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[Heavy Flak]

The events of the 7^th of Felsite, 1070

"A Diplomat... has left upset..."
"What are you talking about?"

Aya looked up from her scratch pad.  Her quill quivered, held precariously over the page, itching to continue working.  But held firm, looking her gaze with Vash.  He was on his way to work, welders mask pushed up atop his head, leather apron over-top dyed-red clothing.  Before him was a plate of half eaten food, a mask of confusion on his face.

He snapped his fingers a few times.  "Aya, AYA!  What are you talking about, what diplomat?"
"Oh, the Duke died.  I think that would make an excellent headline - 'A Diplomat has left upset... reaches Armok much the same."
"What!  Bomrek has died?  How do you know this?"
"I was in his room."
"What were you doing in his room!"

Aya gave him a look of pure disgust. "Looking for a story.  Nobility falling from grace?  People LOVE those stories, just love them, eat them like candy.  And instead of Erith's works littering his cabinets, I find him dead in bed, limbs gangrenous."
"Oh, Zefon be praised," Vash moaned.  He pushed back from the table and sprinted out of the room, off to find Dojango and Akroma.

"A diplomat... has left upset; His blacksmithing lover grieved into running away..."

[Heavy Flak]

The events of the 16^th Felsite, 1070

"Why the hell is no one working?" Aryn snarled. 
"I don't know, sir," Hikan sighed.  "But I'm sure whatever the reason, it'll cause us all sorts of headaches."

A gathering of miners, masons, and engravers had gathered near the western gate.  Aryn suppressed the urge to scream, to spur them into action.  He knew he was here on the good graces of Sulari, and on Dwarves respect for her.  No sense risking it, even with Hikan by his side. 

He did, however, muscle his way through the group, snapping out insults at those that pushed back.  As he neared the front, a sinking feeling hit his heart.  Hikan placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"How'd they find out so fast?" Aryn moaned. 
"They probably were getting ready months ago, it's a fluke."
"It's not a fluke, it's not a fluke at all..." Aryn growled.  "This is planned, they knew it was coming and acted as fast as they could."

In front of the gates stood five Dwarves.  One was in front, broad, woolly, and scowling - the one speaking.  Beside him stood a hatchet-faced  man in a gray hooded cloak, holding an ornately decorated hammer. 

"-Duke Whippedentries.  I'm to act as Dutchy liason of this outpost to the Parent Country as a whole, along with my beautiful wife-" he gestured towards a hideous crone in the back, her balding hair tied up in a kerchief. "- my vassal and hammerer, Postrose, our librarian and philosopher Channelpainted -" a wizened old man gave a friendly wave to the crowd, his beard falling out in patches at the cheeks, "- and our tax collector, Laborlove."

Laborlove had siddled away from the group to the edge of the crowd, where he shook hands with Rinsesilver.  The fisherman leaned forward to whisper something in the Laborlove's ear, and both burst into joyous laughter.  Aryn scowled.

"We'll set about our jobs immediately - as should YOU.  Our arrival is not an excuse to lollygag.  I expect you at your posts immediately, or your mayor..." he paused as the hammerer leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Mayor Sulari will be told of your insolence immediately."

"I suppose he's not all bad," Aryn said with a huff.
"Mmm," Hikan mused, "That hammerer looks familiar... I'd stay out of his way, sir.  He's a royal retainer, I'd put my weeks wage on that."

[Mephansteras]

More nobles...I'm kind of surprised there are any left in this kingdom by this point.

[QuakeIV]

Hey, they breed like rabbits.

[Jim Groovester]

Maudlin's Meditations

Nobility. They've come again. Five new dwarves unaware of the dangers facing Migrursut. We citizens know what we face here, and we certainly remember how short-lived their reigns can be. To the new Duke and his retainers, I have a message for you:

If you expect to live long in Migrursut, you would be wise to look over your shoulder at all times and you would be wise to avoid leaving your rooms. There is a killer out in the wastes who loves nothing more than eliminating leadership. You are now the highest authority in Migrursut. You have been warned.

Migrursut has a new bookkeep since the untimely death of the previous one, Glacies. You may recognize him as our former mayor, Aryn Estetar. Sulari has promised her protection over this man. Any one who attempts to violate that promise will be personally brought in by me to face her wrath.

-Maudlin

The journal of Hikan Riddlewire,
Entry for the week of 15th Felsite, 1070

Aryn's back, and I'm glad. Now that Sulari's promised Aryn's protection, I don't have to run up and down all of Migrursut searching for his enemies. The threat of Sulari's big burly man hands strangling anybody who threatens Aryn should be enough to keep any angry dwarf off his back. And then they'd have to deal with me.

