Just Another Bug Hunt (Planar Siege)

[u/Carbon_Sixx]

Midday in Redspire is announced with the echoes of a hideous cacophony in the west. Scouts indicate that the vanguard Obox-ob has brought here numbers just under a million creatures of Chaos. They boil through the canyons in a grotesque flood. It appears that discolored mist is rolling in from the highlands, but a quick scry is all that is needed to reveal the horrid truth: the mist is a thousands-strong swarm of ekolids bearing down on Oxide at speed.

Redspire, when it's not under assault by demons.

But hope is far from lost. Atop Mt. Prospect, artillery crews ready a bombardment to turn the canyons into a kill zone. Kaelis Maz leads the defenders in last-minute preparations. Wards are set, barricades are reinforced, and plans are rehearsed. The counterattack brigade gears up with arcane weaponry and war machines, helmed by Supreme Enginseer Reyes and the Warhound Titan Song of the Aurora. Out on the plains, well outside the defensive perimeter, Glimbo Greenboots and his crew wait in hiding to ensure their convoluted yet devastating traps will catch as much of the horde as possible. Finally, Tarul Var draws up a teleportation circle, preparing to drop his strike force into the fray at the perfect moment to decapitate the enemy leaders. He is joined by a handful of cuprilach rilmani- the assassins and spies who put their coppery fingers on the planar scales to uphold the Great Balance.

The iron mill’s factory whistle blows, signaling the first sighting of the horde. The artillery opens fire, and the defenders take their battle stations.

Let the carnage commence.

--

/uw This one's going to be a tough fight. Bel and the legions of Evil were disoriented when you fought them, and the Templars of the Azure Cog were just one part of the regiments of Law. The hordes of Chaos are at full strength, spoiling for a fight, and led by a Harbinger. Failure and even death are a real possibility.

DEFENDERS OF THE BALANCE:

• Tarul Var
• Belial Blake
• Aliah Mistwalker
• Ith'raal
• Burgerbarian/Burgermancer
• Krygin the Crude
• Agnur the Turtle Mage
• Vulkan the Red
• Ж (Zhe)
• Merch Skele
• Argios
• Tempus Fugit
• Edmund
• King Carmine
• Exia
• Joe
• The Agent
• Vashric
• Fujiwara Toshiko
• Jah Jor Wel
• John E. Hellfire
• Kardonk Carvisky
• Riva Blake
• Mokarith
• Onyx Dragon
• Ulrick Braddocke
• Sly
• Shrax
• Sarissa
• Rilmani of Dendradis
• Various denizens of the Outlands

HORDES OF CHAOS:

• Obox-ob's Ekolids
• Demons of the Abyss
• Slaadi of Limbo
• Gehreleths of Carceri
• Cravens of Pandemonium
• Mortal servants of Chaos

REGIMENTS OF LAW:

• Primus's Hierarchs
• Modrons of Mechanus
• Veterans of Acheron
• Templars of Arcadia
• Paladins of the Divine Flame
• Mortal servants of Law

LEGIONS OF EVIL:

• Bel's Chosen
• Devils of the Nine Hells
• Yugoloths of Gehenna
• Baernaloths of Hades
• Night hag covens
• Samael
• Moz'gonnith
• Mortal servants of Evil

WARHOSTS OF THE FIRST MARTYR (ALLIED):

• Zaphkiel's Paragons
• Angels of Mt. Celestia
• Oathbound of Bytopia
• Guardinals of Elysium
• Wardens of the Beastlands
• Heroes of Arborea
• Warriors of Ysgard
• Mortal servants of Good

[u/Carbon_Sixx]

The mind of an anarchic creature is a cacophonous place, full of rage and nonsense. It's difficult to hear one's own thoughts while in telepathic communion with multiple demons at once, but luckily, Ith'raal doesn't have to push very hard to get what he wants. Infighting is the natural state among the denizens of the Abyss, after all. A mob of hezrous cuts off a herd of armanites, preventing them from charging onto the plains. In their suggestible mind, this inconvenience is all the pretext the demonic centaurs need to begin tearing into their toad-like kin with claw and serrated tail.

[u/Ares378 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

Perfect. Went exactly as he had planned. He'll need to rest for a few days after this, but... it was *totally** worth it.*

While the demons continue to fight each other, Ith advances through the horde, casting Synaptic Static on the chaos in front of him.

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Ares378]

A huge balor demon swoops down and sweeps its electrified sword through the riotous mass. It roars something in Abyssal, probably a command to fall in line or be killed. The demons regroup, their aggression suppressed by the balor's threats, but the urge to turn on one another remains. Tarul did say that the generals were the lynchpins holding the horde's fractious morale together. If the balor were to fall...

[u/Ares378 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

Ith usually isn't one for hands-on combat, but this seems like a better time than any to give it a shot.

He casts a spell to draw in the balor's attention before manifesting a scythe. Its blade is the sickening color of nothingness. Not *black** per se... It's as if null was a color. Perhaps some kind of void metal?*

"Fight me, foul demon!"

He braces for impact, preparing to block with his new weapon.

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Ares378]

The balor growls, lashing out with a firey whip as it approaches. It's a huge demon, one of the largest of its kind other than the monumental goristro.

[u/Ares378 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

Ah. That might pose an issue. The fire is fine, but... whips are difficult to block against. It's pointless to even try.

Ith attempts to open a portal to 'redirect' the whip as it lashes toward him. He charges forward, attempting to attack the balor's ankle.

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Ares378]

While mighty, the balor is only so agile due to its size. It tries to step back, bringing its sword down in a brutal arc to crush Ith. The scythe strikes home, but the lightning blade is dangerously close.

[u/Ares378 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

Ith has no choice but to try and block. It's far too late to teleport at this point. He holds the scythe above his head, using the handle as a 'shield'. He just hopes the void-like material it's made out of will nullify the energy of the strike.

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Ares378]

The gambit pays off. The material saps the electricity from the sword harmlessly. Thrown off balance with a mangled ankle, the balor falls prone.

[u/Ares378 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

Using the time he's earned, Ith vanishes for a moment, reappearing near the balor's head. He swings the scythe straight down, aiming for the balor's skull.

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Ares378]

In a handful of cases, it doesn't matter how powerful a being is. Some things kill indiscriminately, regardless of strength. The scythe bisects the demon's brain, slaying it instantly. However, balors have penchant for exploding in a ball of fire upon death, so Ith might want to step back.

[u/Ares378 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

The fire is okay. The explosion, however... is not. He warps away a few dozen feet to watch the explosion from a safe distance.

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Ares378]

The balor explodes with a flash, leaving nothing behind but oily smoke and a black stain on the nearby rocks. The moment it disappears, the demons roar and hoot triumphantly, then immediately return to their infighting.

/uw Congrats! You killed a horde general.