Mission 4: Among the Masses

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. 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.

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.

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. Queen is a capable sorcerer and can provide a quick return if Ash is unavailable.