GROUP 3: SO I OPEN MY DOOR TO MY ENEMIES—

[dipolar]

WHO? group three, see below links.
WHAT? hrhr: retreat missions.
WHEN? february 9th, you're here forever.
ANYTHING ELSE? planning and submissions.

CHARACTERS WILL ENCOUNTER THESE OBSTACLES:

—Locating the base and arriving without interference by the Turks or the Regency.
—Getting at least one person past the soldiers and into the base.
—Scouting the base and locating Atatürk without causing an incident.
—Handling soldiers who might interfere with attempts to reach Atatürk.
—Combating any Regency soldiers assigned undercover to the Turkish side.
—If anyone is captured by Turkish or Regency soldiers, you'll have to stage a rescue.
—Successfully gaining an audience with Atatürk and acquiring amnesty.
—Returning to Lone Pine in one piece.

RAISING THE DEAD AND SCOUTING, 18/30
yoshitsugu otani, dorian pavus, jon snow, jeyne westerling, sebastian michaelis, ashitaka, hei, noctis lucis caelum, chiron

"Raising the dead and scouting goes well, if not smoothly. You have to dodge enemy combatants the whole way, and it's a little hard to get the intel and supplies you need when you're also trying not to get shot. Somehow, you manage it! Probably through the power of positive thinking. And murder."

—chiron and hei do an initial scout to map out the turkish base and find entry points
—hei stresses that everyone stays with at least one other person so as to not get separated/held hostage
—yoshitsugu uses his spell to raise the dead for an hour to gather information about the turkish base/plans
—yoshitsugu experiences convulsions as a result of using the spell and dorian will use his revival spell on him to help him recover
—entire group stops to plan out specific teams and what they’ll been doing, team a and b are born
—sebastian recounts the letters he found in the tunnels verbatim to the group, mostly sharing the atatürk part
—entire group decides that non-lethal action is to be taken, so they can easily discuss terms with atatürk without killing his men
—noctis and jeyne act as contacts between their separate teams to keep information fresh and to relay important updates
—jon provides the bottom halves of turkish uniforms so their disguises can be put together; they steal the top halves from the dead soldiers yoshitsugu has raised because we're here to demean literally everybody

COMBAT WITH THE REGENCY, 13/30
hei, noctis lucis caelum, chiron, sebastian michaelis, ashitaka

"Combat is where things get difficult. While nobody dies, a few characters are seriously injured. You can decide who and how. Likewise, if you have anybody due for a kidnapping, now would be a good time. But, essentially, this is a close call. You lose ground to the enemy, some ANZAC soldiers might get caught in the crossfire, some precious resources may be lost! Your choice, but something goes to shit."

—chiron using magical detection to weed out the regency agents and the entirety of team b engages the three regency soldiers in combat
—hei uses his ability to shock memory out of the people who may have spotted them using their powers, with the exception of regency soldiers
—noctis will be using warp-strike takedowns to reduce their chances of detection, as they're near-silent and an instantaneous skill
—ashitaka gets kidnapped by the first of the undercover regency agents somewhere in the middle of this because he's literally and figuratively cursed, leaving them down a group member
—sebastian leaves team b and joins team a to fill ashitaka’s empty diplomat position, because he can do anything and likes to show off
—yoshitsugu avoids his kidnapping somewhere in the middle of this, with chiron on rescue duty to facedown the second undercover regency agent
—dorian will use blood magic in a desperate attempt to save himself from capture from the third undercover regency agent

ACTUAL DIPLOMACY, 16/30
yoshitsugu otani, dorian pavus, jon snow, jeyne westerling, sebastian michaelis

"Actual diplomacy is terse, if only because it feels difficult to get a foothold. Atatürk gives little away, and is very quiet and cautious in his delegations. He doesn't fill you with confidence. But in the end, he does come around, admitting to seeing your point. He'll do what he can to call a cease fire."

—team b attempts to come to an agreement and work things out with atatürk
—yoshitsugu attempts to talk atatürk down from a strategical point of view, "there's no sense in attacking when your enemy is already retreating"
—jeyne uses the locket to take the stance of women missing their husbands and lovers, as well as their children having no fathers; she's especially good at calming people when tempers run hot, as well as appealing on more personal levels
—jon speaks with atatürk on a personal level: "no more men have to die - i know you've watched your countrymen fall, i know everyone values bravery, we do too, but these deaths mean less and less when no one is fighting anymore”
—dorian has a gift for politics and has sat in on war counsels and engaged in political debates, making him approach this from a political angle
—if things start going badly, yoshitsugu will use his guilt spell to sway atatürk to their side of the discussion

Comments

[goodandtrue]

Jeyne clutched the locket tightly in her pocket, a small treasure but one that could make a difference, if men's hearts could be touched by the pleas of a woman. But these thoughts were small compared to the greater issue of those injured among their party and the possibility of opposition when they finally met with the Turkish general. It was an ominous sign for them, an ill omen for their mission that so many had been hurt and that even one had disappeared. It rattled her confidence enough that she fell into step behind Jon, preferring to let him lead the way.

