How I Tackled Dwarf Fortress' Most Evil Start

no one expected to call this frigid and terrifying Glacier a welcoming home but no one dreamed it'd be this inhospitable either one whiff of the Abominable Ash it rolls through is enough to corrupt anyone into an undead throw zobon and his crew can't burrow away from it because an evil Aura from The Necromancer they came to kill infest the ground and prevents anything from being built beneath the surface can they beat the abysmal odds to bring Justice to this land or are they doomed to unwillingly join the necromancer's Army in the battle against anyone that comes looking for them building beneath the ground is impossible but Dwarven picks can still carve stairs into the Frozen land stone is the only path to safety someplace like this with that waterproof walls to hold back salt water leaking out from the aquifer in the ground dwarves work to smooth the natural stone walls and mine not enough space at the bottom to help evaporate what leaks through wet sand above ground a stonecutter starts making blocks from Stone Boulders these are going to be used for so many building projects going forward that there's almost never going to be a time where they aren't being made each Boulder is good for four blocks blocks that are lighter and faster to build with and the dwarves start using them for both more workshops and for walls so many walls and yet not enough it's been two weeks since arriving but the first wave of abominable Ash arrives The Necromancer they came to kill sends this stuff sweeping out over the land every few weeks to stop outposts like so bombasek from ever becoming a threat everyone flees out of its path unless they become an undead thrall hell-bent on murdering their former companions though it just barely misses this time when they get back to work and immediately start building a bunker that they can hunker down in when the ash doesn't miss it needs a roof and a hatch over the underground path in to make sure it's airtight that should keep the ash out and the dwarf safe they then begin making needed culinary stations nearby though this layout is so compact that it makes even a dwarf feel claustrophobic but saving space is just too important it'll make Walling the entire Outpost off a lot easier walls alone can't hope to stop the ash but they will keep any enthralled Savage creatures from attacking and causing a deadly Chain Reaction the dwarves begin Brewing bilberries they burn ride out all this way into wine then cultivate the seeds they get from their booze making efforts despite this frigid ground the dwarves then build a smelter that turns the single piece of coke they brought and the plentiful coal down below into fuel for eventual weapons and armor Stone Cutters continue cutting blocks that allow them to build upwards with a ring of flooring so they can install external walls everything's going smoothly until it suddenly isn't miners didn't even breach the caverns from the deepest depths they followed a tetrahedra vein to its upper reaches dwarves and beasts of light can flip between diagonal Stones like this back home they'd build a wall to keep whatever's lurking in the caverns out but here any underground flying monster can swing up the mines and attack everyone on the surface whenever they want Dwarven boots will eventually need to sink down into that mud together wood and other Goods but that's a long ways off right now the opening just adds to the long list of threats more migrants arrive and their stories confirms oban's fears that this is a suicide mission these were political enemies of the same King that told zoban friends that they'd be heroes after conquering their frigid waste none have particularly useful skills but more hands cutting and installing stone are always appreciated another wave of Ash comes and though it again misses the outposts some passing elk aren't so lucky they are immediately corrupted by the undead Aura and enthralled to serve the Necromancer responsible they become opposed to life and will attack anything on site though these migrate Elsewhere on their hunt the dwarves put up walls and smelt iron bars for when they aren't so lucky no amount of armor will keep the ash out but it will help against converted creatures and eventually help them seek out the source but that's a long-term goal the dwarves only now make simple beds for proper dormitory four months after arriving the wood these beds are made from is a very precious resource since there aren't any trees on the glacier zobon was smart enough to Embark with plenty of logs but it's still a finite amount that will have to last until the dwarves can assemble a well-grid militia to Brave the caverns below right now there are only two soldiers and there's too much work to be done to actually allow the them to train a mechanic starts making rock mechanisms that really can't come soon enough no really giant elk thralls are right outside the base mechanisms are used to wire levers with a hatch no ladder stays barred shut unless someone pulls the lever to open it up these animals would spell trouble if the fields weren't walled off but zoban's planning and everyone's hard work keeps him safe so they can