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Farseer Kenbae sat crosslegged in the giant wraithbone spire which housed the Infinity Circuit of Craftworld Eu'Banthk. His eyes closed but his mind open, he gently searched among the spirits of the fallen housed within the circuits, searching out specifically two warriors who had long since offered their spirits to the eternal defense of the Eldar.

The Infinity Circuit always unsettled Kenbae. He was not sure if he was certain in his belief that once all Eldar souls were gone, a gestalt godling would be born to cast down Slaanesh forever, but support of the idea was one of many paths with an unforseeable end. That it was unforseeable now made it many times more desirable than the numerous envisionable paths that led the Eldar straight into the jaws of the Great Enemy.

Touching more spirits whilst searching, he finally found them. They were always together, these two. Brothers who each quickly lost themselves in pursuit of a single focus, representing the grisly deadly visage of the Eldar god, Kaela Mensha Khaine. Beseeching the twin brothers turned Dark Reaper Exarchs, they readily agreed their service to him, as they always had.

Pulling their spirits from the Infinity Circuit, Farseer Kenbae transfered them sadly to the giant hulking Wraithlord shells, each equipped with flamers and Eldar heavy weapons. As he finished, Lath'im, his chief Warlock approached him silently, then closed his eyes and touched his Farseers mind with images of the invading orcs gathering together, organizing roughly into something resembling a ramshackle army with little to no discipline.

"Ready the council Lath'im. Order the Guardian squads to seal entrances to the underground tunnels. Order all Swooping Hawks and Warp Spiders to the Infinity Ciruit. If we fail, they are to evacuate as many spirit stones as they can carry to the docks for evacuation to Ulthwe."

Lath'im eyes narrowed as he asked..

"Will we lose, Farseer?"

To this, Farseer Kenbae replied.

"We lose every time an Eldar life is lost, Lath'im. That is an undeniable truth."


I recently had a chance to pit my craftworld against a local tournament winner, a zippy ex-ballet dancer. She won an Ard Boyz with her Orks a year or so ago, so I was nervous from the git-go. Our armies were as follows.. ( or close to it )


Eldar - 2000 points


HQ

Eldrad w/ Council.
(4 Warlocks w/ Destructor.)
(1 Warlocks w/ Singing Spear.)
(1 Warlock w/ Singing Spear and Enhance.)

Wave Serpent w/ TL S. Cannons and TL S. Catapults and Spirit Stones


Elites

Striking Scorpion w/ Exarch
Biting Blade, Stalker, Shadowstrike

Wave Serpent w/ TL S. Cannons and TL S. Catapults and Spirit Stones


Troops

Pathfinders x5

DA w/ Exarch, Dual S-Cats and Bladestorm
Wave Serpent w/ TL S. Cannons and TL S. Catapults and Spirit Stones

DA w/ Exarch, Dual S-Cats and Bladestorm
Wave Serpent w/ TL S. Cannons and TL S. Catapults and Spirit Stones

Heavy Support

Dark Reapers x5

Wraithlord w/ Dual Flamers, Scatter Laser and EML

Wraithlord w/ Dual Flamers, Brightlance and EML




Orks

Warlord w/ Nob Squad, wound tricks, Eavy Armor, and painboy.

Battlewagon w/ Mecha Ork boss thing.

15 Lootas

Lots of Gretchin w/ 2 Runtherds.

Squad of Boyz w/ Choppas.

Squad of Boyz w/ Shootas, 2 with Bigga Shootas, all with Eavy Armor.

6 Biker Boyz w/ Cover Save giving smoke and Biker Nob.

3 Deff Coptas w/ Buzzsaws and rokkits.

Trukk w/ red paint job and a gun

Shokk Attack gun w/ some ammo runts and a big crew.



The Game: I hadnt ever played Orks before, so I was doubly intimidated. Her Shokk Attak Gun / zzap gun (whichever was on the ground and not on the wagon) was intimidating because of all the gretchins I had to mow through to hurt it. I knew I had a lot of flame templates and hoped that would be enough.)

