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[Splint]

Those are not skills I'd trust with anything. Like... Holy shit, did you only just start letting the mace squad actually train, or do they really just suck that much? Cause that looks like it's mostly solo drill training and that's only a hair better than no training at all.

Quick edit: Let me be claer, I ain't trying to be a dick, but I almost never use traps, and I know junk soldiers when I see them.

[Superdorf]

Like I said... I don't really trust anyone but our three axe-lords to put up a proper fight against that nematode.

You showed up to the fort in the second migrant wave. There weren't any draftees available to train with you at the time, so you were stuck drilling until the third migrant wave-- and then you had to keep drilling while your underlings drilled themselves up to sparring levels. For all I know, you only started actually training with them a few months back.

Your guy's gonna be a legend within a year or two, I should think, but he's got a long ways to go yet...
EDIT: Oh. Also the military occasionally goes inactive to haul scores of silver goblets or whatever from the bottom of the earth. So... so there's that. 

[Splint]

I propose a fast track option: Send them after anything minor that shows up. Live combat will be much better as far as training goes, plus crap like trogs and crundles can turn into a nuisance if not managed by something. Solo drills are, in my opinion, actually pretty shit for doing anything but raising discipline and weapon skill at a glacial pace, and weapon skill is (again, in my opinion,) less important than dodge and shield user. Knowing how to use your weapon is fine, but there's more to being a soldier than knowing how to hurt someone with the business end of your weapon. Avoiding injury is paramount as well, and armor can't stop stuff like a forgotten beast (hell, it won't even stop an elephant, never mind something the size of a small building.)

If not pest control, just having them train would have probably been better and let them grind up multiple skills instead of just thier weapon skill.

But yeah, no reason not to kill that thing. Send in the axe lords.

[NordicNooob]

After seeing the skills, I think you're capable of taking the beast on, but only if you send like, everything you have after it and accept a few deaths. So, while you can probably win if need be, going on the offense is a big no-no in my opinion.

And, while this is getting off-topic, I can't help but disagree with your take on weapon skill. Sure, I see your point in "hey, lets keep this dorf not dead" but weapon skill involves parrying, and defense doesn't matter if your opponent is dead. Weapon skill might not be quite as reliable as some good old shield user, but it's definitely more powerful.

[Splint]

What I mean is just solo drills only raise a couple skills at any appreciable rate, if they do the others at all.

This puts such a soldier at a serious disadvantage vs a soldier who has dodger and shield user as well, and raises it a glacial pace compared to actual uninterrupted training which raises everything necessary for a good and well rounded melee fighter (fighter, dodge, armor, shield, observer, and a bit of other skills, namely wrestling, striker, kicker, and misc. weapon.) This is a contrast to solo drills which appear to only raise weapon skill very slowly, and discipline, which it appears to raise reasonably well.

It's been what, two years and Splint is Talented (level 7,) novice Shield (level 1,) and adequate dodge (level 2)? His observer and fighter are probably products of the drawn out fight with the trog (which raise rather quickly and is often the first skills to reach legendary on my own soldiers when training them from scratch,) and discipline raises much faster from solo drills than weapon skill. Regardless, unless he one shots the thing or gets stupidly lucky, that FB would eat his soul.

The axe lords on the other hand, who have had time to actually train, are probably perfectly capable of killing that thing as a team without any casualties (maybe not solo, I don't know what their skills are,) but any one of them is probably leaps and bounds better than Splint and his squad.

EDIT: Don't overestimate FBs that lack serious powers or materials. The nematode only has a few targetable parts, and its brain is in the biggest target. If it were a webber or dust sprayer, or hell, even deadly blood, I'd say drop a roof on it. But this? Some good soldiers will make mincemeat of it.

[Superdorf]

I don't know what their skills are

Oh oh, I can fix that!

Spoiler: Nix (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Nord (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Besmar (click to show/hide)

Also Nord and Besmar are pretty good at cleaning fish. But that's irrelevant.

[ZM5]

FBs have level 6 skill by comparison so Splint would be screwed if he went in alone - I suppose with a larger squad backing him up he could contribute but he'd probably still die or atleast be severely injured. Parrying doesn't matter in this case since its only for weapon attacks, not for natural unarmed attacks, and with only 2 in dodge and 1 in shield its unlikely he'd be able to contend with the 6 in both fighting AND biting/striking/kicking.

