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[Glacies]

22nd of hematite

Jack's back. He's...certainly changed. He's certainly less optimistic, that's for certain. We drank together last night overlooking the construction site and talked over things.

He thinks my sister is back in the capital, so that's one hell of a weight off my mind. He didn't see fit to comment about his job as a trader, but apparently he's being stalked by some sort of mad-girl out in the wastes. The conversation wandered for over an hour on what we'd been up to since the gatesmaw incident. Jack's been all over the place doing odd jobs to keep himself sustained, and I guess it's stuck because he's got one hell of a mercantile bent. Which is kind of ironic, because it's what he said about me.

Lastly, he told me that the old place had found something ancient under the earth, and then messages stopped coming out of the city. Jack suggested I go off to find out what happened. I told him I was staying here for good, but he left a map for me any way. Maybe I'll give it to someone else.

24th of hematite

And I thought MY motivational posters would get people in trouble. It turns out someone with a worse sense of humor than mine is instigating trouble. The thought of a rebellion is absolute rubbish. Everyone is doing fine. Except Lucy. She still isn't wearing anything, and I refuse to draw anything not adequately dressed.

[sneakey pete]

Woah, interesting co-incidence!

[Heavy Flak]

OOC stuff: the DNS change finally hit my office, so I can post here at work.  I could have edited the hosts file, but... really, that's just sooooo much work. 

neo1096: I'll add you to the queue.  I'm sure I sound like a broken record at this point, but zombies blah blah migrants blah blah children growing up blah blah.  You'll be in at some point, along with everyone else - sooner than later if I have any say in the matter. 

Eita: I generally pay for all their goods with close to exact change, and then I offer as a tribute an additional 10 to 20k in dwarf monies.  Think I should up the profit as well?  I can start pumping out gobs of stone crafts again if just giving the damned things away could increase the chances of getting more meat Dwarves. 

[Vicomt]

both the amount you make, and the amount of differentthings you make have an effect in my (limited but reasonably well tested) experience.

btw, I've followed this fort for a while, read about half in one go. I really like your style HF.
props to everyone else joining in as well, it brings the characters alive much more.

[sneakey pete]

No harm giving them a 10-20K extra dwarfbucks profit

[Eita]

Cut the tribute in half. Send that half into the trader's pockets. Wait and see what happens. Or just do something that makes your wealth go up so high so fast that you get the "Migrants have come, knowing that this place might be their tombs" message.

[Heavy Flak]

The events of the 6^th of Malachite, 1066

Vash stood on the recently paved road, looking morose.  The entrance to Dodik's had been walled up with wood planks and a sign that read "GRAND RE-OPENING SOON" in dripped red paint.  A bridge had been constructed over the small gap between the road and the top of the roof.  Though a ring of tarps had been drawn up around the area, members of Rinsesilver's fishing crew constantly came and went, hauling rocks and mortar. 

Sighing, Vash adjusted the collar on his suit, and took stock of what he could do on his day off.  Jools wasn't speaking to Dwarves today, as the humans brought three more Donkeys in their caravan.  Kuli, when he wasn't in the jails tending to Thob, was down in the pits smelting down gobs of hematite and Goblin-wrought iron.  And that left him out here, staring at the Pit of Debauchery, and wondering how to spend the rest of his day.

Turning to trudge back up the path to the fortress, Vash noticed a small glint of light-on-metal coming from a teeny hole carved in one of the pillars lining the road.  Blinking, he headed over and leaned down to peer inside.  Fishing two fingers in, he pulled free a small, crumpled sheet of paper, sealed with red wax and a steel coin.  Popping the seal, he opened the crinkled parchment and read:

Write what you want on the back.  It will come true.

Vash stared down at the note, his jaw hanging slack.  Eventually, he laughed aloud and crumpled the note up - but he couldn't bring himself to throw it away.  Slowly smoothing the paper out again he read the note a second time, then a third.  Chuckling, Vash pulled a small stick of charcoal out of his suit pocket and scrawled on the back:

ZEFON TEMPLE NEEDS IRON STATUES

Smiling, he folded the letter up and stuffed it back in the small hole in the pillar.  Cheered up, just a little, by the absurdity of it all, he left for the fortress proper, a spring back in his step. 

[Kuli]

ZEFON TEMPLE NEEDS IRON STATUES

Why do I imagine this is some monkey's paw kind of thing, and Vash's wish will result in an attack by an Iron Colossus or something like that?

