Lundar's Library

Day 167, Year 538 of the Ascendancy

Today was my clan’s monthly meeting, which I missed again(*sigh*), but
I did manage to make it to our clan hunt. Our hunting spot today was
the Snaggle Wood, and everything went well, for a while. There was a
nice variety of orga in Snaggy, and we encountered almost no resistance
at all. It seemed as if the hunt would end uneventfully, with none of
the trouble usually attributed to an ELF hunt. No such luck.

As we navigated the maze-like Snaggle Wood, several Orga Furies
appeared, and decided to crash our party. Soon, several Rages, Zerks,
and Shamen joined in on the action, and we soon found ourselves trapped
in a corner, desperately fighting against impossible odds. Of course I
was one of the first to fall, but our fighters fought valiantly,
felling several of the large orga; but for every orga that was felled,
it seemed two more orga joined in the fray. The struggle lasted for
quite a while, and things looked pretty hopeless at times; at one
point, all of our fighters were fallen, with only our healers left
standing to carry out the fight. Gradually, however, the healers raised
some of our fallen comrades, while using the rest of us as human
shields, and we were soon on our way to victory.

We quickly dispatched the rest of the orga, and explored the rest of
the Snaggle Wood, rescuing several other hunting parties in the
process. After clearing out Snaggy, the hunt was called to an end, and
most of my clan mates returned to the library to study. I, however,
remained in the Orga Camp to help with a raid on OC 4. By the time I
joined in, the party was already well established, and the exiles had
already taken OC 2, and were beginning to work on OC 3. We gradually
lured most of the Warlocks out of OC 3, and took the camp in one fell
swoop. We then attempted to take over OC 4, but as usual, the camp was
a mess, and we lacked the man-power necessary to take it.

As we turned back from OC 4 disapointed, we were ambushed by a large
band of orga in OC 2, and massacred. Only a few exiles were able to
make it out of OC 2 alive, and the rest of us were left to stare at the
sky, and contemplate our fates. Eventually, however, the few who did
manage to escape formed a rescue party, and we were soon back on our
feet, cutting down orga. Whew, way too much orga for one day!

Day 156, Year 538 of the Ascendancy

The orga seem to grow more restless everyday; perhaps due to our
constant raids into their foul camp, or perhaps because they think now
to be an opportune time to attack Puddleby. Whatever their reasons, the
orga are definitely one of Puddleby’s greatest threats. Today, as I
stepped out of the library, I heard cries for help over the sunstone.
An army of orga were parading outside of their camp, and already,
several parties of exiles had been felled by them. I quickly rushed
myself to the Tangle Wood, to see what I could do to help. I was
quickly felled.

Outside of the Orga Camp stood a legion of orga. Orga of all shapes,
colors, and sizes milled about, felling any and all exiles that got in
their way. Particularly nasty, were the Orga Frenzies, whom no exile
could even come close to harming. The body count soon surpassed twenty,
and things began to look pretty grim. Soon, however, reinforcements, in
the form of several powerful healers, and the one man army Gurgi,
arrived, and the orga were cut down. The orga were no match for the
halfling Gurgi; even the Frenzies could lay not a finger on him. Soon,
the rest of us were on our feet, helping to cut back the orga. After
clearing out the forest, we took the battle to the Orga Camp itself,
going as far in as OC2, before being pushed back.

We were lucky this time, in that Gurgi was there to rescue our poor
fallen bodies, but what if next time, Gurgi is unable to help? Or worse
still, what if we meet an opponent who is too strong, even for Gurgi to
handle? Clearly, we must keep these orga in check, before they grow out
of hand!

Day 148, Year 538 of the Ascendancy

The last Chaos Storm had definitely been a quiet one. There seemed to
be little new in the lands, and there hadn’t been any new areas or
places to be discovered. In fact, there was even less to explore than
before, for the T’rool Mines that had opened up last storm, had closed
again in this one. There was nothing new at all… or so I thought.
Today, as I stepped out of the library, I sensed my friend Firebird
falling to a small rock. I quickly took out my skristal, and began
searching for my clan mate. The only thing that my search yielded, was
that Firebird was somewhere east, and badly fallen. So I returned my
skristal to my pack, and my search was begun.

