[UPDATE] In addition to my own personal army narrative, the Empire player has now written his. Feel free to skip them if it's not your thing, but you'll find my dark elf fluff in purple and his writings in blue for your convenience.
I may end up retitling the thread to be my battle log, to save me going through some of the same exposition if I do more narrative ones. But for now it looks like there could be some time in between new games.
Basic Batteline scenario.
My army list:
Lords
Ashniel Emberrain, Supreme Sorceress Level 4
Tome of Furion
Black Amulet
The Other Tricker's Shard
Lore of Dark Magic
Black Dragon
Heroes
Vaedra Chillslayer, Master (Mistress)
Battle Standard Bearer
Lance
Sea Dragon Cloak
Heavy Armour
Shield
Cold One
Razor Banner
Naxva Nightcaller, Sorceress
Dispel Scroll
Lore of Metal
Core
20x Uraithen Repeater Crossbowmen (I refuse to call them Darkshards, there was already a much better word for them in the fluff.)
Shields
Naliryan Kinkiller, Musician
Standard Bearer
20x Uraithen Repeater Crossbowmen (See above.)
Shields
Ilnar Dirgeblood, Musician
Standard Bearer
5x Dark Riders
Repeater Crossbows
Shields
Musician
5x Dark Riders
Repeater Crossbows
Shields
Musician
Special
War Hydra
Fiery Breath
War Hydra
Fiery Breath
10x Cold One Knights
Dreadknight Ramene Witcarver
Standard Bearer
Musician
Banner of Swiftness
30x Executioners
Draichmaster Rakir
Musician
Standard Bearer
6x Shades
Additional Hand Weapons
5x Warlocks
His Army List:
Lords
Arch Lector, Angus Beck
Great Weapon
Light Armour
Armour of Meteoric Iron
Dawnstone
Ruby Ring of Ruin
Battle Wizard Lord Level 4, Tobias
Lore of Shadows
Power Stone
Talisman of Preservation
Heroes
Captain of the Empire, Alexander Hanz
Battle Standard Bearer
Full Plate Armour
Enchanted Shield
Talisman of Endurance
Master Engineer, Leonardo Pickwick
Warrior Priest, Leon Gauss
Heavy Armour
Shield
Dragonhelm
Talisman of Protection
Warrior Priest, Hrolf Halfdane
Heavy Armour
Shield
Warhorse
Trickster's Helm
Witch Hunter, Victor Karver
Brace of Pistols
Helm of the Skavenslayer
Core
10x Archers
10x Crossbowmen
40x Halberdiers
Shields
Full Command
5x Knights
Musician
11x Inner Circle Knights
Full Command
Rangers Standard
Special
Great Cannon
29x Greatswords
Full Command
Rare
Hellblaster Volley Gun
Celestial Hurricanum
Steam Tank
The fire was crackling loudly as a damp log was settling in the fireplace, providing the only light in the study. Duke Albert Hanz was sat staring into the fire, his scars accentuated by the firelight and his eye patch was jet black as if it was sucking all of the darkness from the room. A soft knock came from the doorway. “Come in Alexander...” Alexander entered, his auburn hair matching his fathers but his frame was much larger. Albert gestured to the chair next to him “Sit.” The chair creaked under his weight as he lowered himself. Albert started, “I have received news from the grand master of the cult of Hanann, Hrolf Halfdane. His scouts have spied a Dark Elf raiding force that has landed at wreckers point. He is unsure of the numbers and their motives as of yet but has informed us that they are marching east. Do you understand what this means Alexander?” He turned to his son, his face stern showing the discipline and concern that comes from centuries of warfare.
Alexander considered the information he was given for a moment and answered, “It seems that they want to invade Nordland discreetly, that must be why they have risked coming ashore at wreckers point with a vanguard force. They must be heading directly east using the coastline to protect thier flank to seize Salzenmund unaware and therefore create a foothold for a full invasion into the empire.”
“Very good son, very good. Salzenmund has mostly natural defences, it would be easy to take the city unaware under the cover of night with an elite force, a task Dark Elves will be very capable of and it is for this reason that I have called you here. You will take most of my army, march west to Hargendorf and defeat or delay the Dark Elves. I will head west to Salzenmund with a small force of knights to inform Count Gausser of the potential attack and allow him time to prepare a defence for Salzenmund. If the battle is won, send a rider to Salzenmund with news for the city will stand vigilant awaiting the attack.”
Alexander nodded after receiving his orders, Proud that he was the son chosen to lead his fathers men. His father continued, “And do not fret son, Halfdane is skirting the force to prevent them wreaking havoc throughout western Nordland at the smaller settlements, when the time comes he will join you in the field. I have also sent word to our allies so you shall not stand alone, the Empire will prevail, Nordland will assure it.”
