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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 772742" data-attributes="member: 1210">The Crux Crystal (Finale)Polsoon aims a tremendous blow at the golem as it pulls its way up the wall, but even the elemental's mighty strike doesn't seem to hurt the thing.  And it's moving fast.  It reaches the walkway and immediately strikes Polsoon with a devestatingly powerful series of blows.  Polsson retreats, drawing another shockingly powerful blow as he does, and uses his great reach to attack from about 15' away.  Still, his blows can't seem to break through the mithral plating on the golem.  The chiming sounds of the blows connecting echo weirdly through the cavern as the golem advances relentlessly towards the party members hacking at the crystal.  As it goes past him, Angelfire takes an attack of opportunity- and hits again!  But even so, his blow doesn't deal any damage to it.  Habiskis flits in and out of invisibility as he attacks and flies by.  Zeebo "the Mayor" keeps throwing haste spells at his buddies; Orbius, meanwhile, disappears.As Angelfire stands in its way, the golem's great metal fists rise and fall like hammers on him.  A solid blow to the side of the head leaves Angelfire wondering whether his ears are ringing or its the sound of the golem's chiming metal.  They trade blows for another moment and then Angelfire dimension doors away.The crystal's starting to show a network of cracks all around it now, seeping bile.  One section is cracked partway through, but it's not destroyed yet.   Desperately, the party strikes hard and fast.  Lester shouts, "I've got an idea!" as he flies to the base of it and casts soften earth and stone.  The dragons, meanwhile, fly by the golem and attack it, but they are small and young and ineffective, and when it lands a crushing blow on each of them, almost knocking the black dragon senseless, they retreat to a safe distance."We've got to take this thing out!" Lester shouts.  "We're in it for the duration!"  And with that, he seals the stairs off with a wall of stone.  "Polsoon, attack the crystal!" he shouts.  Zeebo is cursing softly as his spells fail to affect the Crux Crystal.Orbius, invisible, casts mass haste, then lower resistance on the crystal.  Maybe I can shatter it or something, he thinks grimly.  And hopefully we'll be able to teleport away if we can destroy it.  A quick glance at the golem shows that it still hasn't been damaged.  Turning his attention back to the crystal, Orbius casts shatter- and is amazed as it slides right past all the crystal's defenses and creates a mass of spiderwebbed cracks in the surface of the crystal.  It's got a weakness! the Eye exults.  But I don't have another one prepared!  Instead his fires an arrow of acid at it, but that fails to penetrate even the lowered spell resistance of the crystal.Angelfire steps up to the crystal and strikes right where the shatter spell and the section cracked halfway through meet.  It's the right spot to strike, and his blow is tremendously powerful, cracking the rest of the pillar of crystal free of the top- and with the stone at the bottom softened by Lester's spell, the entire great pillar falls, crashing to the ground, catching Angelfire, Thrush, Zeebo and Polsoon on its way and battering them all severely.  The crystal shatters as it hits the stone floor, and when it does, the golem shudders and stops moving, smoke rising from within it."How long can that last?  And how long until the Bile Lords get here?" Orbius wonders aloud, then shouts, "Let's get out of here!  Everyone gather around Lester, we can trump out!"The party swiftly gathers together.  Zeebo tosses a slow spell at the incapacitated golem for good measure, and Sheva takes a shot at it in passing- but even though she gets through its armor, she can't seem to deal it any damage.  "Forget about it, let's go!" Lester yells, squinting hard at the trump card in his hand.The party clusters around Lester and escapes through the card.  In an instant, Bile Mountain is left behind- and they are in Malford's castle in Var, on Dorhaus.  And though they do not know it, they've done more than just escape; they've overthrown the vile magic sustaining the River of Bile and Mount Bile.  Within one day the river will no longer harmful.  Within a week it will run almost clear, and within a month, the bile will be gone completely.  The party has had a great triumph.And they have made great enemies.Next Time: The party figures out what their next move should be, as well as who's going to attack them next!</blockquote>

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