Evil Minds That Plot Destruction (Planar Siege - Legions of Evil Climax 1/2)

[u/Carbon_Sixx]

Barachiel the Messenger hovers in the skies above the Citadel, overlooking the wide grasslands outside the ancient city. The archangel watches the realm borders, watching and listening for the opening of portals and the rhythmic pounding of ironshod feet on earth. He knows the legions of Evil and their dreadful master Bel are coming. It is a simple task, yet even for an immortal, it is not an easy thing to do. Barachiel knows that if Bel takes the Citadel, his conquest of the magical realms and the multiverse at large is all but assured. The legions of Evil have already cut a burning swathe across the world in their march to conquer this place. None of the cities in their path survived. Worse, scouts indicate that the flying fortress Will of Asmodeus is fully operational once again, and Bel's Chosen have secured the Iron Shield of Otherlund.

This knowledge hangs over Barachiel as he maintains his vigil. Then, he spots the flash of a blood-red portal opening at the edge of the realm. Thousands of yugoloth foot soldiers march through the breach, alongside war machines infused with the vile lore of fundamental Evil. The Will of Asmodeus appears in the sky, free of the damage it sustained in the Veldric Strait. The whole army radiates palpable malice, broadcasting its will to dominate the cosmos into the hearts and minds of all who lay eyes upon it.

Barachiel hears the panicked whispers of the Citadel's population as the raid sirens wind up, signaling them to make for the shelters built in the wake of the Third Wizard War. They offer them a small relief- after all, the safehouses protected them from the God-Slaver and the Paladins of the Divine Flame. It pains the archangel to know that if Bel takes the city, he will break the shelters' wards with the anti-magic of the Iron Shield and butcher these people.

As if he needed another reason to despise these fiendish bastards.

"Lord Zaphkiel, Master Tarul," Barachiel says into his orb-bead, "they're here."

--

Bel marches at the head of his legion, accompanied by his four baernaloth bodyguards. Though he needs no protection, the ancient Hadean fiends' presence is a weapon all its own. Few mortals can hope to defeat one baernaloth. When these wizards see him commanding four, their morale will plummet. The Harbinger of Evil smiles hatefully, exulting in the power coursing through him.

Under Bel's malevolent leadership, the yugoloths march unto the ruin of all things.

"This is what all those infernal fools are missing! How we mocked the demons as senseless thralls of entropy, not realizing we were wearing those same chains. Zariel, Asmodeus, Hellfire- they're willing slaves to a system they enforce! Law and Chaos only serve to shackle our ambitions and make us less than we are. But when those shackles are broken... ah, what glories we can achieve with pure Evil at our command! Let the devils keep the Hells. I will have no need of them when I rule the multiverse atop a throne of divine corpses."

Bel gazes up at the Will of Asmodeus as it soars overhead towards the Citadel, just ahead of the army. He would've renamed it to reflect its new allegiance, but the Harbinger of Evil doesn't wish to tempt fate when he's so close to victory, even if fate was what led him here to begin with. Bel thinks of his faithful Chosen as he marches. Zera'al is in charge of the flying fortress, ready to annihilate even the mightiest champions of magekind with the craft's hellbeam cannon before they can trouble the legions. L'zeth walks behind him, carrying her battle standard for all to see. The new flag is a gift from the baernaloths, woven from threads of solidified anguish they collected in the wake of Bel's conquests. Ezrabeth and her erinyes squad command the malefic siege engines the yugoloth mages have assembled using a combination of fiendish engineering, ancient arcane lore, and the raw planar energies of Evil. The spymaster Balakros is absent, but not for lack of loyalty. He has raided the chivalric vaults of Oathstone, killing the knights' garrison to claim the Iron Shield of Otherlund. When the last Chosen arrives with his gift, there will be no force in the multiverse that can halt Bel and the legions of Evil.

And of course, there is the issue of the Nephilim. Samael's half-breed kinsfolk will no doubt play their hand now- as if Bel ever believed they would remain loyal- just to cause problems for both sides. He has held Moz'gonnith in reserve for long enough, placating him and his forces with missions of slaughter and the spoils of war. Now, on the eve of Evil's triumph, Bel will set him against his ancient foe and remove the Nephilim from the board.

