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[Kat]

A metalsmith made "Freshrampaged the Autonomous Pillars", a steel bucket, in the early autumn, a week or two before the caravan from the mountainhomes arrived.

The dwarfs from the caravan had some interesting trade items.
The most interesting one was a bronze crossbow.

On the item was an exceptionally designed image of Freshrampaged the Autonomous Pillars the steel bucket.

o.0

Artifacts with images of themselves on them, are reasonable enough, I think - same fortress has a bituminous coal sceptre with a bituminous coal image of itself on it.

But this was not an artifact, just an ordinary bronze crossbow, with an image on it of an object that the image maker can't have known about.

The only reasonable explanation I can think of, is that artifacts are capable of a form of time travel, appearing in visions and dreams of dwarfs in the past, allowing those dwarfs to draw images of it, before it even exists.

[ungulateman]

The crossbow was made very quickly.

:p

[Emily]

The only reasonable explanation I can think of, is that artifacts are capable of a form of time travel, appearing in visions and dreams of dwarfs in the past, allowing those dwarfs to draw images of it, before it even exists.

I mean, that would explain why you have to start channeling fey or get possessed to make them.

[Urist Imiknorris]

Or the items are generated upon the caravan's arrival. The merchants actually make their trade goods while they venture to your fort.

[Ethereal.Frog]

Or the items are generated upon the caravan's arrival. The merchants actually make their trade goods while they venture to your fort.

Urist McTrader: Hmm. They seem to be celebrating something. Urist McBlacksmith, fire up the forge! I'll send the dogs in for a closer look.

[Emily]

Or the items are generated upon the caravan's arrival. The merchants actually make their trade goods while they venture to your fort.

Well yes, clearly that's what's going on in the background.  It'd also explain artifacts with pictures of themselves, because the artifact gets put on the potential things for art to depict list before it's art is finalized.

[veok]

It'd also explain artifacts with pictures of themselves, because the artifact gets put on the potential things for art to depict list before it's art is finalized.

That's a reasonable explanation. *blinks*

Reason? Bah! THIS IS DWARF FORTRESS!

[Internet Kraken]

Or the items are generated upon the caravan's arrival. The merchants actually make their trade goods while they venture to your fort.

Hm...

Perfectly logical explanation for this based on the game's mechanics

OR

Time traveling artifacts that travel into the minds of crafters across the globe?

I'm going to go with the later.

[Emily]

Me too; I'm just pointing out the existence of the former

[rephikul]

They just cut the picture of your steel bucket off a newspaper, slapped on the crossbow, called it decoration and increased its price by a magnitude.