It's good to get paid again.

I'm working a lot closer with Aryn now that he's not locked up in his office and I don't have to be fortress protector. I'm acting like an actual body guard for once, which is a nice change of pace.

There's a new Duke in town, and he brought friends. He, at the very least, does not tolerate any lapse in work. He might be a good one to keep around, but he's just barely arrived. There's no guarantee he won't end up in the wastes with his guts missing and a smile on his face like the rest of the nobility who came before him.

[Heavy Flak]

The events of the 28^th of Felsite, 1070

"This is what's causin' all the problem?" Maggarg asked.
"I suppose," Adol said. "Cokho seemed particularly perturbed by it."

Maggard shook his head. "The old fool, coulda' just walked to get us, instead of nearly breakin' his damn ankle tripping down the stairs."
"You really need to be more sympathetic."
"Of what!" Maggarg exclaimed.  "An old man and his silly fears?"

While the pair argued, the giant leopard opened it's mouth to roar.  No noise came out, it's vocal cords rotted long ago, but a cloud of maggots and flies vomited forth from it's opened maw.  Adol crinkled his nose in disgust.  Maggarg just laughed.

Adol slipped his hammer free from the thong at his hip, but he was too late.  Maggard drew his sword on the run, and in one stab forced it into the leopard's head to the hilt.  The blade pierces the brain pan, shattering the back of it's head.  Rotting meat and blood oozed from the hole, and the foul sand-magic released, the creature crumpled to the sands.  Maggarg placed his foot on the beasts head and yanked the sword free, wiping the blade on the side of his pants to clean it of filth.

"Maggarg Bridgeblameless.  Is that you?"
Maggarg turned, eyes narrowing at his name.  The hammerer stood just outside the gates, gently tossing his purse of coins from hand to hand.  He flashed a hard smile smile, thin lips spreading over tiny teeth.  "It is you.  My, what has it been, twenty years?"

Maggarg flapped his mouth, but no sound came out.  Adol watched in growing horror as his friend swallowed dryly, his adam's apple jumping from the effort.  The hammerer caught the coin purse once more in the air, and pointed a finger to the swordsdwarf.  "I have a date at Dodik's, but don't be a stranger.  I'd love to catch up with you, so please, don't make yourself scarce again."

[neo1096]

I'd love to watch the hammerer try to take maggarg, and die. After all every soldier in the fort will back him up.

[Luke_Prowler]

Correction. Almost every soldier.

[neo1096]

Well, most champions and maggarg can probably take her on his own...

[Heavy Flak]

The Events of the 6th^th of Hematite, 1070

In the crowded dining hall, amid the din of laughter and conversation, Stravitch sat alone.  His great head was bowed low, calmly and methodically shoveling spoon-fulls of soup into his mouth, rivults dribbling from the corners of his mouth to soak into his graying beard.  He was given a wide berth - by the Zefonists, who were scared of his religious zeal, by the ex-guardsman for his love of inflecting pain, even by the Lenodists who were forced to sit through weekly services of increasingly violent speeches.  But Stravitch didn't care.  Not in the least.  He just continued to eat his soup, lost in his thoughts.

The first sign that something was wrong was the dull rumbling that sounded from far back in the hallway, near the stairwell.  It could have been anything, a rupturing magma bubble, a load of stone let loose down the stairs.  But it wasn't.  It was followed by dust, by rumbling, by a cacaphony of noise - shrieks of Dwarves and stone. 

"The hell was that?"
"The whole fortress shook!"
"Oh no, we're on a volcano!"
"God, get up top before it all collapses!  Get up top!"

Chairs were toppled, food thrown to the floor as the hall quickly emptied.  All but Stravitch.  He just sat there, spooning soup into his smiling mouth.



***

Sulari shoved her way through the crowd of people, using her bulk and muscles to hurl Dwarves aside.  Merkil came with her, worry creasing his face.  Flames licked out from the north-eastern most gate tower, bits of stone scattering the ground.  Even from twenty feet away, the heat was nearly unbearablel. 

Shielding her eyes, Sulari asked, "Where's the bucket brigade?"
"Hiding," Merkil answered sourly.  "They've never had to deal with fires before."
"Never?"
"Mayor, we're in a desert," Merkil said peevishly.  "What's out here to burn?  There's not even a tumbleweed."
"Fine," Sulari murmered.  As the building exploded seconds later, she ducked, and covered her head from the debris.



***

"All this destruction."
"I know, Major, I know."
"Three injured, two dead, a tower destroyed, the bridge's raising arm damaged, barrels of booze missing..." Rice ticked off the tally from his sheet of paper, his frown growing deeper and deeper. 
"Have you recovered the body yet?"

