Season of the Wytch - WarCry Campaign Battle #3

     The forests of the Eightpoints are twisted and terrible things, and even you fear to tread beneath those branches. Yet there are places where nature once thrived, and the spirits of the land may persist there still. You follow the dim song of these spirits until you discover a clearing claimed by another warband. They cover the land in their filth, tormenting the weakened spirits further. Water the ground with the interlopers’ blood and you may energise your kin enough to see them aid you.

This was the first convergence for the Nature's Byrches called the Crimson Downpour. I was a bit antsy to get rolling, so we rolled off for all the normal stuff, only to half way through realize that convergence have their own terrain, and victory rules. Vanquish was the victory conditions, attackers trying to kill off all of the models in the hammer deployment. Where as, we used Assassinate, attackers trying to take out the enemy leader. Similar enough for me.

I decided to use my Slaves to Darkness warband for this game, as narratively it seemed to fit better. They won't be receiving experience at the end of the game, but Rachel's trees will be. Then when we switch, I'll get Rachel to make a Khorne themed warband for the Brass Gods? for their convergence, as they are trying to hunt down a follower of Khorne that had fled a battle. Giving me experience for that battle. Seems even enough to me. 

First turn, Rachel and I both bank our wild dice to use next turn. We rolled off to determine who would be attacker, Rachel won the roll off, picking to be the defender. I would need to force her to the edge of the board or kill her outright to win. The twist was Foreboding Location, which was fitting, all dice values were reduced by 1, making it impossible for us an ability higher then 5.

We both rolled 2 doubles and two singles for initiative, rolling off, Rachel took the first turn. Daonti takes off 4 damage from the crab arm with her long bow. Ove, the maurader beside the fence, runs through the crypt. Hoping to tie up Daonti in combat next turn. 

The board somewhere in the midst of turn one.

Halvdan Plax (Crab Arm) shows off the new damage tokens.

Scophulis (nurgly head Leader) and Lepus (downward sword) starting position

Otta was eager to get into the action, trying to take cover behind on of the crypts. Tossing a javalin at Thronrir, only about to deal 1 damage, from the reduction of the dice values from Foreboding Location. I guess Otta must have seen a ghost of his ancestor. Thronrir the Hunter didn't take his eyes off the marauder horseman, sticking the horse with an arrow, taking 4 damage off him.

Scophulis "runs" as far as he can go, for a heavily armored nurgle chaos warrior that only walks at 4 inches, he moves 8" towards the dryads. The leader on the card has two weapons instead of a shield, so it's a bit deceiving when the model can deal out 5 hits but has a toughness of 5 instead of 6 like the regular shielded Warriors.

Spyrath clashing with Scopulis, wounding him for 1 damage.

Got into the game and didn't take any pictures of turn 2, not a whole lot that happened besides the Slaves to Darkness advancing into the middle of the battlefield. Loralith walked the spirit path, tunneling underground and popped up in front of Scopulis beside Spyrath. From the previous battle, Loralith found Serpent Venom to coat her claws with, striking the leader with poisonous scrapes, leaving deep gashes in the chaos warrior's black armor. Lepus was stuck with a couple of arrows, as well as Ove who ran down the middle.

Once turn 2 was finished, turn 3 our reinforcements arrived, Rachel's on my side of the board, and mine on the opposite side. Close to her leader.

Maudelith Bloomwych and Sventa form Rachel's Dagger deployment.

Three Mauraders, Guthroth, Jorg fell hand and Styr flank the Sylvaneth from behind.

Islalith protects Daonti, blocking off Halvdan from attacking her, letting Daonti aim into unsuspecting Chaos Warriors. Thronrir the Hunter loosens two arrows into Ove, piecing the Marauder's gut, slaying the dark god worshiper. Halvdan would slay the tree revenant with an onslaught.

