Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

User talk:Uristocrat/Dwarven Bathtub

2013-02-10T19:14:26Z

AbuDhabi: Created page with "Very nice thing! My dwarven soldiers were saved from being on fire by it once! ~~~~"

Very nice thing! My dwarven soldiers were saved from being on fire by it once! [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 19:14, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

v0.34:Batman

2012-04-04T11:39:41Z

AbuDhabi: Redirected page to DF2012:Bat man

#REDIRECT [[cv:Bat_man]]

v0.31 Talk:Burrow

2011-08-11T14:02:33Z

AbuDhabi: /* Don't mind me (just throwing some ideas) */

==Cleanup==
Pathfinding. What is it doing here? I cleaned up the last bit about 'digging extends burrows.' It doesn't, but I get what the original writer was trying to convey: burrow residents can only mine inside their burrow, burrows can extend past currently dug-out areas and into solid rock, which can then be mined by residents, up to the limits of that burrow. Also, I'm creating a section for "uses for burrows." Of course, there is the civilian alert, we should explain that here. Then there is the current single piece of advice: restricting craftsdwarfs to certain workshops/stockpiles. But there are many more uses for burrows than that. Getting your trader to the depot. Workaround for the nobles bug. Setting up little hidey holes for outdoor workers and getting them into one when the gobbos attack. Urist McSwitchPuller. Any other things? [[User:GhostDwemer|GhostDwemer]] 23:25, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

These two quotes are contradictory:
<blockquote>
A burrow may span multiple Z levels, so long as a means of getting from one Z level to another is '''within the Burrow zone'''.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
If you define a burrow which is split into two areas, the citizens may walk between those two areas, outside of the burrow you defined.
</blockquote>

The second quote implies that dwarves will find a way to the other Z levels if a path exists anywhere, not just inside the burrow, but I can't test the behavior right now. --[[User:Slacksoft|Slacksoft]] 20:04, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

==Questions==
I've created a burrow, essentially the inside of my fortress. I added all of my civilians to the burrow. They now all stay in the burrow. The only problem is, I can't figure how to get dwarves to ignore the burrow. Essentially what I want is be able to create an All Inside alert, and while its not on for dwarves to be able to go anywhere. How do I do this? – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:99.96.222.115|99.96.222.115]]
* Answer: Assign NO dwarves to the burrow, assign the burrow to the alert, and when you need your civilians to stay inside, change the Civilian Alert to the alert with the burrow ({{k|m}}, {{k|a}}, highlight alert name, {{k|Enter}}). --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 06:32, 19 December 2010 (UTC)
How do I restrict civilian dwarves to a specific burrow? --[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] 23:47, 4 April 2010 (UTC)
* Answer: When civilians are added to a burrow [w][c][enter] they are automatically restricted to the burrow's boundaries. --[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] 09:00, 5 April 2010 (UTC)
* Answer: You can also restrict civilians to a burrow with an alert state. An active alert specifying a burrow will direct all non-military dwarves to go to that burrow. [[User:Doctorzuber|Doctorzuber]] 15:24, 6 April 2010 (UTC)
::How do I set civilians to an alert state?--[[Special:Contributions/208.81.12.34|208.81.12.34]] 15:05, 17 August 2010 (UTC)
::: Define a burrow. Go to the military screen. Go to the alerts screen. Highlight Active/Training (the alert state you want to add the burrow to) and then select the burrow from the list on the right. Now the Active/Training alert state includes a burrow that restricts only civilians, and only when the civilian alert state is set. To do so, simply highlight the alert you want and press enter. To un-restrict civilians, select the 'Inactive' alert state and hit enter. – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:GhostDwemer|GhostDwemer]]

If I add a dwarf to a burrow, will he starve when no food is available in that burrow? -Xeiki
* Answer: No. He will head outside the burrow to look for food or drink. [[Special:Contributions/216.110.94.227|216.110.94.227]] 17:50, 16 April 2010 (UTC)
*Nota Bene: He will not be choosy, though. If only water is available in his burrow, he will drink it, possibly impairing his work ability from lack of alchohol. Dwarves will also leave burrows to sleep. --[[User:Zombiejustice|Zombiejustice]] 19:33, 16 April 2010 (UTC)
** Are you sure they will leave to sleep? I set up a burrow as outlined in "Burrows as Dedicated Workshops" (a workshop and a stockpile) and the worker insists on sleeping in his workshop rather than going back to his bedroom. -[[User:Aristoi|Aristoi]] 20:07, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

How do I revert to the old military system?

*Answer: You play 40d. Sorry. (Just learn to adapt, the new one is actually pretty cool.) --[[User:Zombiejustice|Zombiejustice]] 19:33, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Will a dwarf remain injured, or will he path to a hospital if injured regardless of burrow location? [[Special:Contributions/97.103.188.15|97.103.188.15]] 01:11, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

How do I restrict only animals to a certain burrow? [[User:Richards|Richards]] 04:38, 11 July 2010 (UTC)

* Answer: Animals ignore burrow's, you can't restrict them. They do like meeting areas, cages, and chains though. Or just i -> Pit them into holding room with no exits. --[[User:Altaree|Altaree]] 14:23, 28 July 2010 (UTC)

Will dwarves cross non burrow territory if two parts of the same burrow aren't connected?
If I make a travel burrow containing all the halls/main stair ways, a mason's burrow, and a stone stockpile burrow. Then assign the masons to all three. Will the dwarves take from one burrow, travel through another, and work in the third? (I need a dwarftherapist for burrows...) --[[User:Altaree|Altaree]] 14:23, 28 July 2010 (UTC)
:Yes to the first, only coincidentally ("the burrow covers where they travel", not "they travel within the burrow") to the second. --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 06:32, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

Digging into walls does not expand the burrow into it as expected. It only does this if you already selected the non-dug out space to be part of the burrow. So it's like an invisible part of the burrow. So, for example, if you selected the entire z-level as a burrow, then everything you dig out would become part of that burrow also. But if you use the mouse to only select a single room to be part of a burrow, digging one or two spaces might be added to the burrow but any further will not.--[[User:Lemunde|Lemunde]] 14:13, August 21 2010 (EST)
: I find that they stop acting as if there is invisible burrow after a bit. Is this common or am I somehow deselecting? – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:99.66.78.121|99.66.78.121]]
:: The end of the "invisible burrow" would be the end of where you previously defined the burrow. Define it ten squares deeper into the unknown, and your burrow-restricted miners will dig out those ten squares. --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 06:32, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

'''How do I make haulers work with burrows?''' If I have a hauler assigned to a burrow with a stockpile in it accepting i.e logs, and there happens to be logs outside the burrow, he will attempt to do haul the outside logs into the burrow, only to realize it is inaccessible and cancel the job. Over and over and over. Leading to mass cancellation spam and dwarves sitting in one spot trying to do the same failing job repeatedly. --[[User:Hulbral|Hulbral]] 17:07, 18 December 2010 (UTC)
: Define burrows covering everywhere the haulers might need to work. Forbid everything not inside a burrow. Unassign your haulers from the burrows. Why are your haulers assigned to burrows, anyways? --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 06:32, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

==Pathfinding==
with burrows, and many other game features things often don't quite do what they're supposed to do. There are many open threads about pathfinding issues on the bug tracker right now, so far there doesn't seem to much in the way of clear answers as to what exactly is going on. One tactic that does seem to at least temporarily fix many pathing problems is to save, close the game completely, and reload your save. This is believed to be because of some sort of caching behavior. [[User:Doctorzuber|Doctorzuber]] 15:24, 6 April 2010 (UTC)
:Locking and unlocking a door also fixes pathing. Changing the map like this seems to force the connectivity map to recalculate. [[User:Vattic|Vattic]] 22:45, 7 April 2010 (UTC)
::The pathing problems were fixed in 0.31.03 [[User:Immibis|Immibis]] 07:52, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Does the pathfinding section belong in the Burrow page, or should it have its own? --[[User:HammerDave|HammerDave]] 16:39, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

== Dwarves path out of burrow ==

I've noticed quite a few times during the last siege a potential pitfall in using the burrow system. I all my civilians assigned to a large burrow covering most of my fortress. I had dwarves take hauling jobs for items in another part of the fortress, but in the course of going there, they took a path that led them outside their assigned burrow. I made a mistake in that I didn't realize that the only path they had available was through a dangerous area, its possible they would have not gone outside if another but possibly longer path had been available. -[[Special:Contributions/99.68.98.63|99.68.98.63]] 18:26, 11 September 2010 (UTC)
:Yes, if the longer, safe path was part of the burrow and the shorter one wasn't. [[User:Speed112|Speed112]] 22:00, 11 September 2010 (UTC)
::No. Dwarves ignore burrows for pathfinding purposes. --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 06:32, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

== Possible Bug ==

I just wanted to see if anyone else has seen this... I was recently trying out the burrow system. After I assigned civilians to my burrow, they started tripping all the weapon traps I had set. Also, for some reason, they all ended up outside. Has anyone else had this problem?
Edit: Upon further inspection, a fair number of dwarves managed to get out of my completely sealed fort. I went to great lengths to make certain that there was no way in or out unless I activated a series of bridges. all of these were still in their raised/uncrossable positions. – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:173.67.14.124|173.67.14.124]]

== Define only rooms, or need to define pathing/stairs? ==

The big question in that article that isn't covered is the most basic.. when you're defining/using burrows, do you need to define the pathing between the blocks you select, or will the AI pathfind between them? Second point, if you DO define a route (to prevent dangerous pathfinding) will they use the route or pathfind outside of it if there is a 'shorter route'? – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:Pathaugen|Pathaugen]]
: No. Dwarves can and will pathfind between unconnected, or connected, segments of burrow. They won't keep their path within a burrow even if it is the shortest path, unless it happens to be the path they'd pick anyways.
: That said, I define "stairs and accessways" as a separate burrow anyways, so my dwarves can perform jobs within them while my fortress is buttoned up (I only use burrows for the "restrict to fort" capability). Also note that [[DF2010:Note#Patrol Routes|routes]] are something different - they're for your military - just in case you meant actual "routes-following-Notes" routes and not just the word. --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 21:33, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

:: So bottom line.. can't trust burrows to deliver ammo/food/drinks to remote stocks because they may path into danger? Seems strange.. [[User:Pathaugen|Pathaugen]] 05:15, 10 November 2010 (UTC)
::: No, you can't use burrows to guide your dwarves. They merely restrict what the dwarf looks for, rather than how he sets about getting to it. If you want to avoid fixed dangers, you can use the [[Traffic]] designations - set your preferred path as a High-traffic area, and place Low- or Restricted-traffic areas around it to further encourage the dwarves to stay on the path. --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 11:40, 12 November 2010 (UTC)

== Hammerer's Burrow ==
Is it possible to assign the Hammerer to a burrow instead of crippling him? That would stop him from slaughtering my legendary workers in an very easy way. --[[User:Blur|Blur]] 19:14, 25 December 2010 (UTC)

== Defend burrow ==

If you set an archer squad to be on some burrow, is it true that they do not shoot enemies that are outside the burrow? Do you have to choose between archers sometimes standing stupidly at a drawbridge or archers not shooting to enemies at the drawbridge.

== Don't mind me (just throwing some ideas) ==

All burrows must include a food stockpile (set to accepting only insta-edible products) and a drink stockpile. Both must take from the main stockpiles. All burrows must have some quarters for the workers assigned to them.

'''Trade Station''': Trade Depot, useless rubbish stockpile, one dedicated broker. 
'''Accounting Enclave''': Chair for worker, one manager/bookkeeper. 
'''Farmville''': Fields, main food and drink stockpile, seed stockpile, farmer's workshop, a couple of kitchens and stills, several workers for cooking/farming/brewing/whatnot. 
'''Hospital''': Well-stocked hospital zone, with water source, one dedicated medic.

v0.31 Talk:Burrow

2011-08-11T14:02:13Z

AbuDhabi: /* Don't mind me (just throwing some ideas) */ new section

==Cleanup==
Pathfinding. What is it doing here? I cleaned up the last bit about 'digging extends burrows.' It doesn't, but I get what the original writer was trying to convey: burrow residents can only mine inside their burrow, burrows can extend past currently dug-out areas and into solid rock, which can then be mined by residents, up to the limits of that burrow. Also, I'm creating a section for "uses for burrows." Of course, there is the civilian alert, we should explain that here. Then there is the current single piece of advice: restricting craftsdwarfs to certain workshops/stockpiles. But there are many more uses for burrows than that. Getting your trader to the depot. Workaround for the nobles bug. Setting up little hidey holes for outdoor workers and getting them into one when the gobbos attack. Urist McSwitchPuller. Any other things? [[User:GhostDwemer|GhostDwemer]] 23:25, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

These two quotes are contradictory:
<blockquote>
A burrow may span multiple Z levels, so long as a means of getting from one Z level to another is '''within the Burrow zone'''.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
If you define a burrow which is split into two areas, the citizens may walk between those two areas, outside of the burrow you defined.
</blockquote>

The second quote implies that dwarves will find a way to the other Z levels if a path exists anywhere, not just inside the burrow, but I can't test the behavior right now. --[[User:Slacksoft|Slacksoft]] 20:04, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

==Questions==
I've created a burrow, essentially the inside of my fortress. I added all of my civilians to the burrow. They now all stay in the burrow. The only problem is, I can't figure how to get dwarves to ignore the burrow. Essentially what I want is be able to create an All Inside alert, and while its not on for dwarves to be able to go anywhere. How do I do this? – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:99.96.222.115|99.96.222.115]]
* Answer: Assign NO dwarves to the burrow, assign the burrow to the alert, and when you need your civilians to stay inside, change the Civilian Alert to the alert with the burrow ({{k|m}}, {{k|a}}, highlight alert name, {{k|Enter}}). --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 06:32, 19 December 2010 (UTC)
How do I restrict civilian dwarves to a specific burrow? --[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] 23:47, 4 April 2010 (UTC)
* Answer: When civilians are added to a burrow [w][c][enter] they are automatically restricted to the burrow's boundaries. --[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] 09:00, 5 April 2010 (UTC)
* Answer: You can also restrict civilians to a burrow with an alert state. An active alert specifying a burrow will direct all non-military dwarves to go to that burrow. [[User:Doctorzuber|Doctorzuber]] 15:24, 6 April 2010 (UTC)
::How do I set civilians to an alert state?--[[Special:Contributions/208.81.12.34|208.81.12.34]] 15:05, 17 August 2010 (UTC)
::: Define a burrow. Go to the military screen. Go to the alerts screen. Highlight Active/Training (the alert state you want to add the burrow to) and then select the burrow from the list on the right. Now the Active/Training alert state includes a burrow that restricts only civilians, and only when the civilian alert state is set. To do so, simply highlight the alert you want and press enter. To un-restrict civilians, select the 'Inactive' alert state and hit enter. – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:GhostDwemer|GhostDwemer]]

If I add a dwarf to a burrow, will he starve when no food is available in that burrow? -Xeiki
* Answer: No. He will head outside the burrow to look for food or drink. [[Special:Contributions/216.110.94.227|216.110.94.227]] 17:50, 16 April 2010 (UTC)
*Nota Bene: He will not be choosy, though. If only water is available in his burrow, he will drink it, possibly impairing his work ability from lack of alchohol. Dwarves will also leave burrows to sleep. --[[User:Zombiejustice|Zombiejustice]] 19:33, 16 April 2010 (UTC)
** Are you sure they will leave to sleep? I set up a burrow as outlined in "Burrows as Dedicated Workshops" (a workshop and a stockpile) and the worker insists on sleeping in his workshop rather than going back to his bedroom. -[[User:Aristoi|Aristoi]] 20:07, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

How do I revert to the old military system?

*Answer: You play 40d. Sorry. (Just learn to adapt, the new one is actually pretty cool.) --[[User:Zombiejustice|Zombiejustice]] 19:33, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

Will a dwarf remain injured, or will he path to a hospital if injured regardless of burrow location? [[Special:Contributions/97.103.188.15|97.103.188.15]] 01:11, 31 May 2010 (UTC)

How do I restrict only animals to a certain burrow? [[User:Richards|Richards]] 04:38, 11 July 2010 (UTC)

* Answer: Animals ignore burrow's, you can't restrict them. They do like meeting areas, cages, and chains though. Or just i -> Pit them into holding room with no exits. --[[User:Altaree|Altaree]] 14:23, 28 July 2010 (UTC)

Will dwarves cross non burrow territory if two parts of the same burrow aren't connected?
If I make a travel burrow containing all the halls/main stair ways, a mason's burrow, and a stone stockpile burrow. Then assign the masons to all three. Will the dwarves take from one burrow, travel through another, and work in the third? (I need a dwarftherapist for burrows...) --[[User:Altaree|Altaree]] 14:23, 28 July 2010 (UTC)
:Yes to the first, only coincidentally ("the burrow covers where they travel", not "they travel within the burrow") to the second. --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 06:32, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

Digging into walls does not expand the burrow into it as expected. It only does this if you already selected the non-dug out space to be part of the burrow. So it's like an invisible part of the burrow. So, for example, if you selected the entire z-level as a burrow, then everything you dig out would become part of that burrow also. But if you use the mouse to only select a single room to be part of a burrow, digging one or two spaces might be added to the burrow but any further will not.--[[User:Lemunde|Lemunde]] 14:13, August 21 2010 (EST)
: I find that they stop acting as if there is invisible burrow after a bit. Is this common or am I somehow deselecting? – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:99.66.78.121|99.66.78.121]]
:: The end of the "invisible burrow" would be the end of where you previously defined the burrow. Define it ten squares deeper into the unknown, and your burrow-restricted miners will dig out those ten squares. --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 06:32, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

'''How do I make haulers work with burrows?''' If I have a hauler assigned to a burrow with a stockpile in it accepting i.e logs, and there happens to be logs outside the burrow, he will attempt to do haul the outside logs into the burrow, only to realize it is inaccessible and cancel the job. Over and over and over. Leading to mass cancellation spam and dwarves sitting in one spot trying to do the same failing job repeatedly. --[[User:Hulbral|Hulbral]] 17:07, 18 December 2010 (UTC)
: Define burrows covering everywhere the haulers might need to work. Forbid everything not inside a burrow. Unassign your haulers from the burrows. Why are your haulers assigned to burrows, anyways? --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 06:32, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

==Pathfinding==
with burrows, and many other game features things often don't quite do what they're supposed to do. There are many open threads about pathfinding issues on the bug tracker right now, so far there doesn't seem to much in the way of clear answers as to what exactly is going on. One tactic that does seem to at least temporarily fix many pathing problems is to save, close the game completely, and reload your save. This is believed to be because of some sort of caching behavior. [[User:Doctorzuber|Doctorzuber]] 15:24, 6 April 2010 (UTC)
:Locking and unlocking a door also fixes pathing. Changing the map like this seems to force the connectivity map to recalculate. [[User:Vattic|Vattic]] 22:45, 7 April 2010 (UTC)
::The pathing problems were fixed in 0.31.03 [[User:Immibis|Immibis]] 07:52, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Does the pathfinding section belong in the Burrow page, or should it have its own? --[[User:HammerDave|HammerDave]] 16:39, 16 April 2010 (UTC)

== Dwarves path out of burrow ==

I've noticed quite a few times during the last siege a potential pitfall in using the burrow system. I all my civilians assigned to a large burrow covering most of my fortress. I had dwarves take hauling jobs for items in another part of the fortress, but in the course of going there, they took a path that led them outside their assigned burrow. I made a mistake in that I didn't realize that the only path they had available was through a dangerous area, its possible they would have not gone outside if another but possibly longer path had been available. -[[Special:Contributions/99.68.98.63|99.68.98.63]] 18:26, 11 September 2010 (UTC)
:Yes, if the longer, safe path was part of the burrow and the shorter one wasn't. [[User:Speed112|Speed112]] 22:00, 11 September 2010 (UTC)
::No. Dwarves ignore burrows for pathfinding purposes. --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 06:32, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

== Possible Bug ==

I just wanted to see if anyone else has seen this... I was recently trying out the burrow system. After I assigned civilians to my burrow, they started tripping all the weapon traps I had set. Also, for some reason, they all ended up outside. Has anyone else had this problem?
Edit: Upon further inspection, a fair number of dwarves managed to get out of my completely sealed fort. I went to great lengths to make certain that there was no way in or out unless I activated a series of bridges. all of these were still in their raised/uncrossable positions. – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:173.67.14.124|173.67.14.124]]

== Define only rooms, or need to define pathing/stairs? ==

The big question in that article that isn't covered is the most basic.. when you're defining/using burrows, do you need to define the pathing between the blocks you select, or will the AI pathfind between them? Second point, if you DO define a route (to prevent dangerous pathfinding) will they use the route or pathfind outside of it if there is a 'shorter route'? – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:Pathaugen|Pathaugen]]
: No. Dwarves can and will pathfind between unconnected, or connected, segments of burrow. They won't keep their path within a burrow even if it is the shortest path, unless it happens to be the path they'd pick anyways.
: That said, I define "stairs and accessways" as a separate burrow anyways, so my dwarves can perform jobs within them while my fortress is buttoned up (I only use burrows for the "restrict to fort" capability). Also note that [[DF2010:Note#Patrol Routes|routes]] are something different - they're for your military - just in case you meant actual "routes-following-Notes" routes and not just the word. --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 21:33, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

:: So bottom line.. can't trust burrows to deliver ammo/food/drinks to remote stocks because they may path into danger? Seems strange.. [[User:Pathaugen|Pathaugen]] 05:15, 10 November 2010 (UTC)
::: No, you can't use burrows to guide your dwarves. They merely restrict what the dwarf looks for, rather than how he sets about getting to it. If you want to avoid fixed dangers, you can use the [[Traffic]] designations - set your preferred path as a High-traffic area, and place Low- or Restricted-traffic areas around it to further encourage the dwarves to stay on the path. --[[User:DeMatt|DeMatt]] 11:40, 12 November 2010 (UTC)

== Hammerer's Burrow ==
Is it possible to assign the Hammerer to a burrow instead of crippling him? That would stop him from slaughtering my legendary workers in an very easy way. --[[User:Blur|Blur]] 19:14, 25 December 2010 (UTC)

== Defend burrow ==

If you set an archer squad to be on some burrow, is it true that they do not shoot enemies that are outside the burrow? Do you have to choose between archers sometimes standing stupidly at a drawbridge or archers not shooting to enemies at the drawbridge.

== Don't mind me (just throwing some ideas) ==

All burrows must include a food stockpile (set to accepting only insta-edible products) and a drink stockpile. Both must take from the main stockpiles. All burrows must have some quarters for the workers assigned to them.

'''Trade Station''': Trade Depot, useless rubbish stockpile, one dedicated broker.
'''Accounting Enclave''': Chair for worker, one manager/bookkeeper.
'''Farmville''': Fields, main food and drink stockpile, seed stockpile, farmer's workshop, a couple of kitchens and stills, several workers for cooking/farming/brewing/whatnot.
'''Hospital''': Well-stocked hospital zone, with water source, one dedicated medic.

Talk:Tileset repository

2011-03-19T10:05:01Z

AbuDhabi: /* Adding a tileset */

==Tilesets requiring edited raws==

I'm noticing more and more tilesets on the list which require edited raws, in most cases they require the raws from DFG. Shouldn't those be separated to prevent confusion among newbies? They are likely to try these tilesets with an unmodded DF and get frustrated. --[[User:Mikemayday|Mikemayday]] 00:07, 21 September 2009 (GMT)
:I agree, those heavily edited tilesets should be seperated, preferably with a link to the matching raws. --[[User:Pugi|Pugi]] 10:09, 21 September 2009 (UTC)
::Thanks Mike for doing this, this explains some of the confusion I had with others (I knew yours required RAW mining, but not the others.) My only problem is that many of the others don't seem to have any explanation of which RAWs to change. Anyone know of any links? [[User:3lB33|3lB33]] 14:15, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
I added a link to the [[Raw tile selector]] tool since a lot of these tilesets lack raws for newer versions of df. I hope this is okay. --[[User:Hermano|Hermano]] 16:23, 15 October 2010 (UTC)

== Mac user ==

Can these tilesets be used on a mac as well?

* Yes. I'm using them right now. --[[User:Bombcar|Bombcar]] 19:12, 17 October 2008 (EDT)

== Tiny tilesests ==

<blockquote>
''Sets smaller than 8x8. Used for playing in tiny windows, '''display of massive maps''' and perhaps videos.''
</blockquote>

I thought it wasnt possible to change the size of the map (number of tiles rendered on screen), am I wrong or does the author mean display of maps '''outside''' the game? --[[User:Mizipzor|Mizipzor]] 21:09, 4 November 2007 (EST)

:I imagine the only current use is in exporting bitmaps from the game. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 15:30, 14 November 2007 (EST)
::I've used one of 'em to hide a DF window on my work computer, and they're fun to use at 4x size,too. But yeah, they make real nice maps. --[[User:Maus|Maus]] 09:10, 18 December 2007 (EST)
:::Note that it's now possible to change the 80x25 in the init file.--[[User:Bombcar|Bombcar]] 19:13, 17 October 2008 (EDT)

Can anyone say PocketPC Dwarf Fortress? I imagine with a low popcap and a 3x3 or less area, it wouldn't be too bad on most PDAs out there. Now, if only someone would port the code... --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 20:40, 8 January 2008 (EST)

== Page Split ==

There are too many character sets on this one page, I propose splitting the page into twopages:
* one for 'classic' code page 437 fonts/glyph sets/character sets with no graphical characters whatsoever
* one for 'semigraphical' character sets which have one or more of the normal glyphs replaced with a df-specific graphic (a barrel instead of the division sign, for instance) - [[User:Lord Nightmare|Lord Nightmare]] 19:18, 9 December 2007 (EST)

:I disagree; there's no reason to split content into two different areas when it's already easily comparable and all in one place. --[[User:Maus|Maus]] 09:12, 18 December 2007 (EST)

== Why png? ==

If they all have to be resaved as bmp, why the heck are they uploaded as png? These are small files, you're not saving significant disk or bandwidth by keeping them in png. This is particularly irritating since I can't seem to get any of these to work even after resaving/converting them -.- --[[User:Nunix|Nunix]] 14:14, 20 February 2008 (EST)

:If you're not just renaming the files, then your problem isn't with the files being .png format. Making an exception to [[DwarfFortressWiki:Community_Portal|Rule I]] would only cause confusion as there are many images that are quite large indeed. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 15:32, 20 February 2008 (EST)

::No, it's not just a rename, I'm going into GIMP and doing a Save as... The file size changes, so it's doing SOMETHING, but when I go to use the font the screen comes up blank (but if I hit down twice and enter, I still exit, so everything works, there's just no display.) I hadn't seen the style guide/list, however, so that's fair enough. I'll post on the message boards and see if I can troubleshoot there. --[[User:Nunix|Nunix]] 16:58, 20 February 2008 (EST)

:::Simple solution: Open the image in MSPaint and save as a 24-bit BMP. If you don't have Windows, then you should have enough computer savvy to do it in whatever program you choose.
:::Also, bmps cannot be uploaded to the wiki.
:::Furthermore, we do actually save significant page size. If those were all bitmaps, that would be a few megabytes, which is annoying to load. Converting to png makes it only a couple hundred kilobytes. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 22:59, 12 March 2008 (EDT)

== Length, and how we can decrease it ==

This page is the twelfth longest page in the wiki. Ten of the eleven pages longer than it are lists. It has forty tilesets, less than a third of which are at all good. This is obviously a problem – sludging through all forty of those is not at all fun and, for most of it, not at all useful. 
As a fix, I propose that we copy this page to "Full list of user character sets" and keep only the best fifteen (or maybe ten or maybe twenty) here. Of course, that brings up the difficult question "how do we determine which tilesets are best?" To determine that, we could try getting as many DF players as we can to tell us which tileset(s) they use. Of course, that would need some rules, a forum thread, etc. 
I'll write more about this later, assuming that some interest exists. The time is late and sleepiness impedes thought. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 00:53, 12 March 2008 (EDT)

:To solve [[User:Nunix|Nunix's]] '''Why png?''' problem and to determine the popularity, I suggest we upload all tilesets to [http://dffd.wimbli.com/index.php Dwarf Fortress File Depot] in .bmp format (so nobody have to convert images from .png anymore). Dwarf Fortress File Depot has download trackers for all its downloads. The end of the week, we can determine the 15 most popular based on the download count. Anybody interested can compare the download numbers and edit the 15 best list for the wiki anytime they feel like it to keep it updated often.
:The current tileset Template will need a '''download''' bit added to it as well. [[User:Plac1d|Plac1d]] 17:01, 12 March 2008 (EDT)

::That could work...
::*downloads his tileset fifty times*
::I don't think it would work at all. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 22:59, 12 March 2008 (EDT)

::What about making one sub page per tile set. Classify each with 'size', 'shape' and 'style'. Use categories to navigate. Have each character set include a 64x64 pixel chunk of the screen - of these, then use gallery tags to browse with links to the sub page. The why png and link and supporting information for downloads is not a bad idea, but given the small DF playing population, the downloads are likely to be very skewed and cutting off at 15 may remove some very good ones that people have already downloaded and don't see a need to download again. --[[User:Shagie|Shagie]] 17:52, 12 March 2008 (EDT)

:::I don't think that the tilesets & tileset descriptions are large enough to warrant that. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 22:59, 12 March 2008 (EDT)

Hmn. Perhaps, we could ask all the dwarves on this wiki to submit a list of their top 20 tilesets, roughly in order of preference. If we get consensus on the best ones, that could work. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 10:32, 30 May 2008 (EDT)

: What about splitting the tilesets into separate pages by size, e.g. a page for all 16x16s, another for 12x12s, etc? About favorite tilesets, I could barely name my favorite three, so I think picking a favorite 15 or 20 is a bit extreme, and I don't think we can rely on download counts or people just happening to vote, unless we specifically say that voting is going to determine something. '''So''', what do you think about this idea: First, ask forum-goers to nominate user character sets for archiving (removal to an archive page). Second, after the nomination period is over (say, a week), upload those to the file depot, link to the pages, and give forum-goers a month or so to vote down the character sets they want archived, and to vote up ones they don't want archived. At the end of that time we can check their ratings and archive the lowest-rated ones. --[[User:SL|SL]] 01:37, 21 July 2008 (EDT)

::I think that splitting the tilesets by size into subpages could be handy: Resolution is a key factor in determining usability of a tileset. For instance, I'd never need to use a 48x48 tileset by a user named "AAAAAAAAA", but in our current sorting system, that'd be the first one displayed on the page, for all to see. I must however raise a question about the direction this line of discussion has gone: Do we really want to prune content based on some standard of quality? If so, whose standard of quality? The problems with this page seem to arise from the fact that this page is unusual for a wiki: It's goal doesn't seem to be "disseminate information" as much as "Host tilesets for download". Which is a valuable service, granted, but an unusual shift for a wiki. This different focus in purpose should be considered before deciding to begin pruning. An excess of content and options is arguably a good thing.[[User:Teeto K|Teeto K]] 05:53, 24 October 2008 (EDT)

Now that we have many different subsections here perhaps it's time we took those subsections into separate pages with this page as the central navigation point to those other pages? Would that help? It might be useful so that way each subsection can have whatever explanations are required here, thus important distinctions such as with the tilesets that need different RAWs will be noticed before someone dives into the repository. [[User:3lB33|3lB33]] 14:18, 24 September 2009 (UTC)

== Page name ==

<code>List of user character sets</code> is long and unnecessarily wordy. I propose <code>List of tilesets</code>. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 10:32, 30 May 2008 (EDT)
:Sounds like a good idea. Seconded. [[User:Isenhertz|Isenhertz]] 07:41, 2 June 2008 (EDT)

== New grid sizes ==

Will someone please explain to me how I can make a 960x300 (Markavian's) tileset work with the new grid sizes larger than 80:25? 96:60 used to work until I tried to us .40c, now it doesn't. --[[User:DDouble|DDouble]] 18:38, 5 September 2008 (EDT)
:Oops I had forgotten to change the size in the init to
[WINDOWEDX:1152]

[WINDOWEDY:720]

[FONT:mkv_solidcurses_960x300.bmp]

and

[GRID:96:60]
--[[User:DDouble|DDouble]] 18:41, 5 September 2008 (EDT)

== Problem with Fullscreen ==
I changed the fullscreen settings in my init to 1280x400 like Aesomatica's 16x16 tileset says, but every time I start DF it gives me a 'Mode changed failed, switching to windowed' error, with or without blackspace. How do I get it to run full? --[[User:KittenyKat|KittenyKat]] 16:27, 2 March 2009 (EST)

:Edit: Checking several different tilesets, for some reason none of them want to work fullscreen other than curses.. I'm wondering if I screwed something up, or if I still just need different measurements.. D: --[[User:KittenyKat|KittenyKat]] 17:20, 2 March 2009 (EST)

::Edit 2: Nevermind, I figured out the problem and now I just feel like a doofus for not recognizing it sooner :p To those who also end up with this problem, here is the solution: you have to set the fullscreen resolution to one your monitor can actually support. Matching the listed res is nice if it works cause it makes everything big and easy to see without stretching it if you have black space off, but if your monitor can't go to 400 Y for example, then you should just go to your current desktop res (in my case 1280x1024) and turn black space on.. Tweak to taste. I'm certain others can clarify this better, though :) --[[User:KittenyKat|KittenyKat]] 17:47, 2 March 2009 (EST)

== Tileset Transparency ==
So, I learned that 0.28.181.40d11 (And possibly earlier versions) supports png format files natively. I know that pngs support an alpha layer (transparency). I tested how transparency works in 40d11 and was quite pleased with the results. Basically, when you add an alpha layer to the png, the magenta color is no longer considered the 'transparent' color, but this allows you to add shading to the transparent color, like for barrels (which has a black normal color and a brown background color). So, white to black shades the normal color, alpha to black shades the background color. Just wanted to share! [[User:Belathus|Belathus]] 07:23, 30 March 2009 (UTC)
:I tried dabbling with this recently ("dabbling tileset artist" ftw!) but I haven't been able to get pngs to work at all. The game simply doesn't load. Is there a link to any discussions on the Bay12 forums about this? I tried searching but didn't find anything there [[User:3lB33|3lB33]] 15:04, 28 August 2009 (UTC)
::I see now what I was doing wrong. Belathus was referring to early release 11 which is part of an open-source project towards using OpenGL as the DF graphics engine, which should allow PNGs. They are now up to 16 now and the testing is being managed by [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=40349.405 Baughn on the forums]. Depending on the success of the testing, Toady One might put it into the next version, but people need to help test it. So go there and help dammit!! [[User:3lB33|3lB33]] 01:48, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

==Standard preview==
I can't seem to find it anywhere, but where is the fort many of you have been using for a standard preview? I'm talking about the one pictured in Lord Nightmare, Markavian, Zaratustra, and Herrbdog's previews. I feel a bit out of place with my tilesets and no direct means of comparison. --[[User:Kein|Kein]] 15:40, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

==Adding a date field==
Some of these entries are quite old, dating back to the ol' Boatmurdered days. Many more are based on the old classics, and generally say so, but right now it's hard to find the difference between a new entry and an old one. Someone, (ok, me) should find the date stamps on the graphics and add it to the description. Barring any objections, I'll start adding them tomorrow... --[[User:3lB33|3lB33]] 01:42, 11 August 2009 (UTC)

== Request ==
I'm quite intrigued by the graphical 16x16 tilesets, such as Aesomatica's, but have one minor problem - my monitor only supports up to 1024x756, meaning that the 1280x400 resolution required is way too big for my monitor. Since I won't be able to get a larger monitor for a while yet, would it be possible to add in a section for 12x12 tilesets for the slightly smaller resolutions, or do you not think it's really worth it? --[[User:Libelnon|Libelnon]] 22:47, 27 March 2010 (UTC)

== d40 and DF2010 Split? ==

Should we just save what is here, and split off a new page for DF2010-compatible tilesets?--[[User:TarrVetus|TarrVetus]] 15:08, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

Shouldn't all of them be compatible? if not, there should definitely be a split. I've been trying to get some of the 16x16 tilesets to work on my laptop, but I haven't been able to find one that works, i think I've changed my init.txt correctly but I just get blurry crap on the intro video. (UTC)

:This may be a bug. There seems to be problems with tilesets in the initial release. I'd wait for the release to get some bugfixes before making a decision. It would be truly bizarre if Toady One changed the necessary inputs for changed tilesets. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 17:28, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
::All of the tilesets I've played with work correctly; I think only graphics sets need to be split due to the changes to the raws. It sounds to me like you might have the resolution set funny in init.txt. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] 17:35, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
:::They're all compatible? Oh thank Armok! I was under the impression the tilesets were dead. I'm configuring my old one immediately! --[[User:TarrVetus|TarrVetus]] 21:48, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
:::Maybe tilesets with edited raws should be put in two categories, .40d and .31 versions? --[[User:Hermano|Hermano]] 12:08, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

== Pink? ==

I uploaded a new tileset(Guybrush_square_16x16), but it messed up the colors, turning most stuff pink, them some things other colors. Anyone know how to fix this?
 
Its odd, I tried to do the same thing with one of my new tilesets and had the same issue. I had problems with a 16x16 tileset in the .png format, but DF interpreted it correctly after converting it to .bmp and using that instead. [[User:Coaldiamond|-Coaldiamond]] 22:56, 13 February 2011 (UTC)

== Edited Raws ==

Only a few of the tilesets In the "16×16 tilesets for edited raws" section explain exactly how the raws should be edited. Is there a standard set of "edited raws" or does each tileset have different requirements? Shouldn't those requirements be spelt our somewhere? As it stands I have no idea how to install most of these tilesets.

:Several of the tilesets use the edited raws of the [http://mayday.w.staszic.waw.pl/df.php mayday tileset], others will need specific raws - sadly information about this is often lacking.
:The edited raws for most of these tilesets are missing (at least for recent versions of df). If you want to use one of those tilesets you can edit the raws yourself with the [[Raw tile selector]]. There is still some work involved but it shouldn't be too bad. -- [[User:Hermano|Hermano]] 17:30, 15 October 2010 (UTC)

== Adding a tileset ==

I'm a wiki-noob. How do I add a tileset? I'm baffled by the image uploading thing. How do I do that?

Nevermind, figured it out. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 10:05, 19 March 2011 (UTC)

Tileset repository

2011-03-19T10:02:56Z

AbuDhabi: /* Anno */

''You may be looking for general information on [[tilesets]] or the [[List of user graphics sets|Graphics set repository]].''

== Square tilesets ==

These are all the character sets with square tiles, except for the character sets with 16×16 tiles. Those are listed [[List_of_user_character_sets#16.C3.9716_tilesets|below]]. Text in square tilesets (as opposed to tilesets with shorter width) is usually more difficult to read, but the map is not distorted.

=== Anikki ===

[[Image:df_anikki_2.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Anikki_square_8x8.png]]
|author=[[User:Anikki|Anikki]]
|dated=2008-7-27
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×200 native.
|comments=Based on the original IBM CGA Character set with a lot of tweaks. The characters remain as descriptive yet universal as possible. I chose the CGA set because it is in my opinion the square set with the best readability. This set is for those who like the basic ASCII look where every pixel has meaning or (multiple meanings). [http://www.anikki.com/share/df/Anikki_square_8x8.bmp Download the BMP]

There is also an upscaled [[#Anikki_2|16x16 version]] of this set available for fullscreen use below.
}}

[[Image:df_anikki_1.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Anikki_square_10x10.png]]
|author=[[User:Anikki|Anikki]]
|dated=2008-7-27
|size=10×10
|resolution=800×250 native.
|comments=Based primarily on Tocky and Plac1d's sets (which are brilliant). The characters remain as descriptive as possible with some tweaks to the font for better readability and some changes to symbols for more consistency. This set is for those who like the basic ASCII look where every pixel has meaning or (multiple meanings). [http://www.anikki.com/share/df/Anikki_square_10x10.bmp Download the BMP]
(Note: The up and down ramps are reversed.)
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Anikki_square_20x20.png]]
|author=[[User:Anikki|Anikki]]
|dated=2008-7-27
|size=20×20
|resolution=1600×500 native.
|comments=Based primarily on Tocky and Plac1d. This is a scaled up version of the 10x10 tileset for fullscreen use. [http://www.anikki.com/share/df/Anikki_square_20x20.bmp Download the BMP]
(Note: The up and down ramps are reversed.)
}}

=== Alloy ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Alloy_curses_12x12.png]]
|author=[[User:Alloy|Alloy]]
|dated=2010-12-3 - v1.1
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300 native.
|comments=Much like [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Tileset_repository#Hanuman Hanuman's] conversion, this is based on the default curses_640x300 tileset, converted to 12x12. There are no significant modifications to the tiles, smoothing, etc - just some cosmetic changes mostly to take advantage of 4 extra horizontal pixels. For people who like the original tileset's look and size but want a square version of it.
}}

=== Bisasam ===

[[Image:Bisasam_20x20_preview.png|thumb|right]]
[[Image:Bisasam_20x20_preview_stocks.png|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Bisasam_20x20.png]]
|author=Bisasam
|dated=2010-05-15
|size=20×20
|resolution=1600×500 (80x25 grid size); 1600×1000 (80x50 grid size)
|comments=This is the 20x20 version of my 24x24 tileset. A DF version supporting transparent PNGs must be used. In order to use unscaled tiles, horizontal resolution must be at least 1600.
}}

[[Image:Bisasam_20x20_ascii_preview.png|thumb|right]]
[[Image:Bisasam_20x20_ascii_preview_stocks.png|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Bisasam_20x20_ascii.png]]
|author=Bisasam
|dated=2010-05-15
|size=20×20
|resolution=1600×500 (80x25 grid size); 1600×1000 (80x50 grid size)
|comments=This is the 20x20 version of my 24x24 tileset. Graphical tiles have been replaced by ASCII ones. A DF version supporting transparent PNGs must be used. In order to use unscaled tiles, horizontal resolution must be at least 1600.
}}

[[Image:Bisasam_24x24_preview.png|thumb|right]]
[[Image:Bisasam_24x24_preview_stocks.png|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:Bisasam_24x24.png|Not shown due to size]]
|author=Bisasam
|dated=2010-01-01
|size=24×24
|resolution=1920×600 (80x25 grid size); 1920×1200 (80x50 grid size)
|comments=Inspired by the Terminus24 tileset, I created this square 24x24 tileset. Almost all symbols have been redrawn antialiased; so a DF version supporting transparent PNGs must be used. In order to use unscaled tiles, horizontal resolution must be at least 1920.
}}

=== Cheepicus ===

[[Image:cheepicus_12x12_ss.png|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:cheepicus_12x12.png]]
|author=[[User:Cheepicus|Cheepicus]]
|dated=2010-8-4
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=I wanted a 12x12 ASCII graphics set, sharp, with pleasant text, so I wound up making one myself from scratch. It's a little influenced by Guybrush, which I love, but after awhile the blurriness got to me.

(This tileset is not entirely ASCII; I changed the equals sign to a pattern, so that stockpiles would look the way I like.)
}}

=== Ddw ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:ddw.png]]
|author=[[User:Ddw|Ddw]]
|dated=2011-03-10
|size=10×10
|resolution=800×250 native
|comments=Based on Anikki, with some simplifications and modifications. I like Markavian's walls, so I did something similar. [http://www.dougwhiteley.co.uk/images/ddw_shot.png Example].
}}

=== Dorten ===

[[Image:Snap.PNG|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:720x225_SmoothWalls.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Dorten|Dorten]]
|dated=2009-2-13
|size=9×9
|resolution=720×225
|comments=It's improved Savok's tileset, which is changed to make walls look smooth. Plus another little differences.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:720x225_SmoothWalls7.png]]
|author=[[User:Dorten|Dorten]]
|dated=2009-2-13
|size=9×9
|resolution=720×225
|comments=Minor tweak so the 7's don't look like question marks.
}}

[[Image:DortenSolidex1.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:DortenSolid.png]]
|author=[[User:Qjet|Qjet]]
|dated=2009-2-13
|size=9×9
|resolution=720×225
|comments=Mod of Dortens super sexy 9*9 tileset, this time to provide solid backgrounds to tiles, avoids designation problems by using PNG transparency.
}}

=== Gekz ===

[[Image:terminus-sc.png|thumb|right|Terminus Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:terminus.png]]
|author=[[User:Gekz|Gekz]]
|dated=2010-1-08
|size=11×11
|resolution=880×275
|comments=This works great on my EeePCs shoddy resolution of 1024x600, and this is why I made it. This is basically the [http://www.is-vn.bg/hamster/ Terminus font] converted for use on DF. I chose this font due to its readability at a low resolutions, and soon I'll convert some of the non-letter characters into actually objects like beds and dwarves, so keep a look out for an updated version that I'll add below.

[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=47570.0 This forum thread] has the slightly 'graphical' test version. Quite amusing. Check there for updates.
}}

=== Hanuman ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:DB_curses_12x12.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Hanuman|Hanuman]]
|dated=2008-7-23
|size=12×12
|resolution=900×300
|comments=This is basically the curses_800x600.bmp file converted to 12x12. It may be slightly different but it is close enough for me. [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=318 Get the .BMP here.]
Note: If the tileset doesn't look right played at 900x300, try changing the resolution to 966x325.
}}

=== Haowan ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Haowan_Curses_1440x450.png]]
|author=Haowan
|dated=2007-11-2
|size=18×18
|resolution=1440×450
|comments=An enlarged version of a square version of the default set.
}}

=== Herrbdog ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Herrbdog_144.png]]
|author=Herrbdog
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=A larger version of this tileset is available [[#Herrbdog 2|below]].
}}

=== Jdpage ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Jdpage_8x8.png]]
|author=[[User:Jdpage|Jdpage]]
|dated=2010-09-15
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×200 native.
|comments=Modified version of the [[#Anikki|Anikki]] 8x8 tileset. Just prettifies it a bit; some characters are tweaked to make them work slightly better for one of their jobs without disturbing the rest. Others are redesigned entirely. Most importantly, dwarves were given beards.
}}

=== Lord Dullard ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Dullard_Exponent_12x12.png]]
|author=Lord Dullard/Exponent
|dated=2009-3-30
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300 native
|comments=Adjusted by Exponent, and with new dwarf characters added. A version of the Unknown 12×12 tileset with smoothed walls. Example: [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-5243-wiltedblight Wiltedblight].
}}

=== Lord Nightmare ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:CGA8x8thick.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×400
|comments=The original IBM CGA Character set, thick variant, dumped from addresses 0x1800-0x1fff the 5788005 IBM Character Generator ROM. This is the far more common 'thick' variant. Best viewed at 8:5 aspect ratio.
}}

[[Image:Nightmare_cga_8x8.jpg|thumb|right|Lord Nightmare's 8×8 CGA tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:CGA8x8thin.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2008-6-6
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×400
|comments=The original IBM CGA Character set, thin variant, dumped from addresses 0x1000-0x17ff the 5788005 IBM Character Generator ROM. This is the less common 'thin' variant, which required soldering on two pins and jumpering them on the CGA card to use. Best viewed at 8:5 aspect ratio.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:LN_EGA8x8.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×400
|comments=The IBM EGA 8×8 Character set, dumped from the 6277356 IBM EGA BIOS ROM. This is ALMOST 100% IDENTICAL to the CGA thick font, but has minor modifications (23 pixels total) done to four characters: the capital 'S', the club sign, the spade sign, and the large asterisk (the one with a hole in the middle, char 0x0f, not the shift-8 one which is char 0x2a). There is no thin variant of this font. Best viewed at 8:5 aspect ratio.
}}

=== Maus ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Nostalgia_720x225.png]]
|author=[[User:Maus|maus]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=9×9
|resolution=720×225
|comments=Another square tileset that's usable on low resolutions, modeled after a common font used on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I also made a [[:Image:Nostalgia_1440x450_3e4a08.png|18x18 version]] to fit my 1440x900 screen, back when the aspect ratio of DF was locked. If you like your set a bit more graphical, check out [[:Image:Teeto_K_18x18.PNG|Teeto_K's version]].
}}

=== Markavian ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:mkv_solidcurses_stairs_960x300.png]]
|author=[[User:Markavian|Markavian]]
|dated=2007-12-4
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=This revision is designed to work with DF version 0.27.169.33a with special tiles for [[stair]]s and [[ramp]]s, as well as the changes present in the earlier version such as bones, walls, trees and swords. Available in [http://mkv25.net/showcase/df/mkv_curses%2012x12%20and%206x6%20v2.zip mkv curses 12×12 and 6x6 v2.zip]. As seen in the fortress of [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-1329-axegear Axegear].
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Mkv_solidcurses_960x300.png]]
|author=[[User:Markavian|Markavian]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=An older revision of my square tileset, featuring more detailed symbols, with alterations to certain text characters to look more like ingame items. The walls are infilled now. 
Available in [http://mkv25.net/showcase/df/mkv_curses%2012x12%20and%206x6%20v2.zip mkv curses 12×12 and 6x6 v2.zip]. As seen in the fortress of [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-800-inflew. Inkflew].
}}

=== Paul ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Paul_10x10.png]]
|author=[[User:Paul|Paul]]
|dated=2008-9-5
|size=10×10
|resolution=800×250 for 80×25 grid size, others just multiply grid by 10.
|comments=Custom tileset I made for my own use when the adjustable grid sizes were released for DF. Some accented letters cut slightly to allow for larger letter display. Contains several of Tocky's tiles (barrels, some trees, dimple cups, coins, slightly modified armor stand). Others are either made by me or adjusted from curses_800x600 tiles.
}}

=== DDR ===

[[Image:Unknown curses 12x12 & Markvii Walls example screenshot.jpeg|thumb|right|A dwarf practicing archery. He died later.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Unknown curses 12x12 & Markvii Walls.png]]
|author=DDR & Others
|dated=2010-9-3
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300 native
|comments=A remix of the Unknown 12x12 curses with Markvii's diagonal walls. Works quite nicely together.
}}

=== Savok ===

[[Image:Screenshot_41ea57.png|thumb|right|Savok's tiny, non-updated tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Curses_720x225_8d6752.png]]
|author=[[User:Savok|Savok]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=9×9
|resolution=720×225
|comments=There is no doubt that this tileset is old. This must be distinctly understood if anything wonderful is to come of your use of it. You may like [[List_of_user_character_sets#Dorten|Dorten's revision]] more. The following is the original description: I dislike curses_640x300.bmp due to its lack of any kind of graphics for things like a bed or a barrel and the fact that it distorts my beautiful circles, so I made a similarish tileset to fix those.
}}

=== Sir Henry ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:Sir_Henry%27s_32x32.png|Not shown due to size]]
|author=Sir Henry
|dated=2009-8-19
|size=32×32
|resolution=2560×800
|comments=Recently I learned of a monitor displaying 2560 pixels horizontally, and I decided it needed a tileset to put to use. Taking the tileset I use (Kelora 16x16 diagonal) and doubling it, I was able to get a decent tileset. Smoothing the edges, and redoing some glyphs to get a better look (or just messing up some to bad to fix), I was able to achieve this.
}}

===Talryth===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Talryth_square_15x15.png]]
|author=[[User:Talryth|Talryth]]
|dated=2010-06-18
|size=15×15
|resolution=1440×900 (96×60 grid size) 1680×1050 (112×70 grid size)
|comments=Built from scratch, this ASCII tileset is made with two common 16:10 resolutions in mind. The odd tile size fills the above resolutions without artifacts and it gives an advantage in design, making for sharp features and equal spacing between characters. The manual anti-aliasing gives the set a nice and clean look. Transparent PNG support is needed for this one.
}}

===Teeto_K===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Teeto_K_18x18.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Teeto_K|Teeto_K]]
|dated=2008-10-24
|size=18×18
|resolution=1440×450
|comments=A tileset based on [[:Image:Nostalgia_1440x450_3e4a08.png|Maus's 18x18 version of his "Nostalgia" tileset]], however, it has been heavily revised. The entire font has been "smoothed over", and many of the symbols changed to more "graphical" representations of the items they represent. An attempt to fill the void of "graphic heavy" tilesets in the 18x18 tile-size. A special emphasis is placed on maximizing the text's readability, while still providing a "graphics enhanced" play area. Special thanks to Maus for the font, and Guybrush for the inspiration.
}}

=== Terbert ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Terbert_10x10.png]]
|author=[[User:Terbert|Terbert]]
|dated=2009-6-30
|size=10×10
|resolution=800×250
|comments=This is Terbert's First tileset
}}

=== Tocky ===

[[Image:Df_tock10_1.PNG|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Tocky_square_10x10.png]]
|author=[[User:Tocky|Tocky]]
|dated=2007-11-15
|size=10×10
|resolution=800×250 native, 800×500 for fullscreen.
|comments=I tried to make all the pictographic symbols as descriptive as possible: the only ones I've spotted that show up in odd places are the staircase symbols, '<' and '>', which are used as tags on barrel descriptions, and don't match -- but I'm willing to live with that in order to be able to tell up-stairs from down- ones. With everything else, I just tried to maximize clarity and readability and to keep them consistent. I'm really very pleased with how this set turned out.
}}

=== Turnip ===

[[Image:Rev7.PNG|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Markvii.png]]
|author=[[User:Turnip|Turnip]]
|dated=2009-7-9
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=My revision of Markavian's tileset, made to be more "curvy"
}}

=== Unknown ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Tileset_unknown_960x300_02.png]]
|author=Unknown
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=This is a tileset submitted by an unknown user from the IP address 86.43.81.125. 
}}

[[Image:Unknown_12x12.jpg|thumb|right|Unknown 12×12 v2]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Unknown_curses_12x12.png]]
|author=Unknown
|dated=2007-11-24
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=This is very similar to the above tileset, but has some noticeable differences. I have no idea where I got it from. It's great on a 1024x768 CRT monitor in windowed mode. I use it in a 1000x500 window with [BLACKSPACE:YES]. --[[User:JT|JT]]
}}

=== Xenomorph ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Acorntileset8x8.png]]
|author=[[User:Xenomorph|Xenomorph]]
|dated=2008-8-9
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×200
|comments=This is the tileset used by Acorn computers, starting with the BBC Micro. This version is as it would have appeared in 40-column modes (and shuffled a little to adapt it to CP437). It also looks nice at double resolution. [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=407 Download the BMP.]
}}

=== Yayo ===

[[Image:yayo_c64_640x200_screenshot.png|thumb|right|yayo's c64 Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:yayo_c64_640x200.png]]
|author=[[User:Yayo|Yayo]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×200
|comments=Name: Yayo's C64; Based on the charset of the commodore 64. It's a flat style, but it's clean and also highly readable. I recreated all the missing chars like letters with accents and symbols, trying to get a c64 style as much as possible. If it's too small, use the 16×16 version [[#Yayo_2|below]]. :)
}}

[[Image:yayo_tunur_1040x325_screenshot.png|thumb|right|yayo's Tunur Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:yayo_tunur_1040x325.png]]
|author=[[User:Yayo|Yayo]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=13×13
|resolution=1040×325
|comments=Name: Yayo's Tunur; According to the language files of DF, Tunur means "style" in dwarf language. It may require a bit to get used to some symbols, but it's a very clean tileset. (It's just a bit weird. :P)
}}

[[Image:Oreslam_1900x1200_20x20_screenshot.png|thumb|right|yayo's Oreslam Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Oreslam_1920x1200_20x20.png]]
|author=[[User:Yayo|Yayo]]
|dated=2009-09-12
|size=20×20
|resolution=1920×1200
|comments=Name: Yayo's Oreslam; Just like the previous one, this tileset is named according to the dwarf language: or-es-lam means "Large Clear Stone". I decided to create this tileset to fit my usual screen resolution (1920x1200). I tried giving it a clean look. To use it in windowed mode try these settings in the init file: WINDOWEDX:1900, WINDOWEDY:1160, GRID:95:58.}}

=== Zaratustra ===

[[Image:Zara_8x8.jpg|thumb|right|Zaratustra's 8×8 tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_msx.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×200 or 640×400
|comments= The MSX and MSX2 font, shuffled around to fit the char set. Double lines were added.
}}

== 16×16 tilesets ==

The 16×16 tilesets are a subset of square character sets. 16×16 is a frequently used size, as shown by the number of tilesets in this section. This is probably because all of the best creature graphics sets use 16×16 tiles. Those alternate sets for creatures can be found at [[graphics sets]]. '''If your screen is too small for these, turn on BLACK_SPACE!'''

=== Aesomatica ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Aesomatica_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Aesomatica|Aesomatica]]
|dated=2008-11-29
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Tileset intended to build upon [[User:Sphr|Sphr's]] and [[User:Jackard|Jackard's]] work, as well as others. Some tiles are original, some are variants and most are copied from various sets the author found pleasing. Notable originals include the broken bolt/ashes tiles, the ballista heads/large hills, the small hills, the ore (gear animation is pleasing, though axle animation is unimproved), ground tiles, and vermin. Also, bins look decent and up/down stairs look okay. This set looks its best with Sphr's graphics.
}}

=== Anikki ===

[[Image:df_anikki_2.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Anikki_square_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Anikki|Anikki]]
|dated=2008-7-27
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Based on the original IBM CGA Character set with a lot of tweaks. The characters remain as descriptive yet universal as possible. I chose the CGA set because it is in my opinion the square set with the best readability. This set is for those who like the basic ASCII look where every pixel has meaning or (multiple meanings). This is a scaled up version for fullscreen use. [http://www.anikki.com/share/df/Anikki_square_16x16.bmp Download the BMP]
}}

=== Anno ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Anno_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]]
|dated=2011-03-19
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Based on Anikki's 16x16 tileset, but smoothed/enhanced and with the dwarf images reworked.
}}

=== Bisasam ===

[[Image:Bisasam_16x16_preview.png|thumb|right]]
[[Image:Bisasam_16x16_preview_stocks.png|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Bisasam_16x16.png]]
|author=Bisasam
|dated=2010-01-11
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This is the 16x16 version of my 24x24 tileset. A DF version supporting transparent PNGs must be used. In order to use unscaled tiles, horizontal resolution must be at least 1280.
}}

=== Cooz ===

[[Image:Cooz_Tileset_Screenshot.png|thumb|right|Cooz's Tileset]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Cooz_curses_square_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Cooz|Cooz]]
|dated=2009-2-28
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=v1.1 - 3px wide walls and some other tweaks. Based on Klokjammer and Marble Dice tilesets. Some tiles were taken from other sets, some were made from scratch. The aim was to keep feel of default curses font in 16×16 tileset. There's also [http://i.imgur.com/rKRKz.png version without shading].
}}

=== Guybrush ===

[[Image:GuybrushScreenshot1.PNG|thumb|right|Guybrush Tileset]]
[[Image:GuybrushScreenshot2.PNG|thumb|right|the wilderness...]]

{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:Guybrush_square_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Guybrush|Guybrush]]
|dated=2007-11-15
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A 16×16 tileset based on the very nice Herrbdog's one, and for use with the superb [[40d:Graphics_set_repository#Dystopian_Rhetoric|Dystopian Rhetoric objects]]. A slightly modified version of Herrbdog's tileset is available below if you want to keep the original ASCII symbols for some objects (just do some cut & paste). It's just a little brighter and with some very slight changes. The tileset shown is a tileset with graphic objects added, for use with Fortress Mode.

I recommend to have a look at the [[color schemes|color schemes page]] to find your favorite color settings. The color scheme I used for the screenshots is [[Color_Schemes#.28Yet.29_Another_scheme|this one]].}}

{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:GuybrushASCII_curses_square_16x16.png]]
|author=Herrbdog, modified by [[User:Guybrush|Guybrush]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Here is the slightly modified version of Herrbdog's tileset which still has all the ASCII characters intact
}}

=== Herrbdog ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Herrbdog_16x16_tileset.gif]]
|author=Herrbdog
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=The 16×16 version of Herrbdog's tileset. Further discussion of herrbdog's tilesets is available in the Bay 12 forums:
http://www.bay12games.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=000832
}}

=== Inquisitor Saturn ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:MRC_square_16x16.png]]
|author=Inquisitor Saturn
|dated=2008-5-18
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Another 16 by 16 tileset. This one is notable because of the subtle shadowing and a completely original, hand-made font.
}}

=== Kaishaku ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kai-1280x400-v2 7512b5.png]]
|author=Kaishaku
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A square 1280×400 font. Simple and legible. Converted from roarl's 16×16 nethack font, on top of super foul egg's template, extended manually and with ideas from lucida console. This is version 1, created in one morning. Screenshots available [http://kaishaku.org/dwarfort here].
}}

=== Kelora ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kelora_16x16_diagonal.png]]
|author=[[User:Kelora|Kelora]]
|dated=2009-7-26
|size=16×16
|resolution=
|comments=A square tileset using the diagonal wall concept from Belal and others but simplified drastically to improve the appearance. All the walls line up correctly and have consistent widths.
I did not use much of the pretty but confusing art I see in many of the other sets. I tried for a while to incorporate many of these but found that with the multiple uses for most characters they were just wrong far too often to be useful. The only ones that seem to work are the dwarves which I took from Flying Mage / Guybrush. The pretty 3Dish fonts as well just seem to look muddier and be less legible. I love it and my husband has been happily playing it for months.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kelora_16x16_diagonal-clouds.png]]
|author=[[User:Kelora|Kelora]]
|size=16×16
|resolution=
|comments=A square tileset using the diagonal wall concept from Belal and others but simplified drastically to improve the appearance. All the walls line up correctly and have consistent widths.
I did not use much of the pretty but confusing art I see in many of the other sets. I tried for a while to incorporate many of these but found that with the multiple uses for most characters they were just wrong far too often to be useful. The only ones that seem to work are the dwarves which I took from Flying Mage / Guybrush. The pretty 3Dish fonts as well just seem to look muddier and be less legible. This tileset is a copy of my first with more realistic clouds I hope.
}}

=== Klokjammer ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kjammer square 16x16 v02.png]]
|author=[[User:Klokjammer|Klokjammer]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Name: ''"Masked Adventurer"'' - after tile (0,4), where '@' used to be. A somewhat abstract version of the original curses square tileset, but with the alpha numeric characters shaped so as not to look distorted. Other symbols are either borrowed from or improved from curses, and some (including the dwarves) were created from the ground up. Alternate variations, are available [[User:Klokjammer#My Tilesets|here]].
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kjammer square 16x16 v00.png]]
|author=[[User:Klokjammer|Klokjammer]]
|dated=2007-10-31
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A "clean" version of the above set, one without any fancy tiles (except for the dwarves).
}}

=== Marble Dice ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Md_curses_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Marble Dice|Marble Dice]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This tileset attempts to modify the size and aspect ratio of the classic 8x12 terminal/curses font employed by many rougelikes without sacrificing the distinctive character.
}}

=== Nordic Curses ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:DF-Nordic_v1.png]]
|author=[[User:Techhead|Techhead]]
|dated=2009-3-26
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=My first attempt at a unique curses-style tileset with a Nordic Theme. Some characters have been altered.
}}

=== PTTG ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:PTTGV2tiles.png]]
|author=[[User:PTTG|PTTG]]
|dated=2007-11-21
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A new version! Clean, sharp, and clear. All-original, and large size for big screens! Also features coloured indicators for levers, helping to remove the guesswork. It is good stand-alone, or with my [[List of user graphics sets#PTTG|graphics set]].
}}

=== Random832 ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Msgothic.png]]
|author=[[User:Random832]]
|dated=2009-4-22
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×800 etc
|comments=Based on the ＭＳゴシック (MS Gothic) japanese font, with some gaps filled in from the VGA 8x16 font, and some other characters tweaked by hand.
}}

=== Raving ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Raving_1280x400.png]]
|author=[[User:RavingManiac|RavingManiac]]
|dated=2010-3-13
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A heavily modified version of Tyrving's tileset, with smoothed walls based on those from Tahin's. This tileset was made to retain the feel of the original curses in a square tileset with smoothed walls.
[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1920 Download the BMP.]
}}

===Red Jack===
{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:Redjack17.png]]
|author=[[User:Jackard|Jackard]]
|dated=2008-7-22
|size=16x16
|resolution=1280x400
|comments=This combines content from other tilesets with Nintendo sprites to give the game a classic dungeon look. ''Note: Bins are hard to see using this tileset because the "bin" tile is also used as the "up/down staircase" tile. [[Tileset_repository#Aesomatica |Aesomatica]] and [[Tileset_repository#Martin|Martin]] improve upon this tileset making the bin tile easier to see.''

[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=7 You may download all variations of this tileset here.]}}

=== Sappho ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Sapphos_square_16x16.png]]
|author=Sappho
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Another square font, target resolution 1280×400. This one is exactly the same as the default font except it has been made square, painstakingly edited to ensure that nothing looks squished.
}}

=== Savok ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Savok_curses_1280x400_517caa.png]]
|author=[[User:Savok|Savok]]
|dated=2008-6-16
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Unsatisfied with any existing tileset, I decided to go about creating my own. Since I can't create from scratch, I had to take tiles from other tilesets and modify them, in an evolution-like manner, until they became how I wanted them. Since most are dramatically different from the tileset I took them from, I believe I can call them original. In the raws, change the tag [TILE:'U'] for humans to [TILE:172]. This changes both the image and corpse of humans to a unique image, which creature graphics cannot do. The elves also get a different tile, [TILE:171]. I plan to make a separate goblin symbol. If you use it and like it, please leave a message for at [[User talk:Savok|my talk page]] or at [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=201 the DFFD page]. This will greatly speed progress, since I won't be doing it just for myself. Note: The [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=201 DFFD version] is updated more frequently and has the changelist.
}}

=== Super Foul Egg ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:SFE_Curses_square_16x16.png]]
|author=Super Foul Egg
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=The font is rough as hell and some of the characters still need attention, but it'll do for now. Since this tileset is for graphics mode I'd rather wait for more complete object support than hack in pictures and gum up the UI. Uppercase from [http://www.zee-3.com/pickfordbros/archive/bitmapfonts.php this site]
}}

=== Tahin ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Tahin_16x16_rounded.png]]
|author=[[User:Tahin|Tahin]]
|dated=2007-12-28
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Based on Marble Dice's tileset, above. Smoothed corners are "rounded", which takes some getting used to but look quite nice, in my opinion. I have managed to get all of the standard "L" tiles to fit together nicely, but "T" and "+" don't quite match up. It's not a problem that comes up often, and it still doesn't look that bad, but I'll get to it eventually.
}}

=== Tyrving ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Tyr_1280x400.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Tyrving|Tyrving]]
|dated=2008-2-15
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=None of the existing modifications of curses_square satisfied me, so I made my own. The bulk of it is from Klokjammer's set, with the dwarf symbols and @ taken from Sappho's. Quite a few minor alterations have been made, and I feel that it's become distinct enough to release it.
}}

=== Winterwing ===

[[Image:Winterwing_Dfort-tiles-lucon.png|thumb|right|Lucida Console with Dystopian Rhetoric objects]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Winterwing_Curses_16x16_lucon.png]]
|author=[[User:Winterwing|Winterwing]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Like usual, lucida console with cleartype. Creative, huh. :)
}}

=== Yayo ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Yayo_c64_1280x400_83b157.png]]
|author=[[User:Yayo|Yayo]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Name: Yayo's C64; The 16×16 version of Yayo's tileset.
}}

=== Zaratustra ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-11-10
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Because everyone is making one.
}}

== 16×16 tilesets for edited raws==

These tilesets require modified [[raws]] to work properly. Specifically, the tile numbers assigned to some objects (critters, stones, plants) need to be changed and accented characters usually need to be removed from all languages.
:If you cannot find the altered raws of a tileset for your version of Dwarf Fortress have a look at the [[Raw tile selector]] tool.

=== Belal ===

[[Image:Belal_Example.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Belal_Smooth_Walls.png]]
|author=[[User:Belal|Belal]]
|dated=2009-1-9
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Based on the Mike Mayday tileset and using angled smoothed walls as in [[User:Dorten|Dorten's]] Tileset. I like the look of the walls for doing near circular or honeycomb layouts. [http://mkv25.net/dfma/poi-9935-seethewallshere Example Fort]
}}
=== Darkond Digs Deeper ===

[[Image:DarkondDigsDeeper_16x16.png |thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:DarkondDigsDeeper_16x16.png ]]
|author=[[User:Darkond2100|Darkond2100]]
|dated=2010-3-6
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=I like Dig Dwarfier, but I don't like their tileset so much. I fused DigDeeperNEW_16x16 with Aesomatica_16x16 to make this. I just took what I liked and put it in. I hope that others like it too! This will work with Dig Dwarfier v0.85, I am not yet aware of whether or not it will work with Dig Deeper put into vanilla.
}}

=== Flying Mage ===

{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:Flying_Mage_square_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Flying Mage|Flying Mage]]
|dated=2008-4-12
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A 16×16 tileset based on several other tilesets by various authors. I did some changes because I like some things in different ways, but the base for tileset was made by another users and for this I thankful. List of major and minor changes you can see below. And I hope you'll enjoy this. There is some tiles I really proud of :) 
*[[:Image:Flying_Mage_square_16x16_Major_Changes.png|Major changes]] 
*[[:Image:Flying_Mage_square_16x16_Minor_Changes.png|Minor changes]]
*[[:Image:Flying_Mage_square_16x16_Stone_Type.png|Some ''rough/smoothed/engraved stone'' improvement]]
}}

=== Gold Plated ===

[[Image:Gold_Plated_preview.png|thumb|right|Presentation of Gold Plated (v.1)]]
[[Image:Gold_Plated_text_preview.png|thumb|right|Text preview(v.1)]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Gold_plated_16x16_v2.png]]
|author=[[User:DrD_AVEL|DrD_AVEL]]
|dated=2010-Jun-17
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Gold Plated is updated. Improvements complete. Some tiles were redrawn and corrected.
This tileset contains the best graphic tiles (in my opinion) that were collected from many other tilesets and other games; I took [[User:Lemunde|Lemunde's]] tileset as a basis (thanx a lot, Lemunde). Some of tiles were drawn by me. Many tiles were reworked and improved with some additional colours. I hope you enjoy with this tiles. ;)

[[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=2021 Graphical version of DF2010 v0.31.08 with Gold Plated tileset]]
[[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=49479.0 Discussion of this tileset is here]]
}}

'''Gold Plated (bmp-version)'''
[[Image:Scrdf01.png|thumb|right|Preview of Gold Plated (bmp-version)]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Gold-plated-bmp-16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:DrD_AVEL|DrD_AVEL]]
|dated=2010-Apr-02
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Gold Plated is redrawn to magenta BMP. So you can use it with versions of DF2010, that don't understand .png (v31.01). This is a preliminary version for DF2010, but it works well. Don't forget to convert this image to '''.bmp''' before use in new version. Enjoy! ;)
}}

=== Dwarfletter ===

[[Image:Dwarfletter1.png|thumb|right|Dwarfletter - Stockpile]]


{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:DwarfletterGothic.PNG]]
|author=LordZorinthrox
|dated=2009-7-20
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=[[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1205|Download here]] 
;see also
:[[:File:Dwarfletter2.png|Status screen - Font]]
:[[:File:Dwarfletter3.png|Foliage]]
:[[:File:Dwarfletter4.png|Ballista]]
}}

=== hermano ===

[[Image:Hermano example.png|thumb|right|example]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Hermano.png]]
|author=[[User:hermano|hermano]]
|dated=2010-2-6
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=A tileset with colored backgrounds that keeps texts readable. It uses tiles from belal and ranting rodent.
A Package for 0.31.16 (df2010) can be downloaded [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=2031 here].
The altered raws for 40d# can be downloaded [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1838 here].
}}

=== Isenhertz ===

[[Image:isenhertz_v2_screenshot.png|thumb|right|Isenhertz's tileset in action.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:16x16_isenhertz_v2.png]]
|author=[[User:Isenhertz|Isenhertz]]
|dated=2008-7-14
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Impressed with the genius of using sprites as tiles, I cobbled together this tileset of my own. It uses Super Foul Egg's superb font as a base, with several sprites also found in other users' sets. Because a lot of letters are used for graphics, I suggest that you [[User:Jackard|remove accented letters from names]] with this set. I also suggest you shift some items to other icons, such as the coniferous trees (change Pine, Cedar, Larch from 024 to 147), the turtle (change 15 to 151), and Quarry Bush leaves (change from 006 to 003).
V2 now with new graphics for walls and liquids, as well as some other tweaks here and there and a first attempt at using dual-color sprites using a cyan base instead of simple greyscale. (Right now implemented for beds, wood and statues.)
V1 can still be found [[:Image:16x16_isenhertz_v1.png|here]].
}}

=== Lemunde ===
[[Image:LemundeTilesetPreview2.png|thumb|right|Lemunde's Tileset.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lemunde_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Lemunde|Lemunde]]
|dated=2010-6-11
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This is a modified version of Mike Mayday's/Herrbdog's tileset. It has a more textured feel to the walls and makes heavy use of the new transparency features to make some of the tiles a little more dynamic. You can view a preview map [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-7000-dragonskull here]. I recommend changing the sky settings in the init.txt file to [SKY:249:1:0:0] for a more natural look.

Update June 11, 2010: Updated to work with the 31.xx versions of Mike Mayday's set. It will probably not look right using it with vanilla Dwarf Fortress.
}}

=== Martin ===

[[Image:Martin_16x16_sample.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Martin_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Martin|Martin]]
|dated=2009-8-8
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This is a 16x16 tileset based on Redjack and Flying Mage sets (and possible tiles taken from others that I've since lost track of - apologies). Some tiles are original or have been tweaked, mainly to provide a much more subtle background than most. A completely new character set is used to improve legibility, tweaked and anti-aliased for dark backgrounds.

[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1316 Download]
[http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-6239-lashedwines Demo fortress at DFMA]
}}

=== Phoebus ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Phoebus_16x16.png]]
|download link=[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=57557.0]
|author=[[User:Phoebus|Phoebus]]
|dated=2010-06-19
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Includes support for DF 2010, an easy to read mineral chart, improved diagonal walls and many other improvements.
For more information, and to download the full package, see the thread on the official forums: [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=57557.0 Phoebus' Graphic Set v2.1.3 for DF 2010]
}}

=== Phssthpok ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Phssthpok_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Phssthpok|Phssthpok]]
|dated=2010-03-07
|size=16×16, 24×24, 32×32
|resolution=2560×800
|comments=A high resolution tileset with a focus on readable text, simple shaded shapes, and plenty of negative space. Uses PNG transparency features in 40d16 and newer. Requires [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=794 RantingRodent's edited raws].

[[:Image:Phssthpok 32x32.png|32x32 version]]

[[:Image:Phssthpok 24x24.png|24x24 version]]

[[:Image:Phssthpok 16x16.png|16x16 version]]

[http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-8189-blockadewhips Sample Fortress]
}}

=== SL ===

{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:SL_square_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:SL]]
|dated=2008-8-3
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=(Requires a download, not just the image) Art based on Flying Mage's, Guybrush's, and previous tilesets in that lineage. Uses ModBase to relocate relocatable art and de-accentify certain accented letters to reduce graphical bizarreness while still improving some art. [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=22154.0 Forum Thread] [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=370 Download] [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-3203-flamespear Demo Fortress Map on the DFMA]
}}

=== Spreggo ===

[[Image:Autonomous_Font_example.png|thumb|right|The Autonomous Font in action.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Autonomous_Font.png]]
|author=Spreggo
|dated=2009-2-2
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Started off inspired by Belal's diagonal support, and ended up doing almost every tile from scratch. Added different tiles for each type of stone, and new ones for ore, but the matgloss files need to be edited for that functionality(see image details).
}}

=== Synergy ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Synergy.png]]
|author=[[User:Dvorovic|Dvorovic]]
|dated=2010-10-8
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Tileset based on DrD_AVEL's, Phoebus', Ironhand's projects. [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=2983 Download] [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-9553-ardentdikes Demo Fortress Map on the DFMA]
}}

=== The-Moon ===

[[Image:SS_moons_square_16x16.PNG|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Moons_square_16x16.PNG]]
|author=[[User:The-Moon|The-Moon]]
|dated=2008-3-24
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Edited Character set of [[User:mikemayday|mikemayday]] and [[User:Jackard|Jackard]]}}

=== Tigrex ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:tigrex3d.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Tigrex|Tigrex]]
|dated=2009-2-22
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This is my tileset, modified from Dorten's 2d diagonal wall set. It incorporates many original creations of mine, and I hope you like it.}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:tigrex3drunes.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Tigrex|Tigrex]]
|dated=2009-4-10
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This is a modification of the above, that takes advantage of Norse runes for a more authentic Dwarven experience. CAUTION! This tileset has little practical value, and may induce myopia, blindness, or death.}}

=== Tim's ===

[[Image:example_tims.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Tims_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Timmeh|Timmeh]]
|dated=2009-8-12
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A tileset using heavily modified versions of the diagonal walls from Belal's set, a modified version of the floor from Spreggo's set, most of the furniture and objects are from Flying Mage's set, and some various other bits and pieces from other sets. Replaces the black box that normally surrounds the walls with a copy of the floor tile. [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-5740-foresthold Example Fort]
}}

== Non-square tilesets ==

These tilesets are not square. Text in non-square tilesets often looks much better and is often much easier to read than in square tilesets, but square buildings do not appear square on the map.

=== CKY ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[File:Curses_800x600_shade.png]]
|author=[[User:Chinkeeyong|Chinkeeyong]]
|dated=2009-6-11
|size=10×12
|resolution=800×600
|comments=Partially inspired by Eagle of Fire's tiles, below. Essentially, this is the default tileset with a little bevel-style shading around the edges to make it look neater. Also, I fixed the accented 'e' tails to look closer to the standard 'e'.
}}

=== Coaldiamond ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[File:DF+Tileset.png]]
|author=[[User:Coaldiamond|Coaldiamond]]
|dated=2010-6-18
|size=8×12
|resolution=640×300
|comments= An update of [[user:Plac1d|Plac1d's]] tile set, now updated for DF2010. This tileset also presents an elegant solution for modifying the {{k|%}} tile to get good pumps, rocks, and meals. This tileset was made to serve three purposes; a) To always make text understandable, b) to make DF games more visually interesting, and c) to keep symbols simple so that the player can imagine multiple meanings for the same symbol.
See the {{L|user:Coaldiamond|screencaps}} or just get the whole [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=2533 DF+graphics] repack.
}}

=== Eagle of Fire ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:eofshaded800x600pb9_f64ded.png]]
|author=[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=10×12
|resolution=800×600
|comments=Designed for fullscreen. Inspired by Herrbdog's tileset, I created a shaded tileset targeting the default fullscreen 800x600 resolution. Basicaly, you have the exact same "curses" default tileset but with some shading done to the lower right of each letters and items. I've left alone everything which was related to mining or was meant to be plain, for example the smoothered tiles and the plain tiles in the demo. The reason behind that is that I didn't find much logic to have those graphics shaded as they could possibly connect on any direction on the screen, which would make the shading a little strange. Please note that this tileset is only a "beta". I might work on it again if there is enough people who like it and would like improvements. You can discuss the matter [http://www.bay12games.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=11&t=000645 here].
}}

=== Inquisitor Saturn ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:MRC_1280x600.png]]
|author=[[User:InquisitorSaturn|Inquisitor Saturn]]
|dated=2008-2-28
|size=16×24
|resolution=1280×600
|comments=Designed for a double-sized window mode. Based on the default set, but more detailed and with a few custom characters. Good for those who want larger characters but enjoy the aesthetics of the default set.
}}

=== Kein ===

[[Image:Kein-curs.gif|thumb|right|Kein's Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kein_640x300.png]]
|author=Kein
|dated=2008-8-9
|size=8×12
|resolution=640×300
|comments=Updated 08/09/09. Updated most characters, the biggest change is the 3d style walls. If you use my set I'd highly recommend [http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/List_of_user_graphics_sets#Plac1d Plac1d's character graphic set.] My 640×300, everything completely shaded.
}}

=== Lord Nightmare ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:MDA8x14.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×14
|resolution=640×350
|comments=The original IBM MDA character set, dumped from addresses 0x0000-0x0fff the 5788005 IBM Character Generator ROM. This font is as would be displayed on an EGA/VGA with the 9-pixel-width mode disabled. Best for a 64:35 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 640x480. The MDA card did not actually support displaying the font in 8x14, but ONLY 9x14 mode, see below. Theoretically, you CAN upload this font into EGA video memory though and use it.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:MDA9x14.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=9×14
|resolution=720×350
|comments=The original IBM MDA character set, dumped from addresses 0x0000-0x0fff the 5788005 IBM Character Generator ROM. This font is as would be displayed on a real MDA card (use a black/dkgreen/ltgreen palette for full monochrome effect) or on an EGA/VGA card with the 9-pixel-width mode enabled. Best for a 72:35 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 720x480.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:EGA8x14.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×14
|resolution=640×350
|comments=The IBM EGA character set, dumped from the 6277356 IBM EGA BIOS ROM. This font is as would be displayed on an EGA/VGA with the 9-pixel-width mode disabled. Best for a 64:35 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 640x480. This font is different from the MDA version in that many characters are slightly narrower to avoid 'running into' each other, and many characters have been shifted slightly to the left.
Thanks to Zaratustra for poking me into getting this done, and for related help.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:EGA9x14.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=9×14
|resolution=720×350
|comments=The IBM EGA character set, dumped from the 6277356 IBM EGA BIOS ROM. This font is as would be displayed on an EGA/VGA with the 9-pixel-width mode enabled. Best for a 72:35 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 640x480. This font is actually different from the 8x14 version in that 20 characters have been replaced with the original MDA wide versions. These 'extra' wide characters are sandwiched in between the end of the 8x14 and beginning of the 8×8 font in the EGA BIOS ROM. The changed characters, in ASCII order, are: arrow-left-and-right, '"', '+', '-', 'M', 'T', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', 'm', 'v', 'w', 'ae', cent sign, yen, peseta, plus-minus, and division sign. Other than these characters, all characters are the same, with rightmost-row duplicated on the C and D rows like the MDA (though I don't actually know if this is technically correct).
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:VGA8x16.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM?
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×16
|resolution=640×400
|comments=The original? IBM VGA 8x16 character set, (from http://madscientistroom.org/fpga/default-8x16-bram.html) as would be displayed on a VGA card with the 9-pixel-width disabled. Best for an 8:5 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 640x480. This rom has not yet been dumped from a real VGA card, and is coming from a secondary source, so it may be replaced later if I find the real font is different.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord_Nightmare-Fixedsys-02.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/Microsoft
|dated=2007-12-20
|size=8×15
|resolution=640×375
|comments=v2.2 - (v1.0 is [[:Image:Lord_Nightmare-Fixedsys.png|here]]) - Based on Microsoft's Fixedsys font (which dates back to Windows 1.0!), Many glyphs needed redoing by hand since they were absent from the font, since it is an 'ansi' character set and not a code-page 437 one like DF expects. v2.0 Based on Microsoft's Fixedsys font. Updated new glyphs to be more consistent with the Fixedsys style. - v2.1 - update a few more glyphs, namely the integral, the infinity symbol, and the spade, and a few others I'm forgetting. - v2.2 - update the club and spade, and the music notes - v2.3 - fix the fact that 0xF9 and 0xFA were inadvertently swapped.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord_Nightmare-Fixedsys-03.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/Microsoft
|dated=2007-12-20
|size=8×16
|resolution=640×400
|comments=v3.0 - changed font size to 8x16, altered glyphs to respect this. - v3.1 - fix the fact that 0xF9 and 0xFA were inadvertently swapped.
}}

[[Image:Lord_Nightmare_Freehand_screenshot_2b7d67.png|thumb|right|Freehand screenie... ooh, neat! Unreadable.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord_Nightmare_Freehand_10x16.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare
|dated=2007-12-23
|size=10×16
|resolution=800×400
|comments=v1.0 - A character set drawn entirely in freehand on the tablet PC... with MINIMAL EDITING! Yes, its SUPPOSED to look like that. v1.1 - fixed character 0x02 background (filled smiley), filled in the card suits, minor touch up to the comma, fix black instead of magenta on the greyscale blocks and other tweaks to them, redrew the square block (was 'too clean' before) v1.1a - fixed spade by adding 1 pixel at tip so it doesn't look like another club
}}

[[Image:Lord_Nightmare_Freehand_screenshot_2_05c04b.png|thumb|right|Freehand^2 screenie... ooh, neat! Readable. But ugly.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord_Nightmare_Freehand^2_10x16.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare
|dated=2008-3-28
|size=10×16
|resolution=800×400
|comments=Freehand^2, v1.2 - A heavily edited version of Freehand, now hopefully less unreadable. V1.2 is the current version, see the image link changelog/older versions.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Vintl01.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/Victor-Sirius
|dated=2007-12-19
|size=10×16
|resolution=800×400
|comments=The Victor 9000/Sirius 1 computer character set, extracted from vintl01.chr.
}}

=== Lumin ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:Lumin_Graphical_1280x800.png|Not shown due to size]]
|author=Lumin
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×32
|resolution=1280×800
|comments=Ideas used from several others on this page. I've also added more detail and color to some objects.
}}

=== Plac1d ===

[[Image:Plac1d_640x300EZ_1.png|thumb|right|Plac1d's Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Plac1d_640x300tileset.png]]
|author=[[User:Plac1d|Plac1d]]
|dated=2008-3-13
|size=8×12
|resolution=640×300
|comments=A tweaked version of [[#Tocky|Tocky's 10×10 tileset]] converted to 8×12. Try using this with my [[List of user graphics sets#Plac1d|graphics set]]!

