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.

<Leareth, I'm bringing the rest of the Heralds too. Are you ready for me to head over?> The Gate-location he has is an abandoned barn on the edge of town, presumably not where Leareth will be arriving, but they can meet up easily enough once in Mindspeech range. 

Leareth and Aroden have selected two Gate-locations on opposite sides of the area where most of the civilians are being transported to the demiplane. The Gates are about to go up. 

<Ready> 

Three different Gates go up nearly simultaneously in Ostenso; mages, wizards, soldiers, and Heralds stream through. 

Does their trumpet archon guide want to come with them to help in Cheliax? 

The trumpet archon will absolutely come. 

On the other side of the Gates there is a panicked crowd of civilians rushing into a demiplane whose other end open into Dis, the second layer of Hell!

Now they're even more panicked! And some of them can fling some fireballs.

Vanyel emerges into a barn on the edge of town. 

:Leareth? Where are you?: 

Leareth, kind of distracted, sends an image and direction-sense of his location. :Can the other Companions Broadsend messages to these people the way Taver can?: 

:Not as well, but yes: 

:Then please tell the civilians that Aroden is here reclaiming his country and wishes to minimize bloodshed, and will not harm anybody if they surrender. Probably nobody will believe it but it seems worth saying: Pause. :If you can do a very, very strong shield, we could use one here: and he sends an image of the opening to the demiplane. 

Vanyel anchors his Farsight on it and as soon as they're out of the barn Yfandes breaks into a gallop in that direction; he's belted into the saddle so he can focus on distance-casting, it's not exactly fiddly work, just put a giant barrier-wall right in front of the demiplane and make it strong strong strong, there are nodes in reach, he can put quite a lot of power into it. 

Companions reach ahead with Thoughtsensing, locate the panicked crowd, divvy up amongst themselves, and soon everyone is hearing a voice in their head, announcing that Aroden is alive, has returned, and is reclaiming Cheliax from Hell. 

Maybe the trumpet archon can do something helpful here? Vanyel isn't sure what its abilities are. 

It could paralyze every enemy or civilian who hears its trumpet but that honestly looks like overkill right now; it can do it elsewhere, if there are panicked civilians being packed off to Hell elsewhere. It can do mass healing without Fazil's radius limit. It can banish some devils, if it sees any. 

And it can raise the dead, usually, but it has already done that for the Heralds a couple times at the Worldwound and will be very tired if it does it again.