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2011/07/22 18:51:40
Subject: Sisters of Battle vs. Raven Guard (END) - 2000 points [slideshow]
Prioress Dianus dons the last piece of her power armour. Her suit seals shut, squeezing around her body. She sighs. It felt invigorating to once again feel the trusty weight and layer of protection from her power armour.
For a year she had been on leave from active military service. She had suffered a crippling blow during a campaign against Space Wolves. It took a year for Dianus to recuperate and master her new bionic legs.
Since then, she had immersed herself into politics. A year ago, Inquisitor Coteaz had rewarded Dianus for her service by dedicating the Atlas, a mining world in the Formosa Sector, to the Order of Faith. While Atlas was still a mining world, it had now become a Cardinal World. As newly appointed Prioress, it was Dianus duty to oversee creation of a newly planetary government ruled directly by the Ministorum.
New temples were constructed and shrines dedicated to past martyrs and the Sisterhood. The capital Juno was renamed to Cathedral City. Schola Progenium and Sister Convents were setup, training future Storm Troopers, Commissars, and Sisters of Battle.
Millions of pilgrims traveled far to Atlas, eager to pay homage to the newly created Cardinal World and to the Sisterhood. Many also came to see Dianus, the heroine who lead the Order of Faith and Formosa forces to victory over the rogue Space Wolves.
Over time, Dianus grew tired of the publicity and everyday politics. The constant squabbling between clergymen and shadowy power plays among various factions were least exciting compared to fighting on the open battlefield with bolter at hand and a heretic within its iron sights. Had she gone back in time, Dianus was sure she would have chosen differently and rejected Coteaz offer.
At last, she found respite from the day-to-day bureaucratic grinding. After a year of recuperation, she was clear to resume combat. She contacted her old friend, Inquisitor Lord Antonio, and assembled a Commandery of fresh Sisters from the Convents. After appointing another Canoness to govern Atlas in her stead, Dianus set out for her departure.
.....
The blast doors slid open. Dianus stepped out on the shuttle pad. A Black Valkyrie sat perched in the middle, revving its engines for take off. Two figures stood in front of the rear hatch, Inquisitor Lord Antonio dressed in his typical non-descript coat and hat and Veteran Sister Superior Cath, who was the newly appointed Canoness of the Order of Faith.
Dianus rush to her old friend with a warm embrace her.
“Never thought I’d see the day we part ways,” said Cath in a sad tone.
“Ha, ha, you have a silver tongue better suited for politics. Had I continued running the planet’s affairs, Atlas would fall in disarray,” replies Dianus in a smug tone.
“Had Coteaz known of your secret departure, I’m sure he would come here faster than you can say ‘heretic’,” laughs Cath.
Lord Antonio cough lightly, drawing Dianus and Cath’s attention. “My apologies Sisters, but it is only a matter of time before are good friend, Inquisitor Coteaz, discovers the Black Ship Eternal’s arrival isn’t here to just collect Atlas’s tithe of psykers,” warns Lord Antonio. “Me must make haste before he spoils our party.”
The two friends bid their farewells. Dianus turns around and took once last glimpse at Atlas before boarding the Valkyrie with Lord Antonio.
.....
Five months later aboard the Black Ship Eternal, Prioress Dianus and Inquisitor Lord Antonio met on the bridge, discussing an upcoming mission.
“Our destination lies here,” informs Lord Antonio, pointing at dot on the command lectern, displaying a map of the whole star system. The screen magnifies, showing a planet south of Segmentum Tempestus. “A year ago, warp storms, dating back to the Age of Apostasy mysteriously vanished, revealing this planet.”
“What is the name of said planet?” asks Dianus.
“There’s no officio record on the planet’s history. If it weren’t for the warp storms, we wouldn’t have known it even existed. Segmentum Tempestus HQ has dubbed this planet ‘Zeta VII’,” said Antonio.
Antonio taps the command lectern, switching display to images of Space Marines clad in black armour with a white bird insignia on their shoulders.
“Soon after the Zeta VII was discovered, Raven Guard 9th Company, lead by Death Watch Librarian Peregrin, were dispatched and made planet fall three months ago. A month into their expedition, they reported nothing unusual, but a day later, all communications suddenly ceased,” said Antonio.
“And that’s where we come in,” Dianus cuts in.
