"Bloodsworn vale pass north west?" Ziphora suggests.
Ziphora tries to mentally calculate how long it will take Pacem close enough to the opposing army to spy on them.
It depends on just how far they've gotten since the last reports. Two or three days, probably?
"I don't think I want to go several days without sleep. We'll need to wait for them to get closer before I can send Pacem to spy on them." Ziphora states.
"Hmm... Iffin we can get there a day or two ahead of them, there probably be some hydra majicks what I could call on ter help wit tae battlefield. I say we get headin' out and finish tae plannin' when we get there and can see what tae pass looks like."
And so they go to the pass!
Mazzoss seconds the vote to head to the pass.
The leaders depart to gather their forces, and you leave to go to the pass.
You get there before most of the others. It's a fairly wide pass for most of its length, a wide up into the mountains with gentle slopes that slowly grow steeper until they're sheer cliffs on the sides. Only near the top does it narrow down, the slopes on the sides rocky cliffs. The narrow area lasts for a couple of miles before widening back out, varying between about thirty and fifty feet across, with a few spots even narrower.
Ziphora looks for rocks that can be weakened so they will create an Avalanche as they fall.
While Ziphora doesn't see anywhere that looks ready to create a real avalanche, she does spot several individual large rocks that could probably do a fair amount of damage if broken free and then rolled downslope.
"Yayyyy I found rocks! Big Rocks!" Ziphora exclaims as she points out the rocks to the party.
From their high vantage point, Beachhead looks east to see if he can see any sign of the oncoming army.
Mazzoss looks around for places to set up ambushes.
Grash doesn't really bother looking around, as the other heads seemed to have it in head. "How long be it ere the enemies arrive? Iffin' we have a day ter prepare, I could use some old hydra magicks ter prepare tae battlefield."
Ziphora orders the archers to be positioned on the ledges, and a few soldiers at each rock to push it over when the enemy arrives.
Mazzoss plans on where to grow the swamp. "We should slow them down with my swamp as soon as they get into the pass." Mazzoss cackles.
Grash looks out at the pass area. "Hmmm, maybe we could try ter dig a ditch er somthin' ter slow tae invaders down, or pile up rocks or dirt tae make tae pass narrower? Iffin' they be outnumberin' our forces, we probably want ter fight them at a narrow spot."
Mazzoss nods. "Good thinking Grash." Mazzoss looks around to see if there is a way to narrow the pass.
Maybe a little bit, given the kind of weight you can throw around, but not by a lot. None of the slopes around here look ready to give up large amounts of stone without large amounts of work.
Ziphora helps fly some of soldiers up, on Hydra airlines. Namely having some of the soldiers grab each neck as she airlifts the body up.
Grash considers the pass. "There be a spot here where it narrows down quite a bit on its own. Maybe we should put the swamp there? It be right under some of them big rocks, too."
"That is an idea, I was thinking further so the other army is slowed down sooner."
"Aye there be merit in that... but we need ter remember that our lizardfolk warriors want ter fight in tae swamp, so we should put at least some of it where we plan ter make our stand."
"Well since we fly, the swamp doesn't bother us..." Ziphora adds. "How much swamp can you create, Mazzoss?"
"How much swamp can you create, Mazzoss?"
"10 10 ft squares," Beachhhead butts in helpfully.
"You're not Mazzoss, but I think the swamp coverage should be pretty good." Ziphora replies.
"We could make our stand while standing in the narrowest part of the valley, in the swamp. Human archers could fire from behind us, Lizard folk melee with us in the swamp?"
"Sound logic Ziphora." Mazzoss agrees.
"I can also make a wall in front of us that will make some of the enemies blind and deaf."
"I can bite them if we get close enough...."
"Dinnae fear, Beachead! I be sure there will be plenty of opportunity fer bitin'. Hmmm... mayhap we should plan where we be wantin' ter fight. Should we hunt fer their leaders, stand with tae front lines, or somethin' else?"
"We could be in the front lines to start and then to hunt for the leaders after causing chaos.
You make all of the preparations you can, the various soldiers and warriors arriving throughout the day until they've all assembled by the evening. You sleep for the night, and when you wake up, the last of Sir Torlgrith's scouts arrives, announcing that the hobgoblins will arrive within two hours.
Ziphora has the human archers each grab onto a neck as she flies them up the cliff to hide behind the ledges, ready to shoot at the enemies. The lizards she orders in front of the body, mostly, except for javelin throwers at the back.
Grash spends a bit of time reciting some good pre-battle inspiring stories. He also suggests that most of the melee forces be concntrated right after the bottleneck, where it starts to widen out, so that friendly forces might be able to locally outnumber the hobgoblins.
"Oh, and how about ye send tae little bird or whatever scoutin' over tae hobgoblins? See what kind of troops n' beasties they have?"
"Only if Beachhead promises not to scare Pacem first!" Ziphora states stubbornly.
"Beachhead, do you solemnly swear that you will not attempt to scare Pacem if I call him out?" Ziphora stares at Beachhead.
"'Solemnly' seems a bit much," Beachhead replies cagily.
...
...
...
"Fine."
...
"But not, like, forever."
"What? Would you rather entwine necks to swear? Then I'd have to check when was the last time you took a bath."Ziphora grumbles grumpily.
She then summons Pacem from the secret place in her head. "Go forth and spy on our enemies, then return."She orders.
Pacem flies forth and does his duty.
"Can't you just take me at my word? It's not like I've ever lied to you before.
"Anyway, where's your turtle?" Beachhead asks Mazzoss.
"All right. I will. Just this time. But I'm still keeping an eye on you." Ziphora glares at Beachhead.
"That's gross. Keep your eyes to yourself."
It doesn't take Pacem long to spot the army. They're just starting up the other side of the pass. There look to be several large, winged monsters with them--wyverns, manticores, that sort of thing. There's also a couple of large ground creatures.
Pacem comes back and Ziphora summons him back into her head.
"There are wyvern, manticores and large ground creatures,"she dutifully reports.
"Hmmm, flyin' monsters could be annoyin'. They'll probably attack our archers iffin' we dinnae deal with them. We may want ter take them down first, then focus on tae ground battle."
Grash thinks for a moment, and turns to Mazoss. "Oh, and iffin' ye could set yer blindin' wall up right at tae beginnin' of tae swamp, we could weaken tae enemies right as tae come inter battle with our forces!"
"He is resting right here on my forehead." Mazzoss remarks.
Mazzoss will wait to form the swamp until the enemies reach the pass and then will cast wall of blindness and deafness right before the swamp.
"You could be right on the flying creatures. I could poke them with my horn?" Ziphora suggests.
Soon enough you can hear the sounds of an army on the move. They stop before coming into sight for a moment, then there's the sound of many feet in motion. Coming into sight around the bend in the pass, a number of lightly-armored hobgoblins come jogging towards you.