[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=63 Download the .BMP]
}}

=== Quietust ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:VGA9x16.png]]
|author=Quietust/IBM?
|dated=2009-7-24
|size=9×16
|resolution=720×400
|comments=The original? IBM VGA 9x16 character set, as would be displayed on a VGA card with the 9-pixel-width enabled.
}}

=== Sergius ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Sleroux_800x300.png]]
|author=Sergius
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=10×12
|resolution=800×300
|comments=Mostly vanilla tileset, dwarves have graphic from intro [[Utilities#CMVPlayer|Movie]], with some tweaks (for soldiers). I find it helpful for playing (instead of happy faces).
}}

=== Shaja ===

[[Image:Shaja_10-27-09.png|thumb|right|TerminusAliased text]]
[[Image:Shaja_10-13-09.png|thumbnail|right|Terminus24 text]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:TerminusAliased_handedit_gal.png|Not shown due to size]]
|author=[[User:Shaja|Shaja]]
|dated=2008-3-27
|size=20×32
|resolution=1600×800
|comments=Alphanumerics based on Dimitar Zhekov's [http://www.is-vn.bg/hamster/jimmy-en.html Terminus] font with light antialias shading added, walls and some symbols redrawn, others carried over from Thom's 20x32 tileset.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:Terminus24.png|Not shown due to size]]
|author=[[User:Shaja|Shaja]]
|dated=2008-5-19
|size=24×32
|resolution=1920×800
|comments=Revised version of my earlier Terminus 20x32 character set for 1920x800 display.
}}

=== Tae ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:CP850.png]]
|author=Tae/IBM
|dated=2009-9-06
|size=8×14
|resolution=640×350
|comments=The original? IBM VGA 8x16 character set, (from http://madscientistroom.org/fpga/default-8x16-bram.html) as would be displayed on a VGA card with the 9-pixel-width disabled. Best for an 8:5 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 640x480. This rom has not yet been dumped from a real VGA card, and is coming from a secondary source, so it may be replaced later if I find the real font is different. The changed characters, in ASCII order are 'zero', 'at', 'M', 'T', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', 'm', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'vertical bar', 'C-cedilla', 'c-cedilla', 'A-ring', 'cent', 'yen', 'E-acute', 'ae ligature', 'peseta', 'florin', 'reversed logical not', 'fractions one half-one quarter', 'selected box drawing characters', 'left-and-right blocks', 'greek alpha, gamma, pi, sigma', 'mu', 'equivalence', 'less-greater or equal', 'top-bottom half integral', 'approximately equal', 'radical root', 'small superscript n'.
}}

=== Taritus ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Curses 640x300diag.png]]
|author=Taritus
|dated=2009-03-23
|size=8×12
|resolution=640×300
|comments=Yuppers. I requested it a long time ago when everyone else was requesting different sized square tilesets with diagonal walls, and nobody ever fulfilled the request. I decided, "Oh, it's not like I have some menial and huge English project that's due tomorrow to work on, I'm going to make that." And I did.--[[User:Taritus|Taritus]] 20:53, 22 March 2009 (UTC)
}}

=== Thom ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:Curses_24pt_cleartype_ThomModifications.PNG|Not shown due to size]]
|author=Herrbdog
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=20×24
|resolution=1600×800
|comments=Hi res won't slow the game as it doesn't use graphics, so if your monitor can display it, go for it, really... I strongly recommend to enable blackspace in the init: [BLACK_SPACE:YES] Made from the 24pts cleartype lucida console above (from winterwing). I added some stuff (some original, some ideas taken from others tilesets). Basically I try to avoid symbols that are often seen in menus, etc. The main "problem" is the bag, because its the male symbol, but it was too good looking to not put it ;) Hope you enjoy :) . . .Note: Winterwing's tileset is now lost. --[[User:Savok|Savok]]
}}

=== UncleSporky ===

[[Image:UncleSporky_DFTiles1.png|thumb|right|UncleSporky Tileset]]
[[Image:UncleSporky_DFTiles2.png|thumb|right|UncleSporky Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:UncleSporky_curses_800x600.png]]
|author=UncleSporky
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=10×12
|resolution=800×300
|comments=
}}

=== Xenomorph ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Acorntileset.png]]
|author=[[User:Xenomorph|Xenomorph]]
|dated=2008-8-9
|size=8×16
|resolution=640×400
|comments=This is the tileset used by Acorn computers, starting with the BBC Micro. This version is as it would have appeared in 80-column modes (albeit adapted to CP437). [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=408 Download the BMP.]
}}

=== Zaratustra ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_megazeux2.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×14
|resolution=640×350
|comments=EGA font with added Megazeux modifications.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_custom800x300ca3.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=10×12
|resolution=800×300, 800×600 (non-reccomended)
|comments=Has an appropriate [http://archive.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Object_Tilesets#10x12_version object tileset for v0.23.130.23a (now outdated)].
}}

== Tiny tilesets ==

Sets smaller than 8×8. Used for playing in tiny windows, large grids, display massive maps and perhaps videos.

=== Herrbdog ===

[[Image:Herrbdog_7x7.jpg|thumb|right|herrbdog's 7x7 tileset]]
{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:Herrbdog_7x7_tileset.gif]]
|author=[[User:herrbdog|herrbdog]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=7×7
|resolution=560×175
|comments=
}}

=== Kein ===

[[Image:Kein_400x125.gif|thumb|right|Kein's 5x5]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kein_400x125.png]]
|author=[[User:Kein|Kein]]
|dated=2008-8-7
|size=5×5
|resolution=400×125
|comments=A large 257x257 DFMA world gen map can be found [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-3278-5x5largeworldmap here.]Updated 08/06/08. Changed most text characters as well as some others to 4x4 with blackspace to avoid tiling. Most characters have been revised to be spaced out to be more distinguishable in such a small set. After seeing the dev update earlier today about increasing your view size I decided to create this small font. This has been built completely from scratch, mostly while at work today. I may be making a shaded version in the future. The first image to the right is from the Abeyverse succession game.
}}

=== Lord Nightmare ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord Nightmare 6x6font01.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare
|dated=2007-11-5
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150
|comments=Made in 5 hours on 11/5/07 (I was bored and dissatisfied with other fonts). Most glyphs are really 5×6, with a seperator column.
}}

[[Image:Nightmare_6x6_v2.jpg|thumb|right|Lord Nightmare's 6x6 v2]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord Nightmare 6x6font02.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare
|dated=2007-11-12
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150
|comments=Version 2.05. Updated 11/12/07 to de-fuzz uppercase letters, added serifs and clarified lowercase letters, made horizontal spacing consistent throughout character set, fixed one error in the double horizontal-left-right, single-vertical-up-down character, made exclamation points consistent, thinned out question mark and inverse question mark, sharpened sideways stemless arrows, clarified international characters, and clarified some greek letters. Since v2.0: fixed 'i' 'g', fixed Yen symbol, fixed smiley 0x01 to not have an extra line to its right, lowered the period and colon characters, fixed position of 'x'. Thanks to Markavian for ideas on how to improve the font, as well as an occasional character glyph.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord-Nightmare-Terminal-4x6.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/Microsoft
|dated=2008-1-27
|size=4×6
|resolution=320×150
|comments=A DF conversion of the 4x6 variant of Microsoft's 'Terminal' Font. Note that I have left the font entirely alone other than converting it, so several glyphs are indistinguishable from one another!
}}

=== Madk ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Curses6x9.png]]
|author=Madk
|dated=2010-6-21
|size=6×9
|resolution=480×225
|comments=Check the [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=59851.0 original thread] for more info.
}}

=== Markavian ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Mkv_curses_480x150.png]]
|author=[[User:Markavian|Markavian]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150
|comments=The first version the tiny tileset, superceded by the version below.
}}

[[Image:mark_6x6_v2.jpg|thumb|right|Markavian's 6x6 v2]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Mkv_curses_480x150_v2.png]]
|author=[[User:Markavian|Markavian]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150
|comments=My second version of the tiny tileset, for uber small resolution DF, with improved visibility of several symbols.
Available in [http://mkv25.net/showcase/df/mkv_curses%2012x12%20and%206x6%20v2.zip mkv curses 12×12 and 6×6 v2.zip].
}}

=== Nobbins ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:nobbins6x6.png]]
|author=[[User:Nobbins|Nobbins]]
|dated=2010-01-10
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150, 960×300
|comments=Tiny tileset for small screens, with experimental colour blending and pseudo-curved walls.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:nobbin_ts_v2.png]]
|author=[[User:Nobbins|Nobbins]]
|dated=2010-06-28
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150, 960×300
|comments=Tiny tileset for small screens/large projects, using slightly Monaco-styled serifs. Transparency-supporting version needed. [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=47680 Forum thread.]
}}

=== Terbert ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:terbert_7x7.png]]
|author=[[User:Terbert|Terbert]]
|dated=2009-6-30
|size=7×7
|resolution=560×175
|comments=This is a 7x7 tileset made for overseeing large constructions
}}

=== Zaratustra ===

[[Image:Zara_4x6.jpg|thumb|right|Zaratustra's 4x6]]
[[Image:Zara_5x6.jpg|thumb|right|Zaratustra's 5x6]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_custom_4x6.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=4×6
|resolution=320×150
|comments=
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_custom_5x5.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2008-11-20
|size=5×5
|resolution=400×125, 800×250, 800×500
|comments=
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_custom_5x6.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=5×6
|resolution=400×150, 800×300, 800×600
|comments=
}}

=== Geti ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Geti_custom_6x6.png]]
|author=[[User:Geti|Geti]]
|dated=2010-08-04
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150, 960times;300
|comments=A 6x6 Tileset optimised for legibility through personal use. Not shaded on most gliphs, aiming for a crisper look. Best at 2x2 pixels.
}}

[[Category:Mods]]
[[Category:Interface]]

Tileset repository

2011-03-19T10:02:29Z

AbuDhabi: /* 16×16 tilesets */

''You may be looking for general information on [[tilesets]] or the [[List of user graphics sets|Graphics set repository]].''

== Square tilesets ==

These are all the character sets with square tiles, except for the character sets with 16×16 tiles. Those are listed [[List_of_user_character_sets#16.C3.9716_tilesets|below]]. Text in square tilesets (as opposed to tilesets with shorter width) is usually more difficult to read, but the map is not distorted.

=== Anikki ===

[[Image:df_anikki_2.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Anikki_square_8x8.png]]
|author=[[User:Anikki|Anikki]]
|dated=2008-7-27
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×200 native.
|comments=Based on the original IBM CGA Character set with a lot of tweaks. The characters remain as descriptive yet universal as possible. I chose the CGA set because it is in my opinion the square set with the best readability. This set is for those who like the basic ASCII look where every pixel has meaning or (multiple meanings). [http://www.anikki.com/share/df/Anikki_square_8x8.bmp Download the BMP]

There is also an upscaled [[#Anikki_2|16x16 version]] of this set available for fullscreen use below.
}}

[[Image:df_anikki_1.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Anikki_square_10x10.png]]
|author=[[User:Anikki|Anikki]]
|dated=2008-7-27
|size=10×10
|resolution=800×250 native.
|comments=Based primarily on Tocky and Plac1d's sets (which are brilliant). The characters remain as descriptive as possible with some tweaks to the font for better readability and some changes to symbols for more consistency. This set is for those who like the basic ASCII look where every pixel has meaning or (multiple meanings). [http://www.anikki.com/share/df/Anikki_square_10x10.bmp Download the BMP]
(Note: The up and down ramps are reversed.)
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Anikki_square_20x20.png]]
|author=[[User:Anikki|Anikki]]
|dated=2008-7-27
|size=20×20
|resolution=1600×500 native.
|comments=Based primarily on Tocky and Plac1d. This is a scaled up version of the 10x10 tileset for fullscreen use. [http://www.anikki.com/share/df/Anikki_square_20x20.bmp Download the BMP]
(Note: The up and down ramps are reversed.)
}}

=== Alloy ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Alloy_curses_12x12.png]]
|author=[[User:Alloy|Alloy]]
|dated=2010-12-3 - v1.1
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300 native.
|comments=Much like [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Tileset_repository#Hanuman Hanuman's] conversion, this is based on the default curses_640x300 tileset, converted to 12x12. There are no significant modifications to the tiles, smoothing, etc - just some cosmetic changes mostly to take advantage of 4 extra horizontal pixels. For people who like the original tileset's look and size but want a square version of it.
}}

=== Bisasam ===

[[Image:Bisasam_20x20_preview.png|thumb|right]]
[[Image:Bisasam_20x20_preview_stocks.png|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Bisasam_20x20.png]]
|author=Bisasam
|dated=2010-05-15
|size=20×20
|resolution=1600×500 (80x25 grid size); 1600×1000 (80x50 grid size)
|comments=This is the 20x20 version of my 24x24 tileset. A DF version supporting transparent PNGs must be used. In order to use unscaled tiles, horizontal resolution must be at least 1600.
}}

[[Image:Bisasam_20x20_ascii_preview.png|thumb|right]]
[[Image:Bisasam_20x20_ascii_preview_stocks.png|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Bisasam_20x20_ascii.png]]
|author=Bisasam
|dated=2010-05-15
|size=20×20
|resolution=1600×500 (80x25 grid size); 1600×1000 (80x50 grid size)
|comments=This is the 20x20 version of my 24x24 tileset. Graphical tiles have been replaced by ASCII ones. A DF version supporting transparent PNGs must be used. In order to use unscaled tiles, horizontal resolution must be at least 1600.
}}

[[Image:Bisasam_24x24_preview.png|thumb|right]]
[[Image:Bisasam_24x24_preview_stocks.png|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:Bisasam_24x24.png|Not shown due to size]]
|author=Bisasam
|dated=2010-01-01
|size=24×24
|resolution=1920×600 (80x25 grid size); 1920×1200 (80x50 grid size)
|comments=Inspired by the Terminus24 tileset, I created this square 24x24 tileset. Almost all symbols have been redrawn antialiased; so a DF version supporting transparent PNGs must be used. In order to use unscaled tiles, horizontal resolution must be at least 1920.
}}

=== Cheepicus ===

[[Image:cheepicus_12x12_ss.png|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:cheepicus_12x12.png]]
|author=[[User:Cheepicus|Cheepicus]]
|dated=2010-8-4
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=I wanted a 12x12 ASCII graphics set, sharp, with pleasant text, so I wound up making one myself from scratch. It's a little influenced by Guybrush, which I love, but after awhile the blurriness got to me.

(This tileset is not entirely ASCII; I changed the equals sign to a pattern, so that stockpiles would look the way I like.)
}}

=== Ddw ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:ddw.png]]
|author=[[User:Ddw|Ddw]]
|dated=2011-03-10
|size=10×10
|resolution=800×250 native
|comments=Based on Anikki, with some simplifications and modifications. I like Markavian's walls, so I did something similar. [http://www.dougwhiteley.co.uk/images/ddw_shot.png Example].
}}

=== Dorten ===

[[Image:Snap.PNG|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:720x225_SmoothWalls.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Dorten|Dorten]]
|dated=2009-2-13
|size=9×9
|resolution=720×225
|comments=It's improved Savok's tileset, which is changed to make walls look smooth. Plus another little differences.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:720x225_SmoothWalls7.png]]
|author=[[User:Dorten|Dorten]]
|dated=2009-2-13
|size=9×9
|resolution=720×225
|comments=Minor tweak so the 7's don't look like question marks.
}}

[[Image:DortenSolidex1.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:DortenSolid.png]]
|author=[[User:Qjet|Qjet]]
|dated=2009-2-13
|size=9×9
|resolution=720×225
|comments=Mod of Dortens super sexy 9*9 tileset, this time to provide solid backgrounds to tiles, avoids designation problems by using PNG transparency.
}}

=== Gekz ===

[[Image:terminus-sc.png|thumb|right|Terminus Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:terminus.png]]
|author=[[User:Gekz|Gekz]]
|dated=2010-1-08
|size=11×11
|resolution=880×275
|comments=This works great on my EeePCs shoddy resolution of 1024x600, and this is why I made it. This is basically the [http://www.is-vn.bg/hamster/ Terminus font] converted for use on DF. I chose this font due to its readability at a low resolutions, and soon I'll convert some of the non-letter characters into actually objects like beds and dwarves, so keep a look out for an updated version that I'll add below.

[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=47570.0 This forum thread] has the slightly 'graphical' test version. Quite amusing. Check there for updates.
}}

=== Hanuman ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:DB_curses_12x12.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Hanuman|Hanuman]]
|dated=2008-7-23
|size=12×12
|resolution=900×300
|comments=This is basically the curses_800x600.bmp file converted to 12x12. It may be slightly different but it is close enough for me. [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=318 Get the .BMP here.]
Note: If the tileset doesn't look right played at 900x300, try changing the resolution to 966x325.
}}

=== Haowan ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Haowan_Curses_1440x450.png]]
|author=Haowan
|dated=2007-11-2
|size=18×18
|resolution=1440×450
|comments=An enlarged version of a square version of the default set.
}}

=== Herrbdog ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Herrbdog_144.png]]
|author=Herrbdog
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=A larger version of this tileset is available [[#Herrbdog 2|below]].
}}

=== Jdpage ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Jdpage_8x8.png]]
|author=[[User:Jdpage|Jdpage]]
|dated=2010-09-15
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×200 native.
|comments=Modified version of the [[#Anikki|Anikki]] 8x8 tileset. Just prettifies it a bit; some characters are tweaked to make them work slightly better for one of their jobs without disturbing the rest. Others are redesigned entirely. Most importantly, dwarves were given beards.
}}

=== Lord Dullard ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Dullard_Exponent_12x12.png]]
|author=Lord Dullard/Exponent
|dated=2009-3-30
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300 native
|comments=Adjusted by Exponent, and with new dwarf characters added. A version of the Unknown 12×12 tileset with smoothed walls. Example: [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-5243-wiltedblight Wiltedblight].
}}

=== Lord Nightmare ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:CGA8x8thick.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×400
|comments=The original IBM CGA Character set, thick variant, dumped from addresses 0x1800-0x1fff the 5788005 IBM Character Generator ROM. This is the far more common 'thick' variant. Best viewed at 8:5 aspect ratio.
}}

[[Image:Nightmare_cga_8x8.jpg|thumb|right|Lord Nightmare's 8×8 CGA tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:CGA8x8thin.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2008-6-6
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×400
|comments=The original IBM CGA Character set, thin variant, dumped from addresses 0x1000-0x17ff the 5788005 IBM Character Generator ROM. This is the less common 'thin' variant, which required soldering on two pins and jumpering them on the CGA card to use. Best viewed at 8:5 aspect ratio.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:LN_EGA8x8.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×400
|comments=The IBM EGA 8×8 Character set, dumped from the 6277356 IBM EGA BIOS ROM. This is ALMOST 100% IDENTICAL to the CGA thick font, but has minor modifications (23 pixels total) done to four characters: the capital 'S', the club sign, the spade sign, and the large asterisk (the one with a hole in the middle, char 0x0f, not the shift-8 one which is char 0x2a). There is no thin variant of this font. Best viewed at 8:5 aspect ratio.
}}

=== Maus ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Nostalgia_720x225.png]]
|author=[[User:Maus|maus]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=9×9
|resolution=720×225
|comments=Another square tileset that's usable on low resolutions, modeled after a common font used on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I also made a [[:Image:Nostalgia_1440x450_3e4a08.png|18x18 version]] to fit my 1440x900 screen, back when the aspect ratio of DF was locked. If you like your set a bit more graphical, check out [[:Image:Teeto_K_18x18.PNG|Teeto_K's version]].
}}

=== Markavian ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:mkv_solidcurses_stairs_960x300.png]]
|author=[[User:Markavian|Markavian]]
|dated=2007-12-4
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=This revision is designed to work with DF version 0.27.169.33a with special tiles for [[stair]]s and [[ramp]]s, as well as the changes present in the earlier version such as bones, walls, trees and swords. Available in [http://mkv25.net/showcase/df/mkv_curses%2012x12%20and%206x6%20v2.zip mkv curses 12×12 and 6x6 v2.zip]. As seen in the fortress of [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-1329-axegear Axegear].
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Mkv_solidcurses_960x300.png]]
|author=[[User:Markavian|Markavian]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=An older revision of my square tileset, featuring more detailed symbols, with alterations to certain text characters to look more like ingame items. The walls are infilled now. 
Available in [http://mkv25.net/showcase/df/mkv_curses%2012x12%20and%206x6%20v2.zip mkv curses 12×12 and 6x6 v2.zip]. As seen in the fortress of [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-800-inflew. Inkflew].
}}

=== Paul ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Paul_10x10.png]]
|author=[[User:Paul|Paul]]
|dated=2008-9-5
|size=10×10
|resolution=800×250 for 80×25 grid size, others just multiply grid by 10.
|comments=Custom tileset I made for my own use when the adjustable grid sizes were released for DF. Some accented letters cut slightly to allow for larger letter display. Contains several of Tocky's tiles (barrels, some trees, dimple cups, coins, slightly modified armor stand). Others are either made by me or adjusted from curses_800x600 tiles.
}}

=== DDR ===

[[Image:Unknown curses 12x12 & Markvii Walls example screenshot.jpeg|thumb|right|A dwarf practicing archery. He died later.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Unknown curses 12x12 & Markvii Walls.png]]
|author=DDR & Others
|dated=2010-9-3
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300 native
|comments=A remix of the Unknown 12x12 curses with Markvii's diagonal walls. Works quite nicely together.
}}

=== Savok ===

[[Image:Screenshot_41ea57.png|thumb|right|Savok's tiny, non-updated tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Curses_720x225_8d6752.png]]
|author=[[User:Savok|Savok]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=9×9
|resolution=720×225
|comments=There is no doubt that this tileset is old. This must be distinctly understood if anything wonderful is to come of your use of it. You may like [[List_of_user_character_sets#Dorten|Dorten's revision]] more. The following is the original description: I dislike curses_640x300.bmp due to its lack of any kind of graphics for things like a bed or a barrel and the fact that it distorts my beautiful circles, so I made a similarish tileset to fix those.
}}

=== Sir Henry ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:Sir_Henry%27s_32x32.png|Not shown due to size]]
|author=Sir Henry
|dated=2009-8-19
|size=32×32
|resolution=2560×800
|comments=Recently I learned of a monitor displaying 2560 pixels horizontally, and I decided it needed a tileset to put to use. Taking the tileset I use (Kelora 16x16 diagonal) and doubling it, I was able to get a decent tileset. Smoothing the edges, and redoing some glyphs to get a better look (or just messing up some to bad to fix), I was able to achieve this.
}}

===Talryth===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Talryth_square_15x15.png]]
|author=[[User:Talryth|Talryth]]
|dated=2010-06-18
|size=15×15
|resolution=1440×900 (96×60 grid size) 1680×1050 (112×70 grid size)
|comments=Built from scratch, this ASCII tileset is made with two common 16:10 resolutions in mind. The odd tile size fills the above resolutions without artifacts and it gives an advantage in design, making for sharp features and equal spacing between characters. The manual anti-aliasing gives the set a nice and clean look. Transparent PNG support is needed for this one.
}}

===Teeto_K===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Teeto_K_18x18.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Teeto_K|Teeto_K]]
|dated=2008-10-24
|size=18×18
|resolution=1440×450
|comments=A tileset based on [[:Image:Nostalgia_1440x450_3e4a08.png|Maus's 18x18 version of his "Nostalgia" tileset]], however, it has been heavily revised. The entire font has been "smoothed over", and many of the symbols changed to more "graphical" representations of the items they represent. An attempt to fill the void of "graphic heavy" tilesets in the 18x18 tile-size. A special emphasis is placed on maximizing the text's readability, while still providing a "graphics enhanced" play area. Special thanks to Maus for the font, and Guybrush for the inspiration.
}}

=== Terbert ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Terbert_10x10.png]]
|author=[[User:Terbert|Terbert]]
|dated=2009-6-30
|size=10×10
|resolution=800×250
|comments=This is Terbert's First tileset
}}

=== Tocky ===

[[Image:Df_tock10_1.PNG|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Tocky_square_10x10.png]]
|author=[[User:Tocky|Tocky]]
|dated=2007-11-15
|size=10×10
|resolution=800×250 native, 800×500 for fullscreen.
|comments=I tried to make all the pictographic symbols as descriptive as possible: the only ones I've spotted that show up in odd places are the staircase symbols, '<' and '>', which are used as tags on barrel descriptions, and don't match -- but I'm willing to live with that in order to be able to tell up-stairs from down- ones. With everything else, I just tried to maximize clarity and readability and to keep them consistent. I'm really very pleased with how this set turned out.
}}

=== Turnip ===

[[Image:Rev7.PNG|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Markvii.png]]
|author=[[User:Turnip|Turnip]]
|dated=2009-7-9
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=My revision of Markavian's tileset, made to be more "curvy"
}}

=== Unknown ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Tileset_unknown_960x300_02.png]]
|author=Unknown
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=This is a tileset submitted by an unknown user from the IP address 86.43.81.125. 
}}

[[Image:Unknown_12x12.jpg|thumb|right|Unknown 12×12 v2]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Unknown_curses_12x12.png]]
|author=Unknown
|dated=2007-11-24
|size=12×12
|resolution=960×300
|comments=This is very similar to the above tileset, but has some noticeable differences. I have no idea where I got it from. It's great on a 1024x768 CRT monitor in windowed mode. I use it in a 1000x500 window with [BLACKSPACE:YES]. --[[User:JT|JT]]
}}

=== Xenomorph ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Acorntileset8x8.png]]
|author=[[User:Xenomorph|Xenomorph]]
|dated=2008-8-9
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×200
|comments=This is the tileset used by Acorn computers, starting with the BBC Micro. This version is as it would have appeared in 40-column modes (and shuffled a little to adapt it to CP437). It also looks nice at double resolution. [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=407 Download the BMP.]
}}

=== Yayo ===

[[Image:yayo_c64_640x200_screenshot.png|thumb|right|yayo's c64 Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:yayo_c64_640x200.png]]
|author=[[User:Yayo|Yayo]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×200
|comments=Name: Yayo's C64; Based on the charset of the commodore 64. It's a flat style, but it's clean and also highly readable. I recreated all the missing chars like letters with accents and symbols, trying to get a c64 style as much as possible. If it's too small, use the 16×16 version [[#Yayo_2|below]]. :)
}}

[[Image:yayo_tunur_1040x325_screenshot.png|thumb|right|yayo's Tunur Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:yayo_tunur_1040x325.png]]
|author=[[User:Yayo|Yayo]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=13×13
|resolution=1040×325
|comments=Name: Yayo's Tunur; According to the language files of DF, Tunur means "style" in dwarf language. It may require a bit to get used to some symbols, but it's a very clean tileset. (It's just a bit weird. :P)
}}

[[Image:Oreslam_1900x1200_20x20_screenshot.png|thumb|right|yayo's Oreslam Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Oreslam_1920x1200_20x20.png]]
|author=[[User:Yayo|Yayo]]
|dated=2009-09-12
|size=20×20
|resolution=1920×1200
|comments=Name: Yayo's Oreslam; Just like the previous one, this tileset is named according to the dwarf language: or-es-lam means "Large Clear Stone". I decided to create this tileset to fit my usual screen resolution (1920x1200). I tried giving it a clean look. To use it in windowed mode try these settings in the init file: WINDOWEDX:1900, WINDOWEDY:1160, GRID:95:58.}}

=== Zaratustra ===

[[Image:Zara_8x8.jpg|thumb|right|Zaratustra's 8×8 tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_msx.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×8
|resolution=640×200 or 640×400
|comments= The MSX and MSX2 font, shuffled around to fit the char set. Double lines were added.
}}

== 16×16 tilesets ==

The 16×16 tilesets are a subset of square character sets. 16×16 is a frequently used size, as shown by the number of tilesets in this section. This is probably because all of the best creature graphics sets use 16×16 tiles. Those alternate sets for creatures can be found at [[graphics sets]]. '''If your screen is too small for these, turn on BLACK_SPACE!'''

=== Aesomatica ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Aesomatica_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Aesomatica|Aesomatica]]
|dated=2008-11-29
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Tileset intended to build upon [[User:Sphr|Sphr's]] and [[User:Jackard|Jackard's]] work, as well as others. Some tiles are original, some are variants and most are copied from various sets the author found pleasing. Notable originals include the broken bolt/ashes tiles, the ballista heads/large hills, the small hills, the ore (gear animation is pleasing, though axle animation is unimproved), ground tiles, and vermin. Also, bins look decent and up/down stairs look okay. This set looks its best with Sphr's graphics.
}}

=== Anikki ===

[[Image:df_anikki_2.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Anikki_square_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Anikki|Anikki]]
|dated=2008-7-27
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Based on the original IBM CGA Character set with a lot of tweaks. The characters remain as descriptive yet universal as possible. I chose the CGA set because it is in my opinion the square set with the best readability. This set is for those who like the basic ASCII look where every pixel has meaning or (multiple meanings). This is a scaled up version for fullscreen use. [http://www.anikki.com/share/df/Anikki_square_16x16.bmp Download the BMP]
}}

=== Anno ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Anno_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]]
|dated=2011-03-19
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Based on Anikki's 16x16 tileset, but smoothed/enhanced and with the dwarf images reworked.]
}}

=== Bisasam ===

[[Image:Bisasam_16x16_preview.png|thumb|right]]
[[Image:Bisasam_16x16_preview_stocks.png|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Bisasam_16x16.png]]
|author=Bisasam
|dated=2010-01-11
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This is the 16x16 version of my 24x24 tileset. A DF version supporting transparent PNGs must be used. In order to use unscaled tiles, horizontal resolution must be at least 1280.
}}

=== Cooz ===

[[Image:Cooz_Tileset_Screenshot.png|thumb|right|Cooz's Tileset]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Cooz_curses_square_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Cooz|Cooz]]
|dated=2009-2-28
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=v1.1 - 3px wide walls and some other tweaks. Based on Klokjammer and Marble Dice tilesets. Some tiles were taken from other sets, some were made from scratch. The aim was to keep feel of default curses font in 16×16 tileset. There's also [http://i.imgur.com/rKRKz.png version without shading].
}}

=== Guybrush ===

[[Image:GuybrushScreenshot1.PNG|thumb|right|Guybrush Tileset]]
[[Image:GuybrushScreenshot2.PNG|thumb|right|the wilderness...]]

{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:Guybrush_square_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Guybrush|Guybrush]]
|dated=2007-11-15
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A 16×16 tileset based on the very nice Herrbdog's one, and for use with the superb [[40d:Graphics_set_repository#Dystopian_Rhetoric|Dystopian Rhetoric objects]]. A slightly modified version of Herrbdog's tileset is available below if you want to keep the original ASCII symbols for some objects (just do some cut & paste). It's just a little brighter and with some very slight changes. The tileset shown is a tileset with graphic objects added, for use with Fortress Mode.

I recommend to have a look at the [[color schemes|color schemes page]] to find your favorite color settings. The color scheme I used for the screenshots is [[Color_Schemes#.28Yet.29_Another_scheme|this one]].}}

{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:GuybrushASCII_curses_square_16x16.png]]
|author=Herrbdog, modified by [[User:Guybrush|Guybrush]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Here is the slightly modified version of Herrbdog's tileset which still has all the ASCII characters intact
}}

=== Herrbdog ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Herrbdog_16x16_tileset.gif]]
|author=Herrbdog
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=The 16×16 version of Herrbdog's tileset. Further discussion of herrbdog's tilesets is available in the Bay 12 forums:
http://www.bay12games.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=000832
}}

=== Inquisitor Saturn ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:MRC_square_16x16.png]]
|author=Inquisitor Saturn
|dated=2008-5-18
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Another 16 by 16 tileset. This one is notable because of the subtle shadowing and a completely original, hand-made font.
}}

=== Kaishaku ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kai-1280x400-v2 7512b5.png]]
|author=Kaishaku
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A square 1280×400 font. Simple and legible. Converted from roarl's 16×16 nethack font, on top of super foul egg's template, extended manually and with ideas from lucida console. This is version 1, created in one morning. Screenshots available [http://kaishaku.org/dwarfort here].
}}

=== Kelora ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kelora_16x16_diagonal.png]]
|author=[[User:Kelora|Kelora]]
|dated=2009-7-26
|size=16×16
|resolution=
|comments=A square tileset using the diagonal wall concept from Belal and others but simplified drastically to improve the appearance. All the walls line up correctly and have consistent widths.
I did not use much of the pretty but confusing art I see in many of the other sets. I tried for a while to incorporate many of these but found that with the multiple uses for most characters they were just wrong far too often to be useful. The only ones that seem to work are the dwarves which I took from Flying Mage / Guybrush. The pretty 3Dish fonts as well just seem to look muddier and be less legible. I love it and my husband has been happily playing it for months.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kelora_16x16_diagonal-clouds.png]]
|author=[[User:Kelora|Kelora]]
|size=16×16
|resolution=
|comments=A square tileset using the diagonal wall concept from Belal and others but simplified drastically to improve the appearance. All the walls line up correctly and have consistent widths.
I did not use much of the pretty but confusing art I see in many of the other sets. I tried for a while to incorporate many of these but found that with the multiple uses for most characters they were just wrong far too often to be useful. The only ones that seem to work are the dwarves which I took from Flying Mage / Guybrush. The pretty 3Dish fonts as well just seem to look muddier and be less legible. This tileset is a copy of my first with more realistic clouds I hope.
}}

=== Klokjammer ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kjammer square 16x16 v02.png]]
|author=[[User:Klokjammer|Klokjammer]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Name: ''"Masked Adventurer"'' - after tile (0,4), where '@' used to be. A somewhat abstract version of the original curses square tileset, but with the alpha numeric characters shaped so as not to look distorted. Other symbols are either borrowed from or improved from curses, and some (including the dwarves) were created from the ground up. Alternate variations, are available [[User:Klokjammer#My Tilesets|here]].
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kjammer square 16x16 v00.png]]
|author=[[User:Klokjammer|Klokjammer]]
|dated=2007-10-31
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A "clean" version of the above set, one without any fancy tiles (except for the dwarves).
}}

=== Marble Dice ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Md_curses_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Marble Dice|Marble Dice]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This tileset attempts to modify the size and aspect ratio of the classic 8x12 terminal/curses font employed by many rougelikes without sacrificing the distinctive character.
}}

=== Nordic Curses ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:DF-Nordic_v1.png]]
|author=[[User:Techhead|Techhead]]
|dated=2009-3-26
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=My first attempt at a unique curses-style tileset with a Nordic Theme. Some characters have been altered.
}}

=== PTTG ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:PTTGV2tiles.png]]
|author=[[User:PTTG|PTTG]]
|dated=2007-11-21
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A new version! Clean, sharp, and clear. All-original, and large size for big screens! Also features coloured indicators for levers, helping to remove the guesswork. It is good stand-alone, or with my [[List of user graphics sets#PTTG|graphics set]].
}}

=== Random832 ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Msgothic.png]]
|author=[[User:Random832]]
|dated=2009-4-22
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×800 etc
|comments=Based on the ＭＳゴシック (MS Gothic) japanese font, with some gaps filled in from the VGA 8x16 font, and some other characters tweaked by hand.
}}

=== Raving ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Raving_1280x400.png]]
|author=[[User:RavingManiac|RavingManiac]]
|dated=2010-3-13
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A heavily modified version of Tyrving's tileset, with smoothed walls based on those from Tahin's. This tileset was made to retain the feel of the original curses in a square tileset with smoothed walls.
[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1920 Download the BMP.]
}}

===Red Jack===
{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:Redjack17.png]]
|author=[[User:Jackard|Jackard]]
|dated=2008-7-22
|size=16x16
|resolution=1280x400
|comments=This combines content from other tilesets with Nintendo sprites to give the game a classic dungeon look. ''Note: Bins are hard to see using this tileset because the "bin" tile is also used as the "up/down staircase" tile. [[Tileset_repository#Aesomatica |Aesomatica]] and [[Tileset_repository#Martin|Martin]] improve upon this tileset making the bin tile easier to see.''

[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=7 You may download all variations of this tileset here.]}}

=== Sappho ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Sapphos_square_16x16.png]]
|author=Sappho
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Another square font, target resolution 1280×400. This one is exactly the same as the default font except it has been made square, painstakingly edited to ensure that nothing looks squished.
}}

=== Savok ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Savok_curses_1280x400_517caa.png]]
|author=[[User:Savok|Savok]]
|dated=2008-6-16
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Unsatisfied with any existing tileset, I decided to go about creating my own. Since I can't create from scratch, I had to take tiles from other tilesets and modify them, in an evolution-like manner, until they became how I wanted them. Since most are dramatically different from the tileset I took them from, I believe I can call them original. In the raws, change the tag [TILE:'U'] for humans to [TILE:172]. This changes both the image and corpse of humans to a unique image, which creature graphics cannot do. The elves also get a different tile, [TILE:171]. I plan to make a separate goblin symbol. If you use it and like it, please leave a message for at [[User talk:Savok|my talk page]] or at [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=201 the DFFD page]. This will greatly speed progress, since I won't be doing it just for myself. Note: The [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=201 DFFD version] is updated more frequently and has the changelist.
}}

=== Super Foul Egg ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:SFE_Curses_square_16x16.png]]
|author=Super Foul Egg
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=The font is rough as hell and some of the characters still need attention, but it'll do for now. Since this tileset is for graphics mode I'd rather wait for more complete object support than hack in pictures and gum up the UI. Uppercase from [http://www.zee-3.com/pickfordbros/archive/bitmapfonts.php this site]
}}

=== Tahin ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Tahin_16x16_rounded.png]]
|author=[[User:Tahin|Tahin]]
|dated=2007-12-28
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Based on Marble Dice's tileset, above. Smoothed corners are "rounded", which takes some getting used to but look quite nice, in my opinion. I have managed to get all of the standard "L" tiles to fit together nicely, but "T" and "+" don't quite match up. It's not a problem that comes up often, and it still doesn't look that bad, but I'll get to it eventually.
}}

=== Tyrving ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Tyr_1280x400.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Tyrving|Tyrving]]
|dated=2008-2-15
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=None of the existing modifications of curses_square satisfied me, so I made my own. The bulk of it is from Klokjammer's set, with the dwarf symbols and @ taken from Sappho's. Quite a few minor alterations have been made, and I feel that it's become distinct enough to release it.
}}

=== Winterwing ===

[[Image:Winterwing_Dfort-tiles-lucon.png|thumb|right|Lucida Console with Dystopian Rhetoric objects]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Winterwing_Curses_16x16_lucon.png]]
|author=[[User:Winterwing|Winterwing]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Like usual, lucida console with cleartype. Creative, huh. :)
}}

=== Yayo ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Yayo_c64_1280x400_83b157.png]]
|author=[[User:Yayo|Yayo]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Name: Yayo's C64; The 16×16 version of Yayo's tileset.
}}

=== Zaratustra ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-11-10
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Because everyone is making one.
}}

== 16×16 tilesets for edited raws==

These tilesets require modified [[raws]] to work properly. Specifically, the tile numbers assigned to some objects (critters, stones, plants) need to be changed and accented characters usually need to be removed from all languages.
:If you cannot find the altered raws of a tileset for your version of Dwarf Fortress have a look at the [[Raw tile selector]] tool.

=== Belal ===

[[Image:Belal_Example.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Belal_Smooth_Walls.png]]
|author=[[User:Belal|Belal]]
|dated=2009-1-9
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Based on the Mike Mayday tileset and using angled smoothed walls as in [[User:Dorten|Dorten's]] Tileset. I like the look of the walls for doing near circular or honeycomb layouts. [http://mkv25.net/dfma/poi-9935-seethewallshere Example Fort]
}}
=== Darkond Digs Deeper ===

[[Image:DarkondDigsDeeper_16x16.png |thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:DarkondDigsDeeper_16x16.png ]]
|author=[[User:Darkond2100|Darkond2100]]
|dated=2010-3-6
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=I like Dig Dwarfier, but I don't like their tileset so much. I fused DigDeeperNEW_16x16 with Aesomatica_16x16 to make this. I just took what I liked and put it in. I hope that others like it too! This will work with Dig Dwarfier v0.85, I am not yet aware of whether or not it will work with Dig Deeper put into vanilla.
}}

=== Flying Mage ===

{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:Flying_Mage_square_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Flying Mage|Flying Mage]]
|dated=2008-4-12
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A 16×16 tileset based on several other tilesets by various authors. I did some changes because I like some things in different ways, but the base for tileset was made by another users and for this I thankful. List of major and minor changes you can see below. And I hope you'll enjoy this. There is some tiles I really proud of :) 
*[[:Image:Flying_Mage_square_16x16_Major_Changes.png|Major changes]] 
*[[:Image:Flying_Mage_square_16x16_Minor_Changes.png|Minor changes]]
*[[:Image:Flying_Mage_square_16x16_Stone_Type.png|Some ''rough/smoothed/engraved stone'' improvement]]
}}

=== Gold Plated ===

[[Image:Gold_Plated_preview.png|thumb|right|Presentation of Gold Plated (v.1)]]
[[Image:Gold_Plated_text_preview.png|thumb|right|Text preview(v.1)]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Gold_plated_16x16_v2.png]]
|author=[[User:DrD_AVEL|DrD_AVEL]]
|dated=2010-Jun-17
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Gold Plated is updated. Improvements complete. Some tiles were redrawn and corrected.
This tileset contains the best graphic tiles (in my opinion) that were collected from many other tilesets and other games; I took [[User:Lemunde|Lemunde's]] tileset as a basis (thanx a lot, Lemunde). Some of tiles were drawn by me. Many tiles were reworked and improved with some additional colours. I hope you enjoy with this tiles. ;)

[[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=2021 Graphical version of DF2010 v0.31.08 with Gold Plated tileset]]
[[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=49479.0 Discussion of this tileset is here]]
}}

'''Gold Plated (bmp-version)'''
[[Image:Scrdf01.png|thumb|right|Preview of Gold Plated (bmp-version)]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Gold-plated-bmp-16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:DrD_AVEL|DrD_AVEL]]
|dated=2010-Apr-02
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=Gold Plated is redrawn to magenta BMP. So you can use it with versions of DF2010, that don't understand .png (v31.01). This is a preliminary version for DF2010, but it works well. Don't forget to convert this image to '''.bmp''' before use in new version. Enjoy! ;)
}}

=== Dwarfletter ===

[[Image:Dwarfletter1.png|thumb|right|Dwarfletter - Stockpile]]


{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:DwarfletterGothic.PNG]]
|author=LordZorinthrox
|dated=2009-7-20
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=[[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1205|Download here]] 
;see also
:[[:File:Dwarfletter2.png|Status screen - Font]]
:[[:File:Dwarfletter3.png|Foliage]]
:[[:File:Dwarfletter4.png|Ballista]]
}}

=== hermano ===

[[Image:Hermano example.png|thumb|right|example]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Hermano.png]]
|author=[[User:hermano|hermano]]
|dated=2010-2-6
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400 native.
|comments=A tileset with colored backgrounds that keeps texts readable. It uses tiles from belal and ranting rodent.
A Package for 0.31.16 (df2010) can be downloaded [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=2031 here].
The altered raws for 40d# can be downloaded [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1838 here].
}}

=== Isenhertz ===

[[Image:isenhertz_v2_screenshot.png|thumb|right|Isenhertz's tileset in action.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:16x16_isenhertz_v2.png]]
|author=[[User:Isenhertz|Isenhertz]]
|dated=2008-7-14
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Impressed with the genius of using sprites as tiles, I cobbled together this tileset of my own. It uses Super Foul Egg's superb font as a base, with several sprites also found in other users' sets. Because a lot of letters are used for graphics, I suggest that you [[User:Jackard|remove accented letters from names]] with this set. I also suggest you shift some items to other icons, such as the coniferous trees (change Pine, Cedar, Larch from 024 to 147), the turtle (change 15 to 151), and Quarry Bush leaves (change from 006 to 003).
V2 now with new graphics for walls and liquids, as well as some other tweaks here and there and a first attempt at using dual-color sprites using a cyan base instead of simple greyscale. (Right now implemented for beds, wood and statues.)
V1 can still be found [[:Image:16x16_isenhertz_v1.png|here]].
}}

=== Lemunde ===
[[Image:LemundeTilesetPreview2.png|thumb|right|Lemunde's Tileset.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lemunde_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Lemunde|Lemunde]]
|dated=2010-6-11
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This is a modified version of Mike Mayday's/Herrbdog's tileset. It has a more textured feel to the walls and makes heavy use of the new transparency features to make some of the tiles a little more dynamic. You can view a preview map [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-7000-dragonskull here]. I recommend changing the sky settings in the init.txt file to [SKY:249:1:0:0] for a more natural look.

Update June 11, 2010: Updated to work with the 31.xx versions of Mike Mayday's set. It will probably not look right using it with vanilla Dwarf Fortress.
}}

=== Martin ===

[[Image:Martin_16x16_sample.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Martin_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Martin|Martin]]
|dated=2009-8-8
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This is a 16x16 tileset based on Redjack and Flying Mage sets (and possible tiles taken from others that I've since lost track of - apologies). Some tiles are original or have been tweaked, mainly to provide a much more subtle background than most. A completely new character set is used to improve legibility, tweaked and anti-aliased for dark backgrounds.

[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1316 Download]
[http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-6239-lashedwines Demo fortress at DFMA]
}}

=== Phoebus ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Phoebus_16x16.png]]
|download link=[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=57557.0]
|author=[[User:Phoebus|Phoebus]]
|dated=2010-06-19
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Includes support for DF 2010, an easy to read mineral chart, improved diagonal walls and many other improvements.
For more information, and to download the full package, see the thread on the official forums: [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=57557.0 Phoebus' Graphic Set v2.1.3 for DF 2010]
}}

=== Phssthpok ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Phssthpok_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Phssthpok|Phssthpok]]
|dated=2010-03-07
|size=16×16, 24×24, 32×32
|resolution=2560×800
|comments=A high resolution tileset with a focus on readable text, simple shaded shapes, and plenty of negative space. Uses PNG transparency features in 40d16 and newer. Requires [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=794 RantingRodent's edited raws].

[[:Image:Phssthpok 32x32.png|32x32 version]]

[[:Image:Phssthpok 24x24.png|24x24 version]]

[[:Image:Phssthpok 16x16.png|16x16 version]]

[http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-8189-blockadewhips Sample Fortress]
}}

=== SL ===

{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:SL_square_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:SL]]
|dated=2008-8-3
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=(Requires a download, not just the image) Art based on Flying Mage's, Guybrush's, and previous tilesets in that lineage. Uses ModBase to relocate relocatable art and de-accentify certain accented letters to reduce graphical bizarreness while still improving some art. [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=22154.0 Forum Thread] [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=370 Download] [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-3203-flamespear Demo Fortress Map on the DFMA]
}}

=== Spreggo ===

[[Image:Autonomous_Font_example.png|thumb|right|The Autonomous Font in action.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Autonomous_Font.png]]
|author=Spreggo
|dated=2009-2-2
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Started off inspired by Belal's diagonal support, and ended up doing almost every tile from scratch. Added different tiles for each type of stone, and new ones for ore, but the matgloss files need to be edited for that functionality(see image details).
}}

=== Synergy ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Synergy.png]]
|author=[[User:Dvorovic|Dvorovic]]
|dated=2010-10-8
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Tileset based on DrD_AVEL's, Phoebus', Ironhand's projects. [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=2983 Download] [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-9553-ardentdikes Demo Fortress Map on the DFMA]
}}

=== The-Moon ===

[[Image:SS_moons_square_16x16.PNG|thumb|right]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Moons_square_16x16.PNG]]
|author=[[User:The-Moon|The-Moon]]
|dated=2008-3-24
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=Edited Character set of [[User:mikemayday|mikemayday]] and [[User:Jackard|Jackard]]}}

=== Tigrex ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:tigrex3d.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Tigrex|Tigrex]]
|dated=2009-2-22
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This is my tileset, modified from Dorten's 2d diagonal wall set. It incorporates many original creations of mine, and I hope you like it.}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:tigrex3drunes.PNG]]
|author=[[User:Tigrex|Tigrex]]
|dated=2009-4-10
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=This is a modification of the above, that takes advantage of Norse runes for a more authentic Dwarven experience. CAUTION! This tileset has little practical value, and may induce myopia, blindness, or death.}}

=== Tim's ===

[[Image:example_tims.png|thumb|right]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Tims_16x16.png]]
|author=[[User:Timmeh|Timmeh]]
|dated=2009-8-12
|size=16×16
|resolution=1280×400
|comments=A tileset using heavily modified versions of the diagonal walls from Belal's set, a modified version of the floor from Spreggo's set, most of the furniture and objects are from Flying Mage's set, and some various other bits and pieces from other sets. Replaces the black box that normally surrounds the walls with a copy of the floor tile. [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-5740-foresthold Example Fort]
}}

== Non-square tilesets ==

These tilesets are not square. Text in non-square tilesets often looks much better and is often much easier to read than in square tilesets, but square buildings do not appear square on the map.

=== CKY ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[File:Curses_800x600_shade.png]]
|author=[[User:Chinkeeyong|Chinkeeyong]]
|dated=2009-6-11
|size=10×12
|resolution=800×600
|comments=Partially inspired by Eagle of Fire's tiles, below. Essentially, this is the default tileset with a little bevel-style shading around the edges to make it look neater. Also, I fixed the accented 'e' tails to look closer to the standard 'e'.
}}

=== Coaldiamond ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[File:DF+Tileset.png]]
|author=[[User:Coaldiamond|Coaldiamond]]
|dated=2010-6-18
|size=8×12
|resolution=640×300
|comments= An update of [[user:Plac1d|Plac1d's]] tile set, now updated for DF2010. This tileset also presents an elegant solution for modifying the {{k|%}} tile to get good pumps, rocks, and meals. This tileset was made to serve three purposes; a) To always make text understandable, b) to make DF games more visually interesting, and c) to keep symbols simple so that the player can imagine multiple meanings for the same symbol.
See the {{L|user:Coaldiamond|screencaps}} or just get the whole [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=2533 DF+graphics] repack.
}}

=== Eagle of Fire ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:eofshaded800x600pb9_f64ded.png]]
|author=[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=10×12
|resolution=800×600
|comments=Designed for fullscreen. Inspired by Herrbdog's tileset, I created a shaded tileset targeting the default fullscreen 800x600 resolution. Basicaly, you have the exact same "curses" default tileset but with some shading done to the lower right of each letters and items. I've left alone everything which was related to mining or was meant to be plain, for example the smoothered tiles and the plain tiles in the demo. The reason behind that is that I didn't find much logic to have those graphics shaded as they could possibly connect on any direction on the screen, which would make the shading a little strange. Please note that this tileset is only a "beta". I might work on it again if there is enough people who like it and would like improvements. You can discuss the matter [http://www.bay12games.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=11&t=000645 here].
}}

=== Inquisitor Saturn ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:MRC_1280x600.png]]
|author=[[User:InquisitorSaturn|Inquisitor Saturn]]
|dated=2008-2-28
|size=16×24
|resolution=1280×600
|comments=Designed for a double-sized window mode. Based on the default set, but more detailed and with a few custom characters. Good for those who want larger characters but enjoy the aesthetics of the default set.
}}

=== Kein ===

[[Image:Kein-curs.gif|thumb|right|Kein's Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kein_640x300.png]]
|author=Kein
|dated=2008-8-9
|size=8×12
|resolution=640×300
|comments=Updated 08/09/09. Updated most characters, the biggest change is the 3d style walls. If you use my set I'd highly recommend [http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/List_of_user_graphics_sets#Plac1d Plac1d's character graphic set.] My 640×300, everything completely shaded.
}}

=== Lord Nightmare ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:MDA8x14.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×14
|resolution=640×350
|comments=The original IBM MDA character set, dumped from addresses 0x0000-0x0fff the 5788005 IBM Character Generator ROM. This font is as would be displayed on an EGA/VGA with the 9-pixel-width mode disabled. Best for a 64:35 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 640x480. The MDA card did not actually support displaying the font in 8x14, but ONLY 9x14 mode, see below. Theoretically, you CAN upload this font into EGA video memory though and use it.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:MDA9x14.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=9×14
|resolution=720×350
|comments=The original IBM MDA character set, dumped from addresses 0x0000-0x0fff the 5788005 IBM Character Generator ROM. This font is as would be displayed on a real MDA card (use a black/dkgreen/ltgreen palette for full monochrome effect) or on an EGA/VGA card with the 9-pixel-width mode enabled. Best for a 72:35 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 720x480.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:EGA8x14.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×14
|resolution=640×350
|comments=The IBM EGA character set, dumped from the 6277356 IBM EGA BIOS ROM. This font is as would be displayed on an EGA/VGA with the 9-pixel-width mode disabled. Best for a 64:35 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 640x480. This font is different from the MDA version in that many characters are slightly narrower to avoid 'running into' each other, and many characters have been shifted slightly to the left.
Thanks to Zaratustra for poking me into getting this done, and for related help.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:EGA9x14.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=9×14
|resolution=720×350
|comments=The IBM EGA character set, dumped from the 6277356 IBM EGA BIOS ROM. This font is as would be displayed on an EGA/VGA with the 9-pixel-width mode enabled. Best for a 72:35 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 640x480. This font is actually different from the 8x14 version in that 20 characters have been replaced with the original MDA wide versions. These 'extra' wide characters are sandwiched in between the end of the 8x14 and beginning of the 8×8 font in the EGA BIOS ROM. The changed characters, in ASCII order, are: arrow-left-and-right, '"', '+', '-', 'M', 'T', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', 'm', 'v', 'w', 'ae', cent sign, yen, peseta, plus-minus, and division sign. Other than these characters, all characters are the same, with rightmost-row duplicated on the C and D rows like the MDA (though I don't actually know if this is technically correct).
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:VGA8x16.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/IBM?
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×16
|resolution=640×400
|comments=The original? IBM VGA 8x16 character set, (from http://madscientistroom.org/fpga/default-8x16-bram.html) as would be displayed on a VGA card with the 9-pixel-width disabled. Best for an 8:5 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 640x480. This rom has not yet been dumped from a real VGA card, and is coming from a secondary source, so it may be replaced later if I find the real font is different.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord_Nightmare-Fixedsys-02.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/Microsoft
|dated=2007-12-20
|size=8×15
|resolution=640×375
|comments=v2.2 - (v1.0 is [[:Image:Lord_Nightmare-Fixedsys.png|here]]) - Based on Microsoft's Fixedsys font (which dates back to Windows 1.0!), Many glyphs needed redoing by hand since they were absent from the font, since it is an 'ansi' character set and not a code-page 437 one like DF expects. v2.0 Based on Microsoft's Fixedsys font. Updated new glyphs to be more consistent with the Fixedsys style. - v2.1 - update a few more glyphs, namely the integral, the infinity symbol, and the spade, and a few others I'm forgetting. - v2.2 - update the club and spade, and the music notes - v2.3 - fix the fact that 0xF9 and 0xFA were inadvertently swapped.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord_Nightmare-Fixedsys-03.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/Microsoft
|dated=2007-12-20
|size=8×16
|resolution=640×400
|comments=v3.0 - changed font size to 8x16, altered glyphs to respect this. - v3.1 - fix the fact that 0xF9 and 0xFA were inadvertently swapped.
}}

[[Image:Lord_Nightmare_Freehand_screenshot_2b7d67.png|thumb|right|Freehand screenie... ooh, neat! Unreadable.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord_Nightmare_Freehand_10x16.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare
|dated=2007-12-23
|size=10×16
|resolution=800×400
|comments=v1.0 - A character set drawn entirely in freehand on the tablet PC... with MINIMAL EDITING! Yes, its SUPPOSED to look like that. v1.1 - fixed character 0x02 background (filled smiley), filled in the card suits, minor touch up to the comma, fix black instead of magenta on the greyscale blocks and other tweaks to them, redrew the square block (was 'too clean' before) v1.1a - fixed spade by adding 1 pixel at tip so it doesn't look like another club
}}

[[Image:Lord_Nightmare_Freehand_screenshot_2_05c04b.png|thumb|right|Freehand^2 screenie... ooh, neat! Readable. But ugly.]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord_Nightmare_Freehand^2_10x16.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare
|dated=2008-3-28
|size=10×16
|resolution=800×400
|comments=Freehand^2, v1.2 - A heavily edited version of Freehand, now hopefully less unreadable. V1.2 is the current version, see the image link changelog/older versions.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Vintl01.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/Victor-Sirius
|dated=2007-12-19
|size=10×16
|resolution=800×400
|comments=The Victor 9000/Sirius 1 computer character set, extracted from vintl01.chr.
}}

=== Lumin ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:Lumin_Graphical_1280x800.png|Not shown due to size]]
|author=Lumin
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=16×32
|resolution=1280×800
|comments=Ideas used from several others on this page. I've also added more detail and color to some objects.
}}

=== Plac1d ===

[[Image:Plac1d_640x300EZ_1.png|thumb|right|Plac1d's Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Plac1d_640x300tileset.png]]
|author=[[User:Plac1d|Plac1d]]
|dated=2008-3-13
|size=8×12
|resolution=640×300
|comments=A tweaked version of [[#Tocky|Tocky's 10×10 tileset]] converted to 8×12. Try using this with my [[List of user graphics sets#Plac1d|graphics set]]!

[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=63 Download the .BMP]
}}

=== Quietust ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:VGA9x16.png]]
|author=Quietust/IBM?
|dated=2009-7-24
|size=9×16
|resolution=720×400
|comments=The original? IBM VGA 9x16 character set, as would be displayed on a VGA card with the 9-pixel-width enabled.
}}

=== Sergius ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Sleroux_800x300.png]]
|author=Sergius
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=10×12
|resolution=800×300
|comments=Mostly vanilla tileset, dwarves have graphic from intro [[Utilities#CMVPlayer|Movie]], with some tweaks (for soldiers). I find it helpful for playing (instead of happy faces).
}}

=== Shaja ===

[[Image:Shaja_10-27-09.png|thumb|right|TerminusAliased text]]
[[Image:Shaja_10-13-09.png|thumbnail|right|Terminus24 text]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:TerminusAliased_handedit_gal.png|Not shown due to size]]
|author=[[User:Shaja|Shaja]]
|dated=2008-3-27
|size=20×32
|resolution=1600×800
|comments=Alphanumerics based on Dimitar Zhekov's [http://www.is-vn.bg/hamster/jimmy-en.html Terminus] font with light antialias shading added, walls and some symbols redrawn, others carried over from Thom's 20x32 tileset.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:Terminus24.png|Not shown due to size]]
|author=[[User:Shaja|Shaja]]
|dated=2008-5-19
|size=24×32
|resolution=1920×800
|comments=Revised version of my earlier Terminus 20x32 character set for 1920x800 display.
}}

=== Tae ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:CP850.png]]
|author=Tae/IBM
|dated=2009-9-06
|size=8×14
|resolution=640×350
|comments=The original? IBM VGA 8x16 character set, (from http://madscientistroom.org/fpga/default-8x16-bram.html) as would be displayed on a VGA card with the 9-pixel-width disabled. Best for an 8:5 aspect ratio. The required resolution is strange, so run fullscreen with BLACK_SPACE:YES and resolution at 640x480. This rom has not yet been dumped from a real VGA card, and is coming from a secondary source, so it may be replaced later if I find the real font is different. The changed characters, in ASCII order are 'zero', 'at', 'M', 'T', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', 'm', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'vertical bar', 'C-cedilla', 'c-cedilla', 'A-ring', 'cent', 'yen', 'E-acute', 'ae ligature', 'peseta', 'florin', 'reversed logical not', 'fractions one half-one quarter', 'selected box drawing characters', 'left-and-right blocks', 'greek alpha, gamma, pi, sigma', 'mu', 'equivalence', 'less-greater or equal', 'top-bottom half integral', 'approximately equal', 'radical root', 'small superscript n'.
}}

=== Taritus ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Curses 640x300diag.png]]
|author=Taritus
|dated=2009-03-23
|size=8×12
|resolution=640×300
|comments=Yuppers. I requested it a long time ago when everyone else was requesting different sized square tilesets with diagonal walls, and nobody ever fulfilled the request. I decided, "Oh, it's not like I have some menial and huge English project that's due tomorrow to work on, I'm going to make that." And I did.--[[User:Taritus|Taritus]] 20:53, 22 March 2009 (UTC)
}}

=== Thom ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[:Image:Curses_24pt_cleartype_ThomModifications.PNG|Not shown due to size]]
|author=Herrbdog
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=20×24
|resolution=1600×800
|comments=Hi res won't slow the game as it doesn't use graphics, so if your monitor can display it, go for it, really... I strongly recommend to enable blackspace in the init: [BLACK_SPACE:YES] Made from the 24pts cleartype lucida console above (from winterwing). I added some stuff (some original, some ideas taken from others tilesets). Basically I try to avoid symbols that are often seen in menus, etc. The main "problem" is the bag, because its the male symbol, but it was too good looking to not put it ;) Hope you enjoy :) . . .Note: Winterwing's tileset is now lost. --[[User:Savok|Savok]]
}}

=== UncleSporky ===

[[Image:UncleSporky_DFTiles1.png|thumb|right|UncleSporky Tileset]]
[[Image:UncleSporky_DFTiles2.png|thumb|right|UncleSporky Tileset]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:UncleSporky_curses_800x600.png]]
|author=UncleSporky
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=10×12
|resolution=800×300
|comments=
}}

=== Xenomorph ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Acorntileset.png]]
|author=[[User:Xenomorph|Xenomorph]]
|dated=2008-8-9
|size=8×16
|resolution=640×400
|comments=This is the tileset used by Acorn computers, starting with the BBC Micro. This version is as it would have appeared in 80-column modes (albeit adapted to CP437). [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=408 Download the BMP.]
}}

=== Zaratustra ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_megazeux2.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=8×14
|resolution=640×350
|comments=EGA font with added Megazeux modifications.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_custom800x300ca3.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=10×12
|resolution=800×300, 800×600 (non-reccomended)
|comments=Has an appropriate [http://archive.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Object_Tilesets#10x12_version object tileset for v0.23.130.23a (now outdated)].
}}

== Tiny tilesets ==

Sets smaller than 8×8. Used for playing in tiny windows, large grids, display massive maps and perhaps videos.

=== Herrbdog ===

[[Image:Herrbdog_7x7.jpg|thumb|right|herrbdog's 7x7 tileset]]
{{Tileset|
image=[[Image:Herrbdog_7x7_tileset.gif]]
|author=[[User:herrbdog|herrbdog]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=7×7
|resolution=560×175
|comments=
}}

=== Kein ===

[[Image:Kein_400x125.gif|thumb|right|Kein's 5x5]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Kein_400x125.png]]
|author=[[User:Kein|Kein]]
|dated=2008-8-7
|size=5×5
|resolution=400×125
|comments=A large 257x257 DFMA world gen map can be found [http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-3278-5x5largeworldmap here.]Updated 08/06/08. Changed most text characters as well as some others to 4x4 with blackspace to avoid tiling. Most characters have been revised to be spaced out to be more distinguishable in such a small set. After seeing the dev update earlier today about increasing your view size I decided to create this small font. This has been built completely from scratch, mostly while at work today. I may be making a shaded version in the future. The first image to the right is from the Abeyverse succession game.
}}

=== Lord Nightmare ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord Nightmare 6x6font01.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare
|dated=2007-11-5
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150
|comments=Made in 5 hours on 11/5/07 (I was bored and dissatisfied with other fonts). Most glyphs are really 5×6, with a seperator column.
}}

[[Image:Nightmare_6x6_v2.jpg|thumb|right|Lord Nightmare's 6x6 v2]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord Nightmare 6x6font02.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare
|dated=2007-11-12
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150
|comments=Version 2.05. Updated 11/12/07 to de-fuzz uppercase letters, added serifs and clarified lowercase letters, made horizontal spacing consistent throughout character set, fixed one error in the double horizontal-left-right, single-vertical-up-down character, made exclamation points consistent, thinned out question mark and inverse question mark, sharpened sideways stemless arrows, clarified international characters, and clarified some greek letters. Since v2.0: fixed 'i' 'g', fixed Yen symbol, fixed smiley 0x01 to not have an extra line to its right, lowered the period and colon characters, fixed position of 'x'. Thanks to Markavian for ideas on how to improve the font, as well as an occasional character glyph.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Lord-Nightmare-Terminal-4x6.png]]
|author=Lord Nightmare/Microsoft
|dated=2008-1-27
|size=4×6
|resolution=320×150
|comments=A DF conversion of the 4x6 variant of Microsoft's 'Terminal' Font. Note that I have left the font entirely alone other than converting it, so several glyphs are indistinguishable from one another!
}}

=== Madk ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Curses6x9.png]]
|author=Madk
|dated=2010-6-21
|size=6×9
|resolution=480×225
|comments=Check the [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=59851.0 original thread] for more info.
}}

=== Markavian ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Mkv_curses_480x150.png]]
|author=[[User:Markavian|Markavian]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150
|comments=The first version the tiny tileset, superceded by the version below.
}}

[[Image:mark_6x6_v2.jpg|thumb|right|Markavian's 6x6 v2]]
{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Mkv_curses_480x150_v2.png]]
|author=[[User:Markavian|Markavian]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150
|comments=My second version of the tiny tileset, for uber small resolution DF, with improved visibility of several symbols.
Available in [http://mkv25.net/showcase/df/mkv_curses%2012x12%20and%206x6%20v2.zip mkv curses 12×12 and 6×6 v2.zip].
}}

=== Nobbins ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:nobbins6x6.png]]
|author=[[User:Nobbins|Nobbins]]
|dated=2010-01-10
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150, 960×300
|comments=Tiny tileset for small screens, with experimental colour blending and pseudo-curved walls.
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:nobbin_ts_v2.png]]
|author=[[User:Nobbins|Nobbins]]
|dated=2010-06-28
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150, 960×300
|comments=Tiny tileset for small screens/large projects, using slightly Monaco-styled serifs. Transparency-supporting version needed. [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=47680 Forum thread.]
}}

=== Terbert ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:terbert_7x7.png]]
|author=[[User:Terbert|Terbert]]
|dated=2009-6-30
|size=7×7
|resolution=560×175
|comments=This is a 7x7 tileset made for overseeing large constructions
}}

=== Zaratustra ===

[[Image:Zara_4x6.jpg|thumb|right|Zaratustra's 4x6]]
[[Image:Zara_5x6.jpg|thumb|right|Zaratustra's 5x6]]

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_custom_4x6.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=4×6
|resolution=320×150
|comments=
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_custom_5x5.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2008-11-20
|size=5×5
|resolution=400×125, 800×250, 800×500
|comments=
}}

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Zaratustra_custom_5x6.png]]
|author=[[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]]
|dated=2007-10-30
|size=5×6
|resolution=400×150, 800×300, 800×600
|comments=
}}

=== Geti ===

{{Tileset|
|image=[[Image:Geti_custom_6x6.png]]
|author=[[User:Geti|Geti]]
|dated=2010-08-04
|size=6×6
|resolution=480×150, 960times;300
|comments=A 6x6 Tileset optimised for legibility through personal use. Not shaded on most gliphs, aiming for a crisper look. Best at 2x2 pixels.
}}

[[Category:Mods]]
[[Category:Interface]]

File:Anno 16x16.png

2011-03-19T09:58:02Z

AbuDhabi: Square 16px tileset by Anno.

Square 16px tileset by Anno.

v0.31:Large pot

2011-03-11T14:53:38Z

AbuDhabi:

{{av}}{{Quality|Unknown}}

'''Pots''' are basically stone versions of {{L|barrel}}s. They can be made from {{L|ceramic}} at a {{L|kiln}} or from stone by a {{L|stone crafter}} at a {{L|craftsdwarf's workshop}}. Pots made from stone, {{L|stoneware}} or {{L|glaze}}d {{L|earthenware}} are water-tight and can be used to store liquids, and even for {{L|brewing}}. Unglazed earthenware can only be used for storing dry items.

'''Large pots''' have a huge capacity, as of 0.31.21: they can fit at least 70 stacks of food.

{{Category|Items}}

User:AbuDhabi

2010-04-08T10:24:08Z

AbuDhabi: Created page with 'In a featureless darkness with only a small area illuminated with dim light, five shapes can be heard arguing. Four stand, but one sits in an armchair - that is Apathetic. Angry …'

In a featureless darkness with only a small area illuminated with dim light, five shapes can be heard arguing. Four stand, but one sits in an armchair - that is Apathetic. Angry fumes within the mental locks inflicted upon him, struggling to speak. Cavalier advises throwing caution to the wind, but Wise counsels planning for adversity. Paranoid mutters incomprehensibly, casting illusions of danger everywhere.

User talk:AbuDhabi

2010-04-08T10:13:29Z

AbuDhabi: /* DF2010:Elk bird */

Welcome to this wiki! Dwarf Fortress rapidly becomes more complicated, and we're always glad to have new writers. 
Since you should try to follow wiki standards, and you probably don't know ours yet, we've made a list of basic guidelines. Note that this is a template, not a customized message for you.
* To tell us who you are when you talk, please sign your posts on discussion pages by typing <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> after your posts. This can also be inserted with the [[Image:Button sig756222.png]] button if JavaScript is enabled.
* Don't put a question mark in the title of a page. Question marks mess things up, and your page will be moved to a different name.
* When making comments on a talk page, use one more colon before each line in your comment than was used in the comment you reply to. In general, put exactly one empty line between comments by different users but do not use blank lines inside of a comment.
* Avoid making many small edits to a page. Instead, try to make one large edit. This makes the history of the page a lot easier to read.
* Don't edit the user page of another user. If you want to tell them something, add the comment to their talk page.
* If you put a comment at the bottom of a talk page with section headers, you've probably put it in a section. Putting things in the wrong sections is confusing. You can create a section!
* Generally, [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Community_Portal#We_are_doing_this.21_Let_us_do_it_right.|read and follow the rules.]] They're like a little constitution, except not boring! Really, read them.
* Read the [[df:Announcements|site announcements]] regularly, they contain important info.
* Check up on the [[df:Manual of Style|manual of style]] occasionally, it's still being written, but will contain important style info soon.
* Some pages have version-specific articles, (ie: 40d, 23a...) when creating a redirect from the mainspace to a version specific article, use cv: instead of the version namespace.
<div align=center><div style="width: 28em; padding: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; border: 1px solid #ccc; background: #eee; text-align: center">''"You have been processed! Go forth, now, and edit!" --[[User:Savok|Savok]]''</div></div>

==[[DF2010:Elk bird]]==
They die easily to a moderately equipped and trained squad of dorfs.
Hi. I've seen some vague and undefined statements on these boards, but that is right up there with the best of them. What is "moderately equipped"? How "moderately" trained? How many in a squad? Also, there is SO much randomness involved in combat, unless you've seen many combats your one/few encounters are not very significant or reliable. The only real measure is 1:1, or 1:x, and either a naked wrestler or a fully armoured and "well trained" dwarf (or more than one, but a concrete number - not "a squad", which can be from 2-10 iirc). Just letting you know that I'm removing the above, since it's really meaningless - if you want to add something concrete from your experience (perhaps on the talk page, until it gets confirmed?), it would be welcomed. Readya later, --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 21:30, 7 April 2010 (UTC)

:I wondered what the hell an Elk Bird was, searched for it here, found nothing, so I created a stubby page. IIRC, it was a 3 dorf squad with iron weapons and incomplete leather/iron armour with skills around competent. I think the first dorf who got to the bird killed it in one shot or so. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 10:12, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

User talk:AbuDhabi

2010-04-08T10:13:15Z

AbuDhabi: /* DF2010:Elk bird */

Welcome to this wiki! Dwarf Fortress rapidly becomes more complicated, and we're always glad to have new writers. 
Since you should try to follow wiki standards, and you probably don't know ours yet, we've made a list of basic guidelines. Note that this is a template, not a customized message for you.
* To tell us who you are when you talk, please sign your posts on discussion pages by typing <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> after your posts. This can also be inserted with the [[Image:Button sig756222.png]] button if JavaScript is enabled.
* Don't put a question mark in the title of a page. Question marks mess things up, and your page will be moved to a different name.
* When making comments on a talk page, use one more colon before each line in your comment than was used in the comment you reply to. In general, put exactly one empty line between comments by different users but do not use blank lines inside of a comment.
* Avoid making many small edits to a page. Instead, try to make one large edit. This makes the history of the page a lot easier to read.
* Don't edit the user page of another user. If you want to tell them something, add the comment to their talk page.
* If you put a comment at the bottom of a talk page with section headers, you've probably put it in a section. Putting things in the wrong sections is confusing. You can create a section!
* Generally, [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Community_Portal#We_are_doing_this.21_Let_us_do_it_right.|read and follow the rules.]] They're like a little constitution, except not boring! Really, read them.
* Read the [[df:Announcements|site announcements]] regularly, they contain important info.
* Check up on the [[df:Manual of Style|manual of style]] occasionally, it's still being written, but will contain important style info soon.
* Some pages have version-specific articles, (ie: 40d, 23a...) when creating a redirect from the mainspace to a version specific article, use cv: instead of the version namespace.
<div align=center><div style="width: 28em; padding: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; border: 1px solid #ccc; background: #eee; text-align: center">''"You have been processed! Go forth, now, and edit!" --[[User:Savok|Savok]]''</div></div>

==[[DF2010:Elk bird]]==
They die easily to a moderately equipped and trained squad of dorfs.
Hi. I've seen some vague and undefined statements on these boards, but that is right up there with the best of them. What is "moderately equipped"? How "moderately" trained? How many in a squad? Also, there is SO much randomness involved in combat, unless you've seen many combats your one/few encounters are not very significant or reliable. The only real measure is 1:1, or 1:x, and either a naked wrestler or a fully armoured and "well trained" dwarf (or more than one, but a concrete number - not "a squad", which can be from 2-10 iirc). Just letting you know that I'm removing the above, since it's really meaningless - if you want to add something concrete from your experience (perhaps on the talk page, until it gets confirmed?), it would be welcomed. Readya later, --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 21:30, 7 April 2010 (UTC)

I wondered what the hell an Elk Bird was, searched for it here, found nothing, so I created a stubby page. IIRC, it was a 3 dorf squad with iron weapons and incomplete leather/iron armour with skills around competent. I think the first dorf who got to the bird killed it in one shot or so. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 10:12, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

User talk:AbuDhabi

2010-04-08T10:13:00Z

AbuDhabi: /* DF2010:Elk bird */

Welcome to this wiki! Dwarf Fortress rapidly becomes more complicated, and we're always glad to have new writers. 
Since you should try to follow wiki standards, and you probably don't know ours yet, we've made a list of basic guidelines. Note that this is a template, not a customized message for you.
* To tell us who you are when you talk, please sign your posts on discussion pages by typing <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> after your posts. This can also be inserted with the [[Image:Button sig756222.png]] button if JavaScript is enabled.
* Don't put a question mark in the title of a page. Question marks mess things up, and your page will be moved to a different name.
* When making comments on a talk page, use one more colon before each line in your comment than was used in the comment you reply to. In general, put exactly one empty line between comments by different users but do not use blank lines inside of a comment.
* Avoid making many small edits to a page. Instead, try to make one large edit. This makes the history of the page a lot easier to read.
* Don't edit the user page of another user. If you want to tell them something, add the comment to their talk page.
* If you put a comment at the bottom of a talk page with section headers, you've probably put it in a section. Putting things in the wrong sections is confusing. You can create a section!
* Generally, [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Community_Portal#We_are_doing_this.21_Let_us_do_it_right.|read and follow the rules.]] They're like a little constitution, except not boring! Really, read them.
* Read the [[df:Announcements|site announcements]] regularly, they contain important info.
* Check up on the [[df:Manual of Style|manual of style]] occasionally, it's still being written, but will contain important style info soon.
* Some pages have version-specific articles, (ie: 40d, 23a...) when creating a redirect from the mainspace to a version specific article, use cv: instead of the version namespace.
<div align=center><div style="width: 28em; padding: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; border: 1px solid #ccc; background: #eee; text-align: center">''"You have been processed! Go forth, now, and edit!" --[[User:Savok|Savok]]''</div></div>

==[[DF2010:Elk bird]]==
They die easily to a moderately equipped and trained squad of dorfs.
Hi. I've seen some vague and undefined statements on these boards, but that is right up there with the best of them. What is "moderately equipped"? How "moderately" trained? How many in a squad? Also, there is SO much randomness involved in combat, unless you've seen many combats your one/few encounters are not very significant or reliable. The only real measure is 1:1, or 1:x, and either a naked wrestler or a fully armoured and "well trained" dwarf (or more than one, but a concrete number - not "a squad", which can be from 2-10 iirc). Just letting you know that I'm removing the above, since it's really meaningless - if you want to add something concrete from your experience (perhaps on the talk page, until it gets confirmed?), it would be welcomed. Readya later, --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 21:30, 7 April 2010 (UTC)
I wondered what the hell an Elk Bird was, searched for it here, found nothing, so I created a stubby page. IIRC, it was a 3 dorf squad with iron weapons and incomplete leather/iron armour with skills around competent. I think the first dorf who got to the bird killed it in one shot or so. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 10:12, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

v0.31:Elk bird

2010-04-05T18:45:37Z

AbuDhabi: Created page with 'They are subterran creatures that graze on mushrooms, and walk on two feet. They die easily to a moderately equipped and trained squad of dorfs.'

They are subterran creatures that graze on mushrooms, and walk on two feet. They die easily to a moderately equipped and trained squad of dorfs.

v0.31:Jabberer

2010-04-05T18:37:32Z

AbuDhabi: Created page with 'Jabberers are giant creatures. They exist to kill dorfs. (Seriously, one crawled out from the cavern system, and slaughtered everything sent to kill it.)'

Jabberers are giant creatures. They exist to kill dorfs. (Seriously, one crawled out from the cavern system, and slaughtered everything sent to kill it.)

v0.31:Magnetite

2010-04-05T12:56:45Z

AbuDhabi: This ought to look best.

{{av}}

Magnetite is an ore of iron. It can be found in large clusters.

{{Rocks}}

v0.31:Magnetite

2010-04-05T12:56:18Z

AbuDhabi: Repositioning.

Magnetite is an ore of iron. It can be found in large clusters.

{{av}}
{{Rocks}}

v0.31:Magnetite

2010-04-05T12:55:59Z

AbuDhabi: Made a stub.

{{av}}
{{Rocks}}

Magnetite is an ore of iron. It can be found in large clusters.

v0.31:Known bugs and issues

2010-04-03T14:54:53Z

AbuDhabi: /* Items */

{{AV}}

As the version is new, and we're still discovering what bugs are, obviously a lot of unverifiable information is going to get added to this thread. Recommend that new entries be added with "(confirmation needed)", and that people can document each bug on the discussion page. Once we have 2+ instances of a bug with some specific description of what's occurring, we can remove the parenthetical, or alternately, we can discuss removing unconfirmed bugs if there are issues in recreating them. People can also link relevant posts and threads from the forums here to help document the bugs. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:58, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Please also read the 'Not Actually Bugs' section before adding bug reports! --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 09:00, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

==Not Actually Bugs==
:As megabeasts no longer die during world creation, the standard world creation will run until 1050 (Dwarf-Rapture) unless stopped. -- Andrei901, 2 April 2010, someone else check this please
::Not a bug. World creation is *supposed* to run until 1050... --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:50, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Tilesets in png format don't work? Just a black display.
::Tilesets must be in .bmp format, as they always have had to be. The .png format only works for the d# series. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:50, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:When choosing material for a squad item(cloak in this case) there are hundreds of "forgotten beast leather" to choose from.
::That's because there are lots of different forgotten beasts. Somewhat annoying? Yes. Working exactly like every other source creature for leather? Yes. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:50, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Making a adamantine cloak -sometimes- results in "Someone, Armorer caceslls Forge adamantine cloak: Needs 10000 adamantine cloth." Also needed 15000 strands to make wafers. Update: this happens if you don't have enough cloths, I had 4 adamantine cloths in this case. If you have enough it works nicely.
:"Clothier canceled construct silk bag: needs 1000 cloth": http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123552#msg1123552
::This is working as intended. Cloth is now measured in smaller units than individual pieces. If anything, the bug is that the game isn't telling you how much cloth each cloth item represents. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:52, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Cats and Dogs - Including kittens, puppies, and War/Hunting variants - are similarly listed twice.
::They're listed twice because they separately list males and females. WAD. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 09:05, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

== Embarking ==

:You can embark with some rather unrealistic prepared foods (such as the aforementioned fly brains, which in real life go at about 900 thousand brains to the pound). This may be related to further issues involving vermin's organs.
:All fish are mentioned 2x. See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123220#msg1123220

== Buildings and Zones ==

:Can't farm on dry soil. See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51951.msg1123336#msg1123336
:Construction and/or deconstruction can occasionally force some dwarves to idle. See: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123250#msg1123250
:Dwarves raid elf (all?) caravans for cloth (maybe thread as well) for the hospital zone. (confirmation required)
:Emptied murky ponds refill much faster than they used to. A decent sized pond that's been mined into can now flood your fortress if it starts raining (confirmation required)

== Combat ==

:Some combat maneuvers have no effect. See: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123104#msg1123104
:#attempt to grab a bodypart with a weapon leads to "you grab *** by *** with your *weapon* but nothing is grabbed
:#attempt to "pinch" various bodyparts shows "you adjust you grip on***" and nothing else.
:Alligators can wear armor (same post as above)
:Non-alive creatures (like bronze colossi, zombies and blizzard men) cannot be destroyed (possibly because they can't bleed to death nor have their brain destroyed). See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123220#msg1123220
:Shield-bashing has no effect with a wooden shield: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123499#msg1123499

== Labors ==

:Hunting Issues. See: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123228#msg1123228
:Miners now cancel mining designations when they can't reach them: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123272#msg1123272
:Metal goblets are always iron, regardless of input: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123533#msg1123533
:Manager screen doesn't show you materials for traction benches: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123533#msg1123533
:Workers are too dedicated, dehydrate themselves: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123599#msg1123599
:Cooking with alcohol is buggy: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123702#msg1123702
:When crafting shell crafts, craftsdwarves never actually produce a shell craft, but instead sit forever with the same shell, with their skills increasing. (confirmation required)
:Dwarves take orders to cook Dwarven Syrup but never do it, instead dumping it inside the workshop and cluttering it up without doing anything. (confirmation required)
:Making Rock Short Sword results in a wooden short sword. Especially annoying when making an adamantine sword! (multiple reports)

== Moods ==

:Fey moods can request body parts (!!!): http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123573#msg1123573

== Creature Data ==

:Alligators have hair. (see http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123104#msg1123104)
:Descriptions sometimes take strange objects ('She likes to consume she'): http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123533#msg1123533
:When iron men and maybe Bronze Colossi die, the statues that make up their corpses adopt images of creatures (I.e: Statue of a dwarf 1) and events. (confirmation required)

== Stockpiles ==
:Problems with categorization. See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123178#msg1123178
:Custom stockpile options don't seem to always work: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123474#msg1123474
:Dead vermin never seem to rot: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123731#msg1123731

== Arena ==
Various, someone whose actually played arena should read through the bug thread and categorize.