As he finished both men got to their feet, understanding that this may possibly be the last time they ever spoke as they left each other to prepare for war.
____________________________
Alexander and his force were making their way west, the journey was arduous but this was mostly down to the heat coming from the midsummer sun. His contingent wasn’t the largest but his men were eager. He led his fathers largest regiment the black stripes, the unit was one of the best trained in all of Nordland but were struggling with the warmth whilst carrying all of their war gear. Alexander tried his best to ignore the chatting of discomfort. They were trying to keep pace with a steam tank his family had recently bought from Nuln. It was huge and he could finally understand why his father was so proud of the behemoth, it led the force like the tip of a lance.
His fathers personal bodyguard of greatswords were following closely behind, they were charged with guarding the Hurricanum sent by the Celestial wizards; Alexander still didn’t know how he was able to obtain one of the orders most prized relic but he was grateful for it none the less, he was less grateful of the wizard that accompanied it, he went by the name of Gais and he seemed like a bumbling idiot. Muttering constantly about cogs and twists, snow and storms; he was completely oblivious to his surroundings. Alexander was unhappy to have a wizard in the army but if he had to accompany the Hurricanum he would not interfere with his fathers plan. At the tail of the army were his fathers war machines, the Helblaster Volley Gun and Cannon, they were guarded by crossbowmen and led by the eccentric Leonardo Pickwick. The artillery was followed by the knights of Hanann, the inner circle knights led by Hrolf Halfdane himself. They had not seen the raiders since first discovering their landing but they had provided protection to the smaller settlements as they said they would.
During the march East the force had come across a small band of traveling warrior priests accompanied by a Witch hunter. After facing the inquisition of the more senior ranking priest, Angus Beck; Alexander was able explain what the armies purpose was, they then offered their services to him.
Ashniel Emberrain stood with her apprentice Naxva and the army’s officers, overlooking the valley, as the scouts and outriders made their reports. Several of the pale, raven-haired elves shifted within their armour and khaitans. Druchii of Karond Kar were accustomed to frigid winds and frequent storms of icy rain, not the mildly warm climates of the old world. Ashniel smirked maliciously at their discomfort. Only the Cold One Knights seemed immune, having already applied the toxic vrahsha serum to their skin, numbing their bodies of sensation and allowing them to be accepted as pack mates by their reptilian war beasts.
The Dreadlord Vallash’s twin sister Vaedra Chillslayer stood foremost among them, with her hair pulled up in a number of tight braids, and a cowl covering her mouth and neck. The rumours said that when she went to bargain with their older brother Kalusyr, he slit her throat and immediately sealed the wound with the burning vrahsha. Thus she was forced to live on with the handicap of muteness, and even swallowing food or drink would be a monumental struggle. Given that Druchii society was bent upon showing no weakness, the insult that she was forced to bear was profound. Despising Kalusyr and being unable to have true command, her loyalty and that of her retainers to her twin brother was assured. If that was through Vallash’s artifice, he was cunning and dangerous indeed, Ashniel mused with a smile.
Vaedra signed a few sharp hand gestures to Ramene Witcarver, commander of the Chillslayer cavalry, who stood a deferential distance behind and to her left. He nodded and turned his patrician face to Ashniel. “As a High Sorceress of the Witch King’s convents, seniority of command belongs to you, Lady Ashniel.”
Ashniel looked at the other faces of note. There were the minor nobles in command of the Uraithen infantry regiments, Ilnar and Naliryan “Kinkiller”. The other individual stood away from the others with naked steel in his hands, held point-down into the earth. Rakir, Draichmaster of the temple’s executioner contingent, disdained the use of a helmet. His long hair was tied back from his sharply-boned face, and he stared with anticipation at what was soon to be his killing field. He belonged to the temple priestesses. The Uraithen belonged to their Dreadlord, and Ramene and the Chillslayer knights would follow Vaedra. Ashniel may outrank them all in Naggaroth, but here, her apprentice and a small number of cursed illegal warlocks she had subjugated were the only resources that truly belonged to her. And she was not about to place any trust in Naxva. Ambition was expected and encouraged among the sisters of the convent, but that girl's insidiousness and hubris didn't sit well with Ashniel. She'd seen it before. It wouldn't be long before she coveted her mistress's position. Perhaps there was a way to deal with that very problem here.
“I’ve heard that you’ve been fighting in wars for millennia Lord Ramene,” She said with an appraising look. “By all means, please showcase what you know. I’m sure we’d all benefit to see the fruits of your experience.” Her tone was full of feigned admiration that she didn't bother to disguise.
