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Savage. Terrifying. Bardumiseth, Fightquests! (Steam Succession) (Spoilers)

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Otto_K:



Savage... Terrifying...
Bardumiseth, Fightquests!

Another succession played on Blind’s Discord server!

This fortress run was started back-to-back right after our first fort, Zulbanunal – Bannerblunts, as the playthrough was starting to feel pretty complete. As such, it’s basically the sequel. This time, danger and survival took the center stage. We were a lot more exposed to the caverns, and reanimating corpses posed a constant threat.

Another challenge to overcome were the necromancers, who decided to constantly siege us for many years, denying us the chance to meet with the caravan and receive settlers. This led us to adopt desperate measures: to dig deep and greedily, boosting our fort value with treasures from the depths.

Then our warriors finally ascended from the depths, charged at the sieging undead army and sent them running, and the fortress opened up once again as a prosperous part of the dwarven realm. The first decade ended with Bardumiseth gaining the rights to the lands around it, and the formation of the first dwarven hillocks in the area.


Players:

Caram3lNuke
OttoK
Salvadaddy
Albreo
GeeFin


Prologue: The beginnings

I brought up the possibility of starting a new fort on 22th December 2023, while Salvadaddy was establishing a foothold in the HFS.

When that end-game goal had been achieved, Salva and GeeFin agreed that starting a new, more challenging fort could be more fun, or even !!fun!! than staying in the safety of Bannerblunts. Albreo suggested a terrifying biome with tons of megabeasts. Some worlds were generated by both Salvadaddy and me, and the requirements were discussed more.

In the end, we agreed on a 3:3 embark in a savage, terrifying, reanimating biome in the tropical forests, which also would have evil grass. We also upped megabeasts and titans, and added some cavern openness. We also ended up embarking close to two necromancer towers.

I found an embark and picked the fort’s name, and it was showtime. I finished the first year on the 28th, so the new year of 2024 meant the beginning of a new succession fort as well.

Otto_K:

Image 1: The Continents of Abating.


Image 2: "In the early spring of 100, The Crypt-Beer of The Axe of Man founded Fightquests."


Bardumiseth, Fightquests
Year 100, OttoK
Save posted in Discord 28.12.2023
Summary posted 31.12.2023


From the homeland to the untamed jungles, the dwarves traveled, until dead trees were seen all around them and the grass turned evil, and in the distance, the dark hills loomed, as if to tell us: Come no further.

"Stop the wagon by the brook", muttered Erub Kelugosh, or Metalhollow, the expedition leader of the Crypt-Beer. Everyone happily complied. A spot was chosen to burrow down to the earth, but first, the leader had a declaration to make.

Erib was a big, tough, fat dwarf with a bald head and a braided blonde beard. He climbed on top of the wagon with agility that rises from strength, and faced the ragtag crew of settlers. His words boomed and echoed through the woods.

"As of this moment, I declare - FIGHTQUEST! We will hold this fortress, the last outpost against forces of undeath! For the safety of the mountain-homes, and the good name of The Axe of Man!"
"BARDUMISETH!" Bellowed the dwarves in response, and went to work. The Red knows, there was work to be done.


* from “Never Underestimate Fightquests”, by unknown dwarven author
So then, that was the beginning. I tried to set up as much of the basic things as I could. A set of bedrooms, production area, temple and start of a dining hall. I embarked with plenty of food, and plants were gathered from the untainted savage wilds part of map for drinks. No farms yet.

We have some amazing caves, and the magma pipe and the unusual gem wall are both at like z5 elevation. We got some legendary-skill migrants as well, even including a strand extractor. He must've either been bored at his perfectly safe, lavish fort, or they got a little too greedy and he's a refugee in this dark land.

We were beset by giant firefly corpses. The squad flew into a martial trance but forgot their weapons. Zuglar the woodworker rushed in with her axe and dealt with the beasts.

