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Author Topic: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]  (Read 170386 times)

Loud Whispers

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #75 on: March 31, 2015, 12:36:49 pm »

Still better than ravens, right?
Immortal demonic legions of pure carnage or undead ravens.

Yeah, still going to go with the demons.

Keep throwing corpses at them until one gets lucky?
That tactic always seems to work against my dwarves when the undead do it.
Obsidianizing?
Hundreds of lead minecarts at max speed?
Probably not obsidianizing just because that shit's expensive to set up. Corpses isn't working since they've got webbers and firebreathers incapacitating/burning the corpses. Minecarts sound good... Perhaps.

Loud Whispers

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #76 on: April 01, 2015, 11:27:38 am »

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The corpse factory has turned into a silk factory. At the very least once the bastards are all dead my Dwarves should be wearing the finest fire-proof socks around.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Not sure how, but a terrible disease has rendered much of the Fort's pig stock unusable while living. It's damaging but nonlethal and rarely affects Dwarves due to an abundance of soap and clean water, but for the war pigs it's devastating and can greatly damage productivity. It causes unconsciousness for a while, but as long as the Dwarf rests and is fed/watered at the hospital they're fine - so far none have died to it. As to how this disease spread, I'm not entirely sure myself. It's unlikely to be a rogue demon on the loose, not enough Dwarves have died recently under suspicious circumstances to warrant a search. Speaking of which, Asmel Trammeloars died under suspicious circumstances; she will not grow old to appreciate her severed arm. Tragic suspicious deaths aside, the pigs are going to be processed into corpses, and their population rebuilt from the sentry pigs unaffected by the syndrome.

TheHossofMoss

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #77 on: April 01, 2015, 05:57:19 pm »

You should add this to the Dwarf Fortress Wiki page about Ravens.

Also, posting to watch. This is epic. Thank you for sharing.
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On the Fifth Day of Axemas, my love saved the fort from...
Five sieging Werebeasts, four Giant Dingoes, three sneaky Thieves, two drunken Black bears, and a Titan killing spree!

bughunter

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #78 on: April 02, 2015, 07:25:56 pm »

So beautiful! PTW for sure!
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Anyone else here want some kitten leather thongs?
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Loud Whispers

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #79 on: April 03, 2015, 04:16:29 pm »

We've changed tactics and have begun selecting and sending the toughest corpses we've got stockpiled or stuck in the caverns to fight the demon hordes, fresh from the Hall Corpse Factory. The greatest biological foes of Silentthunders will be revived for battle once more, at least the ones we can still reach. If the needs become dire enough we will begin sending elf corpses in addition to the boar corpses, and there are still some titan-grade corpses in the moose pit that can be utilized (I hesitate to use them as they are prized museum pieces). Currently the Hall Corpse Factory is clogged up with too many war boar corpses, but we successfully harvested the big guys.

At any rate, I feel like this one screenshot accurately portrays the progress we are making.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

AceSV

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #80 on: April 03, 2015, 09:39:41 pm »

there are still some titan-grade corpses in the moose pit that can be utilized (I hesitate to use them as they are prized museum pieces).

Imagine how much more exciting the dinosaur exhibits would be if we had necromancers. 
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Furry Fortress 3 The third saga unfurls.  Now with Ninja Frogs and Dogfish Pirates.

Dwarf4Explosives

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #81 on: April 04, 2015, 05:09:04 am »

You'd need geomancers, not necromancers. Fossils aren't bones, they're basically plaster casts, only with rock instead of plaster.
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And yet another bit of proof that RNG is toying with us. We do 1984, it does animal farm
...why do your hydras have two more heads than mine? 
Does that mean male hydras... oh god dammit.

Aslandus

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #82 on: April 04, 2015, 11:12:49 am »

You'd need geomancers, not necromancers. Fossils aren't bones, they're basically plaster casts, only with rock instead of plaster.
Well, they used to be alive and now they're dead so it would necromancers regardless of what the actual material is.

AceSV

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #83 on: April 04, 2015, 06:10:38 pm »

Well, I think the argument is that the fossils are no more "dead" than a foot print or skin impression is.  The bones "rot" and get replaced by rock. 

Of course that sort of technical detail could completely topple my otherwise legitimate plan to reanimate dinosaur bones. 
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Quote
could God in fact send a kea to steal Excalibur and thereby usurp the throne of the Britons? 
Furry Fortress 3 The third saga unfurls.  Now with Ninja Frogs and Dogfish Pirates.

Dwarf4Explosives

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #84 on: April 05, 2015, 03:47:33 am »

A paleontologist with some magic skills might work as a reasonable alternative. Just ask them to make a reconstruction of the fossil and voila!
Shameless self promotion: This is, in fact, what I'm trying to implement for Dwarf Fortress from Scratch.
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And yet another bit of proof that RNG is toying with us. We do 1984, it does animal farm
...why do your hydras have two more heads than mine? 
Does that mean male hydras... oh god dammit.