Ramene Witcarver turned a questioning eye to his mistress Vaedra, who merely gave her consent with a dismissive wave of her hand. Politicking bored him terribly, and he got straight to the task at hand.
“The scouts report that the enemy force appeared disorganised and fatigued from a forced march. It looks like the humans have taken the bait and mustered this battalion at a moment’s notice to respond to our raids, while they gather an army from the larger cities. They didn’t even have any scouts or outriders of their own from what we could tell. However, they are dragging some war machines behind them. From their description, they sound like the black powder weapons they’ve been copying from the dwarves. They’re unreliable contraptions but I want them destroyed sooner rather than later. It will take them time to set up and we need to get there first. We’ll take the knights west around the woods. The riders will see if they can draw out any enemy horsemen so that we can lie in wait for them with the Cold Ones. The scouts will go on ahead to create further confusion. With that taken care of, we can flank them and take their artillery apart at our leisure. Therefore we need to keep the enemy’s main line occupied elsewhere.
“I gather that we’ll be doing the occupying?” Naliryan Kinkiller inquired with an arched eyebrow. His angular face was accentuated by his hair, tied up into a flamboyant double topknot that would have been more fitting for a corsair or other dockside cutthroat.
“Correct,” Ramene replied. “The Uraithen will make a cautious advance into the valley just enough to get into range with their repeater crossbows. Take the beastmasters with you. I’m certain their charges will help gain the humans’ attention. Rakir, I want you and your executioners in the centre, but you will maintain your position until the enemy has committed itself.
The Draichmaster turned towards the rest of them, as though noticing them for the first time, with a contemptuous look in his slate-grey eyes. His voice growled through the chainmail cowl covering the lower half of his face. “One does not make the Bloody-Handed God wait for his due.”
“No, however, I think it would be wise to keep the Pale Queen waiting for us in Mirai a little longer rather than acting hastily,” Ramene responded with impatience.
Ashniel threw a flare of black fire into the sky and all eyes were on her once more. “A sound stratagy Lord Ramene,” She replied with amusement. “In that case we’d better get moving.”
A dark and serpentine shape consumed them with shadow as it blocked out the sun above. Summoned by its’ mistress, Phlegathon the black dragon struck the earth close enough to make a few of the men brace themselves against the downdraft of its’ leathery wings. It laid one outstretched across the ground so that Ashniel might climb it like a stair. As she straddled the great beast’s neck, it surveyed the valley ahead and the creatures on the other side with a predatory stare and gave a low, rumbling hiss.
Before the monster rose into the sky once more, Ashniel looked down at the others. “Have Naxva accompany the infantry regiments,” She called. “I’m certain they’ll find her talents most useful.” And whether they do or don't, she thought, any number of misfortunes can occur on the battlefield.
“The scouts have returned with the vanguard knights” shouted a soldier in the front rank of the halberdiers. Alexander questioned them but neither had spotted the enemy. Alexander couldn’t help but smile, ‘He will beat the dark Elves to the battlefield he has in mind and would have plenty of time to prepare his men’. Out of the nowhere a Grey wizard appeared in front of him, a trail of dense smoke wrapped around him. He turned to Alexander,“Prepare yourself the enemy is upon you!”
Alexander was shaken, his scouts had reported no enemy, as he was about to shout his orders a hail of metal bolts poured over his men, he then realised he was caught in a trap.
Deployment
Our battlefield was set up by our games master. It was left relatively open, as the realm of battle board has lots of slopes that aren't always kind to large numbers of men on movement trays. It was set up as a valley with a broad hill with an arcane ruin on the west and another hill which had a modular hill placed on top on the east, so it had enough height to block line of sight. A large wood was placed off-centre and turned out to be a giant venom thicket.
The Pictures should show you where all the units are. As for characters, I placed my BSB with the Cold One Knights and the Metal Sorceress with the Crossbows on the East. He placed his Mounted Warrior Priest with the Inner Circle Knights and his Engineer loose with the artillery but close enough to them & the Crossbows to benefit from Look Out Sir. His Heavens Wizard was with the Archers and his Shadow Wizard was inside the Greatswords with the Warrior Priest on foot. His Arch Lector, BSB and Witch Hunter were all in the Halberdiers.
For spells I had Doombolt, Bladewind, Word of Pain and Soul Stealer on my Dark Sorceress, and Searing doom for my Metal Sorceress.
His Heavens Wizard had Curse of the Midnight Wind and Iceshard Blizzard. I forget some of his Shadow Wizard's spells. He definitely had Mindrazor and Miasma. I think he also had Penumbral Pendulum and Withering.
