Current Training: Giayl's Guide, chapter 2.

Donations: Helping Cassia Allin build fortifications (70-80%).

Exploration: an East Forest-Westwood path.

Sombdi, Day 2 of Winter, 552.

The New Year is upon us already!

I really feel the need to work at finishing my training with Giayl as quickly as possible so that I can return to other training. Six lessons down in Chapter 2 so far, four more to go. So, I have been hunting more avidly, and have found myself on Kizmia's Island with some regularity.

A few days ago, several of us had a difficult time making a beachhead at the East Cove due to an excess of Carnivorous Wurms and Stinging Beetles, and a pair of Flower Lyfelidae that swiped at us from beyond our own range. I had time to make this rude sketch. Thankfully, our rescue didn't take very long, and we were soon extracting revenge on our assailants.

A more common hunt lately has been to crash ashore at the South end of Kizmia's Island and hunt the interior all night. Since the purple Portal has remained in the hut there, it makes leaving the island much easier, so we can concentrate on hunting instead of worrying about slipping down separate trees, fighting our way to the far North, and making rafts. Since this is the only place I am guaranteed to find creatures to vanquish anymore, that's been a great boon.

Last night, our small group (Shen Calin, Kishi, Aia, with Puffy-H and Esmeralda healing) ended up clearing most of the South end of the island, and when Mujin-kun joined us later, we actually returned to the Cove for some challenge. Since there were several Cave Cobras and Flower Lyfelidae waiting there on the beach, it was a challenge. Once up in the forest, we met quite a few Flower, Orgaberry and Starbuck Lyfelidae, so it definitely was the right choice of hunting grounds. My back was aching from hitting the ground so often, though! I really do need to train a lot more with Detha if I'm going to hunt here.

I was also pleased to hear that the PTF group had traveled to the Pitch Arachnoid cave in the Foothills once again a few days ago, and that Fundin had successfully reached the ruined library and Giayl's Guide. I guess that makes up for his not reaching it on his own expedition last week.

Lundi, day 73 of Autumn, 551.

I set out last night with the Second Exile-Mob Foothills Expedition organized by Fundin. About 55 exiles signed on, and we set ventured from the Meadow with high hopes. By the time the crowd had gathered at Bones' snell, the gaggle of eager pathfinders had popped in and out of Hatred Hollow so often in learning the path (I didn't master it again, myself) that they actually cleared the entire snell and all stood staring at the exit path. Leaving the non-pathfinders behind in Bones. Everyone did catch up finally, but by then I had pushed on the Hatred Hollow exit path so much that I openned it and found myself in the Orga Outback near the Trainer Grotto. While waiting, I signed on with Rodnus "just in case". Thankfully, this proved an unnecessary precaution, and I will have to get back to Rodnus another day.

In the Trainer Grotto, we all gathered and took our bitter berries, or got zapped by lightning outside. The fallens were gathered on chains and Zorton teleported the whole mass of us to the Foothills right at the cave path leading to Camp Dred. In minutes, we were assaulting the Orga Stronghold around the waterfall and then went swiftly on to the Malachite Lair.

Things slowed down when we reached the Pitch Cave.

The initial foray into the Pitch Cave was a new strategy of making a North-South kudzu wall just beyond the entrance area, so that healers could rod webs while fighters killed arachnoids one at a time. Things seemed to be set up as desired, but to my mind it didn't work very well. The fort was too tight for the mob, excess webs got in everyone's way, and most fighters couldn't really get through the crowd to hit anything. So 2 or 3 fighters stood and fought one Arachnoid until fallen, then had to be dragged out to make room for the next victims. I don't think I swung at a single one there.

Eventually, the rods collapsed under the weight of webs and the kudzu wall died, and it turned into a rolling rescue yet again after a lengthy wait for all the kudzu to die back.

After Natas made multiple heroic chain runs and rescued most if not all the fallen exiles down there, we settled on the suicide run-mad dash strategy for the pathfinders yet again. A few folks ran the Arachnoids to the East so we could run South to the ruined library. It worked for most of us, me included, but some few pathfinders didn't quite make it into the library intact, and when they were finally chained in, were too injured to raise with the few healer-pathfinders we had with us. Sadly, Fundin himself was among these.

After all who could started training with the Guide, we all made a mad rush back to the upper cavern and supposed safety. It was a tough run, since we had no distracting runner. I think I was the one of only 2 of us that made it. And just in time too, for a backspawn had breached the Kudzu wall up there and most of the waiting exiles were overrun. Actually, Natas was the only fighter I saw that was still standing, and J'team was backing him up in a small pocket near the Pitch Cave ladder. I planted some more Kudzu there and helped Natas kill the invading Olive arachnoids. In a short time, the cave was back under control and the rest of the exiles were raised.

Further exiles were rescued from the Pitch Cave until Natas decided it was just too dangerous to go on, or he was simply tired of the endless rescues. The remnants of the party set out for home, sad for our fallen and departed comrades, but warm in knowing that over a dozen pathfinders did reach their library goal.

After clearing the Malachite caves, we stepped into an Ethereal Portal for a quick journey home. In the Ethereal Plane (I didn't notice which part) we found assorted undine and ethereal junk, a Lesser Astral Drake, and a Serac Wyrm. We killed them all, then stepped through yet another Portal to Purgatory and then home.

All-in-all, a good trip. I will certainly try to be on the next one to try to get a look at Chapter 3.

Lundi, day 59 of Autumn, 551.

My days lately have been spent mainly in seeking ore, and among the many ores I have brought in to Erthor to be assayed I have found a few metals, but no other minerals or stones of note. I'll just keep on looking for the mother lode.

I did spend some time hunting in the Jade Noids cavern recently, which was fun mainly because I got to be the 'strong' fighter in the group. Experience-wise, I'm afraid I've already outgrown that hunting ground.

I also spent some time hunting on Kizmia's Island with Mujin-kun, and it kept happening that she would have to follow me back to the healers when I was red but she was still perfectly healthy. She DOES have well over a thousand trainings more than I do, but after my umpteenth fall, she finally convinced me that I really should train more with Detha. A lot more. Since there was not enough time before the next Foothills trip for me to save up over 10 lessons of experience after finishing Chapter 1 of Giayl's Guide, I started training Detha with Mujin-kun. We'll see how long I stick with it. Hopefully, I get to start with chapter 2 in Giayl's book again soon though, and go back to training that.

Since I will be going to the Foothills again soon, I wanted to have my own shovel. After obtaining a shovel blade from the Blacksmith shop and asking around a lot, I finally found someone to assemble my shovel for me. Aravir seemed pleased to practice his woodworking skills, and I was pleased to have a new shovel before the next fast-approaching Foothills expedition.

While passing through the East Forest to meet Aravir at the Woodworking shop, I came across a path in some rocks that I had never seen before. Of course, I don't wander through here very much anymore, so I assume this has been around a long while and I have just missed seeing it by taking the shortest routes I know between places I do frequent. Still, if I see a new path, I take it. Ducking under the rocks, I found myself emerging in Westwood, near was where I was headed anyway. Very convenient, at least for this destination.

Click here for my report on the previous storm.

Click here for my report on the next storm.

Click here to go to the Archive Index scroll.

Click here to go back to the Main scroll.