As the Torkashian invasion force stormed the north and east gates of the city, councils were being called on Temple Mount. Aregakk (the leader of the Church of Bahamut), Tullovial Reskataar, Morphail Allegron, Balthizaa Stang, other military commanders and faith leaders congregated in the Pantheonic War Room. Aregakk reported that he'd learned, with the help of the Divine Shades that the numbers faithful to the mayor were quite disturbing. It appeared that the Mayor had a fairly powerful force, comprable to that of the Pantheon. The Divine Shade agents had also discovered that these numbers would likely grow because the Mayor had spent a great deal of time and effort in developing a relationship with the Primordial Ascensionists. The Shades had actually infiltrated the Primordialists to gain this intelligence. Aragakk was highly concerned that if the Primordialists fought for the Mayor that the balance of power would be greatly upset.
Morphail volunteered to put a team together to head out to the Primordialist's northern camp to convince them, if not to Join the Pantheonic resistance, at least not help the Mayor in his military endeavours. The council agreed. With Morphail, Balthizaad sent his closest advisor and bodyguard. Marshall, Lyndiskel and Malark were tapped to join Morphail in this dangerous diplomatic mission.
As the group made their way northeast, passing tall ships heading towards the city, Vizinni scanned amidst the mustering Pantheonic forces with Balthizaad and the others. He reached out with his mind and sensed a gathering threat, possibly a retalliation against Temple Mount by the Mayor's forces. Armed with this information, the Pantheon moved their forces into place in David's Quarter. Also moving into position there were the forces of Cog City, who'd pledged themselves to the service of the Pantheon who'd helped them so much in the past and to whom they now belonged through their deity, the MCP. The Torkashian attack force swarmed over the city walls, slaughtering Bluearms by the thousands with swords, magic, and artillery.
The Pantheonic units moved into the government neighborhood, taking over building after building. This was supported by war machines developed recently by Cog City craftsmen and the quiet effectiveness of the Divine Shades.
Meanwhile, the diplomatic missive had made their way to a heavy thicket of briars heavily perfumed with the thick odor of roses. Their guide identified this as the entrance to the main hideout of the Primordial Ascensionists. This was quickly confirmed by the emergence of guards who ushered the group belowground where they found a society living hidden beneath the earth practically under the shadow of the city's walls. Here they saw not only families and living areas, but also evidence of military capabilities. They were made to wait in a large, open area crisscrossed by thick roots and brambles. They could see shadowy shapes skittering beyond the twisting vegetation.
In the city, things had escalated. In the East, the Torkashian attack force hammered at the Bluearms. To the north, the Torkashians had found a strengthened Bluearm wall guard, but their artillery hammered at the clusters of guards. To the west, a distand rumble of thunder echoed amidst the Quenecian Navy which held fast in the harbor. They didn't see the three Pirate Galleons cruising in from the north leaving two Torkashian ships naught but spinters and flailing seamen behind them.
In the south, undead creatures stirred with the help of a few priests who'd been sent there by Balthizaad to drum up support. One of the undead, ancient and skeletal with glowing green eyesockets whispered the secret of an ancient machine buried at the base of the wall which could teleport troops beyond the city walls. The strong undead force took control of the teleporter and used it to gain access to the city walls with ease. The Bluearms there were caught off guard, and began to fight a degenerating battle to hold the wall in the south.
The Mayor's forces near the Mayoral Estate began to press in on the protestors who had been rallying at his gates. Also, near the main stair to Temple Mount, the Bluearms began to strengthen the anti-Pantheonic protestors there with real arms. Thousands of people stood outside Temple Mount in a show of force.
In David's Quarter, things had gone ill for the Mayoral units there. Henriet Nataskalam moved as many of her men as she could away from the swarm of Pantheonic forces. She cut around the south side of Temple Mount where there were few opposing forces to hinder her movement. Off-duty bluearms and some recruits began mustering at the Bluearms barracks west of temple mount.
Back at the Rosebush, the missive had finally been granted an audience with Charsey (a gold dragon who once worshipped Io) and Lazrus (who once worshipped Mars). Morphail and the others attempted to impress upon the leaders of the Primordialists that the Pantheon had no interest in implementing a Theocracy and that the Primordialists would not be oppressed if the Panthon were to win in the conflict with the mayor. The Primordialists were highly wary of Morphail's words and the reason for that became quite apparent when diplomats from the Office of the Mayor appeared at the meeting and began recounting their side of the argument, warning the Primordialists that their views would not be welcome in a Pantheon-led government.
Charsey and Lazrus explained that their interests lay purely in the future of their people, though the two seemed to differ in their opinion of how their people's security would be attained, and who could best provide for it. Both the Pantheonic group and the Mayor's group were excused and asked to leave the Rosebush, which they did in peace.