== Military ==
:Copying an empty order causes an immediate crash. See http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=83
:Going to the schedule grid of the inactive group causes an immediate crash. See http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=156
:Dwarves who are assigned to squads seem to be permanently affixed to the soldier life - changing schedules, training options, switching out dwarves, disbanding the squad: nothing works. All they do is eat, drink, sleep, Individual Combat Drill and take Kill orders. (multiple reports, bug incidence somewhat inconsistent, deconstructing assigned barracks sometimes helps)

== Injuries ==
:Dwarf with compound fracture and mangling on his toe's nail and skin never recovered, surgeons performed "surgery" on said dwarf for years but nothing ever healed. (confirmation required)
::Confirmed. Red-coloured third finger of the left hand was operated on several times, up to about a month. After that, the surgeon wandered off to see to his needs, or the patient was given sustenance, thus breaking the operation.

== Items ==

:Eating a masterwork meal will cause the cook to suffer art defacement.

-------
Currently updated through post 77 of the .31.01 bug thread, except for Arena bugs

v0.31:Known bugs and issues

2010-04-03T14:54:35Z

AbuDhabi: /* Injuries */

{{AV}}

As the version is new, and we're still discovering what bugs are, obviously a lot of unverifiable information is going to get added to this thread. Recommend that new entries be added with "(confirmation needed)", and that people can document each bug on the discussion page. Once we have 2+ instances of a bug with some specific description of what's occurring, we can remove the parenthetical, or alternately, we can discuss removing unconfirmed bugs if there are issues in recreating them. People can also link relevant posts and threads from the forums here to help document the bugs. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:58, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Please also read the 'Not Actually Bugs' section before adding bug reports! --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 09:00, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

==Not Actually Bugs==
:As megabeasts no longer die during world creation, the standard world creation will run until 1050 (Dwarf-Rapture) unless stopped. -- Andrei901, 2 April 2010, someone else check this please
::Not a bug. World creation is *supposed* to run until 1050... --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:50, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Tilesets in png format don't work? Just a black display.
::Tilesets must be in .bmp format, as they always have had to be. The .png format only works for the d# series. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:50, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:When choosing material for a squad item(cloak in this case) there are hundreds of "forgotten beast leather" to choose from.
::That's because there are lots of different forgotten beasts. Somewhat annoying? Yes. Working exactly like every other source creature for leather? Yes. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:50, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Making a adamantine cloak -sometimes- results in "Someone, Armorer caceslls Forge adamantine cloak: Needs 10000 adamantine cloth." Also needed 15000 strands to make wafers. Update: this happens if you don't have enough cloths, I had 4 adamantine cloths in this case. If you have enough it works nicely.
:"Clothier canceled construct silk bag: needs 1000 cloth": http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123552#msg1123552
::This is working as intended. Cloth is now measured in smaller units than individual pieces. If anything, the bug is that the game isn't telling you how much cloth each cloth item represents. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:52, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Cats and Dogs - Including kittens, puppies, and War/Hunting variants - are similarly listed twice.
::They're listed twice because they separately list males and females. WAD. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 09:05, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

== Embarking ==

:You can embark with some rather unrealistic prepared foods (such as the aforementioned fly brains, which in real life go at about 900 thousand brains to the pound). This may be related to further issues involving vermin's organs.
:All fish are mentioned 2x. See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123220#msg1123220

== Buildings and Zones ==

:Can't farm on dry soil. See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51951.msg1123336#msg1123336
:Construction and/or deconstruction can occasionally force some dwarves to idle. See: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123250#msg1123250
:Dwarves raid elf (all?) caravans for cloth (maybe thread as well) for the hospital zone. (confirmation required)
:Emptied murky ponds refill much faster than they used to. A decent sized pond that's been mined into can now flood your fortress if it starts raining (confirmation required)

== Combat ==

:Some combat maneuvers have no effect. See: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123104#msg1123104
:#attempt to grab a bodypart with a weapon leads to "you grab *** by *** with your *weapon* but nothing is grabbed
:#attempt to "pinch" various bodyparts shows "you adjust you grip on***" and nothing else.
:Alligators can wear armor (same post as above)
:Non-alive creatures (like bronze colossi, zombies and blizzard men) cannot be destroyed (possibly because they can't bleed to death nor have their brain destroyed). See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123220#msg1123220
:Shield-bashing has no effect with a wooden shield: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123499#msg1123499

== Labors ==

:Hunting Issues. See: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123228#msg1123228
:Miners now cancel mining designations when they can't reach them: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123272#msg1123272
:Metal goblets are always iron, regardless of input: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123533#msg1123533
:Manager screen doesn't show you materials for traction benches: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123533#msg1123533
:Workers are too dedicated, dehydrate themselves: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123599#msg1123599
:Cooking with alcohol is buggy: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123702#msg1123702
:When crafting shell crafts, craftsdwarves never actually produce a shell craft, but instead sit forever with the same shell, with their skills increasing. (confirmation required)
:Dwarves take orders to cook Dwarven Syrup but never do it, instead dumping it inside the workshop and cluttering it up without doing anything. (confirmation required)
:Making Rock Short Sword results in a wooden short sword. Especially annoying when making an adamantine sword! (multiple reports)

== Moods ==

:Fey moods can request body parts (!!!): http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123573#msg1123573

== Creature Data ==

:Alligators have hair. (see http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123104#msg1123104)
:Descriptions sometimes take strange objects ('She likes to consume she'): http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123533#msg1123533
:When iron men and maybe Bronze Colossi die, the statues that make up their corpses adopt images of creatures (I.e: Statue of a dwarf 1) and events. (confirmation required)

== Stockpiles ==
:Problems with categorization. See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123178#msg1123178
:Custom stockpile options don't seem to always work: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123474#msg1123474
:Dead vermin never seem to rot: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123731#msg1123731

== Arena ==
Various, someone whose actually played arena should read through the bug thread and categorize.

== Military ==
:Copying an empty order causes an immediate crash. See http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=83
:Going to the schedule grid of the inactive group causes an immediate crash. See http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=156
:Dwarves who are assigned to squads seem to be permanently affixed to the soldier life - changing schedules, training options, switching out dwarves, disbanding the squad: nothing works. All they do is eat, drink, sleep, Individual Combat Drill and take Kill orders. (multiple reports, bug incidence somewhat inconsistent, deconstructing assigned barracks sometimes helps)

== Injuries ==
:Dwarf with compound fracture and mangling on his toe's nail and skin never recovered, surgeons performed "surgery" on said dwarf for years but nothing ever healed. (confirmation required)
::Confirmed. Red-coloured third finger of the left hand was operated on several times, up to about a month. After that, the surgeon wandered off to see to his needs, or the patient was given sustenance, thus breaking the operation.

== Items ==

Eating a masterwork meal will cause the cook to suffer art defacement.

-------
Currently updated through post 77 of the .31.01 bug thread, except for Arena bugs

v0.31:Known bugs and issues

2010-04-03T12:57:39Z

AbuDhabi:

{{AV}}

As the version is new, and we're still discovering what bugs are, obviously a lot of unverifiable information is going to get added to this thread. Recommend that new entries be added with "(confirmation needed)", and that people can document each bug on the discussion page. Once we have 2+ instances of a bug with some specific description of what's occurring, we can remove the parenthetical, or alternately, we can discuss removing unconfirmed bugs if there are issues in recreating them. People can also link relevant posts and threads from the forums here to help document the bugs. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:58, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Please also read the 'Not Actually Bugs' section before adding bug reports! --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 09:00, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

==Not Actually Bugs==
:As megabeasts no longer die during world creation, the standard world creation will run until 1050 (Dwarf-Rapture) unless stopped. -- Andrei901, 2 April 2010, someone else check this please
::Not a bug. World creation is *supposed* to run until 1050... --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:50, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Tilesets in png format don't work? Just a black display.
::Tilesets must be in .bmp format, as they always have had to be. The .png format only works for the d# series. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:50, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:When choosing material for a squad item(cloak in this case) there are hundreds of "forgotten beast leather" to choose from.
::That's because there are lots of different forgotten beasts. Somewhat annoying? Yes. Working exactly like every other source creature for leather? Yes. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:50, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Making a adamantine cloak -sometimes- results in "Someone, Armorer caceslls Forge adamantine cloak: Needs 10000 adamantine cloth." Also needed 15000 strands to make wafers. Update: this happens if you don't have enough cloths, I had 4 adamantine cloths in this case. If you have enough it works nicely.
:"Clothier canceled construct silk bag: needs 1000 cloth": http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123552#msg1123552
::This is working as intended. Cloth is now measured in smaller units than individual pieces. If anything, the bug is that the game isn't telling you how much cloth each cloth item represents. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 08:52, 3 April 2010 (UTC)
:Cats and Dogs - Including kittens, puppies, and War/Hunting variants - are similarly listed twice.
::They're listed twice because they separately list males and females. WAD. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 09:05, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

== Embarking ==

:You can embark with some rather unrealistic prepared foods (such as the aforementioned fly brains, which in real life go at about 900 thousand brains to the pound). This may be related to further issues involving vermin's organs.
:All fish are mentioned 2x. See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123220#msg1123220

== Buildings and Zones ==

:Can't farm on dry soil. See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51951.msg1123336#msg1123336
:Construction and/or deconstruction can occasionally force some dwarves to idle. See: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123250#msg1123250
:Dwarves raid elf (all?) caravans for cloth (maybe thread as well) for the hospital zone. (confirmation required)

== Combat ==

:Some combat maneuvers have no effect. See: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123104#msg1123104
:#attempt to grab a bodypart with a weapon leads to "you grab *** by *** with your *weapon* but nothing is grabbed
:#attempt to "pinch" various bodyparts shows "you adjust you grip on***" and nothing else.
:Alligators can wear armor (same post as above)
:Non-alive creatures (like bronze colossi, zombies and blizzard men) cannot be destroyed (possibly because they can't bleed to death nor have their brain destroyed). See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123220#msg1123220
:Shield-bashing has no effect with a wooden shield: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123499#msg1123499

== Labors ==

:Hunting Issues. See: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123228#msg1123228
:Miners now cancel mining designations when they can't reach them: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123272#msg1123272
:Metal goblets are always iron, regardless of input: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123533#msg1123533
:Manager screen doesn't show you materials for traction benches: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123533#msg1123533
:Workers are too dedicated, dehydrate themselves: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123599#msg1123599
:Cooking with alcohol is buggy: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123702#msg1123702
:When crafting shell crafts, craftsdwarves never actually produce a shell craft, but instead sit forever with the same shell, with their skills increasing. (confirmation required)
:Dwarves take orders to cook Dwarven Syrup but never do it, instead dumping it inside the workshop and cluttering it up without doing anything. (confirmation required)
:Making Rock Short Sword results in a wooden short sword (multiple reports)

== Moods ==

:Fey moods can request body parts (!!!): http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123573#msg1123573

== Creature Data ==

:Alligators have hair. (see http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123104#msg1123104)
:Descriptions sometimes take strange objects ('She likes to consume she'): http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123533#msg1123533
:When iron men and maybe Bronze Colossi die, the statues that make up their corpses adopt images of creatures (I.e: Statue of a dwarf 1) and events. (confirmation required)

== Stockpiles ==
:Problems with categorization. See http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123178#msg1123178
:Custom stockpile options don't seem to always work: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123474#msg1123474
:Dead vermin never seem to rot: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=51953.msg1123731#msg1123731

== Arena ==
Various, someone whose actually played arena should read through the bug thread and categorize.

== Military ==
:Copying an empty order causes an immediate crash. See http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=83
:Going to the schedule grid of the inactive group causes an immediate crash. See http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=156
:Dwarves who are assigned to squads seem to be permanently affixed to the soldier life - changing schedules, training options, switching out dwarves, disbanding the squad: nothing works. All they do is eat, drink, sleep, Individual Combat Drill and take Kill orders. (multiple reports, bug incidence somewhat inconsistent, deconstructing assigned barracks sometimes helps)

== Injuries ==
:Dwarf with compound fracture and mangling on his toe's nail and skin never recovered, surgeons performed "surgery" on said dwarf for years but nothing ever healed. (confirmation required)

== Items ==

Eating a masterwork meal will cause the cook to suffer art defacement.

-------
Currently updated through post 77 of the .31.01 bug thread, except for Arena bugs

v0.31:Release information

2010-04-02T11:28:16Z

AbuDhabi: /* Bugs */

The new version, '''DF 0.31.01''', has been released for general download - and, no, this is not an April Fool's joke.
:See here: http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/index.html

{{AV}}
This page lists the changes in the current [[version]] of [[Dwarf]] [[Fort]]ress. The page links to currently existing pages which either have been or will need to be modified to list new details from the new [[version]]. It also lists to pages about entirely new subjects introduced in this [[version]], such as [http://new.df.magmawiki.com/wagn/Burrows burrows], articles created or completely changed based off of this version are marked in '''bold'''.

Adapted from the [http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AT8EQVUjrv96ZGc5cnBwOHZfMjgyY3FzZHFtanA&hl=en&pli=1 google docs file] by SirPenguin about the upcoming release.

== Behind the scenes ==

=== Materials ===
* The {{l|material}} system has been rewritten, and just about everything is made from a material now.
* It is now possible to track the identity of certain materials, such as {{l|blood}} spatter.
* The {{l|color}} of a base {{l|material}} will now have more effects - a [[wagon]] made out of featherwood will reflect the {{l|color}} of the wood.
* Material breath [[weapons]] are possible, and can be made of any material. These are mainly linked with poisons, and when inhaled by a creature, they will become poisoned.
* Small amounts of certain {{l|materials}} ({{l|blood}}, snow, etc.) can accumulate in a tile.
** For example, if enough liquid [[gold]] accumulates in a tile, it will cool into a [[glob]] of [[gold]].
** This also works for {{l|materials}} such as liquid (molten) {{l|metal}}, which will cool into a [[glob]] which can then be used to [[melt]] down into a bar.
* {{l|Weapons}} and {{l|armor}} now use various "real world" {{l|attributes}} to calculate their effectiveness. Each {{l|material}} (rock, {{l|metal]]) uses the following:
** '''{{l|Density}}'''
** '''{{l|Impact shear yield}}'''
** '''{{l|Impact shear fracture}}'''
** '''{{l|Impact shear elasticity}}'''
** '''{{l|Edge}}'''

=== {{l|Raws}} ===
* Entity positions are now stored in the raw folders, allowing for custom positions through modding, as well as editing existing positions as you see fit.
** These include the [[Nobles (DF2010)|new military positions]] (General/Lieutenant/Captain/Militia Commander/Militia Captain).
* {{l|Attributes}} have also moved into the {{l|raws}}, allowing you set all sorts of values such as how fast an attribute increases.
* Many objects - trees, plants, {{l|stone}}s, etc. - now have {{l|material}} lists in the {{l|raws}}.
** Some {{l|raws}} have been merged, such as trees/plants, and {{l|stone}}s/{{l|metal}}s.
* A {{l|region}}'s raw files are now stored in their respective {{l|save}} folder.

=== The d# series ===
* Translucent [[tilesets]] are supported, using PNG.
* The DF window can be resized on the fly.
* The grid size is autogenerated on startup; such [[init.txt|init.txt settings]] are ignored.
* Current desktop size is used for fullscreen size if fullscreen resolution is set to 0x0.
* The DF window can be zoomed on the fly using the mouse wheel. There are two modes, it defaults to mode 1. Pressing mouse wheel switches modes. Pressing F12 resets mode 1, not 2. In mode 1, the zoom from mode 2 is not visible. (And yes, you can use both at once.)
* The keyboard input system has been totally rewritten:
** You can bind multiple [[keys]] to one command.
** You can create keyboard [[macros]].
** Input bindings are divided into sections.
* Lots of bugfixes and performance improvements.

=== Arenas ===
* Arenas allow the player to set up battles with any kind of creatures with any type of equipment and have them face off.
* The Arena is accessed via a special mode that has to be turned on in the init file.
* You can make as many [[creatures]] of any type a you want, equip them with any [[items]] you want, etc.
** [[Items]] can be made out of any of the current logical [[materials]]
* You can also assign them to teams or have them go at it solo
* The [[arena]] itself contains a flat fighting place as well as a pool of [[magma]] or [[water]]
* You can also edit the layout of the arena by adding or removing water and magma and so on.

== [[Combat]] ==

=== [[Squads]] ===
* The [[fortress guard]] is considered a squad under the [[sheriff]], and the [[royal guard]] is considered a squad under the [[Hammerer]].
* '''[[Nobles (DF2010)|Captains]]''' can be appointed under your '''[[Nobles (DF2010)|General]]''' and lead [[squads]].
* There is a system in place that will try its best to keep your schedules staffed, going so far as finding replacements when [[soldier]]s get hungry/tired, as well as forcing [[soldier]]s to stay on duty if no replacements are found.
* You have complete control over how [[squads]] handle rations - [[food]] and [[drink]] stored in backpacks and flasks - and [[alcohol]] can now be stored as a [[drink]] option.
* [[Champions#Heroes_and_Champions|Champions]] as heavily trained soldiers are no more. Rather, a single '''[[Nobles (DF2010)|Champion]]''' is an appointed position that your [[duke]]/[[count]]/[[baron]] appoints.
* "Lord" [[soldier]]s aren't restricted in their weapon choice, and can be made into [[civilian]]s again.
* Beds, racks, stands, boxes/chests and [[cabinets]] can now be assigned to squad positions.
* You can now use the [[note]] making system to lay out stations and patrol routes for your [[squads]].
* [[Sparring]] has been redone.
* A [[dwarf]] skilled in one [[skill]] can teach students via demonstrations of how to fight. This is set up in a classroom environment, so no actual [[sparring]] takes place (less dangerous).
** Even slightly skilled [[dwarves]] can teach people below them.
** There are also instructor monitored drill and [[sparring]] sessions.
** "They can currently teach weapon [[skill]]s, [[wrestling]], dodging, punching (grasp strikes), kicking (stance strikes), shield and [[armor]] use, yeah. They can also teach general close-quarters/ranged [[combat]] principles."
* [[Personalities]] play a role in these lessons. Naturally lazy [[dwarves]] will have a harder time learning and concentrating, though they can overcome them with [[skill]]/attribute increases.
** An instructor's [[personality]] is also taken into account, as a naturally reckless instructor is more willing to send green recruits into [[sparring]] sessions.
* Squad selection/[[orders]] now can occur in real time.
* The [[military]] menu has been entirely redone.
* You can issue [[orders]] to several [[squads]] at once or several individuals across different [[squads]].
* Kill [[orders]] are now possible. You can select any creature your [[fort]] does not control to be killed.
* You can give [[squads]] nicknames if you wish.
** You can also give your [[barracks]] nicknames to help keep them separated.

=== Squad [[Equipment]] ===
* There is now a position called the '''[[Nobles (DF2010)|Arsenal Dwarf]]''' who handles various [[equipment]] delegation.
* You can now establish "'''[[uniforms]]'''" for your [[soldier]]s. With it, you can assign specific [[armor]], [[weapons]], and other such [[equipment]] that you want all [[soldier]]s in a squad to wear.
** This allows for you to establish either [[equipment]] protocols (I want this squad to carry a [[sword]] and a shield) or literal uniforms, such as all guards wearing dyed blue cloaks.
* [[Soldier]]s know the difference between [[training]], battle, and [[civilian]] [[equipment]], and when/how to switch between them, as well as how to store them, which is usually done in [[barracks]] via boxes (which can be assigned to [[squads]]).
** The above also extends to [[Wood cutter|woodcutters]]/[[Miner|miners]], who know how to properly retrieve/store their picks and axes.
** [[Equipment]] can be stored in squad boxes.
* You can now handle [[ammo]] allocation by [[material]], so you can set aside [[metal]] [[bolts]] for battle and wooden [[bolts]] for [[training]]. [[Squads]] will maintain such [[ammo]] counts on their own.
** You can also handle [[ammo]] by type, so that you can have a squad that only uses [[bolts]]/arrows left over by invaders, etc.
** You have similar control over [[Hunter]] [[ammo]].
* [[Training]] [[weapons]] are in now, made at the carpenter's shop. Due to the nature of the [[material]] rewrite, these [[weapons]] lack edges, making them far less dangerous.
* [[Dwarves]] can handle any weapon now (they are not restricted to the current 6 [[weapons]]).
** [[Blowdart]] [[squads]] confirmed.
* [[Critter]]s now become familiar/accustomed to [[items]] they use often, such as [[armor]] and [[weapons]]. Being familiar with an item gives them better rolls during [[combat]].
** They can also become attached to [[items]] and will refuse upgrades.
* [[Items]] keep track of [[creatures]] they kill now, and that will show up in the [[legends mode]].
* [[Items]] can become "named" - raised to a semi-[[artifact]] level - if they have seen a lot of battles or have killed someone of a historical figure era-level of importance.
* [[Dwarves]] will now fill up their [[Quiver|quivers]] properly - they will not go into [[combat]] with 1 bolt in their [[quiver]] if they can help it.
* You can assign specific [[items]] to units (useful for cases such as [[artifact]]s).
* [[Dwarves]] assigned to [[squads]] will go train in their free time if they have self-discipline. This includes individual drilling practice.
* 1/3 of [[dwarves]] have a "favored" weapon.

=== [[Weapons]] and [[Armor]] ===
[[Image:DF2010_1.png|thumb|400px|The new [[combat report]]s. [[Note]] the date, ability to zoom on location, and more flavorful descriptions.]]
* All [[weapons]] now have multiple '''[[attack types]]''' (a [[sword]] can use a thrusting attack, or with the blade itself, or even the pommel) and each attack can do a different type of [[damage]].
* [[Armor]] [[skill]] and quality of the [[armor]] increases your "deflection" roll, which alters the effective force of an attack.
* [[Weapons]] don't use hard-coded percentage [[damage]] anymore, but rather, use their [[material]]'s various properties in order to determine [[damage]].
* The swing velocity of a [[hammer]] is determined by the strength and weight of the [[hammer]] itself, among other things.
* Woven/Chain [[items]] have a "structural elasticity" property (compared to [[plate]]/scale).

=== Attacks ===
* [[Combat]] has been entirely rebalanced due to the new [[material]] and body changes.
* Small [[creatures]] are now able to take on larger [[creatures]] by pecking away at their bodies, something which was impossible in the old [[version]].
** Thanks to the [[material]] rewrite, though, a well [[armor]]ed knight will fare without many problems against 20 groundhogs.
** Multiple small attacks will have a cumulative effect.
* "I had a [[dragon]] fight some lions, and after a little bit of dragonfire and close [[combat]], I ended up with a [[dragon]] covered with the grammatically-in-progress "lion [[melted]] [[fat]] spatter"."
* Attacks take into account the position and relative nature of the body. Attacks won't "loopity-loop" through the body.
* Temperature transfer between wrestlers is now possible, so think twice before [[wrestling]] that [[spirit of fire]].
** Stuck-ins also transfer temperature.
* Ranged damage has been nerfed, in addition to [[bolts]] making "logical" paths now. The firing rate remains the same.
* There's now a notion of a "squared shot", in that your attack could hit someone's arm full force, but if you didn't hit in in the right area, the [[bone]] would not break. This helps many problems, such as with [[bolts]], as well as axes/[[sword]]s not lopping everything off every time you swing.
* Twisting your weapon in a [[wound]] has been balanced, and won't just amplify [[damage]] forever.
* [[Toady]] on the path of the force of an attack: "The [[armor]] is all checked in order from outer to inner, then it gets at the tissue [[layer]]s, altering the character of the attack as it goes."
* Attacks can pass through a [[wound]] sufficiently large enough.
* Force from blunt [[weapons]] can transcend [[layer]]s. For instance, a [[hammer]] can bruise the [[skin]] while breaking the [[bone]] underneath.
** As such, [[plate]] [[armor]]'s benefits are generally ignored by blunt attacks, and [[leather]] [[armor]] would prove to be more effective.
* "Solid breath can take the form of a forward moving dust puff that accidentally knocks people out due to some [[cave-in]] code. When I fix that, KOs make or may not be a parameter. Solid breath can also take the form of a solid [[glob]] (a small one right now) that is hurled like a [[stone]]. It might as well be a thrown [[stone]] of the solid. Solid breath can also be an undirected dust puff (also accidental knockouts)."

== [[Creatures]] (general) ==

=== [[Attributes]]/[[Skill]]s ===
* The attribute system has received an overhaul. There are now 19 [[attributes]] split across physical and mental. They are:
** Body:
*** '''[[strength]]'''
*** '''[[agility]]'''
*** '''[[toughness]]'''
*** '''[[endurance]]''' - this'll take some of the weight off of [[toughness]] and control your exertion.
*** '''[[recuperation]]''' - somebody suggested "resilience". i don't really like any of the names... in any case, this will control the [[healing]] of your physical [[wound]]s.
*** '''[[disease resistance]]''' - the more time i spend on infection and venom, the more this will matter for this release. there will also likely be a notion of specific immunities, some of which you could gain with exposure or whatever ends up making the most sense.
** '''[[soul]]''':
*** '''[[analytical ability]]''' - thinky stuff.
*** '''[[memory]]''' - remembery stuff.
*** '''[[creativity]]''' - being able to make up neat stuff.
*** '''[[intuition]]''' - being able to get stuff.
*** '''[[focus]]''' - being able to get into stuff.
*** '''[[willpower]]''' - being able to keep on with and cope with stuff.
*** '''[[patience]]''' - being able to handle not doing stuff.
*** '''[[spatial sense]]''' - sense of surrounding stuff.
*** '''[[kinesthetic sense]]''' - sense of own stuff.
*** '''[[linguistic ability]]''' - all of the wordsy stuff.
*** '''[[musicality]]''' - musicky stuff.
*** '''[[empathy]]''' - being able to feel other peoples' stuff.
*** '''[[social awareness]]''' - being able to manage and handle social stuff.

* [[Creatures]] now have '''[[souls]]''', and these souls serve as storage for a creature's mental [[attributes]] and [[skill]]s.
** [[Creatures]] can have multiple souls, though there is no such use in the current [[version]].
* [[Attributes]] and [[skill]]s can now "'''[[Skill rust|rust]]'''" if the attribute/[[skill]] is unused for a long period of time. The more rust the [[skill]] or attribute has, the less effective it is, and high enough rust will actually "delevel" the ability. Rust can be worked off by simply using the attribute or [[skill]] in question.
* Attribute/[[skill]] display system has been redone so as to not overwhelm the player.
** [[Skill]]s have been split up into '''[[Skill groups|15 logical groups]]''' to make assigning [[skill]]s easier.
* [[Creatures]] now have a "'''[[situational awareness]]'''" [[skill]], which handles a [[creatures]] ability to deal with surprise attacks and ambushes.
* The [[wrestling]] has been split into the following [[skill]]s:
** '''[[Wrestling]]'''
** '''[[Dodging]]'''
** '''[[Grasp strikes]]'''
** '''[[Stance strikes]]'''
* There are also general '''[[melee attack|melee]]''' and '''[[range attack]]''' [[skill]]s (which help with [[combat]] rolls but are separate from "axe mastery", etc.)
* [[Attributes]] and rust rates are linked to specific castes, so you could have brutes intermixed with brainy [[creatures]] of a single race.
* "Ceilings of [[attributes]] are a percentage of the starting value. So a strength 1000 [[dwarf]] might attain 2000, and a strength 750 [[dwarf]] might attain 1500."

=== Appearances ===
[[Image:DF2010_2.png|thumb|400px|The new description window]]
* [[Creatures]] are now unique to each other with different appearances, including hair [[color]], facial features, etc.
** These are visible in [[adventurer]] mode as well.
** Different [[color]] patterns are also available, like striped or mottled.
* [[Creatures]] can also be fatter/taller/etc. than usual. This affects their [[size]]. Fatter [[creatures]] can last without [[food]] longer.
** [[Creatures]] have a '''[[metabolism]]''' now, which deals with how fast they heal and how fast they burn [[fat]].
** [[Fat]] [[creatures]] also move slower.
* The trimming of hair/nails is also possible for civilized [[creatures]], and they will grow long and unkempt without such activities.
* [[Creatures]] '''[[genetics|inherit appearances from their parents]]'''. This includes dominant/recessive genes.
** As one example, you can use this system to breed your dogs to a certain [[color]]/[[size]].
* [[Layer]] trimming/caring uses style definitions from a culture. Some cultures may grow beards, others may shave them. Prisoners, etc. may be forced to adapt these new styles.
* Speaking of beards, as if it wasn't obvious by now, but this means [[dwarves]] finally have beards!
** On a more startling note - so do [[elves]]!
* [[Creatures]] can now be part of a '''[[caste]]''', and this may govern many things, such as their profession, appearance, etc.

=== Bodies ===
* Tissues now come in [[layer]]s. You must bypass a [[layer]] to reach one below it. Some [[layer]]s are dependent on others (hair can only exist if there's [[skin]] underneath it, etc.)
* '''[[Hair]]''' acts as a [[layer]] on [[skin]]. It can come in many different styles (sparse, strands, etc.)
* '''[[Hair]]''' grows and eventually grays over time. It can be trimmed, and if left alone it will become shaggy and unkempt.
* Body parts and tissue [[layer]]s can be made out of any [[material]] you want, such as for logical [[creatures]] like [[Iron man|Iron Men]], and illogical abominations like [[Dwarf]] Lung Men.
* It's now possible for some [[creatures]] to be made out of solid [[material]], such as [[Iron man|Iron Men]], who are much harder to fight.
* You can also have hollow body parts, perhaps filled with air or other [[materials]].
* Some [[layer]]s can serve as protection, such as [[Chitin|chitin layer]]s. [[Bone|Bone layer]]s also protect organs, such as the [[skull]] protecting the brain.
* [[Creatures]] now have teeth, rib, cheeks, eyelids, nails, and lips. Teeth and ribs are not individualized, but rather are tracked by groups (i.e., top left molars, etc.)
* [[Creatures]] also now have tendons and ligaments, and are made from the "sinew" [[material]].
* [[Creatures]] store energy from their [[food]], getting [[fat]]ter and more muscular.
** [[Fat]] affects such things as insulation, speed, etc.
** Strength also increases muscle [[size]]. Both have an effect on a creature's total [[size]].
* Guts are realistically [[color]]ed - crazy stuff!
* It is now possible to "flay" a creature. Have fun!
* We've also got [[water]] freezing into frosty stuffs on people if they get [[wet]] and then step out into the cold, and [[steam]] coming off of spirits of fire in the rain.
* [[Skeletal]] [[critter]]s now have their [[bone]]s held together by rotted ligaments.

=== [[Thoughts]] ===
* "[[Thoughts]]" of a [[dwarf]] have been redone. The new screen includes their current [[thoughts]], age/birthday, physical description paragraph, a description of their [[attributes]], their likes/dislikes, and their mannerisms. Also included are descriptions for their [[wound]]s/scars.
* A [[dwarf]]'s birthday and age are stored in their [[profile]] now.
* [[Dwarves]] now have '''[[mannerisms]]''', such as "always scratches his head when he's trying to remember something", "laughs at his own jokes" or "talks to herself whenever she's bored". There are 65 types with 3-5 situation qualifiers.

== [[Fortress Mode]] ==

=== Organization ===
* '''[[Burrows]]'''! Burrows are areas in your [[fort]] where [[dwarves]] live and work in. You can assign these areas like [[zones]] and assign [[dwarves]] to them. [[Dwarves]] will only use [[workshops]], rooms, etc. in burrows they are assigned to.
* There are a significant number of ways to utilize burrows, from restricting certain [[mining]] expeditions to [[skill]]ed [[dwarves]], to making noble districts, to setting "emergency" [[zones]] for [[civilian]]s to flee to, etc.
* You can set [[soldier]]s so that they defend certain [[burrow]]s. If an enemy enters a [[burrow]] they know enough to stop what they're doing and head towards it to defend it.
* You may choose and appoint someone as your [[baron]] when you reach [[barony]] status. You can elect not to have one as well.
* There are now "code generated" positions, such as '''[[priests]]''' who are named after the [[god]] they worship (Priest of Ciramore, etc.)
* [[Dwarves]] won't immediately drop everything if they find themselves hungry or tired, and will try to finish their current [[job]] first.
* There's a difference between sleeping [[barracks]] (known as a Dormitory) and squad [[barracks]].
* Liaisons will be generated from scratch if they die.

=== [[Workshops]] ===
[[Image:DF2010_3.png|thumb|400px|[[Statues]] now have art associated with them.]]
[[Image:DF2010_4.png|thumb|400px|Some new [[crafts]] you can make.]]
* [[Statues]] and figurines now have art associated with them.
** "[[Statues]] of specific [[dwarves]] get the [[dwarf]]'s name right in the item name."
* Custom [[workshops]] are now able to be modded in, allowing you to set up custom [[reactions]].
** These can support [[corpse]] harvested [[items]], like shells/horns, and might use barrels/other [[containers]].
* You can now make [[crafts]] out of horn, ivory, teeth, and other new body parts.
** These include dragon tooth [[rings]] and ivory [[crown]]s.
* [[Butchery]] has been overhauled due to the new body part systems, with [[creatures]] yielding many more parts for consumption.
* It is now possible to have automated [[fishing]] [[cleaning]] and [[fat]] rendering.

=== Alerts and [[Announcements]] ===
* The alert statuses (i.e., "Stay Indoors") have been entirely redone. You may set several custom alerts with a user defined behaviour. For instance, you could set a "[[Underground]] Attack" alert where you force [[soldier]]s to equip melee [[weapons]] and head to a predefined location.
* These alerts can also be assigned to [[civilian]]s, such as telling them to flee to the great hall.
* [[Combat reports]] have been redone in hopes of consolidating sentences and making it more interesting to read
* Combat reports are separated into [[combat]], [[sparring]], and hunting reports. You'll see a notification on the side of the screen letting you know a [[combat report]] has been generated.
** They are also timestamped.
* You can choose different options for each announcement, like whether you want it to pause the game or recenter your view.

=== Trading ===
* Caravans can now bring sand and glass!
* Also flasks, waterskins, quivers and backpacks.

== [[Healthcare]] ==

=== Doctors, hospitals, and how to cure what ails you ===
[[Image:DF2010_5.png|thumb|400px|The new [[wound]] [[color]]ing system.]]
* '''[[Hospitals]]''' are used like [[zones]]. [[Items]] used within these [[zones]] (beds, tables, boxes) allow for hospital use.
** They also use a new item, called a '''[[traction bench]].'''
* '''[[Doctors]]''' can "prescribe" treatment, such as bed rest, using splints for broken [[bone]]s, amputation for infected limbs, and surgery.
** Doctors will set [[bone]]s for simple fractures, use traction for difficult overlapping fractures and use surgery for disgusting compound fractures. They also excise [[rotting]] tissue and amputate limbs too rotted off to save.
** The system where [[dwarves]] heal on the [[season]] change is gone.
* [[Wound]]s are dressed with '''[[bandages]]''', which speeds [[healing]] and slows bleeding.
** '''[[Sutures]]''' make [[wound]]s heal faster.
** Sutures can be ripped out in [[combat]], causing pain/bleeding.
* '''[[Crutches]]''' are now in the game, allowing one legged [[dwarves]]/injured people to walk normally (as opposed to crawl). They will move faster as they get comfortable with their new crutch.
** '''[[Casts]]''' are also in.
* [[Creatures]] can now clean the filth they acquire due to various [[materials]], like mud, [[blood]], [[vomit]], etc.
** As such, [[soap]] has a use now, which deserves its own bullet point.
* You can appoint a "'''[[Nobles (DF2010)|chief medical dwarf]]'''" to handle the various medical information, which requires the "'''[[Diagnosis]]'''" [[skill]].
** What type of various medical information? "unit [[wound]]s/status/required treatments/medical history, etc." - Think of it like the [[bookkeeper]].
* [[Dwarves]] are more proactive in saving [[wound]]ed people, and will do what they can in regards to bleeding on the way to the hospital.
* "Eyelids clean the eyes so you don't have to [[soap]] them off, but if an eyelid is torn off, I think they might [[soap]] the eyes."
* Patients can use [[soap]]/[[water]] to clean [[wound]]s and grime to reduce infections. Sutures, casts, etc. will reduce infection as well.
* All cloth and thread [[items]] have associated lengths/areas now. Threads are use for sutures (thus, one "thread" item could be used for multiple sutures) and cloth is used for bandages. [[Items]] in this way aren't split (a la coins or [[bolts]]), but rather, they're consumed in pieces.
* Unskilled or apprentice doctors can make mistakes when treating a patient or doing surgery.
* "[[Healthcare]]" as a [[skill]] is gone. It's been replaced by 7 new labor [[settings]], 5 unit types, and 6 new [[skill]]s.
** There are different type of doctors associated with the [[skill]]s.
** Dressing [[wound]]s, diagnosis, surgery, setting [[bone]]s, suturing and walking with crutches appear to be the new [[skill]]s.

=== [[Wound]]s and [[injuries]] ===
* The current 15HP-per-body-part system has been dropped in favor of individual [[wound]] tracking.
** The above also allows for scars.
* Open [[wound]]s can get simple infections, which results in oozing pus, slow [[healing]], and can even kill.
** [[Rotting]] [[wound]]s smell and contribute to infection levels, as does grime buildup.
* Tissue [[layer]]s can boil off when exposed to extreme heat.
* Phantom pains are gone.
* You can [[damage]] a creature's motor and sensitivity nerves. Motor [[damage]] prevents that part from working, and sensory nerve damage makes you lose feeling in that body part.
* Partial and compound fractures are now possible.
* Fractured [[bone]] can be knocked inwards to cause [[damage]] to organs, like forcing a jagged piece of [[skull]] into the brain. [[Bone]]s can also [[pierce]] [[layer]]s, like having [[bone]] sticking out of your [[skin]].
* Guts are under [[pressure]] and can pop out of a [[wound]].
* Injured [[creatures]] can continue to work if they are treated. A miner who breaks his left hand will go back to [[mining]] with his right hand (after his broken hand is set in a cast).
* "There are lots of [[wound]]s that won't heal now if they aren't treated (aside from the nerve stuff, the three kinds of bad breaks won't heal if not treated), and infected [[wound]]s heal very slowly."

=== Poisons ===
* Types of poison effects: pain, swelling, oozing [[wound]]s, bruising, blisters, numbness, paralysis, fever, bleeding, coughing/[[vomit]]ing [[blood]], nausea, [[vomit]]ing, unconsciousness, necrosis, impaired vision, drowsiness, and dizziness.
* Poisons can be contacted, injected, or inhaled.
* You can be immune to poisons; [[creatures]] seem immune to their own poisons.
* Severs transfer containment, so that a ripped off venom fang from a [[Giant Cave Spider]] will remain venomous. As of now you cannot use it as a [[weapon]].

== The Underground ==

[[Image:DF2010_6.png|thumb|400px|An example of the new caverns. Here you can see open areas and [[underground]] lakes, as well as passages linking them together]]

=== Underground Features ===
* Underground [[layer]]s have been entirely revamped, allowing for more diverse [[underground]] with new [[creatures]], features, and other interesting goodies, such as Mushroom Forests.
* The standard amount of [[layer]]s (around 15) has been scrapped and increased dramatically; upwards of 50-100 [[layer]]s.
* Each cave [[layer]] [[region]] (which is a certain depth and portion of the world map) has its own name, animal populations, [[civilizations]], etc.
** They also show up on the legends screen.
* '''[[Caverns]]''' now exist [[underground]]. Caverns are open areas underneath the earth, and are home to [[creatures]], [[underground]] lakes, and other interesting features.
* Features are much more easy to discover, and almost every site is guaranteed to have SOMETHING interesting in it.
** For instance, [[magma]] is almost always guaranteed to be at the very bottom [[layer]].
* Features can span multiple world tiles, and can be explored via adventure mode and [[dwarf]] [[fortress]] mode.
* You can use [[world gen]] parameters to get rid of [[underground]] features. The default [[settings]] are set for cavernous so you're guaranteed to find cool stuff.
* Features are not instantly revealed anymore. [[Underground]] areas must be explored by [[dwarves]] prior to revealing features.
** So yeah, the new system is to have a 60 or so tile [[flood]] out from your [[dwarves]] as they go [[underground]], and any time they get within 30 tiles of the 60 tile [[flood]] (flags are kept when the [[flood]] got out to 30, roughly), it'll [[flood]] out again, picking up those flags and placing new ones, so it moves out in a kind of chunky way.
** [[Squads]] can't take [[orders]] to walk into hidden [[zones]] (must reveal first).
* It's possible for an [[adventurer]] to enter a massive [[underground]] cavern on one side of the world and journey all the way to the other.
* Bottomless pits and chasms are gone for the time being, replaced by finite caverns.

=== [[Critter]]s (normal and animalman-y) ===
* Underground animalpeople can use crude [[weapons]] and mounts now.
** Batmen could ride giant bats and shoot poison darts at you with makeshift blowguns made from [[giant cave spider]] legs - whoa!
** Their goal is to cause as much havoc as they can before sneaking back home.
* Underground [[critter]]s are "drawn" from a large population that is off site. They will replenish their population so long as a cavern has an open "edge" allowing them to spawn in.
* The above, coupled with other changes, allows for the possibility of never-ending attacks.
* [[Antmen]] now have creature castes which separate them, including queens.
** There are also [[antmen]] nests to worry about.
* '''[[Gremlins]]''' are back. These sneaky dudes are invisible until spotted, and will step on [[pressure]] [[plate]]s, pull levers, and open cages.
* There are many new (toadyOne mentioned around 40) [[underground]] [[critter]]s.

=== [[Critter]]s (random beasts) ===
* Random [[critter]]s are now possible. They come in two flavors: "'''[[Titans]]'''", which are above ground and serve as megabeasts, and "'''[[Forgotten Beasts]]'''", who live [[underground]]
* Random [[creatures]] are just that - random. The can have unique attacks, like firebreath or poison, as well as a random number of body modifiers like legs, wings, etc.
** Some examples: a ribbon worm with wings made of stretched [[skin]]. An eyeless antenna lizard. A [[glob]] of [[vomit]] inside a round shell.
* They pull from certain base types (blob, quadruped, humanoid) as well as various animal/creature features.
** Dinosaur types (?!) are also now possible
*** They have feathers to boot
* These are seen as the ultimate challenge of the game

=== [[HFS]] ===
* The old [[HFS]] that we know of is gone, replaced by new baddies. The [[critter]]s of the [[HFS]] seemed to have survived the [[version]] change, however.
* [[Toady]] has spent countless days working on the new [[HFS]], and he's been silent on what it could entail.
* There is a lot of nasty stuff underneath, seemingly related to the old "end of the world" timers.
* It should be a bit different, a bit the same, and always a threat rather than a one-time problem.

== The World ==

=== [[Civilizations]] ===
* There is now the notion of a '''[[split leadership]]'''. Some leaders may prefer to be "traditional" rulers, hanging back in their cities while appointing generals to command their armies. Others may prefer to lead battles and wars themselves.
* [[Goblin]] society is more violent than ever. They respect those with power, and [[demons]] will be forced to kill for their loyalty. Other [[goblin]]s, however, can do the same.
** [[Goblin]]s obtain their structure over the course of world generation. For instance, [[demons]] are not hard-coded as leaders, and must earn their position.
* Forgotten beasts can escape from the [[underground]] and try and pass themselves off as [[god]]s, gaining worshipers and taking control of [[civilizations]].
* Leaders of [[civilizations]] can now own "pets" - and by that, I mean they can [[tame]] wild animals and use them in war. [[Giant eagle]]s, [[tiger]]s, everything is fair game.
** [[Elves]] have a great advantage here for obvious reasons, but [[dwarves]] will be able to make use of [[underground]] beasts.
* '''[[Priests]]''' are back.

=== [[World Generation]] ===
* "I've added the ability to specify in the [[world gen]] parameters the number of sky z-levels, the number of z-levels minimum between each [[layer]] (it'll often be more because of elevation changes), and the number of extra z-levels down at the bottom."
* Much of the map feature code was rewritten to be more flexible in future expansions and updates.

=== [[Megabeasts]] (general and [[Titans]]) ===
* [[Megabeasts]] aren't pushovers in worldgen anymore, and will survive longer and get more kills.
* [[Titans]] in good areas will be benign/neutral to [[creatures]].

== Bugs ==
* Dwarves raid elf (all?) caravans for cloth (maybe thread as well) for the hospital zone.
* When crafting shell crafts, craftsdwarves never actually produce a shell craft, but instead sit forever with the same shell, with their skills increasing.
* Dwarf with compound fracture and mangling on his toe's nail and skin never recovered, surgeons performed "surgery" on said dwarf for years but nothing ever healed.
* Dwarves who are assigned to squads seem to be permanently affixed to the soldier life - changing schedules, training options, switching out dwarves, disbanding the squad: nothing works. All they do is eat, drink, sleep, Individual Combat Drill and take Kill orders.
** I am unconfirming this. There is an amount of delayed reaction on forming and unforming squads but all (3 remaining) of my dwarves were able to get back to civilian activities after canceling the kill order of their squad. --[[User:Another|Another]] 10:41, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
*** How long? I have dorfs locked in soldier mode for several seasons now. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 11:24, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
*** Update: The problem seems to be fixable by deconstructing the barracks. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 11:28, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
* When wrestling, you can grasp other creatures by their individual teeth.
* When iron men and maybe Bronze Colossi die, the statues that make up their corpses adopt images of creatures (I.e: Statue of a dwarf 1) and events.

== Links ==
*[[Notes on new positions]]

v0.31:Release information

2010-04-02T11:24:14Z

AbuDhabi: /* Bugs */

The new version, '''DF 0.31.01''', has been released for general download - and, no, this is not an April Fool's joke.
:See here: http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/index.html

{{AV}}
This page lists the changes in the current [[version]] of [[Dwarf]] [[Fort]]ress. The page links to currently existing pages which either have been or will need to be modified to list new details from the new [[version]]. It also lists to pages about entirely new subjects introduced in this [[version]], such as [http://new.df.magmawiki.com/wagn/Burrows burrows], articles created or completely changed based off of this version are marked in '''bold'''.

Adapted from the [http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AT8EQVUjrv96ZGc5cnBwOHZfMjgyY3FzZHFtanA&hl=en&pli=1 google docs file] by SirPenguin about the upcoming release.

== Behind the scenes ==

=== Materials ===
* The {{l|material}} system has been rewritten, and just about everything is made from a material now.
* It is now possible to track the identity of certain materials, such as {{l|blood}} spatter.
* The {{l|color}} of a base {{l|material}} will now have more effects - a [[wagon]] made out of featherwood will reflect the {{l|color}} of the wood.
* Material breath [[weapons]] are possible, and can be made of any material. These are mainly linked with poisons, and when inhaled by a creature, they will become poisoned.
* Small amounts of certain {{l|materials}} ({{l|blood}}, snow, etc.) can accumulate in a tile.
** For example, if enough liquid [[gold]] accumulates in a tile, it will cool into a [[glob]] of [[gold]].
** This also works for {{l|materials}} such as liquid (molten) {{l|metal}}, which will cool into a [[glob]] which can then be used to [[melt]] down into a bar.
* {{l|Weapons}} and {{l|armor}} now use various "real world" {{l|attributes}} to calculate their effectiveness. Each {{l|material}} (rock, {{l|metal]]) uses the following:
** '''{{l|Density}}'''
** '''{{l|Impact shear yield}}'''
** '''{{l|Impact shear fracture}}'''
** '''{{l|Impact shear elasticity}}'''
** '''{{l|Edge}}'''

=== {{l|Raws}} ===
* Entity positions are now stored in the raw folders, allowing for custom positions through modding, as well as editing existing positions as you see fit.
** These include the [[Nobles (DF2010)|new military positions]] (General/Lieutenant/Captain/Militia Commander/Militia Captain).
* {{l|Attributes}} have also moved into the {{l|raws}}, allowing you set all sorts of values such as how fast an attribute increases.
* Many objects - trees, plants, {{l|stone}}s, etc. - now have {{l|material}} lists in the {{l|raws}}.
** Some {{l|raws}} have been merged, such as trees/plants, and {{l|stone}}s/{{l|metal}}s.
* A {{l|region}}'s raw files are now stored in their respective {{l|save}} folder.

=== The d# series ===
* Translucent [[tilesets]] are supported, using PNG.
* The DF window can be resized on the fly.
* The grid size is autogenerated on startup; such [[init.txt|init.txt settings]] are ignored.
* Current desktop size is used for fullscreen size if fullscreen resolution is set to 0x0.
* The DF window can be zoomed on the fly using the mouse wheel. There are two modes, it defaults to mode 1. Pressing mouse wheel switches modes. Pressing F12 resets mode 1, not 2. In mode 1, the zoom from mode 2 is not visible. (And yes, you can use both at once.)
* The keyboard input system has been totally rewritten:
** You can bind multiple [[keys]] to one command.
** You can create keyboard [[macros]].
** Input bindings are divided into sections.
* Lots of bugfixes and performance improvements.

=== Arenas ===
* Arenas allow the player to set up battles with any kind of creatures with any type of equipment and have them face off.
* The Arena is accessed via a special mode that has to be turned on in the init file.
* You can make as many [[creatures]] of any type a you want, equip them with any [[items]] you want, etc.
** [[Items]] can be made out of any of the current logical [[materials]]
* You can also assign them to teams or have them go at it solo
* The [[arena]] itself contains a flat fighting place as well as a pool of [[magma]] or [[water]]
* You can also edit the layout of the arena by adding or removing water and magma and so on.

== [[Combat]] ==

=== [[Squads]] ===
* The [[fortress guard]] is considered a squad under the [[sheriff]], and the [[royal guard]] is considered a squad under the [[Hammerer]].
* '''[[Nobles (DF2010)|Captains]]''' can be appointed under your '''[[Nobles (DF2010)|General]]''' and lead [[squads]].
* There is a system in place that will try its best to keep your schedules staffed, going so far as finding replacements when [[soldier]]s get hungry/tired, as well as forcing [[soldier]]s to stay on duty if no replacements are found.
* You have complete control over how [[squads]] handle rations - [[food]] and [[drink]] stored in backpacks and flasks - and [[alcohol]] can now be stored as a [[drink]] option.
* [[Champions#Heroes_and_Champions|Champions]] as heavily trained soldiers are no more. Rather, a single '''[[Nobles (DF2010)|Champion]]''' is an appointed position that your [[duke]]/[[count]]/[[baron]] appoints.
* "Lord" [[soldier]]s aren't restricted in their weapon choice, and can be made into [[civilian]]s again.
* Beds, racks, stands, boxes/chests and [[cabinets]] can now be assigned to squad positions.
* You can now use the [[note]] making system to lay out stations and patrol routes for your [[squads]].
* [[Sparring]] has been redone.
* A [[dwarf]] skilled in one [[skill]] can teach students via demonstrations of how to fight. This is set up in a classroom environment, so no actual [[sparring]] takes place (less dangerous).
** Even slightly skilled [[dwarves]] can teach people below them.
** There are also instructor monitored drill and [[sparring]] sessions.
** "They can currently teach weapon [[skill]]s, [[wrestling]], dodging, punching (grasp strikes), kicking (stance strikes), shield and [[armor]] use, yeah. They can also teach general close-quarters/ranged [[combat]] principles."
* [[Personalities]] play a role in these lessons. Naturally lazy [[dwarves]] will have a harder time learning and concentrating, though they can overcome them with [[skill]]/attribute increases.
** An instructor's [[personality]] is also taken into account, as a naturally reckless instructor is more willing to send green recruits into [[sparring]] sessions.
* Squad selection/[[orders]] now can occur in real time.
* The [[military]] menu has been entirely redone.
* You can issue [[orders]] to several [[squads]] at once or several individuals across different [[squads]].
* Kill [[orders]] are now possible. You can select any creature your [[fort]] does not control to be killed.
* You can give [[squads]] nicknames if you wish.
** You can also give your [[barracks]] nicknames to help keep them separated.

=== Squad [[Equipment]] ===
* There is now a position called the '''[[Nobles (DF2010)|Arsenal Dwarf]]''' who handles various [[equipment]] delegation.
* You can now establish "'''[[uniforms]]'''" for your [[soldier]]s. With it, you can assign specific [[armor]], [[weapons]], and other such [[equipment]] that you want all [[soldier]]s in a squad to wear.
** This allows for you to establish either [[equipment]] protocols (I want this squad to carry a [[sword]] and a shield) or literal uniforms, such as all guards wearing dyed blue cloaks.
* [[Soldier]]s know the difference between [[training]], battle, and [[civilian]] [[equipment]], and when/how to switch between them, as well as how to store them, which is usually done in [[barracks]] via boxes (which can be assigned to [[squads]]).
** The above also extends to [[Wood cutter|woodcutters]]/[[Miner|miners]], who know how to properly retrieve/store their picks and axes.
** [[Equipment]] can be stored in squad boxes.
* You can now handle [[ammo]] allocation by [[material]], so you can set aside [[metal]] [[bolts]] for battle and wooden [[bolts]] for [[training]]. [[Squads]] will maintain such [[ammo]] counts on their own.
** You can also handle [[ammo]] by type, so that you can have a squad that only uses [[bolts]]/arrows left over by invaders, etc.
** You have similar control over [[Hunter]] [[ammo]].
* [[Training]] [[weapons]] are in now, made at the carpenter's shop. Due to the nature of the [[material]] rewrite, these [[weapons]] lack edges, making them far less dangerous.
* [[Dwarves]] can handle any weapon now (they are not restricted to the current 6 [[weapons]]).
** [[Blowdart]] [[squads]] confirmed.
* [[Critter]]s now become familiar/accustomed to [[items]] they use often, such as [[armor]] and [[weapons]]. Being familiar with an item gives them better rolls during [[combat]].
** They can also become attached to [[items]] and will refuse upgrades.
* [[Items]] keep track of [[creatures]] they kill now, and that will show up in the [[legends mode]].
* [[Items]] can become "named" - raised to a semi-[[artifact]] level - if they have seen a lot of battles or have killed someone of a historical figure era-level of importance.
* [[Dwarves]] will now fill up their [[Quiver|quivers]] properly - they will not go into [[combat]] with 1 bolt in their [[quiver]] if they can help it.
* You can assign specific [[items]] to units (useful for cases such as [[artifact]]s).
* [[Dwarves]] assigned to [[squads]] will go train in their free time if they have self-discipline. This includes individual drilling practice.
* 1/3 of [[dwarves]] have a "favored" weapon.

=== [[Weapons]] and [[Armor]] ===
[[Image:DF2010_1.png|thumb|400px|The new [[combat report]]s. [[Note]] the date, ability to zoom on location, and more flavorful descriptions.]]
* All [[weapons]] now have multiple '''[[attack types]]''' (a [[sword]] can use a thrusting attack, or with the blade itself, or even the pommel) and each attack can do a different type of [[damage]].
* [[Armor]] [[skill]] and quality of the [[armor]] increases your "deflection" roll, which alters the effective force of an attack.
* [[Weapons]] don't use hard-coded percentage [[damage]] anymore, but rather, use their [[material]]'s various properties in order to determine [[damage]].
* The swing velocity of a [[hammer]] is determined by the strength and weight of the [[hammer]] itself, among other things.
* Woven/Chain [[items]] have a "structural elasticity" property (compared to [[plate]]/scale).

=== Attacks ===
* [[Combat]] has been entirely rebalanced due to the new [[material]] and body changes.
* Small [[creatures]] are now able to take on larger [[creatures]] by pecking away at their bodies, something which was impossible in the old [[version]].
** Thanks to the [[material]] rewrite, though, a well [[armor]]ed knight will fare without many problems against 20 groundhogs.
** Multiple small attacks will have a cumulative effect.
* "I had a [[dragon]] fight some lions, and after a little bit of dragonfire and close [[combat]], I ended up with a [[dragon]] covered with the grammatically-in-progress "lion [[melted]] [[fat]] spatter"."
* Attacks take into account the position and relative nature of the body. Attacks won't "loopity-loop" through the body.
* Temperature transfer between wrestlers is now possible, so think twice before [[wrestling]] that [[spirit of fire]].
** Stuck-ins also transfer temperature.
* Ranged damage has been nerfed, in addition to [[bolts]] making "logical" paths now. The firing rate remains the same.
* There's now a notion of a "squared shot", in that your attack could hit someone's arm full force, but if you didn't hit in in the right area, the [[bone]] would not break. This helps many problems, such as with [[bolts]], as well as axes/[[sword]]s not lopping everything off every time you swing.
* Twisting your weapon in a [[wound]] has been balanced, and won't just amplify [[damage]] forever.
* [[Toady]] on the path of the force of an attack: "The [[armor]] is all checked in order from outer to inner, then it gets at the tissue [[layer]]s, altering the character of the attack as it goes."
* Attacks can pass through a [[wound]] sufficiently large enough.
* Force from blunt [[weapons]] can transcend [[layer]]s. For instance, a [[hammer]] can bruise the [[skin]] while breaking the [[bone]] underneath.
** As such, [[plate]] [[armor]]'s benefits are generally ignored by blunt attacks, and [[leather]] [[armor]] would prove to be more effective.
* "Solid breath can take the form of a forward moving dust puff that accidentally knocks people out due to some [[cave-in]] code. When I fix that, KOs make or may not be a parameter. Solid breath can also take the form of a solid [[glob]] (a small one right now) that is hurled like a [[stone]]. It might as well be a thrown [[stone]] of the solid. Solid breath can also be an undirected dust puff (also accidental knockouts)."

== [[Creatures]] (general) ==

=== [[Attributes]]/[[Skill]]s ===
* The attribute system has received an overhaul. There are now 19 [[attributes]] split across physical and mental. They are:
** Body:
*** '''[[strength]]'''
*** '''[[agility]]'''
*** '''[[toughness]]'''
*** '''[[endurance]]''' - this'll take some of the weight off of [[toughness]] and control your exertion.
*** '''[[recuperation]]''' - somebody suggested "resilience". i don't really like any of the names... in any case, this will control the [[healing]] of your physical [[wound]]s.
*** '''[[disease resistance]]''' - the more time i spend on infection and venom, the more this will matter for this release. there will also likely be a notion of specific immunities, some of which you could gain with exposure or whatever ends up making the most sense.
** '''[[soul]]''':
*** '''[[analytical ability]]''' - thinky stuff.
*** '''[[memory]]''' - remembery stuff.
*** '''[[creativity]]''' - being able to make up neat stuff.
*** '''[[intuition]]''' - being able to get stuff.
*** '''[[focus]]''' - being able to get into stuff.
*** '''[[willpower]]''' - being able to keep on with and cope with stuff.
*** '''[[patience]]''' - being able to handle not doing stuff.
*** '''[[spatial sense]]''' - sense of surrounding stuff.
*** '''[[kinesthetic sense]]''' - sense of own stuff.
*** '''[[linguistic ability]]''' - all of the wordsy stuff.
*** '''[[musicality]]''' - musicky stuff.
*** '''[[empathy]]''' - being able to feel other peoples' stuff.
*** '''[[social awareness]]''' - being able to manage and handle social stuff.

* [[Creatures]] now have '''[[souls]]''', and these souls serve as storage for a creature's mental [[attributes]] and [[skill]]s.
** [[Creatures]] can have multiple souls, though there is no such use in the current [[version]].
* [[Attributes]] and [[skill]]s can now "'''[[Skill rust|rust]]'''" if the attribute/[[skill]] is unused for a long period of time. The more rust the [[skill]] or attribute has, the less effective it is, and high enough rust will actually "delevel" the ability. Rust can be worked off by simply using the attribute or [[skill]] in question.
* Attribute/[[skill]] display system has been redone so as to not overwhelm the player.
** [[Skill]]s have been split up into '''[[Skill groups|15 logical groups]]''' to make assigning [[skill]]s easier.
* [[Creatures]] now have a "'''[[situational awareness]]'''" [[skill]], which handles a [[creatures]] ability to deal with surprise attacks and ambushes.
* The [[wrestling]] has been split into the following [[skill]]s:
** '''[[Wrestling]]'''
** '''[[Dodging]]'''
** '''[[Grasp strikes]]'''
** '''[[Stance strikes]]'''
* There are also general '''[[melee attack|melee]]''' and '''[[range attack]]''' [[skill]]s (which help with [[combat]] rolls but are separate from "axe mastery", etc.)
* [[Attributes]] and rust rates are linked to specific castes, so you could have brutes intermixed with brainy [[creatures]] of a single race.
* "Ceilings of [[attributes]] are a percentage of the starting value. So a strength 1000 [[dwarf]] might attain 2000, and a strength 750 [[dwarf]] might attain 1500."

=== Appearances ===
[[Image:DF2010_2.png|thumb|400px|The new description window]]
* [[Creatures]] are now unique to each other with different appearances, including hair [[color]], facial features, etc.
** These are visible in [[adventurer]] mode as well.
** Different [[color]] patterns are also available, like striped or mottled.
* [[Creatures]] can also be fatter/taller/etc. than usual. This affects their [[size]]. Fatter [[creatures]] can last without [[food]] longer.
** [[Creatures]] have a '''[[metabolism]]''' now, which deals with how fast they heal and how fast they burn [[fat]].
** [[Fat]] [[creatures]] also move slower.
* The trimming of hair/nails is also possible for civilized [[creatures]], and they will grow long and unkempt without such activities.
* [[Creatures]] '''[[genetics|inherit appearances from their parents]]'''. This includes dominant/recessive genes.
** As one example, you can use this system to breed your dogs to a certain [[color]]/[[size]].
* [[Layer]] trimming/caring uses style definitions from a culture. Some cultures may grow beards, others may shave them. Prisoners, etc. may be forced to adapt these new styles.
* Speaking of beards, as if it wasn't obvious by now, but this means [[dwarves]] finally have beards!
** On a more startling note - so do [[elves]]!
* [[Creatures]] can now be part of a '''[[caste]]''', and this may govern many things, such as their profession, appearance, etc.

=== Bodies ===
* Tissues now come in [[layer]]s. You must bypass a [[layer]] to reach one below it. Some [[layer]]s are dependent on others (hair can only exist if there's [[skin]] underneath it, etc.)
* '''[[Hair]]''' acts as a [[layer]] on [[skin]]. It can come in many different styles (sparse, strands, etc.)
* '''[[Hair]]''' grows and eventually grays over time. It can be trimmed, and if left alone it will become shaggy and unkempt.
* Body parts and tissue [[layer]]s can be made out of any [[material]] you want, such as for logical [[creatures]] like [[Iron man|Iron Men]], and illogical abominations like [[Dwarf]] Lung Men.
* It's now possible for some [[creatures]] to be made out of solid [[material]], such as [[Iron man|Iron Men]], who are much harder to fight.
* You can also have hollow body parts, perhaps filled with air or other [[materials]].
* Some [[layer]]s can serve as protection, such as [[Chitin|chitin layer]]s. [[Bone|Bone layer]]s also protect organs, such as the [[skull]] protecting the brain.
* [[Creatures]] now have teeth, rib, cheeks, eyelids, nails, and lips. Teeth and ribs are not individualized, but rather are tracked by groups (i.e., top left molars, etc.)
* [[Creatures]] also now have tendons and ligaments, and are made from the "sinew" [[material]].
* [[Creatures]] store energy from their [[food]], getting [[fat]]ter and more muscular.
** [[Fat]] affects such things as insulation, speed, etc.
** Strength also increases muscle [[size]]. Both have an effect on a creature's total [[size]].
* Guts are realistically [[color]]ed - crazy stuff!
* It is now possible to "flay" a creature. Have fun!
* We've also got [[water]] freezing into frosty stuffs on people if they get [[wet]] and then step out into the cold, and [[steam]] coming off of spirits of fire in the rain.
* [[Skeletal]] [[critter]]s now have their [[bone]]s held together by rotted ligaments.

=== [[Thoughts]] ===
* "[[Thoughts]]" of a [[dwarf]] have been redone. The new screen includes their current [[thoughts]], age/birthday, physical description paragraph, a description of their [[attributes]], their likes/dislikes, and their mannerisms. Also included are descriptions for their [[wound]]s/scars.
* A [[dwarf]]'s birthday and age are stored in their [[profile]] now.
* [[Dwarves]] now have '''[[mannerisms]]''', such as "always scratches his head when he's trying to remember something", "laughs at his own jokes" or "talks to herself whenever she's bored". There are 65 types with 3-5 situation qualifiers.

== [[Fortress Mode]] ==

=== Organization ===
* '''[[Burrows]]'''! Burrows are areas in your [[fort]] where [[dwarves]] live and work in. You can assign these areas like [[zones]] and assign [[dwarves]] to them. [[Dwarves]] will only use [[workshops]], rooms, etc. in burrows they are assigned to.
* There are a significant number of ways to utilize burrows, from restricting certain [[mining]] expeditions to [[skill]]ed [[dwarves]], to making noble districts, to setting "emergency" [[zones]] for [[civilian]]s to flee to, etc.
* You can set [[soldier]]s so that they defend certain [[burrow]]s. If an enemy enters a [[burrow]] they know enough to stop what they're doing and head towards it to defend it.
* You may choose and appoint someone as your [[baron]] when you reach [[barony]] status. You can elect not to have one as well.
* There are now "code generated" positions, such as '''[[priests]]''' who are named after the [[god]] they worship (Priest of Ciramore, etc.)
* [[Dwarves]] won't immediately drop everything if they find themselves hungry or tired, and will try to finish their current [[job]] first.
* There's a difference between sleeping [[barracks]] (known as a Dormitory) and squad [[barracks]].
* Liaisons will be generated from scratch if they die.

=== [[Workshops]] ===
[[Image:DF2010_3.png|thumb|400px|[[Statues]] now have art associated with them.]]
[[Image:DF2010_4.png|thumb|400px|Some new [[crafts]] you can make.]]
* [[Statues]] and figurines now have art associated with them.
** "[[Statues]] of specific [[dwarves]] get the [[dwarf]]'s name right in the item name."
* Custom [[workshops]] are now able to be modded in, allowing you to set up custom [[reactions]].
** These can support [[corpse]] harvested [[items]], like shells/horns, and might use barrels/other [[containers]].
* You can now make [[crafts]] out of horn, ivory, teeth, and other new body parts.
** These include dragon tooth [[rings]] and ivory [[crown]]s.
* [[Butchery]] has been overhauled due to the new body part systems, with [[creatures]] yielding many more parts for consumption.
* It is now possible to have automated [[fishing]] [[cleaning]] and [[fat]] rendering.

=== Alerts and [[Announcements]] ===
* The alert statuses (i.e., "Stay Indoors") have been entirely redone. You may set several custom alerts with a user defined behaviour. For instance, you could set a "[[Underground]] Attack" alert where you force [[soldier]]s to equip melee [[weapons]] and head to a predefined location.
* These alerts can also be assigned to [[civilian]]s, such as telling them to flee to the great hall.
* [[Combat reports]] have been redone in hopes of consolidating sentences and making it more interesting to read
* Combat reports are separated into [[combat]], [[sparring]], and hunting reports. You'll see a notification on the side of the screen letting you know a [[combat report]] has been generated.
** They are also timestamped.
* You can choose different options for each announcement, like whether you want it to pause the game or recenter your view.

=== Trading ===
* Caravans can now bring sand and glass!
* Also flasks, waterskins, quivers and backpacks.

== [[Healthcare]] ==

=== Doctors, hospitals, and how to cure what ails you ===
[[Image:DF2010_5.png|thumb|400px|The new [[wound]] [[color]]ing system.]]
* '''[[Hospitals]]''' are used like [[zones]]. [[Items]] used within these [[zones]] (beds, tables, boxes) allow for hospital use.
** They also use a new item, called a '''[[traction bench]].'''
* '''[[Doctors]]''' can "prescribe" treatment, such as bed rest, using splints for broken [[bone]]s, amputation for infected limbs, and surgery.
** Doctors will set [[bone]]s for simple fractures, use traction for difficult overlapping fractures and use surgery for disgusting compound fractures. They also excise [[rotting]] tissue and amputate limbs too rotted off to save.
** The system where [[dwarves]] heal on the [[season]] change is gone.
* [[Wound]]s are dressed with '''[[bandages]]''', which speeds [[healing]] and slows bleeding.
** '''[[Sutures]]''' make [[wound]]s heal faster.
** Sutures can be ripped out in [[combat]], causing pain/bleeding.
* '''[[Crutches]]''' are now in the game, allowing one legged [[dwarves]]/injured people to walk normally (as opposed to crawl). They will move faster as they get comfortable with their new crutch.
** '''[[Casts]]''' are also in.
* [[Creatures]] can now clean the filth they acquire due to various [[materials]], like mud, [[blood]], [[vomit]], etc.
** As such, [[soap]] has a use now, which deserves its own bullet point.
* You can appoint a "'''[[Nobles (DF2010)|chief medical dwarf]]'''" to handle the various medical information, which requires the "'''[[Diagnosis]]'''" [[skill]].
** What type of various medical information? "unit [[wound]]s/status/required treatments/medical history, etc." - Think of it like the [[bookkeeper]].
* [[Dwarves]] are more proactive in saving [[wound]]ed people, and will do what they can in regards to bleeding on the way to the hospital.
* "Eyelids clean the eyes so you don't have to [[soap]] them off, but if an eyelid is torn off, I think they might [[soap]] the eyes."
* Patients can use [[soap]]/[[water]] to clean [[wound]]s and grime to reduce infections. Sutures, casts, etc. will reduce infection as well.
* All cloth and thread [[items]] have associated lengths/areas now. Threads are use for sutures (thus, one "thread" item could be used for multiple sutures) and cloth is used for bandages. [[Items]] in this way aren't split (a la coins or [[bolts]]), but rather, they're consumed in pieces.
* Unskilled or apprentice doctors can make mistakes when treating a patient or doing surgery.
* "[[Healthcare]]" as a [[skill]] is gone. It's been replaced by 7 new labor [[settings]], 5 unit types, and 6 new [[skill]]s.
** There are different type of doctors associated with the [[skill]]s.
** Dressing [[wound]]s, diagnosis, surgery, setting [[bone]]s, suturing and walking with crutches appear to be the new [[skill]]s.

=== [[Wound]]s and [[injuries]] ===
* The current 15HP-per-body-part system has been dropped in favor of individual [[wound]] tracking.
** The above also allows for scars.
* Open [[wound]]s can get simple infections, which results in oozing pus, slow [[healing]], and can even kill.
** [[Rotting]] [[wound]]s smell and contribute to infection levels, as does grime buildup.
* Tissue [[layer]]s can boil off when exposed to extreme heat.
* Phantom pains are gone.
* You can [[damage]] a creature's motor and sensitivity nerves. Motor [[damage]] prevents that part from working, and sensory nerve damage makes you lose feeling in that body part.
* Partial and compound fractures are now possible.
* Fractured [[bone]] can be knocked inwards to cause [[damage]] to organs, like forcing a jagged piece of [[skull]] into the brain. [[Bone]]s can also [[pierce]] [[layer]]s, like having [[bone]] sticking out of your [[skin]].
* Guts are under [[pressure]] and can pop out of a [[wound]].
* Injured [[creatures]] can continue to work if they are treated. A miner who breaks his left hand will go back to [[mining]] with his right hand (after his broken hand is set in a cast).
* "There are lots of [[wound]]s that won't heal now if they aren't treated (aside from the nerve stuff, the three kinds of bad breaks won't heal if not treated), and infected [[wound]]s heal very slowly."

=== Poisons ===
* Types of poison effects: pain, swelling, oozing [[wound]]s, bruising, blisters, numbness, paralysis, fever, bleeding, coughing/[[vomit]]ing [[blood]], nausea, [[vomit]]ing, unconsciousness, necrosis, impaired vision, drowsiness, and dizziness.
* Poisons can be contacted, injected, or inhaled.
* You can be immune to poisons; [[creatures]] seem immune to their own poisons.
* Severs transfer containment, so that a ripped off venom fang from a [[Giant Cave Spider]] will remain venomous. As of now you cannot use it as a [[weapon]].

== The Underground ==

[[Image:DF2010_6.png|thumb|400px|An example of the new caverns. Here you can see open areas and [[underground]] lakes, as well as passages linking them together]]

=== Underground Features ===
* Underground [[layer]]s have been entirely revamped, allowing for more diverse [[underground]] with new [[creatures]], features, and other interesting goodies, such as Mushroom Forests.
* The standard amount of [[layer]]s (around 15) has been scrapped and increased dramatically; upwards of 50-100 [[layer]]s.
* Each cave [[layer]] [[region]] (which is a certain depth and portion of the world map) has its own name, animal populations, [[civilizations]], etc.
** They also show up on the legends screen.
* '''[[Caverns]]''' now exist [[underground]]. Caverns are open areas underneath the earth, and are home to [[creatures]], [[underground]] lakes, and other interesting features.
* Features are much more easy to discover, and almost every site is guaranteed to have SOMETHING interesting in it.
** For instance, [[magma]] is almost always guaranteed to be at the very bottom [[layer]].
* Features can span multiple world tiles, and can be explored via adventure mode and [[dwarf]] [[fortress]] mode.
* You can use [[world gen]] parameters to get rid of [[underground]] features. The default [[settings]] are set for cavernous so you're guaranteed to find cool stuff.
* Features are not instantly revealed anymore. [[Underground]] areas must be explored by [[dwarves]] prior to revealing features.
** So yeah, the new system is to have a 60 or so tile [[flood]] out from your [[dwarves]] as they go [[underground]], and any time they get within 30 tiles of the 60 tile [[flood]] (flags are kept when the [[flood]] got out to 30, roughly), it'll [[flood]] out again, picking up those flags and placing new ones, so it moves out in a kind of chunky way.
** [[Squads]] can't take [[orders]] to walk into hidden [[zones]] (must reveal first).
* It's possible for an [[adventurer]] to enter a massive [[underground]] cavern on one side of the world and journey all the way to the other.
* Bottomless pits and chasms are gone for the time being, replaced by finite caverns.

=== [[Critter]]s (normal and animalman-y) ===
* Underground animalpeople can use crude [[weapons]] and mounts now.
** Batmen could ride giant bats and shoot poison darts at you with makeshift blowguns made from [[giant cave spider]] legs - whoa!
** Their goal is to cause as much havoc as they can before sneaking back home.
* Underground [[critter]]s are "drawn" from a large population that is off site. They will replenish their population so long as a cavern has an open "edge" allowing them to spawn in.
* The above, coupled with other changes, allows for the possibility of never-ending attacks.
* [[Antmen]] now have creature castes which separate them, including queens.
** There are also [[antmen]] nests to worry about.
* '''[[Gremlins]]''' are back. These sneaky dudes are invisible until spotted, and will step on [[pressure]] [[plate]]s, pull levers, and open cages.
* There are many new (toadyOne mentioned around 40) [[underground]] [[critter]]s.

=== [[Critter]]s (random beasts) ===
* Random [[critter]]s are now possible. They come in two flavors: "'''[[Titans]]'''", which are above ground and serve as megabeasts, and "'''[[Forgotten Beasts]]'''", who live [[underground]]
* Random [[creatures]] are just that - random. The can have unique attacks, like firebreath or poison, as well as a random number of body modifiers like legs, wings, etc.
** Some examples: a ribbon worm with wings made of stretched [[skin]]. An eyeless antenna lizard. A [[glob]] of [[vomit]] inside a round shell.
* They pull from certain base types (blob, quadruped, humanoid) as well as various animal/creature features.
** Dinosaur types (?!) are also now possible
*** They have feathers to boot
* These are seen as the ultimate challenge of the game

=== [[HFS]] ===
* The old [[HFS]] that we know of is gone, replaced by new baddies. The [[critter]]s of the [[HFS]] seemed to have survived the [[version]] change, however.
* [[Toady]] has spent countless days working on the new [[HFS]], and he's been silent on what it could entail.
* There is a lot of nasty stuff underneath, seemingly related to the old "end of the world" timers.
* It should be a bit different, a bit the same, and always a threat rather than a one-time problem.

== The World ==

=== [[Civilizations]] ===
* There is now the notion of a '''[[split leadership]]'''. Some leaders may prefer to be "traditional" rulers, hanging back in their cities while appointing generals to command their armies. Others may prefer to lead battles and wars themselves.
* [[Goblin]] society is more violent than ever. They respect those with power, and [[demons]] will be forced to kill for their loyalty. Other [[goblin]]s, however, can do the same.
** [[Goblin]]s obtain their structure over the course of world generation. For instance, [[demons]] are not hard-coded as leaders, and must earn their position.
* Forgotten beasts can escape from the [[underground]] and try and pass themselves off as [[god]]s, gaining worshipers and taking control of [[civilizations]].
* Leaders of [[civilizations]] can now own "pets" - and by that, I mean they can [[tame]] wild animals and use them in war. [[Giant eagle]]s, [[tiger]]s, everything is fair game.
** [[Elves]] have a great advantage here for obvious reasons, but [[dwarves]] will be able to make use of [[underground]] beasts.
* '''[[Priests]]''' are back.

=== [[World Generation]] ===
* "I've added the ability to specify in the [[world gen]] parameters the number of sky z-levels, the number of z-levels minimum between each [[layer]] (it'll often be more because of elevation changes), and the number of extra z-levels down at the bottom."
* Much of the map feature code was rewritten to be more flexible in future expansions and updates.

=== [[Megabeasts]] (general and [[Titans]]) ===
* [[Megabeasts]] aren't pushovers in worldgen anymore, and will survive longer and get more kills.
* [[Titans]] in good areas will be benign/neutral to [[creatures]].

== Bugs ==
* Dwarves raid elf (all?) caravans for cloth (maybe thread as well) for the hospital zone.
* When crafting shell crafts, craftsdwarves never actually produce a shell craft, but instead sit forever with the same shell, with their skills increasing.
* Dwarf with compound fracture and mangling on his toe's nail and skin never recovered, surgeons performed "surgery" on said dwarf for years but nothing ever healed.
* Dwarves who are assigned to squads seem to be permanently affixed to the soldier life - changing schedules, training options, switching out dwarves, disbanding the squad: nothing works. All they do is eat, drink, sleep, Individual Combat Drill and take Kill orders.
** I am unconfirming this. There is an amount of delayed reaction on forming and unforming squads but all (3 remaining) of my dwarves were able to get back to civilian activities after canceling the kill order of their squad. --[[User:Another|Another]] 10:41, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
*** How long? I have dorfs locked in soldier mode for several seasons now. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 11:24, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
* When wrestling, you can grasp other creatures by their individual teeth.
* When iron men and maybe Bronze Colossi die, the statues that make up their corpses adopt images of creatures (I.e: Statue of a dwarf 1) and events.

== Links ==
*[[Notes on new positions]]

v0.31 Talk:Military

2010-04-02T07:07:08Z

AbuDhabi:

I am verily confused. Is it possible to create squads which act like civilians unless activated? I don't want them to train, but to do their normal duties, while remaining nominally a squad. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 18:05, 1 April 2010 (UTC)
:From what I've seen, in some cases squads do only activate when given orders, then go back to their civilian roles when the orders are canceled. I think what you'd want to do is define no orders in the Schedule screen (or just keep them in the Inactive alert level, which has no orders by default), then give them direct move or kill orders through the Squad screen. They should activate when you give the order, then go back to their civilian duties when you cancel their orders. On the schedule screen you can also tell them to either wear their military clothes when inactive or wear civilian clothes and only equip military clothes when active. --[[User:Valdemar|Valdemar]] 18:25, 1 April 2010 (UTC)
::I have them set to Inactive, but all they do is Individual Weapon Drill, completely ignoring civilian work such as making stuff and building workshops. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 07:01, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
::At least I think I did. This is somewhat confusing, and I need to switch booted OSes to run DF. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 07:07, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

[http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3286986&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=14#post374739063 This] Something Awful post has a treasure trove of information on how the military screens work. If someone could work on editing it into the page (with proper attribution at the bottom, of course), that would be excellent. [[Special:Contributions/76.84.96.216|76.84.96.216]] 05:20, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

v0.31 Talk:Military

2010-04-02T07:01:05Z

AbuDhabi:

I am verily confused. Is it possible to create squads which act like civilians unless activated? I don't want them to train, but to do their normal duties, while remaining nominally a squad. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 18:05, 1 April 2010 (UTC)
:From what I've seen, in some cases squads do only activate when given orders, then go back to their civilian roles when the orders are canceled. I think what you'd want to do is define no orders in the Schedule screen (or just keep them in the Inactive alert level, which has no orders by default), then give them direct move or kill orders through the Squad screen. They should activate when you give the order, then go back to their civilian duties when you cancel their orders. On the schedule screen you can also tell them to either wear their military clothes when inactive or wear civilian clothes and only equip military clothes when active. --[[User:Valdemar|Valdemar]] 18:25, 1 April 2010 (UTC)
::I have them set to Inactive, but all they do is Individual Weapon Drill, completely ignoring civilian work such as making stuff and building workshops. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 07:01, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

[http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3286986&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=14#post374739063 This] Something Awful post has a treasure trove of information on how the military screens work. If someone could work on editing it into the page (with proper attribution at the bottom, of course), that would be excellent. [[Special:Contributions/76.84.96.216|76.84.96.216]] 05:20, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

v0.31 Talk:Military

2010-04-01T18:05:36Z

AbuDhabi: Created page with 'I am verily confused. Is it possible to create squads which act like civilians unless activated? I don't want them to train, but to do their normal duties, while remaining nomina…'

User talk:0x517A5D

2009-08-30T19:23:24Z

AbuDhabi: /* Artifact quality */ new section

== Reveal2 ==

Feedback for the Vista-compatible version of Reveal goes here, please.

Running Reveal 2, using windows 7 RC, DF ver.40d11 with mayday.
Gives the error: Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item.
I have made myself the owner of all the files, and have tried running as admin. Any ideas?

:Not really. That error message's text is not in either reveal2.exe or in the binary modules. The error message may come from the binary modules anyway — I don't have [[User:Rick|Rick's]] source code so I can't tell for sure. But I suspect that this error is coming from Windows; it is failing to run reveal2.exe at all. I can reproduce the error message (in XP) by restricting the permissions on reveal2.exe to deny my own user account access to it. I think check the permissions on the files — just because you're the owner doesn't mean you necessarily have permission to access the files.

