The Red Quillers are a clan for whom I have a great deal of respect.
They have a sense of purpose and fun that is the envy of most other
clans, and their exiles are without question among the most skilled,
including Kira, who called for a horus assist on Southwest beach. Here
I am trying my best to hold off two artaks, but I eventually had to
back off and run a bit before finally managing to get Brae up. Very
tough not to use my chain here, especially with artaks and their
troublesome atkus. It is always a pleasure to help out on a rescue,
especially with a healer like Kira.
Not long after, Drax called for help on Cor's behalf in the south
forest. Since I was near, I went to assist, and I was soon joined
by one of the most powerful thoom healers in the lands, my new
clanmate Bones, who likes to hang out in the south forest hospital
from time to time (a good one to share, you south forest hunters!).
Once again, the cad training paid off, and we were able to get Cor
up quickly (especially with Bones' impressive faustus) enough to
dispatch the harassing panthers and vermine.
What would the day be, though, without a silly fall? Here I am
trying to help out Leogic in the Lily Pond cave. Wow, I didn't
realize how small this space can feel with two gigantic swamp
ferals running around. I managed to dive out of the cave, but
not before a fell blow on the back of my neck from a vicious
swamp feral.
Fortunately, Bubbles was nearby, and two more new clanmates, DeathLord
and Aldernon (it is possible but hard to find a more potent pair of
clan-joined fighters in the lands outside of Pogue Mahone) joined in
the rescue, making embarrassingly quick work of the swamp ferals.
Artesia was a big help as well, and she helped me again with raising
Potz in the Northwest forest.
Every so often, I am called on to help with a rescue when the
first healer(s) on the scene lack the horus to successfully
raise the fallen. Having been in this position in my early days
on the isle, I know how frustrating and dangerous it can be to
sit and wait for more help. But just because I am capable of
raising most fallens on my own certainly doesn't mean I don't
welcome the presence of other healers on the scene.
Keep in mind that the goal of the rescue healer is to get the
fallen up and to safety if at all possible. Other considerations
are secondary. Having more healers makes it safer for everyone,
especially considering the fact that I am almost certainly the
slowest third circle healer (faustus-wise) in the lands. I
believe in slow but sure healing, but I'm not opposed to fast
and even more sure healing!
Just before hitting the library I got a call from a crew of
exiles hunting Noth. Gurgi had graciously invited me to
join them earlier, but I had to defer. Still, when help was
needed, I was willing to make the journey, thanks in part to
Robin Greyhawk's opening skills (he also makes a fine locating
mystic and is always worthy of a share). Fortunately, my
skills were sufficient to heal Rieger. To their credit
(as usual), the Noth party was extremely generous with rescue
rewards and added to my funds (which are a little tight right now
while I recover from paying out 5000 coins in bounties).
It has been a long time since I've been on an extended Noth
hunt. I had a bad experience there about a puddleyear ago
when I went to help out on a rescue, later fell and was
ignored by the party, which was engrossed in conversations with the
elusive Votenkath. Since then, my resistance to helping out
there was gradually become less and less. Heck, maybe I'll
even try hunting there again someday soon when I have a big
enough block of time outside the library. Would make for
an interesting change of pace once in a while.
Today, I decided to go in to see if the test has gotten any easier.
I certainly haven't been training to pass it or anything, limiting
my training to proximus and horus exclusively over the past several
puddlemonths. Sure enough, I was cut to shreds in seconds, long before
I was close to raising Glory. To be honest, I'm not sure I should
even have 3rd circle status.
Back when I took the test, the gods must have been smiling on me.
The third circle test offers 3 Night Wendeckas and a Greymyr as
opponents trying to keep you from healing Glory. On that day, I
managed to trap the Greymyr behind the rocks, and for some reason,
the Night Wendeckas seemed distracted. They hardly touched me,
just stood around mesmerized. I said a silent prayer of thanks,
gave Glory a hug and got the heck out of there before anyone changed
their mind! Were I to take that test again today, I think it is
unlikely that I would pass. I like to remind myself of this whenever
I hear talk about me as a "powerful" rescue healer. In some respects,
yes, but not the way most people judge things, I think.
I emerged from my latest test to find Algernon in town. It seems
that he has returned to the lands after a very long stay in the library.
I have mixed feelings about this helpful halfling. I find his antics
amusing and his ability to tell time very helpful. He has enough
horus to be a useful tool when an exile is too fallen and dragged back
to town. But I do not share with him. Why would I spend a valuable
share on an automaton when I could use it on a living, breathing exile
out of courtesy, kindness, compassion, friendship or respect?
