Homefront

[Corwin]

She understands even without words, and Seira is by Amaryl's side the next moment, kissing her. Then, with a confident grin, she tells her, "Let's mess Imix up, shall we?"

[Anastasia]

"No let's. We will," Amaryl matches your confident look.

Any personal prep before going? How are forces traveling over there?

[Corwin]

In my understanding, divine power from myself or Amaryl can open a portal/portals for the troops when it is time. If I'm wrong, we actually have a dedicated portal to Zaaman Rul's realm in the trade hub, which can be commandeered for the purpose. I doubt there'd be much trading going on during a major attack.

Personal prep is precasting the Combat Loadout spells without asterisks. They will be shared with my party as well as offered to Oraga's party, if there is a need for them (or you could just give them a flat bonus from this, given Team Oraga will be fighting offscreen).

[Anastasia]

Sounds good.

Fire.

You once again step into the ever inferno of Fire.

Flames crackle and dance around you, parting as you appear before a great, burning tower. Forces are assembling here as you see Zaaman Rul here, issuing commands from atop a great obsidian boulder, arms crossed as servants heed his words and go forth.

Most of the forces are fire elementals and natives to fire - dragons of flame as well, a scattering of those and small supports of fire giants and other such things. More and more pour in by the moment, assembling a vast hoard. The crackle of flames is ever present, burning and hissing.

"Seira," Zaaman Rul raises his voice, "Welcome!"

[Corwin]

"It's good to be here," Seira returns, making her way over to him. "My armies are ready," she says without preamble. "How would you prefer that I deployed them? We don't have time to integrate them, but we can decide on their respective tasks."

[Anastasia]

Zaaman Rul hops down and is before you, "Thank you." A moment of sincerity before a flaming map appears. "My strategy is three fold. Forces on Fire itself will attempt to stop the armies from invading, but as of now I fear the numbers doom that. So I have adjusted my realm into the shape of an oval and ringed it with lava mountains of powerful currents, save for a single pass. This pass will lead to my tower and myself - for I am the goal for Imix." Zaaman Rul says.

"At the beginning, I will battle in the frontlines. I will seek to eliminate powerful enemies and possibly provoke Imix into doing something foolish, but I expect that to fail. My ultimate gambit is a fake retreat, understanding that stopping them from entering my realm may well be doomed." The lava mountains are meant to slow them, but I also concede my father is more powerful than I, and can likely overcome my will to shape this realm. So thus I weaken his forces and allies, then funnel him here to crush his army in front of his goal."

Amaryl inspects the map, "So a fighting retreat into a victory?"

"That's the essence of it. I need to draw Imix's forces in and crush them. I lack the ability to force that anywhere but here. Of course," With a hint of a smile as magic spreads, giving you privacy, "He may find and certainly expects a flanking action from my own allies. He'll get one too, so he can't simply overwhelm my realm and crush us all."

Ranbar is silent throughout this, head bowed in silent reverence.

"So where will be we?" Elle asks, "That flanking action or something else?" She inspects the map, "Also, what are the enemy layouts?"

Donald just whistles, "Hey, as long as we get it done."

"The enemy disposition can be discussed shortly, but...I'd like you here to help me crush the enemy," Zaaman Rul says, "You've been a loyal and true friend, Seira. I want you helping me for the most important part of this battle."

A crude map to show the gist of it. The red lines within the oval show the lava mountains and the tower in the center. It's purely a visual aid.

https://i.imgur.com/AayE6Oo.png

[Corwin]

Seira studies the map as well, pursing her lips. "Finally my time to shine?" she muses, pointing at the segment leading into the realm and then at another a short bit after said entrance. "I'm a goddess of magic and war, so there are a few tricks I have been sparse with thus far. If I'm at one of these spots, I will kill everything within two miles. I suppose I could still be swarmed with genuine monsters, though a ban on dimensional hijinks will take care of that, making the defensive position within your realm better suited for it. Still, I'd personally prefer to make a stand outside and see if losing enough frontliners gets Imix to pull back or appear in person, where we will fight him together."

She gives Zaaman Rul a chance to respond, consulting with her artifact about this idea.

Same as before, 10 for 98.

[Anastasia]

Both strategies are sound - simply different approaches.

Zaaman Rul considers this, "How strong is your ability?" he asks.

[Corwin]

"Anti-army, pretty much. We and our lieutenants might survive repeated explosions amped to a ridiculous degree and Imix, the Sultan or Eblis might have a counter for it outright, but I've yet to meet an army that could."

[Anastasia]

"Can you use it reliably without catching the allies around you within it?" Zaaman Rul then asks.

[Corwin]

Seira shakes her head. "Afraid not. The deployment would need to be adjusted so that the perimeter forms sufficiently behind me. Say three miles?"

[Anastasia]

"That's difficult to employ," Zaaman Rul finally says. "But..." A trail off, "A great way to bloody their nose directly. But if it can be countered, then it's risky to use on the strongest." A rub of his chin as he considers it.

As Zaaman Rul does, a particular prayer catches your attention. "Seira, help me," A quiet, desperate prayer from Aribyn. As you recall, he is a dwarf who serves as a general, low intensity problem solver. He's not one to pray save for rituals, preferring to let his actions speak.

[Corwin]

"In the end, it would be difficult to deploy it effectively if we don't plan for it ahead of time and clear the space for me to work, either to greet the invaders or to trap them just inside your realm where their escape will be made difficult," Seira reasons. "While Imix could counter me, don't we actually want to draw him out in the open? If he appears, I will retreat towards the front lines where you are, and we'll follow your plan, all the way up to the gambit of further retreat? And if he focuses on us, our combined armies will be free to take care of his forces."

As she speaks, Seira splits her attention to look in on Aribyn!

[Anastasia]

As Zaaman Rul considers?

Amaryl speaks up and says, "I think it's worth trying, because we may not be able to use it if we don't use it early."

Meanwhile yo usee Aribyn is on a mountain path - a narrow, crumbling mountain path, his back flush against the cliff face as he turns, barely enough space for him to do that. Circling him are two griffons, bloodied but furious. The only way out of this is down or up, and he distinctly lacks wings, being a dwarf and all. He's wearing chain mail and carrying a sap in hand, eyeing the griffons with a quiet worry.

[Corwin]

Sometimes, it just takes a leap of faith, Seira whispers in Aribyn's mind, ready to catch him with feather fall once he follows her advice. Given her control, she'd be able to do it just short of the ground, to avoid giving the griffons a chance to assault Aribyn mid-descent due to the speed he will pick up.

"Aside from that," Seira adds to Zaaman Rul and Amaryl, "we really should decide Valar's deployments, and how we can best use our reserves."