Back in the city, from out of the gathering clouds above the city in the darkening twilight, two huge shapes lowered themselves into view. Glittering with illumination, the machines hummed with malice. One hovered over the place where Henriet's group was moving, the other flew towards the North Gate. Hundreds of armored Illithid troops dropped from each ship, supporting the Mayoral troops fighting below. Beams of coherent light lanced through the dimness.
Meanwhile, Morphail and his companions were rolling through the northern plains, heading back towards the sea when they were attacked. Fortunately, Malark had created an illusion Lyndiskel's battle wagon rolling in front of them. The ground in front of the illusion was hit by a disintegrate ray and Malark, thinking fast, caused the illusion to crash therein. Moments later, the real wagon was hit by another ray and the top half of the vehiclew was turned to dust. The group fought with their assailants, and successfully beat them by hiding amidst illusions and outclassing them with ranged attacks. It became clear that their assailants were one of the Mayor's Guardinis, some Bluearms, and some Primordialists.
They didn't waste any time however, and they made their way quickly back towards the city. When they were near, they called for Temple Mount guards and Divine Champions to extract them. Soon, as they flew over the flickering lights of the city, they saw thousands of mercenaries marching from the direction where the Pirate ships had landed. They seemed to be making their way to an area near the Bluearms Barracks. There, had begun a long battle-line that was stretching in a crescent all the way to the Mayoral Estate. Morphail landed amidst Pantheonic forces advancing on the battle line. Lyn landed among Cog City's warriors and climbed into one of their Panzerbots. Energized by her presence, Cog City's forces surged forward, rolling over their opposition. The storm rolled into the city under the cover of night.
In West Golgotha, for the past two hours, those who hadn't heeded the warnings of the Defenders finally had reason to listen. A dazzling display of light and sound permeated the air above the district. Brilliant bolts of energy crackled in the moist air, striking the ground below. People scattered in all directions. After nearly an hour of this din, a break appeared in the clouds and a shaft of yellow light broke through and upon this beam rode a massive structure which seemed to be a white and gold city borne upon an inverted, machine-covered cone. The city drove itself into the ground of West Golgotha's slopes. It spun clockwise as it twisted itself into position, destroying most of the structures that had already been there in the proces. The quake was felt for miles around.
Thousands of creatures swarmed on the new district's streets and flew amongst the city's glittering minarets. Upon the new district's main gate, where a stair was slowly lowering itslef, Talaraesae and Forwaith stood amidst their legion. A single whisper paper bearing the signature of Morphail Allegron deposited itself in her hand. The other beings, with bright countenances and strange bearings, dispersed along the edges of the new district ushering the people who had fled at their arrival and daring any enemy to approach. Some flew to assist the undead with the securing of the south gate.
The Mayor, who had been standing his ground with many Bluearms at his estate, began pushing his men through and over the gates. They began to overrun and slaughter the commoners who had been protesting in the streets there. The armed men marched on through the district and joined the battle line that was forming along the Scopusberg/Apothecary District border.
At the same time, in the north, Primordialists had begun to arrive in the city through secret passageways. Some had actually been there for a while, but had been biding their time until their commanders could give them direction. Half of the Primordialists, following Charsey, had decided to join with the Pantheon in their fight against the Mayor, the other half had chosen to join with the mayor, opposing the Pantheon and all it stands for. They joined the Pantheon's northern flank and the Mayor's southern flank respectively. Also strengthening the mayor's southern flank were mercenaries from the pirate ships which had recently arrived. Many Pantheonic forces, including those of the Divine Champions of Death began marching out of Temple Mount to join the battle lines. In the east, the wall guard had been completely overrun and the Torkash began moving quickly to join the battle lines to the north of Temple Mount while the Illithid and Bluearms who had been fighting at north gate began to withdraw, to keep out of the range of Torkashian artillery.
In a surprise move, Dorm Fellaxe himself also appeared in the midst of battle. He explained to Morphail (both of them now positioned on the front lines) that he had seen his people safely on their way to their new home in the Eastern Mountains. He was ready, now, to fight alongside the Pantheon.
The storm was building up terribly as a dim, red dawn began to break. The Quenecian Navy moved into firing range of her cannon. High seas did not stop the proud ships, including the QSV Chan Juan itself from unleashing over 250 cannon on the pirate invaders. The pirates ignored the ships which easily outclassed them, instead they launched volley after volley of artillery into the city streets where, thanks to whisper paper messages, other Mayoral forces were spotting for them.