== Seekret Projekt ==

Wow, just tried it out and it works great in 33g. It's amazing the way it reveals the locations of all major features on every map square. I've only briefly checked it out, but I picked a 5x5 area which your tool revealed to have 2 magma vents, an underground water pool, adamantine, and part of a chasm. After embarking and running reveal.exe I confirmed that all features shown by your tool matched the features available and the correct locations. Your tool will make looking for good starting locations at least 5000x easier, considering you can see every single feature location when selecting where to embark. No need to embark and run reveal to find where the major features (especially adamantine) are. Truly great work. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 21:53, 22 December 2007 (EST)
:Great! Good to hear. I am particularly interested in any feature that reveal turns up but was not shown by this tool. Also if you see a question mark in the local map view, please report that. (If at all possible, with world-seed and a screenshot showing the X cursors.) Off on a tangent, what should I call it? FeatureFinder? feature-finder, with a dash? Regional Prospector? —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 22:15, 22 December 2007 (EST)
::I've scanned around a fair bit on a couple of my current world maps and didn't come across any question mark squares. I have noted that caves don't show up. I don't know whether you could locate them in memory the same way as the map features though, since they're probably generated and allocated differently. I can provide a seed and location with a kobold cave if you need it. As for the name, FeatureFinder is concise, but the name "Regional Prospector" gives a better general idea of what it does. I like that one, particularly the "prospector" part. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 23:02, 22 December 2007 (EST)
:::I didn't even think of caves. Yes, I'd like the seed and location. I can't promise anything though. I think caves are not a per-tile thing. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 23:08, 22 December 2007 (EST)
::::Understandable. Here it is, the world seed is 7810 as posted in the description: [[:Image:Local_Kobold_Cave.png]] --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 00:47, 23 December 2007 (EST)
:::::I don't think I can do caves. It's gotta be stored somewhere, but it's not in the place that this tool looks. I will keep an eye out.
:::::Not a total loss, though, because I found a bug from looking at this map: the tool is not displaying underground rivers. Easy fix, but I'm not going to do a new beta version just to fix that one.
:::::I also saw some interesting behavior from DF's map sizing. If you choose a 2x2 with that volcano at top left, you get a 2x2. But if you choose a 3x3 with volcano at top left, you get a 5x5 with volcano at middle left. It looks like either the chasm or the cave triggers this, even though the chasm is entirely out of the 3x3 selection, and the cave appears to be built so that it is out of the selection as well. I need to play with this some more. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 01:53, 23 December 2007 (EST)
:::Just wanted to chime in and say I vote for Regional Prospector.--[[User:N9103|N9103]] 16:05, 23 December 2007 (EST)

I'm impressed. I didn't even realise the features were in memory before you embarked into areas. This baby finds chasms, lakes, adamantine, and the smaller magma lakes that never showed up on the map. Finding good start locations has never been easier. Before I was having to find squares with good minerals and then just embark on the entire map and reveal it all to see if it had good features, with this you can just look at a glance. The only things I see missing are the caves and cave rivers, which you two already noticed. No errors so far, I'll report any if I find any. Thanks for a great tool. Also, I think FeatureFinder is a fitting name. - [[User:Paul|Paul]] 12:55, 23 December 2007 (EST)

I may have found a bug. Your utility shows a magma pool right next to a goblin tower, but upon reveal, it doesn't appear to exist. The seed is 3590640052 and the location is [http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/2849/misleadingmagmaia0.png here]. I have to say, though, that overall this is a fantastic utility- the most useful external program for this game since reveal. Heck, it's probably better than reveal in the long run. Thank you for finally allowing me to satisfy my OCD. --[[User:Eiba|Eiba]] 14:06, 24 December 2007 (EST)
:Yes, I get the same behavior. I didn't actually check with a debugger, but I checked with my test version, and it's definately flagged by the game for being a magma pool.
::[[Image:0x517A5D_Eiba%27s_bug_report_location.png]]
:I actually suspect that this is correct (if unexpected) behavior: the game's local-map generator is preventing features from being generated under or too close to civilization areas. It might be worth exploring other towns with a feature next to them. Anyway, I don't think I can do anything about this... it's just one of those things, y'know? And good luck with that OCD; this utility made mine worse. (I just know that if I keep looking, I'll find a 4x4 limestone magma water chasm pits trees haunted location.) —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 15:27, 24 December 2007 (EST)
:::So I was looking all over for the discussion of this thing - and I just got to hand it to you - you just saved countless hours of my life looking for the perfect starting location. Holy shit this is awesome. I could practically open-mouth kiss you. *cough
:::I can verify cavelakes and whatnot are revealed :) Anyhow, thanks - and I'm surprised that there aren't too many raving posts on the forums about this. (I'll also give you a heads up if I find that legendary adamantine/magma/trees/chasm/flux/sand epic location in a terrifying 5x5 or less) --[[User:KaelGotRice|KaelGotRice]] 00:43, 26 December 2007 (EST)
::::You should post about this tool in the forums! [[User:Bartavelle|Bartavelle]] 06:17, 27 December 2007 (EST)

::Great frickin' utility. If I find that haunted superdense 4x4 I'll let you know, I've been looking for it too. (Terrifying's even better, as it is evil + savage.)
::Small request: add a "map legend" to the Utilities page or include one in the zip. I've never seen those numbers displayed in the above screenshot, just #s and ~s.
::I saw one map where a red single ~ next to a long set of #s didn't turn up magma at any depth, so what you say about the local-map generator probably applies to features other than civilizations.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 19:49, 26 December 2007 (EST)
:::A map key is a good idea. I'll package one with the next release, and I'll throw up a quick one one on the utilities page as well.
:::The numbers in the screenshot are from my initial alpha test version, which I never released. Do you think that I should put them in the normal tool, as an alternate display mode? I thought they wouldn't be useful.
:::Was there any feature where the magma should have been? Could it have drained out into the chasm? If you still have the seed and location, I'll look at it. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 20:02, 26 December 2007 (EST)

::::Seed 92001, generated under .33e, I think. [[:Image:92001_busy.png]] It didn't drain into the chasm; there's no "empty space" anywhere in the column indicated by RP. This is a really nice location btw; two chasms, surface and underground river and lake, steel, sand, pits, and my favorite, skeletal elephants. There's over 200 hostiles on the map right at the outset. However, the pits/cave river and magma/elephants are not near each other, requiring a starting location at least 7x10.
::::I don't think having RP display numbers is necessary. I assume they indicate depth -- I'd rather know nothing about the actual placement of things as long as I know the grid contains the features I want.
::::Say, maybe you could create an automated map-searcher where you tick off what features you want and the searcher identifies starting locations containing them without telling you exactly where each feature is...--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 22:44, 26 December 2007 (EST)
:::::The numbers are the internal feature flag value. 2, for instance, is cave pool. I have been pondering such a map searcher. It would require extremely intimate knowledge of the internal map representation, which is presently beyond me. Regional Prospector does its magic by hooking into the drawing of each map cell, so it doesn't have to traverse the data structures itself. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 22:59, 26 December 2007 (EST)
::::::If you're just hooking into the drawing of a map cell, couldn't you also add a call to something that would keep track of where, for instance, magma vents are? Something like that would make Ziusudra's magma search utility a lot faster; instead of waiting a quarter second and looking through the screen, such a search utility would scan across the map as fast as the game can update. —[[User:Tacroy|Tacroy]] 00:16, 31 December 2007 (EST)
:::::::Maybe... Hmm. Maybe. I could make a list with little problem. The hard part would be getting the info out. I immediately envision a co-process, probably a custom debugger, that collects the information from code tweaks in DF. And either that program, or an AHK script, would feed input to DF to traverse the map. Hmm. Really, this sounds like a project that's a couple orders of magnitude harder than RP was. With RP, I just inject a few lines of carefully written assembly code. Debuggers are hard. Interesting idea, though. Also, nice m-dash. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 01:24, 31 December 2007 (EST)
::::::::I only copy from the best :) But anyway, as long as you're injecting assembly code, couldn't you extend it to open a file and write out the interesting features it finds? This probably wouldn't work if you're limited to a certain amount of injected code; I have to say that I have absolutely no idea whether or not this would work as I've never done anything with x86 assembly, nor have I ever messed around with injecting code into memory. —[[User:Tacroy|Tacroy]] 23:03, 31 December 2007 (EST)
:::::::::I theoretically could dump data to a file. The limit on how much code can be injected is so high that it will never actually be hit in real-world use. However, I would have to (a) do all of the file operations myself using relocatable assembly code (which is even harder to write than normal assembly language), and (b) track down the operating system call addresses from scratch, the way viruses do. (Have to do that because they can be at different addresses in different processes, so I can't just find them in the patcher process and copy them across.) I estimate 1000-2000 lines of assembly, all carefully coded to not disrupt DF itself. Using a custom-built debugger might actually be easier. I am, frankly, not eager to do such a project for little personal gain. RP suits my needs and tastes quite well. Now, if you can find someone else willing to do the gruntwork, I can give info such as good patch locations, and critique their techniques. Though I probably am not willing to debug crashes — and crashes will happen, and they can be weird and mysterious. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 02:37, 1 January 2008 (EST)
::::::::::Why don't you let the patcher do the grunt work to find the system function addresses, all you'd have to do is read in the entire EXE image from the DF processes. The relocatable assembly is still definitely going to be a pain. I'd look into doing it myself, but I've already got my plate full just trying to make DFUF useful. -- [[User:Jifodus|Jifodus]] 15:09, 1 January 2008 (EST)
:::::::::::That's a interesting thought. Since the target is a single known executable, which almost certainly already imports the system calls I would need, I could indeed suck them out of the image. So that counters point b. I'll give it some thought. However if I do take on this project, I am actually leaning toward the custom debugger route. I could use C that way. And I'd learn more skills and techniques, I'm sure. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 16:49, 1 January 2008 (EST)
Maybe it's only me, and I'm doing something extremely stupid, but I can't get it to apply the patch. When I run the .exe it says that it can't find the files that it needs to patch, and suggests that they perhaps already are patched, which, of course, they aren't. I'm probably doing something stupid, aren't I? I suspected that I had possibly put it in the wrong place or something, so I ended up running it from a whole bunch of different DF folders. Alas, there wasn't any sort of readme to help us simple people. Help would be appreciated though, it sounds like a fantastic utility. I'm tired of looking for underground pools with the random chance method. I'm using .33g--[[User:Yabbadabba|Yabbadabba]] 00:55, 1 January 2008 (EST)
:Okay, lets cover the misconception first: it doesn't patch files. It grabs the running copy of Dwarf Fortress by the <strike>balls</strike> throat, and patches its memory. But if DF isn't running, you will get a different error message. So it was running. So... try this: quit out of DF, then start it back up. When DF is at the initial title screen, run the RP utility. Only once. It should not give an error message. In fact, it should give no feedback at all. Then go back to DF and choose the Start Playing menu choice. When you're looking at the Choose a Fortress Location screen, you should automatically be looking at a region which has mountains. At this point, you should notice extra symbols on the local map view on the left of the screen. Report back if this doesn't work, and we can do some diagnostics. I do agree, there should be a readme to explain stuff, as well as give a map key of the new symbols. Soon. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 02:37, 1 January 2008 (EST)
::Hey, thanks for the help man. Worked like a charm. I guess I just ran it before it got to the main menu last time. Or maybe I opened it twice. Either way, cheers.--[[User:Yabbadabba|Yabbadabba]] 03:21, 1 January 2008 (EST)
I gotta say, this is an awesome utility, I was thinking, exactly, wouldn't it be cool if someone would make a program that would fool the main DF exec into rendering "hidden" features? And a couple months later, you make it. I don't exactly know how it works, but is there a way to do the same thing to the "region" map? (the one in the middle) like, for example show the tiles that have any magma with a red background. [[User:Sergius|Sergius]] 23:13, 4 January 2008 (EST)
:Maybe. I have given this a little thought, but haven't done any of the necessary analysis of DF. The maps are rendered at different times, and by different routines, and I haven't explored what data is easily available to the Region renderer. I may look at this, or I may try to jump all the way to a "Map Info Dumper" or "Good Region Finder" as discussed above. Currently I'm devoting my efforts to art defacement tantrums. I am able to shut them off beforehand, but I can't yet counter the effect after the fact. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 21:51, 5 January 2008 (EST)
::I just came here to request this feature as well. Red backgrounds for lava tiles in the region map is _exactly_ what I need!
:::I'd love to. I really would. But it's seriously hard. In my investigations, I have learned that the localmap view is generated dynamically. That makes sense — it would be wasteful to have 257*257 localmaps in memory all at once, when only one is needed at a time. But the consequence is that the magma flag that I am looking for is not available for any regionmap tile except the currently selected one. There has to be some flag somewhere, but I haven't found it yet, and I may not be able to. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 17:24, 12 January 2008 (EST)
:::Made some progress I think. Haven't found the flag but have found the area where it must be. So maybe I can do this. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 21:53, 12 January 2008 (EST)
::::I believe that magma is centered around some sort of invisible map feature, as all the magma I've found is in clusters. Volcanoes are obvious of course, but I've found many clusters that aren't near volcanoes. By clusters, I mean 9+ local areas with one or two pockets of magma, usually all touching, with the occasional pocket that's not touching the cluster. Anytime I'm searching, if I find one pocket, there are bound to be a handful of others in the immediate vicinity. Hope this helps in finding the token or flag that marks the clusters. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 00:18, 13 January 2008 (EST)
:::This is proving to be very hard. I've already invested maybe 100 times the effort that the original RP features took me. I've gone down two or three long routes that lead to dead ends. Now I think I have found the list of map features — the same ones that show up in the region folders. If I can walk those looking for matching world x and y coordinates, and figure out where the magma flag is set in them, then it should work. If magma is even a feature, which I am not totally sure of yet. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 18:05, 14 January 2008 (EST)
::::I'm wondering if you couldn't create a utility that automatically traverses every single local square and updates the regional map if it finds something...--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 02:24, 15 January 2008 (EST)
:::::Possibly. What for?  —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 04:06, 15 January 2008 (EST)
::::::I was suggesting that as a kludge if you couldn't find the magma data you were looking for (if there's magma on the local map, update the regional map), but apparently you have finally found it.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 15:03, 15 January 2008 (EST)
Just wanted to say once again, damn fine job on the Regional Prospector. I've just posted a couple of locations found using it [[Pregenerated_worlds#Smata_Sagus.2C_The_Realms_Of_Dawn|over here]]. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 21:55, 6 January 2008 (EST)

I'd just like to say great job on your Seekrit Projekt. It does not have to be updated for .38a. [[User:Mephisto|Mephisto]] 21:06, 5 February 2008 (EST)

=== Regional Prospector version 2 ===

There is now a beta test version that highlights regional map squares containing magma in dark red. Thank you to Sergius and Polpoint for the idea. Hop on over to my main page. Leave feedback below. This project baked my brain; I am now off to bed. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 04:09, 15 January 2008 (EST)

=== Incompatible with 38a. ===

"Failed to find memory locations to patch.
Please report this at
http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/User_talk:0x517A5D"

It is expected to work with future releases of Dwarf Fortress, as long as the embark code doesn't change too much.

Hehe, not too surprising considering the version jump, that Toady could have made some major changes to embarkation. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 09:35, 5 February 2008 (EST)

The embark screen still looks the same to me, exept that Seekret Projekt doesn't work anymore ofcourse.

:Worked fine for me, at least, when the world is generated in 38a--[[User:Dorten|Dorten]] 00:30, 6 February 2008 (EST)

Correction, and clarification for those confused: the original Regional Prospector release (listed on the utilities page) works in 38a. However, the newer improved beta2 and beta3 releases (on his user page) do not work in 38a. So, you can at least get the core functionality in 38a by using the non-beta release. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 04:55, 6 February 2008 (EST)

:Okay, thanks for the report. I've not been working on it recently, but I will get back to it soon. Without checking, I imagine the problem is the new functionality in the beta. I hooked several more places in the DF code — if those hook points changed, then they can't be hooked. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 14:32, 7 February 2008 (EST)

::Yeah, im trying beta3 on 38c, and getting the error message. But the original version still works fine. (Oh and magma enabler fails too now) -[[User:Ctrlfrk|Ctrlfrk]] 21:01, 4 March 2008 (EST)

::Glad the old one still works. It's the new functionality that is the sticky point. Unfortunately I have not felt up to recreational programming for a couple of months now, much less the effort of disasssembling DF executables. I am starting to feel better, so expect beta4 soon, perhaps this weekend. That's not a promise though. I'll look at magma soon as well, thanks for the report. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 22:11, 5 March 2008 (EST)

:::A Note that the original version is still compatable (38c). Also, how's life treating you? Hopefully it's treating you well! Also hope that you'll be headed back towards working on an improved versionless version sooner than later. Best wishes in any case! --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 06:37, 28 April 2008 (EDT)

:::: Link to original version? Tried various places but all of them error out on me. --[[User:Gorfob|Gorfob]] 02:15, 15 July 2008 (EDT)

:::: Same here. I grabbed the one off the utilities page, and it does not work for me. --[[User:Deekin|Deekin]]

===Regional prospector broken with 39b===
The regional prospector (from the utilities page) isn't working with 39b either - DebugView shows that it's failing to find d1 and d2. I spent a little time trying to find them myself, without any luck (but I don't expect to try any more in the future - as far as I could tell they either simply don't exist anymore, or have been completely rewritten and are unfindable (by me, that is, since I have no idea what they do or how they were found in the first place), or I don't know enough about it to find them). --[[User:SL|SL]] 02:17, 16 July 2008 (EDT)

=== Confirming incompatibility with 39b ===

"Failed to find locations to patch; perhaps they're already patched?"
Usual message if process is already running, but nothing displayed on the embark maps.

--[[User:SquidDNA|SquidDNA]] 12:36, 16 July 2008 (EDT)

===And Mmeurk has retrofitted it for 39a and 39b===
:It turns out that Mmeurk has managed to retrofit it for 39a and 39b, and made a thread in the DF modding forum with the download for the updated version: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=20643.0--[[User:SL|SL]] 17:29, 16 July 2008 (EDT)
::I understand that .39e and subsequent don't need the utility, can anyone confirm this? —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 14:43, 12 August 2008 (EDT)
:::.39d and + have a site finder that can spot locations with specific features, but your tool is much more powerful. Many types of sites can still only be found with RP. If it could be made to work with a config file containing relevant memory locations (or able to take advantage of rick's memory xml included with tweak) I think that would be a permanent solution. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 00:09, 13 August 2008 (EDT)

==Enable magman buildings==
Due to Vista being a pile of shit with DF I run my maps revealed because of the large speed up this gives on Vista (at least on my machine) Tneable magman buildings does not work with .38c --[[User:Gorfob|Gorfob]] 02:21, 18 March 2008 (EDT)

On running magma enabling utility I get the error "Failed to locate patch point for magma forge". Running version 39e of DF. Cant find any reference to this error on the wiki or forum. --[[User:Justin Kace|Justin Kace]] 21:24, 8 August 2008 (EDT)

I have had the same issue as you Justin. Hopefully we can get a fix for this soon. --[[User:Rock Mongler|Rock Mongler]] 19:43, September 4 2008 (EDT)

I get: ''Couldn't open dwarf fortress: FindWindow(Dwarf Fortress) failed. Is the game running?'' regardless of whether the game is running. (Version 40d6) The fortress is a reclaimed human settlement, and was not ever 'revealed'. --[[User:Zatnik|Zatnik]] 08:41, 7 January 2009 (EST)

:I'm not surprised that it's no longer working. I haven't even looked at the source code in over a year. The Tweak utility can do the job and a whole lot more. (But Tweak is not yet updated for the 40d* series either.)
:Zatnik, You could try loading your fort in an older version such as .40d, using Tweak, then switching back to .40d6 or another recent version. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 13:33, 8 January 2009 (EST)

== Stone Sense ==

(Beta feedback goes here, please.)

I'm not even sure to be honest what 'Stone Sense' is. I can't seem to find any info or mentions of it anywhere but here. If you explain what SS is I would love to beta it --[[User:Vandelay|Vandelay]] 19:48, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

== Barrel-free food piles? ==

:>Also set food piles to 0 barrels, except the seedpile should allow 1. This means you need more space devoted to food piles, but you can see at a glance how much food you have. (Note: supposedly you will lose more food to vermin this way.)

You could just press Z for fortress status.

[[User:Gairabad|Gairabad]] 20:51, 7 December 2008 (EST)

:No. The Z status screen groups prepared meals together with food which needs processing to become edible, under the Other category.
:The Z,Stocks list does split out prepared meals, but that is not something I am used to doing. I will stick with what works for me. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 18:43, 8 December 2008 (EST)

::Alright. By the way, there are a lot of good ideas on your userpage. [[User:Gairabad|Gairabad]] 23:53, 8 December 2008 (EST)

== latest build ==
I noticed that in your latest build you had 4 picks, but no miner skill. Do you use untrained miners, and train them on sand? or do you skip training and just deal with the wait? I'm just wondering.--[[User:Destor|Destor]] 17:23, 9 December 2008 (EST)
:The slow mining doesn't bother me much. I can get my things safely underground quickly enough. (On a glacier map it might be different; I've never tried.)
:I normally dig a channel around the edge of the map, for protection. I'm not doing that in my current game, but it does train a miner well. Later on, I do train my real miners on soil. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 15:36, 11 December 2008 (EST)
::I loved the idea of not bothing to have dedicated miners at the start. I'm going to attempt to try this. Honestly, the first batch of migrants can have dedicated three or so miners to go legendary but it's better at the start to have more useful skills. The idea of tossing out wood-cutting is also not bad since it gets trained so fast. I'll be trying this out :) --[[User:Vandelay|Vandelay]] 19:50, 14 April 2009 (UTC)
Read your talk page shortly after getting started and found it highly inspirational :thumbsup: Also many thanks for the utils && continued involvement. --[[User:Freeze|Freeze]] 04:01, 23 March 2009 (UTC)

== Siege checklist ==

Just dropping you a note to say I found this really useful - I was going to write my own, but now I don't have to! :D [[User:FangXianfu|FangXianfu]] 13:26, 12 May 2009 (UTC)
:Oh, good. I wondered if anybody looked at that. Glad it's useful. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 23:47, 13 May 2009 (UTC)
::Can I swipe that for the [[siege]] page?--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 00:32, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
:::It's fine by me, but I'm not sure it actually should be on the siege page. Or at least flag it as, maybe, ''Suggested Best Practices'' or some such. —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 20:28, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

== Moodable skills & etc. updated ==

Some time later... [[Strange mood]]. Made a lot of tweaks, new tables, and re-ordered the overall presentation. Major rewrites are under the "eligibility" and "chance" subsections, w/ some under "workshops", and misc all over. (Comparing "history" is almost useless due to re-ordering.)--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 12:46, 28 May 2009 (UTC)
:Thanks, looks good. I see an issue I'll correct WRT "20 dwarves". Some of this is new to me, as I've not looked hard at the preconditions for entering a mood. Should this be protected with a spoiler tag the way [[thought|thoughts]] are? —[[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]] 19:04, 28 May 2009 (UTC)
::Added a spoiler warning, half way thru, after some/most of the basics. But somehow I (we?) lost the weighting of "Miner" - any idea? [[Strange_mood#Chance]] --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 08:33, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

== Artifact quality ==

What version was that inspection (the one that yielded 5x quality multiplier for artifacts) concerning item quality? I asked on #Bay12Games, but they gave me conflicting answers as to what the quality of an artifact really is.

ASCII art reward

2009-08-23T11:13:53Z

AbuDhabi: /* AbuDhabi */

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

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

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

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

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

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

==[[User: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:Hellzon|Hellzon]]==
===(17 December 2007)===
<pre>,.@@~~o~~~</pre>

A rock plopped into the cave river from the platform above. There
Durgal and the dwarf girl sat, above the murky waters. Durgal
explained, in great detail, his plans for the future. When the riches
of the mountain were plundered, he would diagram the plans for a
second fortress himself. How the dwarves would love him!

"But in your haste for riches," asked the girl, "would you have time
for the ones you love?"

Durgal's face became red as a cave turnip. He looked quickly away
from her and stared into the dark water. There, eyes gazed up to meet
him. Durgal reached for his axe, telling the girl to warn the others.
A pale, slimy hand reached out of the depths and pulled the creature
upward. It was an olmman!

===(3 September 2008)===
<pre>ff,@,.@,o~~~~~</pre>

"Back!" cried Durgal, "back to the hall!" The dwarf girl turned and
screamed. Two blind cave fish men blocked the way out. Durgal turned
and swung his axe at the olmman, now completely out of the water. It
deftly dodged his panicked swings. The dwarf girl screamed as the
cave fish men crawled toward her, arms outstretched, feeling their way
along the floor.

"By the power of the Lordaxe!" screamed Durgal, holding his axe aloft.
The dungeon rumbled. The sound of water crashed through the tunnel.
The fighters were swept away. The olmman grabbed Durgal's axe arm as
they were washed through the watery tunnel. The dwarf pulled a dagger
from his belt and jammed it into the monster's guts.

"Gula!" cried Durgal, bursting above the surface of the water. He
pulled the axe free of the olmman's grasp and brought the pommel down
on its head, knocking it senseless. "Gula!" he cried again. With
sudden terror, Durgal recalled where this tunnel led -- the chasm.
Only a few seconds until the ultimate terrible plunge.

"Durgal!" cried the dwarf girl, Gula. With all his strength, he
stretched to reach her in the crashing water.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

<pre>T..o..T

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

==[[User:MacGyvers_Mullet|MacGyvers_Mullet]]==
===Rognar:(11 November 2007)===

<pre>%%%@%%%,../.,\</pre>

The sword slid through the goblin's throat and the dying creature fell
to the ground sputtering. Rognar had been born into a world of
violence, and he would not share it with these stinking beasts.
Striding upon their unnumbered broken bodies, the warrior reached the
summit of the corpse mound and surveyed the carnage. The siege had
been broken. Here and there, a wimpering slave of darkness put up
resistance or simply clung to life, but soon they would all be
vanquished and the sun would bring a glorious dawn to the blood-red
battlefield. Rognar smiled. It was a great day to be a dwarf.

-Tarn

===Neandar Begin:(3 July 2008)===

<pre>!!()!!,k,...@,..#######||</pre>

He would never let the fiend escape again. That was what Neandar the
dwarf thought before he flung himself into the black air of the chasm
after the skulking kobold thief. For many seconds they fell, time
enough for Neandar to recall his short life and short career on the
Fortress Guard. Wet matter slammed into the dwarf's face and gave
way. The dwarf smashed through a dozen giant spider webs and hit the
ground running, hot on the trail of the kobold scum.

A huge standing ring of fire dominated the floor of the chasm. The
kobold made for the hell portal with all speed. Neandar stopped in
his tracks. It was one thing to plunge to certain death in order to
retrieve a granite puzzle box. It was quite another to cast oneself
into a dimension of ultimate evil. Yet these kobold cowards could not
be allowed to run about as they pleased. Lifting his axe over his
head, the dwarf charged into the portal of doom.

-Zach

==[[User:McDoomhammer|McDoomhammer]]==
===(6 May 2008)===

<pre>T,.ggUggg..TT------,TT,.T.U.UU.,..TTT</pre>

The three chosen warriors left the Citadel of Hope, strapped on with
all manner of magic weapons that the Council of Elders had presented
them. Shizenbubin was the tracker of the group, always hot on the
trail of danger. Shizentubin was her sister, skilled in the ways of
the blade so that no enemy neck was safe. Azoul Buck was the leader.
She ran her fingers through her short blond hair, her muscular arm
flexing, covered with the crude tattoos of her tribe.

This would be a short quest indeed. A party of goblins had ambushed
the prince on his way to the castle. All the heroes need do is return
him unspoiled. It would be easy to intercept them then on their way
to the Black Fortress, given Shizenbubin's incredible skill. However,
time was not on their side. Goblins grew bored easily and might make
sport of the prince's bodily members. Azoul set the pace, a quick
trot through the woods. She smiled at the easily-won glory that
awaited her squad at the end of the journey.

==[[User:Md5i|Md5i]]==
===(12 May 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||+++@+|</pre>

"That ought to keep 'em out," Doran said confidently, patting the granite
block which he had just slid into place. Ever since the Baron had insisted
on mining out the gold vein in the wall, Doran had been dealing with the
rats. It couldn't be helped. Gold was gold after all, but it was just
Doran's luck that the miners had broken through to a large chasm not far
from the craftsdwarf's room.

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

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

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

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

The craftsdwarf pushed the block back into place and backed away, chisel in
hand. After a moment, the scratching began anew.

===(07 Jun 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||%r%+@+|</pre>

"Leave me be, you fiend!" Doran yelled, his chisel held toward the stone
block. The scratching became louder and more persistent.

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

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

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

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

"Pity about that. I was going to ask Mul to do some etchings for me."

===(15 Jul 2007)===
<pre>##===@=D####</pre>

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mul, it would have been a thrilling project," Doran said,
pausing to take another swig of whiskey. "I can't believe how much trouble
we've been having with ratmen lately."

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

"Yes, surely something unusual is afoot."

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

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

==[[User:Midelne|Midelne]]==

===Fish Dwarf Begin: (6 August 2007)===
<pre>~~@~~X</pre>

They called him Fish-Dwarf. He was the only worker in the outpost willing to brave the depths of the cave river in order to service the floodgate mechanisms when they became clogged with the seasonal muds.

It was that time again. The farming gates weren't operational, and the planting had to begin immediately. Fish-Dwarf had his tools, and the special fins he had manufactured were secured to broad feet. Everything was ready. The frightened faces of the onlooking children would not dissuade him. Fish-Dwarf understood that this was his calling. He was the only one that could save the outpost. The dwarf inhaled, and his chest swelled to nearly double its original size. Clearing his mind, the dwarf dove into the water.

===(8 November 2007)===
<pre>~~~@%X</pre>

Fish-Dwarf swam down the narrow tunnel to the gate mechanism. The water was murky and even with his superior vision he could only just see his hands sweeping ahead of him.

The upper portion of the mechanism appeared suddenly before him. The dwarf inspected the machinery quickly, mindful of his air, yet confident that he had at least a few minutes left. The top assembly was clear, so the mud must have worked itself into the lower gears. Fish-Dwarf pushed his way down.

The swollen rotting face of a lizardman greeted him, twisted into the gears. Not again, Fish-Dwarf thought, dejected. It would take at least three trips to dislodge all of the chunks. The dwarf removed the chisel from his tool case and began working it into the sticking jam.

===(10 December 2007)===
<pre>+@@+@@@+~~~~~</pre>

"Fish-Dwarf, you have saved us!" the children shouted as the wet dwarf
pulled his way up on to the bank. He had finished his last cleaning
run, and already the floodgate was rising, ushering in the waters that
would prepare the way for the summer harvest.

"Truly, Fish-Dwarf, your mastery of the murky depths never ceases to
amaze us. You are a hero," the Mayor Kogan said, offering Fish-Dwarf
a mug of the outpost's best.

"I am glad I could help," Fish-Dwarf said, draining the mug in one
motion. "If only the river waters were whiskey, my life would be
complete."

"I fear we would never see you again if that were the case!" the Mayor jested.

Fish-Dwarf pondered a moment. "Indeed. Yet the search for the
Whiskey River is a quest for the young, I'm afraid."

"We here at Gladanvil are happy to have you," the Mayor replied as the
crowd dispersed. As the others left, the mayor pulled Fish-Dwarf
aside.

"-- and yet, I fear you cannot stay long. I've received word from
King Dorazar. He has heard tell of your talents, and our liaison from
the Mountainhome has conveyed his request for your presence at the
capital."

"My presence? Surely the engineers of the Mountainhome can manage the
mighty floodgates and channels of Steelpoint without my help."

"It isn't farming trouble, Fish-Dwarf," the Mayor said, lowering his
voice to a whisper. "Many fisherdwarves have been lost to the waters.
There is something lurking in the Lake of Columns."

===(18 January 2008)===
<pre>~~~@/~~%OB%OO%%%~~</pre>

Innumerable stalactites hung from the ceiling of the expansive gem-lit
cavern, many dipping down through the still surface of the black
waters. This was the Lake of Columns, the source of life for
Steelpoint, and now a place of dread.

Fish-Dwarf fit the blades into place on his fins. The citizens of
Steelpoint did not know what the creature was, but no fewer than seven
fisherdwarves had been lost at the shore. No matter, thought
Fish-Dwarf. King Dorazar had charged him to slay the lurking threat,
and that is what he would do. Still, the nature of the creature
eluded him. It had been years since his last combat with an aquatic
beast, and then it was only the cave crocodiles and lizardmen that
occasionally harassed his own community. Steelpoint would not have
sent for him over such a triviality. Hefting his mighty trident,
Fish-Dwarf nodded to the gathered onlookers before leaping into the
lake.

The water was clear, and he could see the broad columns well ahead of
him down to where they joined the submerged floor of the cavern.
Behind any of these formations, the beast could lurk.

There! Nestled between three columns was a gigantic bloated form on
the lake bottom. Fish-Dwarf swam closer, almost drifting. What
manner of beast was this? Great tentacles it had, and a toothy maw
which flopped open as it slumbered, surrounded by half-consumed bodies
of the dead.

Fish-Dwarf was almost upon it now, his trident lifted above his head
as he sank slowly toward the sleeping fiend. As he prepared to
strike, the lurid thing's lone eye flashed open.

===(15 May 2008)===
<pre>------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~@/~%~~~~~~~~~
------------------------</pre>

Tentacles lashed out, looping around Fish-Dwarf's torso and pinning
his arms to his chest. A force stronger than any he had ever
experienced crushed his ribs and a stream of bubbles shot from his
mouth as the breath was squeezed from his body. Fish-Dwarf
desperately slashed at the tentacles with his fin blades and as his
vision faded to black he saw that the water was thick with curling
purple ribbons of the foul beast's tainted blood. The monster's grip
loosened and Fish-Dwarf was able to free his arms. His sight had not
returned, but when he stabbed his trident downward, he felt it sink
deep into the creature. The monster's body convulsed and it raced
into the open water, Fish-Dwarf still clinging to the imbedded weapon.

I cannot let go so long as I cannot see, or I will surely be devoured,
Fish-Dwarf thought, though the beast continued on into the depths at
such speed that the diver could not maintain his bearings, and
suddenly in the back of his mind arose a strange sensation... it was
the need for air, such as he had not experienced for many years. A
tingling came to his throat and nose, and his head began to feel numb
as he became more desperate for breath, and yet slowly, his vision was
returning.

The beast slowed, its energy spent, and it settled on to the lake
bottom, unmoving. Fish-Dwarf jammed the trident into it a few times;
the thing was dead. Now, the surface! Fish-Dwarf pulled his weapon
from the monster and swam upward, but he stopped immediately. As far
as he could see in the now-dark water, a smooth ceiling of limestone
greeted him. The monster had fled into a great crack in the lake
bottom, so far and so deep that the light from the gem lamps was no
longer visible. Just the endless water and rock of the submerged
tomb of Fish-Dwarf, he thought, as he chose a direction and swam.

===Fish Dwarf End: (1 July 2008)===
<pre>,@!,.~~~~~~~~</pre>

He had chosen the wrong direction. Either that or the beast had
dragged Fish-Dwarf so far into the mountain that the fires of the
underworld were closer than the light of the lamps. His breath was
long since gone -- moving forward was all that could keep him from
panicking. After every few kicks, the dwarf would reach up to feel
the limestone. If anything, the rock was closing in. No... what's
this? His hand curled up around a sharp corner. Fish-Dwarf grabbed
it firmly with both hands and pulled, launching himself upward.

The dwarf fully expected to meet a wall of rock, but instead he glided
freely until at long last he broke the surface of the water, gasping
for air. As the dwarf calmed down, he realized that he could still
see nothing. He felt walls close by in all directions, as if he had
just swum up a shaft, though there was a ledge overhanging the water
on to which he could haul himself and rest his weary body. Fish-Dwarf
passed in and out of consciousness for a time, perhaps an hour, before
he sat up and assessed his situation.

He could dive back into the water with his lungs full of air and try
to find the lamps, now unmolested by great underwater beasts, but he
did not relish the idea of leaving the entrance to the shaft behind in
total darkness as he explored the crevice below. The only alternative
was to feel his way along the walls from this ledge above the grotto.
These limestone mountains were laced with natural caverns and after a
brief exploration of the surrounding stone he found this hollow was no
exception -- there was a mud-slicked passage that ran into the
mountain. Without hesitation, Fish-Dwarf struck out into the cavern.

-- How long since he had started on this dreary journey? Though the mud
was often thick, Fish-Dwarf had not trudged through so much as a
puddle these many days. He thirsted for spirits, nay, even water, and
he longed to swim again. The dwarf had long since abandoned his fins
and other equipment as they encumbered him too much on the march.
Every so often, he imagined he saw the gem lamps ahead, though it
could just as easily be the cooking fires of a goblin encampment, or
some darker torture, as the lights of the capital he sought. There
they were, even now... lights! Or light at least, the barest speck
in the distance ahead. Fish-Dwarf moved swiftly, no longer plodding,
still careful of the stalactites but driving forward rapidly all the
same. The speck became an opening, and he could see the mud of the
passage floor illuminated in the distance, with stone walls further
beyond. Only a few more steps...

The cavern opened out upon a rocky river valley in a canyon sheer to
the greatest heights yet welcoming the noon-day sun. The entrance
where Fish-Dwarf stood was at the bottom of the cliffs a short walk
down pebble-laden slopes to the stream below. Instantly, Fish-Dwarf
could tell that these were no ordinary waters. They were the color of
honey, yet the current flowed rapidly. And the aroma! The
intoxicating aroma! There was no question in his mind. Whether it
fell from the throne of some inebriated sky god and vanished into the
underworld to besot the armies of hell made no difference, for here,
in this world, in this very mountain range, ran the slightest stretch
of the Whiskey River. His mind unencumbered by thoughts of duty or
home, Fish-Dwarf made his way down to the riverside to drink his fill.

===Hunger Begin (11 June 2008)===
<pre>,..,.++U+,.+,.+U~U||</pre>

Suffering blighted the land with cruel hunger. Wagons brought foul
fungus from the dwarven mountains. It was barely enough to sustain
those base enough to eat such filth. The rest died. Paldadar rested
against the hilt of his great sword. He looked over his shoulder at
the dark stone castle. Turning his back on mud brick huts, the knight
passed by the scraggly bearded guards and entered the keep.

Form a high window, bright, mocking sunlight shone across the dark
wooden throne and the troubled king that sat upon it. The old man
reached for his cup, and after taking a sip, spat the vile dwarven
brew unto the stone floor. A herald in a mud-smattered tunic rushed
to wipe up the spill, but seeing the knight, rose to confront him.

"You were not summoned, Sir Paldadar," spit the herald. "Go ask the
peasants instead of begging the king for scraps from the royal table."

"Silence, Rodger," said the king.

The herald jumped away like a whipped dog. The king motioned the
knight to come forward.

"The gods have abandoned this place," said the king. "Only through
their glory will the days of bounty return. It is for this reason you
must smite the heathen Farthlings where they dwell across the river.
When their land is in ruin, the gods at last will favor us."

The knight ground his teeth. This was obviously High Priest Igland's
doing. But perhaps there was wisdom in punishing the arrogant
Farthlings for their many insults. Death by the sword was much
preferable to slow certain death by starvation.

===(17 June 2008)===
<pre>==?T?====,.UH,.U</pre>

As Paldadar walked away from the keep, peasants averted their hungry
faces. He was still a knight, even if he represented the most
wretched of kingdoms. A frail sissy approached from behind, leading
two horses. Paldadar swung around, drawing his sword. There stood
Rodger, wearing the snottiest of faces, his nose in the air.

"By the will of the king," he hissed, "I am to be your squire."

Paldadar prayed to the gods for mercy. Would that a Farthling's bolt
find his heart soon that he be saved from further tortures. Together
the pair made their way to the Temple of Love, where High Priest
Igland waited to bless their holy crusade.

The temple was built on a tall hill, a ring of marble columns
surrounding an enormous stone stele, pricking the sky with its
majesty. All around the temple, peasants scrambled to snatch at the
scraps donated by the monks that poured rotten food down the hill. As
Paldadar entered the temple, he was surrounded by fat priests and
priestesses that danced around him in a grotesque, undulating display.

The knight refused a cup of offered wine, which Rodger snatched up
and drank freely.

At the center of the temple, High Priest Igland stood, wearing nothing
save a red loincloth.

"When you wake in the morning," said Igland, "consider Love."

"Many happy couplings," said Paldadar as was the prescribed response.

"You must put an end to the Farthling menace," said the priest,
growing angry. "If their God of Suicide spreads his faith to our
kingdom, none of our desperate peasants will survive. You must strike
the heart of their kingdom and burn their temple to the ground."

Paldadar made the gesture of obedience and departed, pulling Rodger
away from the cavorting priests.

The kingdom of the Farthlings was separated from the kingdom of Love
by the River of Sorrow, whose wide fast-moving waters could only be
crossed in one place. This was the Bridge of Destiny. As the riders
approached, Rodger twitched with fear and apprehension, for it was
said the bridge was guarded by an evil water troll. At the bridge,
Paldadar held up his gauntleted hand. The horses stopped, and the
knight dismounted. Paldadar drew his sword and walked out onto the
wooden planks.

===(3 July 2008)===
<pre>%,..%,.|%.,.UH,%..%%UH,,%.~%,..(%).,.%|,..%</pre>

Green flames shot up from beneath the bridge. Horrid laughter pealed
across the blighted landscape. The knight turned to see Rodger making
tracks back to the temple with the speed of a spooked hare. Slowly
Paldadar looked over his shoulder to see the enormous bloated troll,
dripping with slime and black pus.

"You seek to pass into the land of suicide bearing the message of
love," said the troll. "What will you tell them, knight? Is slow
certain death by starvation superior than the final empowering
choice?"

"Where there is life, there is hope," said Paldadar. "Love will
overcome all obstacles!"

"Spoken like a true student of Igland," said the troll, assuming a martial pose.

As Paldadar cut the monster down, his mind was wracked with doubt.
Was the nation of love superior? He hailed from a place where young
people sold themselves for scraps of bread and yet he sought to bring
hope to a strange country. He found Rodger hiding in a nearby bush
and hauled him, protesting, across the bridge.

The land of the Farthlings was lush and green compared to the land of
love. Cherry blossoms rained down on the two riders as they wound
their way through the hills. Even in these pleasant surroundings, the
demented nature of the Farthlings soon became evident. Bodies dotted
the road here and there, swords plunged into their own guts. Corpses
hung in the trees from hastily-tied nooses, over eager to take their
own lives. As the riders passed, skeletal bodies lifted themselves
from the grass to watch them saunter on.

"Make babies, make babies, make babies," babbled Rodger, madly
reciting the Charm of Making.

At last they reached the capital of the Farthlings. The wind blew red
rose petals through the cold, dead streets. Even the cheerful sun
seemed dim in the vast tomb of a city. Rodger stared straight ahead
as they made their way to the keep, careful not to look into the dark
doorway, behind which ominous rustlings could be heard.

The flag of Farthlingland flew above the ramparts of the citadel. At
the base of the wall lay the piles of bones of those who had
hopelessly thrown themselves over the side. A wide moat circled the
castle. As the two riders approached, a draw bridge was lowered over
the water. Paldadar thought he could see a crowned figure on the wall
beckoning them inside. As they crossed the bridge, Rodger made the
mistake of looking down into the water. The currents were filled with
the souls of those who drowned themselves in desperate sorrow. Eyes
shut tight, Rodger hugged the neck of his horse, and followed Paldadar
into the gate.

==[[User:Onodera|onodera]]==
===(01 November 2008)===
<pre>"",",.@,.T,"""</pre>

"Don't let the sun set on you in the Dark Wood," said the dwarf
crones. "Ole Brick-a-Branch will get you." Nonsense, thought young
Davik as he rode his mule along the twisting green deer path. The
darkness came quickly as the sun slipped behind the trees. As he set
about making a fire, Davik pondered the dark tales of Brick-a-branch
and his mischief.

Not even the elves dared enter the Wood at night. Something older
than time haunted these cursed trees, but this valley was the quickest
way to Port City, saving at least a month of travel. As the night
grew darker and colder, Davik fumbled in his pack to retrieve the
charms and idols he had nearly refused as the journey began.

A great shape emerged from the darkness. It was a gnarled troll, as
old as the hills. It picked up Davik by the ankle.

"Not much meat here," it said.

"Please, Ole Brick-a-Branch, don't eat me," said Davik.

Having said his name, the troll was force to lay the dwarf down.

"I will not eat you," said the monster, "If you can answer me these
riddles three."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(09 February 2007)===

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

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

===(18 April 2007)===
<pre>@@@...@.####
@..T..@S####
.......#####
</pre>
The axe had scored the stone floor where it had severed the silk line. The Wolf-Mother chittered
angrily and pounced at Dolan, moving with surprising quickness. Dolan was knocked to the ground,
the enormous body of the foul creature pressing him into the stone. His axe clanged some distance
away. The blunt knobs at the end of the Wolf-Mother's forelegs dug into Dolan's ribs as her
dripping mandibles drew closer to his face. He grabbed her head with both hands, trying
desperately to keep her at bay. A foul-smelling spittle dripped on to his cheek.

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

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

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

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

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

==[[User:Rewolf31|Rewolf31]]==
===(13 April 2007)===

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Did you win, daddy?" Coren asked.

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

"What else, daddy? What else?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(25 March 2007)===

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==[[User:Termitehead|Termitehead]]==
===(4 November 2007)===
<pre>%,.@.""k</pre>
The mighty warrior felt the power run through his arms as he held up his fallen enemy's sword. He laughed as the body beneath him oozed the last of its life into the dirt. It hadn't even been much of a challenge. It was as if the worthless cur just gave up his life for nothing. Now all he had to do was return the villain's sword to the king and claim the reward.

On his way back to the castle the warrior swung the sword around his head, singing cheerfully as he skipped along. A small quick hand darted from the branches above and snatched the sword from his grasp. The warrior yelled and searched the trees above for a glimpse of the thief. A pair of yellow eyes stared back at him. A kobold!

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

Toady One and ThreeToe are continuously working on Dwarf Fortress since 4 years ago (well, when that was that written, in early 2007). On the same Idea, the Toad Preservation Society is trying to bring a very modest but continuous support. One result of this support is that ongoing series of art rewards. Slowly a story unfolds. Of course, the main target for the donation is not to get the reward, but to show the [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ Bay12Games] team that we love their project and value their effort. So let's consider each bit of that series as a nice present.

===(11 October 2006)===

<pre>.M.@$.</pre>

Deep in the fortress, a lava man springs an ambush on the treasurer, who is happily
counting coins. Could this be the beginning of the end?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 October 2006

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 12 November 2006

===(5 December 2006)===

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 5 December 2006

===(10 January 2007)===

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

A great crash echoed down the inward passageway.

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

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

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

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

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

-

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 January 2007

===(11 February 2007)===

And it keeps going and growing !!

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

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

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

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

--

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 February 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 13 March 2007

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

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

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

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

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

"Fire, Bomtek! Now!" Kogan ordered.

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 16 April 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 April 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, June 2007

==TomTheHand==

===(20 February 2007)===

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

Shrolnak glared through the rusty iron bars.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(12 March 2007)===

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==[[User:Xarph|Xarph]]==
===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>###=@=##</pre>

Kogan hurtled through the darkness, the two long braids of his golden beard streaming behind him. It was too much weight! The wings tied to his arms, made from stretched frogman skin and giant cave spider legs, fluttered uselessly as the chasm walls rushed by. He had been nervous the night before and, as usual, had gorged himself on plump helmet biscuits and dwarven rum. Now he was falling like a granite block. Kogan wondered if the philosophers were correct -- were these chasms were bottomless? He would be able to survive for several days without food or alcohol. Seeing nothing but blackness below, Kogan resigned himself to the journey ahead and began to sing his favorite drinking song.

===(19 May 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*##S##*#*#
#*#*#*#*#*#*#
#*##*###*@#*#
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

It had been two days. Kogan was dehydrated, and he had begun mumbling to himself. "Whiskey... my dear whiskey..."

Suddenly his fall was arrested by a force which seemed to hold him by the arms and legs. He still fell, but slower, and slower still, until he stopped entirely and hung in space. The dwarf tried to spin, but he was unable to move. Thick, translucent ropes held him. The reality of the situation dawned on him, and he felt sick. It was a giant web. He had been ensnared by one of the dark huntresses of the deep.

As he strained his eyes in the near-total darkness, Kogan could see her. A bloated many-legged creature, her body clear, her organs visible within. She was already moving toward Kogan, deliberately picking her way along the lines that were safe for her to grasp with her cruel claws. The creature chittered in anticipation as the dwarf struggled against the webs.

===(20 September 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*#####*#*#
#*#*#*#*S*#*#
#*##*###*@!!!
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

The spider was upon him. With what little motion Kogan had in his arms, he tried to bring the wings between himself and the voracious beast. He flailed helplessly, marshalling a defence that would embarrass even a child of his people.

Yet the spider stopped. She looked upon him with her many emotionless eyes. The dwarf could discern nothing. The spider's head bobbed up and down slowly, and she lifted several of her legs and waved them in simple patterns above the web.

A sudden realization struck Kogan -- the spider legs in the wing frames. She thinks I'm trying to speak to her! Kogan continued to wave his arms around as best he could, and she responded in kind. Giant cave spiders are solitary creatures, Kogan thought, so it must be a mating ritual. "But giant spiders eat their mates after breeding with them," Kogan muttered in horror. "I can't think of a worse way to die!"

===(13 November 2007)===
<pre>+g++%@%%+</pre>

The movement of the spider's legs had ceased. Now she simply looked
upon Kogan with her cold, glassy eyes. Her sinews tensed -- she was
ready to pounce! To what end, none dare say, though many a gruesome
and unseemly scenario had played themselves out in the recesses of
Kogan's strained mind.

A moment passed, and the bloated thing leapt forward! As she landed
on Kogan with the full weight of her body, the dwarf felt himself tear
free, and the web and spider passed up and beyond his sight as he
plummeted downward. Oh, what happy chance is this! Kogan thought.
He was free from fear now. If his body was broken into a thousand
pieces on some protruding rock, what would matter? At least he would
no longer sire an army of evil.

Soon enough, Kogan sensed that the walls were closing in. He could
not see well enough in the oppressive darkness of this deepest part of
the earth, but he felt their nearness. The dwarf said a prayer to the
Lordaxe to grant him a swift death.

Kogan felt his bottom smack hard into a smooth slope and he slid
disoriented into a twisting tunnel. The friction burned, but his
descent was slowed, and Kogan found himself gliding down an obsidian
tube. Out of a hatch he fell, landing face first in a pile of stone
trinkets. Uninjured, but sore, the dwarf stood. It still felt as if
the air was rushing by him, but he was teetering on solid ground.

The chamber was lit by torches. It was almost cheerful. The trinkets
were all finely crafted. It wasn't dwarven work, but each object had
its own peculiar charm. Kogan picked up a slate carving. It was a
rabbit wearing a jester's hat.

"Hey oh, what are you doing in the figure room?"

Kogan looked up. A mountain gnome was peering around a doorway. Only
its tilted head was visible.

"I fell," Kogan said, indicating the hatch.

"Oh my!" the gnome said with an equal measure of elation and surprise.

"You're our first visitor in years!"

"Visitor?" Kogan asked.

"Yes, my friend! I'm Largee Pottums! Welcome to Toy Land!"

===(27 February 2008)===
<pre>+g+@+%%%%+</pre>

"Toy Land," Kogan said flatly, utterly dumbfounded. The sheer
implausibility of the situation managed to drive all feelings of
hunger and thirst from his body.

"Yes, Kogan, it's Toy Land!" Largee Pottums exclaimed, jumping out
into full view. "Where do you think all of your toys come from? Your
crafts shops? Hoy hey! That would be the day!"

"Yes, our cr... wait, how did you know my name?" Kogan scratched his head.

"Do you remember the miniforge you got when you were six?" Largee Pottums asked.

"Th.. yes," Kogan finally resolved to think a little less about his situation.

"Gnomes!" Largee Pottums said proudly. "And the toy axe you got when
you were eight?"

"That too?!" Kogan exclaimed. He had such fond memories of the axe.
He used to beat his friends with it mercilessly.

"Gnomes," Largee Pottums replied, nodding in satisfaction.

"What about the puzzle box I got when I was nine?" Kogan asked.

"That was your uncle Dorol. And you just hated it didn't you? Oh
ho!" Largee said.

"Y... yes," Kogan said, disappointed. He had hoped to have somebody
to blame after all these years. At least he could confront Dorol
should he ever return home.

"Gnomes make the best toys!" Largee concluded. "Mountain gnomes for
the dwarves, garden gnomes for the humans, and dark gnomes for the
goblins. Toys, toys and more toys!"

"Gob... what about the elves?" Kogan asked, not knowing why he cared.
Like any able-bearded dwarf, he held elves in contempt.

"The elves? Hey oh! The garden gnomes used to make their toys. But
they're so finicky! One deer bone figurine and they found us out.
Humans can appreciate a deer bone figurine. The garden gnomes are
much happier now, if I do say so myself. And I do! Oo hoo!"

Kogan grunted in affirmation. He could emphathize with the garden
gnomes. Elves were nonsensical creatures.

"Now, my friend, it's time to talk to the Boss," Largee Pottums
announced, clapping his hands.

"The Boss?" Kogan asked.

"You can't make toys without a Boss. Let's go! We haven't had a
visitor in so long, he'll be excited to see you. Oh yes he will, sure
as sweet pods!" With that, Largee Pottums skipped through the
doorway, with Kogan following after him.

===(1 July 2008)===
<pre>##################
###.........%....#
###....%.......%.#
###..............#
gg@+++g+=g%g=%/=|#</pre>

"Now tell me, Kogan," said the white-bearded gnome from his plush
gaudy chair, "why you leapt into the chasm in the first place." The
Boss's coat was nearly bursting at the buttons; the red fabric made
his belly looked like one of his puffy cheeks.

"It was my dream. I wanted to fly," Kogan said sheepishly, "like a
bat, soaring through the still air free as a spark, but my
calculations failed."

"Ho ho ho," the plump gnome merrily laughed. "What a brave dwarf you
are! Now that you're here in our secret workshop, I was concerned
about letting you return home, but perhaps you wouldn't stay up above
very long before daring the chasm again."

"The chasm... the spider..." The dwarf shuddered at the memory.

"Largee! Largee Pottums!" the Boss of Toy Land shouted. "Our friend
Kogan needs some ease for his troubled mind. Why don't you show him
around Wimble Wizzer's workshop?"

"Hoo hey! Right away!" came the familiar voice from the doorway.
Kogan bowed awkwardly to the Boss and followed Largee out of the cozy
room.

--

Kogan was awestruck. It was like a scene out of his wildest
imaginings during one of those late nights at the drawing table.
Airborne contraptions looped and soared beneath the high stone ceiling
as gears turned and wings flapped or rotated according to the whims of
a particular design. Down below, three gnomes repaired and tinkered
with the devices on creaky wooden tables.

"Wimble-wee, Wimble-woo!" Largee shouted into the workshop. "I have
a guest for you!"

One of the gnomes inside turned toward the door and smiled weakly
while shaking his head, "Largee, my boy, who ever taught you to speak
in such a manner? Surely it was a gnome no less exuberant than
yourself."

Largee presented the still-stunned Kogan to the master of the
workshop. "This is Kogan, a dwarf, as you can see (hoo-ee!), and a
fellow maker of flying machines. The Boss has sent him down here to
have a look."

"Ah? So it's to be an inspection, is it?" Wimble replied gruffly.
"Well, you won't find these topside, but we're planning to sneak a few
of the truest models in during the next festival. The timetable is a
strict one, and we're still struggling with accidents." At this,
there was the sound of metal grinding on metal above as one of the
machines lurched and crashed into a table below. "The Boss is jolly
as they come, but he is also a grueling taskmaster."

"Ho ho ho," came the laughter from the doorway. "Wimble Wizzer, you
grumpus, is that the way to greet a new worker?"

Kogan turned toward the Boss, who was now standing beside him. A new
worker? The dwarf's eyes were wider than ever, and he turned slowly
back to the workshop, wearing a smile more full of unabashed joy than
any he had worn in his entire life.

"Well, you know, Largee," the Boss said, turning to the other gnome
standing at the door. "If he wants, we could just let him go back
home, if we found a way to make him forget all about Toy Land."

"We could bonk him on the head! Hee-whoa... bonk!" Largee yelled,
snapping his hand at the wrist.

"Ho ho ho," the Boss chuckled. "Don't you remember? Sometimes you
have to bonk them again and again, and they still won't forget!"

Kogan missed all of this banter, bent over the tables as he was,
looking over the damaged machine with Wimble and the others. After a
moment, Largee and the Boss slipped out of the room, leaving the new
worker to his workshop.

The End

==[[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: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.

==[[User:Minion21g|Minion21g]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>&||,g.g,gg....,.UU</pre>

Fiends pounded the trail, hunting Belmir and his thieving partner.
The two had stolen into the dark goblin tower in the dead of night and
taken the vial that held the demon king's essence. By destroying it,
they could stop the war and put an end to the demon forever. Why
destroy it, thought Belmir, when it obviously held so much value? He
and Gal would be rich men. Or, he thought, looking at Gal with
murderous intent, perhaps just me.

==[[User:NoNotTheBees|No Not The Bees]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>.M%,..U.,</pre>

The lonely cottage stood underneath a great hill of snow that had been
born of the great blizzard. Wind and sleet kept the pioneers indoors.
That, and the promise of hated predators searching for meat in the
frozen wastes. But as his family grew hungry, Fram knew that he must
join the hunters outside.

Almost immediately Fram saw the danger. Bloody footprints of a great
creature circled the cottage as if a monster sought a way inside.
Grimly, Fram gripped his spear. He must persevere lest his family
starve. He followed the monster's tracks away from his home as he
pulled his furs tight against the freezing winds.

Ahead he saw a shape, a black mound against an ocean of white.
Cautiously, Fram approached. It was the half eaten body of a black
bear. But what could kill such a large beast. As if to answer, a
monster loomed into sight, its body covered with long icicles. A
blizzard man!

==[[User:Scrollhaven|Scrollhaven]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>""@,.UE,."</pre>

With one mighty swing, Alfonso knocked away the prone elf's sword and
placed his boot on his wrist. Many moons had past since the vile
creature had killed poor Jim and ate him. Even now the elf looked up
in defiance. Finally, in these haunted woods far from home, vengeance
would be served. Alfonso held the tip of his sword over the
creature's heart, wondering vaguely if it had one.

"Back off, human," came a voice from behind, "this is my kill."

The human ranger turned to see a dwarf holding a crossbow. By the
state of his boots and armor, Alfonso could tell the dwarf too, had
been on a long quest. The elf saw its chance and snaked its way out
from between the ranger's legs and was off into the brush in an
instant. Alfonso cursed and charged after him, the dwarf close
behind.

==[[User:ToonyMan|ToonyMan]]==
===(16 January 2009)===
<pre>DDDDDDM,..@EU@@EU@UE,.</pre>

Sword and axe clashed again and again as the fighters struggled to
best each other in mortal combat. Arrows rained down on the field of
battle as man, elf and dwarf fought at once to win the day. Randar
took up the sword for the dwarves. With his mightiness he tried to
kill Giltra of the elves, but the champion was too fast. The battle
seemed endless. Roars of terror and pain were everywhere. Just then
a squadron of dragons appeared, lead by Madnar the Evil. Could there
be any hope?

==[[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.

==[[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:.Jim|Jim]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>,.U\U,.....M,.UUH..</pre>

So unsteady was the rule of the land that no one walked the halls of
Castle Sanazar alone. It had become fashion for the lords to stab
each other in the back, or perhaps poison each other's beer steins.
Not even a squire was safe. Rumors of war spread as did the news of
Sanazar's weakness. The king called an audience of all the knights of
the realm. A quest was called for -- something to prove the kingdom's
legitimacy.

The tables of the great hall filled with mighty knights as squires
rushed back and forth filling cups. The king looked on silently
through sunken eyes, having recently lost his ability to speak. He
motioned his consort to stand forth to deliver his proclamation. She
was a handsome woman, recently bound to the king, from a kingdom far
to the north.

"The flower that is Sanazar," she said, "is wilting and sick. While
we fight amongst ourselves, hungry jackals vie for their part of the
carcass. What we need is a hero, and what better to prove a hero than
a mighty quest! Far to the east lays Forgotten Quilts, an ancient
dwarf fortress abandoned long ago. It is said that within can be
found Gilded Lunch, the golden artifact boot. Return with the boot,
and return a hero! Who will take the challenge?"

"I shall!" boomed a voice from the end of the hall.

Through the door came Bram, mighty barbarian warrior, a squire
following behind, eyes downcast. The hall erupted into Chaos. How
could this outsider be given the quest? The king's consort looked on
the barbarian, heart racing. "What makes you think you are up to the
task?" she said.

"May I know thy name Madame?" asked the barbarian.

"Scandala," said the consort, brushing a blond hair from her face.

"Lady Scandala," said Bram, "I have slain dragon, cyclops, and ogre.
There is nothing under the sky that I fear."

That same day, Bram found himself on a horse on the road to Forgotten
Quilts, his squire Dolphin on a mule trailing behind. The lords of
the realm had not taken it well. Without the Mandate of the King,
returning with the boot would be useless. Bram must die. No knight
knew this better than Crusier, cruel black night of Petoun. That very
night he left the castle with his squire, taking the fast roads to
arrive on the trail before the hero.

"Help!" cried the boy, "Oh help!"

"Don't trust it Bram," said Dolphin. "I recognize that boy, a squire
from the hall."

"A countryman in distress is just that," said the hero dismounting his
horse and drawing his sword.

As he approached, he found the boy laughing. "Let's see how fast you
can complete your quest without horses!" yelled the boy.

Bram spun around to see Crusier leap upon Dolphin and, a knife to the
boy's throat, ride away on Bram's horse. The evil squire laughed
until Bram turned and brought his sword across the boy's face, leaving
a deep gash in his cheek. "I have marked you," said the barbarian,
"for you are mine now. Lead me to your master's den. Know that if he
harms a hair on Dolphin's head, there won't be enough of you left to
fill your god forsaken tomb!"

== [[User:NobbZ|NobbZ]] ==
===(16 February 2009)===

<pre>@@$@,.~~@,..</pre>

The dwarven toughs stood around the curve in the corridor, taunting
the dwarf lasses as they passed. A particularly vicious young dwarf
fingered his crossbow as he saw a dwarf he knew.

"Hey, Moody," said a thug. "There's the dwarf that owes you that coin."

"Yes," said Moody, stepping up to the dwarf, pointing his weapon.

"You owe me," said Moody. "Hand over the purse."

"I don't have your money!" said the dwarf.

The dwarven outlaws piled onto the dwarf, beating him near to death.

"I'll be back," said the blood-soaked dwarf over his shoulder as he
ran. "I'll be back!"

"You're never coming back coward!" shouted Moody.

==[[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:Shzar|Shzar]] ==
===(July 16 2008)===
<pre>&D###ggggggg,.|@@</pre>

The demon king rode high on his dragon as his vast army assaulted the
dwarf fortress below. Catapults smashed the battlements with huge
balls of fire. Bolts and arrows filled the air in a deadly exchange
of fire. Armored trolls ran into the stone gates, smashing into the
rock and sending shards flying. Not one space above ground was safe.

"How could it come to this?" cried Durkan, hands over his ears.

"Courage," said the warrior dwarf Glamsfir.

Pebbles fell from the ceiling as another bombardment rocked the
fortress. Glamsfir stood and peered out of an archery portal. The
situation was fatal. He lifted his crossbow and put down a goblin
archer in an act of defiance, though it mattered little.

"We have not long to live," said Durkan, "do we Glamsy?"

"I told you not to call me that," said the dwarf hero.

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

40d Talk:Personality facet

2009-07-31T14:35:34Z

AbuDhabi: /* Apathetic dwarf? */

==incoming redirects==
I tried to add redirects TO this page FROM pages such as "Personality" or "Attitudes" and other likely search strings but I couldn't get it to work. --[[User:DDouble|DDouble]] 00:46, 12 November 2007 (EST)
:Taking example on other redirects, you'd need to created the page you wish to redirect from and then add ''<nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Name of article]]</nowiki>''. --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 00:59, 12 November 2007 (EST)

==decision-making traits==
What trait do you suppose "takes time when making decisions", and "Often does the first thing that comes to mind" fall under? --[[User:GauHelldragon|GauHelldragon]] 16:20, 12 November 2007 (EST)
:CAUTIOUSNESS. -- [[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]] 16:56, 12 November 2007 (EST)

Where did you get all this data?! It is delicious D: --[[User:GauHelldragon|GauHelldragon]] 17:22, 12 November 2007 (EST)

:[[Memory_hacking/v0.27.169.33a]] -- [[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]] 17:52, 12 November 2007 (EST)

== Effects of personality traits on gameplay ==

So, do these affect the game at all and if so, how? The article completely fails to mention this.--[[User:Siliziumleben|Siliziumleben]] 17:15, 3 January 2008 (EST)
:They do affect creature behavior, but only in some places (according to Toady). What places? He hasn't said, and we're mostly just guessing. "More testing is needed!" [[User:Fedor|Fedor]] 23:07, 3 January 2008 (EST)
::It's been stated that they affect what skills a trader uses when trading --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 23:47, 3 January 2008 (EST)
:::I've run SOME tests, though it's really hard and the results could be flawed. It involved maxing out, and minimising traits, one at a time, on the starting parties, then doing the same actions repeatedly and seeing what happened. All other traits but the ones to be tested were held at 50%. Activity level has to do with how often they take breaks, I've noticed. Diligence has to do with how hungry/thirsty/tired they have to get before they stop working, I think, and how likely they are to drop a job mid task. The rest are yet to be tested. It's a kinda boring thing to test... Oh, and keep in mind: Random chance could have influenced my results, sadly.[[User:Le Blue Dude|Le Blue Dude]] 11:14, 26 February 2008 (EST)
::::Thanks for this work though, I am very interested to find out if other anecdotal evidence is true: Does appreciation of nature lead certain dwarves to take their breaks outside? Does artistic inclination create better engravings ("Dwarves speaking with dwarves" compared with really cool engravings describing recent events)? Does anger make the dwarf easier to upset from the loss of a loved one or masterpiece? --[[User:DDouble|DDouble]] 22:04, 27 July 2008 (EDT)
:::::Pretty sure that if you have "S/he never becomes angry" on your dwarf, then they'll never tantrum regardless of their happiness level. A dwarf from one of my fortresses was kept in the Very Unhappy/Miserable happiness range for quite a long time. I was wondering why he didn't snap until I looked on his personality sheet and saw he had the "Never becomes angry" trait. --[[User:Ancient Thingy|Ancient Thingy]] 15:04, 19 July 2009 (UTC)

== Grudges? ==

Do grudges affect anything?

== Have more been added recently? ==

Do we know if Toady has been adding more in recent versions since they were introduced? --[[User:DDouble|DDouble]] 22:06, 27 July 2008 (EDT)

== Bipolar dwarves AKA "Why so serious?" ==

So, by editing the raws, can a dwarf have both "...is in a constant state of internal rage" and "...Often feels filled with joy"? Or have both "...revels in chaos and disorder" and "...loves to make lists and keep schedules"? Then just max out the comedian skill and somehow give them "...absolutely detests [[Batmen]]". --[[User:Smartmo|Smartmo]] 16:07, 13 January 2009 (EST)

:You would ahve to edit hardcode. Actually not just edit, but write. Also, you'd have to edit how the game interperets these... etc. It just wouldn't work. YOu could suggest on the Bay12 forums that toady make bipolar dwarves who change between attributes. As for "absolutely detests batmen"... it's entierly chance that they detest any given animal. You'd have to make batmen vermin, though, to be elligible. --[[User:Sensei|Sensei: Last seen somewhere in the Basic Jungle of Terror]] 01:04, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

==Managers and intellectual curiosity==

I have been experimenting with the [[manager]] [[exploit]] and noticed that some dwarfs, even with no labors assigned will show "no job" rather than verify items in the queue or work as bookkeepers. I am pretty sure it has to do with intellectual curiosity. Someone else should verify this. Simply assign a dwarf with one of the lower value traits as the manager/bookkeeper and queue some tasks. Make sure they have an office and all labors are disabled. --[[User:Kwieland|Kwieland]] 13:17, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

:Are you sure they haven't gotten the records up to the specified accuracy, and simply don't have more updating to do? They usually get it all done at once, and then the records only need to be updated every now and then. --[[User:LegacyCWAL|LegacyCWAL]] 13:41, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

::I am certain about the manager, they should verify tasks if tasks exist. I'm not sure about bookkeepers. Why do some bookkeepers work diligently (even in advanced fortresses where the levels are "up to par") and thus level quickly while others take a long time? Perhaps it is tied to how many things are being created (stone/crafts/logs/etc)? Maybe when caravans come they have to spend more time?--[[User:Kwieland|Kwieland]] 14:37, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

== Apathetic dwarf? ==

I noticed one of my dwarfs has a trait that doesn't seem to be on the list.
"She doesn't really care about anything anymore." --[[User:Magog|Magog]] 10:11, 18 July 2009 (UTC)

Yep. I think it's a special case, since there only seems to be a boolean occurrence of this. Either the dorf has seen so much death he doesn't find life exciting anymore, or he hasn't. --[[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 14:35, 31 July 2009 (UTC)

ASCII art reward

2009-05-14T21:14:00Z

AbuDhabi:

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

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

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

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

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

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

==[[User: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:Hellzon|Hellzon]]==
===(17 December 2007)===
<pre>,.@@~~o~~~</pre>

A rock plopped into the cave river from the platform above. There
Durgal and the dwarf girl sat, above the murky waters. Durgal
explained, in great detail, his plans for the future. When the riches
of the mountain were plundered, he would diagram the plans for a
second fortress himself. How the dwarves would love him!

"But in your haste for riches," asked the girl, "would you have time
for the ones you love?"

Durgal's face became red as a cave turnip. He looked quickly away
from her and stared into the dark water. There, eyes gazed up to meet
him. Durgal reached for his axe, telling the girl to warn the others.
A pale, slimy hand reached out of the depths and pulled the creature
upward. It was an olmman!

===(3 September 2008)===
<pre>ff,@,.@,o~~~~~</pre>

"Back!" cried Durgal, "back to the hall!" The dwarf girl turned and
screamed. Two blind cave fish men blocked the way out. Durgal turned
and swung his axe at the olmman, now completely out of the water. It
deftly dodged his panicked swings. The dwarf girl screamed as the
cave fish men crawled toward her, arms outstretched, feeling their way
along the floor.

"By the power of the Lordaxe!" screamed Durgal, holding his axe aloft.
The dungeon rumbled. The sound of water crashed through the tunnel.
The fighters were swept away. The olmman grabbed Durgal's axe arm as
they were washed through the watery tunnel. The dwarf pulled a dagger
from his belt and jammed it into the monster's guts.

"Gula!" cried Durgal, bursting above the surface of the water. He
pulled the axe free of the olmman's grasp and brought the pommel down
on its head, knocking it senseless. "Gula!" he cried again. With
sudden terror, Durgal recalled where this tunnel led -- the chasm.
Only a few seconds until the ultimate terrible plunge.

"Durgal!" cried the dwarf girl, Gula. With all his strength, he
stretched to reach her in the crashing water.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

<pre>T..o..T

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

==[[User:MacGyvers_Mullet|MacGyvers_Mullet]]==
===Rognar:(11 November 2007)===

<pre>%%%@%%%,../.,\</pre>

The sword slid through the goblin's throat and the dying creature fell
to the ground sputtering. Rognar had been born into a world of
violence, and he would not share it with these stinking beasts.
Striding upon their unnumbered broken bodies, the warrior reached the
summit of the corpse mound and surveyed the carnage. The siege had
been broken. Here and there, a wimpering slave of darkness put up
resistance or simply clung to life, but soon they would all be
vanquished and the sun would bring a glorious dawn to the blood-red
battlefield. Rognar smiled. It was a great day to be a dwarf.

-Tarn

===Neandar Begin:(3 July 2008)===

<pre>!!()!!,k,...@,..#######||</pre>

He would never let the fiend escape again. That was what Neandar the
dwarf thought before he flung himself into the black air of the chasm
after the skulking kobold thief. For many seconds they fell, time
enough for Neandar to recall his short life and short career on the
Fortress Guard. Wet matter slammed into the dwarf's face and gave
way. The dwarf smashed through a dozen giant spider webs and hit the
ground running, hot on the trail of the kobold scum.

A huge standing ring of fire dominated the floor of the chasm. The
kobold made for the hell portal with all speed. Neandar stopped in
his tracks. It was one thing to plunge to certain death in order to
retrieve a granite puzzle box. It was quite another to cast oneself
into a dimension of ultimate evil. Yet these kobold cowards could not
be allowed to run about as they pleased. Lifting his axe over his
head, the dwarf charged into the portal of doom.

-Zach

==[[User:McDoomhammer|McDoomhammer]]==
===(6 May 2008)===

<pre>T,.ggUggg..TT------,TT,.T.U.UU.,..TTT</pre>

The three chosen warriors left the Citadel of Hope, strapped on with
all manner of magic weapons that the Council of Elders had presented
them. Shizenbubin was the tracker of the group, always hot on the
trail of danger. Shizentubin was her sister, skilled in the ways of
the blade so that no enemy neck was safe. Azoul Buck was the leader.
She ran her fingers through her short blond hair, her muscular arm
flexing, covered with the crude tattoos of her tribe.

This would be a short quest indeed. A party of goblins had ambushed
the prince on his way to the castle. All the heroes need do is return
him unspoiled. It would be easy to intercept them then on their way
to the Black Fortress, given Shizenbubin's incredible skill. However,
time was not on their side. Goblins grew bored easily and might make
sport of the prince's bodily members. Azoul set the pace, a quick
trot through the woods. She smiled at the easily-won glory that
awaited her squad at the end of the journey.

==[[User:Md5i|Md5i]]==
===(12 May 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||+++@+|</pre>

"That ought to keep 'em out," Doran said confidently, patting the granite
block which he had just slid into place. Ever since the Baron had insisted
on mining out the gold vein in the wall, Doran had been dealing with the
rats. It couldn't be helped. Gold was gold after all, but it was just
Doran's luck that the miners had broken through to a large chasm not far
from the craftsdwarf's room.

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

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

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

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

The craftsdwarf pushed the block back into place and backed away, chisel in
hand. After a moment, the scratching began anew.

===(07 Jun 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||%r%+@+|</pre>

"Leave me be, you fiend!" Doran yelled, his chisel held toward the stone
block. The scratching became louder and more persistent.

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

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

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

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

"Pity about that. I was going to ask Mul to do some etchings for me."

===(15 Jul 2007)===
<pre>##===@=D####</pre>

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mul, it would have been a thrilling project," Doran said,
pausing to take another swig of whiskey. "I can't believe how much trouble
we've been having with ratmen lately."

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

"Yes, surely something unusual is afoot."

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

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

==[[User:Midelne|Midelne]]==

===Fish Dwarf Begin: (6 August 2007)===
<pre>~~@~~X</pre>

They called him Fish-Dwarf. He was the only worker in the outpost willing to brave the depths of the cave river in order to service the floodgate mechanisms when they became clogged with the seasonal muds.

It was that time again. The farming gates weren't operational, and the planting had to begin immediately. Fish-Dwarf had his tools, and the special fins he had manufactured were secured to broad feet. Everything was ready. The frightened faces of the onlooking children would not dissuade him. Fish-Dwarf understood that this was his calling. He was the only one that could save the outpost. The dwarf inhaled, and his chest swelled to nearly double its original size. Clearing his mind, the dwarf dove into the water.

===(8 November 2007)===
<pre>~~~@%X</pre>

Fish-Dwarf swam down the narrow tunnel to the gate mechanism. The water was murky and even with his superior vision he could only just see his hands sweeping ahead of him.

The upper portion of the mechanism appeared suddenly before him. The dwarf inspected the machinery quickly, mindful of his air, yet confident that he had at least a few minutes left. The top assembly was clear, so the mud must have worked itself into the lower gears. Fish-Dwarf pushed his way down.

The swollen rotting face of a lizardman greeted him, twisted into the gears. Not again, Fish-Dwarf thought, dejected. It would take at least three trips to dislodge all of the chunks. The dwarf removed the chisel from his tool case and began working it into the sticking jam.

===(10 December 2007)===
<pre>+@@+@@@+~~~~~</pre>

"Fish-Dwarf, you have saved us!" the children shouted as the wet dwarf
pulled his way up on to the bank. He had finished his last cleaning
run, and already the floodgate was rising, ushering in the waters that
would prepare the way for the summer harvest.

"Truly, Fish-Dwarf, your mastery of the murky depths never ceases to
amaze us. You are a hero," the Mayor Kogan said, offering Fish-Dwarf
a mug of the outpost's best.

"I am glad I could help," Fish-Dwarf said, draining the mug in one
motion. "If only the river waters were whiskey, my life would be
complete."

"I fear we would never see you again if that were the case!" the Mayor jested.

Fish-Dwarf pondered a moment. "Indeed. Yet the search for the
Whiskey River is a quest for the young, I'm afraid."

"We here at Gladanvil are happy to have you," the Mayor replied as the
crowd dispersed. As the others left, the mayor pulled Fish-Dwarf
aside.

"-- and yet, I fear you cannot stay long. I've received word from
King Dorazar. He has heard tell of your talents, and our liaison from
the Mountainhome has conveyed his request for your presence at the
capital."

"My presence? Surely the engineers of the Mountainhome can manage the
mighty floodgates and channels of Steelpoint without my help."

"It isn't farming trouble, Fish-Dwarf," the Mayor said, lowering his
voice to a whisper. "Many fisherdwarves have been lost to the waters.
There is something lurking in the Lake of Columns."

===(18 January 2008)===
<pre>~~~@/~~%OB%OO%%%~~</pre>

Innumerable stalactites hung from the ceiling of the expansive gem-lit
cavern, many dipping down through the still surface of the black
waters. This was the Lake of Columns, the source of life for
Steelpoint, and now a place of dread.

Fish-Dwarf fit the blades into place on his fins. The citizens of
Steelpoint did not know what the creature was, but no fewer than seven
fisherdwarves had been lost at the shore. No matter, thought
Fish-Dwarf. King Dorazar had charged him to slay the lurking threat,
and that is what he would do. Still, the nature of the creature
eluded him. It had been years since his last combat with an aquatic
beast, and then it was only the cave crocodiles and lizardmen that
occasionally harassed his own community. Steelpoint would not have
sent for him over such a triviality. Hefting his mighty trident,
Fish-Dwarf nodded to the gathered onlookers before leaping into the
lake.

The water was clear, and he could see the broad columns well ahead of
him down to where they joined the submerged floor of the cavern.
Behind any of these formations, the beast could lurk.

There! Nestled between three columns was a gigantic bloated form on
the lake bottom. Fish-Dwarf swam closer, almost drifting. What
manner of beast was this? Great tentacles it had, and a toothy maw
which flopped open as it slumbered, surrounded by half-consumed bodies
of the dead.

Fish-Dwarf was almost upon it now, his trident lifted above his head
as he sank slowly toward the sleeping fiend. As he prepared to
strike, the lurid thing's lone eye flashed open.

===(15 May 2008)===
<pre>------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~@/~%~~~~~~~~~
------------------------</pre>

Tentacles lashed out, looping around Fish-Dwarf's torso and pinning
his arms to his chest. A force stronger than any he had ever
experienced crushed his ribs and a stream of bubbles shot from his
mouth as the breath was squeezed from his body. Fish-Dwarf
desperately slashed at the tentacles with his fin blades and as his
vision faded to black he saw that the water was thick with curling
purple ribbons of the foul beast's tainted blood. The monster's grip
loosened and Fish-Dwarf was able to free his arms. His sight had not
returned, but when he stabbed his trident downward, he felt it sink
deep into the creature. The monster's body convulsed and it raced
into the open water, Fish-Dwarf still clinging to the imbedded weapon.

I cannot let go so long as I cannot see, or I will surely be devoured,
Fish-Dwarf thought, though the beast continued on into the depths at
such speed that the diver could not maintain his bearings, and
suddenly in the back of his mind arose a strange sensation... it was
the need for air, such as he had not experienced for many years. A
tingling came to his throat and nose, and his head began to feel numb
as he became more desperate for breath, and yet slowly, his vision was
returning.

The beast slowed, its energy spent, and it settled on to the lake
bottom, unmoving. Fish-Dwarf jammed the trident into it a few times;
the thing was dead. Now, the surface! Fish-Dwarf pulled his weapon
from the monster and swam upward, but he stopped immediately. As far
as he could see in the now-dark water, a smooth ceiling of limestone
greeted him. The monster had fled into a great crack in the lake
bottom, so far and so deep that the light from the gem lamps was no
longer visible. Just the endless water and rock of the submerged
tomb of Fish-Dwarf, he thought, as he chose a direction and swam.

===Fish Dwarf End: (1 July 2008)===
<pre>,@!,.~~~~~~~~</pre>

He had chosen the wrong direction. Either that or the beast had
dragged Fish-Dwarf so far into the mountain that the fires of the
underworld were closer than the light of the lamps. His breath was
long since gone -- moving forward was all that could keep him from
panicking. After every few kicks, the dwarf would reach up to feel
the limestone. If anything, the rock was closing in. No... what's
this? His hand curled up around a sharp corner. Fish-Dwarf grabbed
it firmly with both hands and pulled, launching himself upward.

The dwarf fully expected to meet a wall of rock, but instead he glided
freely until at long last he broke the surface of the water, gasping
for air. As the dwarf calmed down, he realized that he could still
see nothing. He felt walls close by in all directions, as if he had
just swum up a shaft, though there was a ledge overhanging the water
on to which he could haul himself and rest his weary body. Fish-Dwarf
passed in and out of consciousness for a time, perhaps an hour, before
he sat up and assessed his situation.

He could dive back into the water with his lungs full of air and try
to find the lamps, now unmolested by great underwater beasts, but he
did not relish the idea of leaving the entrance to the shaft behind in
total darkness as he explored the crevice below. The only alternative
was to feel his way along the walls from this ledge above the grotto.
These limestone mountains were laced with natural caverns and after a
brief exploration of the surrounding stone he found this hollow was no
exception -- there was a mud-slicked passage that ran into the
mountain. Without hesitation, Fish-Dwarf struck out into the cavern.

-- How long since he had started on this dreary journey? Though the mud
was often thick, Fish-Dwarf had not trudged through so much as a
puddle these many days. He thirsted for spirits, nay, even water, and
he longed to swim again. The dwarf had long since abandoned his fins
and other equipment as they encumbered him too much on the march.
Every so often, he imagined he saw the gem lamps ahead, though it
could just as easily be the cooking fires of a goblin encampment, or
some darker torture, as the lights of the capital he sought. There
they were, even now... lights! Or light at least, the barest speck
in the distance ahead. Fish-Dwarf moved swiftly, no longer plodding,
still careful of the stalactites but driving forward rapidly all the
same. The speck became an opening, and he could see the mud of the
passage floor illuminated in the distance, with stone walls further
beyond. Only a few more steps...

The cavern opened out upon a rocky river valley in a canyon sheer to
the greatest heights yet welcoming the noon-day sun. The entrance
where Fish-Dwarf stood was at the bottom of the cliffs a short walk
down pebble-laden slopes to the stream below. Instantly, Fish-Dwarf
could tell that these were no ordinary waters. They were the color of
honey, yet the current flowed rapidly. And the aroma! The
intoxicating aroma! There was no question in his mind. Whether it
fell from the throne of some inebriated sky god and vanished into the
underworld to besot the armies of hell made no difference, for here,
in this world, in this very mountain range, ran the slightest stretch
of the Whiskey River. His mind unencumbered by thoughts of duty or
home, Fish-Dwarf made his way down to the riverside to drink his fill.

===Hunger Begin (11 June 2008)===
<pre>,..,.++U+,.+,.+U~U||</pre>

Suffering blighted the land with cruel hunger. Wagons brought foul
fungus from the dwarven mountains. It was barely enough to sustain
those base enough to eat such filth. The rest died. Paldadar rested
against the hilt of his great sword. He looked over his shoulder at
the dark stone castle. Turning his back on mud brick huts, the knight
passed by the scraggly bearded guards and entered the keep.

Form a high window, bright, mocking sunlight shone across the dark
wooden throne and the troubled king that sat upon it. The old man
reached for his cup, and after taking a sip, spat the vile dwarven
brew unto the stone floor. A herald in a mud-smattered tunic rushed
to wipe up the spill, but seeing the knight, rose to confront him.

"You were not summoned, Sir Paldadar," spit the herald. "Go ask the
peasants instead of begging the king for scraps from the royal table."

"Silence, Rodger," said the king.

The herald jumped away like a whipped dog. The king motioned the
knight to come forward.

"The gods have abandoned this place," said the king. "Only through
their glory will the days of bounty return. It is for this reason you
must smite the heathen Farthlings where they dwell across the river.
When their land is in ruin, the gods at last will favor us."

The knight ground his teeth. This was obviously High Priest Igland's
doing. But perhaps there was wisdom in punishing the arrogant
Farthlings for their many insults. Death by the sword was much
preferable to slow certain death by starvation.

===(17 June 2008)===
<pre>==?T?====,.UH,.U</pre>

As Paldadar walked away from the keep, peasants averted their hungry
faces. He was still a knight, even if he represented the most
wretched of kingdoms. A frail sissy approached from behind, leading
two horses. Paldadar swung around, drawing his sword. There stood
Rodger, wearing the snottiest of faces, his nose in the air.

"By the will of the king," he hissed, "I am to be your squire."

Paldadar prayed to the gods for mercy. Would that a Farthling's bolt
find his heart soon that he be saved from further tortures. Together
the pair made their way to the Temple of Love, where High Priest
Igland waited to bless their holy crusade.

The temple was built on a tall hill, a ring of marble columns
surrounding an enormous stone stele, pricking the sky with its
majesty. All around the temple, peasants scrambled to snatch at the
scraps donated by the monks that poured rotten food down the hill. As
Paldadar entered the temple, he was surrounded by fat priests and
priestesses that danced around him in a grotesque, undulating display.

The knight refused a cup of offered wine, which Rodger snatched up
and drank freely.

At the center of the temple, High Priest Igland stood, wearing nothing
save a red loincloth.

"When you wake in the morning," said Igland, "consider Love."

"Many happy couplings," said Paldadar as was the prescribed response.