Otta engages Daonti (Leader), trampling her for minimal damage before fighting. Hoping to keep her in combat so she won't be able to shoot her powerful twice next round. Meanwhile, Flytt locks up Ove and Slothi (the second marauder by the fence) to prevent their Leader from taking more damage. 

Slothi's skeleton jumps out of his skin as Flyt shrieks, forcing him to become immobile, but still can attack

Scopulis is out numbered by the Spite Revanants, Dvon and Loralith, both able to chip off health from the Leader. Lepus waddles slowly up to the fight, still out of reach to help his commander out.

"Don't start the fighting without me!"

"Psych!"

Lepus climbs the fence, barely able to make it into combat with Thronrir the Hunter. Barely cutting into the bark of his arm. Doanti disenaged from Otta, seeking strength in numbers. At this point the Sylvaneth Leader envokes the Envoy of the Everqueen ability, giving all Sylvaneth within 6" +2 toughness and +2 Strength, making it much harder to damage their Leader.

You can't keep a good horseman down, Otta crashes into Daonti.

Scopulis takes out Dvon, Loralith, Spyrath (not pictured) his putrid blood pooling on the snowy wastes as he falls over the fence.

Slothi is assailed from behind by Sventa, Halvdan watching on.

In the middle of the fenced off area, there is an exchange of blood. Daonti, who disengaged from Otta and hopped over the fence, shoots at Lepus, a serated arrow punching through his bulky tower shield and into his chest dealing 7 damage to the Chaos Warrior. Enraged by his feeling death's cold hands around his throat. Lepus' rusty bastard sword cleaves off Thronrir's paldron like shoulder bark for 10 damage. Thronrir, trapped between a Chaos Warrior and a marauder (which must have went early but didn't do enough damage to be written in the notes.) unleashes his bark-knuckles on Lepus punching him twice for one damage.

Just as Scopulis manages to scale the fence, an arrow from Daonti catches the Leader in head, dropping him onto the ground.

Thronrir protects Doanti from charging marauders, he also punches a horse, which I assumed looked like this....

Halvdan Plax moves in on Daonti, but only able to inflicted 2 damage on the Leader.

Jorg and Styr slash strips of bark of Thronrir, but not enough to kill the mighty tree warrior.

After slaying Slothi, Sventa faces Guthroth between the fence.

Lepus piles into the carnage, but Thronrir still stands.

Recovered from the punch to the face, Otta's horse tries to finish off Daonti. Rachel wouldn't tell me her remaining wounds but I think it was getting pretty close to zero, but not close enough!

Victory for Rachel's Nature's Byrches!

Scopulis' corpse festered on the ground, his body food for the young spirits he had tormented. As with all nurgle's followers, death becomes life, an inescapable cycle that is law even in the Everpoint. The spirits sing in loud rejoice as they fly about the Sylvaneth liberators. Daonti smiled, knowing this would only be the beginning of her crusade to rid the Everpoint of corruption.

What a game that was! Rachel had killed my leader, and 1/3 of my warband  as well as won the match. With her 3 previous Glory Points, she had enough for a dominion, gaining her an extra 50 points to add to her warband next game. No one was slain in the aftermath step, needing a 2 on 2d6. Rachel rolled low on the Artifact table, giving her nothing, but the Serpent Venom retained it's power.

Next on the Hobby Desk!

I have another Crusade battle against Pilon to write up, as well as the backstory for the "Divine Twilight" Cawdor gangers. The Barracades are mostly done, just need to work on the objective markers to finish it all off. 

Crusade Battle #5 Scout for Survivors

Well, I definitely need to work on getting my blog posts up on a regular schedule, just looked up the last one and it's almost a month between my last crusade update. This battle would have been on the day I posted the last one. Now I have the #6 one too as Pilon and I played this passed Friday. 

Either way, on with the battle!

