Merdi, day 7 of Summer, 557

After last week's mishap with a broken Strange Stone stranding nearly half of the group, we we a bit apprehensive as we gathered this week to find that once again we had only one teleporting Mystic, Rincewind.

Still, since the Cloud Portals were still active in Camp Dred, we gathered there once again, saving nearly an hour of our lengthy trip.

We arrived at the Pitch caves very quickly, and set right in to forcing our entry. Things went fairly smoothly, and we advanced steadily to PC5.

With only a single teleporting Mystic, we knew we had our work cut out for us when we landed in PC6, since clearing the Landing Zone of Noids from amidst the group is always hit-or-miss. Despite a number of Pitch Arachnoids in the Landing Zone when we arrived, between the dedicated runners and a couple impromptu runners (Manx in particular), the area was quickly secured. Once established, we hacked our way through the many Noids until the entire cave was clear, and so moved on into PC7.

Resistance in PC7 was heavy, but Yor and I kept luring and trapping Noids to keep a steady but controlled stream flowing into the waiting swords of the fighters. After some time, we had emptied all te cave except the sealed off West pit. Unfortunately, webs were still flying from many Noids trapped there.

Because of our misfortune two weeks ago in PC7, where the group was cut in two by webs from the pit compounded by a fresh round of Noids in the middle chamber just as we were trying to move up through there to the far North chamber of PC7 to start assaulting PC8, we were extra cautious while attempting this today.

As one of the first folks in the North chamber, I tried to get as many webs as possible throw toward me to leave the narrows that much freer for passing exiles. The rod moved up quickly, and once they were targeted I ran free again.

Wouldn't you know it! Once again as we were moving up, a new Crimson Noid attacked those of us already in the North chamber. Thankfully there was just one and we had enough strength to quickly bring it down, and so the group assembled at the doorstep to PC8 at last.

When Yor ran through PC8 to draw Noids into the South pit, I rushed in behind to seal them in. Unfortunately, I could not seal the pit completely, and only managed a partial wall as I was chased out by several Crimsons. It was enough, however, since once the healer rod was established near the wall, we could lure Noids from the pit fairly safely. At last PC8 was ours, and we faced that final challenge, PC9.

I followed the runners through the path into PC9 and was joyed to see not a single Noid nearby. For the first time, I was able to plant all the Kudzu walls and traps we had so carefully planned without getting chased out! Quickly, the entire group moved in, and we began to kill lured Noids by ones and twos. Only after a minute or so did it sink in that the healer rod was not being bombarded by webs. With only Olive and Malachite Noids to fight, we redoubled our efforts and killed every last one.

Finally, after so much effort, the cry went out: "Pathfinders run for the book!"

We set out at top speed to the far recesses of the cave toward that book. Quickly, the pathfinder mob became mired in the accumulated webs that litter the floor at that end of he cave. Straining and grunting, we pressed on, to make sure the opportunity did not pass us by before fresh Arachnoid reinforcements arrived to defend the cave.

Noivad was the first to reach the Book, and so we learned at last that it is called Trillbane's Commentaries on Ways.

In all, 12 pathfinders began their lessons with this book. I was pleased as can be to drop Evus at last for something else.

What remains to be seen is how many lessons are in one chapter, and indeed, whether this book is divided into chapters at all and if so how many. And most importantly, will these new lessons enable any of us to begin to open any of the unopennable paths we already know of, or find other unsuspected paths? Where will this lead us?

Here is a portrait of the group that finally managed to conquer the Pitch caves and reach Trillbane's Commentaries.

To those that triumphed today, and to all those that have helped in our 70 trips exploring these caves, a hearty congratulations!

Having cleared PC9 at last also allowed us to confirm our suspicion that there is no further cavern past PC9. At least with 130 lessons in pathfinding, no one could see any way to slip into a deeper cavern from here.

That leaves the path in PC7 and the path near Camp Dred as our next obvious targets as soon as we gain the ability to open those difficult paths. That may well be some time yet, however, if this book is like the previous one and requires multiple readings to rwach full understanding.

Nevertheless, past one of those paths, or another one yet undiscovered but now nearer to our ken, lies the heart of our feared enemy: the Orga Stronghold.

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