PAG at Tepui

It took a while for PAG to decide where to go today. Every option had its drawbacks. In the end, we chose a trip to Tepui, via the Deathroot area (much to Shakyamuni's delight and over my objection).

The trip took quite a while, almost four hours. The first Deathroot snell was very difficult, as always, but the kudzu planters did a great job that made the difference between success and failure. From there, we went through the Rain Forest and climbed our way up to the treetop passages. Our only casualty for the day was Giga, who fell into one of the treetop holes and had to depart.

Finally we reached Tepui, which you can see in the sketch below. It was another case of a great setup by the runners and zuers. However, this last lure was a little much, and Hunter had to run the beasts until we could recover from the damage they did to us.



After finishing off those critters, we were tired from the long journey. We returned home via EPS without incident. Special thanks go to Org du Lac for being an excellent guide.

OWE present: Giga, Hunter, J'jh, J'nder, Natas, Shakyamuni, Torin, and Yor.

P.S. Read Shakyamuni's account of the hunt on Kith and Kin.

Myrs and Yorillas

Part 1: A group went to the Twilight Passes on Metz. With Lorikeet there, no one became too fallen to raise. We cleared the plateau of Greymyrs and then moved southwest toward the Rain Forest.

Part 2: We reached the Rain Forest and hunted there for a while. Thrund and Lorikeet left us by way of the river. Then we tried the Yorilla Pit. The first fighter assault failed. Thanks to Hunter's chaining, we recovered most of the fallen. On the second try, we took control of the area near the entry. Moments later, a small break in the dying kudzu let in Yorillas and a Haremau. It was all downhill from there. OWE present: Hunter, J'jh, Kalian, Natas, Torin, and Yor.

Twilight Passes

Today for the clan hunt, we started on Metz with a small group. Some late arrivals boosted our numbers, so we decided to visit the Twilight Wendies and Ancient/Basalt Greymyrs. Disaster struck when we reached the snell with the stone stairs. As the fighters were trapped and decimated by Greymyrs and a Yorilla, a backspawn and rocks threatened the healers who had waited behind.

One by one, most of us fell, until only Giga, Hunter, and J'jh were (barely) standing. A couple of us pleaded with J'jh to open an Ethereal Plane portal, but she resisted the idea for a while, with the thought that the group's chances in EP were no better. Finally she relented, and the group — mostly on "Puff Higgy" Hunter's chain — made it to Portal Island and then back to town. OWE present: Clubby, Giga, J'jh, Hunter, Kalian, Shakyamuni, and Torin.

Tuska Kalian

The other day a little group of us (J'jh, Manquilor, Org du Lac, Ortlinde, Torin, and myself) took a jaunt through GI and the strange castle in its interior. We got back to town just after Fluffy, a friendly Greater Death, was slain. A moment later, perhaps to avenge Fluffy, a large crew of Orga Warlocks and other critters attacked from the east. There was a lot of fire, but we were able to fend them off.

In honor of Kalian's induction, below are a couple pictures of Kalian in action from a Tepui trip a couple months ago. We had just killed an Utsanna Haremau and a Sezuma Yorilla simultaneously, which left our group badly injured. A few were fallen and we desperately tried healing up while fighting off a few Raja-Yorillas. Then an Utsanna Haremau and a Sazaja charged at us. Gorvin and I tried running them away to give those left standing more time, but another Utsanna Haremau attacked the group. Daimoth was able to get an ethereal portal open, yet within seconds nearly all of us were fallen.


While it seemed completely hopeless, Kalian pulled out his chain anyway. He ran around making a few passes, trying to save us, as we held our breath. Somehow, he pulled it off and pulled all of us back to town safely! The pictures speak for themselves.

J'jh Enters Sixth Circle

Right after Kalian's induction into OWE, J'jh took the sixth circle healer's test and passed. Congratulations, and Tuska J'jh!

Kalian Joins OWE!