Looking at the photos now, it does appear that my right Dark Riders are a bit too far forward after their vanguard move, but the end result would have been the same!
Dark Elves Turn 1
The first thing I wanted to do was take down his war machines, so I was aggressive with the left flank and more cautious on the right to see how he would respond. I also moved my right Dark Riders to flank charge the Archers and hopefully put one of his wizards down early.
The magic phase was quite dismal. We ended up with 6 power dice to 6 dispel dice. I was told the Helblaster could use the engineer's ballistic skill, so I lowered it with Word of Pain which he failed to dispel. The warlocks then cast Soul Blight with irresistible force to drop their toughness for the shooting phase, losing one of their number to the magical backlash. In hindsight I should probably have just Doombolted something.
In shooting, both the Shades and the left Dark Riders fired on his crossbows, killing 5, but they passed their panic test. The right Dark Riders fired on the Archers and killed 4. They also passed their panic test but only due to the BSB reroll. My two Crossbow units kill just 5 Halberdiers partly due to prior advice to take shields for just such a rainy day!
The horns shrieked as the infantry phalanxes came to a halt. Steel breastplates, vambraces and mail shined coldly over violet khaitans and dalakoi, and banners bearing the rune of Ereth Khial fluttered in the gentle breeze. It was an eccentric philosophy, but their Dreadlord Vallash venerated the pale queen of the underworld just as much as the war god Khaine. Seeking the favour of the latter in battle so that he might find victory, and that of the former if he did not. He planned to lead armies to war forever. Be it in this world or the next.
"That's close enough you whoresons!" Naliryan Kinkiller cursed as the infantry settled into their positions. He looked at the enemy force approaching them at a brisk pace and spat into the weeds. "I can smell them from here already." The jibe elicited sibilant chuckles from beneath the full-face helms of his men. He signalled Ilnar's unit with a blast of his horn, who responded by mirroring the sound. "Sa'an'ishar!" At the bellowed command, the Uraithen's front rank knelt down and both they and the second rank took aim. Naliryan drew his sword and held it high. "fire!" He snarled and swept the blade down.
Empire Turn 1
He marched his infantry up to close the gap but kept the small knight unit back, presumably to see what I would do next and counter it. He removed the threat of my Dark Riders quickly by ramming them with the steam tank. I'd forgotten that it was random movement, so it could do so without them being in his frontal arc. At least it couldn't use the cannon though! He also made a charge on the left riders with his large unit of knights but they didn't pursue very far, so the bait didn't work too well. And 2 riders died fleeing through the Woods.
In his magic phase he had 7 power dice to my 5 dispel and completely shut down my Crossbow's accuracy. He put both Iceshard Blizzard and Midnight Wind on the left unit and miasma on the right as I failed to dispel anything. Sad times, but I was begrudgingly impressed!
His shooting phase... was much less extravagant than I was expecting. His cannon aimed for my BSB but I passed the Look Out Sir roll and lost only one regular knight. His Helblaster targeted the shades and jammed once and his engineer reroll jammed again making just 5 shots that killed 3 of them that passed their panic test. Sucks to be the crew! His Crossbows picked off one more of my Dark Riders.
The Steam Tank made 8 impact hits on the right Dark Rider unit, destroying them completely.
Alexander never expected the Dark Elves to be so quick, ‘how? How could they have covered so much ground?!’ His deliberation was costing lives and Angus Beck strode forward, shouting orders left and right, “FACE THE ENEMY! FORM YOUR RANKS! SHOW YOUR COURAGE AND EMBRACE SIGMAR!!” His confidence demanded obedience from the soldiers and they rushed to form their ranks, and began to engage the raiders.
The grey wizard Tobias created a thick fog around himself that he controlled as if it was merely a puppet, it surged towards the crossbowmen yanking at their arms and legs causing every action they attempted to become extremely laborious. The celestial wizard Gais on the other hand had raised his staff to the heavens and almost instantly the sky became dark and the temperature dropped significantly, an Ice storm had been created and the ferocious weather severely affected the elves ability to fire their weapons accurately.
On the left flank Hrolf Halfdane and Leonardo were dealing with the vanguard force and being caught off guard had left them slow to react. They failed to catch the enemy riders and the black powder weapons were being operated with clumsy hands as they failed to fire a full volley killing only a handful of elves.
