Battle of Mount Ila'Alnar part 4
Much of the mountain’s protections involved fire and the Vishtoo were able to probe them for several days before the defenders took real note of what was going on and what the creatures were. One dead Vishtoo found by others on the slopes put an end to the easy scouting. Up until that attack, the defenders had never left the safety of the mountain, but the death was clearly caused at close range. The death helped the Vishtoo gain a bit more trust among the allies.
The guardians delivered disappointing news. Their agents in Amansky could not convince the nearby nation, which had come through the past decades as unscathed as any, to lend assistance in any meaningful fashion, although several Nipits and Sakor’akai arrived of their own accord. They joined a growing list of adventurers from around the main continent and some from beyond, that journeyed to help in the fight. Even at that, there were fewer than they would have hoped. Iott had taken its toll on the world, as had the plagues. The effort to extinguish Sutyr’s cult up to this point had thinned the list of experts in dealing with exactly this type of problem.
Help trickled in day by day, week by week. Saren and Koth’s ally Knot arrived. The host of guardians and Icefians included: Garanuf Frozensky the giant killer, Palaat the Long Arm, Jamison Wokal cleric of Gnarion, Gnicodemos Batterbronze, Argus of the Fire Eagles, Tania Falconsoul, Cinatus Ulogot, Alara Gemblade Knight Captain, Derman Warmarch Knight Captain, and Avren Songsmith Knight Captain. Raygen’s friends and allies The Nomad Lords led by Renalshaw and numbering eleven arrived. The desert elven sultans did not come, nor did they send their bodyguard or agents, but as a sign of good faith, they paid for the Trio of Gold; Juhutimose, Emenses, and Khenmet to take part. Their help was accepted, but Haas, Ajax, Saren, Knot and others were displeased by the presence of the mercenaries who had opposed them years before.
Each person that came wanted to give an opinion, which would have been chaos had it not been for the presence of Dourvan. Not even the Trio of Gold was so arrogant as to assume they knew more about strategy than a quasi deity of it. The plan he crafted had not flaws that anyone in the tent could perceive. Only another deity of greater intellect might have had a chance at defeating it. None knew if Sutyr fit that description, but they feared he might. The plan Dourvan crafted was elegant and simple. Close the noose around the mountain. They had some time to spare, so they could inch closer, minimize loses and weaken the enemy forces. When the time was right, they would launch an all-out attack aimed at defeating Sutyr. Once done, whatever remained could be delt with or if no resources were left to fight them, their existence would be an annoyance but pose no existential threat.
As the weeks went on, those sort of words from the mouth of Dourvan, spread through the camp and beyond. Two months into the siege, some others began to sense the weight of the threat and more help would begin to arrive.