She felt small compared to the rest, disappearing against the backdrop of the Turkish camp. Though her presence as a woman was likely hard to ignore, a rare sight among an army full of men. She wanted to reach for her goodbrother, to find that connection and reassurance in touch, but that was the response of a child, the same that had lead her to chase after Robb as he left for the Twins. She wasn't that girl anymore, she was here as a negotiator, something she didn't feel prepared for but forced herself to face with some show of confidence.

Her hand tightened once more around the locket before she made herself release it, folding her hands in front of her. Jon was focused on the task ahead, remarkable considering Daenerys' disappearance. It was reassuring to see him this way, a king among soldiers, strong and stoic. "You should speak first. I don't know if they will listen to a woman to begin with."

[hakanai]

Yoshitsugu himself is one of those that bled. His clothing is stained with dirt and blood both, his face dirty and his aura grim; the journey had been as rough on the samurai as everyone else with a kidnap attempt on himself that had failed, thankfully, though not without doing its work on his already weary body. Earlier during the initial scouting phase of the mission he'd summoned a spirit to help with getting intel, and while this had helped, the convulsions had not.

He'd expected them, of course, and did not regret his choice because Yoshitsugu simply didn't do regret (at least outwardly). But combined with their later difficulties it made it a little harder for him to think, which was what he needed to do as best he could right now.

A time to be grateful for allies, then. Their presence still kept the flow on COST's side in this, though it was still going to be a difficult task. What would Mitsunari and his friends have said? That they owed this to those who had been along the way to make it go well? To get the mission done and get back do they can focus on rescuing their companions?

The thought kept Yoshitsugu's eyes bright and his voice calm, even if the rest of him made a sorry sight.

"The only strategy we have is to avoid foolishness and work to our own strengths." He glanced at Jeyne. "We all have different ones. But yes, I am ready. Feel free to use my own pathetic appearance to our advantage."

[goodandtrue]

It at least felt as if there was some sort of plan going forward, even if it was a small on, playing to their strengths. It still gave her something to repeat to herself, finding courage and conviction in that, instead of feeling as out of place as she did. There were eyes on them as they passed through the camp, sharp and scrutinizing. While she knew that they brought a great deal of attention, it somehow felt amplified to her, if only because of a woman's presence. It wasn't something she wanted to linger on, but her inexperience and fears latched onto it, making it larger in her mind.

"Do we know anything about Ataturk?" Aside from what they had been told before going on this mission. "Anything about what sort of man he is and what might reach him?" It was likely reason and good sense, but there might be something more? Robb had once said that to battle an enemy, first you had to understand them. It was the way of war and of diplomacy.

"He doesn't seem to use sinister means to warfare."

[northerndragon]

"No. He's not the real enemy, but he still has our lives, and the lives of all our companions, in his hands." Jon gives the group a meaningful look. For as long as they're with COST, they'll always have to fight on two levels: as agents, then again as ordinary soldiers. They have to be able to leave this place, and they have to be able to convince Ataturk to allow the ANZACs to retreat, and either one without the other will be almost completely worthless.

He doesn't feel stern or stoic, just weary; he can focus on their task because he has little choice but to continue what they've started. That's always the way. He sees Jeyne unclenching her hands and folding them in front of her; he sees that Yoshitsugu has had a rough road of it, but is carrying on as well as he can. The others are in varying states, some better than they had been earlier.

"As to what we know about him... serious, maybe honorable, but these officers are fierce." And Ataturk will be important here in years to come, if the little bit Jon can recall reading of him is true. "I think he has some respect for the bravery of his enemies. And Jeyne, there may be a time when he's willing to listen to women. This is about sending sons and husbands home to their people."

[hakanai]

"If the information we have is correct, a woman's plea about the fate of their loved ones could indeed be very effective." Yoshitsugu taps his chin slowly. "It will likely play into his sense of honour as well. That he possesses such a trait makes this mission entirely doable, if not certain."

A sense of honour in anyone's opponent was often a weakness that could be exploited. It was Mitsunari's sense of honour that would ensure his downfall, after all; it was Yoshitsugu's support of such an unlikely dream that would ensure his own death. At least this time honour could save lives instead of ending them.

"His reasons to refuse us exist, but his reasons to agree to what we ask plentiful as well. Simply do what you are able to."

Shifting his hand, Yoshitsugu scratches at a bloody mark on his cheek and huffs quietly as he walks, the sound hard to decipher.

[goodandtrue]

Even if it was simple reassurance, it was still effective and offered her a surge of courage as she followed the men. She still had to compose what she would say in her head, finalizing it and holding to it as firmly as she had the locket. "That at least doesn't change, no matter where we are."

A woman's pleas could often be effective, so long as the person they approached had some form of a heart. And honorable was to their benefit. It meant they wouldn't have to question every word and motive. They could reason with him directly, instead of assuming that there was a dagger hidden behind his back.

"Do you know what you will say to him?" She asked both men, glancing between them curiously. "Do you know where we should begin?"