Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

Justice

2021-02-07T18:13:01Z

ANormalUsername1: Added type of crime: espionage.

{{Quality|Exceptional|02:20, 28 May 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

[[File:dwarf_justice.png|thumb|300px|right|When you forget the Baron's demands for 3 flutes. ''Art by gustav_black'']]'''Justice''' is available in the game once a [[Sheriff]] or [[captain of the guard]] has been appointed through the [[Noble|{{k|n}}obles]] screen, and is used to deal with dwarves violating mandates, breaking furniture, starting fights, etc. The dwarven justice screen shows details of crimes and punishments, and is available through the {{k|z}}-status screen (even if no nobles are appointed yet).

==Crimes==
* '''Violation of Production Order''' - failing to produce items [[mandate]]d by a [[noble]].
* '''Violation of Export Prohibition''' - selling items to a caravan which a [[noble]] forbade exporting.
* '''Violation of Job Order''' - failing to complete [[guild]] jobs [[mandate]]d by the [[mayor]] (currently does not happen).
* '''Conspiracy to Slow Labor''' - deliberately slowing down the workflow of the fortress by delaying jobs (currently does not happen)
* '''Murder''' - killing a fellow dwarf or tame [[animal]]; alternatively, being caught [[vampire|sucking blood]] out of another dwarf.
* '''Disorderly Conduct''' - attacking another dwarf while throwing a [[tantrum]].
* '''Building destruction''' - destroying a [[building]] during a tantrum.
* '''Vandalism''' - toppling [[furniture]] or [[door]]s during a tantrum.
* '''Theft''' - a dwarf stole an [[artifact]]
* '''Espionage''' - a dwarf infiltrated your fortress as a [[visitor]] as part of larger plot usually involving Theft of an [[artifact]] or corruption of a [[noble]].

If a [[vampire]] is caught feeding on another dwarf, even if the victim survives, it is still considered a murder. The vampire will typically make a false report, to try to frame another dwarf. Witnesses will also sometimes make false reports to try and frame dwarves they have [[grudge]]s against.

In some cases, the player has to convict a criminal or suspect, in others, criminals are convicted without player input. In case of mandate infractions, the player is generally not asked for input, while murderers must be convicted by the player. Practically anybody can be blamed for a murder, including tame animals and long-dead persons. The fort population will feel [[Thought#Justice|affronted]] at particularly nonsensical convictions.

"Violating an export ban" happens when a banned item is sold to a merchant and a merchant leaves the map with it. In this case, the criminal is NOT the trader who authorized the sale, but the hapless hauler who brought the good to the trade depot. It can happens when a noble decides to ban an export '''after''' you've already traded away a relevant item. Yeah, that's lame, but one way to mitigate it is to not perform trades unless there is an active mandate, and then obey it. You'll have a lower risk of the noble making a NEW mandate between the time merchants arrive and depart if one is already in place. If you've sold an item that subsequently becomes banned, but the merchants haven't left yet, you can also eat your pride and pay to buy it back.

If your dwarves start throwing [[tantrum]]s, then you'll see the harsher crimes, as they let off steam by throwing items around, breaking furniture, toppling doors, and punching fellow dwarves who are just trying to clean up the mess - instead of punches, sometimes, they may use the weapons they're carrying. Suddenly, keeping those axe lords happy seems a bit more high priority, eh?

==Punishments==
Dwarves who misbehave can receive punishments if a sheriff has been assigned. In increasing order of severity (at least that's what your dwarves think):
# Beating by a [[fortress guard]] (more dangerous than it sounds, see below)
# Imprisonment for a period of time.
# Hammering by the [[Hammerer]].
The punishment for a crime, or series of crimes, will be issued by the Sheriff or by a member of the Fortress Guard. If the crime calls for imprisonment, then the guard will try to put the prisoner in [[jail]]; if no jails are available, the guard will "downgrade" the punishment to a beating, giving the criminal a happy thought and the injured party (i.e. the dwarf injured by the criminal, if one exists) an unhappy thought. If the crime calls for hammer strikes, then the Hammerer will attach the prisoner to a restraint before carrying out the sentence; if no justice restraints are available, the punishment will be downgraded to a beating. All punishments will give the criminal an unhappy thought (and the guard/Hammerer a happy thought).

Note that it is usually not a good idea to train your guards to physical perfection if you want your dwarves to survive beatings:
Punches to the head have a very high fatality rate, possibly due to a bug {{bug|2907}}. Therefore it is wise to ensure that any criminals scheduled for beating are fitted with a metal helm as quickly as possible (if you want them to live). Even without headstrikes, beatings can easily result in broken bones or organ damage, making prison sentences a less risky option.

Punishments are performed sequentially; a criminal who has been sentenced to jail time ''and'' a hammering will not be hammered until the entire jail term has been served.

==Interrogation==
Dwarves can also be interrogated over crimes, in which case they are escorted by the Captain of the Guard to their office and questioned. If the interrogation is successful (as determined by the Captain's various social skills, along with the target's) the target will confess what they know, whether that is a crime they themselves have committed or their membership of a particular plotting organisation, and possibly the names of other members of said organisations; the results are detailed in a [[report]].
Interrogating an innocent dwarf does not have any negative effects, so if you're unsure of a culprit you could interrogate the entire fort without any repercussions other than lost work time.

==Cages and Chains==
Metal cages, metal chains, and ropes can be built and designated as [[jail]]s ({{k|q}}uery -> make a {{k|r}}oom -> use for {{k|j}}ustice), where dwarves can be imprisoned for a time as part of their punishment. If the dwarf is particularly unhappy and decides to throw a [[tantrum]], he may end up destroying the restraint (even if it is made of metal) and escaping, leading to further punishment (for building destruction).

It is also strongly recommended to use chains, not cages for imprisonment: dwarves on chains are still free to move one step in any direction, allowing them to keep themselves fed and hydrated when food and booze stockpiles or wells are placed adjacent to the chain. Dwarves in cages are entirely dependent on the assistance of others.

==Happiness management==
A dwarf that is carelessly tied up in a dank dungeon is subject to several unhappy thoughts. Most can be avoided or offset with some care:

Putting food and booze stockpiles right next to the chain allows for happy thoughts from both instead of having to drink water when (if) someone finally brings some. Decorating your jail with numerous valuable engravings and furniture is helpful too. This includes the chain itself -- prisoners will be happier being shackled with a shiny [[diamond]]-[[decoration|encrusted]] [[gold]] chain than tied up with a boring old [[pig tail]] rope. Finally, with a bed and a table next to a chair all within a square of the chain itself, negative thoughts approach zero.

==Backlog==
Crimes do not seem to lapse, so if you've delayed appointing the "executive" nobles for some time, there might be a long list of delinquents and open sentences pending. The law will swiftly proceed to chaining up all delinquents and, once all chains are occupied, beating up any remaining free "criminals". Therefore, beatings are avoided only by constructing restraints first, and possibly way more than recommended in the z-screen.

==Exemption==

Creatures are exempt from the justice system if they are any of the following:

* Dead
* [[Insane]]
* In a [[strange mood]]
* A [[child]] or a [[baby]]
* Not a dwarf (to exclude animals)
* A local position holder with {{token|PUNISHMENT_EXEMPTION}}

{{D for Dwarf}}

In the Dwarven justice system, the Dwarves are oppressed by two separate yet equally obstinate nobles: the sheriff, who investigates crimes, and the hammerer, who beats the living %#(* out of the offenders. These are their stories.

"Thank god i only got assigned a long-term jail time followed by a hammering. My partner in crime was assigned to a guard beating, poor bastard's head got pulped after one punch." -Urist Mc. Murderhobo.

{{Translation| dwarven = imketh | elvish = leÿa | goblin = aka | human = takru}}

{{Category|Justice}}
[[ru:Justice]]

Mission

2017-12-03T04:43:49Z

ANormalUsername1: Changed quality rating from "Tattered" to "Superior" using the rating script

{{Quality|Superior|04:43, 3 December 2017 (UTC)}}
'''Missions''' are commands in [[Fortress mode]] that send one or more of your [[squad|squads]] to visit [[site|sites]] outside of your fortress. They are created in the [[Civilization/World Info]] screen (accessed by pressing {{k|c}} in the main fortress view). There are multiple types of missions, such as raids, explorations, artifact recovery, and citizen recovery.

== Raids and Explorations ==

A '''raid''' is a general mission to an occupied, foreign site, usually in the name of pillaging artifacts and death-dealing (although artifact looting seems to be the primary focus of most raids). An '''exploration''' is a general mission to ''unoccupied'' sites, including those previously inhabited by your civilization, and these missions focus almost entirely upon finding artifacts that might be held at these locations.

Raids and explorations are created by selecting a site on the Civilization/World Info map. If the site you're viewing holds or is rumored to hold artifacts or prisoners, these will be listed. At the bottom of the screen, a prompt gives you information about the type of mission you're creating (i.e. 'r: Raid/Explore this site'). If a site is unable to be visited, the prompt will appear grayed out, and the text will explain why you cannot create the mission. Missions cannot be sent to occupied sites that are members of your civilization, but can be sent to unoccupied/abandoned sites, as stated above. They also cannot be sent to locations that are impossible for your squads to reach (i.e. across oceans/glaciers). If all is well, you can then press {{k|r}} to create the mission and move into [[squad]] selection.

'''Note:''' Raiding a site of a civilization you are at Peace with, for any reason, could cause them to declare [[war]] on your civilization. Act with care when choosing sites to pillage.

== Artifact/Citizen Recovery ==

An '''artifact recovery''' mission allows for a specific artifact to be selected as the objective of a mission. This usually involves traveling to the last known or rumored location of said artifact. If your squad manages to encounter a bit of [[fun]] on any form of mission, members of those parties can be captured as prisoners by the inhabitants of the site you attempted to raid. When this happens, you can create a '''citizen recovery''' mission, whereupon the assigned squads will attempt to rescue the prisoner from whatever site they are held at.

Artifact recovery and citizen recovery missions are created by selecting the desired recoverable from either the missing citizens menu (accessible with {{k|p}}) or the artifact menu (accessible with {{k|a}}). Once you've selected something, press {{k|r}} to create a new mission, and move into squad selection. Although you can technically select recoverables that belong to sites of your civilization, squads on these missions will almost instantaneously return, and will deliver no report data.

== Squad Selection ==

Squad selection, as the name implies, simply involves selecting a squad (or multiple squads) to be sent out on the mission. Even if you do not select any squads by exiting the selection, the created mission will remain extant and active, albeit with no squads assigned to it.

Once an active mission has one or more squads assigned to it, the dwarfs in those squads will automatically prepare themselves and leave the map's edge.

== Other Notes ==

* Pressing {{k|m}} on the Civilization/World Info screen will show a list of active missions. You can reassign squads and delete missions on this screen.

* When a squad returns from a mission, an announcement to the effect of "<squad name> has returned" will be generated, and a mission [[report]] will be visible in the {{k|r}}eport menu. In the report, the path the squad took is traced on the map, and the events that took place along the way are revealed.

=== Mission events ===
:''This list is incomplete, please feel free to contribute''
* Slipped into settlement undetected
* Searched settlement
* Stole artifact
* Freed the Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf
* Confronted the Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf
* The Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf fought with
* Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf's (body part) was torn out/ripped off
* Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf was struck down
* Item/Artifact was looted from Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf

{{Category|Fortress mode}}
{{Category|World}}

Mission

2017-12-02T06:54:35Z

ANormalUsername1: added detail about becoming in a "War" state with a peaceful civ that you raid

{{Quality|Tattered|18:02, 30 November 2017 (UTC)}}
'''Missions''' are commands in [[Fortress mode]] for one or more [[squad|squads]] to visit [[site|sites]] outside of your fortress. They are created in the [[Civilization/World Info]] screen (accessed by pressing {{k|c}} in the main fortress view). There are multiple types of missions, such as raids, explorations, artifact recovery, and citizen recovery.

Raids and explorations are created by selecting a site with the cursor (controllable with the arrow keys). If the site you're viewing holds or is rumored to hold artifacts or prisoners, these will be listed. At the bottom of the screen, a prompt gives you information about the type of mission you're creating (i.e. 'r: Raid/Explore this site'). If a site is unable to be visited, the prompt will appear grayed out, and the text will explain why you cannot create the mission. Missions cannot be sent to occupied sites that are members of your civilization, but can be sent to unoccupied/abandoned sites. They also cannot be sent to locations that are impossible for your squads to reach (i.e. across oceans/glaciers). If all is well, you can then press {{k|r}} to create the mission and move into [[squad]] selection.

Artifact recovery and citizen recovery missions are created by selecting the desired recoverable from either the missing citizens menu (accessible with {{k|p}}) or the artifact menu (accessible with {{k|a}}). Once you've selected an object or citizen, press {{k|r}} to create a new mission, and move into squad selection. Although you can technically select recoverables that belong to sites of your civilization, squads on these missions will almost instantaneously return, and will deliver no report data.

Note that raiding a civilization you are at Peace with for their artifacts or just to attack them could cause you to become at [[war]] with them.

Squad selection, as the name implies, simply involves select a squad (or multiple squads) to be sent out on the mission. Even if you do not select any squads by exiting the selection, the created mission will remain extant and active, albeit with no squads assigned to it.

Once an active mission has one or more squads assigned to it, the dwarfs in those squads will automatically prepare themselves and leave the map's edge.

Pressing {{k|m}} on the Civilization/World Info screen will show a list of active missions. You can reassign squads and delete missions on this screen.

When a squad returns from a missions it is announced by "<squad name> has returned". A mission [[report]] will be viewable from the {{k|r}}eport menu. In the report, the path the squad took is traced on the map and the events that took place along the way are revealed.

== Mission events ==
:''This list is incomplete, please contribute''
* Slipped into settlement undetected
* Searched settlement
* Stole artifact
* Freed the Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf
* Confronted the Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf
* The Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf fought with
* Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf's (body part) was torn out/ripped off
* Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf was struck down
* Item/Artifact was looted from Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf

{{Category|Fortress mode}}
{{Category|World}}

Mission

2017-11-30T19:04:56Z

ANormalUsername1: /* Mission events */

{{Quality|Tattered|18:02, 30 November 2017 (UTC)}}
'''Missions''' can be used in [[Fortress mode]] to interact with the outside world. They are created by pressing first {{k|c}} to view the [[Civilization/World Info]] screen, and then either pressing
{{k|p}} to create a citizen recovery mission or pressing {{k|a}} to create an [[artifact]] recovery mission. In either case, select the desired citizen or artifact to be recovered and then press {{k|r}} to create a new mission. In the next screen, select a [[squad]] to be sent out on the mission. The dwarfs in the squad will automatically prepare themselves and leave the map's edge.

Pressing {{k|m}} on the [[Civilization/World Info]] screen will show a list of active missions. You can reassign squads and delete missions on this screen.

When a squad returns from a missions it is announced by "<squad name> has returned". A mission [[report]] will be viewable from the {{k|r}}eport menu. In the report, the path the squad took is traced on the map and the events that took place along the way are revealed.

== Mission events ==
:''This list is incomplete, please contribute''
* Slipped into settlement undetected
* Searched settlement
* Stole artifact
* Freed the Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf
* Confronted the Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf
* The Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf fought with
* Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf's (body part) was torn out/ripped off
* Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf was struck down
* Item/Artifact was looted from Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf

{{Category|Fortress mode}}
{{Category|World}}

Mission

2017-11-30T18:25:15Z

ANormalUsername1: /* Mission events */

{{Quality|Tattered|18:02, 30 November 2017 (UTC)}}
'''Missions''' can be used in [[Fortress mode]] to interact with the outside world. They are created by pressing first {{k|c}} to view the [[Civilization/World Info]] screen, and then either pressing
{{k|p}} to create a citizen recovery mission or pressing {{k|a}} to create an [[artifact]] recovery mission. In either case, select the desired citizen or artifact to be recovered and then press {{k|r}} to create a new mission. In the next screen, select a [[squad]] to be sent out on the mission. The dwarfs in the squad will automatically prepare themselves and leave the map's edge.

Pressing {{k|m}} on the [[Civilization/World Info]] screen will show a list of active missions. You can reassign squads and delete missions on this screen.

When a squad returns from a missions it is announced by "<squad name> has returned". A mission [[report]] will be viewable from the {{k|r}}eport menu. In the report, the path the squad took is traced on the map and the events that took place along the way are revealed.

== Mission events ==
:''This list is incomplete, please contribute''
* Slipped into settlement undetected
* Searched settlement
* Stole artifact
* Freed the Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf
* Confronted the Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf
* Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf's (body part) was torn out/ripped off
* Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf was struck down
* Item/Artifact was looted from Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf

{{Category|Fortress mode}}
{{Category|World}}

Mission

2017-11-30T18:02:10Z

ANormalUsername1: Added quality rating "Tattered" using the rating script

Mission

2017-11-30T18:00:38Z

ANormalUsername1: Added mission event

'''Missions''' can be used in [[Fortress mode]] to interact with the outside world. They are created by pressing first {{k|c}} to view the [[Civilization/World Info]] screen, and then either pressing
{{k|p}} to create a citizen recovery mission or pressing {{k|a}} to create an [[artifact]] recovery mission. In either case, select the desired citizen or artifact to be recovered and then press {{k|r}} to create a new mission. In the next screen, select a [[squad]] to be sent out on the mission. The dwarfs in the squad will automatically prepare themselves and leave the map's edge.

Pressing {{k|m}} on the [[Civilization/World Info]] screen will show a list of active missions. You can reassign squads and delete missions on this screen.

When a squad returns from a missions it is announced by "<squad name> has returned". A mission [[report]] will be viewable from the {{k|r}}eport menu. In the report, the path the squad took is traced on the map and the events that took place along the way are revealed.

== Mission events ==
:''This list is incomplete, please contribute''
* Slipped into settlement undetected
* Searched settlement
* Stole artifact
* Freed the Human/Elf/Goblin/Dwarf

{{Category|Fortress mode}}
{{Category|World}}

Technical tricks

2014-12-23T21:11:33Z

ANormalUsername1:

{{quality|unrated}}
{{av}}

== Overview ==
In order to configure Dwarf Fortress to your liking there are two files you can edit, init.txt and d_init.txt. The first file, init.txt, contains mostly the settings pertaining to the window, rendering and sound of Dwarf Fortress. The second file, d_init.txt, contains settings that affect game features such as saving and population controls.

== Locating your configuration file ==
In most cases, the configuration files for Dwarf Fortress are in the <tt>data/init</tt> folder of the directory you installed it to.

If you installed Dwarf Fortress on Arch Linux using <tt>pacman</tt>, then running <tt>dwarffortress</tt> will dump the configuration files you should edit into your home directory under <tt>.dwarffortress</tt> - editing the files under data/init will ''not'' change how the game behaves.

== Editing the configuration file ==
You can edit the configuration files with any word processing software or text editing software. On Windows, either Notepad or Wordpad will suffice.
All data in these files is contained in what are called tokens. Each token is defined by the text between an opening square bracket, '[', and the first closing square bracket, ']'. Arguments to the various tokens are separated from a token identifier by a colon, ':'.

== Settings - init.txt ==

=== Sound ===
*[SOUND:ON]
Change the argument from "ON" to "OFF" to completely remove sound and music from the game. If this is "OFF", it will not be possible to change the volume from the in game options menu.

*[VOLUME:255]
Changes the default volume of sound in Dwarf Fortress. The argument can be any value from 0 to 255, with 255 representing 100% volume.

=== Intro Movie ===
*[INTRO:YES]
Change the argument from "YES" to "NO" to turn off the intro movie.

=== Window ===
*[WINDOWED:PROMPT]
Changes the window mode that Dwarf Fortress runs in. If this is "PROMPT" the game will ask you if you want to run in windowed or fullscreen mode. If this is "NO" the game will be fullscreen with no prompt, and if this is "YES" the game will be in windowed mode with no prompt.

*[WINDOWEDX:80]
If this is below 256, this specifies the width of the grid used by Dwarf Fortress with a minimum of 80. As such, the width of the window used will be the product of this value and the width of the font used. If this value is 256 or above, it specifies the width of the window used directly.

*[WINDOWEDY:25]
If this is below 256, this specifies the height of the grid used by Dwarf Fortress with a minimum of 25. As such, the height of the window used will be the product of this value and the height of the font use. If this value is 256 or above, it specifies the height of the window used directly.

[WINDOWEDX:98][WINDOWEDY:98] will make window big enough to display whole 2x2 [[embark]] [[site]] with 8x8 [[tileset]].

*[FONT:curses_640x300.png]
The font file that Dwarf Fortress uses. This value can be any .bmp or .png image in the data/art folder.

*[RESIZABLE:YES]
Can be "YES" or "NO". If this is "YES" you can resize the window while Dwarf Fortress is running.

*[TOPMOST:NO]
If this is set to "YES", the window is kept above all other windows.

=== Fullscreen ===
These settings are used if the [WINDOWED:PROMPT/YES/NO] token is either "NO", or "PROMPT" and the fullscreen option is chosen.

*[FULLSCREENX:0]
The width of the screen in fullscreen mode. If the value are 0, Dwarf Fortress chooses the best resolution for you.

*[FULLSCREENY:0]
The height of the screen in fullscreen mode. If the value is 0, Dwarf Fortress chooses the best resolution for you.

*[FULLFONT:curses_800x600.png]
The font file that Dwarf Fortress uses. This value can be any .bmp or .png image in the data/art folder.

*[BLACK_SPACE:YES]
If this is "NO", tiles will be stretched to fit to the screen if there is a resolution mismatch. If this is "YES", the extra space around the grid is filled with black space and the tiles are left unstretched.

=== Graphics ===
*[GRAPHICS:NO]
Can be "YES" or "NO". If this is "YES", Dwarf Fortress will use the raw/graphics folder for certain tile graphics. Currently this is limited to [[Graphics set repository|creature graphics]].

*[GRAPHICS_WINDOWEDX:0]
The window width used when Dwarf Fortress is in windowed mode.

*[GRAPHICS_WINDOWEDY:0]
The window height used when Dwarf Fortress is in windowed mode.

*[GRAPHICS_FONT:curses_square_16x16.png]
The [[Main:Tileset repository|font]] used by Dwarf Fortress when in windowed mode and [GRAPHICS:YES/NO] is "YES".

*[GRAPHICS_FULLSCREENX:0]
The width of the screen used by Dwarf Fortress if in fullscreen mode.

*[GRAPHICS_FULLSCREENY:0]
The height of the screen used by Dwarf Fortress if in fullscreen mode.

*[GRAPHICS_FULLFONT:curses_square_16x16.png]
The font used by Dwarf Fortress when in fullscreen mode and [GRAPHICS:YES/NO] is "YES".

*[GRAPHICS_BLACK_SPACE:YES]
If this is "NO", tiles are stretched to fit window in the case of a resolution mismatch. If this is "YES", the extra space is filled with black space and the tiles are left unstretched.

=== Video Card Options ===

*[PRINT_MODE:2D]
This value changes how Dwarf Fortress draws to the screen. As such, changing this value can significantly change the performance of Dwarf Fortress on your computer. Possible values for this are "2D", "2DSW", "2DASYNC", "STANDARD", "TEXT", "ACCUM_BUFFER", "FRAME_BUFFER", "VBO" and "PARTIAL". A technical description of what these do can be found [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=63667.msg1478550#msg1478550 in this post].
"PARTIAL" print mode takes an additional argument similar to how the PARTIAL_PRINT value worked in previous versions, with the number representing the number of frames a changed tile is rendered before it is skipped.
"TEXT" is only available on OSX and Linux.

*[SINGLE_BUFFER:NO]
If this is "NO" Dwarf Fortress will use double buffering, which may reduce flickering of the screen at the expense of a possible (small) drop in frame rate. If this is "YES", double buffering is turned off.

*[ARB_SYNC:NO]
On video cards that support the OpenGL ARB_sync extension, turning this on can greatly improve performance in GPU overload conditions. However, this can cause Dwarf Fortress to crash on some video cards.

*[VSYNC:NO]
If this is set to "YES", when Dwarf Fortress redraws the screen it will wait for the monitor to finish its vertical retrace. This can negatively impact your FPS if G_FPS is set high, as the game is forced to suspend calculating game frames to wait for the monitor to finish. The main reason to change this to "YES" is if tearing of the game image occurs regularly for you.

*[TEXTURE_PARAM:LINEAR]
Can be either "LINEAR" or "NEAREST". If it is "NEAREST", the texture values use the nearest pixel value without averaging. If it is "LINEAR", the texture values use the average of the adjacent pixels. In terms of what the two options do to the graphics, the "LINEAR" option will appear to blur adjacent pixels and can result in a fuzzy appearance. The "NEAREST" option will produce a sharp, pixelated look but may result in images looking clipped at some different screen resolutions.

=== FPS ===
*[FPS:NO]
If this is "YES" a FPS counter is displayed on the top left corner.

*[FPS_CAP:100]
The game frames per second the game limits itself to. This changes the number of turns calculated per second, not the graphical frames displayed. If this value is 0 the FPS is uncapped.

*[G_FPS_CAP:50]
The graphical frames per second the game attempts to draw. This changes the number of times Dwarf Fortress draws itself to the screen per second. Lower numbers will cause Dwarf Fortress to run faster but skip displaying more game frames between each redraw.
To find the number of game frames that are calculated per redraw done by Dwarf Fortress, divide the value for FPS_CAP by the value of G_FPS_CAP. In the default case, this is 100/50=2, so every second frame calculated dwarf fortress will redraw to the screen.

=== Priority ===
*[PRIORITY:NORMAL]
Change this to affect the process priority of Dwarf Fortress. Higher priorities mean that Dwarf Fortress will run faster and other programs will run slower. Possible values are "REALTIME", "HIGH", "ABOVE_NORMAL", "NORMAL", "BELOW_NORMAL" and "IDLE".

=== Game Options ===
*[ZOOM_SPEED:10]
How fast the game zooms. A value of 10 corresponds to increasing grid size by 10 units each time you zoom.

[RECENTER_INTERFACE_SHUTDOWN_MS:0]
This controls the number of milliseconds that must pass before input works again after the view recenters on an event in dwarf mode.

[COMPRESSED_SAVES:YES]
Change this to "NO" if you want to leave save uncompressed. If "YES", saves are compressed in the .zip format to save space.

=== Mouse ===
*[MOUSE:YES]
Determines if the game accepts mouse input.

*[MOUSE_PICTURE:NO]
If the game should display a picture in place of the system mouse icon. The picture lags if Dwarf Fortress is lagging.

=== Keyboard ===
*[KEY_HOLD_MS:250]
The number of milliseconds before holding a key causes it to be repeated.

*[KEY_REPEAT_MS:150]
The number of milliseconds between consecutive repetitions of a held key.

*[KEY_REPEAT_ACCEL_LIMIT:8]
*[KEY_REPEAT_ACCEL_START:10]
If you set KEY_REPEAT_ACCEL_LIMIT above one, then after KEY_REPEAT_ACCEL_START repetitions the repetition delay will smoothly decrease until repetition is this number of times faster than at the start.

*[MACRO_MS:150]
The number of milliseconds between macro instructions.

== Settings - d_init.txt ==

=== Save Behavior ===
*[AUTOSAVE:NONE]
When Dwarf Fortress should automatically save your game. If this is "NONE", Dwarf Fortress never saves your game for you. Possible values are "NONE", "SEASONAL" and "YEARLY".

*[AUTOBACKUP:NO]
If this is "YES", Dwarf Fortress will back up your save file each time it autosaves your game.

*[AUTOSAVE_PAUSE:NO]
If Dwarf Fortress should pause the game each time it autosaves for you.

*[INITIAL_SAVE:NO]
If this is "YES", Dwarf Fortress will save the game immediately after you embark.

=== More Game Options ===
*[IDLERS:TOP]
Where to display the number of idling dwarves. The value can be either "TOP", "BOTTOM", or "OFF".

*[PAUSE_ON_LOAD:YES]
If "YES", Dwarf Fortress starts Fortress mode paused.

*[TEMPERATURE:YES]
Turns on or off [[temperature]] ''calculations''. If temperature calculations are off, only a few direct temperature changes will take place. For example, [[magma]] will set tiles and creatures to high temperatures, but those tiles will never cool and those creatures will not catch fire. Effects that rely on temperature calculations, such as water freezing, melting, or evaporating, or creatures and items taking temperature-related damage, will not occur.

*[WEATHER:YES]
Turns on or off [[weather]]. If weather is off it will never rain or snow.

*[ECONOMY:YES]
Turns on or off the fortress mode dwarven economy. This has no effect, since the economy does not function in v0.40.

*[INVADERS:YES]
Turns on or off fortress mode [[siege]]s. Turning this off for your first couple of games may make the game easier to start with.

*[CAVEINS:YES]
If this is "YES" it is possible for [[cave-in]]s to occur.

*[ARTIFACTS:YES]
Turns on or off [[strange mood]]s and the resulting [[artifact]]s.

*[ZERO_RENT:NO]
If this is "YES", when the dwarven economy kicks in all rooms will cost nothing, allowing even the poorest of haulers to have a room fit for a king. This has no effect, since the economy does not function in the current version.

*[TESTING_ARENA:YES]
Turns on or off the testing arena.

*[WALKING_SPREADS_SPATTER_DWF:NO]
Turns on or off the spread of blood spatter and other contaminants between creatures and ground tiles in [[Fortress mode]]. As contaminants are [[Blood|buggy]] and can have a major negative impact on [[FPS]] in [[Fortress mode]], it is recommended to leave this set at "NO" for now.

*[WALKING_SPREADS_SPATTER_ADV:YES]
Turns on or off the spread of blood spatter and other contaminants between creatures and ground tiles in [[Adventurer mode]].

*[PATH_COST:1:2:5:25]
The path finding costs associated with different [[traffic]] values.

*[COFFIN_NO_PETS_DEFAULT:NO]
When building a [[coffin|burial receptacle]], the option to allow pets to be buried in it will default to NO if this is set to "YES".

*[STORE_DIST_ITEM_DECREASE:20]
*[STORE_DIST_SEED_COMBINE:1000]
*[STORE_DIST_BUCKET_COMBINE:1000]
*[STORE_DIST_BARREL_COMBINE:1000]
*[STORE_DIST_BIN_COMBINE:1000]

*[SHOW_IMP_QUALITY:YES]
If "YES" Dwarf Fortress will display the [[quality]] of an item's improvements in the name. If you get annoyed by seeing items like *<*sword*>* you can
get rid of the outside ** by setting this to NO.

*[SHOW_ALL_HISTORY_IN_DWARF_MODE:YES]
If "YES", inspecting engravings and artifacts in Fortress Mode will have an extended history displayed.

*[LOG_MAP_REJECTS:NO]
If this is "YES", Dwarf Fortress will log the reason why maps were rejected during world gen in the log.txt file.

*[GRAZE_COEFFICIENT:100]

=== Adventure Mode ===
*[MORE:YES]
*[DISPLAY_LENGTH:23]
*[ADVENTURER_TRAPS:NO]
If you set this to "YES" your adventurer will trigger the traps of your old fortresses
*[ADVENTURER_ALWAYS_CENTER:YES]
*[ADVENTURER_Z_VIEWS:UNHIDDEN:9]

=== Nicknames ===
*[NICKNAME_DWARF:REPLACE_FIRST]
*[NICKNAME_ADVENTURE:REPLACE_FIRST]
*[NICKNAME_LEGENDS:REPLACE_FIRST]

=== Embark Options ===
*[EMBARK_WARNING_ALWAYS:NO]
If this value is YES, then it will always pop up a warning screen when you embark (Like you get when you have [[DF2012:Water#Salt Water|Salt Water]] or an [[DF2012:Aquifer|Aquifer]] on-site)
*[SHOW_EMBARK_TUNNEL:FINDER]
*[EMBARK_RECTANGLE:4:4]
The size of the default embark site.

=== Wounds ===
*[WOUND_COLOR_NONE:7:0:1]
The color of body parts when there are no recorded active wounds on the part.
Default = white

*[WOUND_COLOR_MINOR:6:0:0]
The color of body parts when there is any damage that doesn't have functional/structural consequences (might be heavy bleeding though).
Default = brown

*[WOUND_COLOR_INHIBITED:6:0:1]
The color of body parts when there is any muscular, structural or functional damage without total loss.
Default = yellow

*[WOUND_COLOR_FUNCTION_LOSS:3:0:1]
The color of body parts when an important function of the part is completely lost, but the part is structurally sound (or at least partially intact).
Default = bright cyan

*[WOUND_COLOR_BROKEN:4:0:1]
The color of body parts when the part has lost all structural integrity or muscular ability.
Default = bright red

*[WOUND_COLOR_MISSING:0:0:1]
The color of body parts when the part is completely gone.
Default = dark gray

=== Tiles ===

*[SKY:178:3:0:0]
The tile and color of areas that are far below the currently displayed z level.
The format is SKY:<character>:<foreground color>:<background color>:<brightness>. <character> can be either an ASCII number or a character in single quotes, like '#'.

*[CHASM:250:0:0:1]
The tile and color of areas that are far below the currently displayed z level while indoors.
The format is the same as for SKY above.

*[PILLAR_TILE:'O']
The tile displayed for pillars. Pillars are created at the ends of strings of wall tiles.

*[VARIED_GROUND_TILES:YES]
If this is "YES" the ground will be varied randomly using the tiles ,.`'.
If this is "NO", only the period will be used for ground tiles.

*[ENGRAVINGS_START_OBSCURED:NO]
If this is "YES", all engravings are displayed initially looking the same. Otherwise all engravings have a random tile given to them initially.

*[SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS:NO]
If "YES" Dwarf Fortress displays water as numbers from 1-7 indicating depth.

=== Resolution to Grid Ratios ===
Taken from [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=22302.msg241991#msg241991]

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! colspan="2" | Geometry
! colspan="3" | Character Size
|-
! Resolution
! Aspect
! 8x8
! 12x12
! 16x16
|-
| 800x600
| 4:3
| 100 x 75
| 66 x 50
| 50 x 37
|-
| 1024x768
| 4:3
| 128 x 96
| 85 x 64
| 64 x 48
|-
| 1152x864
| 4:3
| 144 x 108
| 96 x 72
| 72 x 54
|-
| 1280x960
| 4:3
| 160 x 120
| 106 x 80
| 80 x 60
|-
| 1600x1200
| 4:3
| 200 x 150
| 133 x 100
| 100 x 75
|-
| 1280x1024
| 5:4
| 160 x 128
| 106 x 85
| 80 x 64
|-
| 1440x900
| 16:10
| 180 x 75
| 135 x 56.25
| 90 x 37.5
|-
| 1680x1050
| 16:10
| 210 x 131
| 140 x 87
| 105 x 65
|-
| 1920x1080
| 16:9
| 240 x 135
| 160 x 90
| 120 x 67
|-
| 1920x1200
| 16:10
| 240 x 150
| 160 x 100
| 120 x 75
|}

Depression

2014-11-14T04:27:24Z

ANormalUsername1: yep

{{quality}}
{{av}}{{stub}}

:{{gametext|<dwarf> has slipped into depression...|6:0}}
::''Sunk into depression...''

'''Depression''' is a temporary emotional breakdown experienced mainly by dwarves with high [[personality trait|propensity to depression]].

Depressed dwarves will cancel any job they may be doing at the moment and mope around until they regain their composure. Unless [[stress]] levels are reduced, bouts of depression will repeat until the dwarf is eventually [[insane|stricken by melancholy]].

Oblivious

2014-11-14T04:25:31Z

ANormalUsername1: found it

{{quality}}
{{av}}{{stub}}

:{{gametext|<dwarf> is stumbling around obliviously!|3:0}}
::''Stumbling obliviously!''

'''Obliviousness''' is a temporary emotional breakdown experienced mainly by dwarves with high [[personality trait|propensity to anxiety]].

Oblivious dwarves will cancel any job they may be doing at the moment and stumble around until they regain their composure. Unless [[stress]] levels are reduced, this will repeat until the dwarf eventually [[insane|goes stark raving mad]].

Insanity

2014-11-14T04:21:25Z

ANormalUsername1: well, it's not insanity but it does indeed happen. someone can revert if i was right

{{Migrated_article}}
{{Quality|Masterwork|01:30, 31 March 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Insanity''' describes any of the conditions that cause a [[dwarf]] or other [[creature]] to immediately stop what they were doing and go mad. Dwarves that are insane are unable to sleep, eat, drink, follow [[Standing orders|orders]] or perform any [[Labor|job]]. Insanity is permanent, and comes in four flavors: "Melancholy," "Stark Raving Mad," "Berserk", and "Catatonic". Each of these will inevitably end with the death of the afflicted dwarf. [[Tantrum]]ing may be a sign that the certain dwarf may go insane unless something makes the dwarf happy.

Traveling merchants and their pack animals can also go insane. If this happens, the accompanying guard/s will kill the merchant and/or his animals. If this rare case does happen, the merchant's goods will be free for you to take.

:{{gametext|Cilob Nisgakdeler, Merchant has gone berserk!|4:1}}
:{{gametext|Horse is stricken by melancholy!|1:1}}

[[Children]] (even babies) may become insane. This, in a smaller fortress without a military, will usually lead to much [[Fun]].