We roll for mission and get seize ground with 2 markers each. Deployment is spearhead. She goes first. This had bad written all over it. She placed her first objective in her far left corner, on some hilly terrain. I placed mine similarly in terrain on my quarter. She placed her second objective in the middle of the map, on another hill. I placed mine a foot away from the first, also in terrain. So with all said and done, there was 1 objective in the NE of the table, (relative to my point of view), one dead center, and two in the SW.



Deployment (Orks): She spread her orcs fully across the board. In the NE by her first objective she placed her Shoota's with Eavy Armor. In the center of the board just north of the center objective, she placed her Gretchins as a line of cover for her Choppy squad. West of that went her Dethkoptas. Slightly west of that was her Gretchins and Shokk Attack Gun, which was next to her Battlewagon, which held the Big Mekk and Lootas. In front of the Battlewagon she spread out her bikers, and right behind the bikers was her trukk with her Warboss, Painboy, and Nobz.

Deployment (Eldar): I decided I wasnt putting anything in reserve except for my outflanking scorpions. She had first turn and I needed the biggest volley I could get for return fire. I started with a squad of pathfinders in cover on my first objective, a wave serpent with my Farseer Council moving 8 inches during deployment to get the cover save, two others moving on around mid field of my board edge, and one more in front of my wraithlords to give them cover. I put my Reapers behind the lords, just in case.

I figured I'd try to fight for my corner as best I could and worry about tank shocking one of her objectives later, since I was going second. I did try to steal initiative, and luckily failed.


Turn 1


Orks

Farseer Kenbae held the tiny shard of the Great Farseer's spirit stone and took solace in it's guidance. Often he allowed Eldrad to overtake his mind and psyche in battle, for the former Farseer of Ulthwe often left just enough of Kenbae's mind intact to allow him to learn from and observe his tactics in war. Looking over his troops from inside of his wave serpent, he braced for the coming Ork attacks.

The Zzap and Shokk Attak guns ripped into two of his 4 Serpents, wrecking one completely and shaking the other with such force that the targeting systems would be unable to fire for a short time. He watched as a squad of Dire Avengers climbed out and bravely awaited new orders now that their transport was destroyed. A red Trukk streaked across the field, crashing over terrain and unloading a large squad of Ork Nobs, which swarmed over and quickly overwhemled Kenbae's Pathfinders. Kenbae/Eldrad gritted their teeth, oblivious to the Loota fire that bounced harmlessly off the front armor of the wave serpent.

Orks with Shootas swarmed over a hill containing one of the many entrance/exits to the tunnels, but were too far away for their crude weapons to do any real harm. The Gretchins and primitive orks with only melee weapons surged forward, but had difficulty with the difficult terrain.

( This turn for the orks went well. She got her trukk clear across the field and assaulted and wiped a squad of Pathfinders in cover. Easy 120 point kill for them AND she took an objective from me. Her shootas swarmed an objective then spread out far past it, with only 1 model holding within 3 inches. The sluggas and gretching ran for 1 inch in difficult terrain. Her Koptas moved up with the bikers, and her bigger guns took a transport from me. Luckily, her lootas rolled 1 for shots. )


Eldar

Kenbae looked dourly upon the savage orks as they ripped apart the last of his Pathfinders. He told Lath'im to ready the council for assault, then began to tap Eldrads mind for psychic prowess. His Council were blessed with Fortune, their foe were Doomed. His Dire Avengers were given gentle Guidance.

The lumbering war-walkers struck first, moving forward and covering the nobs and warboss in thick flames. Farseer Kenbae and his warlocks emerged from the Wave Serpent, with four gouts of psychic fire, a shuriken pistol, and 2 singing spears brought to bear upon the enemy.

The Dark Reapers fired their reaper launchers into the shokk attack gun, shaking the gun and killing 2 of it's crew.

