The Obsidian Thirst, Battle Reports

[Boss_Salvage]

Great first report, the depth is certainly appreciated, as are the fluff bits Interesting old blood and BSB builds too, neat to see different stuff in a lizards list.

- Salvage

[Kayosiv]

Beginning of turn 3:

Turn 3: His. FINALLY the storm banner fizzles out.

Movement: Charges declared! The rightmost clanrats charged my skeletons, somehow passing their fear test (he clearly cheated somehow). The censor bearers charged Kircheck, only 2 of them able to get into combat just as I had planned. The plague monks with plague priest charge my general. Other clanrats on the right flank move up, and the doomwheel attempts to charge my corpse cart but doesn't roll high enough. I was surprised he didn't move his screaming bell or gutter runner unit.

Magic: His grey seer manages to land a scorch between my grave-guard and zombies, reducing the graveguard to a dangerously low 11 models and killing a few zombies. Both his Grey Seer's and Warplock Engineer's warp lightnings are dispelled. His plague priest (I always forget he is a wizard, something to remember) casts pestilent breath on Kayosiv, but the low strength hits fail to do any wounds. My opponent then really surprised me by chugging both of his warpstone tokens and attempting to cast howling warpgale on 3 dice, and I had no way to dispel. Luckily for me, he rolled a mere 7, which is normally enough to cast the spell, but he was within 24" of my baelfire loaded corpse-cart. That thing just payed for itself in spades.

Shooting: Luck finally caught up to the doomwheel as it misfired trying to shoot, and ended up doing a wound to itself. The jezzails couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, and the weapon teams began to wonder why they bothered to come to the battle at all.

Combat: An eventful combat phase full of surprises. On the right flank Snips Killington popped out, hoping to turn the tide of the combat in his favor by hacking down 2 skeletons. The clanrats didn't follow his example and wiffed hardcore hitting 0 times despite needing 3's. In return the skeletons did jaw droopingly amazing and scored 4 wounds, only 1 being saved. Despite his extra rank and outnumber, his clanrats had no command so I managed to win combat by 1 point.

In the center of the board in Kircheck's combat, things started off poorly. He failed his censor test, while none of the censor bearers failed theirs. Before he could be attacked, I activated the cursed book reducing their WS to 1. Despite re-rolling due to hatred, he only managed to wound once, and I managed to make my 4+ armor save, LUCKY! Just as I was feeling luck was on my side however, Kircheck totally biffed his attacks and only got 1 hit which failed to wound the toughness 4 censor bearers. This would mean that with 1 wound on his side, and the +1 combat rez from outnumber, Kirckeck was doomed to die from combat resolution... but wait, his horse hadn't attacked yet!! After 2 rolls of a 4 in a row and a heavy sigh of relief, Kircheck managed to tie combat and hold. Strength 4 horses are the greatest invention ever.

On the leftmost flank, I issued a challenge with my Vampire Lord, which my opponent... refused. I asked why and he said that he'd rather have 16 strength 3 attacks than 4 strength 6 attacks, interesting thought. Hitting on 5's and wounding my dragon on 6's, his plethora of dice betrayed him and he got 0 wounds. In return, Kayosiv and Rupert butchered the unit. I don't remember the exact numbers but he started with static 5 and I beat him by something like 4 points. We were both a little shocked. The plague monks fled and were subsequently run down and devoured by Rupert (although the smelly monks made his tummy a bit queasy).

Turn 3: Mine


Movement: The Graveguard charged into Kircheck's combat while the spear skeletons charged into the doomwheel. The zombies charged into the screaming bell hoping to get 1 wound. The corpse cart moved to face the doomwheel, banshee moved to get in screaming range of it, and black knights inched up so they could see the gutter runners. Kayosiv, free to fly for the first time all game, flew into the flank of the jezzails.

Magic: I threw all 7 of my power dice at attempting to heal Kircheck back to full health, and despite 5 dispel dice and a dispel scroll coming my way to stop it, I managed to successfully cast the final invocation of nehek with my last dice. With my opponents dispel dice drained, Studge used the rod of flaming death on the doomwheel, failing to wound. kayosiv used his Book of Arkan to get a free 8" movement into the jezzail team. They failed their terror test, fled, rolled horribly, and were trampled.

Shooting: The banshee, having accomplished very little this game except for killing a few chump gutter runners, managed to be worth her weight in gold by rolling a 9 to scream at the doomwheel. 11-7=4, meaning the doomwheel, having misfired and wounded itself last turn, died a horrible death. I love that crazy %$#@!.

Combat: On the right flank, the skeletons lost combat by 1 point, although if this trend continued I would tie up that unit the entire game. The zombies missed all their attacks and died pathetically as expected. Kircheck's combat started off horribly. Kircheck fails his censor test. 2 out of 3 Grave Guard fail their censor test. Plague censors fail 0 of their 6 censor tests. Ouch. Despite the champion being the only one to fight back, I did manage to score a killing blow with him, and Kircheck killed a rat as well. Their no longer re-rolling and now strength 3 attacks bounced off my armor saves, and with the help of the Grave-guard's static combat resolution, I handily won combat and the remaining few censor bearers broke. Sadly for my opponent, they fled from the unit with the highest unit strength, that being the Graveguard. This meant that they fled directly into the warp lightning cannon. Kircheck managed to roll sufficiently high to reach it, rendering it useless in the next turn and baring absolutely horrendous rolling on my part, dead in the following combat.

My opponent concedes.



Post game Thoughts for Game 2:

With my opponents jezzails, plague censor bearers, and essentially warp lightning cannon dead in a single turn, he now had no answer to my zombie dragon. I had lost approximately 300 points and him 1000, my opponent conceded.

Kind of bummed that we didn't get to finish the game, but unless he got extremely lucky with his offensive magic spells, the game was going to be mine in a real hurry.

Overall it was not a victory I felt I deserved too much. I blatantly mis-used my black coach and my vampire lord. I shouldn't have hid behind the hill on turn 2 with my black coach, I should have moved to the right next to the skeletons so they abosrbed a hit, instead I auto-died, and I should have charged the plaugemonks instead of being charged by them. The fact that I got lucky and it worked out is no excuse, there was no need or tactical reason to receive that charge.

I felt really rusty with Vampire Counts, that being my first game with them in a good 6 months. I'm used to my lizardmen Oldblood tearing stuff up, but good god I had completely forgotten how much of an unstoppable monster Lord Kayosiv is on his zombie dragon. 9-13 re-rollable strength 6 attacks. There is little in the game that can stand up to that. It helps that I actually remembered to use cloud of flies this time. usually my Lord gets shot out of the sky. It was nice to see what happened when he got a chance to fight.

For the most part it was a fun game, especially when I won 3 combats during a turn when I got charged. I was convinced Kircheck was going to die after he failed his plague censor test, but that cursed book really payed for itself; I plan to use it again. I think I have a lot to improve with Vampire Counts, especially if I continue to take magic-light lists. Speaking of which, necromancers are stupid and not worth it. Having tried one out, I'd rather have a vampire.

***

Snips Killington gave a sigh as he nimbly sidestepped an axe swing and sliced through yet another skeleton. He was used to killing a half a dozen opponents or so and having the rest run for their lives, yet these automations just kept fighting despite their losses. The general ineptitude of the clanrats he had chosen to infiltrate inside didn't help matters. What a bother. Just as he was devising a sneaky plan to misinterpret his orders, the magical storms that had wracked the sky since the beginning of the battle begun to calm. Uh oh. On the other side of the battlefield, the great zombie dragon took to the heavens and rained down death upon the skaven artillery, before flying at the screaming bell. Ripping the Grey Seer atop the scaffolding asunder, the dragon perched on the construct and his Vampire master began to channel a great spell of death. The stormvermin pushing the Bell began to immediately wither and die, and as the black cloud enshrouded more and more of the valley they were fighting in, all who touched the murderous black mist began to decay. Within seconds the entire skaven army was running for their lives to escape the death shroud as it expanded ever outwards.
"Oh dear, there goes my payment. No need to dillydally around here, retreat-retreat!"

Only about half of Snips Killington's clanrat entourage managed to escape with their lives. Some had been dragged down by the skeletons they were fighting, while others tripped or fell victim to the black cloud. They had run as far and as fast as they could into the jungle and were now gasping and wheezing for breath, all except for Snips, who was barely winded.
"What an unfortunate turn of events" Snips said, unlacing a small bag and snorting some warpstone powder up his nose.
"Yes-yes" agreed a clanrat, "dead-things far too powerful."
"What?" Snips gasped, clearly faking astonishment, "Strong-strong clan Eshin beaten, no-no, that's preposterous. We were clearly-clear betrayed from the inside." The clanrats looked at each other in puzzlement at his announcement.
"And I daresay that the rat in this operation is..." Snips scanned the ragtag survivors of the encounter, "YOU!" Snips leaped forth with lightning speed and plunged a dagger into the chest of a shocked skaven, who quickly keeled over dead. There was panic and murmuring in the ranks, until another clanrat spoke up.
"Me knew Snatz was betrayer all along." "Yes-yes," the other terrified clanrats all nodded in agreement.
"Good then, with that settled I can report-report this unfortunate betrayal to the council." Snips then threw a bag and several pouches onto a nearby clanrat. "Congratulations, you've been promoted, carry my things. If they touch the ground, I kill you."
With that the remaining skaven began to trek into the jungle at Snips' lead.
"We will meet again-again, dead-things," Snips whispered to himself. "I always receive payment."

***

Lord Kayosiv jumped down off of Rupert, crunching the bones of the storm vermin as he landed. Rupert began to tear apart the screaming bell while he walked over to check on his brother Kircheck, who was coughing up black blood.
"Their wretched poison is potent indeed" Kircheck hacked out. "I'm glad they didn't get to finish their work here and concoct something even more vile."
"Will you recover?"
"Oh don't worry about me, check on your servants' remains, my black coach was blown to splinters."
Kayosiv quickly glided over to the smoking crater that was previously his brother's carriage. The devastation was absolute, but he was relieved to find that the arcane chests housing Kanzul and Alistair were blown clear and free of damage. He ordered the skeletons to begin reconstruction immediately, but it would not be a quick process. He left to go foresee to a final matter.

The poison cauldron must be destroyed. As much as he admired the skaven for their mastery of death dealing diseases, they were too fickle and treacherous to ever be considered an ally, and couldn't be trusted with toxins that were potent enough to harm him or his kin. As he was tipping the disgusting cauldron of disease over to let its contents seep deep into the earth, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Among the piled corpses of chaos warriors there was one that stood out. His armor was not rusted iron but rather bloodied brass. Throwing off the other warrior corpses as if they were rag dolls, he dug until he had freed the cadaver of the Khornite champion. A fanged smile spread across his pale face. Oh yes, this was definitely something he could use.

***

Tenkitza and his warhost traveled back to the temple city of Kotak-Hai, back home. With the forces of chaos thwarted once again, the burden on his soul had been lifted and he was once again at ease. The opposite of his calm serenity sat next to him. Huini'Zec's mount had been wounded by a foul blade in the battle with chaos, and was sickened to the point that it was feared it may die. The Kroxigar were ordered to carry the great beast back to the temple city, as Huini'Zec demanded that a creature who had served so well in the defense of their homeland could not be left to die. Taxing the limits of even their mighty strength, the kroxigar carried the sick behemoth through the jungle. The victory had done nothing to calm Huini'Zec, he seemed alert, expecting ambush or disaster at any moment. A caring hand reached for his shoulder, but he brushed it away, eyes eternally scanning the jungle. Just then, something burst forth from the treeline, and Huini'Zec raised a javelin and prepared to throw.

His paranoia proved to be unfounded however, as the creature that came into the clearing in front of their caravan was a terradon with skink rider, one of the many scouts used as an early warning system against intruders into their realm. He landed next to Tenkitza's stegadon, leaping off his mount and rushing to Huini'Zec's side.
"What have you to report scout?"
"Warmbloods general, to the east of here!"
"Chaos!?"
"No general, it appears to be only a small scouting force, and their flags are brightly colored. They cut down the jungle and build strange towers."
"It has to be Bretonnians" Tenkitza chimed in, "but it makes no sense for them to be here."
"It does not matter why they came, they will be repelled like all our foes. "
"No! There is no prophecy of Bretonnia invading us, we must travel to their site and determine their actions for ourselves."
"Bah, very well" Huini'Zec snorted, "but we must hurry, we take the shortest route east, through the sinking swamps."
"There is no way the sauru can get through the swamps, and your injured stegadon..."
"All non-skink forces will return to the temple city, they will only slow us down. After all" Huini'Zec glared at Tenkitza, "if you're right, why would we need their assistance? Scout, tell your forces to observe but not attack, we shall be there shortly to determine the right course of action."
"Yes general!" The skink scurried over to his terradon and launched into the sky towards the east to pass instructions to his fellows.

As the army split into two forces, one heading south, one east, Tenkitza began to doubt himself. He prayed that he was right.
"Atehe."
"Yes master?"
"scan the tablet you found again, miss no details. I sense something is... amiss."
"O... of course master."
At the front of the eastward congregation, Huini'Zec rubbed his hands together. They were going to war, he could feel it.

[Kayosiv]

Battle 3: Dubious Duchesses

Tenkitza peered through the jungle, watching the invaders to their lands cut down the trees within a large valley and construct strange contraptions upon the distant hills. Atehe stood beside him, frantically trying to fully decipher the mystic tablet that had predicted the chaos incursion into Lustria to see if it also had bearing on the current situation. Huini'Zec was beside them, perched on a mighty stegadon, something that Tenkitza still was having trouble coming to terms with. It had taken all of the mystical power and concentration of both Tenkitza and Atehe to create a magical bridge for their one stegadon to cross the sinking swamps. After their arrival when Huini'Zec had claimed that he would "be right back with a suitable mount," Tenkitza never dreamed he would come crashing forth from the jungle with another stegadon. He had never heard of the taming of a stegadon past infancy and he wondered if perhaps Huini'Zec had far more potent gifts from the Old Ones then many dared dignify. Atehe broke his thoughts.

"I am deeply sorry master, but I can find nothing of a Bretonnian invasion nor a second chaos attack. There is a warning though, that we should beware of those swimming in polluted water. Are... are there any lakes or bogs near here?"
"No," an equally vexed Tenkitza sighed, "And I doubt it means the swamps we traversed through to arrive here. Let me see the tablet again, perhaps I can..."
"Enough of this" an impatient Huini'Zec barked out. "I do not need magical rocks to tell me that our lands have been invaded. For all we know, the young one made the rock himself to impress you!"
"Your lust for violence blinds you!"
"It does not matter! Our enemy is fortifying their position. We must act now before they are entrenched here permanently. I will lead the attack.
"Enough" a weary Tenkitza held up his staff to silence their bickering. "There will be no attack without just cause. Send forth a skink diplomat and translator. Have him carry a large white tablet with nothing written upon it atop a long pole. It is the sign of peace in their lands. We shall see why they are here before we attack like animals.
"Hmph. And when your plan backfires wise priest, I shall put the warmbloods down like the animals they are."