The only logical place to me, that Firebird would be fallen, was the
passes. The passes are filled with many dangerous creatures such as
Greymyr and Wendeka, and it would have been easy for my friend to fall.
I decided to search the southern passes first, and then work my way up.
However, as I made my way to the passes, a sunstone message changed my
destination. It seemed a small party had been present with Firebird,
and now they were sunstoning for help. The location they gave of
Firebird, was that he was fallen in a new area in north pass. I was
quite excited, and rushed my way to the north pass. There, I ran
stealthily, dodging Wendeka and Blood Hawks, and looked around for
anything that might lead me to this new area.

Finally, I spotted a plateau high in the mountains, on what at first
appeared to be an unscalable cliff. However, further inspection
revealed a small path among the rocks, and I slowly made my way up the
mountain.

By the time I had reached the top, I was quite tired. I quickly began
searching for Firebird, but soon found that he was alive and well,
along with six other exiles. The party had been exploring the plateau
for quite a while, and had found nothing special about it. As a mystic
and pathfinder, I was asked to search the mesa for anything out of the
ordinary, which I did, with pleasure. The entire plateau was empty; all
I could yield from my search was rocks, weeds, and dust. The plateau
was berefet of even beasts such as Wendeka and Blood Hawks, that
plagued the rest of the passes. The place seemed completely safe, but I
soon learned different.

As I was exploring the plateau, a pair of Blood Hawks swooped out of
the air, and began to attack me. I ran swiftly southwards, where the
rest of the party helped to do away with the birds. That was when two
boulders flew over the cliff face, and struck Firebird into the ground.
Others quickly followed. The boulders were being thrown by the Greymyr,
for the plateau overlooked the Greymyr Village. Our two other healers,
WormTounge and Kartan still lived, but they could not heal Firebird,
for he was too badly fallen. Luckily for him, the healer Lorikeet soon
arrived, and Firebird was back on his feet in no time.

Thus ended the exploration of the yet to be named plateau. Firebird
suggested naming it the Pointless Pass; a name that does seem to fit
this strange and deadly area. But is this place just an ordinary
plateau, or does it hold some darker, more sinister secrets?

Day 146, Year 538 of the Ascendancy

I’d been on a lot of Dal’Noth hunts in the past
few weeks, and my purse was beginning to show it. I now had more than
500 coppers stuffed into my poor old money bag, and it was time to get
rid of it. This time, I wasn’t going to waste it all on anything as
stupid as gambling. Oh no, this time I was going to get myself some
skin dye! I had my eyes set on the grey and black skin dyes. The black
skin dye cost a whooping 600 coins, but it went quite well with my
current outfit. The grey was a little cheaper, at 450 coins, but went
better with white shoes, which would cost an additional 200 coppers. In
either case, I was still a couple hundred coins short. Luckily, I had a
red healing potion on me, which I managed to sell to the ‘Zo Natas for
300 coins(plus I threw in a green token). After pocketing the money, I
rushed to the dye shop, settled on the black skin dye, and in no time,
I was stylin.

Afterwards, I was standing around town, feeling
cool, when the sylvan Noa came up to me, and asked me to make her a
hopeful of E’las Loth’mon Ferindril. I felt honored, but at a bit of a
loss, for I was not certain of the exact procedures. However, Noa was
definately a worthy sylvan, and she had even been an ELF member before
the Forgetting, so I took her to the clan registration offices, to get
her inducted. The customary ceremonies were held, and Noa became a
hopeful of E’las Loth’mon Ferindril.

Afterwards, Noa threw off her robes, and revealed herself to the world, as a sylvan. Tav’riel Ferindril!