“Precisely,” replies Antonio. “The Order of Faith’s expertise in dealing with Astartes and resilience to the lure of chaos is a valued hallmark of the Sisterhood. Your mission is to seek out the lost Raven Guard 9th Company and determine whether they are still fit to carry out the expedition or still faithful. If not, you have my authority, as well as Segmentum Tempestus Headquarters, to past judgment.”
“Rest assure,” said Dianus. “This mystery shall be unveiled and we, the Order of Faith, will serve as its detective, judge, and executioner.”
.....
After rendezvous with a Raven Guard Strike Cruiser in orbit over Zeta VII, the Order of Faith made planet fall, landing near the Raven Guard 9th Company’s known last position. In short time, Ariel reconnaissance and orbital spy satellites pinpointed the black hulls of the expeditionary vehicles, but communication received no communication from their forces. Dianus set out with a strike force to meet them.
“Raven Guard 9th Company, please respond,” repeated Sister Tessa for the tenth time. The Celestian looks up from her vox station and shook her head.
Dianus grimaced. Her forces were just one kilometre away from the black Raven Guard vehicles, which so far haven’t moved a single metre from the eyes above.
“Order scouts to investigate those vehicles,” ordered Dianus.
I brought my Sisters of Battle featuring 2 Seraphim units and a host of Battle Sisters, Celestians, and Exorcists.
Sisters of Battle (Order of Faith): -Canoness, Book of St. Lucius, Eviscerator
-5 Celestians Retinue, 2 Meltaguns, Immolator Extra Armour, Smoke
-5 Celestians, 2 Meltaguns, Immolator Extra Armour, Smoke
-5 Celestians, 2 Meltaguns, Immolator Extra Armour, Smoke
-10 Battle Sisters, Veteran Sister Superior, Book of St. Lucius, Brazier of Holy Fire, Flamer, Heavy Flamer, IA II Rhino, Extra Armour
-10 Battle Sisters, Veteran Sister Superior, Book of St. Lucius, Brazier of Holy Fire, Flamer, Heavy Flamer, IA II Rhino, Extra Armour
-10 Battle Sisters, Veteran Sister Superior, Book of St. Lucius, Meltagun, Heavy Flamer, IA II Rhino, Extra Armour
-7 Seraphims, Veteran Sister Superior, Book of St. Lucius, Eviscerator, 2 Flamers
-7 Seraphims, Veteran Sister Superior, Book of St. Lucius, Eviscerator, 2 Flamers
-Exorcist
-Exorcist
-Exorcist
This was a fun and quick game. Both jy2 and I were surprised by the outcome. It wasn’t like a meat grinder where one side chews the other out, one unit at a time. This game was more like a Wild West showdown with most of jy2’s Terminators colliding with all my Sisters in one quick decisive battle.
Unfortunately this will be my last codex Witch Hunters battle report. As many of you know, Sisters of Battle will receive a new codex next month. If it follows the same pattern as Blood Angels, codex Sisters of Battle might not be 100% playable until the second half of the codex is released in September. Codex Witch Hunters will forever hold a special place in my heart. Despite being 3rd ED and outdated, it had a lot of nifty tricks. I had a lot of fun using the faith system, making my bolters and flamers AP1 on 6’s to wound, turning armor saves into invulnerable, and having a squad of Sisters becoming fearless and regroup. Despite lack of variety, the Sisters of Battle portion of Codex Witch Hunters was well written.
It’s been almost two years since I’ve posted my first battle report back on Warseer and one and a half years since I first posted here on Dakkadakka. I’m glad many of you enjoyed reading my stories. I had a lot of fun letting my imagination run wild. I'm sure fluff nuts cringed after reading my mundane plots. Stories enhances battle reports and I wish more players implemented them. I will continue posting battle reports, featuring my other armies. Eventually I will also post battle reports of the new codex Sisters of Battle.
I’d like to thank all my avid readers, who have been keeping track with my battle reports. Your support means a lot to me.
.....
“Victorus aut Mortis!” bellows the traitorous Raven Guards.
A line of Assault Terminators advance towards the Sisters column train. Each one wielding a massive Storm Shield able to withstand the fiercest blow paired with huge Thunder Hammer strong enough to fell monstrous creatures.
