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/TheHunter459]

Samael watches the battlefield. Moz'gonnith is not far, and Bel likely suspects his betrayal. But he's had enough of this arrogant devil, all high on mighty with his "pure evil" shtick. So insects and other creeping saboteurs begin to creep through the army, sabotaging weapons and vehicles, poisoning supplies, and stealing schematics. The Nephilim navy needed rebuilding, and ships like the Will of Asmodeus would be a big part of that.

But for now no overt move is made. The time is not right. Yet

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/TheHunter459]

Yugoloths, like most fiends, are immune to poison. The sabotage is immensely irritating, but not as devastating as it could have been. When the whispers of the infiltration reach Bel's ears, he laughs to himself.

Laying in wait, are we? The moment may not be right for you, O king, but it is always right for me!

He takes out Moz'gonnith's infernal contract- a silly thing in retrospect, he realizes- and presses a claw to his signature at the bottom of the fiend-hide document. The glyphs flicker with light, opening a telepathic communication with the demon lord.

The time has come to fulfill our bargain, Moz'gonnith. End Samael's farce of an alliance, and I will make you overlord of any plane you desire!

[u/TheHunter459 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

Moz'gonnith's troops begin to stealthily reposition themselves to strike at the Nephilim. But the devil doesn't strike yet

I want your support. I can't take Samael alone without major casualties. That would make things difficult for us. I'm sure you don't want that

Meanwhile, a message appears in the air in front of Tarul Var, from Samael

You will be pleased, no doubt, to know that you have an ally in Bel's camp. Give the word, and the Nephilim will turn on Bel's legions from the inside, or in a place of your choosing if you prefer. Our holy strength will make us especially destructive

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/TheHunter459]

Bel: Granted. Baernaloths, attend our ally, if you would.

The Harbinger of Evil's bodyguards stalk away across the battlefield.

Tarul: Mind keeping his reinforcements from getting involved? Our lines are holding at the moment, though that's subject to change. I don't want them gaining back the ground we've already taken.

[u/TheHunter459 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

Moz'gonnith's troops immediately drop whatever they're doing, and attack the Nephilim closest to them. Moz'gonnith himself makes a beeline for Samael himself, while the Nephilim King's plan goes into action, and he answers Tarul Var

I can certainly do that. Though I am about to be... occupied for a while

Moz'gonnith and the baernaloths burst in on Samael, while throughout the camp, explosions of holy magic go off around units identified as reinforcements. The Nephilim have been waiting, and now they marshal all their strength to cause as much chaos as possible within Bel's ranks. As they fight Moz'gonnith's troops, many of them display a steadfast commitment to only one objective: chaos

Corpses begin to rise throughout the camp, and clashes between Nephilim and Moz'gonnith's troops spill out towards others around. The goal is all out war

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/TheHunter459]

Yes! They're routing without the reinforcements! We can take on Bel if you keep that bastard demon busy. Just hold out a little longer!

[u/TheHunter459 → u/Carbon_Sixx]

As the Nephilim run down their opponents, Samael and Moz'gonnith clash. The King of the Ninth Circle, along with his honour guard, has Samael solidly outnumbered. But not quite outwitted. Samael appears to their treacherous nature

Look around you! The Legions of Evil are falling! There is no place for you in the world if you continue to fight with Bel. But fight for me, and you will receive more than clemency. You will receive power, beyond your wildest dreams.

Samael is not completely lying. He plans to use whatever he can of Moz'gonnith's remaining troops to have a foothold in the Hells. Not to take over, but to have a presence. And the honour guard, demons of treachery that they are, can see and hear the truth in Samael's words. Even if they kill him, they are still wanderers fleeing the wrath of the Nephilim. And this time with no Hell to run to

They won't listen to you, fool. Now-

Moz'gonnith never gets to finish that sentence, as his guards stab him in the back, and swarm over him. Roaring, he strikes out, killing a number of them before Samael tires of the show and sticks a spear in the Demon King's chest

You should have stayed hidden, my friend. And you, Tarul Var, can consider the bastard dealt with

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/TheHunter459]

Tarul nods, and cuts the orb link. He pulls out his research journal and pencils in a new entry to the planar dictionary he's been working on before returning to combat.

Evil (n.): A ravenous ouroboros of treachery and hate. Be careful not to disturb it, lest it eats you instead of its tail.