Orga Stronghold

After a long hiatus, EAT and PAG teamed up again for a return to the Orga Stronghold. (PAG no longer holds regular hunts, but it will make an occasional planned trip to destinations that require a large force.) With four full Mystics attending (Asenath, K'vynn, Lundar, and Xel), we went to the back door entry through the Slate Caves.


We did encounter a problem teleporting. Asenath tried to port the first group -- which she had done many times before. Something went wrong, and she alone ported. Xel made another attempt, with extra attention to procedure. He too ported alone. We prayed to the gods for help and took a short break. Then K'vynn used his stone. This time everyone was teleported, though in an unusual way that showed the hand (literally!) of the gods at work.



With CJ Parker's excellent leadership, the Orga territory was no problem. When we reached Katpus, she seemed to have made a little progress in building a catapult, but we did not have the part she needed for the next step.

Our final stop was Trillbane, the master pathfinder. Unfortunately, one of the first to enter the clearing was Kani, who immediately went into the path to the waterfall snell in Dredwood. Several people followed him. The path is one-way, so some of them who wanted to train with Trillbane missed their opportunity until the next trip, probably not for a few months. Some pathfinders still with the main group did start training with Trillbane.


Originally this OS trip had been billed as the last one for PAG. However, the good turnout seems to have convinced people that an occasional expedition -- perhaps once every few months -- would be a good idea. I will certainly miss the weekly hunts, but I am glad that we can still muster some enthusiasm for the journeys that require a big army.

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

PAG at Orga Wall and DTN

PAG went to the East Forest to check on the new tribe of Orgas. A gruesome warning left by them in lower East Field, just across the bridge, threatened a new attack soon. We discovered that, for the moment at least, their walls are unbreakable. However, we did find that there were small holes in the wall that allowed us to hit through it.


It appeared that we couldn't do much about the Orgas for now, so we went to DTN for the rest of the hunt. We had the good fortune to find a selenite crystal for Axell!


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

TI and DTN

Stinkfist wanted an escort to Tenebrion's Island in order to donate to Barny. PAG took him there, and we saw some recent changes to the island, including newly charted waters by the coast and a Darshak wall that was extended.

Then we went to Death Trap Noids. We got to DTN 3 easily and were luring the fourth cave, when a combination of a big lure and a backspawn downed most of the group. A few escaped, a couple departed, and the rest were rescued pretty quickly. Unfortunately DTN 4 didn't have a selenite crystal.


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

OS: More Plans

The monthly EAT/PAG trip to the Orga Stronghold was a success. We went through the back door, with Xel and Ansset as our porting mystics. For the first time, we captured OS 13 and thus picked up a second fragment of the Orga catapult plans. Neverthless, Katpus had nothing new to say to us.


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

Orgatastic!

In a departure from routine, PAG didn't go to Slate Caves or Metz. Instead we spent the day in Orga territory: Hippy Hollow, Dred Passage, and New Orga Outback. Azriel was happy to have a chance to check for paths.




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

Pathfinders' Day

Phineas arranged with PAG for another open-to-all trip to Pathfinding Book 1. We accomplished that in a matter of a few minutes, so we decided to keep going to Book 2. Phineas sent a breathless, blow-by-blow account to TMN, so I won't duplicate all the details.


I am glad that these open expeditions happen once in a while. However, the non-regulars seemed to get in the way in dangerous situations more often today. The Pitch Caves are dangerous enough to get us all killed if we aren't careful. Last time, Phineas gave everyone a speech about Dos and Don'ts. Maybe we could have used it this time too.

I'm sad to report that Shadowsky and Fafnir didn't have a safe trip home. Shadowsky didn't come through the ethereal portal, and Fafnir fell in EP. There is definitely room for improvement in keeping track of people so that no one gets left behind.

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

OS and Trillbane

The monthly EAT/PAG trip to the Orga Stronghold used the back door entrance from the Slate Caves. For that, we needed at least a couple of full Mystics to teleport us; we were lucky to have four FMs (Hepta, Org du Lac, Sylune, and Xel).


In OS, we ran into Bartok, who had master pathfinder Trillbane on a chain. We rescued and raised Trillbane, and after some delays in regrouping, he took us through a path to Orga Village. From there, it was a short jog back to Puddleby.

In town, Trillbane accepted several students for his advanced course in pathfinding. He has a great interest in books so we showed him our library. He turned out to be a snob and wrinkled his nose in disgust at even our most precious volumes. We then escorted Trillbane to Pathfinding Book 3 before he returned home through a path in Camp Dred.

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

Also be sure to check out other reports of this OS trip and our interaction with Trillbane:

• Phroon's report on TMN. Phroon has made his visionstones of the whole adventure available.


• Xel's report on TMN . Xel made a transcript of our conversations with Trillbane.

