Barilzar ' s Journal Content . A Record of My Studies in the Clockwork City Today marks the twenty - sixth click of the gear , on the fourteenth rotation of the cyclical time - keeper , since I was selected by Sotha Sil as a Clockwork Apostle and apprentice mage and entered the Clockwork City . The place continues to fill me with awe and wonder , perhaps to an even greater degree than when I first set foot inside the tiny , domed complex . At first , I couldn ' t shake the crushing fear that accompanied my initial entry into the city . I was terrified of the shrinking process and the thought of being turned into a miniscule version of myself gave me nightmares for days before the transition was set to take place . And when it occurred , I ' m slightly embarrassed to admit , the sensation of shrinking didn ' t exactly agree with me . I suppose I shouldn ' t have had such a big breakfast right before , but the scrib jelly on wickwheat toast smelled so good ! < nowiki > * * * < / nowiki > So many things to get used to , working in the Clockwork City ! First off , everything is made of metal , though sometimes the forms and shapes can deceive the eye into thinking an object is composed of an entirely different substance . Second , we utilize sequence plaques instead of paper for inscribing notes and maintaining records . Very much in keeping with the aesthetics of the place . Third , the jargon developing within this small , closed community would be almost impossible to understand if I hadn ' t been here when it started to take root . Allusions and metaphors concerning clockwork mechanics fill our conversations and punctuate our statements . It even slips into our humor , such as it is . Sometimes it even feels like we ' re trying to upstage one another with who can construct the most perfect turn - of - gear phrase , but who could ever imagine that Clockwork Apostles would compete with one another ? Well , except for that Albacron . He ' s a netch ' s arse . < nowiki > * * * < / nowiki > Lord Seht requested my assistance in an unusual series of experiments today . He calls them his Nine Analyses of the Exalted Enigmas . I ' m still trying to align my gears with his godly contemplations , but the experiments seem designed to test the limits of Sotha Sil ' s divine power . He outlined the entire series as he imagines them , but we only conducted the first of the experiments today . It was fascinating , even if I couldn ' t comprehend more than half of what I witnessed . Perhaps additional understanding will dawn as we conduct the remaining eight experiments . And I hope something explodes . I love explosions ! < nowiki > * * * < / nowiki > Lord Seht develops the most interesting and practical tools . When he required a tool to drain away minute bits of his own divine energy to store and study , he crafted one to his exact specifications . When he desired an instrument to measure the precise distance between different " locations " in Oblivion , he crafted that , too . What about a device for recording and analyzing our surroundings ? He calls that his " perception tabulator . " I hope to one day be able to invent and craft devices that are half as useful as the contraptions he throws together when he ' s bored or even working on something else . He ' s the ultimate multitasker ! < nowiki > * * * < / nowiki > The longer I spend in the Clockwork City , the more I come to appreciate it as a wonder and a miracle ! From its brass tunnels to its glass domes , its metal plating to its giant gears , I can barely begin to understand all of its potential — and I ' m one of the apostles helping to expand and fine tune the construction ! Other than the tasteless paste the city provides as the only source of nutrition , the place is nearly perfect . It makes me sad to realize that I ' d need a hundred lifetimes to study and understand even a third of what was required to design and construct this marvelous invention . I wonder , could I extend my life in order to continue the work I ' ve dedicated myself to ? Something to research at some future date . < nowiki > * * * < / nowiki > Novice Kellu attempted to add a sense of humor to the factotum personality sequencing . It went as well as can be expected . Of the three factotums she attempted to enhance with her whimsical algorithms , one exploded , one ran into the Radius and hasn ' t been seen since , and the third stands in the corner and mutters to itself . The words are low and hard to understand , but I ' m sure I heard the poor mechanical repeating " knock , knock " over and over again . Maybe it ' s time to take my leave and find my own place in the larger world .