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[4maskwolf]

Although... acting as Modi's instrument of revenge might work. Emdief would probably go along with it if someone ordered him. And last time I checked, Maskdwarf kind of dragged Modi back from the peace of the grave, almost let her kill her murderer, and just sent her back like he was dismissing a servant.

Sounds about right.

[Rhaken]

So you are launching a blood vendetta against me, eh?  Alright, then, challenge accepted.

For the record, Rhaken doesn't necessarily want Oku dead. He's a spymaster. He wants information, motives, that sort of thing. Once he has those, then he can decide if he wants the local shapeshifter dead or not.


Corley is taking over. He got some of the council members going on his little scheme, got them signing his oh-so-patriotic charter without reading the fine print. I know better. But I signed it anyway. The lad is a manipulative quasi-sociopath - exactly what Steelhold is going to need now that Emdief is on the verge of snapping. I can keep tabs on the old baron's lad easily enough.

Emdief. Poor bastard has been through too much. Hell, he actually fucking died. And came back female. I blame the fractaldwarf. Another loon who decided to come back from the dead. Maybe that explains it. Death is meant to be final. Perhaps challenging that particular law of nature leads to invariable madness.

I've been watching her these days. Before she got much worse, Emdief went and wrecked Lenehan's machinery. Once he was through with it, the device was, as an old lieutenant in the Queen's Third used to put it, 'fucked sideways'. You can hardly tell there used to be mechanisms in that room anymore.

It took longer than I thought, but that plan went off well. Patience is ever the spy's closest friend.

I am still unsure if I should tell Corley about the more recent revelations. Maybe now that he's in power, his mind will be ready. For now, observation. Let's see what kind of legacy he decides to fashion for himself. In the meantime, I've got two sets of eyes and shields on Emdief at all times. It's the least I could do.

In the darkness of my office, in the deep hours while my wife is asleep, I raise a mug in silence and drink to a brave new world.


Sidenote here: I'll be gone until about monday. Two-day seminar some 400 kilometers from home. I'll miss you deranged loons.

[fractalman]

quasi-ic: Invariable madness? I can't possibly see what's wrong with...
...on second thought, that could explain a lot of swordthunders problems.  In swordthunders, you hoped they slabbed you quickly so you could reincarnate quickly. Wound up wiping out the entire dwarven civilization, they did, and that's before I showed up on the scene.

edit: The following conversation took place during the rule of fractal-dwarf, prior to the sealing of the vampire.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Urist: "AHA! I knew you were spying for catten!"
catten: "...ah, but urist, fractal was spying for me!"
urist: "No, no, he was secretely spying for you while spying for me!"
catten:"Ah, but remember the time I planted that misinformation? The sock was under the bed the whole time, not on one of the armor racks!"

Fractal: "Guys, you've completely got it wrong. The two of you were spying for me the whole time, no matter what else you thought.  got it?"
both: "...oh."
_____
The vampire: 'heh, heh, heh...they were secretely spying for ME and didn't even realize it!'
_____
me: 'Well, techincally, the two of them were spying more for the vampire than me, but I really needed those two to shut up and get to work...'

In a parrallel universe:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 I accidentally get myself elected as mayor. I fail to restrain my dwarvish instincts, and: "fractalman has issued a mandate! export of bins: prohibited".  no, really. [spoiler]

...
This is why I did NOT elect myself mayor during my turn.  export bolts-prohibited would not have been much better than export-bins prohibited.   
[spoiler]

query: how does one nest spoilers?

[Gnorm]

Chapter I: The Beginning
Inaugural Address of Corley

Dwarves of Steelhold, what you are part of today is truly an historical event that will be remembered by our children's children.  Today, our homeland now has an official charter -- signed and approved by all the members of our council -- guaranteeing every dwarf his basic rights.  No single leader can revoke this charter, either in part or in whole without the full consent of the council.  Therefore, the people need no longer fear the tyrant; the tyrant must fear the people!

Nevertheless, I must remind the members of this congregation that not everyone with acknowledge this charter.  The government of our very kingdom sees us only as a penal colony, and -- due to Emdief's outburst during the last inspection -- a potential enemy to the state.  During the next inspection, we will be given a choice between fighting for independence or reverting to our initial status as prisoners; I say that we will do neither!  As a territory in the queen's dominion, I say that we must truly become a great fortress in the eyes of the nobility.  Through sheer devotion to the queen -- who gave us our home in these southern lands -- we will overcome all obstacles, and one day we may become an independent fortress peacefully.

Thus, I close in saying that although we may be stuck in a prison, we will one day become a fortress that the queen herself will envy.
The Steelhold Mint

Corley took a small handful of the gold coins in his palm.  They glistened in the warm light of the magma, allowing him to clearly see the detail of the engravings put into their design.  Despite its value, gold is a rather useless metal -- only good for decoration.  In order to properly compliment the queen, Corley ordered the fort's excess gold to be made into coins, which in their engravings honored the kingdom and its queen.



He let the coins fall back into the pile and lighted his cigarette. Many more would have to be produced in order to achieve the desired goal, but by the end of the year the queen's bank account would certainly see a great rise.
The Trenches
The miners began to sweat profusely.  The hot desert sun burned their skin and their wills, and they let their picks trudge through the sand with them.  When they reached the spot, they -- as according to their orders -- removed the roadway from the area, and began to dig a great trench into the sand.



Nobody truly knew from whom the orders came, but it is not the Dwarven way to refuse work.  To the average miner, what mattered more than anything was the booze waiting in the dining halls.
Just a small preview of what is to come. I currently have one major priority: update the main post.

