Ned Cleversun Trip to Aphus Lassel

Ned's SE&T

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Dear Maggie --

As you know, I have a special affinity for tuskers. I am a tuskophile. For years, all I've wanted is large amounts of tuskers to fight. When I am killing tuskers, I am happy.

So you can imagine my pleasure when I looked at the notes for the new patch and saw that the devs had created a TUSKER ISLAND. Gawd ...a whole island full of tuskers? Finally, a patch JUST FOR ME!!! All that sucking up at last Summer's ACPL had paid off. I loaded up with deadly arrows and heal potions and snacks. I knew this was going to be wonderful and special evening.

I found the portal to the Tusker Temple; it was near Teth, as you said. I linked to it and went through, and began battling tusker guards and tusker worshippers. It was fun! A warrior named KIRIKA helped me greatly, guiding me through the dungeon to the idol below. I wouldn't have made it without Kirika -- he also gave me a tusker shirt and a cool plaque for my house, saying "I survived the tusker emporium."
 

But I am getting ahead of myself; for one thing, I have not yet survived the tusker emporium, and I've fallen prey to doubts that I ever will. That's called foreshadowing!

I double-clicked on the idol and was WHOOSHED (quick portal) to the "lobby" leading to the tusker island. Good thing, because I paused to get a screenshot of the idol for you and went down to about 25 health. There were a LOT of tuskers there, and the worshippers drop nasty debuffs and vulns.
 

It was a painless portal jump to the island itself. I strolled around the town, enjoying the sights. There were assorted tuskers around, including Bobo the mayor, but nothing startling or ominous.

Then I popped into a dungeon and fought armored tuskers steadily for about 15 minutes. I think I got about 25 million experience. The humanoid "worshippers" kept hitting me with Imperil 6 and Bludgeon Vuln 6 and Vulnerability 5. They were incredibly annoying. Various dead players were scattered on the floor behind me. But, still, it was not too bad!
 

I portaled out when things started piling up on me and went through the Temple again to the island. I headed West, toward the "other" island. As I approached the Western tip of the first island, things began to get bad. Lots of Armored and Silver tuskers. Lots of White Wasps. Many worshippers. It was getting hard to stay alive.

I reached the water route connecting the first island with the second. On the far shore, there was a mixed herd of armored tuskers and something else. Some other kind of tusker, dark colored. The herd charged toward me, enveloping me. The dark tuskers were Tusker Assailers, level 350.

I ran away, healed and regrouped. I went back. I killed a tusker Assailer! Imperil 6, Piercing Vuln 6, Arrow, Arrow, Arrow, Arrow, Arrow. Pretty easy! Gotta love that imbued Crippling Blow bow.
 

Then I did another Assailer. Resist, resist, resist, resist, resist. Tusker Assailer evaded your shot, evaded, evaded, blah, blah, blah. It was very bad. Turns out that you can only land spells on it ONCE IN A WHILE, and it often sidesteps arrows without any trouble. Sometimes it evades eight or ten arrows in a row. I have a buffed bow skill of 360; I am not supposed to be having this sort of non-success.

Then I caught an Imperil from one of the stinking little Worshippers and -- a moment later -- caught a backhanded bashing from an Assailer. Suddenly I had 40 health. I started running, with white wasps behind me and Armored tuskers behind me. And tusker guards, and nasty worshippers and minions and who knows what else -- all behind me.
 

It became a horde of tuskers, as new monsters joined the pack, various types all mixed together, even tusker females and males and silvers and more Assailers ...I don't know, really. I stopped, and turned; I was at bay like a hunted animal. I gulped a trade heal potion and another and another and another and another. The tuskers closed around me, cutting me off, making it impossible to run. I was surrounded by a sea of tuskers. A giant WALL of tuskers, eight or ten deep! A huge, surging, heaving, pushing mosh pit of tuskers. I counted over A HUNDRED tuskers, all swinging and smashing at me, trying to hurt me, tear me apart.

They were frenzied, crazed with hatred for me. It was as though the spirits of all the tuskers I had ever killed were concentrated in that mob, tearing at each other, wanting only to destroy Ned Cleversun.
 

I got my wand up and recalled to Aerlinth. It was horrible. I hit the landing pad in Aerlinth with about 6 health, I'm not sure. I was shaken, distraught and distracted. My nerves were shot.

I had to quit for the night. I need to go to bed. I need to sleep for 12 hours or so. I will explore more tomorrow. Maybe.

I have learned something -- a profound truth. Be careful what you wish for. I wanted tuskers. I made jokes about BSD. Well -- I don't think I'll be going to BSD any more. I hate to say it, but ...I think I may have become just a little afraid of tuskers. Heh. Just kidding.

- N