Fellock at NOOB

PAG visited the Annulus in the Ethereal Plane to check on Tenebrion, and then we took Fundin to Pathfinding Book 3. We still had plenty of time, so we decided to go to the New Orga Outback (NOOB). We had captured the first NOOB snell and were working on taking the second one. However, we kept getting backspawns of bolters. Then an Orga Fellock spawned and gave us a taste of its ultrapowerful lightning grenades.


Some of us ran to kill it, but we didn't have enough time. We were lucky to escape back to the Orga Village South and began planning a rescue — made difficult by the fact that we had lost both Elenis Reyav and Mephisto in NOOB 1. We stayed close to the NOOB entry. Surely we all knew the truth of what Manquilor said — that the Fellock might follow us into OV — but still we lingered there.

The Fellock did indeed come through the path. We were fallen in about two seconds, and then more bolters and other Orgas spawned. A brave rescue effort was made and looked promising for a while, but the Fellock was too much.

Also see Yor's account of the Fellock disaster on TMN.

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

Rejected

There isn't much else to say about the latest Orga Stronghold raid, which Torin wrote about. It was frustrating on many levels. We tried to secure a foothold in the first snell, yet repeatedly failed. A few attepts were somewhat successful, but our progress was undone by Orga reinforcements. Our final charge after 2.5 hours was driven back, so we headed home - myself 2.5k poorer and 8 departs in the hole. Many others had similar or even worse costs. The local blacksmiths certainly got a lot of business.



Here's a view from the front. This raid was so deadly due to the unusual amount of grenade lightning. Thrown behind Mephisto and I, the grenades decimated our forces. That day the Stronghold's front door ultimately proved to be too much.

OS Trip Stalled

The monthly EAT/PAG expedition to the Orga Stronghold failed to get past the OS front door snell. The group was strong, and the odds didn't seem outrageously stacked against us. A few people were reluctant to depart early in the effort. I think, however, that luck plays a huge role in whether we can advance to the rest of OS. This time the respawns were more than we could handle.


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

PAG Opens Temple Door

Today PAG and friends moved across much of Metz Island to unlock the mystery of the Tepui Temple. From previous trips and the work of many other individuals and groups, we knew that the temple had a door that was impassable. We believed that the key to opening the door was activating the three pairs of torches, which are linked to sparkles in other temples on the island. A few days ago, Puddleby Task Force had succeeded in lighting a second pair of torches. Activating some of the sparkles in distant temples turned out to be the key that lit all three pairs of torches. We were able to pass through the door and into a large room beyond. The room had an altar, several large pillars, three large statues, and three more locked doors.

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

New OV Path

After Jeepers discovered that he could open a path from the south snell of Orga Village, Yor suggested that today's PAG outing be there. A large group, including the three Trillbane students (Elenis Reyav, Jeepers, and Mephisto), went in and took the snell beyond the path. Another snell lay beyond it.


The first snell had little of obvious importance: a large purple tree and a patch of dirt. The second snell showed signs of Orga construction in progress: a floor of crudely patterned stone tiles and four stakes that seem to be the start of a wall. The northwest part of the snell had what appears to be a small lava pool, but its lava doesn't burn people.


The pathfinders and Xel the Mystic spent several minutes examining both snells thoroughly. No additional paths were found. The new snells raised more questions than answers.

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

Tepui Temple

PAG went to the Tepui Temple. We got to the Tepui area much more quickly this time, thanks to Org du Lac's teleporting (with a little help from Asenath). It was a relief to spend less time in Hellebore country. With Kalian leading and Natas bricking and Lady Luck smiling, all went smoothly.



This was only my second time to Tepui, and my first time past the entry snell. At the end of the hunt, we even stopped for a while at the mysterious Tepui Temple. Some speculate that the place where J'jh was standing in the sketch might lead to another room if all the torches are lit. The torches in other parts of the temple light up when someone walks on a nearby spot.

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

Trillbane Found!

Today's EAT/PAG trip to the Orga Stronghold attracted a relatively small crowd — a little over 30 — compared to past trips. We proceeded anyway. We had a hard time with the front door snell, but we kept going because we could see progress. Finally we captured it.

In OS 5, we lost Hunter, who was one of the two rod points. He fell and was teleported by a Zealot. J'nder was appointed as the new Red Team rod point.

We reached Katpus, and Yor (in lieu of the absent Azriel) showed her the part of the catapult plan that we had acquired last time. Katpus, however, did not have anything new to tell us, much to our disappointment.

We faced the nasty OS 13 snell. This time, instead of trying to capture it, we decided to go through the path just to the north of the entrance. It led to a very small snell that appeared to be a junction of a handful of paths. In addition to the path from OS 13 were four dirt patches (often indicative of paths) — two in the north and two in the eastern part of the snell.