Monsters like those could wipe out this whole outpost unless they’re contained somehow. So the production of stone and wooden blocks began, to quickly build a makeshift entrance building aboveground. No hillsides here to burrow into.

Things got a lot more dicey than that, when an ogress corpse roamed close to the fort. It killed three dwarves and one human merc. My unarmored squad was cowering at the trade depot with the merchant guards, hoping that the talented fighters of the merchant’s guild could keep them safe. The corpse wandered toward the unfinished hut, and then…

And then it just walked away. The ogress corpse never came down the staircase. And that was the end of the first crisis, one of many to come. By the end, I produced iron armor, shields and some maces for the dwarves, so the next monster corpse doesn't wipe the fort.


EDIT: Oh man, I edited this particular message WAY too many times. Sorry to initial readers...
Spoiler (click to show/hide)Image 3: Bugs! Vile illumination begone!


Image 4: The Ogress undead

Otto_K:



Image 1, 2: "New visitors scored the first kill against the necromancer invading party"

Bardumiseth, Fightquests
Year 101, Caram3lNuke
Posted in Discord 28.12.2023

The doors and hatches of the surface hut where nailed shut; Gear and cage where assembled as traps to retain whoever -- rather, whatever -- manages to get in. Above us, the sight of necromancy was clear; yet another curse upon this barren land.

The year started with a visit from the local necromancer. Everything was shut and the dwarfs started working on a proper underground farm to maintain their food and booze supplies. The first task was making a small cistern for a well near the training zone. In the meantime, the military finally got their full iron gear and kept training mostly full time. All the killing that was happening was due to monster slayers arriving just to find locked doors and undead beasts on the surface.

Once the farm was done, a loom and clothier workshop were built to produce needed bags and some extra socks -- every dwarfs likes socks after all. Some cave spiders were also captured and dumped into a room nearby to try to produce some silk. At the same time, a set of new bedrooms was finished.

Finally, a proper food processing area was built. There all the resources for brewing, cooking and milling are close to the workshops. Two dwarfs were also assigned to planting, brewing and cooking so as to funnel all the experience into them. A good planter being very useful in making big plant stacks without fertilizers.



Image 3: "Opening the closest geode for the sake of the shinies"


Image 4: The bustling manufacturing floor. This area will remain as the heart of the fort for years to come

Spoiler (click to show/hide)Image 5: The communal services floor, with temple and dining hall

Otto_K:

Image 1: The guildhall under construction.


Bardumiseth, Fightquests
Year 102, Salvadaddy
Posted in Discord 31.12.2023

I feel like I've gotten a decent amount of stuff done this turn. I started things out by making an underground passage for some elf traders, who actually escaped alive, as well (not their guards though). As for my first project, I decided to secure an area in the first cavern layer, and built some walls around it. Now it is safe from three sides, with the fourth side having a small wall and a pool. After that, I decided to work on an area that would become a guildhall in the future for anyone who petitioned, to increase happy thought by fulfilling the petition, instead of just making it a guildhall to begin with. I also expanded the hospital and added some beds, though I forgot to add a chest, now that I think about it.

In other news, we were attacked by a necromancer, who brought a fair few zombies and intelligent undead with him. A few visitors came, and fell before the zombies. Then came Ume. Ume was a hero. A badass one, at that. He slayed zombie after zombie, and with a sword no less! He even left the corpses so beat up that they wouldn't rise again; only a few limbs were left behind that would reanimate, and those are no problem at all. Unfortunately, after slaying thirteen zombies, Ume finally was overrun, and was defeated in battle. He died a hero, that we will always remember.
 
I commissioned a copper statue of him, which now stands in front of the entryway to the main fort, for all to see upon coming inside. I didn't actually specify anything on the statue (except for it being Ume), to see what the artist would do, and it was his marriage in the year 100. This man was married for two years, before dying a glorious death. Makes me feel bad we didn't get out there and help him.

