The bombardment begins as planned, smashing into the shield with brutal efficiency. It seems to be breaking through fairly quickly... until the defenses come online. Having taken their time to acquire targets, they lash out with pinpoint precision, incredibly powerful, needlepoint surgical strikes, designed to disable his bombardments, or, worse, set off the charges in the midst of Draiss' armies. The divine support manages to mitigate a lot of the damage, but it's still a potent counterattack, though not quite enough, as Draiss' combination of ritual and bombardment crack the way, enough to let his strike force in.