With the push back from the last battle, the Stoic Partisan was broken. The ritual had been successful, and the Khar Sorvi was able to repair a doorway into the warp via an abandoned webway. This was no small feat for the High Stormwarden Oktai Thunderlord. But once the Librarian mended the wraithbone, a shudder of psychic warp energy enveloped both armies, battle sisters would scream in terror as nightmarish imagery was poured into every corner of their mind. Even the centurions weren't immune to the depth of madness that washed over the battlefield, daemons were everywhere, whispering dark secrets in their ears, driving them from their duty. Canoness Praxima was able to rally some of her troops to sanity. "We must gather our sisters, and drive off these false illusions that have corrupted their minds!" Scanning the horizon, she spotted the Khar Sorvi readying themselves for another bout. "Take cover!"

Stoic Partisan - Patrol Detachment

No Force Org Slot

Repentia Superior Thessa - 2PL

HQ

Canoness Praxima - 3PL

Troops

Battle Sisters Squad Alwyn - 7PL

Elite

Sisters Repentia - 6PL

Dialogus - 2PL

Fast Attack

Seraphim Squad - 4PL

Stoic Partisans Ad-Mech - Patrol Detachment

HQ

Tech- Priest Manipulus Advectius Volo - 4PL

Troops

Kataphron Destroyers - 7PL

Total: 35PL

Khar Sorvi - Patrol Detachment

HQ

Librarian - 5PL

Primaris Chaplin - 5PL

Troops

Tactical Squad - 10PL

Elites

Redemptor Dreadnought - 9PL

Fast Attack

Inceptor Squad - 6PL

Total: 35PL

We decided to do Recon Patrol, which has at least half of our total armies in reserve. The objective of this mission will be to capture objective markers that were spread out between the four quadrans of the table. Each player's command phase, they would score 5 points for holding one or more, two or more and more objectives then their opponent. Additionally, both forces could do a recon sweep action at the start of movement and while wholly within one quadrant. They would gain VP based on the reconnoitred quadrant, 5 for 2, 15 for 3 and 45 for all four.

I swear I heard that objective could be claimed by your army by touching it and would only turn over if the opponent's models claimed it, even if you walked away from it. I believe I saw that on the community page, but can't find the rules for that specifically in the rules. If anyone knows where to find it in the rules let me know. As we couldn't find solid rules for my imaginary rules, we stuck with 8th edition rules.

Stoic Partisan - 35PL

Khar Sorvi - 35PL

The dust had settled from the psychic discharge, only a few soldiers were strong willed enough to endure looking into the warp and letting it smile back from the depths. Those that did formed up into their tightly knit squad and took cover. Alwyn shook her head, she felt the probing fear still lingering in her mind, paranoid of the blurry forms of what she assumed to be daemons, she ordered her squad to attack the Space Marine tactical squad.

Turn 1 deployment for Khar Sorvi

Turn 1 deployment for Stoic Partisan

A pulled out view of the battlefield

Probably one of the best combinations of Scared Rites.

Battle Sisters and their Canoness move into first quadrant to search for their sisters in arms.

Alwyn's Battle Squad hails bolter fire into the Tactical Squad, killing one marine.

Tech-Priest Advectius Volo's last remaining stread of humanity inside of his metallic frame shudders as the psychic energy enters his mind, but the emotion of what could be described as fear were quickly overwritten by the cold logic of his computer brain. With a sense of neutrality restored, Volo and the Kataphron Destroyers take aim at the tactical marines, eliminating 5 more.

Tech-Priest Advectius Volo sings the praises of the Omnissiah

Librarian moves closer to the Tech-Priest

Tech-Priest Advectius Volo can't help but be smitten by the dashing young Librarian

Combing the battlefield, hoping to find their comrades, Alwyn ends up finding the enemy's Chaplin. Hellish laugher echoes off the dilapidated buildings, the half mad Primaris is clearly possessed by unearthly beings. "Sisters! We must cleanse this corrupted mockery of what used to be our battle brother!"

Chaplin coming out of reserves behind enemy lines.

Primaris Chaplin charges in, only to be ripped up by bolter fire.

