The Gorkhon Times: An old promo
The devs posted stylized news reports from the Town-on-Gorkhon on the old website in 2004. It appears these were promotional materials. I've obtained them via Internet Archive. They weren't present on the English version of the site so I've translated them.
The original posts in russian: August, September
August, 3: Here's some bad news from the Termitary, a skinner has died there
When the workers went down to the basement of the western building, they discovered that the white Boddho worms had given birth. The joy of the residents of the dosshouse was short-lived, for that same night the offspring were eaten by rats. The Kin considered this an ill omen, and the tanners' children slit their veins to give part of their lives to the earth. The youngest of them died, unable to bear such a loss of blood.
August, 6: The Kin is celebrating [feasting?]
Meanwhile, the taglur buried their little hero. They wrapped his clean bones in the hide of a year-old calf and held a funeral feast on top of him. After the feast, the deceased's taglur summoned four butchers to a duel in the circle. They also played long stones. They ate meat, snacked on liver, and cheese with groundnuts. The celebration only ended when darkness fell.
August, 15: At 2 AM a mutilated creature was seen in a drain grate near the Atrium Bridge
Their [its'?] shoulder blades were twisted, their long, boneless arms hung through the bars of the grate and dangled into the Guzzle like the flabby flippers of a manatee. The poor wretch [unfortunate person] was still alive and even making attempts to get to the surface! The distinctive mask and black clothing suggested this being was the town’s postman. Who could have mutilated them like this?
September, 2: New sounds
Last night, in the vacant lot beyond the town cemetery, the faint sound of bells could be heard. Those who heard it clap their hands over their ears and grimace — they say that now, if you just listen closely, that oppressive, insistent ringing begins to sound nearby, filling the mind with thoughts of imminent death — and then it rings closer and closer. The Rulers must take the most urgent measures against this.
September, 6: We haven't heard such cacophony for a long time
Hostile sounds, again. Toward dawn, animals began howling deep in the steppe. Their wailing multiplied, becoming unbearable by sunrise. Across the town, lights flickered on in windows. Soon the beasts were joined by people - children whimpered, workers cursed, shutters banged, neighbors quarreled. The collective uproar ceased as abruptly as it began. At dawn, a deathly silence fell over the town.
September, 9: The small prison is no longer empty
A certain craftsman Savvaty, overseer of works at the Tannery, was found guilty of driving two people to suicide. He was stripped of his master title, duly punished, and put behind bars. The convict will be transported by regular train to serve his sentence in one of the government prisons of the metropole.
September, 10: The Town began to look better overnight
Under the twins’ supervision, the tilers repaired the floors of the Town Hall. They tore up the old layers, cleaned out the toxic [poisonous?] dust, and sealed up the mouseholes with clay.
The masons reinforced the load-bearing walls and polished the stone in the southern and southeastern cavity of the Abbatoir — as well as near the Bare Pen and near Pen No. 11.
