The first portal competition was scheduled to begin on Sombdi, the 56th day of summer 551, at 5:27 AM. We came early so we could begin to move the purple portal off the cloud to Dal'Noth to hide it for the contest. 
Lorikeet wonders what happened to the purple portal. Is it stuck in the rock?
The plan was to provide taxi service onto the cloud and let cloud-hunters take the green portal back to Falinea's Garden. However, we soon discovered that the purple portal was seemingly anchored in place! We decided to take the green portal instead. However, taking the green portal meant that there would be no safe exit from the Cloud. Lorikeet made a hurried change to the scrolls, adding a bulletin that said,
Due to circumstances beyond our control (the purple portal doesn't move) we have moved the green portal for this competition. The winner will therefore be the first one through the green portal. Unfortunately, there will be no safe cloud exit during the event, but the portal will be moved back between events.
While Klur, Malkor, Baffina, and Reye started moving the green portal to Dal'Noth, Lorikeet stationed herself in front of the mirror, explaining the situation to would-be Cloud hunters. 
Lorikeet stands by the mirror to explain what's happening to any who pass by.
The taxi service to the Cloud was unfortunately cancelled because Lorikeet is not an experienced sky diver and tends to land rather unceremoniously in a heap. However, a pick-up of smashed exiles was proposed in its place. During the competition, Baffette and Klur healed Cloud hunters and ferried crumpled corpses of unsuccessful jumpers to Lorikeet for a heal.
Meanwhile, the portal having been 
Ogh asks a X'ar for some help.
stashed in its hiding place, Baffette made an announcement for interested exiles to come to Falinea's Garden to register. Those registering officially were Ogh, Jazz, Gurgi, Wedilen, K'vynn, Connie Crete, Farhope, and Kitto. We noticed that there was a lack of healers, and knowing what the situation on that island can be, we arranged for Kiera and Sephroth to accompany the group. Kitto turned back early, apparently deterred by the gcp lying in wait near the beach. K'vynn, a daring mystic-type, roamed around a few snells solo before coming back to town.
The rest headed out to do some portal-searching. Gurgi, being the strongest, set out on his own. 
Gurgi joins the group.
The other fighters decided to venture together. The larger group headed through the pf on the north side of the island, and then moved west. They encountered resistence from the various noths around, but were able to handle themselves well. 
Kiera is too dead for Sephroth, so Connie and Farhope try to help.
Farhope had to head to town for a short rest, so the others decided to continue on. Gurgi ran into them at about that time, and noticed they were working together. They looked like a fun group, so he asked if he could join them.
The group members told Gurgi he was welcome to join. They decided to check out the Palli Cave to see if the portal was there. A quick look in the cave revealed several landews, but no portal. A quick retreat followed. Farhope sunstoned that she was back and ready to search, so with the group all together again, they checked the west beach and headed to the underground.
Kiera fell and was "quite" for Sephroth, so the group called Wedilen for help. Wedilen arrived, Kiera was back on her feet, and the group continued checking the Underground, 
When Gurgi was too dead for the healers, Farhope came to the rescue with a potion.
going to the barrier next.
Farhope engages in some fanciful thinking.
After leaving the barrier and scouring the Underground some more, they didn't find the portal, but they found a tuz'noth. Not too long later, they ran into a hel. Farhope discovered she could take three lightning hits, and the group smashed the hel. Gurgi, however, was further north with another hel, and had fallen when he had gotten stuck. With all the healers on him, he was still too dead, so Farhope gave him a potion. The group realized it had been almost eight hours since they had left Puddleby; the scroll that Ogh had been clutching to help him find the way was getting tattered. Luckily, Baffette came to the rescue!
The hint was very helpful, and they raced east to the river. On the way they found another tuz and quickly took care of it. 
The hint!
(I would have said dispatched it, but it was a vanq!) Gurgi was the first one through the portal, and according to the rules, he won the prize. However, 
Gurgi takes the portal.
he said he would be unable to attend the awards ceremony and asked us to give the prize money to Farhope to divide up among those who had searched together. He said it was a group effort.
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