The abadarans are investing in designs to propel heavy cargo ships at great speed, but it's going to take years to develop and input from some of the best dwarven craftsmen imported liquor can buy.

So far they can get engines that only blow themselves to pieces after a few weeks instead of as soon as you turn them on.

It's not going to be ready in time, to make a difference.

Abrogail Thrune has been patient. Abrogail Thrune has training as fast as she can, that she would before it is too late become ready.

Her nobles have been beaten into line. Promising young men have been sent by the thousands to the worldwound, to fight endless hordes of demons, and those who survived unbroken have been made officers and commanders and ennobled knights of Cheliax who will lead the next wave after them.

It will be delivered by many channels at once, and timed to arrive in the morning, a few hours after sunrise.

Dear residents of Andoran,

Whereas they have unlawfully rebelled against their lawful overlord,
Whereas they have relentlessly attacked honest shipping on international waters,
Whereas they have prohibited the lawful and obedient worship of a lawful god,
Whereas they have denied the divine right of monarchs respected since time immemorial,
Whereas they have executed our messengers,

by rights mine by the laws of Cheliax and by my compact with Lord Asmodeus, 
I, Abrogail Thrune II, Infernal Majestrix of the Empire of Cheliax, hereby declare war upon the Peoples' Republic of Andoran.

The Royal Army, Royal Navy, and Nobility of Cheliax, as well as Organised Clergy of the Church of Asmodeus in Cheliax and of His Archdevils, are hereby commanded to wage war against them until victory is obtained, with all the resources entrusted to them.

Honest subjects of the Infernal Majestrix residing in Andoran are encouraged to render no aid to the Peoples' Republic, to sabotage them at all opportunity, and to surrender to chellish forces upon first sighting, carrying no fear of death but instead the faith that Asmodeus shall recognise his own in the world that is to come.

-Signed, Abrogail Thrune II

You have all been preparing for this, this whole time, right?
I mean, it should have been obvious I was going to do this.
I wasn't like, telegraphing it or anything, that would be dumb.
But still.

It is really, really difficult for a paladin to be a politician.

He couldn't at any point say that it was a smart idea to elect him, that any of his policies would definitely have good results, that he'd be trying his best to keep the everyday Andoren citizen safe, that he was looking out for the little guy, that he was avoiding a war, that he was safeguarding their futures.

He was not in fact doing any of that. He was trying to disadvantage Asmodeus as much as humanly possible and minimise the amount of people who'd go to Hell, in the longterm and averaged across Creation. He'd well known if he succeeded he'd get everyone who'd ever trusted him killed for it, and a lot of people who'd trusted him damned.

He does have a lot of charisma though, and he can say that he loves his country and cares about everyone in it, and that's better than most other candidates after you apply the not-required-to-be-telling-the-truth discount.

Andoran voted for him anyway. He knows how they'll react.

Andoran has been expecting this any minute now for its entire existence.

They were never going to stop antagonising Asmodeus just because it was definitely going to get them all killed.
Half the country gave up being afraid a long time ago and decided to do the right thing anyway.
For the youth, they can either surrender and suffer and die and go to Hell, or they can fight and suffer and die and go to Elysium. It's an easy choice.
There's been enough clerics offering enough healing and truthspells and stories of the afterlives that aren't terrible that they'll put their faith in it.

They'll revel in their freedoms tonight, if it's the mortal last night they ever do, and raise a toast to their own impending dooms.

Andoran has been doing a lot to antagonise Cheliax, and everyone else too while they we're at it, but they've been doing that for quite a while.

Her mere existence had been enough to stop this happening before.
Cheliax expects they can fight a ninth-circle archwizard and win.
There are not many things that can expect to fight a ninth-circle archwizard and win. She knew Abrogail was a sorceror, she infers now that she is a very powerful sorceror.

She's already got plans, but she thinks she can do better.
She'll come up with more.

Asmodeus probably knows that much of the reason His slaves haven't taken over the world already is the number of powerful Lawful Evil entities who hate Him and are willing to use all His strategies right back against Him, in addition to all the other corners of the alignment chart.

When a country goes on an aggressive footing, it usually makes itself much more vulnerable to attack. This is a good opportunity to get some long-delayed revenges.

He's already got plans, but he thinks he can do better.
He'll come up with more.

Robaldo hears the declaration at the same time everyone else does.
He knew this was coming eventually, he'd hoped he had more time.

His default personal-security spells, prepared items and selection of Healings to sell or hand out aren't the worst to have at the start of a war, though he'll make plans to pick better ones tomorrow for whatever seems most useful.

Hah, you thought you had till tomorrow.

She'll attack an hour before dusk.

Two thousand elite units, led by a ninth-circle sorceror and two pit fiends, sprint out of the Gate placed at a major square well inside the walls. 

Summon Monster V: Large Fire Elemental.

We've a ninth-circle of our own, and a stronger and older one than Abrogail.

We've got three at seventh, a dozen at sixth, dozens at fifth, a hundred at fourth (one of whom is Robaldo, for those keeping track), a thousand below that.

We've got thick walls and prepared demiplanes and underground panic shelters and hired soldiers and allied clerics and all of the home-field advantage a genius archwizard can accumulate over decades of wanting to keep her students safe.

What makes you think you can break that?

Mage's Decree.

We won't attack the university, that's suicide. We'll just destroy the rest of the city, set it all on fire, and kill all the civilians who supply you. You can come out here and fight or you can stay in there and become irrelevant.

Hellfire Ray.

I could do the same thing to Egorian, if I felt like it.

Explode Head.

I'm pretty sure it's a bluff. They'll all go to Hell and it'll be your fault and if you'd instead found a way to beat Cheliax without slaughtering all its people first they'd have a chance at redemption and paradise and as long as that's true you're too weak and naive to hit me where it'd actually hurt.

If I'm wrong you can go ahead and kill them.

Hellfire Ray.

Then you're a fool for putting all your most loyal units in one place where I can kill them and spare the rest.

Spellblight Jinx.

I've felt worse.

They're spread across the city already. No Area of Effect spell could hurt them without killing everyone else in Almas too.

Hellfire Ray.

You've been to Hell, but I've been to Disboard.

Teleport Object: Enchanted Steel Sphere of Permanent Shrink Item into the area completely surrounding Abrogail.

Shrink.

That's not even the real Abrogail.

Scroll of Possession.
Scroll of Teleport.

You think you can not participate for two whole rounds? Another handful of Asmodean clerics will be dead when you get back.

This isn't even the real Morgethai, just a Sarenrite with depression who volunteered.

Abrogail's wearing a mid-level fighter because it's cheaper than putting on a belt.

Since she's using a teleport anyway, she'll pick a different part of Almas where she saw a lot of civilians fleeing. It's basically cover.

Cloudkill.

If you're not bothered to show up yourself... this is a distraction isn't it?

Teleport.

Where does she think she's going, I can totally keep killing everyone.
Oh wait she's figured out the real army is marching across the border, hasn't she?

She'll have to grab one of her pit fiends and -

Teleport.

...

Fighting door to door is chaotic and dangerous. They'll take many injuries, even if it's few deaths.

The random high-level fighters and paladins in the city can choose their battles and set costly ambushes, but the only thing that stops an army is another army and there isn't one ready to meet them, so they should prevail.

Arrow of Resized Arrowhead.

Unshrink.