Barrens Circuit

The Open Hunt went to Ash Barrens. I was feeling sluggish, so Talin kindly volunteered to lead. She took us around the woods and rocky areas, where we saw some impressive spawns of Blight and Mange Ferals. We ended with a stop at the Rebel Base.


OWE present: Cammie, Creed, and Torin

Open Glen Hunt

The Open Hunt returned to Mountain Glen, one of the best fits for a large mixed group. After we cleared the first two floors of the Ruined Castle, I wasted several minutes trying to split the group. In the end the consensus was that a split was a bad idea, so we all went to hunt T'rools.


After a good circuit through the T'rool caves, I started moving us homeward. We were surprised at the entry cave with an unusual spawn of Mammoth Stone Arachnes. In retrospect, I think we could have prevailed, but I made some bad calls and helped to wipe out most of the group. Fortunately a rescue was prompt in coming.


OWE present: Creed, Noivad, Terise duMiroir, and Torin.

Metz Split Hunt

The Open Hunt went to Metzetli Island. It used to be my favorite place back when the Open Hunt was a much smaller affair. I had been a little worried about taking a large mixed group there, but perhaps needlessly.


Balbo took my place, as we were a little light on healers. We went toward the Gloaming caves and then split up. I am not sure whether the split could have been done better or it was just a bad idea under the circumstances. The larger main group was left with several fighters, but none of them were bricks. It ran into a large spawn and all but Suu'ub fell, but eventually we recovered. The Gloaming group also came back to help. Then the main group ran to the Cove.


OWE present: Balbo, Cammie, Creed, and Noivad.

Book 1 Interlude

After two weeks of new Ash, I thought we needed a change of scene. A couple of people were interested in training Book 1, so we ventured into the Pitch Caves.


We made it to the destination without too much trouble. Many thanks to Cinnamon and PureHeat for running webbers to PC2.


We might have been able to go to PC 5, but we were running tight on time. We headed back to town. K'vynn was in a hurry to get to his knighting ceremony--congrats!--so he ran ahead, fell, got ported to OV, and departed.

OWE present: Cammie, Creed, Lucero, Noivad, Polgara, and Torin.

Return to the Barrens

The Open Hunt returned to the southern part of the new Ash Island areas, which some people have started calling the Barrens. The group was big enough--just under 30 at the peak--for me to consider a split, but the healer ratio was too low. (The Open Hunt seems especially popular with fighters.)

One circuit was enough for over half of the group. With only two healers remaining, I took a break and asked Balbo to join. The smaller group ended up looking for EBow, who had gotten separated and fallen earlier.


OWE present: Balbo, Cammie, Creed, Kalian, and Torin.

New Ash

The Open Hunt did a tour of the southern part of the new Ash Island areas. It was a big group, about 25 of us.



Without an Atkus-boosting Mystic, several people had a difficult time hitting the creatures. A couple wanted to leave early, so Creed and I tried to escort them from the Cemetery to the exit. I underestimated how difficult that would be. The snell just before the exit was very busy, so we had to wait for the rest of the group.

Then the remaining people went to the Rebel areas. Unfortunately, those who were there for the first time didn't have enough esteem to enter their base.


OWE present: Cammie, Creed, J'jh, Kalian, Noivad, Terise duMiroir, and Torin.

Ruined Castle Split Hunt

I tried splitting the Open Hunt again. At first we all went as one big group to the Ruined Castle in Mountain Glen. Then I had Nyla pick a higher level group to go to the Ctenizidae lair. The 11 of them were Evita, Han, Kalian, Leinis, Lightbringer, Nyla, Seld'kar, Shiner, Suu'ub III, Talin, and Trev.


The main group of 20 people stayed in the main area of the Castle. We had a nice mix of all levels, so the Arachnes were challenging yet not overwhelming. Salazar provided helpful boosts. Toward the end, we went to the first snell of the T'rool caves.

As the main group was leaving, we bumped into the elite group. Everyone seemed in good spirits. I hope to use a similar split in other areas.

OWE present: Cammie, Creed, J'jh, Kalian, and Torin.

