(IR) The 3rd IR, Turn 3 (thread 2)

Vecna's Catastrophe

Vecna rises in his full might.
Not the old, frail one-eyed man.
Not even the terrible lich radiating fell magic and cold.

Vecna seems to grow, towering tall, kingly, like a God himself, over the slagged battlefield.
His grim visage scours the battlefield, and men and women cringe as his gaze sweeps over them.
He raises his great arm, his staff held high.

Hundreds of massive red lightning bolts flash out of his staff into the sky.
Vecna utters Words of Power, 10th level magic, Great Words of Power not heard on Oerth since the Arcane Age.

The Oerth reels, earthquakes gripping the entire region.
The sky is suddenly filled with thunderheads, and ungodly downpours of rain smote attacker and defender alike.

The buildup of power is awesome, unlike anything felt before.

Vecna, is throwing a catastrophe (as per the rules under 10th level magic.)
Instead of throwing it on a single nation, he is throwing it on the battlefield.

The earthquake builds, and builds, until it reaches titantic proportions.
The ruined cities of the northern Wild Coast shatter apart, buildings toppling, walls crumbling, masonry and bricks smashing down.
The trees left standing wave back and forth, then topple, branches crackling and snapping as the tree slams into the earth.
The earthquake continues to build, until it reaches the incredible proportions of Fantasia (the 1940 film.)

Rocks explode out of the earth, rocket hundreds of feet into the air.
Vast regions of rock thrust up, sundering the earth apart, rising up and forming new hills.
Great cracks open in the earth, miles deep, sending hills, woodlands, and whole towns, and legions of those fighting, screaming into the depths.

The whole sky turns a vivid red, the clouds the color of blood, the lightning jagged streaks of scarlet violence.
The earthquake strikes as Vecna wills it to strike, slamming the defenders, hitting them with devastating force, overwhelming the lesser magic, overwhelming technology and magic, courage and strength.

Tanks and artillery, barricades and fortifications, crumble, smash down, go tumbling into the chasms.
Thousands of men scream as they follow.
Rocks explode out of the ground amidst the defenders, come raining down in ruin upon them.
In the Welkwood, the trees shake back and forth like a titan was shaking the ground.
By the hundreds of thousands, they topple and fall, the screams of elves crushed under them unheard amidst the tumult.
The waters of Wolly Bay roar into the great crevaces where they meet the water's edge.
Water fills the crevaces, then explodes out of them, and tidal waves surge over the defenders, surge everywhere, whelming forts, swallowing armies, scouring the land, stripping the topsoil.
Massive waterfalls are created, as the water gushes back into the crevaces, and whirlpools, where wave meets wave.
Amidst the wrack and ruin Vecna stands, unharmed, while behind him his unholy legions raise their banners in triumph, untouched, and the Shade stand behind them.

Vecna roars, in a voice that is heard for hundreds of miles:

SERVITORS. BEHOLD THE PRICE OF FOLLY.
THERE ARE NONE WHO CAN STAND AGAINST VECNA!
NONE, BE THEY MEN OR BE THEY GODS!
BOW DOWN BEFORE THE MIGHT OF VECNA.
DOWN ON YOUR KNEELS, TO BEG AND GROVEL.
DOWN!
DOWN!!!

Vecna raises his staff, and a thousand lightning bolts streak across the sky, followed by an unearthly, deafening thunder that shakes the Lortmils to the core, rocks Wolly Bay, and sends shivers throughout the entire Flanaess.

DOWN ON YOUR KNEES!
NOW!!!

I don't need to say that the defenders took another massive PL hit from Vecna's Castatrophe ... that is a given.
How bad it is, how great the losses are, nobody knows at the moment.

All non-magical communications are out.
Magical communications work, but the commanders in the field do not know what the situation is.
All they know is that they have lost large numbers of men and women, morale is broken, and the enemy is attacking with renewed fury and with incredible force.

I repeat my question ... do the allied forces attempt to hold the defensive line or do they retreat?

Waiting to hear from my allies but...

Coalition of Light and Shadow forces not already committed willstart preparing fallback points for the front they are on,places to regroup and rebuild the defense against Vecna's assault.

