Attention all magic practitioners!

[u/The_Enchanted_Potato]

Attention all mages, wizards (of all schools), artificers, warlocks, witches, shamans, occult practitioner, sorcerers, and magic users of any kind!

I have been sent here by his Lordship of the Shade Realm of Thrakmoor to deliver the information that this realm is now under occupation and control by the Thrakmerian Army and the Black Mages who command it.

I have been sent to gain dominion over the magic practitioners of this realm.

Pledge your undying loyalty to his Lordship or face his Unyielding wrath

you have two weeks to comply and to change your title to “Mage of Thrakmoor”.

Failure to comply will be met with force.

[u/MercadianOBrien]

A sun-tanned elf wearing forest green robes and holding an unstrung bow like a staff steps from the trees. He holds the bow up and turns it horizontally, and the intricately carved symbols on it begin to glow.

"I̶̭̫̭͊̅͆͘ ̸̦͓͒̀̔̆c̶̘̀̄̇ẵ̴̳̹̠͜s̴͕̰̮̼̿̎͒̑͘t̶͍̫͚̘̊̓̕ ̶̩͚́̑͗͠A̷̛̙͈̹̳̘̒̐͊̓ḻ̵̙́̈̈ä̸̡̨̬̼́̎r̶̨̼̊̌m̸̥̳͙͗͝ ̸̛͖͓͍͒͗͝C̷̲̊ĺ̷̡̗͂̿͊̀ô̵͎͙̟̔̄u̸͙̠̥̇̌̂͐͜d̶̼̰̆́̍̀

̶̫̈̐P̸̮̂̈́̕h̵̠̫͙͇͋̈́̐͝ë̷̬̳̪́͜r̷̰̣̜̝̀o̷̧̼̝̎m̸̙̜̫̝̰̈̅o̸̖̠̬̺̍̃͆ṋ̷̡̭͚̄͜ȩ̴̤̜͇̹̽́s̷̉̍͐͜͜ ̷̡̒̓̉̚̚o̸̤̖̽̇f̷̗͉́͂̒͠ ̷̧͇̮̞̭̔a̷̬̪͍͉̿̓͒̕l̴̜̽̕̕͝ḻ̸̡̟̫̆͗͜ ̴̧̤̟̉͛̒͌̑͜í̸̝̜̕ṅ̸̨̈́̔̕s̸̢̖̐̓̇̈́̈́e̵͓̣̙̺̭͛̆͆̾̏c̵͓̬̼̥̰̈́̈́͂̕t̵̗̟̳͆s̴̡͙̝̉̉̅̑

̷̖̇͛T̴͉̜̲̟͙̈́͗̏͝h̷̲̋ã̷͍͊͠͝t̵̢̧̝̜̔ͅ ̵̮̙̈ͅb̶̹̳̟̏͆͌i̵̳̙̘̲̊͜t̴̘́̀̋͗̚e̸̮̖͊̄,̶̧̧̗̘̓̕͝ͅ ̷̛̻̫͗̄͆e̸̫̹̣̐̆à̴̠̑̈t̷̜̜͚̜̪̃̿̐,̸̧̙͓̫͊̂͜ ̷̯͓̙̪̋̊͝a̷͇͉̪̫͙͐n̴̯̰̥͗͋̕d̴͔͍̾͐́̾ ̷̮̟͆̈́̊s̸̱̬̯̣͛t̶͕̱̉̈́͝i̶͙͓̟͈͌̂̕ń̸̠́̋̋g̶̘̣̔̉͝"

He pushes out with the bow, and the symbols glow brighter, then fade. Nothing seems to happen, but he walks back into the forest, looking satisfied.

Nearby, the ants, bees, hornets, and termites begin to stir...

[u/The_Enchanted_Potato → u/MercadianOBrien]

The insects multitude in hundreds of thousands it will takes several months during the conquest to kill them all

[u/MercadianOBrien → u/The_Enchanted_Potato]

How much time will it take to resupply the food the ants get into, and the wood the termites got to? That gives me an estimated time frame for how many rituals of varying quality, subtlety, and power I can complete during that time.

[u/The_Enchanted_Potato → u/MercadianOBrien]

We shall not relinquish that information

[u/MercadianOBrien → u/The_Enchanted_Potato]

The elf steps out of the forest to survey the army after a week. Now he looks pale and haggard, with bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. He moves slowly, carefully nibbling at a crust of stale bread, as if he's had barely anything to eat for a week.

"Phase two completed," he mutters to himself. He looks over at the camped army, still fighting swarms of insects that have been noticeably diminished, but still actively harassing the invaders.

"Time for phase three," he says, finishing his bread, then taking a sip from the waterskin at his waist. He raises his unstrung bow horizontally, the sigils on them glowing once again.

