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Author Topic: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls (DF 0.47.05)  (Read 254589 times)

Splint

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1290 on: February 13, 2020, 06:10:33 pm »


The Skull-breakers Emblem, a fractured skull, mace, and morningstar. There's only one way for a maceman to score an instant kill after all.


The Peacekeeper Emblem, The hand and scales of justice, and the axes that enforce them.


The Barksplitters Emblem, depicting the axe that provides vital lumber for human industry.


The Brush-stalkers Emblem, hooded and unseen, and presumably using bows as is fitting for scouts, though short swords as back-up weapons probably couldn't hurt.


The Vengeful Emblem, with a sword piercing a fanged skull that can be interpreted as an elf or goblin skull. An emblem to be shared on squads bound for offensive actions such as hostile reclamation. Members of such squads would ideally be of the retribution-seeking sort.


And all of them together in one nice package.


Blue is a dominant color, primarily because each emblem represents what I would imagine to be the dominant profession of various squads, but also because we have the means to produce the colors locally. Other colors come from imported or surface crops, with varying amounts of water, tallow, or oil added in to try and get the desired colors. All of these are designed as door decorations, though simplified forms can be applied to shields, bucklers, and maybe body armor.

Sir Knight

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1291 on: February 14, 2020, 11:43:01 pm »

Wow, I feel honored.

To be more thorough: I felt a chill looking at the initial "justice" illustration.  I presumed I was about to be executed.  The fact that the whole scenario continued on, and involved more and more people, is wild.  And I thank you for allocating so much update to these things.

Awesome to see such high-quality weaponry, too.  Dunno why I'd go about decorating spears; that's just the sort of thing that makes me turn off settings and manage various stockpiles in my forts.  ("Put down that spear and start decorating craft goods, darn it!")

And I'm quite concerned about the apparent mental breakdown that the whole town is having.  The updated mental simulation seems to mean that an emotional catastrophe is less of a blunt hammer destroying a game as it is an alarming and hard-to-fight menace.
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Splint

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1292 on: February 15, 2020, 12:07:11 am »

Wow, I feel honored.

To be more thorough: I felt a chill looking at the initial "justice" illustration.  I presumed I was about to be executed.  The fact that the whole scenario continued on, and involved more and more people, is wild.  And I thank you for allocating so much update to these things.

Awesome to see such high-quality weaponry, too.  Dunno why I'd go about decorating spears; that's just the sort of thing that makes me turn off settings and manage various stockpiles in my forts.  ("Put down that spear and start decorating craft goods, darn it!")

And I'm quite concerned about the apparent mental breakdown that the whole town is having.  The updated mental simulation seems to mean that an emotional catastrophe is less of a blunt hammer destroying a game as it is an alarming and hard-to-fight menace.

There's also unmet needs (some of them likely impossible to meet for one reason or another,) and presumably profoundly negative personality changes also contributing to that slowly spiraling disaster that we may not be 100% aware of. However it seems that v47 toned down just how severely sapient corpses affect morale, so the move over may potentially make things mellow out some from the periodic werebeast/invader corpse shocks the place gets.

Cathar

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1293 on: February 15, 2020, 10:55:47 am »

And I'm quite concerned about the apparent mental breakdown that the whole town is having.  The updated mental simulation seems to mean that an emotional catastrophe is less of a blunt hammer destroying a game as it is an alarming and hard-to-fight menace.

I'm sorry for Dengusa, I really tried to save him. I had a little hope when he left hospital and just rushed to filled all his needs, becoming almost instantly focused. But no, he forged a couple of high quality blades and attacked people in the temple... If you ever want another human feel free to ask.

As for the spirale forming more and more clearly, yes ; this spring will be about everything I did to counteract the shadow of death that is looming over us, and we'll update our version early summer instead of late summer. We need to save Kimaeslo Ori :'(

The Skull-breakers Emblem, a fractured skull, mace, and morningstar. There's only one way for a maceman to score an instant kill after all.[...] All of these are designed as door decorations, though simplified forms can be applied to shields, bucklers, and maybe body armor.

That's totally perfect. I most especially want to use them on tactical illustrations for battles and the such. To show where everyone is deployed and give clearer explanations of infort battles. Thank you so much. The squads has been renamed and now are more readable.

I've read through this whole thread again over the last few days. I love this story! The combination of the broad sweep of history, with the details of the lives of the people who get caught up in it.