***

Gerard Debove surveyed the peasants work, cutting down trees to clear fields, using the timber to construct crude buildings and trebuchets. It reminded him of when he was a boy and part of the forest was cleared to make new farmlands. He also remembered the ensuing war with the wood elves that robed him of his father and his childhood. He couldn't help but wonder if similar mistakes were being made now. Lady Maupassant had claimed visions of the grail in this far off land across the sea, but he was skeptical, and so were his peers back home in Bretonnia. Despite this shared skepticism, she had convinced many foolish or naive enough to come here based on her vision. There was the headstrong group of knights errant, eager to prove themselves fearless and accomplish great deeds, a village of peasants who would believe that rocks would float in water if their lords decreed it so, and two other damsels of the lady. How had he gotten wrapped up in this pointless expedition? Honor bound to defend his people he supposed. Still, something did not sit right with him, and he intended to say so to Lady Maupassant himself.

"Excuse me milady, but I cannot help notice, that we have found no Grail here."
"Patience is a knightly virtue Debove. Remember that."
"So is honesty, and the longer we spend on this expedition, the more I suspect your motives."
"When we find the grail, you will eat your words."
"If we find the grail here milady, I will eat my lance."
Just as Lady Maupassant was going to give a hot tempered response to her captain's insubordinance, she went silent. Blue scaled creatures, carrying a white banner amongst them, came out of the jungle from beyond the hills and began advancing on their camp.

"Blue devils!" Lady Maupassant screamed, "they come from the jungles to taint our holy presence here!" The peasants looked up from their work with panic in their eyes.
"No... no they carry the white flag of peace." Gerard said after a moment. "And they come alone."
"Do not be fooled, it is a devious trap! Finish work on those trebuchets and form battle lines before we are overrun."
The peasants began to scurry about, frantically arming themselves and preparing the war machines. Gerard took his place at the head of the knights errant, who were cheerfully boasting about their ensured victory in the coming combat.
"I fear it is not the trap of the blue ones we must be cautious about." Gerard watched as Lady Maupassant rode off to lead a group of peasants. The look of pure delight on her face confirmed his suspicions. Something was wrong.

1750 Points. Scenario: The Lizardmen army can have no saurus or kroxigar of any kind. At least one skink unit must have a standard, and be deployed in the center of the board facing the opposing table edge. Scouts must deploy within 24" of their friendly table edge. The Bretonnian army may have only one unit of knights, which must be knights errant, overriding the 1+ knights of the realm rule. The Bretonnian army may only have one paladin, which must be the battle standard bearer. A damsel must be the army general. Bretonnia will get to pray, and also get first turn, but during turn one no charges may be declared nor any artillery fired.

My Army: Lizardmen
Characters:
GENERAL: Skink Cheif (Huini'Zec) with shield and spear.
Mount: Ancient Stegadon
Magic Items: Staff of the Lost Sun, Venom of firefly frog

SKINK PRIEST (Tenkitza): Level 2 Wizard
Mount: Stegadon with Engine of the Gods
Magic Items: Amulet of Itzl, Plaque of Tepok
Spells: Forked Lightning, Celestial shield, Uranon's Thunderbolt

SKINK PRIEST (Atehe): Level 2 Wizard
Magic Items: Diadem of Power, Dispel Scroll
Spells: Portent of the Far, Second Sign of Amul

20 skinks with full command
10 skinks with musician
10 skinks with musician
10 skink skirmishers with blowpipes
10 skink skirmishers with blowpipes
3 terradons
3 terradons
5 chameleon skinks with stalker
2 salamanders, extra crew

Bretonnia
Characters:
GENERAL: Damsel, level 2 wizard with lore of life
Mount: Warhorse
Magic Items: Prayer Icon of Quenelles (unit gains blessing of the lady)
Spells: The Howler Wind, Master of Stone

BATTLE STANDARD BEARER: Paladin
Mount: Barded Warhorse
Magic Items: Valorous Standard (cold blooded leadership tests for unit)
Virtues: Virtue of Impetuous Knight (+1D6 to first charge)

Damsel, level 2 wizard with lore of life
Magic Items: Verdant Heart (+1 to cast lore of life)
Spells: The Howler Wind, The Rain Lord

Damsel, level 2 wizard with lore of life
Magic Items: Potion Sacre (may add +1 to dice roll on spell, 1 use only)
Spells: Mistress of the Marsh, The Rain Lord

7 Knight Errant with full command and Errantry Banner
25 men at arms with spears and full command
25 men at arms with spears and full command
10 bowmen with full command and braziers
10 bowmen with full command and braziers
10 skirmishing bowmen with full command
5 mounted yeomen with shields and full command
5 mounted yeomen with shields and full command
1 Trebuchet
1 Trebuchet

Deployment: I didn't quite have the raw skinkage to field an all skink army, so I had to borrow the terradons and a few extra skinks from a very nice gamer at our game shop. I immediately broke one of the terradons (they weren't glued to their bases) and so we decided to just use the bases and leave the models in the case. The terrain was purposefully placed to block much of my opponent's deployment zone with hills and woods while mine was fairly sparse. I separated my stegadons to avoid being hit by too much artillery, and planned to keep Atehe in the woods all game and just cast Second Sign with him. With 20/20 hindsight vision, I think I should have deployed both units of terradons on the right flank to try to take out his war machines. I was afraid they'd get shot to pieces by bowfire, but maybe that would be worth the risk.
Deployment Left Flank: Deployment Right Flank:




Pre-Game Thoughts: I was very worried about his 2 big blocks of peasants, because my skinks were just no match for them in combat. My stegadons could break them, but I had to be very wary of his trebuchets, bow fire, and the unit of knights errant. I had the big monsters but he had the shooting to take them out. My plan was to focus on taking out his shooting on turns 2-4, whittle down his big blocks on turn 4-5, and go for the game winning charge on turn 6 with what I hopefully had left, which would be at least a stegadon and perhaps my salamanders as well. I had thought my terradons would be safe for the most part, until he deployed his scouting bowmen that could see them easily... whoops. I'm used to being the only army with scouts.

Turn 1: His

Movement: On the left flank the mounted yeomen swirled around between the center of the woods and the skirmishing bowmen moved up within 2" of the woods edge so they could fire at stuff. On the right flank the other mounted yeomen zoomed up and angled towards the center of the board. To my surprise, none of his big blocks of infantry moved, nor did his knights errant. Not surprisingly, his trebuchets and bowmen with defensive stakes didn't move either, nor would they all game.

Magic: I can honestly say I've never fought a Bretonnian army with more than 1 magic user, and now I was facing a force with 3. Both damsels managed to cast howler wind, creating an inconvenient bubble of ranged immunity around the army. Despite his lack of offensive spells, I could tell that his magic phase was going to have a presence this game.

Shooting: On the Left Flank the mounted Yeomen and the skirmishing bowmen opened fire on my leftmost terradons, killing 1, wounding another, and sending them panicking nearly off the board (and also off the picture). The Left bowmen shot at my big ranked unit of skinks in the center of the board, killing 3. So much for my flag of peace. His right bowmen didn't have much to shoot at, and his right mounted yeomen plinked off a single ranked skink in the middle of the board. His trebuchets couldn't fire this turn because of the scenario rules and the turn was mine.

Turn 1: Mine

Movement: I rallied my panicked terradons but they couldn't move this turn. Tenkitza's stegadon moved up towards the house, hoping to get a decent distance for burning alignment and fry some scouts in the woods. My center terradons moved up behind the woods, and the chameleon skinks entered the woods, their sights on the mounted yeomen. Salamanders moved up behind the center hill, ready to barbeque anybody that came near me. Left skirmishers moved up towards the hole in the woods mostly to get shot at so other more important things wouldn't be. On the right flank, all 3 units of skinks went forward their full 12." I was hoping to shut down those war machines by turn 3. My center big unit of skinks just sort of edged to the right slightly to take a little less bowfire next turn. Huini'Zec, eager to try out his newfangled Staff of the Lost Sun, only went foward 6" and angled at the mounted yeomen on the right flank. Atehe moved up a bit and stayed put for the rest of the game.

Magic: Burning alignment managed to burnedly align 2 scouting bowmen into their graves. I then blasted a mounted yeoman with a lightning bolt. I'd have liked to have shot at juicier targest with the lightning bolt, but the howler wind prevented me from doing so. All other spells were dispelled or failed to cast. Atehe saved 2 dispel dice in his diadem of power... There was going to be no more 2X howler wind castings this game.

Shooting: The chameleon skinks poisoned 2 mounted yeomen to death, although they passed panic. On the right flank, The Staff of the Lost Sun managed to flash fry 2 mounted yeomen, who didn't pass their panic. It was only turn 1 and Huini"Zec had already earned back his points. Nice. Everything else had marched and couldn't shoot.

End of Turn 1 Left Flank: End of Turn 1 Right Flank:




Turn 2: His

Movement: His skirmishing bowmen, having quite enough of burning alignment, retreated through the woods away from Tenkitza. His big blocks finally started moving, both angling and moving to the left. The Knights Errant unit moved up on top of the small hill on the right flank, but not before the General Damsel separated herself from it.

Magic: He attempts to cast the Rain Lord on my chameleon skinks, which I stop, and on my skirmishing skinks on the left flank, which I'm unable to dispel. They get soaked and are -1 to hit for the rest of the game. The Howler Wind is cast again on 2 dice with a roll of 11. Not confident that I can stop that, I use my dispel scroll on it. I want this turn's shooting to have some impact.

Shooting: Que the pain. The Trebuchets both hit their targets. The first shot isn't so bad, killing a mere 2 skinks out of my white flag unit. The second shot hurts something fierce. 2 crew die, the stegadon is unwounded, and just as I was breathing a sigh of relief, Huini'Zec gets nailed by a falling rock for 2 wounds, enough to take him out of the game. Turn 2 and my general is dead.

Dark shadows began to form on Huini'Zec's stegadon, just before the rocks hit. The Bretonnian war machines had launched a direct hit, and several skinks were pulverized by the impact and part of the hudah destroyed. Huini'Zec was hit by a particularly large piece of boulder and knocked off on the hudah while the remaining crew members worked to calm the startled but unhurt beast.
"General, shall we come back for you!? the remaining skinks yelled.
"No, I am fine. Continue forward, crush our enemies, there is no time to waste."
While the stegadon stomped off towards the battle, Huini'Zec tightly held his side. Blood gushed out of a gaping hole near his hip. He squeezed the lesion shut to stop the blood flow, ignoring the mind shattering pain. He could not die here, he still had so much left to do.

Turn 2: Mine

Movement: On the left flank, my rallied terradons fly up behind the house. Blue Stegadon moves next to the woods to avoid shooting, while skink skirmishers move into the hole between woods. Chameleon skinks and 2nd unit of terradons shift up and to the right for better firing positions next turn. Center ranked skinks move in the face of the knights errant, while salamanders move in position to breathe fire on them after the inevitable overrun. My white flag skinks move up on top of the hill and angle to the right with hopes of throwing some javelins at the knights errant. The skinks, skink skirmishers, and red stegadon on the right flank all move up towards my enemy Trebuchet team at full speed. I had debated holding the stegadon back in hopes of a counter-charge against the knights errant, but with my general killed, I decided I had to be absolutely positive those 2 trebuchet went down.

Magic: Most of my casting spells are shut down, but the engine of the gods manages to put up a 5+ Ward save against shooting.

Shooting: Chameleon skinks turn the mounted yeoman into pin cushion impersonations, while the salamanders lob liquid fire at the knights errant. Sadly, the first shot is short and the second fails to get past their mighty armor saves. Ranked white flag skinks have similar luck with their javelins despite some impressive rolling on my part.

End of Turn 2 Left Flank: End of Turn 2 Right Flank:

[Kayosiv]

Turn 3: His
Movement: His Knights errant charge my skinks, I hold and hope for a miracle. Sparsely any other movement. I was suspecting him to put his peasant blocks into action, but they barely shuffle around or don't move at all.

Magic: Inconsequential magic phase here. His spells fail for the first time with most of his attempts, and I dispel all else.

Shooting: The skirmishing bowmen attempt to kill some chameleon skinks, but discover they are hitting on 8's and fail to land any hits. The left flank bowmen, wishing to actually hit something, target the soaked skinks and pick off enough to cause a panic, but they manage to pass. His trebuchet duo both target the red stegadon, but one misfires (with no negative results) and the other scatters off into empty space. Still, this was likely his last change to take out my stegadon this game, so this artillery failure ensured my lead at this point in the game. His right flank bowmen shot at the stegadon, desperate to damage it, but the arrows bounced off of its hide.

Combat: As expected, the knight unit devastated the skinks in the center, but not to a man. I was hoping I could get a double 1's to hold, but no such luck and they were run down. Unfortunately for me, I had gotten my big unit of skinks with the flag of peace a smidge too close, and they had to take a panic test... which they failed. This caused them to flee to the left flank... panicking the chameleon skinks who passed, and then the soaked skink skirmishers... who didn't. They fled into the blue stegadon, which was luckily immune to psychology, before stopping just short of the house which would have destroyed them. I'd lost more units due to panic outside of combat than I had due to actual fighting. An interesting twist. Normally I'd say "its only skinks" but this was the first time my army consisted of nothing but skinks. I missed cold blooded leadership 8.

Turn 3: Mine

Movement: My rightmost skink unit charged a trebuchet while my skink skirmishers charged the other. Both units of fleeing skinks managed to rally which was a nice surprise. The red stegadon move up adjacent to the hill to make any peasants that managed to ward off their skink attackers had to take a terror test. The salamanders moved towards the knight unit with hopes of whittling it down a little while the chameleon skinks moved closer to a block of men-at-arms while still staying within the woods. My terradons flew over the same unit behind enemy lines, while the damaged terradon unit flew over the skirmishing bowmen unit. Both dropped their rocks. Tenkitza's blue stegadon was locked in place due to all the rallying panicked troops around it, and decided to just hold in place until next turn.

Magic: Great magic phase for me this round. I managed to zap a few peasants out of the center men-at-arms unit and get off a second sign of amul granting 2 rerolls. The engine of the gods granted a 5+ ward save against shooting.

Shooting: The combined damage of rocks and chameleon skink shooting on the men-at-arms unit in the center was severe, although they passed panic, they lost 2 ranks in the process. The rocks were no more merciful on the skirmishing bowmen, wiping out almost half of the unit, with javelens killing one more. The salamanders fried a knight each. Despite the staggering amount of panic tests I caused this phase, all of them were passed. It seems his peasants were really willing to give their lives in this fight rather than flee.

Combat: With the help of Second Sign of Amul, both skink units managed to beat and run down the crew of the trebuchets and overrun into archers, nice. With his warmachines destroyed and his archers dwindling, I was confident that my stegs were out of danger.

