PART 1: THE EXPEDITION

Queen Nubia, the Pharaoh of Medha, has received news of strange activities among the ruins of a Dead City in the deep desert.

She decides to send a mighty expeditionary force. The force will be led by Shaharada, one of the queens most trusted commanders. The dead city is deep in the desert and the perilous journey will take several days.

Commander Shaharada musters her troops: A cohort of 100 Palace Guard, several hundred auxiliary Militia and hundreds of porters to carry the water and provisions needed for a desert crossing.

Shaharada knows every single warrior of the Palace Guard personally. They will follow her orders without question and lay down their lives without hesitation when she demands it.

The militia on the other hand are little more than rabble in her eyes, part time soldiers, better suited to work in the mines than to carry weapons.

The largest contingent of the expedition will be the porters employed to carry the provisions and water for the army. Many good-byes are said across the city.

As the expeditionary force sets off, the Palace Guard proudly leads the column.

The Militia follow behind them.

The largest group are the hundreds of porters.

Before long, the expeditionary force begins to leave behind a trail of dead and dying as it passes through the desert. Many porters in particular fall behind from exhaustion. They have not been adequately prepared for a desert crossing and are mostly deemed to be expendable. The caravan never stops for any individual, and many perish under the unforgiving sun of the endless Sand...

The militia are better trained and equipped, but they too suffer losses from exhaustion.

When the expedition reaches the deepest desert, mutant creatures from under the sand break into the caravan like wolves among sheep. While they usually only kill to feed, amongst such plentiful prey they kill anything within their reach in a blind frenzy.

The Palace Guard finally put an end to the attack and drive off the creatures.

The porters are instructed to gather provisions from the dead and the wounded. The expedition cannot afford to leave any of the food or water behind.

Shaharada surveys her losses. Countless porters and dozens of Militia have been killed, but nothing too severe to put her mission in jeopardy. The caravan continues its journey.

Stripped of food and water, the wounded are simply left behind - nothing can be done to help them...

After a few days, the expeditionary force reaches the Dead City.