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[varnish]

((Not sure. It's worth testing, at least))

Late Winter, Year Two (Still):

"Aussie! Aussie Evil!" Jordal shouted. No response. He and Goldhammer had been sent to search for the engraver, who had gone missing after yet another harpy attack.



They hadn't had much luck. Very few people knew where the engraver kept himself even when things were peaceful. He was an odd one, Jordal thought. To Goldhammer, he said, "You think that Evil is a family name, or something like that?"

"No. I've looked at that man's engravings. Evil's a pretty good description, if you ask me."

"So why are spending so much time we looking for him?"

"Because he's missing! And because if he died somewhere in the fort, we got to find him before he "comes back", right? You want to see him come crawling out of the mines, hungry for blood?"

"Well, no."

"It wouldn't surprise me if he did. I've had my eye on him for a while. If he's not a zombie, he's something worse..."

Jordal had stopped. They'd exhausted most of the other possibilities, and were now up on the ocean facing wall. Waves constantly beat against the rough granite, along with driftwood, and the occasional dead seagull. And now, something else. "I don't think he's a zombie, Goldhammer, or anything else."

"Why not! He's evil, right? We just agreed on that!"

Jordal pointed. Aussie's body, still almost recognizable, was floating in the ocean, just beneath the shadow of the wall.



"Oh."

"Do you know anyone who can swim? I'm not going to go and fish him out."
.....................

Next: Bridges and Ogres and More Story Things

[Ishar]

This could be an awesome opportunity to study undead under various conditions. Or they overwhelm and destroy the whole fortress. Science and FUN in one package, what more could you ask for?

[Gigmaster]

What you need my friend, is MAGMA!! Pump stack's out of the question.... do you have the capability to make a magma piston?

I've been keeping tabs of several forts stuck in the middle of undead-ing zones, and it never seems to end well... just look at the Markedangles fort and their giant army of dust zombies hiding under the ocean. Unless you have overwhelming force and great armor - and a way to quickly keep them down - I can't imagine anything being better than the old-fashioned Boatmurdered solution.

[peregarrett]

When we'll get enough military to ensure safety, let's enprison some ogre zombies into small one-tile pens, surrounded by fortiifications. Like we did with falcon zombie just when arrived.

[varnish]

What you need my friend, is MAGMA!! Pump stack's out of the question.... do you have the capability to make a magma piston?

((That's the problem! I haven't been able to find any magma, at all. The main mine shaft is about 60 levels down, and I still haven't even found the caverns. It's... frustrating.

Anyway, my whole family is sick, so I'm going to stick to mini updates for now))


From the Memoirs of Wilberforce Amber Ropenourished: Spring of the Third Year of New Oceanbridge

The ogres came close to the gate today, which gave our friend Gar another chance to test his traps. This one also worked by some sort of pressure plate/bridge system, but properly weighted this time. Gar was certain of that. And sure enough, the bridge came crashing down on the heads of several of the monsters, with enough force to crush anything into a fine paste. Anything but these ogres. When it hit them, it promptly split in two. The noise was tremendous, and several blocks crashed into the ocean like giant block shaped fish, soaking us all thoroughly.

The end result? Three damp but otherwise unharmed ogre zombies, and a trip back to the drawing board for Gar. Those things have some damn sturdy heads.



We're into the third year since Bayar and the others settled here, and the mood is frankly grim. I shall continue to observe and report what happens.

....................

Next: Things Involving Doctors.

[Llamainaspitfire]

Magma is at about 120, isn't it?

[peregarrett]

No, NOT AGAIN!!!!

All right, they want mean work - they will get it! Behold - Ogre Crushing Stone Hammers!
Front view of passage:

z=3 ###  - hammer made of stone,
z=2 | #    - hangling over support, linked to plate or lever.
z=1 # _  - trapped path with pressure plates,
z=0 #.#. - channeled al along, ramps removed.


mainainance constructions, top views:

z=3:
=== - bridge, used to construct walls
### - hammer handle

z=2:
| #= - bidge, used to construct hammer head


Hammer should be constructed in such order, to avoid acidents:
1) Build support at z=2
2-4) build "hammer handle" walls at z=3, strictly one by one from left to right
5) build "hammer head" wall at z=2.

Sone science should be made about where to place trap plate - directly below hammer head or one step before, to make hammer strike the moving target. Maybe both places.

Also, it's possible to make two sets of hammers from both sides at comb pattern, some levels higher, to cover whole passage

[Ishar]

Pressure plates alone won't stop the undead dwarfs, that's already established.

[peregarrett]

Pressure plates alone won't stop the undead dwarfs, that's already established.

Not in case when plate set to "Civilians trigger", I think.
Anyway, there's always emergency lever option.

[Gigmaster]

I think so? But ... at this point, honestly, I'm all for going straight to ground, maybe mining out a few branching passages to the edges of the map near where the immigrants have been coming from. Give each a couple of moated bridges for safety, get everyone inside that you can, and hole up while we try to find magma.

[varnish]

((Ideas! I'm not sure I understand what is meant when you say "comb pattern", though.))

Croaker and the Ghost

Croaker had his hands full. Leaving aside the search for his old book, which he was beginning to think he would never find, there were the injuries. Never in his life- never in his memory had he dealt with so many, so often. Zombie falcons and hawks attacked the bridge every other day or so, and there was always at least one broken hand or slashed leg to deal with.

And on top of all that, he was being haunted.



Kingfisher's ghost wasn't too bothersome, except for his tendency to slide through the walls when he or Scientist MK. III were busy with surgery. But the undead situation was confusing to him, and that was in turn frustrating. Kingfisher had died, and returned, over and over again, as a zombie. Now he was a spirit, but, and this was the curious thing, not a violent one. Had the undead Kingfisher still retained his personality, or was he just a lifeless husk animated by... whatever? Had killing him (repeatedly) finally freed his spirit, or had it been wandering from the time of his first death, only to surface now? Was that why he wasn't trying to murder them all?

Of course, people returning from the dead was looking common enough to be mundane, but the questions of why and how still needed an answer. Any answer.

................

Next: No Answers, Only Artifacts. And Interviews.


((Man, you just can't keep Kingfisher down. He's done more as a corpse than most of the other dwarfs in the fort.))

[Gigmaster]

Oh - and I don't think I mentioned this, but could you dwarf me? Preferrably some kind of builder or smith, or miner.

[neo1096]

From the Diary of Neo:
If it were possible, Oceanbridge has only become more grim since it was refounded. The corpses of the dead walk, and they want nothing more than to destroy all of the living. I wonder if the dream of bridging the ocean's gap is truly possible. But I cannot give up hope, for only through completeing the bridge will I ever be free to move on.

[Stoutpants]

This is my favorite community fortress, hands down.

I'd like a dwarf if possible. Not too picky about the profession.

[Siverix]

Report on the walking dead by Goldhammer.

I overheard Croaker talking about almost severing some poor chap's nerves when kingfisher's ghost came though a wall and startled him. This is very disturbing because his dead body still shambles around outside. In the days of old an investigation in to such matters could have been conducted with relative ease. All one had to do was consult a priest of one the gods of the dead alas now the gods barely ever answer the calls of the dwarves and even if they do it usually ends poorly.