End of Turn 3 Left Flank: End of Turn 3 Right Flank:


Turn 4: His

Movement: Peasant unit on the hill charges my chameleon skinks, I gladly flee. I was tempted to just hold and die, trapping them in the woods, but there wasn't any real need as a failed charge meant that they were going to eat a stegadon charge on turn 5. Knights Errant swivel around to face the red stegadon, while his general damsel and the peasant unit that didn't charge attempt to move towards the center of the board and avoid the skink onslaught coming their way from the right flank.

Shooting: His left flank archers manage to whittle down my white flag ranked skinks even more, reducing them to half strength with some well placed shots.

Combat: His long line of archers is no match for my skink skirmishers. Despite his musician and banner, I manage to rack up a kill with some awesome rolling and my 1 kill plus outnumber beats his static combat resolution by 1 and he flees only to be run down.

Turn 4: Mine

Movement: Terradons charge, terradons charge, sandwiching the left flank bowman unit between the 2. With 4 attacks coming at them from both flanks, it'll take a miracle for them to survive. Chameleon skinks rally, and white flag skinks edge over to let Tenkitza's stegadon through the gap. He squeezes past, and angles himself for a charge on the dwindling peasant block on turn 5, also set up for a burning alignment if he rolls well. The rallied soaked skinks march up to fire at the skirmishing bowman unit in later turns. Salamanders move towards the knights errant unit in position for maximum burniation. The 2 units of skinks and the stegadon on the right flank all move 6" over into shooting position, ready to unleash a blow-dart rain upon the enemy.

Magic: With a particularly impressive roll of 11, burning alignment zaps everything around it. I only rolled a 1 for hits against the bowman unit, followed by a 2 for no wounds. I made up for it by killing 2 skirmishing bowman, panicking them off the board. The men-at-arms unit takes even more casualties but refuses to run. Other magic either fails or is dispelled.

Shooting: My unit of skink skirmishers opens fire on the unprotected Bretonnian general and score and impressive 5 wounds with their 20 shots. Her pathetic armor save can't cope and she goes down netting me a ... VICTORY??? WHAAAAAA?

Game End Left Flank: Game End Right Flank:


Gerard Debove grit his teeth as burning liquid sprayed over his regiment. Several of the young knights fell off their horses screaming in pain, clutching their faces and rolling around on the ground trying to extinguish liquid fire that would not go out. So this is what they got for attacking those that came to them under the guise of peace. He appreciated the irony even as his back felt ablaze and his horse panicked, kept from bolting to safety only by his strong control. He was ready to order the retreat when he saw something that almost made him drop his lance. The battlefield stood still. One of the other damsels began to cry.

Lady Maupassant was under attack from a drove of the small blue creatures, and was dragged off her horse. For the briefest of moments he assumed her dead, until a monster burst forth from the mass of skinks, sending them flying. It took Gerard a few moments for his brain to even process the fact that the monster had not appeared, the monster was lady Maupassant. She was bewitched... no, she was an agent... a thing of chaos, and she had been all along! Laughing at them as they believed her lies and she dragged them ever closer to damnation. Gerard spurred his mount into a charge. It was time to make up for past mistakes.

Armor smoldering, his eyes stinging due to the arid fumes, his hands shaky from the pain, the ground his horse galloped on uneven; Gerard's lance felt heavy in his hands. And yet, it found its mark. The thing that was Lady Maupassant had been swiping terrible claws at skittish skinks, and didn't even see the lance until it struck her in the heart. Great surprise widened her many eyes and she was forced back by the terrible impact, letting forth an unholy howl. Gerard ordered his horse back, wrenching free his lance. She glared at him, dying, and smiled.
"Very good Debove" the thing said in an unearthly voice. "You were right after all."
"No milady, I was wrong" Gerard said, readying his horse for another charge. "It was you who are going to eat my lance." The blow struck with enough force to obliterate the monster's head. Gerard turned around, ready to be attacked by the blue creatures, but they had seemed to completely lose interest in him and his men. Instead they all rushed towards the ornately dressed blue creature that had been knocked off the lumbering beast by a trebuchet. He turned his horse around and despite pleading from his fellow knights, began to trot over to them.

***

"Were we... victorious?" Huini'Zec rasped out, the usual booming echo of his voice gone.
"shhh, do not try to talk" Tenkitza said, a ring of skinks forming around the fallen skink chief. He examined the wound. It was bad. It had been wrenched shut with bare hands, but still was leaking blood, far far too much blood. He began to chant a spell of healing and sent Atehe in to the jungle to fetch some numbweed.
"Yes Huini'Zec, we triumphed today. You were right, in a sense. The forces we fought were lead by a disguised agent of chaos."
"Foolish Cho... so blind."
"I said be silent, you will need all of your strength."

Gerard trotted up to the ring of skinks formed around their fallen hero. A shaman of sorts was attempting to heal him. Based on a quick scan of his injuries, it was a vain attempt. He went unnoticed until he dismounted, when a few of the outer ring skinks raised their throwing weapons at him. He unsheathed and dropped his sword and morning star on the ground, and the skinks seemed to understand he meant no harm. He stood silently, towering over the skinks, watching as their champion bled to death.

Atehe arrived with the numbweed, slathering on the substance he had ground into a sticky powder on the gaping wound. The relief seen on Huin'Zec's face was immediate, and his short breaths slowed as he lost consciousness. Gerard began to hope things had improved, until the slow breathes of the skink chief stopped altogether. Mourning clutched hold of the surrounding crowd and loud wails of anguish filled the valley. Huini'Zec was dead.

Tears streaming down Atehe's face, he clutched at his sacrificial dagger and began to advance at the warmblood amongst them, but Tenkitza halted him, approaching the warmblood himself. Gerard thought he was prepared for anything, but his eyes went wide when the creature began to speak to him in a broken form of his own language.
"Bret-oh-ni-an, I Tenk-itza, us have, many to disk-uss."
"I... I am sorry for your lost friend. What can I do to make amends?"
Tenkitza and Gerard Debove walked off together, Atehe close behind, wiping tears off his face and producing a small tablet to take notes. They had much to discuss indeed.


It turns out that without my knowledge, there was a hidden victory condition placed upon the game before it started, and that was if I managed to kill the enemy general I automatically win. A quick tally up of the points netted me a marginal victory, but considering I hadn't finished my shooting phase, combat was going to net me a bowman unit, and the placement of my stegadons, I feel I could have easily gotten a massacre by turn 6. My stegadons hadn't even gotten a chance to charge yet, and were set up in perfect position to do so on turn 5.

Post Game Thoughts: Even though my general died at the start of turn 2, I was actually pretty lucky that the Trebuchets didn't do even more damage. Turn 3's misfire/scatter ensured that his right flank was doomed. Even without the stegadon I over-ran all his ranged attackers with skinks, so that flank was mine. On the left flank, depending on how well the blue stegadon's charges went I think I would have had reasonable chance of victory, but with a stegadon in each flank, I think the massacre win was assured. With the salamanders breathing flaming death upon the knights errant, I don't think they would have lasted many more turns. I'm not sure why my opponent did so little moving with his 2 big blocks of peasants. I was very worried about the static combat resolution they would bring and planned to avoid them if possible, but he didn't give me much reason to and just let me ignore one and slowly kill the other. I think he should have gotten them into the game much sooner.

[Toshiro]

another great fluff update, a good story to follow

[Kayosiv]

Battle 4: Seeing Shadestars

Atehe shuffled his feet as they headed towards Kotak-Hai. While he felt satisfaction for once again thwarting the efforts of chaos, he dearly missed Huini'Zec. He had never known a more feverish defender of Lustria, and the last thing he had done while he was alive... was yell at him and call him a violent fool. Tenkiza both noticed and shared Atehe's grief. He was no stranger to death in his many journeys, but his heart felt heavy all the same. He was looking forward to the tranquility of his mediation chamber, but it was not yet to be so.

Saurus Cold One riders and kroxigar burst through the underbrush, nearly trampling the skinks at the head of the caravan before screeching to a halt. Tenkitza rose to his full height.
"Who commands here?"
The largest of the cold one riders spoke up after taking control of his stubborn mount.
"I am Veteran HuaXa, and I lead here. We flee from none other than the defiler of Chupayot himself!"
A shiver ran up Atehe's spine. "Lohkir Fellheart... here, a... are you sure?"
The Scar-Veteran looked at him puzzled, unable to comprehend the concept of reporting something that was untrue or uncertain. Tenkitza broke the silence. "Rally your forces HuaXa, we will combine our might and put an end to the defiler." Atehe looked at Tenkitza in alarm, silently begging him to reconsider.
Scar Veteran HuaXa wasted no time. "TO WAR!"
Atehe swallowed hard and despite his best efforts, could not keep his knees from quaking.


2000 Points, no lord. Scenario: The game is to be played longways, meaning 6"4" instead of 4"6. The Dark Elf player will get points for each unit destroyed, while the Lizardman player will get points based on the number of units inside the Dark Elf player's deployment zone on turn 6. The Lizardman player will go first, but will not be able to shoot or cast offensive spells.

My Army: Lizardmen
Characters:
GENERAL: Scar Veteran with Halberd, light armor, and shield.
Mount: Cold ONe
Magic Items: Glyph Necklace, Venom of firefly frog

SKINK PRIEST (Tenkitza): Level 2 Wizard
Mount: Stegadon with Engine of the Gods
Magic Items: Amulet of Itzl, Plaque of Tepok
Spells: Forked Lightning, Celestial shield, Portant of the Far

SKINK PRIEST (Atehe): Level 2 Wizard
Magic Items: Diadem of Power, Dispel Scroll
Spells: Portent of the Far, Second Sign of Amul

15 Saurus warriors with full command
10 skinks with musician
10 skink skirmishers with blowpipes
10 skink skirmishers with blowpipes
6 Cold One Calvary with champion and Standard bearer
5 chameleon skinks with stalker
3 Kroxigar
1 Stegadon
2 salamanders

His Army: Dark Elves (1750 points)
Characters:
GENERAL: Lokhir Fellheart!

BATTLE STANDARD BEARER: Master with heavy armor, sea dragon cloak, repeater crossbow and great weapon.
Magic Banner: Banner of Hag Graef (Unit always strikes first)

Master: heavy armor, sea dragon cloak, repeater crossbow and great weapon.
Magic Items: Ring of Hotek (all spells cast within 12" miscast on any doubles) and guiding eye (unit may re-roll all ranged misses, 1 use)

Assassin: with handbow and additional handweapon
Gifts of Khaine: Rune of Khaine (+d3 attacks)
Poisons: Man-bane (strike at strength of +1 more than opponents toughness)

5 Dark Riders with musician and repeater crossbows
5 Dark Riders with musician and repeater crossbows
1 Hydra
33! Shades with blood shade and great weapons

Deployment:
There are 2 things not listed in deployment picture. Atehe IS in this battle, but his fear overtook him and he starts (and ends) the battle in the very bottom left corner of the map. Since my opponent has no magic his dispel scroll and diadem of power are completely useless and he never has any reason to move. The Chameleon skinks are on the top left behind the hill near the Hydra and simply cannot be seen in the picture. It will be obvious why I didn't bother to label them soon.

Pre-game Thoughts: I had many times heard of the so called "shadestar" but have never fought one. I was a bit worried, especially with that hydra looming on the left flank and what I was positive would be the always strike first banner on the bsb. I was hoping I could thin the shades out with magic and shooting to around 20, then charge in and get enough impact hits that I would win combat and run them down. One would hope.


Turn 1: Lizardmen

Movement: On the left flank, the kroxigar and ranked skinks curve around the woods while the skinks skirmishers occupy them. The chameleon skinks come out of hiding behind the hill and go within shooting range of the Hydra. Scar Veteran HuaXa and Co. move up and angle towards the center of the board, while the blue stegadon and salamanders inch forward, as do the cold one knights. I make sure to be outside of 12" of the woods but also within 14" so I can get a charge off in the following turns. The skirmishing skinks on the right flank hug the edge of the board and move up while the red stegadon hides behind the hill.

Magic: I attempt to cast Second Sign of Amul with Atehe, but roll a 7 and it is met with a roll of a 7 to dispel. With no other useful/legal magic to use I put up a 5+ ward save from the engine of the gods against shooting.

Shooting: TOO LATE I realize that I cannot shoot... How I forgot I do not know, but I have put my chameleon skinks in grave danger for no reason and am soon to pay the price. My salamanders too are left at risk for no tactical benefit... Not a great way to start a game.

Turn 1: Dark Elves

Movement: One unit of darkriders declares a charge against my skink skirmishers on the right flank, which are within charge range by about .00001 inches, doh. I declare a stand and shoot reaction, wounding 3 times! but one is saved by armor. Like a jerk he passes his panic test. The other unit of dark riders moves up and his Hydra moves to the left, ready to breathe fire on my chameleon skinks... whoops. All of his heroes, meaning Lokhir, the BSB Master, and the other Master, move out of the darkrider unit they started they game in and move into the shades, which move far enough to the edge of the woods that they can fire. He's got 4/5 of his army in a single unit... A true shadestar indeed. I'd never fought one before, and was about to find out just what it was like.


Magic: My opponent has no wizards or even any bound items and will be casting no spells this turn nor the remainder of this game.

Shooting: Quite the opposite of his magic phase, quite literally his ENTIRE ARMY was armed with a ranged attack of some sort, with the singular exception of Lohkir himself. He starts the phase off by vaporizing my chameleon skinks with Hydra breath... he didn't even have the decency to roll any 1's to wound and the entire unit goes poof. Recognizing how deadly template weapons are to his forces, he opens fire on the salamanders. Lets put this into perspective. His shades have moved, are using multiple shots, and are at long range, meaning they hit on 5's. There are 64 shots hitting on 5's... and 2 shots hitting on 4's (the bloodshade). The 2 masters can't shoot because they marched this turn and the assassin's handbow is out of range. The sky grows dark with arrows. After some hefty handfuls of dice, he scored something along the lines of 23 hits. After randomization and rolling to wound, he has completely wiped out the unit... but wait! I still have 6+ armor saves on the salamanders. Passing 2 of the 7, at least I still have a salamander left for sure. Now I have my 5+ ward save provided by the engine of the gods. Rolling remarkably well, I save all but 2 of the wounds on the salamanders, so both are still alive!! The skink crew don't fair so well however, and 6 of the 8 are wiped out. I hold my breath as I test for panic, but the presence of HuaXa's leadership 8 assures that the unit will be around to melt some shades in turn 2. My opponent cannot believe his misfortune.

Combat: I was hoping that with only 3 dark riders left, I may be able to hold with my skinks on the right flank, but it is not to be so. They kill 5 skinks with their 6 attacks and I flee. He rolls piddly and doesn't get to go off the map, sadly my skinks flee the table never to return. It was only turn 1 and I had already lost 2 units, not a good way to start a game.

