmith's forge''' turns [[metal bar]]s into various [[weapons]], [[armor]]s, [[furniture]], [[siege ammunition]], [[trap]] components, and other objects. To build a forge, you must have one [[block]] and an [[anvil]]. If you embark without preparing carefully, you will start with one [[iron]] anvil. If you lose it or start without an anvil, you can often trade for one.

It takes one unit of [[charcoal]] or [[coke]] to produce items on a forge, unless you use a [[magma forge]].

== Weapons ==

[[Weapons]] can be forged from [[copper]], [[iron]], [[bronze]], [[bismuth bronze]], [[steel]], [[silver]] and [[adamantine]], for one [[metal]] [[bar]] each. The weapons that can be forged are:

* [[Battle axe]]
* [[War hammer]]
* [[Short sword]]
* [[Spear]]
* [[Mace]]
* [[Crossbow]]
* [[Pick]]
* [[Bolts]] (a stack of 25 will be produced)

However, note that crossbows and picks cannot be forged out of silver.

== Armor ==

[[Armor]] can be forged from [[copper]], [[iron]], [[bronze]], [[bismuth bronze]], [[steel]] and [[adamantine]]. Available armor types include:

* [[Plate mail]] (3 [[metal]] bars)
* [[Chain mail]] (2 metal [[bars]])
* [[Greaves]] (2 metal bars)
* [[Leggings]]
* [[Helm]]
* [[Cap]]
* [[Gauntlet]]
* [[High Boot]]
* [[Low Boot]]
* [[Shield]]
* [[Buckler]]

Each piece of armor requires one metal bar to forge, except where noted.

== Furniture ==

[[Furniture]] can forged from any non brittle metal -- in short, all [[metal]]s except for [[pig iron]] and [[Bismuth]]. You can forge:

* [[Cage]]
* [[Chain]] (1 metal bar)
* [[Animal trap]] (1 metal bar) (metalsmith must have [[Trapper|trapping]] labor enabled as well)
* [[Bucket]] (1 metal bar)
* [[Barrel]]
* [[Armor stand]]
* Metal [[block]]s (1 metal bar)
* [[Door]]
* [[Floodgate]]
* [[Hatch Cover]]
* [[Grate]]
* [[Statue]]
* [[Cabinet]]
* [[Chest]]
* [[Throne]]
* [[Sarcophagus]]
* [[Table]]
* [[Weapon rack]]
* [[Bin]]
* [[Pipe Section]]

All metal furniture requires 3 [[bars]] to forge except for [[chain]]s, animal traps, buckets and blocks.

== Siege Equipment ==

[[Siege Equipment]] can be forged from [[copper]], [[iron]], [[bronze]], [[bismuth bronze]], [[steel]], [[silver]] and [[adamantine]]. Only one piece of siege equipment can be forged: the [[ballista]] arrowhead, which requires 3 [[metal]] [[bars]]. These arrowheads must then be mated with a wooden [[log]] at a [[siege workshop]] to form a complete ballista [[bolt]]. It is also possible to make pure wooden ballista bolts at the siege workshop, which are assumed to do less damage. The [[siege engines]] themselves are also built at the siege workshop, out of three siege engine parts made of [[wood]].

== Trap Components ==

[[Trap]] components]] can be forged from [[copper]], [[iron]], [[bronze]], and [[steel]]. These include:

* [[Giant axe blade]]
* [[Enormous corkscrew]]
* [[Spiked ball]]
* [[Large, serrated disc]]
* [[Menacing spike]]

Note that each requires 2 [[bars]] of [[metal]] to forge.

Corkscrews, menacing spikes and spiked balls can also be made from wood at a [[carpenter's workshop]], requiring 1 log each.

== Other Objects ==

Other objects can be forged from all [[metal]]s except [[pig iron]]. They are:

* [[Anvil]] ([[iron]], [[steel]] or [[adamantine]])
* [[Craft]]s
* [[Goblet]]
* [[Toy]]
* [[Instrument]]
* [[Flask]]s
* Minted [[Coins]]
* [[Stud]] an item with metal

Each of the above objects requires one bar of metal to make, including studding. Like other [[decorations]] (such as [[Jeweler's Workshop|encrusting with gems]], [[Craftsdwarf's Workshop|decorating with bone]] or [[Craftsdwarf's Workshop|decorating with shell]]), you cannot specify which object to stud: the smithy will generally take the nearest available object and stud it. Note that unlike all other metalsmithing operations, studding items does not require fuel.

