Fordi, day 64 of Autumn, 553

Because Zorton was available, Yor organized a special trip to the Foothills. The turnout was rather light compared to regularly scheduled trips, with only 17 exiles attending. Still, we set off in high hopes of accomplishing something.

The amusing moment of the trip occured as we waited in Hatred Hollow for someone to arrive, late, when a Forest Drake decided to alight right in our mdst. Needless to say, it was a poor choice and the Drake didn't live long enough to regret it.

With no further delays, we finally arrived at the Pitch Arachnoid cave within an hour of setting out from the Meadow.

The Pitch cave was quite bad when we arrived, and bore the tell-tale traces of an Ethereal portal burn right by the PC1 ladder. Someone had been here before us, and left a mess. We never really established control of the cave, and it very quickly degenerated into a desperate chain rescue.

Unfortunately, the group was small enough that we could ill afford the losses we took with every rush into the cave.

After some time attempting chain rescues, the living that remained included me, the two Bloodbladers, a few healers and Zorton. At this point we realized that if we didn't start for home with the exiles that were left, no one would make it home alive, and we started clearing the Malachite and Olive Arachnoids that had accumulated at the Zu wall.

Zorton said something about needing to leave in a hurry, and the next thing I heard, he SSed that he was safely in town. He had rushed into PC1, openned an Ethereal Portal and quickly stepped in, then openned another to Purgatory. Amazingly enough, he made it safely.

What we soon realized, however, was that he was carrying the only Ethereal Portal stone among those left alive. Oops.

We were trapped, since the small remaining group was in no way strong enough to take the Dredwood snell outside the waterfall so would could march home the long way. If Zorton had been a bit clearer about his intentions, we all could have tried to run out through his portals, but by the time I realized what he was doing, it was too late. Bad communication.

With certain doom now awaiting us all, the remaining exiles began suicide runs into the Pitch cave and then departing or attempting to use Purgatory pendants there. Zorton was the only one to make it home unscathed.

I didn't much like my choices and thought to try a different approach altogether. Since I knew a Chaos Storm was approaching within a day, I decided to make myself a safe spot in the Malachite cave to wait until its arrival, in hopes it would sweep me to the Temple in Puddleby. I set a zu wall near the ladder and went to sleep.

Right after the Chaos Storm cleared, I awoke to find myself unpleasantly still in the Malachite cave! Apparently, the inability to teleport or open Ethereal Portals or use Purgatory Pendants here also affects Chaos Storms as well.

I quickly set up a Zu wall to protect myself, and sat to think about what to do now.

I thought I might as well try to quickly scout a bit. Knowing that beasts are often dazed by Chaos Storms and loath to appear and chase exiles for awhile, I ran into the Pitch caverns.

Amazingly, I ran all the way from PC1 to PC5 without seeing a single Arachnoid or taking even a nibble of damage. Just a few bats and small arachne were milling about as I ran past.

My view of running alone from the Malachite cave to Pitch Cave 5 is here.

In PC5, I laughed and laughed at the absurdity of it all, doing alone in moments what a group of Puddleby's finest takes hours to accomplish (if at all), with much effort, skill and hard-won experience.

Once in PC5, oh how I wished I could teleport to further reaches of the caverns, but no Mystic am I. So I sat and wondered what to do next.

I thought of remaining in PC5 until the group next arrived here, presumeably the following day, and so I set up a wall and went to sleep yet again.

My dreams were troubled though, since it seemed rude of me to presume that the group would have room for me in the teleport chain, without having helped them get to PC5 that day. After all, what if the arriving group already had 26 exiles and only 1 Mystic and stone? I awoke in a sweat, and decided I would need to depart after all. But I wanted to try to do something useful first.

It is an extremely curious coincidence that PC5 appears to be directly below the rock wall in the Southeast pit of PCl, and these are the only other rocks in the first 5 caves - other than those in the Southwest pit of PC1 with the crack leading to the ruined library containing Giayl's Guide. Since we had been wanting to do a PF scan of the PC3 South pit and the PC1 Southeast pit rock walls for some time, I decided to attempt running back to these as a goal. Alas, by that time, the Noids had awakened from their Storm disorientation, and they were not pleased that a lone intruder had dared to enter their deep sanctuary. After doing quick double-takes at the sight of me running past, they chased and bit and webbed with a vengeance, and I was brought down by a Pitch Arachnoid in PC3.

In the end I departed, but I had quite an adventure along the way! I just wish I had thought of scanning PC1 and PC3 walls sooner. That will be a task for another day.

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