==Causes==
The following events/conditions can drive a creature insane:
* The [[strange mood]] job is cancelled for some reason (e.g. the claimed workshop is destroyed)
* A [[Diplomat]] is trapped inside your fortress for a long time after having completed its meeting. (Being trapped inside a fortress without having completed their meeting will not cause a diplomat to go insane.)
* A [[Trading|Merchant]] is trapped within your fortress or otherwise disrupted (e.g. by being attacked by invaders).

* A dwarf is forced to stay awake for over 6 months ("Very Drowsy" for a month and a half).
* A dwarf is under excessively high stress. Dwarves who have completed a [[strange mood]] and created an [[artifact]] '''cannot''' go insane this way.
* A dwarf enters a [[strange mood]] but is waiting inside the claimed workshop for the next item (or hasn't yet claimed a workshop) for a month and a half.
* A [[Diplomat]] or [[Trading|merchant]] is trapped inside a [[cage]].

==Types==

There are three known types of insanity, but a dwarf may only be afflicted by one at a time (one is enough). The [[personality trait|personality]] of the dwarf influences the type of insanity.

:* '''Stark raving mad'''
:{{gametext|<dwarf> has gone stark raving mad!|3:1}}
::''Running around babbling!''
::''Crawling around babbling!''
:The afflicted will strip naked and drop each of their items one by one. They will then wander your halls aimlessly (or sometimes stick to their [[room]]), babbling incoherently until they eventually die of dehydration or starvation. They do not actively seek out their own deaths, but death does a pretty good job at finding them anyway, as they ignore any and all hazards they encounter while milling about.
:Dwarves with high '''anxiety propensity''' are more likely to go stark raving mad, typically after stumbling around [[oblivious]]ly one too many times.

:* '''Melancholy'''
:{{gametext|<dwarf> is stricken by melancholy!|1:1}}
::''Stricken by melancholy...''
:The afflicted is overcome by depression and will seek out ways to end their life, considerably slowing their movement in the process. If they cannot find a [[cliff]] to jump off of or [[water]]/[[magma]] to [[Swimmer#Drowning|drown]]/[[Fire|burn up]] in, they will simply starve or dehydrate themselves to death. Be warned that a melancholy mother may take her baby's life with her own if she still carries it.
:Dwarves with high '''depression propensity''' are more likely to be stricken by melancholy, typically after slipping into [[depression]] one too many times.

:* '''Berserk'''
:{{gametext|<dwarf> has gone berserk!|4:1}}
::''In a berserk rage!''
:The afflicted attacks friend and foe alike in a blind rage. This can be dangerous if it happens to an experienced dwarf (especially one carrying an [[artifact]] weapon). Luckily, [[Dog|war dogs]] can quickly bring down an unskilled dwarf.
:Berserk dwarves have also been reported to pull every lever they can find.{{verify}} This may be a mere annoyance or [[Fun|very fun]], depending on your fortress' design. Berserk dwarves are even known to kill their own newborn baby right after the baby is born.
:The dwarf in question becomes an enemy to your [[civilization]], meaning it will set off traps and engage your [[military]].
:Dwarves with high '''anger propensity''' are more likely to go berserk, typically after throwing one too many [[tantrum]]s.

:* '''Catatonic'''
:{{gametext|<dwarf> has stopped responding to the world...|2:0}}
::''Staring off into space...''
:Unknown.
:Catatonia is special in that it will '''override''' other types of insanity - dwarves with extremely high '''stress vulnerability''' ("becomes completely helpless in stressful situations") have a 50% chance to become catatonic, and dwarves with below-average (less than 40) propensity for anger, anxiety and depression have a 100% chance to become catatonic.

==Treatments for Insanity==

{{D for Dwarf}}

As stated, there is no cure for a dwarf who has fallen into one of the aforementioned forms of madness. Preventative measures may be considered, since a dwarf may show certain signs of psychological illness before it has fully taken hold. Luckily, recent advancements in [[health care]] have led to an exciting new field of medicine specifically meant to improve the overall mental welfare of the sanity impaired. As with all experimental treatments, efficacy and safety are not guaranteed, but early applications of the listed techniques have yielded promising results.

*The Amontillado Treatment
*:Initial research indicates that psychotic dwarves may benefit from extended periods of isolation, during which they may turn inward and away from their ecstasy. Therefore, if the patient has entered their room, locking them inside might be the best thing to do. If the patient is catatonic, or [[strange mood|remaining stationary for a long period]], then erecting a wall around them is recommended. Remember to open the door or bring the wall down before the patient succumbs to thirst or starvation. Alternatively, food and drink (and other items) may be dropped into the room through a [[Dump|delivery system]] of some sort, but remember that isolation must remain total if full effectiveness is to be achieved.
*The Colosseum Procedure
*:Be wary of dwarves who have recently commandeered workshops. It is a serious sign if the patient is screaming for products that cannot be provided (especially if stockpile records are up-to-date and publicly available). In cases such as these, the best treatment is to [[Trap#Cage_Trap|ensure they cannot escape the workshop]] in the event they turn violent. That way, they may be safely relocated to a segregated area where they can work off their aggression harmlessly on the fortress walls. Be certain to keep them away from [[Dragon|animals]], [[Elf|prisoners]], and [[Noble|other patients]]! Once the patient has calmed down, they can be brought out and returned to their lives.
*Animal Therapy
*:Breakout cases such as above can sometimes be prevented by giving the patient some new pets to take care of. For reasons uncertain, [[Dog|war dogs]] appear to have the greatest effect (although this may be a matter of availability; researchers have achieved results with [[black bear|bears]], [[tiger]]s, and even [[cow]]s). If the patient should break at some point, the presence of these animals may be enough to [[fun|tranquilize]] the patient.
*Group Sessions
*:It's somewhat common for soldiers to show signs of imminent madness, due to the hardships of life as a warrior. A widely endorsed suggestion is to surround the patient with their comrades-in-arms, who might provide cheer and a reminder of both duty and the support of friends. And, should the patient turn violent, they will most likely be subdued with minimal injury (to civilians).
*Aquatic Cognizance
*:Every one knows that water helps with aches in joints, what most people don't realize is that in terms of dwarven anatomy, the brain is a joint, thus having a dwarf swim until they recover may help, even more so if their brain is exposed so that the soothing water can affect the joint better. Salt water is preferred, tests show.
*The Winchester Method
*:In many cases, madness has its roots in a deep feeling of powerlessness experienced by the patient during his schizophrenic delirium, with cases of patients hearing voices of Carps, Elephants and strange stories about [[Main:Boatmurdered|boats being murdered]]. Recent studies show that by safely giving the unfortunate patient the occasion [[Lever|to act on his own initiative]] and make him [[Magma|feel]] the consequences of his actions, dementia can be avoided.
*Stasis
*:Sometimes, the patients simply need time to think about their life. A good way of giving them all a long while to think (experts agree) that putting patients into [[Ice|cryo-stasis]] or encasing them in [[Obsidian|carbonite]] is the best way to combat rage, social rejection and [[Noble|other mental issues]].
*The Bilbo Method
*:Studies have shown that some dragons, in their infinite, ageless wisdom, have found solutions to common insanity and are even willing to impart said cures to dwarves stricken with any sort of madness. This method is often most useful when a dwarf who is having trouble making friends seeks to console himself with a resident dragon within the dwarf's own fortress.
*The [[Mist|Mist]]/[[Steam|Steam]] Method
*:In many (4) cases of mass hysteria a room with a mist or steam generator may calm many of them down, allowing them to calm down other people. It is still unknown as to why this sometimes works, but it is theorized that the mist/steam "cools them off" literally and figuratively.
*Deep Tissue Massage Therapy
*:It has come to the attention of some physicians that many psychological ailments may be caused by a large amount of toxins in the body. They have found with some success that a patient locked in a room and using advanced methods of [[Cave-in|massage]] therapy have gained some improvement. It is speculated that this pressure, caused by a professional deep tissue [[Miner|massage therapist]], will immediately release all toxins from the patients body. For best results the [[Miner|massage therapist]] should be one floor above the patient.

Any new developments or experimental procedures should be reported to the Mountainhomes immediately for verification and cataloging. If even a single dwarf is spared the indignity of madness in this way, it will be worth it.

{{Category|Thoughts}}

Insanity

2014-11-14T04:04:48Z

ANormalUsername1: discovered this in my gameplay. not sure if its the same thing as being catatonic but i interpret it the same.

{{Migrated_article}}
{{Quality|Masterwork|01:30, 31 March 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Insanity''' describes any of the conditions that cause a [[dwarf]] or other [[creature]] to immediately stop what they were doing and go mad. Dwarves that are insane are unable to sleep, eat, drink, follow [[Standing orders|orders]] or perform any [[Labor|job]]. Insanity is permanent, and comes in four flavors: "Melancholy," "Stark Raving Mad," "Berserk", and "Catatonic". Each of these will inevitably end with the death of the afflicted dwarf. [[Tantrum]]ing may be a sign that the certain dwarf may go insane unless something makes the dwarf happy.

Traveling merchants and their pack animals can also go insane. If this happens, the accompanying guard/s will kill the merchant and/or his animals. If this rare case does happen, the merchant's goods will be free for you to take.

:{{gametext|Cilob Nisgakdeler, Merchant has gone berserk!|4:1}}
:{{gametext|Horse is stricken by melancholy!|1:1}}

[[Children]] (even babies) may become insane. This, in a smaller fortress without a military, will usually lead to much [[Fun]].

==Causes==
The following events/conditions can drive a creature insane:
* The [[strange mood]] job is cancelled for some reason (e.g. the claimed workshop is destroyed)
* A [[Diplomat]] is trapped inside your fortress for a long time after having completed its meeting. (Being trapped inside a fortress without having completed their meeting will not cause a diplomat to go insane.)
* A [[Trading|Merchant]] is trapped within your fortress or otherwise disrupted (e.g. by being attacked by invaders).

* A dwarf is forced to stay awake for over 6 months ("Very Drowsy" for a month and a half).
* A dwarf is under excessively high stress. Dwarves who have completed a [[strange mood]] and created an [[artifact]] '''cannot''' go insane this way.
* A dwarf enters a [[strange mood]] but is waiting inside the claimed workshop for the next item (or hasn't yet claimed a workshop) for a month and a half.
* A [[Diplomat]] or [[Trading|merchant]] is trapped inside a [[cage]].

==Types==

There are three known types of insanity, but a dwarf may only be afflicted by one at a time (one is enough). The [[personality trait|personality]] of the dwarf influences the type of insanity.

:* '''Stark raving mad'''
:{{gametext|<dwarf> has gone stark raving mad!|3:1}}
::''Running around babbling!''
::''Crawling around babbling!''
:The afflicted will strip naked and drop each of their items one by one. They will then wander your halls aimlessly (or sometimes stick to their [[room]]), babbling incoherently until they eventually die of dehydration or starvation. They do not actively seek out their own deaths, but death does a pretty good job at finding them anyway, as they ignore any and all hazards they encounter while milling about.
:Dwarves with high '''anxiety propensity''' are more likely to go stark raving mad, typically after stumbling around [[oblivious]]ly one too many times.

:* '''Melancholy'''
:{{gametext|<dwarf> is stricken by melancholy!|1:1}}
::''Stricken by melancholy...''
:The afflicted is overcome by depression and will seek out ways to end their life, considerably slowing their movement in the process. If they cannot find a [[cliff]] to jump off of or [[water]]/[[magma]] to [[Swimmer#Drowning|drown]]/[[Fire|burn up]] in, they will simply starve or dehydrate themselves to death. Be warned that a melancholy mother may take her baby's life with her own if she still carries it.
:Dwarves with high '''depression propensity''' are more likely to be stricken by melancholy, typically after slipping into [[depression]] one too many times.

:* '''Berserk'''
:{{gametext|<dwarf> has gone berserk!|4:1}}
::''In a berserk rage!''
:The afflicted attacks friend and foe alike in a blind rage. This can be dangerous if it happens to an experienced dwarf (especially one carrying an [[artifact]] weapon). Luckily, [[Dog|war dogs]] can quickly bring down an unskilled dwarf.
:Berserk dwarves have also been reported to pull every lever they can find.{{verify}} This may be a mere annoyance or [[Fun|very fun]], depending on your fortress' design. Berserk dwarves are even known to kill their own newborn baby right after the baby is born.
:The dwarf in question becomes an enemy to your [[civilization]], meaning it will set off traps and engage your [[military]].
:Dwarves with high '''anger propensity''' are more likely to go berserk, typically after throwing one too many [[tantrum]]s.

:* '''Catatonic'''
:{{gametext|<dwarf> has stopped responding to the world...|2:0}}
::''Staring off into space...''

:{{gametext|<dwarf> is stumbling around obliviously!|3:0}}
::''Stumbling obliviously!''
:Unknown.
:Catatonia is special in that it will '''override''' other types of insanity - dwarves with extremely high '''stress vulnerability''' ("becomes completely helpless in stressful situations") have a 50% chance to become catatonic, and dwarves with below-average (less than 40) propensity for anger, anxiety and depression have a 100% chance to become catatonic.

==Treatments for Insanity==

{{D for Dwarf}}

As stated, there is no cure for a dwarf who has fallen into one of the aforementioned forms of madness. Preventative measures may be considered, since a dwarf may show certain signs of psychological illness before it has fully taken hold. Luckily, recent advancements in [[health care]] have led to an exciting new field of medicine specifically meant to improve the overall mental welfare of the sanity impaired. As with all experimental treatments, efficacy and safety are not guaranteed, but early applications of the listed techniques have yielded promising results.

*The Amontillado Treatment
*:Initial research indicates that psychotic dwarves may benefit from extended periods of isolation, during which they may turn inward and away from their ecstasy. Therefore, if the patient has entered their room, locking them inside might be the best thing to do. If the patient is catatonic, or [[strange mood|remaining stationary for a long period]], then erecting a wall around them is recommended. Remember to open the door or bring the wall down before the patient succumbs to thirst or starvation. Alternatively, food and drink (and other items) may be dropped into the room through a [[Dump|delivery system]] of some sort, but remember that isolation must remain total if full effectiveness is to be achieved.
*The Colosseum Procedure
*:Be wary of dwarves who have recently commandeered workshops. It is a serious sign if the patient is screaming for products that cannot be provided (especially if stockpile records are up-to-date and publicly available). In cases such as these, the best treatment is to [[Trap#Cage_Trap|ensure they cannot escape the workshop]] in the event they turn violent. That way, they may be safely relocated to a segregated area where they can work off their aggression harmlessly on the fortress walls. Be certain to keep them away from [[Dragon|animals]], [[Elf|prisoners]], and [[Noble|other patients]]! Once the patient has calmed down, they can be brought out and returned to their lives.
*Animal Therapy
*:Breakout cases such as above can sometimes be prevented by giving the patient some new pets to take care of. For reasons uncertain, [[Dog|war dogs]] appear to have the greatest effect (although this may be a matter of availability; researchers have achieved results with [[black bear|bears]], [[tiger]]s, and even [[cow]]s). If the patient should break at some point, the presence of these animals may be enough to [[fun|tranquilize]] the patient.
*Group Sessions
*:It's somewhat common for soldiers to show signs of imminent madness, due to the hardships of life as a warrior. A widely endorsed suggestion is to surround the patient with their comrades-in-arms, who might provide cheer and a reminder of both duty and the support of friends. And, should the patient turn violent, they will most likely be subdued with minimal injury (to civilians).
*Aquatic Cognizance
*:Every one knows that water helps with aches in joints, what most people don't realize is that in terms of dwarven anatomy, the brain is a joint, thus having a dwarf swim until they recover may help, even more so if their brain is exposed so that the soothing water can affect the joint better. Salt water is preferred, tests show.
*The Winchester Method
*:In many cases, madness has its roots in a deep feeling of powerlessness experienced by the patient during his schizophrenic delirium, with cases of patients hearing voices of Carps, Elephants and strange stories about [[Main:Boatmurdered|boats being murdered]]. Recent studies show that by safely giving the unfortunate patient the occasion [[Lever|to act on his own initiative]] and make him [[Magma|feel]] the consequences of his actions, dementia can be avoided.
*Stasis
*:Sometimes, the patients simply need time to think about their life. A good way of giving them all a long while to think (experts agree) that putting patients into [[Ice|cryo-stasis]] or encasing them in [[Obsidian|carbonite]] is the best way to combat rage, social rejection and [[Noble|other mental issues]].
*The Bilbo Method
*:Studies have shown that some dragons, in their infinite, ageless wisdom, have found solutions to common insanity and are even willing to impart said cures to dwarves stricken with any sort of madness. This method is often most useful when a dwarf who is having trouble making friends seeks to console himself with a resident dragon within the dwarf's own fortress.
*The [[Mist|Mist]]/[[Steam|Steam]] Method
*:In many (4) cases of mass hysteria a room with a mist or steam generator may calm many of them down, allowing them to calm down other people. It is still unknown as to why this sometimes works, but it is theorized that the mist/steam "cools them off" literally and figuratively.
*Deep Tissue Massage Therapy
*:It has come to the attention of some physicians that many psychological ailments may be caused by a large amount of toxins in the body. They have found with some success that a patient locked in a room and using advanced methods of [[Cave-in|massage]] therapy have gained some improvement. It is speculated that this pressure, caused by a professional deep tissue [[Miner|massage therapist]], will immediately release all toxins from the patients body. For best results the [[Miner|massage therapist]] should be one floor above the patient.

Any new developments or experimental procedures should be reported to the Mountainhomes immediately for verification and cataloging. If even a single dwarf is spared the indignity of madness in this way, it will be worth it.

{{Category|Thoughts}}

ASCII art reward/A-F

2014-04-21T14:09:48Z

ANormalUsername1: /* Frango Nicolbidok */

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
! colspan=4 | [[ASCII Art Reward]]s (alphabetically by contributor)
|-
| [[ASCII Art Reward/A-F|A – F]]
| [[ASCII Art Reward/G-L|G – L]]
| [[ASCII Art Reward/M-S|M – S]]
| [[ASCII Art Reward/T-Z|T – Z]]
|}

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

==[[User:Abby Ratso Lee|Abby Ratso Lee]]==
===(03 March 2013)===
<pre>|ggJggJgdggdd+g@|</pre>

“No dingo men or goblins allowed.”

The sign hung haphazardly across the tavern door. Samser took another
puff on his pipe and spit. As a goblin, there wasn’t much in the way
of opportunity in Steelguard Fortress, but it sure beat slaving in the
mines of the demon lords. Haughty dwarves passed by him with hatred
in their eyes. It was about time he was headed home.

Samser’s neighborhood was on the wrong side of the mine cart tracks.
It was a place you wouldn’t show your face after the evening bell, at
least if you didn’t want someone to rearrange it for you. Samser
tapped the crundles on the head as he passed them by. A pair of
jaguar women looked at him from a back alley. It was hard-living in
the lower mines.

“Where have you been?” shouted Samser’s woman.

She was a hill dwarf from a fortress down the river. Hilga was her
name, and she too had come to Steelguard looking for a future. She
had three children from a previous marriage and Samser looked at them
without sympathy, though they were clearly suffering. But though he
had no heart to speak of, he knew something had to give.

Animal people now outnumbered all dwarves and goblins combined in the
underclass. Samser thought it must be because the dwarves had chopped
down most of their forests. The dwarves liked to think that none of
this mattered. What was another food riot when the adamantine kept
flowing?

“You need to find a job,” said Hilga. “Right now you are just another
mouth to feed.”

Smirking, Samser thought it must have been half a year since he had
had any solid food, but he could use a drink. Slamming the door, he
followed the tracks down to the goblin bar. When he could get in,
Samser preferred to drink with the dwarves. Down at Effie’s it seemed
like there was a murder every other night.

Big Effie was a walking contradiction, a fat, jolly, good-natured
goblin. That didn’t stop Effie’s establishment from being the most
violent place this side of Steelguard. As Samser bellied up to the
bar, he couldn’t help noticing a dwarf sitting by himself in the
corner. Samser tried to back away, but it was too late. The dwarf
noticed him.

“Do you know what time it is?” asked the dwarf.

“It is time for you to get out of this neighborhood,” said Samser.

“It is time,” said the dwarf, “for revolution.”

==[[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]]==
===(5 February 2009)===
<pre>CCCCCCC,.,.,.|||@+@+></pre>

Fires burned at the edge of the vast grassland, holding back the
darkness before the dwarf fortress. All night baleful howls could be
heard on the plain, undead cows brought back to life by the evil
wizard Maxelman. He had allowed the dwarves to live in his domain of
evil, if they but bestowed on him one artifact a year. Nothing,
however, could measure the greed of a dwarf. Nothing, that is, save
his thirst for strong whiskey.

A dwarf stood atop the battlement, laughing drunkenly. "Get down
Twan," whispered his fellow guardsman. "The night-wings will snatch
you off the wall!" Twan threw his stein off the wall in defiance.
Such was his vanity that he thought that they only need live through
the night. Little did he know, the dawn would never come.

===(24 February 2009)===
<pre>DgDgg%@@%@~~++++++>>>>^+^+^+^+^%%%%%@</pre>

Twan held his helmet over his eyes and screamed. Fireballs smashed
into the walls, shot from the gullets of a dozen dragons circling in
the smoke-choked sky. Marksdwarves dove from the walls and smashed
into the courtyard below. "Stand and fight!" shouted Captain Krandle.
"Fear no devil!" Twan reached the courtyard just as the gate broken
open wide. Pike-wielding goblins poured through the opening. Captain
Krandle threw his great braided beard over his shoulder and called
forth his squad of elite axe-lords, The Chosen.

Pike and axe clashed again and again as Twan crawled between the legs
of the combatants. A head dropped onto the ground before him. It was
the head of Captain Krandle. Twan pressed on. He would not be
paralyzed with fear. It seemed that the power of Maxelman knew no
bounds, but not even he could breach the inner mines. Dodging the
deadly weapons, and slithering over the bodies, Twan made his way the
center of the fortress.

A dark tunnel lay beyond the entrance to the keep. Twan danced down
the corridor in the intricate steps that avoided the complex mass of
triggers and tripwires that guarded the entrance. Inside were the
mines, stocked with enough dwarven wine to keep them in the cups for
ten years. Twan reflected for a moment on those above who had died.
It wasn't important. He was alive, and would remain so, so long as he
avoided the king and any quests he might have in store.

===(13 May 2009)===
<pre>%@/%+++@+@@@</pre>

"That blasted wizard Maxelman," came a booming voice. "He shall not
have my artifact staff!"

Curses, thought Twan from his hiding in the cellar, the king! The
dwarf lord paced back and forth, followed by a pleading train of
aristocrats, tears of rage streaming from his eyes. The staff, the
cause of all the suffering the dwarves now endured, was only ten short
steps away. In near berserker rage, the king threw the staff down,
startling the nobles. Twan saw his chance. He shot between the
nobles and snatched up the artifact.

"Scoundrel," roared the king, "unhand the magic staff!"

Twan leapt onto a keg, holding the staff high.

"Maxelman will burn this fortress to the ground to gain this staff,"
said the rude dwarf. "I will have this power for myself!"

The king growled, plucking the gold rings from his fingers. He hurled
them at Twan, one striking the dwarf in the teeth. "Seize him!"
shouted the besieged ruler. Twan jumped from barrel to barrel as the
purple clad nobles chased him. As he ran from the cellar he heard
king's cry, "Guards, guards!"

In the enemy camp, the vile wizard Maxelman puzzled over his battle
plans. A dwarf fortress is always a hard nut to crack. One of his
generals, a skeletal shade from the netherworld, summoned him from his
tent. The wizard straightened his aching back, brushed his long black
beard, and stepped to the door. There, standing between two fierce
goblin guards, was Twan, holding the king's staff.

===(29 Aug 2009)===
<pre>+U+G-@+GG+</pre>

"You bring me the staff," said the evil sorcerer, "as a traitor to your people?"

The dwarven rogue took a step back and leveled the staff at his arch-nemesis.

"You will have the staff," said Twan. "Have it through your black
shriveled heart!"

The dwarf pressed a secret button and a blade emerged from the end of
the staff. The wizard called on his generals. The skeletal ghoul
drew his saber and charged. Twan spun with expert skill and took out
the phantom's knees, such was the power that the staff bestowed. Two
more undead warlords entered the tent. Twan thrust the staff at
Maxelman but a undead general threw himself in front of the blade,
impaling himself and collapsed into dust.

The legless fiend below snatched Twan's ankles and pulled Twan to the
floor. The staff spilled onto the ground. The dwarf felt his courage
suddenly fading. The wizard snatched up the artifact and cried out
with joy. The long campaign was finally at an end. The skeleton put
its bony arm around Twan's neck and pulled him upright. The wizard
noticed the dwarf and walked toward him, pointing the staff.

"Nice try, dwarf," said Maxelman. "Now feel the true power of the
artifact staff!"

Twan caught the thrust between his palms. As the wizard snarled, Twan
took the staff in one hand and with several quick motions, activated
the secret switches along its length. The dwarf released the staff as
saw blades swept out of the shaft and sliced off the wizard's hands.
Twan jammed his helmet into the skull of the phantom general and
smashed all the bones in its face.

The dwarf picked up the blood covered staff and chased the wizard from
the tent. Dozens of goblins blocked his way, but he dispatched them
with mighty slashes of his weapon. Just as he came within a spear's
throw of his enemy, a huge dust cloud blocked his way. Wind blew down
as a giant dragon landed before the dwarf. At last, thought Twan, a
worthy opponent.

==Alluvian_Est-Endrati==
===(19th December, 2010)===
<pre>~~~~..pppp.,.,@,..,.,.</pre>

In the frozen wastes far to the south, the dwarves toiled to construct
a mighty fortress out of glacial ice. Beyond the frozen walls, at the
edge of the snowy island, penguin men watched with fascination. At
the center of the iceberg, an underwater volcano rooted the floating
ice in place. It had not erupted in a hundred years, but the dwarves
tested the mountain's patience with their constant digging. Arud the
penguin man leaned toward his friend and whispered.

"I think these creatures may be more trouble than a pack of leopard
seal," he said.

The wind blew harsh, clouding their view. A small man appeared
through the blizzard. His beard was frozen and his skin was blue with
cold. In his hand he held an iron pick. The penguin men looked at
each other and clucked. The dwarf reached them, leaned on his pick
and spoke.

"You must help us," he said.

===(20th February, 2011)===
<pre>~~~~ppp,,,.,.,p,.!@!,.,.</pre>

A red light shone from further up the iceberg. Seconds later the trio was rocked by a wave of hot gas. The penguins fell to their bellies and slid toward the relative safety of the sea. At the last minute, Arud turned to see the dwarf thrashing on the icy slope, his coat on fire. Arud turned and jumped to his feet, leaving his puzzled friend behind.

"Come friend," said the penguin man, slapping the flames from the dwarf's coat, "we must leave this island."

"You don't understand," said the dwarf. "This island was chosen. At the heart of the mountain is the Fire Star, a jewel so powerful it could turn night to day. Please, Forge Father, forgive our tampering. We sought to take it for our own and it became misaligned. Look there!"

A ray of light shot up from the volcano. Arud felt the heat on his face. The jewel's power caused clouds to burst into flame and burned its signature into the blue vault of the sky. The penguin man did not understand, but he knew he must act. He pulled the dwarf to his feet with his flipper and together they ran into the smoking ruin.

===(10th August, 2011)===
<pre>UW||UUUUUUUU,.\U,..UUUUUU</pre>

The hanging bodies twitched against the wall of the evil castle.
Thalfor had heard of the witch's power. That was why he allowed
himself to be taken prisoner. The others around him looked far worse
off. They trembled as they passed under the menacing gate.
Everywhere were the sounds of screaming men. Behind, zombies with
whips drove the crowd into the blood-soaked courtyard.

Before the prisoners, at the top window of the keep, stood Camestra
the Wicked. One could say she may have been beautiful once, but now
she was sickly and pale. Behind her stood a brawny zombie, tall and
menacing.

"Now you shall all die," said the witch. "But one of you shall be my
new body servant. Old Donus is beginning to give off a nasty odor."

The prisoners began to panic. Armed zombies closed in for kill.
Thalfor reached to his inner thigh and pulled out a hidden blade. One
by one he cut down the zombies. Camestra brought her hand to her
mouth and Donus let out a low groan.

"No one will die today," said Thafor, "that hasn't died before."

==Angry Licker==
===(15th January, 2010)===
<pre>@@@@@@+++@/++@@@@@@@@@</pre>

The mad dwarf spun this way and that to confront his pursuers. He
held a knife, given to him by his father on his first day at the
carpentry shop. He could hear the sheriff shouting, the crowd closing
in. Tears rolled down his face. It felt good that it was over, but
all that was left was shame. Pike dwarves were filling into the room.
Soon they would subdue him, and bring him to the hammerer, to be
forged anew. He didn't really believe that. He doubted any dwarf
did. When he went out, he wouldn't go out like a dwarf. He would die
like an animal. A new fire glowed in his eyes. With a savage howl,
the dwarf charged.

==[[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: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.

===(13 April 2009)===
<pre>c+||@++c+cc+@@||,.,,.U,ggCgggT</pre>

The dwarf Frankle ran through the corridors, chasing after the many
cats that infested the fortress. He stopped when the alarm was
sounded. The captain of the guard shouted orders. The dwarves rushed
to their stations. Frankle, a reserve marks-dwarf, grabbed up a
crossbow from the arsenal and trotted up the stairs to man the
battlements. When he reached the top he saw the other marks-dwarves
standing, shocked by what they saw. Taking a deep breath, he looked
over the side.

At the fortress gate stood an enormous monster, dragging itself upon
its vicious, clawed arms. Goblins stood around it, jeering, and
hurling curses. A feeling of terror gripped Frankle's chest. In all
his years in the service he had never fired his bow in anger, but no
bolt could take this beast down. The captain put a hand on Frankle's
shoulder. Below, a robed man stepped out before the creature. A
fresh scar transected his missing left eye. It was the evil wizard
Ameltoss.

"Lay down your weapons and accept a swift death," shouted the wizard.
A bolt thudded down between his feet. "Somehow I thought you'd
refuse. Release the beast!"

A troll stepped forward wielding a huge axe. With several violent
chops, the chain binding the monster's wrist was broken. The creature
surged forward. Frankle screamed in fright and fired his crossbow.
His bolt, along with a dozen others, bounced harmlessly from the
creatures hide. As the monster beat down the gate. It seemed their
was no hope. That was when champion dwarf Rokwan emerged from the
keep within the castle.

==[[User:Bordum|Bordum]]==
=== (10 April 2010) ===

<pre>~%@@%@%~~,.,..,,.?</pre>

The sickening thud of club and bone echoed through the cavern as the
dwarf explorers were set upon by a troop of trogs. Expedition leader
Fidon showed his prowess, wielding his axe like a true champion,
hewing through flesh and sinew. The creatures of the underworld could
never be allowed to win. The dwarves rested, the enemies vanquished.
The only casualty was Fidon’s boot, ruined where a trog had gnawed
through. The dwarves laughed, then became silent when a growl could
be heard deep within the cave.

===(04 March 2012)===

<pre>.,J@,.@@@.,@</pre>

Torchlight reflected in the creature's eyes, looming high above the
ground. The beak scraped as it opened and closed. The great tongue
probed, waiting for the next morsel. The dwarves stood still,
standing their ground, but this was of no use. This was a predatory
attack. Fidon knew their only chance was to fight back vigorously.

“Fire!” cried Fidon. “Lay it in there!”

The bolts bounced harmlessly off the violet feathers. The beak came
down and plucked up a marksdwarf. It flipped the dwarf into the air
and opened its throat wide, swallowing the victim whole. Fidon lost
hold of his dwarves and they fled. The monster saw the little things
run and was compelled to chase, driven by its killer instinct.

Fidon had stood his ground, but it was all over. The creature was
gone, and so were his friends. He looked back in the direction of the
fortress. He couldn’t return there now. He lifted his crossbow off
the ground and slung it over his shoulder. He would win back his
honor.

===(01 January 2014)===

<pre>.,J,..,.,.,@(O).,</pre>

Time as a cycle of night and day is meaningless in the caverns of
eternal darkness. Civilizations such as the dwarves dare to dip their
toes into the land of perpetual night. The dwarven mine shafts break
through the rocky ceiling and shatter the only barrier between the
underworld and a place where it makes sense not to be afraid at all
times.

Trotting as fast as his short legs could carry him, Fidon followed the
tracks of the jabberer. The prehistoric monster was a throwback to a
time when the underworld was full of horrors. The dwarves like to
think they had tamed the world below, but the truth was there was no
end to the terrors of the dark. How many more there were did not
matter to Fidon. His business was with the jabberer before him.

“Squawk your last,” shouted Fidon, stepping out from behind a giant
mushroom. “For tonight you die.”

==[[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:Brownie210|Brownie210]]==
===(22 December 2008)===
<pre>+&@\O+||~~~~~~~~~</pre>
Sweat glistened on the hairy dwarf's body as he wrestled the dark lord
Slandar. Above them lay the steel orifice holding back the sea of
lava that was the last defense against the evil army, if only a dwarf
could pull the lever. The dwarf held the evil general's arm in both
hands as the fiend tried to drive his dagger through the hero's heart.

"Slandar," asked the dwarf, "when did you become so hot-headed?"

The dwarf let go of the villain's arm and pulled the lever. As the
fiend drove his blade through the laughing dwarf's heart, the gates
opened above and a torrent of lava fell from the ceiling, incinerating
them both in a cloud of steam.

==[[User:Burgi|Burgi]]==
===(27 March 2014)===
<pre>?OOO?..,,.,.@|+++++@@@@</pre>
Outside the dwarf fortress, life was cheap. Petty warlords squabbled
over acres of dirt where peasants slaved away with no promise for the
future. Once in a great while the dwarves would sally forth to bring
order to the chaos. It was times like these when heroism was called
for. Those that answered the call were mightier than the rest.

"Where do you hail from, hero dwarf?" asked the dwarven king.

"I have come far," said Ulrich, "from deep under the mountain."

"Danger comes from above," said the king. "How long has in been since
you have seen the light of day?"

"I do not recall," said Ulrich. "But I can tell you, there is no ball
of light that can stand between me and glory."

Latter that day, the gates opened, flooding the entrance of the
fortress with light. If it had any effect on Ulrich, he did not show
it. He had been tasked with killing a family of ogres that had moved
onto the caravan track. He waited until the dwarves shut the gate
behind him and vomited.

==[[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."

==[[User:CharlesPeter|CharlesPeter]]==
===(6 January 2011)===
<pre>UU,.~U~,.\b,.</pre>

The adventurers made their way into the hive. Long had the bee women
tormented the people of Bodarga. Bram would put an end to this
nonsense. The adventurers entered the huge structure through a large
hexagonal door. The tunnel turned and twisted at strange angles.
Everywhere was the ever-present buzzing of the enemy. Suddenly a bee
woman appeared, wielding a stinger spear. Bram let out a warrior cry
and charged at her, brandishing a sword. Suddenly his feet sank into
the floor. A honey trap!

==[[User:Chaz GELF|Chaz GELF]]==
===(25 October 2009)===
<pre>,.E@UU,.,</pre>

Mighty knight Dron looked on his companions with a measuring stare.
To his right was Glome, a marksdwarf most renowned, cleaning his
weapon, a blindfold across his eyes. Across from him stood the elven
warrior princess and summoner of animals, Tigotha. At his left was
Alvin, his squire. These chosen few were destined to quest across the
land in search of the evil wizard Zandore.

"The vile villain is not far off now," said Dron. "I can smell his
evil magic."

"It could be another one of his tricks," said Tigotha. "It wouldn't
be the first time you were fooled."

"Put me anywhere up to league away from evil wizard Zandore," said
marksdwarf Glome, "and the war will be over." The dwarf pulled the
trigger and his crossbow snapped with sudden force.

"Master," cried Alvin, "I see something!"

===(09 January 2013)===
<pre>UUE@,.,.,..,S,.\@P\@P</pre>

It was a tiny speck on the horizon Dron could barely make out.

“Tell me Glome,” said the hero, “what do you see with your marks-dwarf’s eyes?”

“Two riders are approaching, maybe more,” said the dwarf.

“I will call on a great seagull,” said Tigotha, “that it might peck
out their eyes.”

Alvin flinched. He didn’t like it when she talked that way. Was her
violence really any better than the schemes of the evil one? He could
almost see the horsemen now. They wore dark clothing and bore the
standard of Zandore.

“Take them out,” said Dron.

Tigotha called on the forces of nature as Glome took aim. Alvin
jumped as a shadow passed overhead. It was the giant seagull, just as
the dread princess promised. The riders wheeled their steeds around
and drew their weapons of shining adamantine. The seagull dove at
them but they fought it back. Dron looked to his sniper.

“Glome,” said Dron, “why aren’t those villains dead?”

“They are dwarves, master,” said Glome. “I cannot fire on my brothers.”

“Enough,” shouted Dron. “Alvin, my spear!”

Taking to his great black stallion, Dron took up his weapon and
charged across the field to meet the dwarves in combat.