End of Turn 1:


Turn 2: Lizardmen

Movement: On the left flank my kroxigar and ranked skinks move up and angle to the right in order to threaten the hydra. HuaXa and the saurus as well as the cold one knights move up along with the salamanders attempting to encircle the shades' woods. Tenkitza's blue stegadon moves behind the cold ones to the right to better position itself for magic/charges in following turns, and the red stegadon moves to the top of the hill for similar reasons. My skink skirmishers in the woods are the only unit that does not move. I keep them in reserve to react to whatever the Hydra does.

Magic: Wonderful magic phase here. Although Atehe's second Sign of Amul is dispelled, Tenkitza manages to launch a forked lightning into the shade unit, rolling a 5 for hits, and killing 4! I once again activate the engine of the gods' ward save against shooting.

Shooting: The great bow on the red stegadon launches into the flank of the unit of full dark riders, but misses. Salamander shooting however, could scarcely have gone more perfect. Rolling a 6 followed by another 6, direct hits are abound. It's shade roasting time! 9 shades burn to death in ways too horrible to describe. With 13 of his 33 shades down, things are begining to feel a lot less lopsided this game.

Turn 2: Dark Elves

Movement: The first thing that happens is his dark riders fail their terror test at the sight of the red stegadon and flee off the map, HA! That'll teach them to kill my skinks. The hydra charges the Kroxigar on the left flank, and the dark riders run way WAY back away from the red stegadon and that... is his whole army because the shades don't move.

Shooting: His dark riders shoot at the red stegadon but the bolts bounce off his hide. His shadestar opens fire once again on my unit of salamanders. Without having moved this time, and with his 2 masters also being able to shoot, things look bad. I was kind of hoping my luck would hold out and I'd get to shoot with 1 salamander next turn... but it proved silly to hope for the impossible. With almost 30 hits scored, the salamander unit did its best impression of a razordon unit and was wiped completely off the board. Looks like it was time for me to get up close and personal.

Combat: The hydra was particually vicious and I don't believe missed any of its 7 attacks. It "only" managed to deal 5 wounds though, so I got to strike back with 6 strength 6 attacks from the kroxigar. I wounded twice, and one was saved by regeneration. About right statistically, but I was praying for a miracle. I lost handilly, and was hoping to escape, but the multi-headed monster ran the kroxigar down... at least it'd have to eat a salvo of skink fire next turn and its breath weapon had been reduced to strength 4. For some reason, the toughness 2 skinks didn't take much solace in that.

End of Turn 2:

Turn 3: Lizardmen

Movement: Charge, CHARGE, CHARGE! Red Stegadon Charges in, Cold One Knights charge in, and after some thought, HuaXa charges in too. Everybody passes their Terror tests, then it is time to weather the stand and shoot reaction, at the cold one riders. My opponent informs me that he is using the guiding eye, an item that lets his entire unit re-roll misses in shooting for 1 turn. An absolutely absurd amount of hits later, I suffer about 10 wounds. however with my 3+ armor save (after modification) and 5+ ward save vs about half the shooting (the engine of the gods 5+ ward save only works from 12" away or more) I only suffer 2 wounds. Not bad, and my 3 charges hit home after the ensuing panic test is passed. On the left flank my 2 units of skinks move up and ready to shoot the Hydra. The Saurus continue to loop around to get at the shades in later turns, and Tenkitza's stegadon continues to move towards the right end of the board and up, with hopes of burning alignment getting me even more kills before the combat starts.

Magic: Gross magic ineptitude this phase. Atehe attempts to cast Second Sign of Amul and promptly rolls a 4 on two dice. No problem I think, as Tenkitza attempts to cast Portant of the Far on the stegadon and... rolls a 4 on two dice. In case you weren't aware, both of those spells go off on a 5+... Moving right along, Tenkitza tries to cast forked lighting at the dark riders, but his roll of a 7 is dispelled with another roll of 7 from my opponents 2 dispel dice. Making sure the phase wasn't a total loss (although still an extreme disappointment) Burning alignment rolls high enough distance to hit both the shades AND the dark riders... and then I roll a 1 for hits on the shades, that doesn't wound. The thing that makes this magic phase at least somewhat bearable however is that burning alignment does manage to kill 2 dark riders, so I guess there's that, but he passes panic. Still, having 7 power dice do nothing against 2 dispel dice is always disheartening, especially now when I needed magic support the most.

Shooting: The Javalin skinks do no wounds against the hydra at all, and the skirmishers do slightly better, managing 1 wound. Not as good as I would have hoped with 28 poisoned shots. The blue stegadon has marched and cannot shoot, and that is the end of the phase.

Combat: As suspected, my opponents BSB has the standard of Hag Graef. Still, I get my impact hits first from my stegadon, and promptly roll a 1. 2 impact hits is better than nothing I guess, and both manage to wound; it's something. He issues a challenge with his blood shade, and fearing his great weapon with my cold one champion, elect HuaXa to accept. He goes first. His master, the few shades left in combat, and Lokhir go for the knights, but my armor saves ring true and I only lose 1 despite taking 5 wounds (although in all fairness 3 were from Lohkir and only strength 4). His assassin and BSB go for combat resolution and attack my skink crew on top of the stegadon, killing 4 of them, leaving only one left. My turn.

Lohkir Fellheart, Captain of the Tower of Blessed Dread, could not believe his eyes as the cold one riders stampeded towards him. He ordered a volley, and hundreds of bolts whized past his head into the Lizardmen, but the few that dropped only seemed to fuel the speed of those remaining. He had seen shades snipe Bretonnian knights through their visor slit, and yet despite arrows sticking out of a dozen wounds on each of the remaining knights, it did nothing to halt their advance. The crash was thunderous as their charge hit home. The druchii were assaulted on both flanks shortly after the initial charge by a Saurus Master as well as stegadon, who plowed through the loose shade formation like dry leaves. Lohkir ordered Bloodshade Foros to take care of the single Saurus rider, fully aware that he will never see him again, and then joined the fray himself.

Red blades slashing like a whirlwind, Lohkir lived up to his reputation by throwing himself into the Saurus Cavalry in an attempt to turn the tide in his favor. Despite causing several of what would be lethal wounds to lessor creatures to both mount and rider, he only managed to take down 1 knight as all the Druchii around him were bitten by massive jaws or skewered by mighty obstinite spears. Among the fighting, Lohkir made a decision, one that he hoped he won't later regret. Lohkir was forced to yell an order that he has not even had to consider in almost three decades.
"RETREAT!"

HuaXa turns the bloodshade into paste after the dark elf's attacks bounce uselessly off his reptilian armor, netting an overkill point for 2 combat resolution total. The knights do decently, with their 10 attacks including mounts manage to kill 4 shades. The stegadon and 1 remaining skink crew member go for the BSB, hoping to get rid of that darn ASF banner. Of the stegadon's 4 attacks, 2 connect, and I am quite pleased until I roll a 1 to wound... dang it. 1 wound on the BSB down, but I would have really liked him dead. I decide not to attack Lohkir at all due to his regeneration... I needed the combat resolution more than anything. A protracted combat with the shadestar only favors my opponent.

My opponent has 1 combat resolution from a knight kill, 4 from skink crew, 1 for the (still living, urg) BSB, and 1 for outnumber for a total of 7. I have 2 from the challenge, 4 from shades, and one from the wound dealt to the BSB for a total of 7... oh wait what's this, my cold one riders have a banner giving me 8!? BUAHAHAHHA... ahem. Yes quite, so I win combat by one and my opponent promptly rolls a 9 for his break test, HE, IS, OUTAHERE! Game over... right? I opt to not pursue with my stegadon who passes his restraint test. My opponent rolls an impressive 11 in an attempt to escape. The Cold one Riders roll a pathetic 6 on 3 dice, getting themselves stuck handily in the woods. No problem, as HuaXa will surely catch them with his roll of... 9. This was my one big chance to win this game, and my opponent outran 2 cavalry units on foot. No fair. On the plus side, the fleeing shades cause the dark riders to panic, so almost his entire army is fleeing.

Turn 3: Dark Elves

Movement: Well this turn is short. He rallies his shades (nuts) he rallies his dark riders, he moves his Hydra.

Shooting: Hydra vaporizes skinks, who panic into other skinks, causing them to panic... there's a lot of panic going on. Nothing else can shoot, turn over.

End of Turn 3:

[Kayosiv]

Turn 4: Lizardmen

Movement: I am stuck with a hard decision. HuaXa is charging in, no question, but what about Tenkitza? Some strength 6 impact hits would be amazing, and I would get 1 more burning alignment at least, but I could simply dance around the unit all game if need be. However if I let HuaXa go in alone, he's facing static combat resolution 2, and if he loses combat and gets run down, so does my best shot at pinning the shadestar in place and preventing it from shooting so my Saurus can arrive. I decide to charge in with both my Scar Vet and Tenkitza and hope for high rolls, praying that they can hold out long enough for my second stegadon and saurus to come to the rescue. The subsequent stand and shoot reaction wounds Tenkitza, but it is saved by his 2+ ward save. A skink crew member also dies and a wound is dealt to the stegadon, not too bad. He's throwing less and less handfuls of dice at me as his unit dwindles.

Most importantly, BOTH skinks units on the left flank rally, much to my opponents chagrin, and the cold one riders pass stupdity and flip around trying to get out of the woods. The Red stegadon moves into position to charge next turn and so do the saurus, turning around the woods and hoping that HuaXa and Tenkitza can hold on until they can get there.

Magic: Tenkitza tries to cast portent of the far and succeeds on double 3's, but finds out that one of the masters in the shade unit has a ring of Hotec, causing him to miscast... Fortunately, I rolled a 6 which gives my wizardless opponent a free spell. No harm no foul. Atehe tries to cast second sign of Amul but it is dispelled... again. Burning alignment hits the shades but not the dark riders and rolls a 2 for hits. At least this time it killed 2, but a number larger than 4 would have been REALLY nice.

Combat: Impact hits rolled... a 3. It manages to kill 3 shades, so not bad. I issue a challenge with HuaXa and wonder who'll accept. The combat resolution denying Lohkir or the dangerous Assassin... my opponent picks Lohkir, hoping to deny me kills and win combat. Lohkir rolls well, but his strength 4 is no match for HuaXa's 1+ armor save and all hits bounce off. Unfortunately, my attacks prove to be just as useless, wounding twice, one is saved by armor and the other by regeneration. I'm not sure if using his shield was the best idea instead of his halberd, but I just wanted to make sure that I survived until help arrived. The assassin and BSB lay into Tenkitza, killing the rest of the skink crew and doing several wounds on the stegadon. I target all my attacks back at the BSB. My stegadon manages to hit it once with its 3 attacks, but the roll to wound was a 1. I just can't seem to kill that toughness 3 4+ armor save jerk. He wins combat by several points, but I manage to hold with Tenkitza's stubborn 6 and HuaXa's modified 8.

Turn 4: Dark Elves

Movement: The Hydra moves into the woods, eying skinks hungrily and having thoughts of roasted lizard meat. The Dark Riders Move far away from the red stegadon's charge arc.

Shooting: The Dark riders shoot their 6 shots at the stegadon, but don't manage to do any damage. The Hydra covers the entire remaining ranked skink unit with the flame template, reducing them to 3 models. Yet all is not lost, as they pass panic.

Lohkir frowned to himself as he parried HuaXa's great halberd, weaving in and out of range and quickly striking with attacks too swift to be stopped. The Saurus champion that had challenged him proved to be even more resilient to injury than the knights he had fought before. While the others seemed to shrug off injury, this one seemed to be outright impervious to his weapons. Then he remembered something, something his father had taught him long ago. All saurus had a weak point at the base of their necks. A wicked sneer appeared behind the golden mask as Lohkir redoubled his attacks. He would need to make space in his trophy room.

Combat: At this point, I am fairly certain that Tenkitza is doomed, and I am right. The Assassin finishes off the stegadon, and without his mount's armor save to protect him, the toughness 2 skink priest is no match for the master's strength 6 attacks. Now, this I expected, the following, totally blew me away. Lohkir makes his 5 attacks, hitting with 4, and after rerolling his failed wounds thanks to special ability of the Red Blades, wounds all 4 times. I roll my dice, and roll no less than THREE 1's! and a 4. OK... I roll my ward save and save 1 of the 3 wounds, but it is still not enough to save the 2 wound model and HuaXa is cut down by the Terror of the High Seas. When it rains, it pours.

End of Turn 4:


Turn 5: Lizardmen

Movement: My opponent is running out of shades, but I am also running out of... army. I don't think it is possible for me to win the scenario at this point with all that I have lost, but I decide to try to attempt to wipe my opponent off the map if he's going to beat me. I charge the dark riders with my Saurus, and my Stegadon charges the shades. The stand and shoot fails to kill the 1 remaining skink crew member despite randomization hitting him like 5 times and the charge strikes home. The stegadon does suffer a wound though. The dark riders flee, and I am able to redirect into the shades with my saurus. Now all I can do is pray that I get good impact hits and my saurus toughness 4 sees me through. My cold one knights, now out of the woods, loop around and prepare to take a table quarter. I doubt they'll see any more fighting as the game will be over before they get the chance.

Atehe struggled the entire battle with his fear, and he was starting to lose the fight. Tenkitza was in great peril, he could sense it, but none of his spells were working! It was as if Lohkir's foul will was preventing the magic he usually wielded with proficiency from being effective at all. Tenkitza had taught him to specialize in defensive magics, but there was nothing to defend against this battle, and he felt useless, and his mind wandered. Wandered to a time of screams, fire, and hooked nets digging into his skin. Atehe shook his head as if to clear the thoughts, but as he attempted to align the portents in Tenkitza's favor, memories flooded into his mind as real as they day they occurred. He lost control of the winds of Azyr, and the energy wrecked havoc inside the skink priest's body. The pain was so intense he lost consciousness, traveling back in time within his own mind, or perhaps the unleashed energies caused him to truly disappear.

Atehe awoke to the sounds of anguish and the smell of burning flesh. He was wet, and as his vision cleared he was terrified to see the devastation that was taking place around him. He had seen this place before... but long ago, in memories long repressed. It was then that Atehe realized where he was; the spawning pools of his birth. All around him Black Ark Corsairs shot drugged arrows into fleeing skinks, as well as throwing their hooked nets over those too slow or wounded to escape. Battle raged on with the few remaining saurus and kroxigar, but they were hopelessly outnumbered and only those that refused to let death take them or the mortally wounded continued to fight. Fear strangled his heart, and he found himself unable to will his legs to move so he could run from this terrible place. It was then that he was noticed by a corsair, one with a golden mask shaped like a great Kraken, who began to advance towards him. Atehe finally forced his legs to move, but found himself netted before he could take 3 steps.

