User:Dissimulation

email : ruffdoggie1@gmail.com Silly, I know.

I'm just me. I consider myself a decent dwarf fortress player, I can hold my own against the toughest of goblin sieges.

Community is important to me in dwarf fortress. I love the talk pages, reading new discoveries and interesting hidden secrets.

Stories

This is my favorite story I have written, of palmsword

Chapter 1 Palmsword

"A round of the finest rum for all! there she is! The infamous palmsword!" Exclaimed my more than eager companion. It had been months on the road, we left the mountainhomes almost instantly when the liason returned from the newest outpost. I remember it as clear as day.

"We are leaving this place", my wife said "We need to leave for palmsword, for our son."

"But, We can't! their leader is absolutely stir crazy! honey, they have settled inside the bottomless pit!"

"Don't you think I know that! I have been waiting to tell you this, but on one of my recent rounds with the troops, I spotted a goblin scout. He told me of a great siege that is to befall this mountainhome, We can't tell everyone, for they will flee as well. But this fort may be our last chance."

"....Okay." I said with a grim look on my face.

"Pack your things, I have arranged for a spot in a caravan who is to be leaving with the elves on their yearly trading route."

And here we are, with 5 other families who have also left, each with their own reasons. A small hut came into my view as we approached. We entered the dimunitive structure and saw many dogs, a few cats and one dwarf.

"Why hello! welcome to palmsword!" Exclaimed the dwarf whole heartedly "We have been expecting you, let me show you to your rooms, and we can get you all a job to do."

We entered a staircase in the middle of the hut. That is when the whole fort unfolded before me. The entrance broke off into two hallways.

"Down the right hallway we keep our food, and our irrigation systems are located there as well. Down the left hallway is the bottomless pit, you have all heard of our forts layout, I assume?"

The group following the young miner all nodded their heads with anticipation.

"Good! follow me then."

We delved deeper into this strange outpost. down one level was a giant expanse of activity, carpenters, masons, mechanics and animal trainers were all working hard.

"Oh don't mind them, you will soon enough be assimilated into the work force, let us first show you to your rooms so you can settle in."

This was exciting to many in the group, for in the golden era of the mountainhome, death rates had gone down extremely, this resulted in a huge demand for rooms. shared rooms and barracks life had been a regular thing.

"Here we are!"

That's when i saw it, a big black pit of nothingness with the outer edge carved out and two bridges connecting each side. All around the edges were doors, no doubt where we will be sleeping for our stay at this fort. the group stepped out onto the bridge and looked over the edge. I'm pretty sure one person threw up, but I was too busy watching a curious bat flying towards me. I extended my hand and like he had been trained he landed on it. I think i'm going to like it here.

Chapter 2

We entered the room to see a meager setting. Rough rock floors and walls paired with a single bed. However, the room felt cozy, and most of all, private. We stayed, and got used to our surroundings until finally we heard a knock upon our door.

"Hello.... Urist?" said the fort manager, looking up from his notes.

"yes, that's me."

"You are to be the forts mechanic"

thoughts swarmed through my head, only slightly experienced I had no idea what to do.

"Don't worry" the manager said, seeing the look on my face, "I run a tight ship around here, every time we need you we will send a work order. until then just help with the hauling jobs."

"And what of me?" said my wife, curiously

"Ah," the fort manager said as he looked down at his sheet once again "Judging by your military records, we will be placing you as the head of the guard."

"What an honor!" my wifes face brightened "so many questions! first, where is my office?"

"Well, its still under construction, but follow me. Urist, go to the construction layer and await instruction."

I stood up, dumbfounded from the surprise of our job assignments. This move has worked out so well it is almost eerie. Before I could gather my thoughts, another knock came at my door.

"Message for a.... urist?" said the message boy

"That would be me," I said as I took the letter

It was my first job order, so soon! "Build 30 mechanisms" I guess they have big plans for this fort.

Chapter 3

Life at the fort has been going smoothly, Finding my way around is fairly simple, the food is good and the work is fulfilling. Work orders have taken a strange shift lately, however. My wife has issued fourth a new mandate for 30 grates, and 60 mechanisms. The fort has been working tirelessly to fill out these orders which she has put a deadline on for the spring. inspired by my surroundings, and this fight against nature that is the bottomless pit fort, I have started a masterpiece. a mechanism so perfect that it rivals even master mechanics. I have started drawing up plans for this creation and plan on building it soon.

my wife, who is the only person who i have told, seems excited as well. The military is progressing in the fort as the goblin threat is looming. my son, now of age, has been recruited in the army to train as a wrestler, and eventually join the boys on the field as a hammerdwarf. I am so proud, and so is my wife. He works hard every day and is a credit to our name.

However, Morale has been suffering, recent attacks have ravished the fort and many have died. my wife says she has the explanation for this but the peoples hope lessen.

I can never give up on my wife, but I can not help but have some terrible thoughts.

