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[Xofrevlis]

The image you posted is giving a "moved or deleted" error. Here's the drawing though

The crossbow is probably off, as I was in the middle of reading when I got the idea to draw it and didn't want to look back to find the actual description of it. That, and the proportions could probably be a bit more dwarf-like.

[martinuzz]

Yeah that's like the image I had of her. Lean and mean. Nice drawing!

[Heavy Flak]

Woah, that's really good Xofrevlis!  I agree with Martinuzz, that's just about how I pictured her, gas mask and goggles and trenchcoat and all. 

Also, I fixed that broken link.  I have no clue what was up with that

[Heavy Flak]

From the notes of Bertrand the Mad
6^th of Hematite, 1063

We have achieved two amazing discoveries, my assistants and I.  I've been giddy for days now, the high achieved from great findings having yet to wear off.

Dojango, and later in the day Akroma, have both told me of their dreams.  They're injesting this powder by the spoonful now, yearning for their dreams with The Star God.  I've instructed they keep pen and paper by their bedside tables and their lucid dreams are transcribed with clarity and redudancy.  They announce twenty Dwarves that are constantly in these dreams, the perverts that frequent Dodik's brothel, and in that time their great dream-cathedral has blossomed.  It is now lit with lights, cool blue stones lining the walls and floors.  From the alter, a great figure of blue sapphire staring down from the alter, his image terrifying in it's beauty.  That is first of only two parts of their shared dreams left unremembered, The Star God himself. 

But that is alright.  He's started holding sermons with them, and though his words are lost upon waking I have confidence one of my pair will be able to transcribe one of these meetings. 

The second discovery is easily the most important that has been made in years.  Centuries!  I, Bertrand Gorgeinsight, have conquered death.

Merely packing corpses in powder had no effect, but once a skinned cat was stuffed with it, it rose within a night, mewing pathetically from it's cage.  It had been dead no longer than a week, and though it died within a few days from exposure we have achieved our first success.

Or second was strapping one of these animal halfbreeds to the table and filling it so full of powder it's mottled stomach was distended grotesquely.  It took longer, but within the week it was moving, fighting it's bonds, babbling in some incomprehensible after-death gibberish.  As the ties began to break, Dojango recommended we put it down.  Akroma did the honors, using his bone-drill to puncture it's skull and scramble what was left of it's brains.  The head was separated and deposited in the magma.  The body died immediately upon the drill, the other task was just a precaution.

Knowing these animals can be given life after death, this is one step closer to achieving the immortality I so deserve.  To think, all this knowledge could vanish in the blink of an eye.  That will soon no longer be a fear.  We have many specimens within my lab, but I've sent Akroma out to round up some more.  Animals are successful.  It's time to test more intelligent species.

[Xofrevlis]

Nice update! And I'm glad the drawing is liked, even if it's just two responses.
Maybe I'll try drawing some more, could be good practice, and there are a few other characters I'd like to take a crack at. Oh, and the zombies, haven't drawn zombies in ages. 

[martinuzz]

'more intelligent species'?

OMG. I sure hope mayor Likot's corpse was too badly mutilated to use for this..

[Flar Moonchill]

Zombie Likot's a scarey thought! Like the nemisis from the Ressie Evil series   

Stories still top-notch HFlak, loving it.

@Xofrevlis: Good picture mate pretty much how I pictured her too. The description always reminded me of one of the new Doctor Who episode where he's nobbed by people turning into Gas-mask wearing zombie children!

[Heavy Flak]

From the journal of Johnny Fountainspring
19^th of Hematite

Though other plans may have been placed on the back burner until they can be fully realized, I have no issues at all with that.  Human merchants were spotted on the horizon; bringing with them a diplomat that has been spending time with the boisterous new Duke, and Nationtempt who has been spending her stay at our fortress with Aryn - keeping him away from us as he hashes out just what it we'll be seeing from them in the future.

The caravans also brought Rosycats and Guildstern.  Those two fools have had their attitudes mellowed quite a lot since our last encounter when I left them in the capable hands of a few goblin ravagers.  They met with me inside of one of the gate towers, shifty eyes constantly moving towards the door for fear of being caught.  They agreed to do business with me again - of arms, and armor, and a wholesale movement of Deity Idols - and gave me a heartfelt apology. 

If they were really sorry, they'd show it to me with the gold they offer for my hard-to-obtain goods. 