The hooked nets dug into his flesh, and the more he struggled in his panic the more embedded in the trap he became. His eyes grew wide as Lohkir casually strode over and stepped on his head, exerting just enough pressure not to kill him, but keep him pinned. Pain shot through Atehe's shoulder as a drugged bolt was shot into him, instantly making him sluggish and drowsy. The nets were quickly and painfully removed. He tried to scream but no words would come out of him, the drug dulling his mind and body. He drifted off into a narcotic sleep, the last thing he could hear was the maniacal laughter, much like a vindictive childs, coming from behind Lohkir's mask.

Atehe awoke this time to a whip ripping into his back muscles. He was shackled and manacled, in a great line of other captured skinks, doomed to suffer the slow death of slavery. He was whipped again, and slowly began to trudge forward, the lingering effects of the drug making it hard to move or even think. So hard, that he stumbled, causing several of the skinks he was chained to to also lose their balance and fall, halting the march of the line. The dark elf with the whip ran up to him, brandishing a terrible knife, fury in his eyes.
"Pathetic creature, are you too stupid to even walk!? Lohkir demands this shipment loaded by nightfall, I will not be late!"
The dark elf put the knife to Atehe's throat.
"I'm sure there will be no more clumsiness if your friends see what happens to those who slow my line."
Atehe closed his eyes, for he could not look death so squarely in the face. He heard several gasps of his fellow captives and then felt his throat being slit. He was unable to breathe and he began to cough frantically in an attempt to force the air into his lungs. And then, suddenly, he could breathe.

Opening his eyes, he was right where he had been, unsure if he had ever left. He was no longer manacled, but the pain of his injuries flooded his senses shortly after he became aware of his new location. His shoulder and back throbbed, and his wrists and ankles hurt where the chains had been. Tenkitza he realized! He did not know how long he had been gone, or if he had truly been gone at all, but Tenkitza still needed his help. He looked over and saw Tenkitza's blue scaled stegadon topple and fall, NO! He had to hurry! He began to rush towards him, but Lohkir's laughter echoed in his mind. The pain of his new, or perhaps old, injuries increased the closer he got, and soon he was paralyzed by both fear and pain. Unable to leave his master to die, but unable to save him, Atehe stood frozen as he did not know what to do. His emotions and feelings of inadequacy tearing him apart, Atehe made the only decision Lohkir's haunting laughter allowed him to, and he fled the battle with tears in his eyes and a burden on his soul.

Magic: After extreme magical ineptitude the entirety of the game... it doesn't get any better. Atehe tries to cast Second Sign of Amul and miscasts on three dice, taking a wound and losing him the spell and a wizard level. He will not further be participating in this game, not that he helped do anything of significance anyway up until this point.

Shooting: On a positive note, the combined shooting of the ranked skinks and skink skirmishers manage to take down the remaining 2 wounds on the Hydra. Unfortunately the handlers pass their panic test, but at least the Hydra will threaten the lizardmen no more.

Combat: The stegadon charged first, so the skirmishing shade unit had to form up to it putting all heroes in the front, however using his Daring Leap ability, Lohkir manages to get into combat with the saurus flanking the unit. I roll for impact hits and get... a 2. For those of you who are keeping track that is 3 sets of impact hits that have rolled less than a 4. To rub a little salt in the wound, only 2 of the 3 manage to wound. Lohkir challenges, and I accept with my Saurus champion, hoping to save some numbers from the unit. I decide to go with hand weapon shield with the saurus, hoping to avoid kills and deny combat resolution and break them on this charge. With his army defeated, I can spend turn 6 marching into his deployment zone and get myself some points. Lohkir massacres the saurus champion with his 7 attacks, but the shades roll poorly and only 1 other saurus is killed. My 6 attacks manage to kill a few more shades. My stegadon isn't so lucky. Dealing with two masters and an assassin, it is wounded heavily. Hilariously enough, the 1 skink crewmember survives the 3 strength 6 attacks sent his way. With my attacks back I manage to kill a couple more shades. I thought about attacking the BSB, but with his heavy armor and sea dragon cloak he would get a 6+ armor save against my stegadon's strength 5 attacks, and I wanted to get as much combat resolution as possible considering I would strike last in the next combat reguardless of the banner. The +1 combat resolution the banner granted was unfortunate, but I just felt like I couldn't risk it at the time. I manage to win combat by 1, but he rolls an 8 on his break test and holds!


Turn 5: Dark Elves

Movement: The surviving skink handlers are charged by the now dead hydra's beast masters. The stand and shoot has no effect. In retrospect, I should have fled, then simply shot the handlers to pieces with the blowpipe skinks in turn 6. The fleeing Dark Riders fail to rally and roll a 17 to continue fleeing, right, off, the table. HA!

Combat: Lohkir simply cannot be stopped. He wipes out an ENTIRE rank of saurus warriors by himself, his shade buddies killing one too. My armor saves don't do much of anything and I am severely regretting not choosing to use spears. 8-10 attacks hitting on 4's and wounding on 3's would grant me some very much needed combat resolution. I still have a rank, banner, outnumber, and the flank, so I don't lose combat by that bad and am able to hold. Unfortunately, my opponent winning combat is granted a free reform, and takes all his masters and assassin and puts them in combat with my saurus. If they lost a combat this turn against Lohir and 2 shades, they certainly aren't going to be able to beat 2 masters, Lohkir, and and an assassin too. I've essentially just lost the game.

On the left flank, the 2 beast masters easily beat the 3 ranked skinks and over-run off the map to safety. I won't be killing them this game.

End of Turn 5:


Turn 6: Lizardmen

Movement: My Saurus Cavalry move up to get me some much needed scenario points. I couldn't win, by I might as well lose by less. The skinks on the left flank try to do the same, but they're not quite fast enough to net me any points, drat.

Magic & shooting: ......... yup.

Combat: My prediction that the saurus couldn't handle Lohkir and his entourage of dark elf hero buddies was quite correct, as the saurus were ripped into something fierce. My high armor saves managed to save a few, but not enough so I could fight back. I lost combat handily and fled, but he opted to hold, knowing full well that it being my last turn, my saurus could never rally anyway. Normally he'd have been all over the double victory points that Lohkir offered for running down units, but due to the scenario he said he just didn't care.


Turn 6: Dark Elves

Movement: The dark elf assassin's bloodlust got the better of him, and despite a glare from Lohkir he chased after the Saurus in at attempt to run them down. I escaped by a single inch and the charge was failed. The saurus would live to fight another day.

Shooting: The few remaining repeater crossbows were set to the task of finishing off the escaping saurus unit, but after swinging around great weapons all day, the shades were tired and either missed or failed to wound all shots. With no combats to resolve, that was the game.

End of Turn 6:

Post Game Thoughts: ARRRRRG! My opponent got a massacre win based on scenario points and a solid victory counting the old fashioned way. I know everybody has to lose sometime, but this was a loss I have trouble taking in stride. The dice simply were out to castrate me this game. I made some impressive saves early in the game and then was betrayed by the great gods of probability. My 7 power dice were completely shut down by 2 dispel dice. Burning alignment failed to do real damage, 3 sets of impact hits failed to do real damage, HuaXa rolling three 1's on his armor save roll against Lohkir, NEVER BEING ABLE TO KILL THAT STUPID BSB, and the salt in the wound, not being able to run down the shade unit when it fled against 2 cavalry pursuers. Now with that rant out of the way, I am NOT going to blame this loss on the dice. That's right, despite what occurred that was random it was my fault in the parts of the game I could control that caused my loss.
List of things I could have done better:
1. The movement phase on turn 1 was a disaster. What was I thinking? I'll never know. I should have hid my salamanders behind my stegadon. If I had gotten 2 rounds of shooting against the shade unit instead of one, it would have been a completely different game. I put my chameleon skinks in hydra flamethrower range for absolutely no reason. I think I didn't have on my mind that I couldn't shoot turn one, its the only thing that explains my actions.
2. Later against the hydra, I sacrificed my kroxigar against the hydra so I could get it into place and shoot at it with blowpipes. Why did I do this with a 165 point kroxigar unit instead of a 50 point skink unit? I'm not sure what I was thinking there. I set up my kroxigar for failure and they delivered exactly what I asked, my fault.
3. I picked hand weapon and shield when I got into combat with my Saurus. I was hoping I could beat them and make them flee, but with leadership 9 and a BSB... I'm not sure why I thought that was a good idea. Spears would have given me 2 rounds of 8-10ish strength 4 attacks against unarmored shades on turn 5 and 6. While it is true I couldn't use the spears on the charge, I should have thought past that turn. Instead of winning by a point or 2 on round 1 of combat and then being doomed if he didn't flee, I could have lost round 1 by a point or 2 and had a fighting chance in subsequent turns.
4. Why did I never attack his assassin? I was worried about his BSB's 6+ armor save... but the assassin was naked. I had a few chances to kill him and he's just as fragile as shades, I should have targeted him more (at all).
5. MOST IMPORTANTLY, in the second shade combat involving HuaXa and Tenkitza... why didn't I challenge with Tenkitza? Not only would it have taken a lot of the heat off of Tenkitza, but it also would have allowed HuaXa to lay into the shade unit for the small price of a few strength 5 attacks going his way, which his 1+/5+ could have easily ignored. If Tenkitza and mount/crew only took 3-4 wounds and HuaXa managed to do 2-3 wounds, combined with my impact hits roll, I would have had a very solid shot at beating them in combat and getting another chance to run the unit down. That right there was a lost opportunity.

Looking back, its still hard for me to conceive how I lost.
Mid Game:

End Game:



Still, there were things I could have done better, and sometimes the dice are just against you. All in all the great attitude of my opponent made it a fun game to play despite frustrating dice rolls, and it was nice to face one of the great "broken" army lists in the game before the edition ends just to see what it was like. Although I think 1 time is enough.

[jaxom]

Most unimpressive war-shrine ever.... I have to agree.

That would be because if you mount the modified bell and the beasts of nurgle before you paint them you never, ever reach everything.

I'll have him post a picture when it is tournament-ready (should be this week).

One assumes that if your opponent is working on his Doomwheel you would not fault him for leaving the center out until it was painted?

(I am making a point of playing with the actual base it will be mounted on because at some point I have to get used to having a 160mm x 60mm monstrosity in my deployment zone and movement.)

[Kayosiv]

Red Blades of Vengeance

Tenkitza struggled to breathe. He had tried to jump clear when the stegadon's neck was slashed by the wicked axes of the dark elves, but he hadn't been quick enough, and had been caught underneath the beast. Fortunately, his body was trapped underneath a small air pocket that existed between the beasts bony back protrusions and ribs. Only his head and one arm remained out in the open, which allowed him to breathe, but just barely due to the terrible weight bearing down on him. He was certain that he had several shattered ribs, and possibly a broken leg, but couldn't feel anything punctured within his body. One has to be thankful for small favors.

Unable to act but cursed to watch, Tenkitza saw HuaXa fall, his neck pierced by the red blades of Lohkir himself. The Red Stegadon of his forces charged in, its crew thirsty for vengeance. They would leave this world unsatisfied, as the assassin leaped into the huddah and butchered them all, the dark elf masters beheading the rampaging beast shortly after. The Saurus were the last to fall, their throats being ripped open by the Master of the Black Tower. Soon, the entirety of the Lizardmen forces had been routed, and all that left for Tenkitza to do was pray to the Old Ones that the dark elf forces assumed him dead. His prayers went unanswered.

"My lord" one of the remaining shades shouted, "the small lizard sorcerer, he lives!"
"Impressive," an amused Lohkir said as he casually trotted over to inspect Tenkitza's predicament.
"Shall I slay him master, or prepare him for the slave ship?"
Lohkir chuckled. "Neither." He knelt close to Tenkitza's face. "Tell me, skink priest, because I know you can understand. How does this artifact of blinding light work? I have many uses for a mobile death ray mounted on my ships, and it is an impressive weapon."
Tenkitza said nothing, but swallowed hard. He knew what was coming, and was prepared to endure. Lohkir slowly, making a point to grind and scrape the metal on the hilt, drew one of his red blades and clutched Tenkitza's one free arm.
"You and I both know what will happen," Lohkir wrenched Tenkitza's hand open and put the blade to one of his fingers, "If you don't start talking."
Tenkitza tried to stare past the golden kraken mask, past its aura of fear, but he could not, so he simply shut his eyes and grit his teeth. Lohkir clutched his face and forced Tenkitza to look at him.
"TELL ME YOU PATHETIC SPINELESS PILE OF SLIME, OR I WILL FEED YOU THE BEASTS OF THE SEA, PIECE BY PIECE, WHILE YOU WATCH!"
Lohkir's threat echoed through the jungle, silencing the birds and noises of the other animals. Still Tenkitza did not speak, and Lohkir sliced off one of his fingers. He tried to hold in the scream of pain, but he couldn't. Lohkir smiled behind his mask, holding his blade up to another of Tenkitza's fingers.
"I"m waiting."

Tenkitza spit at Lohkir's face, the spittle dribbling down his formerly pristine golden head-ware. Furious, Lohkir batted Tenkitza's head with the hilt of his sword and stood up, barking an order to a subordinate.
"See that this filth learns the error of his ways, as painfully as possible, and get me a towel."
A groggy Tenkitza, still reeling from the blow to the head, was oblivious to the shade menacingly approaching him, his heavy axe raised high.

The dark elf assassin, who had been leaning against a tree and gleefully watching events unfold this entire time, suddenly sprung into action, bolting towards Lohkir at impossible speed. Within a split second, Lohkir had his weapons out and was ready to use them, feverishly searching his mind for who would dare betray him. Who did he hire this assassin from, which temple, was it Har Ganeth? Lohkir had no time to think as his assailant was upon him, however his paranoia proved to be unfounded. The assassin leaped and crashed into Lohkir before he could strike, tackling him to the ground. Before the two dark elves even touched the jungle floor, massive clawed feet crushed the ground that Lohkir had been standing on moments before. Kro'Qua gave a bellowing roar as his halberd cut Tenkitza's shocked would-be killer in twain with a powerful swing, his innards splattering the hide of the recently dead stegadon. Panic enveloped the shades, as the remaining of their number quickly unloaded a hail of bolts at the Oldblood who had seemingly appeared out of thin air. The projectiles bouncing harmlessly off of his scaled hide, Kro'Qua cut several of them down before the remaining few fled into the jungle to escape his wrath. Furious, Lohkir pushed the assassin off of him and got to his feet, picking up one of his Red Blades that he had dropped when tackled.
"You stupid Iguanas don't seem to understand, what happens, to those that cross the Master of the Tower of Blessed Dread."
Lohkir took menacing steps towards Kro'Qua, who responded only by tightening the grip on his halberd.
"But that's OK, I enjoy teaching you."

