I’ve seen many strange invasions in the more than four decades I’ve lived in Puddleby (my, how time flies!), but none quite so strange as the one I saw today. Apparently, many forest creatures aren’t too happy with the new road to UoP that was built recently (and I can’t blame them– I’m not too thrilled with it either).

Anyway, the forest actually decided to do something about it, leading to Puddleby’s first kudzu invasion. The usual muddy streets of Puddleby were filled end to end with kudzu, making it nearly impossible to move. The kudzu were aided by patches of Corsica, which are especially deadly when you’re immobile, as well as Tree Giants and packs of foxweirs.

Eventually, the townsfolk were able to push the forest creatures back, and started clearing the road to UoP, which was completely covered in kudzu. I tagged along, planting a few seedlings along the way (they actually look rather nice on the side of the road).

Follow the kudzu-covered road

The invasion culminated in a big battle in front of the University, where exiles were finally able to overwhelm the forest. There were a few more waves of plants in town, and one kudzu even made some half-hearted attempts at negotiating with exiles, but eventually they ended up being smoked by the pirate, Stinkfist.

Jaqen: Kudzu Negotiator

So it looks like the ugly road to the University is here to stay. The only question that remains is: what are we going to do with all this mulch?

The last of the kudzu invaders

After many years of hard study, I was finally awarded my first training ledger today! Following in the footsteps of my good friend Eros, I am now qualified to teach students in the art of mental energy recovery. So if you’re a mystic, and looking to improve your recovery times, come find me in town.

To Learn and to Teach are the greatest joys in life.

After years (decades?) of construction, the Alliance Castle is finally open! Built on the old location of Baron Vonkessi’s Keep (which was burned down by the Fenix), the Castle is quite an impressive sight, with its collection of towers, gates, and battlements.

The building is quite sparse, though, consisting mostly of empty rooms and cavernous hallways. I’m not sure what the castle could be used for, though it could make a good place to hide out during the next Darshak invasion.

The security could use some work, though– currently the castle defenses consist of a shallow moat, a grumpy sylvan, and a lone archer. Cassia Allin’s probably going to want to hire more help, especially with all the suspicious figures running around.

View from above

Posing atop the Alliance Castle

I got to participate the Dun’ilsar competition hosted by Neko No Kessha today. As advertised, the contest was a V.I.A. challenge, where each clan worked to keep their team’s Agratis alive.

A lot of clans showed up without many members, so what ended up happening was that the smaller clans banded together to improve their odds. I decided to go it alone, despite being the only member of E’las Loth’mon Ferindril, and donned the mantle of Agratis Denden. I figured since the last Dun’ilsar challenge was won by a lone Agratis, I stood a chance, especially with the running skills I’ve honed as a mystic.

Watching and waiting

I pretty much kept in place for most of the challenge, running only when I sensed people were near. I had a few close calls with death, but managed to survive until the first clan, Neko No Kessha, was eliminated. The remaining members of NNK started seeking vengeance, though, and I was brought down by one of their rangers.

I ended up having to leave during the middle of the second challenge, but I heard that there were 3 contests in all, all of which were handily won by the Yellow Team, thanks to their superior fighting prowess and teleporting mystic. It was a fun challenge in all, and good to see the clan competition brought back again.

Neko No Kessha has a full report on their blog.

Looks like the fine folks over at Neko No Kessha are working on reviving the Dun’ilsar inter-clan competition, with a V.I.A. (Very Important Agratis) challenge to be held less than a zodiac from today. The object of the contest is for each competing clan to protect an Agratis placed under their care, while simultaneously trying to take out the Agratis of other clans.

Dun’ilsar is a long held tradition among sylvan clans, who have competed fiercely for hundreds of years for the title of Dun’ilsar champion. The competition was first brought to Puddleby by my clan E’las Loth’mon Ferindril, but has largely remained dormant over the past few years. It’s exciting to see the contest being brought to life once more.

The last V.I.A. competition didn’t go too well for my clan, but I know the strategies that were successful during the last challenge, so that may put me at somewhat of an advantage this time around. I’ll definitely have to rouse some of my clanmates, and give this latest contest a go.

Pre-contest Preparation

For more information about the upcoming challenge, see the official contest thread on the Clan Lord Sentinel.

Unfortunately, many of the scrolls that I grew up with are no longer available. Shelves have moved, scrolls have rotted and burned, and the scribes themselves have moved off to pursue other ventures. Much of Puddleby’s history and culture have been lost to the shifting sands of time.

This is why recently I have begun a project of recovering some of these lost scrolls. Thanks to the magic of Archive.org, as well as personal copies of some of my favorite scrolls, I’ve been able to restore a number of older scrolls. These include the scrolls of well known exiles of the past, such as Sassy, Lilit, and Falinea, as well as other scribes who shared their stories, advice, and experiences in exile.

A full list of the scrolls can be found here. I hope you’ll find it a fun a nostalgic look into Puddleby’s past. And if you know of any scrolls that are missing, or have any on hand, please let me know, and I can add them to the list.

A lot of things have changed in the lands while I’ve been hidden in the library, and I’ve been having fun exploring once familiar places which have grown and changed with time. There also seem to be new developments afoot. For example, I’ve been noticing a number of strange acolytes wandering around, conducting strange experiments. Who knows what they’re up to, but it will be fun trying to get to the bottom of this.

Cavern exploring

Mysterious Figures

Sign of the times

Came across this sign after the latest Chaos Storm (v618) swept through. Looks like I now have two signs in the lands with my name on it.

After a long downtime, I’ve finally gotten around to restoring my old webscrolls. The new location for the scrolls is: http://puddleby.com/lundar/. There’s nothing much new yet, but I plan on writing about some of my more recent adventures, as well as some new projects I’m working on, plus there’s nearly forty puddle-years worth of archives to sift through.

I’m still in the process of getting everything organized, but let me know if anything’s amiss. I hope you enjoy reading through what is quickly becoming ancient Puddleby history.

Lundar's New Library

I just wanted write a quick note to congratulate Math, who was advanced to the station of Full Mystic today. Congratulations Ma’ta Math, on the well deserved and long awaited promotion!

An exercise in patience