Shattered Shards

[*Krayt]

He growled bitterly as his rage seem to abate. Soothed by despair as so many times before. Managing a rather well composed answer regardless. "A answer that should alredy be known. I am here to win it for you." He spoke with his weakened voice while still on ground.

"I carry with me a special little siegecraft if I have calculated this correctly. But Before the siege you must beat back the forces surrounding it in order to attack the fortress itself. I can then have a number of volunteering Doomguards breach the fortress walls so we can test or little tool. While you pummle it with unrestrained force." His vison blurred out and the demoness seemed to him as a triple Marilith looming over him.

"Withdraw your arial forces to ground if you cannot wipe them from it in numbers. Force them to engage your superior numbers at ground or flitter above without engaging."

"Beat them at their own game. Force a pitched battle." He sat himself up with some difficulty drawing a crescent in the hellish sands. "Use their strenght against them. Any orderly legion has it's strenght in advancing forward in unison crushing the enemy as an arrow. Do not meet them strenght to strenght but weakness to strenght and strenght to weakness. Round your strongest demons to the far ends of the battle line while keeping the weaker demons in the center. The devils will likely break the center and will advance exposing their flanks and back. Keep the Amarites in reseve behind the strong ends to make a full charge at their back without engaging the enemy until their back is exosed. Knowing your commanders I am sure you can manage to control them at least for a time. Hound the lesser to obey and the lesser shall hound the least. It only need to last long enough for the devils charge to come crashing at the prearanged weakened line. They will be cut from the fortress and surrounded completly in a chaotic melee on every front."

He looked at the Marilith his shivering with the fever. Knowing if his answer was displeasing the the fiend his mortal coil would end here. But he had long since grew numb to the situation living most his Life like dretch underneath the shadow of more powerful creatures. Perhaps even from all the gains of status he could never truly escape from that life redounding back time and time again.

[*Selebius]

Demons and devils are dying around them while the Marilith listens, a squad of foolish mortal volunteers that fights on the side of the devils quickly eviscerated.

Mauric feels himself lifted to his feet, one of those ramheaded demons casting some healing spell on him again and despite his wounds healing and his body being somewhat restored by the magic he feels its vile origins.

Another glance at him then she gives her orders, moving her troops as he suggested. She does not wait for the battle's results but turns to him again.

"If your plan works I will let you work your magic on this fortress while I will keep the devils off your back. How long will you need?"

[*Krayt]

His feet dangled forceless detached from ground. The serrated sabatons creaking as was the armouring in whole.

"Forthy bells. If you can spare the numbers after the battle send them rampaging on any loose positions it will stall the responding force. We both know they will muster a force larger that we can withstand. Withdraw and goad them to follow. We will breach their defences but you will lead the hord to finish every last remaning devil still inside the fortress."

He leaned his head towards the Marilith. These Words he would only faintly utter if he was certain the brutes holding him or any surrounding demons could not hear him. For the Marilith and Marilith alone he spoke. "We shall escape from the fortress and collaps it over them as they rush to reclaim it. Dual the destruction, dual the pleasure and dually our victory."

[*Selebius]

"They often teleported their best troops right into our midst or avoided our charges by just fading away, escaping us through the same ways of transdimensional travel. So be warned, whoever their commander is he will not hesitate to use his knwledge of the terrain and mobility of his troops to advantage.

I can offer you a flock of eleven Vrocks to support your Doomguard troops, the rest of the forces will busy the devils to cover your attack.

They will fall, as will their fortress."

On the plain between them and the fortress the battle rages, and now the Demons slowly get the upperhand- it is uncertain how long the advantage will last.

[*Krayt]

He turned his head towards the battle was he was still held. The distant roars and battle cries. The din of countles of feet stamping the ground like thunder rolling over the clouds. In his madness it soothed him like a lulluby a restless child.

"Superiority in numbers and superiority in magical charms. Anchor the area allow for passages in unfavourable situations. Goad them to throng in the depressions. Deny them bottlenecks and high ground. Knowledge of terrian can be used against them if they trust to blindly in it, a slope only have so many uses. RE shape the landscape by quakes and similar spells and you shall see that knowlesge all but a memory give them a taste of home. They shall remember it well as it is only a foretaste of what tide will one day sweap over this plane and swallow it."

"Eleven Vrocks will suffice. Prepare the escape route through well secured portals after the battle a chaotic flight through many direction might be advisable when their reinforcement arrives."

[*Selebius]

"Our retreat is planned already and it will shake this layer." the Marilith say with some wild smugness-and some almost fatalistic determination, as if the demoness planned to go down with one last big bang.

A dangerous mindset this can be- but whatever she has planned she instructs her troops well and makes sure Mauric can reach his destinations.

Heavy footsteps behind him, a towering Glabrezu approaching- its body scarred, one of its pincers replaced by a heavy bloodiron hook. It wears heave plates of dark iron and silver, a hige axe on his back and there is some silent exchange between the fiends, Mauric, mortal as he is, not able to listen to their telepathic conversation.

"I am Forgaz the Shaker of Mountains. Siege engineer. There is a weakness on their walls- reinforced with Walls of firce but we will disjoin then so you can attack. I do not know what you will do or how you will do it and me and my horde won't stay to see the result. But I wish you luck.... and will lead you there as soon as you are ready."

[*Krayt]

"I will send a message for the assualt team at once."

He summoned a succubus bound to an item. "Return to the Armoury. Find Qor. Let him assemble the others who have gained more trust and guide them here. Bring holy water and explosives. This is not offical Doomguard mission however don't let it become such by speaking overly much."

[*Iggwilv]

The approaching legion of Doomguard troops seems to do wonders for Mauric's bargaining position. The Doomlord sights their commander at the front. The Marquis Cambion strides towards the camp. None of the Tanar'ri guards dare stop him but with a flick of his wrist he swings his blade lopping the head from a Vrock that stands too close to his passage. He walks straight towards Mauric an air of barely controlled blood lust oozes from his every pore.

"Doomlord. On behalf of Factol Pentar I bid you greeting. The Factol requires something retrieving from within the keep.Whatever else you do here is left to your judgement but I have instructions to assist with it."

[*Krayt]

As the cambion aproached the warlock clutched the sword infront of him and swung it to his shoulder whereupon it rested. He alredy started inspected the troops and plan for their deployment.

"A timely arrival Master Cromlich. It was about to be reduced to a smoking pile of shattered metal and torn rock. These news profoundly changes things. What need to be retrieved from the fortress dare I ask?"

He barked a order at the nearest troopers. "Surround me and the Marilith. Half circle. Outer row face the field inner us."

[*Mander]

As the last of the Doomguard soldiers arrived through the portal, Qorxicotl the black stepped through behind them. The chromatic tilted his head, acidic drool dripping to hiss against the bodies and bloody dirt. Some sent sucubbus had informed the dragon of the situation, and he could not help but be annoyed that the doomlord hadn't told of a chance for large scale havoc beforehand. With a great sweep of his wings the black took to the air, soaring lazily above the doomguard column as they approached Mauric's position. Unless attacked by flying fiends, he would swoop down to land with a crash near the two doomlords and hear their plans for the coming battle.