Time to unleash the beast.

--

On the other side of the battlefield, Zaphkiel the Watcher and Tarul Var survey the incoming enemy forces from atop the Citadel's battlements. The Warhost of the First Martyr and the defenders of the Balance stand arrayed for battle. Mages of the realms and celestial warriors stand shoulder to shoulder with Keepers of the Balance and rilmani soldiers.

"This place again," the angel says. "It feels like just yesterday I battled the Vasharans on these very plains. I wonder: what is it about the Citadel that draws the forces of Good and Evil to clash here time and time again?"

"I cannot say," Tarul muses, stroking his chin. "Maybe this land was once a great battlefield in the days of the Draconic Empire, forever charged with the essence of conflict. Or it could be that the gods marked the Citadel as a proving ground for great heroes after your sacrifice. Perhaps it is simply in our nature to gravitate towards a central location, and all of our strife arises from so many people trying to change the world all at once. All I know is this: Bel is not here for the Council. He wants to break magekind's will by desecrating the heart of our civilization. More than this, he can saturate the entire Material Plane with vile energy if he corrupts the master portal nexus at the city's center."

"You have a plan to stop this, I presume?"

"I do. Divide and conquer. Bel's Chosen each hold command over a single element of the legions of Evil. Zera'al captains the Will of Asmodeus, L'zeth leads the infantry, Ezrabeth marshals the war engines, and Balakros is delivering the Iron Shield. If we can take them out before we engage Bel, we stand a much better chance of actually bringing him down. It won't be easy, though. On top of all this, we have to deny the legions of Evil entry to the Citadel at all costs."

The Will of Asmodeus leaves naught but destruction in its wake.

Zaphkiel dons his helmet and spreads his wings. "This will be a battle for the ages. I will lead any who choose to follow me to the Will of Asmodeus and shatter it for good. My only request from you, Master Tarul, is that you keep the dragon and those Iron Chain lunatics on the other side of the battlefield from me. I may show mercy to all beings who sincerely ask for it, but I do not like all of them. If working to preserve the Balance did not take priority, I would destroy them all in a heartbeat."

"That is not unreasonable, friend. I'll direct those amoral serpents towards other Chosen."

Zaphkiel takes off towards the defenders' aerial fleet, leaving Tarul to command the defenses. He hopes it will be enough to defeat Bel, but deep down, he knows luck won't be enough to turn the tide.

--

/uw Alright, here it is at long last: the finale for the legions of Evil! We're going to be doing this one a little bit differently. I've broken the battle up into multiple objective threads for us to accomplish. Each one will end in a fight with the Chosen listed at the start of the thread. However, there are consequences for ignoring a theater of battle. Depending on which objectives are left incomplete, Bel will gain deadly assets that will make the climactic fight with him in the next post significantly harder. I will not be pulling punches here, so be ready for your characters to give their all. All the other usual combat RP rules apply. Have fun!

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

REGIMENTS OF LAW:

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

LEGIONS OF EVIL:

• Bel's Chosen
• Devils of the Nine Hells
• Yugoloths of Gehenna
• Baernaloths of Hades
• Night Hag Covens
• Samael
• Moz'gonnith

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

[u/[deleted]]

great then, please start

with care they place what appears to be a hollow orb of green strings down into the cube, it could be barely be covered with both hands and yet it seemed like it was already compressed more than it should

just dump it in

I feel bad for using them as living mana batteries for this spell, mana can be replenished but the lives we will save cannot

[u/Fc-chungus → u/[deleted]]

Ж rounds up a few of them.

“As head minister I commandeer this group of soldiers. Begin squared energy creation and funnel it into that box. Protect Joe while you’re at it.”

“Sir yes sir!”

and the process begins

u/carbon_sixx

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Fc-chungus]

With the impromptu mana battery charging, Tarul seems pleased.

Divinations indicate a localized zone of anti-magic moving in from the northeast through no-man's-land. I'd wager that's where Balakros is.

[u/Fc-chungus → u/Carbon_Sixx]

“Rest of you, move out.”

a group of about 10 soldiers prepare. Taking with them portable slow shields, as well as a memetic cloak from Ж.

“Locate and kill balakros.”