"You must put an end to the Farthling menace," said the priest,
growing angry. "If their God of Suicide spreads his faith to our
kingdom, none of our desperate peasants will survive. You must strike
the heart of their kingdom and burn their temple to the ground."

Paldadar made the gesture of obedience and departed, pulling Rodger
away from the cavorting priests.

The kingdom of the Farthlings was separated from the kingdom of Love
by the River of Sorrow, whose wide fast-moving waters could only be
crossed in one place. This was the Bridge of Destiny. As the riders
approached, Rodger twitched with fear and apprehension, for it was
said the bridge was guarded by an evil water troll. At the bridge,
Paldadar held up his gauntleted hand. The horses stopped, and the
knight dismounted. Paldadar drew his sword and walked out onto the
wooden planks.

===(3 July 2008)===
<pre>%,..%,.|%.,.UH,%..%%UH,,%.~%,..(%).,.%|,..%</pre>

Green flames shot up from beneath the bridge. Horrid laughter pealed
across the blighted landscape. The knight turned to see Rodger making
tracks back to the temple with the speed of a spooked hare. Slowly
Paldadar looked over his shoulder to see the enormous bloated troll,
dripping with slime and black pus.

"You seek to pass into the land of suicide bearing the message of
love," said the troll. "What will you tell them, knight? Is slow
certain death by starvation superior than the final empowering
choice?"

"Where there is life, there is hope," said Paldadar. "Love will
overcome all obstacles!"

"Spoken like a true student of Igland," said the troll, assuming a martial pose.

As Paldadar cut the monster down, his mind was wracked with doubt.
Was the nation of love superior? He hailed from a place where young
people sold themselves for scraps of bread and yet he sought to bring
hope to a strange country. He found Rodger hiding in a nearby bush
and hauled him, protesting, across the bridge.

The land of the Farthlings was lush and green compared to the land of
love. Cherry blossoms rained down on the two riders as they wound
their way through the hills. Even in these pleasant surroundings, the
demented nature of the Farthlings soon became evident. Bodies dotted
the road here and there, swords plunged into their own guts. Corpses
hung in the trees from hastily-tied nooses, over eager to take their
own lives. As the riders passed, skeletal bodies lifted themselves
from the grass to watch them saunter on.

"Make babies, make babies, make babies," babbled Rodger, madly
reciting the Charm of Making.

At last they reached the capital of the Farthlings. The wind blew red
rose petals through the cold, dead streets. Even the cheerful sun
seemed dim in the vast tomb of a city. Rodger stared straight ahead
as they made their way to the keep, careful not to look into the dark
doorway, behind which ominous rustlings could be heard.

The flag of Farthlingland flew above the ramparts of the citadel. At
the base of the wall lay the piles of bones of those who had
hopelessly thrown themselves over the side. A wide moat circled the
castle. As the two riders approached, a draw bridge was lowered over
the water. Paldadar thought he could see a crowned figure on the wall
beckoning them inside. As they crossed the bridge, Rodger made the
mistake of looking down into the water. The currents were filled with
the souls of those who drowned themselves in desperate sorrow. Eyes
shut tight, Rodger hugged the neck of his horse, and followed Paldadar
into the gate.

==[[User:Onodera|onodera]]==
===(01 November 2008)===
<pre>"",",.@,.T,"""</pre>

"Don't let the sun set on you in the Dark Wood," said the dwarf
crones. "Ole Brick-a-Branch will get you." Nonsense, thought young
Davik as he rode his mule along the twisting green deer path. The
darkness came quickly as the sun slipped behind the trees. As he set
about making a fire, Davik pondered the dark tales of Brick-a-branch
and his mischief.

Not even the elves dared enter the Wood at night. Something older
than time haunted these cursed trees, but this valley was the quickest
way to Port City, saving at least a month of travel. As the night
grew darker and colder, Davik fumbled in his pack to retrieve the
charms and idols he had nearly refused as the journey began.

A great shape emerged from the darkness. It was a gnarled troll, as
old as the hills. It picked up Davik by the ankle.

"Not much meat here," it said.

"Please, Ole Brick-a-Branch, don't eat me," said Davik.

Having said his name, the troll was force to lay the dwarf down.

"I will not eat you," said the monster, "If you can answer me these
riddles three."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(09 February 2007)===

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

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

===(18 April 2007)===
<pre>@@@...@.####
@..T..@S####
.......#####
</pre>
The axe had scored the stone floor where it had severed the silk line. The Wolf-Mother chittered
angrily and pounced at Dolan, moving with surprising quickness. Dolan was knocked to the ground,
the enormous body of the foul creature pressing him into the stone. His axe clanged some distance
away. The blunt knobs at the end of the Wolf-Mother's forelegs dug into Dolan's ribs as her
dripping mandibles drew closer to his face. He grabbed her head with both hands, trying
desperately to keep her at bay. A foul-smelling spittle dripped on to his cheek.

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

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

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

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

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

==[[User:Rewolf31|Rewolf31]]==
===(13 April 2007)===

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Did you win, daddy?" Coren asked.

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

"What else, daddy? What else?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(25 March 2007)===

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(11 October 2006)===

<pre>.M.@$.</pre>

Deep in the fortress, a lava man springs an ambush on the treasurer, who is happily
counting coins. Could this be the beginning of the end?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 October 2006

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 12 November 2006

===(5 December 2006)===

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 5 December 2006

===(10 January 2007)===

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

A great crash echoed down the inward passageway.

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

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

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

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

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

-

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 January 2007

===(11 February 2007)===

And it keeps going and growing !!

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

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

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

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

--

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 February 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 13 March 2007

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

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

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

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

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

"Fire, Bomtek! Now!" Kogan ordered.

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 16 April 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 April 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, June 2007

==TomTheHand==

===(20 February 2007)===

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

Shrolnak glared through the rusty iron bars.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(12 March 2007)===

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==[[User:Xarph|Xarph]]==
===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>###=@=##</pre>

Kogan hurtled through the darkness, the two long braids of his golden beard streaming behind him. It was too much weight! The wings tied to his arms, made from stretched frogman skin and giant cave spider legs, fluttered uselessly as the chasm walls rushed by. He had been nervous the night before and, as usual, had gorged himself on plump helmet biscuits and dwarven rum. Now he was falling like a granite block. Kogan wondered if the philosophers were correct -- were these chasms were bottomless? He would be able to survive for several days without food or alcohol. Seeing nothing but blackness below, Kogan resigned himself to the journey ahead and began to sing his favorite drinking song.

===(19 May 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*##S##*#*#
#*#*#*#*#*#*#
#*##*###*@#*#
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

It had been two days. Kogan was dehydrated, and he had begun mumbling to himself. "Whiskey... my dear whiskey..."

Suddenly his fall was arrested by a force which seemed to hold him by the arms and legs. He still fell, but slower, and slower still, until he stopped entirely and hung in space. The dwarf tried to spin, but he was unable to move. Thick, translucent ropes held him. The reality of the situation dawned on him, and he felt sick. It was a giant web. He had been ensnared by one of the dark huntresses of the deep.

As he strained his eyes in the near-total darkness, Kogan could see her. A bloated many-legged creature, her body clear, her organs visible within. She was already moving toward Kogan, deliberately picking her way along the lines that were safe for her to grasp with her cruel claws. The creature chittered in anticipation as the dwarf struggled against the webs.

===(20 September 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*#####*#*#
#*#*#*#*S*#*#
#*##*###*@!!!
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

The spider was upon him. With what little motion Kogan had in his arms, he tried to bring the wings between himself and the voracious beast. He flailed helplessly, marshalling a defence that would embarrass even a child of his people.

Yet the spider stopped. She looked upon him with her many emotionless eyes. The dwarf could discern nothing. The spider's head bobbed up and down slowly, and she lifted several of her legs and waved them in simple patterns above the web.

A sudden realization struck Kogan -- the spider legs in the wing frames. She thinks I'm trying to speak to her! Kogan continued to wave his arms around as best he could, and she responded in kind. Giant cave spiders are solitary creatures, Kogan thought, so it must be a mating ritual. "But giant spiders eat their mates after breeding with them," Kogan muttered in horror. "I can't think of a worse way to die!"

===(13 November 2007)===
<pre>+g++%@%%+</pre>

The movement of the spider's legs had ceased. Now she simply looked
upon Kogan with her cold, glassy eyes. Her sinews tensed -- she was
ready to pounce! To what end, none dare say, though many a gruesome
and unseemly scenario had played themselves out in the recesses of
Kogan's strained mind.

A moment passed, and the bloated thing leapt forward! As she landed
on Kogan with the full weight of her body, the dwarf felt himself tear
free, and the web and spider passed up and beyond his sight as he
plummeted downward. Oh, what happy chance is this! Kogan thought.
He was free from fear now. If his body was broken into a thousand
pieces on some protruding rock, what would matter? At least he would
no longer sire an army of evil.

Soon enough, Kogan sensed that the walls were closing in. He could
not see well enough in the oppressive darkness of this deepest part of
the earth, but he felt their nearness. The dwarf said a prayer to the
Lordaxe to grant him a swift death.

Kogan felt his bottom smack hard into a smooth slope and he slid
disoriented into a twisting tunnel. The friction burned, but his
descent was slowed, and Kogan found himself gliding down an obsidian
tube. Out of a hatch he fell, landing face first in a pile of stone
trinkets. Uninjured, but sore, the dwarf stood. It still felt as if
the air was rushing by him, but he was teetering on solid ground.

The chamber was lit by torches. It was almost cheerful. The trinkets
were all finely crafted. It wasn't dwarven work, but each object had
its own peculiar charm. Kogan picked up a slate carving. It was a
rabbit wearing a jester's hat.

"Hey oh, what are you doing in the figure room?"

Kogan looked up. A mountain gnome was peering around a doorway. Only
its tilted head was visible.

"I fell," Kogan said, indicating the hatch.

"Oh my!" the gnome said with an equal measure of elation and surprise.

"You're our first visitor in years!"

"Visitor?" Kogan asked.

"Yes, my friend! I'm Largee Pottums! Welcome to Toy Land!"

===(27 February 2008)===
<pre>+g+@+%%%%+</pre>

"Toy Land," Kogan said flatly, utterly dumbfounded. The sheer
implausibility of the situation managed to drive all feelings of
hunger and thirst from his body.

"Yes, Kogan, it's Toy Land!" Largee Pottums exclaimed, jumping out
into full view. "Where do you think all of your toys come from? Your
crafts shops? Hoy hey! That would be the day!"

"Yes, our cr... wait, how did you know my name?" Kogan scratched his head.

"Do you remember the miniforge you got when you were six?" Largee Pottums asked.

"Th.. yes," Kogan finally resolved to think a little less about his situation.

"Gnomes!" Largee Pottums said proudly. "And the toy axe you got when
you were eight?"

"That too?!" Kogan exclaimed. He had such fond memories of the axe.
He used to beat his friends with it mercilessly.

"Gnomes," Largee Pottums replied, nodding in satisfaction.

"What about the puzzle box I got when I was nine?" Kogan asked.

"That was your uncle Dorol. And you just hated it didn't you? Oh
ho!" Largee said.

"Y... yes," Kogan said, disappointed. He had hoped to have somebody
to blame after all these years. At least he could confront Dorol
should he ever return home.

"Gnomes make the best toys!" Largee concluded. "Mountain gnomes for
the dwarves, garden gnomes for the humans, and dark gnomes for the
goblins. Toys, toys and more toys!"

"Gob... what about the elves?" Kogan asked, not knowing why he cared.
Like any able-bearded dwarf, he held elves in contempt.

"The elves? Hey oh! The garden gnomes used to make their toys. But
they're so finicky! One deer bone figurine and they found us out.
Humans can appreciate a deer bone figurine. The garden gnomes are
much happier now, if I do say so myself. And I do! Oo hoo!"

Kogan grunted in affirmation. He could emphathize with the garden
gnomes. Elves were nonsensical creatures.

"Now, my friend, it's time to talk to the Boss," Largee Pottums
announced, clapping his hands.

"The Boss?" Kogan asked.

"You can't make toys without a Boss. Let's go! We haven't had a
visitor in so long, he'll be excited to see you. Oh yes he will, sure
as sweet pods!" With that, Largee Pottums skipped through the
doorway, with Kogan following after him.

===(1 July 2008)===
<pre>##################
###.........%....#
###....%.......%.#
###..............#
gg@+++g+=g%g=%/=|#</pre>

"Now tell me, Kogan," said the white-bearded gnome from his plush
gaudy chair, "why you leapt into the chasm in the first place." The
Boss's coat was nearly bursting at the buttons; the red fabric made
his belly looked like one of his puffy cheeks.

"It was my dream. I wanted to fly," Kogan said sheepishly, "like a
bat, soaring through the still air free as a spark, but my
calculations failed."

"Ho ho ho," the plump gnome merrily laughed. "What a brave dwarf you
are! Now that you're here in our secret workshop, I was concerned
about letting you return home, but perhaps you wouldn't stay up above
very long before daring the chasm again."

"The chasm... the spider..." The dwarf shuddered at the memory.

"Largee! Largee Pottums!" the Boss of Toy Land shouted. "Our friend
Kogan needs some ease for his troubled mind. Why don't you show him
around Wimble Wizzer's workshop?"

"Hoo hey! Right away!" came the familiar voice from the doorway.
Kogan bowed awkwardly to the Boss and followed Largee out of the cozy
room.

--

Kogan was awestruck. It was like a scene out of his wildest
imaginings during one of those late nights at the drawing table.
Airborne contraptions looped and soared beneath the high stone ceiling
as gears turned and wings flapped or rotated according to the whims of
a particular design. Down below, three gnomes repaired and tinkered
with the devices on creaky wooden tables.

"Wimble-wee, Wimble-woo!" Largee shouted into the workshop. "I have
a guest for you!"

One of the gnomes inside turned toward the door and smiled weakly
while shaking his head, "Largee, my boy, who ever taught you to speak
in such a manner? Surely it was a gnome no less exuberant than
yourself."

Largee presented the still-stunned Kogan to the master of the
workshop. "This is Kogan, a dwarf, as you can see (hoo-ee!), and a
fellow maker of flying machines. The Boss has sent him down here to
have a look."

"Ah? So it's to be an inspection, is it?" Wimble replied gruffly.
"Well, you won't find these topside, but we're planning to sneak a few
of the truest models in during the next festival. The timetable is a
strict one, and we're still struggling with accidents." At this,
there was the sound of metal grinding on metal above as one of the
machines lurched and crashed into a table below. "The Boss is jolly
as they come, but he is also a grueling taskmaster."

"Ho ho ho," came the laughter from the doorway. "Wimble Wizzer, you
grumpus, is that the way to greet a new worker?"

Kogan turned toward the Boss, who was now standing beside him. A new
worker? The dwarf's eyes were wider than ever, and he turned slowly
back to the workshop, wearing a smile more full of unabashed joy than
any he had worn in his entire life.

"Well, you know, Largee," the Boss said, turning to the other gnome
standing at the door. "If he wants, we could just let him go back
home, if we found a way to make him forget all about Toy Land."

"We could bonk him on the head! Hee-whoa... bonk!" Largee yelled,
snapping his hand at the wrist.

"Ho ho ho," the Boss chuckled. "Don't you remember? Sometimes you
have to bonk them again and again, and they still won't forget!"

Kogan missed all of this banter, bent over the tables as he was,
looking over the damaged machine with Wimble and the others. After a
moment, Largee and the Boss slipped out of the room, leaving the new
worker to his workshop.

The End

==[[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: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.

==[[User:Minion21g|Minion21g]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>&||,g.g,gg....,.UU</pre>

Fiends pounded the trail, hunting Belmir and his thieving partner.
The two had stolen into the dark goblin tower in the dead of night and
taken the vial that held the demon king's essence. By destroying it,
they could stop the war and put an end to the demon forever. Why
destroy it, thought Belmir, when it obviously held so much value? He
and Gal would be rich men. Or, he thought, looking at Gal with
murderous intent, perhaps just me.

==[[User:NoNotTheBees|No Not The Bees]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>.M%,..U.,</pre>

The lonely cottage stood underneath a great hill of snow that had been
born of the great blizzard. Wind and sleet kept the pioneers indoors.
That, and the promise of hated predators searching for meat in the
frozen wastes. But as his family grew hungry, Fram knew that he must
join the hunters outside.

Almost immediately Fram saw the danger. Bloody footprints of a great
creature circled the cottage as if a monster sought a way inside.
Grimly, Fram gripped his spear. He must persevere lest his family
starve. He followed the monster's tracks away from his home as he
pulled his furs tight against the freezing winds.

Ahead he saw a shape, a black mound against an ocean of white.
Cautiously, Fram approached. It was the half eaten body of a black
bear. But what could kill such a large beast. As if to answer, a
monster loomed into sight, its body covered with long icicles. A
blizzard man!

==[[User:Scrollhaven|Scrollhaven]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>""@,.UE,."</pre>

With one mighty swing, Alfonso knocked away the prone elf's sword and
placed his boot on his wrist. Many moons had past since the vile
creature had killed poor Jim and ate him. Even now the elf looked up
in defiance. Finally, in these haunted woods far from home, vengeance
would be served. Alfonso held the tip of his sword over the
creature's heart, wondering vaguely if it had one.

"Back off, human," came a voice from behind, "this is my kill."

The human ranger turned to see a dwarf holding a crossbow. By the
state of his boots and armor, Alfonso could tell the dwarf too, had
been on a long quest. The elf saw its chance and snaked its way out
from between the ranger's legs and was off into the brush in an
instant. Alfonso cursed and charged after him, the dwarf close
behind.

==[[User:ToonyMan|ToonyMan]]==
===(16 January 2009)===
<pre>DDDDDDM,..@EU@@EU@UE,.</pre>

Sword and axe clashed again and again as the fighters struggled to
best each other in mortal combat. Arrows rained down on the field of
battle as man, elf and dwarf fought at once to win the day. Randar
took up the sword for the dwarves. With his mightiness he tried to
kill Giltra of the elves, but the champion was too fast. The battle
seemed endless. Roars of terror and pain were everywhere. Just then
a squadron of dragons appeared, lead by Madnar the Evil. Could there
be any hope?

==[[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.

==[[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:.Jim|Jim]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>,.U\U,.....M,.UUH..</pre>

So unsteady was the rule of the land that no one walked the halls of
Castle Sanazar alone. It had become fashion for the lords to stab
each other in the back, or perhaps poison each other's beer steins.
Not even a squire was safe. Rumors of war spread as did the news of
Sanazar's weakness. The king called an audience of all the knights of
the realm. A quest was called for -- something to prove the kingdom's
legitimacy.

The tables of the great hall filled with mighty knights as squires
rushed back and forth filling cups. The king looked on silently
through sunken eyes, having recently lost his ability to speak. He
motioned his consort to stand forth to deliver his proclamation. She
was a handsome woman, recently bound to the king, from a kingdom far
to the north.

"The flower that is Sanazar," she said, "is wilting and sick. While
we fight amongst ourselves, hungry jackals vie for their part of the
carcass. What we need is a hero, and what better to prove a hero than
a mighty quest! Far to the east lays Forgotten Quilts, an ancient
dwarf fortress abandoned long ago. It is said that within can be
found Gilded Lunch, the golden artifact boot. Return with the boot,
and return a hero! Who will take the challenge?"

"I shall!" boomed a voice from the end of the hall.

Through the door came Bram, mighty barbarian warrior, a squire
following behind, eyes downcast. The hall erupted into Chaos. How
could this outsider be given the quest? The king's consort looked on
the barbarian, heart racing. "What makes you think you are up to the
task?" she said.

"May I know thy name Madame?" asked the barbarian.

"Scandala," said the consort, brushing a blond hair from her face.

"Lady Scandala," said Bram, "I have slain dragon, cyclops, and ogre.
There is nothing under the sky that I fear."

That same day, Bram found himself on a horse on the road to Forgotten
Quilts, his squire Dolphin on a mule trailing behind. The lords of
the realm had not taken it well. Without the Mandate of the King,
returning with the boot would be useless. Bram must die. No knight
knew this better than Crusier, cruel black night of Petoun. That very
night he left the castle with his squire, taking the fast roads to
arrive on the trail before the hero.

"Help!" cried the boy, "Oh help!"

"Don't trust it Bram," said Dolphin. "I recognize that boy, a squire
from the hall."

"A countryman in distress is just that," said the hero dismounting his
horse and drawing his sword.

As he approached, he found the boy laughing. "Let's see how fast you
can complete your quest without horses!" yelled the boy.

Bram spun around to see Crusier leap upon Dolphin and, a knife to the
boy's throat, ride away on Bram's horse. The evil squire laughed
until Bram turned and brought his sword across the boy's face, leaving
a deep gash in his cheek. "I have marked you," said the barbarian,
"for you are mine now. Lead me to your master's den. Know that if he
harms a hair on Dolphin's head, there won't be enough of you left to
fill your god forsaken tomb!"

== [[User:NobbZ|NobbZ]] ==
===(16 February 2009)===

<pre>@@$@,.~~@,..</pre>

The dwarven toughs stood around the curve in the corridor, taunting
the dwarf lasses as they passed. A particularly vicious young dwarf
fingered his crossbow as he saw a dwarf he knew.

"Hey, Moody," said a thug. "There's the dwarf that owes you that coin."

"Yes," said Moody, stepping up to the dwarf, pointing his weapon.

"You owe me," said Moody. "Hand over the purse."

"I don't have your money!" said the dwarf.

The dwarven outlaws piled onto the dwarf, beating him near to death.

"I'll be back," said the blood-soaked dwarf over his shoulder as he
ran. "I'll be back!"

"You're never coming back coward!" shouted Moody.

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

40d:Challenges

2009-03-15T22:07:30Z

AbuDhabi: /* Real Time */

:''Part of this article was originally taken from the DF forums thread [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=466.0 "Goal-Based Dwarf Fortress"].''

The general goal of [[Fortress Mode]] is to survive, acquire wealth, defend your wealth, and become the capital of your civilization. However, many players find that fighting off repeated [[siege|sieges]] and keeping their people alive just isn't enough anymore. They begin to experiment with different sets of objectives, themes, and restrictions in search of more [[fun]]. These are some goals to attempt or use as inspiration.

== ASPCA ==
* No [[animals]]

Don't bring any [[animals|pets]]. Furthermore, due to the possibility of animals being caught in them, don't build any [[traps]], either. If [[immigrants]] bring pets, get rid of the pets somehow. (If you're a particularly rabid ASPCA member, you could get rid of the pet-bearing immigrants, too, but that's probably excessive.)

== City-States ==
* No [[skill]]s
* 7 or multiple of 7 of everything you bring

At the start your dwarves split everything equally and move to 7 different locales that are not interconnected. They have to mine their own rooms, plant their own crops, use their own craft piles. This will probably require a bit of cross-fertilization until you get [[door]]s and can lock everyone in, but after that it is every dwarf for him/herself!

== Dieting Dwarves ==
'''Fishing village'''

Give your dwarves only the fishing skill and other fishing related skills (like bonecrafting.) Try to survive off a [[fish]] only diet. Flood the river and build houses above it so the dwarves can fish through their floors. There will be an extra challenge if the river freezes in the winter.

'''Carnivore'''

* No plants or seeds

Only eat strays, pets, and animals you trap and hunt. No farming or plant gathering. Keep all your pets in cages and care for them as little as possible. Eat your dwarves' pets first for an extra challenge. If this upsets your dwarves, ridicule or ignore them. (If you are particularly heartless, you could cage those dwarves as well because anyone that empathizes with animals doesn't deserve any rights either.)

'''Vegan'''

In essence, construct an [http://archive.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Main_Glade Elven Forest]: The [[Challenges#Hippy challenge|Hippy Challenge]].

'''IOGT/AA'''

* No alcohol

Quite possibly, this is the cruelest challenge that your dwarves can be given. Don't ever brew any alcohol. Build [[well]]s instead and watch your now teetotaller dwarves work slower and slower by the season.

== Hippy challenge ==

Peace, man. Don't harm any plants except those you plant yourself. Don't cut down any trees, and don't trade for logs with the filthy humans or dwarves who do. You can trade for plants with the elves, they understand your environmental code. Don't burn any coal, do you know what that does to the environment, man? Never cause any creature's death, so no military, and no lethal traps. You can use cage traps, and either tame the creatures you catch, or release them back into the wild, far from your fort.

For an extra challenge try this in an area with a goblin fort or cave.

== Diplomacy ==
* Six dwarves with only social [[skill]]s
* One skilled dwarf

Six courtiers of the king's court made some ill-advised remarks within earshot of the king, and as a result have been ordered to go found an outpost. They've hired you to make sure they survive. The six nobles only have social skills and refuse to do any work that is beneath them.

== Fort Geneva ==
* Build only nonlethal (cage) traps
* Sentient creatures ([[Goblins]], etc.) are to be considered prisoners of war and treated humanely
* Suggested provisions for prisoners: a bed, a personal cell, a commons area, aboveground exercise yard, and the clothes the creature was wearing when captured
* Inspiration: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions Geneva Conventions]

== Hermit ==
* No [[skill]]s
* One [[pick]] and no other supplies

A well known and popular challenge. Kill off the 6 starting dwarves and any [[immigrants]] as they arrive, and try to make a living for the last dwarf.

== Humanlike Fortress ==
Pretend you're a filthy above-ground dwelling [[Human|humie]].
* Build a town wall.
**Only hovels and farms outside the town walls.
*House your dwarves in small town homes
**5-10 dwarves per house (they had pretty big families back in the day)
**upstairs bedrooms, small dining room, maybe a single level basement.
*House your workshops according to profession, not convenience.
*Build warehouses for stockpiles, and set guards outside them.
*Create a keep, with its own wall, barracks, treasury, etc.
**House your nobles within the keep.
*Create a market square.
*Create a main street from the town wall to the market square and/or keep. Well-paved blocks, statues and decorative shubbery are a must.
*No underground interconnections between different areas.
*For obtaining stone, metal, etc. a mine must be built, but must have separate entrance from other buildings, can be outside the fortress, but must not have a connection within it, or vice versa.
* BONUS: Make a fountain at least 3 Z squares high in the center of the keep, with a +statue+(or better) on top of it.
* BONUS: The fortress is built around a human town.
* BONUS: Town has an awesome inn operating in same building as the brewery. REGULAR parties there, or it isn't good enough!
* BONUS: All booze is kept within a town inn.
* BONUS: An above ground farm complete with crops and cows,mules,horses,etc.
* BONUS+: Modify the raws and actually use humans to make the fort.
* ÜBERBONUS : Make all of the fortress out of wood. And have a dragon attack it. Send us pictures!

== Hunting Party ==
* One marksman/ambusher
* Two camp servants (e.g. one cook/brewer/herbalist, one butcher/tanner/leatherworker/woodcutter)
* Four clients, all dabbling in marksman/ambusher but with primarily civilian skills.

No anvil, lots of hunting dogs ... and a haunted wood. (In a terrifying wood, you may find all the trees & plants are dead, severely reducing long-term prospects.)

== Immigration and customs enforcement ==
* One miner/mason/architect
* One woodcutter/carpenter/architect
* Five military dwarves

No anvil, lots of food, in a canyon - spend the first year building fortifications to interdict traffic. Immigrants can build a town around you, but your original dwarves remain dedicated to their mission.

== Nay, no ponderous stone doors or shining silver arcades, not while I live! ==

The new king has decided rocks and metals can no longer be used in construction. He'll be overthrown shortly, but in the meantime construct your fortress using only <material>.

Anything that can be made out of <material> will be made only from <material>. Doors, chairs, floodgates, bridges, stairs, workshops, towers, you name it.

'''Wooden'''

Make everything that you can out of wood. That means nothing underground, though you may excavate to make areas above-ground. Bonus points for bringing no wood at the start and/or going to a treeless area.

'''Glass'''

Construct an above-ground fortress made entirely out of glass. Bonus points for not using magma or using clear and crystal glass exclusively.

'''Soap'''

Cleanliness is next to godliness! Soap is in the form of bars, and so can be used as a building material just like any other type of bar. Show those elven traders just how much you despise their philosophies by building your trading outpost out of stuff derived from dead trees ''and'' dead animals. Too many cats? Build with cat tallow soap.

'''Variation:''' Choose one type of rock, one type of metal, one type of gem, and one type of wood. Your whole fortress must be made from these items. You may further narrow it down to bones, skin, and other from one animal, one type of glass, etc. If any artifacts are made using a forbidden item, chuck into lava, a river, or a chasm (you may need to throw the dwarf who made it in as well, since he will throw a tantrum).

== Luddite ==
* No mechanics or [[mechanism]]s
* No [[machine]]s

[[Traps]] and moving [[bridge]]s are forbidden, water moved for [[farming]] must be accomplished by hand.

== Master Of One ==
* All starting dwarves can have one skill and one skill only
* No changes are allowed on any dwarf's labor screen
* All immigrants must stay with the profession(s) they arrive with
* All peasants must be activated into the military
Alternatively,
* All starting dwarves can have one skill and one skill only
* No changes are allowed on any dwarf's labor screen, except that hauling may be disabled. You may not enable hauling.
* All immigrants must stay with the profession(s) they arrive with, and only military that immigrates recruited may be military.

== Outcast ==
* No [[skill]]s
* One [[pick]] and no other supplies

Same as the hermit challenge, only with multiple hermits. Turn off immigrants or kill them. Turn away merchants. If they don't leave, kill them.

== The Mad Butcher ==
(this requires a tiny amount of editing to the raws) 
#Edit Dwarf Fortress\Raw\object\Creature_Domestic.txt. Remove the tag [BUTCHERABLE_NONSTANDARD] from cats and dogs. 
#Start with a normal build except:
#*One dwarf should be a dedicated butcher/leather worker
#*buy minimal food
#*bring as many puppies or kittens as possible
#Drop all your puppies or kittens into cages or into animal pits as soon as possible. 
#Dig a shaft 10 or more Z-levels deep, mark the top an animal pit. 
#At the bottom of the shaft set up a butcher shop, a tanner shop, a bedroom, and some food and leather stockpiles. 
#Set it all up so that the mad butcher cannot escape. 
#As you need food, begin selecting animals to be dropped into your deep pit, next to the butcher. 
#See how long a single butcher, butchering splattered kittens, can keep your fortress fed! Cooking and farming are cheating... raw meat for everyone! 

== This. Is. SPARTAAAA! ==

At least 50% of your dwarves should be military 100% of the time, and train in spears, shield use and [[wrestling]]. All other dwarves are "helots" and shouldn't be given any skills – they can be pressed into the military during times of war, but given no equipment or at most a bare minimum of inferior weapons. Do not use crossbows or traps. Kill maimed dwarves.

You should refuse trade with caravans, instead attacking them if possible. Whenever a messenger appears promptly enter aggressive negotiations and then throw them down the well screaming "THIS IS SPAARRTAAAAA..." at your monitor. You should forbid the use of gold and silver, etc., the making of crafts, and the smoothing of walls or any other task that makes your fortress "beautiful".

You shouldn't create chainmail or plate armour. You should only brew wine.

Note that the above suggestions are modelled on the popular movie [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_(film) 300], which was historically inaccurate. For a more "realistic dwarven Sparta", try reading the wiki article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta#Society the real Sparta]

== Human "alliance" ==

Start a game centered on a human town. Build a wall around the town in stone, using a mine under the town. Do not take anything from the town, though the human guards will probably help with any sieges. For an extra challenge after finishing the wall, dig down to the [[aquifer]] and flood the town.

== Stealth ==

Create a hidden outpost close to a goblin lair. Impact the outside as minimally as possible - dig down right away, and deconstruct the wagon ASAP. No building outside or even going outside. Once your army is ready, launch a surprise attack.

== Temple ==

Designing a temple to Armok. Aesthetics count - the god will be very angry if there are no stained-glass windows and domed ceilings carved with frescoes. To gain more favor, make regular sacrifices and keep the fountains and rivers red with [[blood]].

== The great brewery ==

Disaster has struck the kingdom. A strangely glowing [[Fire|‼]]<nowiki></nowiki>peasant[[Fire|‼]] visited the greatest brewery of the empire, and as a result the whole thing exploded. No time for weeping — create its successor, a fort dedicated to alcohol production, and get the alcohol supplies flowing! Try to make the widest variety possible, and give or trade it to the dwarven [[caravan]] each year.

== Castle ==

Build a castle, greater than anything built by human, elf or dwarf. This is highly time
consuming if you want it to be a good castle. There must be floor indoors, and no underground
constructions except for mining operations and cellars. For an even greater challenge, build
a gigantic tower in the middle, where the nobles stay.

== Wealth ==

The kingdom's coffers need lining, so hop to! Found a fort and start accumulating wealth as fast as possible. Attain as high a fortress value as possible, and make most of your wealth into coins for the vault. Try to beat your record for one year, two years, or five years.

== Assassination ==

Your group of seven has been chosen to assault a goblin fortress – and you're not getting any backup. Turn off immigration, and try to slay the goblin leader and escape without casualties. For extra challenge, bring no picks.

== Biodome ==

All material, seeds, food, tools, and dwarves must be in the fortress within one year. Then, seal up the entrance. Any new immigrants... well, they might be in trouble. Survive for as long as possible!

No chasms/underground rivers/magma vents allowed.

== Retirement resort ==

Build a dwarven paradise, free from labor. All peasant immigrants should be removed from every job, including hauling, and given a great place to live. Make sure to include fun activities and plenty of parties.

== Commune ==

All your dwarves have all labors enabled. Dwarves sleep only in barracks, and no dwarf, including administrators, can be assigned any personal rooms. If the nobles find this upsetting, don't hesitate to make the corridors run red with the [[blood]] of the bourgeoisie. Obviously, don't mint any coins either. (Dwarves can take turns with wood cutting and mining, since they can't have both at once.)

== Underwater fortress ==

Encase your entire fortress in [[water]]! Your fortress should be watersealed: surrounded by water against all [[wall]]s and the top of the fortress.
* Bonus: Build all water-touching walls/roof in clear glass!
* Bonus: Use [[magma]] instead of water!
* Bonus: Build it in the [[ocean]] or a non-freezing lake
* Bonus: Build large glass domes that encase the fortress. A dome 20 tiles wide should be 20 z-levels tall. Which may be hard to cover in water.
* Mod: Make your dwarves amphibious and include airlocks between the wet fortress and the dry.

== Mountain audit/core sample ==

Start in a mountainous area and strip mine everything down, down, down to ground level. Stockpile everything, and calculate the mountain's composition. For kicks, try not excavating one tile on each z-level. You'll be left with one enormous core sample.

== Segregation ==

Make two separate, working, independent fortresses. All the men go in one, all the women in the other. Married dwarves are excluded from both.

== No singles ==

As soon as you get a married couple with an immigration wave, kill all single dwarves. Continue to do so with all immigration waves. Try to lose no children.

== Santa Claus ==

Get ten thousand toys built and offered to caravans yearly. Optionally, build ten thousand toys, fetch them in adventure mode and deliver them to every single city of the world.

== How high can you go? ==

Construction, construction, construction! Just how big a tower can you build? Out of glass maybe, clear glass? Steel? Pump water to the top? Make your tower a ''pinnacle'' of achievement and stun humans, elves and goblins alike - for they know nothing of construction and engineering like dwarves do!

== Computing ==

Can your dwarves build the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Antikythera mechanism]? Can you program the fortress to play tic-tac-toe? More details at [[computing]].

== Doomsday Clock ==

Build a water or mechanical clock whose final state triggers the support which holds your fortress up or a megabeast out.
See how much wealth you can achieve before the clock runs out.
*Bonus: Create something that resets itself, as well as purging the map, so that you can reuse the same fortress over and over.
*Super-Bonus: Create something that involves pressure plates and a small kitten, when the pressure plates are hit in the right order, your map ends. Toss the kitten in and hope for the best.

== Live up to your name ==

Go with the random name chosen by the game for your fortress and group. Make a handicap/play style based on your group's name, and a personal goal based on your fortress name. For example, if your group is The Iron Fist, your military must consist only of wrestlers in iron armor. If your fortress is Prisonportals, you must capture and jail as many goblins/creatures as possible, and all doors in the prison must be made of glass.

== Equaland ==

Equaland: where we are all Equal, besides the Almighty Leader. Each dwarf must have their own bedroom, dining room, etc. Make a large tower in the center of your perfect land and put "The Leader" in it. Then make some kind of mechanism to kill the dwarves inside their dwelling, complete with levers so that The Leader can choose who dies next. If dwarves have one too many friends kill them, if they eat too much food kill them, etc.

== World Domination ==
Pretend you are an evil mastermind. Now come up with some device or machine to render the world (or at least your portion of the map) totally unliveable, aside from, of course, your hidden lair.

Suggestions:
* Flood the map with water/magma (may require building walls around the edge of the map)
* Build an "Earthquake Machine" (the entire map is supported by a single support, which is connected to a lever)
* Build an extensive holding cell network for "scientific purposes". Fill it with megabeasts and elephants in secret. Have a lever that lets everything free to feed on the general population.


== Government in Exile ==
All dwarves are either nobles or in the military. The only useful dwarves you'll have will be your broker, manager, mayor, bookkeeper, and dungeon master. If you can survive until the sheriff arrives, transfer your entire military into the fortress guard. With a little luck, and a lot of exported roasts, you too can rule without proletarian interference.

== Stay Awhile, and Listen ==
Create a world with a lot of large caves and make it possible to see them on the embark map. Build a Fortress near a large cave with a lot of big angry monsters in it (hopefully not too close) and loot lying around that becomes a frontier town for adventurers seeking to clear out the nearby 'dungeon'. Train up dwarves to become parties of heroes who will descend into the dungeon for fame and fortune (or more likely severed limbs and death). Parties should only be about four or less. You can defend your fortress but luring monsters out into your siege engines is cheating. Give yourself points for large monsters killed and treasure claimed. 
BONUS: Only solo adventurers are allowed to enter the dungeon. 
BONUS: Only use 'Thieves' to steal loot and create traps inside the dungeon.

== Casting ==
Who needs to construct giant statues?! We need ours made from natural walls, however, we want it above ground level as well. For casting your goal is to create some giant structure out of natural obsidian walls through the use of an extremely elaborate scaffold of lava and water pools and screw pumps. When you are finished, just deconstruct the scaffolding and smooth/engrave the statue as you go. Just imagine the bridge over that chasm, now complete with two giant dwarf statues on either side to strike fear into all who enter and to show them the power of your fortress.

== The Monolith ==
As the inevitability of a fortress-wide mental breakdown looms over every single fortress why not have something that alludes to that precipice of [[insanity]]. Like the book and feature film, 2001: A Space Odyssey you must have a Monolith. This has to be made from [[obsidian]] and have a completely smooth surface (You cannot build it from blocks) You can have it be any size as long as it is outside, at least 2 tiles thick to ensure there are no pillar tiles, and has about the same ratio of width to height as it does in the movie (1:4:9) to make it as close to the real thing as possible. It would be preferable to make it large so that it seems to be dominating the landscape and your dwarves' psyche. The bigger the better.

*If the rock obsidian strata isn't deep enough in parts to make a monolith feasible consider casting a monolith with a large rectangular block in the exact same dimensional criteria as above.

== Ceremonial Sacrifices ==

Build an amazingly complex or spectacular killing device. A shaft that extends across the entire Z-plane is a good start. A constantly shifting maze of atomsmasher drawbridges is another. For the minimalist, a very confined space where you will drop a dwarf wrestler along with the gobbos once in a while. Perhaps a waterslide that carries your prisoner all the way down into a chasm? Whatever your idea, build it and dedicate your fort to the construction, maintenance and improvement of your device.

Do not kill any of your invaders. Capture them using cage traps, and them set them off in your device. Keep a record of the number of victims you drop into it.

== Noblesse requiro ==

Build your fortress to please the sick, twisted, evil nobles needs. Build a execution chamber for your rowdy dwarves and build a torture chamber for your dungeon master, using your imagination! Use this to punish pathetic dwarves who dare rebel. Build palaces for your nobles and pamper them in every way. Pour most of your resources into a beautiful place for nobles to live whilst letting your dwarves sleep in tiny, pathetic rooms. The only exception is your mayor, who rises from the rank of the disgusting peons. He must live in squalor as well, preferably next to noble rooms to so the nobles can taunt him. score yourself according to how happy your nobles are, and your worth.

== Stranded Scout Squad ==

The only items you can bring weapons, ammo, and armor (no picks). The only skills you can hand out are military. The only animals you can bring are war dogs. See how it goes.

== Bandit Camp ==

* At least 3 marksdwarves.
* Ideally, settle on a hillside, along a canyon or a valley.

Attack and loot every intelligent creatures who enter your territory : Goblins & kobolds, but also merchants, diplomats, and even migrants. You can't tell your guys to directly attack allies, but you can build traps linked to a lever (eg. a big pit under the road, with a linked pillar under the pit "roof".) and pull them to kill groups.

== Space Ship ==

Create a giant space ship fit for space travel. It should be able to hold about 100 dwarves for at least 2 years.

BONUS: Use exploding [[booze]] as ignitable fuel.

BONUS: Make a removable [[ramp]] for boarding.

BONUS: Make the [[water]] for the 2 years be on the ship using removable pumps.

BONUS+: Make it totally self sufficient. (Make an internal system which pumps the [[water]] supply through a room every few years to muddy the floor. Plant [[seed|seeds]] in the [[mud]] that's now on the floor. Manage your consumption to maintain self sufficiency.)

BONUS+: Make it all out of [[steel]].

[[fun|FUN]]: Let it be held by a single [[support]], ignite the [[booze]], remove the support an let it "fly".

== Aqueducts ==

For some reason, a noble was harmlessly pulling a lever when suddenly, magma flooded the river and exploded the booze! The king requires your band of seven to build a great aqueduct to bring water to the capital. Start with supports, and build up your aqueduct until it is 10 z-levels high!

BONUS: Start over a human town, build a wall around it, pump water through the aqueduct and into it!

== Dwarf like an Egyptian ==

*Build a pyramid of epic proportion.

Build a legendary dwarven pyramid, with a corridor running to a central tomb for your favourite noble. Perhaps build it entirely out of glass? Or try to make the top twist in a bit of a swirl. Alternatively, make your entire fortress inside a pyramid, which stretches below the ground.

== Real Time ==

:''Half this game is spent paused!'' - Dogfather

Don't use pause. Ever.

(Every single tool in the game pauses the game, so, instead, you'll have to unpause while tools are not in constant use.)

*BONUS: Don't save. Ever. If you need to sleep, arrange your jobs, close the gates, and let the dwarves take care of themselves.
** You've struck Alunite!

== Graveyard Master ==
Ever dwarf deserves a decent resting place:
*Build a tomb for ever dwarf that dies, the more dwarves you manage to bury the better.
*Tombs must be rooms with exactly 5x5 of size and 1 of height, with only one entrance tile that must be closed by a door.
*Tombs must have all its surfaces engraved.
*Tomb must contain at least 4 statues.
*Once complete, the door must be locked and the tomb must not be ever entered again.

== Skull collector ==
What proves the might of a civilization better than a hall full of skulls?
*Try to collect as many skulls as you can during your fortress life, and put then in a special skulls-only storage. The more skulls the better.

== Moria ==
Build a huge hall - at least 3 z-levels high. Leave few pillars symmetrically placed in the hall (don't build them, carve them out). Smooth and possibly engrave everything (not only the lowest z-level!). Then build thin bridge (not the bridge building, just a thin piece of rock to walk on) above magma - support it with bauxite supports connected to a lever (bauxite mechanisms needed in support). Destroy stone holding it at the both ends and replace it with floor hatches (so when you pull the lever it all goes down). After that build a bridge above the chasm.
When it's all done seal your dwarves deep inside in safe place and get invaded by goblins. At the same time dig out HFS. Lead the HFS across the both bridges and then collapse the second one when one of the champions clashes with it (it doesn't matter that the champion has killed the HFS with one hit).

== Crematory Fortress ==
* Requires a [[magma pipe]] and [[bauxite]].

Build a temple structure above a [[magma pipe]] and [[engrave]] every available surface. The temple should be as opulent as possible. In the temple, build a retracting [[bridge]] over a hole in the floor, and designate a [[coffin]] [[stockpile]] on it. Whenever a dwarf dies, build a [[bauxite]] or other [[magma-proof]] [[coffin]] for him, place it on the [[bridge]], and retract it, committing his body to the [[magma|fiery blood of the mountain]].

::Note: At the time of writing, the editor isn't sure if coffins falling off the bottom of the map count as being 'lost.' If they do, channel out a magma pool and put the temple above that to avoid tantrums.

== Swiss Precision ==
Build a working clock. The clock should accurately track DF days, months, and years.

Bonus Points:
:If the clock has a mechanical effect in the fortress proper to announce new days
:If the clock creates seasonally appropriate effects at the change of months and/or seasons.
:If the clock is used to aid in the operation of the fortress in addition to its role as a clock (automatically controls farmland irrigation at particular times, automatically opens the <s>blast doors</s> floodgates in time for merchants, etc...).
:If the clock governs the schedule of a working rail station (which is always on time). (Definitions of 'working' and 'rail station' are subject to player imagination).

But don't worry about the bonus points, a precision time device should be hard enough.

== Luxury Hotel ==
Build a hotel with large luxurious rooms
* Starting 7 dwarfs will be the only dwarfs that can work.
* All immigrants will be treated like nobles and will have all labors turned off.
*BONUS: Make a large fountain or waterfall centerpiece.
*BONUS: Keep the hotel up to code with health and safety.
** If any of the ''customers'' die or get kidnapped you must abandon the hotel.
*MEGA BONUS: Make the entire hotel out of ice.

[[Category:Guides]]

40d:Stupid dwarf trick

2009-02-28T09:02:41Z

AbuDhabi:

{{D for Dwarf}}

A '''stupid dwarf trick''' is any project that that requires a large amount time and effort, for little or no practical benefit. They exist only as a challenge for experienced players.

==Monumental Statue==

'''Difficulty:''' Depends on how big you want the statue to be.

'''Usefulness:''' None.

==Artificial Waterfall==
To keep the waterfall going, you need a [[pump]] stack, preferably powered by a [[windmill]] or [[water wheel]].

'''Difficulty:''' Moderate.

'''Usefulness:''' Dwarves love [[waterfall]]s. Putting a waterfall in your [[meeting hall]] will give your dwarves good [[thought]]s, although it can significantly lower framerate.

==Execution Tower==
Just a tall tower to chuck your captives to their deaths.

'''Difficulty:''' Easy.

'''Usefulness:''' Lets you dispose of prisoners, and claim expensive silk, meltable iron, and (eventually) useful bones.

==Bridge-a-pult==
A bridge that opens outwards, to fling enemies away. Ideally, they land in a very nasty place.

'''Difficulty:''' The hard part is the nasty place they get flung to.

'''Usefulness:''' There are a far more effective ways to defend a fortress, but few are as entertaining.

==Dam==
Build a wall across a riverbed to stop the flow of water. Floodgates optional.

'''Difficulty:''' On a map that freezes in the winter, this is easy. Otherwise, very difficult.

'''Usefulness:''' Dubious.

==[[Tower-cap]] Farm==
You absolutely need to break into an underground river or lake. Make some muddy floors over a big area and wait.

'''Difficulty:''' Moderate.

'''Usefulness:''' Yes, if it's big enough.

==Magma Pumping==
It's a lot like pumping water, only more dangerous, and requires the [[screw pump|pumps]] to use [[magma-proof]] pipes and screws in their construction.

'''Difficulty:''' The difficult part is making all those [[iron]] or [[steel]] pumps and [[bauxite]] [[floodgate]]s. Very high risk.

'''Usefulness:''' Magma is fun, but impractical.

==Booze Bomb==
If you set barrels of booze on fire they explode. Can possibly be used as a complex trap. About the only way to start a fire on demand is magma. Possibly caged fire imps, magma men, or fire snakes.

'''Difficulty:''' High.

'''Usefulness:''' There are many easier ways to kill goblins, but so very few that also set them on fire.

==Greenhouse==
A [[greenhouse]] is just a farm with the the ceiling channeled out from above. This lets you grow outdoor plants without venturing above ground. For the maximum style, build a glass roof to keep your farmers safe.

'''Difficulty:''' Low.

'''Usefulness:''' Surface plants are not so much more useful than underground crops. [[Rope reed]] can be grown year round.

==Gladiator Arena==
'''Difficulty:''' Moderate, but time consuming.

'''Usefulness:''' The most difficult way to dispose of prisoners. It does give your soldiers a little bit of experience.

==Self Destruct Lever==
'''Difficulty:''' Very high. Extremely dangerous.

'''Usefulness:''' None. By definition.

==Flood the World==
'''Difficulty:''' High danger. Will kill your frame rate.

'''Usefulness:''' Will prevent any sieges, at least. Or anything else.

==[[Ballista]] Battery==
Overlap a few ballistas to completely cover a narrow corridor. There is an unavoidable risk of your operators wandering into the line of fire.

'''Difficulty:''' Low. If you insist on highly-trained operators with high-quality ballistas, it gets harder.

'''Usefulness:''' A complicated and dangerous way to defend a single corridor.

==[[Swimming]] pool==
It's a reservoir that fills to 4/7 exactly. Station soldiers inside, lock them in, and fill. This way they gain [[swimming]] skill.

'''Difficulty:''' Low. It's just a pair of reservoirs.

'''Usefulness:''' The swimming skill is only slightly useful. This is most useful if the entrance to your fort has narrow walkways/moats surrounded by water, and you station your soldiers there.

==[[Ice]] tower==
'''Difficulty:''' Low. You need to be on a freezing map to pull it off.

'''Usefulness:''' None.

==[[Obsidian]] factory==
You need one reservoir of water, and one of magma. Mix, cool and mine.

'''Difficulty:''' Medium.

'''Usefulness:''' High.

==Drowning Chamber==
'''Difficulty:''' Moderate.

'''Usefulness:''' You can kill prisoners, useless peasants, irate nobles, hammerers, untrainable animals, or anything else.

==Magma Chamber==
'''Difficulty:''' Dangerous as any magma project.

'''Usefulness:''' It's like a drowning chamber, but you can't recover most of the victim's stuff.

==Labyrinth==
'''Difficulty:''' It's a lot of mining. Having a bridge drop invaders inside is more difficult, but more useful.

'''Usefulness:''' It makes a nice element of fortress defense, and you can dump your prisoners inside it.

==[[Adventure Mode]] Fortress==
'''Difficulty:''' The sky's the limit.

'''Usefulness:''' Not applicable.

==Vomitorium==
It's like the greenhouse, only instead of a farm, it's meeting hall. Prevents [[cave adaption]].

'''Difficulty:''' Low.

'''Usefulness:''' Low.

==Pit o' Doom==
Combine with an Execution Tower for maximum z-level executions! Spike traps are a must.

'''Difficulty:''' Low. You want it nice and deep though.

'''Usefulness:''' Dispose of prisoners, execute nobles, gruesome fatal injuries, laugh maniacally.

==Underground Perpetual Motion Power Plant==
Combine with a use for the power and you either have an awesome setup, or a ticking time bomb.

'''Difficulty:''' High. Maintaining the correct water level is annoying difficult at times.

'''Usefulness:''' Depends on size of plant and what it's connected to. Also useful as a puzzle for adventurers.

==[[Computing|Dwarfputer]] Complex==
A big mess of fluid and/or machine logic full of hatches, floodgates, gears, pumps, etc. and powered by waterwheels, windmills, or useless idle dwarves. Hook it up to doors, bridges, and traps.

'''Difficulty:''' Medium to high, depending on what you want to build. You'll want to build for very high water flow if you have more than a few fluid gates.

'''Usefulness:''' Your mechanics and architects will level up very fast. Manual pumps give something for your haulers to do and makes them stronger. Try and make a clock to trigger different mechanisms in different seasons. See if enemies actually blunder into your intricate traps. Watch all hell break loose as water freezes.

==Alarm Clock==
Are your soldiers all sound asleep while blood soaks the walls? No need to deconstruct their beds one by one, ''if'' you bought the Dwarf Wakey 3000! Simply a solitary floor tile balanced on a support, one or more can be toppled with the pull of a lever to produce an earth-shaking racket that'll have them leaping for their axes!

'''Difficulty:''' Low.

'''Usefulness:''' Low.

==Hammer of [[Armok]]==
A gigantic hammer made out of pure steel and/or valuables looming over your fortress entrance ready to smite those foolish enough to lay a siege on you. Also, gives you a psychological advantage over the traders who unload their goods under it. Attach to a lever-linked support for quicksmiting, or any other single-tile collapse mechanism. BONUS: Cover it with blood.

'''Difficulty:''' Low. Depends on size, materials and magma's existence, though. Make it a gold hammer menacing with adamantine spikes, if you're going for high quality.

'''Usefulness:''' Low-medium. 10x10 size is minimum for practical effectiveness. 30x30 hammer extending handles lenght from your entrance actually works against sieges.

==Mega Water Drowning Trap-Thing==
This is basically a channel above some pressurised water with a short tunnel leading to a door. The door needs to be connected to a lever somwhere in a safe part of the fortress. Position the door facing the main stairs into your fortress (for multiple stairs use multiple traps). When enemies come down the stairs, pull the lever and make them drown. (It helps to seal off the rooms).

'''Difficulty:''' Medium. Needs flowing water under pressure and levers.

'''Usefulness:''' Medium. Depends on the size of your fortress/defences/amount of attackers. Works well on fire demons.

==Glass Ceiling==
Sick of having your dorfs vomit all the time when they go out to retrieve loot or lumber? Despair no more! Build an almost-infinitely tall tower, and then put a glass floor on the highest level, spanning the entire map. For extra kicks, make a mechanism that will crash the entire thing upon the heads of the one goblin horde that manages to get through all your other deathtraps.

'''Difficulty:''' Medium. Very grueling.

'''Usefulness:''' Low.

ASCII art reward

2009-02-24T17:42:25Z

AbuDhabi: /* AbuDhabi */

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

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

==[[User: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.

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

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

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

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

==[[User: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:Hellzon|Hellzon]]==
===(17 December 2007)===
<pre>,.@@~~o~~~</pre>

A rock plopped into the cave river from the platform above. There
Durgal and the dwarf girl sat, above the murky waters. Durgal
explained, in great detail, his plans for the future. When the riches
of the mountain were plundered, he would diagram the plans for a
second fortress himself. How the dwarves would love him!

"But in your haste for riches," asked the girl, "would you have time
for the ones you love?"

Durgal's face became red as a cave turnip. He looked quickly away
from her and stared into the dark water. There, eyes gazed up to meet
him. Durgal reached for his axe, telling the girl to warn the others.
A pale, slimy hand reached out of the depths and pulled the creature
upward. It was an olmman!

===(3 September 2008)===
<pre>ff,@,.@,o~~~~~</pre>

"Back!" cried Durgal, "back to the hall!" The dwarf girl turned and
screamed. Two blind cave fish men blocked the way out. Durgal turned
and swung his axe at the olmman, now completely out of the water. It
deftly dodged his panicked swings. The dwarf girl screamed as the
cave fish men crawled toward her, arms outstretched, feeling their way
along the floor.

"By the power of the Lordaxe!" screamed Durgal, holding his axe aloft.
The dungeon rumbled. The sound of water crashed through the tunnel.
The fighters were swept away. The olmman grabbed Durgal's axe arm as
they were washed through the watery tunnel. The dwarf pulled a dagger
from his belt and jammed it into the monster's guts.

"Gula!" cried Durgal, bursting above the surface of the water. He
pulled the axe free of the olmman's grasp and brought the pommel down
on its head, knocking it senseless. "Gula!" he cried again. With
sudden terror, Durgal recalled where this tunnel led -- the chasm.
Only a few seconds until the ultimate terrible plunge.

"Durgal!" cried the dwarf girl, Gula. With all his strength, he
stretched to reach her in the crashing water.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

<pre>T..o..T

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

==[[User:MacGyvers_Mullet|MacGyvers_Mullet]]==
===Rognar:(11 November 2007)===

<pre>%%%@%%%,../.,\</pre>

The sword slid through the goblin's throat and the dying creature fell
to the ground sputtering. Rognar had been born into a world of
violence, and he would not share it with these stinking beasts.
Striding upon their unnumbered broken bodies, the warrior reached the
summit of the corpse mound and surveyed the carnage. The siege had
been broken. Here and there, a wimpering slave of darkness put up
resistance or simply clung to life, but soon they would all be
vanquished and the sun would bring a glorious dawn to the blood-red
battlefield. Rognar smiled. It was a great day to be a dwarf.

-Tarn

===Neandar Begin:(3 July 2008)===

<pre>!!()!!,k,...@,..#######||</pre>

He would never let the fiend escape again. That was what Neandar the
dwarf thought before he flung himself into the black air of the chasm
after the skulking kobold thief. For many seconds they fell, time
enough for Neandar to recall his short life and short career on the
Fortress Guard. Wet matter slammed into the dwarf's face and gave
way. The dwarf smashed through a dozen giant spider webs and hit the
ground running, hot on the trail of the kobold scum.

A huge standing ring of fire dominated the floor of the chasm. The
kobold made for the hell portal with all speed. Neandar stopped in
his tracks. It was one thing to plunge to certain death in order to
retrieve a granite puzzle box. It was quite another to cast oneself
into a dimension of ultimate evil. Yet these kobold cowards could not
be allowed to run about as they pleased. Lifting his axe over his
head, the dwarf charged into the portal of doom.

-Zach

==[[User:McDoomhammer|McDoomhammer]]==
===(6 May 2008)===

<pre>T,.ggUggg..TT------,TT,.T.U.UU.,..TTT</pre>

The three chosen warriors left the Citadel of Hope, strapped on with
all manner of magic weapons that the Council of Elders had presented
them. Shizenbubin was the tracker of the group, always hot on the
trail of danger. Shizentubin was her sister, skilled in the ways of
the blade so that no enemy neck was safe. Azoul Buck was the leader.
She ran her fingers through her short blond hair, her muscular arm
flexing, covered with the crude tattoos of her tribe.

This would be a short quest indeed. A party of goblins had ambushed
the prince on his way to the castle. All the heroes need do is return
him unspoiled. It would be easy to intercept them then on their way
to the Black Fortress, given Shizenbubin's incredible skill. However,
time was not on their side. Goblins grew bored easily and might make
sport of the prince's bodily members. Azoul set the pace, a quick
trot through the woods. She smiled at the easily-won glory that
awaited her squad at the end of the journey.

==[[User:Md5i|Md5i]]==
===(12 May 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||+++@+|</pre>

"That ought to keep 'em out," Doran said confidently, patting the granite
block which he had just slid into place. Ever since the Baron had insisted
on mining out the gold vein in the wall, Doran had been dealing with the
rats. It couldn't be helped. Gold was gold after all, but it was just
Doran's luck that the miners had broken through to a large chasm not far
from the craftsdwarf's room.

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

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

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

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

The craftsdwarf pushed the block back into place and backed away, chisel in
hand. After a moment, the scratching began anew.

===(07 Jun 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||%r%+@+|</pre>

"Leave me be, you fiend!" Doran yelled, his chisel held toward the stone
block. The scratching became louder and more persistent.

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

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

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

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

"Pity about that. I was going to ask Mul to do some etchings for me."

===(15 Jul 2007)===
<pre>##===@=D####</pre>

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mul, it would have been a thrilling project," Doran said,
pausing to take another swig of whiskey. "I can't believe how much trouble
we've been having with ratmen lately."

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

"Yes, surely something unusual is afoot."

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

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

==[[User:Midelne|Midelne]]==

===Fish Dwarf Begin: (6 August 2007)===
<pre>~~@~~X</pre>

They called him Fish-Dwarf. He was the only worker in the outpost willing to brave the depths of the cave river in order to service the floodgate mechanisms when they became clogged with the seasonal muds.

It was that time again. The farming gates weren't operational, and the planting had to begin immediately. Fish-Dwarf had his tools, and the special fins he had manufactured were secured to broad feet. Everything was ready. The frightened faces of the onlooking children would not dissuade him. Fish-Dwarf understood that this was his calling. He was the only one that could save the outpost. The dwarf inhaled, and his chest swelled to nearly double its original size. Clearing his mind, the dwarf dove into the water.

===(8 November 2007)===
<pre>~~~@%X</pre>

Fish-Dwarf swam down the narrow tunnel to the gate mechanism. The water was murky and even with his superior vision he could only just see his hands sweeping ahead of him.

The upper portion of the mechanism appeared suddenly before him. The dwarf inspected the machinery quickly, mindful of his air, yet confident that he had at least a few minutes left. The top assembly was clear, so the mud must have worked itself into the lower gears. Fish-Dwarf pushed his way down.

The swollen rotting face of a lizardman greeted him, twisted into the gears. Not again, Fish-Dwarf thought, dejected. It would take at least three trips to dislodge all of the chunks. The dwarf removed the chisel from his tool case and began working it into the sticking jam.

===(10 December 2007)===
<pre>+@@+@@@+~~~~~</pre>

"Fish-Dwarf, you have saved us!" the children shouted as the wet dwarf
pulled his way up on to the bank. He had finished his last cleaning
run, and already the floodgate was rising, ushering in the waters that
would prepare the way for the summer harvest.

"Truly, Fish-Dwarf, your mastery of the murky depths never ceases to
amaze us. You are a hero," the Mayor Kogan said, offering Fish-Dwarf
a mug of the outpost's best.

"I am glad I could help," Fish-Dwarf said, draining the mug in one
motion. "If only the river waters were whiskey, my life would be
complete."

"I fear we would never see you again if that were the case!" the Mayor jested.

Fish-Dwarf pondered a moment. "Indeed. Yet the search for the
Whiskey River is a quest for the young, I'm afraid."

"We here at Gladanvil are happy to have you," the Mayor replied as the
crowd dispersed. As the others left, the mayor pulled Fish-Dwarf
aside.

"-- and yet, I fear you cannot stay long. I've received word from
King Dorazar. He has heard tell of your talents, and our liaison from
the Mountainhome has conveyed his request for your presence at the
capital."

"My presence? Surely the engineers of the Mountainhome can manage the
mighty floodgates and channels of Steelpoint without my help."

"It isn't farming trouble, Fish-Dwarf," the Mayor said, lowering his
voice to a whisper. "Many fisherdwarves have been lost to the waters.
There is something lurking in the Lake of Columns."

===(18 January 2008)===
<pre>~~~@/~~%OB%OO%%%~~</pre>

Innumerable stalactites hung from the ceiling of the expansive gem-lit
cavern, many dipping down through the still surface of the black
waters. This was the Lake of Columns, the source of life for
Steelpoint, and now a place of dread.

Fish-Dwarf fit the blades into place on his fins. The citizens of
Steelpoint did not know what the creature was, but no fewer than seven
fisherdwarves had been lost at the shore. No matter, thought
Fish-Dwarf. King Dorazar had charged him to slay the lurking threat,
and that is what he would do. Still, the nature of the creature
eluded him. It had been years since his last combat with an aquatic
beast, and then it was only the cave crocodiles and lizardmen that
occasionally harassed his own community. Steelpoint would not have
sent for him over such a triviality. Hefting his mighty trident,
Fish-Dwarf nodded to the gathered onlookers before leaping into the
lake.

The water was clear, and he could see the broad columns well ahead of
him down to where they joined the submerged floor of the cavern.
Behind any of these formations, the beast could lurk.

There! Nestled between three columns was a gigantic bloated form on
the lake bottom. Fish-Dwarf swam closer, almost drifting. What
manner of beast was this? Great tentacles it had, and a toothy maw
which flopped open as it slumbered, surrounded by half-consumed bodies
of the dead.

Fish-Dwarf was almost upon it now, his trident lifted above his head
as he sank slowly toward the sleeping fiend. As he prepared to
strike, the lurid thing's lone eye flashed open.

===(15 May 2008)===
<pre>------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~@/~%~~~~~~~~~
------------------------</pre>

Tentacles lashed out, looping around Fish-Dwarf's torso and pinning
his arms to his chest. A force stronger than any he had ever
experienced crushed his ribs and a stream of bubbles shot from his
mouth as the breath was squeezed from his body. Fish-Dwarf
desperately slashed at the tentacles with his fin blades and as his
vision faded to black he saw that the water was thick with curling
purple ribbons of the foul beast's tainted blood. The monster's grip
loosened and Fish-Dwarf was able to free his arms. His sight had not
returned, but when he stabbed his trident downward, he felt it sink
deep into the creature. The monster's body convulsed and it raced
into the open water, Fish-Dwarf still clinging to the imbedded weapon.

I cannot let go so long as I cannot see, or I will surely be devoured,
Fish-Dwarf thought, though the beast continued on into the depths at
such speed that the diver could not maintain his bearings, and
suddenly in the back of his mind arose a strange sensation... it was
the need for air, such as he had not experienced for many years. A
tingling came to his throat and nose, and his head began to feel numb
as he became more desperate for breath, and yet slowly, his vision was
returning.

The beast slowed, its energy spent, and it settled on to the lake
bottom, unmoving. Fish-Dwarf jammed the trident into it a few times;
the thing was dead. Now, the surface! Fish-Dwarf pulled his weapon
from the monster and swam upward, but he stopped immediately. As far
as he could see in the now-dark water, a smooth ceiling of limestone
greeted him. The monster had fled into a great crack in the lake
bottom, so far and so deep that the light from the gem lamps was no
longer visible. Just the endless water and rock of the submerged
tomb of Fish-Dwarf, he thought, as he chose a direction and swam.

===Fish Dwarf End: (1 July 2008)===
<pre>,@!,.~~~~~~~~</pre>

He had chosen the wrong direction. Either that or the beast had
dragged Fish-Dwarf so far into the mountain that the fires of the
underworld were closer than the light of the lamps. His breath was
long since gone -- moving forward was all that could keep him from
panicking. After every few kicks, the dwarf would reach up to feel
the limestone. If anything, the rock was closing in. No... what's
this? His hand curled up around a sharp corner. Fish-Dwarf grabbed
it firmly with both hands and pulled, launching himself upward.

The dwarf fully expected to meet a wall of rock, but instead he glided
freely until at long last he broke the surface of the water, gasping
for air. As the dwarf calmed down, he realized that he could still
see nothing. He felt walls close by in all directions, as if he had
just swum up a shaft, though there was a ledge overhanging the water
on to which he could haul himself and rest his weary body. Fish-Dwarf
passed in and out of consciousness for a time, perhaps an hour, before
he sat up and assessed his situation.

He could dive back into the water with his lungs full of air and try
to find the lamps, now unmolested by great underwater beasts, but he
did not relish the idea of leaving the entrance to the shaft behind in
total darkness as he explored the crevice below. The only alternative
was to feel his way along the walls from this ledge above the grotto.
These limestone mountains were laced with natural caverns and after a
brief exploration of the surrounding stone he found this hollow was no
exception -- there was a mud-slicked passage that ran into the
mountain. Without hesitation, Fish-Dwarf struck out into the cavern.

-- How long since he had started on this dreary journey? Though the mud
was often thick, Fish-Dwarf had not trudged through so much as a
puddle these many days. He thirsted for spirits, nay, even water, and
he longed to swim again. The dwarf had long since abandoned his fins
and other equipment as they encumbered him too much on the march.
Every so often, he imagined he saw the gem lamps ahead, though it
could just as easily be the cooking fires of a goblin encampment, or
some darker torture, as the lights of the capital he sought. There
they were, even now... lights! Or light at least, the barest speck
in the distance ahead. Fish-Dwarf moved swiftly, no longer plodding,
still careful of the stalactites but driving forward rapidly all the
same. The speck became an opening, and he could see the mud of the
passage floor illuminated in the distance, with stone walls further
beyond. Only a few more steps...

The cavern opened out upon a rocky river valley in a canyon sheer to
the greatest heights yet welcoming the noon-day sun. The entrance
where Fish-Dwarf stood was at the bottom of the cliffs a short walk
down pebble-laden slopes to the stream below. Instantly, Fish-Dwarf
could tell that these were no ordinary waters. They were the color of
honey, yet the current flowed rapidly. And the aroma! The
intoxicating aroma! There was no question in his mind. Whether it
fell from the throne of some inebriated sky god and vanished into the
underworld to besot the armies of hell made no difference, for here,
in this world, in this very mountain range, ran the slightest stretch
of the Whiskey River. His mind unencumbered by thoughts of duty or
home, Fish-Dwarf made his way down to the riverside to drink his fill.

===Hunger Begin (11 June 2008)===
<pre>,..,.++U+,.+,.+U~U||</pre>

Suffering blighted the land with cruel hunger. Wagons brought foul
fungus from the dwarven mountains. It was barely enough to sustain
those base enough to eat such filth. The rest died. Paldadar rested
against the hilt of his great sword. He looked over his shoulder at
the dark stone castle. Turning his back on mud brick huts, the knight
passed by the scraggly bearded guards and entered the keep.

Form a high window, bright, mocking sunlight shone across the dark
wooden throne and the troubled king that sat upon it. The old man
reached for his cup, and after taking a sip, spat the vile dwarven
brew unto the stone floor. A herald in a mud-smattered tunic rushed
to wipe up the spill, but seeing the knight, rose to confront him.

"You were not summoned, Sir Paldadar," spit the herald. "Go ask the
peasants instead of begging the king for scraps from the royal table."

"Silence, Rodger," said the king.

The herald jumped away like a whipped dog. The king motioned the
knight to come forward.

"The gods have abandoned this place," said the king. "Only through
their glory will the days of bounty return. It is for this reason you
must smite the heathen Farthlings where they dwell across the river.
When their land is in ruin, the gods at last will favor us."

The knight ground his teeth. This was obviously High Priest Igland's
doing. But perhaps there was wisdom in punishing the arrogant
Farthlings for their many insults. Death by the sword was much
preferable to slow certain death by starvation.

===(17 June 2008)===
<pre>==?T?====,.UH,.U</pre>

As Paldadar walked away from the keep, peasants averted their hungry
faces. He was still a knight, even if he represented the most
wretched of kingdoms. A frail sissy approached from behind, leading
two horses. Paldadar swung around, drawing his sword. There stood
Rodger, wearing the snottiest of faces, his nose in the air.

"By the will of the king," he hissed, "I am to be your squire."

Paldadar prayed to the gods for mercy. Would that a Farthling's bolt
find his heart soon that he be saved from further tortures. Together
the pair made their way to the Temple of Love, where High Priest
Igland waited to bless their holy crusade.

The temple was built on a tall hill, a ring of marble columns
surrounding an enormous stone stele, pricking the sky with its
majesty. All around the temple, peasants scrambled to snatch at the
scraps donated by the monks that poured rotten food down the hill. As
Paldadar entered the temple, he was surrounded by fat priests and
priestesses that danced around him in a grotesque, undulating display.

The knight refused a cup of offered wine, which Rodger snatched up
and drank freely.

At the center of the temple, High Priest Igland stood, wearing nothing
save a red loincloth.

"When you wake in the morning," said Igland, "consider Love."

"Many happy couplings," said Paldadar as was the prescribed response.

"You must put an end to the Farthling menace," said the priest,
growing angry. "If their God of Suicide spreads his faith to our
kingdom, none of our desperate peasants will survive. You must strike
the heart of their kingdom and burn their temple to the ground."

Paldadar made the gesture of obedience and departed, pulling Rodger
away from the cavorting priests.

The kingdom of the Farthlings was separated from the kingdom of Love
by the River of Sorrow, whose wide fast-moving waters could only be
crossed in one place. This was the Bridge of Destiny. As the riders
approached, Rodger twitched with fear and apprehension, for it was
said the bridge was guarded by an evil water troll. At the bridge,
Paldadar held up his gauntleted hand. The horses stopped, and the
knight dismounted. Paldadar drew his sword and walked out onto the
wooden planks.

===(3 July 2008)===
<pre>%,..%,.|%.,.UH,%..%%UH,,%.~%,..(%).,.%|,..%</pre>

Green flames shot up from beneath the bridge. Horrid laughter pealed
across the blighted landscape. The knight turned to see Rodger making
tracks back to the temple with the speed of a spooked hare. Slowly
Paldadar looked over his shoulder to see the enormous bloated troll,
dripping with slime and black pus.

"You seek to pass into the land of suicide bearing the message of
love," said the troll. "What will you tell them, knight? Is slow
certain death by starvation superior than the final empowering
choice?"

"Where there is life, there is hope," said Paldadar. "Love will
overcome all obstacles!"

"Spoken like a true student of Igland," said the troll, assuming a martial pose.

As Paldadar cut the monster down, his mind was wracked with doubt.
Was the nation of love superior? He hailed from a place where young
people sold themselves for scraps of bread and yet he sought to bring
hope to a strange country. He found Rodger hiding in a nearby bush
and hauled him, protesting, across the bridge.

The land of the Farthlings was lush and green compared to the land of
love. Cherry blossoms rained down on the two riders as they wound
their way through the hills. Even in these pleasant surroundings, the
demented nature of the Farthlings soon became evident. Bodies dotted
the road here and there, swords plunged into their own guts. Corpses
hung in the trees from hastily-tied nooses, over eager to take their
own lives. As the riders passed, skeletal bodies lifted themselves
from the grass to watch them saunter on.

"Make babies, make babies, make babies," babbled Rodger, madly
reciting the Charm of Making.

At last they reached the capital of the Farthlings. The wind blew red
rose petals through the cold, dead streets. Even the cheerful sun
seemed dim in the vast tomb of a city. Rodger stared straight ahead
as they made their way to the keep, careful not to look into the dark
doorway, behind which ominous rustlings could be heard.

The flag of Farthlingland flew above the ramparts of the citadel. At
the base of the wall lay the piles of bones of those who had
hopelessly thrown themselves over the side. A wide moat circled the
castle. As the two riders approached, a draw bridge was lowered over
the water. Paldadar thought he could see a crowned figure on the wall
beckoning them inside. As they crossed the bridge, Rodger made the
mistake of looking down into the water. The currents were filled with
the souls of those who drowned themselves in desperate sorrow. Eyes
shut tight, Rodger hugged the neck of his horse, and followed Paldadar
into the gate.

==[[User:Onodera|onodera]]==
===(01 November 2008)===
<pre>"",",.@,.T,"""</pre>

"Don't let the sun set on you in the Dark Wood," said the dwarf
crones. "Ole Brick-a-Branch will get you." Nonsense, thought young
Davik as he rode his mule along the twisting green deer path. The
darkness came quickly as the sun slipped behind the trees. As he set
about making a fire, Davik pondered the dark tales of Brick-a-branch
and his mischief.

Not even the elves dared enter the Wood at night. Something older
than time haunted these cursed trees, but this valley was the quickest
way to Port City, saving at least a month of travel. As the night
grew darker and colder, Davik fumbled in his pack to retrieve the
charms and idols he had nearly refused as the journey began.

A great shape emerged from the darkness. It was a gnarled troll, as
old as the hills. It picked up Davik by the ankle.

"Not much meat here," it said.

"Please, Ole Brick-a-Branch, don't eat me," said Davik.

Having said his name, the troll was force to lay the dwarf down.

"I will not eat you," said the monster, "If you can answer me these
riddles three."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(09 February 2007)===

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

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

===(18 April 2007)===
<pre>@@@...@.####
@..T..@S####
.......#####
</pre>
The axe had scored the stone floor where it had severed the silk line. The Wolf-Mother chittered
angrily and pounced at Dolan, moving with surprising quickness. Dolan was knocked to the ground,
the enormous body of the foul creature pressing him into the stone. His axe clanged some distance
away. The blunt knobs at the end of the Wolf-Mother's forelegs dug into Dolan's ribs as her
dripping mandibles drew closer to his face. He grabbed her head with both hands, trying
desperately to keep her at bay. A foul-smelling spittle dripped on to his cheek.

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

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

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

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

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

==[[User:Rewolf31|Rewolf31]]==
===(13 April 2007)===

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Did you win, daddy?" Coren asked.

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

"What else, daddy? What else?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(25 March 2007)===

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(11 October 2006)===

<pre>.M.@$.</pre>

Deep in the fortress, a lava man springs an ambush on the treasurer, who is happily
counting coins. Could this be the beginning of the end?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 October 2006

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 12 November 2006

===(5 December 2006)===

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 5 December 2006

===(10 January 2007)===

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

A great crash echoed down the inward passageway.

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

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

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

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

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

-

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 January 2007

===(11 February 2007)===

And it keeps going and growing !!

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

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

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

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

--

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 February 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 13 March 2007

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

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

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

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

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

"Fire, Bomtek! Now!" Kogan ordered.

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 16 April 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 April 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, June 2007

==TomTheHand==

===(20 February 2007)===

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

Shrolnak glared through the rusty iron bars.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(12 March 2007)===

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==[[User:Xarph|Xarph]]==
===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>###=@=##</pre>

Kogan hurtled through the darkness, the two long braids of his golden beard streaming behind him. It was too much weight! The wings tied to his arms, made from stretched frogman skin and giant cave spider legs, fluttered uselessly as the chasm walls rushed by. He had been nervous the night before and, as usual, had gorged himself on plump helmet biscuits and dwarven rum. Now he was falling like a granite block. Kogan wondered if the philosophers were correct -- were these chasms were bottomless? He would be able to survive for several days without food or alcohol. Seeing nothing but blackness below, Kogan resigned himself to the journey ahead and began to sing his favorite drinking song.

===(19 May 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*##S##*#*#
#*#*#*#*#*#*#
#*##*###*@#*#
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

It had been two days. Kogan was dehydrated, and he had begun mumbling to himself. "Whiskey... my dear whiskey..."

Suddenly his fall was arrested by a force which seemed to hold him by the arms and legs. He still fell, but slower, and slower still, until he stopped entirely and hung in space. The dwarf tried to spin, but he was unable to move. Thick, translucent ropes held him. The reality of the situation dawned on him, and he felt sick. It was a giant web. He had been ensnared by one of the dark huntresses of the deep.

As he strained his eyes in the near-total darkness, Kogan could see her. A bloated many-legged creature, her body clear, her organs visible within. She was already moving toward Kogan, deliberately picking her way along the lines that were safe for her to grasp with her cruel claws. The creature chittered in anticipation as the dwarf struggled against the webs.

===(20 September 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*#####*#*#
#*#*#*#*S*#*#
#*##*###*@!!!
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

The spider was upon him. With what little motion Kogan had in his arms, he tried to bring the wings between himself and the voracious beast. He flailed helplessly, marshalling a defence that would embarrass even a child of his people.

Yet the spider stopped. She looked upon him with her many emotionless eyes. The dwarf could discern nothing. The spider's head bobbed up and down slowly, and she lifted several of her legs and waved them in simple patterns above the web.

A sudden realization struck Kogan -- the spider legs in the wing frames. She thinks I'm trying to speak to her! Kogan continued to wave his arms around as best he could, and she responded in kind. Giant cave spiders are solitary creatures, Kogan thought, so it must be a mating ritual. "But giant spiders eat their mates after breeding with them," Kogan muttered in horror. "I can't think of a worse way to die!"

===(13 November 2007)===
<pre>+g++%@%%+</pre>

The movement of the spider's legs had ceased. Now she simply looked
upon Kogan with her cold, glassy eyes. Her sinews tensed -- she was
ready to pounce! To what end, none dare say, though many a gruesome
and unseemly scenario had played themselves out in the recesses of
Kogan's strained mind.

A moment passed, and the bloated thing leapt forward! As she landed
on Kogan with the full weight of her body, the dwarf felt himself tear
free, and the web and spider passed up and beyond his sight as he
plummeted downward. Oh, what happy chance is this! Kogan thought.
He was free from fear now. If his body was broken into a thousand
pieces on some protruding rock, what would matter? At least he would
no longer sire an army of evil.

Soon enough, Kogan sensed that the walls were closing in. He could
not see well enough in the oppressive darkness of this deepest part of
the earth, but he felt their nearness. The dwarf said a prayer to the
Lordaxe to grant him a swift death.

Kogan felt his bottom smack hard into a smooth slope and he slid
disoriented into a twisting tunnel. The friction burned, but his
descent was slowed, and Kogan found himself gliding down an obsidian
tube. Out of a hatch he fell, landing face first in a pile of stone
trinkets. Uninjured, but sore, the dwarf stood. It still felt as if
the air was rushing by him, but he was teetering on solid ground.

The chamber was lit by torches. It was almost cheerful. The trinkets
were all finely crafted. It wasn't dwarven work, but each object had
its own peculiar charm. Kogan picked up a slate carving. It was a
rabbit wearing a jester's hat.

"Hey oh, what are you doing in the figure room?"

Kogan looked up. A mountain gnome was peering around a doorway. Only
its tilted head was visible.

"I fell," Kogan said, indicating the hatch.

"Oh my!" the gnome said with an equal measure of elation and surprise.

"You're our first visitor in years!"

"Visitor?" Kogan asked.

"Yes, my friend! I'm Largee Pottums! Welcome to Toy Land!"

===(27 February 2008)===
<pre>+g+@+%%%%+</pre>

"Toy Land," Kogan said flatly, utterly dumbfounded. The sheer
implausibility of the situation managed to drive all feelings of
hunger and thirst from his body.

"Yes, Kogan, it's Toy Land!" Largee Pottums exclaimed, jumping out
into full view. "Where do you think all of your toys come from? Your
crafts shops? Hoy hey! That would be the day!"

"Yes, our cr... wait, how did you know my name?" Kogan scratched his head.

"Do you remember the miniforge you got when you were six?" Largee Pottums asked.

"Th.. yes," Kogan finally resolved to think a little less about his situation.

"Gnomes!" Largee Pottums said proudly. "And the toy axe you got when
you were eight?"

"That too?!" Kogan exclaimed. He had such fond memories of the axe.
He used to beat his friends with it mercilessly.

"Gnomes," Largee Pottums replied, nodding in satisfaction.

"What about the puzzle box I got when I was nine?" Kogan asked.

"That was your uncle Dorol. And you just hated it didn't you? Oh
ho!" Largee said.

"Y... yes," Kogan said, disappointed. He had hoped to have somebody
to blame after all these years. At least he could confront Dorol
should he ever return home.

"Gnomes make the best toys!" Largee concluded. "Mountain gnomes for
the dwarves, garden gnomes for the humans, and dark gnomes for the
goblins. Toys, toys and more toys!"

"Gob... what about the elves?" Kogan asked, not knowing why he cared.
Like any able-bearded dwarf, he held elves in contempt.

"The elves? Hey oh! The garden gnomes used to make their toys. But
they're so finicky! One deer bone figurine and they found us out.
Humans can appreciate a deer bone figurine. The garden gnomes are
much happier now, if I do say so myself. And I do! Oo hoo!"

Kogan grunted in affirmation. He could emphathize with the garden
gnomes. Elves were nonsensical creatures.

"Now, my friend, it's time to talk to the Boss," Largee Pottums
announced, clapping his hands.

"The Boss?" Kogan asked.

"You can't make toys without a Boss. Let's go! We haven't had a
visitor in so long, he'll be excited to see you. Oh yes he will, sure
as sweet pods!" With that, Largee Pottums skipped through the
doorway, with Kogan following after him.

===(1 July 2008)===
<pre>##################
###.........%....#
###....%.......%.#
###..............#
gg@+++g+=g%g=%/=|#</pre>

"Now tell me, Kogan," said the white-bearded gnome from his plush
gaudy chair, "why you leapt into the chasm in the first place." The
Boss's coat was nearly bursting at the buttons; the red fabric made
his belly looked like one of his puffy cheeks.

"It was my dream. I wanted to fly," Kogan said sheepishly, "like a
bat, soaring through the still air free as a spark, but my
calculations failed."

"Ho ho ho," the plump gnome merrily laughed. "What a brave dwarf you
are! Now that you're here in our secret workshop, I was concerned
about letting you return home, but perhaps you wouldn't stay up above
very long before daring the chasm again."

"The chasm... the spider..." The dwarf shuddered at the memory.

"Largee! Largee Pottums!" the Boss of Toy Land shouted. "Our friend
Kogan needs some ease for his troubled mind. Why don't you show him
around Wimble Wizzer's workshop?"

"Hoo hey! Right away!" came the familiar voice from the doorway.
Kogan bowed awkwardly to the Boss and followed Largee out of the cozy
room.

--

Kogan was awestruck. It was like a scene out of his wildest
imaginings during one of those late nights at the drawing table.
Airborne contraptions looped and soared beneath the high stone ceiling
as gears turned and wings flapped or rotated according to the whims of
a particular design. Down below, three gnomes repaired and tinkered
with the devices on creaky wooden tables.

