Current Training: Evus.

Donations: Cassia Allin (20-30%).

Exploration: Portals, changes to pathfinding and Orbs, and a deserted Tenebrion's castle.

Fordi, day 52 of Winter, 556.

At long last, the Portals removed themselves from someone's house in Puddleby Hollows. Oddly, even the recent Chaos Storm seemed powerless to shake these loose from behind that locked door, but now they have escaped on their own. Yor and Zorton promptly moved one end to the Foothills near Ash Valley, and I joined the PTF group to start from there and hunt through Dredwood and then into the Pitch caves. After clearing Pitch cave 1 and escorting Drablak and Dandelion to Giayl's Guide, we headed home safely through the Ethereal Plane. We talked about trying to reach deeper into the Pitch caverns, but the group was quite small and cooler heads prevailed.

The bad news of the trip was the discovery that Mystics now seem incapable of using an Orb of Ceasindere to scan beyond a path, to see what awaits on the next snell. While passing the unopenned path near Camp Dred, we stopped to let Zorton try his luck at seeing any of the odd Blueish Arachnoids living there, and found to our dismay that he was unable to see anything through that path anymore. Nor was Drablak. To test this further, they each tried the Camp Dred path into the TGBG2 area, through a path that can be openned, and again they were unable to see anything. Since Drablak can open this path, this suggests that Mystic's ability to scan has been seriously downgraded during the Chaos Storm.

Hordes of exiles have not been so lucky in their recent trips through the Portal. Having discovered that the Portal led to the Foothills, scores of exiles have gotten in over their heads and been pummeled flat and beyond by Redwood Giants and rock-throwing Midnight Wendecka by the score. Horus healers have been getting quite a workout, as clusters of PND exiles are dragged back to town square to be raised - eventually.

Make no mistake: the Foothills and particularly Ash Valley are very hazardous to the unwary or unprepared traveler or hunter. Lone exiles simply should not be wandering out there, and even groups should have someone along with experience to guide them.

Yesterday, while wandering through the Trool Mines, I ran across a Mildew and killed it in passing. I was rather surprised, and actually somewhat disgusted, to find I had recovered a Mildew "fur". Ewwww.

Fordi, day 31 of Winter, 556.

After an unusually long absence, a Chaos Storm finally swept through the Lands.

In it's wake, I noticed changes in the way I perceived difficult paths. Difficult meaning "I can see them but not open them" with 130 lessons in pathfinding.

Before the Storm, all paths appeared to have 2 'sparklies', and when I pushed against the path, one of two things happened. I saw 3-4 sparklies flash and passed through to the other side, or the sparklies disappeared and I didn't go through.

Now, paths that I have enough skill to open, even if I have not yet learned to open them yet, have two sparklies, and behave as before. Paths that I do not possess enough skill to open at all, but can still see, act differently: I see only 1 sparklie. What this looks like to me is shown here as before and after sketches at the path in Elendil's Tree in the Meadow, which is apparently unopennable with only 130 lessons. No wonder all my staring (and everyone else's) never paid off here!

Also unopennable at 130 lessons is Elendil's South farm path. And the six paths at Kizmia's hut on KI. And the path outside Camp Dred, and the one in Pitch Cave 7. So, I now know that no amount of staring will help me to open these - I simply need more training. This is a valuable bit of information, since we pathfinders have been known to stare at hard paths for hours or even days!

While on KI after the Storm, Talin, J'jh and Mujin-kun found that the tunnel under the hut between the Western rivers is now completed. The tunnel exits at the rock wall on the East side of KI near the entrance to Groar's cave. Exiting takes no pathfinding or other skill. Entering the tunnel from the outside however requires pathfinding and a lot of it. Because of the change mentioned above, even though neither Talin nor I managed to open it right away, we know that we should be able to eventually with some staring (or some other pathfinders with 130 lessons will have no problem opening this). In any case, this is a very nice way to shuttle between the East and West sides of the island safely, and with a skilled pathfinder along, provides a much-needed safe area (the tunnel) on the upper East side of the island.

Changes are afoot on Tenebrion's Island as well.

The Rebels having been defeated, they have now retreated to parts unknown.

The castle and grounds sit totally unguarded, and the castle seems utterly deserted, inhabited now only by spiders and bats.

Well, we did see that Morty is still hanging around in the cooler, and undine definitely infest the tower, but the rest of the place is eerily quiet. Especially so after the intense battles there in recent days.

I guess that makes the place somewhat of a fixer-upper for Phineas.

It should come as no surprise then, as Tenebrion has left this residence, that his brothers have removed the Ethereal passage linking Tenebrion's old conference room to the conference rooms of the other 'Brion brothers. Exiles wishing to make use of this transport among islands will have to look elsewhere to sneak into the system now.

Out on the island itself, I ran into an ex-Rebel named Rinauld, who is trying to mend his ways by becoming a builder. Rinauld apparently wants to build a memorial zoo just South of Flander's Field. He wasn't very specific about who or what he wanted to memorialize ... and that suit of armor he still wears makes me a bit worried about his sincerity and intentions.

Click here for my report on the previous storm.

Click here for my report on the next storm.

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