Line #34 LetsPlay/TheMuseum


1	->''"[[TemptingFate So we've started this with the idea to fill the museum with wonderful artefacts, items and happy visitors. A place where young and old can marvel at the wonders of the world. An educational experience for the kids, a place you can visit with the entire family.]] We are currently three turns in, [[PaintTheTownRed and the main hall is coated in blood, intestines and random corpses.]] There's a huge pile of 3000 items [[CreepySouvenir made of human body parts in a corner]] and the remaining members of the staff of the museum are, as I type this, being slowly choked to death by one of our adventurers.''
2
3	->''"At least we're doing this in the true spirit of Dwarf Fortress. Armok will be proud of us."''\
4	-- '''Bralbaard, creator of the Museum'''
5
6	''[[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=175875.0 The Museum]]'' is a ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' SuccessionGame, hosted on the Bay 12 Forums and first launched by Bralbaard in 2014. Unlike the vast majority of succession games, The Museum is played entirely in DF's adventurer mode. The players create a character and then proceed to explore the world, creating a story as they seek to find an item to submit to the eponymous Museum.
7
8	The game has gone through three incarnations:
9
10	[[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=104399.msg3086617#msg3086617 The Museum I]], which took place in DF 34.11 and ran for 78 turns before it finished in 2014.
11
12	The short-lived sequel, [[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=143382.0 The Museum II]], which began in 2014 and finished in 2015.
13
14	The third instalment, [[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=175875.msg8103938#msg8103938 The Museum III]], which began in 2020 and is presently active.
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18	----
19	!!Tropes applying to all three Museums:
20
21	* AnyoneCanDie: Adventuring is hardly a safe profession and PC deaths are a common occurrence during turns.
22	* ApocalypticLog: Most adventurers who die before reaching the Museum have their tales told in this format, with an oft-unnamed reader perusing their diaries or similar records.
23	* ArmorOfInvincibility: Adamantine armour, on the rare occasions an adventurer gets their hands on it.
24	* BadassNormal: Many adventurers become this over the course of their story... assuming they [[AnyoneCanDie don't die first]]. Or become an EmpoweredBadassNormal, whether by accident or design.
25	* BodyCountCompetition:
26	** For Museum I, the crown goes to the Museum's MemeticBadass, Dishmab Northmanor the Mute Saffron Soot at 1140 total (notable and other) kills, followed by Kosoth Griffonblaze the Shaken Galleys at 930 kills and Aco Knitadmire the Sly Rhymes of Glee at 613.
27	** Museum III took this up to eleven in epic fashion; after several in-game decades of Urus Ghostumbral the Cold Abbey of Knowing holding the record at 1141 kills (besting Dishmab's record by the skin of his teeth), it was veritably ''obliterated'' as Avolition Holyblood the Autumnal Kingdoms and Moldath Mournsaints reached a kill count of '''[[SerialEscalation 9029]]''' and [[SerialEscalation 4147 respectively, over the course of two or three turns]] [[note]]It should be noted that due to the changes to the [[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=175875.msg8243161#msg8243161 unofficial in-thread system]] used to record the actions of adventurers, this excludes most non-notable kills; with them, it is likely to be even higher.[[/note]]
28	* BreatherEpisode: In between the short tragedies and grand adventures, a few of these can be found - such as the adventure of Maloy Craftsoars, in which a [[BeastMan Wolf Man]] and his pet dog ([[ItMakesSenseInContext and a possibly-sentient ear]]) explore the world.
29	* DownerEnding:
30	** [[spoiler: Nine Shovelmurders]] dies a pointless, brutal death [[DyingAlone in the middle of nowhere]] at the hands of several bandits.
31	** [[spoiler: Imic Heatherwind]] is brutally murdered by a pair of goblins that he accidentally stumbles across, only a day or two after suffering severe [[TheseHandsHaveKilled emotional trauma from killing a human in self-defence]].
32	** [[spoiler: Tipi Fatewalks']] dreams of becoming a travelling entertainer ultimately come to nothing, as [[spoiler: a [[TheUndead Husk]] rips her to shreds in the ruins of an isolated, abandoned fortress.]]
33	** [[spoiler: Amala Fragrantshaft [[AmbiguousSituation either kills her sister or indirectly causes her death]]]] due to an EvilWeapon's influence, then [[DrivenToSuicide jumps to her death from a mountain peak out of guilt]] after entombing her body.
34	* DroppedABridgeOnHim:
35	** [[spoiler: Nine Shovelmurders]] was built up to have a long and rather impressive storyline (arguably the first "proper" one of the Museum as a whole, in terms of length and detail), only to be ambushed and unceremoniously killed by a group of wandering bandits that are implied to have [[spoiler: been sent by Logic Legendfinder.]]
36	** A very literal example in the case of [[spoiler: [[SquashedFlat Yufluggus Cavernslides]]]], who accidentally triggered a drawbridge to fall on him.
37	* DueToTheDead: The Tomb of Heroes and Herograves were both founded on this principle, as a place where dead adventurers could be buried rather than left to rot in the wilderness or be resurrected by {{Necromancer}}s.
38	* EldritchLocation: Multiple fortresses were rendered inaccessible by FPS issues or bugs with the save; these are explained InUniverse as becoming these, with the paths to the fortress looping back on themselves no matter how far an adventurer walks, or time slowing to a crawl whenever someone tries to approach the settlement until they turn back.
39	* TheExile: Whether as punishment or voluntarily, several adventurers are effectively barred from their homelands.
40	* GhostCity: The larger abandoned player-made fortresses often come off as this, prior to some unlucky adventurer or reclaim party running into whatever doomed the fortress (such as forgotten beasts, goblin invaders, or angry ghosts).
41	* {{Gorn}}: One of the exhibits in the first Museum consists of 31494 items made of human body parts, all stacked into a pile. Several exhibits in the third are little more than massive piles of corpses and body parts.
42	* IHaveManyNames: Although somewhat rare, a few adventurers assume multiple identities over the course of their games, with this as the result.
