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Message: <blockquote data-quote="James McMurray" data-source="post: 1336951" data-attributes="member: 743">With little else to do, and kowing that if they reclaim the mines the Gran March wil send troops to help defend it, the party delves into the forsaken Bloodstone Mines. The upper levels prove pitifully easy to clear out, and none of the inhabitants prove to be any danger. When you’ve faced down Great Wyrms, phase spiders and basilisks are a joke. In fact, the only truly difficult portion came when they made a titch too much noi in one of the older caverns and brought it down upon their heads. But the strong arms of Toshiro and Rikus (and teleportational ability of Bumtin) get them uncovered quickly enough.Delving deepward, they follow a vertical shaft into the depths of the mine. A few more minor denizens are dispatched, when the sounds of a living mine are heard from ahead. The rhythmic clang and clong of hammers and picks is heard. Investigation reveals a contingent of Duergar mine workers. The party attempts to parlay, and the duergar use that as an opportunity to launch a surprise attack. Their chins drop as every single bolt they fire misses or is deflected, and within minutes they are all dead, victims of tier own treacherous natures.Completely undaunted, the group heads onward. They find another haft gong down, but this one has a working elevator housed in it, and a brass bell hanging beside it. Electing not to ring the bell, they fly down the shaft.The bottom opens into a tunnel, which twists and turns before opening into a room filled with demons. Abyssal fiends of all shapes and sizes are seen, including two Klurichiir, the generals of the demonic armies. The walls are lined with torches, and as the party enters the torches flare to life as more demons appear in the room. Tiny rips in the fabric of the world let in fiends and the stench of brimstone.The battle begins, and at the far end of the room the group sees four bedraggled gnomish figures chained to pillars. Their skin is darker than an gnomes the party has seen, for these are svirfneblin. But the party never finds that out, because s part of his first assault on the demon, Bumtin roasts the poor creatures as collateral casualties. He doesn’t seem to concerned about it though.The battle’s pace mounts, and the torchlight flickers madly as torches light themselves and then go out. More and more demons continue to pour into the room.While the lesser demons fall quickly, the two generals gate in two Balors, and then enter the fray themselves. Their multiple arms and giant mandibles in their chest tear chunks out of everyone they meet, but combined firepower drops them eventually. One of the largest threats actually turns out to be the smallest. A small pack of jovocs fight around the balors. But rather than attacking the party they attack themselves! As their claws and teeth tear into their bodies, the pain and torn flesh radiates outward from them, ripping the flesh of all non-demons around them. What would be a suicidal tactic is shown to be demonic joy when the wounds they inflict upon themselves rapidly heal. The damage they deal isn’t much, but it forces the party to hold back their larger arsenal for fear of destroying the jovocs too thoroughly, or destroying the balors nearby. The resultant explosion could easily kill several party members if they feel the brunt of it coupled with the radiated pain from the jovocs.A few surgical strikes manage to take the bloated little gnome-like demons out, and they then take the balors out shortly thereafter, with some healing in between to ensure the explosions don’t kill anyone.Just when things start to look good to the party, they go horribly awry. One of the random summonings manages to snag the demon lord Graz’zt from his ebony throne, and he s none too happy. Buffing himself up rapidly, he call out questioning who has brought him. No answer is given, and so he unleashes on the party members. At about that time, the black armor strides into the room, and stands stark still, watching the battle.A back and forth battle ensues, and then just as suddenly stops when Graz’zt reaches out his hand and rips the soul from Rikus’ chest... “Leave this place and I release your friend.”The party discusses it briefly, and is then interrupted. In a voice made up of every language the party has ever heard combined with every language they have never heard, the armor speaks. “He who controls this room controls destiny.” It doesn’t elect to elucidate on that cryptic statement, but the party take it as a sign and attacks Graz’zt once again. In retaliation he uses the soul of Rikus to fuel dark magics, destroying it utterly. Although the party does manage to defeat him, the cost is high, as one of their members falls never to battle again, and robbed of his final reward.Meanwhile, more lesser demons continue to pour into the room, and a possible solution presents itself. It appears as if the more powerful demons there are in the room, the more torches remain lit. As demons die, torches go out. As many of the party continue to fight demons, Ru Ton Pe and Toshiro begin to try to put torches out. The ascetic monk’s fists quickly shatter the wall around one of the torches, freeing it from it holder, but he is unable to put the torch out until a demon dies and it goes out on its own. His holding it doesn’t top it from firing up again moments later as another demon is summoned.The group decides they must destroy all of the demons to get the torches to go out, and they set about themselves with wild abandon. A few long minutes later and they stand inside a dark chamber, the torches forever dead.OOC: This last battle took 11+ hours, and could have continued much longer had the group not gotten lucky with their random summoning rolls and gotten a few really weak demons. Orcus’ fist attempt at coming to the plane randomly was incredibly chancy, and managed to snag a different demon lord instead. But its certainly not his last attempt, as the party will soon find out.Only one more update and I'll be caught up! Hopefully I can get it done this week.</blockquote>

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