Chapter 4

its early spring, my masterpiece and the rest of the mechanisms are all finished, and my wife has begun to preach again about her solution for the military. My son has recieved his first iron warhammer and is now an active guard of the people. Channels have been dug all around the entrance to our fort. and grates have been put around them. A force of novice engineers have hooked up the mechanisms to my master mechanism, which is now a pressure plate that detects the presence of animals. I still don't see the major goal here, and my wife seems odd lately.

Then, upon the creation of the great project, a great siege. Bells have rung for the dwarves to come inside. and the newest troop run out to meet the threat. but as soon as they step out of the fort, the pressure plate sets off, the grates retract, and they all fall. They fell right before my eyes. down into the bottomless pit. I saw my sons last look of disbelief before i saw him crack his skull on the edge of the cave wall.

"What is the meaning of this!" I exclaimed enraged. "Where is my wife!"

I stormed into her office and took her by the collar

"There was no threat! That.... That thing was just a trap to stop indruders isn't it?? and you tested it on your son. our son damnit! you killed all 5 of those boys. why? why?"

She just laughed. "Don't you see? all our problems are gone! the goblin threat is no more!"

"Goblin threat? There is no damn goblin threat! just troupes of raiders looking for a meal! what you have done, it isn't dwarven. no. this isn't right."

She looked at me with a stone cold face "get out of my office" she said, and continued her giggling and ranting about goblins. disgusted, I fled the office.

Chapter 5

The decay of the fort's morale has increased. Parents of those recruits have started to lose their mind, all those hours of working, the days of turmoil. to make a death trap. In fact, many dwarves have broken down, putting themselves down the pit and taking others with them. my wife still sits at the head of this fort, if you can even call it that anymore. we see animals, traders, and goblins alike fall down the pit just like the recruits before them.

slowly we run out of food. for nobody is working. I lay awake at night, starving and heartbroken, listening to the cackling of my wife. the bonechilling sound is sent across the entirety of the fort. what is more awful than that is some still follow her words. they lock themselves in their rooms, alone, fearful of the goblin threat. Many have died of starvation or worse. The graveyard is now just a pile of bodies, talk around the fort is that they plan to dump them down the pit.

"WAAAAAAGH" a terrible cry came from the center of the fort.

A bloodthirsty enraged dwarf plowed through the fort. The champion of the main squad swung his hammer with a deadly force towards one of his comrade's heads. Crushing it with a single blow.

"Wh.... What? No! No no no! not you too!" Exclaimed the elite hammerdwarf, his now insane murderdriven leader towering over him, "please, stop this! we can change the fort! we can cha.."

The cold killer swung his mighty hammer down with a force so extreme it would break adamentine. He proceeded to dump the bodies down the pit.

"Murder never changes" He began to repeat, as he continued his slaughter. "Murder never changes"

that was it, the most powerful dwarf had gone completely over the edge and there was nobody able to stop him, except the monster that was my wife. I saw this as my chance, my chance to eliminate the evil that corrupted this fort. I slipped away as the hammerdwarf killed all those who haven't killed themselves. I knocked on my wifes door and hid behind a statue. She peered her head out with caution.

"Hello?.... Was there an attack?" she whispered at first, her voices volume increasing steadily "Was there an attack? Was there an attack?!?! Bahahaha!"

With that I smashed the rock above her head, knocking her unconcious.

Dragging my wife i reached the edge of the pit. with great effort I lifted her on my shoulder. I looked one more time upon her face, wondering what it was that turned her this way. why, I asked myself, why has this happened? what has become of the mountainhomes of where we once dwelled? But most of all, I wonder if this was her plan all along. I try not to think of that as I shove her down the pit. I listen as she bounces off the walls with a loud cracking sound. Just as she escaped my site the fort filled with her malicious laugh one last time. I cringe as I hear this noise, paired with the murder happening just two levels up.

"Goodbye Palmsword, may your walls be covered in blood. Goodbye son, may you find your path in the next world. Goodbye..." I said as I stepped over the edge. Blackness never moved so quickly. At first exhilirating the walls of the cave blended into a singular color and it felt as though i was still. This was the most relaxing feeling in the world. Acceptance, simpleness, bliss. However, that would come to a swift end as a edge came into site. Almost as soon as I could see it I had crashed into the edge. Blood surrounding me and half dead I tried not to move. Death so close, but yet, so far. The pain was unbearable, the grief of losing everything was even worse.

"What is this" A local cave swallowman said as he approached me "one of those little dwarfeys from above! yes, yes, yum! yumm!"

He said this as he approached me with a dull blade in his hand. Out of the darkness came one, then two or three more. They surrounded me and thrust the blade into me. Once, twice, three times. I started to cough blood they stopped laughing and looked at me in disgust. I had been littering their homes for months, years even. He picked up his foot and smashed it down into my face.

And so is the story of Urist, who engineered the destruction of palmsword and himself unknowingly.