Busy year... little time for writing in the journal, been very busy keeping things calm in our own personal hell. At least we adjusting to our vegan diet.
First, a planter was possessed. Claiming a craftdwarf shop, she wanted bones, which we had none of, and promptly went berserk.
She killed her infant, and attacked her next oldest child before the hammerdwarves caught up to her.
The bodies were dumped into the blood of Armok, to prevent them from rising from the dead.
Some human merchants came over the summer, and were almost caught in the evil clouds. They escaped, only to be eaten by the husks and zombies.
Progress on the zombie-disposal / defense trap system goes in leaps and bounds. After many different designs of varying magnitudes of dwarfiness (room with steel traps, floodable by magma, obsidianizing chamber, etc) we decided on a simple atom smasher design.
Anyone who tries to enter the smasher hall from the fort will be denied access by a pressure plate linked to a hatch over a pit. Zombies entering the trap will be kept in the trap by the same system, on the side facing the surface level. The bridges are linked to a lever, and we will take turns operating it until the undead have been thoroughly smashed to bits. The wall blocking the tunnel will be removed when preparations are complete.
A weregecko showed up, attacked a zombie, turned into a dwarf, and was killed.
Now, to watch the husband of the recently-deceased possessed dwarf. He is completely depressed, and after losing his wife and infant son I can't blame him. He has lost himself in his work as a furnace operator, and spends what free time he does have drinking in his room, lost in thought.
PS. The atom-smasher works flawlessly. Except for a few zombies that get to the one safe spot... but at least this thins their numbers.