Today, with six Elephants as witnesses, Kalian was inducted into Order of the White Elephant. Tuska Kalian! Tuska OWE!

PAG at Sarra

PAG hunted at Sarra today. Everything went remarkably smoothly — until the end. The entry was easy, and throughout the hunt, we usually had enough time to let fighters tag. Then, just as we were ready to go home, we were overpowered. The Wyrms didn't come all at once, so it took us a little longer than usual to recognize how perilous our situation was. The sketch below doesn't do justice to our plight because other Wyrms were out of my view. We retreated, but it was too late, and everyone fell.


OWE present: Giga, Hunter, J'jh, Torin, Yor, and (inducted right after the hunt) Kalian.

The Fall Of Superdwarf

The DP Group made a couple more kamikazee exploration runs before we made it to the Foothills. On this one, I got quite far north over the pf spot. With all the running I apparently lost considerable weight for a while. That cloak was a thing of beauty. It enhanced my special powers and even made me taller somehow. I'd rather not talk about it.



I later got in the habit of trying to run the Dred Passage by myself for the fun of it to test my prowess. Several groups were kind enough to indulge me. Most attempts were exciting and went well.





This attempt didn't go so well. Ah, Large Death Vermine...












The Tan Cloak of Shame and Misfortune

Ethereal Mystery

Today J'jh was wondering whether anyone had returned to EP8, where Tenebrion had disappeared. When we had a group together, we traveled there — three snells south of where the Portal Island rift goes. The snell had several Ether Clouds, so it took a while to clear.

When we were able to get close to the center of the snell, we noticed that it had changed. We saw Tenebrion's fallen body, and the area near him was cracked. Several Clouds and other creatures were stuck inside.


The area turned out to function as a portal to our starting snell (connected to PI). We had no specialist in ether studies with us, and we could have used more healers to rod the trapped Ether Clouds, so we decided to wait for another day to investigate further. Azriel, who knows a lot more about the subject than I do, promised to send a report to ThoomCare Media Network.

OWE present: J'jh, Torin, and Yor.

P.S. Yor started a Sentinel topic, The Solution to the Ethereal Incursions?, which goes into more detail about the implications of the discovery.

P.P.S. You can read Azriel's account of the trip, as well as other events after Chaos Storm 496.

Classic Hunter

Here's a look at the short-lived DP Group. It was formed by Gurgi to break through the Dred Passage shortly after its public discovery. Back in the day, you weren't in if you weren't into DP. This was one of the first trips (way back in February of 2001). Some sorely missed people are pictured there. Having failed to get a foothold, we decided to make a kamikazee exploration attempt to run as far as possible. Puff Higgy, mogul extraordinaire, can be seen blazin' in his Superdwarf pajamas - sleek, casual, humble greatness.







Superdwarf made it the furthest, and it took all the firepower the Orga could summon to bring him down. World famous, so magnificent, flowin' at its finest...




Back to the modern day, we recently made a trip to the Iron Giant Breeding Grounds (or Ash Valley as it's commonly called). That day there were plenty of Iron Giants stalking around. Yor was also with us. He's not pictured because he was laying around fallen at the other end of the snell and needed a rescue group (while we tossed him more coins for his abominable gambling habit).

Noth Incursion

ThoomCare Media Network has an account of the ethereal incursion at Dal'Noth, so I won't repeat the full story here. I just wanted to share an additional sketch. It shows the climactic final spawn (or beginning of the final series of spawns).


Soon afterwards, almost the whole group was wiped out. Giga and J'jh escaped to the south. After they chained some of the fallen and others returned from departs or being templed, a renewed fighting force was established, and we recaptured the crucial snell in time.

OWE present: Giga, J'jh, J'nder, Noivad, Torin, and Yor.

Run Away? Run Away!

The Thursday PAG hunt was a Metz Rain Forest trip, expedited by Org du Lac.