Splitting the Open Hunt

Today I tried an experiment with the Open Hunt. It has been difficult to find places that can accommodate everyone who shows up, from 1st to 8th circle. I usually pick high level places that challenge the higher level exiles and offer a sightseeing experience to the rest. My idea for today was to split into two hunts, one going to a very challenging place and the other going to a mid-level destination.


For the high level hunt, I chose Sarra. I asked Kalian to lead because he had the most experience there. Talin recruited Xel to open the Mystic entrance for us.


Capturing the snell beyond the safe cave went smoothly. Kalian did a great job in leading us around Sarra. The exit was lightly guarded, so we left by the power of our own feet—which is never guaranteed. Yay!

People had some time remaining so we went to the Earthwyrm cave. It took us only a few minutes to clear it, and then we called it a day. Thanks to all who participated, especially Kalian for leading.

I heard mixed reviews of the mid/low hunt. At least a couple of people felt abandoned, and the average level of the turnout was closer to low than mid. I will look at the visionstones and listen to more of the post-mortem discussion to see how the experience of the lower part of the split can be improved.

OWE present, high/mid hunt: Balbo, Creed, Kalian, Lucero, and Noivad.

OWE present, mid/low hunt: Artworx, Cammie, and Terise duMiroir.

Book 1 Again

The Open Hunt went back to pathfinding Book 1 in the Pitch Caves. I intend to go there about once a month as long there is a demand. We had about 40 people show up, though a few left soon after reaching Book 1.


For the most part, things went very smoothly, thanks to the strength of the group. We waited for some pathfinders with saved ranks to get more than one chapter. Then we made our way to PC 5 before heading back.

We did have a tricky moment going back into PC 1. An all-in had been called, but the situation changed as we entered. I got caught on the wrong side of the noids, but I made the best of it by running many of them to the southeast pit. The group quickly recovered, captured the cave, and headed home. Thanks to all who came!


OWE present: Cammie, Creed, J'jh, Kalian, Natas, Noivad, and Torin.

Abyss and Noth

Today's Open Hunt started at the Abyss. I hadn't been there in a long time, and a few had never seen it before. I served as the runner, and we got set up on the first try. The place was good for a while, but with only one snell, it wasn't really enough for a whole hunt.

The group then moved to Dal'noth. In retrospect, I think that we were overpowered for Noth, but there was some interest in going there, and we had two full Mystics with us.

We had some griping about creatures being killed too quickly, especially by Blindkan-C. During a break, K'vynn teleported him to the Village, where they exited before the rest of us. I felt ambivalent about that move, as it didn't feel in the team spirit. However, the consensus seemed to be that BKC got a necessary lesson after ignoring several warnings. It was pretty funny too.

OWE present: Artworx, Cammie, Creed, Kalian, and Torin.

Sightseeing in Orga Lands

Based on earlier input, I thought that the Trainers' Grotto beyond Hatreds' Hollow might be a good destination for the Open Hunt. Orga resistance in HH was light. We made a brief stop in the Grotto, but it turned out that no one who was qualified to train with Rodnus or the other two trainers decided to do so.

Thanks to our pathfinders, Creed and PureHero, a trip from the Grotto to Orga Village was possible without trudging the long way through the Orga Outback. The group made it to the snell just outside OV, but we had lost Zin. First, Suu'ub tried a solo rescue run, but he too fell. We tried taking the whole group (or at least those who were awake) to look for Zin and Suu'ub. Commander Nate got separated from the group, but he inadvertently found our lost friends before he himself fell.

Then I decided that a smaller rescue group would be able to move quickly without losing more people or falling. Six of us, guided by Shalyn, moved through OOB and finally found Zin, Suu'ub, and Commander Nate. Unfortunately Nate was asleep for a long time, until after the Open Hunt had ended, so I think he had to depart. (Edit: See Gremlins's comment. A group rescued Commander Nate later.)


After we reunited with the rest of the Open Hunt group, we proceeded to capture OV without a hitch. It was the first time for some people, so we took a look at the Orga idol inside the sacrificial hut and the well near the entry to the New Orga Outback. Then we took the path to Orga Camp and back to Puddleby.

A big thanks to all who attended!

