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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SHARK" data-source="post: 389600" data-attributes="member: 1131">Greetings!Well, the armies have attacked!<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Rhiannon reminded me of the fleet of flying ships that the Vallorean Empire has, and rolled a high enough Diplomacy check to persuade the High Command to release the fleet for use in the offensive. The Valloreans then sent a blocking force to the south, where they have proceeded to build roads, bridges, and fortifications. Some 4 Legions are involved. In the center, driving towards the mountain passes and the Citadel, are 8 Legions, which deployed an elaborate deception operations for two weeks, before making decisive attacks. There are large siege trains with this force as well.The largest legion force, an army of 20 Legions, marched far to the north-east, and turned south, to launch operations by a coup-de-main against the two northern cities. Furthermore, the Guardians of Empire used Rhiannon's father's enchanted island to fly over the citadel. Remaining hidden within the clouds and out of missile range, the island hosted the fleet of flying ships as teleportation circles were set up en masse to teleport two legions from the forward base-camp to the island, from where they boarded the flying ships to make the daring air assault at dawn.With the arrival of dawn, the Guardians of Empire launched a ferocious assault, choosing to attack the upper tier of the citadel, rather than the lower two levels. The Guardians of Empire landed, and Rhiannon opened up with a intensified Call Lightning spell, while elite Legionnaires dropped from the flying ships by Feather Fall.The defenders were not idle, though. The defending forces reaped an awful harvest of legionnaires as they floated down through the air, and landed hither and anon. The upper courtyard was slick with Vallorean blood! The citadel walls were manned by ranks and ranks of deadly archers--thousands of them, as they sent clouds of deadly arrows into the legionnaires landing in the courtyards below.Meanwhile, the assault force of Fire Giants launched barrages of flaming steel balls at the flying ships, shredding them with searing hot steel, and sending several of them, loaded with legionnaires, plunging to their deaths. The platoon of Cloud Giants began firing their own powerful bows at the Guardians of Empire, and legionnaires that were struggling to take a tower by assault. Meanwhile, ranks of Beastmen and human warriors filled the courtyards at different points, isolating the legionnaires. Evil wizards proceeded to pepper the courtyard with Meteor Swarms, barrages of Lightning Bolts, and Cones of Cold, slaughtering ranks and ranks of Legionnaires under the deluge.Then, a Pyroclastic Dragon, swept into the courtyard, and slaughtered 1800 Legionnaires almost immediately. A blast of its furnace-like breath brought two flying ships to the ground in flaming hulks, the trapped legionaires screaming as they melted under the blast. The single dragon proceeded to breath and bite the party of some fifty characters almost to death. Fully half the party were on the brink of death, with nearly everyone losing two or three Fate Points in fighting the dragon, and other forces in the courtyard. Finally, under a furious assault by the party, the dragon was killed under a barrage of Cones of Cold, and flashing blades! It was getting very desperate--I thought the party might actually be defeated right here, and the jig would be up! With the defeat of the dragon, the Vallorean assault forces managed to capture two of the fortress towers, and several outbuildings and sections of wall as more and more Vallorean legionnaires continued to land, in wave after wave, even as many of them continued to be slaughtered!Later in the first night, the Heavt Assault squads of the army--composed of some 500 Cloud Giants--made an air assault at night which reinforced the besieged Legionnaires. Despite these powerful reinforcements, the Vallorean position remains desperate and tenuous, as more and more evil minions are locking them down, and maintaining horrendous pressure against them. The Valorean assault force may indeed be swept from the fortress!Semper Fidelis,SHARK</blockquote>

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