43	* ImprobableWeaponUser:
44	** Iden Bloodinked [[spoiler: struck down a [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Charcoal Brute]] with a wooden crutch before dying of fatal wounds it inflicted on him.]]
45	** Avolition Holyblood slew more than 2385 goblins, undead, and other assorted monsters with [[ThrowTheBookAtThem a tube agate book]], ''[[IronicName Common Sense Goblins]]''.
46	** [[BadassNormal Eko Tiredlegend]] beat two adventurers to death with a donkey leather shoe.
47	* LeftHanging: Sometimes happens when a player posts some of their turn's story but doesn't finish writing it up, or when a multi-turn StoryArc's author drops out of the turn list. The Historians' Guild was created with the intent to try and [[SubvertedTrope subvert]] this by allowing players to look through legends mode, then write up their interpretation of the turn from a historian's point of view.
48	* MasterOfOneMagic: A rare few adventurers accumulate massive amounts of knowledge related to necromantic magic over the course of their turns, becoming this in doing so. This is also the ultimate goal of Moldath Mournsaints in Museum III - to learn all the forms of necromantic magic in the world.
49	* MuseumOfTheStrangeAndUnusual: The eponymous Museum; since there are no real restrictions on what can be submitted (or where they need to be put), exhibits range from the corpses of titanic beasts and priceless articles of jewellery to bags of [[OurZombiesAreDifferent husk]]-creating dust and collections of dice. Overlaps with MishmashMuseum, as the vast majority of the exhibits are located in one area with little regard for categories.
50	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast:
51	** Applies to fortress names in spades, such as the fortresses of [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Deathtraps]], Northmanor the Unholy Cathedral, and Northevil.
52	** For adventurers (without considering titles), we have Nine Shovelmurders, Iden Bloodinked, Abhaar Lungdespair, Arcturus Cinderfang, Moldath Mournsaints...
53	* OneManArmy: Most of the adventurers with [[BodyCountCompetition particularly high kill counts]] are this by default. Kosoth Griffonblaze's combat skills BrokeTheRatingScale. (To wit: DF's skills are functionally capped at a value of Legendary+5. Kosoth's melee combat skill alone was Legendary '''+548''', with all but one of his other known skills similarly breaking the cap).
54	* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: Many new adventurers end up meeting retired ones during their travels. Whether or not they walk away, however...
55	* RedBaron: Frequently acquired (both in and out of universe) long-lasting or unique adventurers, such as [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Dishmab]] [[OneManArmy Northmanor]] [[NighInvulnerable the Twice-Husked]]/[[HeroKiller the Lord of Death]], [[TheUndead Moldath]] [[MasterOfOneMagic Mournsaints]] [[HandicappedBadass the Blind]] {{Sadist}}, [[BearsAreBadNews Arcturus "Apocalypse Bear" Cinderfang]], and [[MonsterProgenitor Hannibal "the Ghoulfather" Valleyball]].
56	* SuperhumanTransfusion: Both the first and third Museums have large stocks of vampire blood, which a number of adventurers drank from to become vampires and gain power.
57	* ToHellAndBack: Multiple times, by multiple different adventurers. Almost all of them submitted trophies from the down below to the Museum, ranging from adamantine weaponry to the partial or whole corpses of clowns.
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59	----
60	!!Tropes applying to the first Museum game:
61
62	* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=104399.msg5317071#msg5317071 Dishmab]], having defeated everything that The Portentous Domain could throw at him, is elevated to godhood by [[TopGod Armok]] in recognition of his power and deeds. [[note]]The out-of-universe reason was that Dishmab essentially disappeared (possibly due to a bug) at some point, rendering it impossible to find him in-game. Since he was easily one of the most powerful adventurers in all of The Museum's continuities and had a reputation as an unofficial MemeticBadass among the Museum's players, this was written in as an explanation for him vanishing.[[/note]]
63	* BabyAsPayment: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] Nine Shovelmurders was sold by her mother to pay her debts, but she was sold once breeched (~2-8 human years of age) rather than as a baby.
64	* CouldntFindAPen: [[spoiler: Istrul Tababehal]] writes his last diary entry in his own blood as he [[spoiler: lies dying from a Kobold ambush.]]
65	* CultureClash: [[MeaningfulName Nine Shovelmurders]] left the elven civilization over this - due to being [[RaisedByRival raised by dwarves from an early age]], her values were deeply different to the those of the typical elf, resulting in her [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere walking out in disgust]] when given the choice between immediate exile or [[SapientEatSapient eating meat cut from their kills in battle]].
66	* EnslavedElves: Played with. The western human kingdoms are noted to possess elven slaves and their time as a powerful race is generally considered past, but at least one independent nation of elves exists.
67	* EscalatingBrawl: [[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=104399.msg4174369#msg4174369 The Crisis at the Adventurer Home]], overlapping with MeleeATrois. Four to five previous adventurers (three of which were undead), ten random human soldiers (believed by players to be the companions of the retired adventurers), five to ten random civilians, and a number of zombies, all crammed into a single building. Cue absolute and immediate mayhem as the undead adventurers (being automatically hostile to the living) began to fight everyone else in sight.
68	* TheExile: Nine Shovelmurders chose exile over joining in with the elves' SapientEatSapient practices.
69	* HeritageDisconnect: Nine Shovelmurders is an elf raised by enslaved dwarves in a human civilization's mines, with this as the result. She notes that the elves' morality tales come off as inane, expresses discomfort at sleeping outside rather than underground or in a building, and is revolted by the elves' SapientEatSapient practices.
70	* KnightTemplar: Istrul Tababehal, self-described Inquisitor and ReligiousBruiser who actively hunts down anything he considers "unclean" (vampires, werebeasts [[WouldHurtAChild of all ages]], [[FantasticRacism non-humans...]])
71	* LethalJokeCharacter: Despite being physically frail, extremely weak, and overall [[ButtMonkey Butt Monkeys]], kobolds still managed to kill off several adventurers during ambushes by lucky hits and weight of numbers.
72	* MistakenForUndead: Logic Legendfinder (the first adventurer of the first Museum) was accused of being a vampire and left his hometown to escape [[TorchesAndPitchforks a brewing mob]].