OWE present: Cammie, Creed, J'jh, Kalian, Terise duMiroir, Torin, and (inducted after the hunt) Zin.

The Trouble with T'rools

The Open Hunt returned to the T'rool caves west of the Ruined Castle. That area has proven to be very good for a mixed group. The T'rools are tough, but not too fast. With four mystics in attendance, the Atkus boosts also helped people get their tags.

Noivad led us into the caves and through the blue crystal. The exit to the Myrm hive is where we were wiped out, mostly by a few Fire Myrms. It happened so quickly that we didn't know what hit us.

I departed (as did PureHeat) to come back for a rescue. Many thanks to everyone who came to our aid: Farhope, Foxx, Jeepers, Knightshade, Mephisto, Nyla, Pookie, PureHeat, Sean, Suu'ub III, Thoomilicious, ToriAnn, and Xenos. Special credit goes to Suu'ub for leading the rescue.

The entry to Mountain Glen was busier than usual. It took us a few minutes to get set up and clear the snell. At first, the rescue group started to go back to where the Open Hunt had entered the T'rool caves, but Suu'ub said that going through the Hive would be faster.

 

The fallen were happy to see the rescue party, and we all were rewarded for our bravery and compassion. We quickly made our way out through the Hive and back to Puddleby.


OWE present: Artworx, Cammie, Creed, Jeepers, Lucero, Noivad, Polgara, Tater, Torin, and Valtrim.

P.S. I guess "the trouble with T'rools" is that they are next door to some bad ass Myrms!

Pathfinder Escort

The Open Hunt went to Pathfinding Books 3 and 1 and then continued on to Pitch Cave 5 before turning back. We broke a turnout record with 39 attending, including several exiles emerging from the library after very long sabbaticals.


The trip was ably led by Kalian -- who tried to refuse my request, but I wasn't paying attention and announced him as our direction caller. Oops, sorry, buddy!

All in all, it was a very satisfying trip. However, I was sad to hear that Ghrr departed. I think he was left behind at the waterfall snell. We could have easily gone back for him, but I guess he didn't want to be a bother. It's hard to keep track of people in such a big group, so I strongly encourage everyone to make noise (or toggle madly) when they need help.


OWE present: Artworx, Cammie, J'jh, Kalian, Shakyamuni, Torin, and Valtrim.

MG Hive and T'rool Caves

The Open Hunt returned to the Mountain Glen area. It had never gone to the new Hive, so I chose it as our starting point. Suu'ub III did a great job in leading us. With such a large group -- 22 at the peak -- the narrow tunnels were definitely crowded.


Suu'ub had us leave the Hive through the T'rool Caves by the Ruined Castle. This place was more challenging, and I was glad to have more room to move. A few people wanted to stay longer to hunt in the Castle itself, but too many either had to leave or at least wanted a break.

OWE present: Cammie, Creed, Eli, J'jh, Kalian, Lucero, Noivad, and Torin.

Ethereal Forge

The Open Hunt went to the Ethereal Forge. I had heard people saying they wanted to go there, and I figured it would be a nice change of scenery, to keep the Open Hunt from getting stale. I advertised the trip with Koppi and the Sentinel, so we got a record turnout -- 32 people. I was especially happy to see Polgara, who hadn't been in the lands for a long time!


We started at the Dal'noth kyuem. I thought that a portal from there could be lured, but I was mistaken. The first Ethereal Plane snell was heavily occupied by ethereal creatures and undine. With a few healers alternating as a runner, we eventually captured the snell.

The next snell, our destination, was relatively easy. We spent a lot of time waiting for people to make their items inside the Forge. Some mystics wanted to make a side trip to the Ethereal Tower, but after some consideration, it seemed like a bad idea to me. People hadn't come for a Tower trip, and the risk was substantial. Even if we had reached the Tower itself, leaving via Portal Island would have been impossible because of two stronger-than-usual Greater Deaths that had foiled Purple Haze's EP trip yesterday.


Many thanks to everyone who attended, and especially to Asenath, who made it possible for us to go via Noth.

OWE present: Creed, Eli, Noivad, Polgara, Torin, and (inducted right after the hunt) Cammie.