Mission 4: Among the Masses
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Exalted: |
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Chapter 2 |
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The Circle With No Name |
Suggested music: Avenged Sevenfold - Strength of the World
The Job
Client: The General Staff of Lookshy
Target: Nellens Duhon and The Grievous Ravager of Flesh and Bone
Type: Assassination
Target background:
Nellens Duhon is an elder commander among The Realm's legions, the dragon-lord has long served the Realm's military but has not ascended to higher rank due to his low birth. Duhon was a lost egg from Nexus, discovered by The Immaculate Abbot and sent to the Blessed Isle to become a part of the Empire. Duhon was already too old to attend an academy and receive a typical upbringing, House Nellens was the only house that would take him in. Duhon proved to be a good choice and a hard worker, devoted to helping his adopted nation. Duhon has served a majority of his military career in Greyfalls, he has been there longer than any of the other Dragon-Blooded commanders though he is not the highest ranked. Despite this intelligence reports indicate that he is likely the most wise and powerful of the dragon-bloods stationed there, and as a result Lookshy would like to be rid of him.
Lookshy is more than capable of launching a military campaign or even a typical assassination in order to rid themselves of this dragon-lord. However, this hit is a part of Lookshy's larger plan to convince The Realm that the Threshold has simply become too volatile and unstable to maintain a base so far from the Blessed Isle. It is imperative that Duhon die in a way The Realm never even suspects assassination, or they will immediately blame Lookshy, for this reason The Grass Spiders were hired.
Duhon is scheduled to lead his Dragon into combat against a particularly troublesome barbarian horde being led by a powerful beastman, named The Grevious Ravager of Flesh and Bone. Lookshy would like Duhon to be killed during this battle, though his forces far outmatch the forces of the barbarians, losing a commander of Duhon's quality to a barbarian horde would go a long way towards convincing The Realm to leave Greyfalls once and for all.
Lookshy of course also does not want to actually destabilize the region, simply to convince The Realm that it is beyond their control. As a result they would like to see the The Grevious Ravager of Flesh and Bone eliminated as well, also to be killed in action and not assassinated. Crusher, as he is known by most, is a rogue beastman of Ma-Ha Suchi who somehow managed to escape the derangements inherent with serving Ma-Ha Suchi. Noticing that most of his companions, as well as his father and master were derranged Crusher left the community he was born into in search of something far less out of control. Despire Crusher's outside appearance and physical ability he is not an overly violent man by choice, more a philosopher than warrior. However, he certainly understand the need to protect and lead his people into war when the time calls for it, and the Time of Tumult certainly does. Over the last decade Crusher has built up one of the most significant barbarian communities to the southeast of Greyfalls through moderately peaceful raids, recruitment, and when necessary military expansion. Furthermore Lookshy fears that the beastman is backed heavily by The Silver Pact and does not wish to risk angering them by interfering with their feud against Greyfalls. It appears The Silver Pact is testing the effectiveness of a beastman leader without the aid of any exalts; hoping to make strides towards mortals being capable of protecting themselves, Crusher has had some very strong success in this regard and there is no doubt The Silver Pact would be very upset if their experiment was prematurely ended.
Critical Notes:
- Both Nellens Duhon and The Grevious Ravager of Flesh and Bone (Known as Crusher) must be killed during the midst of the battle against one another and appear to be killed within the natural course of the battle. Neither The Realm or the Silver Pact can suspect outside involvement.
- Non-combatants are not to be harmed as always, however participants in the battle on either side could likely be excused from this.
- It is not important who actually wins the battle, simply that it lasts long enough for both targets to be eliminated during it and that it appears the battle has not be altered by an outside force.
- While The Realm's forces are likely to remain in battle after Duhon is eliminated, the same cannot be said for the barbarian horde. Barbarian hordes tend to disperse quickly when their leader is eliminated. Expect the horde to route quickly after the beastman is killed.
- Reconnaissance from our associates tells us that there should be no other Dragon-Blooded present within Duhon's dragon, however it is possible he could be accompanied by more if Greyfalls believes The Silver Pact will step in to help Crusher.
- Whitaker, a native of the region, suggested avoiding combat with any of the patron lunars in the area. Most of their are old and powerful, if they became involved in the fight it would be impossible to hide, perhaps impossible to win.
- Whitaker also mentioned a lunar contact in the region, Exaltant Willow as well as the Zal'tora Pride which could provide information to The Grass Spiders on The Silver Pact's movement. However, both parties would be strictly against the assassination of Crusher if The Grass Spiders motives were somehow given away, avoiding them to not arouse suspicion may be the best option.
Expected Threats:
- Nellens Duhon (Threat Level: Very High, probability of encounter: certain)
- The Grievous Ravager of Flesh and Bone (Threat Level: High, probability of encounter: certain)
- Realm Legionnaires (Threat Level: Medium, probability of encounter: medium)
- The Barbarian Horde (Threat Level: Moderate, probability of encounter: medium)
- The Silver Pact (Threat Level: Extremely High, probability of encounter: low)
Team A: (Duhon) Valen, The One-Eyed Queen of Silk and Lace
Team B: (Crush) Zealot of Iconoclastic Virtue, Mesa, Fay Morgana
Team C: Ash will run pickup and delivery for both teams if possible, but is preoccupied with a necessary run to the southern desert to obtain supplies for the ship and will not be a part of the official mission. Opal will be accompanying Ash to the south, Ash prefers not to buy from the major markets to avoid questions about an airship, but as a result he goes to less reputable sources. Queen is a capable sorcerer and can provide a quick return if Ash is unavailable.
Mission Status
Job: Complete
Dates: Resplendent Water 27 - Descending Water 5, R.Y. 768
Kill:Mesa, Fay, and Zealot disguise themselves as All Seeing Eye Agents, presenting Duhon with intelligence gathered by Valen to gain his trust. They alter the plan to ensure Crusher cannot escape, and the three of them join with Duhon's calvary unit that will envelope Crusher's barbarian horde. The battle is fairly even until the calvary joins the battle, and the battle turns in the direction of The Realm. The team pounces on Crusher, clinching him and cutting him down quickly within the scope of the battle. Crusher's death is coordinated with Team A and the battle is quickly put to an end, even without Duhon. Both Teams escape the field and meet up to head back to The Range Homes.
Quote of the night: "I didn't know what we were doing! Are we just thinking?!?" (Zealot/Brian)
Exp. Awarded: Base - 4 (5 for Fay and Zealot)
The Aftermath
Descending Water 5, R.Y. 768, Night