I'm amazed that you would read the whole story, and I'm very happy someone did :') Thank you.
As soon as the next kid reaches puberty, you're in

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Spring 148

The relative calmness of spring 148 allowed the Aconilun to gather itself and recover from its losses of last year. They were great ; in just a year, it had lost almost ten percent of its population, mostly people who were endeared to the kingdom. The degradation of social order Kimaeslo Ori was to be remedied by a reinforcement of police forces and the augmentation of the number of trials. After a number of trials and adjudications, it was revealed that most of the crimes in the village were commited by mostly farmers ; Mathras, Olo, Noloc, Cek ; few others. The crimes were mostly crimes of despair – vandalism, disorderly condudct and the like.

No crime for profit, not organized crime either. Police activity would be but a bandaid on a problem running deeper in the bridgetown : by in large, people were not happy in Kimaeslo Ori.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The causes of discontentment were varied. Some were incompressible, such as the inclement weather or the stress to live in a wartorn country.
Those which were not, however, were mostly linked to the infrastructure. There were too few houses, organization was lagging behind the town's growing needs, the production of consumer goods – notably clothing – was too slow and people had difficulties to find activities to unwind.

There was certainly room for improvement – and if the Aconilun was to finish the bridge, it would have to tackle the problem of its worker's misery.


Bannic is still tavern keeping

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Departing peacefully

Rumors said that for now two years, the bridge was haunted by the souls of people unproperly memorialized – specifically the souls of Oli (drowned in 146 in the underground caverns) and Ricgo (died of dehydratation after severe depression in 147). Whether those ghost stories are true or not, the Aconilun's public behaved as if they were, and those wandering spirits were taking a toll on their morale – maybe more than we previously suspected. Something had to be done to console – if not the ghost themselves – at least their grieving relatives.

In the year 148, there was no organized religious institution in the bridgetown. The closest thing to a connection to the afterlife the village had was a small temple, cared for the population, where people would come and pray individually to their patron god. One would come to the temple, ask for guidance to their patron and leave with the feeling of having been listened to. For more complex offices such as burrials, the family and friends of the deceased would make council among themselves to decide of the rites. This was enough – for the matter of ordinary belief, there was no need for an organized priesthood.

The case of Oli and Ricgo however was however more complex. The bodies of the two could not be retrieved, making the usual rites impossible. This is – people believe – what lead to their rise from the death as restless spirits.

Substituting herself to the would-be priesthood, lady Sug ordered tombstones to be cut and engraved, then added to a small cimetary next to the temple. Makeshift rituals were performed – people gathered with no one really knowing what to do.

Although no one can say for certain it worked or had any effect – the reports of wandering ghosts ceased the day after.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Trivial pursuits

Another demand that was very expressly communicated to the local lord was the construction of a small library. Some pearlites, it seems, value knowledge. Even tho they are culturally down-to-earth and find little interest in intellectual pursuits, some of our people clearly do not fit their mold and feel the need to read, write, argue and deliberate.
It took time and effort, but in early 148, the library was finished. It was a small building, much smaller than its equivalent in Thomocemir, and Lord Jalew was chosen to be the local scholar – at least for now.

Jalew was litterate, having studied alongside human and dwarven thinkers back in Thomocemir – where the nature of the ground left him few opportunity to express his talents as a miner.

He then spent spring researching and writing some very basic manuals on a variety of topics he knew about, producing the following titles : the History of Opposites and An Exploration of the Sums – essays on mathematics concepts –  Commentary on Anatomies – a biology essay – and one psychology manual, Happiness ; the Easy Way.



Probably not the best topic to write about, while hating yourself after having killed your grandson.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Out of the caverns

When the Aconilun first set foot on the bit of land that would later become Kimaeslo Ori, they dig some undeground home to protect themselves from the elements. Although they soon built wooden, then stone houses, the need for habitations grew faster than their ability to build them, and so for five years, the undeground facilities were still in use.

Unlike dwarves, humans are not made to live underground. The echoes, the lack of light, the deprivation of oxygen were taking a toll on their nerves. But the most unerving was probably the stench emaning from the butchery.