Sai opened the easternmost path, and several of us followed her. We fell quickly. It turned out to be the waterfall snell in Dredwood! After a while, we were ported to Orga Village, where a rescue team eventually came for us.

Another subgroup was able to try a different path. There they found the long-sought Trillbane — a Fen'neko whose hair, skin, and clothes were camouflage shades of green and brown! Elenis Reyav, Jeepers, and Mephisto began advanced pathfinding training with him. I myself didn't get to see Trillbane, but I will try to provide more details when others tell their stories of the event.

All in all, an amazing day!

OWE present: Clubby, Giga, Hunter, J'jh, J'nder, Kalian, Noivad, Shakyamuni, Torin, and Yor.

P.S. Check out CJ Parker's article on TMN. She includes a sketch of Trillbane.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It's Raining Slates

PAG went to the Slate Caves. The original plan had been to use a Mystic teleporter to help us get to the Orga Stronghold Back Door quickly. No Mystic was available, so we just hunted. Everything looked good until far too many Slate Noids followed our lurer. Fortunately, only a few had to depart.

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

Abyss 2

PAG had a strong turnout, especially for a Sunday, so we decided to go to DTN. It turned out to be a cakewalk. We picked Abyss 2 as a more challenging follow-up. Setting up in Abyss 1 was quickly taken care of. The majority of the group went into Abyss 2 and promptly fell. I stayed behind with a small group to keep the first snell secure.

After a couple of unsuccessful chain attempts and some idle time, Yor departed and came back to take charge of the rescue. He fell after entering the Abyss, and as I went to chain him to our group, a large spawn overwhelmed us. When we recovered, Gorvin and Yor chained the fallen out of Abyss 2.

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

P.S. Kishi was spotted outside the library yesterday. Based on my short sunstone conversation with her, I doubt that we will see her regularly, but perhaps we can convince her to join us for a hunt every now and then.

PAG at Twilight Temple

PAG went to the Twilight Temple on Metz — the place Hunter mentioned in his last post. Getting past the arachnes required close, shoulder-to-shoulder fighting, but we managed it well. In the Temple's basement were rooms that seemed to spawn Ancient Greymyrs nonstop. Just as we had destroyed one group, another would appear. We saw some interesting sights, including sparkles that produced something that looked like the lightning grenades used by the Orgas. Yor wanted us to see a machine (a Greymyr generator?), but the hour was late.

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

That's Hot

Here are some more action shots from the OS trip Torin wrote about. It was a successful failure in that we did the best we could given what we were up against. The trouble was largely due to the Orga Loathings we came across.








The lightning intensity was at its usual strength. Hunter's Red Halfling Rod (seen in this picture) and Mephisto's Blue Thoom Rod still penetrated as deep as we could, taking bolt after bolt. It was exhilarating. Chain and grenade lightning? Yummy.







We made about 16 attempts at taking this first snell over the course of 2.5 hours before we conceded. A lot of us fell each run and chaining was a race against the Razzia. Care to place your bets on whether Puff Higgy made it out alive from that spot?













Despite all the falling, all the departs, all the scorched armor, all the broken chains, and failing to conquer the first snell - it was fun. We shall return...

OS Assault Fails

The monthly EAT/PAG trip to the Orga Stronghold started with high hopes. The last two trips had yielded great moments of exploration and discovery.

This time, the Orga defenders were too much for us. Heavy lightning, Loathings, and Razzias never let us get a foothold in the first snell beyond the path. OWE present: Giga, Hunter, J'jh, J'nder, Shakyamuni, Torin, and Yor.

Toks, Noids, Wendies

Toks and Noids and Wendies, Oh My!

Here are a few sketches from some recent hunts.

Wednesday, May 2: Hunting Deep Toks without a Ranger or a Blood Mage is not so easy.

Thursday, May 3: PAG goes to Pitch Caves.

Friday, May 4: Is it time to run away yet?

Slate Caves

PAG went to Slate Caves today. We had more healers and fewer fighters than usual. The Slate Arachnoids would have been a threat if not for Kalian's offensive prowess.

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

Return to Metz

Attendance for Pitch Assault Group was low, so we decided to go back to Metz Island. We went to the mountain passes guarded by Ancient and Basalt Greymyrs. We killed quite a few of them and had only three left on the plateau.

Elenis Reyav fell and called "Out!" I tried to chain him, but I fell to a Greymyr's rock on my way down the stairs. Despite my body blocking the way, Yor was able to escape.

Elenis and I were too fallen to be raised by the healers. The others finished off the remaining Greymyrs, and then we headed back to Puddleby.

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

PAG at Metz

After escorting Fundin to pathfinding book 3, Pitch Assault Group went to the Deathroot area of Metz Island. The expedition went more or less smoothly until we reached the Deathroot Temple. The recluse arachnes were tough.

The group was ultimately felled by a spawn of a handful of Haremaus outside the Temple.

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