73	* ResurrectiveImmortality: [[ButtMonkey Sluguflonkus the kobold]], who kept returning to life whenever the adventurers of the Museum killed her. By the time the game ended, she had been killed six times, with at least one of her corpses [[DeadGuyOnDisplay displayed as a Museum exhibit]].
74	* TooDumbToLive: One of Logic Legendfinder's companions thought it was a good idea to [[spoiler: jump in front of a dragon without a shield.]] [[KillItWithFire It was not.]]
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76	----
77	!!Tropes applying to the third Museum game:
78	* AbortedArc: [[spoiler: Arcturus Cinderfang]] died of old age some time after his player was bumped down the turn list due to scheduling issues, resulting in a multi-turn arc about his quest [[spoiler: for vengeance on the elves over his and his people's enslavement]] being cut short.
79	* TheAhab: Prince Jeha Sanaquemer of The Nations of Honouring goes after the female giant grizzly bear Weatheredroof [[RuleOfThree three times]], failing to kill her each time. He brands her an enemy of his civilization for having the temerity to survive him (and possibly even names her). Like the TropeNamer, this eventually leads to his doom when [[FourIsDeath she slays him on his fourth attempt]], followed by Weatheredroof’s peaceful death after a long life.
80	* AlwaysChaoticEvil:
81	** Shockingly subverted in the case of the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Charcoal Brutes]] that settled in the town of Incenseorder, who are capable of peaceful co-existence with humans and even diplomacy despite their usual hostility.
82	** Averted in the case of Dreamypuzzled the Eternal, who is every bit as evil as you might expect of a [[DemonicPossession Demon-possessed]] goblin.
83	* ArtifactOfDoom: Necromancer slabs are shown to try and entice adventurers into reading them, almost invariably leading to some kind of disaster.
84	* AllThereInTheManual:
85	** The Dwarf Fortress Legends Wiki is a mild, but rapidly growing case of this, with detailed information on numerous background characters and supplementary articles related to the various history-shaping events of Orid Xem. It even obliquely references this trope with the concept of [[https://dflegends.fandom.com/wiki/Orid_Xem#Supersources Supersources]], which are described as being chronicles of all that has ever happened in the world of Orid Xem.
86	** Inverted with The Great Black Tome of Everything (better known as Legends Mode), which was mysteriously wiped out, intentionally or not. [[note]]out-of-universe, Bralbaard generated the world with "Hidden History", forcing players to discover the past by adventuring and searching clues, which only then appear in Legends Mode. [[/note]]
87	* AxCrazy:
88	** Raki Umberclan the Bulbous' marble count was roughly in the negatives for almost the whole of his turns, which saw him siring [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent Weremammoths]] all over the place and writing unhinged rants about his intent to kill those responsible for decimating the megabeasts of the world.
89	** Moldath Mournsaints. Sometimes he'll kill a whole warband, [[HunterOfMonsters sometimes he'll kill megabeasts]], sometimes he'll kill [[LastOfHisKind the last living roc]], [[BadBoss sometimes he'll kill allies as collateral damage, sometimes he'll kill his own worshipers]], sometimes he'll kill undead... and sometimes he'll just raise undead [[ItAmusedMe because he feels like it]].
90	** Kosoth Salvesank becomes this as [[spoiler: the interaction between the Obin Blight and the FantasticDrug controlling him gradually degrades his faculties.]] By the time [[spoiler: he finally succumbs to its effects]], he’s reduced to alternating between [[EmptyShell blankly standing around]] and rabidly attacking anything that gets in his path.
91	** Lonelythrall has a moment of this when killing his first megabeast, briefly flying into an [[UnstoppableRage bloodlust-driven frenzy]] and PummelingTheCorpse of the roc into bloody shreds.
92	* BadassArmy: Most of Ironwards’ military was very well-trained, taking on multiple sieges and returning them [[CurbStompBattle with interest]]. A few even reached hundreds of kills and gained adamantine gear, both feats usually reserved for adventurers.
93	* BadassCrew: The Band of Wax start out as a group of [[HunterOfMonsters Thrall-slaying roughnecks]] in service to a local Lord, and they only get more badass as their story goes on - [[spoiler: they clear out much of the Thrall population of Omon Obin, and ultimately overthrow [[TheGovernment the corrupt leadership]] before being installed in their place.]]
94	* BadassNormal: Prince Jeha Sanaquemer of The Nations of Honoring, who became a beast hunter at the tender age of '''eight''' and fought several night creatures (slaying at least two) before his death.
95	* BearsAreBadNews:
96	** Well, bear ''people'' are, as Arcturus Cinderfang's rampage through the elven lands (which killed fully a third of the elves ''in the world'') can certainly attest.
97	** Cherishedfame was this for the misfortunate adventurer [[spoiler: Urdim Brassletters]]. Somewhat downplayed, in that this was Cherishedfame's sole kill before it died of old age.
98	* BerserkButton:
99	** If you're a worshipper of [[HealerGod Otu Lovelycherished]], ''do not'' have anything to do with {{necromancy}}. [[spoiler: Urus found this out the hard way.]]
100	** Elves are this for Arcturus Cinderfang after he uncovers their enslavement of his kind, and it only gets worse after [[spoiler: spending several years enslaved following his capture in battle]].
101	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Kosoth Salvesank’s ‘treatment’ after being wounded by involves the use of a [[FantasticDrug strange potion]], which results in him [[spoiler: becoming a mindlessly obedient puppet to Ketas Indigovaulted.]]
102	* CulturalRebel: Athama Stalkhandled (an elf) expresses open disdain for nature, and is implied to have left the elven nation over a NoodleIncident related to this disdain.
103	* DealWithTheDevil: [[IncurableCoughOfDeath Urus Ghostumbral]] strikes one of these with [[{{Plaguemaster}} Gopet the Putrid Cyst]], after [[spoiler: unwittingly reading a scroll containing the secrets of life and death; though this cures him of his illness, Gopet demands repayment from Urus in return.]] The nature of this deal become clear later on, as Gopet [[spoiler: manipulates Urus into learning further [[{{Necromancer}} necromantic secrets]], placing a large source of vampire blood within arm's reach of numerous unscrupulous adventurers, nearly resurrecting [[AxCrazy Raki Umberclan the Bulbous]], and finally slaughtering over a thousand goblins in Gopet's name]] - the last of which is implied to have given him significantly more power than before.
