A few more people walk in, followed by the Commander from earlier. He stands in the front of the room. The hooded woman stands up to join him. The moment she does that, he realizes that the statue behind her were wings. Metallic wings.
"A few days ago, we were informed that a portal had opened up in the town of Tarilem in southern Urborg. We sent a few skyjeks there, and they immediately called for reinforcements. Demons, devils, and zombies were pouring from this extraplanar portal, including zombies that could fly. The Azorius sent a few sphinxes and skywriters to assist and contain the invading forces. They are the first line of defense. We are the first line of attack."
He glanced at the woman... no, the Angel, Tai realizes. "Our friend here has knowledge of what you will be facing, and what might ultimately be behind the attack. Miss Sanaa?"
Sanaa pushes back her hood, revealing shoulder-length black hair. She looks around the group with a serene look. "I have observed what you would traditionally call zombies. Let me assure you that the creatures you face are far more dangerous. These creatures come from a dying plane. There is very little life left on the plane, and that which remains is very skilled at avoiding the undead. The only zombies that have survived are those that are fast enough to feed. They may not be stronger than your zombies, but they are definitely faster.
"Most of the zombies on this plane are wild, but there are many zombies that are controlled by human necromancers. Most of these humans have been able to survive only by controlling the undead. Others make deals with the demons or devils on this plane. The demons are the ones who are the most dangerous. They are usually at the top of the hierarchy.
"The biggest threat, however, is the continued existence of the portal. The portal's mere presence is a threat to Dominaria. Rest assured, an open door to hundreds of thousands of undead and the plague they would bring with them is not the only threat this portal represents. I am not at liberty to go into full detail, but rest assured that your leaders are aware of the long-term threats to this plane."
She holds up three metallic spheres. They look about three inches in diameter, and look to be the same metal as her wings. "These spheres are designed to collapse the portal. They must be set around the portal, approximately equidistant, and channel mana through them into the portal."
At this, Commander Varl steps up, and motions to you all, about two dozen of you. "You all are a collection of mages, or... equivalent," he says, looking at the Izzet representatives, "who answered our call. You will be escorted by regular troops as you fight your way to the portal. We'll try to make sure you are with guildmates, but in order to make sure that every assault group has an equal chance of survival, we may have to have mixed groups. You'll just HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT!" he raises his voice at some of the complaints that sprout up. "You're all Ravnicans. We're going for the survival of the plane, and our city. You'll have to put aside your ideological differences and work together, otherwise this will fail."
The angel behind the Commander adds "The Order of the Sphinx will provide an orb for each group. You will require a minimum of three to close it. I would recommend closing it the moment you are able."
The Commander nods. "Very well. Anything else before I go into the plan of attack?"
"I would assume that the Simic medics would be distributed among the squads?"
"Yes, there will be at least one medic per group. Now," he moved forward to a table, and waved a hand over it. The terrain depicted on the map lifted up, making a three-dimensional map of the area. "Since there are enemy forces that can intercept flying targets, and marching towards the city will give them ample warning to amass their forces, we will be dropping the groups in from high altitude on the edge of the town with assault zepplids."
"The zepplids will rise to high altitude, then let out some of the air from their sacs. Once they reach the proper height, they will inflate once again, and slow down sufficiently for everyone to survive the landing. It may seem extreme, but this allows the controlling necromancers as little warning as possible to our attack. So far, they know we have them contained, but they do not know the size of our forces. This way, we can take them by surprise. Yes, I know the undead cannot be surprised, but their commanding forces can be. With them destroyed, the undead will not be able to perform any tactical maneuvers, and it will be easier to exterminate them."
"I myself will be commanding one of the forces, so I will be taking the same risks as you," he says, smiling grimly at Tai. "I would not give an order that I would not be willing to carry out myself."
He nods, acknowledging the act of respect. "At the same time, we will be bringing in the bulk of our forces down the mountain," he says, pointing appropriately. "There is no way we can get the whole of our forces into the Zepplids we have. Their orders are to wait until we have landed here," he measures an arc centered exactly opposite of the forces, "then march in. They will be the pestle to our mortar. As we're forcing our way to the portal, the main forces will come in to wipe them out."
"If we are attacked, hold if you must, but push forward if you can. Your objective is the portal. I'm giving each of you permission to take the initiative. If you can make it there, excellent. If not, we'll get there while the main force is mopping up the enemies. However, there is a chance that our forces will get caught up fighting in the urban areas as they enter the city. Our troops are used to urban fighting," this got a chuckle from a few people, "and we will win out in the end, but it will slow them down. The quicker we can get to the portal and shut down their source of reinforcements, the better."
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
"A few days ago, we were informed that a portal had opened up in the town of Tarilem in southern Urborg. We sent a few skyjeks there, and they immediately called for reinforcements. Demons, devils, and zombies were pouring from this extraplanar portal, including zombies that could fly. The Azorius sent a few sphinxes and skywriters to assist and contain the invading forces. They are the first line of defense. We are the first line of attack."
He glanced at the woman... no, the Angel, Tai realizes. "Our friend here has knowledge of what you will be facing, and what might ultimately be behind the attack. Miss Sanaa?"
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
"Most of the zombies on this plane are wild, but there are many zombies that are controlled by human necromancers. Most of these humans have been able to survive only by controlling the undead. Others make deals with the demons or devils on this plane. The demons are the ones who are the most dangerous. They are usually at the top of the hierarchy.
"The biggest threat, however, is the continued existence of the portal. The portal's mere presence is a threat to Dominaria. Rest assured, an open door to hundreds of thousands of undead and the plague they would bring with them is not the only threat this portal represents. I am not at liberty to go into full detail, but rest assured that your leaders are aware of the long-term threats to this plane."
She looks around. "Any questions?"
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
The Commander nods. "Very well. Anything else before I go into the plan of attack?"
"I would assume that the Simic medics would be distributed among the squads?"
"Yes, there will be at least one medic per group. Now," he moved forward to a table, and waved a hand over it. The terrain depicted on the map lifted up, making a three-dimensional map of the area. "Since there are enemy forces that can intercept flying targets, and marching towards the city will give them ample warning to amass their forces, we will be dropping the groups in from high altitude on the edge of the town with assault zepplids."
There is some murmur at this.
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
He looks at Tai. "What about you?"
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!