To produce bones, leather and meat, animals were regularly slaughtered, their skins tanned, their bones made into crafts, bolts and decorations, and their innards prepared and cooked. However, as the granary was becoming full with alcohol, oat bread and other farm goods, the meat often was abandonned in the butchery where it rotted – and as it was undeground without a significant airflow, the whole area soon became embaumed in an abominable odor... and the area was a passageway to access the undeground section of the farm, affecting the farmers the most and explaining – at least in part – their high level of agitation.

The underground butchery was surely destroyed and rebuilt outside.

New butcher shop, building in progress

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Dealing with criminals


Hauben and his squad now live in the casemate on the other side of the bridge

Last but not least, it was decided that criminality should be dealt with. Until the problems start to solve themselves and people start to converge toward a harmonious way of life in community, the police would have to get busy and pursue lawbreakers. Now the granary is full and the town acquired a well taking directly from the aquifer – so there is, in fact, some good in the bad – vandalism does not pose a death threat anymore, like it did in the past, but still act as a force opposed to our efforts.

Until we can be certain that the town will not fall apart anymore, both the noblemen and their retainers shall be on top of their game, preventing crime and incarcerating criminals.

Speaking of which, one of the prison's « good client », a farmer man called Lucmen, was recently released from jail. Because he had attacked several people and damaged a couple of shops in an access of rage, he was shown the door and wished good luck to. Lucmen left, but not without stealing a highly valuable pecan cup. Oh well. Our peace of mind worths well over a wooden goblet.

Expelling citizens is something we do not like to do ; it would be much better to acquire additional holdings to which they could be sent and continue to serve the cause of the Aconilun.

Actions toward that goal will have to be undertaken later.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Of monkey and men

During spring, the rhesus macaques attacked again, but the creatures were now harmless and ineffectual. Two kids, Keth and Oxul, were jumped on by the feral monkeys, but managed to fend them off. The rhesus monkeys managed to kill one of our young dogs before being sent fleeing in the four directlion by the militia, the animals and the general peasantry.

One of the macaques even was captured - those who were killed were butchered and skinned in our new outside butchery.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*



Lastly, the last event in this spring was the yearly visit of the elves of Iferifiyopi. Most of the time, pearlites have little interest in commerce with elves – besides maintaining good neighbourhood relations. To pearlites, elves are dangerous creatures, and commerce is a way to keep them in check. They bring little items of value beyond wood to fuel the furnaces

However, this time they did produce goods the Aconilun was interested in.

Ale, the elven chief trader, proposed two caged jaguars – one male and one female. She also offered a tamed rhesus macaque – a male, while the one captured earlier was a female.
That was two couples of exotic creatures we could assemble this spring. The jaguars, especially, are notorious for being able to be trained as war and hunting creatures. If we can produce a number of them, they would be an excellent addition to the invasion squads we are about to form.

The Aconilun traded some copper weaponry and offered wax and bone crafts to maintain good relations. Hopefully, Iferifiyopi merchants will come again next year with such deals.


Toki is now a legendary appraiser


*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*--*-*-*-*-*

Last news of the season ; sadly, Gram did not survived his terminal depression. Condoleances to Toki, to his friends Hauben and Bannic, and to his squadmates. He is replace at the head of the police by Bemta.

Ari-Taskmo, the glassmaker, became mad and his doom is almost certain. He is replaced at the head of the glass industry by Gencesh, his elder son.


« Last Edit: February 15, 2020, 11:09:30 am by Cathar »
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Splint

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1294 on: February 15, 2020, 11:43:56 am »

I gotta admit, the bit about the book about happiness got a good chuckle out of me.

Haspen

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1295 on: February 15, 2020, 12:05:40 pm »

I gotta admit, the bit about the book about happiness got a good chuckle out of me.

Am I a horrible person for chuckling too?

EDIT: Also not sure how u feel aboot it, but can I be re-personized?