[Heavy Flak]

The Events of the 6^th of Malachite, 1063

"And this is how you found her?" Kuli said, his voice fringed with weariness.
"Aye," Johnny said, leaning on his pick.  "I came down ta' start piecin' t'geth'ar the new screwpump an' saw her corpse layin' there, all twisted like that."

Kuli exhaled hard, and slowly squatted down onto his haunches.  He rested elbows on his knees, staring at the broken, twisted corpse of Zefon Seamined, dealer of justice, Fortress hammerer. 


Vash and Jools flanked the Maester in their dark suits, exchanging uneasy glances.  They had both heard of her fairness the first time Aryn's unmet mandates fell upon the Zefonists and to see her like this was just a travesty.  Her hood had fallen away from her face, and they were shocked to see it perfectly normal, curly blond hair framing her high cheek bones and thin jaw - bright green eyes staring up at the sun unseeing. 

"What do you think happened?" Kuli asked to his two assisstants. 
"Well..." Jools started, stroking his beard thoughtfully.  "It looks as if she fell.  See how the ground is cracked under her?  She took a fall from the aqueducts..." he tilted his head back, eyes squinting as he looked at the stone structure looming overhead. 

"She didn't fall," Vash said sullenly.  "She was pushed."
"And why do you think that?" Kuli asked, his gaze still on the corpse.
Because she was fair thought Vash, and because she didn't punish you for your beliefs.  She let it slide because not making a billion mug isn't equal to the death of a great man.

"Because if she jumped, she'd have landed facing east," Vash said, pointing.  "Or she would have landed on her head and crumpled like an accordion.  But she landed on her back facing towards the aqueducts.  Why would you jump that way?  You'd risk breaking just your neck; here she's broken everything."

"Maybe she just slipped," offered Jools. 
"He speaks the truth," Johnny added. "I almos' got crushed inna' cave in, due ta' slipa' the pick.  It cannae happen."
"Yes.  But she had no reason to be out here.  She dispenses justice, she doesn't build pumps, or rig up gears, or construct waterwheels.  Perhaps if she slipped into the emptied pond, or even into the magma.  But why here?  There was no reason."

They stared at the corpse in silence, lost in their private thoughts.  With a sigh, Kuli rose, clasping his hands in front of him.  "Regardless of the cause, Miss Seamined's death is a terrible tragedy.  I never knew her as a friend, but I knew her as someone who was just, and fair, and in these harsh lands those are attributes any one of us could hope to attain.  Vash, Jools, take her to her tomb... see she is properly put to rest."

Kuli watched in silence as his assistants carried the hammerers body back up the empty aqueduct, and as Johnny stacked up the few things that she had dropped to take to her tomb.  As they vanished from sight, he slowly shook his head.

"Ill omens, that someone might do this to a bringer of justice.  Ill omens indeed."

[Heavy Flak]

!! ATTENTION !! ATTENTION !!

This is to give everyone fair warning that Cryptogram #7 will be posted on Monday, June 23rd at or around 8pm EST.  Usual rules apply - solve it, claim a prize.  Don't solve it and I'll make things more interesting for our little bearded charges.  The time frame is going to be ... five days, so about 8pm on Friday will be the cut-off date.

I'll go ahead and add a new line to my normal spiel - just because you don't have a Dwarf in the fortress does not mean you're not able to play!   A couple puzzles in the past have been solved by undwarfed readers, and I totally encourage that.

Now back to your regularly scheduled broadcast.

!! ATTENTION !! ATTENTION !!

[Flar Moonchill]

Sweet! First cryptogram for me as the the last lot had all finished while I was reading through the back posts!

Now I can totally fail to understand whats going on in real time!

[Heavy Flak]

This afternoon, I made up a relationship map of all the current main players in the fortress.  This was done to help me keep track of who is mad at who, who leads what, who's related to whom, etc etc, and I figured I should post it here in case anyone wants to brush up on all the intrigue and drama of Stukos Matul: 90210 in fast-paced power-pointesque flowcharts.

The new Duke and his wife, some other squads, and some characters that have minor roles (Such as Pundik Nationtempt, and Rosycats and Guildstern) are currently left out.  This is Dwarf only, unless otherwise noted.  Left out of the legend is that boxes filled in with reddish/pink are objects, like a squad, a union, or an enemy. 