"Wimble-wee, Wimble-woo!" Largee shouted into the workshop. "I have
a guest for you!"

One of the gnomes inside turned toward the door and smiled weakly
while shaking his head, "Largee, my boy, who ever taught you to speak
in such a manner? Surely it was a gnome no less exuberant than
yourself."

Largee presented the still-stunned Kogan to the master of the
workshop. "This is Kogan, a dwarf, as you can see (hoo-ee!), and a
fellow maker of flying machines. The Boss has sent him down here to
have a look."

"Ah? So it's to be an inspection, is it?" Wimble replied gruffly.
"Well, you won't find these topside, but we're planning to sneak a few
of the truest models in during the next festival. The timetable is a
strict one, and we're still struggling with accidents." At this,
there was the sound of metal grinding on metal above as one of the
machines lurched and crashed into a table below. "The Boss is jolly
as they come, but he is also a grueling taskmaster."

"Ho ho ho," came the laughter from the doorway. "Wimble Wizzer, you
grumpus, is that the way to greet a new worker?"

Kogan turned toward the Boss, who was now standing beside him. A new
worker? The dwarf's eyes were wider than ever, and he turned slowly
back to the workshop, wearing a smile more full of unabashed joy than
any he had worn in his entire life.

"Well, you know, Largee," the Boss said, turning to the other gnome
standing at the door. "If he wants, we could just let him go back
home, if we found a way to make him forget all about Toy Land."

"We could bonk him on the head! Hee-whoa... bonk!" Largee yelled,
snapping his hand at the wrist.

"Ho ho ho," the Boss chuckled. "Don't you remember? Sometimes you
have to bonk them again and again, and they still won't forget!"

Kogan missed all of this banter, bent over the tables as he was,
looking over the damaged machine with Wimble and the others. After a
moment, Largee and the Boss slipped out of the room, leaving the new
worker to his workshop.

The End

==[[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: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.

==[[User:Minion21g|Minion21g]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>&||,g.g,gg....,.UU</pre>

Fiends pounded the trail, hunting Belmir and his thieving partner.
The two had stolen into the dark goblin tower in the dead of night and
taken the vial that held the demon king's essence. By destroying it,
they could stop the war and put an end to the demon forever. Why
destroy it, thought Belmir, when it obviously held so much value? He
and Gal would be rich men. Or, he thought, looking at Gal with
murderous intent, perhaps just me.

==[[User:NoNotTheBees|No Not The Bees]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>.M%,..U.,</pre>

The lonely cottage stood underneath a great hill of snow that had been
born of the great blizzard. Wind and sleet kept the pioneers indoors.
That, and the promise of hated predators searching for meat in the
frozen wastes. But as his family grew hungry, Fram knew that he must
join the hunters outside.

Almost immediately Fram saw the danger. Bloody footprints of a great
creature circled the cottage as if a monster sought a way inside.
Grimly, Fram gripped his spear. He must persevere lest his family
starve. He followed the monster's tracks away from his home as he
pulled his furs tight against the freezing winds.

Ahead he saw a shape, a black mound against an ocean of white.
Cautiously, Fram approached. It was the half eaten body of a black
bear. But what could kill such a large beast. As if to answer, a
monster loomed into sight, its body covered with long icicles. A
blizzard man!

==[[User:Scrollhaven|Scrollhaven]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>""@,.UE,."</pre>

With one mighty swing, Alfonso knocked away the prone elf's sword and
placed his boot on his wrist. Many moons had past since the vile
creature had killed poor Jim and ate him. Even now the elf looked up
in defiance. Finally, in these haunted woods far from home, vengeance
would be served. Alfonso held the tip of his sword over the
creature's heart, wondering vaguely if it had one.

"Back off, human," came a voice from behind, "this is my kill."

The human ranger turned to see a dwarf holding a crossbow. By the
state of his boots and armor, Alfonso could tell the dwarf too, had
been on a long quest. The elf saw its chance and snaked its way out
from between the ranger's legs and was off into the brush in an
instant. Alfonso cursed and charged after him, the dwarf close
behind.

==[[User:ToonyMan|ToonyMan]]==
===(16 January 2009)===
<pre>DDDDDDM,..@EU@@EU@UE,.</pre>

Sword and axe clashed again and again as the fighters struggled to
best each other in mortal combat. Arrows rained down on the field of
battle as man, elf and dwarf fought at once to win the day. Randar
took up the sword for the dwarves. With his mightiness he tried to
kill Giltra of the elves, but the champion was too fast. The battle
seemed endless. Roars of terror and pain were everywhere. Just then
a squadron of dragons appeared, lead by Madnar the Evil. Could there
be any hope?

==[[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.

==[[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:.Jim|Jim]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>,.U\U,.....M,.UUH..</pre>

So unsteady was the rule of the land that no one walked the halls of
Castle Sanazar alone. It had become fashion for the lords to stab
each other in the back, or perhaps poison each other's beer steins.
Not even a squire was safe. Rumors of war spread as did the news of
Sanazar's weakness. The king called an audience of all the knights of
the realm. A quest was called for -- something to prove the kingdom's
legitimacy.

The tables of the great hall filled with mighty knights as squires
rushed back and forth filling cups. The king looked on silently
through sunken eyes, having recently lost his ability to speak. He
motioned his consort to stand forth to deliver his proclamation. She
was a handsome woman, recently bound to the king, from a kingdom far
to the north.

"The flower that is Sanazar," she said, "is wilting and sick. While
we fight amongst ourselves, hungry jackals vie for their part of the
carcass. What we need is a hero, and what better to prove a hero than
a mighty quest! Far to the east lays Forgotten Quilts, an ancient
dwarf fortress abandoned long ago. It is said that within can be
found Gilded Lunch, the golden artifact boot. Return with the boot,
and return a hero! Who will take the challenge?"

"I shall!" boomed a voice from the end of the hall.

Through the door came Bram, mighty barbarian warrior, a squire
following behind, eyes downcast. The hall erupted into Chaos. How
could this outsider be given the quest? The king's consort looked on
the barbarian, heart racing. "What makes you think you are up to the
task?" she said.

"May I know thy name Madame?" asked the barbarian.

"Scandala," said the consort, brushing a blond hair from her face.

"Lady Scandala," said Bram, "I have slain dragon, cyclops, and ogre.
There is nothing under the sky that I fear."

That same day, Bram found himself on a horse on the road to Forgotten
Quilts, his squire Dolphin on a mule trailing behind. The lords of
the realm had not taken it well. Without the Mandate of the King,
returning with the boot would be useless. Bram must die. No knight
knew this better than Crusier, cruel black night of Petoun. That very
night he left the castle with his squire, taking the fast roads to
arrive on the trail before the hero.

"Help!" cried the boy, "Oh help!"

"Don't trust it Bram," said Dolphin. "I recognize that boy, a squire
from the hall."

"A countryman in distress is just that," said the hero dismounting his
horse and drawing his sword.

As he approached, he found the boy laughing. "Let's see how fast you
can complete your quest without horses!" yelled the boy.

Bram spun around to see Crusier leap upon Dolphin and, a knife to the
boy's throat, ride away on Bram's horse. The evil squire laughed
until Bram turned and brought his sword across the boy's face, leaving
a deep gash in his cheek. "I have marked you," said the barbarian,
"for you are mine now. Lead me to your master's den. Know that if he
harms a hair on Dolphin's head, there won't be enough of you left to
fill your god forsaken tomb!"

== [[User:NobbZ|NobbZ]] ==
===(16 February 2009)===

<pre>@@$@,.~~@,..</pre>

The dwarven toughs stood around the curve in the corridor, taunting
the dwarf lasses as they passed. A particularly vicious young dwarf
fingered his crossbow as he saw a dwarf he knew.

"Hey, Moody," said a thug. "There's the dwarf that owes you that coin."

"Yes," said Moody, stepping up to the dwarf, pointing his weapon.

"You owe me," said Moody. "Hand over the purse."

"I don't have your money!" said the dwarf.

The dwarven outlaws piled onto the dwarf, beating him near to death.

"I'll be back," said the blood-soaked dwarf over his shoulder as he
ran. "I'll be back!"

"You're never coming back coward!" shouted Moody.

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

ASCII art reward

2009-02-24T17:41:13Z

AbuDhabi: /* (24 February 2009) */

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

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

==[[User: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.

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

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

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

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

==[[User: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:Hellzon|Hellzon]]==
===(17 December 2007)===
<pre>,.@@~~o~~~</pre>

A rock plopped into the cave river from the platform above. There
Durgal and the dwarf girl sat, above the murky waters. Durgal
explained, in great detail, his plans for the future. When the riches
of the mountain were plundered, he would diagram the plans for a
second fortress himself. How the dwarves would love him!

"But in your haste for riches," asked the girl, "would you have time
for the ones you love?"

Durgal's face became red as a cave turnip. He looked quickly away
from her and stared into the dark water. There, eyes gazed up to meet
him. Durgal reached for his axe, telling the girl to warn the others.
A pale, slimy hand reached out of the depths and pulled the creature
upward. It was an olmman!

===(3 September 2008)===
<pre>ff,@,.@,o~~~~~</pre>

"Back!" cried Durgal, "back to the hall!" The dwarf girl turned and
screamed. Two blind cave fish men blocked the way out. Durgal turned
and swung his axe at the olmman, now completely out of the water. It
deftly dodged his panicked swings. The dwarf girl screamed as the
cave fish men crawled toward her, arms outstretched, feeling their way
along the floor.

"By the power of the Lordaxe!" screamed Durgal, holding his axe aloft.
The dungeon rumbled. The sound of water crashed through the tunnel.
The fighters were swept away. The olmman grabbed Durgal's axe arm as
they were washed through the watery tunnel. The dwarf pulled a dagger
from his belt and jammed it into the monster's guts.

"Gula!" cried Durgal, bursting above the surface of the water. He
pulled the axe free of the olmman's grasp and brought the pommel down
on its head, knocking it senseless. "Gula!" he cried again. With
sudden terror, Durgal recalled where this tunnel led -- the chasm.
Only a few seconds until the ultimate terrible plunge.

"Durgal!" cried the dwarf girl, Gula. With all his strength, he
stretched to reach her in the crashing water.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

<pre>T..o..T

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

==[[User:MacGyvers_Mullet|MacGyvers_Mullet]]==
===Rognar:(11 November 2007)===

<pre>%%%@%%%,../.,\</pre>

The sword slid through the goblin's throat and the dying creature fell
to the ground sputtering. Rognar had been born into a world of
violence, and he would not share it with these stinking beasts.
Striding upon their unnumbered broken bodies, the warrior reached the
summit of the corpse mound and surveyed the carnage. The siege had
been broken. Here and there, a wimpering slave of darkness put up
resistance or simply clung to life, but soon they would all be
vanquished and the sun would bring a glorious dawn to the blood-red
battlefield. Rognar smiled. It was a great day to be a dwarf.

-Tarn

===Neandar Begin:(3 July 2008)===

<pre>!!()!!,k,...@,..#######||</pre>

He would never let the fiend escape again. That was what Neandar the
dwarf thought before he flung himself into the black air of the chasm
after the skulking kobold thief. For many seconds they fell, time
enough for Neandar to recall his short life and short career on the
Fortress Guard. Wet matter slammed into the dwarf's face and gave
way. The dwarf smashed through a dozen giant spider webs and hit the
ground running, hot on the trail of the kobold scum.

A huge standing ring of fire dominated the floor of the chasm. The
kobold made for the hell portal with all speed. Neandar stopped in
his tracks. It was one thing to plunge to certain death in order to
retrieve a granite puzzle box. It was quite another to cast oneself
into a dimension of ultimate evil. Yet these kobold cowards could not
be allowed to run about as they pleased. Lifting his axe over his
head, the dwarf charged into the portal of doom.

-Zach

==[[User:McDoomhammer|McDoomhammer]]==
===(6 May 2008)===

<pre>T,.ggUggg..TT------,TT,.T.U.UU.,..TTT</pre>

The three chosen warriors left the Citadel of Hope, strapped on with
all manner of magic weapons that the Council of Elders had presented
them. Shizenbubin was the tracker of the group, always hot on the
trail of danger. Shizentubin was her sister, skilled in the ways of
the blade so that no enemy neck was safe. Azoul Buck was the leader.
She ran her fingers through her short blond hair, her muscular arm
flexing, covered with the crude tattoos of her tribe.

This would be a short quest indeed. A party of goblins had ambushed
the prince on his way to the castle. All the heroes need do is return
him unspoiled. It would be easy to intercept them then on their way
to the Black Fortress, given Shizenbubin's incredible skill. However,
time was not on their side. Goblins grew bored easily and might make
sport of the prince's bodily members. Azoul set the pace, a quick
trot through the woods. She smiled at the easily-won glory that
awaited her squad at the end of the journey.

==[[User:Md5i|Md5i]]==
===(12 May 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||+++@+|</pre>

"That ought to keep 'em out," Doran said confidently, patting the granite
block which he had just slid into place. Ever since the Baron had insisted
on mining out the gold vein in the wall, Doran had been dealing with the
rats. It couldn't be helped. Gold was gold after all, but it was just
Doran's luck that the miners had broken through to a large chasm not far
from the craftsdwarf's room.

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

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

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

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

The craftsdwarf pushed the block back into place and backed away, chisel in
hand. After a moment, the scratching began anew.

===(07 Jun 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||%r%+@+|</pre>

"Leave me be, you fiend!" Doran yelled, his chisel held toward the stone
block. The scratching became louder and more persistent.

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

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

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

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

"Pity about that. I was going to ask Mul to do some etchings for me."

===(15 Jul 2007)===
<pre>##===@=D####</pre>

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mul, it would have been a thrilling project," Doran said,
pausing to take another swig of whiskey. "I can't believe how much trouble
we've been having with ratmen lately."

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

"Yes, surely something unusual is afoot."

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

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

==[[User:Midelne|Midelne]]==

===Fish Dwarf Begin: (6 August 2007)===
<pre>~~@~~X</pre>

They called him Fish-Dwarf. He was the only worker in the outpost willing to brave the depths of the cave river in order to service the floodgate mechanisms when they became clogged with the seasonal muds.

It was that time again. The farming gates weren't operational, and the planting had to begin immediately. Fish-Dwarf had his tools, and the special fins he had manufactured were secured to broad feet. Everything was ready. The frightened faces of the onlooking children would not dissuade him. Fish-Dwarf understood that this was his calling. He was the only one that could save the outpost. The dwarf inhaled, and his chest swelled to nearly double its original size. Clearing his mind, the dwarf dove into the water.

===(8 November 2007)===
<pre>~~~@%X</pre>

Fish-Dwarf swam down the narrow tunnel to the gate mechanism. The water was murky and even with his superior vision he could only just see his hands sweeping ahead of him.

The upper portion of the mechanism appeared suddenly before him. The dwarf inspected the machinery quickly, mindful of his air, yet confident that he had at least a few minutes left. The top assembly was clear, so the mud must have worked itself into the lower gears. Fish-Dwarf pushed his way down.

The swollen rotting face of a lizardman greeted him, twisted into the gears. Not again, Fish-Dwarf thought, dejected. It would take at least three trips to dislodge all of the chunks. The dwarf removed the chisel from his tool case and began working it into the sticking jam.

===(10 December 2007)===
<pre>+@@+@@@+~~~~~</pre>

"Fish-Dwarf, you have saved us!" the children shouted as the wet dwarf
pulled his way up on to the bank. He had finished his last cleaning
run, and already the floodgate was rising, ushering in the waters that
would prepare the way for the summer harvest.

"Truly, Fish-Dwarf, your mastery of the murky depths never ceases to
amaze us. You are a hero," the Mayor Kogan said, offering Fish-Dwarf
a mug of the outpost's best.

"I am glad I could help," Fish-Dwarf said, draining the mug in one
motion. "If only the river waters were whiskey, my life would be
complete."

"I fear we would never see you again if that were the case!" the Mayor jested.

Fish-Dwarf pondered a moment. "Indeed. Yet the search for the
Whiskey River is a quest for the young, I'm afraid."

"We here at Gladanvil are happy to have you," the Mayor replied as the
crowd dispersed. As the others left, the mayor pulled Fish-Dwarf
aside.

"-- and yet, I fear you cannot stay long. I've received word from
King Dorazar. He has heard tell of your talents, and our liaison from
the Mountainhome has conveyed his request for your presence at the
capital."

"My presence? Surely the engineers of the Mountainhome can manage the
mighty floodgates and channels of Steelpoint without my help."

"It isn't farming trouble, Fish-Dwarf," the Mayor said, lowering his
voice to a whisper. "Many fisherdwarves have been lost to the waters.
There is something lurking in the Lake of Columns."

===(18 January 2008)===
<pre>~~~@/~~%OB%OO%%%~~</pre>

Innumerable stalactites hung from the ceiling of the expansive gem-lit
cavern, many dipping down through the still surface of the black
waters. This was the Lake of Columns, the source of life for
Steelpoint, and now a place of dread.

Fish-Dwarf fit the blades into place on his fins. The citizens of
Steelpoint did not know what the creature was, but no fewer than seven
fisherdwarves had been lost at the shore. No matter, thought
Fish-Dwarf. King Dorazar had charged him to slay the lurking threat,
and that is what he would do. Still, the nature of the creature
eluded him. It had been years since his last combat with an aquatic
beast, and then it was only the cave crocodiles and lizardmen that
occasionally harassed his own community. Steelpoint would not have
sent for him over such a triviality. Hefting his mighty trident,
Fish-Dwarf nodded to the gathered onlookers before leaping into the
lake.

The water was clear, and he could see the broad columns well ahead of
him down to where they joined the submerged floor of the cavern.
Behind any of these formations, the beast could lurk.

There! Nestled between three columns was a gigantic bloated form on
the lake bottom. Fish-Dwarf swam closer, almost drifting. What
manner of beast was this? Great tentacles it had, and a toothy maw
which flopped open as it slumbered, surrounded by half-consumed bodies
of the dead.

Fish-Dwarf was almost upon it now, his trident lifted above his head
as he sank slowly toward the sleeping fiend. As he prepared to
strike, the lurid thing's lone eye flashed open.

===(15 May 2008)===
<pre>------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~@/~%~~~~~~~~~
------------------------</pre>

Tentacles lashed out, looping around Fish-Dwarf's torso and pinning
his arms to his chest. A force stronger than any he had ever
experienced crushed his ribs and a stream of bubbles shot from his
mouth as the breath was squeezed from his body. Fish-Dwarf
desperately slashed at the tentacles with his fin blades and as his
vision faded to black he saw that the water was thick with curling
purple ribbons of the foul beast's tainted blood. The monster's grip
loosened and Fish-Dwarf was able to free his arms. His sight had not
returned, but when he stabbed his trident downward, he felt it sink
deep into the creature. The monster's body convulsed and it raced
into the open water, Fish-Dwarf still clinging to the imbedded weapon.

I cannot let go so long as I cannot see, or I will surely be devoured,
Fish-Dwarf thought, though the beast continued on into the depths at
such speed that the diver could not maintain his bearings, and
suddenly in the back of his mind arose a strange sensation... it was
the need for air, such as he had not experienced for many years. A
tingling came to his throat and nose, and his head began to feel numb
as he became more desperate for breath, and yet slowly, his vision was
returning.

The beast slowed, its energy spent, and it settled on to the lake
bottom, unmoving. Fish-Dwarf jammed the trident into it a few times;
the thing was dead. Now, the surface! Fish-Dwarf pulled his weapon
from the monster and swam upward, but he stopped immediately. As far
as he could see in the now-dark water, a smooth ceiling of limestone
greeted him. The monster had fled into a great crack in the lake
bottom, so far and so deep that the light from the gem lamps was no
longer visible. Just the endless water and rock of the submerged
tomb of Fish-Dwarf, he thought, as he chose a direction and swam.

===Fish Dwarf End: (1 July 2008)===
<pre>,@!,.~~~~~~~~</pre>

He had chosen the wrong direction. Either that or the beast had
dragged Fish-Dwarf so far into the mountain that the fires of the
underworld were closer than the light of the lamps. His breath was
long since gone -- moving forward was all that could keep him from
panicking. After every few kicks, the dwarf would reach up to feel
the limestone. If anything, the rock was closing in. No... what's
this? His hand curled up around a sharp corner. Fish-Dwarf grabbed
it firmly with both hands and pulled, launching himself upward.

The dwarf fully expected to meet a wall of rock, but instead he glided
freely until at long last he broke the surface of the water, gasping
for air. As the dwarf calmed down, he realized that he could still
see nothing. He felt walls close by in all directions, as if he had
just swum up a shaft, though there was a ledge overhanging the water
on to which he could haul himself and rest his weary body. Fish-Dwarf
passed in and out of consciousness for a time, perhaps an hour, before
he sat up and assessed his situation.

He could dive back into the water with his lungs full of air and try
to find the lamps, now unmolested by great underwater beasts, but he
did not relish the idea of leaving the entrance to the shaft behind in
total darkness as he explored the crevice below. The only alternative
was to feel his way along the walls from this ledge above the grotto.
These limestone mountains were laced with natural caverns and after a
brief exploration of the surrounding stone he found this hollow was no
exception -- there was a mud-slicked passage that ran into the
mountain. Without hesitation, Fish-Dwarf struck out into the cavern.

-- How long since he had started on this dreary journey? Though the mud
was often thick, Fish-Dwarf had not trudged through so much as a
puddle these many days. He thirsted for spirits, nay, even water, and
he longed to swim again. The dwarf had long since abandoned his fins
and other equipment as they encumbered him too much on the march.
Every so often, he imagined he saw the gem lamps ahead, though it
could just as easily be the cooking fires of a goblin encampment, or
some darker torture, as the lights of the capital he sought. There
they were, even now... lights! Or light at least, the barest speck
in the distance ahead. Fish-Dwarf moved swiftly, no longer plodding,
still careful of the stalactites but driving forward rapidly all the
same. The speck became an opening, and he could see the mud of the
passage floor illuminated in the distance, with stone walls further
beyond. Only a few more steps...

The cavern opened out upon a rocky river valley in a canyon sheer to
the greatest heights yet welcoming the noon-day sun. The entrance
where Fish-Dwarf stood was at the bottom of the cliffs a short walk
down pebble-laden slopes to the stream below. Instantly, Fish-Dwarf
could tell that these were no ordinary waters. They were the color of
honey, yet the current flowed rapidly. And the aroma! The
intoxicating aroma! There was no question in his mind. Whether it
fell from the throne of some inebriated sky god and vanished into the
underworld to besot the armies of hell made no difference, for here,
in this world, in this very mountain range, ran the slightest stretch
of the Whiskey River. His mind unencumbered by thoughts of duty or
home, Fish-Dwarf made his way down to the riverside to drink his fill.

===Hunger Begin (11 June 2008)===
<pre>,..,.++U+,.+,.+U~U||</pre>

Suffering blighted the land with cruel hunger. Wagons brought foul
fungus from the dwarven mountains. It was barely enough to sustain
those base enough to eat such filth. The rest died. Paldadar rested
against the hilt of his great sword. He looked over his shoulder at
the dark stone castle. Turning his back on mud brick huts, the knight
passed by the scraggly bearded guards and entered the keep.

Form a high window, bright, mocking sunlight shone across the dark
wooden throne and the troubled king that sat upon it. The old man
reached for his cup, and after taking a sip, spat the vile dwarven
brew unto the stone floor. A herald in a mud-smattered tunic rushed
to wipe up the spill, but seeing the knight, rose to confront him.

"You were not summoned, Sir Paldadar," spit the herald. "Go ask the
peasants instead of begging the king for scraps from the royal table."

"Silence, Rodger," said the king.

The herald jumped away like a whipped dog. The king motioned the
knight to come forward.

"The gods have abandoned this place," said the king. "Only through
their glory will the days of bounty return. It is for this reason you
must smite the heathen Farthlings where they dwell across the river.
When their land is in ruin, the gods at last will favor us."

The knight ground his teeth. This was obviously High Priest Igland's
doing. But perhaps there was wisdom in punishing the arrogant
Farthlings for their many insults. Death by the sword was much
preferable to slow certain death by starvation.

===(17 June 2008)===
<pre>==?T?====,.UH,.U</pre>

As Paldadar walked away from the keep, peasants averted their hungry
faces. He was still a knight, even if he represented the most
wretched of kingdoms. A frail sissy approached from behind, leading
two horses. Paldadar swung around, drawing his sword. There stood
Rodger, wearing the snottiest of faces, his nose in the air.

"By the will of the king," he hissed, "I am to be your squire."

Paldadar prayed to the gods for mercy. Would that a Farthling's bolt
find his heart soon that he be saved from further tortures. Together
the pair made their way to the Temple of Love, where High Priest
Igland waited to bless their holy crusade.

The temple was built on a tall hill, a ring of marble columns
surrounding an enormous stone stele, pricking the sky with its
majesty. All around the temple, peasants scrambled to snatch at the
scraps donated by the monks that poured rotten food down the hill. As
Paldadar entered the temple, he was surrounded by fat priests and
priestesses that danced around him in a grotesque, undulating display.

The knight refused a cup of offered wine, which Rodger snatched up
and drank freely.

At the center of the temple, High Priest Igland stood, wearing nothing
save a red loincloth.

"When you wake in the morning," said Igland, "consider Love."

"Many happy couplings," said Paldadar as was the prescribed response.

"You must put an end to the Farthling menace," said the priest,
growing angry. "If their God of Suicide spreads his faith to our
kingdom, none of our desperate peasants will survive. You must strike
the heart of their kingdom and burn their temple to the ground."

Paldadar made the gesture of obedience and departed, pulling Rodger
away from the cavorting priests.

The kingdom of the Farthlings was separated from the kingdom of Love
by the River of Sorrow, whose wide fast-moving waters could only be
crossed in one place. This was the Bridge of Destiny. As the riders
approached, Rodger twitched with fear and apprehension, for it was
said the bridge was guarded by an evil water troll. At the bridge,
Paldadar held up his gauntleted hand. The horses stopped, and the
knight dismounted. Paldadar drew his sword and walked out onto the
wooden planks.

===(3 July 2008)===
<pre>%,..%,.|%.,.UH,%..%%UH,,%.~%,..(%).,.%|,..%</pre>

Green flames shot up from beneath the bridge. Horrid laughter pealed
across the blighted landscape. The knight turned to see Rodger making
tracks back to the temple with the speed of a spooked hare. Slowly
Paldadar looked over his shoulder to see the enormous bloated troll,
dripping with slime and black pus.

"You seek to pass into the land of suicide bearing the message of
love," said the troll. "What will you tell them, knight? Is slow
certain death by starvation superior than the final empowering
choice?"

"Where there is life, there is hope," said Paldadar. "Love will
overcome all obstacles!"

"Spoken like a true student of Igland," said the troll, assuming a martial pose.

As Paldadar cut the monster down, his mind was wracked with doubt.
Was the nation of love superior? He hailed from a place where young
people sold themselves for scraps of bread and yet he sought to bring
hope to a strange country. He found Rodger hiding in a nearby bush
and hauled him, protesting, across the bridge.

The land of the Farthlings was lush and green compared to the land of
love. Cherry blossoms rained down on the two riders as they wound
their way through the hills. Even in these pleasant surroundings, the
demented nature of the Farthlings soon became evident. Bodies dotted
the road here and there, swords plunged into their own guts. Corpses
hung in the trees from hastily-tied nooses, over eager to take their
own lives. As the riders passed, skeletal bodies lifted themselves
from the grass to watch them saunter on.

"Make babies, make babies, make babies," babbled Rodger, madly
reciting the Charm of Making.

At last they reached the capital of the Farthlings. The wind blew red
rose petals through the cold, dead streets. Even the cheerful sun
seemed dim in the vast tomb of a city. Rodger stared straight ahead
as they made their way to the keep, careful not to look into the dark
doorway, behind which ominous rustlings could be heard.

The flag of Farthlingland flew above the ramparts of the citadel. At
the base of the wall lay the piles of bones of those who had
hopelessly thrown themselves over the side. A wide moat circled the
castle. As the two riders approached, a draw bridge was lowered over
the water. Paldadar thought he could see a crowned figure on the wall
beckoning them inside. As they crossed the bridge, Rodger made the
mistake of looking down into the water. The currents were filled with
the souls of those who drowned themselves in desperate sorrow. Eyes
shut tight, Rodger hugged the neck of his horse, and followed Paldadar
into the gate.

==[[User:Onodera|onodera]]==
===(01 November 2008)===
<pre>"",",.@,.T,"""</pre>

"Don't let the sun set on you in the Dark Wood," said the dwarf
crones. "Ole Brick-a-Branch will get you." Nonsense, thought young
Davik as he rode his mule along the twisting green deer path. The
darkness came quickly as the sun slipped behind the trees. As he set
about making a fire, Davik pondered the dark tales of Brick-a-branch
and his mischief.

Not even the elves dared enter the Wood at night. Something older
than time haunted these cursed trees, but this valley was the quickest
way to Port City, saving at least a month of travel. As the night
grew darker and colder, Davik fumbled in his pack to retrieve the
charms and idols he had nearly refused as the journey began.

A great shape emerged from the darkness. It was a gnarled troll, as
old as the hills. It picked up Davik by the ankle.

"Not much meat here," it said.

"Please, Ole Brick-a-Branch, don't eat me," said Davik.

Having said his name, the troll was force to lay the dwarf down.

"I will not eat you," said the monster, "If you can answer me these
riddles three."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(09 February 2007)===

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

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

===(18 April 2007)===
<pre>@@@...@.####
@..T..@S####
.......#####
</pre>
The axe had scored the stone floor where it had severed the silk line. The Wolf-Mother chittered
angrily and pounced at Dolan, moving with surprising quickness. Dolan was knocked to the ground,
the enormous body of the foul creature pressing him into the stone. His axe clanged some distance
away. The blunt knobs at the end of the Wolf-Mother's forelegs dug into Dolan's ribs as her
dripping mandibles drew closer to his face. He grabbed her head with both hands, trying
desperately to keep her at bay. A foul-smelling spittle dripped on to his cheek.

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

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

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

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

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

==[[User:Rewolf31|Rewolf31]]==
===(13 April 2007)===

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Did you win, daddy?" Coren asked.

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

"What else, daddy? What else?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(25 March 2007)===

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===(11 October 2006)===

<pre>.M.@$.</pre>

Deep in the fortress, a lava man springs an ambush on the treasurer, who is happily
counting coins. Could this be the beginning of the end?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 October 2006

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 12 November 2006

===(5 December 2006)===

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 5 December 2006

===(10 January 2007)===

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

A great crash echoed down the inward passageway.

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

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

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

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

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

-

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 January 2007

===(11 February 2007)===

And it keeps going and growing !!

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

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

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

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

--

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

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

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

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

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 February 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Silence, beast," Aloran spat. "The toad made the same promise and failed to keep it. Your kind use hollow words." At that moment, the toad demon's bleeding body quivered, as if it were laughing.

The oyster spoke again. "Daron... reunite... Roal..." The slimy appendage slid out and looped around Daron's right leg. Aloran ran forward, swinging her axe down on the oozing tentacle. It was cloven asunder and fell to the tunnel floor, pouring out a thick white paste.

As the oyster backed into the toad demon's still quivering form, the entire tunnel filled with a blinding light. Aloran turned and saw the vague form of a dwarf raising its hand, from which the radiance emanated. The light faded just enough for Aloran to make out the details. It was Regukar, the mason. In his hand, he held a glowing schist mini-forge.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 13 March 2007

===(16 April 2007)===
All right, the Reward continues (this is the same story):

<pre>
@@.####
.@@++d+
@.@####
</pre>
Captain Kogan stood with his dwarves on the stone road before the great arch, beard dripping from the drizzling rain that had been falling since the early morning. No word had been sent from the Baron concerning the deep mining operation for nearly two weeks. The King had grown impatient and the Captain had been sent to investigate.

The soft patter of rain on stone was slowly drowned out by a series of whirs and chirps coming from within the fortress. It was like nothing the Captain had heard before. He had his soldiers position themselves before the entrance with the marksdwarves kneeling in front of the others. The sounds drew closer, until a small shape could be discerned emerging from the shadows beyond the archway.

It looked like a lizard, twisted into that form from rusted iron strips, but it walked on its rear legs with a jerking and uncertain gait. In the center of its head, visible through the metal frame, was a drooping lump of granite that appeared to be molded around the iron. The stone glowed with a faint red light.

The dwarves watched awe-struck as the metallic creature continued advancing until it finally stopped under the great arch. Its head swiveled back and forth, eventually settling on the group. The lizard's body grated against itself, and from somewhere within, it emitted a piercing whistle and charged.

"Fire, Bomtek! Now!" Kogan ordered.

The marksdwarf shot a bolt at the creature. It hit the granite lump, shattering it. The iron strips collapsed into a pile.

"W.. what in the name of the Lordaxe was that?" Nunon stammered. "Where are the guards?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Kogan. He walked forward and pushed the remnants of the creature about with his hammer. "Something sinister is afoot. We'll scout as far as the upper meeting hall."

Captain Kogan and his dwarves passed under the arch and disappeared into the dimly lit fortress.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 16 April 2007

===(10 May 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#++++++++++d+++++++..
####+@+O++O++O+dOd+&#
+++++@+++++++++d+++@#
####+@+O++O++O++Od++#
#++++++++++d+d++@#
##################
</pre>

"Get out of there!" Kogan screamed. It was too late. Lokar was lost. Only Bomtek, Nunon and Captain Kogan himself remained. The rest had been mauled beyond recognition by the metallic beasts. The passage to the upper hall had seemed clear, but it was a ruse. The walls had come alive. The lizards were everywhere.

Now Kogan and the others were running for lives, pursued by the iron fiends. They could outrun them if they didn't stop to fight. The dwarves were approaching the meeting hall, though Kogan held little hope for that place now. The only way out of the outpost lay behind them, through a maelstrom of metal fangs.

"The upper hall!" Kogan shouted when he spotted a light ahead. The torches were still lit? Perhaps the guards were able to stand after all! Kogan and the others ran on, the din of whirs and chirps behind them driving them forward. At last, the tired soldiers crossed under the arch and entered the upper meeting hall.

"I'm so pleased you could join us!" a voice boomed from the back of the chamber. Kogan looked out between the pillars. There on a granite throne sat a dwarf, his face twisted in madness. In his hand he held a glowing object. The stone floor before him was crawling with the metal lizards. On his right, a fire burned in the shape of a tall man, lighting the entire hall. On his left, a dwarf woman was tied, struggling against her bonds, hatred in her eyes.

"Do you like my little friends? Arshosh and I will make more, many, many more. The miniforge is all-powerful!" The crazed dwarf cackled. "With it, I enslaved the spirit of fire, bound stone and metal to my will, and soon, soon! Oh, yes. Soon I will use the power of the miniforge to create a new race of dwarves! Aloran will be the first! Then all of you will join her! And you shall call Regukar your master!"

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 April 2007

===(June 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#+d+++++++%++++++++..
####d@dO++O++O%%O+%&#
++++d@d+++%%++++%%%%#
####d@dO+%O%+O+%O%%@#
#+d+d+%++%%%+++%@#
##################
</pre>

The soldiers had been quickly subdued, lashed to the floor by a writhing mass of metallic lizard bodies. Regukar walked slowly to the place where Aloran was restrained.

"Now, Aloran, let us begin the ritual of transformation." Regukar held the shining miniforge near to the dwarf warrior's face as she continued to strain against the ropes. The crazed mason lifted a tiny hammer and struck the minianvil once. The fires of Arshosh rose to the ceiling of the great hall and twisted around its many granite pillars. A tongue of flame engulfed the miniforge and the anvil began to glow even more brightly.

Aloran felt her skin breaking. The unbearable pain spread throughout her entire body. Metal blades tore through the flesh of her arms and legs, and she felt a force trying to subdue her will. "Regukar is your master. Regukar is your master," a voice in her mind whispered. The ropes snapped as the blood-covered blades continued to rise. The voice became louder and louder until it was all she could hear, drowning out her own screams.

Through her tears she could see Regukar had buckled over, laughing uncontrollably, and the sight filled Aloran with an all-consuming hatred. This contemptible dwarf could never be her master. The pain and the voice faded away, and her animosity began to manifest itself in the power of her limbs. The metal was part of her body now, and she felt its presence as surely as that of her own hands.

Looking up, Regukar noticed Aloran's steady gaze, and worry crossed his face. "My slave, the transformation is complete. Call me master," the mason stammered. Aloran said nothing and punched Regukar in the face with her metal-bladed fist. The knives stuck in his head, and the full weight of his dying body hung limply from Aloran's straight arm. Regukar's mangled face slid slowly backward, and free from the blades the dwarf crumpled to the floor and lay unmoving on the stones.

The tongue of flame slowly lifted the miniforge from the mason's clinging hand. As the glowing object slipped from his grasp, his raised arm fell back to the ground, and he breathed his last. The spirit of fire withdrew its flames, bringing the miniforge to the center of its translucent body. The demon turned to Aloran and faded from sight. There was a sudden crash as the metallic lizards fell to pieces.

--The Toad Preservation Society, June 2007

==TomTheHand==

===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>
..g#o@.%
</pre>

Shrolnak glared through the rusty iron bars.

"Eat yer meat, ya hairy maggot," the goblin snarled as it pushed the bowl back towards the dwarven child. "It'll make yer beard longer."

Aliz kicked the bowl away again. "I'm not eating until I get my mini-forge!" Aliz crossed his arms above his plump little belly and turned away.

"Minnn.. what's yer mini-forge?" The goblin was confused. The only toy it had ever owned was a cracked elf skull.

The dwarf child's eyes lit up. "Uncle Kogan made it! It glows in the dark!"

"Glows in the dark, eh... I'll poke around." The goblin scrambled away from the prison and disappeared around a corner. In a few minutes, it returned, its hand cupped around something that glowed purple through its bony fingers.

Aliz moved toward the bars, his wide eyes reflecting the eerie light. The goblin held its right hand through the bar and dropped the glowing object into the child's waiting palms.

"Now eat yer meat." The goblin wandered off.

Aliz was still staring into his hands. A sinister smile spread slowly over his face.

===(12 March 2007)===

<pre>
.T.g..@..
</pre>

"Where is the Soul of the Dark Power?!" Arugor was screaming now. He had fooled a dragon to obtain the wicked gem, and now it was nowhere to be found. Shrolnak groveled before him.

"Master, I.. I don't know..." Shrolnak had never truly adjusted to kneeling before the troll, but it couldn't be helped. His master had been gifted with a cunning far beyond others of his kind, and Shrolnak was powerless before him.

"Lies! Your hands still shine with its aura! Where have you hidden my treasure?"

"T.. that gem? I thought that's all it was. I... I let the dwarf child play with it."

"What?! Fool! I must reclaim it before it is too late." Arugor was bothered that Shrolnak had somehow managed to avoid the intricate traps in the Soul Chamber, but he would leave that matter alone until the gem was reclaimed.

Just as Arugor turned to leave, a plump dwarven child floated into the throne room, trailed by a billowing mist. In his hands, he clutched a deep purple gem. The hovering child had a wicked grin twisted into his bearded face. Arugor and Shrolnak shielded their faces, helpless before the radiance of the wielded Soul.

The child levitated higher, close to the ceiling, and looked down upon the quivering monsters. "With my power, I shall build the greatest mini-forge the world has ever known!" The dwarf was enveloped by the purple light and passed through the ceiling.

==[[User:Trukkle|Trukkle]]==
===(25 June 2007)===
<pre>%%@##B#</pre>
"There it goes!" Doran hollered as the bit of plump helmet sailed out into the darkness. The mason had been at the whiskey all morning, and now he was dangling his legs over the chasm with his lunch, throwing mushroom pieces to the gray fliers. One of the bats sailed silently into view and snatched the food as it fell.

"A bat's a bat, and bats like mushrooms!" Doran slurred as he took another swig from the flagon. "Let's try something a little larger."

The dwarf ripped the cap from one of his plump helmets and tossed it out into the abyss. It dropped out of view, without any sign of the fliers. Doran pouted.

Suddenly, a great shape flew up from the chasm, right by Doran's face, blowing the braids of his beard back over his shoulders. It looked like a gray flier, but many, many times larger, as large as one of the brown bears out in the forest. He watched as it disappeared off above into the distance.

Doran looked down at his lunch. "I... I guess I'll finish the rest myself."

==[[User:Xarph|Xarph]]==
===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>###=@=##</pre>

Kogan hurtled through the darkness, the two long braids of his golden beard streaming behind him. It was too much weight! The wings tied to his arms, made from stretched frogman skin and giant cave spider legs, fluttered uselessly as the chasm walls rushed by. He had been nervous the night before and, as usual, had gorged himself on plump helmet biscuits and dwarven rum. Now he was falling like a granite block. Kogan wondered if the philosophers were correct -- were these chasms were bottomless? He would be able to survive for several days without food or alcohol. Seeing nothing but blackness below, Kogan resigned himself to the journey ahead and began to sing his favorite drinking song.

===(19 May 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*##S##*#*#
#*#*#*#*#*#*#
#*##*###*@#*#
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

It had been two days. Kogan was dehydrated, and he had begun mumbling to himself. "Whiskey... my dear whiskey..."

Suddenly his fall was arrested by a force which seemed to hold him by the arms and legs. He still fell, but slower, and slower still, until he stopped entirely and hung in space. The dwarf tried to spin, but he was unable to move. Thick, translucent ropes held him. The reality of the situation dawned on him, and he felt sick. It was a giant web. He had been ensnared by one of the dark huntresses of the deep.

As he strained his eyes in the near-total darkness, Kogan could see her. A bloated many-legged creature, her body clear, her organs visible within. She was already moving toward Kogan, deliberately picking her way along the lines that were safe for her to grasp with her cruel claws. The creature chittered in anticipation as the dwarf struggled against the webs.

===(20 September 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*#####*#*#
#*#*#*#*S*#*#
#*##*###*@!!!
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

The spider was upon him. With what little motion Kogan had in his arms, he tried to bring the wings between himself and the voracious beast. He flailed helplessly, marshalling a defence that would embarrass even a child of his people.

Yet the spider stopped. She looked upon him with her many emotionless eyes. The dwarf could discern nothing. The spider's head bobbed up and down slowly, and she lifted several of her legs and waved them in simple patterns above the web.

A sudden realization struck Kogan -- the spider legs in the wing frames. She thinks I'm trying to speak to her! Kogan continued to wave his arms around as best he could, and she responded in kind. Giant cave spiders are solitary creatures, Kogan thought, so it must be a mating ritual. "But giant spiders eat their mates after breeding with them," Kogan muttered in horror. "I can't think of a worse way to die!"

===(13 November 2007)===
<pre>+g++%@%%+</pre>

The movement of the spider's legs had ceased. Now she simply looked
upon Kogan with her cold, glassy eyes. Her sinews tensed -- she was
ready to pounce! To what end, none dare say, though many a gruesome
and unseemly scenario had played themselves out in the recesses of
Kogan's strained mind.

A moment passed, and the bloated thing leapt forward! As she landed
on Kogan with the full weight of her body, the dwarf felt himself tear
free, and the web and spider passed up and beyond his sight as he
plummeted downward. Oh, what happy chance is this! Kogan thought.
He was free from fear now. If his body was broken into a thousand
pieces on some protruding rock, what would matter? At least he would
no longer sire an army of evil.

Soon enough, Kogan sensed that the walls were closing in. He could
not see well enough in the oppressive darkness of this deepest part of
the earth, but he felt their nearness. The dwarf said a prayer to the
Lordaxe to grant him a swift death.

Kogan felt his bottom smack hard into a smooth slope and he slid
disoriented into a twisting tunnel. The friction burned, but his
descent was slowed, and Kogan found himself gliding down an obsidian
tube. Out of a hatch he fell, landing face first in a pile of stone
trinkets. Uninjured, but sore, the dwarf stood. It still felt as if
the air was rushing by him, but he was teetering on solid ground.

The chamber was lit by torches. It was almost cheerful. The trinkets
were all finely crafted. It wasn't dwarven work, but each object had
its own peculiar charm. Kogan picked up a slate carving. It was a
rabbit wearing a jester's hat.

"Hey oh, what are you doing in the figure room?"

Kogan looked up. A mountain gnome was peering around a doorway. Only
its tilted head was visible.

"I fell," Kogan said, indicating the hatch.

"Oh my!" the gnome said with an equal measure of elation and surprise.

"You're our first visitor in years!"

"Visitor?" Kogan asked.

"Yes, my friend! I'm Largee Pottums! Welcome to Toy Land!"

===(27 February 2008)===
<pre>+g+@+%%%%+</pre>

"Toy Land," Kogan said flatly, utterly dumbfounded. The sheer
implausibility of the situation managed to drive all feelings of
hunger and thirst from his body.

"Yes, Kogan, it's Toy Land!" Largee Pottums exclaimed, jumping out
into full view. "Where do you think all of your toys come from? Your
crafts shops? Hoy hey! That would be the day!"

"Yes, our cr... wait, how did you know my name?" Kogan scratched his head.

"Do you remember the miniforge you got when you were six?" Largee Pottums asked.

"Th.. yes," Kogan finally resolved to think a little less about his situation.

"Gnomes!" Largee Pottums said proudly. "And the toy axe you got when
you were eight?"

"That too?!" Kogan exclaimed. He had such fond memories of the axe.
He used to beat his friends with it mercilessly.

"Gnomes," Largee Pottums replied, nodding in satisfaction.

"What about the puzzle box I got when I was nine?" Kogan asked.

"That was your uncle Dorol. And you just hated it didn't you? Oh
ho!" Largee said.

"Y... yes," Kogan said, disappointed. He had hoped to have somebody
to blame after all these years. At least he could confront Dorol
should he ever return home.

"Gnomes make the best toys!" Largee concluded. "Mountain gnomes for
the dwarves, garden gnomes for the humans, and dark gnomes for the
goblins. Toys, toys and more toys!"

"Gob... what about the elves?" Kogan asked, not knowing why he cared.
Like any able-bearded dwarf, he held elves in contempt.

"The elves? Hey oh! The garden gnomes used to make their toys. But
they're so finicky! One deer bone figurine and they found us out.
Humans can appreciate a deer bone figurine. The garden gnomes are
much happier now, if I do say so myself. And I do! Oo hoo!"

Kogan grunted in affirmation. He could emphathize with the garden
gnomes. Elves were nonsensical creatures.

"Now, my friend, it's time to talk to the Boss," Largee Pottums
announced, clapping his hands.

"The Boss?" Kogan asked.

"You can't make toys without a Boss. Let's go! We haven't had a
visitor in so long, he'll be excited to see you. Oh yes he will, sure
as sweet pods!" With that, Largee Pottums skipped through the
doorway, with Kogan following after him.

===(1 July 2008)===
<pre>##################
###.........%....#
###....%.......%.#
###..............#
gg@+++g+=g%g=%/=|#</pre>

"Now tell me, Kogan," said the white-bearded gnome from his plush
gaudy chair, "why you leapt into the chasm in the first place." The
Boss's coat was nearly bursting at the buttons; the red fabric made
his belly looked like one of his puffy cheeks.

"It was my dream. I wanted to fly," Kogan said sheepishly, "like a
bat, soaring through the still air free as a spark, but my
calculations failed."

"Ho ho ho," the plump gnome merrily laughed. "What a brave dwarf you
are! Now that you're here in our secret workshop, I was concerned
about letting you return home, but perhaps you wouldn't stay up above
very long before daring the chasm again."

"The chasm... the spider..." The dwarf shuddered at the memory.

"Largee! Largee Pottums!" the Boss of Toy Land shouted. "Our friend
Kogan needs some ease for his troubled mind. Why don't you show him
around Wimble Wizzer's workshop?"

"Hoo hey! Right away!" came the familiar voice from the doorway.
Kogan bowed awkwardly to the Boss and followed Largee out of the cozy
room.

--

Kogan was awestruck. It was like a scene out of his wildest
imaginings during one of those late nights at the drawing table.
Airborne contraptions looped and soared beneath the high stone ceiling
as gears turned and wings flapped or rotated according to the whims of
a particular design. Down below, three gnomes repaired and tinkered
with the devices on creaky wooden tables.

"Wimble-wee, Wimble-woo!" Largee shouted into the workshop. "I have
a guest for you!"

One of the gnomes inside turned toward the door and smiled weakly
while shaking his head, "Largee, my boy, who ever taught you to speak
in such a manner? Surely it was a gnome no less exuberant than
yourself."

Largee presented the still-stunned Kogan to the master of the
workshop. "This is Kogan, a dwarf, as you can see (hoo-ee!), and a
fellow maker of flying machines. The Boss has sent him down here to
have a look."

"Ah? So it's to be an inspection, is it?" Wimble replied gruffly.
"Well, you won't find these topside, but we're planning to sneak a few
of the truest models in during the next festival. The timetable is a
strict one, and we're still struggling with accidents." At this,
there was the sound of metal grinding on metal above as one of the
machines lurched and crashed into a table below. "The Boss is jolly
as they come, but he is also a grueling taskmaster."

"Ho ho ho," came the laughter from the doorway. "Wimble Wizzer, you
grumpus, is that the way to greet a new worker?"

Kogan turned toward the Boss, who was now standing beside him. A new
worker? The dwarf's eyes were wider than ever, and he turned slowly
back to the workshop, wearing a smile more full of unabashed joy than
any he had worn in his entire life.

"Well, you know, Largee," the Boss said, turning to the other gnome
standing at the door. "If he wants, we could just let him go back
home, if we found a way to make him forget all about Toy Land."

"We could bonk him on the head! Hee-whoa... bonk!" Largee yelled,
snapping his hand at the wrist.

"Ho ho ho," the Boss chuckled. "Don't you remember? Sometimes you
have to bonk them again and again, and they still won't forget!"

Kogan missed all of this banter, bent over the tables as he was,
looking over the damaged machine with Wimble and the others. After a
moment, Largee and the Boss slipped out of the room, leaving the new
worker to his workshop.

The End

==[[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: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.

==[[User:Minion21g|Minion21g]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>&||,g.g,gg....,.UU</pre>

Fiends pounded the trail, hunting Belmir and his thieving partner.
The two had stolen into the dark goblin tower in the dead of night and
taken the vial that held the demon king's essence. By destroying it,
they could stop the war and put an end to the demon forever. Why
destroy it, thought Belmir, when it obviously held so much value? He
and Gal would be rich men. Or, he thought, looking at Gal with
murderous intent, perhaps just me.

==[[User:NoNotTheBees|No Not The Bees]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>.M%,..U.,</pre>

The lonely cottage stood underneath a great hill of snow that had been
born of the great blizzard. Wind and sleet kept the pioneers indoors.
That, and the promise of hated predators searching for meat in the
frozen wastes. But as his family grew hungry, Fram knew that he must
join the hunters outside.

Almost immediately Fram saw the danger. Bloody footprints of a great
creature circled the cottage as if a monster sought a way inside.
Grimly, Fram gripped his spear. He must persevere lest his family
starve. He followed the monster's tracks away from his home as he
pulled his furs tight against the freezing winds.

Ahead he saw a shape, a black mound against an ocean of white.
Cautiously, Fram approached. It was the half eaten body of a black
bear. But what could kill such a large beast. As if to answer, a
monster loomed into sight, its body covered with long icicles. A
blizzard man!

==[[User:Scrollhaven|Scrollhaven]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>""@,.UE,."</pre>

With one mighty swing, Alfonso knocked away the prone elf's sword and
placed his boot on his wrist. Many moons had past since the vile
creature had killed poor Jim and ate him. Even now the elf looked up
in defiance. Finally, in these haunted woods far from home, vengeance
would be served. Alfonso held the tip of his sword over the
creature's heart, wondering vaguely if it had one.

"Back off, human," came a voice from behind, "this is my kill."

The human ranger turned to see a dwarf holding a crossbow. By the
state of his boots and armor, Alfonso could tell the dwarf too, had
been on a long quest. The elf saw its chance and snaked its way out
from between the ranger's legs and was off into the brush in an
instant. Alfonso cursed and charged after him, the dwarf close
behind.

==[[User:ToonyMan|ToonyMan]]==
===(16 January 2009)===
<pre>DDDDDDM,..@EU@@EU@UE,.</pre>

Sword and axe clashed again and again as the fighters struggled to
best each other in mortal combat. Arrows rained down on the field of
battle as man, elf and dwarf fought at once to win the day. Randar
took up the sword for the dwarves. With his mightiness he tried to
kill Giltra of the elves, but the champion was too fast. The battle
seemed endless. Roars of terror and pain were everywhere. Just then
a squadron of dragons appeared, lead by Madnar the Evil. Could there
be any hope?

==[[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)===
DgDgg%@@%@~~++++++>>>>^+^+^+^+^%%%%%@

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.

==[[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:.Jim|Jim]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>,.U\U,.....M,.UUH..</pre>

So unsteady was the rule of the land that no one walked the halls of
Castle Sanazar alone. It had become fashion for the lords to stab
each other in the back, or perhaps poison each other's beer steins.
Not even a squire was safe. Rumors of war spread as did the news of
Sanazar's weakness. The king called an audience of all the knights of
the realm. A quest was called for -- something to prove the kingdom's
legitimacy.

The tables of the great hall filled with mighty knights as squires
rushed back and forth filling cups. The king looked on silently
through sunken eyes, having recently lost his ability to speak. He
motioned his consort to stand forth to deliver his proclamation. She
was a handsome woman, recently bound to the king, from a kingdom far
to the north.

"The flower that is Sanazar," she said, "is wilting and sick. While
we fight amongst ourselves, hungry jackals vie for their part of the
carcass. What we need is a hero, and what better to prove a hero than
a mighty quest! Far to the east lays Forgotten Quilts, an ancient
dwarf fortress abandoned long ago. It is said that within can be
found Gilded Lunch, the golden artifact boot. Return with the boot,
and return a hero! Who will take the challenge?"

"I shall!" boomed a voice from the end of the hall.

Through the door came Bram, mighty barbarian warrior, a squire
following behind, eyes downcast. The hall erupted into Chaos. How
could this outsider be given the quest? The king's consort looked on
the barbarian, heart racing. "What makes you think you are up to the
task?" she said.

"May I know thy name Madame?" asked the barbarian.

"Scandala," said the consort, brushing a blond hair from her face.

"Lady Scandala," said Bram, "I have slain dragon, cyclops, and ogre.
There is nothing under the sky that I fear."

That same day, Bram found himself on a horse on the road to Forgotten
Quilts, his squire Dolphin on a mule trailing behind. The lords of
the realm had not taken it well. Without the Mandate of the King,
returning with the boot would be useless. Bram must die. No knight
knew this better than Crusier, cruel black night of Petoun. That very
night he left the castle with his squire, taking the fast roads to
arrive on the trail before the hero.

"Help!" cried the boy, "Oh help!"

"Don't trust it Bram," said Dolphin. "I recognize that boy, a squire
from the hall."

"A countryman in distress is just that," said the hero dismounting his
horse and drawing his sword.

As he approached, he found the boy laughing. "Let's see how fast you
can complete your quest without horses!" yelled the boy.

Bram spun around to see Crusier leap upon Dolphin and, a knife to the
boy's throat, ride away on Bram's horse. The evil squire laughed
until Bram turned and brought his sword across the boy's face, leaving
a deep gash in his cheek. "I have marked you," said the barbarian,
"for you are mine now. Lead me to your master's den. Know that if he
harms a hair on Dolphin's head, there won't be enough of you left to
fill your god forsaken tomb!"

== [[User:NobbZ|NobbZ]] ==
===(16 February 2009)===

<pre>@@$@,.~~@,..</pre>

The dwarven toughs stood around the curve in the corridor, taunting
the dwarf lasses as they passed. A particularly vicious young dwarf
fingered his crossbow as he saw a dwarf he knew.

"Hey, Moody," said a thug. "There's the dwarf that owes you that coin."

"Yes," said Moody, stepping up to the dwarf, pointing his weapon.

"You owe me," said Moody. "Hand over the purse."

"I don't have your money!" said the dwarf.

The dwarven outlaws piled onto the dwarf, beating him near to death.

"I'll be back," said the blood-soaked dwarf over his shoulder as he
ran. "I'll be back!"

"You're never coming back coward!" shouted Moody.

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

ASCII art reward

2009-02-24T17:40:42Z

AbuDhabi: /* AbuDhabi */

If you are sending a [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Site_support|donation]] to [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ Bay12Games], they might send you an ASCII Art Reward in exchange. It is a small scene happening in the Dwarf Fortress world. If the same donator gives more than one time, it is also possible that the bits of ASCII Art follow each other and form a story.

Each piece of ASCII Art Reward belong to the donator who received it, but to appetize new potential donators, sharing them might be a good thing :

==[[User: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.

==[[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: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: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:Ergot|Ergot]]==
===(14 June 2007)===
<pre>""w"w@%"w"w</pre>

Doran shifted from foot to foot as he looked from side to side. Eventually the dwarf's head dropped and he clutched his beard, his wide eyes wild, staring at the dirt. They were everywhere.

"Cave weevils. Cave weevils on my crops. My pig tails, all of my pig tails are gone. But this season will be different, mark my words, by the Lordaxe it will." The dwarf pulled a bulky glove from his belt. The knuckles were studded with iron. Doran slid the glove over his hand, his mouth twisting into a cruel smile. The farmer's eyes grew dark.

One of the foot-long insects crawled in front of the dwarf, and he hammered it into the earth with his fist, smashing the weevil until it was well-ground. "Flat. I'll pound 'em all flat. We might not have cloth this year, but we'll have plenty of meal."

==[[User: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:Hellzon|Hellzon]]==
===(17 December 2007)===
<pre>,.@@~~o~~~</pre>

A rock plopped into the cave river from the platform above. There
Durgal and the dwarf girl sat, above the murky waters. Durgal
explained, in great detail, his plans for the future. When the riches
of the mountain were plundered, he would diagram the plans for a
second fortress himself. How the dwarves would love him!

"But in your haste for riches," asked the girl, "would you have time
for the ones you love?"

Durgal's face became red as a cave turnip. He looked quickly away
from her and stared into the dark water. There, eyes gazed up to meet
him. Durgal reached for his axe, telling the girl to warn the others.
A pale, slimy hand reached out of the depths and pulled the creature
upward. It was an olmman!

===(3 September 2008)===
<pre>ff,@,.@,o~~~~~</pre>

"Back!" cried Durgal, "back to the hall!" The dwarf girl turned and
screamed. Two blind cave fish men blocked the way out. Durgal turned
and swung his axe at the olmman, now completely out of the water. It
deftly dodged his panicked swings. The dwarf girl screamed as the
cave fish men crawled toward her, arms outstretched, feeling their way
along the floor.

"By the power of the Lordaxe!" screamed Durgal, holding his axe aloft.
The dungeon rumbled. The sound of water crashed through the tunnel.
The fighters were swept away. The olmman grabbed Durgal's axe arm as
they were washed through the watery tunnel. The dwarf pulled a dagger
from his belt and jammed it into the monster's guts.

"Gula!" cried Durgal, bursting above the surface of the water. He
pulled the axe free of the olmman's grasp and brought the pommel down
on its head, knocking it senseless. "Gula!" he cried again. With
sudden terror, Durgal recalled where this tunnel led -- the chasm.
Only a few seconds until the ultimate terrible plunge.

"Durgal!" cried the dwarf girl, Gula. With all his strength, he
stretched to reach her in the crashing water.

==[[User:Janus|Janus]]==
===(12 October 2006)===

<pre>BgB
B@g
gBB</pre>
Beak dogs and goblins surround the adventurer! What will happen next?!

===(13 February 2007)===
<pre>gg...
.B.B=
..BB.
.%B@/
.-...</pre>
One of the five beak dogs pounced. Rogar leapt, planting a foot on the beast's head and propelling himself toward the tattoed goblin. Just as they collided, Rogar planted his dagger through the goblin's left eye. They hit the ground hard, and Rogar rolled forward to his feet, spinning to face the remaining eight opponents. The beak dog he had jumped on was still shaking its head, wincing. Behind them stood a wiry goblin with a wild mane of maroon hair, brandishing a scimitar, and a lardy goblin holding an iron-studded club.

The beak dogs charged Rogar in unison. His dagger was stuck back in the twitching goblin's face, but weaponless he stood his ground before them. The first dog to reach him received Rogar's knee under its chin, the long cruel spike at the top of the warrior's half-greave piercing the creature's throat. Two more beak dogs reached him as he twisted his leg in the air, trying to free it from his bleeding adversary. The beasts slammed into him, one getting a hold of his right arm above the elbow, the other gnashing at his face. Before it could tear his nose off, Rogar grabbed it by the neck with his left hand and held it back. The other dog sank its beak deeper into the flesh of Rogar's arm. Could this be the end?!

===(5 May 2007)===
<pre>|+@g+++</pre>

Rogar awoke in pain, his wrists in chains, his wounded arm throbbing. He opened his eyes only to be greeted by an all-encompassing darkness. This must be Shalthidon's dungeon, which meant that he was locked inside the Tower of Hate from which no man had ever returned.

A dim light flickered some distance away, and he could see the silhouetted bars of his prison. Beyond them, shadows danced, and he heard a grating sound. The bars slid aside, and the lardy goblin waddled into the chamber holding a torch.

The foul creature stood below Rogar where he hung, an idiot grin perking up the otherwise sagging jowls of its bloated face.

"The master says you are to be entertained," it croaked as it continued to smile.

"I do not desire such pleasures as Shalthidon has to offer," Rogar answered. "Be off with you. The larder has grown lonely."

"The master says you are to feel the fire," the thing chortled. The goblin lifted the torch and took a step toward Rogar.

It was enough. Rogar lashed out with his legs, hooking them around the goblin's neck. In a feat of strength that would become legend, Rogar strained against the chains on his arms, lifting the massive goblin and all its corpulence from the floor. There was a sickening crack, and the fixtures in the ceiling gave way. Rogar fell into the goblin's lardy folds, pushing away desperately until he regained his feet, ready to fight, but the goblin was already dead with a broken neck.

Fortunately, the torch had not been smothered. The warrior picked it up and held it high. There was nothing else in the cell. Aside from the chains, the torch was his only possession. Now it's the master who'll be entertained, Rogar thought, as he strode out into the passageway.

===(7 August 2007)===
<pre>@+++"E"</pre>

Rogar strode toward the great iron doors, leaving a trail of blood that was not his own. In his hand he held a scimitar and from each of his wrists the chains still hung. All of the servants of Shalthidon that lurked within the Tower of Hate were now dead, save whatever was in this room at the pinnacle of the tower. The sword he had seized from the maroon-maned goblin, who had led the goblins in the tower barracks.

The warrior pushed hard on the iron doors and they opened inward with a groan. There, surrounded by brightly colored flowers, was an elf. The sun shone down on the tower top through windows in the elegant curved ceiling. The entire room sparkled.

"Are you a prisoner here? Where is Shalthidon?" Rogar asked urgently.

The elf chuckled pleasantly. "Child, Rogar, I am Shalthidon. My parents named me Lilarilqua, but my attempts to hold the goblins under my sway with that name met with disaster. Are you cold? Let me fetch you something warm." Shalthidon fished around under a dresser and pulled out a plush cloak with lacy frills. "The material was all offered freely from the feather trees, Rogar. You don't have to worry about the animals."

Rogar was still stunned. Shalthidon, the Bringer of Ruin, murderer of his parents, lord of the evil of the creeping wastes that had engulfed half the world, was an elf. Dispelling the cloud over his mind, the warrior focused. That will only make killing him all the more satisfying, he thought. Rogar lifted his blade and advanced.

==[[User:Kosmos|Kosmos]]==
===(11 September 2007)===
<pre>T+TT@C +</pre>

"Twist my arm, why don't you? You louse," Doran had complained as Bomtek continued to bother him.

"Come on, Doran! It's just a bottle of whiskey. The Baron won't miss it. When you deliver his table, just take a little something for yourself. And share it with me."

Now Doran was standing in the Baron's dining room. It already had a fine granite table at its center; the noble had just wanted an obsidian corner piece as an accent. As the dwarf set the table down, Bomtek's repeated needling suggestions still echoed in his mind. It was just one bottle. There are so many in the cabinet. The Baron won't miss just one of them.

The dwarf had to pass the cabinet on the way out. With every step toward it, he felt the whiskey within calling in his heart. Doran's face flushed hot and his stomach felt as if it were being squeezed and twisted. Maybe I'll just look, he thought. Just look and go. He reached out his hand and gently opened the cabinet's door. There was only one bottle inside. Bomtek, you fool, he thought. Yet the whiskey still beckoned him forward, and he continued to gaze on the bottle in silence as it drew him ever closer.

==[[User:Laod|Laod]]==
===(15 October 2006)===

<pre>T..o..T

Trolls are playing dodgeball with a boulder! Who will win?!</pre>
--[[User:Laod|Laod]] 15 October 2006

==[[User:MacGyvers_Mullet|MacGyvers_Mullet]]==
===Rognar:(11 November 2007)===

<pre>%%%@%%%,../.,\</pre>

The sword slid through the goblin's throat and the dying creature fell
to the ground sputtering. Rognar had been born into a world of
violence, and he would not share it with these stinking beasts.
Striding upon their unnumbered broken bodies, the warrior reached the
summit of the corpse mound and surveyed the carnage. The siege had
been broken. Here and there, a wimpering slave of darkness put up
resistance or simply clung to life, but soon they would all be
vanquished and the sun would bring a glorious dawn to the blood-red
battlefield. Rognar smiled. It was a great day to be a dwarf.

-Tarn

===Neandar Begin:(3 July 2008)===

<pre>!!()!!,k,...@,..#######||</pre>

He would never let the fiend escape again. That was what Neandar the
dwarf thought before he flung himself into the black air of the chasm
after the skulking kobold thief. For many seconds they fell, time
enough for Neandar to recall his short life and short career on the
Fortress Guard. Wet matter slammed into the dwarf's face and gave
way. The dwarf smashed through a dozen giant spider webs and hit the
ground running, hot on the trail of the kobold scum.

A huge standing ring of fire dominated the floor of the chasm. The
kobold made for the hell portal with all speed. Neandar stopped in
his tracks. It was one thing to plunge to certain death in order to
retrieve a granite puzzle box. It was quite another to cast oneself
into a dimension of ultimate evil. Yet these kobold cowards could not
be allowed to run about as they pleased. Lifting his axe over his
head, the dwarf charged into the portal of doom.

-Zach

==[[User:McDoomhammer|McDoomhammer]]==
===(6 May 2008)===

<pre>T,.ggUggg..TT------,TT,.T.U.UU.,..TTT</pre>

The three chosen warriors left the Citadel of Hope, strapped on with
all manner of magic weapons that the Council of Elders had presented
them. Shizenbubin was the tracker of the group, always hot on the
trail of danger. Shizentubin was her sister, skilled in the ways of
the blade so that no enemy neck was safe. Azoul Buck was the leader.
She ran her fingers through her short blond hair, her muscular arm
flexing, covered with the crude tattoos of her tribe.

This would be a short quest indeed. A party of goblins had ambushed
the prince on his way to the castle. All the heroes need do is return
him unspoiled. It would be easy to intercept them then on their way
to the Black Fortress, given Shizenbubin's incredible skill. However,
time was not on their side. Goblins grew bored easily and might make
sport of the prince's bodily members. Azoul set the pace, a quick
trot through the woods. She smiled at the easily-won glory that
awaited her squad at the end of the journey.

==[[User:Md5i|Md5i]]==
===(12 May 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||+++@+|</pre>

"That ought to keep 'em out," Doran said confidently, patting the granite
block which he had just slid into place. Ever since the Baron had insisted
on mining out the gold vein in the wall, Doran had been dealing with the
rats. It couldn't be helped. Gold was gold after all, but it was just
Doran's luck that the miners had broken through to a large chasm not far
from the craftsdwarf's room.

The dwarf laid down on his bed and began to think about the next project. A
puzzlebox, perhaps, something challenging. Just as Doran was drifting off
into dreams of the design, he heard a scratching on the block.

"Ha! Keep trying you little demons," the dwarf chuckled. The scratching
continued. It was irritating, but the dwarf could block it out. Then there
was a grating scrape as the block moved an inch. The dwarf sat up and
stared at the wall in amazement. Impossible, he thought.

The block slid forward further. Small, clawed fingers worked their way
around the stone until a gray, furry hand grasped one corner of the block.
The stone turned slightly.

Doran seized his chisel from the nearby table and leapt toward the block,
stabbing downward. The tool grazed the hand, leaving a spatter of blood on
the stone. There was a shriek, and the bleeding hand disappeared into the
dark crack.

The craftsdwarf pushed the block back into place and backed away, chisel in
hand. After a moment, the scratching began anew.

===(07 Jun 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||%r%+@+|</pre>

"Leave me be, you fiend!" Doran yelled, his chisel held toward the stone
block. The scratching became louder and more persistent.

Once again, the block moved, but this time no fingers poked through the
crack. The beast had learned. The slab of granite was being pushed
directly from behind, and it glided slowly toward Doran. The dwarf backed
toward his bed.

The block stopped sliding. There was now enough space to allow something to
pass through the hole in the wall, but the block was large and Doran could
not see behind it. For a long moment, nothing stirred. The craftsdwarf
knelt and opened the chest by the foot of his bed, muttering.

At once, a creature leapt from behind the block and faced Doran. It was a
ratman, ravening, its long yellow incisors surrounded by froth, its
patchy-furred flesh stretched tight over its starved body. The thing
hungered and would have Doran for its meal.

The dwarf stood, a vial in his hand. The ratman lunged forward and Doran
hurled the vial at the beast's face. The glass shattered, and the creature
clutched its black protruding eyes as they steamed. Doran rushed forward
and stabbed the ratman repeatedly with the chisel until it stopped moving.

"Pity about that. I was going to ask Mul to do some etchings for me."

===(15 Jul 2007)===
<pre>##===@=D####</pre>

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mul, it would have been a thrilling project," Doran said,
pausing to take another swig of whiskey. "I can't believe how much trouble
we've been having with ratmen lately."

"Perhaps there's a larger beast down in the chasm riling them up," Mul
replied. "Kogan's child was taken not long ago."

"Yes, surely something unusual is afoot."

Meanwhile, Kogan stood with his axe by the chasm bridge. Ever since the boy
Aliz had been lost, the soldier had tirelessly patrolled the walkways along
the deepest parts of the rift, killing dozens of ratmen and a few large
spiders. He would not be satisfied until the depths were devoid of life.

A foul wind blew up from the chasm. Kogan leaned to the side and peered
down over the edge of the bridge. The impact was sudden and the dwarf was
knocked on his back in the middle of the bridge. Kogan heard the sound of
stone being scraped without respect, and he.found himself staring into the
rotten eyes of a giant decaying reptile.

==[[User:Midelne|Midelne]]==

===Fish Dwarf Begin: (6 August 2007)===
<pre>~~@~~X</pre>

They called him Fish-Dwarf. He was the only worker in the outpost willing to brave the depths of the cave river in order to service the floodgate mechanisms when they became clogged with the seasonal muds.

It was that time again. The farming gates weren't operational, and the planting had to begin immediately. Fish-Dwarf had his tools, and the special fins he had manufactured were secured to broad feet. Everything was ready. The frightened faces of the onlooking children would not dissuade him. Fish-Dwarf understood that this was his calling. He was the only one that could save the outpost. The dwarf inhaled, and his chest swelled to nearly double its original size. Clearing his mind, the dwarf dove into the water.

===(8 November 2007)===
<pre>~~~@%X</pre>

Fish-Dwarf swam down the narrow tunnel to the gate mechanism. The water was murky and even with his superior vision he could only just see his hands sweeping ahead of him.

The upper portion of the mechanism appeared suddenly before him. The dwarf inspected the machinery quickly, mindful of his air, yet confident that he had at least a few minutes left. The top assembly was clear, so the mud must have worked itself into the lower gears. Fish-Dwarf pushed his way down.

The swollen rotting face of a lizardman greeted him, twisted into the gears. Not again, Fish-Dwarf thought, dejected. It would take at least three trips to dislodge all of the chunks. The dwarf removed the chisel from his tool case and began working it into the sticking jam.

===(10 December 2007)===
<pre>+@@+@@@+~~~~~</pre>

"Fish-Dwarf, you have saved us!" the children shouted as the wet dwarf
pulled his way up on to the bank. He had finished his last cleaning
run, and already the floodgate was rising, ushering in the waters that
would prepare the way for the summer harvest.

"Truly, Fish-Dwarf, your mastery of the murky depths never ceases to
amaze us. You are a hero," the Mayor Kogan said, offering Fish-Dwarf
a mug of the outpost's best.

"I am glad I could help," Fish-Dwarf said, draining the mug in one
motion. "If only the river waters were whiskey, my life would be
complete."

"I fear we would never see you again if that were the case!" the Mayor jested.

Fish-Dwarf pondered a moment. "Indeed. Yet the search for the
Whiskey River is a quest for the young, I'm afraid."

"We here at Gladanvil are happy to have you," the Mayor replied as the
crowd dispersed. As the others left, the mayor pulled Fish-Dwarf
aside.

"-- and yet, I fear you cannot stay long. I've received word from
King Dorazar. He has heard tell of your talents, and our liaison from
the Mountainhome has conveyed his request for your presence at the
capital."

"My presence? Surely the engineers of the Mountainhome can manage the
mighty floodgates and channels of Steelpoint without my help."

"It isn't farming trouble, Fish-Dwarf," the Mayor said, lowering his
voice to a whisper. "Many fisherdwarves have been lost to the waters.
There is something lurking in the Lake of Columns."

===(18 January 2008)===
<pre>~~~@/~~%OB%OO%%%~~</pre>

Innumerable stalactites hung from the ceiling of the expansive gem-lit
cavern, many dipping down through the still surface of the black
waters. This was the Lake of Columns, the source of life for
Steelpoint, and now a place of dread.

Fish-Dwarf fit the blades into place on his fins. The citizens of
Steelpoint did not know what the creature was, but no fewer than seven
fisherdwarves had been lost at the shore. No matter, thought
Fish-Dwarf. King Dorazar had charged him to slay the lurking threat,
and that is what he would do. Still, the nature of the creature
eluded him. It had been years since his last combat with an aquatic
beast, and then it was only the cave crocodiles and lizardmen that
occasionally harassed his own community. Steelpoint would not have
sent for him over such a triviality. Hefting his mighty trident,
Fish-Dwarf nodded to the gathered onlookers before leaping into the
lake.

The water was clear, and he could see the broad columns well ahead of
him down to where they joined the submerged floor of the cavern.
Behind any of these formations, the beast could lurk.

There! Nestled between three columns was a gigantic bloated form on
the lake bottom. Fish-Dwarf swam closer, almost drifting. What
manner of beast was this? Great tentacles it had, and a toothy maw
which flopped open as it slumbered, surrounded by half-consumed bodies
of the dead.

Fish-Dwarf was almost upon it now, his trident lifted above his head
as he sank slowly toward the sleeping fiend. As he prepared to
strike, the lurid thing's lone eye flashed open.

===(15 May 2008)===
<pre>------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~@/~%~~~~~~~~~
------------------------</pre>

Tentacles lashed out, looping around Fish-Dwarf's torso and pinning
his arms to his chest. A force stronger than any he had ever
experienced crushed his ribs and a stream of bubbles shot from his
mouth as the breath was squeezed from his body. Fish-Dwarf
desperately slashed at the tentacles with his fin blades and as his
vision faded to black he saw that the water was thick with curling
purple ribbons of the foul beast's tainted blood. The monster's grip
loosened and Fish-Dwarf was able to free his arms. His sight had not
returned, but when he stabbed his trident downward, he felt it sink
deep into the creature. The monster's body convulsed and it raced
into the open water, Fish-Dwarf still clinging to the imbedded weapon.

I cannot let go so long as I cannot see, or I will surely be devoured,
Fish-Dwarf thought, though the beast continued on into the depths at
such speed that the diver could not maintain his bearings, and
suddenly in the back of his mind arose a strange sensation... it was
the need for air, such as he had not experienced for many years. A
tingling came to his throat and nose, and his head began to feel numb
as he became more desperate for breath, and yet slowly, his vision was
returning.

The beast slowed, its energy spent, and it settled on to the lake
bottom, unmoving. Fish-Dwarf jammed the trident into it a few times;
the thing was dead. Now, the surface! Fish-Dwarf pulled his weapon
from the monster and swam upward, but he stopped immediately. As far
as he could see in the now-dark water, a smooth ceiling of limestone
greeted him. The monster had fled into a great crack in the lake
bottom, so far and so deep that the light from the gem lamps was no
longer visible. Just the endless water and rock of the submerged
tomb of Fish-Dwarf, he thought, as he chose a direction and swam.

===Fish Dwarf End: (1 July 2008)===
<pre>,@!,.~~~~~~~~</pre>

He had chosen the wrong direction. Either that or the beast had
dragged Fish-Dwarf so far into the mountain that the fires of the
underworld were closer than the light of the lamps. His breath was
long since gone -- moving forward was all that could keep him from
panicking. After every few kicks, the dwarf would reach up to feel
the limestone. If anything, the rock was closing in. No... what's
this? His hand curled up around a sharp corner. Fish-Dwarf grabbed
it firmly with both hands and pulled, launching himself upward.

The dwarf fully expected to meet a wall of rock, but instead he glided
freely until at long last he broke the surface of the water, gasping
for air. As the dwarf calmed down, he realized that he could still
see nothing. He felt walls close by in all directions, as if he had
just swum up a shaft, though there was a ledge overhanging the water
on to which he could haul himself and rest his weary body. Fish-Dwarf
passed in and out of consciousness for a time, perhaps an hour, before
he sat up and assessed his situation.

He could dive back into the water with his lungs full of air and try
to find the lamps, now unmolested by great underwater beasts, but he
did not relish the idea of leaving the entrance to the shaft behind in
total darkness as he explored the crevice below. The only alternative
was to feel his way along the walls from this ledge above the grotto.
These limestone mountains were laced with natural caverns and after a
brief exploration of the surrounding stone he found this hollow was no
exception -- there was a mud-slicked passage that ran into the
mountain. Without hesitation, Fish-Dwarf struck out into the cavern.

-- How long since he had started on this dreary journey? Though the mud
was often thick, Fish-Dwarf had not trudged through so much as a
puddle these many days. He thirsted for spirits, nay, even water, and
he longed to swim again. The dwarf had long since abandoned his fins
and other equipment as they encumbered him too much on the march.
Every so often, he imagined he saw the gem lamps ahead, though it
could just as easily be the cooking fires of a goblin encampment, or
some darker torture, as the lights of the capital he sought. There
they were, even now... lights! Or light at least, the barest speck
in the distance ahead. Fish-Dwarf moved swiftly, no longer plodding,
still careful of the stalactites but driving forward rapidly all the
same. The speck became an opening, and he could see the mud of the
passage floor illuminated in the distance, with stone walls further
beyond. Only a few more steps...

The cavern opened out upon a rocky river valley in a canyon sheer to
the greatest heights yet welcoming the noon-day sun. The entrance
where Fish-Dwarf stood was at the bottom of the cliffs a short walk
down pebble-laden slopes to the stream below. Instantly, Fish-Dwarf
could tell that these were no ordinary waters. They were the color of
honey, yet the current flowed rapidly. And the aroma! The
intoxicating aroma! There was no question in his mind. Whether it
fell from the throne of some inebriated sky god and vanished into the
underworld to besot the armies of hell made no difference, for here,
in this world, in this very mountain range, ran the slightest stretch
of the Whiskey River. His mind unencumbered by thoughts of duty or
home, Fish-Dwarf made his way down to the riverside to drink his fill.

===Hunger Begin (11 June 2008)===
<pre>,..,.++U+,.+,.+U~U||</pre>

Suffering blighted the land with cruel hunger. Wagons brought foul
fungus from the dwarven mountains. It was barely enough to sustain
those base enough to eat such filth. The rest died. Paldadar rested
against the hilt of his great sword. He looked over his shoulder at
the dark stone castle. Turning his back on mud brick huts, the knight
passed by the scraggly bearded guards and entered the keep.

Form a high window, bright, mocking sunlight shone across the dark
wooden throne and the troubled king that sat upon it. The old man
reached for his cup, and after taking a sip, spat the vile dwarven
brew unto the stone floor. A herald in a mud-smattered tunic rushed
to wipe up the spill, but seeing the knight, rose to confront him.

"You were not summoned, Sir Paldadar," spit the herald. "Go ask the
peasants instead of begging the king for scraps from the royal table."

"Silence, Rodger," said the king.

The herald jumped away like a whipped dog. The king motioned the
knight to come forward.

"The gods have abandoned this place," said the king. "Only through
their glory will the days of bounty return. It is for this reason you
must smite the heathen Farthlings where they dwell across the river.
When their land is in ruin, the gods at last will favor us."

The knight ground his teeth. This was obviously High Priest Igland's
doing. But perhaps there was wisdom in punishing the arrogant
Farthlings for their many insults. Death by the sword was much
preferable to slow certain death by starvation.

===(17 June 2008)===
<pre>==?T?====,.UH,.U</pre>

As Paldadar walked away from the keep, peasants averted their hungry
faces. He was still a knight, even if he represented the most
wretched of kingdoms. A frail sissy approached from behind, leading
two horses. Paldadar swung around, drawing his sword. There stood
Rodger, wearing the snottiest of faces, his nose in the air.

"By the will of the king," he hissed, "I am to be your squire."

Paldadar prayed to the gods for mercy. Would that a Farthling's bolt
find his heart soon that he be saved from further tortures. Together
the pair made their way to the Temple of Love, where High Priest
Igland waited to bless their holy crusade.

The temple was built on a tall hill, a ring of marble columns
surrounding an enormous stone stele, pricking the sky with its
majesty. All around the temple, peasants scrambled to snatch at the
scraps donated by the monks that poured rotten food down the hill. As
Paldadar entered the temple, he was surrounded by fat priests and
priestesses that danced around him in a grotesque, undulating display.

The knight refused a cup of offered wine, which Rodger snatched up
and drank freely.

At the center of the temple, High Priest Igland stood, wearing nothing
save a red loincloth.

"When you wake in the morning," said Igland, "consider Love."

"Many happy couplings," said Paldadar as was the prescribed response.

"You must put an end to the Farthling menace," said the priest,
growing angry. "If their God of Suicide spreads his faith to our
kingdom, none of our desperate peasants will survive. You must strike
the heart of their kingdom and burn their temple to the ground."

Paldadar made the gesture of obedience and departed, pulling Rodger
away from the cavorting priests.

The kingdom of the Farthlings was separated from the kingdom of Love
by the River of Sorrow, whose wide fast-moving waters could only be
crossed in one place. This was the Bridge of Destiny. As the riders
approached, Rodger twitched with fear and apprehension, for it was
said the bridge was guarded by an evil water troll. At the bridge,
Paldadar held up his gauntleted hand. The horses stopped, and the
knight dismounted. Paldadar drew his sword and walked out onto the
wooden planks.

===(3 July 2008)===
<pre>%,..%,.|%.,.UH,%..%%UH,,%.~%,..(%).,.%|,..%</pre>

Green flames shot up from beneath the bridge. Horrid laughter pealed
across the blighted landscape. The knight turned to see Rodger making
tracks back to the temple with the speed of a spooked hare. Slowly
Paldadar looked over his shoulder to see the enormous bloated troll,
dripping with slime and black pus.

"You seek to pass into the land of suicide bearing the message of
love," said the troll. "What will you tell them, knight? Is slow
certain death by starvation superior than the final empowering
choice?"

"Where there is life, there is hope," said Paldadar. "Love will
overcome all obstacles!"

"Spoken like a true student of Igland," said the troll, assuming a martial pose.

As Paldadar cut the monster down, his mind was wracked with doubt.
Was the nation of love superior? He hailed from a place where young
people sold themselves for scraps of bread and yet he sought to bring
hope to a strange country. He found Rodger hiding in a nearby bush
and hauled him, protesting, across the bridge.

The land of the Farthlings was lush and green compared to the land of
love. Cherry blossoms rained down on the two riders as they wound
their way through the hills. Even in these pleasant surroundings, the
demented nature of the Farthlings soon became evident. Bodies dotted
the road here and there, swords plunged into their own guts. Corpses
hung in the trees from hastily-tied nooses, over eager to take their
own lives. As the riders passed, skeletal bodies lifted themselves
from the grass to watch them saunter on.