104	* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler: Pictham Contestlabored]] ultimately goes down fighting against a horde of undead goblins, [[LastStand trying to drag as many of the undead down with her before she's overwhelmed and killed.]]
105	* DeathIsCheap: Heavily [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]]; while there are plenty of necromancers capable of resurrecting dead characters and several adventurers have been brought BackFromTheDead, actually ''finding'' the corpse of a dead adventurer is a task in its own right and there's no guarantee that the body will be in good enough condition to resurrect. [[note]] Furthermore, it's entirely possible for a body to be ''de facto'' lost should an adventurer die in the wilds or a body of water, as finding it would require a player to manually search dozens to hundreds of map tiles (and the assorted obstacles there, which can hide the body) with almost nothing specific to go on. It doesn't exactly make an interesting experience for the player, and that's without considering that it has to be done within a week of real-world time.[[/note]]
106	* DemonicPossession: Dreamypuzzled the Tenebrous Obscurity's soul does this to a goblin acolyte, giving itself a new body after being struck down in a necromancer siege.
107	* {{Determinator}}:
108	** Galka Kinddrummed. Despite being badly injured by aggressive wildlife, [[spoiler: finding out the Realm of Silver's glory was a lie, facing off against murderous hordes of Blighted Thralls,]] and overall being put through a physical and emotional gauntlet he refuses to give up.
109	** Moldath Mournsaints has been been to Hell and back (both literally and otherwise), is cursed by various afflictions (if being a necromancer that needs to drink blood isn't bad enough, he caught a contagion that slowly rots his body. His ''[[AndIMustScream very immortal]]'' body), to the point where he's little more than an ambulatory corpse in perpetual physical pain. He’s still going strong by the 850s.
110	* DyingRace:
111	** The kobolds of Orid Xem number a few dozen at best, and that number has only been dropping since the game started.
112	** The dwarves are a downplayed case of this; while [[EvilSorcerer Oddom Girdergrove's]] wars royally wrecked their empire and greatly reduced their population, the creation of new player fortresses and adventurers has been keeping their population at least somewhat stable.
113	** The elves are down to a few hundred of their kind still in their ancestral lands, a number which has only been dropping as adventurer rampages and time gradually take their toll on the population.
114	* EndOfAnAge:
115	** Double-subverted. Orid Xem actually switched between the Age of Myth and the Age of Legends three separate times prior to [[HunterOfMonsters Lonelythrall's]] adventure, after which the game shifted to the Age of Heroes.
116	** Furthered during turn 73, as the deaths of the last great megabeasts in Orid Xem drove the world into the Golden Age, permanently putting an end to the ages of gods and monsters.
117	* EvilOverlord: [[DemonicPossession Dreamypuzzled the Eternal-Soul]] intends to become this. [[BackFromTheDead Again]].
118	* EvilWeapon: Okirramtak becomes this after [[spoiler: [[UnwittingPawn Kosoth Salvesank's]]]] adventures; it's indicated to be both somewhat sentient and actively malevolent, betraying its original master and [[spoiler: waiting until its new wielder, Amala Fragrantshaft, reaches a goblin pit before [[EmotionBomb forcibly driving her into a]] [[UnstoppableRage murderous frenzy]] that sees everyone there butchered to slake its bloodlust]].
119	* TheExile: Irthu Bladebroken is cast out of the Realm of Silver after being [[FrameUp framed]] for several murders, forbidden to return under the pain of death. His companion [[CulturalRebel Athama Stalkhandled]] is implied to have either left or been forced out of The Squeezing Fjords for breaking the elves' prohibition against the use of wood and metal.
120	* {{Expy}}: [[WordOfGod By their creator's admission]], The Abyssal Sanctuary and The Pit are more or less [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Moria]], Dwarf Fortress edition.
121	* EyeScream:
122	** [[SnakePeople Kom Ironwhispered]] gets an eye torn out by a dingo early in his adventures, then [[HealItWithFire cauterizes the wound with the heated tip of his spear to stop the bleeding]].
123	** Moldath Mournsaints' eyes eventually rot into uselessness due to an unidentified syndrome, though [[BlindWeaponmaster it doesn't come close to making him less dangerous.]]
124	* FaceMonsterTurn:
125	** [[spoiler: Kosoth]] goes from an idealistic young dwarf seeking to prove himself to an [[spoiler: AxCrazy PlagueZombie that is used to spread the Obin Blight far and wide.]]
126	** Anybody bitten by a [[PlagueZombie Blighted Thrall]] suffers this – the ViralTransformation immediately renders them [[OmnicidalManiac opposed to life]], sending them into a crazed frenzy and driving them to attack, kill, or infect anything in their surroundings.
127	* FamedInStory:
128	** [[AdventurerArchaeologist Bralbaard Hammerfishes]] has become this following his [[spoiler: ascent to the position of King of The Walled Dye and subsequent deposing/decision to return to adventuring.]]
129	** Bil Hammertome became somewhat famous for having [[spoiler: slain Orid Xem's biggest OmnicidalManiac (Oddom Girdergrove) and destroyed her [[ArtifactOfDoom necromancer slab]], avenging the dead of her omnicidal war against the world.]]
130	** Lonelythrall is famous InUniverse for [[spoiler: clearing a [[BrutalBonusLevel vault]],]] killing several megabeasts and night trolls, and being the first adventurer in Orid Xem to [[spoiler: enter {{Hell}} and kill several of the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]] that could be found there.]]
131	** Raki Umberclan has a reputation for setting off a series of werebeast outbreaks [[spoiler: (and for his UndignifiedDeath).]]
132	** Kosoth Salvesank is notorious for [[spoiler: spreading the [[MysticalPlague Obin Blight]] on a near-worldwide scale]].
133	** Moldath Mournsaints the Ardent (a.k.a.: the Blind Sadist), who is widely feared for his violent exploits.