Does Algernon really have his spirits lifted a tiny bit when he gets
a share from another exile, or is that just an automatic response? My
feeling is that my own shares are better spent on other people, but I
do not begrudge other exiles' sharing with Algy. I can see how someone
would want to give recognition to this clever little fellow
and get an automatic good karma in response, but for me, I'll just settle
for giving him a gk of my own every once in a while. The thought of
sharing with Algy at the cost of not sharing with some other exile
in the land who may get a little lift from a share ... well, I guess
it is just one of many things in the world I don't get. Gosh, that's
two in one day.
One of my new Clawmates, the mystic Zyloth, called for help from
the lake area, so I ran over there to take a look. Sure enough,
he was fallen north of the farm in a field filled with large vermine.
I can normally withstand a swarm of several of these while cadding
a fallen exile, but I made the mistake of positioning myself too
close to a sn'ell boundary here, just to my south. The result? Two
large vermine popped out right near me, leaving me surrounded.
Another lesson learned.
Happily, Constance was around to help Zyloth (who did escape after
being raised, though I fell shortly thereafter) clear the vermine
while J'jh kindly made the long journey from town to pick me up.
What a pleasure to be saved by either half of J'Team, two of the
most powerful (in the traditional sense) healers in the lands. Those
two are always pretty high on my share priority list!
On my way back to town, I stopped into north pass after speaking
briefly with Entil'Zha and Neige, who were hunting in the area.
I have a few chains in my possession, but I like to keep my inventory
well-stocked for lean times. Also, there are many situations where
chaining is needed but I shouldn't be the one doing the chaining since
I'm the horus healer (e.g. Orga Camp raids, Wisher's Gate). Having
extra chains lets me give them out to other exiles who are selflessly
ruining their own chains dragging out exile after exile from horrifying
lightning storms and the like.
Unfortunately, the passes aren't the safest places in the world, so
it is pretty tough for a healer to accumulate a lot of ore without
getting trapped by Wendeckas. Actually, normal white Wendeckas like
these aren't so bad. They aren't too smart, so there's not too
much danger of getting surrounded. Throw 2-3 Night Wendeckas into
the mix, though, and their Orga-like tactics will soon have you
in deep trouble. I'm usually very careful, avoiding any area with
too many Wendeckas, but I felt safer today with a powerful fighter
like Entil'Zha outside.
Back in town and out of breath, I was accosted by two ravishing
sylvan females (who doesn't have a weak spot for such wonders?)
who were looking for some laughs. It is always fun to hang around
town center with other friendly exiles. I find myself spending less
and less time these days in the monastery courtyard on my meditations.
I hate to miss any fun in town square, so I often stand here while
I write and sketch in my journal.
My last rescue of the day was an exile I haven't rescued before,
the lovely fighter Lisette, hunting the Northwest Forest. I'm
so relieved that I have relearned the path so that I can come and
go from this place at will. It is such a popular place for exiles
to hunt that I would miss out on countless rescues otherwise. Here
I am with another cadding rescue while J'jh provides the necessary
speed to get Lisette up quickly and to safety. A good thing, too,
because those ferals were behaving quite viciously.
I spoke today with a couple of members of Pogue Mahone, Babajaga,
and other exiles about this secrecy business, just to satisfy my
own curiousity. It seems that some members of the PM clan have the
no-spoiler ideology. In other words, they prefer to keep the results
of their expeditions secret so as not to ruin the joy of discovery
for others. I have a great deal of respect for this position, as it
seems to fit in with the philosophy of CL, for better or worse.
Devil went a little further than this, saying that others in the
clan simply prefer not to have their expeditions marred by the
presence of unruly mobs of exiles.
There can be no doubt that the members of the PM clan have sacrificed
quite a bit of time, effort and experience (departs) to pay for their
experiences on these long expeditions. But I would wager to say
they had lots of fun and did so of their own volition, so let's not
go overboard on the pity here! There should also
be no doubt that it is their right to keep the information gained from
these adventures to themselves for whatever advantage they may wish
to gain. Is it ethical for them to do so? That's not an easy question,
but it does make for an interesting discussion. I haven't had many
of those since I taught my last class in South Port.