But his onslaught is what weakened the zombies enough so that we later could (and did) cleanse the surface totally on purpose (the damn military wouldn't stay put and decided to run around outside chasing zombies.

Speaking of the military, at the beginning of the year, I started a work order to make pig iron and then steel. By the beginning of obsidian, I managed to get the squad equipped in full steel armor, and I also gave them copper flasks, since they were thirsty when stationing in the second cavern layer.

You see, some giant cave spider webs caught my eye down there, and I figured that would be nice to have, so I set up a trap to catch one. In the process, a shitload of crundles came in, harassing everyone, so I brought in the military. The militia commander must have some sort of bloodlust because they were chasing crundles all over the place and pulping them with their mace, while the rest of the squad was staying put at the station. Also, we got three plump helmet men while that happened, though one of them is pretty beat up after getting attacked by a dog D:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)Image 2: Cavern layer access, giant spider trap.


Image 3: Plump helmet men.


From chat:

Salvadaddy — 28.12.2023
I opened up the underground passage I made for traders for such a short time and yet somehow Urist McDumbass managed to run out, even after I turned on the burrow after already cancelling all jobs on the surface and forbidding literally everything

Salvadaddy — 29.12.2023
A troll wandered into our cavern area I'm building a wall around and was just vibing? It didn't attack anyone and it just sort of wandered off

Salvadaddy — 29.12.2023
A zombie butterfly man chitin in THE PIT got killed by a falling olm remains lmao

…
Salvadaddy — 31.12.2023
Plump helmet men. These dudes aren't visitors, unfortunately; they are wild
NOOOOOO A DOG ATTACKED ONE OF THEM

ElfyBean — 31.12.2023
:AHHHH:

Otto_K:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)Image 1: Magma minecart filling room


Image 2: Magma forging area


Bardumiseth, Fightquests
Year 103, GeeFin
Posted in Discord 02.01.2024

I started with a bunch of injuries to naked mole dog zombies in the middle of our fort. I took a looong time figuring out that hauling was disabled, but once I figured that out I removed the existing dumps and refuse stockpiles replacing them with a new autodumping spot.

The hole next to the minecart goes down to the lava, I replaced the SACRIFICE dump zone with this one which is 13 floors higher.

I swapped out the bookkeeper for a weaponsmith, the bookkeeper was in the militia so it wasn't getting done at all. I renamed nearly all the stockpiles so they're a bit easier to understand at a glance
A gremlin stopped by our fort in early spring but the doggo in the basement scared it off, this time...

I set up a new lava minecart station in the basement, just don't have both bridges open at the same time 🙂

The Chief Medical Dwarf was pissed off almost all year, constantly going into states of wandering around obliviously

I dug out some more in the main crafting area so I'd have more magma proof blocks/mechanisms. I set up new magma smelters and forges and removed the existing non-magma ones, I also made a nearby metalwork quantum stockpile.

I also set up an entryway "Blockade of Desperation" bridge in case we have someone who can bust down our doors

I replaced the stone stockpile with a stone quantum stockpile. I also made another food stockpile for food/beverage prep and changed the existing food stockpile into a finished food/drink stockpile
In late winter the gremlin came back to visit, but this time the dog kicked it's ass. Unfortunately, not much stays dead in Fightquests and a zombie gremlin was too much for cavern doggo.  He unlives on as zombie cavern doggo.

My year ended with the zombie doggo, I still have the doors locked off but we might want to do something to block that area. I don't know if zombie gremlins can open locked doors. We had three artifacts created year, the coffin has some interesting lore



Image 3, 4: Cavern dog VS gremlin


Image 5: Artefacts

Partneredjudged the Mountainous Coil, chalk crown.
Lastriddle the Confining Skirt, naked mole dog miniforge. This item was later stolen from the fort
And The Muddled Hope, hematite coffin, and the tale of the fall of Pickman.


Spoiler (click to show/hide)Image 6: Farming area additions

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