as promised...
Beneath the Ruins of Hellgate Keep, Late Summer, 1378, Year of the Cauldron
Khanyr Vhok looked down from his great Throne of Bone, with disdain at the stupid priest of Lovitar that groveled--in chains of course--before him. His beautiful sister Aliiza stood by his side, her demonic bat wings occasionally flexing absentmindedly. Together they ruled the Legions of the Scoured Ones. They were the remnant (and some would say pathetic at that) of the once mighty hordes that treaded these halls in days past. The priest had had the nerve to saunter into his domains; the domains of him, The Sceptered One, and then when caught, ask for an alliance. Vhok was making him beg for mercy as his loyal Tanarruk looked on and laughed while others came up and added to the priest's beating. Unfortunately, he seemed to enjoy it.
Vhok sighed, quickly growing bored. He would soon end the "torture" and lop of his head. A glow at the far end of the hall caught his eye. Then the stone at that location melted, smoke pouring from the opening.
"What's this? Intruders? How dare they!"
He looked at the fiendish orcs in his service as they lounged around bored without anyone to kill and maim.
"Minions, surround them and kill them. Bring me back their heads!"
A score of Tannarruk, finally getting some action, exited from sets of double doors on opposite sides of the grand hall.
"Sister, give them something to welcome them." He thought for a second and added, "How about a Grintharke? I like that one a lot."
Aliiza narrowed her eyes, non-chalantly made some quick gestures, and sent a cloud of poisonous gas into the newly formed tunnel. Then she made some more complicated ones and a large balor, sheathed in flame appeared. Flying invisibly by the hole, she then cast another spell and sealed the far end of the intruding tunnel with a wall of ice. She was satisfied when her accute hearing heard whimpers of fear. Then she flew near the ceiling and waited.
**
"Hold the Line!" cried Aris as he cut down another Tanarruk.
The foul creature writhed on the floor clutching the bloody stump of its right arm. Next to him, Kyros, the Mithral Knight swung his mighty greatsword over his head gaining momentum to chop down at the next foe. Another Tannarruk head was split like a melon and then another wave of warmth swept over them, and a "Booming" sound echoed througout the Underhalls; the aftermath of the third or fourth of Benito Moltos's sonic flamestrikes. The cleric of Tyr had softened both squads of Tannarruk for his companions.
Opposite the ice-blocked tunnel, Ellysidell and Ivan fought side by side wrecking their own havoc on the demon orcs. In short order, the score of Tannarruk were dead bodies with feathered arrows sticking out of them and multiple gashes from very sharp slashing weapons. Further down the hall in both directions, many fiendish orcs were unrecognizable heaps of flesh. Some were still smoldering.
The Chosen of Fenmaril Mestarine did not stop. He charged the ice wall that separated him from Grim. Two mighty crashes later, Grim stumbled through the halfling-sized hole.
"B-big d-demon with flames...lots of flames...," stammered Grim.
Benito strode forth dispelling the noxious gas in front of him.
Behind him, the rest quickly downed potions for the next rounds. Aris shouted orders. There was no more time for subtlety.
"We have to hit them fast and hard. Support Benito. Let us finish this."
The priest of Ilmater did not feel fear as he strode towards the Balor.
"Foul Fiend. Return to the depths of the Abyss from whence thou came!"
He presented Mano de la Justicia as he attempted to banish the demon. Nothing happened. However, ever confident that the Ilmater-given power that coursed through his veins was nearly omnipotent, he gave the balor closer scrutiny. He noticed that it repeated its actions every six heartbeats.
He growled, "It is an illusion!" and easily dispelled the image, more angry now that he had been tricked.
A bolt of lightning struck him square on sending him reeling. He saw a fiendish, mad looking elf standing on a dais before a throne made from a huge dragon's skull. However, he flew towards the architect of the lightning bolt, a flying bat-winged female. Below him more demon orcs charged his companions. These wore plate armor decorated with the heads of lions and dragons. The sound of metal on metal rang within the hall as the groups engaged. As Benito vaulted towards the ceiling he saw what he was after. A shard of the Gatekeeper's Crystal hung in the air casting a bluish light in the throne room.
