The past burns (Afina, Tryll)

[Anastasia]

The devils adjust almost immediately, the fliers skilled and able to roll with the wind. They don't even change directions slightly, keeping discipline in the face of your starting winds.

[Ebiris]

She's hardly surprised by that, such winds would barely bother a pixie, and devils have a lot more mass with which to resist. Still, she'll slowly increase the intensity while providing the odd flurry this way and that to keep things interesting.

Referring to: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/weather.htm#winds

We're starting at light winds, after a minute she'll increase it to moderate winds, then five minutes after that she'll increase it again to strong winds, and another three minutes before increasing to severe winds which are strong enough to check medium creatures on the ground and 'knock down' airborne medium creatures. Flying creatures are blown back 1d6x5 feet rather than knocked prone. A DC 30 fort save allows a creature to ignore the wind's effects.

Once it hits strong winds she'll start varying the direction every few rounds between East, Southeast, and South.

[Anastasia]

Moderate winds draw no more response than the previous. When you escalate to strong winds, a few gesture and chant arcane words.

A chance to react, be it Spellcraft or something else, Afina.

[Ebiris]

I'll spellcraft first of all, take 10 for 54

Belated note, if they're casting they need to make a concentration check. Per http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/concentration.htm the DC for weather caused by a spell is the same as the spell's DC, so 30 + spell level.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+16 vs 30
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 33 > [d20=17]

So noted, they made Spellcraft.

They're casting detect magic.

[Ebiris]

That's annoying but can still be dealt with. Changing the wind direction to Eastwards so as to help prevent the sound of her voice from carrying towards the devils, and briefly flaring it to a severe gust before subsiding back down to strong, Afina employs a limited wish to obscure the magical aura of her weather working.

Using Limited Wish to emulate something like Misdirection and replacing the aura of my magic with the aura of a random nearby rock. They get a will save DC 32 to see through it.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23)
AC 87, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 25% spell failure
Spell charges: 6/10/10/10/9/9/8/7/7/8/7/5

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+13
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 24 > [d20=11]

The devils then continue the patrol, seemingly finding nothing wrong.

Going to continue with your plan after that?

[Ebiris]

Actually I'll wait a bit, since having my magic borked is annoying. I'll alternate the wind between moderate/strong/severe at random intervals while changing the direction now and then to kill time for a bit until we hear some word from Aurora about how things are developing at Lethe. Duration on control winds is 4 hours so I can keep it up a while

[Anastasia]

Okay, let me briefly pause you pending that. You're a tad ahead of them anyway.

[Anastasia]

As you wait, 'Afina, an update.' Tepen's voice, "Lethe is well defended. The first line fell quickly, but it was only a screening force. There are multiple combat groups, including teleportation or rapid movement capable ones that have flanked Aurora. They are not able to penetrate the outer barriers as of now. Additionally, Styx-water in the air is eroding magic by a process I believe to be making magic itself forget the Weave and fail. Reports of concentrated blasts of Styx-water on the front lines as well. General consensus is that this location is extremely important to Lixer and he is not sparing the defense.'

[Ebiris]

'Keep pushing for now,' Afina sends back. 'We're holding position at the edge of the gorge until devil reinforcements are committed to your area. You can ease back and take a more defensive posture once that happens.'

[Anastasia]

'Understood.' Tepen says.

Going to do anything else with that info?

[Ebiris]

Nope, we can't do anything to help from here. If it becomes a disastrous rout we'll abandon the mission to go save Aurora, but otherwise we stick with the plan. And that means waiting until I don't have spell failure anymore.

[Anastasia]

You settle into wait. The Master merely glances at you and nods, then at Tryll as well.

Y'all can chat mentally if you wish, otherwise waiting.

[Ebiris]

'I'm concerned that the assault on Lethe is running into so much difficulty,' Afina shares with Tryll and the Master (also Calleigh). 'As important as this mission is, we can't risk Aurora being overwhelmed and taken. If the battle turns against them and they can't retreat, we'll abandon our position here and go to relieve the situation on the Deep Ethereal.'

Really the unfortunate thing is that Afina is equally good slaughtering armies as infiltrating enemy strongholds; were she 'merely' an assassin she could be content that her presence at Lethe would only be a minor benefit. She just has to have faith in the capabilities of her friends and allies.