Ships of a different variety blasted their way through the cloud cover. Three heavy Illithid ships with highly modified foredecks which glowed green with power hurtled towards the center of the battle line. Giving chase was a sleek, gunmetal gray Apeothean scout. The commander of that vessel, Lenara, used her telepathic abilities to contact Morphail and let him know it was she and that they must destroy those attacking Illithid no matter the cost. Lenara's ship dropped Apeothean troops into the fray, then moved to intercept the hovering Illithid ships which were attacking Dorm Fellaxe directly. Some sinister technomagik was at work, having stunned him completely.
For hours, the Pantheonic forces clashed in the center of their ranks, attempting to make some kind of impact on the hovering Illithid monstrosities. In the midst of this battle, more heroic powers appeared to assist in the battle: Bahamut, Darvek Quickroot, Euroupa, Persephone Fastbrook, and the Gnome powers as well. The other two Illithid ships streaked to the defense of the cruisers. In a deluge of rain, as afternoon approached Dorm Fellaxe was broken to pieces and absorbed by one of the ships, which lost no time in closing its baffles and gaining altitude. The Pantheonic forces along with Cog City divisions, which had just pushed into position, made a concentrated push against the Illithid. Bahamut himself launched into the sky, tearing at the ships with claws and teeth tougher than any alien metal and a breath weapon colder than any synthetic chemical. Cog City's energy beams and shells fired skyward, breaching and pockmarking the ships' hulls. The Pantheonic forces, the Divine Shades especially, launched a hail of spells at the rising behemoths. On the Illithid ships, explosions rocked internally and fires raged out of control. Just after it dropped a single atomic weapon, the ship which held Dorm's essence exploded. The thick, low clouds pushed out from the center, revealing blue sky for a moment; clutter showered down on the combatants. The essence permeated the battlefield and the world 'round. With no small thanks to having the god of luck on the forefront of that assault, all four of the other ships fell, out of the sky in what seemed like slow motion. The atomic weapon and the death throes of the five mighty machines of war decimated the landscape and many of the troops in the city below.
While hundreds of thousands of men and women risked their lives on the battle lines, the rest of the city was not silent.
Throughout the city, people felt the shaking, crumbling, reverberating chaos of battle. They heard the screams and explosions echoing through the mighty halls of Jerusalem. Some took advantage of the chaos. Storefronts suffered looting, people were mugged and even killed when they tried to defend themselves. A steady stream of clear-minded people who felt no ties to the battle at hand began streaming out of the city. Others had never known any other home and they refused to leave, but those people were in for another heartache. Twice during the battle, a terrible groan bubbled up from beneath the city. It seemed to roll up from the most dusky depths of Old Jerusalem. Even as the rare hurricane bore down on the people of this ancient city, the architecture itself turned on them. Streets opened up, cobbles becoming gnashing teeth and lamp-posts blazing eyes full of hatred. Buildings chewed their occupants. Gas built up from years of decay bubbled up from the deepest sewers and became a creeping doom for anyone caught in it. Many people fled to more open areas or even to the docks. Golgothans made their way back to their district where Talaraesae and her soldiers welcomed them. The new Golgotha was less affected by the city's lurchings and rage, but it was still felt there.
On the northeast side of the city, Tharanngg made a swooping appearance and began to wreak havocc among the troops. He was met there by Torkashian artillery and white dragons. Flak filled the air and the white dragons swarmed him. Caught off guard, Tharangg retreated to the now-empty Mayoral estate. There he found a hidden trove of magic items which he used to make his last stand against the Torkashians. In the end, with the coming of the eye of the storm, he was hunted down and destroyed. The last remnants of the white dragonflight feasted on his remains.
On Temple Mount, in the nearly deserted streets in the center of the plateu, Death walked. She had taken her favorite guise, that of a pale, young woman. She twirled her hair as she approached her grand cathedral. She made no startled move when the building began to implode in upon itself. Thousands and thousands of panes of glass shattered, the shards raining down on the few people within, slicing them to ribbons. The steel frame and concrete supports crumpled and crumbled. The collapsing structure screamed as if it were a thousand tortured souls. When it had finally finished its transformation, a tall, grim-looking ziggurat stood bleeding in the darkening day. She climbed it with bare feet, her gods feet oozing as they snapped bits of glass off. She grinned with the pain and soon took her seat at the top of the structure and watched the battle unfold.
To the southeast, another endless creature had arrived in the city. She had just glutted herself on the soul of Kakookamak and she was feeling quite mischievous. Ishtar wandered the streets, making her way towards the battle. Those who did not part and give her room to walk died of intense pleasure. During a lull in the battle, Vizinni had reached out with his mind to get a view of the battle. Seeing the echo of pain and lust and danger and death, he sent Tullovial a whisper paper warning him of Ishtar's approach. Tullovial, Aragakk, and David sprung into action. They rode out to meet her. The hurricane was screaming when the group met her. She had taken control of several ranks of warriors in order to distract the powerful leaders. She broke away from them and made for the line of battle. She did not escape the watchful eye of Ereshkigal. Death pursued her.
