It may help to have some music to set the tone for this update. I suggest this.



More of them every day, mewling and screaming.



Randomstranger


The screaming never stops. Can hear it even when I clamp my hands over my ears.



Magil Zeal


Even when I sleep. Still hear it in my head. Have to stop the screaming.



Scaly will help. But need trap. Build trap. Trap is built? Good.



Need bait or scaly won't help. Dwarfy bait.





It falls and falls and bleeds and bleeds but the screaming never stops. Why won't it stop? Why won't they die?



Still alive. Still alive. Whycan'tIkillthemwhycan'tIkillthemwhycan'tIkillthem?

It keeps them alive. Gemclod. Need to kill Gemclod. Need to stop the screaming.

Need more bait.



Caught scaly. This bait has quick feet. He gets to keep them. Ha ha ha.







More of them, always more. More dwarves. But these seem different. No matter, they died. Died died died died died.



Not dwarves then. Elves. I remember elves. So graceful. Was there something else? Graceful and...something. Began with D. De. Deadle. Dead?

No. My elf is not dead. Alive and watching me. I keep her safe from Gemclod.

Run away, little elves! Gemclod will swallow you!

Gemclod will swallow you whole.





Gemclod will swallow them in pieces. Ha ha ha.



An elf is inside. Flittery-fluttery birdy elf. Chasing all the little dwarves.



Hee hee hee! See the pretty trail! Pretty trail like a little snail.



The little snail goes squish and the birdy elf goes back outside. But it found another little snail!



But the screaming doesn't stop. The screaming never stops. Why won't it stop? Even when they die it never stops.

Gemclod. It keeps them alive even when they die, always screaming. Need to kill Gemclod. Need to stop the screaming.

Hands.



There are hands on the floor. Why are they there?

Gemclod. It won't let me go. Hands in the ground, grasping and grabbing and snatching. Keep them away! They won't catch me. I won't let them. Where is my elf? Have they found her? I won't let them!

One of the beasts growls. Dwarfbeast. A growl from its belly.





It feasts and growls no more. But the screaming never stops. Never.



Forgotten horrors in the earth. Crawling with empty eyes and dead souls.



It hides in the depths. It fears Gemclod. Some things even horrors will not touch.

Something dies, alone and afraid. I can feel it.





I remember something. A staircase? A grave? I see it in my head. Why is it in my head? I don't understand.



Another dwarfbeast. Another voice for the screaming.

Die Zombie Die


Can barely hear the voices now. Just one sound. Unbroken. Endless.

But it ends now. All over. All over. My plan is finished and Gemclod with it.

Gemclod will drown.







Hehehe. See the colours all rise up. So pretty.





Gemclod tries to stop me. More spirits and more voices.





Fontoyn


But it is too late. Scalies are in the water now.



Now I pull the lever. Pull the lever and Gemclod will drown and the screaming will stop.



But where is it? Where is the lever? I put it where Gemclod would never find it. But where was it? The picture in my head is gone.

Gemclod.

Gemclod is inside my head, stealing my thoughts. It stole the lever and it stole my mind and it keeps on screaming and screaming and screaming it never stops and

and

Ahh. Ahhahaha. Ahhahahaheeeheeheeheehahaha!



AHAHAHAHEEHEEHEEHEEAAAAHAHAAHAA!









Sirocco wrote :-



Sirocco wrote :-

Early draught of Cuthabe.


Proper picture.



AJ_Impy wrote :-



Journal of AJ_Impy Idashushrir, Agent Firesnake

This is a secret journal encoded in a high elven cypher on shale microfiche. All craftsdwarfship is of mediocre quality.

I have been vexed recently. I have made no progress in ensuring the ultimate victory of the Horn of Galleries over the Famous Palisades recently. The Dwarven attack squad is just too dangerous to engage directly, and are in any case completely mad. I will try to see if studying the Overseer will provide better results.

*****

By Deg's sacred neverending Month of Felsite half-price sale, what have I let myself in for? I thought I had seen crazy. I thought a dwarf ripping the eye out of a Beakdog with his teeth was insane. Ha! If only that was all. What sort of madman keeps a three-quarters-dead elf in a cage in his bedroom?! It looks like he used it for target practice, then got up close just to watch it squirm. I don't think its moving any more. Can't really tell. Don't want to know. At least it wasn't one of the Enlightened ones, just their treedwelling lesser cousins. In any case, I mustn't break cover. I also think staying far, far away from this overseer is a good idea. For anyone.

*****

Inspiration! It is true that anything that gets close to the defenders of Gemclod dies horribly, but the thought occurs that they stay on the ground. We have mothersporeimplanting GIANT EAGLES! If we can just keep high enough to fly over their defensive line, and get out of the Degdamned way whenever they draw near, we could fly right into the Great Hall of Gemclod and butcher the dwarves inside! Without dwarves capable of preparing food, we can starve the monsters out, and finally crush this horrid place forever!

On the shale microfiche is engraved an image of high elves, dwarves and giant eagles. The high elves are riding the giant eagles. The high elves are striking down the dwarves. The image describes the plans of Agent Firesnake to circumvent the Defenders of Gemclod in the year 270. All craftsdwarfship is of mediocre quality.

*****

Who the purple glowing pit put that Degdamned glass wall there?! It was all going so well! With a screen of swordsmen to occupy the monsters with adamantine, the elf on the eagle flew down and started slaughtering the unenlightened. At least two of them were struck down before BONK! Right into that wall of glass. The poor war eagle lost all sense of direction, and flew right back into the dwarven meatgrinder outside. These unenlightened bastards are more cunning than they look. Ah well, back to the engraving slate. I'll see this fortress fall if it's the last thing I do!



Bene Elim wrote :-


Whothehellcares Season. What used to be the entrance stair.

WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO THE STAIRCASE?!

Some stupid Mister or other has gone and turned this symbol of Dwarven might into a Mishos damned aquarium! Whats more, there's a new addition to the first storey of the great hall that looks suspiciously like floodgates. The sporeimplanting moron wants to flood the fortress!

To the Elves with this crap. For the good of all the Ladydwarves and their new Beardlings I'm going to work my way to overseership as fast as possible, no matter how many Mandorfs I have to step on. The aquarium is not that kind of glass ceiling!

It is a very pretty shade of green though...



PublicOpinion wrote :-

I thought I'd sketch something to commemorate Mr. Vile's awesome run as overseer.



I'm still not entirely sure if double-braids are a specific type of braid or it just means 'twice as many braids'.









Xexre wrote :-



We crossed treacherous hills, valleys and mountains. We crept through forests littered with critters who couldn't wait to pick at our bones. We slogged through miles of swamp (and leeches) to get to the dwarven nirvana of Gemclod (as the merchants called it). Getting Farseli to make this trek was like getting a dwarven pack mule to pull an elf cart. Stubborn woman refused to budge. Surprisingly, though, it only took four fist fights to convince her to leave that damn mudhole.

And then she died. Her head in one location, the rest of her body in another.

I brought her here to die.

Farseli was the only dwarf who didn't care (or didn't notice) that half of my ancestry belonged to the elves. A half elf, half dwarf? What sort of sick creation was that? Farseli didn't care. I appreciated her for that.

But there's no time for such thoughts. There's only time for blood. There's only time for murder. The complete and utter destruction of every elven man, woman and child. I will find them. I slaughter them.

The women and children here cower in fear of an axedwarf named Minty. I will find this Minty. I will learn the martial art. I will take up a spear and kill the elves with their very weapons.

I'll kill them with irony.