If you hunt in challenging places, the question of when to run away comes up again and again. In retrospect, it's interesting to see what people choose. Take a look at the sketches below and think about what you would do — retreat or hold steady.



As it turned out, we "stayed the course" in the first situation with the three Haremaus. I had just been raised and was vulnerable, so I was ready to bolt if the word had been given. However, two of the Haremaus were already wounded, so there was no need to fall back.

The second sketch shows a tight spot that always seems to give a good fight. With half of our fighters down, I figured we couldn't survive for long. That time, we did retreat, though making it to the exit (where Org du Lac was standing) was tricky for some.


In this final sketch, we did indeed retreat. Unfortunately for me, the safe spot was a treetop by the river. I fell in and was carried away by the current, so that was the end of the hunt for me. Shakyamuni later told me that the others didn't stay that much longer. Anyway, I had a great time.

OWE present: Hunter, J'jh, Shakyamuni, Torin, and Yor.

P.S. 10 extra credit points go to the first reader who can spot Manx in the last sketch.

Uh Oh

I figured I'd periodically post some pictures from my glorious archive. So here's one. Instead of going old school right away, this is a picture from a PAG trip not all that long ago. Deep in the Slate Caves, these are the kinds of pleasant situations we've encountered... lots of noids, lots of webs, lots of trouble.


And this is a whole other kind of trouble back in my days in the Darkhorse Clan. Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in... Sometimes the earth reaches up and takes you away. Who knows why?

Lady Sarra's Grave

A mid-sized group went to Sarra today; I think that Org du Lac wanted to look at something. We entered from the west (instead of the south), which I believe was a first for me.

After we cleared the first snell, we went north. A fountain was there, and a few of us touched it before realizing the consequences. We appeared inside a small, secluded area with the stump of a white tree and an old man. The stump turned out to be the grave of Lady Sarra.

     
Unfortunately, leaving the fountain put us in the northern part of the snell, far away from the rest of the group. We fell immediately, departed soon afterwards, and returned. A kudzu fort had been set up, and we were stable for a while. However, a badly timed Lesser Sarra'yrm got inside and ended the trip.

OWE present: Hunter, J'jh, Torin, and Yor.

P.S. I found an old TMN report on Lady Sarra's grave. If only I had read it earlier!

Casual Sunday

Sunday (11:30 AM Pacific US time) has always been OWE's clan hunt day. Ever since we merged with PAG every other week, the turnout tends to be small on the non-PAG weeks. However, I do my best to show up and start a hunt with anyone who has an interest.

We got a small group together for Metz Island. At a couple of points, people joined us or left. I've heard complaints about Metz, but it's still a challenge for me, and it's one of the few advanced hunting grounds that allows casual coming-and-going. We had fun, got some experience and coins, and had to flee and regroup a few times. It wasn't the epic adventure of an Orga Stronghold raid, but it was still pretty good.

OWE present: Giga, Noivad, and Torin.

Greymyrs' Revenge

Today's Metz hunt was another one that fell below expectations. We started out with the idea of going through the Twilight Wendecka passes and Greymyr ruins to the Rain Forest. Our group was larger and more powerful than the typical Metz hunting group. But in the end, we didn't make it to the Rain Forest and used an EPS to leave.


One problem may have been the group congestion: being able to move around easily is important when rocks are flying and the critters hit hard. Sometimes less is more, I guess.

OWE present: J'jh, Torin, and Yor.

Slow Day at SC

PAG went to Slate Caves with a medium-sized group. We didn't get far in. I'm not quite sure what held us back. We had the normal, little setbacks like backspawns and luring too many Slate Noids. A few people left early, so we decided not to press our luck. The best that can be said is that we all walked out in the end.

OWE present: Giga, J'jh, J'nder, Shakyamuni, Torin, and Yor.

