Storm 337.

Current Training: Alternating Detha and Regia.

Donations: Helping Undrus dig to the East (70-80% done).

Exploration: Quick jaunts to Sarra and into Alchemist's Folly, and extended reconnaisance into the far corners of Gungla Island.

Merdi, day 23 of Summer, 554.

As promised, some highlights from my forays into the newly openned sectors of Gungla Island.

Once I was led across the river crossing near Brimora, I explored the abandoned town on my own. Not a soul to be seen in or around the mostly-ravaged huts. No boats tied up along the quay at seaside. Eerie quiet pervades.

Clearly, the Gan Vara warriors have been here before us, and driven the the inhabitants here out even more thoroughly than they had in the village of Khororan.

Prominent in the town center is this eagle statue, testament to the Brimorans love of birds. May they find a way to return to their peaceful ways.

In town is the entry to a cave.

After killing several snakes in the dim light, I explored here for clues about the Brimorans. The cave opens out to the sea, and I saw evidence of fishing nets nearby.

Along a nondescript rock wall, I found a small entry leading to a deeper cave where a small group of despondent Brimorans huddled together. talking to them, they are clearly tired of the Gan Vara raids on their town but powerless to stop them. They warned me of thedangers of the Gan Vara and yet appealed to me for help, and I assured them I would both be careful and lend what aid I could.

However, my time was short, and I took my leave.

When I returned to Gungla the next day, I met up with this group intending to head deeper through the Brimora sector and explore the Gan Vara territory. I happily joined in with them.

We carefully explored the length and breadth of the lands around Brimora before setting off across a final river crossing into the land of the Gan Vara.

I was a bit worried, but after fighting several of the feared Gan Vara warriors, I saw that I need not have been. They may be terrible zealots, but they are not great warriors at all. The merely managed to overrun their more peaceable neighbors. These lot are certainly no threat to Puddleby.

Emboldened, we carefully explored the lands here, and even the Gan Vara village itself.

The most interesting thing was not in the Gan Vara village at all, but rather some distance away where a large castle that clearly does not belong to the Gan Varans rises among the trees. This seems to be the home of the famed wizard Colmert.

The Castle itself takes the form of a maze, and only those with keenly trained minds can see the way forward. For my part, I went where I was told, and saw nothing of how we managed to walk right through what appeared to be solid walls. Wizards!

We never did meet the owner of this Castle or many other inhabitants, but saw a great many interesting and well-decorated rooms.

Deep within the Castle, we did find the atelier of Senfantia, the Phantasm spell maker.

Despite the demands of her work, she seemed pleased to chat with us, and sold me several Phantasmonomicon pages that I have since given out to exiles who study such things.

Also hidden in the swampy woods near Gan Vara we saw Flectia, who suggested she could make arrows.

If only I had the materials she asked for!

Also wandering about Gungla is Hehstor, a shifty sort who seems inordinately interested in rare furs. I'm not too sure I trust him!

In some actual hunting, I joined this small group in the Sasquatch Valley recently.

We had a really nasty time enetering the first cave, which was over-run with Cave Cobras. Most of the group fell, and we were then stuck in the safe cave.

Thankfully, we got some assistance from Mujin-kun and Sakura, who came to clear out the remaining Cobras and get us all back on our feet again, respectively. They then ran on through the Valley and out to leave us to our hunt. Amazing.

Once we got going again, we found a number of Valley Cougars and Young Sasquatch, but the highlight was taking down this Angry Mother Sasquatch. A pretty poor fur on this specimen, but worthwhile nevertheless.

Gradi, day 77 of Spring, 554.

It's been a busy few days for exile adventurers on Gungla Island since folks from Sun Dragon Clan discoverred a way to ford the river to reach Brimora, and then also how to ford another river to enter Gan'Vara territory.

Great work, folks!

I have much to report about newly openned areas of Gungla Island, but since I am up to my neck in other things at the moment I have no time to write anything much here!

Suffice it to say that my updated map of Gungla Island is found here.

Now to visit those pesky Sul'rans!

Sombdi, day 60 of Spring, 554.

With some assistance from Yor, Norm and Elenis Reyav, I was able to visit the farthest corners of the land of Sarra on Gungla Island recently. Finally! Thanks guys.

That has allowed me to finish a complete first draft of my map of this newly discoverred and dangerous area, with at least a glimpse of the entire area - although the speed of our passage through that jungle land undoubtedly led us miss some interesting things here or there.

The newly updated map is located here. As always, if you don't like to know the lay of the land before looking for yourself, don't peruse that scroll.

I continue to probe around the impassable rivers and other regions of Gungla looking for clues on how to advance further in toward the Sul'ran, Brimoran and Gan'Vara sectors of the island. Despite a lot of looking and listening, I have no further clues about how Colmert sealed off these areas from the other parts of the island. The additional river fords (if any) or passages through cliffs or walls are less obvious than were those that eventually led into Sarra through the Rainbow Falls or the cliff Mystic illusion, or across Colmert's crossing of the river. I shall be looking for some time more, it seems.

Today I was hanging around town doing nothing in particular when Califas asked me if I wanted to help him get into Alchemist Folly. I hadn't been there in a long time, and thought the time was not right for entering the inner maze there. He explained that he was in a rush and just needed to look for some spores! If that isn't the fool-hardiest reason to go there, I don't know what is, so of course I agreed.

I was quite surprised that he was ready to go as soon as I showed up at the Undine hut. Just the two of us.

Well, I was a little bit worried, since the last time I was here it took a number of strong fighters and healers to force our way in through the narrow entry to rescue a group that didn't fare quite so well there.

I guess I needn't have been worried. I hopped in and just kept hacking at the line of Undine in the entry tunnel - and backing up a bit every now and then to dodge the rocksflying in - until there were no more Undine left to kill. We then advanced quickly into the main cavern.

Once there, we circled right around to the mushroom, and as soon as Califas successfully collected his spores, we were on our way out again.