Oblique

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #85 on: April 05, 2015, 09:10:28 am »

A paleontologist with some magic skills

Paleomancy. I fully support this exciting new field of research.
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Dwarf4Explosives

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #86 on: April 05, 2015, 01:14:51 pm »

The sound effect for this kind of magic is *WITTON*.
« Last Edit: April 09, 2015, 11:40:39 am by Dwarf4Explosives »
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And yet another bit of proof that RNG is toying with us. We do 1984, it does animal farm
...why do your hydras have two more heads than mine? 
Does that mean male hydras... oh god dammit.

Loud Whispers

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #87 on: April 11, 2015, 02:47:39 pm »

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Cleanup squads were sent down to survey the aftermath and secure the Dwarf Necromancer Kogan, who had spent the past few years alone with corpses and demons in the depths of this corpse factory. The shock troopers were sent alongside all the garrison marksdwarves, just to be safe. They passed the neutralized corpse of lidless titansnakes, piles of melted fiend flesh, pools of multicoloured ichor and the remains of blood and fat and bone that had vaporized into salt and ash on the walls. There were even corpses of creatures whose fingers could easily fit a whole dwarf in their grasp. Thankfully, those ones were dead. The Dwarven military force was fully armored and clothed, each Dwarf covering their heads in hoods, their feet in socks and their hands in gloves to make sure that even through their armour contact with the pooling toxins would not be possible. In the dark ahead hideous squawking and squealing directed the aim of the Fort's marksdwarves; like a horde of angry metal wasps old Olin's steel bolts lodged in many undead in the dark corridor. Inside of a fortified chamber, contained within limestone walls, within a schist gem prison was Kogan. Surrounded by Kogan were several dozen burning raven corpses, amongst other creatures. One swordsdwarf in the smoke charged through and began the process of reclamation by hacking apart weasel heads and troglodyte hands - I even recognized one kingsnake corpse that was once a young snake traded to Silentthunders by the elves long ago, when they still visited. It used to linger in the hallway to the civilian hive, hunting vermin and playing with the war boars.
The Dwarves quickly set about work, taking what corpses they could to the surface; with corpses reanimating purely on the instinct of the evil spirits that inhabited the land progress was slow. The second adamantine spire to hell was blocked up. Perhaps redundant, all demons of the clown car had been long since horribly brutalized and no further ones dared to brave the Dwarven defences. Commander Vabok's last revenge was beginning to manifest in their minds. Nonetheless, it gave me peace of mind and was one step towards exploiting the full resources of the second spire.
The Dwarves had to withdraw, having removed most of the corpses. The second shift of marksdwarves was now also running out of bolts and a gigantic burning sauropod corpse in the quarry was in a perfect position to maul unsuspecting civilians on their way to the corpse factory. Not wanting to let a victory turn into a disaster, the Dwarves have since withdrawn, leaving Kogan once more to the company of ravens and a lone kingsnake. If the burnt sauropod continues to pose a problem a giant slab of slag will be dropped on its head.

Now that sufficient corpse mass has been acquired, the actual colonization of hell proper can begin, but I'd like to make sure the colonization is as hazardous to demons as possible and inversely hospitable to dwarves. I'm thinking, wall off all the pits and map edges, with exception to 1zlvl which will funnel demons through the evil Fort half, which will be filled with corpses. The demons will not be able to fly, nor turn back. To get to the other end of the map they will have to go through a narrow tunnel into a chamber full of friendly corpses, at which point adamantine bridges will close them in until results are achieved. Necromancers will not be necessary; though a viewing platform could also be added for them.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Child soldiers: Best thing to happen to a fort since alcohol assisted enthusiasm. The Sacrificial Constructs will be revived once the newest recruits have become reasonably skilled enough for front line orders.

there are still some titan-grade corpses in the moose pit that can be utilized (I hesitate to use them as they are prized museum pieces).
Imagine how much more exciting the dinosaur exhibits would be if we had necromancers. 
You know, I only really kept them there to ensure that the moose pit is always occupied. An actual corpse museum doesn't seem like too bad an idea. All the little Urists will get to see a bit of live (undead?) history up close and personal. And I've already got an underground Colosseum, so war boar/corpse/dwarf fights shouldn't be too hard to arrange for the amusement of the Fort.

...Actually, that sounds great. Especially the Colosseum fights idea. Right now it's being used solely for sparring and training, despite several mechanisms allowing for hostile fights. There is even room for plumbing. And it'll be age appropriate too, children will naturally run away from the corpses whereas military dwarves won't mind, separating the little Urists from the 13+. It should also help the youngest recruits get used to tragedy so they don't go insane when loved ones begin dying at higher rates than usual.

Max™

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #88 on: April 11, 2015, 03:06:53 pm »

PG-13 just took on a whole new meaning.
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Loud Whispers

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Re: Ravens are murder. [SPOILERS]
« Reply #89 on: April 14, 2015, 06:34:59 am »

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THE BARON HUNTS AGAIN.