The two masters, one with Lohkir's standard flying high, watched with anticipation as the distance between the two dissolved while the assassin slunk off into the shadows. Their blades met, and it instantly became apparent to Lohkir that something was different... wrong even. This saurus was faster, stronger, more skilled than any he had fought in recent memory... recent memory? Had he seen this Oldblood before? Lohkir's thoughts were interrupted as Kro'Qua landed a rib-shattering tail smash, followed by a halberd strike that ripped through Lohkir's midsection and tore out his innards.

Lohkir fell, only to immediately rise again, wounds stitching themselves together, and attacked Kro'Qua from behind the moment he had turned away to face the two remaining dark elves. A powerful thrust had put the evil corsair's red blade into Kro'Qua's neck, but it had only penetrated a few inches instead of the deathblow that Lohkir had intended. He tried to wrench his blade free, but Kro'Qua quickly grabbed the hilt and crushed every bone in Lohkir's hand. A mighty kick then sent Lohkir flying a good 15 feet, colliding unceremoniously against a tree with a loud crack. Just as Kro'Qua ripped the blade from the hole in his neck and began to advance towards the other dark elves a second time, Lohkir rose once more, cracking his neck back into place with a loud pop. This gave even Kro'Qua pause. Was this dark elf somehow invincible?

Lohkir was sure if it now... this Oldblood was different then any he had ever fought... ever seen? Memories from thousands of years ago were dim in Lohkir's mind, and as he scooped up his red blade from where Kro'Qua had dropped it and resumed his attack, he was no closer to unraveling the mystery. That is, until he spotted the Oldblood's shield. The etched claw-marks flooded his mind with the elusive answers he had been seeking. His father was the second mark on that shield. This was the same Oldblood who he had watched murder his father so many years ago. His vision blinded with fury and seething hatred, Lohkir redoubled his attacks. Each deflected blow, each ricochet off scale or crest, made him slip deeper into his mad fury; and his temperament made him sloppy.

All defense forsaken, Lohkir attempted to use his dual blades in a scissoring action to cut off Kro'Qua's head, but found his own neck being slashed open before he could complete his attack. The golden kraken mask took the brunt of the blow, but as a result was torn from Lohkir's head, revealing his pale shocked face. The gaping slash in his neck did not heal, and he dropped his weapons to grasp at it. His fury forgotten, Lohkir fell to the ground attempting to prevent himself from bleeding to death. Kro'Qua raised his halberd to finish his opponent, but a loud cry halted him.
"Do not move!" the dark elf assassin yelled, hand bow held to Tenkitza's head. "Now back away, slowly."
Kro"Qua complied, and the two dark elf masters rushed in and began to drag their leader to safety.
"Get back to the ship!" the dark elf assassin yelled, "I will finish this."
The masters didn't need any further convincing. As they ran off towards their vessel, the assassin's gaze turned back towards Kro'Qua.
"Now drop your weapon."
Kro'Qua didn't.
"I said drop your weapon!" The assassin held a poisoned knife dangerously close to Tenkitza's neck, one prick would prove fatal.
Kro'Qua's weapon hit the jungle floor, followed by his shield. The assassin smiled, taking aim at Kro'Qua with his hand-bow.

The two shots were perfectly placed, one is each eye, but they bounced uselessly off of Kro'Qua's eyelids with a quiet *plink sound. wide-eyed and mouth open in disbelief, the shocked assassin was caught off guard by Kro'Qua's speedy lunge in his direction. It was almost fast enough to reach him in time. The assassin's blade wasn't raised to defend himself, but rather put back to Tenkitza's neck. Moments before the blade could slice open the elder skink's jugular, the air crackled with magical energy as a lightning bolt struck the dark elf assassin square in the chest, blowing him backwards and away from Tenkitza. Altering his step mid-stride, Kro'Qua took the few remaining bounds to the dark elf assassin, who was now convulsing and writhing on his back as the electricity flowed through him. Kro'Qua cocked his arm back just as the thunder from the lightning bolt echoed throughout the jungle, and punched the assassin in the chest so hard that his fist did not stop until it hit dirt. The noise roused a groggy Tenkitza, and his eyes opened to see Atehe standing on a small knoll, his hands and staff still crackling with mystic energy. Atehe rushed towards his fallen master.
"I knew you wouldn't leave me Atehe," Tenkitza wheezed out. "Now please... lets go home."

As Atehe tended to Tenkitza's wounded hand, Kro'Qua looked in the direction of the dark elf retreat.
"Please my friend" Tenkitza pleaded, "just let him go. I need you."
Kro'Qua scowled, but walked back towards Tenkitza, and exerting his strength, attempted to lift the stegadon off the fallen skink. Muscles stretched and bones creaked as Kro'Qua lifted, his feet sinking into the earth under the strain of the immense weight. His tenacity prevailed however, as he was able to lift the beast just enough for Atehe to help Tenkitza slide out from underneath. Kro'Qua then picked Tenkitza up as if he were a child and plopped him on his back before starting to walk into the jungle; Atehe quick to follow. The scowl did not leave Kro'Qua's face.

***

Lohkir bit down on the thick cloth in his mouth. It prevented him from biting through his own tongue as the ship's doctor stitched up his neck. Unable to speak, Lohkir's voice screamed in his own mind.
"We shall meet again Kro'Qua! I remember you now, and I will never forget as long as you draw breath! My father's death and this defeat shall be avenged. I will not rest, until your head is on a pike in my trophy room! Time may heal all wounds, but the hatred of the Fellheart's is eternal."

[Kayosiv]

Deadly Shadow

Had to be careful. Heart rate... slow.
thud...
thud...
thud...
Keep body temperature down, don't blink, don't twitch.
Had to be perfect, had to be precise, 1 shot, 1 chance, death or victory.
Don't get excited, time will pass at one rate no matter your anticipation.
Smoothly, breathe deep but slow, there must be no discerning you from the gentle breeze.
To strike early is to die, to strike late is to suffer, there is only perfection.
Let the target come to you, for in his ignorance, he will step on your head before he notices, for you are but shadow...
The deadliest shadow of all.
His own.

***

Kircheck slurped noisily as he drank the life essence of an exotic bird that he'd managed to pluck out of the sky. It did little to quell the nausea that had plagued him since his encounter with those vile plague censor bearers, but it eased the headache he'd had slightly. Skaven, disgusting vermin. Of all the abominations that plague this world, he detested them the most. He took a moment to reflect on the irony of his own existence, wondering in what manner his victims viewed him as an unnatural being himself.

Kayosiv was much happier with the occurrence and results of the battle, his new bodyguard and standard bearer holding his flag high and prancing next to him atop an undead steed. Once a mighty champion of the Chaos God Khorne, the newly animated Redaxe the Slain existed for no other purpose than to serve Kayosiv for an eternity of undeath. Another day and night's travel would see them at the temple of Dusk, and after that it would be a simple matter to resurrect Kanzul and Allister. With their necromantic might combined with his own, plus his brother's generalship and might at arms, he would finally be able to enact his revenge against the mighty Greater Demon that had humiliated him so. He could hardly contain himself, thought of his revenge making him more giddy that he had been in centuries.

His good temperament was short lived though, as Rupert, who had been knocking down trees to make way their passage, was impaled upon several sharpened tree trunks that swung down from the canopy. The beast roared in surprise, his body badly damage and pinned. His thrashing to get free only served to damage him more and get him heavily tangled in vines and foliage. Kayosiv expected a lizardman ambush, but after several tense moments, nothing occurred. Rupert whined for aid, completely stuck and incapable of freeing himself.

"Do you think the trap abandoned?" Kircheck asked his brother, sword at the ready.
"No," Kayosiv said back, "it's too effective, too specific."
"Well, how long do we wait here for them to make their move?"
"Shhhh.... do you hear tha!?;"

The poisoned blade sunk deep into Kayosiv's throat, furry hand gripping its handle. Kayosiv could only stare wide eyed at his attacker, the only portion of his hooded face visible being the reflected glint off of a monocle and his smiling yellow teeth. He attempted to swing his sword at his assailant, but the cloaked assassin nimbly danced out of the way. Vision swimming, Lord Kayosiv collapsed off of his Nightmare, dagger still plunged in his neck.

"Hello again dead-things," Snips Killington said with a wicked smile and a hint of self satisfaction. "I do recall you owing me some payment. I've come to collect."

How he had been able to sneak up on them undetected he did not know, nor did he care; Kircheck wasted no words, save for a scream of anger, as he leaped upon the rat with the fury of hell in his eyes. Snips' weapons were nearly torn form his hands with each parry, but he managed to hold off the enraged sibling whilst backing towards a very large tree. He had never fought something so strong as this vampire save perhaps a demonic agent of Nurgle, but even it did not fight with such purpose and ferocity. He was tiring quickly, but everything was still going according to plan.

"NOOOOOO!" Lady Cheree screamed as she rushed over to her fallen master. She tried to grasp the hilt of the blade embedded in Kayosiv's neck, but her immaterial hands simply phased through it. She began to sob as her master tried to wrench the blade from his neck, too weak to even lift his arms. Redaxe purposefully plodded over to his new master, paused for a moment, and then ripped the blade from Kayosiv's neck. His eyeless sockets then watched the sword fight between Snips and Kircheck, who seemed to be getting the upper hand.

The force of a mighty swing from Kircheck ripped one of Snip's blades from his hand, and a strong shoulder slam smashed him into the trunk of a tree. "Fools fools" Snips said, "it's as if you're trying to help me escape." With that Snips tapped on the tree and a large knothole section fell out, revealing a secret passage. Kircheck dove to try to prevent the skaven's escape, but Snips threw a small bag at him, which exploded in a fine mist of powder upon connecting with the charging vampire.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH" Kircheck screamed as the powder burned his eyes and lungs, "Garlic!"
Half blind, Kircheck still tried to catch Snips, but he was in the hole moments before the vampire could arrive, another panel of solid wood sliding down to prevent his following. Enraged and in pain, Kircheck began to madly rip and tear at the tree trunk, attempting to gain passage. His burning and tearing eyes went wide as he felt a dagger plunge deep into his back. Snips had somehow snuck up behind him... he was never trying to escape. Kircheck tried to reach the dagger wound to remove the weapon, but it was placed so that taking it out was impossible, and he collapsed to the ground, poison seeping through his veins.

Snips picked up his previously lost sword and began to move towards Kayosiv's limp body. Lady Seree screamed at him, but was silenced by a exploding jar of holy water in her face that caused her to fade away. "Do be quiet my dear, you're spoiling the mood."
Snips shook his head to clear the wails of the damned, and wiped a small trickle of blood from his ears. All that stood between him and his revenge now was the Wight Redaxe, but he was tired, and his back throbbed from when he was slammed against the tree. Snips contemplated retreat, and decided against it. Revenge would be his this day.

Redaxe proved to be a fierce and resilient opponent, especially considering how much energy Snips had already expended. Snips didn't need to defeat him, simply get past him for a split second so he could deal a deathblow to that cursed dead-thing. However, Redaxe proved just fast enough for that to be impossible. Frustrated, Snips broke off from combat, heavily winded. Redaxe did not pursue, but simply stayed at his master's side, making sure to stay between the assassin and his quarry. A few ineffective throwing stars later, Snip's brow furrowed in displeasure. It was then Snip Killington's turn to be stabbed in the back.

"Now you know what it feels like you little rodent." Kircheck smiled, twisting the blade a little.
"But... how how?" Snips demanded, coughing up some blood.
Kircheck knocked on his breastplate. "Cadaverous Cuirass."
A gurgling laughter came from Kayosiv. "And here I thought you never listened to me."
"I never listen to you when you're wrong, which is all the time!" Kircheck jokingly replied back.
"Fools fools!" Snips rasped out, "You have nothing to laugh about. Snips Killington never lose, he merely draws."
The two vampire siblings' laughter stopped short as Snips pulled out a lit bomb of arcane design. Kircheck immediately ripped his sword out of Snips' back and rushed towards his brother, scooping him up and rushing out of the vicinity at inhuman speeds. Redaxe ran at Snips, who had collapsed to the ground in a heap, and covered the skaven assassin with his own body. The explosion was even bigger than Kircheck thought it would be, and he tried to soften the landing to his wounded brother as they were shot forward and tumbled on the ground for several paces.

"You know, I really hate that guy" Kircheck said, dusting himself off, mud stains ruining his formal attire.
Kayosiv pointed weakly at his throat. "If you don't mind..."
"Oh... right." Sighing to himself, Kircheck began to suck the poison out of his brother's neck.
Lady Cheree, who had silently rematerialized a few feet away, sighed with longing. "I remember when you used to let me do that."
Kircheck raised his eyebrows at Kayosiv, who could only laugh it off. "Why yes, aren't I lucky" Kircheck said, helping his brother to his feet and spitting out the poison.

Kayosiv looked at the large crater that had been created by the explosion. Redaxe was strewn about the jungle, and Rupert was still quietly whining, his body half destroyed by the impaling trap. "Ugh, this certainly is going to delay things."

"More than you'd think handsome!" A voice yelled across the nearby valley, but was yet somehow perfectly clear and crisp.

Kircheck and Kayosiv whirled around to see a Chaos General, fancily dressed but also heavily armored, smirking at them from atop a hill; his war-band cresting it as they watched.

"Did I catch you fine gentlemen at a bad time? Too bad. A little birdy told me that if there was an explosion in the jungle it meant there were magical riches to be found. Looks like he was right."

Kayosiv began to summon forth his army, but was so weakened by the poison, he could not animate them all at once. He turned to Kircheck.
"Cut Rupert down... we fight for our eternal lives today."

[Kayosiv]

Battle 5: Sick and Beautiful

1750 Points. Scenario: The game is to be played longways, meaning 6"4" instead of 4"6. The Vampire Counts player will get points for each unit destroyed, while the Warriors of Chaos player will get points based on the number of units inside the Vampire Counts deployment zone on turn 6. The Warriors of Chaos player will go first, but will not be able to shoot or cast offensive spells.


My Army: Vampire Counts
Characters:
GENERAL: Manfred the Acolyte (to represent a weakened Lord Kayosiv): Level 2 wizard
Mount: Abyssal Terror (to represent a weakened Rupert the Zombie Dragon)
Magic Items: Sword of unholy power, Book of Arkan.
Vampiric Powers: Walking Death
Spells: ALL spells from the lore of vampires.

Vampire (Kircheck): Level 1 Wizard
Mount: Barded Nightmare
Magic Items: Cursed Book, Cadaverous Cuirass
Vampiric Powers: Dreadknight, Beguile
Spells: Gaze of Nagash

BATTLE STANDARD BEARER: Wight King with great weapon (Redaxe the Slain):
Magic Items: Drakenhof Banner

20 skeleton warriors with full command
20 zombies with musician
1 Corpse Cart
17 Graveguard with full command and Banner of the Barrows (+1 to hit for all wights).
5 Black Knights with champion and musician
Banshee with 2 Cairn Wraiths

Opponents Army: Warriors of Chaos
Characters:
GENERAL: Svay Lustmore, Exalted Hero of Slanesh.
Magic Items: Filth Mace (causes terror after 1st wound, poisoned attacks), Enchanted Shield

BATTLE STANDARD BEARER: Exalted hero of Slanesh
Magic Standard: Blasted Standard (5+ ward save vs shooting)
Demonic Gifts: Blood Curdling Roar.

