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[Brendan]

While making a new office/throne room for my expedition leader I set the whole room to be engraved by my master engraver. I noticed two rather interesting things.

The first is that at least half of the engravings were from historical events in the region that I had never witnessed. Various images of human heroes killing Nightwings and giant desert scorpions ripping apart human heroes and so on, all in the same desert as the one I settled in. Is this a new feature? Because it's totally awesome.

And the second thing I noticed is that my expedition leader 'absolutely detests cave spiders'. Why is this important? Because a grand total of six of the engravings in the room were of cave spiders...and the one right under his desk was perhaps the most cruel: (The leader's name is Astesh Plankred)

"The Walled Amusement
Engraved on the wall is a finely-designed image of Astesh Plankred the dwarf and cave spiders by Lolor Idenudib. Astesh Plankred is surrounded by the cave spiders."

I like this guy.

[erendor]

Do you have the full-engravings init option on?  Cause it'd be interesting to see what exactly that engraving said .

(Chances are that's it's not actually some sort of horribly cruel and deliberate engraving done to scare the guy, and more along the lines of "Astesh Plankred is surrounded by the cave spiders.  This engraving relates to the creeping out of Astesh Plankred by cave spiders in 303."

[Brendan]

Yup, I have all the histories visible for the engravings. Both the random spiders and the spiders surrounding Astesh were apparently completely uncalled for.

[Jakeypoo]

I don't suppose the engraver has a grudge?

If this isn't just a fluke, this could be one of the most subtly awesome features ever.

[Gigalith]

Does it count if the player is psychic?

I once made a giant totally-engraved tomb for one of my main dwarves. I note that she was the only one to get this honor, and I had no plans to do this for the other legendary dwarves. When it was almost or completely finished, she kicked the -pine bucket- in a siege. Who would have guessed? Maybe she really really liked her tomb.

[Gantolandon]

In my fortress there were many images of a particular, named saltwater crocodile, killing a dwarven adventurer. Not any of my characters, a random dwarf somewhere in the past.

[Brendan]

I don't suppose the engraver has a grudge?

Nope; the leader counts as 'friend'. Maybe it's an inside joke on their part? I had him engrave some tiles of the leader's tomb and sure enough, there's an image of cave spiders. Both the tomb and the office were designated rooms beforehand.

Also, some more updates on engravings in the new version...

The 'battles never witnessed' engravings involve two different humans, one of whom was mortally wounded by a giant desert scorpion which he later killed, and the other one who slew about three named nightwings before being killed by a named jaguar. It seems that the engravings for battle are much more complex than I thought, though, since some of the engravings seem to give a blow-by-blow account of the actual battle as it proceeded. I've seen things like:

Raji Trampledacts is cringing. Feddwellers is striking a menacing pose. The artwork relates to the smashing of the human Raji Trampledacts's third toe, left foot by the nightwing Feddwellers in 222.

and

Fatab Lordgerbil is in a fetal position. Ancientsavior is laughing. The artwork relates to the ripping of the human Fatab Lordgerbil's lower body by the giant desert scorpion Ancientsavior in 244.

I always figured the 'fetal position/laughing' combination and the like all referred to the actual killing, but apparently not!

The only engraved beast that hasn't been killed by one of the heroes is a giant jaguar called Empireleaves, but I haven't seen him loping around the desert so maybe it died from its wounds. (If something else had killed it, it seems like my dwarf Seer-Engraver would know )

[MoonMan]

After I struck adamantine I started setting up a bedroom for the queen's inevitable arrival. My engravers decided to cover the walls of her bedroom with demons striking menacing poses.

[Brendan]

Perhaps they were making renditions of the engravings uncovered in the adamantine? But then they would probably engrave them anyway, since they exist as part of the fort's site and count to its value...

Perhaps your dwarves, awed by their power, became creepy demon worshippers?  Would be interesting if dwarves could adopt new deities like that, abandoning their old gods for mighty demons, or for a more Lovecraftian twist, for mighty dead demons.

[Astus Ater]

Perhaps they were making renditions of the engravings uncovered in the adamantine? But then they would probably engrave them anyway, since they exist as part of the fort's site and count to its value...

Perhaps your dwarves, awed by their power, became creepy demon worshippers?  Would be interesting if dwarves could adopt new deities like that, abandoning their old gods for mighty demons, or for a more Lovecraftian twist, for mighty dead demons.

Happens in World Gen, so why not?

Also, perhaps the spiders are your civs symbol?

[1138]

Or the engraver likes them. I once ended up with half the engravings in my fortress being of two legged rhino lizards.

[Jetman123]

Yeah, I noticed this too. Lots of engravings of giant eagles dueling with dwarves and humans, and spirits of fire being fought by dwarves. Actually, that last one is on my coins. I guess some fort struck HFS and shortly after that disaster.

[JoRo]

One of my favorite engravings:
"Engraved on the wall is a finely-designed image of Vicira Valehonored the elf and Obu Flydips the Severe Glens of Disembowelment the human by Tulon Idencog.  Vicaira Valehonored is cringing.  Obu Flydips the Severe Glens of Disembowelment is laughing.  The artwork relates to the tearing off of the elf Vicira Valehonored's left ear by th human Obu Flydips the Severe Glens of Disembowelment in 83 during Eleripalothi, "The Disemboweled Onslaught."

[dreiche2]

...dead demons.

That is not dead which can eternal lie...

[Possessed]

"The Disembowelled Onslaught."

Oh wow