Day 140, Year 538 of the Ascendancy

Hunting on Dal’Noth Isle has become one of the
most favorite pastimes of exiles, as of late. It has become as popular
as the Snaggle Wood once was, before the chests that the orga carried
were toned down. Now, exiles go to the Dal’Noth Isle for the rich
bounties of the ‘Noths, and the plentiful experience provided by the
many monsters. As a Journeyman Mystic skilled in the arts of portal
opening, I am often called forth to let exiles into the rich hunting
grounds of Dal’Noth Isle. Today, I was called to do just that. It was
quite early in the morning when Natas sunstoned me, asking me to come
to Dal’Noth Isle. I was still groggy, and my body still ached from the
countless hunts I’d been on in the past week, but I agreed to go
anyway. I reluctantly trudged to the docks, and rented one of the
rowboats from Captain Barnac.

When I reached Dal’Noth Isle, I was rather
surprised to see a small party; only seven members, including myself.
However, my surprise soon faded when I saw the party in action. The
party quickly cleared out the beaches and the passes, and made it’s way
to the Dal’Noth Town. Even the Town provided little challenge, and we
headed to the northern parts of the isle, then headed west. We even
explored the territory where just days before, the enigmatic Tuz’Noths
had been spotted, but fortunately, we did not see any ourselves. We
then cleared out the Dal’Noth Outpost, then returned to the surface and
cleared out the Dal’Noth Isle once over again.

The sun was just beginning to rise over the
horrizon now. We made our way to the beach, and bid farewell to
Rent-A-Hippie, who retired herself for the day. We were now down to a
party of six. We continued to hunt the Dal’Noth Isle, but this time
with more caution. With so few hunters, the profits were even greater
then before, for there were less people to spilt the money with, from
the bounties. We were doing quite well, dispatching any ‘Noths that
stood in our way, and it seemed like I was going to chalk one up as
another successful Dal’Noth hunt. However, when we entered the lake
area, disaster struck. We were fighting two Zol’Noths, and doing quite
nicely, when four more Zol’Noths appeared out of nowhere, and joined in
on the fun. I was down on the ground in no time, and I was but the
first to fall.

Several Vel’Noths soon appeared, drawn to us by
the comotion, and soon, more than half of us lay fallen at their feet.
The few that did manage to escape soon fell as well, and things looked
pretty bleak. Several rescue parties were assembled, but they were all
disseminated before they even reached us. Soon, all of the healers in
the lands lay fallen on Dal’Noth Isle, and I was forced to depart. Many
of the exiles fallen on Dal’Noth Isle departed as well, and went back
to rescue the many fallen exiles still fallen on the cursed isle. As
for myself, I turned over the portal openning job to my fellow
Journeyman, Valtrim, and headed back to the Academy to catch some ‘z’s.

Day 138, Year 538 of the Ascendancy

Well, today was my clan’s monthly clan meeting,
and we had one of our larger turnouts. After discussing some ship
building issues with the ship builder Kixus Everride, it was decided
that we would hunt on Dal’Noth Isle. We paddled our way to Dal’Noth
Isle, and from there swept eastward along the southern beaches,
avoiding the narrow passes that could leave us trapped. It was one of
our more successful hunts in that no one ended up departing, and we
made quite a few coins from ‘Noth bounties.

Anyhow, after making one cycle around the isle, we
all stood again at the south-western tip of Dal’Noth Isle. It was there
that we heard some distressing news from town; hordes of Myrm were
sweeping through the northern farms, led by a powerful new type of
Myrm, known only as the Elite Myrm. Upon hearing this news, Fleming
officially ended our clan hunt, and we all rushed into our rowboats,
and paddled towards Puddleby. By the time we reached the northern farms
of Puddleby, most of the Myrm had been dispatched. At that point, it
was decided unanimously that we retaliate against the Myrm, and we
charged into the Myrm Hive as one.

Inside the Myrm Hive, chaos reigned. Hundreds of
Myrm milled about, and at the sight of the charging exiles, they
attacked fearlessly. Soon, skirmishes were taking place all over the
Hive, and the Hive was bustling with more activity than had been seen
since before the Great Forgetting. The exiles slowly pushed the Myrm
forces back, laboriously working towards the Queen Chamber. Myrm
Warriors and Protectors appeared at every turn, and even the workers
tried to deter the flow of exiles. It was not to be. We pushed past the
onslaught of Myrm, and broke into the very Queen Chamber itself.