In addition, 3 [[bars]] of either [[iron]] or [[steel]] can be used to forge [[anvil]]s, which are used in the construction of additional forges.

== Metal Clothing ==

[[Adamantine]] can be used to make anything, even lightweight clothing.
All the clothing items that can be made at the [[clothier's shop]] can be forged from adamantine if you have it.

== Skills Used ==

* [[Metalsmith]]: All [[furniture]] except [[chain]]s and [[animal trap]]s; [[anvil]]s
* [[Skills#Metal_Crafter|Metal Crafter]]: Chains; everything in the "all other objects" category except anvils.
* [[Skills#Weaponsmith|Weaponsmith]]: All weapons and ammunition except for [[Crossbow|crossbows]]; [[Trap|trap components]]; [[siege equipment]]?
* [[Skills#Bowyer|Bowyer]]: [[Crossbow|Crossbow]]
* [[Skills#Armorsmith|Armorsmith]]: All [[armor]]
* [[Skills#Trapper|Trapper]]: [[Animal trap]]s
Note: This section is a work in progress; it needs further data and correction.

== Links ==
* [http://mkv25.net/dfma/guides/DF%20Metalcrafts%20Crib%20Sheet.htm Metalcrafts Cribsheet], (based on information on this page)

{{Buildings}}
[[Category: Workshops]]

40d:Iron man

2007-11-14T20:06:33Z

Furiousfish:

{{minorspoiler}}

The iron man can be found dwelling on maps with chasms or cave complexes. When you kill an iron man, he leaves behind a masterpiece iron statue for your taking.

{{Creatures}}
[[Category:Humanoids]]

40d:Cave-in

2007-11-13T21:29:41Z

Furiousfish:

A '''cave-in''' can occur if an area is detached from all supporting tiles. A room can be as large as you want to make it, as long as it is supported by at least one tile from below. The system is a bit buggy right now, since it is only a placeholder.{{version|0.27.169.33a}} Toady has stated he intends to implement more realistic cave-ins in future versions.

Cave-ins can be disabled through the [[Technical tricks|init]] file, by changing [CAVEINS:YES] to [CAVEINS:NO].

== How cave-ins work ==

Any ''unconnected'' section of rock (rock that is completely isolated from the rest of the world) will cave in. The game checks for rock connections in all 8 horizontal directions, up, and down. Stairs and supports count as supports for the rock.

== Results of a cave-in ==

* Any [[creature]] caught under the falling material is crushed and killed.
* Any item caught under the falling material is [[encased]] in stone and must be dug out.
* Obviously, anything standing -on- the area that caves in falls and may be wounded.
* A large amount of dust is generated; Any creature caught by the dust from the collapse is knocked [[unconscious]], and may recieve [[Wounds|injuries]]
* All [[building]]s and [[construction]]s under and above the falling area are destroyed
* [[Rock]] remains mostly intact, while [[wood]] constructions become logs
* Unmined rock and soil crashes through multiple [[floor]]s, and stops only upon reaching solid ground, where it piles up
* Mined stairs and ramps will settle like unmined rock: Stairs down that fall onto previously empty floors will reveal the level below
* Anything falling into a [[flow]] (like [[water]]) sinks to the bottom{{ver|0.27.169.33a}}

== Avoiding cave-ins ==

Do not make unconnected sections of rock.

Actually, you're quite unlikely to cause cave-ins unless you are actively trying to cause them. In which case, you'd be wondering how to avoid cave-ins that ''cause damage'' to your folks. That's simple: Add a support under the stone mass, and link it to a distant lever. When you're done, hide everyone, pull the lever and watch the fireworks.

In previous versions {{ver|0.23.130.23a and older}} cave-ins would occur after a while in any mined-out area 7x7 or larger. This is currently not the case, but it may be wise to avoid digging out 7x7 areas anyway, in case the feature is re-implemented in a future release.

[[Category:Rooms]]
[[Category:Guides]]

40d:Crossbow

2007-11-13T20:48:37Z

Furiousfish:

Crossbows are the only hand-held ranged weapon usable by dwarves. In addition to the metals usually used to make [[weapon]]s, crossbows can be made of bone or wood. Crossbows are created in the [[bowyer's workshop]], and the [[metalsmith's forge]].

