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[4maskwolf]

Alright, starting later today, just need to update my infernobreak mod.

[Gnorm]

Alright, starting later today, just need to update my infernobreak mod.

Don't forget dwarfing and (preferably) screenshots.

[4maskwolf]

Alright, I'm going to have two different kinds of updates for the fortress.  One is going to be the goings-on, the other is going to be narrative.

Narrative initial update:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Down to the depths of the fortress they came.  Individually and in small groups, they snuck into a side passage, which eventually widened into a small room.  They stood around nervously, not talking, eyes darting every direction.  Many wondered why they had come, what it was about the voice that had convinced them to come to this hidden spot in the fortress.  The dreams, the whispers, it had all led to here, but why?

From the shadows, the masked dwarf observed the congregation.  His keen eyes found none of his enemies among the congregants, and with a move, he stepped forth from the shadows directly in front of them.

There were muffled cries of surprise and disbelief, as all saw the masked dwarf step from midair.  But when the masked dwarf held up his hand, the room fell silent, as if the dwarf held power over the very sounds they uttered.

"Brothers and sisters," the masked dwarf said, "it is truly an honor to have you here with me today."
His words washed over the crowd, soothing them.  This dwarf wasn't so bad, after all.  How could he be, with a voice like that?

"I know why you have come here today, and I must say I'm impressed with all of you.  You all had the courage to answer the call when you heard it.  Do you wish to hear what you came to hear?"
As one, the crowd mumbled its assent.

"Thank you, fellows.  There is a story I must relay to you: a story of loss, treachery, and deception.  It is a sad tale, one that chills the hearts of men and dwarves alike.
It is a tale of the true gods."

Edit: 4maskwolf cancels mod: interrupted by Steelhold

[MDFification]

Alright, I'm going to have two different kinds of updates for the fortress.  One is going to be the goings-on, the other is going to be narrative.

Narrative initial update:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Down to the depths of the fortress they came.  Individually and in small groups, they snuck into a side passage, which eventually widened into a small room.  They stood around nervously, not talking, eyes darting every direction.  Many wondered why they had come, what it was about the voice that had convinced them to come to this hidden spot in the fortress.  The dreams, the whispers, it had all led to here, but why?

From the shadows, the masked dwarf observed the congregation.  His keen eyes found none of his enemies among the congregants, and with a move, he stepped forth from the shadows directly in front of them.

There were muffled cries of surprise and disbelief, as all saw the masked dwarf step from midair.  But when the masked dwarf held up his hand, the room fell silent, as if the dwarf held power over the very sounds they uttered.

"Brothers and sisters," the masked dwarf said, "it is truly an honor to have you here with me today."
His words washed over the crowd, soothing them.  This dwarf wasn't so bad, after all.  How could he be, with a voice like that?

"I know why you have come here today, and I must say I'm impressed with all of you.  You all had the courage to answer the call when you heard it.  Do you wish to hear what you came to hear?"
As one, the crowd mumbled its assent.

"Thank you, fellows.  There is a story I must relay to you: a story of loss, treachery, and deception.  It is a sad tale, one that chills the hearts of men and dwarves alike.
It is a tale of the true gods."

Edit: 4maskwolf cancels mod: interrupted by Steelhold

I look forward to hearing about a cult of demon worshippers arising in Steelhold. Which will then have to be eradicated. And we'll probably never see another overseer survive past their turn again.

[4maskwolf]

From the diary of Nish Kogantan, Miner:
1 Granite 255
When I was sent to Steelhold for the petty crime of theft, I expected that it would be a fortress teeming with guards, where prisoners were beaten into submission on a regular basis.  Boy was I wrong.  I found that the guard presence was almost nonexistent, that the guards who came with me were ground under the iron heel of the prisoners present.  They are all dead, now, sent out to fight goblin sieges.  I suppose I should be happy: I'm a free dwarf.  But this place makes it hard to be happy in any meaningful way.  And after what Lenehan tried last year... It's not a good situation, however one slices it.
But I digress.  The prisoners have asked me to record what happens in the fort this year, and I have no choice but to oblige.  The miners have begun work on an expanded metalworking area.

A dwarf I didn't even realize was possessed has begun work on a mysterious construction.  Cool, I guess.

[4maskwolf]

Diary of Nish Kogantan, Miner:
23 Granite
The artifact was finished: an table.  Great.
And a gremlin was spotted.  Patrols may be needed in the depths to avoid unfortunate occurances.
I have received tell that some of the miners have, without orders, begun mining a vein of adamantine.  This will spell doom for our fortress, but I know not who told them to do this or why they continue doing it.  I am afraid...
One of the planters just went berserk.  Another dwarf thought quickly and locked him in his room.  That is one fewer problems to deal with.

[Gnorm]

You should build a large demon-temple atop the vein, and give Maskdwarf an opulent throne room in the upper point.

