Phoenix

[Anastasia]

"He can extend his will far," Kossuth growls, a crackle of flame in his voice. "He is capable of protecting his own."

"It sounds like if we can kill him, then the entire opposition collapses," Amaryl muses, "And if you fall, the same for your side. Both of you are strong enough to mostly cancel each other out, aren't you? That explains Razalim. A gift that either draws Seira into the Firebrand's orbit or a gift that destroys Seira and eliminates her as a threat. He can't seriously believe she'd work with him, so mostly the second. "Amaryl blows out a breath, "Our recent disagreement was of unspeakably bad timing. To put that aside again," Quickly Amaryl goes on, "Then we should work to weaken the Firebrand, on Fire or beyond it. What allies does he have?"

[Corwin]

"To add to Amaryl's question, do you seek a swift war or a prolongued conflict?"

[Anastasia]

"Every foolish general dreams of a short, victorious war," Kossuth pops and crackles with flames underneath his every word. "But I doubt this will be any short struggle." After that, "I have no doubt he will have support from the fiends of various stripes. Doubtless Baator will interfere for its own motivations and reasons. I know for a fact he has contacts with various daemon mercenaries and petty lords, as well cadres of daemons who have joined his service in exchange for protection. By their nature they are unreliable, but the Firebrand's strength is sufficient to keep most in line. He has also drawn a handful of balors to his service over the ages, ones who share a passion for fire and are overwhelmed by his charisma."

A moment before, "I have seen fire giants in his service, azer and salamanders, various red dragons and other fire related dragons as well. I've heard reports of a rogue phoenix who serves him."

That gets Amaryl to cut in, "A rogue phoenix? Wasn't Zaaman Rul saved by a -"

"Not the same one," Kossuth says in a tone that brooks no more interruptions. Amaryl goes quiet quickly before he continues. "I have no doubt he has deeply hidden pacts through various identities to a great many creatures of Fire. He has shown signs of inroads into Magma and other planes that touch Fire."

"I have heard he has sent a new delegation to Gond from my own sources. I believe he has made contact in the last few days with Garagos and Tempus, and has done the same with Bane."

Once a moment passes Amaryl delicately clears her throat, "What of the Crimson Firebrand himself. What of his power? We know efreets who serve with or around him have vastly boosted abilities."

A slight nod, "He comes from a more tribal time," Zaaman Rul begins, "Have you ever battled a goblin or hobgoblin warchief? One trick some develop is the ability to imbue great strength into their followers. The Firebrand has taken that far above and beyond what any mortal could dream of, and he counts at least all of the efreet as his tribe. This frenzy is of deadly power."

After a moment, "The Crimson Firebrand can charge with great power, and a single strike from his charge can break an entire enemy line. The former devil ally of yours is similar to him in that regard. Lesser known is that he is a sorcerer of vast power, though he often conceals that ability unless it is sorely needed."

Another moment, "He has dominion over destiny and domination, evil and fire, law and luck, passion and pride, strength and tyranny, and of course war."

[Corwin]

"Fiends are the easy part, if you'll forgive me saying so. Since he's drawing from them, we'll just bring over the armies of Celestia, Elysium and Arborea. To avoid this turning in a greater conflict, if I ask my friends to limit their engagement to that of the fiendish host, we'll be able to nullify their influence," Seira states. "As for Fire-adjacent realms, let's work together to secure allies from them. I do have my eye on some outstanding individuals there, though it's a question whether they'll get involved in the conflict. But I don't suppose you have favors of your own to draw upon here, or at least the ability to introduce me favorably before a neutral power that would get us in the door before the Crimson Firebrand?"

[Anastasia]

"I do, as does he. Do you have one in mind?" Kossuth asks, plainly.

[Corwin]

"I doubt anyone would go to Ooze of their own will, so we could do that first."

[Anastasia]

"With good reason," Kossuth burns, "No one wishes to be in Ooze, not even most natives."

[Corwin]

"Bwimb should be pretty strong even against Fire natives, so shouldn't we reach out to her?"

[Anastasia]

"It is distasteful to reach to a creature of filth and water, but I will not stop you," Kossuth agrees, "Have you met her before?"

[Corwin]

"No, but Kascha told me about her, so I'll see if she can make arrangements. If that's our approach on Ooze, who can we reach out to on Magma and Smoke?"

[Anastasia]

"On Magma I have most," Kossuth declares, "But Earth also has control there, and the dao may yet support the efreet in some way. You have dealt with the Khan recently." A statement, not a question, "You would be well suited to gauging their intentions on this, if you secure a meeting."

[Corwin]

"I can secure a meeting with the Khan, certainly. But I don't have much to offer them to bring them over. Do you, by chance? If there's some treasure of theirs you've been holding on, that would be enough to open negotiations properly."

[Anastasia]

"I can provide that," Kossuth agrees, "That is not difficult."

[Corwin]

"I think that's enough options for now. Once we show results, we'll approach more potential allies. Rather than shooting in every direction carelessly, we really should court our would-be allies properly. Do you concur, Kossuth?"

[Anastasia]

"Yes," Kossuth agrees, "Achieve results in these fields first."