**
Vhok laughed maniacally as his minions clashed with these delvers who had dared entered his domain. In a moment of lucidity he cast from his own arsenal of spells a slowness on several of the interlopers. Even with the advantage, the Tannarruk were still being cut down. Every now and then, one would fall face down as a short sword literally appeared through his belly. A little halfling would chuckle, remove his blade, and disappear again. The Sceptered one saw his sister engaged in the air with a human in grey robes. He reeked of a holiness that Khanyr Vhok could smell from his protected location on the Throne of Bone.
Aliiza cast another illusion of a Vrock and programmed it to fly and fight the holy warrior.
"Enough of your tricks, foul sorceress. I tire of this game!"
The man brandished his glowing sword and muttered some incantations that hurt Vhok's ears. Then his jaw dropped. He saw his sister scream as she was engulfed in flame. The body rapidly became a pile of dust and her fire-bleached skull once covered with lustrous black hair bounced on the stones below. That was when the Sceptered One realized that he was overmatched. He had to escape.
**
Aris fought with ever-increasing frustration. He knew how easily they could beat the Tannarruk's but being slowed down delayed them to get to their objective: the half-fiend on the throne. By his side, Ivan and Kyros fought with him in slow motion. Only the Chosen had been unaffected by the spell. Ellysidell engaged three demon orcs on his own and in a frenzy. However, Aris did not worry as he knew that Grim flanked his "big brother's" opponents and helped to take them out.
"OOOvvveeerrr hhheeerrre, Beniiitooo!" he tried to yell, but the sound became a rumbling bass that quickly lost its coherence by the time it reached Benito's ears.
The genasi did smile, however when the bat-winged spellcaster was destroyed by the priest of Ilmater. He frowned when the skull flew towards the elf-thing on the throne. The coward meant to escape. He thrust again at the demon orc in front of him and satisfyingly gutted him.
At last, flew over towards the rest of his companions, noticed their awkward movements and dispelled them.
"Thanks, Benito. Let us not let that fiend get away," he said pointing to the throne. "Ivan with me. Kyros, help Ell."
Aris bounded towards the throne with Ivan close behind while Benito flew ahead to cut the villain off as he ran behind the throne. As Aris was about the leap to engage the fiend, something clutched at his leg and though unable to grab him, tripped him up. He looked back and saw a man in chains, blood dripping from his mouth, smiling at him. Aris was not happy.
**
Ivan sprinted past Aris and his latest problem in time to see Benito land in front of the bad guy, preventing him from leaving out a hidden passage. The Rashemani dove with a war cry and tackled the fiend, sending his scepter clattering to the ground. He pulled the villian's arms back and lifted him to his feet. The fiendish elf began squealing like a baby and thrashing around. Ivan smiled. No one escaped the Rashemani Death Lock.
"Mercy!" he cried attempting to appeal to the holy man's sense of good.
Benito paused, but had no time to answer as a line of blood followed by entrails appeared in front of the demon elf. Grim appeared, bloody short sword and kama in his hands, as the creature's ichor sprayed him.
"No Mercy," stated the halfling and walked away from his two gape-mouthed companions.
**
Aris had proceeded to thrash, but although tempted, did not kill the priest of Lovitar. Then they sent him unarmed on his way, despite Grim's protests.
"Punishment enough, to be released weaponless and unarmored in these halls," declared the genasi and sent the priest on his way.
Ellysidell kept a hold of Grim to ensure the man's safety.
Benito had flown to recover the piece of the Gatekeeper's Crystal and had fallen ignobly as upon grabbing the artifact, his cape was drained of its power. The new Benito actually laughed at the embarrassment.
Finally, they all gathered together and held at the unicorn charms that Lady Alustriel had given them. Aris threw the jade sphere--also given by Alustriel to prevent anything from leaving Hellgate keep--towards the throne. A small explosion followed and a green sphere of energy began to grow slowly outward.
"See Grim, the priest will soon be trapped here with powerful wards. Let us depart."
Clutching their amulets tighter they all imagined Silverymoon and in a blink of white light, the Heroes of the Vilhon Reach vanished.
