Log of 'Fishsicles' Kudonul, Chief Engineer of Waterburned

1st Granite, 251

After a long, hard journey, we have arrived at the future site of the glorious fortress of Waterburned! His Highness Bembul Atortirist, may Armok keep his axe sharp, gave us this glorious mission for the benefit of all of the Massive Room. I'm not sure how in Sirab Furnaceglow's name we're supposed to achieve anything with what he gave us...

4th Granite, 251

Our two miners, Edwards Grizzly and Tuefel Huenden IV, have already begun excavating a shelter, corridor, and a nice future trade depot.

Our war leader/lumberjack Tun Onulbomrek needs some way of training her skills, and it's a such a pity to let all those potential water wheels waste away on the surface. Deforestation fuels progress, gentledwarves.

8th Granite, 251

Our original shelter has been completed; it looks strangely like a key◊. Tuefel and Edwards have moved on to a downward shaft, as per my orders.

9th Granite, 251

Edwards reports finding a bounteous supply of clay in the downward stairwell. None of us are trained in pottery, but hopefully His Highness Bembul Atortirist, may Armok keep his ale frothy, will send us some new men in the coming year.

Beneath the clay is the aquifer. Hopefully Tun will have those logs for us soon!

16th Granite, 251

As the logs roll in from above, I am working on plans to punch through the aquifer. We have a few layers of soil to work with; hopefully it will not be too deep.

24th Granite, 251

Armok's flaming adze, a cloud of bloody evil gloom's on the horizon! *cough* I have all confidence our fortress will prevail, of course.

28th Granite, 251

The evil gloom blew over; no harm to the fortress, but a flock of crow people weren't as lucky. Armok's beard, it's the first time I've seen fog do that.

26th Slate, 251

After a thankfully uneventful month, we are ready to breach the aquifer◊. Hopefully this is the only layer; we don't want too many setbacks.

6th Felsite, 251

We have successfully released the soil into the aquifer below! We can but pray Armok was merciful, and neither of our miners was injured in the collapse...

7th Felsite, 251

Both Tuefel and Edwards have emerged from the caverns unscathed, if slightly damp. The displaced water has been routed to the south, to muddy soil for farms.

8th Felsite, 251

Armok's whiskers, the gloom is back. I wonder how much magma it takes to kill a cloud?

Let me check my notes...

16th Felsite, 251

Tuefel and Edwards just finished excavating a 5x5 stairwell through the heart of the aquifer; lo and behold, we've hit dry siltstone! At this rate, Waterburned will be the greatest fortress in the realm, just you wait!

21st Felsite, 251

In celebration of our triumph over the aquifer, I have ordered the construction of our fortress's central hall. Once it is completed, and the farms and workshops around it are complete, I may begin in earnest! Ahahaha!

26th Hematite

As the miners toil in the future great hall, a group of migrants arrived today: a ranger, a miller, and the ranger's pet blue peahen. Convenient, for soon we shall have plants and millstones aplenty!

In other news, I have begun drafting plans for a power station over the aquifer.

6th Malachite

A giant grasshopper decided to interrupt Tun and her axe's delicate communion with nature. She shows incredible promise.

7th Malachite

We have so much unused space over the aquifer... the plans for the station, which I have tentatively dubbed the Unending Rotationary Aquifer-supplied Interior Urist-producing Mechanism (henceforth URANIUM), are progressing nicely. I am glad Tun is such a good worker, skilled worker... hopefully the merchants will come, and with them more glorious, glorious treeflesh...

8th Malachite

Another cloud...◊ they see my success, and taunt me... there will be a reckoning!

11th Malachite

The main hall is nearly halfway done◊ now; once it is, the miners will be free to start on my URANIUM!

14th Malachite

The woodsdwarf, "Count Dorku" (actual status of nobility: unknown) looked at me like I was mad when I asked for fifty-one pipe sections and fifty-one corkscrews. Ha! I'll show those fools at the Symposium on Dwarven Engineering!◊ "Impractical"?! Ahahahaha!◊

24th Malachite

Production of pipe components has begun!

By my tentative calculations, the URANIUM should produce over one hundred thousand Urist of energy, discounting a negligible cost of operation. Truly, this will be a spectacular advance for dwarvenkind!

19th Galena

As the great hall nears completion, the gloom rears its ugly gaseous head at us in defiance yet again! Why do you taunt me, fog?!◊

23rd Galena

Another gloom, just after the last!◊ I watched carefully as it struck another flock of crow people; it appears that contact with the gloom results in instant death. If only we could study it; no doubt it would make an excellent weapon against thhe beasts of this world.

1st Limestone

The Great Hall is complete!◊ I would have it smoothed, but I need our ranger-turned-stoneworker making blocks for the URANIUM. I have built a workshop for myself in the corner of the hall, and have begun on the more... delicate components. I will need to see to them personally.

2nd Limestone

Another gloom, this one passing dangerously close to the entrance of the fortress. No dwarves were harmed, but our water buffalo were heavily injured in their pasture outside. It is worth noting that they survived the initial encounter with the gloom, and are currently still alive, if numb and heavily bleeding.

7th Limestone

The water buffalo are dead.

16th Sandstone

Edwards Grizzly is now a legendary miner, through his work on the great hall and the URANIUM!

17th Sandstone

Another group of migrants; a furnace operator, thresher, lye maker with military experience, and gem setter. The addition of another military recruit besides Tur makes me wonder if we need to start on proper training facilities, but it can wait until after the URANIUM.

10th Timber

Work is progressing slowly but steadily, no thanks to the miners halting the dig every time they find slightly damp soil. What's the worst that could happen? You strike a lakebed, and flood the chamber that we flood anyway?

12th Timber

I have taken Edwards Grizzly off mining duty for now, so we can have at least some crafts for the merchants. I have placed one of our new arrivals, the thresher Atir Ebalnish, in his place temporarily.

13th Timber

The merchants arrived. A pity they are so early...

15th Timber

As if greeting our brethren, a cloud of gloom has drifted into sight. I have ordered the dwarves into our new great hall; hopefully the merchants live long enough to trade... or the ones carrying their supplies are caught up in it completely...

18th Timber

Melbil, our leader, met with the men from the caravan today. I told her to request wood, iron, and steel, and from what I overheard she did exactly that. Good girl, Melbil.

1st Moonstone

With the URANIUM nearing completion, Tuefel has become a legendary miner. ...Excellent.

17th Felsite, 252

It has been a long time since I wrote in this journal; things have been very busy, with the URANIUM nearing completion, and my having an office to start going through the stockpile records, but also very uneventful. However, today warrants an exception; one of the recent migrants, a gem cutter, started babbling about "fit haggen" or some such nonsense.

21st Felsite, 252

The mad dwarf demanded the construction of a workshop in the great hall, grabbed our recently uncovered star sapphire, and went about working.

24th Felsite, 252

The mad dwarf has finally left his workshop, revealing... Innokosal Konossolam, "Creepysings the Brass Nation", an armour stand that Melbil tells me is worth over 144000 Urist... thrice the previous wealth of our entire fortress. Superb! Ahahahaha!