==[[User:Chobeat|Chobeat]]==
===(25 December 2011)===
Context: I've asked for a story about the ring i gave to my girlfriend. This ring was designed with the help of DF's community and had engraved symbols narrating our story, in a dwarven style.

<pre>c,..,,.U=U....,.,,.R</pre>

The great warrior looked over what the dwarves had constructed. It
was modest, sure, but without a doubt a home built for a true hero.
The foundation was as sturdy as the root of a mountain. Its walls and
roof shed all elements like shields in the heat of battle. The man
smiled and looked down at the ring in his palm. It was inscribed with
runes dedicated to this very day.

"Chobeat," said the girl, "can I open my eyes yet?"

Slowly, Chobeat stepped to his woman and took her hand. He slid the
ring on her finger and kissed her hand. She opened her eyes and
blushed, startled by the beauty of the ring.

"It is beautiful," she said.

Sadly, she wasn't the only one to see the sparkly thing. High above,
Ethbesh the roc circled. Since the dawn of time, the evil bird had
haunted the valley below from her nest high in the mountain. Hate and
jealously drove the monster to new acts of cruelty.

Just as Chobeat was about to carry his woman across the threshold of
his new dwarven house, a shadow fell upon him. With one mighty rush
of talon and wing, his wife was gone. Chobeat cried out and drew his
sword. It was too late.

Then he saw something glowing on the ground. The ring! He picked it
up and looked at the strange pictograms. It had dwarf magic. Maybe
he could yet find her. He slid the ring onto his little finger.
Suddenly he heard voices all around him.

"You can hear me," said a voice from behind.

Chobeat turned around to see a smiling cat.

"I can help you get her back," said the creature. "My name is Tao."

==[[User:ckwolek|ckwolek]]==
===(26 December 2011)===

<pre>@@@+++=\g+@+</pre>

Tsmuaka lifted his head from over the anvil and ran a hand over his
bald green head. He looked back at the dwarf woman standing behind
him, then cast his gaze around at the many dwarf miners trying to
ignore him. They all want her, thought Tsmuaka, but I will be dog
meat before they lay a stubby finger on her.

The goblin had been a weapon-smith in the dwarf fortress longer than
anyone could remember. The dwarves tolerated his grumpy, vindictive
ways because he created the finest swords in Allsphere. But when he
married Oril, things changed.

The king had to pardon Tsmuaka for two murders within the first year.
Why would a dwarf dare tangle with the woman of the hardest goblin
alive? You just had to lay eyes on Oril. Her beauty had blinded man,
elf, and animal person. It was so bad that the dwarves looked on
Tsmuaka with fear and pity.

"They say Oril with be at the dance tonight," said Aliz

"What about Tsmuaka?" asked Sudir.

"Forget that old goblin," said Aliz.

==[[User:crash2455|crash2455]]==
===(22 June 2009)===
<pre>"@++@>>>+++@gggggggggggg"</pre>

Torin felt the prick of blade in his spine. It was his curse to guard
the gate to the lower reaches. He had been chosen because of his
great size. The dwarf's expansive belly was enough to block the
portal by itself. You were wrong, thought Torin. Someone braver must
protect us, not a fat waste of flesh like me. Sharp claws reached out
from the gate and pulled the heavy dwarf back inside. With a whimper,
Torin disappeared into the darkness.

"Where is that ogre of a dwarf?" asked Malak the guards-dwarf.
"Captain, Torin's late again!"

The captain set his shiny metal cap forward on his head as he
descended the stairs. Another day begins in the fortress, and with
it, another failure in discipline. The captain brought his rod down
onto the table where Malak had been munching on a chicken leg. "See
to it, dwarf!" shouted the captain. "Are you a member of the castle
guard, or aren't you?"

Malak descended the stairs to the dungeon, axe in hand. It wasn't
like Torin to miss a meal. Below, in the darkness, were a dozen
shining red eyes. Goblins! The guard knocked a flying blade out of
the air with the hilt of his weapon. He reached for his whistle, but
before he could put it to his lips, they were on him, clawing, biting,
evil!

==[[User:CVanEseltine|CVanEseltine]]==
===(25 April 2012)===

<pre><<<<TT+~~@\U~+++>>>></pre>

Lightning bolts struck all around the black pyramid. Atop stood dread
queen Cirne, preparing for another dwarf sacrifice. The trolls
shrugged as the captive dwarf struggled. Dragged kicking and
screaming toward the sacrificial slab, he could see the entrails where
Cirne had been trying to divine the secrets of life and death. Seeing
his only chance, the dwarf made a desperate gamble.

"I know where you can find the secrets you seek," said the dwarf.

Cirne snarled, baring four long canine teeth.

"What is your name, wise ass?" growled the queen.

"I am Kastol," said the dwarf. "Blacksmith, fourth class."

"Then by all means lead on, Blacksmith Kastol," said the queen. "For
you will be richly rewarded."

Dwarf fortress Snowsmear was little more than a tower library in the
icy wastes. Other than the occasional blizzard man attack, nothing
ever happened there. It was just a place to store books. But these
were dangerous books, not to be opened except by those willing to risk
their very souls.

It was there that old Aliz worked with his novice Ibruk. Aliz had
just dozed off when he heard someone stomping down the stairs. He
awoke to see Ibruk standing there, snow all over his boots. Aliz made
ready to scold him when the young dwarf spoke.

"An army of trolls is coming," he said. "They bear the standard of
Cirne the Evil."

==[[User:Dagny|Dagny]]==
===(17 September 2010)===

<pre>gggggggggg,.,.~~~~~~&~~~~~</pre>

Fires burned in the heart of the mountain as the demon god Yaknor
called for the death of the entire dwarf race. Legions of goblins
poured up through the cracks of the earth. It was bad news for the
dwarves on guard duty that night, destroyed by a thunder of a hundred
creatures of the night. Those remaining fought with passion. Sword
and axe clashed again and again as the forces of good and evil danced
Death's dance. True heroism would be awoken that day, a shaft of
light into the heart of darkness.

==[[User:Darksaiyan|Darkie]]==
===(14 September 2008)===
<pre>,.,.O@T,...</pre>

Surrounded by a troll on one side and an ogre on the other, dwarf
master Alrin knew these could be the last seconds of his life. As he
gripped the handle of his axe he recalled the teachings of Azrom, god
of war. Matters of great importance should be given the slightest
thought. It was only the minor matters that must be given the most
delicate care. So, without conscious thought, Alrin slammed his axe
handle into the ogre's toe. Swiftly, the dwarf ran between the
monster's legs and delivered a swift kick to its backside. As the
ogre toppled over, the hairy troll launched over the fallen monster
and leaped toward Alrin. As time slowed in an adrenalin rush, Alrin
readied his axe.

==[[User:Davion|Davion]]==
===(28 July 2008)===
<pre>bBbBbBbB####HU*########||+UU+||</pre>

The master thief leapt from the tower, the royal jewels still in his
hands. The pursuing guard ran to the side to watch in wonder as the
burglar plunged to his death. But lo, a giant hawk flew down and
plucked him out of the sky. The aging king stormed out onto the roof
of the tower, still in his bed clothes.

"Curse you Faltrix!" screamed the king as the bird flew toward the horizon.

The rogue had known the hawk since it was a hatchling. It was then he
had pulled an arrow from its wing. Thus began the most famous
partnership of the age. The hawk rider and his steed were known
throughout the land as heroes of the people, stealing from the rich
and giving to the poor.

A dark cloud rose on the horizon. The smile fell from Faltrix's lips
as the evil creatures sprung their ambush. Bat men! How had these
creatures strayed so far from the mountains? The evil beings rode
giant bats and shot poison darts from their blow guns. Faltrix
commanded his mount to dive low. Perhaps he could lose them in the
trees of the forest below.

===(28 September 2008)===
<pre>kbkkbkb,..,..HU,..*.@,...</pre>

Down, down into the forest canopy they flew. Faltrix's heart raced as
they wove through the trees, the bat men close behind. Just when he
thought he lost them, the hawk called out with a piercing cry. A net
of vines dropped from the treetops above, fouling the bird's wings.
They crashed to the forest floor with a thud and slid forward in the
dirt. Faltrix drew his sword and cut through the web. High-pitched
cackling echoed from above. Kobolds! The rogue set about cutting his
avian steed free, but the hawk did not stir from unconsciousness.

"Agron!" screamed Faltrix. "Agron!"

Black shadows dropped from vines above. The kobolds drew their jagged
blades. As they surrounded him the batmen caught up just it time to
finish him off. A dozen poison darts landed at his feet. Why didn't
they kill him?

"Agron," said the rogue, "if we get out of this, you can eat all the
giant rats you want."

The kobolds parted to reveal a short wizard in a glowing red robe, a
long hood covering his face. Faltrix lowered his blade as the
menacing figure approached. The wizard threw back his hood to reveal
the face of an evil dwarf. Faltrix threw the stolen Eye of Atheria at
his feet.

"Take the jewel," said Faltrix, "just let Agron live."

"Touching," said the dwarf, "but fear not, I will have need of the
rider and his hawk to complete the ultimate quest."

"Quest?" asked Faltrix.

==[[User:DaWarMage|DaWarMage]]==
===(8 February 2009)===
<pre>@@@@||~3--~~U~gUGUUG~~~</pre>

Dwarves howled as the gladiators fought and bled. They were men and
goblins, imprisoned since the great siege. Now, with the promise of
freedom, they fought. Hanson knew the goblins could not be trusted,
but he had included them in an escape plan with his fellow humans out
of necessity. The dwarves had been foolish to wait so long to condemn
them. It had allowed them to organize.

Once out onto the sand, the gladiators fell in behind Hanson. The
dwarves grew quiet. The Baron stepped to edge of his platform. "What
is the meaning of this?" cried the dwarven noble. Hanson took his
trident up and ran toward the platform, hurling the weapon with all
his might.

==[[User:Dinjoralo|Dinjoralo]]==
===(16 February 2014)===
<pre>.,.,|UU++U|>??</pre>

It was rumored that the city of Assura was built on top of an ancient
dwarf fortress. The barbarians that lived there were not interested
in the marvels beneath their feet. The treasures had been looted long
ago. All that was left were walls covered with strange pictures and
carved runes. The only people interested in that kind of thing were
Dulchari wizards, and King Banatar had outlawed wizardry years ago.

"Tell me again," said young Thirby. "How do wizards work magic?"

"It is all song and dance," said Banesa. "You must merely learn the
steps, the lyrics, and the tune."

As the pair passed under the city archway they felt the cold stares of
the Akkarites. King Banatar had built an empire on superstition and
the hatred of all things magical. It seemed unfair to Thirby that the
Akkarite capital of Assura was built on top of the greatest reservoir
of magical knowledge ever collected.

A strange woman in an orange robe nodded to Banesa and a group of
priests appeared and hustled her and Thirby off the street. They
moved from alley to alley, avoiding the patrols of Akkarite knights.
All of this did little to ease Thirby's mind. He didn't trust the
priests of Cenaster any more than Banatar's knights, but he had total
faith in his master.

"Fear not," said Banesa. "The secrets of the dwarves will soon be ours."

The temple of Cenaster was built across the street from a neglected
graveyard. Thirby couldn't help from feeling his doubts return. The
priestess performed the secret knock and the wizards were allowed
inside. Waiting for them was the high priest.

"Not since the Great Disaster have the signs be so apparent," said the
old man. "The old gods shall return and set the world on the right
course at last."

"To cast the Spell of Summoning," said Banesa, "one must read from the
dwarven tablet. I alone can do this."

"Name your price," said the priest.

"You must take us to the library," said Banesa.

==[[User:Draigh|Draigh]]==
===(13 Augustus 2008)===
<pre>.@@|,-.-.kk,k,.k,.</pre>

Malgar, warrior dwarf woman, fought on against the onslaught of
kobolds, her newborn baby still strapped to her back. She lifted her
shield to block another volley of poison darts. She had been hunting,
far from the entrance of the fortress, when she stumbled upon the
skulking trash, no doubt planning a cowardly raid on the fortress
vault. She had to warn the others. With one hand she held the bugle
to her lips, while with the other she parried another deadly strike.

==DreamThorn==
===(11 August 2011)===
<pre>"aaaaaa,.,..,@|@@,.,.aaaaaaa"</pre>

"This is it," said Thash. "This is where it happened."

The other dwarves looked around the cavern. They had followed an
ancient map through the bowels of the earth, crisscrossing through
leagues of twisting tunnels. They had fought crundles, run from
jabberers, and followed ridiculous advice from well-meaning gorlaks.
All for this. All to reach this point.

"That's it?" asked Aliz. "That sword sticking in the floor is all
that's holding back the tentacled ones?"

"Yes," said Thash, "and that is why we must protect it."

Somewhere above there was a chittering sound.

"Ant men!" cried Aliz.

==[[User:Dutchling|Dutchling]]==
===(3 March 2011)===
<pre>||@@@@+@+++<||@||####/##/###/#####</pre>

Lightning bolts rained down from the sky as the storm god Domin
released his fury upon the world. Hardest it fell on the dwarf
fortress, but no meteor, no matter how powerful, could keep the little
ones down. King Ibruk stood upon the wall of the dwarven castle,
drunk, daring the sky god to strike him down. The other dwarves
cowered behind the battlements, none brave enough to pull the king
down.

"Lord Ibruk," shouted a voice from lower in the courtyard, "throw not
your life away."
===(17 February 2014)===
<pre>eU.,|+++++++@@?M?</pre>

"Who goes there?" shouted Ibruk.

The wind cleared the clouds of dust from the battered courtyard.
Standing there were a trio of brave looking heroes. The elf looked
tough, and so did the woman wearing furs of the south people, but most
impressive was the dwarf. He was tall for one of his kind, a full
span taller than the king at least. He took two steps forward and
stared the king in the face, showing no deference to the royal blood.

"The sky god has no interest in taking your life," said the dwarf
champion. "Nor does he seek to pound your fortress into rubble. He
merely seeks the stolen egg you foolishly bought from the goblins."

"The egg?" asked the king. "What is your name, dwarf?"

"I am Kognar," said the hero, "servant of the sacred forge."

"You are brave indeed to point out folly in your king," said Ibruk.
"I will take you to what you seek."

The meteor storm seemed to lessen slightly as the king showed Kognar
inside. The elf and woman were forced to wait outside as only dwarves
were allowed in the fortress proper. The king led Kognar through a
series of winding passages until they reached a small room with a hole
in the floor. Heavy breathing could be heard below as if some great
monster was kept there.

"The egg hatched the night after it was brought here," said the king
to Kognar. "It has devoured every dwarf that has challenged it."

===(18 March 2014)===
<pre>@+++.%%,.,.@/J,..%,%%</pre>

"If Domon wants a sacrifice to end the fire storm," said Ibruk, "you
seem as good a candidate as any."

With the crank of a hidden lever, the floor fell away from beneath
Kognar's feet. Hitting the stone floor hard, the hero managed to roll
and recover before the monster could strike. The monster's lair was
filled with skeletons and rotting dwarven meat. The creature seemed
to have become the king's favorite pet.

"Come and get him, Beaky!" cried King Ibruk.

The monster did resemble an enormous, featherless bird. It was twice
the size of the jabberers Kognar knew from the caverns back home. The
hero had a soft spot in his heart for animal life, but this monster
had developed a taste for dwarven flesh. It had to be put down, and
that was something Kognar could not forgive the mad king.

The giant jabberer moved its head from side to side, judging the
distance to strike. Kognar took the time to draw his secret knife.
When the attack came, it was sudden and vicious. The bird monster
meant to snap Kognar in half with its razor-like beak. It was a split
second too late. The hero ducked under the striking head and slashed
the creature's throat.

The gurgling bellow of the dying bird mingled with the king's scream
of denial. Kognar climbed on top of the twitching monster corpse and
jumped up, grasping the lip of the pit. The king called for the
guards, but there was only silence. The fire storm had ceased. Even
the gods knew it was over. King Ibruk had to pay.

==Eagleon==
===(17 August 2007)===
<pre>,o.o@,.P.</pre>

Doran rolled the gray-green schist around slowly in his fingers, examining it closely. A deep red almandine garnet stared back at him from one side of the stone. Truly a fine specimen, he thought. Perhaps this mine isn't a total loss.

The dwarf stood, brushing the dust from his trousers. Now was as good a time as any for some whiskey. Upon turning to the south corridor, he found himself face to face with a sleek velvet figure, terrible and beautiful. A pantherman, here in the mines?! The dwarf stood completely still. The creature could kill him at will. Doran's only hope was that it did not wish to eat him. Its yellow hunter's eyes gazed into his, unblinking, betraying no intention. The finely toned muscles of its body rippled as it positioned itself. To pounce? To bound away? Doran was at the mercy of the beast.

===(23 November 2008)===
<pre>"TW"."".EEEE</pre>

The only sound that the wizard heard was the breathing of the beast.
The trees of the forest rushed by as the giant tiger bounded over rock
and branch, the wizard clinging to its back. Muscles rippled through
the great cat's shoulders as they thundered on. Soon they would reach
the place of magic, the home of the forest spirit. The wizard leapt
from the creatures back and turned, throwing his staff. The tiger
stretched back onto its hind legs and caught the staff in its claw,
now the shape of a hand. The creature snarled and spoke in an animal
language few, save the wizard, understood.

"Alavaster," it said, "we near the sacred grove. Know that is
swarming with treacherous elves. We must use caution."

The wizard looked down at the thick hair bristling on the back on his
hand. Nothing save the spring of the forest spirit could cure his
lycanthropy. No elf would stand in his way. Together, the companions
walked along the natural path, carved by a hundred animals seeking an
audience with the spirit. The tiger's tail began to wag from side to
side. "Do you smell them?" it said.

The wizard took a deep breath through his wolf's muzzle. There was
the odor of the enemy, those who would bar him from his only chance to
return to human form. Elves. Shadows across the trail. They came
on, one after another in a single file line. Their animal instincts
proved true. The lead elf stopped when he saw the creatures.
Alavaster and the tiger stood firm.

"Animal people!" cried the elf. "Shoot them down!"

==[[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."

==Flying Olm==
===(30th January, 2010)===
<pre>TTT,.""".,@@@@@,"".TTTPETTT</pre>

The elf watched from above as the dwarves passed below. One by one,
the saplings fell to the dwarven machetes. Let them come in a little
further, he thought. The bush would close in behind them, sealing
them in, away from their kins-dwarves. Then the forest would claim
them, lost forever beneath the green of the treetops. The black
panther woman drew back her teeth in a snarl. She turned her body on
the high branch to address the elf.

"Master Elekain," it said, "we should kill them now and gnaw on their bones."

The elf felt the hunger in his teeth. His temples pulsed with rage.
His eyes traced the dwarves' path back to the edge of the forest. A
troop of warriors gathered there, bidding their country-dwarves
farewell. Elekain drew his blade, a dagger of hardened wood,
magically sharpened by the river pebbles of the Forest Spirit. He
pricked his fingertip and let the blood fall.

The dwarf slapped his neck with a gauntlet and pulled it back to see a
small smear of blood. He stepped out of line and scanned the
treetops, pointing his pike. Grimacing, he trotted to the front of
the column. Captain Dumple didn't like to be bothered with useless
reports, but he had a feeling about this. He stepped up behind the
head dwarf.

"Speak, Lt. Garndel."

Captain Dumple was twice as tall as the greatest dwarf warrior. It
was rumored that he was sired by a man. His beard was dark and thick,
his eyes fierce and flashing. He had seen a dozen battles and had
come out without a scratch. He was a harsh master but was respected
for he brought victory. Garndel swallowed his fear.

"Captain," said Garndel, "the elves are upon us."

==[[User:freeformschooler|freeformschooler]]==
===(3 July 2011)===
<pre>@@@@||g??????????????</pre>

A fierce dry wind blew up from the valley. Wandros and his dwarves
lay behind cacti and sharpened their knives. After a time the goblin
came. The dwarves were dead quiet as it passed them by, oblivious.
As the creature moved toward the rocks, Wandros stood and beckoned his
dwarves to follow.

The Valley of Gold was a real place. Wandros knew it was, and the
goblin would show him where it was. Right, then left, then right
again the goblin made its way around the canyon walls. There at last
was the door. The goblin bent and walked inside, closing the door
after him. Wandros took the doorknob in his hand.

"What's the password?" said a voice from inside.

==[[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 when everything had gone black. Dorol had heard a commotion shortly after, followed by terrible undwarven screaming, but afterward just the soft footfalls of somebody running quickly along with the rustling of the sack. At once, whoever was carrying him stopped and let the sack drop hard on the ground. There was a rustling, and the sack opened. It was nighttime, and Dorol could see the face of his captor looking down at him. A goblin! The fiend pulled the cloth down far enough that Dorol'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. Dorol worked one of his hands out of the sack and took the offering. It wasa piece of spoiled meat, crawling with diseased larvae. The child dropped it on the ground by the sack. "Hey, that's good meat," the goblin complained, reaching down to pick it up. "The master gave it to me just for you." The goblin lowered its voice and mumbled. "I'd eat it, but he is always watching me, and he knows when I've been bad. "Now eat up," the goblin drew closer and pushed the meat into the dwarf's face. Like a true smith, the dwarven child struck, smashing the hammer of his miniforge into the goblin's eye! The goblin cringed, clutching his face. After a moment he shook his head 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 goblin shouted, "You can't run, you hairy snot! I'll hunt you, and I'll find you!" Snatching up the sack, the goblin ran off into the wilds.

==[[User:Fuzzy|Fuzzy]]==
===(31 October 2008)===
<pre>.,G,@,,.</pre>

The dwarves buried Administrator Zarhan face down, so that when evil
spirits animated his soulless corpse, as surely they would, he would
dig straight down into the Underworld and away from the land of the
living. For a season after, the fortress was beset by a horrible
howling that filled the corridors. The dwarves of the fortress were
driven to near madness. Eventually the sounds faded.

It was not long after that a young engraver found a floor hatch, which
had not been there the previous night. He opened the hatch and put
his head through. Phantom arms grabbed him and pulled him inside.

"You fools didn't think I'd forget up from down did you?" hissed the ghost of Zarhan.

==[[User:FFLaguna|FFLaguna]]==
===(5 May 2008)===

<pre>===UHH,...===UHH,........[===].//+//````</pre>

Merchant Prince Gramlin snorted while batting away acorn flies with
his monkey hair swatter. 'Realm of Artifice,' ha! 'Dirt Fortress,'
he named it. These pathetic dwarves scratched a hole in the earth and
produced nothing but rock toys to offer the human caravans. The
journey was long and the profits few. At last the trees cleared
revealing a low hill with a single door, the trade platform lying
before it. Gramlin looked around him. Not a dwarf was to be seen.
They were probably sleeping off a night of unrestrained debauchery.
He ordered his men to lay the goods onto the platform.

A sudden pain rocked the merchant. He looked down at his great gut
and saw a crossbow bolt protruding from his chest. As he sank to the
earth, he cursed. The dwarves had gone feral, maddened by their
pathetic conditions. The caravan was routed and fled into the woods,
leaving their precious cargo on the platform. The last thing Gramlin
saw was the face of a mad dwarf, foaming at the mouth and snarling
before it took his scalp.

==[[User:ANormalUsername1|Frango Nicolbidok]]==
'''"Skullinator"'''
===(20 February 2013)===
<pre>++@+/o\++@+</pre>

Deep under the mountain, where magma pounded like blood through a rocky body, the crazed dwarf Malthis worked his dread craft. In a fortress the size of Ironside, no one really noticed when a nameless dwarf went missing. In fact, it seemed like the hill dwarves came and went like the breath of the forge. So who really cared when they disappeared?

“What is that?” asked Krang.

“I called it the Skullinator,” said Malthis.

The thing resembled a dwarf’s skull with the boney legs of a spider. Krang thought he could almost see the remains of flesh still sticking to the bone.

“What does it do?” asked Krang.

“Come closer,” said Malthis, “and I will show you.”

===(31 December 2013)===

<pre>@oO( * * )</pre>

Invisible gears began to whir. The monster artifact reared back on
its hind legs and took a step toward Krang, who stood still, paralyzed
with fear. The skull stared, its jeweled eyes fixed to Krang's face,
and began to speak. It was a dark and mysterious language of the
past, but somehow Krang was able to understand.

“You must bring me the beating heart of Prince Hablock,” said the
skull. “You have three days.”

Clearly shaken, Krang began muttering to himself. Malthis knew
nothing of the mission. All he heard was the hum of machinery and the
clicking of the ivory teeth. He questioned Krang briefly, but when it
was clear there would be no answer, Malthis retrieved the dwarf's coat
and showed him to the door.

The dwarf fortress was half a day's travel from Malthis's forge. That
gave Krang two days to kidnap the prince in time to bring him back.
Krang was on the move before he could think of a plan. It was hard to
scheme when all he saw in his mind's eye were the dead jewel eyes of
the Skullinator.

===(19 April 2013)===

<pre>+@+@+++++.,.,.,,.,=...,.,.,?g?</pre>

“All he keeps talking about is this Skull-o-tron,” said the castle guard.

“Skullinator!” cried Krang.

“Listen, friend,” said Prince Hablock. “I don't know what this
Malthis fellow has against me, but I'm sure the Guard are more than a
match for a mad blacksmith and his toys.”

It was true, the mission did seem impossible, especially after having
failed with such a direct appeal. The guard took Krang by the
shoulder and guided the desperate dwarf out of the audience chamber.
Normally, Krang would have considered himself lucky to escape without
being sent to the dungeon, but now he was on an evil quest. He
immediately left the royal suites and made his way to the fortress
tavern to clear his head and come up with another wicked plot.

“You want to kidnap who?” asked the barkeep.

“The prince,” hollered Krang, slurring his speech and seeing double.
“I must deliver him to my master, the Skullinator.”

“I'd talk to Spernak if I were you,” said the barkeep. “He's snatched
a princeling or two in his time.”

“Where can I find this wicked dwarf?” asked Krang.

“Spernak is no dwarf,” said the barkeep. “He is a goblin. You can
find him across the mine cart tracks. He's probably shoveling
beak-dog dung for a living.”

Krang slid off of his stool and made his way out the door. With only
one day left to collect the prince, the goblin Spernak had better live
up to his reputation. The mine cart tracks were quiet that time of
day and Krang didn't have much trouble sneaking into the goblin
neighborhood. The entire quest now depended on the skill of an
unknown villain.

ASCII art reward/A-F

2014-04-21T14:09:00Z

ANormalUsername1: Skullinator, part three

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
! colspan=4 | [[ASCII Art Reward]]s (alphabetically by contributor)
|-
| [[ASCII Art Reward/A-F|A – F]]
| [[ASCII Art Reward/G-L|G – L]]
| [[ASCII Art Reward/M-S|M – S]]
| [[ASCII Art Reward/T-Z|T – Z]]
|}

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

==[[User:Abby Ratso Lee|Abby Ratso Lee]]==
===(03 March 2013)===
<pre>|ggJggJgdggdd+g@|</pre>

“No dingo men or goblins allowed.”

The sign hung haphazardly across the tavern door. Samser took another
puff on his pipe and spit. As a goblin, there wasn’t much in the way
of opportunity in Steelguard Fortress, but it sure beat slaving in the
mines of the demon lords. Haughty dwarves passed by him with hatred
in their eyes. It was about time he was headed home.

Samser’s neighborhood was on the wrong side of the mine cart tracks.
It was a place you wouldn’t show your face after the evening bell, at
least if you didn’t want someone to rearrange it for you. Samser
tapped the crundles on the head as he passed them by. A pair of
jaguar women looked at him from a back alley. It was hard-living in
the lower mines.

“Where have you been?” shouted Samser’s woman.

She was a hill dwarf from a fortress down the river. Hilga was her
name, and she too had come to Steelguard looking for a future. She
had three children from a previous marriage and Samser looked at them
without sympathy, though they were clearly suffering. But though he
had no heart to speak of, he knew something had to give.

Animal people now outnumbered all dwarves and goblins combined in the
underclass. Samser thought it must be because the dwarves had chopped
down most of their forests. The dwarves liked to think that none of
this mattered. What was another food riot when the adamantine kept
flowing?

“You need to find a job,” said Hilga. “Right now you are just another
mouth to feed.”

Smirking, Samser thought it must have been half a year since he had
had any solid food, but he could use a drink. Slamming the door, he
followed the tracks down to the goblin bar. When he could get in,
Samser preferred to drink with the dwarves. Down at Effie’s it seemed
like there was a murder every other night.

Big Effie was a walking contradiction, a fat, jolly, good-natured
goblin. That didn’t stop Effie’s establishment from being the most
violent place this side of Steelguard. As Samser bellied up to the
bar, he couldn’t help noticing a dwarf sitting by himself in the
corner. Samser tried to back away, but it was too late. The dwarf
noticed him.

“Do you know what time it is?” asked the dwarf.

“It is time for you to get out of this neighborhood,” said Samser.

“It is time,” said the dwarf, “for revolution.”

==[[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]]==
===(5 February 2009)===
<pre>CCCCCCC,.,.,.|||@+@+></pre>

Fires burned at the edge of the vast grassland, holding back the
darkness before the dwarf fortress. All night baleful howls could be
heard on the plain, undead cows brought back to life by the evil
wizard Maxelman. He had allowed the dwarves to live in his domain of
evil, if they but bestowed on him one artifact a year. Nothing,
however, could measure the greed of a dwarf. Nothing, that is, save
his thirst for strong whiskey.

A dwarf stood atop the battlement, laughing drunkenly. "Get down
Twan," whispered his fellow guardsman. "The night-wings will snatch
you off the wall!" Twan threw his stein off the wall in defiance.
Such was his vanity that he thought that they only need live through
the night. Little did he know, the dawn would never come.

===(24 February 2009)===
<pre>DgDgg%@@%@~~++++++>>>>^+^+^+^+^%%%%%@</pre>

Twan held his helmet over his eyes and screamed. Fireballs smashed
into the walls, shot from the gullets of a dozen dragons circling in
the smoke-choked sky. Marksdwarves dove from the walls and smashed
into the courtyard below. "Stand and fight!" shouted Captain Krandle.
"Fear no devil!" Twan reached the courtyard just as the gate broken
open wide. Pike-wielding goblins poured through the opening. Captain
Krandle threw his great braided beard over his shoulder and called
forth his squad of elite axe-lords, The Chosen.

Pike and axe clashed again and again as Twan crawled between the legs
of the combatants. A head dropped onto the ground before him. It was
the head of Captain Krandle. Twan pressed on. He would not be
paralyzed with fear. It seemed that the power of Maxelman knew no
bounds, but not even he could breach the inner mines. Dodging the
deadly weapons, and slithering over the bodies, Twan made his way the
center of the fortress.

A dark tunnel lay beyond the entrance to the keep. Twan danced down
the corridor in the intricate steps that avoided the complex mass of
triggers and tripwires that guarded the entrance. Inside were the
mines, stocked with enough dwarven wine to keep them in the cups for
ten years. Twan reflected for a moment on those above who had died.
It wasn't important. He was alive, and would remain so, so long as he
avoided the king and any quests he might have in store.

===(13 May 2009)===
<pre>%@/%+++@+@@@</pre>

"That blasted wizard Maxelman," came a booming voice. "He shall not
have my artifact staff!"

Curses, thought Twan from his hiding in the cellar, the king! The
dwarf lord paced back and forth, followed by a pleading train of
aristocrats, tears of rage streaming from his eyes. The staff, the
cause of all the suffering the dwarves now endured, was only ten short
steps away. In near berserker rage, the king threw the staff down,
startling the nobles. Twan saw his chance. He shot between the
nobles and snatched up the artifact.

"Scoundrel," roared the king, "unhand the magic staff!"

Twan leapt onto a keg, holding the staff high.

"Maxelman will burn this fortress to the ground to gain this staff,"
said the rude dwarf. "I will have this power for myself!"

The king growled, plucking the gold rings from his fingers. He hurled
them at Twan, one striking the dwarf in the teeth. "Seize him!"
shouted the besieged ruler. Twan jumped from barrel to barrel as the
purple clad nobles chased him. As he ran from the cellar he heard
king's cry, "Guards, guards!"

In the enemy camp, the vile wizard Maxelman puzzled over his battle
plans. A dwarf fortress is always a hard nut to crack. One of his
generals, a skeletal shade from the netherworld, summoned him from his
tent. The wizard straightened his aching back, brushed his long black
beard, and stepped to the door. There, standing between two fierce
goblin guards, was Twan, holding the king's staff.

===(29 Aug 2009)===
<pre>+U+G-@+GG+</pre>

"You bring me the staff," said the evil sorcerer, "as a traitor to your people?"

The dwarven rogue took a step back and leveled the staff at his arch-nemesis.

"You will have the staff," said Twan. "Have it through your black
shriveled heart!"

The dwarf pressed a secret button and a blade emerged from the end of
the staff. The wizard called on his generals. The skeletal ghoul
drew his saber and charged. Twan spun with expert skill and took out
the phantom's knees, such was the power that the staff bestowed. Two
more undead warlords entered the tent. Twan thrust the staff at
Maxelman but a undead general threw himself in front of the blade,
impaling himself and collapsed into dust.

The legless fiend below snatched Twan's ankles and pulled Twan to the
floor. The staff spilled onto the ground. The dwarf felt his courage
suddenly fading. The wizard snatched up the artifact and cried out
with joy. The long campaign was finally at an end. The skeleton put
its bony arm around Twan's neck and pulled him upright. The wizard
noticed the dwarf and walked toward him, pointing the staff.

"Nice try, dwarf," said Maxelman. "Now feel the true power of the
artifact staff!"

Twan caught the thrust between his palms. As the wizard snarled, Twan
took the staff in one hand and with several quick motions, activated
the secret switches along its length. The dwarf released the staff as
saw blades swept out of the shaft and sliced off the wizard's hands.
Twan jammed his helmet into the skull of the phantom general and
smashed all the bones in its face.

The dwarf picked up the blood covered staff and chased the wizard from
the tent. Dozens of goblins blocked his way, but he dispatched them
with mighty slashes of his weapon. Just as he came within a spear's
throw of his enemy, a huge dust cloud blocked his way. Wind blew down
as a giant dragon landed before the dwarf. At last, thought Twan, a
worthy opponent.

==Alluvian_Est-Endrati==
===(19th December, 2010)===
<pre>~~~~..pppp.,.,@,..,.,.</pre>

In the frozen wastes far to the south, the dwarves toiled to construct
a mighty fortress out of glacial ice. Beyond the frozen walls, at the
edge of the snowy island, penguin men watched with fascination. At
the center of the iceberg, an underwater volcano rooted the floating
ice in place. It had not erupted in a hundred years, but the dwarves
tested the mountain's patience with their constant digging. Arud the
penguin man leaned toward his friend and whispered.

"I think these creatures may be more trouble than a pack of leopard
seal," he said.

The wind blew harsh, clouding their view. A small man appeared
through the blizzard. His beard was frozen and his skin was blue with
cold. In his hand he held an iron pick. The penguin men looked at
each other and clucked. The dwarf reached them, leaned on his pick
and spoke.

"You must help us," he said.

===(20th February, 2011)===
<pre>~~~~ppp,,,.,.,p,.!@!,.,.</pre>

A red light shone from further up the iceberg. Seconds later the trio was rocked by a wave of hot gas. The penguins fell to their bellies and slid toward the relative safety of the sea. At the last minute, Arud turned to see the dwarf thrashing on the icy slope, his coat on fire. Arud turned and jumped to his feet, leaving his puzzled friend behind.

"Come friend," said the penguin man, slapping the flames from the dwarf's coat, "we must leave this island."

"You don't understand," said the dwarf. "This island was chosen. At the heart of the mountain is the Fire Star, a jewel so powerful it could turn night to day. Please, Forge Father, forgive our tampering. We sought to take it for our own and it became misaligned. Look there!"

A ray of light shot up from the volcano. Arud felt the heat on his face. The jewel's power caused clouds to burst into flame and burned its signature into the blue vault of the sky. The penguin man did not understand, but he knew he must act. He pulled the dwarf to his feet with his flipper and together they ran into the smoking ruin.

===(10th August, 2011)===
<pre>UW||UUUUUUUU,.\U,..UUUUUU</pre>

The hanging bodies twitched against the wall of the evil castle.
Thalfor had heard of the witch's power. That was why he allowed
himself to be taken prisoner. The others around him looked far worse
off. They trembled as they passed under the menacing gate.
Everywhere were the sounds of screaming men. Behind, zombies with
whips drove the crowd into the blood-soaked courtyard.

Before the prisoners, at the top window of the keep, stood Camestra
the Wicked. One could say she may have been beautiful once, but now
she was sickly and pale. Behind her stood a brawny zombie, tall and
menacing.

"Now you shall all die," said the witch. "But one of you shall be my
new body servant. Old Donus is beginning to give off a nasty odor."

The prisoners began to panic. Armed zombies closed in for kill.
Thalfor reached to his inner thigh and pulled out a hidden blade. One
by one he cut down the zombies. Camestra brought her hand to her
mouth and Donus let out a low groan.

"No one will die today," said Thafor, "that hasn't died before."