Dark Elves Turn 2
With their shooting ability reduced, I swift reformed my Crossbows to make some room for the hydras and also to form ranks for the melee that would soon come. My Shades charged the Helblaster and the Warlocks slammed into the flank of the Crossbows. My Dark Riders rallied and once again moved to block his knights, while my own waited on the hill. I was still nervous about the Steam Tank, but I found I could now move my dragon sorceress behind his main line to cause some serious damage on a number of targets. Originally I was going to throw my hydras out as a lure to set up some counter charges when an idea came into my head...
In the magic phase it was 7 dice to 6. First I used Word of Pain on the Halberds which he dispelled. Next I hit them with an irresistible Bladewind. I lost one more Warlock and wounded my Metal Sorceress from Magical Feedback but my Supreme Sorceress saved her wound with her black amulet and 16 Halberdiers got shredded.
Then the shooting phase came and many, many more infantry died. The triple breath weapon crossfire resulted in wounding the Witch Hunter and killing 6 Halberds and 12 greatswords. The Crossbows, being so cursed in his turn, expectedly accomplished nothing.
Then combat came. The Shades killed the Helblaster crew and the Warlocks killed all of the crossbows without even so much as a fight and overran into the cannon. That just left his Steam Tank as the only main headache left to me in my mind...
Ashniel laughed at the storms of hail, strong winds and thick fog that the human mages had conjured. And even more so as the Uraithen, men of Karond Kar no less, struggled to continue firing. Many bolts flew, but they fell wildly off target. "What a clever little magic trick," She giggled as though watching an animal perform an amusing trick. "But let me show you how power is truly meant to be wielded!" She shrieked, and followed the threat with a stream of arcane words. She leeched power from the winds of magic and from another source. As she swept her staff towards the men below, more storm clouds gathered above. Rain fell upon the humans that was neither water nor ice, but solid, wickedly-edged, black shards that cut like glass. That's when the screaming began in earnest.
Naxva Nightcaller gasped as she felt her mistress's spell manifest. She clutched her chest in agony, and leaned heavily upon her staff. So much power had fed into the invocation that she felt a part of her own life energy being sapped with it.
Empire Turn 2
And then, despite sustaining no damage thus far, he generates 5 steam points for his tank, which then decided to misfire and go kaboom in the most hideous display of poor luck I've seen in a game for a while!
His smaller unit of knights charged the right hydra in the flank, while the Halberdiers went for the one in front of them. The Greatswords still hadn't committed themselves and just made a small advance with the Hurricanum and archers/heavens wizard following suit. His Inner Circle knights charged my Dark Riders who fled and were caught, but finally he was dragged into an easy charge range. When they also failed their leadership test to reform, they were in even further trouble. And just because he had nothing more sensible to do, the Master Engineer made a valiant charge against my Shades.His magic phase was 8 power to 5 dispel. His Shadow Wizard casts Mindrazor on the Halberdiers and scored irresistible force with a Dimensional Cascade. He also had the foresight to use the lore attribute to switch his wizard's position with the warrior priest, so he would only kill greatswords and not halberdiers as well. The wizard escaped with only losing a single wound and losing one power die. 6 more Greatswords bit the dust though. His Arch Lector then used the Ruby Ring of Ruin to fireball my left crossbow regiment which killed 4. He finally tried to use the Celestial Hurricanum on the Crossbows too, but I dispelled it.
In his shooting phase his Archers shot the only target in range which was my right Crossbow unit, dropping 1.
The Warlocks naturally finished off the cannon and reformed, and likewise with the Shades and Engineer. In fact they hit and wounded with all 6 attacks, so he was as dead as dead gets! I actually thought the Halberds might fluff their chance when the only hit the hydra 6 times, but probability won out and they wounded the beast exactly 5 times. They overran 8 inches, stopping short in the face of my Crossbows. His glorious and knightly charge to kill the other hydra didn't go so well. Despite hitting 4 times they managed to wound it only once. With the hydra's remaining attacks it scored 6 hits and 5 wounds, while he saved 2 of them. 3 knights lost their lives for their hubris. With no banner the combat was a draw and the hydra Combat Reformed to face the survivors.
The Steam tank crushed the riders and then started to turn towards the main battleline but the machine experienced a malfunction and from nowhere it exploded leaving only a burning metallic husk behind.
The men had continued their advance despite the evil magic and poor luck they had been faced with, they were closing in on the enemy but not a single one among them could have prepared themselves for what they were about to engage. Two hulking monsters broke free from the Elven battle line, spitting acid over the ranks of men, many died but those that stood standing pressed harder to avenge their fallen comrades.
Tobias turned his attention to the beast and the fog he had conjured began surrounding Alexander and his men, “What are you doing wizard! How dare you betray the Empi..!” Alexander was about to finish his sentence when the fog began to dart forward as if to stab at the monster before it. It screamed in pain and collapsed in a dead heap. The men cheered and rushed onwards towards the enemy.
