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As donations continue to arrive from Sephorin, Dalkiel secceeds in turning the tide of battle with his
devil bodyguards. He creates an opening in the enemy lines that allows the province defence to
stream though, the angry mob tears the enemy mages apart as a handfull of the enemy run
screaming from the site of the battle.
eanwhile the last of the enemies hydrae attack Solian,while the province defence perform
admiribly, and is able to finish off the great beast, the hydra poison take it͛s toll, allowing the enemy
general himself to rout the remnants and gain control of the province.

With Pythium having no troops alive on the entire front, orders go out for Dalkiel to start regaining
the territory that we have lost. Bet-El forges his yet another skull mentor.

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The seventh circle of blood research is completed and my mages efforts turn back to the research of
construction. Knowing that I will need some troops to reinforce the front, I perform some
experiments on the local populace mutating them so that they may better serve on the front lines.
Äne of my assassins also catches a lone mage at the head of a column of reinforcements coming
from Pythiums capital and quickly disposes of him.
This time I find just a single air gem, while Dalkiel easily reclaims a province and moves on to the
next. Bet-El forges his thirteenth skull mentor this month.

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While I gain 2 earth gems and create more mutants, Zorglub the crone of Vanheim has been
vanquished by my ally Sephorin. Another disaster strikes my forces however, as the small force led by
Dalkiel runs into a even larger communion of mages. Änce again Pythiums mages use thunderstrike
and a new spell, soul slay, to decimate my forces.

Dalkiel reluctantly turns away from the battle, swearing vengence as he leaves the field. I have no
option but to order all my forces to withdraw before this new threat and reconsolidate.
With Zorglub finally defeated, my ally Sephorin personally travels the farie trods with an army in
order to attack Pythiums rear area and hopefully split his attention. This attack comes none to soon
as my scouts report Pythium also gaining territory against Bandar Log in the west, it seems the
lizards of C͛tis are willing to bend knee to Uriel.

The forges of the smouldercone glow brightly this month as I order the forging of a skull mentor, frost
brand, vine shield, pendant of luck, amulet of antimagic and a horned helmet.
c
  

ore aid arrives from Sephorin and my researchers complete the first circle of alteration magic as a
side project while they continue to work on construction.

The situation with Pythium remains grim, it is clear that my people require outside aid, and with this
in mind I personally oversee the rite to summon the great Pedoseion, King of Ill Earth. The corrupted
greater elemental answers my call and willingly dons the magical gear that has been prepared for
him.

Additionally this month I manage to gather both 8 gems of air and 7 gems of earth from my
dominion.
Pythiums communion continues to march, so I order all available forces to gather to protect the
witches villiage. The witches themselves are evacuated to the capital, just in case.

In addition to the provincal forces, Pedoseion, Dalkiel and his bodyguards, a small horror mark /
summon horror sabbath and my mutant armies all rally to the defence.

This month I order a thistle mace and skull staff forged in addition to another frost brand.
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With my mages research starting to kick into high gear, we gain access to the sixth circle of
construction and the second and third circles of alteration this month. As my mages continue to focus
on alteration research I personally experiment with a new ritual, focusing the power from the blood
keep on a group of it͛s warriors in order to grant them them undead power of vampirism.
Pythium attempts to conquer my last remaining province on the western continent, but his mages
are not present and the province defence repels his infantry easily.

eanwhile war continues to rage between Bandar Log and C͛tis in the west, and news reaches me
from my ally Spehorin that in addition to the raiding party that she leads against Pythium she
remains at war with Eriu in the south.

I order Pedosieon to lead all my gathered forces against Pythiums communion in an attempt to push
them back, as I am concerned that they may be fortifying my only path to return to the western
continent.

I order a starshine skullcap and lantern shield forged this month.

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The fourth and fifth circles of alteration are completed while Algor perfects his magical ritual, this
month he converts one of the legendary commanders of the blood keep into a vampire lord.
The enemy reveals himself, he is one of the titans, a forge lord, imprisoned long ago by the elder
races. This month I manage to gether 9 death gems and 3 water gems.
The great armies clash in Ephesibor, the forces of Pythium are led by the general Hierogallus, who
has been at the head of every army sent against our great nation. As the armies stare at each other
across the field Dalkiel and his devil bodyguard launch themselves into the air, soaring across the
battlefield and landing in scattered groups in amongst the enemy communion.

While small groups of Pythiums troops detach from the main body and run back to protect the
mages, the remainder of the armies mass together in the middle of the battlefield. Unfortunately the
mutants, while dangerous individual enemies, are not able to match the precision drill of Pythium͛s
more numerous infantry.

Pedoseion, yet to engage, can see the way the battle is going, the great elemental turns from the
battle, using the confusion the mutants are causing, not to flee back to the ford, but instead to break
past the empires lines.

Dalkiel and his bodyguard inflict causualties amongst the enemy mages, but are soon outnumbered
and surrounded, the magical storm summoned by the communion preventing them from a flying
retreat. As his bodayguard is cut down one by one, Dalkiel spies the enemy general nearby, and
moves towards him, cutting a swathe with his frost brand through the soldiers between them.

The great demonbred and the general clash, but this is no duel of honour, as Pythium͛s troops attack
from all sides in an attempt to distract Dalkiel from his prey. Seeing that it will not be enough,
Hierogallus charges and impales the the great hero on his lance, eliciting a great cheer from his men,
who have carried the day.

But heroes do not die easily, the great warrior, who can feel his lifeblood streaming from his many
wounds, has the strength left for one last great act. Taking a deep breath his eyes snap open once
more while his shield hand lashes out, grabbing the lance and pulling his great body forward along it.
The last sight he sees as his eyes begin to dim is the frostblade, still held in his hand, arcing overhead
to bury itself hilt deep in Hierogallus chest, right through his heart.
While technically a loss, the communion blocking my forces from moving back to the western
continent has been seriously weakened. I order Pedoseion to begin recapturing territory while a force
of vampires is assembled in the blood keep.

I order another chainmail of displacement forged, along with a skullface and some boots of the
messenger.