Eventually someone does, which means they can watch a war in Avernus between Heaven and Hell.

Interesting. Hopefully that will keep Asmodeus somewhat distracted from Cheliax. Aroden asks the successful wizard to scry as long as she can, try to figure out who if anyone is involved in organizing the attack by Heaven.  

The answer to that will surprise absolutely no one. 

(She's not there in person. Heaven's forces, when they die in Hell, will be gone forever, and they're not going to win this even if they're making for a spectacular distraction. But the army bears her standard.)

Aroden smiles to himself. Of course.

Also, he's going to have to speak with her, after this, and it's certain to be a very - interesting - conversation. 

He checks in with Leareth's Farseers, some of whom have the range and skill to Farsee other cities from a map. Distraction in Hell or not, he wants to know what's going on elsewhere in Cheliax. 

Cheliax's forces are regrouping in several other cities. Local populations are being drafted and human sacrifices are being sacrificed and civilians are being... evacuated. To Hell. Through someone's personal demiplane in Ostenso and through some work of devils in Corentyn and Kintargo.

Okay what the actual fuck. 

They don't really have Egorian under full control yet, but also Aroden can't let that stand. 

His own wizards are low on spells, but if they're paired with Leareth's mages who can refill spell slots, they can manage another fight as long as it's not too prolonged. Can Leareth or his people do some Gates. 

Leareth is the most skilled at Gating to arbitrary places he's never been, and can probably get a blind Gate quite precise if he has a good map. His other mages can Gate anywhere that someone has a memory of, or maybe with a map plus very detailed pictures. 

Aroden can provide high-quality drawings of some locations, while they reorganize and line up their forces. Probably Ostenso first before they commit soldiers to one or both of the others, in case it's thornier than it looks.

Aroden checks in with Taver about any remaining resistance in Egorian, gauging how many troops and mages or wizards he needs to leave behind. 

It's a big city. Lots of people are cowering in their houses and the stationed troops were mostly evacuated or killed or captured and the more powerful wizards mostly Teleported far away if they didn't join the evacuation, but it's still a big city and has parts that were untouched by the fighting and haven't been traversed in the aftermath either, and it might have a lot more resistance if resistance didn't look hopeless.

They should leave a substantial presence, then. If a hundred of Leareth's mages stay back, and Taver coordinates their placement, the rest of the stationed forces can mostly be soldiers without magic. 

Leareth also didn't bring all twenty thousand soldiers to the city, he can commit some of the troops left back in Rahadoum, although it'll take more Gates. Probably worth it, though. 

Leareth's Farseers scope out the area around Ostenso, so he can plan where to very suddenly drop a hundred of his mages, most of them paired with wizards whose spells can be refilled. 

And it seems like a very good time for reinforcements. 

<Vanyel. Do you have a Gate location in Ostenso> 

<I looked at the book. You need help? Er, let me check with Savil if we can spare any of the other Heralds here> 

:'Fandes, can you ask Kellan how we're doing on demons?: He's been guarding one of the ward-stones mostly by himself for a while and isn't sure how the others are going. 

There's still a hundred-mile radius that contained demons this morning, contained significant less of them after Aroden's spells, and stilll contains most of the ones the spells didn't catch. This is mostly dangerous and powerful demons who were not the type to immediately run at the nearest enemy and try to eat it. 

They could move the wardstones out again now, and deal with the rest of the demon cleanup later?

That's a pretty reasonable idea, honestly; they can move them out to wherever the original lineup of people guarding the barrier's previous location have made it to, and then leave behind whoever wants to keep fighting demons, which is probably going to be all of the Tayledras; moving as a unit they're tough enough that even the most powerful demons are going to have a hard time threatening them. 

Nefreti is probably not ideal for Cheliax and also is presumably aware of what's going on and would go on her own initiative if she wanted to. It still feels polite to check in with her, at least to run the plan by her. 

:Nefreti? Leareth wants my help; Savil and I are wondering whether to move the wardstones back out so we can go help in Ostenso and come back later for cleanup. What do you think?: 

After half an hour or so she stopped being a dragon; she's now just flying. :If you move them out there'll be fewer people killed cleaning up but it'll be harder for people to come gawk at how it's closed now.

:I think people can wait a week or two for their gawking: He checks again with Yfandes. :We're going to move them and then all of the Heralds are leaving with me. The Tayledras are staying. I expect you don't want to come to Ostenso for whatever Leareth wants me for, but if I'm wrong, you'd be welcome to use our Gate. Also, thank you so much for your help: 

:We should deliver a thank-you fruit basket to the temple or something: Yfandes sends with a mental laugh, including Nefreti. 

:If I want to be some place I'm sure you'll see me there.:

:Right, I figured. Well, good luck: 

Vanyel scopes out the area with Farsight while Savil, Jaysen, and Starwind line up in front of the three other ward-stones, ready to Gate them out as soon as he's figured out where and shared the mental image with them. 

The soldiers advancing in from the previous edges of the Worldwound hasn't advanced far because of the warped terrain and their infighting.

Well, then the ward-stones will go to just inside their line. He asks Yfandes to warn whoever's in command. Probably it'll be nice for them to get a break, too.

And - Gates, all at once, and now the barrier snaps into place to cover the full hundred-mile radius again. 

Then it'll take fewer people to hold the Worldwound for the next while.