I believe this was the start of turn two for the Sisters of Battle and if I recall, I used one of the Stratagems that allowed the Battle squad to fall back and shoot. Which finished off the Chaplin.

Battle Sisters holding the objective in the first quadrant

Mylanthra and her Seraphim Squad regain their sanity, descending onto the battlefield, ready to preform miracles like the proverbial angels they are.

This would probably one of the first times the Seraphim didn't used their Deadly Decent Stratagem, which increases all pistols to 12" range and lets them shoot as they deep strike. Judging from my notes, it looks like they might've used the Recon Patrol action, but that is an action for the beginning of movement and not the end, when the Seraphim could be deployed. Ooops!

Librarian charged the Kataphron Destroyers the turn before.

Librarian Oktai Thunderlord used his psychic mastery to envelope himself in a whirling twister of wind, calling on the Storm Wreath to deflect all incoming ranged attacks as his slammed into his quarry. Debris filled gusts clogged the sensors of the Kataphron Destroyers.

Sisters Repentia return to battle in the 3rd Quadrant, with the Dialogus and Superior.

Alwyn continue to search the area, suddenly, a whooshing sound from above caught her attention. She titled her head up to the sky. All the horrors of the warp couldn't prepare her mind for the awe inspiring sight of the massive form that blotted out of the sun as it dropped. A dense cloud of dust kicked up from where it landed, it's heavy bipod legs creating a crater beneath it. Canoness Praxima yelled, "Alwyn, steel your nerves, we have faced insurmountable odds before, this is nothing we haven't face a dozen times before." Before them, the dust settled, the whining of metal on metal could be heard as the Redemptor Dreadnought's form stood up from it's braced landing position.

Seraphim staring down the Inceptors that land before them.

The Dreadnought turns it's back on the Battle Squad, their boltguns ineffective against the titan.

Volo returned fire at the Dreadnought, but all his mechanical mind could think of was how finely crafted this machine, and how he wished to study such beautiful design, this would be his final thoughts as the Dreadnought slayed the Tech-priest in combat.

Deadnought consolidates into Destroyers.

Across the battlefield the shrill screams of redemption are heard as the Repentia Squad fly into a berserker rage, falling onto the Dreadnought hoping to cleanse their previous transgressions against their Order.

Oh boy what a crazy battle that was! I don't think I'll ever be able show that again! No really, I guess I was a bit too excited about the Repentia successfully charging into the Dreadnought. They got re-rolls to charge from the Superior, re-roll failed hit rolls when they charge, wounds of 6 gained an additional -1 AP and they could re-roll 1s for wounds. I believe they dealt like five 6s, then like 4 regular wounds at their normal -3 AP doing 2 damage a piece.... sooo here is the aftermath!

Dreadnought didn't explode

Repentia squad lose some numbers to the Inceptors and the Librarian hidden in front of the Destroyer

Superior Heroically Intervenes into the Inceptors

One Inceptor is killed, as well as half the Repentia

What remained after a bloody combat.

Canoness Prixima was pleased to see that her sisters had recovered from the madness that had gripped them. But this wouldn't be the last time they would see the Khar Sovri, and as much as she wanted to continue to search for the fallen order, she knew that the Stoic Partisans needed to recover. Another skirmish would be suicidal with so many at half strength. She vowed to continue searching out the traitor Chapter.

I believe the score was 40 for the sisters to 10 by the end of the battle. I was able to use Recon actions quite a bit, and the slow rate of enemy dropping in definitely helped. I am glad I got to see the Repentia in action since Pilon usually takes them out first in most games. I maked them as my Marked for Greatness, giving them the battle trait fleet of foot, just to make sure they can really get into combat quickly. 

Next on the Hobby Desk

Looks like I will be writing up the Warcry Campaign game Rachel and I did last Thursday. As for painting, I switched to do some easy Necromunda barricades and objective markers, then I can show off the Cawdor gang in style.