134	* FatalFlaw:
135	** For [[spoiler: Pictham Contestlaboured]], her [[CuriosityKilledTheCast curiosity about necromancy]] and [[RevengeBeforeReason desire for revenge]]. The former leads her to investigate a pair of visibly ominous necromancer towers (resulting in one of her companions’ deaths) then the latter results in her mounting a full-blown assault against the zombie hordes to recover her friend’s body despite the odds against her (resulting in both herself and her remaining companion dying).
136	** For [[spoiler: Tipi Fatewalks]], her [[CuriosityKilledTheCast curiosity]], desire to satisfy herself with the attention of others, and lack of combat skills. The former two eventually lead her to explore a [[CorpseLand visibly derelict and corpse-littered dwarven fortress]], where she [[spoiler: runs into a [[OmnicidalManiac husk]].]] [[CurbStompBattle The result was about as pleasant as you might expect.]]
137	** For [[spoiler: Lurker Lockkingdom]], his [[BerserkButton extreme hatred of Goblins]]. When he picks an ill-advised fight with a goblin, he’s promptly taken out when the goblin's friends gang up on him and bash his head in with a war hammer.
138	** For [[spoiler: Vafice Wispcrypts]], her reckless DoNotGoGentle attitude. While her goal to immortalize the elves' exploits is arguably rather noble, it leads her to [[spoiler: travel to The Realm of Silver with inadequate equipment and training, which sees her unceremoniously ripped to pieces by a group of [[PlagueZombie blighted thralls]] within days of her arrival.]]
139	* ForcedTransformation: The means by which [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Hands of Planegifts]] are made involves this, with unspecified methods being used to re-shape the subject's body into the serpentine form of a Hand.
140	* FromNobodyToNightmare:
141	** [[TheDreaded Moldath]] [[AxCrazy Mournsaints]] went from a unknown, penniless [[NakedOnArrival Outsider]] without anything more than a whip to his name to a NighInvulnerable OneManArmy [[MasterOfOneMagic with incredible knowledge of]] TheDarkArts, clad in full [[ArmorOfInvincibility adamantine plate]] who regularly tears through small armies, megabeasts, and anything else that dares get in the way of his quest for more power.
142	** [[spoiler: Kosoth Salvesank]] goes from a weak, slow, unskilled [[TheTeamWannabe wanna-be soldier]] with a pack full of "borrowed" gear to [[spoiler: a [[OneManArmy vicious killing machine]] and [[MonsterProgenitor creator of the]] [[ZombieApocalypse Obin Blight]], wielding artifact weaponry and armour while serving as an unwitting solider for [[NebulousEvilOrganisation The Abyssal Cult]].]]
143	** [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent Raki Umberclan the Bulbous]] went from a mere courier for the elves to an AxCrazy weremammoth-spawning MonsterProgenitor and [[spoiler: [[OurLichesAreDifferent powerful intelligent undead]].]]
144	* GodOfEvil:
145	** Gopet the Putrid Cyst, a human god of death and plagues. He's directly or indirectly responsible for (among other things) the [[MysticalPlague Obin]] [[ZombieApocalypse Blight]] ravaging Orid Xem, the proliferation of vampires across the world, and the mass slaughter of thousands through his mortal agents.
146	** Some consider Ala (Orid Xem’s most prolific deity; also a god of blight, death, and balance who created two [[ArtifactOfDoom necromancer slabs]]) this. Others look even higher, towards [[DestroyerDeity Armok.]]
147	* GoodIsNotNice:
148	** Lonelythrall is a [[FamedInStory famed]] HunterOfMonsters responsible for slaying numerous megabeasts [[spoiler: and even several demons]]. He’s also a fanatical worshipper of [[DestroyerDeity Armok’s]] bloodthirsty religion and is incredibly brutal toward his enemies in battle.
149	** [[BearsAreBadNews Arcturus Cinderfang]] is an honourable warrior and deeply loyal to his friends and civilization. He’s also a rather brutal OneManArmy with a [[BerserkButton deep (if somewhat justified) hatred of elvenkind]] and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty if it means killing more elves for his perceived and actual humiliation by their kind.
150	* TheGreatOffscreenWar: Nêcikalnis (The Singed War) began in 125 and functionally ended some time before the main story began. It pitted an alliance of living nations against rampaging undead hordes under the command of an OmnicidalManiac and played a huge role in the shaping of pre-Adventurer Orid Xem, with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides, several nations destroyed entirely, and dozens of [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Necromancer Experiments]] left to wander the world's wilds.
151	* HandicappedBadass:
152	** [[spoiler: Galka Kinddrummed becomes this by the end of his turn]].
153	** [[BlindWeaponmaster Moldath Mournsaints]] is blind [[spoiler: thanks to a syndrome [[EyeScream rotting his eyes into uselessness]].]] It doesn't stop him from being a lethally strong weaponmaster who [[{{Sadist}} enjoys inflicting violence and pain on others]], [[spoiler: particularly after he begins [[OurVampiresAreDifferent accumulating]] [[MasterOfOneMagic multiple power-ups]] [[BackFromTheDead through several methods]].]]
154	* HeroicBSOD: Amala Fragrantshaft breaks down after [[spoiler: [[AmbiguousSituation either killing or letting her sister die during]]]] her brutal attack on a goblin pit.
155	* HolyCity: A number of them, though most of the world doesn't know about them due to being AllThereInTheManual.
156	* IdentityAmnesia: Zig-zagged; some Hands of Planegifts are implied to retain memories of their pre-transformation life, while others like Quenir Puzzlearm lack most if not all of their original life.
157	* IrrationalHatred: Goblin Rage, a strange mental condition that affects multiple adventurers. Those who are affected display an [[BerserkButton extreme hatred of goblins]], which frequently manifests as [[UnstoppableRage sudden homicidal aggression]] toward any goblin unlucky enough to be in the sufferer’s vicinity.