[MDFification]

You should build a large demon-temple atop the vein, and give Maskdwarf an opulent throne room in the upper point.

You should lock him in it when your turn ends and keep the pointless overseer murder tradition alive be careful, nobody wants their dorf to die.

[fractalman]

Requesting a turn as overseer...




30 diamonds. That's all I need. needed.  I had 29 of them, when the guards seized me and tossed me into the holding cell...10 adamant ore would have worked too, and it would only have been temporary...I could have dissasembled it after I was done, freeing up the gems for other uses...

Tell me, mr guard...why don't you stay and listen to my tale?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Once, long ago, I awoke alone.  just me, some trees, and some dirt.  I gathered. I survived. I prospered...
But I was lonely.  even an introvert such as myself suffered from being completely, utterly, alone. 
Then I made a portal.  purely by accident, really, as I spilled some magma onto my obsidian-framed double doorway...
The realm I found kept me happy for a while with its soft, red, gently burning stone...but soon, I was testing combination after combination, desperate to open up yet another portal...

Eventually, I was successfull.
Too successfull.
Using diamonds, and miles and miles of power-generating infrastructure
, and millions of lesser portals all woven together, I built the portal...
I placed my hand on the humble stick of wood stuck into a piece of random stone, and pulled...

my portal was so powerfull it drilled through an incalculable number of dimensions; it destroyed my body, yet somehow...
somehow, my mind was left intact.

For years, YEARS I wandered without understanding what I did or what was happening to me.
then...I stumbled on a dwarven fortress...and...somehow, seized controll.  Quite without knowing how I did so, either.

But after a year...I jumped again.

This pattern continued; I would find a fort, controll it for a year, and jump.  Then...

Then I found swordthunders, a fortress cursed beyond all other forts.
Swordthunders, the fort to play checkers against the assembled might of HELL ITSELF!...and it won. 
That fortress soon walled off a section of hell against the straggling remnants of the army. 
but at a cost....so many dwarves. so many elves, goblins, humans...
And the wealth piled up untill, eventually, the place collapsed in upon itself, transforming into an innocent-seeming book. 

With that book, I have been able to exert only a very limited controll over my...jumping...through the multiverse. 

But it isn't enough.  For every time I jump, I loose a little bit of my soul. 

but NOW!...NOW i have a PLAN! NOW I will RECREATE my portal...but with the polarity reversed! I will stop my wanton slide through the multiverse ONCE. AND. FOR. ALL!...
or, at least, I shall destroy myself utterly.  Better this gamble than to be torn apart piece by piece, never dying, never truly living.

What's that, dear guard? You think I've gone insane? perhaps I have.  After all, dwarves go insane when they fail moods...but before you go, why don't you take a look at this book. See this strawberry?
Yes, it has a mouth and a tongue...you see this on the strawberry's tongue? why don't you lean in for a closer look...

[this goes on for some time, with different images.]

And now, see this statue in the cage? Look at what it has in its hand.  Why, it's another book! Why don't you try turning the pages of that book! They actually turn! Neat, huh? Now, if you turn to the very back...yes, right there...there's another well-drawn strawberry! and, well...
*SLAM*
"well, dear guard, it seems I accidentally closed the book while you were leaning deep into it."

For such is Zas Ebal, the eldritch, cursed crundle-leather tome of swordthunders.  Yet once you are trapped within, continuing to read...is your ONLY hope. 
...
Among many other decorations, next to the cage is a natural slate wall. On the wall is a new image of a horrified guard dwarf.  If you look closely, you might see it twitching as the remainder of its lifeforce is drained, all for the sake of delaying a trans-dimensional jump an extra month or two...

My plan is to create a portal to cancel out the activity of ANOTHER portal,using 10 diamond gem windows, or 10 adamant blocks, or 10 adamant ore; or even a mix; the two substances act just the same as far as my portal shall be concerned. I just need a total of 10...
And a LOT of power.  A LOT of it. 
...
Well, if there's really no diamonds or candy in the game, then I may be able to make do with crystal glass, as long as I also have some sort of red gem and some obsidian.


Oh, and mr. mask and I are immune to eachother's powers. Doesn't mean we can't kill eachother with a cave-in or a zombie army, but direct magical attacks shall mutually fail.  Also: not sure if we should sabatoge eachother, or stay out of eachother's way...I can see either approach making sense.

other:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"Once my portal is complete, I shall care NOTHING for ruling the fortress...just GLANCING at these records speaks of backstabbing, murder, and...

How strange it is, for I am outright REASSURED by this evidence for another wielder of demonic powers. what changes have been wrought in me, that I feel more comfortable dealing with eldritch horrors than dealing with the normal dwarves of this place?
...
no, best not to spend too much thought trying to answer that question.
but this MUST be the place I try. I cannot be sure I will remain stable after this jump; ergo, since this place is not a death-trap like that zombie infested GLACIAL penal colony I encountered before-or perhaps just after-swordthunders...well...it'll have to do.

alas, though...for though I wield the power of swordthunders...it yet hides the power of checkers form me.