Chaos Sorcerer of Slanesh: Level 2 Wizard
Magic Items: Power familiar, dispel scroll
Spells: Lash of Slanesh, Ecstatic Seizures.

15 warriors of chaos with shields, full command.
15 warriors of chaos with shields, full command.
5 marauder horsemen
5 Chaos Knights
15 Chosen with shields, full command, and the mark of Nurgle. +1 toughness gift granted at start of game.

Deployment:


I have found the pictures of this game. I will write a report but it was be less detailed than usual because of the extensive amount of time lapsed between the game and the report as well as me losing my game notes.

Warriors of Chaos Turn 1:

Movement: Everyone in the Warriors of Chaos army move up at full speed with 2 exceptions. The maurader horsemen move behind the house to take cover from Kircheck's Gaze of Nagash and the Chaos knights only move up at the speed of their general to give him a buffer in case my general decides to fly in front of them outside of their charge range.

Magic: My opponent can't cast this turn due to the scenario rules.

Vampire Counts Turn 1:

Movement: I am a bit more reserved in my movement phase. My Black Knights with Kircheck leading them move up and angle towards the center of the board. I'm planning on a turn 3 charge into his chosen unit. Skeletons and zombies move up at full speed, graveguard doing almost the same but angling slightly to the center. My Banshee moves up behind the house with the intent screaming at things behind the building because it doesn't require line of sight. Kayosiv on his Abyssal Terror did nothing. I saw absolutely no reason to put him in harms way considering that Manfred the acolyte has 2 wounds with toughness 4 and no save. I could just get him into the action on turn 2 because I didn't care about charges in turn 2. Turn 3 was going to be the turn that decided the game and I held him back in reserve where it was save until then.

Magic: My magic phase is equally uneventful as all spell attempts fail.

Shooting: Lady Cheree screams at the Marauder Horsemen rolling a 7, which kills 2 of them. They pass panic, but I'm happy to whittle that unit down some.

End of turn 1:


Warriors of Chaos Turn 2:

Movement: The unit of the warriors of the left flank moves up 8" to get scenario points. The remaining 3 Marauder horsemen take full advantage of their free reforms and dance around the house and up behind the corpse card and set up for an easy flank charge into my grave guard. Then, my opponent does what I hoped he would, and separates his knights and chosen. He moves up the chaos knights to get into charge range of my skeleton unit while wheeling and moving up with his chosen to face my grave guard. The unit of warriors on the right flank moves up into range to charge my zombies.

Magic: This is when things turn sour. Lash of Slanesh kills a few zombies and he managed to get Ecstatic Seizures off on my skeleton unit. This literally cut the unit in half, reducing it from 20 models to 9. I was distressed, but only a little because my opponent and I had a good chuckle about what exactly it looked like when a skeleton had an "ecstatic seizure" so violent that it destroyed itself. Seriously, take a moment to imagine it right now. Funny stuff.

Vampire Counts turn 2:

Movement: With his knights no longer guarding his general's front, I immediately flew my dragon over their heads and into position to charge the chosen in turn 3. Kircheck and his black knight unit angled to charge the other flank. Lady Cheree moved up and to the right in case I needed her to scream at things if the combat went sour. I was march-blocked with her so I couldn't get too far though. My corpse cart spun around to threaten the flank of the marauder horsemen. I didn't really care if he charged me this turn because my great weapons would cut him to pieces. What I didn't want was to suffer a dual charge from them with something nasty in my front in turn 3. This forced him to either make a suicidal charge or just move out of the way; either way good for me. I saw no reason to move my zombies or skeletons. If he wanted to separate his warriors and knights from my chosen to kill my loser core units, all the better for me.

Magic: Magic was another disappointment. The corpse cart managed to fire off, which was nice. I tried to invocation that skeleton unit 3 times. 1 was dispelled. The 2 that went through only brought 2 skeletons back, so I roll a 2 on 2d6. This sealed the fate of the skeleton unit. With only 11 models, the chaos knights were going to tear it to pieces in the ensuing combat on turn 3.

End of Turn 2:


Warriors of Chaos Turn 3:

Movement: Time for some fighting. His rightmost unit of chaos warriors charged into my zombies and the chaos knights declared a charge against my depleted skeleton unit. My plan with the corpse cart worked, forcing him to move his fast cavalry behind my unit of grave guard to avoid being charged in the following turn. His left most unit of warriors, with nothing really to fight, marched forward 8 inches to get scenario points. His unit of chosen, lead by his general, decided to wheel to face the black knight unit. I was thrilled by this, as I was terrified about getting caught in a challenge with his general with Kayosiv, weakened as he was. I didn't have as high a chance to win with him facing my knights, but I'd rather him stick then have him kill my general and cause my army to crumble.

Magic: His magic fails or is dispelled this turn, a nice change of pace from last round.

Shooting: His BsB tries to blood curdling roar my unit of chaos knights but fails to do any wounds.

Combat: His knights chop through my skeletons effortlessly, the warriors through the zombies even easier, and both units are completely destroyed through combat resolution. The chaos knights roll high enough to get out of the charge arc of my grave guard, and the warriors get that much closer to my starting zone to score victory points.

Vampire Counts Turn 3:

Movement: I declare a charge with both Kircheck and Kayosiv into the Chosen unit harboring his BsB and General. It's all or nothing time, as this combat will likely decide the outcome of the game. My banshee moves up, although it is unable to march, to scream at the chosen. My corpse cart turns and follows the chaos fast cavalry and my grave guard unit flips around to face them and threaten the knights in the next turn. The rest of my army has been destroyed so that ends the movement phase.

Magic: I attempt to cast curse of years into the chosen unit with Kayosiv, but it is dispelled.

Shooting: The banshee screams into the chosen unit and rolls an impressive 10, netting me 4 kills.

Kircheck cringed as he saw his brother's mount crash haphazardly into the rear of the chosen of chaos. Rupert was literally falling apart and Kircheck knew that his brother's entire concentration in his weakened state was spent animating the army that fought by their side. He knew that Kayos would be of no help in this combat and clenched his fanged teeth together as his own charge was about to hit home. He'd fought enough chaos champions to know never to underestimate them. He bellowed a challenge and Svay gladly accepted. He effortlessly pranced towards Kircheck amongst the chaos of the black knight charge connecting, seeming to revel in the destruction.

Combat: Things start off bad. Kayosiv and his mount have 3 attacks each, hitting on 4's, and proceed to miss all 6 of them. This was rather terrifying because that meant my opponent would get full attacks back. He allocated all of his attacks against Kayosiv and I held my breathe as he rolled the dice. Luckily he rolled rather poor and only scored 1 wound. He asked me what kind of save I had and I replied that I had nothing. We both took a moment to reflect on the fact that if he had rolls at odds, he should have scored about 2 wounds, thus ending the game. On the other side of the combat, the opposite occurred.

He challenged with his general and I accepted with Kircheck, activating the cursed book and reducing his weaponskill to 1. I didn't managed to kill him, dealing 1 wound. He however failed his Beguile test and was hitting on 5's. With his poisoned mace nullified by Kircheck's magic armor, he wasn't able to do any wounds in return. The Black Knights rolled amazingly well. Because of the mark of Nurgle I was hitting on 5's but still managed to get 5 hits and 4 wounds with my 6 attacks. His few attacks back with his Bsb bounced off the armor save of my knights and he scored 0 wounds. With my rear charge and Kayosiv's aura of dark majesty as well as my kills and banner I ended up winning combat by 8 and easily ran him down. The combat went from me nearly losing my general due to bad luck to me wiping out his most expensive unit and almost all of his characters. Quite the eventful combat round.

Kircheck used the brief moments before his challenger drew his weapon to open and read from the cursed book. The wide and confident smile on Svay's face seemed to disappear and he found himself having trouble drawing his weapon, let alone prancing along. When combat was met, Svay's frown intensified as his attacks were sluggish and ineffective. Kircheck on the other hand hacked at him mercilessly and managed to cut a deep gash in his chest. Svay looked around to see his best fighters being skewered and trampled underfoot by the skeletal cavalry. Svay ordered the retreat but it was a futile gesture. There was nowhere to run but into the maw and rending talons of Rupert. His forces scattered about and the few that survived were driven from the field of battle. In his frantic attempt to escape, Svay was stabbed in the back by a wight lance. He keeled over, clutching the fatal wound caused by the magic weapon. As he lay there dying, a grimace of unnatural ecstasy contorted his face.


End of turn 3:


Warriors of Choas turn 4:

Movement: He pushes his 2 remaining warrior units forward 8 inches to try and gain some scenario points. His fast cavalry go hide behind a hill to avoid the corpse cart charge. His chaos knights spin around to face my grave guard's charge during my turn.

Magic: Nothing is in line of sight of his wizard so the phase and turn end uneventfully.

Vampire Counts turn 4:

Movement: I charge my grave guard into this chaos knights. The banshee, again unable to marge, moves 6 inches towards his marauder horsemen hoping to kill them in later turns. Kircheck and his Black Knights wheel around to face the chaos warriors on the right flank. Kayosiv flies over the house and plops down within spell range of the grave guard, hoping to augment them in the ensuing combat. The corpse cart kind of wanders around, but with a movement of 4 isn't able to do much.

Magic: I'm able to heal the 1 wound on Kayosiv with an invocation and roll an 11 on my remaining dice to try and cast Van Hel's on the grave guard to give them re-rolls in their attacks, but my opponent manages to dispel it on two dice by rolling a 12!

Combat: I totally wiff the dice rolls with my grave guard their attacks and kill 0 knights even with the +1 to hit banner. He managed to kill a fair number back but my regeneration saves really help out a lot. Even with his superior kill count I have multiple banners as well as a rank and musician. We tie combat, so he loses by 1 because of his lack of musician and fails his leadership roll of 7. Unfortunately, he outpaces me by a mere 2 inches and escapes being run down.

End of turn 4:


Turns 5 and 6:

There's a bit more to this game but I'm going to sum it up because the pictures past this turn have been lost and I'd like to get to more recent reports dealing with 8th edition. The chaos knights fail to rally and the warriors of chaos flip around to face Kircheck. I charge Kayosiv into the chaos knight unit and run it down and position the grave guard on the flank of the rightmost chaos warriors and move Kircheck and his unit of black knights into charge range. In the following turn I move Kayosiv near the rear of the chaos warrior unit. Gaze of Nagash and dragon's breath kills 8 of the chaos warrior unit and my opponent concedes defeat.

Post game thoughts: I was really worried when my opponent trounced through my core blocks effortlessly. The combat with the chosen was very interesting just because there was such horrendous rolling followed by miraculous good rolling. I felt like I deserved the win because I set up for the game winning charge perfectly and my opponent separated his other 2 big blocks of infantry so when he was dual charged, there was nobody left to help out his general or counter charge me after I had won the combat. The player of the chaos army was extremely rusty because this was one of his first games since 6th edition and he was just getting back into the hobby. He was an extremely friendly player and we ended up staying well after normal closing hours of the shop playing a second game at a 2250 level. I ended up winning that game as well but we both had a good time and he learned a lot from his mistakes and my advice.

[Kayosiv]

Freysson's horse panted heavily as he urged it to run ever faster. His head darted back behind him to do another quick scan of the jungle, but he saw no movement other than the rustle of leaves caused by his horse's own frantic galloping. As he turned back around he didn't have the chance to see what hit him as a branch struck him across the face. The shock was so tremendous and unexpected that he lost his grip on the reigns and tumbled backwards, landing sharply on his back. Dazed, he groaned and groggily tried to shake away the stars in his vision. His eyes clenched shut from the pain as he felt where his front teeth used to be with his tongue, tasting blood in his mouth. Opening his eyes, Freysson let out a blood garbled gasp as he began to frantically backpedal with his hands until he crashed into the tall root of a tree.

"My my, what is that delightful smell?" said Lord Kayosiv, having silently materialized in front of Freysson. He started to nonchalantly walk towards the terrified chaos marauder. "I believe it's the combination of my two favorite aromas. Blood, and fear." Kayosiv smiled a devious and toothy grin as he spoke.

Freysson steeled himself and unsheathed his great war mace. There was no sense continuing to run, there was no escape. With a blood filled battle cry, he jumped at the vampire, swinging with all his strength. The impact was brutal, but the vampire's body was as unyielding as stone. Kayosiv glanced down at the wound with the annoyed look of one who had just been bitten by an insect. What happened next was only perceived by Freysson as quick and sharp eruptions of pain. His mace was taken, wrenched from his now broken fingers and tossed aside. His swinging arm was ripped from its socket and his collar bone shattered by an open palmed strike from the vampire. Then, he was tossed completely over the vampire's head and landed on the ground in a broken heap of bloody pain. Kayosiv moved swiftly to his unworthy adversary's body, tilting the head to one side and preparing to drink.

"Wait!" Freysson managed to wheeze out through the tremendous pain he was afflicted with. His fangs mere inches from the marauder's neck, Kayosiv grinned to himself with great self satisfaction.
"Yes?" he slowly hissed out.
Freysson's mind raced. What could he offer, what could he possibly offer this immortal of seemingly limitless power? As the vampire's smile gradually shifted into annoyed indifference, he began to panic. Like a jolt, it came to him clear as day. Freysson remembered what his leader had told him before the battle with the Vampire's undead legion.

"I..." Freysson spoke slowly and carefully "can lead you to the place you seek; to the Temple of Dusk."
Kayosiv was completely taken aback by this proclamation. He had expected the northerner to simply beg for his life like the last few marauders he had tracked down and fed upon to regain his strength. How could this pawn of the Dark Powers possibly know that he was seeking the temple, let alone where to find it? Intrigued, he stood up, releasing the maurader's head and letting it plop into the muck of the jungle floor.
"I'm listening mortal, make it quick."

A whoosh of relief escaped Freysson's lungs. Still struggling with the pain that was his entire right arm, he continued to speak.
"My master Lord Svey came to these strange lands because of a vision. He said the Dark Prince Shornaal told him to come here and do battle with you at the Temple of Dusk. But Lord Svey grew bored and ordered our armies to march into the jungle so that he could vanquish you there. Our lord is now dead because he did not heed the will of the gods. I only wish to return home so that I might bring greater glory in battles yet to come. I can lead you through the quickest route to the temple, but humbly beg that you allow me to return to my homeland alive once your business is finished there."

Kayosiv's brow wrinkled in thought. He was sated with blood already, his wounds suffered before and during the battle continuing to stitch themselves together as he pondered. He had a rough idea from his ancient texts where the temple was, but a guide could be useful, and likely speedy. He highly doubted a double-cross from this broken human, who seemed all too willing to help to spare his own worthless life.
"Very well mortal, I find your terms acceptable. Should you grant me and my forces speedy passage to our destination, I will ensure your safe return to your lowly mud hole."