==Angry Licker==
===(15th January, 2010)===
<pre>@@@@@@+++@/++@@@@@@@@@</pre>

The mad dwarf spun this way and that to confront his pursuers. He
held a knife, given to him by his father on his first day at the
carpentry shop. He could hear the sheriff shouting, the crowd closing
in. Tears rolled down his face. It felt good that it was over, but
all that was left was shame. Pike dwarves were filling into the room.
Soon they would subdue him, and bring him to the hammerer, to be
forged anew. He didn't really believe that. He doubted any dwarf
did. When he went out, he wouldn't go out like a dwarf. He would die
like an animal. A new fire glowed in his eyes. With a savage howl,
the dwarf charged.

==[[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: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.

===(13 April 2009)===
<pre>c+||@++c+cc+@@||,.,,.U,ggCgggT</pre>

The dwarf Frankle ran through the corridors, chasing after the many
cats that infested the fortress. He stopped when the alarm was
sounded. The captain of the guard shouted orders. The dwarves rushed
to their stations. Frankle, a reserve marks-dwarf, grabbed up a
crossbow from the arsenal and trotted up the stairs to man the
battlements. When he reached the top he saw the other marks-dwarves
standing, shocked by what they saw. Taking a deep breath, he looked
over the side.

At the fortress gate stood an enormous monster, dragging itself upon
its vicious, clawed arms. Goblins stood around it, jeering, and
hurling curses. A feeling of terror gripped Frankle's chest. In all
his years in the service he had never fired his bow in anger, but no
bolt could take this beast down. The captain put a hand on Frankle's
shoulder. Below, a robed man stepped out before the creature. A
fresh scar transected his missing left eye. It was the evil wizard
Ameltoss.

"Lay down your weapons and accept a swift death," shouted the wizard.
A bolt thudded down between his feet. "Somehow I thought you'd
refuse. Release the beast!"

A troll stepped forward wielding a huge axe. With several violent
chops, the chain binding the monster's wrist was broken. The creature
surged forward. Frankle screamed in fright and fired his crossbow.
His bolt, along with a dozen others, bounced harmlessly from the
creatures hide. As the monster beat down the gate. It seemed their
was no hope. That was when champion dwarf Rokwan emerged from the
keep within the castle.

==[[User:Bordum|Bordum]]==
=== (10 April 2010) ===

<pre>~%@@%@%~~,.,..,,.?</pre>

The sickening thud of club and bone echoed through the cavern as the
dwarf explorers were set upon by a troop of trogs. Expedition leader
Fidon showed his prowess, wielding his axe like a true champion,
hewing through flesh and sinew. The creatures of the underworld could
never be allowed to win. The dwarves rested, the enemies vanquished.
The only casualty was Fidon’s boot, ruined where a trog had gnawed
through. The dwarves laughed, then became silent when a growl could
be heard deep within the cave.

===(04 March 2012)===

<pre>.,J@,.@@@.,@</pre>

Torchlight reflected in the creature's eyes, looming high above the
ground. The beak scraped as it opened and closed. The great tongue
probed, waiting for the next morsel. The dwarves stood still,
standing their ground, but this was of no use. This was a predatory
attack. Fidon knew their only chance was to fight back vigorously.

“Fire!” cried Fidon. “Lay it in there!”

The bolts bounced harmlessly off the violet feathers. The beak came
down and plucked up a marksdwarf. It flipped the dwarf into the air
and opened its throat wide, swallowing the victim whole. Fidon lost
hold of his dwarves and they fled. The monster saw the little things
run and was compelled to chase, driven by its killer instinct.

Fidon had stood his ground, but it was all over. The creature was
gone, and so were his friends. He looked back in the direction of the
fortress. He couldn’t return there now. He lifted his crossbow off
the ground and slung it over his shoulder. He would win back his
honor.

===(01 January 2014)===

<pre>.,J,..,.,.,@(O).,</pre>

Time as a cycle of night and day is meaningless in the caverns of
eternal darkness. Civilizations such as the dwarves dare to dip their
toes into the land of perpetual night. The dwarven mine shafts break
through the rocky ceiling and shatter the only barrier between the
underworld and a place where it makes sense not to be afraid at all
times.

Trotting as fast as his short legs could carry him, Fidon followed the
tracks of the jabberer. The prehistoric monster was a throwback to a
time when the underworld was full of horrors. The dwarves like to
think they had tamed the world below, but the truth was there was no
end to the terrors of the dark. How many more there were did not
matter to Fidon. His business was with the jabberer before him.

“Squawk your last,” shouted Fidon, stepping out from behind a giant
mushroom. “For tonight you die.”

==[[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:Brownie210|Brownie210]]==
===(22 December 2008)===
<pre>+&@\O+||~~~~~~~~~</pre>
Sweat glistened on the hairy dwarf's body as he wrestled the dark lord
Slandar. Above them lay the steel orifice holding back the sea of
lava that was the last defense against the evil army, if only a dwarf
could pull the lever. The dwarf held the evil general's arm in both
hands as the fiend tried to drive his dagger through the hero's heart.

"Slandar," asked the dwarf, "when did you become so hot-headed?"

The dwarf let go of the villain's arm and pulled the lever. As the
fiend drove his blade through the laughing dwarf's heart, the gates
opened above and a torrent of lava fell from the ceiling, incinerating
them both in a cloud of steam.

==[[User:Burgi|Burgi]]==
===(27 March 2014)===
<pre>?OOO?..,,.,.@|+++++@@@@</pre>
Outside the dwarf fortress, life was cheap. Petty warlords squabbled
over acres of dirt where peasants slaved away with no promise for the
future. Once in a great while the dwarves would sally forth to bring
order to the chaos. It was times like these when heroism was called
for. Those that answered the call were mightier than the rest.

"Where do you hail from, hero dwarf?" asked the dwarven king.

"I have come far," said Ulrich, "from deep under the mountain."

"Danger comes from above," said the king. "How long has in been since
you have seen the light of day?"

"I do not recall," said Ulrich. "But I can tell you, there is no ball
of light that can stand between me and glory."

Latter that day, the gates opened, flooding the entrance of the
fortress with light. If it had any effect on Ulrich, he did not show
it. He had been tasked with killing a family of ogres that had moved
onto the caravan track. He waited until the dwarves shut the gate
behind him and vomited.

==[[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."

==[[User:CharlesPeter|CharlesPeter]]==
===(6 January 2011)===
<pre>UU,.~U~,.\b,.</pre>

The adventurers made their way into the hive. Long had the bee women
tormented the people of Bodarga. Bram would put an end to this
nonsense. The adventurers entered the huge structure through a large
hexagonal door. The tunnel turned and twisted at strange angles.
Everywhere was the ever-present buzzing of the enemy. Suddenly a bee
woman appeared, wielding a stinger spear. Bram let out a warrior cry
and charged at her, brandishing a sword. Suddenly his feet sank into
the floor. A honey trap!

==[[User:Chaz GELF|Chaz GELF]]==
===(25 October 2009)===
<pre>,.E@UU,.,</pre>

Mighty knight Dron looked on his companions with a measuring stare.
To his right was Glome, a marksdwarf most renowned, cleaning his
weapon, a blindfold across his eyes. Across from him stood the elven
warrior princess and summoner of animals, Tigotha. At his left was
Alvin, his squire. These chosen few were destined to quest across the
land in search of the evil wizard Zandore.

"The vile villain is not far off now," said Dron. "I can smell his
evil magic."

"It could be another one of his tricks," said Tigotha. "It wouldn't
be the first time you were fooled."

"Put me anywhere up to league away from evil wizard Zandore," said
marksdwarf Glome, "and the war will be over." The dwarf pulled the
trigger and his crossbow snapped with sudden force.

"Master," cried Alvin, "I see something!"

===(09 January 2013)===
<pre>UUE@,.,.,..,S,.\@P\@P</pre>

It was a tiny speck on the horizon Dron could barely make out.

“Tell me Glome,” said the hero, “what do you see with your marks-dwarf’s eyes?”

“Two riders are approaching, maybe more,” said the dwarf.

“I will call on a great seagull,” said Tigotha, “that it might peck
out their eyes.”

Alvin flinched. He didn’t like it when she talked that way. Was her
violence really any better than the schemes of the evil one? He could
almost see the horsemen now. They wore dark clothing and bore the
standard of Zandore.

“Take them out,” said Dron.

Tigotha called on the forces of nature as Glome took aim. Alvin
jumped as a shadow passed overhead. It was the giant seagull, just as
the dread princess promised. The riders wheeled their steeds around
and drew their weapons of shining adamantine. The seagull dove at
them but they fought it back. Dron looked to his sniper.

“Glome,” said Dron, “why aren’t those villains dead?”

“They are dwarves, master,” said Glome. “I cannot fire on my brothers.”

“Enough,” shouted Dron. “Alvin, my spear!”

Taking to his great black stallion, Dron took up his weapon and
charged across the field to meet the dwarves in combat.

==[[User:Chobeat|Chobeat]]==
===(25 December 2011)===
Context: I've asked for a story about the ring i gave to my girlfriend. This ring was designed with the help of DF's community and had engraved symbols narrating our story, in a dwarven style.

<pre>c,..,,.U=U....,.,,.R</pre>

The great warrior looked over what the dwarves had constructed. It
was modest, sure, but without a doubt a home built for a true hero.
The foundation was as sturdy as the root of a mountain. Its walls and
roof shed all elements like shields in the heat of battle. The man
smiled and looked down at the ring in his palm. It was inscribed with
runes dedicated to this very day.

"Chobeat," said the girl, "can I open my eyes yet?"

Slowly, Chobeat stepped to his woman and took her hand. He slid the
ring on her finger and kissed her hand. She opened her eyes and
blushed, startled by the beauty of the ring.

"It is beautiful," she said.

Sadly, she wasn't the only one to see the sparkly thing. High above,
Ethbesh the roc circled. Since the dawn of time, the evil bird had
haunted the valley below from her nest high in the mountain. Hate and
jealously drove the monster to new acts of cruelty.

Just as Chobeat was about to carry his woman across the threshold of
his new dwarven house, a shadow fell upon him. With one mighty rush
of talon and wing, his wife was gone. Chobeat cried out and drew his
sword. It was too late.

Then he saw something glowing on the ground. The ring! He picked it
up and looked at the strange pictograms. It had dwarf magic. Maybe
he could yet find her. He slid the ring onto his little finger.
Suddenly he heard voices all around him.

"You can hear me," said a voice from behind.

Chobeat turned around to see a smiling cat.

"I can help you get her back," said the creature. "My name is Tao."

==[[User:ckwolek|ckwolek]]==
===(26 December 2011)===

<pre>@@@+++=\g+@+</pre>

Tsmuaka lifted his head from over the anvil and ran a hand over his
bald green head. He looked back at the dwarf woman standing behind
him, then cast his gaze around at the many dwarf miners trying to
ignore him. They all want her, thought Tsmuaka, but I will be dog
meat before they lay a stubby finger on her.

The goblin had been a weapon-smith in the dwarf fortress longer than
anyone could remember. The dwarves tolerated his grumpy, vindictive
ways because he created the finest swords in Allsphere. But when he
married Oril, things changed.

The king had to pardon Tsmuaka for two murders within the first year.
Why would a dwarf dare tangle with the woman of the hardest goblin
alive? You just had to lay eyes on Oril. Her beauty had blinded man,
elf, and animal person. It was so bad that the dwarves looked on
Tsmuaka with fear and pity.

"They say Oril with be at the dance tonight," said Aliz

"What about Tsmuaka?" asked Sudir.

"Forget that old goblin," said Aliz.

==[[User:crash2455|crash2455]]==
===(22 June 2009)===
<pre>"@++@>>>+++@gggggggggggg"</pre>

Torin felt the prick of blade in his spine. It was his curse to guard
the gate to the lower reaches. He had been chosen because of his
great size. The dwarf's expansive belly was enough to block the
portal by itself. You were wrong, thought Torin. Someone braver must
protect us, not a fat waste of flesh like me. Sharp claws reached out
from the gate and pulled the heavy dwarf back inside. With a whimper,
Torin disappeared into the darkness.

"Where is that ogre of a dwarf?" asked Malak the guards-dwarf.
"Captain, Torin's late again!"

The captain set his shiny metal cap forward on his head as he
descended the stairs. Another day begins in the fortress, and with
it, another failure in discipline. The captain brought his rod down
onto the table where Malak had been munching on a chicken leg. "See
to it, dwarf!" shouted the captain. "Are you a member of the castle
guard, or aren't you?"

Malak descended the stairs to the dungeon, axe in hand. It wasn't
like Torin to miss a meal. Below, in the darkness, were a dozen
shining red eyes. Goblins! The guard knocked a flying blade out of
the air with the hilt of his weapon. He reached for his whistle, but
before he could put it to his lips, they were on him, clawing, biting,
evil!

==[[User:CVanEseltine|CVanEseltine]]==
===(25 April 2012)===

<pre><<<<TT+~~@\U~+++>>>></pre>

Lightning bolts struck all around the black pyramid. Atop stood dread
queen Cirne, preparing for another dwarf sacrifice. The trolls
shrugged as the captive dwarf struggled. Dragged kicking and
screaming toward the sacrificial slab, he could see the entrails where
Cirne had been trying to divine the secrets of life and death. Seeing
his only chance, the dwarf made a desperate gamble.

"I know where you can find the secrets you seek," said the dwarf.

Cirne snarled, baring four long canine teeth.

"What is your name, wise ass?" growled the queen.

"I am Kastol," said the dwarf. "Blacksmith, fourth class."

"Then by all means lead on, Blacksmith Kastol," said the queen. "For
you will be richly rewarded."

Dwarf fortress Snowsmear was little more than a tower library in the
icy wastes. Other than the occasional blizzard man attack, nothing
ever happened there. It was just a place to store books. But these
were dangerous books, not to be opened except by those willing to risk
their very souls.

It was there that old Aliz worked with his novice Ibruk. Aliz had
just dozed off when he heard someone stomping down the stairs. He
awoke to see Ibruk standing there, snow all over his boots. Aliz made
ready to scold him when the young dwarf spoke.

"An army of trolls is coming," he said. "They bear the standard of
Cirne the Evil."

==[[User:Dagny|Dagny]]==
===(17 September 2010)===

<pre>gggggggggg,.,.~~~~~~&~~~~~</pre>

Fires burned in the heart of the mountain as the demon god Yaknor
called for the death of the entire dwarf race. Legions of goblins
poured up through the cracks of the earth. It was bad news for the
dwarves on guard duty that night, destroyed by a thunder of a hundred
creatures of the night. Those remaining fought with passion. Sword
and axe clashed again and again as the forces of good and evil danced
Death's dance. True heroism would be awoken that day, a shaft of
light into the heart of darkness.

==[[User:Darksaiyan|Darkie]]==
===(14 September 2008)===
<pre>,.,.O@T,...</pre>

Surrounded by a troll on one side and an ogre on the other, dwarf
master Alrin knew these could be the last seconds of his life. As he
gripped the handle of his axe he recalled the teachings of Azrom, god
of war. Matters of great importance should be given the slightest
thought. It was only the minor matters that must be given the most
delicate care. So, without conscious thought, Alrin slammed his axe
handle into the ogre's toe. Swiftly, the dwarf ran between the
monster's legs and delivered a swift kick to its backside. As the
ogre toppled over, the hairy troll launched over the fallen monster
and leaped toward Alrin. As time slowed in an adrenalin rush, Alrin
readied his axe.

==[[User:Davion|Davion]]==
===(28 July 2008)===
<pre>bBbBbBbB####HU*########||+UU+||</pre>

The master thief leapt from the tower, the royal jewels still in his
hands. The pursuing guard ran to the side to watch in wonder as the
burglar plunged to his death. But lo, a giant hawk flew down and
plucked him out of the sky. The aging king stormed out onto the roof
of the tower, still in his bed clothes.

"Curse you Faltrix!" screamed the king as the bird flew toward the horizon.

The rogue had known the hawk since it was a hatchling. It was then he
had pulled an arrow from its wing. Thus began the most famous
partnership of the age. The hawk rider and his steed were known
throughout the land as heroes of the people, stealing from the rich
and giving to the poor.

A dark cloud rose on the horizon. The smile fell from Faltrix's lips
as the evil creatures sprung their ambush. Bat men! How had these
creatures strayed so far from the mountains? The evil beings rode
giant bats and shot poison darts from their blow guns. Faltrix
commanded his mount to dive low. Perhaps he could lose them in the
trees of the forest below.

===(28 September 2008)===
<pre>kbkkbkb,..,..HU,..*.@,...</pre>

Down, down into the forest canopy they flew. Faltrix's heart raced as
they wove through the trees, the bat men close behind. Just when he
thought he lost them, the hawk called out with a piercing cry. A net
of vines dropped from the treetops above, fouling the bird's wings.
They crashed to the forest floor with a thud and slid forward in the
dirt. Faltrix drew his sword and cut through the web. High-pitched
cackling echoed from above. Kobolds! The rogue set about cutting his
avian steed free, but the hawk did not stir from unconsciousness.

"Agron!" screamed Faltrix. "Agron!"

Black shadows dropped from vines above. The kobolds drew their jagged
blades. As they surrounded him the batmen caught up just it time to
finish him off. A dozen poison darts landed at his feet. Why didn't
they kill him?

"Agron," said the rogue, "if we get out of this, you can eat all the
giant rats you want."

The kobolds parted to reveal a short wizard in a glowing red robe, a
long hood covering his face. Faltrix lowered his blade as the
menacing figure approached. The wizard threw back his hood to reveal
the face of an evil dwarf. Faltrix threw the stolen Eye of Atheria at
his feet.

"Take the jewel," said Faltrix, "just let Agron live."

"Touching," said the dwarf, "but fear not, I will have need of the
rider and his hawk to complete the ultimate quest."

"Quest?" asked Faltrix.

==[[User:DaWarMage|DaWarMage]]==
===(8 February 2009)===
<pre>@@@@||~3--~~U~gUGUUG~~~</pre>

Dwarves howled as the gladiators fought and bled. They were men and
goblins, imprisoned since the great siege. Now, with the promise of
freedom, they fought. Hanson knew the goblins could not be trusted,
but he had included them in an escape plan with his fellow humans out
of necessity. The dwarves had been foolish to wait so long to condemn
them. It had allowed them to organize.

Once out onto the sand, the gladiators fell in behind Hanson. The
dwarves grew quiet. The Baron stepped to edge of his platform. "What
is the meaning of this?" cried the dwarven noble. Hanson took his
trident up and ran toward the platform, hurling the weapon with all
his might.

==[[User:Dinjoralo|Dinjoralo]]==
===(16 February 2014)===
<pre>.,.,|UU++U|>??</pre>

It was rumored that the city of Assura was built on top of an ancient
dwarf fortress. The barbarians that lived there were not interested
in the marvels beneath their feet. The treasures had been looted long
ago. All that was left were walls covered with strange pictures and
carved runes. The only people interested in that kind of thing were
Dulchari wizards, and King Banatar had outlawed wizardry years ago.

"Tell me again," said young Thirby. "How do wizards work magic?"

"It is all song and dance," said Banesa. "You must merely learn the
steps, the lyrics, and the tune."

As the pair passed under the city archway they felt the cold stares of
the Akkarites. King Banatar had built an empire on superstition and
the hatred of all things magical. It seemed unfair to Thirby that the
Akkarite capital of Assura was built on top of the greatest reservoir
of magical knowledge ever collected.

A strange woman in an orange robe nodded to Banesa and a group of
priests appeared and hustled her and Thirby off the street. They
moved from alley to alley, avoiding the patrols of Akkarite knights.
All of this did little to ease Thirby's mind. He didn't trust the
priests of Cenaster any more than Banatar's knights, but he had total
faith in his master.

"Fear not," said Banesa. "The secrets of the dwarves will soon be ours."

The temple of Cenaster was built across the street from a neglected
graveyard. Thirby couldn't help from feeling his doubts return. The
priestess performed the secret knock and the wizards were allowed
inside. Waiting for them was the high priest.

"Not since the Great Disaster have the signs be so apparent," said the
old man. "The old gods shall return and set the world on the right
course at last."

"To cast the Spell of Summoning," said Banesa, "one must read from the
dwarven tablet. I alone can do this."

"Name your price," said the priest.

"You must take us to the library," said Banesa.

==[[User:Draigh|Draigh]]==
===(13 Augustus 2008)===
<pre>.@@|,-.-.kk,k,.k,.</pre>

Malgar, warrior dwarf woman, fought on against the onslaught of
kobolds, her newborn baby still strapped to her back. She lifted her
shield to block another volley of poison darts. She had been hunting,
far from the entrance of the fortress, when she stumbled upon the
skulking trash, no doubt planning a cowardly raid on the fortress
vault. She had to warn the others. With one hand she held the bugle
to her lips, while with the other she parried another deadly strike.

==DreamThorn==
===(11 August 2011)===
<pre>"aaaaaa,.,..,@|@@,.,.aaaaaaa"</pre>

"This is it," said Thash. "This is where it happened."

The other dwarves looked around the cavern. They had followed an
ancient map through the bowels of the earth, crisscrossing through
leagues of twisting tunnels. They had fought crundles, run from
jabberers, and followed ridiculous advice from well-meaning gorlaks.
All for this. All to reach this point.

"That's it?" asked Aliz. "That sword sticking in the floor is all
that's holding back the tentacled ones?"

"Yes," said Thash, "and that is why we must protect it."

Somewhere above there was a chittering sound.

"Ant men!" cried Aliz.

==[[User:Dutchling|Dutchling]]==
===(3 March 2011)===
<pre>||@@@@+@+++<||@||####/##/###/#####</pre>

Lightning bolts rained down from the sky as the storm god Domin
released his fury upon the world. Hardest it fell on the dwarf
fortress, but no meteor, no matter how powerful, could keep the little
ones down. King Ibruk stood upon the wall of the dwarven castle,
drunk, daring the sky god to strike him down. The other dwarves
cowered behind the battlements, none brave enough to pull the king
down.

"Lord Ibruk," shouted a voice from lower in the courtyard, "throw not
your life away."
===(17 February 2014)===
<pre>eU.,|+++++++@@?M?</pre>

"Who goes there?" shouted Ibruk.

The wind cleared the clouds of dust from the battered courtyard.
Standing there were a trio of brave looking heroes. The elf looked
tough, and so did the woman wearing furs of the south people, but most
impressive was the dwarf. He was tall for one of his kind, a full
span taller than the king at least. He took two steps forward and
stared the king in the face, showing no deference to the royal blood.

"The sky god has no interest in taking your life," said the dwarf
champion. "Nor does he seek to pound your fortress into rubble. He
merely seeks the stolen egg you foolishly bought from the goblins."

"The egg?" asked the king. "What is your name, dwarf?"

"I am Kognar," said the hero, "servant of the sacred forge."

"You are brave indeed to point out folly in your king," said Ibruk.
"I will take you to what you seek."

The meteor storm seemed to lessen slightly as the king showed Kognar
inside. The elf and woman were forced to wait outside as only dwarves
were allowed in the fortress proper. The king led Kognar through a
series of winding passages until they reached a small room with a hole
in the floor. Heavy breathing could be heard below as if some great
monster was kept there.

"The egg hatched the night after it was brought here," said the king
to Kognar. "It has devoured every dwarf that has challenged it."

===(18 March 2014)===
<pre>@+++.%%,.,.@/J,..%,%%</pre>

"If Domon wants a sacrifice to end the fire storm," said Ibruk, "you
seem as good a candidate as any."

With the crank of a hidden lever, the floor fell away from beneath
Kognar's feet. Hitting the stone floor hard, the hero managed to roll
and recover before the monster could strike. The monster's lair was
filled with skeletons and rotting dwarven meat. The creature seemed
to have become the king's favorite pet.

"Come and get him, Beaky!" cried King Ibruk.

The monster did resemble an enormous, featherless bird. It was twice
the size of the jabberers Kognar knew from the caverns back home. The
hero had a soft spot in his heart for animal life, but this monster
had developed a taste for dwarven flesh. It had to be put down, and
that was something Kognar could not forgive the mad king.

The giant jabberer moved its head from side to side, judging the
distance to strike. Kognar took the time to draw his secret knife.
When the attack came, it was sudden and vicious. The bird monster
meant to snap Kognar in half with its razor-like beak. It was a split
second too late. The hero ducked under the striking head and slashed
the creature's throat.

The gurgling bellow of the dying bird mingled with the king's scream
of denial. Kognar climbed on top of the twitching monster corpse and
jumped up, grasping the lip of the pit. The king called for the
guards, but there was only silence. The fire storm had ceased. Even
the gods knew it was over. King Ibruk had to pay.

==Eagleon==
===(17 August 2007)===
<pre>,o.o@,.P.</pre>

Doran rolled the gray-green schist around slowly in his fingers, examining it closely. A deep red almandine garnet stared back at him from one side of the stone. Truly a fine specimen, he thought. Perhaps this mine isn't a total loss.

The dwarf stood, brushing the dust from his trousers. Now was as good a time as any for some whiskey. Upon turning to the south corridor, he found himself face to face with a sleek velvet figure, terrible and beautiful. A pantherman, here in the mines?! The dwarf stood completely still. The creature could kill him at will. Doran's only hope was that it did not wish to eat him. Its yellow hunter's eyes gazed into his, unblinking, betraying no intention. The finely toned muscles of its body rippled as it positioned itself. To pounce? To bound away? Doran was at the mercy of the beast.

===(23 November 2008)===
<pre>"TW"."".EEEE</pre>

The only sound that the wizard heard was the breathing of the beast.
The trees of the forest rushed by as the giant tiger bounded over rock
and branch, the wizard clinging to its back. Muscles rippled through
the great cat's shoulders as they thundered on. Soon they would reach
the place of magic, the home of the forest spirit. The wizard leapt
from the creatures back and turned, throwing his staff. The tiger
stretched back onto its hind legs and caught the staff in its claw,
now the shape of a hand. The creature snarled and spoke in an animal
language few, save the wizard, understood.

"Alavaster," it said, "we near the sacred grove. Know that is
swarming with treacherous elves. We must use caution."

The wizard looked down at the thick hair bristling on the back on his
hand. Nothing save the spring of the forest spirit could cure his
lycanthropy. No elf would stand in his way. Together, the companions
walked along the natural path, carved by a hundred animals seeking an
audience with the spirit. The tiger's tail began to wag from side to
side. "Do you smell them?" it said.

The wizard took a deep breath through his wolf's muzzle. There was
the odor of the enemy, those who would bar him from his only chance to
return to human form. Elves. Shadows across the trail. They came
on, one after another in a single file line. Their animal instincts
proved true. The lead elf stopped when he saw the creatures.
Alavaster and the tiger stood firm.

"Animal people!" cried the elf. "Shoot them down!"

==[[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."

==Flying Olm==
===(30th January, 2010)===
<pre>TTT,.""".,@@@@@,"".TTTPETTT</pre>

The elf watched from above as the dwarves passed below. One by one,
the saplings fell to the dwarven machetes. Let them come in a little
further, he thought. The bush would close in behind them, sealing
them in, away from their kins-dwarves. Then the forest would claim
them, lost forever beneath the green of the treetops. The black
panther woman drew back her teeth in a snarl. She turned her body on
the high branch to address the elf.

"Master Elekain," it said, "we should kill them now and gnaw on their bones."

The elf felt the hunger in his teeth. His temples pulsed with rage.
His eyes traced the dwarves' path back to the edge of the forest. A
troop of warriors gathered there, bidding their country-dwarves
farewell. Elekain drew his blade, a dagger of hardened wood,
magically sharpened by the river pebbles of the Forest Spirit. He
pricked his fingertip and let the blood fall.

The dwarf slapped his neck with a gauntlet and pulled it back to see a
small smear of blood. He stepped out of line and scanned the
treetops, pointing his pike. Grimacing, he trotted to the front of
the column. Captain Dumple didn't like to be bothered with useless
reports, but he had a feeling about this. He stepped up behind the
head dwarf.

"Speak, Lt. Garndel."

Captain Dumple was twice as tall as the greatest dwarf warrior. It
was rumored that he was sired by a man. His beard was dark and thick,
his eyes fierce and flashing. He had seen a dozen battles and had
come out without a scratch. He was a harsh master but was respected
for he brought victory. Garndel swallowed his fear.

"Captain," said Garndel, "the elves are upon us."

==[[User:freeformschooler|freeformschooler]]==
===(3 July 2011)===
<pre>@@@@||g??????????????</pre>

A fierce dry wind blew up from the valley. Wandros and his dwarves
lay behind cacti and sharpened their knives. After a time the goblin
came. The dwarves were dead quiet as it passed them by, oblivious.
As the creature moved toward the rocks, Wandros stood and beckoned his
dwarves to follow.

The Valley of Gold was a real place. Wandros knew it was, and the
goblin would show him where it was. Right, then left, then right
again the goblin made its way around the canyon walls. There at last
was the door. The goblin bent and walked inside, closing the door
after him. Wandros took the doorknob in his hand.

"What's the password?" said a voice from inside.

==[[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 when everything had gone black. Dorol had heard a commotion shortly after, followed by terrible undwarven screaming, but afterward just the soft footfalls of somebody running quickly along with the rustling of the sack. At once, whoever was carrying him stopped and let the sack drop hard on the ground. There was a rustling, and the sack opened. It was nighttime, and Dorol could see the face of his captor looking down at him. A goblin! The fiend pulled the cloth down far enough that Dorol'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. Dorol worked one of his hands out of the sack and took the offering. It wasa piece of spoiled meat, crawling with diseased larvae. The child dropped it on the ground by the sack. "Hey, that's good meat," the goblin complained, reaching down to pick it up. "The master gave it to me just for you." The goblin lowered its voice and mumbled. "I'd eat it, but he is always watching me, and he knows when I've been bad. "Now eat up," the goblin drew closer and pushed the meat into the dwarf's face. Like a true smith, the dwarven child struck, smashing the hammer of his miniforge into the goblin's eye! The goblin cringed, clutching his face. After a moment he shook his head 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 goblin shouted, "You can't run, you hairy snot! I'll hunt you, and I'll find you!" Snatching up the sack, the goblin ran off into the wilds.

==[[User:Fuzzy|Fuzzy]]==
===(31 October 2008)===
<pre>.,G,@,,.</pre>

The dwarves buried Administrator Zarhan face down, so that when evil
spirits animated his soulless corpse, as surely they would, he would
dig straight down into the Underworld and away from the land of the
living. For a season after, the fortress was beset by a horrible
howling that filled the corridors. The dwarves of the fortress were
driven to near madness. Eventually the sounds faded.

It was not long after that a young engraver found a floor hatch, which
had not been there the previous night. He opened the hatch and put
his head through. Phantom arms grabbed him and pulled him inside.

"You fools didn't think I'd forget up from down did you?" hissed the ghost of Zarhan.

==[[User:FFLaguna|FFLaguna]]==
===(5 May 2008)===

<pre>===UHH,...===UHH,........[===].//+//````</pre>

Merchant Prince Gramlin snorted while batting away acorn flies with
his monkey hair swatter. 'Realm of Artifice,' ha! 'Dirt Fortress,'
he named it. These pathetic dwarves scratched a hole in the earth and
produced nothing but rock toys to offer the human caravans. The
journey was long and the profits few. At last the trees cleared
revealing a low hill with a single door, the trade platform lying
before it. Gramlin looked around him. Not a dwarf was to be seen.
They were probably sleeping off a night of unrestrained debauchery.
He ordered his men to lay the goods onto the platform.

A sudden pain rocked the merchant. He looked down at his great gut
and saw a crossbow bolt protruding from his chest. As he sank to the
earth, he cursed. The dwarves had gone feral, maddened by their
pathetic conditions. The caravan was routed and fled into the woods,
leaving their precious cargo on the platform. The last thing Gramlin
saw was the face of a mad dwarf, foaming at the mouth and snarling
before it took his scalp.

==[[User:ANormalUsername1|Frango Nicolbidok]]==
===(20 February 2013)===

'''"Skullinator"'''

<pre>++@+/o\++@+</pre>

Deep under the mountain, where magma pounded like blood through a rocky body, the crazed dwarf Malthis worked his dread craft. In a fortress the size of Ironside, no one really noticed when a nameless dwarf went missing. In fact, it seemed like the hill dwarves came and went like the breath of the forge. So who really cared when they disappeared?

“What is that?” asked Krang.

“I called it the Skullinator,” said Malthis.

The thing resembled a dwarf’s skull with the boney legs of a spider. Krang thought he could almost see the remains of flesh still sticking to the bone.

“What does it do?” asked Krang.

“Come closer,” said Malthis, “and I will show you.”

===(31 December 2013)===

<pre>@oO( * * )</pre>

Invisible gears began to whir. The monster artifact reared back on
its hind legs and took a step toward Krang, who stood still, paralyzed
with fear. The skull stared, its jeweled eyes fixed to Krang's face,
and began to speak. It was a dark and mysterious language of the
past, but somehow Krang was able to understand.

“You must bring me the beating heart of Prince Hablock,” said the
skull. “You have three days.”

Clearly shaken, Krang began muttering to himself. Malthis knew
nothing of the mission. All he heard was the hum of machinery and the
clicking of the ivory teeth. He questioned Krang briefly, but when it
was clear there would be no answer, Malthis retrieved the dwarf's coat
and showed him to the door.

The dwarf fortress was half a day's travel from Malthis's forge. That
gave Krang two days to kidnap the prince in time to bring him back.
Krang was on the move before he could think of a plan. It was hard to
scheme when all he saw in his mind's eye were the dead jewel eyes of
the Skullinator.

===(19 April 2013)===

<pre>+@+@+++++.,.,.,,.,=...,.,.,?g?</pre>

“All he keeps talking about is this Skull-o-tron,” said the castle guard.

“Skullinator!” cried Krang.

“Listen, friend,” said Prince Hablock. “I don't know what this
Malthis fellow has against me, but I'm sure the Guard are more than a
match for a mad blacksmith and his toys.”

It was true, the mission did seem impossible, especially after having
failed with such a direct appeal. The guard took Krang by the
shoulder and guided the desperate dwarf out of the audience chamber.
Normally, Krang would have considered himself lucky to escape without
being sent to the dungeon, but now he was on an evil quest. He
immediately left the royal suites and made his way to the fortress
tavern to clear his head and come up with another wicked plot.

“You want to kidnap who?” asked the barkeep.

“The prince,” hollered Krang, slurring his speech and seeing double.
“I must deliver him to my master, the Skullinator.”

“I'd talk to Spernak if I were you,” said the barkeep. “He's snatched
a princeling or two in his time.”

“Where can I find this wicked dwarf?” asked Krang.

“Spernak is no dwarf,” said the barkeep. “He is a goblin. You can
find him across the mine cart tracks. He's probably shoveling
beak-dog dung for a living.”

Krang slid off of his stool and made his way out the door. With only
one day left to collect the prince, the goblin Spernak had better live
up to his reputation. The mine cart tracks were quiet that time of
day and Krang didn't have much trouble sneaking into the goblin
neighborhood. The entire quest now depended on the skill of an
unknown villain.

ASCII art reward/A-F

2014-04-18T02:38:21Z

ANormalUsername1: Adding my fantastic story by ThreeToe

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
! colspan=4 | [[ASCII Art Reward]]s (alphabetically by contributor)
|-
| [[ASCII Art Reward/A-F|A – F]]
| [[ASCII Art Reward/G-L|G – L]]
| [[ASCII Art Reward/M-S|M – S]]
| [[ASCII Art Reward/T-Z|T – Z]]
|}

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

==[[User:Abby Ratso Lee|Abby Ratso Lee]]==
===(03 March 2013)===
<pre>|ggJggJgdggdd+g@|</pre>

“No dingo men or goblins allowed.”

The sign hung haphazardly across the tavern door. Samser took another
puff on his pipe and spit. As a goblin, there wasn’t much in the way
of opportunity in Steelguard Fortress, but it sure beat slaving in the
mines of the demon lords. Haughty dwarves passed by him with hatred
in their eyes. It was about time he was headed home.

Samser’s neighborhood was on the wrong side of the mine cart tracks.
It was a place you wouldn’t show your face after the evening bell, at
least if you didn’t want someone to rearrange it for you. Samser
tapped the crundles on the head as he passed them by. A pair of
jaguar women looked at him from a back alley. It was hard-living in
the lower mines.

“Where have you been?” shouted Samser’s woman.

She was a hill dwarf from a fortress down the river. Hilga was her
name, and she too had come to Steelguard looking for a future. She
had three children from a previous marriage and Samser looked at them
without sympathy, though they were clearly suffering. But though he
had no heart to speak of, he knew something had to give.

Animal people now outnumbered all dwarves and goblins combined in the
underclass. Samser thought it must be because the dwarves had chopped
down most of their forests. The dwarves liked to think that none of
this mattered. What was another food riot when the adamantine kept
flowing?

“You need to find a job,” said Hilga. “Right now you are just another
mouth to feed.”

Smirking, Samser thought it must have been half a year since he had
had any solid food, but he could use a drink. Slamming the door, he
followed the tracks down to the goblin bar. When he could get in,
Samser preferred to drink with the dwarves. Down at Effie’s it seemed
like there was a murder every other night.