[Oshha]

OOC: Does Lorius have any family at Steelhold? Just wondering where he's married or not or if he has kids.

[fractalman]

also: does corley have any living family atm, and if so, what's the name of at least one?

IC:

Well, corley was in power.  Just in time, too...my true identity is starting to leak into the fortress. I blame my choice of vocabulary. Only a matter of time before Lorius finds out (if he doesn't know already). Rhaken...seems to have recognized me.  but Lorius reports to Rhaken, and if Rhaken's smart, he'll think twice before revealing my identity to the magic-hating (and somewhat hypocritical) Lorius.  I think I shall play this little game of pretending to be merely "Urist McNobody" for a while longer...

Emdief seems to have gone from mad to merely eccentric, and has developed a love of complexity to rival my own.

[Gnorm]

Corley currently has three younger sisters -- one of which is named Kadol -- and his mother.

Lorius technically has a family, but he is also technically seventeen years old; it might be better to ignore them for the sake of plot and continuity.

[MDFification]

Random question - why the trench? What purpose does it serve?
During the sieges, I've seen gobbo's arrive from the north and south - never where the trench is located. The caravan arrived from the south-east.

Could this by chance involve MAGMA? Incidentally, I suspect that there's a magma pool somewhere in the caverns, if we ever decided to move the forges or deploy a dwarf's best friend.

[Oshha]

Lorius technically has a family, but he is also technically seventeen years old; it might be better to ignore them for the sake of plot and continuity.

Does Lorius have any siblings? Because if so, I would like to roleplay them as Lorius' children or grandchildren since Lorius is getting old and wishes to past on his knowledge and experience before he gets too old.

[4maskwolf]

We have always had a rather loose definition of family in this fort. Go for it.

[fractalman]

journal entry:
Catten bumped into me today. Seemed to think the trench was my plan. It's not.  I am not sure if it's part of corley's plan, Lorius's plan, or Emdief's plot to drain the ocean to get at whale bones while simultaneously stopping maskdwarf...assuming that's Emdief's actual plan and not just what she wants us to think her plan is.

Therefore, I must account for all these possibilities at once. 
Speaking of the trench, it's not that hot outside...
.......

journal entry:
Ok, there's a heatwave, so Eat my socks.  Someone has terrible timing, or else is rather sadistic.
Made a couple of leather(?) sombreros to help the miners stay cool. After a moment of puzzlement, a military dwarf picked it up and wielded it like a shield.
So much for that plan.

I'm mixing up my drinks and sharing them with the kids, especially Kadol.  If Corley has even half as much respect for family as I think he does, he'll not try to poison me. 

[Gnorm]

Chapter II: The Industry
Corley’s Log:
Emdief’s Monument
--
Well, Emdief’s enormous monument to the government here in Steelhold is finally finished.  There are still quite a few stones and ores that need to be removed from the site, but – aside from that – all the work is finished.



Although it may be impressive to look at on paper, it is not easy to see the detail by just walking about it.  I don’t think Emdief cares much about such matters, though.
Corley’s Log:
The Steelhold Baronial Army
--
One of the former members of Rhaken’s gang barged into my office today.  He demanded to know why I decided to formally disband Rhaken’s gang, as well as many of the minor squads of the militia.  I tried to calmly explain to him that my goal is to reorganize the army, and that minor, informal squads would need to be reworked.  It didn’t seem to please him, but he left anyway.  Presently, I have created two new squads for what I am calling the “Steehold Baronial Army.”



Some of the former melee dwarves objected to my focus on crossbows; I say that axes and swords are obsolete.  They can be used by the fortress guard and for ceremonial purposes, but should be used only as support on the battlefield.  In one hundred years, no one will dream of sending a squad of axedwarves against an army of marksdwarves; they’d be slaughtered.
Corley’s Log:
Artifact
--
One of our dwarves emerged from his workshop bearing a mighty sceptre today.






Corley's Log:
That Dream
--
I had that awful dream again; I had thought that I was rid of it by now.  The dream where the human vampire comes to the fortress and it floods with water. I have no recollection of such an event ever occurring, but the dream seems so real.  When Fractal was killed the dream went away, but now it has returned.  Could this perchance mean that he is still alive?  If so, I'll find him and end him.

[MDFification]

Noooooo the Revolutionary Guard D:
Does my squad still live on as before, even if under a new name? The Elf-Party was still a squad during my turn, btw, so a reorganization was definitely needed.
Also what about our lasher squad jedi knights?

[Oshha]

I'll be gone for a couple of days due to real life. I will probably be able to check for any new posts, but not post anything myself.

[fractalman]

IC:
Oh dear.  Corley keeps muttering about how "The fractal is back, giving me that awfull dream about that awfull...".

At least this could explain how Corley knew I was back without actually recognizing me. Downside to using children as a spy network is...you can't really expect them to remember everything. 
What puzzles me, though, is the fact I've clamped down on most of my magical emissions...
Interesting. I can actually feel the effect of Lorius's wards, and unlike maskdwarf's wards, and they don't shatter every time I walk into them.  I suspect i could tear them apart if I actually tried, though. 
________
I give the following note to rhaken:
I suppose you know who I am by now.  Please keep Lorius from stabbing me when I set up my room next to him.

__________
Yet another myseterious message is found, puzzling the dwarves.

kitty-corner is corner passage where kitties can move through. But some kitties are bigger than others.
cat to move: request inspection of old stairs.  cat meows in fear. 
dwarf to move.