focus on the important things no times are tough their Spirits aren't suffering too badly which is good because of basic and cluttered dining hall is the last amenity they build before all future blocks start going towards blocking off the sky to protect everyone from the Ash and enthralled flying beasts the fact that Traders from the Homeland actually arrive surprises the occupants they had to cross the sea just to get here honestly they're probably just here on the king's orders to make sure it's Oban and the more recent Exiles actually came here instead of Flint the Diplomat is chased off by a giant enthralled elk while a merchant guard fights another off the actual Merchant to their credit does eventually settle into the trade Depot asking for too many Goods would be in admitting weakness directly to the King's Men so Saban only asked for the logs they're expected to need the merchant saw a few barrels of booze that'll be a nice change of pace from fruity wine an instrument and a couple crates of leather the outposts I'd hoped to be able to produce on their own before the terrifying reality of enthralled beasts made it clear that hunting is too risky to humor a bunch of rough gems that weren't being used for anything are a small price to pay for all of it more political Exiles start to arrive they're skilled in a couple more interesting professions that aren't really of use in the glacier but the extra labor is nice and some of them are going to be useful in an army that's going to be established soon their hands are needed to secure the Outpost by adding a roof to the three levels of walls now bringing the place that should keep the ash out although the walls alone are sufficient for the polar bear man that wander up they don't seem like they want to attack but their presence still spreads in unease amongst everyone both sides settle in for a tense standoff until one of the beastmen break the piece by stealing precious wine the soldiers take back by force the polar bears actually don't really fight back which almost makes forcing harsh blades to meet their lack of resistance somehow worse but letting them steal precious food stuff isn't an option here in the glacier it's actually been a while since Ash rolled through perhaps the heavier Snows of late Autumn and early winter stops it from roaming out as far it's unclear where the Necromancer actually responsible for it is hiding but the local Goblin areas are a good bet mostly small cities though a fortress of nearly 4 000 will be nearly impossible to rage without an army of hundreds of well-trained dwarves and War animals so bonbasek is not nearly as unbreachable but the roof finishes which at least means that the ash won't be able to get into the main compound and that huddling in the bunker won't be needed the farming area is still vulnerable for the moment though that won't be fixed until after the Outpost is filled out there are still a few people too happy to sit outside despite Burrows telling them to do otherwise when Ash finally does arrive why are they choosing to just stand there and wait for thrall them is this some kind of death cult no no they were just curious they run to safety at the last moment the ash rolls against the walls Rises up to cover the roofs but but hard zone holds it back and the dwarves are all safe some does flood the farm but it doesn't actually get anyone out there think the gods above that the walls were done in time any opening would have been the end of zobon basek and it barely finishes passing before morash arrives and rolls towards the Outpost too some people are still outside instead of huddling in their assigned Burrows God maybe this is some sort of partial enthrallment or maybe they're just following orders and are still assigned to an old burrow they shouldn't be definitely the first one Med top is the first dwarf to be enthralled stressed from living in this hellhole got to him and he might not be the only one everyone retreats to safety while medtop follows after them with a pick in hand he's desperate to spread his Newfound corruption the soldiers get into position to greet their former friend in the Farmland Ed the militia Commander runs straight past him zassit follows suit they're afraid they don't want to have to do it but their ones come second to The Outpost needs zassid is the first to approach but while he's hesitant to strike true the thrall is not in Dwarven strength Cleaves through the armor and cuts off a leg and one one fell blow it's too far away to save them but she's close enough to hear zacid Scream the militia Commander exits the hatch with her wretched bot at least zassid died and is it now an armed and armored thrall it takes a one-on-one fight and a mixture of adrenaline and skill feels a deadly swipe of his sword as she cuts down Med top The Outpost won't fall but two deaths so early on is worrying and moods are Grim almost all around that artsy metalworking is canceled it seems silly to a focus on statues When Death hangs in the air about them don't master smith instead makes sarcophagi rocks would suffice for this but ostracizai's Heroes deserve better a small section of the second story is converted to a place for humble