Scoring a successful hit with a crossbow trains the [[marksdwarf]] skill, and a high skill in marksdwarf affects accuracy with the weapon. Practicing at an [[archery target]] also improves the [[marksdwarf]] skill.

Crossbows fire [[bolt]]s, which can be made out of anything crossbows themselves can be made out of, meaning bone, wood, or the metals good for making [[weapon]]s.
Dwarves will not waste metal bolts on [[archery target]]s. In order for your dwarves to practice, they must have a steady supply of wooden or bone bolts.

Quivers can be given to dwarves to hold bolts, although dwarves can hold bolts in their hands. Thus, a dwarf can effectively carry multiple stacks of bolts. Dwarves will place metal bolts in quivers in favor of wooden or bone bolts.

[[Category:Weapons]][[Category:Traps]]

40d:Armor

2007-11-13T01:25:45Z

Furiousfish: /* Armor Levels */

'''Armor''' is the protection your dwarves wear, to keep them alive longer. They come in several types, from simple [[clothing]] to [[shell]], [[bone]], [[leather]], [[chain mail]] and [[plate mail]].

Depending on the type, a certain dwarf with certain skills are needed to make the armor, as well as the appropriate materials. While clothes aren't necessarily armor, they do offer a little protection. Shell and bone armors are made by a [[bone carver]] at a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]]. Chain mail and plate mail are made by a blacksmith at a [[metalsmith's forge]], and the type of [[metal]] used affects their performance. Leather armors are made at a [[leather works]] by a [[leatherworker]].

Better materials provide better protection, according to the following table:

{|cellpadding="2" border="1"
! Material !! Modifier %
|-
| [[Adamantine]] || 500
|-
| [[Steel]] || 133
|-
| [[Iron]] || 100
|-
| [[Bronze]] || 75
|-
| [[Copper]] || 66
|-
| Other metals/materials ([[leather]], [[cloth]], [[bone]], [[shell]], [[wood]], etc.) || 50
|}

[[Toady]] has also [http://www.bay12games.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=12&t=000013 stated] that [[Quality|item quality]] increases its protection (or damage, in the case of weapons), namely, "Quality has a huge effect on damage and damage reduction... Exceptional is almost double damage/damage block."

* Item : Basic armor - x1.0 damage reduction
* -Item- : Well-crafted armor - x1.2 damage reduction
* +Item+ : Finely Crafted armor - x1.4 damage reduction
* *Item* : Superior Quality armor - x1.6 damage reduction
* ≡Item≡ : Exceptional armor - x1.8 damage reduction
* ☼Item☼ : Masterful armor - x2.0 damage reduction

== Using armor ==

To tell a dwarf to wear armor in Fortress Mode, {{k|v}}iew the dwarf, go to {{k|p}}references, then {{k|s}}oldiering. There you can select the highest level of armor he should wear: clothes, leather, chain, or plate. [[Shield]] level is selected separately. You can also set the armor level for many dwarves at once on the {{k|m}}ilitary screen, under {{k|w}}eapons.

Upgrading a civilian dwarf's armor level will not take effect unless they are activated as soldiers. Civilians will not wear armor other than [[clothing]], except for those given the [[Ambusher|Hunting]] [[labor]], who will wear leather (provided their armor level is set above "clothing"). This will, however, cause them to go out into the wilderness and hunt, which is often undesirable. Hunters will carry a [[Crossbow]]. Similar behavior for weapons is observed in the [[Mining]] and [[Wood Cutter|Woodcutting]] labors, where civilians may carry either [[Pick|Picks]] or [[Axe|Axes]], to better defend themselves.

== Armor Levels ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Slot
! Leather
! Chain
! Plate
|-
| Head
| leather [[cap]]
| metal [[cap]] and/or [[helm]]
| [[helm]]
|-
| Upper Body
| [[leather armor]]
| [[chain mail]]
| [[plate mail]]
|-
| Lower Body
| leather [[leggings]]
| metal/bone/shell [[leggings]]
| [[greaves]]
|-
| Foot
| leather [[boot]]
| metal [[boot]]
| metal [[boot]]
|-
| Hand
| glove
| gauntlet
| gauntlet
|}

Creating plate mails requires three bars of metal. Chain mails and greaves require two bars. All other metal armors require one bar. Note that making gauntlets or boots will always produce a pair (a left and right gauntlet, or two boots) from one bar of metal.