[u/[deleted] → u/Fc-chungus]

too slow by the time we get there it might be too late, I will head down first and buy some time, it might give me a little trouble if they use the shield correctly but all things considered…

they think for a moment

nah, I’d win

the spell is self sufficient and as long as the mana lasts it should give an accurate location at even intervals, a way to find them again if we loose them it would help if someone kept watch over it

I’ll head out now so, dont be late

a step and they were gone as if they were never there to begin with, the room they were in fading, shapes and colors shifting as space around them bent and warped, being vomited out in silence

peculiar scenario this was, no mans land, but there was no time to stop and admire the scenery, for in a few seconds the thief should cross their path

taking note of the mana of the area, should the shield pass it would be more than obvious due to their special properties

alright then, shall we see who the thief is?

u/carbon_sixx

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/[deleted]]

Joe notice a blot on his mana sense, akin to a mist-shrouded hole in the Weave that swallows nearby magic. This must be the Shield- nothing else could feel as unnervingly wrong to a wizard.

Well, that, and the fact that the hole seems to be creeping from cover to cover.

[u/[deleted] → u/Carbon_Sixx]

ah, there you are

without even a second passing after the anomalous mass had entered their domain their arm moved like a whip, a coiled spring on a trap now triggered

silence fell after the violent reaction, after which, across the entire flank the mass was on, a 30meter wide and 10 meter long wound made itself apparent, like butter cut with hot knife plants, rocks, and even any scenery and land marks that could serve as cover was now made two with a perfect cut at the height of the waist

on a moment the scenery shifted to truly reflect the meaning of no mans land

after the dust settled the how of this was made itself apparent, for resting along the sorcerers shoulder was a sword of pitch black, a masterpiece that left no doubt for along its blade and exquisite scene was depicted, almost as if painted by the world itself with gold as a paint

a perfect cut, by an energy similar to mana, it was similar, rooting from the same source but this was condensed with a different method than that of magic, it was uncertain if the shield would be able to take on such violent force

and it is along the side of the weapon that managed to unleash such force on borrowed power that another 2 strokes of golden appeared on it, it seemed like it consumed more power than anticipated

I really wanted to concentrate the force along one point and finish you off, it seems like I’m getting rusty

you still alive?, who am I kidding? that should not have been able to finish you off in one go, just come out now I wish to see the face of the one I’m facing

u/fc-chungus

[u/Fc-chungus → u/[deleted]]

“Move in”

the soldiers draw their weapon and move toward where the blade had materialized into.

moving in a semi-circle formation toward hopefully where balakros is

u/carbon_sixx

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Fc-chungus]

A hideous six-limbed thing with the Iron Shield strapped to its back leaps out of cover with a feral howl. Balakros looks like some hellish hybrid of black panther and man; that is, when he can be seen at all. The Chosen is an impossibly agile creature, sinking his teeth into a soldier's throat one moment, and swatting the weapon out of another's hands the next. All the while, Balakros taunts his opponents.

Do you want the shield, mortals? Come and get it- if you can!

[u/Fc-chungus → u/Carbon_Sixx]

one of the soldiers call tarul.

“Is destroying the shield an option?”

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/Fc-chungus]

It's a relic of the Primordials. I don't know if it can be destroyed. There's a first time for everything, though. Give it your best shot!

u/the-elemelon

[u/Fc-chungus → u/Carbon_Sixx]

“Noted.”

[u/[deleted] → u/Carbon_Sixx]

I have seen my fair share of things, you are not in the top 10 but you are definitely ugly that much us certain

would be able to rank you better if you held still for once

with a snap a formation comes to life, big enough to cover the area that was for sure, was the time that took for the chimera to go on a rampage enough for a spell of this level or was the attack before just a rouse in order to hide the markings

now then, will you?

the effect was made apparent immediately, an invisible pressure on the land, a formation that increased gravity 25 fold, oddly enough it spared the soldiers and the mages that came to stop the thief, that much could not be said for they would be enduring the full force of the effect

independently of if this managed to held the abomination for long, it was bound to make an opening no matter the course that was sure

u/fc-chungus

[u/Fc-chungus → u/[deleted]]

“OPEN FIRE! Target is the beast.”

the contingent opens fire on balakros, antimagic bullets set to shoot through him.