Big Effie was a walking contradiction, a fat, jolly, good-natured
goblin. That didn’t stop Effie’s establishment from being the most
violent place this side of Steelguard. As Samser bellied up to the
bar, he couldn’t help noticing a dwarf sitting by himself in the
corner. Samser tried to back away, but it was too late. The dwarf
noticed him.

“Do you know what time it is?” asked the dwarf.

“It is time for you to get out of this neighborhood,” said Samser.

“It is time,” said the dwarf, “for revolution.”

==[[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]]==
===(5 February 2009)===
<pre>CCCCCCC,.,.,.|||@+@+></pre>

Fires burned at the edge of the vast grassland, holding back the
darkness before the dwarf fortress. All night baleful howls could be
heard on the plain, undead cows brought back to life by the evil
wizard Maxelman. He had allowed the dwarves to live in his domain of
evil, if they but bestowed on him one artifact a year. Nothing,
however, could measure the greed of a dwarf. Nothing, that is, save
his thirst for strong whiskey.

A dwarf stood atop the battlement, laughing drunkenly. "Get down
Twan," whispered his fellow guardsman. "The night-wings will snatch
you off the wall!" Twan threw his stein off the wall in defiance.
Such was his vanity that he thought that they only need live through
the night. Little did he know, the dawn would never come.

===(24 February 2009)===
<pre>DgDgg%@@%@~~++++++>>>>^+^+^+^+^%%%%%@</pre>

Twan held his helmet over his eyes and screamed. Fireballs smashed
into the walls, shot from the gullets of a dozen dragons circling in
the smoke-choked sky. Marksdwarves dove from the walls and smashed
into the courtyard below. "Stand and fight!" shouted Captain Krandle.
"Fear no devil!" Twan reached the courtyard just as the gate broken
open wide. Pike-wielding goblins poured through the opening. Captain
Krandle threw his great braided beard over his shoulder and called
forth his squad of elite axe-lords, The Chosen.

Pike and axe clashed again and again as Twan crawled between the legs
of the combatants. A head dropped onto the ground before him. It was
the head of Captain Krandle. Twan pressed on. He would not be
paralyzed with fear. It seemed that the power of Maxelman knew no
bounds, but not even he could breach the inner mines. Dodging the
deadly weapons, and slithering over the bodies, Twan made his way the
center of the fortress.

A dark tunnel lay beyond the entrance to the keep. Twan danced down
the corridor in the intricate steps that avoided the complex mass of
triggers and tripwires that guarded the entrance. Inside were the
mines, stocked with enough dwarven wine to keep them in the cups for
ten years. Twan reflected for a moment on those above who had died.
It wasn't important. He was alive, and would remain so, so long as he
avoided the king and any quests he might have in store.

===(13 May 2009)===
<pre>%@/%+++@+@@@</pre>

"That blasted wizard Maxelman," came a booming voice. "He shall not
have my artifact staff!"

Curses, thought Twan from his hiding in the cellar, the king! The
dwarf lord paced back and forth, followed by a pleading train of
aristocrats, tears of rage streaming from his eyes. The staff, the
cause of all the suffering the dwarves now endured, was only ten short
steps away. In near berserker rage, the king threw the staff down,
startling the nobles. Twan saw his chance. He shot between the
nobles and snatched up the artifact.

"Scoundrel," roared the king, "unhand the magic staff!"

Twan leapt onto a keg, holding the staff high.

"Maxelman will burn this fortress to the ground to gain this staff,"
said the rude dwarf. "I will have this power for myself!"

The king growled, plucking the gold rings from his fingers. He hurled
them at Twan, one striking the dwarf in the teeth. "Seize him!"
shouted the besieged ruler. Twan jumped from barrel to barrel as the
purple clad nobles chased him. As he ran from the cellar he heard
king's cry, "Guards, guards!"

In the enemy camp, the vile wizard Maxelman puzzled over his battle
plans. A dwarf fortress is always a hard nut to crack. One of his
generals, a skeletal shade from the netherworld, summoned him from his
tent. The wizard straightened his aching back, brushed his long black
beard, and stepped to the door. There, standing between two fierce
goblin guards, was Twan, holding the king's staff.

===(29 Aug 2009)===
<pre>+U+G-@+GG+</pre>

"You bring me the staff," said the evil sorcerer, "as a traitor to your people?"

The dwarven rogue took a step back and leveled the staff at his arch-nemesis.

"You will have the staff," said Twan. "Have it through your black
shriveled heart!"

The dwarf pressed a secret button and a blade emerged from the end of
the staff. The wizard called on his generals. The skeletal ghoul
drew his saber and charged. Twan spun with expert skill and took out
the phantom's knees, such was the power that the staff bestowed. Two
more undead warlords entered the tent. Twan thrust the staff at
Maxelman but a undead general threw himself in front of the blade,
impaling himself and collapsed into dust.

The legless fiend below snatched Twan's ankles and pulled Twan to the
floor. The staff spilled onto the ground. The dwarf felt his courage
suddenly fading. The wizard snatched up the artifact and cried out
with joy. The long campaign was finally at an end. The skeleton put
its bony arm around Twan's neck and pulled him upright. The wizard
noticed the dwarf and walked toward him, pointing the staff.

"Nice try, dwarf," said Maxelman. "Now feel the true power of the
artifact staff!"

Twan caught the thrust between his palms. As the wizard snarled, Twan
took the staff in one hand and with several quick motions, activated
the secret switches along its length. The dwarf released the staff as
saw blades swept out of the shaft and sliced off the wizard's hands.
Twan jammed his helmet into the skull of the phantom general and
smashed all the bones in its face.

The dwarf picked up the blood covered staff and chased the wizard from
the tent. Dozens of goblins blocked his way, but he dispatched them
with mighty slashes of his weapon. Just as he came within a spear's
throw of his enemy, a huge dust cloud blocked his way. Wind blew down
as a giant dragon landed before the dwarf. At last, thought Twan, a
worthy opponent.

==Alluvian_Est-Endrati==
===(19th December, 2010)===
<pre>~~~~..pppp.,.,@,..,.,.</pre>

In the frozen wastes far to the south, the dwarves toiled to construct
a mighty fortress out of glacial ice. Beyond the frozen walls, at the
edge of the snowy island, penguin men watched with fascination. At
the center of the iceberg, an underwater volcano rooted the floating
ice in place. It had not erupted in a hundred years, but the dwarves
tested the mountain's patience with their constant digging. Arud the
penguin man leaned toward his friend and whispered.

"I think these creatures may be more trouble than a pack of leopard
seal," he said.

The wind blew harsh, clouding their view. A small man appeared
through the blizzard. His beard was frozen and his skin was blue with
cold. In his hand he held an iron pick. The penguin men looked at
each other and clucked. The dwarf reached them, leaned on his pick
and spoke.

"You must help us," he said.

===(20th February, 2011)===
<pre>~~~~ppp,,,.,.,p,.!@!,.,.</pre>

A red light shone from further up the iceberg. Seconds later the trio was rocked by a wave of hot gas. The penguins fell to their bellies and slid toward the relative safety of the sea. At the last minute, Arud turned to see the dwarf thrashing on the icy slope, his coat on fire. Arud turned and jumped to his feet, leaving his puzzled friend behind.

"Come friend," said the penguin man, slapping the flames from the dwarf's coat, "we must leave this island."

"You don't understand," said the dwarf. "This island was chosen. At the heart of the mountain is the Fire Star, a jewel so powerful it could turn night to day. Please, Forge Father, forgive our tampering. We sought to take it for our own and it became misaligned. Look there!"

A ray of light shot up from the volcano. Arud felt the heat on his face. The jewel's power caused clouds to burst into flame and burned its signature into the blue vault of the sky. The penguin man did not understand, but he knew he must act. He pulled the dwarf to his feet with his flipper and together they ran into the smoking ruin.

===(10th August, 2011)===
<pre>UW||UUUUUUUU,.\U,..UUUUUU</pre>

The hanging bodies twitched against the wall of the evil castle.
Thalfor had heard of the witch's power. That was why he allowed
himself to be taken prisoner. The others around him looked far worse
off. They trembled as they passed under the menacing gate.
Everywhere were the sounds of screaming men. Behind, zombies with
whips drove the crowd into the blood-soaked courtyard.

Before the prisoners, at the top window of the keep, stood Camestra
the Wicked. One could say she may have been beautiful once, but now
she was sickly and pale. Behind her stood a brawny zombie, tall and
menacing.

"Now you shall all die," said the witch. "But one of you shall be my
new body servant. Old Donus is beginning to give off a nasty odor."

The prisoners began to panic. Armed zombies closed in for kill.
Thalfor reached to his inner thigh and pulled out a hidden blade. One
by one he cut down the zombies. Camestra brought her hand to her
mouth and Donus let out a low groan.

"No one will die today," said Thafor, "that hasn't died before."

==Angry Licker==
===(15th January, 2010)===
<pre>@@@@@@+++@/++@@@@@@@@@</pre>

The mad dwarf spun this way and that to confront his pursuers. He
held a knife, given to him by his father on his first day at the
carpentry shop. He could hear the sheriff shouting, the crowd closing
in. Tears rolled down his face. It felt good that it was over, but
all that was left was shame. Pike dwarves were filling into the room.
Soon they would subdue him, and bring him to the hammerer, to be
forged anew. He didn't really believe that. He doubted any dwarf
did. When he went out, he wouldn't go out like a dwarf. He would die
like an animal. A new fire glowed in his eyes. With a savage howl,
the dwarf charged.

==[[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: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.

===(13 April 2009)===
<pre>c+||@++c+cc+@@||,.,,.U,ggCgggT</pre>

The dwarf Frankle ran through the corridors, chasing after the many
cats that infested the fortress. He stopped when the alarm was
sounded. The captain of the guard shouted orders. The dwarves rushed
to their stations. Frankle, a reserve marks-dwarf, grabbed up a
crossbow from the arsenal and trotted up the stairs to man the
battlements. When he reached the top he saw the other marks-dwarves
standing, shocked by what they saw. Taking a deep breath, he looked
over the side.

At the fortress gate stood an enormous monster, dragging itself upon
its vicious, clawed arms. Goblins stood around it, jeering, and
hurling curses. A feeling of terror gripped Frankle's chest. In all
his years in the service he had never fired his bow in anger, but no
bolt could take this beast down. The captain put a hand on Frankle's
shoulder. Below, a robed man stepped out before the creature. A
fresh scar transected his missing left eye. It was the evil wizard
Ameltoss.

"Lay down your weapons and accept a swift death," shouted the wizard.
A bolt thudded down between his feet. "Somehow I thought you'd
refuse. Release the beast!"

A troll stepped forward wielding a huge axe. With several violent
chops, the chain binding the monster's wrist was broken. The creature
surged forward. Frankle screamed in fright and fired his crossbow.
His bolt, along with a dozen others, bounced harmlessly from the
creatures hide. As the monster beat down the gate. It seemed their
was no hope. That was when champion dwarf Rokwan emerged from the
keep within the castle.

==[[User:Bordum|Bordum]]==
=== (10 April 2010) ===

<pre>~%@@%@%~~,.,..,,.?</pre>

The sickening thud of club and bone echoed through the cavern as the
dwarf explorers were set upon by a troop of trogs. Expedition leader
Fidon showed his prowess, wielding his axe like a true champion,
hewing through flesh and sinew. The creatures of the underworld could
never be allowed to win. The dwarves rested, the enemies vanquished.
The only casualty was Fidon’s boot, ruined where a trog had gnawed
through. The dwarves laughed, then became silent when a growl could
be heard deep within the cave.

===(04 March 2012)===

<pre>.,J@,.@@@.,@</pre>

Torchlight reflected in the creature's eyes, looming high above the
ground. The beak scraped as it opened and closed. The great tongue
probed, waiting for the next morsel. The dwarves stood still,
standing their ground, but this was of no use. This was a predatory
attack. Fidon knew their only chance was to fight back vigorously.

“Fire!” cried Fidon. “Lay it in there!”

The bolts bounced harmlessly off the violet feathers. The beak came
down and plucked up a marksdwarf. It flipped the dwarf into the air
and opened its throat wide, swallowing the victim whole. Fidon lost
hold of his dwarves and they fled. The monster saw the little things
run and was compelled to chase, driven by its killer instinct.

Fidon had stood his ground, but it was all over. The creature was
gone, and so were his friends. He looked back in the direction of the
fortress. He couldn’t return there now. He lifted his crossbow off
the ground and slung it over his shoulder. He would win back his
honor.

===(01 January 2014)===

<pre>.,J,..,.,.,@(O).,</pre>

Time as a cycle of night and day is meaningless in the caverns of
eternal darkness. Civilizations such as the dwarves dare to dip their
toes into the land of perpetual night. The dwarven mine shafts break
through the rocky ceiling and shatter the only barrier between the
underworld and a place where it makes sense not to be afraid at all
times.

Trotting as fast as his short legs could carry him, Fidon followed the
tracks of the jabberer. The prehistoric monster was a throwback to a
time when the underworld was full of horrors. The dwarves like to
think they had tamed the world below, but the truth was there was no
end to the terrors of the dark. How many more there were did not
matter to Fidon. His business was with the jabberer before him.

“Squawk your last,” shouted Fidon, stepping out from behind a giant
mushroom. “For tonight you die.”

==[[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:Brownie210|Brownie210]]==
===(22 December 2008)===
<pre>+&@\O+||~~~~~~~~~</pre>
Sweat glistened on the hairy dwarf's body as he wrestled the dark lord
Slandar. Above them lay the steel orifice holding back the sea of
lava that was the last defense against the evil army, if only a dwarf
could pull the lever. The dwarf held the evil general's arm in both
hands as the fiend tried to drive his dagger through the hero's heart.

"Slandar," asked the dwarf, "when did you become so hot-headed?"

The dwarf let go of the villain's arm and pulled the lever. As the
fiend drove his blade through the laughing dwarf's heart, the gates
opened above and a torrent of lava fell from the ceiling, incinerating
them both in a cloud of steam.

==[[User:Burgi|Burgi]]==
===(27 March 2014)===
<pre>?OOO?..,,.,.@|+++++@@@@</pre>
Outside the dwarf fortress, life was cheap. Petty warlords squabbled
over acres of dirt where peasants slaved away with no promise for the
future. Once in a great while the dwarves would sally forth to bring
order to the chaos. It was times like these when heroism was called
for. Those that answered the call were mightier than the rest.

"Where do you hail from, hero dwarf?" asked the dwarven king.

"I have come far," said Ulrich, "from deep under the mountain."

"Danger comes from above," said the king. "How long has in been since
you have seen the light of day?"

"I do not recall," said Ulrich. "But I can tell you, there is no ball
of light that can stand between me and glory."

Latter that day, the gates opened, flooding the entrance of the
fortress with light. If it had any effect on Ulrich, he did not show
it. He had been tasked with killing a family of ogres that had moved
onto the caravan track. He waited until the dwarves shut the gate
behind him and vomited.

==[[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."

==[[User:CharlesPeter|CharlesPeter]]==
===(6 January 2011)===
<pre>UU,.~U~,.\b,.</pre>

The adventurers made their way into the hive. Long had the bee women
tormented the people of Bodarga. Bram would put an end to this
nonsense. The adventurers entered the huge structure through a large
hexagonal door. The tunnel turned and twisted at strange angles.
Everywhere was the ever-present buzzing of the enemy. Suddenly a bee
woman appeared, wielding a stinger spear. Bram let out a warrior cry
and charged at her, brandishing a sword. Suddenly his feet sank into
the floor. A honey trap!

==[[User:Chaz GELF|Chaz GELF]]==
===(25 October 2009)===
<pre>,.E@UU,.,</pre>

Mighty knight Dron looked on his companions with a measuring stare.
To his right was Glome, a marksdwarf most renowned, cleaning his
weapon, a blindfold across his eyes. Across from him stood the elven
warrior princess and summoner of animals, Tigotha. At his left was
Alvin, his squire. These chosen few were destined to quest across the
land in search of the evil wizard Zandore.

"The vile villain is not far off now," said Dron. "I can smell his
evil magic."

"It could be another one of his tricks," said Tigotha. "It wouldn't
be the first time you were fooled."

"Put me anywhere up to league away from evil wizard Zandore," said
marksdwarf Glome, "and the war will be over." The dwarf pulled the
trigger and his crossbow snapped with sudden force.

"Master," cried Alvin, "I see something!"

===(09 January 2013)===
<pre>UUE@,.,.,..,S,.\@P\@P</pre>

It was a tiny speck on the horizon Dron could barely make out.

“Tell me Glome,” said the hero, “what do you see with your marks-dwarf’s eyes?”

“Two riders are approaching, maybe more,” said the dwarf.

“I will call on a great seagull,” said Tigotha, “that it might peck
out their eyes.”

Alvin flinched. He didn’t like it when she talked that way. Was her
violence really any better than the schemes of the evil one? He could
almost see the horsemen now. They wore dark clothing and bore the
standard of Zandore.

“Take them out,” said Dron.

Tigotha called on the forces of nature as Glome took aim. Alvin
jumped as a shadow passed overhead. It was the giant seagull, just as
the dread princess promised. The riders wheeled their steeds around
and drew their weapons of shining adamantine. The seagull dove at
them but they fought it back. Dron looked to his sniper.

“Glome,” said Dron, “why aren’t those villains dead?”

“They are dwarves, master,” said Glome. “I cannot fire on my brothers.”

“Enough,” shouted Dron. “Alvin, my spear!”

Taking to his great black stallion, Dron took up his weapon and
charged across the field to meet the dwarves in combat.

==[[User:Chobeat|Chobeat]]==
===(25 December 2011)===
Context: I've asked for a story about the ring i gave to my girlfriend. This ring was designed with the help of DF's community and had engraved symbols narrating our story, in a dwarven style.

<pre>c,..,,.U=U....,.,,.R</pre>

The great warrior looked over what the dwarves had constructed. It
was modest, sure, but without a doubt a home built for a true hero.
The foundation was as sturdy as the root of a mountain. Its walls and
roof shed all elements like shields in the heat of battle. The man
smiled and looked down at the ring in his palm. It was inscribed with
runes dedicated to this very day.

"Chobeat," said the girl, "can I open my eyes yet?"

Slowly, Chobeat stepped to his woman and took her hand. He slid the
ring on her finger and kissed her hand. She opened her eyes and
blushed, startled by the beauty of the ring.

"It is beautiful," she said.

Sadly, she wasn't the only one to see the sparkly thing. High above,
Ethbesh the roc circled. Since the dawn of time, the evil bird had
haunted the valley below from her nest high in the mountain. Hate and
jealously drove the monster to new acts of cruelty.

Just as Chobeat was about to carry his woman across the threshold of
his new dwarven house, a shadow fell upon him. With one mighty rush
of talon and wing, his wife was gone. Chobeat cried out and drew his
sword. It was too late.

Then he saw something glowing on the ground. The ring! He picked it
up and looked at the strange pictograms. It had dwarf magic. Maybe
he could yet find her. He slid the ring onto his little finger.
Suddenly he heard voices all around him.

"You can hear me," said a voice from behind.

Chobeat turned around to see a smiling cat.

"I can help you get her back," said the creature. "My name is Tao."

==[[User:ckwolek|ckwolek]]==
===(26 December 2011)===

<pre>@@@+++=\g+@+</pre>

Tsmuaka lifted his head from over the anvil and ran a hand over his
bald green head. He looked back at the dwarf woman standing behind
him, then cast his gaze around at the many dwarf miners trying to
ignore him. They all want her, thought Tsmuaka, but I will be dog
meat before they lay a stubby finger on her.

The goblin had been a weapon-smith in the dwarf fortress longer than
anyone could remember. The dwarves tolerated his grumpy, vindictive
ways because he created the finest swords in Allsphere. But when he
married Oril, things changed.

The king had to pardon Tsmuaka for two murders within the first year.
Why would a dwarf dare tangle with the woman of the hardest goblin
alive? You just had to lay eyes on Oril. Her beauty had blinded man,
elf, and animal person. It was so bad that the dwarves looked on
Tsmuaka with fear and pity.

"They say Oril with be at the dance tonight," said Aliz

"What about Tsmuaka?" asked Sudir.

"Forget that old goblin," said Aliz.

==[[User:crash2455|crash2455]]==
===(22 June 2009)===
<pre>"@++@>>>+++@gggggggggggg"</pre>

Torin felt the prick of blade in his spine. It was his curse to guard
the gate to the lower reaches. He had been chosen because of his
great size. The dwarf's expansive belly was enough to block the
portal by itself. You were wrong, thought Torin. Someone braver must
protect us, not a fat waste of flesh like me. Sharp claws reached out
from the gate and pulled the heavy dwarf back inside. With a whimper,
Torin disappeared into the darkness.

"Where is that ogre of a dwarf?" asked Malak the guards-dwarf.
"Captain, Torin's late again!"

The captain set his shiny metal cap forward on his head as he
descended the stairs. Another day begins in the fortress, and with
it, another failure in discipline. The captain brought his rod down
onto the table where Malak had been munching on a chicken leg. "See
to it, dwarf!" shouted the captain. "Are you a member of the castle
guard, or aren't you?"

Malak descended the stairs to the dungeon, axe in hand. It wasn't
like Torin to miss a meal. Below, in the darkness, were a dozen
shining red eyes. Goblins! The guard knocked a flying blade out of
the air with the hilt of his weapon. He reached for his whistle, but
before he could put it to his lips, they were on him, clawing, biting,
evil!

==[[User:CVanEseltine|CVanEseltine]]==
===(25 April 2012)===

<pre><<<<TT+~~@\U~+++>>>></pre>

Lightning bolts struck all around the black pyramid. Atop stood dread
queen Cirne, preparing for another dwarf sacrifice. The trolls
shrugged as the captive dwarf struggled. Dragged kicking and
screaming toward the sacrificial slab, he could see the entrails where
Cirne had been trying to divine the secrets of life and death. Seeing
his only chance, the dwarf made a desperate gamble.

"I know where you can find the secrets you seek," said the dwarf.

Cirne snarled, baring four long canine teeth.

"What is your name, wise ass?" growled the queen.

"I am Kastol," said the dwarf. "Blacksmith, fourth class."

"Then by all means lead on, Blacksmith Kastol," said the queen. "For
you will be richly rewarded."

Dwarf fortress Snowsmear was little more than a tower library in the
icy wastes. Other than the occasional blizzard man attack, nothing
ever happened there. It was just a place to store books. But these
were dangerous books, not to be opened except by those willing to risk
their very souls.

It was there that old Aliz worked with his novice Ibruk. Aliz had
just dozed off when he heard someone stomping down the stairs. He
awoke to see Ibruk standing there, snow all over his boots. Aliz made
ready to scold him when the young dwarf spoke.

"An army of trolls is coming," he said. "They bear the standard of
Cirne the Evil."

==[[User:Dagny|Dagny]]==
===(17 September 2010)===

<pre>gggggggggg,.,.~~~~~~&~~~~~</pre>

Fires burned in the heart of the mountain as the demon god Yaknor
called for the death of the entire dwarf race. Legions of goblins
poured up through the cracks of the earth. It was bad news for the
dwarves on guard duty that night, destroyed by a thunder of a hundred
creatures of the night. Those remaining fought with passion. Sword
and axe clashed again and again as the forces of good and evil danced
Death's dance. True heroism would be awoken that day, a shaft of
light into the heart of darkness.

==[[User:Darksaiyan|Darkie]]==
===(14 September 2008)===
<pre>,.,.O@T,...</pre>

Surrounded by a troll on one side and an ogre on the other, dwarf
master Alrin knew these could be the last seconds of his life. As he
gripped the handle of his axe he recalled the teachings of Azrom, god
of war. Matters of great importance should be given the slightest
thought. It was only the minor matters that must be given the most
delicate care. So, without conscious thought, Alrin slammed his axe
handle into the ogre's toe. Swiftly, the dwarf ran between the
monster's legs and delivered a swift kick to its backside. As the
ogre toppled over, the hairy troll launched over the fallen monster
and leaped toward Alrin. As time slowed in an adrenalin rush, Alrin
readied his axe.

==[[User:Davion|Davion]]==
===(28 July 2008)===
<pre>bBbBbBbB####HU*########||+UU+||</pre>

The master thief leapt from the tower, the royal jewels still in his
hands. The pursuing guard ran to the side to watch in wonder as the
burglar plunged to his death. But lo, a giant hawk flew down and
plucked him out of the sky. The aging king stormed out onto the roof
of the tower, still in his bed clothes.

"Curse you Faltrix!" screamed the king as the bird flew toward the horizon.

The rogue had known the hawk since it was a hatchling. It was then he
had pulled an arrow from its wing. Thus began the most famous
partnership of the age. The hawk rider and his steed were known
throughout the land as heroes of the people, stealing from the rich
and giving to the poor.

A dark cloud rose on the horizon. The smile fell from Faltrix's lips
as the evil creatures sprung their ambush. Bat men! How had these
creatures strayed so far from the mountains? The evil beings rode
giant bats and shot poison darts from their blow guns. Faltrix
commanded his mount to dive low. Perhaps he could lose them in the
trees of the forest below.

===(28 September 2008)===
<pre>kbkkbkb,..,..HU,..*.@,...</pre>

Down, down into the forest canopy they flew. Faltrix's heart raced as
they wove through the trees, the bat men close behind. Just when he
thought he lost them, the hawk called out with a piercing cry. A net
of vines dropped from the treetops above, fouling the bird's wings.
They crashed to the forest floor with a thud and slid forward in the
dirt. Faltrix drew his sword and cut through the web. High-pitched
cackling echoed from above. Kobolds! The rogue set about cutting his
avian steed free, but the hawk did not stir from unconsciousness.

"Agron!" screamed Faltrix. "Agron!"

Black shadows dropped from vines above. The kobolds drew their jagged
blades. As they surrounded him the batmen caught up just it time to
finish him off. A dozen poison darts landed at his feet. Why didn't
they kill him?

"Agron," said the rogue, "if we get out of this, you can eat all the
giant rats you want."

The kobolds parted to reveal a short wizard in a glowing red robe, a
long hood covering his face. Faltrix lowered his blade as the
menacing figure approached. The wizard threw back his hood to reveal
the face of an evil dwarf. Faltrix threw the stolen Eye of Atheria at
his feet.

"Take the jewel," said Faltrix, "just let Agron live."

"Touching," said the dwarf, "but fear not, I will have need of the
rider and his hawk to complete the ultimate quest."

"Quest?" asked Faltrix.

==[[User:DaWarMage|DaWarMage]]==
===(8 February 2009)===
<pre>@@@@||~3--~~U~gUGUUG~~~</pre>

Dwarves howled as the gladiators fought and bled. They were men and
goblins, imprisoned since the great siege. Now, with the promise of
freedom, they fought. Hanson knew the goblins could not be trusted,
but he had included them in an escape plan with his fellow humans out
of necessity. The dwarves had been foolish to wait so long to condemn
them. It had allowed them to organize.

Once out onto the sand, the gladiators fell in behind Hanson. The
dwarves grew quiet. The Baron stepped to edge of his platform. "What
is the meaning of this?" cried the dwarven noble. Hanson took his
trident up and ran toward the platform, hurling the weapon with all
his might.

==[[User:Dinjoralo|Dinjoralo]]==
===(16 February 2014)===
<pre>.,.,|UU++U|>??</pre>

It was rumored that the city of Assura was built on top of an ancient
dwarf fortress. The barbarians that lived there were not interested
in the marvels beneath their feet. The treasures had been looted long
ago. All that was left were walls covered with strange pictures and
carved runes. The only people interested in that kind of thing were
Dulchari wizards, and King Banatar had outlawed wizardry years ago.

"Tell me again," said young Thirby. "How do wizards work magic?"

"It is all song and dance," said Banesa. "You must merely learn the
steps, the lyrics, and the tune."

As the pair passed under the city archway they felt the cold stares of
the Akkarites. King Banatar had built an empire on superstition and
the hatred of all things magical. It seemed unfair to Thirby that the
Akkarite capital of Assura was built on top of the greatest reservoir
of magical knowledge ever collected.

A strange woman in an orange robe nodded to Banesa and a group of
priests appeared and hustled her and Thirby off the street. They
moved from alley to alley, avoiding the patrols of Akkarite knights.
All of this did little to ease Thirby's mind. He didn't trust the
priests of Cenaster any more than Banatar's knights, but he had total
faith in his master.

"Fear not," said Banesa. "The secrets of the dwarves will soon be ours."

The temple of Cenaster was built across the street from a neglected
graveyard. Thirby couldn't help from feeling his doubts return. The
priestess performed the secret knock and the wizards were allowed
inside. Waiting for them was the high priest.

"Not since the Great Disaster have the signs be so apparent," said the
old man. "The old gods shall return and set the world on the right
course at last."

"To cast the Spell of Summoning," said Banesa, "one must read from the
dwarven tablet. I alone can do this."

"Name your price," said the priest.

"You must take us to the library," said Banesa.

==[[User:Draigh|Draigh]]==
===(13 Augustus 2008)===
<pre>.@@|,-.-.kk,k,.k,.</pre>

Malgar, warrior dwarf woman, fought on against the onslaught of
kobolds, her newborn baby still strapped to her back. She lifted her
shield to block another volley of poison darts. She had been hunting,
far from the entrance of the fortress, when she stumbled upon the
skulking trash, no doubt planning a cowardly raid on the fortress
vault. She had to warn the others. With one hand she held the bugle
to her lips, while with the other she parried another deadly strike.

==DreamThorn==
===(11 August 2011)===
<pre>"aaaaaa,.,..,@|@@,.,.aaaaaaa"</pre>

"This is it," said Thash. "This is where it happened."

The other dwarves looked around the cavern. They had followed an
ancient map through the bowels of the earth, crisscrossing through
leagues of twisting tunnels. They had fought crundles, run from
jabberers, and followed ridiculous advice from well-meaning gorlaks.
All for this. All to reach this point.

"That's it?" asked Aliz. "That sword sticking in the floor is all
that's holding back the tentacled ones?"

"Yes," said Thash, "and that is why we must protect it."

Somewhere above there was a chittering sound.

"Ant men!" cried Aliz.

==[[User:Dutchling|Dutchling]]==
===(3 March 2011)===
<pre>||@@@@+@+++<||@||####/##/###/#####</pre>

Lightning bolts rained down from the sky as the storm god Domin
released his fury upon the world. Hardest it fell on the dwarf
fortress, but no meteor, no matter how powerful, could keep the little
ones down. King Ibruk stood upon the wall of the dwarven castle,
drunk, daring the sky god to strike him down. The other dwarves
cowered behind the battlements, none brave enough to pull the king
down.

"Lord Ibruk," shouted a voice from lower in the courtyard, "throw not
your life away."
===(17 February 2014)===
<pre>eU.,|+++++++@@?M?</pre>

"Who goes there?" shouted Ibruk.

The wind cleared the clouds of dust from the battered courtyard.
Standing there were a trio of brave looking heroes. The elf looked
tough, and so did the woman wearing furs of the south people, but most
impressive was the dwarf. He was tall for one of his kind, a full
span taller than the king at least. He took two steps forward and
stared the king in the face, showing no deference to the royal blood.

"The sky god has no interest in taking your life," said the dwarf
champion. "Nor does he seek to pound your fortress into rubble. He
merely seeks the stolen egg you foolishly bought from the goblins."

"The egg?" asked the king. "What is your name, dwarf?"

"I am Kognar," said the hero, "servant of the sacred forge."

"You are brave indeed to point out folly in your king," said Ibruk.
"I will take you to what you seek."

The meteor storm seemed to lessen slightly as the king showed Kognar
inside. The elf and woman were forced to wait outside as only dwarves
were allowed in the fortress proper. The king led Kognar through a
series of winding passages until they reached a small room with a hole
in the floor. Heavy breathing could be heard below as if some great
monster was kept there.

"The egg hatched the night after it was brought here," said the king
to Kognar. "It has devoured every dwarf that has challenged it."

===(18 March 2014)===
<pre>@+++.%%,.,.@/J,..%,%%</pre>

"If Domon wants a sacrifice to end the fire storm," said Ibruk, "you
seem as good a candidate as any."

With the crank of a hidden lever, the floor fell away from beneath
Kognar's feet. Hitting the stone floor hard, the hero managed to roll
and recover before the monster could strike. The monster's lair was
filled with skeletons and rotting dwarven meat. The creature seemed
to have become the king's favorite pet.

"Come and get him, Beaky!" cried King Ibruk.

The monster did resemble an enormous, featherless bird. It was twice
the size of the jabberers Kognar knew from the caverns back home. The
hero had a soft spot in his heart for animal life, but this monster
had developed a taste for dwarven flesh. It had to be put down, and
that was something Kognar could not forgive the mad king.

The giant jabberer moved its head from side to side, judging the
distance to strike. Kognar took the time to draw his secret knife.
When the attack came, it was sudden and vicious. The bird monster
meant to snap Kognar in half with its razor-like beak. It was a split
second too late. The hero ducked under the striking head and slashed
the creature's throat.

The gurgling bellow of the dying bird mingled with the king's scream
of denial. Kognar climbed on top of the twitching monster corpse and
jumped up, grasping the lip of the pit. The king called for the
guards, but there was only silence. The fire storm had ceased. Even
the gods knew it was over. King Ibruk had to pay.

==Eagleon==
===(17 August 2007)===
<pre>,o.o@,.P.</pre>

Doran rolled the gray-green schist around slowly in his fingers, examining it closely. A deep red almandine garnet stared back at him from one side of the stone. Truly a fine specimen, he thought. Perhaps this mine isn't a total loss.

The dwarf stood, brushing the dust from his trousers. Now was as good a time as any for some whiskey. Upon turning to the south corridor, he found himself face to face with a sleek velvet figure, terrible and beautiful. A pantherman, here in the mines?! The dwarf stood completely still. The creature could kill him at will. Doran's only hope was that it did not wish to eat him. Its yellow hunter's eyes gazed into his, unblinking, betraying no intention. The finely toned muscles of its body rippled as it positioned itself. To pounce? To bound away? Doran was at the mercy of the beast.

===(23 November 2008)===
<pre>"TW"."".EEEE</pre>

The only sound that the wizard heard was the breathing of the beast.
The trees of the forest rushed by as the giant tiger bounded over rock
and branch, the wizard clinging to its back. Muscles rippled through
the great cat's shoulders as they thundered on. Soon they would reach
the place of magic, the home of the forest spirit. The wizard leapt
from the creatures back and turned, throwing his staff. The tiger
stretched back onto its hind legs and caught the staff in its claw,
now the shape of a hand. The creature snarled and spoke in an animal
language few, save the wizard, understood.

"Alavaster," it said, "we near the sacred grove. Know that is
swarming with treacherous elves. We must use caution."

The wizard looked down at the thick hair bristling on the back on his
hand. Nothing save the spring of the forest spirit could cure his
lycanthropy. No elf would stand in his way. Together, the companions
walked along the natural path, carved by a hundred animals seeking an
audience with the spirit. The tiger's tail began to wag from side to
side. "Do you smell them?" it said.

The wizard took a deep breath through his wolf's muzzle. There was
the odor of the enemy, those who would bar him from his only chance to
return to human form. Elves. Shadows across the trail. They came
on, one after another in a single file line. Their animal instincts
proved true. The lead elf stopped when he saw the creatures.
Alavaster and the tiger stood firm.

"Animal people!" cried the elf. "Shoot them down!"

==[[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."

==Flying Olm==
===(30th January, 2010)===
<pre>TTT,.""".,@@@@@,"".TTTPETTT</pre>

The elf watched from above as the dwarves passed below. One by one,
the saplings fell to the dwarven machetes. Let them come in a little
further, he thought. The bush would close in behind them, sealing
them in, away from their kins-dwarves. Then the forest would claim
them, lost forever beneath the green of the treetops. The black
panther woman drew back her teeth in a snarl. She turned her body on
the high branch to address the elf.

"Master Elekain," it said, "we should kill them now and gnaw on their bones."

The elf felt the hunger in his teeth. His temples pulsed with rage.
His eyes traced the dwarves' path back to the edge of the forest. A
troop of warriors gathered there, bidding their country-dwarves
farewell. Elekain drew his blade, a dagger of hardened wood,
magically sharpened by the river pebbles of the Forest Spirit. He
pricked his fingertip and let the blood fall.

The dwarf slapped his neck with a gauntlet and pulled it back to see a
small smear of blood. He stepped out of line and scanned the
treetops, pointing his pike. Grimacing, he trotted to the front of
the column. Captain Dumple didn't like to be bothered with useless
reports, but he had a feeling about this. He stepped up behind the
head dwarf.

"Speak, Lt. Garndel."

Captain Dumple was twice as tall as the greatest dwarf warrior. It
was rumored that he was sired by a man. His beard was dark and thick,
his eyes fierce and flashing. He had seen a dozen battles and had
come out without a scratch. He was a harsh master but was respected
for he brought victory. Garndel swallowed his fear.

"Captain," said Garndel, "the elves are upon us."