Name him Hasabin (or her), maybe one of the rookie police officers?
« Last Edit: February 15, 2020, 12:12:08 pm by Haspen »
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Cathar

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1296 on: February 15, 2020, 04:08:00 pm »

You are all terrible people lol
Also of course you can be repersonized, I actually have the perfect fit. Also maybe I'll do a round of "drawing the reference for everyone" before next update, because shit will hit the fan at mach 3 during summer

Edit : While I'm at it, looking at the Armok Vision's Hauben, I just realized how much of a giant he is. He's really towering two solid heads over other people.
« Last Edit: February 15, 2020, 04:16:26 pm by Cathar »
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Cathar

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1297 on: March 11, 2020, 05:51:42 pm »

Summer 148

It cannot be said that the six last years spent into the bridgetown of Kimaeslo Ori have been as calm and peaceful as the seven founding members of the Aconilun had envisionner. Indeed, how could have they predicted that what should have been a small bridge and a step-inn would become the theatre of fratricidal violence, exploration of an unknown underground world and epic battles against gigantic scorpio gods ?
The seven, of which only three remained at this point, already had to toughen up and to reevaluate their expectations – but nothing they had seen so far could have prepared them to what was to happen this summer.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The lovers of the red forest

Bards and scalds of tribes and kingdoms often say that love conquers all ; but the subjects of the crown of pearls know better. A bad marriage, we often say, is always preferable to a hidden relationship – if there is any value to the story about to unfold in the first days of summer 148, it is as a cautionary tale.

Nesik was a bookbinder born in the year 101 – probably in the central settlements. He was a silent and calm man, mostly keeping to himself and attracting little attention. In the year 134, finding nowhere to put his bookbinding skills to use in the kingdom of pearls, he emigrated to Thomocemir where he worked as a farmhand. That is where he met a woman his age by the name of Dacap ; farmer like him.

They talked very ceaselessly during field works and fell in love with each other. In year 138, Thomocemir's library was fully functionnal and Nesik could – at last – put his rare bookbinding skills to great use : he made covers of precious metals to a number of books, including mechanical treaties by wandering dwarf scholars.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

People thought this sudden rise in status would lead to a quick wedding, but nothing happened. Probably Nesik was too shy – years passed and no wedding was announced. Whether Dacap was tired of waiting or she actively decided to branch out, she married Imic, the knight captain of Thomocemir and lord Ryukan's hand man.

Nesik was heartbroken but ultimately accepting. Bookbinder he thought, that was not a profession prestigious enough. In 146, he left Thomocemir and came to Kimaeslo Ori and engaged in the militia immediately.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*



It was in the night between the five to six June that they were spotted near the village. To their copper, silk and fur garments, they were quickly identified as Osmite troops, but this time, they were more than the personal retinue of some nobleman. It was a full-on invasion army.


It was clear that Hauben's squad alone would not be enough to fight such a large force – around 130  footmen – so the squad of Captain Ersi came at dawn to reinforce. The two squads gathered safely between the guard posts until they were ready to fight, and sallied around eight in the morning.



Initially, the engagement went in favor of Hauben's forces. They rushed through the enemy lines like a ball of solid lead and broke through them easily. The fight wasn't one-sided ; a couple of militia men received wounds and some were killed, but after the first charge, Osmite troops wavered.

It wasn't to last however.



Soon enough, they rallied and converged toward the militia's position. Corpses started to pile on the ground, and soon Hauben and his men were forced to fight half burried in dead bodies.

Half of the militia was dead or injured and the Osmite troops kept coming.Dik, one of Hauben most trained macewoman, received an arrow in the chest and fell on the ground. Hauben, tired by now hours of fighting, couldn't lift his mace anymore. However, both kept fighting.

The police force hesitated. They had to do something ; they were rookies, but rookies would make a bigger difference alongside the main army. Under the leadership of captain Bemta, they rallied on the other side of the bridge to prepare the crossing.

When they finally arrived however, it was too late – the battle was over.



Dik had an arrow lodged in her lung and could not breath properly. Hauben had multiple injuries, including on his arms and legs – both, among others, were rushed to the hospital and nurses were picked from the population to help with the steady stream of wounded soldiers.

The next day, when the forest was secured again, the farmers started to dig in the mountain of bodies to look for their friends who died valiantly – the body of Nesik was among them.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

What followed was a couple days of mourning in Kimaeslo Ori. The new of the attack would not have left the village that another attack was already in preparation, this time from a totally forgotten enemy : the sky dwarves of Desoruzol.



They actually did try to attack Thomocemir. We don't know what their motives were – maybe they calculated that the destruction of the shield of the kingdom would leave it exposed to Osmite invasion – without realizing that Thomocemir was protection Desoruzol aswell... or do the sky dwarves hate us so much ?

