Smith (Jaela, Calleigh, Surraruthru)

[Anastasia]

"The beginning and the end." The voice replies as you begin to move around, before Jaela's body shimmers blue, her head throbbing as if her brain was trying to explode.

Fortitude save, Jaela.

[Corwin]

6:14 PM <VillagerB> roll 1d20+48
6:14 PM <Penuche> VillagerB invokes Penuche's magic: < 60 > [d20=12]

[Anastasia]

In the interests of transparency, there is SR but he can't fail the roll. Hence not bothering.

Sheer, massive pain explodes from Jaela's mind. Blood trickles from her nose as a migraine pounds in her head, making her stop and groan. But she masters it, forcing something from her mind. A presence, something horrid that makes her toes curl and stomach churn.

5 points of damage but no other effects.

[Corwin]

Standing request to take 10 for K:P, K:R, K:A and Spellcraft for any strange/new/unusual situation that happens to cut down on the need to post anew each time. Taking ten for K:P is 58, taking 10 for K:R is 58, taking ten for K:A is 52. Spellcraft at taking 10 is 45.

[Anastasia]

Jaela's fairly certain it was a powerful mental attack. Some sort of custom spell or power, a presence that crushes the mind like a grape. Fortunately, Jaela fought it off.

Interestingly, it has some underpinnings similar to feeblemind from what you saw. Just a glimpse due to the pain, but you recognized some of the spell work.

[Corwin]

"Not bad!" Jaela calls out, wiping the thin trail of blood running down her nose with her thumb. "I don't have a fancy title like that. But if I had one, I'd be The End, because I end things like you and like it. What do you think, Tryll?" Hardly waiting for an answer, Jaela orders the army to advance while preparing to try and counterspell any followup attempts.

[Anastasia]

There's no further reply or challenge, only your army advancing. No daemons or demons approach, and as you get closer, perhaps you grasp why.

The only mercy in this blasted place is that your forces are largely left alone. A few demons approach as you maneuver, but you have a powerful army and they do not. The stragglers are simple eliminated, put down like rabid dogs. You're well above the armies now, a mile and a half away from the rift. You can see great bands of chaotic energy mixing with sheer darkness, twisting ahead.

The battle of the gith ship continues, hundreds of daemons and demons appearing around it, only to be eliminated by a powerful wave of force. Undead pour from the obsidian buildings, only to be reduced to slag and ash by great waves of fire. Then - a torrent of flames like an entire sea of fire comes from the rift, so powerful that a transparent shield that appears around the ship is melted in seconds. Before your eyes, the gith ship is immolated, baptized in flames.

You're eight and a half miles in now and one and a half from the rift. The ship battle is a mile away. Amazingly, no challenges seem to be immediately forthcoming to your advance.

[Corwin]

They won't go down that easily! Jaela keeps headed for the gith, their banner clearly displayed!

[Yuthirin]

'Hnn.' Tryll replies to Jaela, 'I believe you may have made it unhappy by not exploding.'

[Anastasia]

As you begin to advance, the flames clear. The ship is gone, but something remains. A vast array of ioun stones, rods, staves, rings, amulets and other magical items fly about. The figure within is mostly concealed by them, the objects creating great arcane diagrams all around her in the air. The figure is a withered thing, clad in great finery and with a crown on her head and staff in hand.

For a moment there is stillness, then great beams of light and elemental power riposte back. The Silver Sea flashes with colors as counters fly out, the battle rejoined.

[Corwin]

Well then!

"Cresiel, take your rapid response team to support our gith friend!" Jaela orders without delay. "Vul'lath, a word."

Her voice lowered once Vul'lath is over, she asks him, "Is that who I think it is? Or are there other potential candidates?"

The army itself continues its approach, though not quite at the rate of the vanguard given the necessity to slow down to travel as a cohesive force.

[Anastasia]

Vul'lath's expression is grim. "Hold, Cresiel," he calls, "It is and she is not terribly concerned about collateral damage. You'd be a fool to send troops in a battle like this. They'll get obliterated by the spells being thrown around."

[Corwin]

Just being there is dangerous, and Jaela has serious misgivings by now about the ability of the soldiers, mage and otherwise, to actually have any meaningful effect. Still, that's something to consider later, and hardly the front she intends to present to the troops.

"What would you propose?" she asks Vul'lath quietly, making use of Tryll's ability to relay her thoughts to the lieutenants present to open the floor for debate given the gith's objections. "If even a specifically prepared rapid response force lead by a solar would get in the way, do we resign ourselves to spectating until Vlaakith saves the day and closes the rift for us?"

[Anastasia]

"Two suggestions," Vul'lath says quickly, "One, we try and sneak a small force by, the best of the best of us," he gestures at himself, Jaela, Cresiel and other officers, "To go and seal the rift, while the strike force watches our back. Two, the best of us go and try and tilt Vlaakith's battle in whichever direction we desire."

[Corwin]

"Before getting into that, would her agreement with Aurora to ignore your existence hold in either situation?"