2 Waveserpents opened fire, 1 into the side of the trukk, blasting it's only weapon to pieces. The other fired into the Nobs with all guns, assisted by the exposed squad of Dire Avengers.

Softened noticably, the Orks met a full assault by Eldar forces. Kenbae's Seer council took 3, and the Wraithlords assaulted as well, taking an Ork each. The Eldar slashed and cut, but for every wound they inflicted, the Ork Painboy stabbed his comrades full of numbing drugs, enraging them past the point of feeling any pain. When the Orks attacked back, they inflicted no casualties, but had managed to wear a crack in a Wraithlords armor.

(This round was okay, as I took some targets away from the Orks. Painboys are awesome, btw. I killed 3 of the nobs this round, but they all had a wound at this point. All of the Nobs were Cyborkd, so they got invuls vs the Wraithlords Str 10 fists. I moved the transport with my DA's still intact away downfield, in range to shoot the ork shootas who would have to leave their objective to shoot back. )


Turn 2

Orks

The Ork Warboss laughed heartily as his boyz met with the puny Eldar fancies in their wimpy dresses. He shouted orders which were repeated back through the ranks, then went back to stabbing and krushing. The Zzap gun fired, then burned an ammo runt to fire again. It's attack slammed into the farthest out wave serpent, taking it's TL S. Cannons off it's hull. His Gretchins and sluggas moved up, one squad holding the center hill and the other running through cover a different direction, circling around the hill. Loota Fire and Rokkits failed to hurt the now abandoned wave serpent. The trukk ran away, unable to shoot, and parked in front of his oncoming slugga boyz. The Dethkoptas and biker boyz moved in, charging to help kill the sissy Eldars.

Kenbae readied his troops for the incoming charge of bikes and aerial vehicles. The wraithlords turned and smashed half on the incoming bikes to little more than smashed parts while he and his council wielding spears brought their forces to bear on the Koptas, disabling 2 of 3. His council with swords enircled the warbosses nobz, and cut them to pieces with their living rune-etched wraithswords.

The Orks strike back fiercly, and one of his Warlock council is crushed by the Warboss's mechanical arms, his wraithbone armor shattering beneath it's power. The Painboy again attacks one of the giant Wraithlords, and again forces more cracks in the giant's armor.

( Higher initiative saves the day. Wraithlords take out half the bikes, my lower attack per round spears and Eldrad hit the copta's, and the warlocks killed all but 1 Nob, leaving her 3 bikes, 1 copta, a painboy, and a warboss. Doom has been a lifesaver up to this point, allowing a unusual number of 1's to be rerolled. His return attacks take a single warlock. He makes his morale on the Warboss squad and deff copta, but the bikes run )


Eldar


Farseer Kenbae re-ties the fate of his units to good fortune, then guides his Dark Reapers aim. While attempting to Fortune his wounded Wraithlord however, the perilous warp reached out to sieze his soul, but was staved off by his ghost helm. Kenbae projected his orders throughout his forces, then focused on ending the swarm of orks pouring into his location.

First, he sent orders to the Exarch of his exposed squad of Dire Avengers.

"This is your Farseer. Quickly! Into my waveserpent! You must not remain exposed!"

More orders were given, all the while fighting off the savage orks. His reapers again rattled the crew of the shokk attak gun while killing some of the runts manning it. The waveserpent to the east flew flat out, streaking behind a large hill for move cover from the shoota squad, which was holding tight to their objective. The wraithlords and the Farseer Council renwed their assault, and slaughtered the orks completely, leaving only a fleeing painboy alive. Kenbae watched with approval as his wounded wraithlord crushed the Warboss, then lifted him into the air and pulled him to pieces. Better the Warboss than the Wraithlord. The Wraithlords and the council all surged forward into the same terrain that the nobz assaulted through, ready to brace themselves against an oncoming swarm of slugga boys some ways away.

