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From the Journal of UltraMagnus - Malachite:

"Oh, did they manhandle my big boy?" Onul seemed disappointed that he couldn't arrange a meeting proper with Nokzam, but the letter was enough of a signal of how boasted he considered himself within the mountain. I held my pen over the note, with the rest of the thugs gathered around for an official group meeting.

"Join the mountain?" Ral didn't seem to cringe at the irony of this statement. Really though, this was just a minor side-effect of my prediction coming into effect. Now we just need to wait this out...

"Let's weigh our options," I told the group (for at this moment we were and were not thugs).

"On one hand, if we say 'no', we align ourselves with the Loyalists as silent allies (or at least, the mountain will see this as such). We submit to the martial law of Sionnach and his paranoia, doomed to rule under the harsh rule of a self-righteous dwarf that seeks to call his own emotional breakdowns 'law.'"

"On the other hand, if we say 'yes,' we bind ourselves to the terms listed in this letter." I started to strike a few lines along Nokzam's hastily-written penmanship. "I cannot speak for the rest of you, but I suspect too much that Nokzam considers us as common fools that can be easily tricked. There are several parts of this agreement I could do without, specifically this paragraph." I started to circle my pen around the paragraph that began with Accept our proposal, and you shall be... "I was trusted to succeed, not abolish this gang, and a shift in title by the appointment of the mountain is still an allegiance if we choose to submit to it. At any time I could have shifted our title to something else quite easily, the Loyalists need no Mountain appointment to call themselves such. I'm also not keen on being expected to be a tattletale to the Loyalists."

"You shall be allowed to fill your ranks with willing dwarves," I glanced over at Ral. "More meaningless words, but note how he does not say from which district we would pool from. I do like, however, the prospects of having arms to match the CDF."

The rest of the group was eager to make suggestions as I scribbled down on a sheet of paper. The ink bled from my written response into this journal, so really I've just been stalling until I reach it that way I can explain why it suddenly says...


"There, now we can work for them without joining them..."

Onul took the letter and waited outside the Mountain gate. We watched him, eager to guard him from any Loyalist ambushes.

From the Journal of UltraMagnus - Hematite:

"'Queen of Art?' Oh, so pretentious of her..."

Urvad stood trembling, baring news that of the latest ploy by our 'beloved' Overseer was to meet with me personally to discuss enforcing the mountain, or, as Nokzam insisted on calling it, the "vault"'s reign over GlovedLoved. "Such is too bold of a move for someone of his position, he's already stolen a sizable amount of miners from the slum district."

I glanced over at Ral, eagerly waiting to hear the rest of my train of thought. "Sionnach will no doubt notice this, and he still has connections to the neutral zone. My decision to attend should be made under the assumption that the entire slum district will catch hold of it, as well as any discussion made within the meeting itself to assumed to be within a public space, regardless of whatever (inevitably) private base it should be. Would Nokzam poke his head out of the mountain for it to be cut off, or will I see the results of his grand scheme for living in preserved and eternal luxury."

Urvad calmed a bit, "You mean you're going?"

I dismissed Ral and Urvad from my quarters, I had to change into more fitting attire.

I prepare to close my journal and swap it in my immediate possession with my field note logbook. I will document my first field entry after he has greeted me.