Alexander glanced to the left flank and could see it was clearly overran, Hrolf was trying his best to control the flow of battle but it became obvious his efforts were in vain.
Dark Elves Turn 3
Now it was time to put the poor humans out of their misery. The Cold One Knights charged the Inner Circle Knights in their exposed flank. The Executioners surged forwards into the remaining Greatswords but lost 3 after 16 dangerous terrain tests going through the venom thicket. Ashniel the Supreme Sorceress and her pet monster charged the flank of the Celestial Hurricanum. I was going to keep my Repeater Crossbows ranked up and could have double teamed the remaining Greatswords, which probably would have put them down for good. However, after being prompted by the games master, I decided to prolong their agony by swift reforming and backing up 3" to fill them with as many bolts as possible, both in my shooting phase and as a charge reaction when they came at me.
The winds of magic and channels yielded 9 power dice to 5 dispel dice. I inflicted Word of Pain on the Greatswords dropping their weapon skill by 2. I was hoping to lower it to 0 but it didn't turn out to be necessary.
Next the Supreme Sorceress tried to Doombolt the Archers and the Wizard they were protecting but he stopped it with his dispel scroll. He was unable to stop me again, however, when the Warlocks followed suit and hit them 10 times for 7 wounds. The Archers were obliterated and left a poor, gravely wounded Wizard behind......who was then picked off by a fluke shot from a Shade who was found to be in range with his crossbow. Collectively the 2 Repeater Crossbow regiments put 11 more halberdiers into the dirt, leaving just the command group and the 3 characters!
Gais had not foreseen these events, he doubted himself and his time within the celestial order. He could hear screams of pain all around and the sounds of hooves approaching; as he turned to flee the bolt had struck him. It pierced his lung and his in his dying thoughts realised that no man should be able to predict his death and was grateful for its release.
Then the bloodbath arrived and the Executioners hit 17 times, wounding with all of them! Despite allocating a few attacks to the Shadow Wizard, his talisman saved all but one. Leaving him wounded for the second time but still alive. The same could not be said for the Warrior Priest who accepted my Draichmaster's challenge and got Killing Blowed. After watching every man but himself die, the Shadow Wizard fled and displayed a most impressive pair of running legs.
He outran the Executioners and made it just past the Black Dragon. The Executioners pursuit roll took them into contact with the Celestial Hurricanum, and they promptly helped to smash that up too. Every attack my Cold One Knights made found their mark but he managed to save 4 even with the Razor Banner. That meant 7 of the Empire's Inner Circle Knights were impaled upon barbed lances. Vaedra, the Battle Standard Bearer with them also challenged the mounted Warrior Priest to a challenge and skewered him like a pig on a spit! The remaining 4 Knights fled and managed to escape pursuit close to the edge of the field. Up on the hill, the hydra crushed one more knight but the survivor was made of sterner stuff than those of the Inner Circle and battled on!Ramene Witcarver sought the carcass of the man his lance had struck. Once he identified the right one from the pennant that was still threaded through it's torso, he dismounted and began hacking the head free with his sword. The heavy footfalls of Cold Ones brought his attention back up, as the knights who'd given chase began returning. "Did you make your pursuit look convincing?" He asked.
"As you say, my lord."
"Good. By the time they bring word of what happened here to the cities and dispatch a real army, Dreadlord Vallash and the other force will have already raided the outlying settlements and rounded up a fortune in flesh. And we'll all have boarded the Black Ark and left further to the northeast before the humans arrive and realise the truth."
Empire Turn 3
By this point things looked so bad for the Empire army that our games master stopped bothering to take notes, so my commentary will quite brief from now on. But end game absurdity was going to follow.
The Inner Circle Knights failed to rally and continued to run off the board. The Shadow Wizard also continued to run with superhuman speed. The remaining infantry despite their devastating losses, refused to panic and charged the rightmost Crossbow unit with the Sorceress, only losing the Halberdier command group to the stand and shoot reaction. That left just the Battle Standard Bearer, the Arch Lector and a wounded Witch Hunter. I reminded the Empire player that his army now consisted of 5 men and a horse. And one of those men was running for his life.
His Witch Hunter attempted to challenge the Sorceress who refused to be part of such foolishness. The Uraithen finished the Witch Hunter off, but through a combination of armour and magical items protecting them, they failed to wound either the Arch Lector or the Captain with the banner. They slew 3 or 4 of my men in return and a sinking feeling came over me as I lost the combat. I then failed my morale test (I may have forgotten that they still had steadfast!) and rolled abysmally for my flee distance. The whole unit and the Sorceress were then routed by 2 men!