158	* ItsPersonal: Lurker Lockkingdom is a twofold example of this: aside from his [[IrrationalHatred Goblin Rage]], he also went after [[ArchEnemy Uja Hoodbathed]] after she first escaped him; he even admits he wanted her dead firstly because she was a plague god worshiper (and because she played a role in his exile) rather than because she was a vampire.
159	* KnightInSourArmor: [[spoiler: Galka Kinddrummed]] becomes this by the end of his story; while he's [[TookALevelInCynic much more world-weary and cynical]] compared to his WideEyedIdealist self at the start, his last appearance has him helping a young boy to achieve his dream and he's implied to be watching over a group of dwarves as a protector of sorts. [[spoiler: This becomes even more obvious during his interactions with the Band of Wax, where he acts as something of a CynicalMentor with [[SinkOrSwimMentor sink-or-swim]] tendencies, but ultimately has the group's best interests at heart.]]
160	* MadeOfIron:
161	** Moldath Mournsaints. He endured being shot repeatedly with arrows and getting his limbs broken, [[BodyHorror having his entire body rot]], [[spoiler: having most of his rotten flesh ''flayed off'' by a [[WorstAid amateur surgeon]], and being beaten fifty times with a hammer (''twice'') as part of a judicial sentence.]] Granted, being a [[SuperToughness vampire]] dulls the impact a little, but still...
162	** Moldath later on becomes a form of Intelligent Undead, [[NighInvulnerable further boosting his already impressive durability]]. [[spoiler: Then surprisingly subverted once the rot progressed to the point of rendering his body "mangled", as he became killable by even mild injuries.]]
163	* LastOfHerKind:
164	** The dragon Fací Glowgilds the Bejeweled was the last dragon surviving World Generation; she was slain just six years after by [[spoiler: the adventurer Doñas Silenttowered]], rendering the dragons of Orid Xem extinct.
165	** Nebo Panttrue the Glad was the last living titan in Orid Xem; its death marked the end of titans as a category of megabeast (the last members of the individual titan species – mountain, sand, forest, and taiga – all died off completely at various points).
166	** The last living roc, Ngomstu Beachweather the Cloudy Dell, fell to Moldath in 859; this also served as the death knell for Orid Xem’s Age of Heroes, as the last great megabeast was finally killed.
167	* LeaveNoSurvivors: [[https://dflegends.fandom.com/wiki/Okgush_Irka/345 Okgush Irka]], the bloodiest battle in the world to date, ended only with the death of all the undead in the living's way. Considering [[ZombieApocalypse the nature of the war]], this makes a great deal of sense.
168	* MeatgrinderSurgery: [[FrontierDoctor Hannibal Valleyball's]] specialty; he refers to a scimitar as a scalpel, his story opens with him citing a 'successful' operation (a goblin with an injury list amounting to "his everything is gone") then "dissecting" (read: dismembering) a hostile blighted thrall. Just to really cap it off: he's indicated to be a butcher by profession rather than a surgeon.
169	* MonsterProgenitor:
170	** A posthumous example. [[spoiler: Asmel Minepass's blood]] is directly responsible for creating the vast majority of [[spoiler: vampires in Orid Xem over a century after his death]].
171	** Zolak Wretchedmaligned, one of Orid Xem's first known Blighted Thralls. While Zolak created very few Blighted thralls in turn, their descendant-by-curse (having been infected by another adventurer, Hannibal Valleyball) [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom Shethbah Pagetribe]] was responsible for [[spoiler: infecting Kosoth Salvesank, who would proceed to unleash the [[MysticalPlague Obin Blight]] on a near-worldwide scale]].
172	* MyDeathIsOnlyTheBeginning: After seeding several settlements with werebeasts, Raki Umberclan the Bulbous committed ritual suicide in the pyramid of [[MeaningfulName Monkeycurse]] while leaving instructions on how to resurrect him, intending to return as a nigh-unstoppable [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot undead werewolf lion tamarin man necromancer]]. [[spoiler: The plan worked, though not entirely on schedule - most of his sired werebeasts were gone by the time [[GodOfEvil Gopet the Putrid Cyst]] forced [[TheExile Irthu Bladebroken]] into resurrecting the mad monkey, and Raki himself was ultimately (and this time, permanently) killed before he could put his plans into action]].
173	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
174	** Galka Kinddrummed has a major one of these after [[spoiler: [[AccidentalMurder accidentally killing his friend Bekdil]] during an argument in the mines]]. It continues to haunt him long after the deed is done, and is even reflected in his Museum submission - [[spoiler: six hundred and sixty figurines of Bekdil Wavetwists, hand-carved by Galka as a sign of his regret]].
175	** Overlapping with HeroicBSOD, [[spoiler: Amala Fragrantshaft]] suffers a severe moment of this after finding [[spoiler: her sister [[AngelUnaware Mucka]] dead in the wake of her [[UnstoppableRage rage-driven rampage]]]].
176	* MythologyGag: Moldath's name and origin is one; the original Museum had an amulet ('''Mournsaints''' the Fire-Ruler of Rewards) which would randomly teleport from site to site. Moldath pops into existence one day out of thin air and is heavily implied to ''[[GeniusLoci be]]'' the amulet, having [[DimensionalTraveler travelled from one universe to another]].
177	* NebulousEvilOrganisation: The Abyssal Cult. While they're alluded to as being [[spoiler: Ketas Indigovaulted's]] masters, little has been revealed about their actual structure or motivations.
178	* {{Necromancy}}: Surprisingly common throughout Orid Xem. While it's generally treated with revulsion by the everyday citizen ([[TheGreatOffscreenWar with]] [[OmnicidalManiac good]] [[TheDarkArts reason]]), many adventurers have learned the secrets of life and death without being shunned.
179	* ObviousRulePatch: Following the discovery of civilized demons as a playable race, it was swiftly agreed upon by the players that playing as one was verboten due to their [[GameBreaker extreme size and stats relative to other adventurers]]. [[spoiler: Well, with one exception for [=nogoodnames=], who solved a GameBreakingBug as shown under OverpopulationCrisis.]]
180	* OmnicidalManiac: [[EvilSorcerer Oddom]] [[{{Necromancer}} Girdergrove]], the dwarf responsible for launching several wars against every other civilization in Orid Xem. She managed to drive the elves and dwarves to near-extinction before being stopped, with the overall death toll from her wars being in the thousands.