"Make babies, make babies, make babies," babbled Rodger, madly
reciting the Charm of Making.

At last they reached the capital of the Farthlings. The wind blew red
rose petals through the cold, dead streets. Even the cheerful sun
seemed dim in the vast tomb of a city. Rodger stared straight ahead
as they made their way to the keep, careful not to look into the dark
doorway, behind which ominous rustlings could be heard.

The flag of Farthlingland flew above the ramparts of the citadel. At
the base of the wall lay the piles of bones of those who had
hopelessly thrown themselves over the side. A wide moat circled the
castle. As the two riders approached, a draw bridge was lowered over
the water. Paldadar thought he could see a crowned figure on the wall
beckoning them inside. As they crossed the bridge, Rodger made the
mistake of looking down into the water. The currents were filled with
the souls of those who drowned themselves in desperate sorrow. Eyes
shut tight, Rodger hugged the neck of his horse, and followed Paldadar
into the gate.

==[[User:Onodera|onodera]]==
===(01 November 2008)===
<pre>"",",.@,.T,"""</pre>

"Don't let the sun set on you in the Dark Wood," said the dwarf
crones. "Ole Brick-a-Branch will get you." Nonsense, thought young
Davik as he rode his mule along the twisting green deer path. The
darkness came quickly as the sun slipped behind the trees. As he set
about making a fire, Davik pondered the dark tales of Brick-a-branch
and his mischief.

Not even the elves dared enter the Wood at night. Something older
than time haunted these cursed trees, but this valley was the quickest
way to Port City, saving at least a month of travel. As the night
grew darker and colder, Davik fumbled in his pack to retrieve the
charms and idols he had nearly refused as the journey began.

A great shape emerged from the darkness. It was a gnarled troll, as
old as the hills. It picked up Davik by the ankle.

"Not much meat here," it said.

"Please, Ole Brick-a-Branch, don't eat me," said Davik.

Having said his name, the troll was force to lay the dwarf down.

"I will not eat you," said the monster, "If you can answer me these
riddles three."

==[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]]==
===(16 May 2007)===
<pre>=@()++@</pre>

Doran stirred the bubbling pot of syrup. It was ready! "Pour, pour, pour!" the dwarf sang. Into the molds the syrup flowed. "Another batch," the dwarf said, satisfied.

Just then, he noticed somebody standing in the doorway. "Ah, Glornol. What brings you to the kitchens this early? Come to try a sticky treat? I have some Anvil Drops cooling now. Just a moment."

Doran turned to the tray on the table when he was startled by Glornol's shouting. "What is the meaning of this? Isn't there a war on?"

"Even soldiers need sticky treats, Glornol!" Doran picked up two chocolate goblins and began to speak in a high-pitched throaty voice.

"Ooo, it's Glornol!" the first chocolate goblin said.

"Glornol's scared of the mean, mean goblins!" the second chocolate goblin observed.

"Let's eat the dwarf! Yummies for tummies!" the first chocolate goblin offered.

"The dwarf might eat me instead! Oh no!" the second chocolate goblin replied. Doran held the goblin out to Glornol.

Glornol was not amused, but he snatched the candy from Doran's hand. "Hrmph," he grunted, and biting the goblin's head off, he walked out of the kitchen.

==[[User:Qwip|Qwip]]==
===(05 December 2006)===

<pre>...@T@..###S#</pre>

Taking a break from their duty, the two guards sat at a table with a scenic view of the chasm.
They did not notice as they drained their mugs that they were being watched from the shadows
by clusters of pale eyes. A table by the chasm?!
--[[User:Qwip|Qwip]] 05 December 2006

===(09 February 2007)===

<pre>.@......####
...T@@~S####
.......#####
</pre>
Dolan was chatting with Aliz about the health benefits of dwarven beer when Aliz disappeared.
Dolan sprang to his feet and saw that Aliz was being dragged toward the chasm, a thick rope of
translucent silk wrapped around his left ankle. At the lip of the chasm, a bloated form slowly
reeled the line in with her spindly legs.
Dolan knew immediately -- it was the Wolf-Mother of Darkness.
He grabbed his axe and ran toward Aliz, who was now only a few more pulls from the beast.

As he was hauling ore to the magma smelter, the peasant Kogarak saw the situation, screamed,
dropping his load, and ran toward the barracks. As he heard the sound of an axe ring against
stone behind him, he wondered if he would make it in time.
:— [[User:Qwip|Qwip]] 08:40, 9 February 2007 (EST)

===(18 April 2007)===
<pre>@@@...@.####
@..T..@S####
.......#####
</pre>
The axe had scored the stone floor where it had severed the silk line. The Wolf-Mother chittered
angrily and pounced at Dolan, moving with surprising quickness. Dolan was knocked to the ground,
the enormous body of the foul creature pressing him into the stone. His axe clanged some distance
away. The blunt knobs at the end of the Wolf-Mother's forelegs dug into Dolan's ribs as her
dripping mandibles drew closer to his face. He grabbed her head with both hands, trying
desperately to keep her at bay. A foul-smelling spittle dripped on to his cheek.

Aliz, still dazed from his initial fall, slowly made his way to his feet. Seeing Dolan's desperate
struggle, he drew his sword and hacked at one of the Wolf-Mother's legs. The bumpy skin was
incredibly tough, but the steel blade left the appendage hanging by tatters. The Wolf-Mother
belched a grating rasp and rolled away from Aliz and faced the dwarves. Dolan crawled toward his
axe, but the nauseating venom drenching his face and beard had left him almost powerless. The
Wolf-Mother hesitated, her wound oozing white ichor as Aliz stood his ground.

There were several sharp cracking noises, and the Wolf-Mother crumpled, several iron bolts
protruding from her many eyes. In the distance stood Bomtek and the other marksdwarves,
accompanied by Kogarak. Aliz rushed to Dolan. The dwarf was breathing heavily.

"My body feels like gravel. I need a drink," Dolan said.

"The Wolf-Mother is dead. Brace up. I'll bring you your mug." Aliz fetched Dolan's mug from
the table and brought it to the dwarf where he lay on the stone floor. The mug was almost empty.

"The brood," Dolan whispered. "The night brood will come."
:— [[User:Qwip|Qwip]] 12:28, 14 May 2007 (EDT)

==[[User:Rewolf31|Rewolf31]]==
===(13 April 2007)===

<pre>.B@.~~~
</pre>
And so Alor, a wrestler of renown, found himself between a great boar and the wide river. For six days they struggled, and as the sun descended behind the hills on the evening of the seventh day, Alor finally collapsed in exhaustion. The boar spoke and said, "I too am tired. The sun has fallen. Let us rest." And so Alor and the boar slept, and the sun arose on the morning of the eighth day.

===(21 July 2007)===
<pre>,.,B@~,~,~</pre>

"Whiskey?" Alor asked the boar, holding up his flask. The wrestler had not spoken for a week.

"Gladly," the boar said, taking the flask up in its mouth. "You block my path to the river, and now you offer me your flask. Strange are the ways of your people."

"Your path? I was seeking to cross the river and found myself menaced," Alor said.

"The squirrels tell me I am a terror to behold when I am thirsty," the boar said as it drained the flask. "Do I menace you now?" The boar looked mild and plump. Indeed, the gentle creature reminded Alor of his daughter.

"No, I am not menaced. I am reminded of home," Alor said fondly. At that moment his stomach growled, for he had not eaten in some time.

"Hopefully I do not remind you of your dinner table," the boar laughed, "though it remains to be seen who would have the final mastery in our contest." Alor smiled broadly and the boar guided Alor to the ford, where they parted as friends.

===(12 September 2007)===
<pre>++@a@+
</pre>
"Daddy! Daddy!" the little girl cried happily as she ran toward the mighty dwarf where he stood under the archway.

"I missed you, sweet pod!" Alor crouched down and lifted the child up to his shoulder, where she sat, beaming. "Have you been good while I was away?"

"I made a puzzle box. See!" The girl held out a soapstone box. The master craftsdwarf always started the young ones with the material since it required little strength to carve, though it crumbled easily. Even so, the box was quite exquisite.

"That's beautiful. Now let me see here..." Alor pressed a button and the lid popped open. There was nothing inside. "Hey, where's my treasure?" he said in mock indignation.

The girl took the box and made a series of complicated motions along the inside of the empty compartment. A second lid opened, revealing a piece of dwarven sugar candy. The child giggled and smiled broadly.

Alor scratched his head and laughed. Coren was only six, but she was already beyond him.

"Did you win, daddy?" Coren asked.

"Ah, the tournament? Yes, sweet pod, there hasn't been a dwarf born yet that can beat your father," Alor looked at the puzzle box. "At least not at wrestling. And you know what else?"

"What else, daddy? What else?"

"I met a talking boar and we became friends."

"Again?" Coren complained. "I want to meet your animal friends soon."

"I'll invite them over for your party next month. Until then, you have to work hard. Do you have a lesson today?"

"Yes. Mr. Goldlocket says he'll let me try marble today."

"Marble, eh? That's amazing. You really are your mother's daughter. I'll walk you to the shop." Together they strolled down the passageway. Alor admired the carvings and architecture, occasionally pointing an engraving out and explaining its history, though his daughter had heard it all before. It had been two months since he left for tournament, and the wrestler had missed his home very much.

"The three of us should have a feast tonight. What do you say?" Alor asked. Coren did not respond.

The dwarf looked down. His daughter was not there. She was not in the passageway. There was no sign of her.

"Goblins!" A scream echoed through the tunnels. "Goblins in the fortress!"

===(18 September 2007)===
<pre>,..|mBL@+++++++g+</pre>

"I'm sure she's in there," Alor said from his place behind the boulder where he looked down upon the rusted iron doors of Chatteltomb.

"We must act now, while there's still time," the boar urged. This was the same boar that Alor had befriended by the riverbank, and it now came to aid Alor in his time of need.

"The door is locked. Even with our combined strength, I doubt we can force entry," the leopard observed. This was the same leopard that Alor had befriended in the high grasses, and it also came to aid Alor in his time of need.

"Don't worry. The guards were drunk in the ravine below," the marmot announced as it scampered up the slope with the key in its mouth. This was the same marmot that Alor had befriended on the mountainside, and it came to aid Alor after promises of food.

"I've only challenged the depths of this black pit once in my life. It is a memory I have longed to forget, though it will serve me now," Alor said. "It sickens me that my daughter is kept there. The way to the dungeons will not be heavily guarded, as fear of this place keeps all but the foolish at bay. That said, the tower above is garrisoned with unnumbered horrors. If the alarm is raised, escape will be impossible."

The group made their way down to the entrance. With some effort, Alor forced the key into place. The great doors swung open with a grating noise, exposing a palpable darkness that hung heavy in the stale air like a fog of soot. The thick shadows were penetrated from beyond by sinister red lights which gave vague form to the smooth obsidian corridors.

Once all had passed into the tower, they closed the door behind them. "We can only hope it is not unusual for the doors to sound. Do you see anything?" Alor whispered to the leopard.

"Several doors down, a goblin is standing," the leopard spoke softly. "It has turned to face us. I don't think it can make us out yet, but its night eyes are almost as strong as my own. It is coming this way."

Indeed, Alor could barely make out twin spots of crimson shining in the distance. The dwarf felt the leopard slip from his side. In a moment, the crimson spots disappeared from view. No sound accompanied their departure. Alor and the others padded quietly forward, approaching the stairway and the dungeons below.

==[[User:Senso|Senso]]==
===(29 April 2007)===
<pre><+@?++&~~</pre>

The wayward manager Aliz stepped quietly down the last flight of stairs into the lowest depths of the abandoned halls. The air of the room was stale and warm. The light of the dwarf's torch illuminated a stone pedestal, on which rested a gray book.

"The Tome of Suffering," Aliz whispered. In its blood-stained pages, the collected wisdom of countless outpost managers waited for his perusal. Never again would his charges starve. Never again would they complain for want of whiskey. Never again would Aliz have to consult the half-baked scribblings of his uncle Toran.

The ground shook and Aliz's ears were assailed by a deafening crash. When the dust cleared, the entire chamber was illuminated by a sinister red glow. In place of the far wall was a yawning pit filled with bubbling magma and flames. From the inferno came a betusked fiend, ravening, its slavering maw belching foul vapors through which stared its cruel bulging eyes. Its clawed hands kneaded the lardy folds of its corpulence as if it sought to make room for this latest morsel.

Aliz was terrified. The dwarf clutched the Tome to his chest. The horrific beast crouched by the magma pool, muttering in a grating whisper:

"It will be eaten. It will be eaten, the dwarf. Eaten. Eaten alive."

==[[User:Shanty|Shanty]]==
===(30 June 2007)===
<pre>@@+U@</pre>

Rogar spun again and again, staring into the darkness. The scraping had begun all at once and it seemed to come from every direction. Nothing could be seen beyond the limit of the flickering torchlight.

There! A shadow moved slowly out of the darkness. It had the stature of a dwarf, but Rogar knew the outpost had been abandoned for decades. After a moment, the warrior could see clearly. The shuffling thing had no flesh. The bones of its feet clacked and slid across the stones. The dead were walking in this place.

There were more, many more. Rogar was completely surrounded. He held up his sword and turned from threat to threat. The dwarves were unarmed, with tatters of cloth hanging over their skeletal remains. Bits of beard were still visible stuck around their garments and their skulls. The dead stopped short of Rogar's weapon and stood completely motionless. There was no way the warrior could pass without forcing his way through.

The skeleton he had seen first raised its bony hand slowly, curling all of its fingers save one into its palm. Its index finger pointed toward Rogar. From somewhere within its skull, it emitted a long, low moan which ended in a hiss and faded into silence.

==[[User:Spelguru|Spelguru]]==
===(19 November 2006)===
<pre>
..@.M.~~~~...
</pre>
The adventurer, transformed into a ghoul by strange forces, crawls toward the Everlasting River of Curing, barely clinging to his life, such as it had become. Suddenly, from the ceiling dropped... Adamantine Man! Is there any hope?!

===(19 December 2006)===
<pre>
...M.~~~~..".
.....@~~~~...
...."~~~~~...
</pre>

Adamantine Man spoke and said, "Unfortunate stranger! You wish to cast off your affliction? Drink then, and be blessed."

So the adventurer drank. The soothing warmth of the water spread from the center of his body, out to his deformed fingers and toes. Without pain, they shifted and were set in their proper places, along with the other marks of the affliction. All was well.

The adventurer looked at Adamantine Man in awe and asked, "I am grateful, Adamantine Man, for I had been without hope. For years unnumbered, my people have deemed the River unapproachable. 'Adamantine Man is there', they said, and yet, I have found naught here but a generous host and the cure to all that ailed me. Tell me Adamantine Man, why are you so feared? I am humbled by your graciousness, but am I truly free from danger?"

Adamantine Man spoke for a second time and said, "Indeed, be not afraid. Your people regard me with terror, for they do not understand me, and verily, who among you can understand Adamantine Man, who does not understand himself?"

The adventurer bowed his head and said, "It is true. Even now I am unsettled, for though you have granted me renewed life asking for nothing, still, even now, I wish to leave and never return."

Adamantine Man spoke for a third time and said, "So it has always been. Go now in peace."

The adventurer left without looking back. Overjoyed, his family accepted him, no longer an outcast, and soon all in the land had heard that he who had once been tainted was made whole by the River.

Some years later, a man, broken in body, came to the adventurer's abode. "I seek your aid, for it is said that you who were once tainted were made whole by the River. Tell me, where is the River, that I might be restored?"

The adventurer looked at the man, and he said, "Adamantine Man is there. Be content now, as I shall never be again." The man departed, and the adventurer remained.

===(25 March 2007)===

The adamantine man story ended.
<pre>
@-***=.T
</pre>
The Pulson-9000 seared the sky trailing ion-energized purple lightning. The XZ-Trollmech Mk7 didn't stand a chance. Another contract, another payment. Rogar was the last dwarf of his village, and after many hardships had fallen into the tough life of a mercenary warrior. He had stolen his first fighting bot, but after three years he had enough money to build and repair his own. He spent his offtime tinkering, which soothed his still-dwarven heart.

For now though, he was in enemy territory. True, the contract was complete, but he had fought his way deep into the personal citadel of the vile cyber-modded troll Vanquidor in order to blow his Mk7 body to pieces, and now he had to laze through the bodyguards and sentry droids he hadn't already obliterated. The dwarf had very little ordinance remaining. Rogar put on his shades. Things were about to get hot, but he was cool as a sonic-fan. Time to fire it up! Yeah!

==[[User:SupSuper|SupSuper]]==
===(19 April 2007)===
<pre>+R@%+@+%</pre>

"Hya! Hya!" Kogan screamed as he careened around the corner astride Lomrin. He had acquired the giant rat from the dungeon master for a vial of liquid fire. It had been a barrel of laughs, especially after a mug or three.

As they passed the foodpile, Lomrin stopped suddenly to inspect a large plump helmet biscuit. Kogan flew over the rat's ears and landed on his beard, sliding to a stop at a pair of black leather boots. Kogan waited a moment for his head to clear, and then he rolled back on his bottom and stared up at the face of Mul. It had to be Mul.

"On a bender again, are we Kogan?" Mul admonished.

"We? I swear I haven't given Lomrin a drop!" Kogan said indignantly.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Mul said, indicating the food stockpile with a nod of his head.

Kogan turned his head. Lomrin had pried the lid off of a whisky barrel. Only her rear legs and tail were now visible.

"She takes after her uncle Kogan!" Kogan beamed proudly. Mul knocked him down to the ground with a push from his foot.

==[[User:Syndlig|Syndlig]]==
===(18 May 2007)===
<pre>oU++@@</pre>
The man struggled against the chains. The dwarves stared at him, smiling in satisfaction.

"That should ward you off our treasures, human. Be glad we don't send for the Hammerer."

The human scoffed. "Ha! I may be a thief, but at least I'm not a dwarf. See how I tower above you! I may not have a trade, I may not have any notable achievements whatsoever, but I am still a man."

The blackbearded dwarf turned to his companion. "You know, Mul, I suppose we could call for the Hammerer. The Baron will understand. After all, it was the Baron's goblet we found in his pack."

The dwarf named Mul considered this. "The Hammerer could certainly give him a new perspective on life. From two or three handspans lower down, at that. Start at the ankles, perhaps?"

"I always preferred the kneecaps, myself," the blackbearded dwarf said as they turned to leave. "It's really up to Rashok to decide though."

Mul hummed in disappointed affirmation. "Hmm, Rashok gets to have all the fun doesn't he?"

"Wait! Don't leave, my little friends!" the man screamed as the dwarves disappeared through the iron gate.

The blackbearded dwarf poked his head back into the dungeon. "We'll spare some whiskey, don't worry!" He disappeared again.

"Watered down, of course..." Mul could be heard saying as their footfalls faded away.

==[[The Toad Preservation Society]]==

Toady One and ThreeToe are continuously working on Dwarf Fortress since 4 years ago (well, when that was that written, in early 2007). On the same Idea, the Toad Preservation Society is trying to bring a very modest but continuous support. One result of this support is that ongoing series of art rewards. Slowly a story unfolds. Of course, the main target for the donation is not to get the reward, but to show the [[Bay12Games]] team that we love their project and value their effort. So let's consider each bit of that series as a nice present.

===(11 October 2006)===

<pre>.M.@$.</pre>

Deep in the fortress, a lava man springs an ambush on the treasurer, who is happily
counting coins. Could this be the beginning of the end?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 October 2006

===(12 November 2006)===
<pre>
######.....M#~~~
@..@@@......M~~~
######..M%$.#~~~
</pre>
Hammered and burnt by molten fists, the treasurer collapsed. That will teach him to
count coins near the magma flow. More lava men erupt from the magma as a fortress patrol
enters the room, one of them the treasurer's wife. Fighting back tears, she screams in
wild rage as the soldiers charge the beasts. Will vengeance prevail this terrible day?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 12 November 2006

===(5 December 2006)===

<pre>
..=# #############~~~# %
[@.#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
.=..........@.-....~~~#,
############..@%-.#~~~####
` '###########.=====........##
% #############~~~####
</pre>
Indeed, vengeance did prevail, though it was bought with the lives of soldiers.
The Axedwarf Aloran, wife of the treasurer, grieves now over the charred body of her
husband, her grief-stricken face shining red in the magma's light. Yet the lava men
were only driven forth by rumors deep within the earth, ever rumbling now, ever
approaching the lip of the glowing pit discovered by the miners not long after the
bridging of the magma. The sound reached even the heart of the fortress, where
Regukar the Mason has begun a mysterious construction. What fey mood has possessed
Regukar?! Will Aloran's mourning be troubled by even greater dangers?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 5 December 2006

===(10 January 2007)===

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[@.#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@..........-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########..
` '###########.=====....@.&.##
% #############~~~########..
</pre>

A great crash echoed down the inward passageway.

"More beasts deeper in the mines?" said Narol fearfully, a recruit, the only member of the patrol save Aloran to survive. His right arm was burned horribly and he now held his axe in his left hand, weakly.

"Tell the Baron that lava men have entered the mines. I'll remain here." Aloran unmoving eyes stared over the bridge toward the mines. There would be no discussion. Narol stumbled up the opposite passage to the workshops.

Regukar was in the lower mason's shop, gazing into his hands, his face aglow with the light shining upward from his palms. The Baron was there as well.

"What is this? Did I not commission an obsidian throne? Why was this workshop built so near the magma flow if I'm to be seated on granite for the rest of my days?" The Baron sounded annoyed, but he was also trying to stare over Regukar's shoulder to see the treasure. The Baron reached for Regukar's wrist, and the mason turned violently and spat in the Baron's face just as Narol careened into the chamber.

"The Stout Wheels have held the bridge, but lava men are in the mines! Many are dead... Aloran is guarding the mine entrance alone..." Narol collapsed, breathing heavily.

-

Narol was gone, but Aloran did not notice. "I will kill them all," she said, and she walked down the bridge into the mines, leaving the bodies of her husband and the recruits behind. As she descended into the mines, the magma's light faded and she was engulfed by the dimness in which she had spent most of her life. Yet ahead she discerned an eerie glow. The miners had located these pits not long ago as they hunted for hematite. The lava men must be using them, accessing the mines away from the magma flow, Aloran thought, though she did not dwell on it long. Soon her mind was focused again on death.

Suddenly the light was blotted out, followed by a shaking that almost knocked Aloran from her feet. "COAH! So long I have waited for my master... only to find this sweet hairy dumpling. It must be time for the Great Feast." Aloran could discern its corpulence through the darkness. A lardy bloated creature, like those that made raids from the river, yet more grotesque, covered with translucent boils -- and many times larger. The thing croaked, "I sense... COAH! You have lost someone recently... your husband. Worry not, little dumpling! You will be reunited in my innards when I am done feeding."

Aloran did not speak. She would not entertain the creature -- she would have it dead.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 January 2007

===(11 February 2007)===

And it keeps going and growing !!

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[..#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@.........@-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########&.
` '###########.=====@.@@.@%&##
% #############~~~########.&
</pre>

Aloran hacked at the thing's wide belly with her battle axe. It lurched backward, avoiding the full force of the strike, and crashed into the cavern wall. Immediately, as if its lardy mass had bounced off the barrier, it leapt forward and knocked Aloran to the ground, pressing down on her shoulders with its great slimy hands. Its mouth opened, and a slick lolling tongue poured out like thick syrup and covered Aloran's face. It was going to swallow her whole! Unable to breathe, Aloran fumbled around in her boot and pulled out a small pointed hammer. Struggling to maintain consciousness, Aloran swung the hammer from her elbow. The point pierced one of the great creature's eyes, which popped and drained a viscous pus over the dwarf. The thing backed off of the warrior's body, its fat tongue dragging on the ground, leaving a broad swath of spittle. Aloran stood, breathing heavily, her axe secure in her right hand. She advanced on the retreating beast, her weapon lifted over her head. She wound further backward, then brought the axe blade around in a sweeping arc down on the bloated fiend's tongue, forking it.

Two more silhouettes appeared in the eerie glow above the beast's quivering form. As they approached, she could see they were gray and glistening, partially encased in shimmering pale shells, each walking on four stumpy legs. They look like cave oysters, Aloran thought. She raised her axe.

"Aloran!" Three recruits with swords rushed down the passageway. "The Baron sent for us. Are you all right?" Aloran did not turn to face them as the demonic oysters crawled over their bleeding companion.

--

"How dare you spit on me! You'll receive two hammerstrikes for this!" The Baron was livid. He had called for a peasant to notify reinforcements for the mines, of course, but now he was free to chastize Regukar. Narol was still only semi-conscious, resting on the floor.

"I created it! It is mine!" Regukar's eyes were glowing with a fierce light. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and held his arms close to his body, the light of his creation showing through his interlocked fingers.

"Nothing is yours! You used stone from the miners, the miners carved that stone out of the mountain, and the mountain belongs to me. Now hand the object over for inspection, and your past transgression might be forgiven." The Baron held out his hand.

Before the Baron could react, Regukar grabbed his chisel and brought it down into the Baron's forehead. The Baron crumpled, hitting the stone floor hard. Regukar chuckled and ambled off down the passageway toward the mines.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 February 2007

===(13 March 2007)===
Even if Toady is now deep into its work and the malor works on maps/moving armies, he took time adding a new part to these now ongoing story...

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[..#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@..........-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########..
` '###########.=====@.%%%-&%##
% #############~~~########..
</pre>

Aloran, still winded, faced the two oyster demons. The recruits stood by her side in a line blocking off the passageway. The beasts slid down the toad's massive body, landing before it with a splatter. The fiends moved slowly, but they had almost reached the dwarves.

Two of the recruits, Roal and Daron, cousins who had just began sparring two weeks ago, lifted their swords and assailed the creatures. Roal brought his weapon down hard on the shell of one of the beasts, but it was deflected. From the space between the shell plates, a massive slimy appendage burst forth, ringing Roal and dragging him inside. His lower body dangled from the creature. Daron grabbed his legs and pulled, but Roal would not budge. The other oyster demon raised up on its back legs and came crashing down on Daron. The dwarf's head slammed hard against the passage way and he went unconscious. Roal's legs twitched as the second demon turned back to the remaining warriors.

Aloran had regained her breath and charged with the other recruit, Nlan, a dwarf from the north burrow. The recruit stabbed at the demon's body, sinking his sword deep into its flesh, while Aloran aimed low and hacked off one of its stubby legs with her axe. As it toppled, the thing spit out a stream of goo onto Nlan's face, which began to steam. The recruit chortled and fell to the ground, unrecognizable. Aloran finished off the creature by hacking into its soft body repeatedly.

The other demon had completed its meal. Roal's lower body detached and fell to the ground, and the oyster beast let out a belching noise. Another sound emanated from its shell soon after. "I sense... loss... your husband... reunite..."

"Silence, beast," Aloran spat. "The toad made the same promise and failed to keep it. Your kind use hollow words." At that moment, the toad demon's bleeding body quivered, as if it were laughing.

The oyster spoke again. "Daron... reunite... Roal..." The slimy appendage slid out and looped around Daron's right leg. Aloran ran forward, swinging her axe down on the oozing tentacle. It was cloven asunder and fell to the tunnel floor, pouring out a thick white paste.

As the oyster backed into the toad demon's still quivering form, the entire tunnel filled with a blinding light. Aloran turned and saw the vague form of a dwarf raising its hand, from which the radiance emanated. The light faded just enough for Aloran to make out the details. It was Regukar, the mason. In his hand, he held a glowing schist mini-forge.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 13 March 2007

===(16 April 2007)===
All right, the Reward continues (this is the same story):

<pre>
@@.####
.@@++d+
@.@####
</pre>
Captain Kogan stood with his dwarves on the stone road before the great arch, beard dripping from the drizzling rain that had been falling since the early morning. No word had been sent from the Baron concerning the deep mining operation for nearly two weeks. The King had grown impatient and the Captain had been sent to investigate.

The soft patter of rain on stone was slowly drowned out by a series of whirs and chirps coming from within the fortress. It was like nothing the Captain had heard before. He had his soldiers position themselves before the entrance with the marksdwarves kneeling in front of the others. The sounds drew closer, until a small shape could be discerned emerging from the shadows beyond the archway.

It looked like a lizard, twisted into that form from rusted iron strips, but it walked on its rear legs with a jerking and uncertain gait. In the center of its head, visible through the metal frame, was a drooping lump of granite that appeared to be molded around the iron. The stone glowed with a faint red light.

The dwarves watched awe-struck as the metallic creature continued advancing until it finally stopped under the great arch. Its head swiveled back and forth, eventually settling on the group. The lizard's body grated against itself, and from somewhere within, it emitted a piercing whistle and charged.

"Fire, Bomtek! Now!" Kogan ordered.

The marksdwarf shot a bolt at the creature. It hit the granite lump, shattering it. The iron strips collapsed into a pile.

"W.. what in the name of the Lordaxe was that?" Nunon stammered. "Where are the guards?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Kogan. He walked forward and pushed the remnants of the creature about with his hammer. "Something sinister is afoot. We'll scout as far as the upper meeting hall."

Captain Kogan and his dwarves passed under the arch and disappeared into the dimly lit fortress.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 16 April 2007

===(10 May 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#++++++++++d+++++++..
####+@+O++O++O+dOd+&#
+++++@+++++++++d+++@#
####+@+O++O++O++Od++#
#++++++++++d+d++@#
##################
</pre>

"Get out of there!" Kogan screamed. It was too late. Lokar was lost. Only Bomtek, Nunon and Captain Kogan himself remained. The rest had been mauled beyond recognition by the metallic beasts. The passage to the upper hall had seemed clear, but it was a ruse. The walls had come alive. The lizards were everywhere.

Now Kogan and the others were running for lives, pursued by the iron fiends. They could outrun them if they didn't stop to fight. The dwarves were approaching the meeting hall, though Kogan held little hope for that place now. The only way out of the outpost lay behind them, through a maelstrom of metal fangs.

"The upper hall!" Kogan shouted when he spotted a light ahead. The torches were still lit? Perhaps the guards were able to stand after all! Kogan and the others ran on, the din of whirs and chirps behind them driving them forward. At last, the tired soldiers crossed under the arch and entered the upper meeting hall.

"I'm so pleased you could join us!" a voice boomed from the back of the chamber. Kogan looked out between the pillars. There on a granite throne sat a dwarf, his face twisted in madness. In his hand he held a glowing object. The stone floor before him was crawling with the metal lizards. On his right, a fire burned in the shape of a tall man, lighting the entire hall. On his left, a dwarf woman was tied, struggling against her bonds, hatred in her eyes.

"Do you like my little friends? Arshosh and I will make more, many, many more. The miniforge is all-powerful!" The crazed dwarf cackled. "With it, I enslaved the spirit of fire, bound stone and metal to my will, and soon, soon! Oh, yes. Soon I will use the power of the miniforge to create a new race of dwarves! Aloran will be the first! Then all of you will join her! And you shall call Regukar your master!"

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 April 2007

===(June 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#+d+++++++%++++++++..
####d@dO++O++O%%O+%&#
++++d@d+++%%++++%%%%#
####d@dO+%O%+O+%O%%@#
#+d+d+%++%%%+++%@#
##################
</pre>

The soldiers had been quickly subdued, lashed to the floor by a writhing mass of metallic lizard bodies. Regukar walked slowly to the place where Aloran was restrained.

"Now, Aloran, let us begin the ritual of transformation." Regukar held the shining miniforge near to the dwarf warrior's face as she continued to strain against the ropes. The crazed mason lifted a tiny hammer and struck the minianvil once. The fires of Arshosh rose to the ceiling of the great hall and twisted around its many granite pillars. A tongue of flame engulfed the miniforge and the anvil began to glow even more brightly.

Aloran felt her skin breaking. The unbearable pain spread throughout her entire body. Metal blades tore through the flesh of her arms and legs, and she felt a force trying to subdue her will. "Regukar is your master. Regukar is your master," a voice in her mind whispered. The ropes snapped as the blood-covered blades continued to rise. The voice became louder and louder until it was all she could hear, drowning out her own screams.

Through her tears she could see Regukar had buckled over, laughing uncontrollably, and the sight filled Aloran with an all-consuming hatred. This contemptible dwarf could never be her master. The pain and the voice faded away, and her animosity began to manifest itself in the power of her limbs. The metal was part of her body now, and she felt its presence as surely as that of her own hands.

Looking up, Regukar noticed Aloran's steady gaze, and worry crossed his face. "My slave, the transformation is complete. Call me master," the mason stammered. Aloran said nothing and punched Regukar in the face with her metal-bladed fist. The knives stuck in his head, and the full weight of his dying body hung limply from Aloran's straight arm. Regukar's mangled face slid slowly backward, and free from the blades the dwarf crumpled to the floor and lay unmoving on the stones.

The tongue of flame slowly lifted the miniforge from the mason's clinging hand. As the glowing object slipped from his grasp, his raised arm fell back to the ground, and he breathed his last. The spirit of fire withdrew its flames, bringing the miniforge to the center of its translucent body. The demon turned to Aloran and faded from sight. There was a sudden crash as the metallic lizards fell to pieces.

--The Toad Preservation Society, June 2007

==TomTheHand==

===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>
..g#o@.%
</pre>

Shrolnak glared through the rusty iron bars.

"Eat yer meat, ya hairy maggot," the goblin snarled as it pushed the bowl back towards the dwarven child. "It'll make yer beard longer."

Aliz kicked the bowl away again. "I'm not eating until I get my mini-forge!" Aliz crossed his arms above his plump little belly and turned away.

"Minnn.. what's yer mini-forge?" The goblin was confused. The only toy it had ever owned was a cracked elf skull.

The dwarf child's eyes lit up. "Uncle Kogan made it! It glows in the dark!"

"Glows in the dark, eh... I'll poke around." The goblin scrambled away from the prison and disappeared around a corner. In a few minutes, it returned, its hand cupped around something that glowed purple through its bony fingers.

Aliz moved toward the bars, his wide eyes reflecting the eerie light. The goblin held its right hand through the bar and dropped the glowing object into the child's waiting palms.

"Now eat yer meat." The goblin wandered off.

Aliz was still staring into his hands. A sinister smile spread slowly over his face.

===(12 March 2007)===

<pre>
.T.g..@..
</pre>

"Where is the Soul of the Dark Power?!" Arugor was screaming now. He had fooled a dragon to obtain the wicked gem, and now it was nowhere to be found. Shrolnak groveled before him.

"Master, I.. I don't know..." Shrolnak had never truly adjusted to kneeling before the troll, but it couldn't be helped. His master had been gifted with a cunning far beyond others of his kind, and Shrolnak was powerless before him.

"Lies! Your hands still shine with its aura! Where have you hidden my treasure?"

"T.. that gem? I thought that's all it was. I... I let the dwarf child play with it."

"What?! Fool! I must reclaim it before it is too late." Arugor was bothered that Shrolnak had somehow managed to avoid the intricate traps in the Soul Chamber, but he would leave that matter alone until the gem was reclaimed.

Just as Arugor turned to leave, a plump dwarven child floated into the throne room, trailed by a billowing mist. In his hands, he clutched a deep purple gem. The hovering child had a wicked grin twisted into his bearded face. Arugor and Shrolnak shielded their faces, helpless before the radiance of the wielded Soul.

The child levitated higher, close to the ceiling, and looked down upon the quivering monsters. "With my power, I shall build the greatest mini-forge the world has ever known!" The dwarf was enveloped by the purple light and passed through the ceiling.

==[[User:Trukkle|Trukkle]]==
===(25 June 2007)===
<pre>%%@##B#</pre>
"There it goes!" Doran hollered as the bit of plump helmet sailed out into the darkness. The mason had been at the whiskey all morning, and now he was dangling his legs over the chasm with his lunch, throwing mushroom pieces to the gray fliers. One of the bats sailed silently into view and snatched the food as it fell.

"A bat's a bat, and bats like mushrooms!" Doran slurred as he took another swig from the flagon. "Let's try something a little larger."

The dwarf ripped the cap from one of his plump helmets and tossed it out into the abyss. It dropped out of view, without any sign of the fliers. Doran pouted.

Suddenly, a great shape flew up from the chasm, right by Doran's face, blowing the braids of his beard back over his shoulders. It looked like a gray flier, but many, many times larger, as large as one of the brown bears out in the forest. He watched as it disappeared off above into the distance.

Doran looked down at his lunch. "I... I guess I'll finish the rest myself."

==[[User:Xarph|Xarph]]==
===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>###=@=##</pre>

Kogan hurtled through the darkness, the two long braids of his golden beard streaming behind him. It was too much weight! The wings tied to his arms, made from stretched frogman skin and giant cave spider legs, fluttered uselessly as the chasm walls rushed by. He had been nervous the night before and, as usual, had gorged himself on plump helmet biscuits and dwarven rum. Now he was falling like a granite block. Kogan wondered if the philosophers were correct -- were these chasms were bottomless? He would be able to survive for several days without food or alcohol. Seeing nothing but blackness below, Kogan resigned himself to the journey ahead and began to sing his favorite drinking song.

===(19 May 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*##S##*#*#
#*#*#*#*#*#*#
#*##*###*@#*#
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

It had been two days. Kogan was dehydrated, and he had begun mumbling to himself. "Whiskey... my dear whiskey..."

Suddenly his fall was arrested by a force which seemed to hold him by the arms and legs. He still fell, but slower, and slower still, until he stopped entirely and hung in space. The dwarf tried to spin, but he was unable to move. Thick, translucent ropes held him. The reality of the situation dawned on him, and he felt sick. It was a giant web. He had been ensnared by one of the dark huntresses of the deep.

As he strained his eyes in the near-total darkness, Kogan could see her. A bloated many-legged creature, her body clear, her organs visible within. She was already moving toward Kogan, deliberately picking her way along the lines that were safe for her to grasp with her cruel claws. The creature chittered in anticipation as the dwarf struggled against the webs.

===(20 September 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*#####*#*#
#*#*#*#*S*#*#
#*##*###*@!!!
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

The spider was upon him. With what little motion Kogan had in his arms, he tried to bring the wings between himself and the voracious beast. He flailed helplessly, marshalling a defence that would embarrass even a child of his people.

Yet the spider stopped. She looked upon him with her many emotionless eyes. The dwarf could discern nothing. The spider's head bobbed up and down slowly, and she lifted several of her legs and waved them in simple patterns above the web.

A sudden realization struck Kogan -- the spider legs in the wing frames. She thinks I'm trying to speak to her! Kogan continued to wave his arms around as best he could, and she responded in kind. Giant cave spiders are solitary creatures, Kogan thought, so it must be a mating ritual. "But giant spiders eat their mates after breeding with them," Kogan muttered in horror. "I can't think of a worse way to die!"

===(13 November 2007)===
<pre>+g++%@%%+</pre>

The movement of the spider's legs had ceased. Now she simply looked
upon Kogan with her cold, glassy eyes. Her sinews tensed -- she was
ready to pounce! To what end, none dare say, though many a gruesome
and unseemly scenario had played themselves out in the recesses of
Kogan's strained mind.

A moment passed, and the bloated thing leapt forward! As she landed
on Kogan with the full weight of her body, the dwarf felt himself tear
free, and the web and spider passed up and beyond his sight as he
plummeted downward. Oh, what happy chance is this! Kogan thought.
He was free from fear now. If his body was broken into a thousand
pieces on some protruding rock, what would matter? At least he would
no longer sire an army of evil.

Soon enough, Kogan sensed that the walls were closing in. He could
not see well enough in the oppressive darkness of this deepest part of
the earth, but he felt their nearness. The dwarf said a prayer to the
Lordaxe to grant him a swift death.

Kogan felt his bottom smack hard into a smooth slope and he slid
disoriented into a twisting tunnel. The friction burned, but his
descent was slowed, and Kogan found himself gliding down an obsidian
tube. Out of a hatch he fell, landing face first in a pile of stone
trinkets. Uninjured, but sore, the dwarf stood. It still felt as if
the air was rushing by him, but he was teetering on solid ground.

The chamber was lit by torches. It was almost cheerful. The trinkets
were all finely crafted. It wasn't dwarven work, but each object had
its own peculiar charm. Kogan picked up a slate carving. It was a
rabbit wearing a jester's hat.

"Hey oh, what are you doing in the figure room?"

Kogan looked up. A mountain gnome was peering around a doorway. Only
its tilted head was visible.

"I fell," Kogan said, indicating the hatch.

"Oh my!" the gnome said with an equal measure of elation and surprise.

"You're our first visitor in years!"

"Visitor?" Kogan asked.

"Yes, my friend! I'm Largee Pottums! Welcome to Toy Land!"

===(27 February 2008)===
<pre>+g+@+%%%%+</pre>

"Toy Land," Kogan said flatly, utterly dumbfounded. The sheer
implausibility of the situation managed to drive all feelings of
hunger and thirst from his body.

"Yes, Kogan, it's Toy Land!" Largee Pottums exclaimed, jumping out
into full view. "Where do you think all of your toys come from? Your
crafts shops? Hoy hey! That would be the day!"

"Yes, our cr... wait, how did you know my name?" Kogan scratched his head.

"Do you remember the miniforge you got when you were six?" Largee Pottums asked.

"Th.. yes," Kogan finally resolved to think a little less about his situation.

"Gnomes!" Largee Pottums said proudly. "And the toy axe you got when
you were eight?"

"That too?!" Kogan exclaimed. He had such fond memories of the axe.
He used to beat his friends with it mercilessly.

"Gnomes," Largee Pottums replied, nodding in satisfaction.

"What about the puzzle box I got when I was nine?" Kogan asked.

"That was your uncle Dorol. And you just hated it didn't you? Oh
ho!" Largee said.

"Y... yes," Kogan said, disappointed. He had hoped to have somebody
to blame after all these years. At least he could confront Dorol
should he ever return home.

"Gnomes make the best toys!" Largee concluded. "Mountain gnomes for
the dwarves, garden gnomes for the humans, and dark gnomes for the
goblins. Toys, toys and more toys!"

"Gob... what about the elves?" Kogan asked, not knowing why he cared.
Like any able-bearded dwarf, he held elves in contempt.

"The elves? Hey oh! The garden gnomes used to make their toys. But
they're so finicky! One deer bone figurine and they found us out.
Humans can appreciate a deer bone figurine. The garden gnomes are
much happier now, if I do say so myself. And I do! Oo hoo!"

Kogan grunted in affirmation. He could emphathize with the garden
gnomes. Elves were nonsensical creatures.

"Now, my friend, it's time to talk to the Boss," Largee Pottums
announced, clapping his hands.

"The Boss?" Kogan asked.

"You can't make toys without a Boss. Let's go! We haven't had a
visitor in so long, he'll be excited to see you. Oh yes he will, sure
as sweet pods!" With that, Largee Pottums skipped through the
doorway, with Kogan following after him.

===(1 July 2008)===
<pre>##################
###.........%....#
###....%.......%.#
###..............#
gg@+++g+=g%g=%/=|#</pre>

"Now tell me, Kogan," said the white-bearded gnome from his plush
gaudy chair, "why you leapt into the chasm in the first place." The
Boss's coat was nearly bursting at the buttons; the red fabric made
his belly looked like one of his puffy cheeks.

"It was my dream. I wanted to fly," Kogan said sheepishly, "like a
bat, soaring through the still air free as a spark, but my
calculations failed."

"Ho ho ho," the plump gnome merrily laughed. "What a brave dwarf you
are! Now that you're here in our secret workshop, I was concerned
about letting you return home, but perhaps you wouldn't stay up above
very long before daring the chasm again."

"The chasm... the spider..." The dwarf shuddered at the memory.

"Largee! Largee Pottums!" the Boss of Toy Land shouted. "Our friend
Kogan needs some ease for his troubled mind. Why don't you show him
around Wimble Wizzer's workshop?"

"Hoo hey! Right away!" came the familiar voice from the doorway.
Kogan bowed awkwardly to the Boss and followed Largee out of the cozy
room.

--

Kogan was awestruck. It was like a scene out of his wildest
imaginings during one of those late nights at the drawing table.
Airborne contraptions looped and soared beneath the high stone ceiling
as gears turned and wings flapped or rotated according to the whims of
a particular design. Down below, three gnomes repaired and tinkered
with the devices on creaky wooden tables.

"Wimble-wee, Wimble-woo!" Largee shouted into the workshop. "I have
a guest for you!"

One of the gnomes inside turned toward the door and smiled weakly
while shaking his head, "Largee, my boy, who ever taught you to speak
in such a manner? Surely it was a gnome no less exuberant than
yourself."

Largee presented the still-stunned Kogan to the master of the
workshop. "This is Kogan, a dwarf, as you can see (hoo-ee!), and a
fellow maker of flying machines. The Boss has sent him down here to
have a look."

"Ah? So it's to be an inspection, is it?" Wimble replied gruffly.
"Well, you won't find these topside, but we're planning to sneak a few
of the truest models in during the next festival. The timetable is a
strict one, and we're still struggling with accidents." At this,
there was the sound of metal grinding on metal above as one of the
machines lurched and crashed into a table below. "The Boss is jolly
as they come, but he is also a grueling taskmaster."

"Ho ho ho," came the laughter from the doorway. "Wimble Wizzer, you
grumpus, is that the way to greet a new worker?"

Kogan turned toward the Boss, who was now standing beside him. A new
worker? The dwarf's eyes were wider than ever, and he turned slowly
back to the workshop, wearing a smile more full of unabashed joy than
any he had worn in his entire life.

"Well, you know, Largee," the Boss said, turning to the other gnome
standing at the door. "If he wants, we could just let him go back
home, if we found a way to make him forget all about Toy Land."

"We could bonk him on the head! Hee-whoa... bonk!" Largee yelled,
snapping his hand at the wrist.

"Ho ho ho," the Boss chuckled. "Don't you remember? Sometimes you
have to bonk them again and again, and they still won't forget!"

Kogan missed all of this banter, bent over the tables as he was,
looking over the damaged machine with Wimble and the others. After a
moment, Largee and the Boss slipped out of the room, leaving the new
worker to his workshop.

The End

==[[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: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.

==[[User:Minion21g|Minion21g]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>&||,g.g,gg....,.UU</pre>

Fiends pounded the trail, hunting Belmir and his thieving partner.
The two had stolen into the dark goblin tower in the dead of night and
taken the vial that held the demon king's essence. By destroying it,
they could stop the war and put an end to the demon forever. Why
destroy it, thought Belmir, when it obviously held so much value? He
and Gal would be rich men. Or, he thought, looking at Gal with
murderous intent, perhaps just me.

==[[User:NoNotTheBees|No Not The Bees]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>.M%,..U.,</pre>

The lonely cottage stood underneath a great hill of snow that had been
born of the great blizzard. Wind and sleet kept the pioneers indoors.
That, and the promise of hated predators searching for meat in the
frozen wastes. But as his family grew hungry, Fram knew that he must
join the hunters outside.

Almost immediately Fram saw the danger. Bloody footprints of a great
creature circled the cottage as if a monster sought a way inside.
Grimly, Fram gripped his spear. He must persevere lest his family
starve. He followed the monster's tracks away from his home as he
pulled his furs tight against the freezing winds.

Ahead he saw a shape, a black mound against an ocean of white.
Cautiously, Fram approached. It was the half eaten body of a black
bear. But what could kill such a large beast. As if to answer, a
monster loomed into sight, its body covered with long icicles. A
blizzard man!

==[[User:Scrollhaven|Scrollhaven]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>""@,.UE,."</pre>

With one mighty swing, Alfonso knocked away the prone elf's sword and
placed his boot on his wrist. Many moons had past since the vile
creature had killed poor Jim and ate him. Even now the elf looked up
in defiance. Finally, in these haunted woods far from home, vengeance
would be served. Alfonso held the tip of his sword over the
creature's heart, wondering vaguely if it had one.

"Back off, human," came a voice from behind, "this is my kill."

The human ranger turned to see a dwarf holding a crossbow. By the
state of his boots and armor, Alfonso could tell the dwarf too, had
been on a long quest. The elf saw its chance and snaked its way out
from between the ranger's legs and was off into the brush in an
instant. Alfonso cursed and charged after him, the dwarf close
behind.

==[[User:ToonyMan|ToonyMan]]==
===(16 January 2009)===
<pre>DDDDDDM,..@EU@@EU@UE,.</pre>

Sword and axe clashed again and again as the fighters struggled to
best each other in mortal combat. Arrows rained down on the field of
battle as man, elf and dwarf fought at once to win the day. Randar
took up the sword for the dwarves. With his mightiness he tried to
kill Giltra of the elves, but the champion was too fast. The battle
seemed endless. Roars of terror and pain were everywhere. Just then
a squadron of dragons appeared, lead by Madnar the Evil. Could there
be any hope?

==[[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)===
DgDgg%@@%@~~++++++>>>>^+^+^+^+^%%%%%@

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.

==[[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:.Jim|Jim]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>,.U\U,.....M,.UUH..</pre>

So unsteady was the rule of the land that no one walked the halls of
Castle Sanazar alone. It had become fashion for the lords to stab
each other in the back, or perhaps poison each other's beer steins.
Not even a squire was safe. Rumors of war spread as did the news of
Sanazar's weakness. The king called an audience of all the knights of
the realm. A quest was called for -- something to prove the kingdom's
legitimacy.

The tables of the great hall filled with mighty knights as squires
rushed back and forth filling cups. The king looked on silently
through sunken eyes, having recently lost his ability to speak. He
motioned his consort to stand forth to deliver his proclamation. She
was a handsome woman, recently bound to the king, from a kingdom far
to the north.

"The flower that is Sanazar," she said, "is wilting and sick. While
we fight amongst ourselves, hungry jackals vie for their part of the
carcass. What we need is a hero, and what better to prove a hero than
a mighty quest! Far to the east lays Forgotten Quilts, an ancient
dwarf fortress abandoned long ago. It is said that within can be
found Gilded Lunch, the golden artifact boot. Return with the boot,
and return a hero! Who will take the challenge?"

"I shall!" boomed a voice from the end of the hall.

Through the door came Bram, mighty barbarian warrior, a squire
following behind, eyes downcast. The hall erupted into Chaos. How
could this outsider be given the quest? The king's consort looked on
the barbarian, heart racing. "What makes you think you are up to the
task?" she said.

"May I know thy name Madame?" asked the barbarian.

"Scandala," said the consort, brushing a blond hair from her face.

"Lady Scandala," said Bram, "I have slain dragon, cyclops, and ogre.
There is nothing under the sky that I fear."

That same day, Bram found himself on a horse on the road to Forgotten
Quilts, his squire Dolphin on a mule trailing behind. The lords of
the realm had not taken it well. Without the Mandate of the King,
returning with the boot would be useless. Bram must die. No knight
knew this better than Crusier, cruel black night of Petoun. That very
night he left the castle with his squire, taking the fast roads to
arrive on the trail before the hero.

"Help!" cried the boy, "Oh help!"

"Don't trust it Bram," said Dolphin. "I recognize that boy, a squire
from the hall."

"A countryman in distress is just that," said the hero dismounting his
horse and drawing his sword.

As he approached, he found the boy laughing. "Let's see how fast you
can complete your quest without horses!" yelled the boy.

Bram spun around to see Crusier leap upon Dolphin and, a knife to the
boy's throat, ride away on Bram's horse. The evil squire laughed
until Bram turned and brought his sword across the boy's face, leaving
a deep gash in his cheek. "I have marked you," said the barbarian,
"for you are mine now. Lead me to your master's den. Know that if he
harms a hair on Dolphin's head, there won't be enough of you left to
fill your god forsaken tomb!"

== [[User:NobbZ|NobbZ]] ==
===(16 February 2009)===

<pre>@@$@,.~~@,..</pre>

The dwarven toughs stood around the curve in the corridor, taunting
the dwarf lasses as they passed. A particularly vicious young dwarf
fingered his crossbow as he saw a dwarf he knew.

"Hey, Moody," said a thug. "There's the dwarf that owes you that coin."

"Yes," said Moody, stepping up to the dwarf, pointing his weapon.

"You owe me," said Moody. "Hand over the purse."

"I don't have your money!" said the dwarf.

The dwarven outlaws piled onto the dwarf, beating him near to death.

"I'll be back," said the blood-soaked dwarf over his shoulder as he
ran. "I'll be back!"

"You're never coming back coward!" shouted Moody.

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

40d:Cook

2009-02-15T10:00:49Z

AbuDhabi: Typo.

{{Skill
| color = #770
| skill = Cook
| speciality = Cook
| profession = [[Farmer]]
| job name = Cooking
| workshop = [[Kitchen]]
| tasks =
* Prepare Easy Meal
* Prepare Fine Meal
* Prepare Lavish Meal
* Render Fat

}}
'''Cooks''' combine ingredients at [[kitchen]]s to produce finished meals. [[Dwarves]] with more [[skill]] at cooking work faster, and produce higher [[quality]] meals.

Dwarven cooks use two, three, or four ingredients per meal, adding their quantities to produce the quantity of the finished product. This does have the potential to increase the total amount of food a fortress has access to, since some cookable items are not edible raw. [[Quarry bush]] leaves, [[flour]], and [[seeds]] are examples. Seeds are however usually too valuable to cook with and cooking with them is disabled by default. [[Alcohol]] can be used as food in cooking too. Cooking such ingredients is an excellent way to cater to the tastes of dwarves who prefer foods that are inedible when raw. Examining a finished meal will allow you to view the ingredients it contains.

Preparing easy meals (Biscuits) will combine two ingredients, preparing fine meals (Stews) will combine three, and lavish meals (Roasts) require four ingredients to prepare. If you want your dwarves to gain skill as cooks you should only prepare easy meals, since this gives them the most practice per ingredient used. If you want to maximize your [[stockpile|storage]] space, use lavish meals, since these combine a large number of ingredients into a single stack.

If food supplies are tight, [[Brewer|brewing]] plants into alcohol and subsequently cooking the alcohol will effectively multiply food stocks fivefold. Brewing the [[plants]] first will also yield seeds, which cooking plants destroys.

Cooking can also turn raw ingredients, which never have quality, into high-quality meals, which increase dwarven happiness and often have a high monetary [[value]].

Cooked meals are immune to [[wear]], while [[meat]] is not.

The cooking skill is also used to turn [[fat]] into [[tallow]].

===Hauling and Kitchens===

When cooks have large stacks of ingredients to work with, [[kitchen]]s get [[clutter]]ed quickly. (When cooking large stacks of alcohol brewed from starting supplies or from skilled [[grower]]s' [[crops]], it is not uncommon to end up with quantities such as "Dwarven Wine Stew [75].") If they stay in the kitchen, finished meals like this will slow down your cooks' work, and may [[rot]] if left too long. It is worthwhile to keep an eye on kitchen clutter levels, and to micromanage [[food haulers]] if necessary, to ensure that everything ends up in a [[food stockpile]] quickly.

==See also==
*[[Meat industry]]

{{Skills}}
[[Category:Skills]][[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Jobs]]

ASCII art reward

2009-02-07T08:01:06Z

AbuDhabi:

If you are sending a [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Site_support|donation]] to [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ Bay12Games], they might send you an ASCII Art Reward in exchange. It is a small scene happening in the Dwarf Fortress world. If the same donator gives more than one time, it is also possible that the bits of ASCII Art follow each other and form a story.

Each piece of ASCII Art Reward belong to the donator who received it, but to appetize new potential donators, sharing them might be a good thing :

==[[User: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.

==[[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: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: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:Ergot|Ergot]]==
===(14 June 2007)===
<pre>""w"w@%"w"w</pre>

Doran shifted from foot to foot as he looked from side to side. Eventually the dwarf's head dropped and he clutched his beard, his wide eyes wild, staring at the dirt. They were everywhere.

"Cave weevils. Cave weevils on my crops. My pig tails, all of my pig tails are gone. But this season will be different, mark my words, by the Lordaxe it will." The dwarf pulled a bulky glove from his belt. The knuckles were studded with iron. Doran slid the glove over his hand, his mouth twisting into a cruel smile. The farmer's eyes grew dark.

One of the foot-long insects crawled in front of the dwarf, and he hammered it into the earth with his fist, smashing the weevil until it was well-ground. "Flat. I'll pound 'em all flat. We might not have cloth this year, but we'll have plenty of meal."

==[[User: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:Hellzon|Hellzon]]==
===(17 December 2007)===
<pre>,.@@~~o~~~</pre>

A rock plopped into the cave river from the platform above. There
Durgal and the dwarf girl sat, above the murky waters. Durgal
explained, in great detail, his plans for the future. When the riches
of the mountain were plundered, he would diagram the plans for a
second fortress himself. How the dwarves would love him!

"But in your haste for riches," asked the girl, "would you have time
for the ones you love?"

Durgal's face became red as a cave turnip. He looked quickly away
from her and stared into the dark water. There, eyes gazed up to meet
him. Durgal reached for his axe, telling the girl to warn the others.
A pale, slimy hand reached out of the depths and pulled the creature
upward. It was an olmman!

===(3 September 2008)===
<pre>ff,@,.@,o~~~~~</pre>

"Back!" cried Durgal, "back to the hall!" The dwarf girl turned and
screamed. Two blind cave fish men blocked the way out. Durgal turned
and swung his axe at the olmman, now completely out of the water. It
deftly dodged his panicked swings. The dwarf girl screamed as the
cave fish men crawled toward her, arms outstretched, feeling their way
along the floor.

"By the power of the Lordaxe!" screamed Durgal, holding his axe aloft.
The dungeon rumbled. The sound of water crashed through the tunnel.
The fighters were swept away. The olmman grabbed Durgal's axe arm as
they were washed through the watery tunnel. The dwarf pulled a dagger
from his belt and jammed it into the monster's guts.

"Gula!" cried Durgal, bursting above the surface of the water. He
pulled the axe free of the olmman's grasp and brought the pommel down
on its head, knocking it senseless. "Gula!" he cried again. With
sudden terror, Durgal recalled where this tunnel led -- the chasm.
Only a few seconds until the ultimate terrible plunge.

"Durgal!" cried the dwarf girl, Gula. With all his strength, he
stretched to reach her in the crashing water.

==[[User:Janus|Janus]]==
===(12 October 2006)===

<pre>BgB
B@g
gBB</pre>
Beak dogs and goblins surround the adventurer! What will happen next?!

===(13 February 2007)===
<pre>gg...
.B.B=
..BB.
.%B@/
.-...</pre>
One of the five beak dogs pounced. Rogar leapt, planting a foot on the beast's head and propelling himself toward the tattoed goblin. Just as they collided, Rogar planted his dagger through the goblin's left eye. They hit the ground hard, and Rogar rolled forward to his feet, spinning to face the remaining eight opponents. The beak dog he had jumped on was still shaking its head, wincing. Behind them stood a wiry goblin with a wild mane of maroon hair, brandishing a scimitar, and a lardy goblin holding an iron-studded club.

The beak dogs charged Rogar in unison. His dagger was stuck back in the twitching goblin's face, but weaponless he stood his ground before them. The first dog to reach him received Rogar's knee under its chin, the long cruel spike at the top of the warrior's half-greave piercing the creature's throat. Two more beak dogs reached him as he twisted his leg in the air, trying to free it from his bleeding adversary. The beasts slammed into him, one getting a hold of his right arm above the elbow, the other gnashing at his face. Before it could tear his nose off, Rogar grabbed it by the neck with his left hand and held it back. The other dog sank its beak deeper into the flesh of Rogar's arm. Could this be the end?!

===(5 May 2007)===
<pre>|+@g+++</pre>

Rogar awoke in pain, his wrists in chains, his wounded arm throbbing. He opened his eyes only to be greeted by an all-encompassing darkness. This must be Shalthidon's dungeon, which meant that he was locked inside the Tower of Hate from which no man had ever returned.

A dim light flickered some distance away, and he could see the silhouetted bars of his prison. Beyond them, shadows danced, and he heard a grating sound. The bars slid aside, and the lardy goblin waddled into the chamber holding a torch.

The foul creature stood below Rogar where he hung, an idiot grin perking up the otherwise sagging jowls of its bloated face.

"The master says you are to be entertained," it croaked as it continued to smile.

"I do not desire such pleasures as Shalthidon has to offer," Rogar answered. "Be off with you. The larder has grown lonely."

"The master says you are to feel the fire," the thing chortled. The goblin lifted the torch and took a step toward Rogar.

It was enough. Rogar lashed out with his legs, hooking them around the goblin's neck. In a feat of strength that would become legend, Rogar strained against the chains on his arms, lifting the massive goblin and all its corpulence from the floor. There was a sickening crack, and the fixtures in the ceiling gave way. Rogar fell into the goblin's lardy folds, pushing away desperately until he regained his feet, ready to fight, but the goblin was already dead with a broken neck.

Fortunately, the torch had not been smothered. The warrior picked it up and held it high. There was nothing else in the cell. Aside from the chains, the torch was his only possession. Now it's the master who'll be entertained, Rogar thought, as he strode out into the passageway.

===(7 August 2007)===
<pre>@+++"E"</pre>

Rogar strode toward the great iron doors, leaving a trail of blood that was not his own. In his hand he held a scimitar and from each of his wrists the chains still hung. All of the servants of Shalthidon that lurked within the Tower of Hate were now dead, save whatever was in this room at the pinnacle of the tower. The sword he had seized from the maroon-maned goblin, who had led the goblins in the tower barracks.

The warrior pushed hard on the iron doors and they opened inward with a groan. There, surrounded by brightly colored flowers, was an elf. The sun shone down on the tower top through windows in the elegant curved ceiling. The entire room sparkled.

"Are you a prisoner here? Where is Shalthidon?" Rogar asked urgently.

The elf chuckled pleasantly. "Child, Rogar, I am Shalthidon. My parents named me Lilarilqua, but my attempts to hold the goblins under my sway with that name met with disaster. Are you cold? Let me fetch you something warm." Shalthidon fished around under a dresser and pulled out a plush cloak with lacy frills. "The material was all offered freely from the feather trees, Rogar. You don't have to worry about the animals."

Rogar was still stunned. Shalthidon, the Bringer of Ruin, murderer of his parents, lord of the evil of the creeping wastes that had engulfed half the world, was an elf. Dispelling the cloud over his mind, the warrior focused. That will only make killing him all the more satisfying, he thought. Rogar lifted his blade and advanced.

==[[User:Kosmos|Kosmos]]==
===(11 September 2007)===
<pre>T+TT@C +</pre>

"Twist my arm, why don't you? You louse," Doran had complained as Bomtek continued to bother him.

"Come on, Doran! It's just a bottle of whiskey. The Baron won't miss it. When you deliver his table, just take a little something for yourself. And share it with me."

Now Doran was standing in the Baron's dining room. It already had a fine granite table at its center; the noble had just wanted an obsidian corner piece as an accent. As the dwarf set the table down, Bomtek's repeated needling suggestions still echoed in his mind. It was just one bottle. There are so many in the cabinet. The Baron won't miss just one of them.

The dwarf had to pass the cabinet on the way out. With every step toward it, he felt the whiskey within calling in his heart. Doran's face flushed hot and his stomach felt as if it were being squeezed and twisted. Maybe I'll just look, he thought. Just look and go. He reached out his hand and gently opened the cabinet's door. There was only one bottle inside. Bomtek, you fool, he thought. Yet the whiskey still beckoned him forward, and he continued to gaze on the bottle in silence as it drew him ever closer.

==[[User:Laod|Laod]]==
===(15 October 2006)===

<pre>T..o..T

Trolls are playing dodgeball with a boulder! Who will win?!</pre>
--[[User:Laod|Laod]] 15 October 2006

==[[User:MacGyvers_Mullet|MacGyvers_Mullet]]==
===Rognar:(11 November 2007)===

<pre>%%%@%%%,../.,\</pre>

The sword slid through the goblin's throat and the dying creature fell
to the ground sputtering. Rognar had been born into a world of
violence, and he would not share it with these stinking beasts.
Striding upon their unnumbered broken bodies, the warrior reached the
summit of the corpse mound and surveyed the carnage. The siege had
been broken. Here and there, a wimpering slave of darkness put up
resistance or simply clung to life, but soon they would all be
vanquished and the sun would bring a glorious dawn to the blood-red
battlefield. Rognar smiled. It was a great day to be a dwarf.

-Tarn

===Neandar Begin:(3 July 2008)===

<pre>!!()!!,k,...@,..#######||</pre>

He would never let the fiend escape again. That was what Neandar the
dwarf thought before he flung himself into the black air of the chasm
after the skulking kobold thief. For many seconds they fell, time
enough for Neandar to recall his short life and short career on the
Fortress Guard. Wet matter slammed into the dwarf's face and gave
way. The dwarf smashed through a dozen giant spider webs and hit the
ground running, hot on the trail of the kobold scum.

A huge standing ring of fire dominated the floor of the chasm. The
kobold made for the hell portal with all speed. Neandar stopped in
his tracks. It was one thing to plunge to certain death in order to
retrieve a granite puzzle box. It was quite another to cast oneself
into a dimension of ultimate evil. Yet these kobold cowards could not
be allowed to run about as they pleased. Lifting his axe over his
head, the dwarf charged into the portal of doom.

-Zach

==[[User:McDoomhammer|McDoomhammer]]==
===(6 May 2008)===

<pre>T,.ggUggg..TT------,TT,.T.U.UU.,..TTT</pre>

The three chosen warriors left the Citadel of Hope, strapped on with
all manner of magic weapons that the Council of Elders had presented
them. Shizenbubin was the tracker of the group, always hot on the
trail of danger. Shizentubin was her sister, skilled in the ways of
the blade so that no enemy neck was safe. Azoul Buck was the leader.
She ran her fingers through her short blond hair, her muscular arm
flexing, covered with the crude tattoos of her tribe.

This would be a short quest indeed. A party of goblins had ambushed
the prince on his way to the castle. All the heroes need do is return
him unspoiled. It would be easy to intercept them then on their way
to the Black Fortress, given Shizenbubin's incredible skill. However,
time was not on their side. Goblins grew bored easily and might make
sport of the prince's bodily members. Azoul set the pace, a quick
trot through the woods. She smiled at the easily-won glory that
awaited her squad at the end of the journey.

==[[User:Md5i|Md5i]]==
===(12 May 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||+++@+|</pre>

"That ought to keep 'em out," Doran said confidently, patting the granite
block which he had just slid into place. Ever since the Baron had insisted
on mining out the gold vein in the wall, Doran had been dealing with the
rats. It couldn't be helped. Gold was gold after all, but it was just
Doran's luck that the miners had broken through to a large chasm not far
from the craftsdwarf's room.

The dwarf laid down on his bed and began to think about the next project. A
puzzlebox, perhaps, something challenging. Just as Doran was drifting off
into dreams of the design, he heard a scratching on the block.

"Ha! Keep trying you little demons," the dwarf chuckled. The scratching
continued. It was irritating, but the dwarf could block it out. Then there
was a grating scrape as the block moved an inch. The dwarf sat up and
stared at the wall in amazement. Impossible, he thought.

The block slid forward further. Small, clawed fingers worked their way
around the stone until a gray, furry hand grasped one corner of the block.
The stone turned slightly.

Doran seized his chisel from the nearby table and leapt toward the block,
stabbing downward. The tool grazed the hand, leaving a spatter of blood on
the stone. There was a shriek, and the bleeding hand disappeared into the
dark crack.

The craftsdwarf pushed the block back into place and backed away, chisel in
hand. After a moment, the scratching began anew.

===(07 Jun 2007)===
<pre>##.,.||%r%+@+|</pre>

"Leave me be, you fiend!" Doran yelled, his chisel held toward the stone
block. The scratching became louder and more persistent.

Once again, the block moved, but this time no fingers poked through the
crack. The beast had learned. The slab of granite was being pushed
directly from behind, and it glided slowly toward Doran. The dwarf backed
toward his bed.

The block stopped sliding. There was now enough space to allow something to
pass through the hole in the wall, but the block was large and Doran could
not see behind it. For a long moment, nothing stirred. The craftsdwarf
knelt and opened the chest by the foot of his bed, muttering.

At once, a creature leapt from behind the block and faced Doran. It was a
ratman, ravening, its long yellow incisors surrounded by froth, its
patchy-furred flesh stretched tight over its starved body. The thing
hungered and would have Doran for its meal.

The dwarf stood, a vial in his hand. The ratman lunged forward and Doran
hurled the vial at the beast's face. The glass shattered, and the creature
clutched its black protruding eyes as they steamed. Doran rushed forward
and stabbed the ratman repeatedly with the chisel until it stopped moving.

"Pity about that. I was going to ask Mul to do some etchings for me."

===(15 Jul 2007)===
<pre>##===@=D####</pre>

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mul, it would have been a thrilling project," Doran said,
pausing to take another swig of whiskey. "I can't believe how much trouble
we've been having with ratmen lately."

"Perhaps there's a larger beast down in the chasm riling them up," Mul
replied. "Kogan's child was taken not long ago."

"Yes, surely something unusual is afoot."

Meanwhile, Kogan stood with his axe by the chasm bridge. Ever since the boy
Aliz had been lost, the soldier had tirelessly patrolled the walkways along
the deepest parts of the rift, killing dozens of ratmen and a few large
spiders. He would not be satisfied until the depths were devoid of life.

A foul wind blew up from the chasm. Kogan leaned to the side and peered
down over the edge of the bridge. The impact was sudden and the dwarf was
knocked on his back in the middle of the bridge. Kogan heard the sound of
stone being scraped without respect, and he.found himself staring into the
rotten eyes of a giant decaying reptile.

==[[User:Midelne|Midelne]]==

===Fish Dwarf Begin: (6 August 2007)===
<pre>~~@~~X</pre>

They called him Fish-Dwarf. He was the only worker in the outpost willing to brave the depths of the cave river in order to service the floodgate mechanisms when they became clogged with the seasonal muds.

It was that time again. The farming gates weren't operational, and the planting had to begin immediately. Fish-Dwarf had his tools, and the special fins he had manufactured were secured to broad feet. Everything was ready. The frightened faces of the onlooking children would not dissuade him. Fish-Dwarf understood that this was his calling. He was the only one that could save the outpost. The dwarf inhaled, and his chest swelled to nearly double its original size. Clearing his mind, the dwarf dove into the water.

===(8 November 2007)===
<pre>~~~@%X</pre>

Fish-Dwarf swam down the narrow tunnel to the gate mechanism. The water was murky and even with his superior vision he could only just see his hands sweeping ahead of him.

The upper portion of the mechanism appeared suddenly before him. The dwarf inspected the machinery quickly, mindful of his air, yet confident that he had at least a few minutes left. The top assembly was clear, so the mud must have worked itself into the lower gears. Fish-Dwarf pushed his way down.

The swollen rotting face of a lizardman greeted him, twisted into the gears. Not again, Fish-Dwarf thought, dejected. It would take at least three trips to dislodge all of the chunks. The dwarf removed the chisel from his tool case and began working it into the sticking jam.

===(10 December 2007)===
<pre>+@@+@@@+~~~~~</pre>

"Fish-Dwarf, you have saved us!" the children shouted as the wet dwarf
pulled his way up on to the bank. He had finished his last cleaning
run, and already the floodgate was rising, ushering in the waters that
would prepare the way for the summer harvest.

"Truly, Fish-Dwarf, your mastery of the murky depths never ceases to
amaze us. You are a hero," the Mayor Kogan said, offering Fish-Dwarf
a mug of the outpost's best.

"I am glad I could help," Fish-Dwarf said, draining the mug in one
motion. "If only the river waters were whiskey, my life would be
complete."

"I fear we would never see you again if that were the case!" the Mayor jested.

Fish-Dwarf pondered a moment. "Indeed. Yet the search for the
Whiskey River is a quest for the young, I'm afraid."

"We here at Gladanvil are happy to have you," the Mayor replied as the
crowd dispersed. As the others left, the mayor pulled Fish-Dwarf
aside.

"-- and yet, I fear you cannot stay long. I've received word from
King Dorazar. He has heard tell of your talents, and our liaison from
the Mountainhome has conveyed his request for your presence at the
capital."

"My presence? Surely the engineers of the Mountainhome can manage the
mighty floodgates and channels of Steelpoint without my help."

"It isn't farming trouble, Fish-Dwarf," the Mayor said, lowering his
voice to a whisper. "Many fisherdwarves have been lost to the waters.
There is something lurking in the Lake of Columns."

===(18 January 2008)===
<pre>~~~@/~~%OB%OO%%%~~</pre>

Innumerable stalactites hung from the ceiling of the expansive gem-lit
cavern, many dipping down through the still surface of the black
waters. This was the Lake of Columns, the source of life for
Steelpoint, and now a place of dread.

Fish-Dwarf fit the blades into place on his fins. The citizens of
Steelpoint did not know what the creature was, but no fewer than seven
fisherdwarves had been lost at the shore. No matter, thought
Fish-Dwarf. King Dorazar had charged him to slay the lurking threat,
and that is what he would do. Still, the nature of the creature
eluded him. It had been years since his last combat with an aquatic
beast, and then it was only the cave crocodiles and lizardmen that
occasionally harassed his own community. Steelpoint would not have
sent for him over such a triviality. Hefting his mighty trident,
Fish-Dwarf nodded to the gathered onlookers before leaping into the
lake.

The water was clear, and he could see the broad columns well ahead of
him down to where they joined the submerged floor of the cavern.
Behind any of these formations, the beast could lurk.

There! Nestled between three columns was a gigantic bloated form on
the lake bottom. Fish-Dwarf swam closer, almost drifting. What
manner of beast was this? Great tentacles it had, and a toothy maw
which flopped open as it slumbered, surrounded by half-consumed bodies
of the dead.

Fish-Dwarf was almost upon it now, his trident lifted above his head
as he sank slowly toward the sleeping fiend. As he prepared to
strike, the lurid thing's lone eye flashed open.

===(15 May 2008)===
<pre>------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~@/~%~~~~~~~~~
------------------------</pre>

Tentacles lashed out, looping around Fish-Dwarf's torso and pinning
his arms to his chest. A force stronger than any he had ever
experienced crushed his ribs and a stream of bubbles shot from his
mouth as the breath was squeezed from his body. Fish-Dwarf
desperately slashed at the tentacles with his fin blades and as his
vision faded to black he saw that the water was thick with curling
purple ribbons of the foul beast's tainted blood. The monster's grip
loosened and Fish-Dwarf was able to free his arms. His sight had not
returned, but when he stabbed his trident downward, he felt it sink
deep into the creature. The monster's body convulsed and it raced
into the open water, Fish-Dwarf still clinging to the imbedded weapon.

I cannot let go so long as I cannot see, or I will surely be devoured,
Fish-Dwarf thought, though the beast continued on into the depths at
such speed that the diver could not maintain his bearings, and
suddenly in the back of his mind arose a strange sensation... it was
the need for air, such as he had not experienced for many years. A
tingling came to his throat and nose, and his head began to feel numb
as he became more desperate for breath, and yet slowly, his vision was
returning.

The beast slowed, its energy spent, and it settled on to the lake
bottom, unmoving. Fish-Dwarf jammed the trident into it a few times;
the thing was dead. Now, the surface! Fish-Dwarf pulled his weapon
from the monster and swam upward, but he stopped immediately. As far
as he could see in the now-dark water, a smooth ceiling of limestone
greeted him. The monster had fled into a great crack in the lake
bottom, so far and so deep that the light from the gem lamps was no
longer visible. Just the endless water and rock of the submerged
tomb of Fish-Dwarf, he thought, as he chose a direction and swam.

===Fish Dwarf End: (1 July 2008)===
<pre>,@!,.~~~~~~~~</pre>

He had chosen the wrong direction. Either that or the beast had
dragged Fish-Dwarf so far into the mountain that the fires of the
underworld were closer than the light of the lamps. His breath was
long since gone -- moving forward was all that could keep him from
panicking. After every few kicks, the dwarf would reach up to feel
the limestone. If anything, the rock was closing in. No... what's
this? His hand curled up around a sharp corner. Fish-Dwarf grabbed
it firmly with both hands and pulled, launching himself upward.

The dwarf fully expected to meet a wall of rock, but instead he glided
freely until at long last he broke the surface of the water, gasping
for air. As the dwarf calmed down, he realized that he could still
see nothing. He felt walls close by in all directions, as if he had
just swum up a shaft, though there was a ledge overhanging the water
on to which he could haul himself and rest his weary body. Fish-Dwarf
passed in and out of consciousness for a time, perhaps an hour, before
he sat up and assessed his situation.

He could dive back into the water with his lungs full of air and try
to find the lamps, now unmolested by great underwater beasts, but he
did not relish the idea of leaving the entrance to the shaft behind in
total darkness as he explored the crevice below. The only alternative
was to feel his way along the walls from this ledge above the grotto.
These limestone mountains were laced with natural caverns and after a
brief exploration of the surrounding stone he found this hollow was no
exception -- there was a mud-slicked passage that ran into the
mountain. Without hesitation, Fish-Dwarf struck out into the cavern.

-- How long since he had started on this dreary journey? Though the mud
was often thick, Fish-Dwarf had not trudged through so much as a
puddle these many days. He thirsted for spirits, nay, even water, and
he longed to swim again. The dwarf had long since abandoned his fins
and other equipment as they encumbered him too much on the march.
Every so often, he imagined he saw the gem lamps ahead, though it
could just as easily be the cooking fires of a goblin encampment, or
some darker torture, as the lights of the capital he sought. There
they were, even now... lights! Or light at least, the barest speck
in the distance ahead. Fish-Dwarf moved swiftly, no longer plodding,
still careful of the stalactites but driving forward rapidly all the
same. The speck became an opening, and he could see the mud of the
passage floor illuminated in the distance, with stone walls further
beyond. Only a few more steps...

The cavern opened out upon a rocky river valley in a canyon sheer to
the greatest heights yet welcoming the noon-day sun. The entrance
where Fish-Dwarf stood was at the bottom of the cliffs a short walk
down pebble-laden slopes to the stream below. Instantly, Fish-Dwarf
could tell that these were no ordinary waters. They were the color of
honey, yet the current flowed rapidly. And the aroma! The
intoxicating aroma! There was no question in his mind. Whether it
fell from the throne of some inebriated sky god and vanished into the
underworld to besot the armies of hell made no difference, for here,
in this world, in this very mountain range, ran the slightest stretch
of the Whiskey River. His mind unencumbered by thoughts of duty or
home, Fish-Dwarf made his way down to the riverside to drink his fill.

===Hunger Begin (11 June 2008)===
<pre>,..,.++U+,.+,.+U~U||</pre>

Suffering blighted the land with cruel hunger. Wagons brought foul
fungus from the dwarven mountains. It was barely enough to sustain
those base enough to eat such filth. The rest died. Paldadar rested
against the hilt of his great sword. He looked over his shoulder at
the dark stone castle. Turning his back on mud brick huts, the knight
passed by the scraggly bearded guards and entered the keep.

Form a high window, bright, mocking sunlight shone across the dark
wooden throne and the troubled king that sat upon it. The old man
reached for his cup, and after taking a sip, spat the vile dwarven
brew unto the stone floor. A herald in a mud-smattered tunic rushed
to wipe up the spill, but seeing the knight, rose to confront him.

"You were not summoned, Sir Paldadar," spit the herald. "Go ask the
peasants instead of begging the king for scraps from the royal table."

"Silence, Rodger," said the king.

The herald jumped away like a whipped dog. The king motioned the
knight to come forward.

"The gods have abandoned this place," said the king. "Only through
their glory will the days of bounty return. It is for this reason you
must smite the heathen Farthlings where they dwell across the river.
When their land is in ruin, the gods at last will favor us."

The knight ground his teeth. This was obviously High Priest Igland's
doing. But perhaps there was wisdom in punishing the arrogant
Farthlings for their many insults. Death by the sword was much
preferable to slow certain death by starvation.

===(17 June 2008)===
<pre>==?T?====,.UH,.U</pre>

As Paldadar walked away from the keep, peasants averted their hungry
faces. He was still a knight, even if he represented the most
wretched of kingdoms. A frail sissy approached from behind, leading
two horses. Paldadar swung around, drawing his sword. There stood
Rodger, wearing the snottiest of faces, his nose in the air.

"By the will of the king," he hissed, "I am to be your squire."

Paldadar prayed to the gods for mercy. Would that a Farthling's bolt
find his heart soon that he be saved from further tortures. Together
the pair made their way to the Temple of Love, where High Priest
Igland waited to bless their holy crusade.

The temple was built on a tall hill, a ring of marble columns
surrounding an enormous stone stele, pricking the sky with its
majesty. All around the temple, peasants scrambled to snatch at the
scraps donated by the monks that poured rotten food down the hill. As
Paldadar entered the temple, he was surrounded by fat priests and
priestesses that danced around him in a grotesque, undulating display.

The knight refused a cup of offered wine, which Rodger snatched up
and drank freely.

At the center of the temple, High Priest Igland stood, wearing nothing
save a red loincloth.

"When you wake in the morning," said Igland, "consider Love."

"Many happy couplings," said Paldadar as was the prescribed response.

"You must put an end to the Farthling menace," said the priest,
growing angry. "If their God of Suicide spreads his faith to our
kingdom, none of our desperate peasants will survive. You must strike
the heart of their kingdom and burn their temple to the ground."

Paldadar made the gesture of obedience and departed, pulling Rodger
away from the cavorting priests.

The kingdom of the Farthlings was separated from the kingdom of Love
by the River of Sorrow, whose wide fast-moving waters could only be
crossed in one place. This was the Bridge of Destiny. As the riders
approached, Rodger twitched with fear and apprehension, for it was
said the bridge was guarded by an evil water troll. At the bridge,
Paldadar held up his gauntleted hand. The horses stopped, and the
knight dismounted. Paldadar drew his sword and walked out onto the
wooden planks.

===(3 July 2008)===
<pre>%,..%,.|%.,.UH,%..%%UH,,%.~%,..(%).,.%|,..%</pre>

Green flames shot up from beneath the bridge. Horrid laughter pealed
across the blighted landscape. The knight turned to see Rodger making
tracks back to the temple with the speed of a spooked hare. Slowly
Paldadar looked over his shoulder to see the enormous bloated troll,
dripping with slime and black pus.

"You seek to pass into the land of suicide bearing the message of
love," said the troll. "What will you tell them, knight? Is slow
certain death by starvation superior than the final empowering
choice?"

"Where there is life, there is hope," said Paldadar. "Love will
overcome all obstacles!"

"Spoken like a true student of Igland," said the troll, assuming a martial pose.

As Paldadar cut the monster down, his mind was wracked with doubt.
Was the nation of love superior? He hailed from a place where young
people sold themselves for scraps of bread and yet he sought to bring
hope to a strange country. He found Rodger hiding in a nearby bush
and hauled him, protesting, across the bridge.

The land of the Farthlings was lush and green compared to the land of
love. Cherry blossoms rained down on the two riders as they wound
their way through the hills. Even in these pleasant surroundings, the
demented nature of the Farthlings soon became evident. Bodies dotted
the road here and there, swords plunged into their own guts. Corpses
hung in the trees from hastily-tied nooses, over eager to take their
own lives. As the riders passed, skeletal bodies lifted themselves
from the grass to watch them saunter on.

"Make babies, make babies, make babies," babbled Rodger, madly
reciting the Charm of Making.

At last they reached the capital of the Farthlings. The wind blew red
rose petals through the cold, dead streets. Even the cheerful sun
seemed dim in the vast tomb of a city. Rodger stared straight ahead
as they made their way to the keep, careful not to look into the dark
doorway, behind which ominous rustlings could be heard.

The flag of Farthlingland flew above the ramparts of the citadel. At
the base of the wall lay the piles of bones of those who had
hopelessly thrown themselves over the side. A wide moat circled the
castle. As the two riders approached, a draw bridge was lowered over
the water. Paldadar thought he could see a crowned figure on the wall
beckoning them inside. As they crossed the bridge, Rodger made the
mistake of looking down into the water. The currents were filled with
the souls of those who drowned themselves in desperate sorrow. Eyes
shut tight, Rodger hugged the neck of his horse, and followed Paldadar
into the gate.

==[[User:Onodera|onodera]]==
===(01 November 2008)===
<pre>"",",.@,.T,"""</pre>

"Don't let the sun set on you in the Dark Wood," said the dwarf
crones. "Ole Brick-a-Branch will get you." Nonsense, thought young
Davik as he rode his mule along the twisting green deer path. The
darkness came quickly as the sun slipped behind the trees. As he set
about making a fire, Davik pondered the dark tales of Brick-a-branch
and his mischief.