[4maskwolf]

Heh.  This is going to be fun.  Should I just dwarf you as anyone, or is there a specific profession you would like to request?  There are so many people in the fort it wouldn't be hard to say that you'd slipped in recently.

Also, there is candy... plenty of it... of course, you'll have to go through me to get it....  BWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

The masked dwarf paced the cramped chamber, seemingly waiting for someone.  Or something.  His hands were clasped behind his back, his mask betraying no emotion.

Shortly, there came the sound of approaching footfalls, and the masked dwarf stopped pacing, back facing the door.

The door opened, and through it came a somewhat short dwarf, most of his features concealed by a cloak he had drawn around him for anonimity.

"So you came," the masked dwarf said, not turning to face the newcomer, "I must admit I thought you would not."

"And why would that be?"

"Most dwarfs cannot find this place.  It is concealed from their sight.  Even the miners who dug it have no recollection of it."
Upon saying this, the masked dwarf turned to face the newcomer, "The fact that you found me here proves that you can resist my powers somehow," he said, a note of grudging respect in his voice, "few dwarfs have the willpower to resist even the least of my powers, but to see through the illusion... you are something unique.  Tell me, what are you here for?  You said you wished to speak with me on an important matter?"

"I did say that.  It has come to my attention that the miners have been mining out an adamantine vein, the ore of which has disappeared from the dig sight."

"You wish me to stop?"

"I would ask for some of the ore."

The masked dwarf straightened, his masked face turning to look straight into the eyes of the newcomer, "And you wish to use it for?"

Beneath the cloak, the newcomer smiled. "I can promise that it will be returned when I am done with it."

"But you understand, the gift of the gods cannot be given for just any task.  I, as the greatest servant of the lords, have a duty to ensure that the adamantine is used for a worthy effort."

"I understand your concern, but it is hardly necessary."

The masked dwarf paused, as if pondering the matter.

"I will consider what you have said.  You will know of my decision soon."

The other dwarf bowed and turned to leave.  This was not the answer he wanted, but the adamantine would be his, one way or another.

If you don't think I characterized your dwarf appropriately, I can modify/delete the scene.

[Gnorm]

I have begun to wonder recently: what exactly does Maskdwarf's mask look like? I have personally imagined it to look like Satan's mask in "The Adventures of Mark Twain," albeit with an actual head. What exactly did you picture, 4maskwolf?

[4maskwolf]

I pictured a golden mask, covering his entire face, with a hood drawn up over his head so none of his features were visible.  Not like the mask you posted, more form-fitting and less exaggerated, with glowing eyes the only thing that can be seen through them.

That was my image, at least.

[Gnorm]

I pictured a golden mask, covering his entire face, with a hood drawn up over his head so none of his features were visible.  Not like the mask you posted, more form-fitting and less exaggerated, with glowing eyes the only thing that can be seen through them.

That was my image, at least.

So, more like this?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[4maskwolf]

Closer yeah. I forgot to mention that the mouth of the mask is a horizontal slash , but pretty close.

[MDFification]

Closer yeah. I forgot to mention that the mouth of the mask is a horizontal slash , but pretty close.

Unknown Date

Journey through the desert has be arduous. Tales of Steelhold circulate throughout the caravan. None end well.
Hear word of Elf-sympathizers, socialists (why is it the ones who believe society can be planned are never competent enough to do it?), religious fanatics, madmen and petty thugs.
A few notable exiles here, though. Could be of some use to this Asmoth or Lenehan. Provided they fit my objectives to amass enough wealth to live comfortably or regain social mobility.
Worrying signs have emerged though. Thaumometer is going mad as we approach the fortress. Sometimes I wish I'd never built the thing - insisting it worked is what got me expelled from the Royal Engineering Academy. Fools. It's applications are obvious. Still, there is more background thaumaturgical energies here than there should be this far above the underworld. Either massive quantities of adamantine ore are present, or something far worse than I could have imagined is afoot in Steelhold. Must be cautious to remain uninvolved. Those with the will to grasp "magic" are rarely able to do so safely.

Noted wheels acquired much friction while being dragged through the sand. Considered alternatives. Magnetite road could eliminate problems with friction and the ground, but would be prohibitive in cost and could only support limited loads. Similar issues with efficiency and cost exist with plan to cool desert to tolerable temperatures with flooding - digging a channel to the ocean would leave most of this place an inland sea, but locals would object and paying for the project is not feasible.

---

OOC: Tell us when the Great Dorfening^tm occurs. I'd like to get into this fort and mess with things a little bit...