but solemn private tombs it is still breathing but she did take a harsh blood for Med top and what is this world's first picked foot zubon steps up as chief medical officer and a doctor inside the bunker which now hosts a makeshift Hospital in tilde's Room on the Second Story the tombs are marked and filled with chopped off body parts and mutilated corpses as spring returns it's been a year and this is the most fitting way to Market The Outpost is safe from the ash itself but thralls can easily Mark kills moods are dire and there's so much to do to even start threatening The Necromancer that they all came here to kill dwarves build the first temples for the more commonly worshiped Gods but there's a big problem doctors need water to clean dwarves and sick dwarves can't drink booze but the aquifer here only carries salt water not fit for either task dwarves traditionally desalinate water with a screw pump but any water close enough to the surface for these screw pumps intake would freeze in this land that all means that anyone injured needs to recover before they die of dehydration at least until soldiers Brave the caverns to find any fresh water that might be down there coincidentally the miners find another way into the caverns soon after they want to help it a little bit too much it doesn't really hurt to have a second way in but the Army still isn't ready to go in and flying beasts now have two ways to access the Outpost there's already spider silk here and a bat or cave spider occasionally shows their face how long until it's a more threatening creature Toulon is one of the newer migrants so she came pregnant still what a terrifying land to have a baby in oh they named the baby bed top after the land's first victim Toulon didn't exactly see him willingly walk into the Ash and with more thralls always threatening his obamasek it's time for Aid to retire without a foot and with injuries so fresh that armor is better given to Toulon who just had a kid she's the only able-bodied dwarf with any soldiering experience hopefully for baby mid-top's sake that armor helps keep her safe Ash to the South isn't frightening on its own but more polar bear beastmen arrive at the same time a few are safe inside before the ash comes to zobombus exidor they're understandably peeves after wandering past their slaughtered kin but that does nothing to stop them from wandering Into the Depths to explore a couple more dwarves pick up some armor in case things turn violent but the beastmen are just curious the ash is gone but a few unhappy beastmen are still trapped inside while their enthralled friends fight outside the last ones didn't fight back so in order to quell a Potential Threat before can be won the soldiers step in to easily put them down or not too long goes down in an instant strangled by a polar bear before she could kill them the other dwarves don't have any experience but they take Revenge by killing the Beast and throughout beastmen beat each other senseless outside and more migrants arrive this may not be the best time not only does the fight continue for four days straight outside the front but more Ash rolls through fortunately the migrants Huddle in relative safety despite being locked outside until the path is a little bit safer the furnaces start to make iron into steel for what will eventually be armor strong enough to clear the caverns out below it takes a few more days for the thralls to leave and it's the necromancer's command to move on and not any actual damage they did to each other that gets them going that's terrifying the dwarves inside pull the lever to open up the hatchlit migrants can Scurry in and slit the polar bear beastman corpses can be taken out before they rot too much dwarves build a wall around the dump so they can access it without worrying about the Beast attacking it but dwarves are born from Ash and some are doomed to return there in the ex-malisha captain gets turned there's probably some ash lingering from the snow infecting her stump of an ankle but a couple other Soldiers with some gear come out to kill in a few nearby civilians decide to join in to try and put it down and they outnumber her seven to one that doesn't stop aid from punching the sword out of a soldier's hand another one comes up and slices in through the stomach intestines Trail but that doesn't stop them from murdering kavish for Doling out the blow with a brutal stomp to their face it's injured but the Killing Spree continues they can't even stand but four more die at their pale hands Aid crawls back to their foot and kills a fifth dwarf the nearby soap maker is so close to death that it can't even sense them but the damage is done look at all those injuries she sustained it is still able to fight still able to kill this Ash and its power to convert is far far more terrifying than anyone imagined one Undead thraw can easily kill the entire Outpost if they get in that's untenable and the Army puts in orders for weapons made to handle Undead that means no more bolts or crossbows in instead it's time for maces and warhammers which are really good for pulping Undead and actually killing them silver is a great medal for blunt weapons which will save steel for