The look of relief and joy on Freysson's face was short lived as Kayosiv picked up the Marauder with lighting speed, smirking to himself as Freysson's broken limbs flailed about and he screamed in pain. Kayosiv sped off into the jungle towards his host, his cargo unceremoniously flopping around as he half carried and half dragged him behind.

Kircheck sat on a throne of chaos corpses, scowling at the jungle that his brother had entered some time ago saying that he would be right back after he had a lite snack. He trusted his brother's combat competency under normal conditions, but he was particularly weak after their last battle. His condition reminded him of the state he was in when Kircheck awoke from his 100 years of hibernation. Kircheck's expression lightened as he saw the dark figure of his brother emerge from the thick jungle foliage. He was carrying a live chaos marauder over his shoulders, who looked to be in excruciating pain. Kircheck was puzzled by this as Kayosiv wasn't one to indulge himself in torture of mortals, although he did have a habit of occasionally playing with his food.

"Good news brother," Kayosiv bellowed out as he dropped Freysson in the mud, "I've found us a map!"
Kircheck smiled. "That's the best news I've heard from you in 100 years brother. Let's get to this temple of yours and be done with this place." With that, kircheck picked up the body of a stiring chaos warrior and bit out his neck, drinking deeply.

Freysson's face paled as he saw a great warrior drained of blood by one of the undead beings. He could not understand the language they were conversing in, but at least they seemed to be in good spirits. He gulped hard as he noticed the animated corpses and other monstrosities converging towards the center of the camp. He cradled his broken arm and began to walk towards the glowing eyes and wicked grins of the two vampires at the center of the horde. Just what had he gotten himself into?

***

Atehe struggled to keep pace as they endlessly trekked through the jungle. It wasn't that Kro'Qua's pace was too fast, more that it was implacable. His injuries sustained in the last battle made it hard to keep up and Kro'Qua knew no mercy or concern for his smaller brethren. They had been walking for days with only a few hours of sleep in the dead of night allowed by Kro'Qua's unrelenting march. They ate on the move, always on the move, and Atehe had grown very lonely in this painful silence. It hadn't been so bad at the beginning when he could talk with Tenkitza who had been strapped to Kro'Qua's back in a makeshift harness. However after the first day of Travel Tenkitza had lapsed into a delirium caused by his injuries and infection. Atehe did his best to treat his wounds, but he was no expert in the matter and now all Tenkitza did was bob back and forth limply atop Kro'Qua's broad shoulders while occasionally muttering nonsense to himself.

As he was busy moping about his current predicament, Atehe jumped at the sound of a sudden startling noise. It sounded like the course grinding of stone against jagged stone. It took him a few moments to process what was actually making the noise. Kro'Qua was speaking to him.
"Where is Huini'Zec?"
Atehe stopped short, slack jawed. He had never in his life heard Kro'Qua utter a single syllable to him or anyone else. Kro'Qua stopped and turned around to face the skink, eyes piercing into him, demanding an answer. Atehe gulped loudly and tried to regain his composure.
"He... he died" Atehe said with a bit of a crack in his voice on the last word.
Kro'Qua stood there for a moment, digesting this information. Atehe told him of the battle against the Bretonnians and how they had been lead by an agent of Chaos. Kro'Qua growled at the mention of his hated enemy, causing Atehe to pause. He continued to explain how they had made peace with the uncorrupted Bretonnians and the entire story of the battle against Lohkir Fellheart before he had arrived to save them. He consciously left out the part where he had traveled back in time.

For a long while Kro'Qua said nothing, and Atehe wondered if this would be the first and last time he ever heard the Oldblood speak to him. He was quickly proven wrong.
"You will take me to where Huini'Zec fell."
"Now?" Atehe asked, concern and confusion in his voice. "What about Tenkitza, we must get him back to Kotak-Hai and tend to his injuries! He is so sick, he can't last much longer."
"We are here."
With that statement, Kro'Qua began to walk again, a confused Atehe scrambling to keep up after a moment's pause. Kro'Qua pressed through a thick foliage and an opening revealing their temple city opened up, not 20 paces from where they had been standing seconds ago. Atehe couldn't believe they were so close! He mentally berated himself for being too caught up in his brooding to notice his surroundings.

Immediately they were rushed by dozens of skink artisans and handlers that were working on various projects on the outskirts of the city. They swarmed over Kro'Qua and Atehe, asking a million questions and quickly removing Tenkitza from his harness and scurrying off with him to give him medical attention. Kro'Qua seemed supremely annoyed by the entire spectacle and wordlessly began walking back into the jungle. Several of the excited skinks were brushed aside and one even had to leap out of the way to avoid being trampled. Atehe too was soon rushed off to a place of healing where his injuries were examined.

It was here as a skink physician rubbed healing mixtures on his poor chafed wrists and ankles that Atehe received his summons. The messenger came with a look of great worry on his face, and proclaimed that Atehe was to see Sotarkesh. Atehe's crest went stark white.
"...M...mm..m..me?" he managed to stammer out.
"That is his will" the messenger insisted impatiently.
"B.. bu... but Tenkitza is usually the one... that..."
"Tenkitza is in no condition to meet with Sotarkesh, and he asked for you specifically. Do not keep him waiting" the messenger said with great warning in his voice. Atehe gulped as the messenger left the medicine hut. The look of concern on the skink attending to his injuries made him feel even worse.

***

Having had his wounds tended to, Atehe stood in front of the great pyramid temple, pausing for a moment before he went inside. A Temple Guard silently acknowledged his presence and bid him to follow. He was lead through a maze network of corridors for quite some time until he arrived at the star chamber itself. He steeled himself to enter but as he took his first step forward his shoulder was forcibly grabbed and the temple guard growled menacingly at him. Shocked and alarmed, Atehe cried out, breaking the deep silence of the ancient corridors, his cry echoing throughout the halls. Quickly, Atehe realized his foolish mistake, and quickly unsheathed his sacrificial dagger and tossed it against the wall near the entrance. It landed with a loud clang that made Atehe cringe. The Temple guard immediately released him and walked off, Atehe presumed back to the entrance, without a word. Atehe walked inside.

In the center of the room was a large rectangle pond filled with water so clear Atehe could see the bottom even in the dim light of the room. Floating atop it sat, or rather hovered, Lord Sotarkesh, whose eyes slowly opened at his advancing presence. On the left side of the pool sat an Eternity Warden who was the largest Sauru Atehe had ever seen. Even sitting cross legged as we was, large obsinite halberd draped across his lap, it was obvious that he would tower over even Kro'Qua if he were to stand erect. At the right side of the pool was Sotarkesh's skink attendant. His entire body was an albino white, and indication that he was marked at birth for greatness.

"You are noisy" the Slann bellowed out.
A terrified Atehe tried to stammer out an apology. "I am so sorry my lord, I did not mean to wake you, I..." but Sotarkesh silenced him with a raising of a long fingered hand.
"And you are imperfect." he said, although he had a hint of concern in his voice. Sotarkesh then blinked, and Atehe felt a strange numbness affect his body. His terror gave way to surprise as his injuries were instantly healed.
"My dreams have been interrupted lately" Sotarkesh continued. "I have been having nightmares of Chaos, of Skaven, and of death in our lands. Let me see the tablet you found."
Atehe blinked for a moment before jolting himself back to reality. Hearing Sotarkesh speak was an otherworldly and captivating experience and he was not used to it. He quickly produced the golden tablet, which was then snatched out of his hands by Sotarkesh's skink attendant, who scurried up to his master to hand him the artifact. Somehow, the skink walked on the water underneath his master to hand him the tablet, who then began to examine it intently.

Atehe became uncomfortable as the minutes dragged on in the silent room. He noticed that the Eternity Warden was staring at him intently and probably had been since he entered the chamber. He could feel his eyes boring into him and it made him extremely uncomfortable. Finally, after what Atehe was certain was over an hour later, Sotarkesh spoke, or at least, started to communicate. It was now that Atehe realized Sotarkesh had never opened his mouth since his entering of his star chamber. He had been communicating telepathically with everyone in the room.
"I do not understand as much as I wish to" Sotarkesh mentally told Atehe. "Tell me everything of your journeys since you found the tablet."

Thankful for permission to finally speak, Atehe began to tell the interested Slann all that had happened over the last few weeks. Sotarkesh listened intently and his expression grew sour the more he heard of the story. Perhaps it would soon be time to take matters into his own hands....

***

Some time later, Atehe walked out of the great pyramid, mind reeling from the fantastical day he'd been having. Preoccupied by his thoughts, he ran smack into Kro'Qua, who despite his great size had gotten directly in front of him without Atehe noticing. He ricocheted off of Kro'Qua's unyielding bulk and would have fallen if not for a quick and powerful arm steadying him by the shoulder. Atehe shook his head and focused on Kro'Qua's face, whose deep dark eyes locked with his. Staring into those black pools he felt his knees go weak and he just stood there, slack jawed, until Kro'Qua quickly and loudly thumped to one knee, kneeling before Atehe. Shocked out of his stupor, Atehe looked behind him and saw his lord Sotarkesh floating out of his pyramid upon his mystical palanquin, his eternity warden walking at his side. At his full height, the bone ornamented guardian reminded Atehe more of a Kroxigar than a sauru, and his intimidating presence helped him overcome the shock of seeing his master outside the star chamber. Atehe quickly stooped into a kneel alongside Kro'Qua out of reverence for their master.

"Ah, Kro'Qua" the Slann mentally projected into their minds via the divine communication "the last of the great spawning. What brings you here?"
Atehe watched at Kro'Qua simply stared at his lord. He assumed that Kro'Qua was mentally communicating with their lord, and was quickly proven correct.
"So, you wish to retrieve the body of Huini'Zec..." the slann said with a pause. "That is not what the plaque instructs us to do. We must take the war host to the Temple of Dusk."
Kro'Qua snarled and Sotarkesh's eternity warden quickly unsheathed his enormous weapon and raised it menacingly. Kro'Qua rose from his knees, turned his back to the slann, and began to walk towards the jungle. Atehe couldn't believe his eyes. Directly disobeying a Slann was blasphemy beyond compare. Sotarkesh's eternity warden angrily spoke up.
"You DARE turn your back on your lord and master!?"

Kro'Qua stopped sharply and slowly turned around, glaring at the eternity warden. He then began to walk purposefully towards him, stopping mere inches from his face. The temple guard hero was a full head taller than him, and even broader at the shoulder, but Kro'Qua seemed neither intimidated nor wary of the eternity warden's tightly gripped blade. Abruptly and with a thunderous crack, Kro'Qua headbutted the larger Sauru with a force that shattered his ceremonial bone helmet and sent him reeling. Shaking the stars from his vision, the eternity warden's face contorted in rage and he threw his weapon to the ground with enough power to imbed it into the stone cobblestones at his feet. He hurled himself at Kro'Qua and headbutted him so savagely that the Oldblood was thrown to the ground. Kro'Qua, whose eyes never left the face of the eternity warden, rose and flexed every ancient muscle in his body before retaliating against his adversary with another headbutt.

The two ancient Saurus continued to bash their skulls together with a force that created echoing rumbles. Atehe held his ears to protect them from the noise and his rib cage rattled from the shock waves. Sotarkesh simply watched the display of brutality with indiscernible emotion. After about a dozen headbutts from each party, it became apparent that Kro'Qua was winning, and with one final thrust of his crest into the skull of his opponent, toppled the eternity warden, whose eyes rolled back in his head as he thumped to the ground in a heap. A heavily winded Kro'Qua glared in annoyance at his unconscious rival, wiping a trickle of blood from his forehead. He then briefly stooped back down to one knee in front of Sotarkesh before once again trudging off to the jungle.

"Go with him" Sotarkesh told a shocked Atehe. "Prepare the host, and take the engine of the gods."
"B-But... master," Atehe stuttered out, "are you sure that I am ready to... of course my lord as you command."
"Kro'Qua will need all the help you can give if he is to defeat the head stealer. Kai'Qu will aid you as soon as he awakens." Sotarkesh motioned towards the comatose eternity warden.
"Atehe hurried off to make preparations and to catch up to Kro'Qua. He couldn't help but worry about the orders of his revered master. An entire warhost with the Engine of the Gods just to retrieve the fallen Huini'Zec? And what was a head stealer? He hoped he wouldn't have to find out...

"Oh, and one more thing" Sotarkesh mentally ordered Atehe. Tell Kro'Qua to take the Carnosaur."
Atehe stopped dead in his tracks, "WHAAAAAAT!?"

[Toshiro]

Yup, I read them

Take the time you need though, I'll be here waiting

[Kayosiv]

Get a 3rd battle with your orcs yet? I think we're in the interesting position of having some of our favorite battle reports written by each other. Glad to see you're still reading =)

[Toshiro]

Glad to hear so

Afraid I haven't gotten that 3rd battle in yet, hoping my planned opponent will have some time soon.

[jaxom]

The Warshrine finally went to Tournament last week. You can see pictures of it in a couple of places.

http://www.ordofanaticus.com/gallery...0+037.jpg.html

One of the beasts pulling it up close
http://www.ordofanaticus.com/gallery...0+038.jpg.html

The champion up on the door in the arch
http://www.ordofanaticus.com/gallery...0+039.jpg.html

[Naestran]

I'm still reading. I enjoy your fluff and the battle reports are easy to follow. Overall this is one of my favourite threads on warseer, just loosing out to LoNC and Mal. Please carry on as you kind of have me hooked on this thread and fluff just like LoNC did before he disappeared for months...

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

I should like to add that I've read the whole thread, and am really enjoying your battle reports so far (both the Lizardmen and VC ones). The storyline is quite compelling, and the pics and interesting army lists add flavour. I sincerely hope you continue this excellent batrep thread.

[Rhaivaen]

nice writing and batreps... do continue plz

[Kayosiv]

http://www.ordofanaticus.com/gallery...0+037.jpg.html

One of the beasts pulling it up close
http://www.ordofanaticus.com/gallery...0+038.jpg.html

The champion up on the door in the arch
http://www.ordofanaticus.com/gallery...0+039.jpg.html

Aww that thing is sweet. REMATCH!

Overall this is one of my favourite threads on warseer, just loosing out to LoNC and Mal.

I take this as an enormous compliment.

I should like to add that I've read the whole thread, and am really enjoying your battle reports so far (both the Lizardmen and VC ones). The storyline is quite compelling, and the pics and interesting army lists add flavour. I sincerely hope you continue this excellent batrep thread.

And then we have enough motivation in a single paragraph to last me the next several months. I do apologize for the halt in activity, I am working 12 hour days this summer. I will MAKE time. If nothing else, report #4 will be finished before I go to sleep tonight.