K:ls2pilnpu avzbzwlja aoha uvrght pzjvuzwpypunav thrlhu hytfavlumvyjl aoltvbuahpuz ylpnuzvaoha sprlbzol ohzuvaopunav mlhymyvtaol jpcpsphuklmluzlmvyjl. K:ls9ymnxrjfsxymfy fyfsdynrj ymjqtdfqnxyxbnqq ywdytfyyfhpzx gdwjqjfxnslymj gjfxy, ujwmfuxymjrtzsyfns bnqqywdytzxjzxfx kttiktwymjrtsxyjwnk bjijkdymjr, sfdymfybtzqirjfs fhyzfqqdxbjfwnslfqqjlnfshj ytymjrfsiktw ymjrtzsyfnsgjnslxzgyqjfgtzy ymjnwfrgnyntsxfsiuqtyynsl. nxmfqqktwymjltti tkrdlfslfsi ymjxqzrx, ktwbjfwjgzy ymjrtxywjqnfgqjfsxbjwymjd mfajktwfsjzywfqqfb nsymnxutqnynhfqsnlmyrfwj, uqfdfqtslktwstb, gzynkymjrtzsyfnsxjjpx ytrfpjzxnyx itlxymjsbjbnqqgj bnymfuwnhjfxns ymjifdxtk Skulls mjwxjqkfsibnymhfzynts ytbfwix fsdtwijwxtknsajxynlfynts. fsjbvzfwyjwxfbf dkwtrymfyfhhzwxji yzssjqbtzqi gjsnhjnksty fgwniljyt fhhtrufsdymjbfqq htruqjyjbnymf qjajwnsrdvzfwyjwx. xzhmbtzqigjsnhj, nxmfqqgwnsl ymnxzuytymj rtzsyfnswjlfwiqjxx tkymjnsyjsy tkymjsjltynfyntsx. K:ls7tymjw pjdx fwjxjajs fsiknajnsymfytwijw

- - - - -

"Pil-ne-poo av-zebbezewulja..."
Even if the Loyalists don't go snooping into my journal, hearing Onul try to read it has made this cryptic writing worth the effort. I dismissed him to contact Nokzam so that he may schedule the meeting.

You guys taking a break?

I'd like to note that the next scheduled Overseer is now dead.

From the Journal of UltraMagnus - Felsite:

Scheming may as well not be if you're going to be transparent about your intentions.

The downside to the Loyalists' position against our training bunker is that we have just as much of a view of them as they do us, but with less of the responsibilities that cause for distraction. Lately, I've been seeing them eying Ral. Why would they be doing so? Oh, right...


I called for my thugs to meet with me at the start of the month. Ral, Onul, Urvad, and Monom all stood there, awaiting today's lecture before hammer practice. I spoke, collecting myself in thought before deciding what needed to be encoded and what didn't need to be. Calmly, I graced the room with my words, "You are all excellent dwarves. Skilled, loyal, fierce... Skulls may rest in peace knowing that her legacy of dwarves has turned out to produce such fine beings as us all. That's why I'm going to reward you all; today we're going to have a break from hammer practice and get acquainted with civilian life. It shall serve to prepare us for an upcoming hiatus from training. Mind you, this doesn't not mean a disbanding of the group, it just means that we'll only be training when we need to prevent our skills from getting rusty."

Onul as expected was the first to speak up, "Ma'am, what about the... uhm... K:lgangpscepmwxw xvcmrk xsxeoi sziv xliwpyqw (did I encode that right)?"
I responded after a brief moment to decode that mentally. A month of training was starting to settle into the thugs, "(I understood that, yes you did.) K:lgangxlicvi kixxmrk fsxl eqfmxmsyw erhvigopiww. wssr xlivi amppfi tvsfpiqw jsv'iq fcxlilerh sjxli qsyrxemr, rsxsyvw. airiih rsxasvvc efsyxmx." Onul didn't seem convinced. He asked, "are you sure?" I nodded affirmatively.

I grinned to the thugs, "If it wasn't for those damn Loyalists' plotting co-opting the civilian defense force, this would be the perfect time for me to find a dwarf with a handsome beard and settle down into motherhood. For the rest of you, that's your call. I don't recommend getting yourselves pregnant, but do enjoy yourselves for the next season. We'll meet back at the end of each month to brush up on our skills, and resume full-time operations at the end of the summer, if the group decides that civilian life is rewarding enough."

The dwarves ran outside of the room on break. I have full intentions of making the most of this day.