Within the Queen Chamber, the Myrm nobility
battled hopelessly against the wave of exiles, gradually falling one by
one, until even the Queen herself lay at the feet of us exiles. It was
then that a sudden outpour of Myrm Warriors arrived, too late to save
their Queen, but happy just to take revenge on us exiles. Before the
sudden wave of Myrm, I stood no chance, and I soon lay among the broken
carapices of the Myrm nobility.

Luckily, many of Puddleby’s most powerful exiles
were present there in the Hive that day, and it was only a matter of
time before the rest of the Myrm went the way of their Queen. I am
quite sure that the Myrm won’t be trying to invaded Puddleby again,
anytime soon. After the invasion, I took a brief respite within the
Academy, before I was invited on another Dal hunt by the Order of the
White Elpehant. It was another very successful hunt on the Dal’Noth
Isle, and I went home happy, with my purse filled to the brim with
coppers. (Check out a Vision Stone of the Myrm Invasion.)

Day 136, Year 538 of the Ascendancy

Today I got to help out in a rescue in the passes
for the dwarf Norm. Norm has helped me out countless times(I am getting
to know his chain quite well) and it was quite a pleasure returning the
favor. After the rescue, we all went on a short hunt through the
passes, and helped out in a rescue in the Tangle Wood. By the time I
got to town, I was quite pooped. However, my fatigue soon melted out of
me, when I chanced upon the face of the Apprentice Mystic Eros. I was
quite elated, for I had not seen Eros in over a year. We had been
Apprentices together since before the Forgetting, and I soon found
myself in the tavern(together with the Fen Slinky), listening to her
tale over a cold mug of beer.

After listening to her fascinating tale(which
consisted of strange dreams and Dryads), we retired ourselves to the
Mystic Academy, to reminisce over old times. Afterwards, Eros even
offered me a bone she had picked up, for use as a Bone Flute. As it
turned out(as it usually is) the bone was not of the superior quality
that Hendrux required, but I feel forever indebted to Eros for the
generous offer she made me. Let me here give a fond “H’loi!” out to
Eros, for her return to the lands of exile.

Day 126, Year 538 of the Ascendancy

Qual the Wizard. Now there’s a name that you hear
more and more often every day. Whenever Qual gets involved with
something, people tend to end up dead. Today was no exception. I was
wandering through the forests today when I heard a deep, rasping voice
ring through my head. It was the voice of Qual! Qual was taunting us
exiles again, as frequently he likes to do. However, this time we were
not about to take these insults like a bunch of passive sheep. A small
party was assembled, and we all headed to Dal’Noth Isle. After battling
the horrid currents of the ocean, we landed on the shores of Dal’Noth
Isle, and proceeded to cut down any who stood in our way.

At first, things went very well. ‘Noths fell
before for us like rotten trees, and we made
our way to the Dal’Noth Town in no time. Even the Town provided little
challenge for us, and it seemed as if we would actually make it off the
Isle alive. That’s when the Vel’Noths arrived. Ten or so Vel’Noths
materialized out of nowhere, followed closely by Qual’s maniacal
laughter. Before the minions of Qual, our party stood little chance.

One by one our party fell, until soon we were all
dead. We did eventually get rescued, but it took over eight hours, and
by then, many of us had departed. I myself did get rescued,
though I somehow managed to get separated from my party, and ended up
departing anyway. It seems that I am departing more and more often
lately, and I reminisce fondly back to before the Forgetting, when I
departed not a single time. For now, I find comfort in the old saying:
“Show me a man who has never departed, and I will show you a man who
has never lived.”

