MISSION: SALT THE EARTH

[initiatesnpc]

Date & Time: October 17 - October 23
Location: Southwest Russia, 1223 CE
Characters: ALL; tag yourselves in
Summary: The Initiative sends all of the Transports on a mission to fight troops of the Golden Horde.
Warnings: war, violence, npc death (notify a mod if there's cause to add a particular warning!)

It is a warm day when the Transports arrive, a breeze blowing and sparse clouds in the sky. Before them is an expanse of flat land interspersed with some short, rolling hills. There are sparse trees, but for the most part it is grassland. It would be ideal for farming, but has not been utilized as such yet. Several miles in the distance is a small town, and the troops of the Golden Horde have made their camp just outside of it. There are about a thousand soldiers present, and the mission is simple: send a message that this land cannot be claimed. They will do this by defeating these warriors who are feared throughout the medieval world. They will then punctuate this statement by ensuring that this land cannot be farmed for centuries.

It is a small expanse of land that the Initiative has their eyes on, no more than ten miles in diameter. But for some reason, they have deemed it to be of a deep strategic importance.

The Transports arrive in the early morning, escorted by several Initiative officers, whose presence is meant primarily to keep things organized while the actual battle is to be left to the Transports. Under the guidance of these Initiative officers, the first order of business for the Transports is to set up a camp of their own. The battle will commence in the late afternoon, six hours after their initial arrival.

The battle will take place halfway between each side's respective camps. Many of the Mongolians will fall in combat. On the fifth day, the remaining soldiers will retreat, surrendering the area. Once the region has been secured, the second portion of the mission will commense, in which the Initiative will oversee the dispersement of a chemical agent over the land to ensure that no crops may be grown there. It will be harmless to all humans and animal life, and some weeds may even be able to take root, but the grain farming that would have otherwise taken place on this land will not be able to be undertaken. The land outside of this ten mile radius will be unharmed, but this small region will be barren, seen as cursed when the legend of the defeat of the soldiers of the Golden Horde is passed on.

A week after the mission's commencement, the Transports will be sent back to Exsilium. Their mission will have been a success. But the fallout of it will remain to be seen...

Comments

[moralperil]

Wrex! You definitely need a blessing! [Mahdi hops to his feet. Okay, he doesn't get along with Wrex. Or to his viewpoint, Wrex has decided that they won't get along. But he still values Wrex's life (of course he does) and wouldn't want to see him get hurt, even if Wrex is a mighty, intimidating warrior.]

It's totally free. It's my job to help protect mortal souls, so I'm going to do my best here. If I can't stop the violence from happening, I hope my blessings will keep our side from being hurt too badly.

[wrexy]

Hrm. But does it work? [He's giving him a skeptical eye, but he hasn't walked away yet.] I can do a lot of hoping on my own.

[moralperil]

Absolutely. [Mahdi nods with fierce enthusiasm.] It's not about hoping. Scientifically, um, it's like... basically I create a little bubble of altered reality around you, where things turn out slightly better in your favor.

Which for someone as you should be enough, since you'll be out there kicking people in the butt anyway! You probably don't even need help at all, it's just a little insurance.

[wrexy]

You used science. Now I'm really convinced. [Nope, doesn't sound convinced at all. Hrrf.] Fine. Do it.

[moralperil]

Okay! [Mahdi hops to his feet and claps his hands once.

It doesn't look like anything's changed, really. There might be a strange, slightly uplifted feeling in the air, but otherwise it's completely unnoticeable.

But Mahdi's power truly works - even if it's only to give a minor change in luck. It's just not meant to be noteworthy.]

There, you've been blessed.

[wrexy]

Great. [Yeah, he still doesn't really care, but he pauses before walking away.] You're not fighting, are you, whelp?

[moralperil]

I won't be fighting, no. I'll be out there protecting one of the healers with my shield weapon. [The sparkly purple flashlight given to him by the Iniative, which he holds up now. There's a row of buttons along one side, one of which presumably works some kind of shield.

It's clear he's being serious, but he doesn't appear nervous. Just determined.]

[wrexy]

I wouldn't peg you for a shield. [He snorts a laugh, then shakes his head.] But whatever you say. [And then he's off on his merry way.]