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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Droid101" data-source="post: 1836763" data-attributes="member: 942">Bink, Grog, Eltharion, Ogrim, Balophan and Bloodthorne head toward the Armory.A big cheer goes up from the crowd of soldiers, mercenaries and others.“They have Vecnan relics!  They’re going to win!”“Look at them go!  How brave!”“Three cheers for the Heroes!!”They continue forward.  Several black balls are patrolling the perimeter.  Normally, when anyone came within range, they’d shoot over and burn a hole into their chest.  However, since the Heroes had incorporated Vecnan relics (Eltharion, Ogrim and Balophan had fingers, Bink had a molar, Grog had the Hand and Bloodthorne a foot) the black balls paid them no heed.  They reach a half crumbled and scorched marble staircase that leads up to a metal-lined circular opening.  They proceed inside.Thick steel doors bind each end of this hall, though both currendly stand open.  A fine layer of ash and soot is swept into the corners of the room.  Several forms lay in this mess, seemingly sleeping or dead.At the same time, they all stand and face the Heroes with empty eyes and decaying skin.“Name your allegiance!” one of the things asks in a croaking and dry voice.“Uh, Vecna?” Eltharion says, holding up his blackened pinky.With that, the forms collapse to the ground and lay motionless again.“That was easy,” Eltharion states, chuckling.Grand decorations and trophies of war appear burned and looted.  Mannequins, racks, and glass cases are shattered and strewn upon the floor.  Great hooks hang from the ceiling, though most are empty or hold only burned lumps of grease and charred wood.  The layer of ash and soot reveals the destruction occurred some time ago.  A small fire burns near a great iron door across from the hall the Heroes entered from.  Several figures squat around the fire.  They bear the holy symbol of Vecna.“Ho there converts.  I see you have you come to pledge yourself eternally to Vecna,” one of the figures says without getting up from the fire.“That we have…” Bink says as they continue past them to the iron doors.The next room has a scoreched path that leads directly away from the entrance toward another set of large doors.  Wide open spaces to the right and left are filled with an exceptional amount of debris, shrouded in shadows.  Fresh bloodstains paint the stone tile immediately in front of the door.  The Heroes move immediately for the next door.Through the next door, the Heroes see two hallways leading off in diagonally separate directions.  Rubble chokes off both passages.  On the opposite side of the hallway is another set of doors; these are golden bronze.  The Heroes move on.The next room stands out quite a bit.  Gargantuan forges and associated equipment lies in a shattered ring around the room’s periphery.  Furnaces, metal workbenches, hammers, tongs, and smaller equipment are equally bent, mangled, and melted together by some recent blast.  The blast apparently originated in the circular pit at the chamber’s center.  A spectral fire still continually burns there, lighting the entire chamber.The center of the room also has a very wide spiral staircase that winds around the energy expulsion, leading underground.  The Heroes make a break for it, feeling strange magical energy pulling on them from the spectral fire.  They sprint down the stairs and enter a small passageway.This passage is much different than the upper chambers.  Whereas the main Armory is burned and destroyed, this lower chamber is perfect and pristine, as if it was just carved.The long hall is immaculately clean and peaceful, though it is backlit by residual light from the Forge.  Smooth marble pillars run the length of the hall, two by two.  Marble relief sculptures on the walls reveal various scenes.  Several living figures stand within the chamber, studying the images on the wall.“Pilgrims!  Are you ready to face Vecna’s visage and become one with him?” a tiefling male asks.“Yes.  Yes we are,” Eltharion replies.“Good, I’m going with you, then,” the tiefling says, grabbing his sack and moving on with the party.  The Heroes move on to a doorway in the chamber, and enter the next room.Exquisite marble tiles cover the entire chamber, save for one dark alcove.  Within the alcove is a silver pedestal holding a lamplike container, shining brightly.The room seems familiar to the reliquaries where the Heroes found all their Vecnan relics.  As they approach this lamp, however, it contains a golden eye.“Oh my, here it is… if I touch this, I may become a true follower of Vecna…” the tiefling touches the golden eye before anyone can stop him.He falls to his knees, grunting in pain, holding onto his eye.  Then, he slowly stands.  His left eye is gone, replaced by gold.The Heroes look at each other.Bloodthorne cleaves off the man’s head.“Let’s keep on movin’, we need to be getting’ to Vecna as soon as we can…” Bloothorne says.  The Heroes move on to the next doorway.Can the Heroes stop Vecna before the end?  Is Dendybar going to show up at a very inopportune moment again?  Can the Heroes kill a God??  Find out more, next update!</blockquote>

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