Day 110, Year 538 of the Ascendancy

I awoke this morning feeling well-rested and
contented. I’d gotten more sleep than I usually did, and I seemed to be
filled with energy. However, my good mood was soon broken when the
fact, that today was my clan’s monthly meeting, dawned on me. I quickly
checked my green token, and the worst of my fears was confirmed: I had
missed my meeting. I cursed Edrik for not waking me up sooner, and I
rushed off to find my clan mates. Luckily, my clan mates were still
hunting, and I found them all gathered in the Wurm Cave.

However, all was not well. The usually cheery
faces of my clan mates looked serious, and some downright glum. What
had happened was this: our store of wood and lumber, that we had hidden
in the Wurm cave, had disappeared! Someone had pilfered all the wood
that we had been planning to use to build our ship, and had left us
with naught but splinters. I was quite disappointed when I heard the
news, for I had worked diligently to help gather the wood, but to our
combined relief, the thieves had left our Arachnoid silk sails
untouched. Now we will just have to gather our wood again, and hide it
in a more secure and secret location.

Anyhow, after we cleared out all the wurms from
the the cave, we all went our separate ways, and I soon found myself
among a small band of exiles hunting in the Myrm Hive. We cleared out
the entire Hive in no time, and took the Queen Chamber like a piece of
cake. I left the Myrm Hive quite contented, but on the way to town I
heard of trouble happening on the distant Ash Island, in the infamous
Dark Chamber. I quickly rented a rowboat from Captain Barnak and
paddled my way to Ash Island. I landed on the cursed isle, and made my
way to the hollow tree that leads to the Dark Chamber. Within the
hollow was a small army of exiles, all yelling and shouting, and trying
to rescue their fallen comrades. Within the Dark Chamber proper was
what only could be called a massacre.

Within the narrow corridor bodies lay strewn out
everywhere. Greater Wraiths, Lesser Spectres, Faithless, and Ghastly
Presences strode about the corridor confidently; felling exiles left
and right. Only the bodies of several brave exiles stood between us,
and the horrible hordes of undine. Progress was slow, but we did
eventually manage to push the hordes of undine back, and rescue the
fallen. We then went deeper into the Dark Chamber, joined by more
reinforcements of exiles. However, the inner sanctums of the Dark
Chamber were filled with even more undine than the outer passages.
Spawns of Greater Wraiths and invisible Ghastly Presences soon left us
strewn about the floor like marbles.

Luckily for us, a few of the healers managed to
survive, and one of them even managed to chain away the fallen body of
Gurgi. With Gurgi up, it was only a matter of time before we were back
on our feet again. We all cleared out the Dark Chamber, then headed for
the Dark Temple. There, we fought through the Pentagram Room, and even
dispatched a Darshak Liche while we were at it. A couple of us had a
good time visiting the Lava Room, and a few brave(foolish?) souls even
ventured forth to the first circle of Abyss. Afterward, we all hunted
on the Astral Plane, then cleared out the Dark Chamber and Dark Temple
again, just for kicks. It was quite a hunt, though a bit too many
undine for one day, if yi ask me.

Day 107, Year 538 of the Ascendancy

Well the 134th Chaos storm has come to pass, and
there are definitely some dark powers a’stewin. Last full moon I helped
out in an Orga Camp raid, and some exiles actually managed to reach
OC4, though those that did were instantly fried by Warlock bolts. As
for me, I never made it past OC2, and I chalked up another depart to my
name. However, the Mystic Aki said that he felt some kind of strange
energies coming from OC4, maybe beyond, something to do with the full
moon. Another raid is being planned for next full moon, and I hope to
be present to help exiles win this battle against the orga. So far I’ve
spotted no new areas this Storm, and in fact, the T’rool Mines that
were open last Storm seemed to have closed. I dunno, whether this is
the doing of Qual, or the T’rool Kin, but it certainly bodes ill. I
never even got a chance to explore the caverns thoroughly. Oh well. At
least I am now a “3rd Spakle” Pathfinder, capable of opening most of
the paths on the Lok’Groton Island Chain. The Marsh Hermit says I am
one of his better students, so I am very hopeful. Soon I hope to be a
full Pathfinder.