Bartok Seen in OS

After the defeat of the Orga Stronghold raid on Sunday, people departed. (See OS 13 and OS 13 cont. for details about the raid itself.) However, some waited longer than others. J'nder and a few others remained long enough to see Bartok, the Orga leader (or god?).

Bartok chained the five exiles — Afrit, Crunch, Elenis Reyav, Janus, and J'nder — from the Razzia pit in OS 13 to a hut in OS 11. Inside the hut was a circle of campfires and stakes. Several Orga Zealots chanted and teleported the fallen to another hut or a cave.



What does it mean? How will the Bartok sighting affect plans for the next EAT/PAG expedition to OS?

No Rest for the Zo

No one likes falling, but at least it gives you a chance to rest for a minute before jumping back into action. But not for Yor! He was running Ancient and Basalt Greymyrs when an earthquake hit. The Greymyrs surrounded him, beat him to a pulp, and left him for dead. However, the stubborn Zo refused to fall, and his legs kept moving without taking him anywhere. We took it as an omen that we should end the hunt, and Yor recovered with the help of the healers in town.

OWE present: Hunter, J'jh, J'nder, Natas, Torin, and Yor.

OS 13 Cont.

To add to what Torin wrote, this trip was rather successful. Although we had a notably smaller turnout, we actually broke through the front door. Then we made it through the Orga Stronghold without any major snags. So for the 3rd time out of 5 attempts, the EAT/PAG force arrived at the unlucky 13th snell as we've numbered it.


The Red Halfling Rod led by myself and the Blue Thoom Rod led by Mephisto were back at it again. There was the usual explosion of lightning and fire, but we made quite a few runs in 13 this trip. However, the catapult blasts in the tight corridors were a death trap. So our group gradually dwindled in size to Razzia and even lost Mephisto. After making a couple more runs, those left decided on making a mad dash for the pit. I made it as far as pictured before Cerebs and then fire blocked me.


But a few made it all the way to pit! Azriel made it the furthest and was able to pick up part of a catapult diagram. So now we'll have something to give Katpus next time. Maybe we'll be able to build a catapult of our own? While we all departed, we still got more valuable experience in 13 and proved we can do significant damage. With luck, we'll get 'em next time.

OS 13

The monthly EAT/PAG trip to the Orga Stronghold went fairly well. The "front door" snell took a while, but it was nowhere near the mess we saw last time.



The real challenge was OS 13, which we have never taken. The combination of catapult firebombs, lightning grenades, narrow passages, frequent backspawns, and Razzias is formidable. A few fighters stayed to the rear, so at least the backspawns didn't stop our retreats.



We tried a new strategy, with Mephisto's rod and support staying at the bend and Hunter's rod and support advancing. Early on, Mephisto's group fell and was quickly chained away by Razzias. As we tried to rescue them, Hunter and his cadders fell, but the remnants of our band reached them before the Razzias.

Finally, with 20 of us left, we decided to charge in a suicide run. Everyone fell quickly, but I heard that Azriel grabbed a fragment of the catapult plans before he went down.



OWE present: Cachus, Hunter, J'jh, J'nder, Natas, Noivad, Shakyamuni, Torin, and Yor.

Gloaming Wendecka Caverns

Silky led a small hunt to the Gloaming Wendecka Caverns in the southwest of Metz. We ventured in pretty deep, considering that our party numbered only six.

It was on the return journey that we got into trouble. As we moved from the first rocky snell to the jungle, we were surprised by several Haremaus and Amedons. Kishi and Arkin fell, and the chances of fighting our way out seemed nil. We decided that Dana and J'jh should use their purgatory pendants to escape and organize a rescue, while Silky and I would run and chain as far as possible. Silky chained Arkin and later me, when I fell, but she herself fell in the first rocky snell. Thanks to Mujin-kun, Arbitur, Dongle, Manquilor, Morfen, and Terise duMiroir for joining Dana and J'jh to rescue us!

OWE present: J'jh, Kishi, and Torin.