In response, Prioress Dianus orders her Sisters to form a gun line. Once the Terminators closed the distance, Sisters unleash a curtain of steel and flames. Bullets, blessed with divined guidance, tore into the bulky Terminators. Their massive armour weren’t enough to deflect the onslaught. One by one, the hulking Marines collapsed, with small perforations made from bolters and Meltaguns. Burning promethium seeps in, roasting the Marine inside their armour.
Through a wall of fire, a few survivors emerged. Both former Librarian and Space Marine Captain had miraculously survived the shooting and were now closing the distance.
“Sisters, to arms!” commands Dianus.
“Yes Mistress,” cries Veteran Sister Superior Yoriko. She and her Seraphims leaps into assault.
A quick blur caught them off guard. The Space Marine Captain, who was also equipped with Jump Packs, takes the initiative. His twin Lightning Claws makes mincemeat out of one of the Seraphims. The rest of the squad loses their nerve and rockets back, retreating.
Dianus slowly shook her head in dismay. Her new Commandery was mostly made up of fresh Sisters straight out of the Convents. For many, this was their first taste of real combat.
With the frontline of defense gone, the Terminators continue lumbering forward. A Redeemer tank crept behind and spews burning Promethium on a group of Battle Sisters. The air fills with their screams of agony as they drop to the ground rolling to extinguish the flames. A group of Terminators barks with laughter and flattens surviving Sisters with their Thunder Hammers.
Dianus unsheathes her Eviscerator. With a loud battle cry, she charges into a pair of Terminators. One raises his Storm Shield in defense, but Dianus’s Eviscerator cleaves it in two, and continues tearing into the Terminator Armour. He tries to batter Dianus aside with his Thunder Hammer, but her retinue tackles him to the ground. With another thrust, Dianus finishes off the Marine elite. Following the Celestians example, another squad of Seraphims rockets out of nowhere and tackles the second Terminator to the ground. Dianus quickly finishes him off.
Wiping her blade clean off her foes dead bodies, Dianus surveys the battle. Exorcist rockets had hit the former Librarian and now lies strewn with his body scattered across the ground. In the distance, Sister Yoriko had rallied her squad and was chasing after the Raven Guard Captain, who had just slaughtered another Battle Sister squad. The Redeemer was in flames after getting shot point blank by Meltagun.
“Prioress, we’ve immobilized the last enemy Land Raider,” voxs in a Celestian squad.
“Good,” replies Dianus, “destroy it.”
A minute later a loud boom erupts in the distance followed by a plume of smoke.
Dianus nods with satisfaction. Despite her Sisters inexperience on the battlefield, they were now getting the gist of it. They performed better than the last batch of Convents she had fought with, long ago against hordes of Orks on the prison planet Hell Rock II.
For a moment, she reminisce the past. She remembers old comrades. Many Sisters had died in previous battles. The lucky few, who survived after the Formosa campaign, had retired as sentries for the Order of Faith’s new Citadel on Atlas, or instructors teaching future Sister aspirants. Today, only a handful of Veterans still followed Dianus into battle.
Dianus whispers a silent prayer, thanking the Emperor for granting her another opportunity to fight in his name. She was glad to be back on the battlefield. Here everything was clear as day and night. It wasn’t like politics. There weren’t any backdoor deals, endless debates, or subterfuge. There was no compromise. Here, it was killed or be killed. You were either a faithful servant or a heretic.
“Prioress,” said Sisters Tessa, cutting into Dianus train of thought. “We’ve spotted enemy scouts due northwest.”
Dianus brandish her Eviscerator. “Sisters,” she said with a sly grin. “Let’s give the boys a warm welcome.”
Edit: Typo in Raven Guard army list.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2011/07/24 00:04:20
Wait why are you giving up sisters already? The whole codex won't be out for two months and a lot of clean up after that. I believe even Ard Boyz has the Witch Hunter codex as legal. In addition I can't imagine some one 'forcing' you to play half a codex if you just talk about it before hand.
2011/07/23 00:11:54
Subject: Re:Sisters of Battle vs. Raven Guard (END) - 2000 points [slideshow]
This was a great conclusion to your Sisters reports, SabreX. While I do hope to see more battles in the future (ESPECIALLY with the new direction you've taken the fluff), I agree with Theduke, there's no need for the Order of the Faith to hang their collective hats yet. Unless, that is, you want to give them a hiatus so you can do more battles with Eldar and Tau, in which case I respect your decision. Either way, congrats on the big win for the Sisters!
