We had gathered around the workshop, waiting to see what the fledgling ranger, and loving father of 8 (eight!) would do. Nil had attracted the rapt attention of a few of us after the trade caravan had left, when, while out on the hunt for wombats, he suddenly dropped his crossbow and his countenance took on an unworldly aspect. Nil had rushed back into the fortress of Copperflag and without a moment's hesitation, expelled the tenant craftdwarf at the workshop where he was absent-mindedly producing pots.
Nil's face glistened with perspiration, his eyes glazed and vacant, as he surveyed his surroundings. We knew immediately what this was, and what he must be thinking: this is the place where he would produce his masterpiece. His life's work.

"In the Fortress News today, bad luck and bad timing claimed the lives of two citizens of the fort.

Having been alarmed to an incoming goblin siege, the fortress denizens were told to report to their designated 'lever pulling stations' to raise the access drawbridges. At that moment, one of the semi-wild emus that had been caught that season and were being bred for eggs reverted to a wild state and started running about in a panic, knocking dwarves over and generally disrupting many jobs, including those of the lever-pullers. The military was not prepared in time to save the two
citizens whose names are currently being withheld, pending an investigation.

The nobility is calling the incident an embarrassment and have ordered the stray emu chained and executed for willful sedition, sabotage, and accessory to dwarfslaughter."

Logem and Sigun stood on either side of Erith, their militia captain. Sigun Earthenfountain took a long draw from his carved fungiwood pipe, causing the bowl to faintly glow a dull red in the dim cavern. He gripped his steel warhammer, a masterwork of craftdwarfship, created by their own legendary weaponsmith, Koe Degelostar. Most of the rest of Sigun's squad were grabbing equipment or hadn't arrived yet. They were the closest ones ready for battle when the alarm was sounded. A couple of marksdwarves were stationed at the fortifications behind them at that place, the deepest safeguard of the colony of Craftflame. Two tiers of battlements rose into the high chamber, meant to defend against the strange things that were reportedly seen dwelling in the great magma sea during the excavation of the adamantine vein. But they were not prepared for this. These were not magma crabs or fire imps, but something from much deeper. Demons, surging up from Hell itself, eager to exploit the passage into the world above that the colony's mining efforts had unwittingly created.

A hysterical ore hauler had managed to make it out and raise the alarm. Two miners were unaccounted for, as well as Domas, one of the miner's young children, who had been allowed to watch his father work at the excavation. It did not bear thinking of what fate had become of them.

Vildang and his wife started out early that morning as they did every morning -- before the first break of light. His reptilian prey would be slowed by the frigid night mountain air. As his wife went to her duties in the field, picking berries kissed by morning dew, Vildang stole away into the cliffs and peaks of the steamy vale to track his game. Approaching a den of asps, a less experienced pursuer would have loosed a stack of quarrels at the serpents only to run off with one or two when the others "held their ground." Vildang has deep roots in ranging though, his ancestors were hunters long before the fall of the age of myth and will the recent birth of his first and only son, they will be for years to come. His hand obediently steady as it drew the blade, his pace even and unchanged from his typical stalking, he approached the snakes to severe and collect the heads, and allowed the tails to twitch out before placing them in his bag.

As Vildang past through the gates the first sun was rising and the third shift of guards were wearily on their way to the barracks. He dropped the heads off at the toxicologist and made his way to the back yards where the butcher was grumbling out of his quarters. Vildang dropped his snakes on the butchers block and turned to go out for a second hunt. The predators would be awake now, the snakes were just to get his mindset. Now was time for a challenge.

‘Daggerhatred. Its very name struck pride into the hearts of many dwarfs who’ve heard it whispered among the hushed gossip back at the Mountainhomes. It was a proud and mighty fortress; towers of 50 feet high made of glimmering metal mined by the best miners within the realm. A massive fortress with untold riches awaiting any desperate kobold that would dare try to steal from the mighty dwarves of Daggerhatred. For they were the be… -‘, ‘Hauld oan, hauld ye horses! Wot vile naf ar ye feedin' me boy?’

The human trader was taken aback by the abrupt lack of trust from the dwarf, ‘I’m telling you how it was. Look if you don’t want to listen I got other things to be doing, like selling my stock to customers who actually want to buy!’

The dwarf let out a rapturous laugh. ‘Calm yer knickers. Nae 'at Ah hink yer haverin me oan', but ye meint hae it mixed up wi' daggerscorn which isnae tay far fom daggerhatred.’

The trader was about to raise his voice when he saw the gaggle of dwarves
further ahead looking on with their beady eyes. Potential customers he thought, best be careful here.

     Just to start, this is not a vanilla DF story. I slightly modded my game in the creature raw files so more creatures can be tamed/domesticated. So on with the story. I embarked on a river in a forest in the untamed wilds. And swiftly dug down and made a farm and pasture for my animals hopeing that the cobra people won't bother them or my dwarves. After a while I discovered that I liked to capture various creatures and use them for defense but still have a backup military incase s*** hits the fan. After a while as my fortress grew into a county, a Minotaur came and swiftly got caught in one of my many cage traps. And brought deep down into the animal room. And immediately trained and left to wander the fortress. After a while he seemed to get along well with my troglodyte family that had already been a member the fort for many years. Still he seemed lonely even with the conversations with the other human and dwarven traders he still seemed to not converse that much. However after a few years luck would have it another Minotaur arrived but, this one was female who was swiftly captured as things normally go in the guild of tiredness. She was immediately introduced to the colony and coincidently was trained by the same trainer that trained the previous Minotaur. The Minotaurs hit it off very well and had a daughter after a while who was the first tamed Minotaur of the fort. Shortly after the birth the female Minotaur and male got along so well that they got married. Ever since then they have been inseparable slaughtering hoards of goblins while the dwarves are taking care of their daughter with more to come. Now if only I could make them work, craft, and haul. Meanwhile deep down in the breeding pits other creatures are being domesticated hydras, rocs, and maybe one day dragons.Those goblins had better fear the debts because the dwarves control it.