Anvil (Afina)

[Anastasia]

Afina is sitting in the courtyard, waiting and seeing to her troops. Then Elena appears, "Scouts are seeing another round of attacks. It's another demonic army, and it doesn't make sense!" she declares, "There's a pit fiend leading the forces!"

[Ebiris]

"Wasn't there one that switched sides and made a big name for himself recently?" Afina asks, vaguely recalling hearing talk about some Z-something or other. It never really registered because she doesn't much care about demons either way.

It's certainly unfortunate, everyone's a bit battered and weary from the last assault, but needs must. "What sort of numbers are we seeing and where are they coming from?"

Spoiler: ShowHide

Afina: 208+26/208, heroes feast (CL 20), greater mage armour (CL 23), greater heroism (CL 23), shield (CL 23), moment of prescience (CL 23)
AC 64, spell resistance 38, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, disease, poison, fear
Spell charges: 6/10/9/8/9/6/7/0/0/2

[Anastasia]

"Lots," Elena says, "It's another big horde."

[Ebiris]

"Alright, have Dana move us back towards the Celestial encampment and then get out here. You!" she calls over to a nearby elf. "Get over towards the Celestial encampment, let them know we're prepared to repulse the demons with the same strategy as before." With luck some of the terrain modification will still be present, though of course without surprise they won't be nearly so effective.

Still, it pays to be cautious so she appends to her orders, "Have Dana maneuver Aurora so we're pointed towards the demons." It'll make it easier to fall back within if they're over-run. Although if Raziel's forces are still stuck around that should tilt things nicely back in their favour.

She then sets to organising her forces, those on rest are pulled out and put back in service, although she keeps some of them assigned to Aurora defence while fortifying the reserves with centaur archers and dragging Smrgol out to beef up their front line.

[Anastasia]

Preparations explode as Aurora again enters the fray. You position near the celestials as you see great heavenly armies ready themselves, ready to defend. Horizon to horizon is nothing but demons, yet they to not advance. They simply loom far away for now, over a mile away and visible more by bulk than by features.

But one thing stands out. A figure at the front. Something commanding about it, something overwhelming. A figure who wears something on its head, a stone circlet. Something unimportant, dismissed from your minds. It somehow seems more visible, more real than the rest of the demons. A pit fiend? As Afina sees this, the figure raises its arm up and a rain comes. A rain from over a mile away, a great black rain. Arrows? Arrows! So many arrows and so close together that it is a solid wave of wood and iron coming your way. How they cross the distance like this you don't know, but they're coming at you.

Go ahead and react.

[Ebiris]

"Walls!" Afina shouts, expending a desperately precious spell to project a prismatic wall in the path of those arrows. It seems the demons are not merely content to charge blindly into the fray this time. Unfortunately charging themselves against such numbers would surely be a slaughter no matter what qualitative superiority they might have.

Prismatic wall cast 80 feet ahead and angled up, 92ft by 46ft

Spoiler: ShowHide

Afina: 208+26/208, heroes feast (CL 20), greater mage armour (CL 23), greater heroism (CL 23), shield (CL 23), moment of prescience (CL 23)
AC 64, spell resistance 38, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, disease, poison, fear
Spell charges: 6/10/9/8/9/6/7/0/0/2

[Anastasia]

Walls are thrown up immediately. Walls of all kinds, from mere fire and ice to prismatic glory and blinding light. The celestials follow suit, great shield of iron and gold appearing to block the arrows. Said arrows glow with eldritch power, often exploding into fire, acid or even electricity on hitting the barriers - or a living creature.

"Enough."

A voice speaks, a burning voice of passion and fury. A great wave of fire comes out from the celestials, a figure rising above. He is clad in radiant armor and is surrounded by flame. As the arrows are consumed, he speaks again. "You challenge far more than devils this time, traitor. Flee or be put to the sword and justice."

[Ebiris]

Afina approves of such a fiery presence, but much as she'd like to shout over some threats or challenges of her own her voice just isn't suited to carrying so. "Hold fast for now," she calls to her officers instead. They may have to advance if the demons are content to bombard them, but a reckless charge would only see them swallowed up in the horde and annihilated.

[Anastasia]

Thus Aurora's forces hold their position, at the ready. The figure at the head of the demonic army holds his position as well for several moments. You can see the shadowed, hulking figures of the fiends, waiting to be unleashed. But they hold to the unspoken command, as the figure finally replies. His reply is for a great storm to appear over all the armies against him, black lightning crackling above.

> roll 1d20+1
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 8 > [d20=7]
> roll 1d20+22 (+8 strata bonus)
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 42 > [d20=20]

But flames race up, burning the storm away, as if it were something solid. More silence as the storm breaks, the pit fiend at last speaking. It speaks in a voice of controlled fury and declares, "So be it. I challenge you then - a battle of champions. Three of mine against three of yours - one of yours, one of Domiel's and one of Aurora's."

[Ebiris]

A way to completely negate the demon's numerical advantage? They'd be fools to decline, and he's a fool for offering. "Aurora accepts these terms!" her cutesy little voice rings out from the front of their lines.

[Anastasia]

There is no pause as the flaming figure declares, "Accepted."

The retort is, "Then send your champions forward!"

[Ebiris]

"Enjoy the show but don't relax too much. Demons aren't known for sticking by their bargains," Afina advises her officers before she advances forward.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Afina: 208+26/208, heroes feast (CL 20), greater mage armour (CL 23), greater heroism (CL 23), shield (CL 23), moment of prescience (CL 23)
AC 71, spell resistance 38, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, disease, poison, fear
Spell charges: 6/10/9/8/9/6/7/0/0/1

[Anastasia]

Afina flies forward. From Domiel's troops a woman in a red cloak and hood advances, while from Raziel's troop an armored celestial advances. A throne archon, carrying a greatsword almost negligently.

From the other side three emerge. The first is a balor, carrying a blade of roaring fire and a whip of ice. The second is a marilith, bare save for bracers and its many blades. The last is a simple humanoid, plain and unassuming, wearing peasant's clothes. He doesn't even carry a weapon, head bowed and silent.

As the two advance, "One versus one, until one side is eliminated," the pit fiend bellows.

"So be it!" Domiel challenges back.

[Ebiris]

Not how she would have preferred it but she knows she's the junior partner here. As someone versed in drama and theatrics she regards the humbly dressed humanoid with the most scrutiny, certain that he will be the most dangerous foe of the three present.

Then again, isn't she rather unassuming in her present company as well?

[Anastasia]

The red cloaked woman flies close to Afina. "Helga," she offers her name in a murmur, eyes all on the the advancing fiends. "Do you care who goes first?"