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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Isida Kep'Tukari" data-source="post: 2921754" data-attributes="member: 4441">"The fiends are summoned, but they can remain here in the pits as long as they have victims within them.  It is possible for them to be banished, but only if one could destroy the silver circle at the edge of the pit first.  It protects those outside from what it summons."  "Commander Gareth, your knowledge of current troop numbers is better than mine," the king says, gesturing to one of his commanders.  "Thank you, Your Highness.  As for soldiers, there are a small number protecting the diabolists, though they do not enter combat except to protect their charges.  There are two legions just behind the pits, about five hundred feet away, and several more about a mile behind that.  No less than fifty patrol between and around the pits at any given time," the commander adds."As for your mount, I believe we can make help there.  One of my shamen can temporarily shrink your noble mount to a size you could carry.  We use it sometimes to move our ponies over very rough ground," the highlander offers, and nods at Sir Aravir.  "The towers are twenty feet high, and contain a group of ten fighters, two runners, two arcanist, and two healers.  They are manned by no less than six people at a time.  A pack of dogs, most with some kind of devil's blood in them, patrol the base of the tower.  There's a single entrance to the tower on the roof, and arrow slits on all three sides.  They're made of wood and covered with a kind of flame-inhibiting sustance.  There are squads of no less than ten experienced legionnaries to protect each diabolist, and there are three diabolists for each pit.  They camp farther back from the lines, about two miles.  The largest of the pits is one hundred feet in diameter, the second largest is seventy-five, the third is fifty.  Each pit has a protected platform, ringed with fencing and mesh, to protect the diabolist while they cast.  They do not always keep fiends in the pits, some will not stay, as they must have living creatures in the pit to do so, and they kill them all.  Others will linger, toying with their victims for days at a time.  At our last report, there are currently no fiends lingering, but that could change at any time," one of the commanders says.  "We expected something of the sort.  We have archers from Andlemere that can blacken the sky with arrows.  We can make a large and showy assault in an effort to break the eastward towers and pits, something we have been trying to do in the past.  I believe I can make it noisy and bright enough, particularly with your help, to get their undivided attention," General Gareth says thoughtfully."As for retrieving Darvekis, no I don't believe that they can.  I know of no such spell that can pluck an unwilling person from a great distance.  They would have to come and get him.  They may be able to magic themselves close, but again they would have to know the area where he is.  And they don't and won't," the elf woman says confidently.  "Certainly they will have taken his spellbook, but Darvekis knew he could be discovered at any time.  He kept a traveling spellbook and his great grimoire, and the grimoire is still here.  We will give it to the keeping of the Mukarvak clan, so he may make use of it when he is rescued.  "Darvekis is very clever, and he does have a few spells he can prepare with no recourse to magical writings.  But he is probably bound hand and foot and gagged, not to mention guarded.  Once you get him free, however, he will not be entirely helpless.  But yes, we can give you a few wands for him to use, as well as potions of healing, for I have no doubt he will have been tortured, and you may need them as well," the king responds.</blockquote>

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