Somme (WOD)

The Somme River is the site of one of the bloodiest battles of World War I. It is not the battle itself but the resulting casualties that influence events in the old World of Darkness.

The British planned and began a push on July 1, 1916, into the no-man's land near the Somme, hoping to easily uproot the German forces and push them back. Instead, they met with a hail of bullets and artillary; within the first 10 minutes of battle, 14,000 men lay dead along the 30-mile front of battle. In the end, the Germans lose 6,000 men, but no territory. The British lose over 60,000 in one day of battle and have gained nothing.

The siege continues into November, during which 800,000 British, American, and other Allied men are lost. The Germans do not fare much better, losing over 500,000 soldiers themselves. A whole six miles of ground is gained by the British before weather conditions force the British army to call it quits. Before the end of the war, the Germans regained most of what they had lost.

On that very first day of fateful battle, the Fourth Great Maelstrom erupts across Europe, triggered by the bloodshed. Because of the massive amount of death in a short period of time, the largest of the nihils opens at the Somme and does not close until the storm dies away.