- - - - -

"Ral," I asked in the courtyard outside the housing units, "What makes you happy?" Ral seemed straightforward in her answer, "The arts, the military, friendship, money, that type of thing, you know?" I chuckled back, "The military? Come on, Ral, I didn't ask you so you could butter up to me, I asked so that I could get to know you better. We're still a small group, so I like to know each member on a personal level." Ral leered at me, "If anything it sounds like you're the one that's trying to persuade a dwarf. Don't lie to me, tell me the real reason why this is happening. It's the Loyalists, isn't it?"

I took a moment to choose my words carefully, "Only partially. They were always clear in their intentions to make a mascot of you, even going so far as to trade you away for their own public image, all for moot once they made themselves the self-appointed guardians of this province. No, only partially because I need to clear my conscious of that bargain."
Ral's tone suddenly turned a little more soft, "You're throwing me our of the group."
I straightened my posture and asked Ral, "No, I'm asking you to join the thugs as a full-fledged member, none of this 'prisoner' nonsense. If you want to run off during this break and never pick up one of our hammers again, I'll turn a blind eye to it. Unlike the Loyalists, I don't value you as property or payment."
Ral was a bit flattered, but reluctant to fully accept my statement. "If that were true, then why did you even try to bargain me in the first place? What do you see me as?"
I stared down Ral in the eye, a bit disappointed that she expected me to have made the decision to meet on a whim. "K:lgangxstvszi lsa qygl xlic vieppc hsrx gevi efsyx xlihaevziw mrxlmw tvszmrgi. My benefit from the trade-off may only be temporary, this is your decision, not mine. As for what I see you as." I took a moment to stare directly into Ral's eyes passionately (no-homo), before finishing my answer, "I see you as a dwarf with strong biceps that can avoid a goblin strike, swing with her mighty hammer, and then pause to wipe her brow because she was precise enough to get the task done. Whether the goblin is a fleshy invader or a stone figurine in progress makes no difference to this vision."

Ral seemed flattered. "But you don't see me as a thug?" I answered back, "I don't have precognition; I see a skilled dwarf with options."
Ral seemed touched. "In case I do make that decision, though, and the grip of my war hammer gets cold, you will show no scorn to me?" I laughed, "Such as long as you don't crawl back to the Loyalists that value your loyalty enough to trade you for something that they would later throw away." Ral didn't quite remember the meeting well, "Their stealth? Their security?" I shrugged, "Might as well be both? Know also that if the thugs do resume operations and you do re-appear to pick up your hammer again, I'll give you a big hug and formally integrate you into the group."
Ral laughed, "A hug? Get real, what's in it for me if I do join your gang? I could make a killing making stone cups on mass-produce for humans." I can't say that I didn't understand this predicament of hers. "If you make more cups, the fortress wealth will increase. If that happens, then more immigrants will come to the fortress. If that happens, then there will be more mundane workers that consume more of the few luxuries that we have have. You may call this a slippery slope, but let's be honest, why did you come to the fortress, and how many immigrants have since then turned into haulers?" Ral seemed hesitant, but ultimately nodded at the statement. If she did so only to amuse me, I have no clue. "Let's not forget that any great tokens made will are taken by the Mountain for their own benefit. However, in Skulls' Thugs, we try to make every reward for our deeds with our own benefit. If we get the CDF needs us to calm a riot because they're too busy with other matters and offer us extra food as a reward, we get fat. If the mountain gives us armor for making a hit, we aren't taxed any more than other dwarves regardless of our metal. We're favorable to everyone except for the reckless Loyalists, and even they have only a mutual distrust of us."

Ral seemed to like the sales-pitch, but it wasn't enough to make a final verdict. I can't say that I blamed her, "It's a big decision, I understand, so I'm going to leave you with some time to think about it. Until then, I'll be off to practice my painting. Our fortunes rise and fall together."

- - - - -

After I set this logbook down, I have no intention of writing in it for some time.