At the line of battle, hardship, destruction, and blood were cheap commodities. After over two days of fighting, the combatants fell back into holding positions and took shelter in buildings and trenches on the battlefield. Fires were lit, people slept. In the late morning, these camps were the only lights in the rain-washed city. By the time the eye of the hurricane arrived, the men were roused to fight again and fight they did. Battle plans had been hatched that morning and they came to fruition in one swift move. Bluearms and conscripted Mayoral loyalists made a bold move for the thick of Pantheonic defenses, thrusting for Morphail Allegron himself. In the north, the Pantheon's northeast flank and the Cog City forces backed up by mounted Divine Champions of Death rode to meet the Mayor's battle group.
As these titans clashed, Ishtar made several attempts at absorbing the exposed heroic powers. Death was as powerless as anyone to stop Ishtar from doing what she put her mind to, instead chose to beat her to the punch. Ishtar flung herself into the thick of battle and lunged at Pookah and her mate. Ereshkigal flew into the fray as a snowy owl and touched them.
Thunder exploded; rain and blood washed into the stormdrains and the battle swung into its own death throes. The assaults by mayoral forces did less to smash the Pantheonic juggernaut than their commanders had hoped. Tens of thousands of common men and women fighting for their beliefs died in the last hours of battle. Worry crept like a disease through the ranks. The Pantheonics wondered solemnly if their deities would survive this fight. The capture of Kommendant Henriet Natskalam weighed heavy on the bluearms.
While the meat grinder of battle made orphans and widows by the score, Ishtar did her own marked best to kill those in her way as she made her best effort to get to one of the other deities. She attempted to gain control of Darvek Quickroot, but his will proved too strong. Instead, Ishtar risked great harm by wading deep into the front lines. In one final act of trickery, she divided herself and made for two heroic deities. Ereshkigal's cunning wit allowed her to follow the true Ishtar to the place where Bahamut was flash-freezing fighters pressing in on the Pantheonic Commanders. Death looked up at the towering, gigantic dragon. He paused and regarded her calmly. He met her embrace and dissipated into eternity. Enraged, Ishtar disappeared. Death gathered herself and persued the powerful being into whatever fold of the universe she'd gone to.
A huge phalanx of Pantheonic cavalry attempted to make a run directly for the Mayor himself. Hakell proved to be quite slippery, but he was no match for the speed and efficiency of Lyndiskel behind the controls of a Panzerbot. The bot stuffed the fat mayor into its cargo box and rolled back behind their own lines.
The battle had ended in most parts of the city. The Illithid in the North took control of the minds of several thousand Mayoral conscripts and escaped the city. The Illithid in the south broke away from the battle line and captured the remainder of the pirate mercenaries as thralls before they escaped. The end of the storm brought the rays of the sun touching the crumbling rooftops of the broken and groaning city. The first light since the beginning of the battle was marked by more slaughter. Entrenched Mayoral forces rose up for one final assault on their enemies with a scream of rage and desparation. They were met by an equally determined Pantheonic assault. The clash was heard miles away in the deeps of the rolling hillsides east of the city where the Torkashian support personnel awaited word of their men and women.
In the end, only two small groups of Bluearms and Mayoral faithful remained on the field and were given quarter by Morphail Allegron. Though the Pantheon had won the day, their losses had been great. In the week that followed, the Church of Death reported that well over two hundred thousand people had perished in those three days. In that time, much action was taken. The Master of the City moved about through the city, trying to quiet Jerusalem's fury until it was relatively safe to walk the streets without the fear of actually being swallowed by them. In the south, the Defenders spread out, quieting unrest and capturing looters. The remaining Bluearms were ordered by the Acting Mayor to do the same along the coast and the north. Pantheonic forces, mostly Jovian troops, patrolled the city's core. After a week, they are still actively patroling their respective zones. A few minor scrapes between Jovian and Bluearm squads have been reported, but some of those surviving such scuffles who have been named instigators by witnesses have been either jailed or even hanged for treason by Tullovial or the acting Kommendant.
When the stench of carrion had abated, news of the return of the rule of law, and word that Morphail had taken the reins as Acting Mayor, people began to slowly leak into the city. Now, it is estimated that the city's population has returned to over five hundred thousand. The work of rebuilding has begun, but a dark undercurrent permeates everything. Those in power are getting a sense that matters are not finished. Morphail now plans with his closest advisors, hatching a plan to end the threat of Ishtar once and for all and the Master of the City is trying to decide who he can trust to help him save Jerusalem and hundreds of thousands of lives.