armor hopefully it's enough to avoid needing so many sarcophagi next time even venturing out beyond the walls and take bits of the dead bodies to bury seems untenable with IDs still out there waiting for her chance to attack everyone else the military asks for a place for their barracks on the third story to start training with their new weapons med-top the baby wasn't one of AIDS victims like her mother was and she's thirsty med-top has ample access to booze but no the baby needs her unfortunately departed mother to feed her and no one else until bonbassette can give them that and they aren't the only dehydrated dwarves some of the injured including two other children are dehydrated because they can only stomach water that just isn't there if they don't recover enough to handle booze soon dehydration will kill them too everyone comes together to resolve to never let this happen again no one is good with a Mason Hammer but that just means they need to start training now not having them building or hauling will hurt but not as much as Undead thralls can and have it still wanders by every once in a while hunting some wandering creature and reminding everyone of what happened above the soldiers trained to have any hope of killing her and any more dwarves she enthralls that doesn't mean they can save everyone though med-top dies from a lack of milk another child Falls shortly after without water the other injured dwarves follow suit in short order that brings it up to a total of 10 kills that's nearly half the entire Outpost gone to just one thrall bad moods are about to become rampant in an effort to Stave it off so Bonnet instructs everyone to begin installing the first private bedrooms on the third story more migrants come despite the hardships they approach from the Northwest which is fortunate because it is far to the southeast she doesn't even realize the migrants are there yet zoban tells everyone to start building another underground entrance a little bit closer to the migrants though it'll take a while before it's locked off and can be connected to the outside while that happens more migrants start to group up this is bad a cloud of Ash could arrive and enthrall all of them it alone almost Dooms will bombasek if everyone gets hit the chances of survival are not great it's far and the undead are slow the migrants should be able to beat her to the front zoban doesn't get the chance to decide that though because they refuse to risk their lives outside the walls any longer one wanders to the front and starts making some noise it starts coming before anyone can even pull the lever to open a path up she's a specter of death stumbling straight frizzic the migrants somehow know the front's open and comes streaming at The Outpost it's a deadly race but their Terror and willpower steers them through and the last one sneaks in while it is just Out Of Reach the dwarves inside close the hatch to keep her out though that doesn't stop it from literally standing on the hatch keeping everyone inside safe that's eight migrants in total and although none are good with weapons half of them are immediately recruited for the Army to start changing that Ash rolls through the Northwest the migrants came from a few days later it's a good thing they came when they did it continues standing Atop The Hatch out front until she suddenly clambers up the wall she starts trailing Ash everywhere as she stumbles at the taller wall the thrall makes her way towards the hatch into the farm which itself has access to the base someone heads for the lever to Bar it shut but not before zon wanders out to meet their fate they're turned into a thrall then join Aiden stumbling towards the base trailing Ash behind them on the way that farm is never going to be retaken even if these two are killed above the dwarves just barely bar the thrall's entrance before they get in the pair wanders up waits for a bit then starts fighting each other the enthralled child did what 10 dwarves including two soldiers couldn't and kills Aid with a punch man someone tell her that a villain killing another villain to establish themselves is that big bad threat is a really overdone cliche that brief fight absolutely wrecks on but with that Ash behind her and her Undead bodies still walking it's not a fight that anyone is looking to take at least the Outpost is safe for now though a new Farm has to go in and The Limited space left all that's left to contend with is a ghostly child that couldn't be buried a couple enthralled former pets and zon herself she says up the farm wait it may have been able to climb one story but there's no way a child could climb two right Autumn arrives which means a diplomat and trade Caravan should be coming soon but since the front is more than a little treacherous they may not actually arrive arrive Zahn is struck down by the Beast which doesn't really feel like an improvement Merchants arrive and start heading for the trade Depot and know the approach is safe the walls near The Outpost themselves are not enthralled oxen attack the guards put up a good fight but one of the merchants dies and Terror spreads everyone including the Diplomat police leaving a huge pile of the woods Obama