Regardless, Pathril and his men curbstomped the dwarves and suffered almost no loss – aside two merchants and a bit of cattle. It is good to know that we are not alone in our fight and our compatriots will shed their share of blood aswell.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*


Between the violence of war and the rampant crime which cause two new murders during the summer, we assisted to the creation of the Jasmuk Innu – the miracle bird (lit. The Alchemy of Lark), the union of farmers. They asked for a place to gather and promote their trade, and because lady Sug immediately took her membership, they were allowed the wooden building whose restoration was immediately ordered.

Alongside the bridge, this is a new construction site we'd have to tackle sooner than later.

What else – the merchants came as every summer. One of their yaks was frightened by the female macaque we captured and stomped her to death. Oh well. They brought their share of tin, which will allow us to start the production of much needed bronze.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Mishtem was a lone ettin living far in the north east, in what was until recently Ansgeki territory. She lived in relative peace for more than a hundred year, periodically bumping into lone travellers and eating them, otherwise feeding on the local wildlife. She was a dangerous, but reclusive creature who was content of being left alone.

However, the current destruction of the empire of Ansgekstozu by the combined forces of the dwarven kingdom of Bomrek Laltur and the goblin empire of Osme Stobϋb forced her out of her hole and down to the south. Fate had it that she went hungry when she bypassed Kimaeslo Ori the 15 of August.



What could have been a terrible rampage just ended up at the exact demarcation between comedy and tragedy – the poor creature stumbled into the jaguar pen and was jumped by the couple of carnivorous felines. When they heared her screams, Sug and Jalew picked up weapons and rallied the peasantry to surround the beast.

A vigorous lumberjack hacked some of her limbs with a copper greataxe while Jalew stroke her multiple times with his pick.

Mishthem managed to lightly wound a jaguar.

I should not but I feel a bit sad for her, especially considering Ettins are a dying race.



*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Bonus dorfings

From left to right : Ferez, Sana, Flame, Hasabin
« Last Edit: March 11, 2020, 06:10:00 pm by Cathar »
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Splint

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1298 on: March 11, 2020, 06:16:18 pm »

I know I said it on deviantart, but I gotta say it again, you did awesome work on those combat pages.

TheFlame52

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1299 on: March 11, 2020, 07:55:37 pm »

omg i'm so cute

HakuryuVision

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1300 on: March 11, 2020, 08:21:33 pm »

Something about your style has changed...
Your pannels are beginning to look like little beautiful paintings!

Really digging it!
The way you drew every single copper chain in detail, every single hair on their fur-collar, the scratches and engravings on their helmets, those detailed hands (your anatomy is getting REALLY good), dynamic poses and angles...

EYECANDY.

-------------

Oh wow, 2 invasions and 1 semi-megabeast?
I think i've said it before, but i hoped we could live as simple farmers, woodcarvers and bridgebuilders. (that's DF for you.)

-Also wait, isn't that 'Handsome McAwesome-Nose' from your first fortress in the last pannel? He's one of my favorite characters of Mong Kima!!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I REALLY liked that character. (Pathril? I think i never was quite sure what his name was)
...i think it's time for some long overdue fanart.

-HakuryuVision withdraws from society...

« Last Edit: March 11, 2020, 08:32:08 pm by HakuryuVision »
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Cathar

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1301 on: March 11, 2020, 08:40:16 pm »

m-my heart...!

Thanks a lot guys, means a world to me. For the change of style...that's something I should have done long ago, discarding old methods that were dragging me down. Now I go faster and the results are much better. Improvement !

Also if it's not clear, the invasion from Desoruzol (the sky dwarves) did not target our bridge, but Thomocemir (the old fortress).

The dude with the long nose is indeed called Pathril (Full name Pathril Omaaloc Anarsateth Ucim, or Pathril Walkshaken "Carry-Their-Memory") and is the commander of Thomocemir's army (and also one of my favourite characters)

HakuryuVision

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1302 on: March 11, 2020, 08:44:23 pm »

Aaah, that explains it then.
No wonder they had no chance, the people of Thomocemir are ridiculously strong and battle-hardened. (I remember that kid that took out a huge monster with one single punch)

Good memories.

Haspen

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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1303 on: March 12, 2020, 01:14:38 am »

I look ready for duty! Perfect!

Or was I part of militia that died? :v
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Re: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls
« Reply #1304 on: March 12, 2020, 09:21:39 am »

More people will die soon (this is becoming ridiculous, really), but don't worry ; I always mention when a named character dies. I'm working on the next update
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