Rice nodded slowly.  "Mangled, face crushed in, but..."
"But what?"
"Well, it's one of Rinsesilver's dock workers.  Corpse is dressed in the blue coveralls, and the pockets are stuffed with pieces of flint..."
"And the other?"
"Just a child, I can't tell who.  Too burned to recognize."

Sulari looked up at the hole in the ceiling, frowning at the sky above her.  "Fantastic, absolutely fantastic.  Have Merkil get Rinsesilver out of Dodik's, I need to speak with her about her workers, immediately."

[Jim Groovester]

The events of 6th Hematite, 1070

"Hikan, let's go."

Hikan stood at the edge of the recent explosion, hand resting on the extendable spear he kept in an inside pocket of his overcoat. There was some unrealized threat that Hikan could detect in the far off reaches of his mind as he stood gazing at the wreckage.

Something wasn't quite right about what had happened. The details of the explosion spread quickly once the initial shock of it had worn off. Three injured, two dead. One a child, the other wearing a dockworker's uniform, carrying several pieces of flint.

There was something that wasn't quite right about what had happened. He knew Rinsesilver; sabotage wasn't her game, it was profit. This seemed out of character for her, sending one of her workers to ignite the barrels of booze and die from the resulting explosion. Unless it wasn't Rinsesilver or her workers, but some-

"Hikan, snap out of it. I have places to be, and none of them remotely involve standing around watching you daydream," snapped Aryn.

"Sorry, sir. Of course," apologized Hikan. He realized that he was holding his spear, and pulled his hand out of his coat. "I... dazed off for a moment."

"Whatever. Come on."

As Hikan followed Aryn down into the fortress, he turned back and stared at the wreckage, trying to remember what he was thinking just a few moments prior.

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

Diary of Maggarg
I really wish I was a stranger.
A very scarce stranger.

[Quote]

Journal of "Quote" Walledbrand
Fantastic news!

Thank Lenod! My wish Has been granted, Aryn has finally returned! Maybe Master Roaroak will be less busy and spend more time doing other things, like talking to me.

In other news the duke and ex-mayor Limul  Leapordknight have died after that goblin incident with Glacies... (Something seems wrong with him these past few years though.) The new nobility have arrived to terrorize Oceanbled and probably delay the making of the domes, and the new hammerer seems familiar to me, as if I've seen her somewhere...

While walking through the dining room I happened to notice a dwarf that I remember from my old adventuring days. I believe his name was Maggarg, or something, he stole much money from me and my companions, after which we vowed to hunt him down and prosecute him for his treachery! Next time I see that runt I'll guy him like the conniving carp that he is!

[Ancient Thingy]

I've read the whole thread, and all I can say is: FREAKING AMAZING. Writing style is brilliant, every single character has a detailed backstory. I look forward to reading your books.
If there's another immigration wave, could you put another dwarf on the queue?
Name: Boddin Niddob
Gender: Hopefully male! Female will do fine too.
Personality: Cheerful, friendly little guy. Dreams of a day where everyone, goblin to elf to dwarf to man, can live in peace with one another, but will fight for that day to happen.
Profession: Any military will be awesome! Though preferably an axedwarf.

[Heavy Flak]

From the files of Aryn Estetar
17^th of Hematite, 1070

Human merchants have arrived, along with their guild leader.  I asked why they are so much later than usual, and they spun a horrific tale of a goblin Army massed in the foothills of the mountains, beating drums, burning fires, and being trained by horrific giants and hooved monsters.  They have miles of crucified Dwarves and Humans, even elves, even some Kobolds lining the mountain path, and it was only the scouts intuition and the merchants self preservation that had them taking the long route, around the mountains, past the sea of sorrows. 

I could not care less about their idiot problems.  These goblin hordes have proven to be nothing more than an annoyance, and though I am loath to admit it, our soldiers are the finest I've seen in all my years - back in the home country, in the mountains at the north, even witnessing the Elven Mauradeers with my own eyes as they gutted Dwarves on the run with their spears.  Perhaps in order to get our shipments of wood, of beer, of metals, we could consider loaning them a few of our soldiers to act as caravan guards.  The Gods know that would do more than enough to detour any goblin raiding parties.

Now who could I attempt to sell to Sulari?  Hmm, perhaps Jools, and maybe Vash if he was drafted... that would be a fantastic trade... yes, let's draft up a proposal for that, leave it on her desk.  See where that gets us.  Perhaps she'll see the fiscal rewards in such a deal.