SEC asked for and a bunch of food outside unfortunately there's Ash in that snows so going out to retrieve it is far too dangerous one of the merchants fights against an enthralled baby donkey in the corner and loses the ash lingers outside there is no rain to wash it off here which means that everything outside the walls will eventually be inhospitable and will cause all nearby Wildlife to become these dangerous thralls that hopelessness doesn't stop more migrants from arriving there's an enthralled donkey foul near the new north entrance though having to pause to avoid that saves them from a sudden gust of Ash that arrives between them and The Outpost mere moments later this is maybe too genuine a welcome to this land and it's enough to drive one to immediately throw themselves at the ash before turning back after some reconsideration at the last moment The Stranger wanders back over to the group they literally just ran a lap around the Outpost for a morning jog alright if they can do that they're ready for an actual path in stairs drag a thrall over who senses the Vitality within the Outpost proper but the hatches barred moments before they come that still leaves a migrant stuck outside the entrance after its opening drag them in a child rounds the corner gets jump scared by the donkey and flees a Chase ensues which okay it's horrible but the harsh realities of this land make a mockery of traditional morality they leave the child behind to surface of distraction as they head into the Outpost it's not like they can save him even if they wanted to interestingly the bits of Ash on the ground near the Traders don't enthrall anyone running over them perhaps it's safe to grab those but going for them seems greedy the food and wood will make for a nice emergency Reserve only grabbed if they're absolutely needed the new migrants bring the Outpost up to a population of 37 the highest it's ever been although everyone is still forced to huddle about inside the walls on the plus side the Armory is looking a lot better there are enough blunt silver and sharp Steel weapons for everyone plus about half the need a number of armor sets The Outpost even gets its first artifact after a dwarf makes it in a strange mood it's a wind instrument made entirely of coal well can't dive in throwing Ash if you die of lung cancer first enthralled beasts continue to convert each other then fight to the death outside the walls which at least stops the entire area from being filled up by them it's hard to believe zobon actually thought that hunting would be viable in these lands although no one told him about the Abominable Ash before he came time passes quickly as the army trains and everyone else builds more bedrooms makes armor or mines out needed Stone and ore that little adventure to the caverns might come sooner than expected though the newest opening is still a few levels off the ground but this is still another easy entrance for Flyers to get to the cavern itself is massive just peaks in already reveal over 60 levels twice as tall as the entire Outpost so far no one knows if anything will come through it or when it might but unrelated the tombs are expanded well that's not good there are plenty of prepared meals in storage but they only have bilberries to cook for the first time since arriving thanks to a steady trickle of butchered animals that came with migrants cooking bilberries is a last resort because that destroys the seeds needed to plant more the caverns do have some food that could be harvested but invading them would invite more trouble from bees that can't fly and thus can't get in right now on the other hand the soldiers have all been training pretty hard and they're now all competent with their weapons it's not perfect but they might actually be able to crush a thrall or slice off a Troll's head it'll be a lot better than the inept flailing the soldiers would have done without this training but there's no need to invade the caverns just yet it's still a last resort a more immediate problem is the ash no one can think of a way to get rid of a Dwarven engineer thinks that cleaning some of the beasts off using waterfalls and missed generators might let soldiers safely tempt and throw beasts over to kill them without risking braving the ash itself the surrounding area could even be made safe enough for merchants diplomats and maybe Hunters this is just one of the tunnels up and down that'll be used for what's in my sand unlike the smooth Stone drips water exposing more sand increases the rate at which water accumulates until some starts falling down the stairs and turns into mist upon hitting the ground that should shower the dust off of animals that pass by though more water is needed to get a constant flow more migrants arrive and oh wait no the giant out nearby is not a thrall the Ferocious baby llama chasing the huge elk however is the door in opens up and migrants Trail right by the pair of animals Ash greets the new migrants yet again and they're already having second thoughts about coming to this forsaken Place 24 new dwarves arrive in total though they weren't enemies of the king themselves they were in charge of businesses poised to give the king's