I suppose this could be considered a minor spoiler.  I haven't added any relationship that hasn't yet happened, but with 200 some odd posts, and 13 game-years of story, some old feuds, and old relationships, may have been forgotten. 

Anyway, here's the chart

note: It seems photobucket capped me on the size!  If this is too small to read, let me know.  I'll get it corrected.
second note: It makes me really sad to see Sparrow just sitting out there right now, unaffiliated.  Now I want to fix that!

[Kuli]

Very nice, and very helpful!  All it's missing is some indication of who belongs to the Church of Zefon.  I've always been curious about that, and have not been able to keep track of the Zefonists very well.

Not complaining, though.  I like the chart.  I, too, feel sorry for lonely Sparrow.

[Heavy Flak]

Very nice, and very helpful!  All it's missing is some indication of who belongs to the Church of Zefon.  I've always been curious about that, and have not been able to keep track of the Zefonists very well.

Not complaining, though.  I like the chart.  I, too, feel sorry for lonely Sparrow.

I try to keep track of who is, and who isn't, of certain religions but I end up forgetting.  With 8 civilization deities and 300+ dwarves coming through these gates, sometimes they get lost in the fold.  I updated the chart for the important religions, and fixed a couple line issues (Johnny also created the engineers union, fixed the line for Asmel's swordslinging daughter, and made it implicitly state Likot was Melbil's mother).  Just hit F5 to refresh if the old chart comes up.   

Also, I don't try to make story-dwarves Zefonists.  It just seems I'm directed by a guiding hand, that the majority of them are of that particular belief  

[Heavy Flak]

The events of the 22^nd of Malachite, 1063

"You must understand.  We're not ones to normally do this."
"Correct, normally, if anything, we'd just pocket the money."
"Pocket the money and run, quite quickly.  It's not our place to question-"
"To question mercantile events in a fortress.  What business is it of ours?"
"Quite right.  We're traders, not politico.  It's just with the utmost respect that we come to you."
"Right.  Respect!  And-"

Aryn's hand slashed across the air, his lean face hard and grim.  "Save your simpering.  You're money-loving merchants, what do you know of respect!  The only reason you're here, before me now, is the hope that more coin may end up jingling in your purse.  Am I right?"

Rosycats and Guildstern exchanged glances.  One of them (Rosycats?) tugged at the wide collar on his jacket, the other fingering at the dangling cold rings on his vest. 
"As you say, sir.  We're just simple merchants.  Coin is nice, but loyalty nicer.  You've treated us well, and we..."
"Feel it is in our best interests to report an incident to you."

Aryn's eyes narrowed at the words.  He folded his hands together, leaning across the expanse of his desk.  "What kind of incident?"

"Well..." They said at once.  Another exchange of glances, and one (Guildstern?) waved a hand, his head lowering while he let his companion explain in full.
"We were approached last night, while the wagons were being loaded.  A group of Dwarves dropped off barrels of idols and trinkets, but with them came two fine bins stuffed to the brim with Dwarven steel.  We couldn't make out the loaders, but the one we dealt with was your Northern-born miner, Johnny."

"Was Stravitch there?" Aryn asked, his voice cold.
"Who?"
"Stravitch!  Captain Fillwhip!  The stout greybeard with his idiotic mace."
"Oh!  No, just Johnny."

Aryn leaned back in his chair, chewing lightly on his lower lip as he thought.  "If Captain Fillwhip wasn't in attendance ... how did Johnny get barrels of steel." he mused aloud.  "Perhaps it was earlier.  They could have secreted it out one night together, hidden it away in the fortress... just waiting until traders arrived.  He couldn't have gotten it alone, he'd have to have someone with access to the armory to fetch it for him..."

"Sir?" Rosycats asked tenatively.
"What!  Oh... you did very good, bringing this to me.  Here."  Reaching inside the sleeve of his robe, Aryn pulled out a catleather bag and tossed it to the end of the table.  It landed with a heavy clank - gold coins bouncing off one another in the tight confines of the pouch.  "Thank you for this information.  Remember, don't just bring me goods.  Bring me information, it's worth just as much in pay."

"About our-" Started Guildstern.
"Keep it.  What do I care how you use a paltry sum of steel plate?  It's the principle that offends me, that Mr. Fountainspring thinks he's above the letter of the law.  Now go - and do NOT let word of this meeting leave this office."

"Oh, of course," One said with a wry smile.  The other had deftly pocketed the pouch, clanking as he moved.  "We'd make far less if we did that."