40d:Armor

2007-11-13T01:23:20Z

Furiousfish: /* Armor Levels */

'''Armor''' is the protection your dwarves wear, to keep them alive longer. They come in several types, from simple [[clothing]] to [[shell]], [[bone]], [[leather]], [[chain mail]] and [[plate mail]].

Depending on the type, a certain dwarf with certain skills are needed to make the armor, as well as the appropriate materials. While clothes aren't necessarily armor, they do offer a little protection. Shell and bone armors are made by a [[bone carver]] at a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]]. Chain mail and plate mail are made by a blacksmith at a [[metalsmith's forge]], and the type of [[metal]] used affects their performance. Leather armors are made at a [[leather works]] by a [[leatherworker]].

Better materials provide better protection, according to the following table:

{|cellpadding="2" border="1"
! Material !! Modifier %
|-
| [[Adamantine]] || 500
|-
| [[Steel]] || 133
|-
| [[Iron]] || 100
|-
| [[Bronze]] || 75
|-
| [[Copper]] || 66
|-
| Other metals/materials ([[leather]], [[cloth]], [[bone]], [[shell]], [[wood]], etc.) || 50
|}

[[Toady]] has also [http://www.bay12games.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=12&t=000013 stated] that [[Quality|item quality]] increases its protection (or damage, in the case of weapons), namely, "Quality has a huge effect on damage and damage reduction... Exceptional is almost double damage/damage block."

* Item : Basic armor - x1.0 damage reduction
* -Item- : Well-crafted armor - x1.2 damage reduction
* +Item+ : Finely Crafted armor - x1.4 damage reduction
* *Item* : Superior Quality armor - x1.6 damage reduction
* ≡Item≡ : Exceptional armor - x1.8 damage reduction
* ☼Item☼ : Masterful armor - x2.0 damage reduction

== Using armor ==

To tell a dwarf to wear armor in Fortress Mode, {{k|v}}iew the dwarf, go to {{k|p}}references, then {{k|s}}oldiering. There you can select the highest level of armor he should wear: clothes, leather, chain, or plate. [[Shield]] level is selected separately. You can also set the armor level for many dwarves at once on the {{k|m}}ilitary screen, under {{k|w}}eapons.

Upgrading a civilian dwarf's armor level will not take effect unless they are activated as soldiers. Civilians will not wear armor other than [[clothing]], except for those given the [[Ambusher|Hunting]] [[labor]], who will wear leather (provided their armor level is set above "clothing"). This will, however, cause them to go out into the wilderness and hunt, which is often undesirable. Hunters will carry a [[Crossbow]]. Similar behavior for weapons is observed in the [[Mining]] and [[Wood Cutter|Woodcutting]] labors, where civilians may carry either [[Pick|Picks]] or [[Axe|Axes]], to better defend themselves.

== Armor Levels ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Slot
! Leather
! Chain
! Plate
|-
| Head
| leather [[cap]]
| metal [[cap]] and/or [[helm]]
| [[helm]]
|-
| Upper Body
| [[leather armor]]
| [[chain mail]]
| [[plate mail]]
|-
| Lower Body
| leather [[leggings]]
| metal/bone/shell [[leggings]]
| [[greaves]]
|-
| Foot
| leather [[boot]]
| metal [[boot]]
| metal [[boot]]
|-
| Hand
| glove
| gauntlet{{verify}}
| gauntlet
|}

Creating plate mails requires three bars of metal. Chain mails and greaves require two bars. All other metal armors require one bar. Note that making gauntlets or boots will always produce a pair (a left and right gauntlet, or two boots) from one bar of metal.

40d Talk:Galena

2007-10-31T20:57:32Z

Furiousfish:

According to the Stone restrictions, Galena is:
* Ore of silver (50%)
* Ore of lead.
Not sure exactly what the 50% means. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 00:48, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

I haven't been getting anywhere near 50/50 silver/lead with my galena - i've smelted around 50 units of ore and lead bars are significantly more commonly produced--[[User:Alc|Alc]] 00:52, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

:Well, my guess is that it has half as much chance of producing silver as of producing lead, so that you average 33% silver and 67% lead. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 00:59, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

Smelting is currently bugged (doesn't produce enough bars), so we may have to wait until the next patch to see how galena is supposed to be working. [[User:Furiousfish|Furiousfish]] 16:57, 31 October 2007 (EDT)