181	* OneSteveLimit: Averted; prominent characters and adventurers are known to share names, such as [[{{BFS}} Ketas]] [[TheBigGuy Immortalitymatched]] and [[SinisterScythe Ketas]] [[TheManBehindTheMan Indigovaulted]], [[EpicFlail Vafice]] [[WeHardlyKnewYe Wispcrypt]] and [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Vafice]] [[ImmortalRuler Lutecover]], or [[BeastMan Galka]] [[MeaningfulName Fancyrocks]] and [[{{Determinator}} Galka]] [[KnightInSourArmor Kinddrummed]].
182	* OurDemonsAreDifferent:
183	** Charcoal Brutes can be civilized and peacefully co-exist with other sentient beings, as opposed to their normal AlwaysChaoticEvil personalities and extreme hostility.
184	** The Cinnamon Brute Shoveth Dreamsseduce the Unswerving was different even by his kind's measure: it participated in the competitions and festivals of Adilatír while attacking it with its civilization, worshipped deities, and it even went as far as joining a religion.
185	** In an interesting departure from the usual demon tropes, Egu Craftslenses the Key of Trading had several domains that you wouldn't usually associate with demons, such as birth, crafts, creation and rebirth.
186	* OverpopulationCrisis:
187	** A [[ZigzaggedTrope strange case]] of an InUniverse crisis having an out-of-game effect - a bug lead to ridiculous numbers (as in, 2.5 '''billion''' by the time the issue was solved) of [[OurOrcsAreDifferent necromancer experiments]] spawning in a few hamlets, to the point of crashing the game if someone tried to enter the settlements and rendering the popular Legends Viewer utility unusable due to an overflow error. It was eventually solved by using Dfhack's gm-editor tool to delete the populations of the hamlets, after which the bug did not reoccur.
188	** Istrakathroc, the castle in where all the surviving refugees of the bloodiest war in Orid Xem went. Somewhat subverted in that those who went there lived the rest of their lives in hedonism, with few of the difficulties you might expect cramming numerous refugees into a small castle might have.
189	* PerpetualMotionMonster: Most forms of undead (barring Vampires) fall into this. It's actually shown to be a source of discontent for some due to the way they can [[SenseLossSadness no longer take pleasure in normal stimuli]], and is a ''major'' problem for [[spoiler: Omon Obin as it lets their Blighted Thralls persist without food or water for decades on end, turning every thrall into a ticking time bomb that could restart the Blight if they escape their containment.]]
190	* ThePenance: [[HunterOfMonsters Lonelythrall]] [[ReligiousBruiser the Hideous]] is [[EstablishingCharacterMoment introduced plunging his face into ice-cold water then whipping himself bloody with a birch rod, praying for Armok to forgive him for the 'sin' of being a Hand of Planegifts as he does so]]. While it's not shown on-screen, he's also mentioned as doing this after killing his first Roc (out of shame at giving into his bestial nature and PummelingTheCorpse) and after [[spoiler: uncovering the breach into hell at Deepvaulted the Tower of Stars]].
191	* ThePlague:
192	** The early days of the game had the Silver Plague, a disease which killed just under half of the human population in the world [[note]]From an out-of-universe perspective, it was the explanation for [[https://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=11536 a bug that caused large numbers of 'outcast' populations to appear and then suddenly disappear after an adventurer encountered them]]; this caused around twenty-five to thirty thousand humans to effectively vanish into thin air[[/note]]. The disease is indicated to attack the respiratory system, taking root in the lungs before spreading out to the rest of the body; most victims either choke to death on their own blood or suffocate as their [[BodyHorror lungs become covered in necrotic sores and then completely break down]].
193	** Much later on, the [[MysticalPlague Obin Blight]], which turns anyone infected by it into [[PlagueZombie blighted thralls]].
194	** The first chronological plague was the [[https://dflegends.fandom.com/wiki/Thranan_blight Thranan Blight]], which spread during [[TheGreatOffscreenWar the Great War of Orid Xem]]; as the name implies, it was a much shorter-lived predecessor to the Obin Blight, confined mostly to the elven lands and burning out when the living rallied against the dead.
195	* RagsToRoyalty:
196	** A very literal example: [[spoiler: Bralbaard Hammerfishes goes from a rag-clad [[TheUndead walking corpse]] to the King of The Walled Dye.]] Later subverted, as a coup occurs during [[spoiler: an attack by Blighted Thralls that sees Bralbaard deposed, causing him to return to (un)life as an adventurer of the Museum]].
197	** [[spoiler: Jas Gloryage goes from a rough, countryside-born HunterOfMonsters to the Law-Giver of the Realm of Silver, having overthrown the corrupt former government and been elected to the position by a jubilant populace.]]
198	* RapePillageAndBurn: The Curious Horror was fond of this, often conducting massacres and razing sites during wartime. This was [[LaserGuidedKarma eventually turned back on them]], as Ironwards’ dwarves repeatedly assaulted their sites, slaughtered nearly half of their total population, and even temporarily dissipated the civilisation in the late 780s. Some adventurers also use The Curious Horror’s historical record of this to justify their rampages through goblin dark pits.
199	* ReligionIsMagic: Most, if not all, of the magic in the world comes from deities.
200	* RevengeThroughCorruption: Implied to have been Ragnar Ironjaw's motive for [[spoiler: infecting most of Omon Obin's top nobility with vampirism]].
201	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: [[spoiler: Bralbaard Hammerfishes, after his ascent to the throne.]] Later zig-zagged after his deposing; while he's no longer a member of the royalty, he's still definitely in the business of doing things.
202	* SanitySlippage:
203	** [[ManiacMonkeys Raki]] didn't take too well to reading the past journals of the Museum's adventurers, [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge to say]] [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent the least]].
204	** Whatever [[spoiler: Ezif Aroirum]] found in the ruins of [[spoiler: Gor and Duskhome]] is implied [[GoMadFromTheRevelation to have]] ''[[GoMadFromTheRevelation not]]'' [[GoMadFromTheRevelation been kind to his sanity.]]
