Overseer's log, Day 1, Gatelightning reckoning, continued.
Only the first day at Gatelightning, and already tragedy has struck.
One of our pair of war dogs wandered too close to the river bank, and that crocodile with the vicious look about it bit her in two. Poor creature, at least she didn't have time to suffer much... and how fortunate that it wasn't one of us. Nevertheless, this will not be forgotten, nor forgiven: the dwarves of Gatelightning will wear crocodile boots yet.
(Alligator. Id tells me it was an alligator, not a crocodile. Something about the teeth, it seems.)
We took a vote on the precise site of our new home, and settled for the hill towards the east, between the river and the stream by the waterfall. Good stone there, highly defensible, and since the top of the waterfall is there, we'll be able to draw pressurized water lines all through the fortress, for irrigation, defense, and perhaps a nice little fountain in our magnificent meeting hall to be. If only that river didn't give me the willies... I'm
certain there's something very nasty lurking there, nastier even than that crocodile.
Oh, and Aban just mentioned that the lower river seems to be running with blood. Wonderful.
That meant that Kulet and Minkot would have to dig an access tunnel under the river to get there. We were well on our way digging it when that unfortunate accident happened, and realized that the entry and exit points were dangerously close to the river. So there was a change of plan: I ordered the entry and exit moved, so the access tunnel goes to our temporary home directly from high ground.
The temporary shelter is now dug, and we're busy carrying what's left our supplies there, as Minkot and Kulet are starting to delve into rock, for something rather more suitable. I plan to convert the shelter into a trading depot later. We can dig an access ramp along the southern wall, and set up a drawbridge so we can close it off. Even better, due to the different levels of the stream and the river, we can flood the access tunnel, and rig a couple of floodgates and an evacuation tunnel so that we can seal and flood the trade depot itself -- which will also serve as the main entrance to the fortress -- in case of an invasion (or trade dispute -- those elves are tricksy creatures, and you can't trust hoomans either). And then drain it into the lower river afterward, without having to pump. Brawn is good, but smart hydraulic engineering is better, as my mom always used to say.