==[[User:freeformschooler|freeformschooler]]==
===(3 July 2011)===
<pre>@@@@||g??????????????</pre>

A fierce dry wind blew up from the valley. Wandros and his dwarves
lay behind cacti and sharpened their knives. After a time the goblin
came. The dwarves were dead quiet as it passed them by, oblivious.
As the creature moved toward the rocks, Wandros stood and beckoned his
dwarves to follow.

The Valley of Gold was a real place. Wandros knew it was, and the
goblin would show him where it was. Right, then left, then right
again the goblin made its way around the canyon walls. There at last
was the door. The goblin bent and walked inside, closing the door
after him. Wandros took the doorknob in his hand.

"What's the password?" said a voice from inside.

==[[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 when everything had gone black. Dorol had heard a commotion shortly after, followed by terrible undwarven screaming, but afterward just the soft footfalls of somebody running quickly along with the rustling of the sack. At once, whoever was carrying him stopped and let the sack drop hard on the ground. There was a rustling, and the sack opened. It was nighttime, and Dorol could see the face of his captor looking down at him. A goblin! The fiend pulled the cloth down far enough that Dorol'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. Dorol worked one of his hands out of the sack and took the offering. It wasa piece of spoiled meat, crawling with diseased larvae. The child dropped it on the ground by the sack. "Hey, that's good meat," the goblin complained, reaching down to pick it up. "The master gave it to me just for you." The goblin lowered its voice and mumbled. "I'd eat it, but he is always watching me, and he knows when I've been bad. "Now eat up," the goblin drew closer and pushed the meat into the dwarf's face. Like a true smith, the dwarven child struck, smashing the hammer of his miniforge into the goblin's eye! The goblin cringed, clutching his face. After a moment he shook his head 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 goblin shouted, "You can't run, you hairy snot! I'll hunt you, and I'll find you!" Snatching up the sack, the goblin ran off into the wilds.

==[[User:Fuzzy|Fuzzy]]==
===(31 October 2008)===
<pre>.,G,@,,.</pre>

The dwarves buried Administrator Zarhan face down, so that when evil
spirits animated his soulless corpse, as surely they would, he would
dig straight down into the Underworld and away from the land of the
living. For a season after, the fortress was beset by a horrible
howling that filled the corridors. The dwarves of the fortress were
driven to near madness. Eventually the sounds faded.

It was not long after that a young engraver found a floor hatch, which
had not been there the previous night. He opened the hatch and put
his head through. Phantom arms grabbed him and pulled him inside.

"You fools didn't think I'd forget up from down did you?" hissed the ghost of Zarhan.

==[[User:FFLaguna|FFLaguna]]==
===(5 May 2008)===

<pre>===UHH,...===UHH,........[===].//+//````</pre>

Merchant Prince Gramlin snorted while batting away acorn flies with
his monkey hair swatter. 'Realm of Artifice,' ha! 'Dirt Fortress,'
he named it. These pathetic dwarves scratched a hole in the earth and
produced nothing but rock toys to offer the human caravans. The
journey was long and the profits few. At last the trees cleared
revealing a low hill with a single door, the trade platform lying
before it. Gramlin looked around him. Not a dwarf was to be seen.
They were probably sleeping off a night of unrestrained debauchery.
He ordered his men to lay the goods onto the platform.

A sudden pain rocked the merchant. He looked down at his great gut
and saw a crossbow bolt protruding from his chest. As he sank to the
earth, he cursed. The dwarves had gone feral, maddened by their
pathetic conditions. The caravan was routed and fled into the woods,
leaving their precious cargo on the platform. The last thing Gramlin
saw was the face of a mad dwarf, foaming at the mouth and snarling
before it took his scalp.

==[[User:ANormalUsername1|Frango Nicolbidok]]==
===(20 February 2013)===

'''"Skullinator"'''

<pre>++@+/o\++@+</pre>

Deep under the mountain, where magma pounded like blood through a rocky body, the crazed dwarf Malthis worked his dread craft. In a fortress the size of Ironside, no one really noticed when a nameless dwarf went missing. In fact, it seemed like the hill dwarves came and went like the breath of the forge. So who really cared when they disappeared?

“What is that?” asked Krang.

“I called it the Skullinator,” said Malthis.

The thing resembled a dwarf’s skull with the boney legs of a spider. Krang thought he could almost see the remains of flesh still sticking to the bone.

“What does it do?” asked Krang.

“Come closer,” said Malthis, “and I will show you.”

===(31 December 2013)===

<pre>@oO( * * )</pre>

Invisible gears began to whir. The monster artifact reared back on
its hind legs and took a step toward Krang, who stood still, paralyzed
with fear. The skull stared, its jeweled eyes fixed to Krang's face,
and began to speak. It was a dark and mysterious language of the
past, but somehow Krang was able to understand.

“You must bring me the beating heart of Prince Hablock,” said the
skull. “You have three days.”

Clearly shaken, Krang began muttering to himself. Malthis knew
nothing of the mission. All he heard was the hum of machinery and the
clicking of the ivory teeth. He questioned Krang briefly, but when it
was clear there would be no answer, Malthis retrieved the dwarf's coat
and showed him to the door.

The dwarf fortress was half a day's travel from Malthis's forge. That
gave Krang two days to kidnap the prince in time to bring him back.
Krang was on the move before he could think of a plan. It was hard to
scheme when all he saw in his mind's eye were the dead jewel eyes of
the Skullinator.

User:ANormalUsername1

2011-05-21T06:43:36Z

ANormalUsername1: f

:> Hello, I am Frango Nicolbidok, or Nicolbidok for short.
:> The Common Language Translation(CLT, not to be mistooken for "[[Clutter]],") for Nicolbidok is "Afteracts."
:> It is I who have scowered the tundras in search for [[wolves]] and [[Yeti|yetis]]. I've searched for the [[Fortress|Mountain Halls]] from which my origins are from.
:> I've been around the world and back. I've killed countless [[goblins]] and recruited many [[dwarves]] to fight by my side. [[Dragons]] and [[Roc|Rocs]] have fallen dead to my might.
:> [[Humans]] have been at my mercy for more times than can be counted.
:> In the beginning of the year 126, 7 dwarves embarked on journey. They called themselves Afteracts. They established a fortress named Alaksedil, or in CLT, [[User:ANormalUsername1/Aceangel|Aceangel]].
:> I've traveled here and stayed as a guest. [[Food]] rarely runs out, and there's always a source of [[water]]. The water never freezes over, it's perfect here. We became a county as of last year.
:> [[Sieges]]--They're constant, but we've got enough traps to hold back entire groups of enemies.
:> Soon, we'll be the capital of the nation. Last year, a goblin seige killed off our dwarven traders, so the chance to offer our goods was closed until next year.
::--Nicolbidok.

{{frac|5999|6000}}

v0.31:Strange mood

2011-05-04T02:25:13Z

ANormalUsername1: Rated article "Exceptional" using the rating script

{{quality|Exceptional|02:25, 4 May 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

{{buggy|bugsection=Bugs}}
{{minorspoiler}}
Periodically, individual dwarves are struck with an idea for a {{L|legendary artifact}} and enter a '''strange mood'''. Dwarves which enter a strange mood will stop whatever they are doing and pursue the construction of this artifact to the exclusion of all else. They will not stop to eat, drink, sleep, or even run away from dangerous creatures. If they do not manage to begin construction of the artifact within a handful of months, they will go [[#Failure|insane]] and die soon afterward.

==Overview==

# The conditions necessary for a strange mood to occur are not fully understood, although they may possess even dwarf children.
# The game will pause, center on a dwarf, and announce that the dwarf has entered one of five different types of strange moods. The [[#Types of moods|types of moods]] are listed below. While in a mood, a dwarf will display a blinking exclamation point (see {{L|status icons}}).
# For the duration of the mood, the dwarf will claim a workshop related to the skill that the mood affects (not all skills are eligible), kick out any dwarf who was using it, and render it otherwise unusable until the mood has been resolved. If a moody dwarf does not claim a workshop, it is because the appropriate workshop does not exist. (See [[#Skills and workshops|skills and workshops]] below to determine which workshop(s) might be required.) A moody dwarf will ''not'' be available to build a needed workshop; another dwarf with the appropriate {{L|labor}} designation must do so for them, if one is necessary.
# After claiming a workshop, the dwarf will set about collecting the required materials for their artifact. If the dwarf remains idle inside the workshop, it's because they cannot find the right material. Reference the [[#Demands|demands]] section to determine what may be required. Important Note: They will only collect these materials in the order that they require them. In other words, you have to determine where they are on the list of required materials and then provide the next one before they will continue collecting other materials.
# Once all materials have been gathered, the game will once again pause and center, and the moody dwarf will begin construction. Upon completion the dwarf will create a semi-random artifact related to the skill affected and gain {{L|legendary}} (or higher) status in that skill (unless the mood type is [[#Possessed|possessed]]). See the [[#Skills and workshops|skills and workshops]] for information on which skills can be gained, or the [[#Artifacts created|artifacts created]] section for more details on the artifacts themselves.

== Types of moods ==
For each of the following types of moods, the first message is how the mood is {{L|Announcement|announced}}; the second message appears in the dwarf's profile when he or she is viewed with the {{K|v}} key. All moody dwarves will have "Strange Mood" listed as their active task.

=== Fey ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> is taken by a fey mood!|7:1}}
: ''Has the aspect of one fey!''

This is the most basic strange mood. Fey dwarves will clearly state their demands when the workshop they are in is examined.

A fey dwarf's happiness is automatically set to 'quite content'.

=== Secretive ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> withdraws from society...|7:0}}
: ''Peculiarly secretive...''

Secretive moods are the same as fey moods, except a secretive dwarf will sketch pictures of their required materials instead of clearly stating their demands if they cannot find what they need. Descriptions of all these [[#Demands|secretive requirements]] can be seen only by viewing the workshop that the moody dwarf has claimed, with {{k|q}}, and then only while the dwarf is waiting inside it. More than one "picture" is likely; these will cycle through the entire list automatically if any one is not available. (Since materials are gathered ''in order'', it's quite possible that only one of a long list is needed to allow the moody dwarf to continue on their project. If the dwarf has gathered some of the materials (seen as "tasked" when looking at the workshop with {{k|t}}), then the next in the list is what they are looking for.)

A secretive dwarf's happiness is automatically set to 'quite content'.

=== Possessed ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> has been possessed!|5:1}}
: ''Possessed by unknown forces!''

Possessed dwarves have cryptic material requests, and have the unfortunate distinction of not receiving any experience upon successful construction of an artifact. No controllable circumstances lead to a possessed mood instead of one of the more desirable fey or secretive moods. It is pure luck-based. Possessed dwarves will mutter the name of the artifact they are working on once they have all the materials they need.

A possession is the only mood that does ''not'' result in a jump in {{L|experience}}.

A possessed dwarf's happiness is automatically set to 'quite content'.

=== Fell ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> looses a roaring laughter, fell and terrible!|5:0}}
: ''Has a horrible fell look!''

A dwarf that goes into a fell mood will always take over a {{L|butcher's shop}} or a {{L|tanner's shop}}. If neither are available, any other workshop will be used instead. The dwarf will then ''murder'' the nearest dwarf, drag the corpse into the shop and make some sort of object out of dwarf {{L|leather}} or {{L|bone}}. Once the artifact is completed, the fell dwarf will become a legendary {{L|bone carver}} or {{L|leatherworker}}. Strangely, none of the other dwarves seem to mind the murder. Only unhappy dwarves may enter a fell mood.

Aside from the loss of a potentially important dwarf in the wrong place at the wrong time, there doesn't seem to be any downside to a fell mood. The end result is always an artifact and a legendary craftsdwarf. Since the only ingredient used (a dwarf) is available in abundance, a fell mood will only fail if the fell dwarf is completely isolated from other dwarves, or if the proper workshop does not exist.

=== Macabre ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> begins to stalk and brood...|0:1}}
: ''Brooding darkly...''

Macabre moods are similar to fell moods, but the dwarf will not murder a fellow dwarf. A macabre dwarf may require bones{{verify}}, skulls{{verify}} or remains; if you do not happen to have any, you will have to make some, e.g. by butchering an animal{{verify}}, or let the moody dwarf go insane. Like fell moods, only unhappy dwarves can enter macabre moods.

==Caveats==
* Shells are a common request in moods and are only produced from preparing raw {{l|turtle}}s, {{L|mussel}}s, {{L|oyster}}s, or {{L|cave lobster}}s at a fishery. That is, you must be able to fish them at your site - there is no way of trading for them ({{L|cave lobster}} can be traded). (version .31.12 should have much fewer shell requests.)
* Should the claimed workshop be a {{L|magma forge}} and lose power due to insufficient magma beneath it, the mood will fail immediately and the dwarf will go {{L|insane}}. Should the forge be in danger of losing power, you should forbid it before it is claimed and wait until it is powered up reliably. Once magma forges are built, at least some dwarfes will no longer be satisfied with a regular forge.
* The following can happen (v .31.12) "OVERWROTE JOB: Strange Mood BY Starting Fist Fight".
* The mood's primary material will only be mentioned ''once'' in the dwarf's requests, even if the dwarf wants more than one unit of it. [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=75139.0;topicseen]
* The item to be built is not set at the beginning of the mood. Saving (even after a dwarf has begun to gather materials) will allow you to reload and the result may be a different artifact. If you want to receive artifact adamantine breastplate, make sure to have adamantine nearby and forbid/move away any other materials. You can reload the artifact creating process, even after the dwarf has gathered most of components by forbidding the claimed items. If other items of that type is available, dwarf will immediately switch to them.

==Bugs==
{{version|0.31.03}}
* There are bugs reported related to moody dwarves. As has been the case in 40d, most turned out to be (understandable) failures of the player to grasp the mechanics of artifact creation and demands. Bug tracker: [http://bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view_all_bug_page.php]
* Dwarves may request "rock bars" -- This is satisfied by metal bars.
{{version|0.31.10}}
* Moody Dwarves don't respect burrows when grabbing a workshop, but DO when looking for items. If his claimed workshop is outside his assigned burrow, the dwarf will continue to grab materials until all materials of the needed type are exhausted within his assigned burrow, this is similar to the [[Planepacked]] glitch.

== Demands ==
Once a workshop is claimed, the dwarf will begin collecting materials. Each artifact will require between one and ten materials to complete. The dwarf may well need several items of one material! If the moody dwarf remains idle, then the necessary materials are not available. {{L|Forbidden}} items must be reclaimed ({{K|d}} - {{K|b}} - {{K|c}}) before they may be used, but moody dwarves will ignore settings regarding {{L|economic stone}}. Press {{K|q}} and highlight the workshop to receive a series of clues about what the dwarf needs. Hints that stay active for longer than 2 seconds mean that multiple pieces of that material will be required; each single demand will be displayed for 2 seconds, so if it says "gems... shining" for 6 seconds, 3 gems are demanded. However, occasionally a hint shown for only 2 seconds will require more than one item to fulfill it; this behavior seems to occur mainly (only?) with the primary material (the base material of the artifact, and the first item gathered).{{Verify}} Materials will always be fetched ''in order'', so if at least one item has already been retrieved (the items will show up with "TSK" ("task") next to them when the workshop is viewed with the {{K|t}} context menu), it will usually be possible to tell what item is required next.

If you want your dwarves to construct their artifacts out of valuable materials instead of whatever useless thing happens to be close at hand, you can selectively forbid types of material through the stocks screen so that only the material you want them to use is available; though this might interfere with the normal crafting operations of your fortress, the disruption is generally short-lived (as long as you remember to unforbid them again afterwards!). You can even forbid something a moody dwarf is carrying (which may be necessary sometimes, since while they are not waiting in the workshop they will not tell you what they need); the dwarf will finish hauling it to the workshop, but then immediately go searching for another. This trick can mean the difference between a bauxite statue decorated with moss agates and a native platinum statue encrusted with diamonds. Be aware that this may not always work - moody {{L|metalsmith}}s will occasionally insist on a specific type of metal with which to make their artifact, and forbidding other metals to force them to use a more valuable material will simply cause them to sit in the workshop until you give them what they want. This metal is usually the one listed in their Thoughts and Preferences page as their favorite metal, though mining {{L|raw adamantine}} may cause them to insist on wafers of adamantine metal instead{{verify}}.

As of DF2010, burrows seem to allow even better control over moody dwarfs' material usage. Simply by creating a burrow around claimed workshop and another part over desired material, moody dwarf can be controlled without forbidding every single stone in fortress. A moody dwarf will follow the burrow-definitions just like a regular worker, but be mindful that they will not leave the burrow to get materials that are outside of their assigned burrow. A problem can arise when bones from an outside refuse stockpile are needed by a moody dwarf that is assigned to a burrow.

The various demands are translated here:

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;width:90%;"
|-
! Material
! Fey
! Secretive
! Possessed
|-
|
| <dwarf> screams "I must have <demand>!"
| <dwarf> sketches pictures of <demand>.
| <dwarf> mutters "<artifact> needs <demand>..."
|-
| {{L|Stone}}
| rock
| a quarry
| stone... rock
|-
| Stone/metal {{L|block}}s
| rock blocks
| square blocks
| blocks... bricks
|-
| {{L|Wood}}
| wood logs
| a forest
| tree... life
|-
| Metal {{L|bar}}
| rock bars
| shining bars of metal
| bars... metal
|-
| {{L|Gem}}s (cut)
| cut gems
| cut gems
| gems... shining
|-
| {{L|Gem}}s (raw)
| rough gems
| rough gems
| rough... color
|-
| Green {{L|glass}}
| raw green glass
| glass
| raw... green
|-
| Clear glass
| raw clear glass{{verify}}
| glass and burning wood
| raw... clear
|-
| Crystal glass
| raw crystal glass{{verify}}
| rough gems and glass
| raw... crystal
|-
| {{L|Bone}}{{verify}}
| bones
| skeletons
| bones... yes
|-
| {{L|Shell}}{{verify}}
| shells
| shells
| a shell...
|-
| {{L|Leather}}
| tanned hides
| stacked leather
| leather... skin
|-
| {{L|Cloth}} (plant fiber)
| plant cloth
| stacked cloth
| cloth... thread
|-
| {{L|Cloth}} (silk)
| silk cloth
| stacked cloth
| cloth... thread
|-
| {{L|Cloth}} (yarn)
| yarn cloth
| stacked cloth
| cloth... thread{{verify}}
|-
| {{L|Bone}}, possibly {{L|Skull}}, {{L|Horn}}, {{L|Ivory}}
| body parts
| death
| a corpse
|}

Fey dwarves will sometimes ask for rock bars. This is just a typographical error, caused by stones and metals having been joined into a single "inorganic" material type in version 0.31 - they are actually asking for metal bars.

Related to the above behavior, moody dwarves demanding rock blocks will also accept blocks forged from metal bars.

Moody metalworkers may occasionally require a specific type of metal as their artifact's primary material - for secretive moods and possessions, take a look at the dwarf's material preferences to see which metal the dwarf wants to use.

== The mechanics of moods ==

==== Eligibility ====
The deciding factor for eligibility is a dwarf's actual {{L|profession}}. ''(Note that "{{L|Skill#Custom profession labels|custom professions}}" have no effect on this!)'' Thus, dwarves may enter strange moods regardless of what skills they have or don't have, so long as they are of an acceptable profession. Dwarves who have already created an artifact are not eligible to create another, and since every mood ends in either an artifact or death, every dwarf may enter at most one mood. Dwarves who have obtained one or more legendary skills without creating artifacts may enter strange moods.

Dwarves with a {{L|Soldier#Soldier professions|military profession}} other than "Recruit" can '''not''' enter moods. Incidental military skills make no difference - eligibility (and weighting) depends purely on the actual ''{{L|profession}}'', as listed at the time. Babies may '''not''' enter moods.

Any other profession is eligible to enter a mood, but not all have the same ''chance'' to enter a mood...

:''('''Note''' - Specifically, and to avoid previous misunderstandings, {{L|Strand extractor}}, {{L|Clerk}}/{{L|Administrator}}/{{L|Trader}}, {{L|Doctor}} (and related), {{L|Building designer|Architect}}, {{L|Soldier#Recruits|Recruit}} and {{L|Child}} '''are''' moodable professions.)''

=== Chance ===
When determining who will have a strange mood, each eligible dwarf is put into a weighted lottery. The odds are assigned a higher or lower weight based on the dwarf's {{L|profession}}. The default weight is 6, but some professions are more likely to enter a strange mood than others. (This is like most dwarfs getting 6 tickets to the lottery, and others getting more.)

{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" border="2" cellpadding="5"
|-
! Weighting
! Professions

|-
| 21 ||Armorer, Blacksmith, Bone Carver, Clothier, Craftsdwarf, Jeweler, Gem Cutter, Gem Setter, Glassmaker, Leatherworker, Metalcrafter, Metalsmith, Stonecrafter, Weaponsmith, Weaver, Woodcrafter
|-
| 11 ||Bowyer, Carpenter, Stoneworker, Mason, Woodworker
|-
| 6 ||Engraver, Mechanic, Miner, Tanner, & all other {{L|profession}}s.

|}

:'''''Example:''' What this means is: if you had 21 dwarves, made up of 20 eligible farmers, furnace operators, miners, woodcutters etc. (with 6 chances each) plus one Armorer (with 21 chances), that one Armorer would have a 21 in 141 chance (20 dwarves x 6 chances each = 120 + 21 chances more = 141 total) of the mood striking them. That's about 1 in 7, while the other 20 have a 6 in 141 chance each, or about 1 in 24. The odds are still against the armorer, but much better than for any other single dwarf.''

Note that not every profession is from a moodable skill. A Soaper, Architect, Furnace Operator or Strand Extractor can be taken by a mood, but that will not make those skills legendary, nor will they create an artifact bar of soap, building, bar of metal or wafer of adamantine.

:NOTE: ''If your game was saved shortly before one of you dwarves acquired a mood, reloading that game will most likely cause the chances to be completely re-figured, resulting in a different mood at a different time for a different dwarf with different materials. This is true for most all random events and results in Dwarf Fortress.''

=== Skills and workshops ===

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="4" style="border:1px solid black;border-collapse:collapse;text-align:left;float:right;margin:0 0 20px 30px;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#eee;border-bottom:1px solid black;text-align:center;" | Artifact Skill Rewards
|-
! Highest skill
! Workshop used
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Armorsmith}}
| {{L|Metalsmith's forge}} (or {{L|Magma forge}})
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Bone carver}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Bowyer}}
| {{L|Bowyer's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Carpenter}}
| {{L|Carpenter's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Clothier}}
| {{L|Clothier's shop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Engraver}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Gem cutter}}
| {{L|Jeweler's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Gem setter}}
| {{L|Jeweler's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Glassmaker}}
| {{L|Glass furnace}} (or {{L|Magma glass furnace}})
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Leatherworker}}
| {{L|Leather works}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Mason}}
| {{L|Mason's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Mechanic}}
| {{L|Mechanic's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Metal crafter}}
| {{L|Magma forge}} (or {{L|Metalsmith's forge}})
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Metalsmith}}
| {{L|Magma forge}} (or {{L|Metalsmith's forge}})
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Miner}}
| {{L|Mason's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Stone crafter}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Tanner}}
| {{L|Leather works}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Weaponsmith}}
| {{L|Magma forge}} (or {{L|Metalsmith's forge}})
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Weaver}}
| {{L|Clothier's shop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Wood crafter}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| Anyone Else
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|}

== Artifacts created ==
The type of artifact created will depend on the dwarf's highest skill. Masons will always create some kind of stone object, usually furniture; bone Carvers, a bone or shell object; carpenters, a wood object, etc. Miners and engravers will usually turn out a stone craft or piece of furniture; metalworkers, metal crafts, weapons, or armor (depending on the type of metalworker); weavers, an article of clothing; tanners, a leather armor or object. If a dwarf has no moodable skills, they will take over a {{L|craftsdwarf's workshop}} and create a bone, stone or wood craft of some type. The precise type of craft created is usually somewhat random but if a dwarf has a personality preference for a particular thing, such as gauntlets or floodgates or crowns, and that thing is an available choice given the dwarf's profession, they will generally create an object of that type.

The first object grabbed by the dwarf will be the "primary" substance; all other materials will be used to decorate the artifact. If a dwarf grabs a piece of {{L|chalk}} and makes a statue, for instance, it will be a "chalk statue", but an artifact can potentially be composed of bone, cloth, gems, leather, metal, shell, stone, and wood all at once. In some cases, a moody dwarf will produce an item which normally cannot be made from that material, leading to such odd constructions as an {{L|obsidian}} {{L|bed}}, {{L|ruby}} {{L|floodgate}}, or turtle {{L|shell}} {{L|cage}}.

Once created, most {{L|artifact}}s will be available for use just like a normal item of its type. Artifact furniture is useful for high value {{L|noble}} rooms. Artifact weapons in {{L|weapon trap}}s can also boost a room's value considerably, as in the case of artifact trap components and mechanisms.

Unless the mood was a Possession, the dwarf will gain 20,000 points of {{L|experience}} in the skill used to produce the artifact, enough to boost them to Legendary.

== Failure ==
If you can't provide the desired workshop and all the required component materials within a couple of months, the dwarf will go {{L|insanity|insane}}, which cancels the mood and the artifact. As if that's not bad enough, any dwarf who goes insane will soon die, one way or another.

A dwarf who is '''stark raving mad''' or '''melancholy''' is harmless to others (until they die and start a {{L|tantrum}} spiral), but a '''berserk''' dwarf will attack other dwarves and possibly pull levers at random. You may want to station a squad nearby or assign a few war dogs to the dwarf on the chance that they will lash out. If you build your workshops inside enclosed rooms with doors you can also lock the moody dwarf in the room until he or she starves. In extreme cases, building a wall around an open workshop is the best precaution.

v0.31 Talk:Block

2011-05-04T01:45:39Z

ANormalUsername1: Nvm

v0.31 Talk:Block

2011-05-04T01:45:07Z

ANormalUsername1: Undo revision 148621 by ANormalUsername1 (Talk)

== Block Hauling ==

I can't seem to be able to haul blocks out of my workshops, consequently they're all cluttered horrendously. How do I get my haulers to get rid of them? --[[User:Nimblewright|Nimblewright]] 18:04, 21 April 2010 (UTC)

:Your dwarves should haul them to bar/block stockpiles. Do you have one with space free? If you have one and they're not doing it report it as a bug! [[User:Akkie|Akkie]] 18:16, 21 April 2010 (UTC)

::If it is wood blocks you are having a problem with, it is a bug. In stockpile settings there is no such thing as a wood block. http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=439 [[User:Daniel|Daniel]] 09:24, 24 April 2010 (UTC)

:::I had an issue with this as well (with wood blocks). Until the bug is fixed, I just deconstruct and rebuild my carpenter’s workshop, then I set a small garbage zone where I want the blocks to go and mark them for dumping, removing the zone and reclaiming the blocks once they’re all moved. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 22:28, 11 May 2010 (UTC)

::::Before you can be sure it's a bug, make absolutely sure you have all hauling jobs enabled on your haulers, as there are 7 different hauling skills. I'm not sure which one needs to be enabled in particular for block hauling, though. --[[User:Krillin6|Krillin6]] 22:46, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

== Issue with Fey dwarf ==

My Fey dwarf seems to be staying in his claimed workshop, even though everything he wants is avaliable. I've checked and made sure that at least 2 of everything he needs isn't Dumped or Forbidden, and is avaliable. 
 
I know Rock Bars could mean Metal Bars, but is there anything else it could be that he's requesting? There are Metal Bars avaliable to him, Metal Blocks, and soon to be Rock Blocks. What else could be possibly want that is keeping him from becoming a Deity glassmaker?

v0.31 Talk:Titan

2011-05-04T01:42:17Z

ANormalUsername1:

There's a chance that default humanoid titans as we know them might cease to exist in DF 2010, '''if that happens''', [[Titan]] should be edited to accomodate info on the old titans and the new ones, instead of keeping a page for something that doesn't exist in the game anymore. [[User:Dakk|Dakk]] 21:09, 30 March 2010 (UTC)
:No, actually it shouldn't. What will happen is this:
:*In the 40d namespace, the ''existing'' "titan" article, '''[[40d:titan]]''', will remain as is, untouched - still valid and accurate as it stands for this version.
:*A ''new'' article will be created for "'''[[DF2010:Titan|( newversion# ):titan]]'''", to be forever consistent with all other newversion# articles.*
:*The Search term "titan" will redirect to "'''[[cv:titan|cv:titan]]'''", which it does now, so no edit necessary there. ''("cv" = "current version", so "titan" redirects to 40d now, and will redirect to the next version as soon as we have that one up and running.*)''
:That's how it's going to work with many, ''many'' articles that share names but not details between the present version and the one we might have within a week.
::''(* As a side note/reminder, all users should be conscious that there will be no [[version]] called "DF2010" - it will have a significant reference number like "40d" or "23a" or whatever, but exactly what that number will be we won't know until [[Toady]] tells us, which might not be until the release itself.)''
: --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 21:32, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

In my opinion, the Titan article should be the default page for both Titans ( as in, the overland big boys ) as well as a subarticle on the same page for Forgotten Beasts, since Forgotten Beasts are just basically subterranean Titans.
--[[User:Pathos|Pathos]] 15:05, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

==Are multiple articles really nescessary?==

Really, its silly to keep two pages, one for the old version and one for the new version. It'll only confuse new users and take up more space. Why not just merge both articles, with a section in the end called '''''Titans in old versions''''' just like every other game wiki does with features that have been changed drastically? It'd make things alot less clunky and confusing to people who are new to DF, and take up less space. [[User:Dakk|Dakk]] 23:53, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:The way the admins have set up the version namespaces allows players searching from DF2010 (or whatever it will be called) pages to find DF2010 pages and likewise 40d to 40d and so on. So yeah, it's really confusing right now, but once some time has gone by and all the new stubs have been expanded into full pages and the stable release has gotten everyone playing this version, it'll cease to be an issue. --[[User:Retro|Retro]] 00:03, 4 April 2010 (UTC)

==Actually a spoiler?==

Are titans really that spoilerific? Anyone looking through the legends screen can see them, and people even come to worship them! They're pretty hard to miss. --[[User:Tfaal|Tfaal]] 20:37, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

I think the article does not spoil that much. I'd remove the spoiler warning. --[[Special:Contributions/92.231.164.5|92.231.164.5]] 12:59, 1 August 2010 (UTC)

:I think the non spoilers and spoilers should be separated, as not all of it is a major spoiler. --[[User:Tarran|Tarran]] 22:56, 7 April 2010 (UTC)

== Combat strategies? ==

Any tips on how to beat them? Whenever I fight one the military dwarves (both mine and merchant guards) pull off most of its body parts very fast but are then unable to damage it further, though the titan itself doesn't dish out much damage it obviously causes lots of problems having an unending megabeast battle outside my front door. I've managed to kill them with a constructed cave-in trap but I'd like something less gamey if possible.

I encountered an Ocean Titan made of a blob of fire that had wings. It jumped down my refuse put and laid waste to my dining halls before I was able to lure it into my farm area. At some point I noticed both his wings were gone. I flooded the area in the hope that it was hurting him, but the steam just kept rising. He finally went down through my resevoir with lots of water and evaporated it all and then blue out my flood gate that was plugging the bottom. The titan is laying waste to my dwarves now as the lower caverns begin to flood.

Just how do you take on an Ocean Titan made of a blob of fire?

-----------------

If the titan isn't magma-safe, then you can cause a cave-in over its head to knock it unconcious and make it trigger a cage trap, and then dump the cage into magma. If the titan IS magma safe, your only option might be to repeat the previous method, but then pour water over the magma so it ends up sealed inside solid obsidian for the rest of time. – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:86.151.201.219|86.151.201.219]]
:Titans '''cannot be stunned or knocked unconscious''', so it is '''impossible''' to get one into a cage - thus, if the titan is not magma-safe, you need to either move it to the magma (drop it into the magma or convince it to swim through the magma) or move the magma to it (i.e. pour magma on top of it). --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 16:18, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

== Properties ==

A quick test suggests that titans have most of the same properties as forgotten beasts, with several exceptions: [TITAN] instead of [FEATURE_BEAST], lack of [CARNIVORE], lack of [BIOME], and a small percentage of them seem to be [BENIGN] rather than [LARGE_PREDATOR] (about 8 out of 214 in my initial test). --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 20:17, 3 June 2010 (UTC)

== Of Titans and Traps ==

Are titans trap avoid?--[[Special:Contributions/162.83.223.4|162.83.223.4]] 16:36, 11 August 2010 (UTC)
:Yes. --[[User:JohnnyMadhouse|JohnnyMadhouse]] 20:15, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

== Revert ==

That sentence really didn't belong there, so I reverted. --[[Special:Contributions/93.96.210.121|93.96.210.121]] 00:07, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

:But it's correct, and it goes nowhere else. Without it, it just gives the idea that all Titans are some kind of nearly unbeatable god or something. 
But whatever. --[[User:ANormalUsername1|ANormalUsername]] 01:42, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

v0.31 Talk:Block

2011-05-04T01:38:57Z

ANormalUsername1: eep, forgot my sig

v0.31 Talk:Block

2011-05-04T01:38:38Z

ANormalUsername1: /* Issue with Fey dwarf */ new section

v0.31:Titan

2011-05-03T23:08:39Z

ANormalUsername1: ...

{{av}}
{{Quality|Fine}}
{{minorspoiler}}

Titans are, essentially, randomized creatures (or procedurally generated for you fancy big-city developer types) composed from a variety of material types, creature bodies / limbs and other additions. These other additions include everything from venomous stings to flame breath. Evil Titans are forced to attack your Fortress once it has reached 80 dwarves (without modification of world creation or init files).

Titans can potentially cause dangerous {{L|syndrome}}s in their victims, as the effects can vary anywhere from mild dizziness and nausea to heavy bleeding and immediate necrosis.

The number of titans is a worldgen parameter; you can have any number you want. Each titan lives within a particular region of the world for which it will be named (e.g. "mountain titan" or "ocean titan"). All titans are building destroyers, and they are also entirely immune to {{L|trap}}s and cannot be stunned in any way. {{L|Bridge}}s are also less useful, as they cannot be raised or lowered as long as the beast is standing on (or under) them, preventing the traditional {{L|magma}} pit / {{L|dwarven atom smasher}} designs from working. This is probably one of [[Toady One]]'s ways of making the encounters even more {{L|fun}}.

When a titan appears, the game pauses and a message appears in the center of the screen with a description of the titan.

If you need to kill a titan, order your military to move to the location of the beast.
*Some titans are extremely difficult to kill due to body composition (e.g. a titan made of {{L|steel}}) or deadly attacks (such as clouds of flesh-eating toxins), or can be killed easily in just one hit. When confronted with such creatures, the only option is usually to use your brain and try to lock it away somehow. Walls stop them. If you can put it in a pit, a clever trapmaker can feed it invaders.
*One method of defeating titans is to cause a {{L|cave-in}} on top of them. They'll be killed by dropping either natural or constructed walls on them.

{{l|Forgotten beast}}s are a subterranean subset of these creatures, which are trapped {{l|caverns|underground}} and attack your fortress from below.

{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Megabeasts}}

v0.31:Skill

2011-05-01T22:45:13Z

ANormalUsername1: Rated article "Exceptional" using the rating script

{{quality|Exceptional|22:45, 1 May 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

Skills are used by dwarves to accomplish almost every task. Higher skills allows dwarves to accomplish tasks more quickly, but also more effectively (for example mining and crafting). Using a skill will grant '''[[experience]]''' in that skill, allowing the dwarf to reach higher skill levels.

Skills now become '''rusty''' and eventually '''very rusty''' after a certain period of time. The exact effects of this are unknown, but skills remaining at "very rusty" for prolonged periods of time will gradually suffer '''permanent''' experience loss.

Skill levels are as follows:

:*Dabbling
:*Novice
:*Adequate
:*Competent
:*Skilled
:*Proficient
:*Talented
:*Adept
:*Expert
:*Professional
:*Accomplished
:*Great
:*Master
:*High Master
:*Grand Master
:*Legendary

==Skill penalties==
Dwarves that are {{L|Status icon|hungry, tired, or thirsty}} will work slower and produce lower quality goods. For some tasks like wood cutting or furnace operating this is unimportant, but you may wish to halt construction of {{L|aluminum}} {{L|statue}}s, or remove the designation on those diamond or native aluminum clusters if your {{L|blacksmith}} or {{L|miner}} are famished and hollow-eyed from lack of sleep.