[Heavy Flak]

The events of the 16^th of Malachite, 1066

Whistling happily, Vash adjusted his grip on the large leather-bound book of Zefon, the heels of his boots thocking loudly as he crossed the wooden bridge to the church proper.  Opening the doors, he called out happily, "Greetings!  Have you considered resurrection today?" His words died off, and he came to a step in the entrance, staring at Jools and Kuli.

The pair were looking at the left wall, the shock plain on their faces.  They were staring at the six iron statues, of all shapes and sizes, lining along the edge.  Turning to the right, he saw a matching six iron statues lined up there as well.  Turning to the pair in the center of the room, Vash asked, his voice hoarse, "Where did... these come from?"

"I don't know," Kuli said, vexed.  "I came in this morning to prepare for the service, and the walls were lined with these statues.  I don't know where they go, or who they belong to.  We didn't order these..."

Vash's eyes widened, unnoticed by the perplexed Maester and his assistant.  Adjusting his grip on his book, he coughed softly into his palm, and when he was ignored, quietly snuck out the door and back to his room, to sit on his bed and think - mostly about the teachings of Zefon, but in some small part, to the little letter placed inside the pillar. 

[neo1096]

Just out of curiosity what does the current queue look like?

[Glacies]

See? Zefon isn't being neglected at all.  I'm gonna do that sketch of Rice soon. Also, Heavy Flak, let me know when Lucy puts something on.

[sneakey pete]

Who said that whatever did this was Zefonic or did it for the zefonists?

[Jools]

Diary of Jools Machinescalded

<After several pages of the single repeated word DOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYSSSSSSS!!!!! surrounded by sketches of dwarves hugging donkeys surrounded by hearts>

The Sanctuary has three more donkeys, thanks to the human traders. They had the gall to actually make us pay to take these poor, overworked creatures off their hands - obviously we had to make the deal to rescue these poor creatures, otherwise they would have been condemned to a horrible death on some distant road, weighed down by a ridiculous burden, dragging trinkets and baubles about to enrich a few humans or dwarves, but I hope some day that we can enlighten the world to pull their own damn carts and let the donkeys live in peace.

After I'd got the new arrivals settled in, I rushed across to the Temple to tell Kuli the good news (he's the only one who seems to take much of an interest - there are a few others who take a polite interest, but everyone else just makes tasteless comments about meat or leather). When I got there, it appeared that someone had made a delivery of statues to the temple. Iron statues. Six of them. Nothing on them saying what they depict, and I can't work them out, but they're a bit... unsettling. I'm not normally worried by much, and I like iron and statues as much as the next dwarf, but I don't think statues should be made of iron. It's too cold, too wrought by dwarven (or human, or worse) hand. Stone is good - carving figures and scenes from the living rock is fine, for the best crafters it's not even chipping away at the stone, more helping it to reshape itself to the shape you want, using all the little faults and weaknesses in the rock.

But there's no faults in iron. Not good iron, at least. Strong, yes, but soulless, without the weaknesses, flaws and imperfections that give character. And the statues look like dwarves. Like us, but stronger.

I'm worried. If this had been the result of Kuli's tireless smelting, it wouldn't be so bad, but to have these statues just appear...

I'm going back to the Sanctuary. I'm sure I'll get used to these things, but they just feel a little wrong right now. Donkeys, fortunately, can never be wrong.

[Heavy Flak]

Just out of curiosity what does the current queue look like?

Neo1096:  Let's see.  The current queue reads like this - We've got CanadianWolverine, Eita, Flintus10, and you.  Duke of Nawn cut in line by possessing poor abused Yellowbolted, so he's crossed off. 

Vicomt: Thanks very much for the props.  I have to admit, I definitely like seeing journals and character development over "bump LULZ".   I just gave the human traders 10k in profits... that's the most expensive silk rope purchased EVER.  At your recommendation, I'm producing crafts, instruments, mechanisms, ropes, and cutting tons of gems to give the Dwarves when they show up. 

Glacies: I've been having our tailor pump out plant fiber dresses by the barrel full, but Lucy seems more content streaking from building bridge after bridge to go buy and wear any.  For drawerering purposes, perhaps we could just pretend she went and bought one?

[Flintus10]

Good to see you still remember us 

Keep up the brilliance