NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 4121967" data-attributes="member: 9546">DRUMS OF WARSprawled in the mountains of Pazunia, some two miles from the fortress of Vanelon, and a mere half-mile from the River Styx, was a nightmare vista…a huge, armed camp of demonic soldiers.  Dozens of breeds of demon were crammed into the strangely spiral-shaped camp.  Within, thousands of fiends screamed, fought amongst themselves, ate food that was still alive, and generally made a hellish racket.  The central section of the camp seemed slightly more organized, containing several temporary buildings and round tents.  At the exact center of the camp was a large pavilion, doubtless the abode of the army’s commander.As the Legionnaires strode boldly to the edge of the encampment, they were quickly intercepted by a group of hezrous and a phalanx of heavily-armed tiefling blackguards.“We don’t want your kind here!” one of the hezrous bellowed.  “What do you want?”“We bear news for General Bagromar,” Daelric said, stepping forward.  “News for his ears only, and that he would be very…unhappy to not receive quickly.”The demons looked doubtful, but at last the leader shrugged and motioned for them to follow.  They were led on a winding trek through the camp until it was impossible to determine which way was out.  Finally they were brought before one of the larger tents, where a towering balor stood scratching his backside.“You’re new, aren’t you?” he asked as the Legionnaires approached.  “No, let me guess.  You’re…cultists?  No?  Maybe blackguard recruits from Sigil?  No, not quite scruffy enough.  Maybe you’re messengers from Mammon, with an offer of surrender?”  He grinned, then rubbed his barrel-sized head.  “I don’t know.  You must be on our side, though, right?”“Indeed we are,” Daelric nodded enthusiastically.  “We are here with a proposal of alliance for your General.”“General Bagromar doesn’t get a lot of visitors,” the balor said, shaking his head sadly.  “His brother is the smoother talker, but Bagromar has just won a great victory in the Blood War.  The slaughter was fantastic!  Rivers of beautiful devilish ichor flowing along the field and all that.  We defended our way of life from the enemy, I tell you.  They’ll be back, of course.  The war just keeps going.  I mean, it has for as long as I can remember.  Always fighting.  We never really stop.  We don’t really want to.”The hulking demon seemed to lose his train of thought for a minute, then shook himself.“Right, General Bagromar’s tent.  This way.  We’ll get there.  Mind your step.”He led them on a bit deeper into the camp, until they came to a relatively clear area, with the large tent directly at its center.  At that point, the balor stopped and turned towards them, chortling.“You didn’t really think I was just going to let you waltz in, did you?”With that, he unleashed a blast of blasphemously dark power, blowing Octurus from his feet and sending him sprawling.  A chorus of cheers went up from the surrounding demons as they anticipated their champion dealing out death and mayhem to the upstart mortals.  A moment later, their whoops turned to moans as Tower Cleaver stepped toe-to-toe with the balor and went to work with his axe.  Mandi knew what was coming, and it was apparent that the demonic horde did to, as they all started backing a health distance away.“Time to duck and cover,” the sorceress said, as she erected a brilliant sphere of rainbow colors around herself, Marius and Daelric.  An instant later, there was a titanic explosion as Tower Cleaver dealt a death blow to the balor, and the demon unleashed all of its unholy power in one, massive blast.  Sepoto quickly dove for cover, and Octurus, back on his feet, though still a bit shaky, also managed to leap clear of the onslaught.  Tower Cleaver, however, took the brunt of the attack, and when the smoke cleared, he stood, blinking and dazed, his hide burned raw in multiple places, with bits and pieces of balor covering him from head to toe.“Tower Cleaver hate this place,” he grumbled._______________________________________________________________After Daelric had tended Cleaver’s wounds, the group continued towards the main pavilion.  The watching demons seemed to have lost interest and wandered back to their tasks, leaving the way forward unchallenged.  At first glance, the tent looked strangely shabby, patched with hairy, and scaled pelts of all kinds.  On closer inspection, however, it became obvious that the walls were made from thousands of tanned devil hides…bearded devil scales, the blue-white skin of bone devils, and even black feathered erinyes wings.  The tent flap leading in seemed to be either a pit fiend hide or a very good facsimile.  On either side of the entryway stood two nalfeshnees, with several glabrezus at the ready nearby.  All of them stood aside, however, as the Legionnaires approached.Inside, the tent had a thick, fancy carpet, a single large table made of interlaced black bones and pale wood, and a single chair in front of a golden-feathered wall.  Standing at the table was the general himself, a creature that looked exactly like a one-headed version of Demogorgon…baboon head, tentacles, the mix of scaly and furred skin.  He idly consulted maps with a measuring stick and dictated notes to three dretch scribes as the companions entered.  Looking up, he blinked once then waved them over to the table. “Yes, yes.  You’re the ones who just murdered Dingoslag.  What do you want from me?”“General Bagromar,” Daelric said, bowing.  The others bowed in turn behind him.  “We have been sent to you by the Witch Queen, Iggwilv, with an offer of alliance and mutual benefit.”Bagromar stared at the priest impassively.“Yes…well,” Daelric continued, clearing his throat.  “As you are no doubt aware, your Lord’s plans for the so-called Savage Tide conflict directly with our own goals.  We intend to stop him, no matter the cost, and towards this end, we have recruited several powerful allies, such as Iggwilv, the Court of Stars, Charon, and even mighty Orcus.  In addition, we have managed to capture an aspect of the former Prince of Demons, Obox-ob, and intend to use him to our purposes.  We have now come to you to ask where you allegiances lie, or more to the point, where they should lie.”“I suppose you have proof of these alliances you’ve made?”  Bagromar asked, lifting one eyebrow.Daelric looked momentarily at a loss for words, then he snapped his fingers.“The flask, Mandi, show him the flask!”Mandi complied, pulling Tuerny’s flask from her robes.“An iron flask?”  Bagromar asked.  “Do I have ‘fool’ written across my forehead?  I don’t suppose you are willing to open it and show me Obox-ob?  No?  I thought not.  What else?”“Well, if you look closely,” Daelric continued, his words cautious now, “I think you will see the mark of the Court of Stars upon us all.”Bagromar snorted derisively.  “That much is obvious.”  He sneered at Tower Cleaver.  Then, in a more serious tone, “You are very brave or very foolish to come here, to suggest to me to turn traitor to the Prince of Demons, my maker.  My agents and His agents have sought you everywhere, and now you just fall into my lap.  Forgive me if I am suspicious.  But still, you could be useful to me.  My cursed brother has resisted the consolidation of our armies under my command.  Despite my continued success in the Blood War, he would rather plot and play at his games.  While I am out on the field, murdering for our maker’s glory!  It sickens me.  Yet, what is to be done?”He fell silent for a time, and then nodded once and said simply, “Consider it done.  Now leave, before common sense returns!”</blockquote>

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