By the middle of 750 CE, vestiges of the Umayyad royal line remained in their strongholds throughout Levant. But, as the Abbasids' track record demonstrates, moral qualms took a back place when it came to solidifying power and thus the plot for the 'Banquet of Blood' was created. Though nothing is known about the specifics of this tragic affair, it is widely assumed that over 80 Umayyad family members were invited to a great feast under the guise of reconciliation. Given their dire situation and desire for favorable surrender conditions, it appears that all of the invitees made their way to the Palestinian village of abu-Futrus. However, once the feasting and festivities were over, practically all of the princes were mercilessly clubbed to death by the Abbasid adherents, so putting an end to the idea of an Umayyad restoration to caliphate authority.