If the decision is made to fight we'll stand there with the others, though. Unless I'm around Williamcan keep running things,as usual.

The God Emperor of the Dark Union and the Great Empire of Aerdi laughs in glee, he laughs for quite some time until even his godly constitution is insufficient in holding back exhaustion. "Ah, Vecna, you are surely a blessing from the fates. Did I not say that nations would crumble into dust becouse of this? Grind the fools into mush and char, and grind yourself, you greater fool. A feast! A festival! The people of Aerdi should celebrate as I do, for there is much to celebrate." He swipes another glass of wine and looks, giggling into the mirror of greater scrying, "The vultures shall feast."

"Oh! I almost forgot, damn! Keep a few wizards ready to teleport Kas away from the fighting if things go against him. Keep them shieled by defensive magics and ready for battle. But only to get Kas out of trouble, and only if necessary."

Just for your information, Serpenteye, Vecna heard that.

I have no respond from the allied powers concerning whether they are attempting to hold the defensive line, except for Black Omega who appears to be ready to retreat.

- - -

The Legions of Vecna and the Forces of Shade press the attack against the confused and disorganized defenders, pushing them back, crashing headlong into them and through them, trying to produce a rout.
Vecna, face twisted with anger and hatred, leads them.
His wand held in his blackened hand spews molten light which sweeps back and forth like a scythe, levelling trees, buildings, and men alike, and making the very stones blaze like torches.
The grass, soil, and rock all slump into ash underneath his feet.

Edena_of_Neith said:

I have no respond from the allied powers concerning whether they are attempting to hold the defensive line, except for Black Omega who appears to be ready to retreat.

Click to expand...

Keeping in mind of course that only my planar are involved in the battle at present. and please..terminology..a strategic restructuring to more defensively tenable terrain.

It sounds like the situation is crumbling. I can't speak for the others but on the nearest front at least I'll send in the Seelie. We can't stop the assault on our own, but focus on helping the scattered forces already there to heal and regroup. If they must retreat, try to make sure it's in good order. Use the blasted landscape to our advantage, both for hit and run and to set traps..if there is a crumbling rockface, collapse it onto advancing hordes to crush some and slow the others. That sort of thing.

I say we hold the line.

But it's up to you. I'm willing to fall back to the Lortmills if the others desire -- I'm not going to fight alone, obviously.

And I send some Kender to get into the damn Doomgrinder! (Hell, I'd be surprised if there weren't some already in there, disobeying orders to sneak inside and see what it's like when the Black Brotherhood snuck in).

We need to retake it!!!

And Edena -- I deploy 10PL of forces from the Lortmills into the war. Assuming William or one of the others does not sound the call to retreat.

Forrester

Edena,

You probably haven’t hear from the Allied commanders because most of us were asleep in real life! While I dying to write some IC stuff right now I simply don’t have time. Assuming that I actually get a chance to respond to your post before Vecna throws his hissy fit:

1. Yes, will re-take Doomgrinder. Iuz will make an appearance himself if need be. We would scuttle Doomgrinder before would we let it fall into the hands of anyone not IBKSC. Those extreme measures shouldn’t be necessary (I hope ).
2. Once Doomgrinder is once under my control and it is rolling again (actually this probably would of happened before the take over as well). The IBKSC would advance behind Doomgrinder.

Once again edena, I don’t have time to give you a detailed account of my troop movements. Please, assume that are making the best decisions possible, etc. I am not going to be able to post again until later today due to being at work.

John

aw... and I was looking to see how Kas was doing in his strugle to reach and kill vecna...

Oh well.

But, Kas will definately hold the line, and try to advance to kill vecna. Along with his honor-guard.

In the midst of it all, something new and interesting happens.

The kender are successful in infiltrating the Doomgrinder.
Enough kender were sent to deal with the agents of the Black Brotherhood.

However, at the exact same time Iuz, personally, went after the Doomgrinder to retake it.

Both the kender and Iuz show up in the main control room of the juggernaut at the same time.

The agents of the Black Brotherhood square off against both invaders.

The Kender face off against the Black Brotherhood who face off against Iuz.

Forrester, John Brown, I am dying of curosity.
What happens?

- - -

Meanwhile, I patiently await answers from the allies concerning whether they stand or retreat.