Then my Hydra not only fails to kill the lone knight, but is wounded in response by his horse! It still stuck around though thanks to being in range of the Supreme Sorceress's inspiring presence.Hrolf Halfdane and a 2 of his cult riders had managed to make their escape, they were being pursued by the cold ones but his only concern was warning the Elector Count and General Hanz about the Dark elf force that would be approaching the city. He sent a silent prayer to Sigmar for the fallen men and battle brothers but continued to make haste for Salzenmund.
Naxva heard Ilnar ordering his men to keep firing. No matter how many humans fell, however, the rest kept coming with dauntless determination. They were close enough to see the whites of their eyes now. She was about to spit a curse that would turn their armour into molten slag, when her concentration was broken. One of the lumpen beasts in a long, tan coat was pointing his sword right at her and shouting in his guttural language. She stepped back behind the ranks of the Uraithen. "Deal with that stinking creature!" She snapped at the men around her. They moved to obey and she was satisfied to watch as one of them slipped a sword between the man's ribs. But something was wrong further up the line. Men were cursing and staggering back against the press of their own cohorts. She heard them muttering about a man with impenetrable armour who could not be killed. Several were already withdrawing while their officers cursed them and told them to hold, but the confusion was already sown.
“Witch come to me and die with honour! Sigmar fights through me and you WILL face the wrath of my hammer!!” The Arch kept shouting challenges at the witch. Alexander did his best just to stay alive, their speed was overwhelming and he found himself thanking his armour for keeping him alive.
She began backing away, but the Uraithen in front of her didn't see her as they turned to withdraw. Men bumped into her and she thrashed and cursed at them as she tried to turn and run as well. The wind was knocked from her lungs as a shield struck her, and she sprawled onto the ground. She tried to get onto her hands and knees but a tightening agony clutched her heart. It felt like the affliction she was stricken with before.
Something heavy crashed into her and drove her into the mud once more. She felt someone grab a fistful of her waist-length hair and flip her over. It was the bloodied and mortally wounded man she'd seen earlier. Before she could speak a single malicious spell to defend herself, the man plunged his sword into her mouth, and collapsed dead on top of her.
Dark Elves Turn 4
Picture says it all. I moved things around to deal with the stubborn nuisances and the lone knight and the hydra continued fighting to a standstill, neither one harming the other.
Empire Turn 4
The Arch Lector and his Captain charged into the melee once again. This time things were as they should be though. The Captain carrying the Battle Standard met his end, possibly to stand and shoot, and no Druchii fell. The Arch Lector who had kept his men going in the face of innumerable hardships and led them to their deaths, finally lost his nerve and ran. And the last brave knight of the men of Nordland could give no more either.
Bolts flew through the air towards Alexander and as he was about to speak his final prayer and flash of smoke consumed him and he was pulled away from his doom. Tobias had saved him and with the battle lost he now had to get word to his father.
"Ilnar? What in Mirai is that fool doing?" Naliryan spat. "Their leader is the only one still struggling. I want that mongrel alive. Shieldwall formation, box him in if you can!" He emphasised the order with a few signal blasts from his horn. "If any of you even think of turning your backs," he addressed his men, "I'll put you to the sword myself!"
The human commander battered against the shields arrayed before him time and again but to no avail. When a dark and broad shape came sweeping down overhead, he realised his peril.
Ashniel whispered to Phlegathon, "You can hurt it, beast of night winds, but don't kill it."
Dark Elves Turn 5
Got him!
As well as barracks, private chambers for the highborn, armouries, and pens for the warbeasts, the ark's Fleetmaster had also provided an audience chamber as his part of the bargain. In the centre stood Ilnar and the men under his command whose discipline had failed. They had been stripped of arms and armour, wearing only their khaitans. Stood facing them, lining the walls of the chamber, were all of the other soldiers that had been part of the battle. Closest to the doors were the Uraithen who stood their ground, along with the beastmasters and other Uraithen and petty officers who had not been present, but were still called to witness. Then Rakir and his Executioners. Knots of surviving scouts and riders were next.
At the far end of the room was a dais with a throne at its' centre. Dreadlord Vallash Heartshiver sat with his hands resting on the pommel of his naked sword. The blade had been ensorcelled by Ashniel herself, among other favours he had paid for with Phlegathon's egg. Ramene, Vaedra, Naliryan and other retainers stood to his left at the correct distance according to hithuan etiquette. Beyond them were the Chillslayer knights. Ashniel stood on his right with the Heartshiver knights, who normally rode Cold One-drawn chariots to war, and had been part of the other force that struck the Empire's settlements.