In any case, I am well aware that the members of this clan don't have
a care in the world for the opinions of idle philosophers like myself,
jealous exiles or anyone else outside their clan. But I, for one, care
about their opinions on this matter. I wonder if these opinions would
be the rule or the exception among exiles if they were in a similar
position relative to the rest of us, as is Pogue Mahone. What would I
do if I were placed in such a situation? Personally, I couldn't see
myself agreeing to a "gag order" like many exiles who agree to go on
these lengthy trips, and I'm surprised there are so many who are willing
to do so.
I suppose it is a good thing for all of us that someone is blazing the
trails around here that need exploring, and it is good that there are
many talented exiles around who are willing to abide by their policies
to help out. I personally think they are making a mistake with this
secrecy policy. I think it costs them more (in ill will, exile distrust,
lack of deserved recognition for their exploits and
lack of joy in sharing knowledge)
than it gains them (in whatever sense they feel they are gaining
something ... I'm not sure I am convinced that they gain anything).
There is also a cost to those exiles who choose
to abide by their policies, along these same lines (and to a lesser
extent, the clans these exiles belong to, history has shown).
But there are apparently a lot of exiles willing to pay these costs
(regardless of the fact that they are self-imposed and seem to
garner no real benefit that I would find worthwhile),
so maybe I am the one who is mistaken.
It wouldn't be the first time, Gaia knows.
In the long run, I am a very patient person (Horus teaches that, if
nothing else). I'm sure these exploits will come to light someday,
and we will all share in the excitement. I hope the PM clan is still
around when that happens. Meanwhile, I genuinely wish them luck, along
with those who are helping them.
I got to go on a few exciting rescues today, starting west of OC, where
Kevin was fallen. Fortunately, by the time I arrived, Kojiro had the
situation well in hand. Speaking of Kojiro, when is the next issue
of Rank Whore coming out, I wonder? Neige came along and did what
mystics often do best, fall. Aww, I'm just having fun with poor Neige.
This mystic has a sturdy chain and is actually quite a gifted chainer
in his own right. Worth a share.
Not long after all was well again in the Tanglewood, Neige told me
Kariatholion was fallen. After a lengthy search, I found the poor
exile surrounded by rats outside of the Northwest forest safe cave.
No question here that a chain would be needed. Fortunately, I've
had good luck with chains lately with very few breaks.
Soon, I got word that poor Eyeball had fallen in the savannah.
I'm starting to learn my way through South marsh now without
the benefit of pathfinding. There *are* some ways, I have
discovered, to get to the savannah a little more systematically
than just flipping east and west. Again, though, I needed a
chain to escape the fierce Plains Maha. Good old Eyeball.
A great pathfinder and skilled fighter. He gets himself into
all kinds of interesting predicaments!
I also got a chance to hunt in the arachnoid cavern today,
taking advantage of my nearly "toes" Proximus training to heal
exiles from a few ranks back in the crowd. Here I am healing
Shiner while remaining far enough back that everyone has room
to manuever and get tags without my interference. Noids is
probably one of the most useful places for Proximus due to
the geometry of the corridor.
I have lately begun to wonder just when I should stop training
with Proximus. Having 100 is so great, why not 150? 200? After
all, because Proximus increases linearly with range, the area
within which I am able to heal others increases as the training
level squared. Thus, unlike most other skills, the advantages
of Proximus actually increase more the more ranks you have. Of
course, it isn't an infinite increase, because there is a range
beyond which you don't find the need to heal others often. I'm
not there yet, though.
Click here to go forward in the archive
to Autumn 540, Part 4.
Back to Koric's Journal Archives
Click here to go backward in the archive
to Autumn 540, Part 2.
A rescue on the southwest beach (aka Kitty Beach) with the talented Kira.
A south forest rescue with Clawmate Bones.
In over my head in the lily pond.
I am saved by new Clawmates DeathLord, Aldernon and friends.
Artesia clears out vermine for us while Typ feels the lament
of not enough Horus lessons.
Helping raise a fallen outside Dal'Noth Isle.
Another in a long string of 4th circle exam humiliations.
Algernon returns to Puddleby
A cadding rescue too close to a sn'ell boundary.
Saved by J'Team.
A dangerous hunt for ore in north pass.
Fun with Jade and Axia in town.
Helping J'jh on a Northwest Forest rescue.
A friendly mystic (Neige) helps out on a rescue ...
well, ok, I'm being nice.
A rescue in the Northwest forest
Rescuing a former clanmate in the savannah.
Healing Shiner, I enjoy the benefits of Proximus training in noids.