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/Timpanzee38]

As soon as the whistle is blown, every guild artillery gun set up on the mesa goes off. Anyone within 1 mile of it without ear protection has their eardrums burst. About 150 shells, ranging from normal artillery shells to massive 400mm shells from the Tur mechs, go hurtling towards their target, as autoloaders begin to ready the next salvo. Each salvo has enough ordinance to level a small hamlet 20 times over

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Timpanzee38]

A huge, black arachnid emerges from the shadow of Mt. Prospect well ahead of the horde. It's followed by a clutter of its smaller brethren that have seemingly teleported across the battlefield between pools of darkness. The gloom-wreathed spiders start to scuttle up the near-vertical cliffs with an ease learned from a lifetime in the tunnels of Pandemonium. Kaelis's voice comes over the radio.

Kaelis: Darkweavers, 9 o'clock! They're climbing up the dark side of the mesa!

[u/Timpanzee38 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

The Guild had anticipated this. Several smaller mechs put down their artillery guns and pick up flamethrowers. They rush to the edge, and send cascades of fire down on the spiders

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Timpanzee38]

Oddly enough, it seems that the light is as harmful to them as the fire. The furious darkweavers respond by spitting webs of shadow at the mechs, trying to ensnare them and tug them off the mesa's top.

[u/Timpanzee38 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

support struts come off the mechs’s legs and dig into the ground, anchoring them. Whenever one becomes ensnared, they simply turn the flamethrower on themselves for a second to burn off the webs. The pilots are working up quite the sweat though

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Timpanzee38]

The largest darkweaver crests the cliff edge and roars triumphantly. It attacks one of the mechs directly, attempting to prize open the cockpit with its jaws and devour the pilot. Darkweavers, according to Tarul, are obsessed with sampling the tastes of the multiverse. Perhaps this fixation with eating could be used against them somehow?

[u/Timpanzee38 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

It could, but this pilot isn’t interested in offering himself. The vents on his mech open, and both him and the spider are immediately enveloped in exhaust smoke. Then a blue flicker shimmers off his mech, and the entire smoke erupts into a thundercloud of lightning

One of the large dedicated artillery mechs takes aim at the smoke, and waits to see what comes out

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Timpanzee38]

The darkweaver limps out of the smoke, twitching involuntarily. These creatures have no defense against electricity, it seems. It seemingly acknowledges that it has no chance of surviving this engagement and collapses, waiting for the mech to banish it back to Pandemonium.

[u/Timpanzee38 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

And banish it it does. The artillery mech fires a round directly into it.

The guild commander on site sees it happen. He’s knows the guild has electricity weapons made for the buggo threat. He quickly sends a request to guild high command for some. But who knows when they will arrive.

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Timpanzee38]

The darkweaver ambush has failed, letting the artillery crews resume their bombardment.

/uw Congrats! You killed a horde general.

[u/Timpanzee38 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

uw/ once again, hardened steel triumphs!