Azriel's Foothills Expedition Reports For the Pitch Assault Group.

Extending to the East from Puddleby are a series of difficult areas protected by the Orga, extending from the Tanglewood and Orga Camp through the Snaggywood and Orga Outback to the Foothills. Previous explorations of the Foothills some 10 years ago had re-introduced Puddlebeans to Katpus, who told a wild tale of having seen and escaped from an Orga Stronghold beyond the Foothills while trying to recover the fabled town Catapult. Among the things she told were that the pathfinding master Trillbane had maintained a Library nearby that had been destroyed by the frequent earthquakes, that powerful Arachnoids lurked to the East, and that the way to the Orga Stronghold had shifted since her difficult return from there. No one has since found a way through the Foothills to the far East side and the Stronghold, despite many attempts, but some fragments of Trillbane's Library have been discoverred.

In late 551 and early 552, Fundin led several trips from Puddleby to the Foothills for any interested exiles to reach Giayl's Guide to Hidden Ways, the advanced pathfinding training book in one part of Ruined Library that had been found. I went on several of these "mob" trips (see my scrolls for Storm 303, Storm 305, Storm 307 and Storm 313), and so was able to eventually become the first 6th circle fighter to complete my training with this advanced pathfinding book. Another training book, The Tao of Trillbane, is known to exist in another section of theruined Library, but even exiles who can learn no more from Giayl's Guide are unable to learn anything from it. So it has been thought that The Tao must be an even more advanced pathfinding book and another intermediate book might exist somewhere in the now-scattered remains of Trillbane's Library. Both known books are indeed quite nearby each other, although reaching them one must take very different routes and brave the hazards of powerful Pitch, Albino, Crimson and Malachite Arachnoids that have taken up residence in these caverns.

In early Summer of 552, Fundin realized that these "mob" trips to the Foothills and Pitch cavern pathfinder book, while fun, had little chance of doing any serious exploration of these difficult Pitch Arachnoid caverns. We knew the caverns were larger from our forays in there to reach the Ruined Library, but were unable to ever really advance deeper as a loosely organized mob. Might not these caverns be a key to reaching the Orga Stronghold, or perhaps another section of Trillbane's Library? In late 552, Fundin and CJ parker set out to assemble a coherent team capable and willing to assail this Arachnoid stronghold and wrest its secrets from the powerful inhabitants. Some 40-50 exiles were asked to join, based on strength, experience and availability. And so the Pitch Assault Group was born.

From this larger group, a core of about 20 exiles and varying mixture of about 10 of the others has regularly ventured to the Foothills to plumb the depths of the Pitch Arachnoid caverns. Along the way, we have learned much about fighting Arachnoids and much about each other. These are our tales.

Select a scroll decribing a Foothills/Pitch cave trip I went on:

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