Ouch. That hurts. It just goes to show that massed firepower will take down anything, even a bunch of terminators.
It also goes to show that currents armies without a lot of AP1/2 guns such as nids and the new grey knights can still handle terminator builds with VoF (volume-of-fire).
Nice job, SabrX. I'm looking forwards to facing your new Witch Hunters when they're ready.
PS - Are you going to 'Ard Boyz at Game Kastle on Aug. 13?
Theduke07 wrote:Wait why are you giving up sisters already? The whole codex won't be out for two months and a lot of clean up after that. I believe even Ard Boyz has the Witch Hunter codex as legal. In addition I can't imagine some one 'forcing' you to play half a codex if you just talk about it before hand.
It feels awkward playing codex Witch Hunters knowing half by then, half of codex Sisters of Battle will be released. A lot of readers on forums I post my battle reports would be confused. They would expect to read an interesting battle report of the new Sisters thinking I got my hands on a leaked full codex or play testing.
Lord of Nonsensical Crap wrote:This was a great conclusion to your Sisters reports, SabreX. While I do hope to see more battles in the future (ESPECIALLY with the new direction you've taken the fluff), I agree with Theduke, there's no need for the Order of the Faith to hang their collective hats yet. Unless, that is, you want to give them a hiatus so you can do more battles with Eldar and Tau, in which case I respect your decision. Either way, congrats on the big win for the Sisters!
The Order of Faith aren't hanging their collective hats yet.
But yes, my Sisters of Battle will be on hiatus until the new codex is fully released. It's a bit tiresome playing the same old army over and over again without lack of variation. There isn't many options in the current codex Witch Hunters. Plus I feel it's time my other armies receives some spotlight. For the past couple of months, I've been working on a new Tau army concept that takes Kroot bubble wrap tot he extreme.
jy2 wrote:Ouch. That hurts. It just goes to show that massed firepower will take down anything, even a bunch of terminators.
It also goes to show that currents armies without a lot of AP1/2 guns such as nids and the new grey knights can still handle terminator builds with VoF (volume-of-fire).
Nice job, SabrX. I'm looking forwards to facing your new Witch Hunters when they're ready.
PS - Are you going to 'Ard Boyz at Game Kastle on Aug. 13?
Thanks!
Volume of Fire will always be the Achilles heel of Terminators, unless they have FNP.
I haven't decided whether to compete in 'Ard Boyz. Neither my Tau or Eldar armies are scaled to 2500 points. If only I had 7 more real Broadsides and 2 Piranhas .
Perhaps I'll take Theduke07's advice and give my Sisters one last moment of glory before they are shelved for 2 months.
Riddick40k wrote:Did your budy have 2 squads of scout marines cuz if not then his list wasn't legal
Sorry. It was a typo. Corrections have been made. jy2 had 3 Scout units equipped the same.
I haven't decided whether I'll be going to 'Ard Boyz at Game Kastle, but I'll let you know if I do.
Grenat wrote:Very interesting game !
Sisters line face to face with terminators line, this is awesome !
I like it !
Pretty happy that Dianus made it with her new bionic-leg. The proof that only faith and hate is needed to beat down some marines ! o/
And thanks for all this battle reports, SabrX. I enjoyed to read each one of them
Thanks a lot!
I will look back at these times, remembering how good Sisters of Battle were before the White Dwarf update.
SevenSins wrote:well Shrike kicked, to bad the termies couldn't say the same, nice rep and well done
Tau, eyh? sounds interesting
Good to see you on Dakkadkaa SevenSins. There's a lot more interesting battle reports here than on Warseer. The added posting images is a nice feature. No more tediously clicking on links.
Great report, as always. I may not comment much, but I've enjoyed all of your sisters reports that I've caught, and they will be missed. It'd be great if you could get one last run of them in though, haha. In any case, cheers on the win, and thanks for all the great reports. I don't have as much vested interest in your other armies, but I think I'll have to check them out anyway when they come out.
Haha, thanks. They're still a massive undertaking, but the new codex leaks are making me think those might be put on the backburner for a while. Shame about the reports, but have fun with it, anyway.
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