The Dreadlord rose to his full height. He was still wearing the full panoply of war, including his breastplate, pauldrons, dalakoi, vambraces, gauntlets and his full-face helm with a horned crest that swallowed his eyes in shadow. Instead of full greaves, he wore the high boots favoured by corsairs for wading ashore and the tattered hem of his khaitan robe hung behind his legs, still stained with the dust of the battlefield. He removed his helm with his left and passed it to Ramene, who took it without needing to be told. His scarless face was angular like a spear point, and most of his thick black hair was pulled up in a topknot and held in place with a human rib bone, but more of his hair still covered his head and hung below eye level. Silver rings pierced his lip, right eyebrow and left ear.
"And despite overwhelming superiority, both in terms of numbers and discipline, you and those under your command lost their nerve. As a result, one of the Witch King's Sorceresses was killed." Vallash Heartshiver's voice was clear, but had a dry rasping undertone. Ilnar was about to reply when his Dreadlord cut him off, "Perhaps we should deliver you all to Malekith himself as a form of recompense?"
Ilnar tried not to show intimidation, but his body language betrayed him as he caught himself looking around to see if anyone was about to seize him. Vallash began descending the dias as Ilnar made his reply. "I make no excuses for my men Dreadlord. I'll interrogate them myself and beat them to within an inch of their lives to find the ones responsible for the confusion in the ranks."
"There will be no need. I already know who is responsible." Before Ilnar could query what his master meant, Vallash's sword flashed like quicksilver. The black marble floor became stained with a vermillion patina as Ilnar's legs were separated below the knees, and he collapsed amid his own shrieks. "Do the same with his hands, then bind the wounds and throw him into the sea. Crucify his lieutenants. They can watch him flounder just as they did on the battlefield!" Vallash hissed as he went back to his seat. "Scourge the rest of them bloody and then integrate them in the remaining regiments until we return to Karond Kar." Naliryan signalled several his men and together they seized the struggling offenders and removed them. Naliryan himself dragged Ilnar from the chamber by his hair.
"Bring in the human!" At his summons, a pair of slavemasters dragged the chained and manacled enemy commander to the foot of the dias. "You've caused quite a bit of trouble, haven't you human?" Vallash spoke down to him with a sardonic smile. One of his retainers hissed a heavily accented translation to the man. He spat several guttural syllables in return, but the druchii ignored him. "Know this little man. Not only did you lead many of your kind to their deaths, but many more will find themselves begging for it, every minute of every day for the rest of their lives. It was your failure to them that made it happen. And you will live to watch their unpleasantry go on. Begone!" He dismissed the assembly with a wave of his hand.
As the other senior retainers took their turn to begin filing out, Ashniel turned to leave as well. "Not you," Vallash Heartshiver whispered and beckoned her closer. "Will there be repercussions for the loss of your apprentice?" He asked conspiratorally.
His genuine concern surprised and amused Ashniel. She delayed her answer with a wry and wintery smile. "My Dreadlord is concerned?" She asked. "There is no need. There are always risks on the field of war. And besides," she added, "Many neophytes lose their lives in the course of their studies. Sometimes they seek power beyond their ability, you see. And they are seldom prepared for the accidents that may befall them!"
Well there you have it. The first battle report I've ever written, which turned out to be more laborious than I expected!
The Empire player is expecting me to post this and I'll link him to it, so he was curious to see if the people of Druchii.net had any advice for him. Although for me, personal army fluff tends to rule what I use, rather than function, I'd also be glad to hear what you think.
For my own observations: Most of his problems I think came from his deployment. Even though when I was making my drops to counter what he placed, I also had an idea in my head of how I wanted my army laid out. I knew I wanted the infantry together, backed up by the hydras, and I wanted most of my fast movers together to rush one side of the board. I don't know if he had a deployment plan in mind for his own units and just abandoned it when he was confronted by my drops, but you can see just from the first deployment diagram what a precarious state his left flank was in before we'd even begun.
He did remark that he wasn't prepared for how fast we could close the gap. Some fast cavalry/chaff of his own would have help mitigate the problem I feel. Pistoliers can also move and shoot and would probably have been able to send the Shades and Dark Riders packing for example. I was also expecting to face larger units of missile troops that could be used to deal with my fast cavalry.
And finally, he probably had too many points sunk into characters. Considering his Wizards did plenty of good things for him on their own, the Warrior Priests probably weren't necessary.
That said it was still an enjoyable game, and documenting what happened for the first time in our gaming careers was also good fun!