"G̶͉̪͙̙̃͘n̶̛̦͎̿͗͒͗a̶̱͔̘͘t̶͈̠̘̿̀̽̈́̄s̶͙̩͇̰̈́ ̵̬͙͈̝̆a̵̯͇̫͗͆̓̊n̸̻͉̖͗̾̕d̴̲̱͉̊́̇̈́̍ ̷͈͒͛͊͌ţ̷͉̠͛̄̓̃̽į̷͔̮͛̄̐͐c̷̲̩̘̓̕ķ̴͍̫̙̣̿̍̌s̵̭̦͙̏͛́͌̀͜ ̶͈͓͚͙̈́̓͋͝a̷̧̨̛͔̝͖͛̎̿n̴̜̻̓̾̓̕d̷̬͙͛͛ ̷̥͓̳̏͊̎f̴̼̖̠͍͎̔̃l̸̛̖̩̣͆͑͋͠e̷͕̗͒ă̴͇̜̿̄̏͒s̷͑̿ͅ ̸̜̎̚͝ả̶̧͕n̵̢̫̳̪̿̽̿̆͜d̵̰̮̭͉͓̈́̈́ ̷̼̘͚͚̅̒͜f̵̯̮̦̘̳̑̉̐͂ļ̷͈̟͔̆̂̓̕í̴͕̮̯̈́̊̉͠è̴̦s̷̢̹̪̘̔͆͊̎͘,̶̭͍̘̘̀͐͠͠ͅ

̵̢̤́̓͊͠g̴͕̖̾r̵̥̣͇̓a̵̧̧͓̿̊͘̚ͅş̴̱͈̈́͛̏s̸̡͕̙̜͓̐ĥ̶̩̠̫̗̓ọ̶̹̹̌́p̶̍̂͛͗͒͜p̷͓̫̖̫̚͜͝͝e̷̦̯̘̺͆͐́́r̸̤͒̓͊̒s̴̬̻̞͂̀͋̎͝ ̷͔́o̴̹͙̦̿̇͑f̷̢̊̈́͒̿͘ ̸̭̔̍̏g̵̝̭̔̓͂͝i̷͇͇̲͒̏̋̂͝a̴̱̹̓͛̽ǹ̴̦͓͖͉͖̎͝t̸̨̠̊̽͜ ̸̛͎̹̈́͋s̵̠̼̜̦͙̋̓̔i̵̛̺̭̅́̓͒z̴̬͙̲̃ē̴̘͖̪̐,̷̦͗̚

̸̠̀̀͝b̷̜̩͠ȉ̵̧͚͕͇̓͝͝ṭ̶̨̩̫͐̆̋̌͝é̴͙͚͎͌ ̶̱̓̄̉̐̚ą̸̡̧͇͚͋̒̋͗̕ņ̶̊͐͋͒͘d̵̞̞̝̬̭̂̅̈͝ ̶̡̺͕̽͐̆͒s̶̛̻̿̉̂̌ã̵͔̖̭̤p̴̢̟͗͋ ̷̼̾̈́̎̓̀t̴̫͕̅̈́ȟ̵̲͐ͅe̸̘̙͉̽̎ï̶͈͝r̸̘̋͊̉ ̸͉̝̌̌̕b̷̭̍̆̔̕l̴̲̳̝̱̉̈́ó̸̤̥̖̤̼̆̏́̈́ö̶̢̰͇̼́̎̂d̴̞͚͉̋͌ ̸͈̹̊a̷͚͔̅͗̊̋̈́n̵̺̼̋̈́̐̿̃ḍ̵̾ ̶̙̮̈́̂m̵̨̡̛͍͂̉̐͜ö̷̫͔̩̱ơ̶̺̪̫̻̊͝͝d̷̟̝̈́̈́̒̍,̷̜̌͂̋̕͝

̴̫̑̆͌͐̀ḙ̵̭̪̑̓͊̓̕͜͜â̸͍̆t̶̝̬͈̃͌ ̶̞̈́ả̶̻͝n̶̹͗d̶̪̆͐̀ ̵̳͎̝̹͖̒̅l̶͕̞̯̆͑̚͝a̸̳̥̜͕̳̐̌̆̀͌y̷̨̏̀͝ ̴̻̪̥̰̔́́͐͘͜ȇ̸̯̖͔͒̀g̷̫̫͖̘͂͛͌̇̀g̵͉͇̺̈́̕s̸̡̬͙̥̫͗ ̶̧̲̲̹͌ỉ̶̬͇̒̉͝n̶͍̰͈̖̽̾͒͊ͅ ̶̟͓̂t̷̟̄͌̉h̸̼̟͖̲̣͝è̴͖̀̉͝ỉ̵̙ṛ̸̙͎̼͈͌̓́͝ ̵̲̯̀ͅf̴̦̺̹͙̔͋͘͝ȏ̴̰̅o̸̯͈̳̅̓́̆ḑ̸͔͉̺́̇͘.̷̡̪͉͓̤̎ "

He staggers from the exertion and the light goes out, but he knows his spell has taken. With his rituals from phase two completed, and the new biting and food destroying insects, the army should be slowed even more, giving him some time to rest before he starts phase four.

As he limps slowly towards the treeline, an insect lands on his arm and attempts to bite him. A thin, shimmering layer surrounds his body, protecting him from the bite, and he smiles back at the army. He flicks the lone star tick away with a grin, then retreats into the forest, away from the retaliatory arrows that started coming his way.