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[Anastasia]

As you prepare...

I see you're doing well for yourself, Alicia.

[Ebiris]

Of course she'll reply to that!

It's not the first demonic invasion to come our way and it won't be the last. They make for good exercise.

[Anastasia]

You share my opinion. I didn't want to steal your glory or your exercises uninvited.

Crush them.

[Ebiris]

I appreciate your prudence. We have this.

Certainly asking help from friendly neighbours makes life easier, but it bolsters morale for everyone here to see Sylica stand on its own, and the battlefield experience will keep everyone's skills all the more sharp.

[Anastasia]

Okay, go ahead and describe where you're standing with your avatar - you can literally manipulate terrain with divine will there, so I assume you've set up and adjusted as needed for forces. I'll roll off there, so describe fortifications and the like.

[Ebiris]

With the sea a few miles to their backs, the islands of Sylica off beyond, the army waits on a hill overlooking Ysgard's mountains and valleys ahead of them.

The sky above is swathed with a patchwork of fog clouds, some mere mist and others more exotic designed to stymie aerial attacks while those on the ground face an even worse gauntlet, the demon horde lured into a wide valley that progressively narrows as it reaches the Sylican lines, a fiery minefield their first problem before having to navigate a network of stone and iron walls, spiked pits, and broken terrain of slippery and uneven rocks.

It's all designed to snarl up and frustrate the demon advance and expose them to bombardment from the Sylican lines, with the last stretch up the hill past those walls mercifully free, giving impetuous demons a chance to rush into the prepared spears and blades of her dug in formations rather than stick together with the demons following through the gauntlet.

And Alicia herself? She's there to spur those demons on, at least in avatar form. Standing above her army behind the first few lines and visible for miles as a titanic figure of divine power and martial threat. She may not take much direct action herself, but what demon could resist a chance to take a swing at her?

[Anastasia]

Latha is ahead of you, dead center in the first line, a radiant target ready to move and lend aid over the battlefield, and take the wrath of any demons.

'It looks like you two cover the front,' Syala's avatar sends to you. 'I'll have a force ready to loop around and encircle if needed, or to finish it if they break and retreat.'

[Ebiris]

We should have the Order of the Lance helping by attacking the demon's back line when they hit our earthworks, see if you can coordinate it with them. If the demons about turn they'll need extra cover.

[Anastasia]

Then I'll be that cover. See you soon, love.

[Ebiris]

Good hunting.

[Anastasia]

And thus...it begins.

The demons come as one great wave, land and air both. A tidal wave of them, of thralls of minions, of summons and more. More and more, beginning to challenge the aerial and land based defenses. The fog and clouds look to be slowing them properly, while they rush towards the valley, all while dealing with harrying attacks -these are not fresh units, you can tell. Wounded demons, the occasional gaps in the line.

[Ebiris]

The harassment's done its job then, and there's no prospect of reinforcements teleporting in from the valley. They've interdicted teleportation around their fortifications of course but that still leaves plenty of places demons could teleport in and then rush from.

Any notable demons organising things or just particularly powerful individuals mixed in that are worth focusing long range bombardment on?

She still remembers the first demon invasion Sylica faced was ended by a single sunburst blinding the balor in charge.

[Anastasia]

It's a pretty good horde - you notice a marilith leading from the front, tail color purple and slithering along at a fast pace.

Another chunk is lead by a balor missing a hand, flames constantly leaking out of where his hand should be. He roars louder than the battlefield, advancing and leading them on.

Feel free to make K:P.

[Ebiris]

[16:27] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+47+15 buffed planes from real Alicia
[16:27] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 80 > [d20=18]

[Anastasia]

The marilith is new - probably someone or another promoted would be Alicia's guess, or someone deeply obscure. Nothing that triggers any warnings unless she shows off power unexpected. Looking closely, you do spy the sigil of a white hammer on her weapons, a known sigil of Kostchtchie.

The balor is Hyl, a Blood War captain. He's only been at it about 3000 years and loosely serves Graz'zt beyond those duties. He's mostly noted for raw toughness and refusing to die, even if every other of his soldiers die.