==Skills==

{| style="margin: 0 auto"
|-
| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|Miner|7:0|7:0|
* {{L|Miner}}
}}

{{Skill Box|{{L|Woodworker}}|6:1|6:1|
* {{L|Bowyer}}
* {{L|Carpenter}}
* {{L|Wood cutter}}
}}

{{Skill Box|{{L|Stoneworker}}|7:1|7:1|
* {{L|Engraver}}
* {{L|Mason}}
}}

{{Skill Box|{{L|Ranger}}|2:0|2:0|
* {{L|Ambusher}}
* {{L|Animal caretaker}}
* {{L|Animal dissector}}
* {{L|Animal trainer}}
* {{L|Trapper}}
}}

{{Skill Box|{{L|Doctor}}|5:0|5:0|
* {{L|Bone doctor}}
* {{L|Crutch-walker}}
* {{L|Diagnostician}}
* {{L|Surgeon}}
* {{L|Suturer}}
* {{L|Wound dresser}}
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|{{L|Farmer}}|6:0|6:0|
* {{L|Brewer}}
* {{L|Butcher}}
* {{L|Cheese maker}}
* {{L|Cook}}
* {{L|Dyer}}
* {{L|Grower}}
* {{L|Herbalist}}
* {{L|Lye maker}}
* {{L|Milker}}
* {{L|Miller}}
* {{L|Potash maker}}
* {{L|Soaper}}
* {{L|Tanner}}
* {{L|Thresher}}
* {{L|Wood burner}}
* {{L|Shearer}}
* {{L|Spinner}}
* {{L|Presser}}
* {{L|Beekeeper}}
}}

{{Skill Box|{{L|Fishery worker}}|1:0|1:0|
* {{L|Fish cleaner}}
* {{L|Fish dissector}}
* {{L|Fisherdwarf}}
}}

{{Skill Box|{{L|Metalsmith}}|0:1|0:1|
* {{L|Armorsmith}}
* {{L|Furnace operator}}
* {{L|Metal crafter}}
* {{L|Blacksmith|Metalsmith}}
* {{L|Weaponsmith}}
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|{{L|Jeweler}}|2:1|2:1|
* {{L|Gem cutter}}
* {{L|Gem setter}}
}}

{{Skill Box|{{L|Craftsdwarf}}|1:1|1:1|
* {{L|Bone carver}}
* {{L|Clothier}}
* {{L|Glassmaker}}
* {{L|Leatherworker}}
* {{L|Stone crafter}}
* {{L|Weaver}}
* {{L|Wood crafter}}
* {{L|Strand extractor}}
}}

{{Skill Box|{{L|Engineer}}|4:1|4:1|
* {{L|Mechanic}}
* {{L|Pump operator}}
* {{L|Siege engineer}}
* {{L|Siege operator}}
}}

{{Skill Box|Other Jobs|3:0|3:0|
* {{L|Alchemy|Alchemist}}
* {{L|Swimmer}}
* {{L|Knapper}}
}}

{{Skill Box|{{L|Administrator}}|5:0|5:0|
* {{L|Appraiser}}
* {{L|Building designer}}
* {{L|Organizer}}
* {{L|Record keeper}}
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|{{L|Military}}|0:1|0:0|
* {{L|Archer}}
* {{L|Armor user}}
* {{L|Axeman}}
* {{L|Biter}}
* {{L|Blowgunner}}
* {{L|Bowman}}
* {{L|Crossbowman}}
* {{L|Dodger}}
* {{L|Fighter}}
* {{L|Hammerman}}
* {{L|Kicker}}
* {{L|Knife user}}
* {{L|Lasher}}
* {{L|Maceman}}
* {{L|Misc. object user}}
* {{L|Pikeman}}
* {{L|Shield user}}
* {{L|Spearman}}
* {{L|Striker}}
* {{L|Swordsman}}
* {{L|Thrower}}
* {{L|Wrestler}}
}}

{{Skill Box|{{L|Broker}}|3:0|3:0|
* {{L|Comedian}}
* {{L|Conversationalist}}
* {{L|Flatterer}}
* {{L|Intimidator}}
* {{L|Judge of intent}}
* {{L|Liar}}
* {{L|Negotiator}}
* {{L|Persuader}}
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|Miscellaneous|3:0|3:0|
* {{L|Concentration}}
* {{L|Consoler}}
* {{L|Leader}}
* {{L|Observer}}
* {{L|Pacifier}}
* {{L|Student}}
* {{L|Teacher}}
}}

{{Skill Box|Unused|3:0|3:0|
* {{L|Balance}}
* {{L|Coordination}}
* {{L|Discipline}}
* {{L|Druid}}
* {{L|Poet}}
* {{L|Reader}}
* {{L|Speaker}}
* {{L|Tracker}}
* {{L|Wordsmith}}
* {{L|Writer}}
}}
|}

==Skills, Attributes and Traits==
*'''Skills''':
**are trained by being used in some activity.
**train '''{{L|attribute}}s'''.
**the same {{L|attribute}} can be trained by various skills.
**it's assumed that the skills also use some of the {{L|attribute}}s that they train.
**certain skills are required or important for certain {{L|noble}}, {{L|military}} and civilian professions.
**certain professions require several skills.
**the same skill can be used by various professions.
**are increased by {{L|Preferences}}, but capped, so the dwarf will make items beyond its skill level but won't affect the chances of making more high value items at the highest skill level.

*'''{{L|Personality trait|Traits}}''':
**can not be modified in-game.{{verify}}
**affect which {{L|social skill}}s gain experience ''(if the dwarf has X trait it will not gain experience in X skill)'' at all.
**have other in-game effects that can be useful for certain professions.
**give {{L|thought}}s when performing certain activities.

To summarize it goes like this:
Trait --> Skill <--> Attribute
| ^
v |
effect |
| v
'--> Profession

Since the same skills can be used by various professions, and the same {{L|attribute}}s are trained by various skills, this allows for {{L|cross-training}}.

Being {{L|Personality trait|traits}} the unmodifiable{{verify}}, limiting factor on which skills can be learned or having useful effects, and certain professions requiring various skills, the need arises to:
*avoid appointing a dwarf that will never learn a certain skill to a profession that uses it:
**''appointing a {{L|Personality trait|straightforward}} dwarf as a {{L|broker}} will result in a {{L|consoler}}, non-{{L|flatterer}}, non-{{L|liar}} {{L|broker}}''.
*appoint a dwarf with an useful effect given by a {{L|Personality trait|trait}} to a profession that benefits from it:
**''appointing an {{L|Personality trait|undisciplined}} dwarf to an important job will result in {{L|fun|}}''.
**''appointing an {{L|Personality trait|angry}} dwarf to {{L|soldier}} will result in more {{L|Status_icon|enraged}} bonuses.

The solution comes in the form of a nice sortable reference table:

coming soon! work in progress... please don't delete hidden comments... ;)


==Skills first introduced in version 0.31.01==

Combat:

{{L|Fighter}}, {{L|Archer}}, {{L|Striker}}, {{L|Kicker}}, {{L|Biter}}, {{L|Dodger}}

Healthcare:

{{L|Wound dresser}}, {{L|Diagnostician}}, {{L|Surgeon}}, {{L|Bone doctor|Bone Doctor}}, {{L|Suturer}} ''(stitching wounds)'', {{L|Crutch walker|Crutch Walker}} ''(this is for patients rather than doctors)''

Other:

{{L|Misc. object user}}, {{L|Student}}, {{L|Concentration}}, {{L|Observer}}, {{L|Leader}}, {{L|Teacher}},

==Skills first observed in version 0.31.14==
Combat:

{{L|Military tactics}}

==Skills first introduced in version 0.31.19==

Farming:

{{L|Shearer}}, {{L|Spinner}}, {{L|Presser}}, {{L|Beekeeper}}

Crafting:

{{L|Potter}}, {{L|Glazer}}, {{L|Wax worker}}

{{Skills}}
{{Category|Skills}}

User:ANormalUsername1/Aceangel

2011-04-21T02:45:03Z

ANormalUsername1: Beginning

Alaksedil, or Aceangel, is a Mountain Hall located in a warm climate with many trees, no aquifer, flux, and quick ingoing/outgoing trade.

= Brief Beginning History of Alaksedil =

== 126 ==

Aceangel began in the year 126 with 7 dwarves whose group name was "Nicolbidok," named after the Swordsdwarf Frango Nicolbidok. In the common language, Nicolbidok means Afteracts.

User:ANormalUsername1

2011-04-21T01:57:13Z

ANormalUsername1: :)

User talk:Emi

2011-04-21T01:55:29Z

ANormalUsername1: /* New Page Request: */

Please leave new messages by pressing the new section button. It is next to the edit button, and looks like a +. Be sure to sign your message with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> so I know who left me the message.

== Captcha ==

The wiki system is set up to autoconfirm a user after 3 days of existence as a registered user. Once that's done, you'll never have to enter a captcha again. (also, it's not possible, even as an admin / bureaucrat to manually add a user to the autoconfirmed group, sorry) --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 07:37, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

== Contact Info ==

I'm on IRC nearly every waking moment. --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 20:13, 16 March 2010 (UTC)

==[[Template:ArticleVersion]]==
''Two dozen'' consecutive edits? "Preview" just not a possibility?--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 20:14, 17 March 2010 (UTC)

== cv ==
So, forgive my continuing ignorance, but once the changeover happens, "cv" will then become whatever version 2010 is, right? And if so, how do we then distinguish between redirects appropriate only to the 40d legacy articles (which are currently being "corrected" using CV) and those that should go to the then truly "current version" 2010 articles?--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 21:45, 21 March 2010 (UTC)

== search terms and redirects ==

So a redirect chain like Gold bars -> 40d:Gold bars -> 40d:metal is correct, don't change it. Emi
Hi. I'm ''sure'' what you meant was to ask ''"Why did you delete that?"'', and not presume to lecture me about how redirects work. And my response would be - ''"Why did you create it?"'' Because I didn't "change" it, I ''deleted'' it - and there's a difference, and a difference in the reasoning behind each.

"Gold bars" is not really a term to link from, just not appropriate for a page title. It's not a term likely to be typed in to the search window, nor is it a wiki-article title in game terms. [[Gold]] is a perfectly valid (and existing) search term, and [[bars]] are as well, but not in the sense of "gold bars", unless you are [[construction|constructing]] horizontal or vertical bars from a single '''[[bar]]''' of [[gold]] ("bars" of gold being distinct from a "bar" of gold, for better or worse). And it's not usually a policy to create redirects, even Search redirects, based on erroneous understandings of the layout of the wiki. (If so, "silver bars", "copper bars", "bismuth bronze battle axe" and "narrow giant cave spider silk trousers" could all be included by some well meaning user based on one User's example - and that's more work than I want. Or any Admin.) More, "gold bars" is plural, which breaks yet another rule. So why, pray, do we need it in the first place? Lastly, if "gold bars" ''were'' a valid search or redirect term, I would think it should redirect to either "bar", the item (to clarify what a "bar" is, gold or not), or "gold" (the [[material]], to address that aspect), rather than [[metal]], which doesn't address the actual term, but is only a generally related umbrella article - but that confusion gets back to the reason I deleted it in the first place. I didn't even notice it was you that had created that page, but if I had I would have asked you this before deleting it. So... since we're here, why ''did'' you see a need to create it in the first place?

And while we're on the subject, you seem to be fairly enthusiastic about redirecting every game term to cv:game term - even if they are NOT version specific. You may want to slow down before hitting every last one, since things like [[acronym]]s and such will then have to be tracked down and returned to mainspace existence. Several in the long, long list on [[:Category:Obsolete]] seem more than a bit suspect, but I suppose now that it's done only the new version will prove them so or not. --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 02:47, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
I agree that it's maybe a silly redirect, however, right now I am making sure
these redirects all work properly
Use some discretion. I saw a page marked N(ew), and it didn't belong. If you recognize it as "silly", then don't go to the trouble to perpetuate it. And allow me to make something else clear that you should understand. Before you replace a page that Admin has deleted, you should ask them "why?" first. Thanks so much for your understanding on that last point.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 03:07, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
Discretion only slows down serializable tasks like the one I was doing. It's much easier to follow the
same pattern over and over and then go back and do all the stuff necessary to remove a silly redirect
So you are going to cover all those "silly" redirects that require it? Reassuring to hear - so long as someone has it covered, no problem then.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 03:18, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
Also, because there's no real reason not to have most of these redirects, it's silly to bother
checking each one before fixing them. If the admins at this wiki are of the "I'm an admin, so my
word is law" attitude, I'm not sure this is a place I want to be.
If that were the case, I would have simply acted high-handed and slapped you and not explained my reasoning - but we both know I didn't, so I'm left wondering why you even mention it. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for ''your'' reason for replacing the page that an Admin deleted rather than asking them why they did it. Even if you ''were'' Admin, do you think that is a good approach to the situation?--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 03:24, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
I didn't notice that you had deleted it until after I had recreated it.
I see.
I ask again if you use either of those other communication methods...
it's much easier to work these things out in real time.
No, sorry. And as Admin of this wiki, I feel it's important to use this format to work these things out. Which (I hope) we've now done. Readya later.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 17:45, 28 March 2010 (UTC)

== Bot edit request ==

Could you change all of the non-namespace-specific article links in template pages to use [[template:L]]? This is going to be a problem soon. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 11:43, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

== EmiBot's Standing Orders ==
Will it do that daily/hourly? B/c new pages are flying up without it. I agree it's overly long, and I thought about that, but it'll only be long for these first few days, until the immediate flurry has calmed a bit, then we back off. Right now, it's amateur hour out there, so any help is a good thing in those directions. (No automatic fixes? Urgh -that's a LOT of manual...) :P --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 20:08, 2 April 2010 (UTC) 
Again, I find myself waiting on an answer to my question while you focus on your own agenda - still waiting, thanks.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 21:06, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

==Deletion Template==
I explained my reasoning on the talk page, but in short: (1)The mod is not at all notable. (I am not willing to claim a notable mod would not deserve a page on its own, but this is a mod that adds 4 creatures and no one talks about - hardly deserving of a page). (2) There is only one relevant piece of information about this mod - where it can be found. (3) The page doesn't even include that information, and is thus useless. (4) A link to the mod on DFFD or its forum thread, and a very short blurb ("adds 4 new mega beasts") should be added to a general mod page if the mod is going to have a presence on the wiki. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 05:43, 5 April 2010 (UTC)
:Ah, sure, i can do that. I honestly just took a stab in the dark that deletion was the right template, and didn't actually know there were options... la la la? --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 06:39, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

== [[Template:Alloy3]] ==

I wasn't sure who to mention this to, and I apologize if it has already been noted, but this template is in use on 40d pages while the link built into the template for [[construction]] links to the "2010" namespace. Not sure what the best way to fix it would be, as I assume that the template will continue to be used. --[[User:Soy|Soy]] 16:10, 5 April 2010 (UTC)
:Thanks for looking into that! However, it looks like this is going to be an issue with a lot of the existing templates that are used across both versions. I think I see what your fix does and if I get some free time this evening I would be happy to try to update what I can find unless you can think of any negative impact it would have. -- [[User:Soy|Soy]] 19:32, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

==nm==
Yeah, I spoke before I read his talk page. And I remembered it as CMD. And he's right in that that's how it "should" be - the fact that it's not how it is in-game just an awkward DF reality. Altho', I see it as a style issue, not a coding issue.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 02:36, 8 April 2010 (UTC)
I probably still would have argued for Cmd with a redirect from CMD.
That's not an issue to take up over one page - that's a global style issue, and would change the established, existing guidelines on [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Community_Portal]]. (Not that I wouldn't mind seeing some change, but (unsurprisingly) mine are style-based critiques.) --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 02:39, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

== JS ==

Thanks! :) [[User:Mason11987|Mason]] ([[User talk:Mason11987|T]]-[[Special:Contributions/Mason11987|C]]) 01:39, 9 April 2010 (UTC)
== IRC ==
my firewall is dumb on windows, so I can't get on IRC, and I don't want to spend 3 hours figuring it out :( --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 04:42, 12 April 2010 (UTC)
:It is. It took me about a day to figure out how to unblock port 80 >< --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 06:12, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

== Ban required ==

Please ban [[Special:Contributions/74.222.1.40|74.222.1.40]] 
Thank you very much =) 
Gretings --[[User:Used|Used]] 08:12, 16 June 2010 (UTC)
:Also [[Special:Contributions/121.205.89.153|121.205.89.153]]. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 16:23, 16 June 2010 (UTC)
::Even better: semi-protect [[Dwarf Fortress Wiki talk:Centralized Discussion‎]] so that only logged-in users can edit it. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 16:25, 16 June 2010 (UTC)

Easiest of all: just go to [[Dwarf Fortress Wiki:Spamreport‎]] and ban all of the bots listed. Whenever another one shows up, I'll let you know. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 21:52, 18 June 2010 (UTC)
:Personally, i would've gone for a template that marks an ip, or user. Maybe like it being called UserReport, or Report, and then people could do the template thing to report a user. Not sure how that could be coded in, but it could allow administrators to be more warned and prepared to provide a look at the ip. To be honest, all these spambots are just strange. Also, deja vu, i could've sworn this happened in the exact same way before. Maybe another wiki... --[[User:Hugna|Hugna]] 22:47, 18 June 2010 (UTC)

== Bug in rate script ==

There's a bug in [[User:Emi/review.js]] - it's always putting the exact same timestamp: "08:00, 22 May 2010 (UTC)". --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 23:36, 5 August 2010 (UTC)
:Can't believe I didn't notice that before. It's fixed now. :) [[user:Emi|Emi]] [[user_talk:Emi|[T]]] 21:10, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

The rating script stopped working for me. Could have something to do with maintenance? --[[User:MathFox|MathFox]] 16:49, 22 September 2010 (UTC)
:Specifically, it gets to "Getting token..." and then seems to hang. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 17:44, 22 September 2010 (UTC)
::Oh, API probably wasn't re-enabled. Gotta wait for Briess on this one. [[user:Emi|Emi]] [[user_talk:Emi|[T]]] 19:33, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

== Broken quality tags ==

The quality tags are no longer showing up in the right place - they show up in the upper-left corner of the article body (just below the title) instead of the upper-right corner of the page (aligned with the title). --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 23:15, 21 September 2010 (UTC)
:Currently quality tags show up in the upper-right corner for me. --[[User:Another|Another]] 10:57, 22 September 2010 (UTC)
::Yeah, they were stealth-fixed shortly after I posted this comment (and the reply was posted on my own user page rather than here). --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 12:39, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

== Confirm e-mail address throwing and error ==

I got the following when trying to confirm my email address:

''Confirm e-mail address

''Dwarf Fortress Wiki could not send your confirmation mail. Please check your e-mail address for invalid characters.

''Mailer returned: mailer error

Thanks for your time and effort. --[[User:Jwest23|Jwest23]] 14:41, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

== Main page is unavailable ==

Does no one uses it?

<s>I'd like to add that changing the version and creating the new Mirrors and Release Information pages don't work and show red links.</s> Nvm, it works now --Dorf2

== The Grimoire of Armok ==

Hey, http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=77327.0 is the topic this is based on.

essentialy, were going to try make a Grimoire of Armok, and we need an online page for it to be stitched together and to eventualy host the completed version, do you mind if i use the Magma wiki? its a community work in progress, so i hope it can have a place on here.

Best regards: Karakzon
also whats with the 12:03, 15 February 2011 (UTC) thing?

: I'm not completely sure if this is the sort of thing that belongs on dfwiki, let me get back to you on it, okay? Also, if you type exactly four tildes like <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> it will create a signature that consists of a link to your user page and a timestamp, similar to this -> [[user:Emi|Emi]] [[user_talk:Emi|[T]]] 04:08, 16 February 2011 (UTC)

== DF2010:Release information/0.31.19 and Template:News/Mirrors/0.31.19 ==

New version! Updated what I could, but that's stuff I can't. --[[User:Gamildum|Gamildum]] 15:16, 16 February 2011 (UTC)

== Rails Project ==

I'm experienced with rails (been using it a few years) and am interested in a dfwiki project

[[User:JimboOmega|JimboOmega]] 19:18, 16 February 2011 (UTC)

== Magmawiki ==

Went there, browsed around - it seems like a rails backed wiki without any real content (and a few of the familliar "something went wrong" rails pages).

What are you looking for...?

== Magmawiki ==

Looks pretty cool. How can I help? My email address is (my user name) @ gmail.com

Can't discover your username and thus email address if you don't sign your post. :P [[User:Naros|Naros]] 21:05, 3 March 2011 (UTC)

== User Page Request ==

Posting here to request the creation of my user page, per the Site Announcements, primarily as a persistent workspace. Thanks in advance [[User:Valkyrie|Valkyrie]] 22:05, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

Requesting the creation of my user page. I'm going to use it as a workspace and reference source for details to my projects. Thankyou Kindly.
[[User:Jamesadelong|Jamesadelong]] 18:30 March 28 2011 (EST)

== Dwarven Bathtub ==

I, err, don't play the ANSI version. Only tried it once for about five minutes. Ever since then, I've downloaded versions with the graphics pre-installed. So I'm not sure what a Dwarven Bathtub looks like if you use the default tiles? The image is only used on the {{L|cleaning}} page, so it's not like there's a lot to change, though. The only thing I'm sure about is that the ramps are the same in both. [[User:Uristocrat|Uristocrat]] 09:16, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

== Non-User Page Creation ==

I would like a category created called "Flowchart" so as to categorize pages like http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/File:MetalIndustry3.jpg or http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/From_Caravan_to_Happy_Dwarves

Thank you. [[User:Shenzahn|Shenzahn]] 13:31, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

== New page request ==

A [[DF2010:Large pot]] page would be nice. [[User:ZCM|ZCM]] 03:54, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

Can you please enable the creation of new pages for my account. I use to have this ability but somewhere it seems to have disappeared. I was going to add small pages for beekeeping and wax working. [[User:Profit|Profit]] 18:14, 12 March 2011 (UTC)

== Page creation requests ==

Can you please create [[Template:B12Forum]] & [[Template:DFFD]]? I plan on creating up the links to the Bay12 Forums & DF File Depot with these templates. And [[Template:Release date]] I plan to use that for release dates on graphic packs & mods. 「[[User:gu1dry|'''gu1dry''']]」[[User talk:gu1dry|⊤]] • [[Special:Contributions/Gu1dry|¢]] 10:04, 17 March 2011 (UTC)
*Still waiting for the pages to be created or to be told "no".... 「[[User:gu1dry|'''gu1dry''']]」[[User talk:gu1dry|⊤]] • [[Special:Contributions/Gu1dry|¢]] 21:04, 31 March 2011 (UTC)

== User:hapes page ==

I would like to put up quantummenace's aquifer piercing method. Can you allow me access to my use page so I can do that? Thanks.
[[User:Hapes|Hapes]] 17:12, 24 March 2011 (UTC)

== New page request ==

Could you add a page for {{L|magma piston}}s? I'll add my edits to the {{L|magma}} page for now, but I'm worried I'm going to make that page too cluttered. -[[User:Norseman|Norseman]] 08:04, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

== Yet another new page request ==
I would like the [[DF2010_Talk:Gear_assembly]] page created, thanks in advance

== Labrynth Page? ==

I found a labrynth in adventure recently, and went through it, documenting everything along the way.

Perhaps a wiki page devoted to labyrinthes.. hm.. labyrinthi?.. hmph.. would be a good idea?

I took a whole bunch of screenshots and stuff that I could write from.

- acetech09 (0153 UTC Apr 6)

== royal jelly page ==

I think we need a royal jelly page. I'm however not experienced in making one could someone set up a template?

== user page request ==

Hello, I'd like a user page please! --[[User:Knaveofstaves|Knaveofstaves]] 14:23, 20 April 2011 (UTC)
:Created. --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 14:33, 20 April 2011 (UTC)

== New Page Request: ==

<s>[http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/User:ANormalUsername1/Aceangel I need this made, please. Thanks!]</s>
Never mind! Thanks anyways! --[[User:ANormalUsername1|ANormalUsername]] 01:55, 21 April 2011 (UTC)

User talk:Emi

2011-04-21T01:55:07Z

ANormalUsername1: Nevermind!

User:ANormalUsername1/Aceangel

2011-04-21T01:54:07Z

ANormalUsername1: :D

Now exists

User:ANormalUsername1

2011-04-21T01:53:12Z

ANormalUsername1: Now 85% more informative!

:> Hello, I am Frango Nicolbidok, or Nicolbidok for short.
:> The Common Language Translation(CLT, not to be mistooken for "[[Clutter]],") for Nicolbidok is "Afteracts."
:> It is I who have scowered the tundras in search for [[wolves]] and [[Yeti|yetis]]. I've searched for the [[Fortress|Mountain Halls]] from which my origins are from.
:> I've been around the world and back. I've killed countless [[goblins]] and recruited many [[dwarves]] to fight by my side. [[Dragons]] and [[Roc|Rocs]] have fallen dead to my might.
:> [[Humans]] have been at my mercy for more times than can be counted.
:> In the beginning of the year 126, 7 dwarves embarked on journey. They called themselves Afteracts. They established a fortress named Alaksedil, or in CLT, Aceangel.
:> I've traveled here and stayed as a guest. [[Food]] rarely runs out, and there's always a source of [[water]]. The water never freezes over, it's perfect here. We became a county as of last year.
:> [[Sieges]]--They're constant, but we've got enough traps to hold back entire groups of enemies.
:> Soon, we'll be the capital of the nation. Last year, a goblin seige killed off our dwarven traders, so the chance to offer our goods was closed until next year.
::--Nicolbidok.

User:ANormalUsername1

2011-04-21T01:34:29Z

ANormalUsername1: Introduction!

:> Hello, I am Frango Nicolbidok, or Nicolbidok for short.
:> The Common Language Translation(CLT, not to be mistooken for "Clutter,") for Nicolbidok is "Afteracts."
:> It is I who have scowered the tundras in search for wolves and yetis. I've searched for the Mountain Halls from which my origins are from.
:> I've been around the world and back. I've killed countless goblins and recruited many dwarves to fight by my side. Dragons and Rocs have fallen dead to my might.
:> Humans have been at my mercy for more times than can be counted.
:> In the beginning of the year 126, 7 dwarves embarked on journey. They called themselves Afteracts. They established a fortress named Alaksedil, or in CLT, Aceangel.
:> I've traveled here and stayed as a guest. Food rarely runs out, and there's always a source of water. The water never freezes over, it's perfect here. We became a county as of last year.
:> Sieges--They're constant, but we've got enough traps to hold back entire groups of enemies.
:> Soon, we'll be the capital. Last year, a goblin seige killed off our dwarven traders, so the chance to offer our goods was closed until next year.
::--Nicolbidok.

User talk:ANormalUsername1/Aceangel

2011-04-21T01:07:46Z

ANormalUsername1: So I can make this, but not the main page? :|

Comments go here...

User talk:Emi

2011-04-21T00:55:03Z

ANormalUsername1: /* New Page Request: */ new section

Please leave new messages by pressing the new section button. It is next to the edit button, and looks like a +. Be sure to sign your message with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> so I know who left me the message.

== Captcha ==

The wiki system is set up to autoconfirm a user after 3 days of existence as a registered user. Once that's done, you'll never have to enter a captcha again. (also, it's not possible, even as an admin / bureaucrat to manually add a user to the autoconfirmed group, sorry) --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 07:37, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

== Contact Info ==

I'm on IRC nearly every waking moment. --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 20:13, 16 March 2010 (UTC)

==[[Template:ArticleVersion]]==
''Two dozen'' consecutive edits? "Preview" just not a possibility?--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 20:14, 17 March 2010 (UTC)

== cv ==
So, forgive my continuing ignorance, but once the changeover happens, "cv" will then become whatever version 2010 is, right? And if so, how do we then distinguish between redirects appropriate only to the 40d legacy articles (which are currently being "corrected" using CV) and those that should go to the then truly "current version" 2010 articles?--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 21:45, 21 March 2010 (UTC)

== search terms and redirects ==

So a redirect chain like Gold bars -> 40d:Gold bars -> 40d:metal is correct, don't change it. Emi
Hi. I'm ''sure'' what you meant was to ask ''"Why did you delete that?"'', and not presume to lecture me about how redirects work. And my response would be - ''"Why did you create it?"'' Because I didn't "change" it, I ''deleted'' it - and there's a difference, and a difference in the reasoning behind each.

"Gold bars" is not really a term to link from, just not appropriate for a page title. It's not a term likely to be typed in to the search window, nor is it a wiki-article title in game terms. [[Gold]] is a perfectly valid (and existing) search term, and [[bars]] are as well, but not in the sense of "gold bars", unless you are [[construction|constructing]] horizontal or vertical bars from a single '''[[bar]]''' of [[gold]] ("bars" of gold being distinct from a "bar" of gold, for better or worse). And it's not usually a policy to create redirects, even Search redirects, based on erroneous understandings of the layout of the wiki. (If so, "silver bars", "copper bars", "bismuth bronze battle axe" and "narrow giant cave spider silk trousers" could all be included by some well meaning user based on one User's example - and that's more work than I want. Or any Admin.) More, "gold bars" is plural, which breaks yet another rule. So why, pray, do we need it in the first place? Lastly, if "gold bars" ''were'' a valid search or redirect term, I would think it should redirect to either "bar", the item (to clarify what a "bar" is, gold or not), or "gold" (the [[material]], to address that aspect), rather than [[metal]], which doesn't address the actual term, but is only a generally related umbrella article - but that confusion gets back to the reason I deleted it in the first place. I didn't even notice it was you that had created that page, but if I had I would have asked you this before deleting it. So... since we're here, why ''did'' you see a need to create it in the first place?

And while we're on the subject, you seem to be fairly enthusiastic about redirecting every game term to cv:game term - even if they are NOT version specific. You may want to slow down before hitting every last one, since things like [[acronym]]s and such will then have to be tracked down and returned to mainspace existence. Several in the long, long list on [[:Category:Obsolete]] seem more than a bit suspect, but I suppose now that it's done only the new version will prove them so or not. --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 02:47, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
I agree that it's maybe a silly redirect, however, right now I am making sure
these redirects all work properly
Use some discretion. I saw a page marked N(ew), and it didn't belong. If you recognize it as "silly", then don't go to the trouble to perpetuate it. And allow me to make something else clear that you should understand. Before you replace a page that Admin has deleted, you should ask them "why?" first. Thanks so much for your understanding on that last point.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 03:07, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
Discretion only slows down serializable tasks like the one I was doing. It's much easier to follow the
same pattern over and over and then go back and do all the stuff necessary to remove a silly redirect
So you are going to cover all those "silly" redirects that require it? Reassuring to hear - so long as someone has it covered, no problem then.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 03:18, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
Also, because there's no real reason not to have most of these redirects, it's silly to bother
checking each one before fixing them. If the admins at this wiki are of the "I'm an admin, so my
word is law" attitude, I'm not sure this is a place I want to be.
If that were the case, I would have simply acted high-handed and slapped you and not explained my reasoning - but we both know I didn't, so I'm left wondering why you even mention it. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for ''your'' reason for replacing the page that an Admin deleted rather than asking them why they did it. Even if you ''were'' Admin, do you think that is a good approach to the situation?--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 03:24, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
I didn't notice that you had deleted it until after I had recreated it.
I see.
I ask again if you use either of those other communication methods...
it's much easier to work these things out in real time.
No, sorry. And as Admin of this wiki, I feel it's important to use this format to work these things out. Which (I hope) we've now done. Readya later.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 17:45, 28 March 2010 (UTC)

== Bot edit request ==

Could you change all of the non-namespace-specific article links in template pages to use [[template:L]]? This is going to be a problem soon. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 11:43, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

== EmiBot's Standing Orders ==
Will it do that daily/hourly? B/c new pages are flying up without it. I agree it's overly long, and I thought about that, but it'll only be long for these first few days, until the immediate flurry has calmed a bit, then we back off. Right now, it's amateur hour out there, so any help is a good thing in those directions. (No automatic fixes? Urgh -that's a LOT of manual...) :P --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 20:08, 2 April 2010 (UTC) 
Again, I find myself waiting on an answer to my question while you focus on your own agenda - still waiting, thanks.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 21:06, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

==Deletion Template==
I explained my reasoning on the talk page, but in short: (1)The mod is not at all notable. (I am not willing to claim a notable mod would not deserve a page on its own, but this is a mod that adds 4 creatures and no one talks about - hardly deserving of a page). (2) There is only one relevant piece of information about this mod - where it can be found. (3) The page doesn't even include that information, and is thus useless. (4) A link to the mod on DFFD or its forum thread, and a very short blurb ("adds 4 new mega beasts") should be added to a general mod page if the mod is going to have a presence on the wiki. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 05:43, 5 April 2010 (UTC)
:Ah, sure, i can do that. I honestly just took a stab in the dark that deletion was the right template, and didn't actually know there were options... la la la? --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 06:39, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

== [[Template:Alloy3]] ==

I wasn't sure who to mention this to, and I apologize if it has already been noted, but this template is in use on 40d pages while the link built into the template for [[construction]] links to the "2010" namespace. Not sure what the best way to fix it would be, as I assume that the template will continue to be used. --[[User:Soy|Soy]] 16:10, 5 April 2010 (UTC)
:Thanks for looking into that! However, it looks like this is going to be an issue with a lot of the existing templates that are used across both versions. I think I see what your fix does and if I get some free time this evening I would be happy to try to update what I can find unless you can think of any negative impact it would have. -- [[User:Soy|Soy]] 19:32, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

==nm==
Yeah, I spoke before I read his talk page. And I remembered it as CMD. And he's right in that that's how it "should" be - the fact that it's not how it is in-game just an awkward DF reality. Altho', I see it as a style issue, not a coding issue.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 02:36, 8 April 2010 (UTC)
I probably still would have argued for Cmd with a redirect from CMD.
That's not an issue to take up over one page - that's a global style issue, and would change the established, existing guidelines on [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Community_Portal]]. (Not that I wouldn't mind seeing some change, but (unsurprisingly) mine are style-based critiques.) --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 02:39, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

== JS ==

Thanks! :) [[User:Mason11987|Mason]] ([[User talk:Mason11987|T]]-[[Special:Contributions/Mason11987|C]]) 01:39, 9 April 2010 (UTC)
== IRC ==
my firewall is dumb on windows, so I can't get on IRC, and I don't want to spend 3 hours figuring it out :( --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 04:42, 12 April 2010 (UTC)
:It is. It took me about a day to figure out how to unblock port 80 >< --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 06:12, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

== Ban required ==

Please ban [[Special:Contributions/74.222.1.40|74.222.1.40]] 
Thank you very much =) 
Gretings --[[User:Used|Used]] 08:12, 16 June 2010 (UTC)
:Also [[Special:Contributions/121.205.89.153|121.205.89.153]]. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 16:23, 16 June 2010 (UTC)
::Even better: semi-protect [[Dwarf Fortress Wiki talk:Centralized Discussion‎]] so that only logged-in users can edit it. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 16:25, 16 June 2010 (UTC)

Easiest of all: just go to [[Dwarf Fortress Wiki:Spamreport‎]] and ban all of the bots listed. Whenever another one shows up, I'll let you know. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 21:52, 18 June 2010 (UTC)
:Personally, i would've gone for a template that marks an ip, or user. Maybe like it being called UserReport, or Report, and then people could do the template thing to report a user. Not sure how that could be coded in, but it could allow administrators to be more warned and prepared to provide a look at the ip. To be honest, all these spambots are just strange. Also, deja vu, i could've sworn this happened in the exact same way before. Maybe another wiki... --[[User:Hugna|Hugna]] 22:47, 18 June 2010 (UTC)

== Bug in rate script ==

There's a bug in [[User:Emi/review.js]] - it's always putting the exact same timestamp: "08:00, 22 May 2010 (UTC)". --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 23:36, 5 August 2010 (UTC)
:Can't believe I didn't notice that before. It's fixed now. :) [[user:Emi|Emi]] [[user_talk:Emi|[T]]] 21:10, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

The rating script stopped working for me. Could have something to do with maintenance? --[[User:MathFox|MathFox]] 16:49, 22 September 2010 (UTC)
:Specifically, it gets to "Getting token..." and then seems to hang. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 17:44, 22 September 2010 (UTC)
::Oh, API probably wasn't re-enabled. Gotta wait for Briess on this one. [[user:Emi|Emi]] [[user_talk:Emi|[T]]] 19:33, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

== Broken quality tags ==

The quality tags are no longer showing up in the right place - they show up in the upper-left corner of the article body (just below the title) instead of the upper-right corner of the page (aligned with the title). --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 23:15, 21 September 2010 (UTC)
:Currently quality tags show up in the upper-right corner for me. --[[User:Another|Another]] 10:57, 22 September 2010 (UTC)
::Yeah, they were stealth-fixed shortly after I posted this comment (and the reply was posted on my own user page rather than here). --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 12:39, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

== Confirm e-mail address throwing and error ==

I got the following when trying to confirm my email address:

''Confirm e-mail address

''Dwarf Fortress Wiki could not send your confirmation mail. Please check your e-mail address for invalid characters.

''Mailer returned: mailer error

Thanks for your time and effort. --[[User:Jwest23|Jwest23]] 14:41, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

== Main page is unavailable ==

Does no one uses it?

<s>I'd like to add that changing the version and creating the new Mirrors and Release Information pages don't work and show red links.</s> Nvm, it works now --Dorf2

== The Grimoire of Armok ==

Hey, http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=77327.0 is the topic this is based on.

essentialy, were going to try make a Grimoire of Armok, and we need an online page for it to be stitched together and to eventualy host the completed version, do you mind if i use the Magma wiki? its a community work in progress, so i hope it can have a place on here.

Best regards: Karakzon
also whats with the 12:03, 15 February 2011 (UTC) thing?

