Surreal…sublime.
Those are the only words that can come to mind as you soar through the air. Nothing, not even climbing the tallest peak near your hometown could have prepared you for the experience of magical flight.
But before you can truly marvel at the miracle, sporadic explosions echo in your ears… the cannon and catapults with their exploding shells… spells twisting the already twisted land.
You and your party are fast approaching the war… a factory of death.
A few moments later the front lines are beneath you. Even at night you can make out the muddy, barren terrain… craters filled with milky-green toxic pools… the stench of burnt and rotting flesh… the palpable feeling of despair.
The trench lines, stretching for miles and miles, filled with thousands upon thousands of people… is a giant grave.
Here the brave fall first, the foolish second. Classic military doctrine and revolutionary tactics alike soak the earth in blood. The land is a hungry beast, swallowing flesh and spirit alike.
Only death and despair are welcome here.
Sucks to suuuuuuck!
Jeez… show some respect…
For the made up fantasy people?
Yeah but like WW1 isn’t made up.
Yeah and these are mild descriptions of the Western Front…
I know, but still, it sucks… to suck.
Yet you fly safely above the carnage, and in a flash have crossed a patch of earth hundreds of soldiers have died fighting over for months.
The flickering light of new towns dotted across the horizon appear in the distance… as you and your companions head deep into enemy territory.
From now on, you are on your own. No reinforcements will be following you.
You ARE the reinforcements.
Intelligence check.
… 5.
… Nat 1.
… um… guys?
… 3.
… GUYS…
…11.
…Thank GOD.
With the front behind you, and the darkness hiding any discernible landmarks, several of you begin to veer off course, but thanks to the message spell, you all form back into line and fly through the night.
As you fly through the night, you ask yourselves: are you the lucky ones, avoiding the muck and mire of trench warfare?
Or are you heading into an even more dangerous situation… after all, who knows what you will find?
What is it they say… out of the frying pan… into the fire?
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