The Bazgoth, now accompanied by their new companion [[Saszotah Sseth'kaar (Sasz)|Sasz]], a [[Serpari]], ventured deeper into the treacherous volcanic region known as the Pits of the Hells. They abandoned their wagon to better navigate the landscape of lava rivers and scorching winds, eventually establishing a campsite where they took turns keeping watch. During their vigil, they spotted an enormous bony dragon flying south, later identified as [[Skathex - The Undying|Skathex]]. [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] mysteriously disappeared from the camp, prompting concern, but she returned with troubling news about portals, a powerful wizard named [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]], and the dragon they had witnessed. Determined to gather more intelligence, [[Cub]] and [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] undertook a dangerous reconnaissance mission, sneaking south toward the dragon's last known direction. As [[Cub]] touched the corrupted ground, malevolent voices invaded his mind, trying to convince him he was evil and had killed before, but he resisted their dark influence. Using [[Volza Redhand|Volza]]'s ability to move through shadows, they positioned themselves behind rocks overlooking a ritual site. There, they observed three distinct portals: a fiery one leading to what appeared to be the Nine Hells, a bluish one showing lush forests and greenery, and a purple one revealing a massive city with walls and a distant castle—identified as [[Polaria City|Polaria]], the capital of human lands. At the center of the site, [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] performed a dark ritual, causing glowing red lines and sickly purplish-green energy to emerge from the ground, which was absorbed by five massive claw-like stones. She spoke with [[Skathex - The Undying|Skathex]] about needing thousands of bodies from elves and orc cities, particularly Kadh Vrbuz, to awaken a dragon of immense size named [[Kellenath, Queen of All Dragons|Kellenath]]. A powerful devil, larger than any pit fiend, sat on a self-made throne, discussing his ambition to become the Archdevil of a "tenth level of Hells" on this world. After [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] and [[Skathex - The Undying|Skathex]] departed westward toward Kadh Vrbuz, and an Erinyes flew through the southern portal to [[Polaria City|Polaria]], the devil remained to guard the site. [[Cub]] and [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] returned to the group and reported their findings, sparking a heated debate about their next course of action. [[Tarnik]] advocated for stopping the corruption and cleansing the orc lands, while others argued for reporting to Olgrug to gather a unified force. The party discussed the difficulty of communicating over such vast distances and the challenges of disrupting the ritual. [[Cub]] and [[Saszotah Sseth'kaar (Sasz)|Sasz]], using their knowledge of magic, determined that the ritual circle could be disrupted temporarily, but only destroying the specific artifacts [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] was gathering would permanently stop her plans. [[Cub]] proposed using his earth magic to shatter the ritual stones, potentially causing volcanic activity due to the thin ground and nearby lava pits. The group devised a desperate plan: [[Cub]] would sneak to a vantage point to disrupt the ritual while the rest of the party distracted the devil, then they would all escape through the purple portal to [[Polaria City|Polaria]]. The party moved into position under cover of darkness and stealth. [[Grumthar]] charged the devil, landing a powerful blow that slowed the creature, but the devil retaliated with devastating attacks, nearly killing [[Grumthar]] with slashing blades and searing fire. The devil unleashed a hellfire eruption that engulfed most of the party, severely wounding them despite their resistance to flames. [[Grumthar]], enraged, struck back with brutal force, while [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] darted in to attack. [[Saszotah Sseth'kaar (Sasz)|Sasz]] attempted to transform the devil with magic, but the creature resisted effortlessly. [[Tarnik]] healed [[Grumthar]] and drew the devil's attention with a defiant shout, while Narzag's bear charged and Narzag himself fired a critical shot with his enchanted longbow. Meanwhile, [[Cub]] invoked the earth itself, causing the ground around the ritual stones to crack and rupture, shattering the magical sigils and disrupting the spell. The devil teleported around the battlefield, attacking [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] and forcing [[Tarnik]] to use his ethereal abilities to rescue her and [[Grumthar]], carrying them toward the portal. [[Saszotah Sseth'kaar (Sasz)|Sasz]] summoned a spectral hound to harass the devil before teleporting himself to safety. As the party made their desperate escape, the devil unleashed a final, terrible spell. With a single word of power, [[Grumthar]] fell dead, his life extinguished instantly. [[Tarnik]], carrying [[Grumthar]]'s lifeless body and the wounded [[Volza Redhand|Volza]], moved through the ethereal plane and leaped into the purple portal. Narzag and [[Cub]] followed, with [[Cub]] using his magic to teleport himself and his bear to the portal's threshold. One by one, the remaining party members dove through the shimmering gateway, leaving the devil behind in the Pits of the Hells. As they tumbled through the portal into the unknown lands of [[Polaria City|Polaria]], they carried with them the weight of their victory over the ritual, the loss of their fallen companion, and the knowledge of the terrible plans unfolding in the world around them.