Dialogue[]
| “ | <In the deepest cellar level of your citadel, royal attendants find a grate made from the magical metal called iron. Someone has moved aside a rug that has been covering it, perhaps for generations. A search reveals that one of your treasures, the <Treasure>, has gone missing./The dwarves who come up through your grate have struck again. This time, they took one of your treasures, the <Treasure>.> | ” |
— Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out | ||
Consequences[]
At the start of the event, you immediately lose the aforementioned treasure.
If you quietly put everything back where it was, panic may be avoided. Still, Mood may also drop.
If you successfully ask the spirits who did this, regardless of whether you tax your spirit bonds or not, then some owl spirits will appear to tell you that dwarves are responsible. They installed the secret passage when Beren forced them to build Berenstead and have now come exact a measure of restitution for his crimes. A new action is now unlocked: Invoke Beren's memory for protection against dwarves.
If you replace the grate, blocking it with heavy items, the people may figure this is enough. Still, Mood may drop.
If you successfully invoke Beren's memory for protection against dwarves, the throne room will brighten with a hot light and Beren's voice will say: "I shall once again bring these errant dwarves to heel." If so, you earn the Dwarf Ban modifier (which protects against dwarf incursions) and Mood will improve. The dwarves will not bother you again for at least several years. Alternatively, your ancestor worshipers may fail to contact Beren (they reason he must be busy fighting in the Gods War). If so, Mood decreases instead.
Sending a war party down into the shaft to hunt the robbers is futile. You will be asked to select a leader and how many warriors to send with them. However, the best that can happen is that your leader realizes that they're an easy target for any dwarves down there and abandons the attempt. At worst, they will activate a trap and get wounded for their trouble, again concluding that it's too dangerous to go down.
Trading the grate away will require you to choose a clan to trade it to, someone to lead the trade mission and how many warriors you want to send as an escort. The other clan may give you a small number of goods in exchange for it, or they may refuse, saying that they don't know how to work iron. In the latter case, you will gain the Iron Grate treasure. Note that the treasure is cursed, and the clan you trade it to will like you less once they figure it out.
Advice[]
The following is the initial advice from this event:
- "People will panic if they know invaders can enter the citadel." - Iverlantho
- "Why have none of you solved this?" - Iverlantho, on repeat events
- "I can aid a spirit call." - Shaman
- "Our redsmiths can't work iron, which is harder than bronze." - Lhankor Mhy devotee/Lore expert
- "I suspect dwarves. They were the ones who built Berenstead, and must have installed this secret entrance to our realm." - Lhankor Mhy devotee/Lore expert, alternate
- "Iron is valuable."
- "Iron is valuable, but only when it's been worked into something useful." - Issaries worshiper
- "Don't resort to violence." - Chalana Arroy devotee
- "Dwarves dwell in the earth, but are not of it." - Ernalda devotee
- "Some truths are best concealed." - Eurmal trickster
- "I have nothing to add." - Sereden
- "I smell foreignness in the air." - Outsider-hating ring member
- "They will keep coming back until we have no treasures left."
- "This is a tough one."
- "We must know <who/for sure if dwarves> did this."
- "The threat is coming from inside the citadel."
- "This is a dwarf fortress, after all..."
- "We'd have to go into that shaft, feet first, one at a time. Not exactly favorable terrain."
- "Our ancestors must have known about this."
The following advice is given after spirits confirm that the dwarves stole the treasure, as revenge for Beren enslaving them:
- "Thanks to the spirits, we know what we're dealing with." - Dresta
- "We haven't seen dwarves much, since they finished work on Berenstead." - Reda
- "It's hard to defend against enemies from beneath the citadel."
- "Now that we know Beren enslaved the dwarves, we must consider the morality of using his memory to suppress them."
- "He who fails and later tries, get much bird dirt in his eyes."