Let's Play Dwarf Fortress - Skeletal WHAT?!

[Thadius]

Very simple. I dug almost to the river. The next thing was to choose a point and build a wall there, then build some stairs up. After that I built a small stone building up top and provided access to the level below via channeling. Channeling digs out the floor and the stone one level down.

I then went over to the river and channeled one square. One level down, the water seeped in. We've got a damn good wall, so we won't drown. The stairs up lead to a small stone building that is being roofed over and has access to the water. Later on, I or someone else should put in a well there so that the dwarves are happy about it. Once the building is entirely roofed over, I'll remove the ramp that provides access to the roof, and we'll be able to get drinking water without having to go 'outside.' Technically, anything roofed over by stone counts as 'inside'. This should also protect us from flying threats.