Not even the elves dared enter the Wood at night. Something older
than time haunted these cursed trees, but this valley was the quickest
way to Port City, saving at least a month of travel. As the night
grew darker and colder, Davik fumbled in his pack to retrieve the
charms and idols he had nearly refused as the journey began.

A great shape emerged from the darkness. It was a gnarled troll, as
old as the hills. It picked up Davik by the ankle.

"Not much meat here," it said.

"Please, Ole Brick-a-Branch, don't eat me," said Davik.

Having said his name, the troll was force to lay the dwarf down.

"I will not eat you," said the monster, "If you can answer me these
riddles three."

==[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]]==
===(16 May 2007)===
<pre>=@()++@</pre>

Doran stirred the bubbling pot of syrup. It was ready! "Pour, pour, pour!" the dwarf sang. Into the molds the syrup flowed. "Another batch," the dwarf said, satisfied.

Just then, he noticed somebody standing in the doorway. "Ah, Glornol. What brings you to the kitchens this early? Come to try a sticky treat? I have some Anvil Drops cooling now. Just a moment."

Doran turned to the tray on the table when he was startled by Glornol's shouting. "What is the meaning of this? Isn't there a war on?"

"Even soldiers need sticky treats, Glornol!" Doran picked up two chocolate goblins and began to speak in a high-pitched throaty voice.

"Ooo, it's Glornol!" the first chocolate goblin said.

"Glornol's scared of the mean, mean goblins!" the second chocolate goblin observed.

"Let's eat the dwarf! Yummies for tummies!" the first chocolate goblin offered.

"The dwarf might eat me instead! Oh no!" the second chocolate goblin replied. Doran held the goblin out to Glornol.

Glornol was not amused, but he snatched the candy from Doran's hand. "Hrmph," he grunted, and biting the goblin's head off, he walked out of the kitchen.

==[[User:Qwip|Qwip]]==
===(05 December 2006)===

<pre>...@T@..###S#</pre>

Taking a break from their duty, the two guards sat at a table with a scenic view of the chasm.
They did not notice as they drained their mugs that they were being watched from the shadows
by clusters of pale eyes. A table by the chasm?!
--[[User:Qwip|Qwip]] 05 December 2006

===(09 February 2007)===

<pre>.@......####
...T@@~S####
.......#####
</pre>
Dolan was chatting with Aliz about the health benefits of dwarven beer when Aliz disappeared.
Dolan sprang to his feet and saw that Aliz was being dragged toward the chasm, a thick rope of
translucent silk wrapped around his left ankle. At the lip of the chasm, a bloated form slowly
reeled the line in with her spindly legs.
Dolan knew immediately -- it was the Wolf-Mother of Darkness.
He grabbed his axe and ran toward Aliz, who was now only a few more pulls from the beast.

As he was hauling ore to the magma smelter, the peasant Kogarak saw the situation, screamed,
dropping his load, and ran toward the barracks. As he heard the sound of an axe ring against
stone behind him, he wondered if he would make it in time.
:— [[User:Qwip|Qwip]] 08:40, 9 February 2007 (EST)

===(18 April 2007)===
<pre>@@@...@.####
@..T..@S####
.......#####
</pre>
The axe had scored the stone floor where it had severed the silk line. The Wolf-Mother chittered
angrily and pounced at Dolan, moving with surprising quickness. Dolan was knocked to the ground,
the enormous body of the foul creature pressing him into the stone. His axe clanged some distance
away. The blunt knobs at the end of the Wolf-Mother's forelegs dug into Dolan's ribs as her
dripping mandibles drew closer to his face. He grabbed her head with both hands, trying
desperately to keep her at bay. A foul-smelling spittle dripped on to his cheek.

Aliz, still dazed from his initial fall, slowly made his way to his feet. Seeing Dolan's desperate
struggle, he drew his sword and hacked at one of the Wolf-Mother's legs. The bumpy skin was
incredibly tough, but the steel blade left the appendage hanging by tatters. The Wolf-Mother
belched a grating rasp and rolled away from Aliz and faced the dwarves. Dolan crawled toward his
axe, but the nauseating venom drenching his face and beard had left him almost powerless. The
Wolf-Mother hesitated, her wound oozing white ichor as Aliz stood his ground.

There were several sharp cracking noises, and the Wolf-Mother crumpled, several iron bolts
protruding from her many eyes. In the distance stood Bomtek and the other marksdwarves,
accompanied by Kogarak. Aliz rushed to Dolan. The dwarf was breathing heavily.

"My body feels like gravel. I need a drink," Dolan said.

"The Wolf-Mother is dead. Brace up. I'll bring you your mug." Aliz fetched Dolan's mug from
the table and brought it to the dwarf where he lay on the stone floor. The mug was almost empty.

"The brood," Dolan whispered. "The night brood will come."
:— [[User:Qwip|Qwip]] 12:28, 14 May 2007 (EDT)

==[[User:Rewolf31|Rewolf31]]==
===(13 April 2007)===

<pre>.B@.~~~
</pre>
And so Alor, a wrestler of renown, found himself between a great boar and the wide river. For six days they struggled, and as the sun descended behind the hills on the evening of the seventh day, Alor finally collapsed in exhaustion. The boar spoke and said, "I too am tired. The sun has fallen. Let us rest." And so Alor and the boar slept, and the sun arose on the morning of the eighth day.

===(21 July 2007)===
<pre>,.,B@~,~,~</pre>

"Whiskey?" Alor asked the boar, holding up his flask. The wrestler had not spoken for a week.

"Gladly," the boar said, taking the flask up in its mouth. "You block my path to the river, and now you offer me your flask. Strange are the ways of your people."

"Your path? I was seeking to cross the river and found myself menaced," Alor said.

"The squirrels tell me I am a terror to behold when I am thirsty," the boar said as it drained the flask. "Do I menace you now?" The boar looked mild and plump. Indeed, the gentle creature reminded Alor of his daughter.

"No, I am not menaced. I am reminded of home," Alor said fondly. At that moment his stomach growled, for he had not eaten in some time.

"Hopefully I do not remind you of your dinner table," the boar laughed, "though it remains to be seen who would have the final mastery in our contest." Alor smiled broadly and the boar guided Alor to the ford, where they parted as friends.

===(12 September 2007)===
<pre>++@a@+
</pre>
"Daddy! Daddy!" the little girl cried happily as she ran toward the mighty dwarf where he stood under the archway.

"I missed you, sweet pod!" Alor crouched down and lifted the child up to his shoulder, where she sat, beaming. "Have you been good while I was away?"

"I made a puzzle box. See!" The girl held out a soapstone box. The master craftsdwarf always started the young ones with the material since it required little strength to carve, though it crumbled easily. Even so, the box was quite exquisite.

"That's beautiful. Now let me see here..." Alor pressed a button and the lid popped open. There was nothing inside. "Hey, where's my treasure?" he said in mock indignation.

The girl took the box and made a series of complicated motions along the inside of the empty compartment. A second lid opened, revealing a piece of dwarven sugar candy. The child giggled and smiled broadly.

Alor scratched his head and laughed. Coren was only six, but she was already beyond him.

"Did you win, daddy?" Coren asked.

"Ah, the tournament? Yes, sweet pod, there hasn't been a dwarf born yet that can beat your father," Alor looked at the puzzle box. "At least not at wrestling. And you know what else?"

"What else, daddy? What else?"

"I met a talking boar and we became friends."

"Again?" Coren complained. "I want to meet your animal friends soon."

"I'll invite them over for your party next month. Until then, you have to work hard. Do you have a lesson today?"

"Yes. Mr. Goldlocket says he'll let me try marble today."

"Marble, eh? That's amazing. You really are your mother's daughter. I'll walk you to the shop." Together they strolled down the passageway. Alor admired the carvings and architecture, occasionally pointing an engraving out and explaining its history, though his daughter had heard it all before. It had been two months since he left for tournament, and the wrestler had missed his home very much.

"The three of us should have a feast tonight. What do you say?" Alor asked. Coren did not respond.

The dwarf looked down. His daughter was not there. She was not in the passageway. There was no sign of her.

"Goblins!" A scream echoed through the tunnels. "Goblins in the fortress!"

===(18 September 2007)===
<pre>,..|mBL@+++++++g+</pre>

"I'm sure she's in there," Alor said from his place behind the boulder where he looked down upon the rusted iron doors of Chatteltomb.

"We must act now, while there's still time," the boar urged. This was the same boar that Alor had befriended by the riverbank, and it now came to aid Alor in his time of need.

"The door is locked. Even with our combined strength, I doubt we can force entry," the leopard observed. This was the same leopard that Alor had befriended in the high grasses, and it also came to aid Alor in his time of need.

"Don't worry. The guards were drunk in the ravine below," the marmot announced as it scampered up the slope with the key in its mouth. This was the same marmot that Alor had befriended on the mountainside, and it came to aid Alor after promises of food.

"I've only challenged the depths of this black pit once in my life. It is a memory I have longed to forget, though it will serve me now," Alor said. "It sickens me that my daughter is kept there. The way to the dungeons will not be heavily guarded, as fear of this place keeps all but the foolish at bay. That said, the tower above is garrisoned with unnumbered horrors. If the alarm is raised, escape will be impossible."

The group made their way down to the entrance. With some effort, Alor forced the key into place. The great doors swung open with a grating noise, exposing a palpable darkness that hung heavy in the stale air like a fog of soot. The thick shadows were penetrated from beyond by sinister red lights which gave vague form to the smooth obsidian corridors.

Once all had passed into the tower, they closed the door behind them. "We can only hope it is not unusual for the doors to sound. Do you see anything?" Alor whispered to the leopard.

"Several doors down, a goblin is standing," the leopard spoke softly. "It has turned to face us. I don't think it can make us out yet, but its night eyes are almost as strong as my own. It is coming this way."

Indeed, Alor could barely make out twin spots of crimson shining in the distance. The dwarf felt the leopard slip from his side. In a moment, the crimson spots disappeared from view. No sound accompanied their departure. Alor and the others padded quietly forward, approaching the stairway and the dungeons below.

==[[User:Senso|Senso]]==
===(29 April 2007)===
<pre><+@?++&~~</pre>

The wayward manager Aliz stepped quietly down the last flight of stairs into the lowest depths of the abandoned halls. The air of the room was stale and warm. The light of the dwarf's torch illuminated a stone pedestal, on which rested a gray book.

"The Tome of Suffering," Aliz whispered. In its blood-stained pages, the collected wisdom of countless outpost managers waited for his perusal. Never again would his charges starve. Never again would they complain for want of whiskey. Never again would Aliz have to consult the half-baked scribblings of his uncle Toran.

The ground shook and Aliz's ears were assailed by a deafening crash. When the dust cleared, the entire chamber was illuminated by a sinister red glow. In place of the far wall was a yawning pit filled with bubbling magma and flames. From the inferno came a betusked fiend, ravening, its slavering maw belching foul vapors through which stared its cruel bulging eyes. Its clawed hands kneaded the lardy folds of its corpulence as if it sought to make room for this latest morsel.

Aliz was terrified. The dwarf clutched the Tome to his chest. The horrific beast crouched by the magma pool, muttering in a grating whisper:

"It will be eaten. It will be eaten, the dwarf. Eaten. Eaten alive."

==[[User:Shanty|Shanty]]==
===(30 June 2007)===
<pre>@@+U@</pre>

Rogar spun again and again, staring into the darkness. The scraping had begun all at once and it seemed to come from every direction. Nothing could be seen beyond the limit of the flickering torchlight.

There! A shadow moved slowly out of the darkness. It had the stature of a dwarf, but Rogar knew the outpost had been abandoned for decades. After a moment, the warrior could see clearly. The shuffling thing had no flesh. The bones of its feet clacked and slid across the stones. The dead were walking in this place.

There were more, many more. Rogar was completely surrounded. He held up his sword and turned from threat to threat. The dwarves were unarmed, with tatters of cloth hanging over their skeletal remains. Bits of beard were still visible stuck around their garments and their skulls. The dead stopped short of Rogar's weapon and stood completely motionless. There was no way the warrior could pass without forcing his way through.

The skeleton he had seen first raised its bony hand slowly, curling all of its fingers save one into its palm. Its index finger pointed toward Rogar. From somewhere within its skull, it emitted a long, low moan which ended in a hiss and faded into silence.

==[[User:Spelguru|Spelguru]]==
===(19 November 2006)===
<pre>
..@.M.~~~~...
</pre>
The adventurer, transformed into a ghoul by strange forces, crawls toward the Everlasting River of Curing, barely clinging to his life, such as it had become. Suddenly, from the ceiling dropped... Adamantine Man! Is there any hope?!

===(19 December 2006)===
<pre>
...M.~~~~..".
.....@~~~~...
...."~~~~~...
</pre>

Adamantine Man spoke and said, "Unfortunate stranger! You wish to cast off your affliction? Drink then, and be blessed."

So the adventurer drank. The soothing warmth of the water spread from the center of his body, out to his deformed fingers and toes. Without pain, they shifted and were set in their proper places, along with the other marks of the affliction. All was well.

The adventurer looked at Adamantine Man in awe and asked, "I am grateful, Adamantine Man, for I had been without hope. For years unnumbered, my people have deemed the River unapproachable. 'Adamantine Man is there', they said, and yet, I have found naught here but a generous host and the cure to all that ailed me. Tell me Adamantine Man, why are you so feared? I am humbled by your graciousness, but am I truly free from danger?"

Adamantine Man spoke for a second time and said, "Indeed, be not afraid. Your people regard me with terror, for they do not understand me, and verily, who among you can understand Adamantine Man, who does not understand himself?"

The adventurer bowed his head and said, "It is true. Even now I am unsettled, for though you have granted me renewed life asking for nothing, still, even now, I wish to leave and never return."

Adamantine Man spoke for a third time and said, "So it has always been. Go now in peace."

The adventurer left without looking back. Overjoyed, his family accepted him, no longer an outcast, and soon all in the land had heard that he who had once been tainted was made whole by the River.

Some years later, a man, broken in body, came to the adventurer's abode. "I seek your aid, for it is said that you who were once tainted were made whole by the River. Tell me, where is the River, that I might be restored?"

The adventurer looked at the man, and he said, "Adamantine Man is there. Be content now, as I shall never be again." The man departed, and the adventurer remained.

===(25 March 2007)===

The adamantine man story ended.
<pre>
@-***=.T
</pre>
The Pulson-9000 seared the sky trailing ion-energized purple lightning. The XZ-Trollmech Mk7 didn't stand a chance. Another contract, another payment. Rogar was the last dwarf of his village, and after many hardships had fallen into the tough life of a mercenary warrior. He had stolen his first fighting bot, but after three years he had enough money to build and repair his own. He spent his offtime tinkering, which soothed his still-dwarven heart.

For now though, he was in enemy territory. True, the contract was complete, but he had fought his way deep into the personal citadel of the vile cyber-modded troll Vanquidor in order to blow his Mk7 body to pieces, and now he had to laze through the bodyguards and sentry droids he hadn't already obliterated. The dwarf had very little ordinance remaining. Rogar put on his shades. Things were about to get hot, but he was cool as a sonic-fan. Time to fire it up! Yeah!

==[[User:SupSuper|SupSuper]]==
===(19 April 2007)===
<pre>+R@%+@+%</pre>

"Hya! Hya!" Kogan screamed as he careened around the corner astride Lomrin. He had acquired the giant rat from the dungeon master for a vial of liquid fire. It had been a barrel of laughs, especially after a mug or three.

As they passed the foodpile, Lomrin stopped suddenly to inspect a large plump helmet biscuit. Kogan flew over the rat's ears and landed on his beard, sliding to a stop at a pair of black leather boots. Kogan waited a moment for his head to clear, and then he rolled back on his bottom and stared up at the face of Mul. It had to be Mul.

"On a bender again, are we Kogan?" Mul admonished.

"We? I swear I haven't given Lomrin a drop!" Kogan said indignantly.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Mul said, indicating the food stockpile with a nod of his head.

Kogan turned his head. Lomrin had pried the lid off of a whisky barrel. Only her rear legs and tail were now visible.

"She takes after her uncle Kogan!" Kogan beamed proudly. Mul knocked him down to the ground with a push from his foot.

==[[User:Syndlig|Syndlig]]==
===(18 May 2007)===
<pre>oU++@@</pre>
The man struggled against the chains. The dwarves stared at him, smiling in satisfaction.

"That should ward you off our treasures, human. Be glad we don't send for the Hammerer."

The human scoffed. "Ha! I may be a thief, but at least I'm not a dwarf. See how I tower above you! I may not have a trade, I may not have any notable achievements whatsoever, but I am still a man."

The blackbearded dwarf turned to his companion. "You know, Mul, I suppose we could call for the Hammerer. The Baron will understand. After all, it was the Baron's goblet we found in his pack."

The dwarf named Mul considered this. "The Hammerer could certainly give him a new perspective on life. From two or three handspans lower down, at that. Start at the ankles, perhaps?"

"I always preferred the kneecaps, myself," the blackbearded dwarf said as they turned to leave. "It's really up to Rashok to decide though."

Mul hummed in disappointed affirmation. "Hmm, Rashok gets to have all the fun doesn't he?"

"Wait! Don't leave, my little friends!" the man screamed as the dwarves disappeared through the iron gate.

The blackbearded dwarf poked his head back into the dungeon. "We'll spare some whiskey, don't worry!" He disappeared again.

"Watered down, of course..." Mul could be heard saying as their footfalls faded away.

==[[The Toad Preservation Society]]==

Toady One and ThreeToe are continuously working on Dwarf Fortress since 4 years ago (well, when that was that written, in early 2007). On the same Idea, the Toad Preservation Society is trying to bring a very modest but continuous support. One result of this support is that ongoing series of art rewards. Slowly a story unfolds. Of course, the main target for the donation is not to get the reward, but to show the [[Bay12Games]] team that we love their project and value their effort. So let's consider each bit of that series as a nice present.

===(11 October 2006)===

<pre>.M.@$.</pre>

Deep in the fortress, a lava man springs an ambush on the treasurer, who is happily
counting coins. Could this be the beginning of the end?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 October 2006

===(12 November 2006)===
<pre>
######.....M#~~~
@..@@@......M~~~
######..M%$.#~~~
</pre>
Hammered and burnt by molten fists, the treasurer collapsed. That will teach him to
count coins near the magma flow. More lava men erupt from the magma as a fortress patrol
enters the room, one of them the treasurer's wife. Fighting back tears, she screams in
wild rage as the soldiers charge the beasts. Will vengeance prevail this terrible day?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 12 November 2006

===(5 December 2006)===

<pre>
..=# #############~~~# %
[@.#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
.=..........@.-....~~~#,
############..@%-.#~~~####
` '###########.=====........##
% #############~~~####
</pre>
Indeed, vengeance did prevail, though it was bought with the lives of soldiers.
The Axedwarf Aloran, wife of the treasurer, grieves now over the charred body of her
husband, her grief-stricken face shining red in the magma's light. Yet the lava men
were only driven forth by rumors deep within the earth, ever rumbling now, ever
approaching the lip of the glowing pit discovered by the miners not long after the
bridging of the magma. The sound reached even the heart of the fortress, where
Regukar the Mason has begun a mysterious construction. What fey mood has possessed
Regukar?! Will Aloran's mourning be troubled by even greater dangers?!

--The Toad Preservation Society, 5 December 2006

===(10 January 2007)===

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[@.#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@..........-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########..
` '###########.=====....@.&.##
% #############~~~########..
</pre>

A great crash echoed down the inward passageway.

"More beasts deeper in the mines?" said Narol fearfully, a recruit, the only member of the patrol save Aloran to survive. His right arm was burned horribly and he now held his axe in his left hand, weakly.

"Tell the Baron that lava men have entered the mines. I'll remain here." Aloran unmoving eyes stared over the bridge toward the mines. There would be no discussion. Narol stumbled up the opposite passage to the workshops.

Regukar was in the lower mason's shop, gazing into his hands, his face aglow with the light shining upward from his palms. The Baron was there as well.

"What is this? Did I not commission an obsidian throne? Why was this workshop built so near the magma flow if I'm to be seated on granite for the rest of my days?" The Baron sounded annoyed, but he was also trying to stare over Regukar's shoulder to see the treasure. The Baron reached for Regukar's wrist, and the mason turned violently and spat in the Baron's face just as Narol careened into the chamber.

"The Stout Wheels have held the bridge, but lava men are in the mines! Many are dead... Aloran is guarding the mine entrance alone..." Narol collapsed, breathing heavily.

-

Narol was gone, but Aloran did not notice. "I will kill them all," she said, and she walked down the bridge into the mines, leaving the bodies of her husband and the recruits behind. As she descended into the mines, the magma's light faded and she was engulfed by the dimness in which she had spent most of her life. Yet ahead she discerned an eerie glow. The miners had located these pits not long ago as they hunted for hematite. The lava men must be using them, accessing the mines away from the magma flow, Aloran thought, though she did not dwell on it long. Soon her mind was focused again on death.

Suddenly the light was blotted out, followed by a shaking that almost knocked Aloran from her feet. "COAH! So long I have waited for my master... only to find this sweet hairy dumpling. It must be time for the Great Feast." Aloran could discern its corpulence through the darkness. A lardy bloated creature, like those that made raids from the river, yet more grotesque, covered with translucent boils -- and many times larger. The thing croaked, "I sense... COAH! You have lost someone recently... your husband. Worry not, little dumpling! You will be reunited in my innards when I am done feeding."

Aloran did not speak. She would not entertain the creature -- she would have it dead.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 January 2007

===(11 February 2007)===

And it keeps going and growing !!

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[..#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@.........@-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########&.
` '###########.=====@.@@.@%&##
% #############~~~########.&
</pre>

Aloran hacked at the thing's wide belly with her battle axe. It lurched backward, avoiding the full force of the strike, and crashed into the cavern wall. Immediately, as if its lardy mass had bounced off the barrier, it leapt forward and knocked Aloran to the ground, pressing down on her shoulders with its great slimy hands. Its mouth opened, and a slick lolling tongue poured out like thick syrup and covered Aloran's face. It was going to swallow her whole! Unable to breathe, Aloran fumbled around in her boot and pulled out a small pointed hammer. Struggling to maintain consciousness, Aloran swung the hammer from her elbow. The point pierced one of the great creature's eyes, which popped and drained a viscous pus over the dwarf. The thing backed off of the warrior's body, its fat tongue dragging on the ground, leaving a broad swath of spittle. Aloran stood, breathing heavily, her axe secure in her right hand. She advanced on the retreating beast, her weapon lifted over her head. She wound further backward, then brought the axe blade around in a sweeping arc down on the bloated fiend's tongue, forking it.

Two more silhouettes appeared in the eerie glow above the beast's quivering form. As they approached, she could see they were gray and glistening, partially encased in shimmering pale shells, each walking on four stumpy legs. They look like cave oysters, Aloran thought. She raised her axe.

"Aloran!" Three recruits with swords rushed down the passageway. "The Baron sent for us. Are you all right?" Aloran did not turn to face them as the demonic oysters crawled over their bleeding companion.

--

"How dare you spit on me! You'll receive two hammerstrikes for this!" The Baron was livid. He had called for a peasant to notify reinforcements for the mines, of course, but now he was free to chastize Regukar. Narol was still only semi-conscious, resting on the floor.

"I created it! It is mine!" Regukar's eyes were glowing with a fierce light. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and held his arms close to his body, the light of his creation showing through his interlocked fingers.

"Nothing is yours! You used stone from the miners, the miners carved that stone out of the mountain, and the mountain belongs to me. Now hand the object over for inspection, and your past transgression might be forgiven." The Baron held out his hand.

Before the Baron could react, Regukar grabbed his chisel and brought it down into the Baron's forehead. The Baron crumpled, hitting the stone floor hard. Regukar chuckled and ambled off down the passageway toward the mines.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 11 February 2007

===(13 March 2007)===
Even if Toady is now deep into its work and the malor works on maps/moving armies, he took time adding a new part to these now ongoing story...

<pre>
##.##
#..=# #############~~~# %
###[..#########.%-.%.#~~~# '
...@=.@..........-....~~~#,
###############...%-.#~~~########..
` '###########.=====@.%%%-&%##
% #############~~~########..
</pre>

Aloran, still winded, faced the two oyster demons. The recruits stood by her side in a line blocking off the passageway. The beasts slid down the toad's massive body, landing before it with a splatter. The fiends moved slowly, but they had almost reached the dwarves.

Two of the recruits, Roal and Daron, cousins who had just began sparring two weeks ago, lifted their swords and assailed the creatures. Roal brought his weapon down hard on the shell of one of the beasts, but it was deflected. From the space between the shell plates, a massive slimy appendage burst forth, ringing Roal and dragging him inside. His lower body dangled from the creature. Daron grabbed his legs and pulled, but Roal would not budge. The other oyster demon raised up on its back legs and came crashing down on Daron. The dwarf's head slammed hard against the passage way and he went unconscious. Roal's legs twitched as the second demon turned back to the remaining warriors.

Aloran had regained her breath and charged with the other recruit, Nlan, a dwarf from the north burrow. The recruit stabbed at the demon's body, sinking his sword deep into its flesh, while Aloran aimed low and hacked off one of its stubby legs with her axe. As it toppled, the thing spit out a stream of goo onto Nlan's face, which began to steam. The recruit chortled and fell to the ground, unrecognizable. Aloran finished off the creature by hacking into its soft body repeatedly.

The other demon had completed its meal. Roal's lower body detached and fell to the ground, and the oyster beast let out a belching noise. Another sound emanated from its shell soon after. "I sense... loss... your husband... reunite..."

"Silence, beast," Aloran spat. "The toad made the same promise and failed to keep it. Your kind use hollow words." At that moment, the toad demon's bleeding body quivered, as if it were laughing.

The oyster spoke again. "Daron... reunite... Roal..." The slimy appendage slid out and looped around Daron's right leg. Aloran ran forward, swinging her axe down on the oozing tentacle. It was cloven asunder and fell to the tunnel floor, pouring out a thick white paste.

As the oyster backed into the toad demon's still quivering form, the entire tunnel filled with a blinding light. Aloran turned and saw the vague form of a dwarf raising its hand, from which the radiance emanated. The light faded just enough for Aloran to make out the details. It was Regukar, the mason. In his hand, he held a glowing schist mini-forge.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 13 March 2007

===(16 April 2007)===
All right, the Reward continues (this is the same story):

<pre>
@@.####
.@@++d+
@.@####
</pre>
Captain Kogan stood with his dwarves on the stone road before the great arch, beard dripping from the drizzling rain that had been falling since the early morning. No word had been sent from the Baron concerning the deep mining operation for nearly two weeks. The King had grown impatient and the Captain had been sent to investigate.

The soft patter of rain on stone was slowly drowned out by a series of whirs and chirps coming from within the fortress. It was like nothing the Captain had heard before. He had his soldiers position themselves before the entrance with the marksdwarves kneeling in front of the others. The sounds drew closer, until a small shape could be discerned emerging from the shadows beyond the archway.

It looked like a lizard, twisted into that form from rusted iron strips, but it walked on its rear legs with a jerking and uncertain gait. In the center of its head, visible through the metal frame, was a drooping lump of granite that appeared to be molded around the iron. The stone glowed with a faint red light.

The dwarves watched awe-struck as the metallic creature continued advancing until it finally stopped under the great arch. Its head swiveled back and forth, eventually settling on the group. The lizard's body grated against itself, and from somewhere within, it emitted a piercing whistle and charged.

"Fire, Bomtek! Now!" Kogan ordered.

The marksdwarf shot a bolt at the creature. It hit the granite lump, shattering it. The iron strips collapsed into a pile.

"W.. what in the name of the Lordaxe was that?" Nunon stammered. "Where are the guards?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Kogan. He walked forward and pushed the remnants of the creature about with his hammer. "Something sinister is afoot. We'll scout as far as the upper meeting hall."

Captain Kogan and his dwarves passed under the arch and disappeared into the dimly lit fortress.

--The Toad Preservation Society, 16 April 2007

===(10 May 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#++++++++++d+++++++..
####+@+O++O++O+dOd+&#
+++++@+++++++++d+++@#
####+@+O++O++O++Od++#
#++++++++++d+d++@#
##################
</pre>

"Get out of there!" Kogan screamed. It was too late. Lokar was lost. Only Bomtek, Nunon and Captain Kogan himself remained. The rest had been mauled beyond recognition by the metallic beasts. The passage to the upper hall had seemed clear, but it was a ruse. The walls had come alive. The lizards were everywhere.

Now Kogan and the others were running for lives, pursued by the iron fiends. They could outrun them if they didn't stop to fight. The dwarves were approaching the meeting hall, though Kogan held little hope for that place now. The only way out of the outpost lay behind them, through a maelstrom of metal fangs.

"The upper hall!" Kogan shouted when he spotted a light ahead. The torches were still lit? Perhaps the guards were able to stand after all! Kogan and the others ran on, the din of whirs and chirps behind them driving them forward. At last, the tired soldiers crossed under the arch and entered the upper meeting hall.

"I'm so pleased you could join us!" a voice boomed from the back of the chamber. Kogan looked out between the pillars. There on a granite throne sat a dwarf, his face twisted in madness. In his hand he held a glowing object. The stone floor before him was crawling with the metal lizards. On his right, a fire burned in the shape of a tall man, lighting the entire hall. On his left, a dwarf woman was tied, struggling against her bonds, hatred in her eyes.

"Do you like my little friends? Arshosh and I will make more, many, many more. The miniforge is all-powerful!" The crazed dwarf cackled. "With it, I enslaved the spirit of fire, bound stone and metal to my will, and soon, soon! Oh, yes. Soon I will use the power of the miniforge to create a new race of dwarves! Aloran will be the first! Then all of you will join her! And you shall call Regukar your master!"

--The Toad Preservation Society, 10 April 2007

===(June 2007)===
<pre>
##################
#+d+++++++%++++++++..
####d@dO++O++O%%O+%&#
++++d@d+++%%++++%%%%#
####d@dO+%O%+O+%O%%@#
#+d+d+%++%%%+++%@#
##################
</pre>

The soldiers had been quickly subdued, lashed to the floor by a writhing mass of metallic lizard bodies. Regukar walked slowly to the place where Aloran was restrained.

"Now, Aloran, let us begin the ritual of transformation." Regukar held the shining miniforge near to the dwarf warrior's face as she continued to strain against the ropes. The crazed mason lifted a tiny hammer and struck the minianvil once. The fires of Arshosh rose to the ceiling of the great hall and twisted around its many granite pillars. A tongue of flame engulfed the miniforge and the anvil began to glow even more brightly.

Aloran felt her skin breaking. The unbearable pain spread throughout her entire body. Metal blades tore through the flesh of her arms and legs, and she felt a force trying to subdue her will. "Regukar is your master. Regukar is your master," a voice in her mind whispered. The ropes snapped as the blood-covered blades continued to rise. The voice became louder and louder until it was all she could hear, drowning out her own screams.

Through her tears she could see Regukar had buckled over, laughing uncontrollably, and the sight filled Aloran with an all-consuming hatred. This contemptible dwarf could never be her master. The pain and the voice faded away, and her animosity began to manifest itself in the power of her limbs. The metal was part of her body now, and she felt its presence as surely as that of her own hands.

Looking up, Regukar noticed Aloran's steady gaze, and worry crossed his face. "My slave, the transformation is complete. Call me master," the mason stammered. Aloran said nothing and punched Regukar in the face with her metal-bladed fist. The knives stuck in his head, and the full weight of his dying body hung limply from Aloran's straight arm. Regukar's mangled face slid slowly backward, and free from the blades the dwarf crumpled to the floor and lay unmoving on the stones.

The tongue of flame slowly lifted the miniforge from the mason's clinging hand. As the glowing object slipped from his grasp, his raised arm fell back to the ground, and he breathed his last. The spirit of fire withdrew its flames, bringing the miniforge to the center of its translucent body. The demon turned to Aloran and faded from sight. There was a sudden crash as the metallic lizards fell to pieces.

--The Toad Preservation Society, June 2007

==TomTheHand==

===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>
..g#o@.%
</pre>

Shrolnak glared through the rusty iron bars.

"Eat yer meat, ya hairy maggot," the goblin snarled as it pushed the bowl back towards the dwarven child. "It'll make yer beard longer."

Aliz kicked the bowl away again. "I'm not eating until I get my mini-forge!" Aliz crossed his arms above his plump little belly and turned away.

"Minnn.. what's yer mini-forge?" The goblin was confused. The only toy it had ever owned was a cracked elf skull.

The dwarf child's eyes lit up. "Uncle Kogan made it! It glows in the dark!"

"Glows in the dark, eh... I'll poke around." The goblin scrambled away from the prison and disappeared around a corner. In a few minutes, it returned, its hand cupped around something that glowed purple through its bony fingers.

Aliz moved toward the bars, his wide eyes reflecting the eerie light. The goblin held its right hand through the bar and dropped the glowing object into the child's waiting palms.

"Now eat yer meat." The goblin wandered off.

Aliz was still staring into his hands. A sinister smile spread slowly over his face.

===(12 March 2007)===

<pre>
.T.g..@..
</pre>

"Where is the Soul of the Dark Power?!" Arugor was screaming now. He had fooled a dragon to obtain the wicked gem, and now it was nowhere to be found. Shrolnak groveled before him.

"Master, I.. I don't know..." Shrolnak had never truly adjusted to kneeling before the troll, but it couldn't be helped. His master had been gifted with a cunning far beyond others of his kind, and Shrolnak was powerless before him.

"Lies! Your hands still shine with its aura! Where have you hidden my treasure?"

"T.. that gem? I thought that's all it was. I... I let the dwarf child play with it."

"What?! Fool! I must reclaim it before it is too late." Arugor was bothered that Shrolnak had somehow managed to avoid the intricate traps in the Soul Chamber, but he would leave that matter alone until the gem was reclaimed.

Just as Arugor turned to leave, a plump dwarven child floated into the throne room, trailed by a billowing mist. In his hands, he clutched a deep purple gem. The hovering child had a wicked grin twisted into his bearded face. Arugor and Shrolnak shielded their faces, helpless before the radiance of the wielded Soul.

The child levitated higher, close to the ceiling, and looked down upon the quivering monsters. "With my power, I shall build the greatest mini-forge the world has ever known!" The dwarf was enveloped by the purple light and passed through the ceiling.

==[[User:Trukkle|Trukkle]]==
===(25 June 2007)===
<pre>%%@##B#</pre>
"There it goes!" Doran hollered as the bit of plump helmet sailed out into the darkness. The mason had been at the whiskey all morning, and now he was dangling his legs over the chasm with his lunch, throwing mushroom pieces to the gray fliers. One of the bats sailed silently into view and snatched the food as it fell.

"A bat's a bat, and bats like mushrooms!" Doran slurred as he took another swig from the flagon. "Let's try something a little larger."

The dwarf ripped the cap from one of his plump helmets and tossed it out into the abyss. It dropped out of view, without any sign of the fliers. Doran pouted.

Suddenly, a great shape flew up from the chasm, right by Doran's face, blowing the braids of his beard back over his shoulders. It looked like a gray flier, but many, many times larger, as large as one of the brown bears out in the forest. He watched as it disappeared off above into the distance.

Doran looked down at his lunch. "I... I guess I'll finish the rest myself."

==[[User:Xarph|Xarph]]==
===(20 February 2007)===

<pre>###=@=##</pre>

Kogan hurtled through the darkness, the two long braids of his golden beard streaming behind him. It was too much weight! The wings tied to his arms, made from stretched frogman skin and giant cave spider legs, fluttered uselessly as the chasm walls rushed by. He had been nervous the night before and, as usual, had gorged himself on plump helmet biscuits and dwarven rum. Now he was falling like a granite block. Kogan wondered if the philosophers were correct -- were these chasms were bottomless? He would be able to survive for several days without food or alcohol. Seeing nothing but blackness below, Kogan resigned himself to the journey ahead and began to sing his favorite drinking song.

===(19 May 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*##S##*#*#
#*#*#*#*#*#*#
#*##*###*@#*#
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

It had been two days. Kogan was dehydrated, and he had begun mumbling to himself. "Whiskey... my dear whiskey..."

Suddenly his fall was arrested by a force which seemed to hold him by the arms and legs. He still fell, but slower, and slower still, until he stopped entirely and hung in space. The dwarf tried to spin, but he was unable to move. Thick, translucent ropes held him. The reality of the situation dawned on him, and he felt sick. It was a giant web. He had been ensnared by one of the dark huntresses of the deep.

As he strained his eyes in the near-total darkness, Kogan could see her. A bloated many-legged creature, her body clear, her organs visible within. She was already moving toward Kogan, deliberately picking her way along the lines that were safe for her to grasp with her cruel claws. The creature chittered in anticipation as the dwarf struggled against the webs.

===(20 September 2007)===

<pre>*###*****##**
#*#*##*##**##
##*#*****#*##
#*#*##*##*#*#
#*#*#####*#*#
#*#*#*#*S*#*#
#*##*###*@!!!
##**#***##*##
#*#*******#*#
*###########*</pre>

The spider was upon him. With what little motion Kogan had in his arms, he tried to bring the wings between himself and the voracious beast. He flailed helplessly, marshalling a defence that would embarrass even a child of his people.

Yet the spider stopped. She looked upon him with her many emotionless eyes. The dwarf could discern nothing. The spider's head bobbed up and down slowly, and she lifted several of her legs and waved them in simple patterns above the web.

A sudden realization struck Kogan -- the spider legs in the wing frames. She thinks I'm trying to speak to her! Kogan continued to wave his arms around as best he could, and she responded in kind. Giant cave spiders are solitary creatures, Kogan thought, so it must be a mating ritual. "But giant spiders eat their mates after breeding with them," Kogan muttered in horror. "I can't think of a worse way to die!"

===(13 November 2007)===
<pre>+g++%@%%+</pre>

The movement of the spider's legs had ceased. Now she simply looked
upon Kogan with her cold, glassy eyes. Her sinews tensed -- she was
ready to pounce! To what end, none dare say, though many a gruesome
and unseemly scenario had played themselves out in the recesses of
Kogan's strained mind.

A moment passed, and the bloated thing leapt forward! As she landed
on Kogan with the full weight of her body, the dwarf felt himself tear
free, and the web and spider passed up and beyond his sight as he
plummeted downward. Oh, what happy chance is this! Kogan thought.
He was free from fear now. If his body was broken into a thousand
pieces on some protruding rock, what would matter? At least he would
no longer sire an army of evil.

Soon enough, Kogan sensed that the walls were closing in. He could
not see well enough in the oppressive darkness of this deepest part of
the earth, but he felt their nearness. The dwarf said a prayer to the
Lordaxe to grant him a swift death.

Kogan felt his bottom smack hard into a smooth slope and he slid
disoriented into a twisting tunnel. The friction burned, but his
descent was slowed, and Kogan found himself gliding down an obsidian
tube. Out of a hatch he fell, landing face first in a pile of stone
trinkets. Uninjured, but sore, the dwarf stood. It still felt as if
the air was rushing by him, but he was teetering on solid ground.

The chamber was lit by torches. It was almost cheerful. The trinkets
were all finely crafted. It wasn't dwarven work, but each object had
its own peculiar charm. Kogan picked up a slate carving. It was a
rabbit wearing a jester's hat.

"Hey oh, what are you doing in the figure room?"

Kogan looked up. A mountain gnome was peering around a doorway. Only
its tilted head was visible.

"I fell," Kogan said, indicating the hatch.

"Oh my!" the gnome said with an equal measure of elation and surprise.

"You're our first visitor in years!"

"Visitor?" Kogan asked.

"Yes, my friend! I'm Largee Pottums! Welcome to Toy Land!"

===(27 February 2008)===
<pre>+g+@+%%%%+</pre>

"Toy Land," Kogan said flatly, utterly dumbfounded. The sheer
implausibility of the situation managed to drive all feelings of
hunger and thirst from his body.

"Yes, Kogan, it's Toy Land!" Largee Pottums exclaimed, jumping out
into full view. "Where do you think all of your toys come from? Your
crafts shops? Hoy hey! That would be the day!"

"Yes, our cr... wait, how did you know my name?" Kogan scratched his head.

"Do you remember the miniforge you got when you were six?" Largee Pottums asked.

"Th.. yes," Kogan finally resolved to think a little less about his situation.

"Gnomes!" Largee Pottums said proudly. "And the toy axe you got when
you were eight?"

"That too?!" Kogan exclaimed. He had such fond memories of the axe.
He used to beat his friends with it mercilessly.

"Gnomes," Largee Pottums replied, nodding in satisfaction.

"What about the puzzle box I got when I was nine?" Kogan asked.

"That was your uncle Dorol. And you just hated it didn't you? Oh
ho!" Largee said.

"Y... yes," Kogan said, disappointed. He had hoped to have somebody
to blame after all these years. At least he could confront Dorol
should he ever return home.

"Gnomes make the best toys!" Largee concluded. "Mountain gnomes for
the dwarves, garden gnomes for the humans, and dark gnomes for the
goblins. Toys, toys and more toys!"

"Gob... what about the elves?" Kogan asked, not knowing why he cared.
Like any able-bearded dwarf, he held elves in contempt.

"The elves? Hey oh! The garden gnomes used to make their toys. But
they're so finicky! One deer bone figurine and they found us out.
Humans can appreciate a deer bone figurine. The garden gnomes are
much happier now, if I do say so myself. And I do! Oo hoo!"

Kogan grunted in affirmation. He could emphathize with the garden
gnomes. Elves were nonsensical creatures.

"Now, my friend, it's time to talk to the Boss," Largee Pottums
announced, clapping his hands.

"The Boss?" Kogan asked.

"You can't make toys without a Boss. Let's go! We haven't had a
visitor in so long, he'll be excited to see you. Oh yes he will, sure
as sweet pods!" With that, Largee Pottums skipped through the
doorway, with Kogan following after him.

===(1 July 2008)===
<pre>##################
###.........%....#
###....%.......%.#
###..............#
gg@+++g+=g%g=%/=|#</pre>

"Now tell me, Kogan," said the white-bearded gnome from his plush
gaudy chair, "why you leapt into the chasm in the first place." The
Boss's coat was nearly bursting at the buttons; the red fabric made
his belly looked like one of his puffy cheeks.

"It was my dream. I wanted to fly," Kogan said sheepishly, "like a
bat, soaring through the still air free as a spark, but my
calculations failed."

"Ho ho ho," the plump gnome merrily laughed. "What a brave dwarf you
are! Now that you're here in our secret workshop, I was concerned
about letting you return home, but perhaps you wouldn't stay up above
very long before daring the chasm again."

"The chasm... the spider..." The dwarf shuddered at the memory.

"Largee! Largee Pottums!" the Boss of Toy Land shouted. "Our friend
Kogan needs some ease for his troubled mind. Why don't you show him
around Wimble Wizzer's workshop?"

"Hoo hey! Right away!" came the familiar voice from the doorway.
Kogan bowed awkwardly to the Boss and followed Largee out of the cozy
room.

--

Kogan was awestruck. It was like a scene out of his wildest
imaginings during one of those late nights at the drawing table.
Airborne contraptions looped and soared beneath the high stone ceiling
as gears turned and wings flapped or rotated according to the whims of
a particular design. Down below, three gnomes repaired and tinkered
with the devices on creaky wooden tables.

"Wimble-wee, Wimble-woo!" Largee shouted into the workshop. "I have
a guest for you!"

One of the gnomes inside turned toward the door and smiled weakly
while shaking his head, "Largee, my boy, who ever taught you to speak
in such a manner? Surely it was a gnome no less exuberant than
yourself."

Largee presented the still-stunned Kogan to the master of the
workshop. "This is Kogan, a dwarf, as you can see (hoo-ee!), and a
fellow maker of flying machines. The Boss has sent him down here to
have a look."

"Ah? So it's to be an inspection, is it?" Wimble replied gruffly.
"Well, you won't find these topside, but we're planning to sneak a few
of the truest models in during the next festival. The timetable is a
strict one, and we're still struggling with accidents." At this,
there was the sound of metal grinding on metal above as one of the
machines lurched and crashed into a table below. "The Boss is jolly
as they come, but he is also a grueling taskmaster."

"Ho ho ho," came the laughter from the doorway. "Wimble Wizzer, you
grumpus, is that the way to greet a new worker?"

Kogan turned toward the Boss, who was now standing beside him. A new
worker? The dwarf's eyes were wider than ever, and he turned slowly
back to the workshop, wearing a smile more full of unabashed joy than
any he had worn in his entire life.

"Well, you know, Largee," the Boss said, turning to the other gnome
standing at the door. "If he wants, we could just let him go back
home, if we found a way to make him forget all about Toy Land."

"We could bonk him on the head! Hee-whoa... bonk!" Largee yelled,
snapping his hand at the wrist.

"Ho ho ho," the Boss chuckled. "Don't you remember? Sometimes you
have to bonk them again and again, and they still won't forget!"

Kogan missed all of this banter, bent over the tables as he was,
looking over the damaged machine with Wimble and the others. After a
moment, Largee and the Boss slipped out of the room, leaving the new
worker to his workshop.

The End

==[[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: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.

==[[User:Minion21g|Minion21g]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>&||,g.g,gg....,.UU</pre>

Fiends pounded the trail, hunting Belmir and his thieving partner.
The two had stolen into the dark goblin tower in the dead of night and
taken the vial that held the demon king's essence. By destroying it,
they could stop the war and put an end to the demon forever. Why
destroy it, thought Belmir, when it obviously held so much value? He
and Gal would be rich men. Or, he thought, looking at Gal with
murderous intent, perhaps just me.

==[[User:NoNotTheBees|No Not The Bees]]==
===(29 December 2008)===
<pre>.M%,..U.,</pre>

The lonely cottage stood underneath a great hill of snow that had been
born of the great blizzard. Wind and sleet kept the pioneers indoors.
That, and the promise of hated predators searching for meat in the
frozen wastes. But as his family grew hungry, Fram knew that he must
join the hunters outside.

Almost immediately Fram saw the danger. Bloody footprints of a great
creature circled the cottage as if a monster sought a way inside.
Grimly, Fram gripped his spear. He must persevere lest his family
starve. He followed the monster's tracks away from his home as he
pulled his furs tight against the freezing winds.

Ahead he saw a shape, a black mound against an ocean of white.
Cautiously, Fram approached. It was the half eaten body of a black
bear. But what could kill such a large beast. As if to answer, a
monster loomed into sight, its body covered with long icicles. A
blizzard man!

==[[User:Scrollhaven|Scrollhaven]]==
===(28 December 2008)===
<pre>""@,.UE,."</pre>

With one mighty swing, Alfonso knocked away the prone elf's sword and
placed his boot on his wrist. Many moons had past since the vile
creature had killed poor Jim and ate him. Even now the elf looked up
in defiance. Finally, in these haunted woods far from home, vengeance
would be served. Alfonso held the tip of his sword over the
creature's heart, wondering vaguely if it had one.

"Back off, human," came a voice from behind, "this is my kill."

The human ranger turned to see a dwarf holding a crossbow. By the
state of his boots and armor, Alfonso could tell the dwarf too, had
been on a long quest. The elf saw its chance and snaked its way out
from between the ranger's legs and was off into the brush in an
instant. Alfonso cursed and charged after him, the dwarf close
behind.

==[[User:ToonyMan|ToonyMan]]==
===(16 January 2009)===
<pre>DDDDDDM,..@EU@@EU@UE,.</pre>

Sword and axe clashed again and again as the fighters struggled to
best each other in mortal combat. Arrows rained down on the field of
battle as man, elf and dwarf fought at once to win the day. Randar
took up the sword for the dwarves. With his mightiness he tried to
kill Giltra of the elves, but the champion was too fast. The battle
seemed endless. Roars of terror and pain were everywhere. Just then
a squadron of dragons appeared, lead by Madnar the Evil. Could there
be any hope?

==[[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.

[[Category:Humor and stories]]

40d:Monarch butterfly

2009-01-23T14:31:14Z

AbuDhabi:

'''Monarch butterflies''' are [[vermin]] that can be used as [[pet]]s by your [[dwarves]], but their [[value]] as a pet is only 1 ([[large roach]] is worth 5). They do not have any negative effects (except jamming doors) and usually they are just [[toy]]s for your [[cat]]s.

{{Game_Data|[CREATURE:BUTTERFLY_MONARCH]
[NAME:monarch butterfly:monarch butterflies:monarch butterfly]
[TILE:249][COLOR:4:0:1]
[VERMIN_GROUNDER][FREQUENCY:100]
[FLIER][VERMIN_NOTRAP][NOBONES]
[SMALL_REMAINS][NO_WINTER]
[POPULATION_NUMBER:250:500]
[SPEED:700]
[NATURAL]
[NO_SLEEP]
[NOT_BUTCHERABLE]
[PREFSTRING:coloration]
[DIURNAL]
[BIOME:NOT_FREEZING]
[STANDARD_FLESH]
[MUNDANE]
}}

[[Category:Vermin]]

40d Talk:Challenges

2009-01-23T07:36:18Z

AbuDhabi: /* Hermit Challenge */

==Colorful==
This is an idea I got by reading trough all the challenges, what if you make it a goal to have the fortress in the colour of the rainbow. (Example, 80x80 tile fortress, first 10 tiles are red, second 10 tiles are brown-orange, the third 10 are yellow and go on) --[[User:G1real|G1real]] 08:43, 27 June 2008 (EDT)

==Sparta==
"You shouldn't create chainmail or plate armour."
 why? --Savok
:because spartans don't wear chest armor. you should definately watch 300, it's like Dwarf Fortress on crack! --AlexFili
::from what I've read, 300 isn't an accurate depiction of Spartan life. However, this challenge build is based on 300 --Savok
:::Alright, fair point, 300 was based from a graphic novel, but many similarities between Spartans in 300 and in real history are present. --[[User:AlexFili|AlexFili]] 10:39, 9 June 2008 (EDT)
::::"However, this challenge build is based on 300" No it isn't. At least, it wasn't intended to be. I guess I shouldn't have referred to pop culture when I added it. --juckto
:::::The hell with it. Split off spartans from 300. [[User:Juckto|Juckto]] 16:55, 14 June 2008 (EDT)
::::::Not only did Spartans use chest armour (although in the form of bronze muscel cuirasses), but it was illegal and finable to fight without your armour. Theres one story of a Prince praying in Temple when some enemies attacked, he ran out naked and killed them, the Oligarchs awarded and praised him with one hand and then fined him with the other. Further specific Spartan attributes, the largely did not wear sandals except during war (don't want your feet to be soft and flabby, gotta make them rock-proof), Sparta itself didn't rely on walls (although they did use them [notably at the battle of the Hot Gates to keep the Persians from landing south of the gates] and the city did eventually make some). Theres also the complicated issue of their government, not sure how to replicate that, dual monarchy with the Kings having no real governmental powers and an oligarchy ruling at home. Maybe having a Legendary warrior lead each of two squads and having every position (Book Keeper, Mayor, Captain of the Guard even maybe) filled by a useless fat rich guy in a nice shiny house. I should also point out alot of their generals and kings were known for a love of gold and that 50% of the population being in the military is not very accurate, actual Spartan soldiers were vastly outnumbered by the Helots. --[[User:Lowlandlord|Lowlandlord]] 01:37, 31 July 2008 (EDT)
==No mining==
Now that you construct walls and fortifications out of wood, I wonder if anyone is going to take on a 'no mining' challenge? You're going to need a ''lot'' of wood! --[[User:Mechturk|Mechturk]] 17:00, 6 November 2007 (EST)

:Some people already are :p --[[User:Turgid Bolk|Turgid Bolk]] 17:44, 6 November 2007 (EST)

::I'm running a game with Elves as the playable civilization, a challenge on its own--The Forest Retreat of Inalamina is well into its ninth year, with a population of 220, and this is without mining ''or'' cutting down any trees. It's defended entirely by spearmen, swordsmen, and wrestlers, and the nobles/admins and wounded elves live happily in tree forts and lean-tos! Worth adding, maybe? I'd even consider writing an article for it... --[[User:Navian|Navian]] 10:23, 6 November 2008 (EST)

::: I am completely enthralled. I'd love to see it written up. Screenshots, the whole thing. --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 10:37, 6 November 2008 (EST)

::Oh, you mean for the game I'm running itself? I'd love to, but I can't seem to find what the rules for that are and I don't want to step on any toes by randomly creating a page. --[[User:Navian|Navian]] 10:48, 6 November 2008 (EST)

::: Either for the game itself, or a general essay sorta thing on the challenges and solutions for that kind of gameplay. As for the [[rules]], I don't know what you're talking about exactly. A wiki is a kind of anarchistic democracy. If you think it's worth putting up, you are free to put it up. If someone wants to take it down, they're free to do that too. – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]]

:::Put the writeup on your userpage, and if it can be broadened into something else, we'll move it into the mainspace.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 23:09, 6 November 2008 (EST)

==Assassination==
I tried "Assassination" the other day and found that it was incredibly easy with a group of axedwarves. Not only did I kill the hardest-to-get-at goblin, I killed every last other goblin too. In the end, there were only 2 dogs and 2 dwarves dead (the last one fell, sadly, to the last goblin left, who was hiding in the tunnels.--[[User:Smoking Gnu|Smoking Gnu]] 22:51, 15 December 2007 (EST)

:Now do it with 7 untrained dwarves with no armor. --[[User:TheUbie|TheUbie]] 19:30, 29 December 2007 (EST)

::Mwa ha ha ha!--[[User:Jackrabbit|Jackrabbit]] 18:38, 11 December 2008 (EST)

== Humanlike? ==
It should be noted that the 'human-like fortress' as described is historically inaccurate. In particular, its either misrepresenting or confusing various details. One major point is that a _castle_ never incorporated a town. There are walled towns and there are castles, but these are entirely different things. A couple of historical periods/styles would lead to the following different suggestions:

(A) Larger (stone) medieval castles sometimes had industry in the bailey. This was often pressed up against the outer wall to save on space and wall building. It was usually militarily useful industry (ie, metalsmithing of various types). Cooking and possibly brewing might also happen, and cooking at least would have been handled in the keep itself. Industries including jewelry, carpentry (on a permanent basis), and other non-military production would have been outside the castle, quite possibly in a town nearby.

(B) More isolated smaller castles would have done necessary production in the bailey on a temporary basis (ie, erecting a carpentry work area when needed and disassembling it afterwards), with a few permanent industries (notably blacksmithing).

(C) 'Dark Ages' castles would be made of wood, and weren't large enough to accomodate much industry. Instead they would have imported everything. The early castle was a defensible home for the lord and his family, and would only house them and a few military retainers.

It should be noted that the lack of focus on industry in a castle meant diverse tasks might share the same workspace and in fact be handled by the same person. The purpose of a castle is military, not production, and castle's only produced goods for internal demand that either could not be imported, would be inconvenient to import, or were critical to the military purpose (and couldn't afford access to those goods being lost during a siege).

(D) A walled town would have no keep. Nobles would not live there. Basically, towns would build a wall around their perimeter for defense. More important towns often grew to encompass nearby castles, and often outgrew their walls - which might either lead to substantial portions beyond the walls or accruing walls occasionally to encompass new growth. Despite a castle potentially being encompassed by a town, the castle and town were administratively separate - towns receiving independent charters from the crown - and the town was never subject to the lord of the castle (who may well control the surrounding countryside).

Given the nature of Dwarf Fortress, treating it as a town rather than a castle is probably preferable unless you really want to emphasize military skills, which could be interesting. You could, of course, create a castle and a town, keeping them as virtually separate entities, with military dwarves and nobles living in the castle and other dwarves living in the town.

--[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 18:11, 30 April 2008 (EDT)

:When did we start trying to make DF fit real-world history?
:His idea seems perfectly fine when compared to in-game human towns/cities, as they have a keep and whatnot as part of the city. Only difference is adding a wall around it all. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 18:25, 30 April 2008 (EDT)

== Insane Renegade (just a thought) ==

Well I was thinking something along these lines,

They all think that your crazy, so you and some others ran. You shouldn't trust them... They want you dead. Except for the (random profession/job) they think like you. KILL THEM KILL ALL THAT OPPOSE YOU!!,

Description:
Xenophobia, Do not trade with others, Kill all immigrants except ones of a certain job/profession. If you want to go as a truly insane person, ban all statues and engravings of Dwarven faces (the statues, THE ROCKS! THEY ALL WANT ME DEAD!!!!) Be prepared for a long life of hatred and sieges.

P.S. if anyone edits this and puts it on the main thing please give me partial credit... Thank you and goodnight! – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:LrZeph|LrZeph]]

:How is this different from [[Challenges#Outcast|Outcast]], aside from the RP? --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 16:41, 22 June 2008 (EDT)

::Oh dear, i missed that one. never mind – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:LrZeph|LrZeph]]

== Dystopian society ==

Anyone thought of making a fortress based off one of those dystopian futures found in scifi novels like 1984, We, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451? The way I imagine it, it would be similar to the Equaland challenge, with variations based on the dystopian principle of your choice. For example, if you want to encourage uniformity across your population, enable all labor for every dwarf and persecute anyone who skills up too quickly at a given skill. A strict caste system might also be implementable, a la Brave New World. Another idea would be to kill off or at least "re-educate" any dwarf that falls below ecstatic for an extended period of time. Tons of ideas at {{wiki|Dystopia}}. Thoughts? --[[User:Mikaka|Mikaka]] 04:56, 24 June 2008 (EDT)

:That sounds like a good challenge. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 08:24, 24 June 2008 (EDT)

== Underwater Building ==

I've decided to take on the underwater building challenge, and have started Migrurmestthos, The Ocean-Citadel. But ah... I can't for the live of me figure out how I'm going to get glass blocks to the bottom of the ocean. Any ideas? --[[User:Anfini|Anfini]] 20:36, 19 July 2008 (EDT) 
''P.S.: I've altered the creature tokens and set my Dwarves to Aquatic.''

:I recommend either
:#Don't build it in the ocean.
:#Use pumping to pump a large area of the top level of the ocean out. Do the same with a slightly smaller area one level down. Repeat as desired.
:#Pump the ocean out, build, then let it flow back in. This is like the above, but with the whole visible ocean. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 22:45, 20 July 2008 (EDT)

:::Oookay, okay. I have single-handedly diverted the courses of raging rapids to give my children something to drink, harnessed the power of lava, and built towers of glass. However, I cannot help but approach the idea of pumping out '''the entire ocean''' with a bit of skepticism. Is this ''really'' possible? --[[User:Anfini|Anfini]] 22:53, 21 July 2008 (EDT)

::::Aye, it is. Aside from waves, the "entire" ocean is really, due to map limitations, just a large, fast-refilling lake. If you build a ring of pumps properly, you should be able to clear the water from a section, which can be as large as your fortress map. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 02:34, 23 July 2008 (EDT)

::::: I've personally been using 'canals' in my fortress for quite a while, and what I do is simply allocate nobles' rooms along the side of the canal, and before flooding the waterway, I dig into it and build glass windows and blocks so the nobles can watch the fish swim by. I doubt it actually raises the room value by any more than the glass windows' base value, but I like the effect. This isn't really an "underwater city" per se, but it's born of the same concept. --[[User:Eddie|Eddie]] 07:45, 26 July 2008 (EDT)

:Check out [[User:Squirrelloid/Under the Sea]], then note that I haven't quite tested any of the possible methods yet. I'm about ready to turn on the magma tap and see if I can create an obsidian stalagmite with successive bursts of magma followed by channelling - that may provide a way to build stairs down through and assemble a mass pump appartus - yes, this is going to be a lot of work. Its took 6 years of game time to get to the point where I was ready and able to do a trial run - admittedly, it wasn't the only thing I was focused on. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 12:28, 19 November 2008 (EST)

== Dwarf Factory ==

--[[User:Bilkinson|Bilkinson]] 18:12, 28 August 2008 (EDT)
Looking to develop this callenge concept:

Your fortress is a highly specialized industrial complex. Select one item, or very narrow category of items. (ie Flour, Scepters, Shoes, Silk Bags, Crossbow Bolts) This is your factory's product. You must produce as much of it as possible, and it may only be used for export to any any and all caravans which visit your factory. Set up shift schedules, assign massive teams of dwarves (or even all of them!) to your core product, and generally devote your fort to maximizing output.

Variants: 
Assembly line - Each Dwarf is assigned a single stage of the production cycle, this is their only labour. Workshops should be grouped togeather by type, ordered based on the production cycle and grouped with relevant stockpiles. 
Communal - Every Dwarf has every relevant labour enabled, in addition to whatever else they do for the fort. 
High Management - For each Task in your production, appoint a department head. As the number of workers in each department grows, start appointing shift managers. As your factory expands in size, appoint reigonal coordinators and quality control bureaus. Cap this off with a board of directors and a CEO. None of these dwarves do anything but fill noble slots and build social skills. 
Prison/Work Camp - Noble dwarves do not contribute to labour. Max the fortress/royal Guard at all times and draft 20% of the population into the army. The remaining dwarves are prisoners who must produce output. Build walls, rig traps, and make an example of anyone who fails to meet their quota. 
People's Glorious Five-Year Plan - As above, but arrive with no skilled workers, rig all facilities with self destructs and kill switches, and only arm one in ten of your soldiers. 

Bonus: Only produce things vital to the survival of your workers, or directly involved in making your product. Anything else must be imported. 
Further Bonus: Produce only your final product, all raw materials must be imported. spend the surplus on anything else you may need.

How's it sound?

== Luxurious Tomb ==

Build an extravagant mausoleum for your entire dwarf community. Make it multi-leveled, make it a pyramid, make it out of glass if you want - but it must serve no other purpose than to be a dying place, and must not be accessed for any purpose other than to build it. Add a few decorations here and there, statues, tables, and a whole lot of coffins to house everyone.

Once it's complete, turn your fortress into a ghost town. Remove the designation of all your stockpiles. Forbid all the workshops and forbid access to the different areas of the fort as they get deserted to limit dwarf movement. Lure everyone into the tomb, seal the entrance from the inside and watch everyone die inside their new mausoleum. The tomb should be designed such that the initial entry point cannot easily be guessed (i.e.: The entrance should be sealed using a wall or some other solid structure - not via a door you just mark forbidden.

BONUS: make access to the tomb difficult or impossible, either by causing a cave-in in the tunnel that leads towards it, or by flooding the surrounding area in water or magma.

BONUS #2: Build the tomb over a chasm. Find a way to drop the whole tomb-building into it once everyone's inside.

:Suggestion: DON'T build it over a chasm; build it over a very large pit (deep enough to be called a 'chasm' by some) and make a set of ramps that lead down to the bottom. 1x2 setup; that is:
^^
^^
^^
^^
^^
^^
..
That is, up ramps, turn on normal flooring, then continue back up in the opposite direction. So a dwarf would travel in this path:
VV
VV
VV
VV
VV
VV
>^
:They'd come down the left ramp, turn left twice, and go down via the right ramp. Then they'd take two more lefts, and go down the left ramp, etc..
:Just a neat little suggestion that's way too complicated, but'd look nice...also, {{k|V}} is a ramp; {{k|^}} is not.
:I can't wait to try this out, then watch the temple I build go down, down, down, and '''SMASH'''--then use the ramps alongside it to view (and plunder, of course--it IS a tomb in adventure mode) it.
:Oh, and just a Z-level view:
| /
| /
| /
|/
|\
| \
| \
| \
:Or:
| /
| /
| /
|/___
| /
| /
| /
|/___
:Etc.. ~ [[User:Midna|Midna]] 23:45, 25 October 2008 (EDT)

== Agoraphobia ==

Your dwarves are absolutely terrified of the great outdoors, ([[carp|and]] [[Elephant|with]] [[Giant eagle|good]] [[undead|reason]] and want nothing more than to be nestled tightly in the "[[Giant Cave Spider|relative]] [[Pit|saftey]]" of the underground. Upon arrival, immediately burrow into the ground and haul all your supplies out of the sun's glare, and then never set foot on the surface again. Also, to help reduce anxiety, have no single chamber larger than 5x5, and let no hall stretch farther than 5 tiles between doors.--[[User:Bilkinson|Bilkinson]] 11:42, 15 September 2008 (EDT)

== <insert material> Fort....wait, what? ==

Ok, now I can understand a glass fort...and I can understand making it all outside, but how does one build it under water? Can someone please tell me how to do this so I can try to create my own Dwarven SeaLab? [[User:Alkyon|Alkyon]] 05:58, 17 October 2008 (EDT)
:I believe its either done via pump rings (enough screw pumps can hollow out sections of the ocean long enough to build something to hold the water back), or in a cold enough seasonal environment, only doing construction during the winter. [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 08:44, 17 October 2008 (EDT)
:: The third option would be building the fort, and then making a lake around it. --[[User:Bilkinson|Bilkinson]] 08:51, 17 October 2008 (EDT)
::The real trick with building enough screw pumps is in water deeper than 1 z-level you need to find a way to build down - you cannot hang down staircases off sides like you can up staircases. I'm attempting to pump magma to form an obsidian sheen - tunnel down through it and channel a hole, pump more magma, and so on. I'll let people know how it works... --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 12:41, 19 November 2008 (EST)
:::So I've heard. Have you tried just carving a staircase along the underwater cliff on your game? I hope to see, or at least hear, the results of your work. As for me, I'm trying this challenge the other way around: Turn a hilly desert map into a massive glass aquarium, with my dwarves living the good life inside. --[[User:Alkyon|Alkyon]] 13:41, 19 November 2008 (EST)
:::::Well, my goal was to build a free-standing structure in 15 z-levels of water, so yes, if there is a convenient cliff it works, but that limits you to cliffs which start 1 z-level below water. As all my really deep water areas aren't even close to being accessible in that way, its not even an option. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 19:34, 19 November 2008 (EST)

::::To me, the solution that comes to mind is to place a weapon rack on a narrow causeway and get recruits to wrestle until one punts another into the abyss. The lucky winner gets to build the up staircase. Getting materials below is easy, you can just build something and deconstruct it, among other more elaborate means. --[[User:Navian|Navian]] 17:41, 19 November 2008 (EST)

:::::That only works if its only 2 z-levels down, because otherwise the dwarf falls into deeper water and drowns... and as 2 z-levels is boring... --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 19:34, 19 November 2008 (EST)

==Genesis==
Kill all but two of your starting dwarves off (one male and one female). Seal them in your fortress (no trading). Repopulate the earth. Measure of success is based on number of children before the fortress dies. Thoughts?
--[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 05:12, 22 November 2008 (EST)

:How reliably can you get them to mate?--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 16:57, 22 November 2008 (EST)

:: Tried this out - 3 years in and not even lovers yet. Ick. So, here's the problem: you really want two dwarves who won't start as friends with many other people (although each other is ok), and who can handle stress and aren't quick to anger. Because of course your first hurdle is going to be surviving the unhappiness generated by killing off everyone else. (You may just want to build some coffins early just in case). Unfortunately, the embark screen view mode won't let you see who they're friends with before embarking, so if you want to assign just two of them skills you're making guesses based solely on their personality traits as two which dwarves will be compatible and likely to survive the initial culling. After that you then need to reduce your job queue to almost nothing and basically lock them in the same room together so they spend their time talking - because you've already chosen otherwise self-reliant and anti-social dwarves.

::Some evidence on the Relationships talk page suggests giving some social skills to your dwarves may increase the rate at which they progress to friends/lovers.

::My first attempt was a Carpenter 5/Cook 5 and a Mason 5/Grower 5... I might have to revise that to Mason 5/Grower 3/Something social 2 and Carpenter 4/Cook 4/something social 2 - but carpenter and mason are going to be important for generating happy thoughts.

::Apparently setting the .init file to a max of 2 dwarves doesn't stop immigrants from coming - which is annoying because I really don't want to keep killing them off, and they keep stealing my moods. (Yes, i put a stone stockpile outside so the immigrants can build their own deathtrap over the lava vent). I do recommend playing on an island so you only have to deal with not going outside for the dwarf caravan each year. And the liaison will happily join your migrants on the death trap if you make it a meeting area.

::--[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 10:18, 23 November 2008 (EST)

:::It's all a matter of compatibility. Dwarves actually don't start out friends, they just make them almost instantly at the start (and can make grudges here, too. I had one who had a very low sense of adventure while everyone else had high, and five of the seven had grudges with her.) To become lovers and get married requires a very, very high compatibility--whatever that means. It seems that some dwarves never upgrade from lovers to married, either, perhaps due to being not compatible enough, but being faced with a lack of programming to handle breakups. (I'll leave that one to the playwrights.) Getting this challenge to work is probably more than half the challenge! --[[User:Navian|Navian]] 11:29, 23 November 2008 (EST)

:::Do social skills make dwarves more likely to make friends, or does being friendly make dwarves more likely to gain social skills? Instead of focusing on social skills, you might need to pick dwarves with a lot of friendly traits (or even compatible traits, like Navian suggests). You can check their personalities before setting out -- if you don't see compatible traits, scrap it and start building another party.

:::For happiness, build several native gold (i.e., masonry) statues and put them in their bedrooms -- that will dwarf (ahem) the bonus you will get from the bed itself being high-quality. You can potentially skip carpentry altogether.

:::For them to actually form a relationship, you might need to give them idle time, during which they will socialize.

:::To keep other dwarves away, you could try putting a moat around the entire perimeter of the map (better still, a magma moat). This worked with the 2D version, but with finite quantities of fluid in the 3D version, it might not work anymore. But if you do want to try, put a wall as close to the edge of the map as it allows you, and flood everything outside it. Have the sacrificial five (and all immigrants) work on that.

:::Supposedly you won't get moods at all in a fortress with less than 20 dwarves. You also won't get moods if you haven't produced enough goods or revealed enough tiles through mining (see [[strange mood]]).--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 12:30, 23 November 2008 (EST)

==Noblesse requis==

Build your fortress to please the sick, twisted, evil nobles needs. Build a execution chamber for your rowdy dwarves and build a torture chamber for your dungeon master, using your imagination! Use this to punish pathetic dwarves who dare rebel. Build palaces for your nobles and pamper them in every way. Pour most of your resources into a beautiful place for nobles to live whilst letting your dwarves sleep in tiny, pathetic rooms. The only exception is your mayor, who rises from the rank of the disgusting peons. He must live in squalor as well, preferably next to noble rooms to so the nobles can taunt him. score yourself according to how happy your nobles are, and your worth. Evil. And fun! can I add this to the main page? --[[User:Jackrabbit|Jackrabbit]] 03:04, 11 December 2008 (EST)

:Sure – it's a wiki, after all. You can edit the pages yourself!
:Also, is that really what [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noblesse_oblige Noblesse/noblis oblige] means? --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 10:55, 11 December 2008 (EST)
::Nope, just sounds good. I was hoping nobody would look it up. Maybe I'll change the name. Also, I'm new to wikis in general so I don't really know how everything works, desipte making this profile about a year ago. Thanks!--[[User:Jackrabbit|Jackrabbit]] 18:26, 11 December 2008 (EST)
:::Okay, changed it to Noble demand. Thanks!--[[User:Jackrabbit|Jackrabbit]] 18:30, 11 December 2008 (EST)

== Magma/Lava Waterfall ==

Would creating a sustainable magmafall, or one that can be triggered as part of a defense system, be considered a challenge? Or is it more of a Stupid Dwarf Trick? I'm just curious because one has to take into account building the thing, making sure it won't set your dwarves on fire, and where to put the excess magma/lava since you can't really just pump it back into the magma pipe without some sort of massive and elaborate pump system. (Oh wow, I feel stupid. I created a new subject and forgot to sign it for at least two days.) --[[User:Alkyon|Alkyon]] 20:26, 10 January 2009 (EST)

:I'm inclined to declare it a SDT, due to the overly dangerous side effects. But then... I'd also call half the challenges SDTs too. I think that if the side effects are more dangerous than the intended effect, it's no longer a challenge, but something some random (insane) dwarf felt needed to be done. To put it in perspective, there's few cases where a 20-dwarf squad can't handle an entire siege, with or without fortifications and traps. Give them those, and they can handle all the siegers rushing and arriving at the same time. Even if you never have any mistakes during the construction of the magma-defenses (and that's a rare thing) then you could easily lose more than 20 in the first siege alone from dwarves trying to gather dropped goods. It's also almost useless against any other defenses (thieves & ambushes) since you'll have little, if any forewarning that you need to clear the area and throw the switch.
:On the other side of the fence, if you're particularly interested in making this, you should do the little things, like making a near-exact count of how much lava you'll need to let flow, to both keep all tiles where it will settle to less than 2/7 (since then it would never evaporate, the best cleaning method) and how to direct the flow so that it covers the path, but doesn't flow to other areas you didn't intend. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 15:38, 11 January 2009 (EST)

::Well, it doesn't have to be part of a defense system, one could just have massive magma waterfalls lining their entrance. Though I have to say from experience that the hardest part is drainage. Creating a massive magma cistern is one thing, it just takes some pumps and construction, but getting the stuff to not backup on the way to the disposal chasm and therefore not flood your fortress is a bit more complex than it first seems.--[[User:Alkyon|Alkyon]] 11:13, 12 January 2009 (EST)

:::Which is why it's great building your fort into the the ledge a few levels over a Magma Pipe ;) --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 21:01, 12 January 2009 (EST)

::::Hmm, that would be one way to do it, too bad I can't search for maps with that specific of a terrain set. Anyways, there has to be a way to spill off at least some of the magma as the magma pipes fill slowly but constantly from the bottom. Also, I learned from my failed experiment that Coke roads + magma spillover = road of fire. Unusable except for turning your fortress into Mordor, which is awesome in it's own way. --[[User:Alkyon|Alkyon]] 21:29, 12 January 2009 (EST)

:::::LOL, yes, I saw that and was thinking something along the lines of Mordor myself ;) As for spill over, the magma tends to flow off to the side off the top of the magma pipe where I'm at, resulting in a net loss to evaporation, so I just turn it off for a season once or twice a year. As for finding a magma pipe that's exposed *and* sunken, to provide atleast one level of inaccessible floor around the pipe, I'd look in the mountains, where you've got many many levels of elevation. Or atleast, that's what my map looks like (50+ levels) with the majority of the map being mountain tiles, and one corner (of a 2x4 map) being desert. It had two * listed in the height map, '''''but no chasm''''', so that could help to find one. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 23:35, 14 January 2009 (EST)

:Or, how about a dual water/magma waterfall, meeting on the road leading in? Encase your enemies in carbonite, err, obsidian. [[User:Random|Random]] 20:31, 15 January 2009 (EST)

== "Real time" challenge talk ==

1) As mentioned in the challenge, opening any menu pauses the game

2) "You have struck Alunite!" Anyone else get this message and a pause every 5 minutes?

If you were to keep the game running while you slept -- and trust me, I have -- all it takes is one minor inconvenience of the legion the game contains to pause it. I set the game to keep running before I went to bed one night, and between doing that and going to brush my teeth, it paused. I resumed, lay down in bed, and not a minute later, I opened my eyes to see the game had paused ''again.'' Too much stuff causes the game to pause to really execute this without constant babying.

Overall, I don't see this challenge as being feasible. Not bad in theory, but impossible in practice. --[[User:Eddie|Eddie]] 06:15, 16 January 2009 (EST)

:Yes, thats true. That challenge would require either a new version where pausing-for-announcements can be disabled or a helper program to automatically acknowledge them and unpause the game. [[User:Random|Random]] 20:54, 16 January 2009 (EST)

== Hermit Challenge ==

Does anyone have any tips for not having any damn migrants? The carps can't eat everyone.
: Well, you can just kill them all. Atom smasher, lava, water, goblin siege, choose your way to kill them. Even random ballista bolt could do the trick! Bonus point for the creative part !? :D [[User:Karl|Karl]] 19:45, 21 January 2009 (EST)
::Well, if the problem gets too extreme, you can adjust your maximum population to 1 in the ini files, and see if that works...--[[User:Quil|Quil]] 20:43, 21 January 2009 (EST)
::: It doesn't work. The POPULATION_CAP seems bugged something awful. [[User:AbuDhabi|AbuDhabi]] 02:36, 23 January 2009 (EST)

== The Great Wall of [Kingdom] ==

Here's an interesting challenge:

Your kingdom needs a great impenetrable defense to protect against your goblin enemies. You have been assigned to build a giant wall!

The wall must stretch from one side to the opposite, have a height of 5 z-axis, be four tiles wide complete with gate(s), towers, fortifications, ballistas and catapults. You must also position a crossbowdwarf at every ten tiles.

* BONUS: Build it right next to a goblin lair.
* BONUS: Build it all using only wood.
* BONUS++: Build it all using only soap!

[[User:Myroc|Myroc]] 15:16, 22 January 2009 (EST)

40d Talk:Challenges

2009-01-21T22:30:34Z

AbuDhabi: Hermit Challenge

40d Talk:Fortress guard

2009-01-20T21:41:14Z

AbuDhabi: Elite guards 'worthless'?

Does anyone have any advice on reasons I should put a new migrant into the Fortress Guard, instead of making him or her a regular soldier, whom I can control better? I assume it gives the Captain a happy thought to have more guards, but other than that, I prefer having a new soldier instead of a new guard. --[[User:DDouble|DDouble]] 02:39, 2 December 2007 (EST)
:Untill he is close to elite status it is probably better to have more guards as I think that the more guards you have - the more chances that a guard will take care of a criminal and not a hammerer. Having elite guards is really totally worthless.--[[User:Another|Another]] 10:02, 2 December 2007 (EST)

Why was this moved from "Fortress guard"? --[[User:TangoThree|TangoThree]] 06:07, 2 February 2008 (EST)
:Because {{user|Ironxides}} didn't read the wiki naming guidelines and decided it looked better with a capital G. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 11:30, 3 February 2008 (EST)

When I switched a squad to fortress guard, they stopped using the barracks to sleep in but continued to use it for training. Can anyone confirm this behaviour? (39c) [[User:Marasmusine|Marasmusine]] 12:01, 21 July 2008 (EDT)

:I can confirm that. Guards like private quarters, if they can afford them and they are available, but sparring happens in barracks, period, whether the barracks are defined by beds or by weapon racks or armor stands. --[[User:Zombiejustice|Zombiejustice]] 22:48, 21 July 2008 (EDT)

In my experience, the number of Royal guard required is not a 1/20 of population, but equals to number of nobles. It also worth noting, that sometimes they will do the job 'Guard <noblename>'--[[User:Dorten|Dorten]] 03:56, 4 August 2008 (EDT)
:Nope, it's 1/20th. It just seems that way because 1/20th will wind up being close to the number of nobles that you'll have. --[[User:LegacyCWAL|LegacyCWAL]] 13:52, 26 December 2008 (EST)

I don't have a captain (didn't assign one), but I still can assign Fortress and Royal Guards. So the first paragraph is misleading? Thanks. [[User:Kwieland|Kwieland]]

== Elite guards 'worthless'? ==

Could someone clarify this issue for me? Do they turn into essentially Philosophers with combat skills after being proclaimed champions? Don't they perform guard duties anymore?

40d:Elf

2009-01-02T05:43:18Z

AbuDhabi: /* Elves in Adventure Mode */ typo

{{CreatureInfo|name=Elf|symbol=E|color={{COLOR:3:0:0}}|butcher=no|
bones=7|chunks=N/A|meat=N/A|fat=N/A|skulls=1|skin=N/A|
biome=
* In their retreats, usually in [[forest]]s
}}
'''Elves''' are intelligent [[humanoid]] [[creature]]s who live in [[forest retreat]]s. They are one of the races playable in [[Adventure Mode]]. Their retreats have no buildings, but the [[tree]]s in the area are named.They love nature and are ready to defend it, typically with [[bow]]s. They may invade a fortress which violates their tree-cutting limit.

== Elves in Fortress Mode ==

Elves are a [[trading]] race and send small [[caravan]]s without [[wagon]]s in [[Calendar|spring]]. They usually bring [[Thread]], [[cloth]], [[rope]], various [[plants]] and [[seed]]s, and [[wood]]en items. They may also bring some [[tame]] [[animal]]s. Elves also bring a crapload of useless stuff: [[armor]] and clothes too large to wear, inferior wooden [[weapons]], inferior [[alcohol|booze]], inferior redroot [[dye]], [[bow]]s and [[arrow]]s. They are very picky about what they will accept in return although this appears to have changed with the latest version, as it stands Elves will accept anything except items directly made out of or decorated with wood. They also no longer mind purchasing blood-soaked items.

[[Metal]] items are acceptable, even when [[charcoal]] is used in their production. Items made from [[silk]] are acceptable, as are all non-wooden plant-based products such as [[plump helmet]]s, seeds, and ☼Dwarven syrup biscuits[45]☼. Dairy products, such as milk and cheese, are currently acceptable. You can also transport your goods to the [[trade depot]] in a wooden [[bin]], as long as you do not try to sell the bin. This also applies to goods in [[barrel]]s. Living [[animals]] are acceptable, as long as the [[cage]] or [[trap]] is not made of [[wood]].

Although [[tower-cap]]s are giant mushrooms, they are considered [[trees]] by the elves and thus are not acceptable.

=== Living among them ===
Living with Elves is pretty much the same as living among [[Humans]], but they don't build houses, [[furniture]], or anything else that uses wood. So basically, it's just like living anywhere else, but with guards.

== Elven society ==
The ethics of elven society are substantially divergent from other races; [[liar|Lying]] is punishable by exile, the killing of plants is an unthinkable crime, and eating the corpse of one's opponent in battle is socially acceptable.

== Elves in Adventure Mode ==

Elven forest retreats are represented by yellow symbols in [[forest]]s on the world map. They do not have any [[shop]]s, but they seem to have a great amount of elite marksmen to recruit. The leader and quest giver of a retreat is called the "druid", who can be found wandering the forest floor with the other elves.

Elven characters start with a wooden [[weapon]] and a set of basic wooden [[armor]] that lacks protection for the torso. This limitation often leads to a quick death. They do have some advantages, however: they're one [[size]] larger than [[dwarves]], which makes them hit harder and absorb more damage, though they also have a natural armor penalty which causes them to take slightly more damage than normal. Their main redeeming quality is their speed, being roughly 20% faster than the other playable races.

Those that live among other races may have metal or leather armor fitted for a narrow frame, though elven shopkeepers in human towns will still only sell human equipment. Elven adeventurers may equip any metal weapons or [[shield]]s they come across, just like any other.

Elves are at peace with wildlife, which means they won't be attacked by most animals (verify if most or all). In addition, they can talk to the animal-man races (such as [[snakeman|snakemen]] and [[batman|batmen]]) and even get the most excitement-seeking ones to join their party.

{{Game_Data|[CREATURE:ELF]
[NAME:elf:elves:elven]
[TILE:'E'][COLOR:3:0:0]
[SPEED:700][GRASSTRAMPLE:0]
[GENPOWER:3]
[INTELLIGENT]
[CANOPENDOORS]
[PREFSTRING:grace]
[BODY:HUMANOID:2EYES:2EARS:NOSE:2LUNGS:HEART:GUTS:ORGANS:HUMANOID_JOINTS:THROAT:NECK:SPINE:BRAIN:5FINGERS:5TOES:MOUTH]
[NARROW]
[DAMBLOCK:-1]
[SIZE:7]
[ATTACK:MAIN:BYTYPE:GRASP:punch:punches:1:2:BLUDGEON][ATTACKFLAG_WITH]
[ATTACK:SECOND:BYTYPE:MOUTH:bite:bites:1:1:GORE][ATTACKFLAG_CANLATCH]
[CHILD:12][BABY:1][MULTIPLE_LITTER_RARE]
[FAT:1]
[EQUIPS]
[DIURNAL]
[SPEECH:elf.txt]
[STANDARD_FLESH]
[HOMEOTHERM:10067]
[SWIMS_LEARNED][SWIM_SPEED:2500]
[PERSONALITY:IMAGINATION:0:55:100]
[PERSONALITY:ARTISTIC_INTEREST:0:60:100]
[PERSONALITY:INTELLECTUAL_CURIOSITY:0:55:100]
[PERSONALITY:SELF_DISCIPLINE:0:45:100]
[PERSONALITY:ACTIVITY_LEVEL:0:40:100]
}}
{{creatures}}
[[Category:Races]]
[[Category:Humanoids]]