There was an old tradition in regards to the 2nd cavern layer; it used to be that every now and then the Fort's elite marksdwarves and speardwarves would explore the 2nd cavern layer, hunting any animals that lay around, leaving the corpses to reanimate. Aformentioned corpses would then seek out other animals, increasing the number of undead until there was a veritable horde that not even Forgotten Beasts were safe from - Silentthunders has used undead defensively for a long time. But the real fun came when the target of the hunt became the undead themselves, as hundreds of elk birds, pond grabbers, troglodytes, trolls and rotten tarantula beasts and salamanders the sizes of mountains tried to force their way through the Fortifications and into the surface world, having chased a family of terrified plump helmet people to the gatehouse. The hunts came to an end after the last great undead excursion to the surface world, as since then the number of Forgotten Beasts that breath fire or are composed of flame in the 2nd cavern layer has dramatically increased to the point where most corpses are incinerated after being killed, and forest fires are the norm, making Dwarven expeditions beyond the Fort prohibitively dangerous. For the longest time the hunts were over. Above ground the only things to shoot at were elf corpses, wild ground crawlers were either extinct or shunned the Fort; and fliers may have become extinct due to the Fort's wall spikes annihilating the local bird populations. And the first cavern layer was being used for a great landscaping/flooding project, while the 3rd was mostly ocean with occasional islands here and there - but little land life or flying creatures.

And then Hell gave me prey once more.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Almost all of the Fort's elite Marksdwarves were sent to encamp upon plateaus in Hell, where the demons' propensity for flying was much less helpful. The Dwarves set up booze and berry stockpiles, even going so far as to have tables and chairs brought down to have picnics in Hell. The demons appeared to be jealous of my picnics, as every time my Dwarves withdrew to resupply the limestone stockpiles they flipped all of our tables and destroyed all of our chairs, the envious bastards. Nevertheless, this has not stopped the Dwarves from having lunch on the move, as Dwarves have finally become the apex predators of Hell, outnumbering the infinite legion in this small corner of slade. Casualties have been infrequent for as long as Dwarves stay in the Marksdwarf group and do not wander off on their own.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Atis Kubukbetan charged a demon over a cliff, luckily she didn't fall into a chasm and instead hit the ground - her skull is cracked open and she is having trouble breathing, but as she suffered no spinal injuries she should be able to get back to fighting if she survives. She made an enjoyable hunt entertaining, and her recovery is expected - she's tougher than slade. There have been other highlights to the hunts, which have been non-stop as demons continue to be drawn to the Fort every time one is shot down.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

One time a demon appeared right next to the Hell Fort, just as I was rallying 21 elite marksdwarves for another hunt.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The poor demon in question was riddled with a dozen bolts before being shot in the head, only to face further shame by plummeting into the depths of an eerie glowing pit below.

But enough of that, let me tell you of Mestthos Windoranges.
Full name: Z. Mestthos Windoranges Earthenivory.
Mestthos was a 19 year old Dwarf born from the two legendary farmers of the starting 7 Dwarves, Ablel and Datan, one of the only two Dwarves descended from the starting 7 to survive into adulthood. Mestthos had the honour of being assigned to the Pleated Stakes, the expedition commander's very own cabinet, to train under the watchful gaze of Likot, Vabok, Uvash and Muthkat, until the former two died that is. Mestthos was supposed to learn the ways of war in the same manner as the elite marksdwarves first fought; shoot well, and when the enemy are in your face, chop off their face with your axe. It was during a particularly eventful ranging when 7 demons had just been shot down and hacked to pieces when a lone Gila Fiend appeared in the southwest border. Gila Fiends were not a high-threat demon, relative to say, a steel scorpion, tanzanite buddha or walking dust storm of skinrot plague. Naturally I sent my Dwarves to kill it, and my Dwarves were steadily getting happier as the slaughter progressed.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
The '4th wave' referenced here is the newly-appointed E.C. Zuntir Lockbrass (full name being Expedition Commander Zuntir Limestone Kortinan Lockbrass the Solitary Keeper of Barricades) who has 5 surviving kids born from his marriage with Atis Lancecalm (the very same one who broke her skull charging a demon off a cliff), while the 4thborn is Mestthos Windoranges. The Marksdwarves riddled the Gila Fiend with bolts, forcing it tothe ground. E.C. Zuntir did all manner of horrible things to the Gila Fiend, with hammer, axe, boot and fist, but not before the Gila Fiend managed to grab Mestthos by the teeth. It seemed that Mestthos had taken to the axe better than the crossbow and was eager to prove himself; only his inexperience made him an appealing target to every demon in hell.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
He was thrown from the mouth-hold the Gila Fiend had on him a dozen spans right into a slade wall. At that point that mental image had me laughing with pride, and I was never more proud than when Mestthos stood right back up only dazed and slightly bruised to run back into the fray.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
And Zuntir got to prove himself more than a competent replacement for one of the starting 7.
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