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     Everyone found two things: one above, and one below.  Below they found the entire forces of hell hiding in the old mine shafts, crevices, caves, and lava tubes of the underworld of the extinct volcano, where the mithril was unreachable save through fierce and bloody fighting.  Above a dark rain cloud was growing, and growing at an unnaturally fast rate that was shooting sheets of dry lightning around and flashing in green and red colors, pale whites, and even blue.
     The fight for access to the mine shafts was vicious and deadly.  The allied races took great losses of their greatest and bravest heroes, but the forces of hell were driven back.  They were driven down three levels in the first month.  The greater demons mounted a counter attack and took back two levels.  Over the next two months and on into April the allied races took back the second level of the mines.  They found the third level empty in May, occupied it and they found they had been trapped when the minions of hell attacked the weak rear guard on the first level of the mines from new secret tunnels they had dug.  In the worst kind of panic the allied forces tried to rout, desert, and flee.  There was an oppressive feeling of suffocation in the mines from the futility of being trapped and surrounded by hell.  Only a few hundred of each race made it to the surface again with parts of their skin intact, and only shy a limb or two apiece.  In June the only offensives were secret little groups sneaking in under magical protection to scout and escape.

     The survivors said more information was needed, the old maps were useless, and worse than obsolete.  They could get one killed.  In July new businesses and supply shops opened up on the surface and the few spoils that had been taken were quickly traded in for new weapons, and magically protected armor.  August showed the first level to be guarded only by wandering patrols of chaos and hell, but the allied races of Law did not try to take it back.  They saw potential traps and tricks in every corner, behind every wall of the mines, and, besides that, the cloud cover had become so oppressive and thick that being on the island was like being in perpetual night.  The only time the sun could be seen at all was at dawn and at dusk when the sun dropped below the layers of clouds and briefly flashed red light across the island.  The stars were not to be seen at all.  September was full of territorial squabbles over bits of the surface and people grouping together to fortify old houses and towers on the islands face.  In October no one left their new residences because members of the allied races were being possessed to wander the streets mad and with great strength.  And no one answered their door, for fear of who it might be.  The ones who did were never seen again.  But then spirits lifted.

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