From the Journal of UltraMagnus - Slate:

Onul confronted me. "Ma'am, the Loyalists are trying to get closer to our base of operations. Do they seek our quarters, to integrate us into their clutches?"
I sat back, staring down Nokzam, the bold dwarf who dare suspect that not everything is in his military watch. I pointed towards Onul to gather the members of the gang.

- - - - -

I made my announcement to my gang and any prying eyes with a whisper, "The Loyalists are no doubt watching, so I'll make this short and sweet. If you can't figure this out, then you will be left out of all gang operations and planning. Needless to say, do not collaborate on this unless you can keep it within your own heads."
Ral was the one who spoke up first. "Figure what out?"
I pointed at the new thug, and proclaimed, "'K:lgangvep. ' That's the puzzle. Don't proclaim once you've solved it, but bare in mind that this is how things are going to be run from now on."

I reached for my notebook. "I will also keep monologues and sensitive information in my log as such, so that prying eyes may not intrude on a woman's privacy, even in a literary sense."

I dismissed the thugs back into training, as I put my new methods into practice. I lift up my pen, hopefully fixing this crutch of mine in a poor memory.

K:lgangmtvitevih jsv xlmw, mrgewi xli pscepmwxw higmhih xssziv-wxit xlimv fsyrhw. mnywx lsti xlex qcxlykw ger iewmpc ehetx xslsa xlic wlepp fixsphxs gsqqyrmgexi jvsq xlmw tsmrxsr.

qsvi wigyvmxc...

gsrkvexypexmsrw xs xli viehiv sjxlmw, csy fvsoi wmqtpi geiwev gmtliv. ejxiv xli xlykw wtieo xlmw jpyirxpc, qsvi amppfi ehhih xsxli oic, wsirnsc csyv wlsvxpmzih zmgxsvc sziv epievrmrk gyvzi.
-UltraMagnus

UltraMagnus Tome II - Granite:

New book, new phase.

Nokzam is surprisingly level-headed compared to Sionnach's passionate reign. True, he's helped to alleviate the religious tensions, but I doubt that I would have been able to use the conflict beyond getting recruiting Ral. At the same time Nokzam decided that building both a physical and metaphoric bridge between the two main district was a good idea.

So, he seeks to control the trade between the Mountain, and seal us off from the Slums, eh?
What an incredibly bold move on his part, all to remind me that being level-headed and calm isn't the same as cunning.

Onul asked me what we're going to do about this. I told him, "On the last month of autumn, I want you to simply remind the Mountain that the bridge was constructed, ask them who controls the means to retract it, and to ask if the Loyalists could use this to contact with the traders without the Mountain's authorization."

Onul stood dumbfounded, "We're going to tattle? Why put it off?"
I painted a blue line across the back of my gauntlets to remind myself of the river. "Nokzam hasn't proven himself to be a problem yet. He's focusing on building up the Slum district and trying to make life better for everyone. I can't, in good faith, stop that. Our only problem is that bridge, but really there's better things we can do than worry about it."
Onul brought up a rumor that I had heard as well, "And his plans to 'unify' the armed forces."
I was running out of ink for the current writing session. "We currently exist as a force that can be employed by either the Slum or the Mountain districts, making us non-partisan in the Loyalists' war. Obtaining our forces is a direct message of conflicting power to the Mountain, and neither I or the Mountain will want the gang dissipated and all power handed to the Loyalists."

Onul left me to contemplate my thoughts. Just how much power do the Loyalists want? They've already the forces to overthrow the Mountain districts' pitiful population, so why bide more time?
It was then that I began to conjecture a new theory based off of my observed behavior regarding Sionnach. The Loyalists are of the same ambitious thread as the Mountaineers, merely relying on the promises of charity and goodwill to gain followers to counter the Mountain's wealth. They want the Mountain's riches, but is the supplies to keep a dozen in luxury really thick enough spread across the entire Slum district? The Loyalists, are they planning to invest in their own armed forces to secure and maintain the power void that they plan to create by invading the Mountain district?

I pray to my gods that I am wrong about this, that we aren't trading off one evil for another.