205	* SceneryPorn: Crownhall the City of Stone, The Abyssal Sanctuary, Gor (The Pit) and Duskhome... pretty much any fortress made by Imic qualifies for this in terms of layout and architecture, even if DF's graphics limit the effect somewhat.
206	* ShoutOut:
207	** Moldath's very first words are one, as the NakedOnArrival dwarf beats a goblin bandit to death.
208	--> '''Moldath:''' [[Franchise/TheTerminator I need your clothes, your boots and your troll fur thong.]]
209	** Lonelythrall drops a 40K reference when killing his first Roc. His submission is also a [[ThroneMadeOfX throne made out of night troll, megabeast, and clown skulls]].
210	--> '''Lonelythrall:''' [[Franchise/Warhammer40000 Blood for the God of Blood! Skulls for His Throne!]]
211	* ShrinesAndTemples: An unusual non-Japanese example. Several fortresses (most notably The Abyssal Sanctuary) are or at least possess large temples where a great deal of action happens. [[spoiler: Even more unusually, several of them are infested with demons or home to outright [[ReligionOfEvil evil demon-worshipping cults]].]]
212	* SuperSoldier: The [[spoiler: corrupt Omon Obin regime]] uses an unusual variation of this: when the Band of Wax arrive to demand an audience with them, their response is to [[spoiler: drag several armoured [[EliteZombie Blighted Thralls]] out onto the battlements and throw them down to fight the Band]]. It's implied that this is their overall reason for doing so, exploiting their natural abilities to their military advantage.
213	* SuppressedHistory: An interesting variation. [[GameMaster Bralbaard]] generated the world with "Hidden history" so the players may discover the world without Legends Mode immediately revealing everything.
214	* TheManBehindTheMan:
215	** [[IronicName Ketas Indigovaulted the Kind]] plays this role to Kosoth Salvesank; he's the one who manipulates Kosoth into [[spoiler: spreading the [[MysticalPlague Obin Blight]], controlling the otherwise half-feral PlagueZombie through the use of an unspecified FantasticDrug and necromantic magic]]. In turn, [[spoiler: [[GodOfEvil Gopet the Putrid Cyst]] and [[NebulousEvilOrganisation the Abyssal Cult]]]] play this role to Ketas Indigovaulted, being the ones to [[spoiler: instruct Ketas to spread his comrade's "[[MysticalPlague gift]]" across the world, setting off the Obin Blight and all the mayhem, deaths, and disease that resulted]].
216	* TookALevelInBadass:
217	** Galka Kinddrummed went from a slave laboring in The Realm of Silver's mines to a [[spoiler: Blighted thrall-slaying immortal]] badass protecting a group of dwarves.
218	** Moldath Mournsaints went from a [[NakedOnArrival penniless outsider]] to a megabeast-slaying OneManArmy with incredible necromantic powers and full adamantine gear.
219	* TragicMistake: Amala Fragrantshaft [[spoiler: using [[EvilWeapon Okirramtak]] to defend herself against Ketas Indigovaulted.]] This leads to her having a ''major'' MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment when [[spoiler: its bloodlust results in her sister [[AngelUnaware Mucka]] being killed during Amala's rampage through a goblin pit, and ultimately [[DrivenToSuicide results in her death]].]]
220	* UncertainDoom: Ezif Aroirum's final diary entry is [[MadnessMantra nothing but the words "THE WORM" written over and over again]], [[NothingIsScarier providing no hint as to his fate]]. [[spoiler: Legends Viewer confirms that he survived to settle in a human hamlet, [[GoMadFromTheRevelation though his sanity probably didn't]].]]
221	* UndignifiedDeath: Overlapping with DisneyVillainDeath. [[spoiler: Raki Umberclan the Bulbous, having been resurrected as a powerful form of undead, gets knocked into a BottomlessPit by a [[FragileSpeedster Devil of Steam]], permakilling him in something of an ignoble end for a previous VillanProtagonist.]]
222	* UnreliableNarrator: Moldath Mournsaints, in part thanks to his brain rotting and his self-confessed sadism. For an example of this, he considers the efforts of The Walled Dye’s dwarves to heal him from his debilitating rot little more than ColdBloodedTorture ([[WorstAid which is debatable]]) and his later NoHoldsBarredBeatdown unjustified (which is completely incorrect; [[spoiler: it was prompted by his murder of several dwarves to sate his vampiric thirst]]).
223	* VanishingVillage: Gor (The Pit) and Duskhome both vanished due to a bug which erased any trace of the fortresses made there.
224	* WhoWantsToLiveForever:
225	** [[spoiler: Bralbaard Hammerfishes]], who is disturbed by [[EmotionSuppression the effects of]] [[TheDarkArts his undead nature]] and admits there is much he would give up to live again. Part of the reason behind his creation of Herograves was to avert this trope for future adventurers.
226	** Gleefully inverted by [[spoiler: Moldath Mournsaints, who [[ImmortalitySeeker actively sought out methods of becoming undead]] and even manipulated events such that he would be resurrected repeatedly, gaining even more power in doing so.]]
227	* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[IncurableCoughOfDeath Urus Ghostumbral's]] initial motivation for adventuring - he was suffering from the Silver Plague, and sought a means of curing himself. This was resolved surprisingly fast courtesy of [[spoiler: [[{{Plaguemaster}} Gopet the Putrid Cyst's]] power, at the cost of essentially trapping Urus in a DealWithTheDevil with the God of Plagues.]]
228	* ZombieApocalypse:
229	** The first (and by far the biggest) would be the wars set off by The Scholarly Manors in the 4th century, which were waged with the intent of destroying all that lived and all that opposed TheUndead. This resulted in tens of thousands of deaths as the undead hordes swept across The Universes of Myth, before being narrowly fought off by a desperate alliance between the surviving civilizations (aided, in part, by the undead hordes abruptly beginning to dissipate during the early 4th century).
230	** Cog Wildnesswork, another dwarven necromancer, managed to destroy her home civilization with one of these.

Context LetsPlay / TheMuseum