: I'm not completely sure if this is the sort of thing that belongs on dfwiki, let me get back to you on it, okay? Also, if you type exactly four tildes like <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> it will create a signature that consists of a link to your user page and a timestamp, similar to this -> [[user:Emi|Emi]] [[user_talk:Emi|[T]]] 04:08, 16 February 2011 (UTC)

== DF2010:Release information/0.31.19 and Template:News/Mirrors/0.31.19 ==

New version! Updated what I could, but that's stuff I can't. --[[User:Gamildum|Gamildum]] 15:16, 16 February 2011 (UTC)

== Rails Project ==

I'm experienced with rails (been using it a few years) and am interested in a dfwiki project

[[User:JimboOmega|JimboOmega]] 19:18, 16 February 2011 (UTC)

== Magmawiki ==

Went there, browsed around - it seems like a rails backed wiki without any real content (and a few of the familliar "something went wrong" rails pages).

What are you looking for...?

== Magmawiki ==

Looks pretty cool. How can I help? My email address is (my user name) @ gmail.com

Can't discover your username and thus email address if you don't sign your post. :P [[User:Naros|Naros]] 21:05, 3 March 2011 (UTC)

== User Page Request ==

Posting here to request the creation of my user page, per the Site Announcements, primarily as a persistent workspace. Thanks in advance [[User:Valkyrie|Valkyrie]] 22:05, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

Requesting the creation of my user page. I'm going to use it as a workspace and reference source for details to my projects. Thankyou Kindly.
[[User:Jamesadelong|Jamesadelong]] 18:30 March 28 2011 (EST)

== Dwarven Bathtub ==

I, err, don't play the ANSI version. Only tried it once for about five minutes. Ever since then, I've downloaded versions with the graphics pre-installed. So I'm not sure what a Dwarven Bathtub looks like if you use the default tiles? The image is only used on the {{L|cleaning}} page, so it's not like there's a lot to change, though. The only thing I'm sure about is that the ramps are the same in both. [[User:Uristocrat|Uristocrat]] 09:16, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

== Non-User Page Creation ==

I would like a category created called "Flowchart" so as to categorize pages like http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/File:MetalIndustry3.jpg or http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/From_Caravan_to_Happy_Dwarves

Thank you. [[User:Shenzahn|Shenzahn]] 13:31, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

== New page request ==

A [[DF2010:Large pot]] page would be nice. [[User:ZCM|ZCM]] 03:54, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

Can you please enable the creation of new pages for my account. I use to have this ability but somewhere it seems to have disappeared. I was going to add small pages for beekeeping and wax working. [[User:Profit|Profit]] 18:14, 12 March 2011 (UTC)

== Page creation requests ==

Can you please create [[Template:B12Forum]] & [[Template:DFFD]]? I plan on creating up the links to the Bay12 Forums & DF File Depot with these templates. And [[Template:Release date]] I plan to use that for release dates on graphic packs & mods. 「[[User:gu1dry|'''gu1dry''']]」[[User talk:gu1dry|⊤]] • [[Special:Contributions/Gu1dry|¢]] 10:04, 17 March 2011 (UTC)
*Still waiting for the pages to be created or to be told "no".... 「[[User:gu1dry|'''gu1dry''']]」[[User talk:gu1dry|⊤]] • [[Special:Contributions/Gu1dry|¢]] 21:04, 31 March 2011 (UTC)

== User:hapes page ==

I would like to put up quantummenace's aquifer piercing method. Can you allow me access to my use page so I can do that? Thanks.
[[User:Hapes|Hapes]] 17:12, 24 March 2011 (UTC)

== New page request ==

Could you add a page for {{L|magma piston}}s? I'll add my edits to the {{L|magma}} page for now, but I'm worried I'm going to make that page too cluttered. -[[User:Norseman|Norseman]] 08:04, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

== Yet another new page request ==
I would like the [[DF2010_Talk:Gear_assembly]] page created, thanks in advance

== Labrynth Page? ==

I found a labrynth in adventure recently, and went through it, documenting everything along the way.

Perhaps a wiki page devoted to labyrinthes.. hm.. labyrinthi?.. hmph.. would be a good idea?

I took a whole bunch of screenshots and stuff that I could write from.

- acetech09 (0153 UTC Apr 6)

== royal jelly page ==

I think we need a royal jelly page. I'm however not experienced in making one could someone set up a template?

== user page request ==

Hello, I'd like a user page please! --[[User:Knaveofstaves|Knaveofstaves]] 14:23, 20 April 2011 (UTC)
:Created. --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 14:33, 20 April 2011 (UTC)

== New Page Request: ==

[http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/User:ANormalUsername1/Aceangel I need this made, please. Thanks!]

v0.31:Large roach

2011-04-21T00:25:52Z

ANormalUsername1: Thought I might be a little bit more specific.

{{Quality|Exceptional|00:16, 10 June 2010 (UTC)}}
{{verminlookup/0|wiki=Cockroach}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

[[File:Vermin-LargeRoach.JPG|thumb|left|Admired for its ability to disgust.]]

'''Large roaches''' are a type of {{L|vermin}}. They are found in any area that is not {{L|biome#Freezing|freezing}}. They can eat stockpiled {{L|food}}, and will cause dwarves that see them to experience an unhappy {{L|thought}}. Like certain types of real life roaches, they can fly and so you may sometimes see them flying through open space.

{{gamedata}}
{{Vermin}}

v0.31 Talk:Ghost

2011-04-12T11:20:01Z

ANormalUsername1: insert summary here

==Ghost Claiming Coffins==
There is a ghost in my fortress (restless haunt from a merchant who fell into a river) who appears to be claiming coffins on his own and automatically designating a room from them. If I free the tomb, he instantly makes another into a room. Don't really have a problem with this, except that I think it's giving my baron the "was utterly traumatized by a lesser's pretentious burial arrangements" thought. Anybody else have this issue? --[[User:Octorok|Octorok]] 00:40, 28 February 2011 (UTC)

== Scared to death ==
Can ghosts still scare people to death? I generally don't leave corpses around to find out ;)

-yes they do. Had my first incident with a ghost yesterday and a dwarf got scared to death. (31.18)

besides: He wasn't called a murderous Ghost or anything like that. Just "ghostly hunter" (hunting was his profession in life). -Zaibusa

== Ghost Data ==

Judging from the string dump, ghosts can do the following things to the living:
* <ghost> sucks the wind out of <dwarf>
* <ghost> raises a high fever in <dwarf>
* <ghost> makes <dwarf> convulse and retch
* <ghost> inflicts excruciating pain upon <dwarf>
* <ghost> causes a spell of dizziness in <dwarf>
* <ghost> paralyzes <dwarf>
* <ghost> stuns <dwarf>
* <dwarf> is throwing a tantrum, possessed by <ghost>
* <ghost> has risen and is haunting the fortress!
* <ghost> is following <dwarf>
* <item> has been misplaced. No doubt <ghost> is to blame!
* <ghost> is throwing objects around the fortress!
* <ghost> can be heard howling throughout the fortress!
--[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 17:26, 14 November 2010 (UTC)
 
I would love to read here, what ghosts actually DO! Do they harm our dorfs, are they just annoying? Please add to it :) --[[User:Lesconrads|Lesconrads]] 17:21, 1 December 2010 (UTC)
:It's been added. :) --[[User:ANormalUsername1|ANormalUsername]] 11:20, 12 April 2011 (UTC)

== Ghost Types ==

I had a dwarf go insane after a mood, melancholy to be specific. He can back as a moaning spirit. Has anyone noticed Melancholy dwarfs turning into moaning ghosts? Possible that's one cause for that kind of ghost. Thematically it would make sense.--[[User:Khelek|Khelek]] 04:43, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

I had an Angry ghost come a dead dwarf who had been ecstatic but died in battle. [[Special:Contributions/99.111.152.215|99.111.152.215]] 00:42, 10 January 2011 (UTC)

== Babies won't become ghosts ==

A child and a baby died in my danger room (!!SCIENCE!!). The child came back as a ghost, while the baby stayed dead. --[[User:Blur|Blur]] 10:29, 27 December 2010 (UTC)

Not only can babies become ghosts, they can [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=75255.0 grow up while dead!] [[User:Uristocrat|Uristocrat]] 02:11, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

== Party until you die ==

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=70423.0

Ahem, ghosts can now throw parties

[[Special:Contributions/2.103.51.3|2.103.51.3]] 04:03, 23 January 2011 (UTC)

: Urist McParty Dwarf turned up to rave, only to find the party was dead... [[User:Djsmiley2k|Djsmiley2k]]

== Confirmation for various ghost types ==

* Troublesome poltergeist from #bay12games
<blockquote>
19:28:47 kullervo >> does someone know about troublesome poltergeists?
19:29:09 Kirigaloo >> I've had one
19:29:16 kullervo >> what did it do
19:30:04 Kirigaloo >> misplaced things and I think it toppled a chair in the dining hall
19:30:28 kullervo >> are you sure about that?
19:30:36 Kirigaloo >> Not sure about the chair.
19:30:44 Kirigaloo >> I suspect it may also pull levers, but that fort had none at the
time
</blockquote>

v0.31:Ghost

2011-04-09T05:01:15Z

ANormalUsername1: I'll just throw this in there

{{Buggy}}
{{quality|Fine|21:27, 22 November 2010 (UTC)}}{{minorspoiler}}

Ghosts are the wandering remnants of intelligent dead creatures (and dwarves). They have a chance of appearing if corpses are not properly {{L|coffin|buried}} or {{L|memorial|memorialized}}. They haunt their best friends and follow them around on the same tile, and may linger around areas they frequented in life. Even babies can become ghosts and there are currentv31.18 reports that dwarves can [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=75255.0 grow up while dead] and even [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=75255.15 die of old age].

Ghosts appear to walk through walls and cannot be harmed by atom-smashing. They can be dismissed by burying the remains or by engraving rock slabs in memory of the deceased.

Additionally, ghosts can do the following to the living:
* <ghost> sucks the wind out of <dwarf>
* <ghost> raises a high fever in <dwarf>
* <ghost> makes <dwarf> convulse and retch
* <ghost> inflicts excruciating pain upon <dwarf>
* <ghost> causes a spell of dizziness in <dwarf>
* <ghost> paralyzes <dwarf>
* <ghost> stuns <dwarf>
* <dwarf> is throwing a tantrum, possessed by <ghost>
* <ghost> has risen and is haunting the fortress!
* <ghost> is following <dwarf>
* <item> has been misplaced. No doubt <ghost> is to blame!
* <ghost> is throwing objects around the fortress!
* <ghost> can be heard howling throughout the fortress!

{| width="75%" align="center"
|+Types of Ghosts
! scope="col" width="20%" | Type
! scope="col" width="30%" | Cause
! scope="col" width="50%" | Effect
|-
|Murderous Ghost
|Berserk
|Murders Dwarves.
|-
|Sadistic Ghost
|Berserk
|Batters, scares & paralyses Dwarves (capable of scaring a dwarf to death).
|-
|Violent Ghost
|Berserk
|Batters Dwarves.
|-
|Angry Ghost
|Berserk
|Batters Dwarves.
|-
|Moaning Spirit
|???
|Troubles one unfortunate dwarf at a time.
|-
|Howling Spirit
|???
|Makes sleeping difficult.
|-
|Secretive Poltergeist
|???
|''Misplaces'' Items.
|-
|Energetic Poltergeist
|???
|Topples furniture, such as chairs.
|-
|Troublesome Poltergeist
|???
|''Misplaces'' items, may topple furniture and pull levers (Confirmation?)
|-
|Restless Haunt
|Troubled life history.
||Drifts around place of death and frequented locations. Also haunts dwarves, causing unhappy thoughts.
|-
|Forlorn Haunt
|???
|Drifts around place of death and frequented locations.
|}

== Bugs ==
Ghost names that can't be engraved on a slab and nameless slab engravings. {{bug|3708}}

User talk:ANormalUsername1

2011-02-05T21:32:10Z

ANormalUsername1: talk page now existant

This is my talk page :D! Please notify me of whatever it is you're here for below. Thanks!

v0.31 Talk:Bogeyman

2011-02-03T23:43:27Z

ANormalUsername1: Notes

"The only way to stop their attacks is by running through a critical distance somewhere near a town/hamlet,"
:I ran through one, didn't ward them off. Also, you can enter a lair(where whatever lives inside it is dead) to escape from them, such as you would a building(Just thought I'd point that out.)
:Also brings me to the next point that sleeping inside of a cleared lair can keep your safe from bogeymen. --[[User:ANormalUsername1|ANormalUsername]] 23:43, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

v0.31 Talk:Adventurer mode

2010-12-12T21:14:04Z

ANormalUsername1: Re:

== Bleeding, wounds, combat ==

Anyone know if bleeding can be stopped in adventurer mode? My adventurer got hit by an arrow and bled to death. I removed the arrow but couldn't do anything about THE BLOOD. [[User:Haruspex Pariah|Haruspex Pariah]] 02:13, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

It looks like wounds can become infected (even after partial healing) in adventurer mode. My whole right leg is "swelling", and I keep vomiting everywhere. I wonder if it'll become worse. [[User:Timst|Timst]] 13:27, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

It might be worth pointing out and further testing that the combat in adventure mode seems to be much more detailed in DF2010. There are now nerves and layers of fat and muscle involved and it will tell you if you have served motor nerves etc. or just cut into fat. Also I must agree that hammers and other blunt weapons seem to be useless as in arena mode I used an adamantine hammer and couldn't do anything but bruise the heck out of people :P Switch to an axe and suddenly the same monster died on one hit (A dragon) Could use further testing of course, also to see if that weakness carries over to Fortress Mode so people can make informed choices when attempting to defend their fortress : --[[Special:Contributions/205.145.64.64|205.145.64.64]] 17:02, 7 May 2010 (UTC)Railick Stonemane
* Adamantine blunt weapons are poor because they are very lightweight; use heavier metals for blunt weapons. --[[User:TomiTapio|TomiTapio]] 18:29, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

I'm relatively certain it's relevant to my infection - after killing a dragon (all dragonfire blocked), I reported the victory thrice, and upon entering another town and thus leaving the travel, my feet spontaneously began melting. None of my equipment was on fire, so I'm assuming my infected finger (smashed apart of course) spread to my feet and the message was interpreted as melting, a half dozen times per movement. Very disconcerting.
(Another possible explanation is that the stairs of mead halls in a select few human capitals have faulty magma traps.)
: That sounds more like a bug than how infection or burning work. You could keep a perpetual infection with no effect other than occasional puss drainage, and it doesn't spread unless you also have a syndrome. Another explanation for the melting is that you might have walked across items burning in the wake of the dragonfire and set your feet aflame; you don't get any message that your equipment is on fire until you feel the pain of the flames. [[User:DokEnkephalin|DokEnkephalin]] 17:20, 9 September 2010 (UTC)

== Don't know where he lives ==

Have been tasked, as my first quest, to kill an armadillo fiend that is the god of one of the two of the only civilization left's religions. He's in my town, but I've no clue where he is

:The 'Q'uest Log should be useful for finding things. I think it can also help pinpoint quest targets. If you're in the same world map tile (e.g. you're in the same town), zooming in on something will show you the region map instead of the world map. I was able to see a 3x3 town on the map this way (or maybe it was a cave; I forget). Region tiles represent a 48x48 space IIRC, so that should help you find the rascal. -[[Special:Contributions/128.211.250.173|128.211.250.173]] 06:11, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

::I've encountered this as well; it's my (untested) assumption that the creature in question is somewhere in a cavern underneath the town. Also, the few times I've used the quest log to zoom in on a quest target, the most precise it gets is showing the 3x3 grid on the "local area" map where the Site in question is. [[User:Anacrucis|Anacrucis]] 21:59, 4 June 2010 (UTC)
:::If he's a demon, he's probably in one of the various houses and he's probably the town's Law-giver. If you actually attack him, the entire town will go hostile and try to kill you, including the guy who gave you the quest in the first place. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 22:02, 4 June 2010 (UTC)

== Mainspace redirect ==
Why does the mainspace Adventurer mode (and thereby the link on the main page) point to the 40d adventure mode? --[[User:StrongAxe|StrongAxe]] 15:39, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

== No attribute increase in adventure mode? ==
On the page it said that the attributes don't increase, but I started a dwarven adventurer and looked at his stats and it said I had a very good focus. But later that changed to a great ability to focus. So not only attributes INCREASE but also soul attributes can increase with no apparent reason.--[[User:Niggy|Niggy]] 13:54, 22 June 2010 (UTC)
: The article can't be accurate; attributes can increase with ranks in any skills. So far it appears to be random whether you get an increase and which attribute increases with each skill, but if you get enough to Legendary, you will notice some attributes climbing to Superhuman. [[User:DokEnkephalin|DokEnkephalin]] 08:08, 12 September 2010 (UTC)

== Dwarven Fortresses ==
I've seen a couple dwarven fortresses in adventure mode and in each case there's a large outer wall with a ring of stairs down to a "first" floor, in which there is a centered column of ramps down to the next level (all typical from ver. 40d). The ramp leads to a "ramp room" which has another ramp (column) opposite the first, then this repeats down several more levels, until you reach a level where there is no 'next' ramp down. Importantly, each ramp room is completely enclosed. There appears to be no actual body to the fortress, no rooms, hallways, certainly no workshops, etc. [[User:Piwowk|Piwowk]] 22:54, 20 April 2010 (UTC)
:It's been reported in the bug tracker. I actually once discovered a fortress just like this in 40d, but it seems that something has broken and is causing '''all''' worldgen dwarf fortresses to turn out like this. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 23:36, 20 April 2010 (UTC)
::I have discovered exactly one dwarf settlement in 31.04 that actually had halls and rooms in the underground layer. Just one. [[User:Anacrucis|Anacrucis]] 21:59, 4 June 2010 (UTC)
:::There is a workaround... well, kind of. By replacing DEFAULT_SITE_TYPE and LIKES_SITE (latter could be an overkill) from CAVE_DETAILED to CITY in raw's "default_entity.txt" you can supply every dorf's civilization with human architector, who '''can''' design functioning shops and whistles (having bad habit of building things above the ground though)

== Thoughts on Elf Adventurers ==
The current version of this page doesn't talk about the playable races so I thought this might be the best place to put my thoughts on elves:
:*Wood equipment makes them initially a poor choice as discussed on 40d page; however they can use the same size equipment as dwarfs (and goblins) which makes looting better gear a little easier than for a Human.
:*Elves seem to be friendly to most animals and non-evil creatures. They seem to lose this ability if they retire and then restart, though the loss might be caused by some other action (like killing Bambi) and the retire/restart correlation purely coincidental. Needs more testing.
:*If you lack the patience to reroll countless elf adventurers and send them to their deaths in search of a metal weapon, you could roll a dwarf character, put all it's starting steel and bronze gear in it's backpack, and drop the backpack somewhere like a human town, then retire the character. Revisiting that town with your elf, you should be able to find the backpack; this is more efficient than dropping the items individually as they all seem to stay in the backpack and only the backpack is "scattered." Whether or not this method requires more or less patience than the endless stream of dead elf adventurers method requires further testing.
:*Based on reviews of the Legends logs, attacking (or being attacked by?) members of a given Entity seems to make that Entity an Enemy of any Entities your adventurer belongs to. While I haven't tested this, it would seem possible that this could cause your civilization in Fortress mode to be at War with someone on embark, if you made some enemies with a dwarf adventurer of the same civilization. Playing an elf would avoid this presumed problem as long as you don't retire in a dwarven town or anything. (After all, every dwarf knows that elves are no [[fun]].) I propose more testing for this.
[[User:Anacrucis|Anacrucis]] 21:59, 4 June 2010 (UTC)

:The lack of random encounters from savage creatures does shelter a starting elf, from unprepared attacks that can end a novice dwarf or human quickly, but also from developing skill that other races have to. You can pick your targets at leisure, but the interface gets tedious as you have to confirm each and every attack. Since you can pretty much ignore wildlife, in later stages you don't have to waste time on the zerg rushes from outleagued critters. If evil lands exist in your world, they're a decent place to farm weapon experience in low-to-mid levels, until you're ready for local questing.
:The early equipment problem is solved with hand-picked recruitment of dwarves eager for glorious death. Goblin civilizations populated with dwarves tend to have more dwarves with better overall gear, so they make good targets, and they're fitting enemies for your dwarven companions to die in battle with. Money is pretty much pointless for elves, so you can travel light with only the weapons you like, or are currently training. You can have full steel in short order with this method; better gear than human coin can buy.
[[User:DokEnkephalin|DokEnkephalin]] 08:27, 12 September 2010 (UTC)

== Starting wars? ==
Can an adventurer cause wars by traveling around and attacking peaceful civilizations? --[[User:TomiTapio|TomiTapio]] 18:27, 6 July 2010 (UTC)
:Sort of. If the civilizations aren't already at war, they won't call it war. But if you're allied with one and cause trouble in another, they will name anyone you attack or who attacks you as an enemy, who will become a quest target. You could very easily make this snowball into a chain of aggressions from your allied nation on the ones that you're attacking. Even better, if you bring companions from your allies into settlement that has declared you enemy, they will run completely amok. This could be any nations at any range, whether they have any good reason for war or not. [[User:DokEnkephalin|DokEnkephalin]] 17:09, 9 September 2010 (UTC)

== Pools and swimming ==
Is the "climb out of pool" bugged in 31.08? Alt-move (and shift & ctrl) doesn't climb out. --[[User:TomiTapio|TomiTapio]] 19:02, 6 July 2010 (UTC)
:Once you issue the command, press Enter (or click the mouse) and you should actually be on the surface - there's some bugs with delayed input that have yet to be resolved. If Alt+Move isn't actually giving you a movement menu, then you're probably drowning and aren't physically capable of climbing out of the pool. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 19:32, 6 July 2010 (UTC)
:: So an adventurer should invest in the swimming skill, because of charging attacks and dodging jumps. --[[User:TomiTapio|TomiTapio]] 23:30, 19 July 2010 (UTC)

Now DF .31.13, (alt-move, a, enter) lets you jump into river for a swim, and similarly climb out. --[[User:TomiTapio|TomiTapio]] 14:20, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

==Bandages==
After getting cut up way more than is socially acceptable, I've concluded that you cannot use cloth to bandage a wound. If anyone can prove that they can, please, by all means revert my edit.

==Adventure Mode Combat==

or how to kill everything.

'''The Weapons'''
There are many types of weapons; not all can kill and maim at the same level.

Swords are your jack of all trades weapon, doing reasonable slashing damage.
The size of the blade helps in making bigger wound and dismembering foes.

'''subtypes'''
*large dagger*
Short sword
long sword
scimitar
two-handed sword

large dagger small weak shallow cuts and stabs, at best a fall back blade, at worst throw it at someone. NOTE uses dagger skill, not sword skill.

Short swords are the weakest true sword, but are still good for use fighting wolfs and the like, just don't take it to fight a dragon.

Long sword it's longer and so it cuts deeper and dismembers more.

Scimitar, ok this is just as good as the short sword.

Two-handed sword 5 times the cutting power of the short sword,it stabs go in 2 time as far, truly this is the king swords

'''Axes'''

ok a lot like swords but bigger and better when fighting armor.

'''subtypes'''
battle axe
great axe
halberd

battle axe on par with the long sword a good weapon over all.

great axe bigger and better.

halberd the oddball it has a smaller edge but can stab as well as chop, think of the offspring of a Short sword and a spear.

'''Spears'''
ok the spear ot as good or as bad as it was,yes no endless Stick-ins but no more stabbing every internal organs in one blow.

'''subtypes'''
spear
*pike*

spear a poor anti-group weapon for the love of Armok use a different weapon.

pike ok it stabs a little deeper and uses pike skill, still use a different weapon.

'''Blunts'''
good at smashing stuff and fighting armor.
for blunt weapons there weight is the main factor.

'''subtypes'''
war hammer
mace
maul
flail
morningstar

war hammer with skill to can put nice holes in heads.

mace has more weight than the warhammer, in skilled hands Goblins shatter like glass. In less skilled hands it's bruising.

maul a bigger mace,now hit stuff harder.

flail mace on a chain,hit them not you.

morningstar spiked ball on a chain cuts as it smashes.

'''other weapons'''
the odd one.

whip
pick
scourge

whip shatters the bone,bruise the flesh.

pick goes in deep,rips organs ,shatters bones.fear the miners.

scourge tears muscle,brakes bones.
--[[User:Funk|Funk]]

== Worldgen for Adventurers ==

It might be a good idea to have a section on worldgen parameters and settings that are useful to adventurers.

For ex: I always set CAVERN_LAYER_OPENNESS_MIN and CAVERN_LAYER_PASSAGE_DENSITY_MIN to 15 instead of 0, this gives a much less maze-like feel to the underground, allowing you to travel with only occasional side-trips to get around an impassible region. It's not so hot for fortress mode, since it's harder to wall out the nasties, but still doable.

I also set CAVERN_LAYER_WATER_MAX to 80 -- it costs a bit in framerate when you enter a region and the underground water begins to flow, but a 100% flooded region once prevented me from using the 'T'ravel trick to escape the underworld. It told me I couldn't fast travel because I was swimming, and the region square I was on had not a single tile of dry land. (A fairly common thing with this set to 100%) Wound up having to backtrack for hours. (This was before I tried the openness and passage density params, though.) This also seems to me to give slightly more natural-shaped underground pools.

Maybe a mention of MOUNTAIN_CAVE_MIN and NON_MOUNTAIN_CAVE_MIN, which will get you more interesting stuff to kill, or ALL_CAVES_VISIBLE, which keeps you from having to talk to people to find caves.

BEAST_END_YEAR is handy, too -- an adventurer probably doesn't care if the world still has a ton of megabeasts. Hey, they're not invading his house, right? It defaults to not ending worldgen until 80% of all megabeasts are dead, but I usually reduce that to 50 or less.

You don't want to have worldgen end too early, though. I find ending the worldgen early (like pre-500) leaves tons of megabeasts, but also gives you nearly empty cavern layers.

Finally, I find boosting the SAVAGERY minimum to about 10 is a good idea for adventurers, since it means less time spent trudging through empty forest when you're hunting, while not going to the insane step-WOLFAMBUSH-step-WOLFAMBUSH-step extreme.

--Anonymous July 30, 2010

== The Basics ==

I think it would be worth adding a paragraph or two describing the basics of Adventurer mode. What it is, and most importantly, how to start it. (Can it be started if a Fortress game is in progress?) -- Anonymous 2010-08-02

I definitely agree. I've spent around half an hour trying to 'g'et prickleberries etc, starving to death while my human (who only started with copper spear and dagger, apparently due to hitting 'play now') merrily ignites everything. Getting a waterskin is nearly impossible, as there are no towns for miles in every direction from my starting place. I'm not sure if this is a bug or not, but none of this really basic stuff is covered here.
* drink/lick the blood spatters off your clothes, for survival. --[[User:TomiTapio|TomiTapio]] 10:01, 13 November 2010 (UTC)

== Small Bugs - Conversations, Other little niggles ==

What's the wiki's policy on minor bugs? I found that in adventurer mode, asking peasants their profession makes them reply "I am a .", presumably because they have no job. Should I post that here, or is that too small? I can imagine the list getting full quick otherwise.

Ah - and apparently you can hold two things in one hand - although you need to juggle your inventory round to do it. Weird.

== priesthood ==

There's more to say on the subject, but most of it is better suited to a separate article on religion. It could be pared down to the basics dealing with quest finding, even though they don't currently give quests, the info could lay a foundation for it in future releases.[[User:DokEnkephalin|DokEnkephalin]] 17:04, 9 September 2010 (UTC)

== Companions limited to 2? ==

While in adventure mode I was playing as a human. I was able to convince a swordsman and a hammerman to join me. When trying to convince another hammerman to join me, he told me
"With a band so large, what share of the glory would I have?"

Does this mean that the companion limit has been decreased?

--[[Special:Contributions/98.144.80.228|98.144.80.228]] 16:43, 11 September 2010 (UTC)

*This happened for me, too. I've tried it using dwarves and elves, and I was only ever able to get 2 followers. [[User:Gasheegooger|Gasheegooger]] 23:12, 9 October 2010 (UTC)
*Deon managed to get seven followers. --[[User:TomiTapio|TomiTapio]] 09:58, 13 November 2010 (UTC)
*The number of followers you can get is determined by your notoriety; when you first start out you'll only be able to get two warriors to join your band, but once you get some tasks under your belt and slay a dragon or two you can have upward of fifteen. More may be possible but I sort of figured 15 was enough and stopped there. [[Special:Contributions/72.230.201.43|72.230.201.43]] 20:41, 14 November 2010 (UTC)

== "<Adventurer> was guided by forces unknown" ==

That says if you check out your dead adventurer in legends.
* Yep, one of Armok's little helpers guided the person. --[[User:TomiTapio|TomiTapio]] 10:01, 13 November 2010 (UTC)

== tips and tricks in.31.17 ==
<blockquote>
Some vanilla .17 adventuring... this might be helpful to you. 

1. start a demigod adventurer. Buy agility and dodging. Surrounded == dead. 
2. run away from bogeymen, leave the low-agility ones far behind. 
3. no adventurer can ever start with armor, it seems. 

4. try aimed ("A") easy attacks, stab torso with sword. Or slash at foot/hand. Miss because bogeymen have very good dodging skills. 
5. use trees to force enemies into single file. 
6. "C" change combat mode to strike instead of charge. Charging makes you trip and fall often. 

8. one bogeyman is about as difficult as .16 's elephant/ogre/giant/marshtitan. Because of dodging skill. 
9. fighting skill may give you lots of nice counterstrikes. You might want to practice fighting with slow-moving wildlife (not camels!) 
10. "mortal wound" means internal organ bruising, not dangerous, unlike "CANT STAND". 
11. haul bogeyman body parts to town to show off. 
 
12. inside a crowded building, would need a "swap places with friendly" key so can move around. 
Quote from: Miko19: You can press "s" to lay on the ground, and then you can move on the same tile as an other person is 
Oookay... crawl under the moronic humans who cower inside their houses, check. 
 
13. goblins and dwarven bandits are nothing compared to bogeymen. (Or my skills got really high already.) 
14. cross the rivers and streams in travel mode, not with swimming. 
15. go thank Toady for adding bandits and "The quest for armor". 

16. some humans are morons and block doorways for hours on end. 
17. wear shirt, dress, dress, dress, robe for "protection". 
18. ask the cyan-coloured humans (who have no profession) to join you. 
19. your human companions will have a longer sight range than you, at least at night when the felines attack. 
20. wear one more dress. And two togas. 
21. the red-cross-blinking cyan @ draws you eye away from the brown, dirt-coloured @. And the companion will crawl miles and miles, matching your speed, faithfully following you. 

Q for quest log, z to see where the quest target is. Esc to exit quest log. 
Z, d, enter to sleep the night. 

ps. some of these notes are more like bug reports to Toady. --[[User:TomiTapio|TomiTapio]] 09:58, 13 November 2010 (UTC) 
</blockquote>

== .31.17 peasant/hero/demigod, thoughts ==
About the adventurer... think of "peasant" as "joe average who was the worst learner in the whole county". Novice in seven skills after many years of trying. 
A "hero" could be a circus strongman, strong and tough, or a tumbler (acrobat) with superior agility and above average patience and focus, adequate in eight skills due to 1-2 years of training as a teenager. 
A "demigod" is one in a thousand, competent in nine skills, perhaps a former soldier with five years of experience. Or proficient in 4.5 skills (not even a legendary in fortress mode, that soldier.)--[[User:TomiTapio|TomiTapio]] 11:43, 13 November 2010 (UTC) 

== Info on diff. between Adv Mode & Dwarf Mode ==
In adding some minor information to the Quick Start guide, I fell upon a conundrum. In that article I wanted to add a fair bit more information, but I wasn't sure that it belonged there (likely not as part of a quick start guide). Indeed, I'm not sure where to put them at all, whether they deserved their own page. I am thinking about: attributes and skills, which deserves more depth than what is necessary for dwarf mode (such as suggested skills to invest in, and the function of such skills and attributes in adventure mode); the benefits of the various races (which is not even covered in this article); probably known "quirks", such as the virtual non-existance of "small" equipment for use by dwarves and that goblins are a source; among other things. Should they simply get their own page so they can belong specifically to an Adventure Mode category, or perhaps add an "In Adventure Mode" section to the relevant pages in order to detail those differences? 
I ask this question here since this seem to be a bit of catch all discussion area for adventure mode. Seemed better suited to it than the Quick Start discussion page, anyway.
: [[User:Niveras|Niveras]] 02:21, 14 November 2010 (UTC)

This is weird. I thought demigods were not allowed starting companions like heroes -- I tested it with two different demigods and the townspeople consistently gave me "I would....rather not" when asked about joining before I had completed any quest, and edited the page to reflect that. Yet, someone changed the edit back saying they *always* take two companions when playing demigod. Can anyone else test?
Is that right? Am I subject to a bug?
: Anonymous, Nov 15

::I'm the one who made that edit, I think your problem is you were trying to recruit regular townspeople; look around towns/hamets for some actual fighters, or head to a fortress and try to recruit them there. It takes a while before you can get non-fighters to come with you, because whether they join you or not doesn't depend on how much stronger you are than them like in previous versions, but by how famous you are for being a hero, and they know they're weak and probably just cannonfodder unless you're a legend. Or at least that's my theory. I do admit that I haven't played any Peasant-class or Hero-class adventurers yet, so I can't say there is ''no'' difference between their abilities to recruit, but I can say for sure that I can get two swordsmen before I do a quest with my demigods. [[Special:Contributions/72.230.201.43|72.230.201.43]] 19:55, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

== Ghost towns? ==

Is it a bug that I found ghost towns? Towns where there were no surviving inhabitants, but the stores are still stocked (and the items owned so I couldn't purchase anything without theft.) Was everyone just out in the fields or something?

(Also, I found a phantom hamlet, which I'm pretty sure *is* a bug. It showed up on the world map, but not the travel map. The local map had a pointer to the town, and as I walked there I hit the center but there were no buildings or people. It was safe to sleep, though, thankfully, 'cause I'd just lost all my companions to a troll attack and the sun had gone down.)

-- Anonymous, November 14, 7:08 pm pacific time

== Difficulty settings ==

What exactly are the differences between Peasant, Hero, and Demigod difficulties?
:I am fairly sure the only difference between them are the number of points you begin with to divide among your attributes and skills. [[Special:Contributions/72.230.201.43|72.230.201.43]] 02:17, 17 November 2010 (UTC)
::Further testing may be needed. I've gone through a spate of demigods who died suddenly, while my current character, a peasant, has developed very well through skill training and has lived long enough to get a nearly full set of steel armor in dwarf size. I don't know if he's been plain lucky, or I'm getting better, or if there's some mitigating factor in the code that takes it easier on peasants than demigods. -Anonymous, 20 November 2010

== Starting Armor ==

From 31.17 and continuing in 31.18, is it correct that adventurers only start with leather clothes and never any metal armor except for a shield? - Anonymous, 18 November 2010, 3:14 UTC
:Having played about a dozen characters, this appears to be true. Currently you've got to find armor in shops, lairs, caves, and bandit camps. - Anonymous, 20 November 2010

== Equipping ==

I cannot find a way to equip a weapon.... And i searched all over the wiki and i still cannot find any place where it tells me how to equip a weapon. Any help??? -- Anonymous 198.53.163.246, 08:27 UTC, 28 November 2010

:Anything held in your hands is an available weapon. Drop what's in your hands on the ground (or 'p'ut it in a container if you have one that has room) and then get your weapon -- either 'g'etting it off the ground or 'r'emoving it from a container. It will automatically go into your primary hand (depending on handedness; DF has a lot of lefties) and be used as a weapon. Then grab your shield if you use one, or offhand weapon if you're training another skill, or leave that hand empty for choking throats if you like. -- Anonymous 74.37.93.115, 28 Nov 2010
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==This article is terrible==
it doesnt describe much of any of the specifics of adventure mode, its all generalized ideas on the basic concept of it, with a sprinkling of various outdated versions thrown in for <s>good</s> measure. There needs to be a section on the (Q)uest section (which even i dont really get that still, companions, basic combat strategy's, and a whole crap load of other st00f. --[[User:Dudemcman|Dudemcman]] 05:18, 3 December 2010 (UTC)
:Alright i'll have time to work on this page in about a week. In the meantime suggestions anybody? [[User:LightBearer|LightBearer]] 18:23, 12 December 2010 (UTC)

== Companions choose the innocent over you. ==

In my experiences, attacking civilians will cause your companions to turn on you, but they still flash blue (i use maydays graphics, so its blue for me atleast), and try to kill you, im not sure how they react if you attack a soldier in a castle, or a town. more testing needed. --[[User:Dudemcman|Dudemcman]] 05:22, 3 December 2010 (UTC)

:They still attack you. I dare you to kill a lord/lady/other royal person. Everyone'll be out to get you. --[[User:ANormalUsername1|ANormalUsername1]] 21:14, 12 December 2010 (UTC)

User:ANormalUsername1

2010-11-18T01:44:28Z

ANormalUsername1: Created page with 'For use later'

For use later