close friends some Financial woes the farmers start to realize that the growing number of mouths to feed and general issues with food it gives them a lot of power in The Outpost farmer really only one person's planning right now zoban agrees to it but also orders his second Farm to go in to make sure that they're at least deserving the Guild Hall they want time passes quickly as soldiers gear and train up blocks are cut and eventually the dwarves pour out onto the roof to start constructing a fourth story to house that new Guild Hall it goes poorly from the start dwarves Bunch up on the stairs as the nearby donkey thrall lets out a terrifying Bray that sends everyone fleeing that means that the next level isn't going in until that thrall leaves and that won't happen until another animal runs them off they're covered in too much ashed risk fighting directly in better and relevant news the misting chamber designed to clean Ash off of any Invader so they can be safely fought is looking a lot better maybe that'll be tested on the donkey thraw before too long zoban timidly orders an expansion towards the surface of the South though it's far enough away that the donkey doesn't notice the mister will get tested in the future and instead everyone safely walls the area off then puts a trade Depot inside what will hopefully be a small Safe Haven diplomats and Traders should be able to stay here it'll be protected by a Mr and lockable doors or hatches on either side in an Ideal World there would be a way to kill anything in either airlock but that's not possible without building anything underground or using a lot of extra building materials to hold the airlocks in the sky peaceful building is again interrupted This Time by someone deciding to jump off of the roof and out of their burrow to attack a thrall which ends about as poorly as expected why did he migrants arrive to replace the suicidal dwarf but the thrall remains between them and anyway into the Outpost it forces them to huddle near a bunch of Ash that means they probably can't sit around waiting for a good time to run in like previous waves have the dwarves inside Rush a pair of stairs in while the new migrants Bunch up right up until a pet goat is enthralled by some of that Ash buried in the snow it'd be easy and safe to hide inside and let this whole pack of migrants die but no it's time to ride out these new stairs and test the soldiers training and new armor they engage The Goat in exchange below low after blow but without too much Ash they stay dwarves and eventually slay the Beast and with the day saved everyone heads inside with a huge smile on their face wait no some kids insist on playing out in the Asheville snow while thralls dance off to their side Ash sweeps by then more thralls attack the kids soldiers charge them and know the fight's longer this time their Armory still protects them while they trade blows until they cave the enthralled beasts skull in while these stupid kids keep playing make believe right next to where the Army has been saving them for two weeks now it takes another few days for them to finally decide to stop playing and head inside the safe base at least the hash closes and work can resume on the trade Depot without worrying about other creatures getting inside miners add a long ramp to descend back into the ground space for an airlock there and an Ascent back upwards towards the surface they build drainage beneath the airlock and the unsmooth stone on either side drips enough water in to miss it all very nicely that doesn't stop an enthralled polar bear Beast woman from stealing oh good it's just the pile that the dead Merchant dropped last year it's totally fine for them to take that if it means they don't bother The Outpost proper that fresh threat is a good reminder to always be expanding the roster of soldiers and crossbow squads begin learning essentially from scratch their bolts are next to useless against Undead thralls but they will be useful against Goblin sieges or beasts in the caverns they need time and a place to train up to be useful and with plenty of people free buildings begin ascending to the fourth story once again a plethora of free hands makes for fast work save for when fresh Ash rolls in and forces them back below for a little while it barely misses workers pour back up and finish the extra level to install an archery range just as Autumn arrives the new double Mister entrance isn't ready for the impending Diplomat and Trader yet miners give it more drainage then begin building a ramp back up to the surface a wall at the back and a bridge at the front will let Caravans and and hopefully keep both beasts and Ash out the Mysteries himself still haven't been tested on any Ashland thralls but a Wandering cat got washed so it should work the visitors arrive though that old Depot still needs to be deconstructed so to go to the new and much safer one the Army pours out to help defend the opening and it all seems to work out pretty well zobon asked for wood to avoid going through the ash covered logs outside the base or Caverns themselves in turn the Diplomat informs him about a bunch of outposts that were put on the near shore of the continent they came