[Splint]

Yeah those axe lords would mop the floor with the FB. Send them, definitely send them. Or hell, pick which one you'd like to kill it, because they're all decent enough that any one could probably solo it. Nothing short of insanely bad luck would take the whole squad.

[NRDL]

I volunteer as tribute. Death or glory 

[Superdorf]

Right then! I'm closing the voting floor; it's about time for me to start playing out the update...

[Superdorf]

So it is decided! Nix and Besmar shall sally forth to slay the beast, with Nord held in reserve.
There is much digging yet to do before we break properly into the caverns. The axe lords train in meantime...
A creative spirit has taken Id the woodworker!



She quickly dissappears into her workshop

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

grabs a couple logs and a bolt of silk

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

and sets to work...



A few days later, she's done!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

It's not much of an artifact, truth be told...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

...but hey, I'm just happy Id's ready to get back to work. We have stuff that needs making!



It... it didn't occur to me that a second one would show up...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

At least this one's a pushover too. Also, not disgusting.

Actually-- hold that thought--

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

...Oh. Welp. That settles that I guess.



After long weeks of digging, the time has come to face our dread enemy.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I place the necessary station orders

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

and once the two chosen axe-lords are gathered together

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I order the seal broken.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Zanor rushes forth, eager to exploit the sudden gap.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I sound the kill command

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

and Nix rushes through the breach.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Her skill is legend.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Her foe is legend.
The two meet.

The beast bites. Its jaws ring against Nix's shield.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Nix bites back.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The beast strikes. It misses. The beast strikes. Bronze bites into its flesh.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The beast charges. There is no dwarf where it passes. The beast wheels, and again the axe tears its flesh.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Besmar rushes the breach.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Together now the sparring partners hew. Again and again the beast lashes with its stinger and its jaws, and always there is no dwarf where it strikes.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Besmar strikes at Zanor's stinger. The stinger splits in two.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Frothing ichor springs from the wound.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Nix strikes at Zanor's shell. The shell splits in two.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Frothing ichor spatters the walls.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Again and again the two axe-lords strike at the writhing roundworm

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

and at last, its dread stinger is sent spiralling through the air, flecks of ichor flying in its wake.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Besmar strikes, and even the beast's mouth is rendered useless. Desperate, it charges Nix suddenly, bowling her over...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

...and unfazed, she leaps up, axe singing.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The end is nigh.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

In the end, it is Besmar that takes the kill.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

(sorry NRDL  )

A wall is quickly built to seal the breach

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

excavation resumes

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

and Zanor's ruined corpse is hauled off to the butchery.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

It'd be a pity to waste such an abundance of meat!



With Zanor well and truly dead, I'm free to focus on other projects.

Up top, we have our first above-ground bedroom wing!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I'll be building two more before I start construction on more interesting levels.

Down below, we have the designations for four long chambers, which will be used to evaporate excess magma from the minecart-hauling operations.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Why are they so big? Because it looks cool that's why.

Annd somewhere in the middle, our dining room is smooth and shiny and beautiful!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I've had one of our marksdwarves working on it.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

He's getting pretty good at what he does.

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[Splint]

Told ya they could take it.

[NordicNooob]

Did three different forts just all climax at the same time?

[Superdorf]

Told ya they could take it.

They could take it!

I'm playing through the next update, and at this point, you could probably take have taken it too.

Spoiler: Your training is coming along nicely. (click to show/hide)

Did three different forts just all climax at the same time?

Nahh... two forts. "El Wormo" was more of a random encounter than a climax, really; I'll have to find something else to fight if I want a proper battle royale... maybe I'll punch through [SPOILER] at some point meself?

Or maybe I'll just retire! An established fortress might be fun to take an adventurer through sometime... especially seeing as adventurers can pull levers. Waltz in to the uber-danger-doom-lever room, pull a couple things, watch and laugh as the world burns around you!

Ooh, I could let RNG decide, and mine out a little adamantine. If I get lucky, I'll turn the diggings into high-quality adventurer gear and retire. If I get unlucky... well, "dug-too-deep" is the way to end a fort with dignity. Either way, I win.

Yes. Yes, I think I like that best.

[Splint]

Well,. the dodger still leaves a bit to be desired, but that's much better than last time!