from perhaps they're just natural expansions perhaps they're there to mount a larger offensive if zoban pesek falls the merchants head past the bridge and into the depot proper as dwarves work to link a lever to the bridge and rooftop hatch though the merchant only brought unneeded food to begin with it'll be good for variety but not much else the engineer doesn't finish installing the mechanisms that will actually close the gate up before a giant polar bear thrall nears dwarves watch through the gaps in their fingers as they hope it won't get closer closer closer oh no Undead or trouble enough but giant Undead creatures are incredibly hard to kill having to pulp or sever something that's so thick and Meaty is just really difficult and they dish out so much damage Brave Dwarven soldiers descend upon the Beast they Dodge and block blows while dealing at their own damage but the beast trudges on and on it knocks an early kill more soldiers surround it to avenge their fallen sister but all they can do is force the polar bear back they hit so often but do so little meaningful damage it kills the civilian and another Soldier before the surviving Seven Soldiers surrounded in the drainage tunnel the Beast kills a third Soldier before it finally goes down to Dwarven Metal and metal losing three out of nine soldiers is not good but it's far better than the Outpost would have fared before Feb the mace dwarf is the hero that struck the killing blow and she has no pants on or shoes good God the Army isn't putting on the massive steel armor waiting for them could any of those three dead soldiers have been saved oh no Feb is injured which means she once water that no one can give her her leg even needs an equally impossible cleaning the hero's only hope is recovering before it's all too much of an issue the larger Army asks for more space on the fourth story to resume training and it's an easy give after their recent success with most of the enthralled beasts on the surface dead it's safe to go out and recover some bodies for the first time putting the dead duress takes a lot of space but a proper tomb is the least the dwarves here can offer each other even if the growing number means that each one gets less and less room oh no oh no no the hero Feb might be counted as a fishery worker now but she was a May storm that saved the colony just recently and now she's dead from dehydration the dwarves come together to resolve to stop letting this happen to the heroes that save the city that Cavern is getting breached for its precious water soon migrants arrive and coming through the trade Depot's hatch which still has a washer between them and The Outpost proper to keep any Ash out they push the city up above 80 dwarves for the first time prompting a goblin Scout to report back to their Homeland and begin preparing to lay out few sieges though the population drops back down almost immediately after when a thrall attacks new migrants and kills two before the soldiers arrive to help oh God a child even made an artifact about a friend of theirs that died from dehydration all right that's too much the dwarves immediately begin tunneling out into the cavern while some pick up woodcutting axes for the first time since settling here almost three entire years ago they and soldiers descend into the caverns to make logs far far more plentiful which is good because the stocks are almost empty water will necessitate going even further into the cavern it stretches on so deep that they can't even see the bottom through the faint fog the soldiers descend deeper down until they can just barely make out the water in the depths of the almost 100 layer thick Cavern who knows what Horrors lay down that far but with the horror of certain impending dehydration above miners start working on a long long staircase down while soldiers head back up for a bit of a break before they Brave the deepest depths of the caverns civilians will aim to haul wood up and fill out a stockpile that's more than enough to make beds for everyone for a while to come the long staircase to the depths grows longer still until they reach deep enough to breach the cavern proper there's a ton of water here too much actually it floods the lower level though the upper levels can still be used to safely access this the rest of the caverns don't have any monsters in sight though it's hard to imagine that they're free of them entirely hopefully that c stops anything from approaching The Outpost free hands and plentiful rock blocks make for quick work as dwarves build two new stories right up until some of them throw themselves off the roof crash into the Abominable Ash Atop The Old Farm and become thralls it prompts panic and more join them over the edge as the thrall start brawling it stops a building project by terrifying anyone that comes near like the donkey did before which stops them from putting a wall in to stop more people from throwing themselves over the edge eventually seven die out and only one very injured thrall is left to stand there menacingly new migrants arrive to replace them though opening the hatch immediately draws the ash thrall into waiting soldiers ID the first Dwarven astral killed 10 good dwarves but with Steel weapons armor and training this one doesn't even put a scratch on anyone that means the hospital's new water source isn't getting tested but that's a good thing for all the dwarves who's Obama to say unfortunately the troubles don't end there there's a new it this one's a Mark's dwarf and they head off to fight an enthralled cap and immediately fall to the ash themselves the two throws continue fighting but their fight drags over towards the entrance which in turn causes migrant after migrant to join the chaotic bloodbath it's armor and the crossbow they wield like a bludgeon let them come out on top in this brawl previous thralls were unarmored crushing an undead skull and is a lot harder when it's protected by fine steel the other soldiers gather close and decide what to do do they even have a chance of killing them is obamasek Dooms The Outpost turns frustration and Desperation into action dwarves build upwards and try to make soap Ash sweeps in to interrupt everyone on the top two stories then more Ash comes by but for the first storm is even through soap doesn't fare any better the LIE needed to make it immediately free freezes in The Frigid cold the dwarves don't have anything they're pressed into oil to use as an alternative which means that soap to clean soldiers wounds is still a pipe dream that's doubly bad with armored Dwarven thralls hunting for blood outside those unkillable juggernauts are still brawling six weeks later the dwarves inside finally finished Roofing off the sixth story to make room for bedrooms temples and Guild Halls which may never come to fruition the hatch into the base is open a vengeful ghosts of The Departed flipped the lever in order to guarantee that they'd have more friends in the afterlife a couple of the thralls who have stood up to each other for months without dying breach the walls in seconds more still including both armored thralls are in the tunnel beneath the civilians can't even try to retreat to the third story because someone needs to Brave the undead and pull the lever to keep more from flooding in a few civilians caught at the breach immediately start dropping but the military gets there and holds their ground pretty well it's enough to buy time for civilian to come pull the lever without the thralls penetrating deeper into the Outpost but 15 civilians drop in practically the blink of an eye instead if some die but most are converted to add to the enemies the Army faces and bad B gets worse the civilians can't reach the lever they get close and either flee and Terror or charge the enemy like Brave fools the soldiers themselves are drawn into the tunnel to fight the growing Army of thralls and they do a really good job they refuse to die and instead are only very slowly converted while each one does that kill after kill after kill the army of thrall shrinks faster than the army of zobomba set but more civilians join in and the population starts taking a nosedive there are so many thralls down here their numbers are always replenishing cattle the militia captain and Asin the legendary axlord stand practically alone back to back fighting the Abomination swarming around them they kill so many with their own brutal blows that their weapon handling skills are legendary they thin the enemies out until the asteroids themselves are outnumbered by both mangled corpses and live dwarves but the ones that are left are heavily armored strong and skilled cattle dies Cyril dies the legendary ax dwarf Aston Falls soon after how oh God only one armadrawal fell and it wasn't even one of the live dwarves it was infighting in the midst of the brawl that caused the Broken Skull the armored thralls are too much too hard to kill above someone actually manages to pull the lever but only seven dwarves are left inside so bombaset that's almost 80 dwarves gone either enthralled or killed them below there's no shortage of corpses above either but everyone's totally safe here someone's even ecstatic he elected himself mayor and is just loving life funny stuff funny stuff so anyways uh dwarf wanders over to the enthralled corpse is a form of reef-driven suicide gets converted themselves and kills someone else in front of the still joyous mayor who themselves dies moments later all that's left is obamac's legacy is a passed out injured farmer a baby fittingly laying on a tomb a woman who elected herself mayor in her sleep and her child they can keep resting it's better than facing the undead that come while they're awake that's Obama set gone and the story done here if you've watched to the end thank you so much if you like this video and want to see see more challenges and stories for me subscribe to the channel and give the video a like it's super helpful for smaller channels like mine I already have a few ideas for challenges going forward but if you have any you'd like me to try out let me know down in the comments

Channel: Just Don't Die

Views: 227,035

Keywords: Dwarf Fortress, Dwarf Fortress Ice, Dwarf Fortress Glacier, Dwarf Fortress Above Ground, Above Ground, Dwarf Fortress Ash, Dwarf Fortress Story

Id: eeAGe_s7YN4

Length: 34min 59sec (2099 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 25 2023