(Turn 2 ended well for me. I had a skimmer in Tank Shock range of two objectives, and all the ork koptas, nobz, and a warboss were gone. I thought I had a long time yet before dealing with the gretchins and slugga boyz, but I was wrong. )


Turn 3

Orks


With their Warboss dead, tha Orks became enraged. Their Big Mek took command and called a Waaugh!, vaulting the Gretchins and Slugga Boyz across the field onto and over objectives. The Boyz were steppin and trippin over themselves, but came heavy and fast near the Eldar position. The Shokk Attak gun fired it's powerful rounds into the fortuned Wraithlord, overcoming it's pyschic defenses and shattering the soul stone powering the vessel. A low moan erupted from the walker as the soul inside was sucked into the warp and beset by the daemons of Slaanesh.

Lootas, Rokkits, and a Zzap gun rained down on the Farseer, and he heard the cries of another 2 warlocks. Lath'im's bloody phlegm spattered against the side of Kenbae's Ghost Helm, and the incinerated pieces of another Warlock were strewn about the terrain they hid behind. The cost this day was high indeed.

( Ork Turn 3 was good for her. Her lootas got a lot of shots this time, and smacked my locks kinda hard. I took off both my spear locks as I needed my destructors for the boyz and gretchins. I lost a wraithlord, and now I was a turn away from being charged. Still.. I needed to get moving. She held 2 objectives, I held one and contested one.)


Eldar


Eldrad's voice was deafend by death swirling around Kenbae. He sought blood and found it near him. Cursing his foes with Doom, he sought fortune and found it. Gripping his staff, he focused massive power into the center of the Orks, calling down an Eldritch Blast to shatter their cohesive might. The psychic flames of his warlocks cut swath's through the squad, and his last Wraithlord threw the fires of Eldar vengeance. He could feel the Wraithlords spirit, crying out for the damnation of those who had thrown his brother into the clutches of the Great Enemy.

Farseer Kenbae's wave serpent, now carrying dire avengers, parked near an objective, holding it safely from with their serpent, which had undergone several high speed manuevers. The other fired at the gretchins after moving at cruising speed, killing a pair unlucky enough to be within range.

The Wave Serpent carrying the Striking Scorpions entered the battle, and fired into the side armor of the Battlewagon, but failed to penetrate the vehicles armor.

When the fires had stopped and the eldritch storm ended, only 1 orc remained of the thirty who were charging. He dropped his slugga and turned to flee, chasing the painboy as far away from battle as they could get.

( Flamers + doom ended the boyz squad. At this point the game looked to be in my favor. There were gretchins left on an objective, but they would die easier than the boyz squad did. She had a single troop choice, and it was stuck on a objective. I was glad I decided to ignore her Eavy Boyz w/ Shootas. She probably should have put the gretchins over there and supported them with the shootas. )


Turn 4

Orks

The Big Mekk and his loota's poured fire on the emerging wave serpent and scorpions. The wave serpent was overwhelmed quickly and exploded, killing three of the Scorpions within. The Shokk Attack gun hit them as well, killing two more. The Gretchins opened fire on Farseer Kenbae, and he sneered from within his Ghosthelm as their shots fired wide and hissed by his ears. Most of the Orkish forces were dead or dying, and these pitiful creatures would not escape his retribution.


( Orks didnt have a lot to do. They thinned out my Scorpions to save their Battlewagon, then plinked away at my warlocks with gretchins and got nowhere. I made like 4 saves in a row, but that's nothing compared to the 11 extra wounds that the Warboss took thanks to the Painboy. )


Eldar

More psychic powers turned the tide for Farseer Kenbae and his warlocks. Another huge Eldritch Blast tore apart the Gretchins, while his fortuned Warlocks reduced them to half their number. His Wraithlord fired heavy weaponry into the Shokk Attack gun, destroying it with the aid of the Dark Reapers, who had been launching volley after volley into the weapons crew. A wave serpent parked atop the hill in the center and from it came the Dire Avengers, also fortuned, shouting praise to Asurmen as they unleashed a torrent of shuriken fire into the Gretchins, slaughtering them even as they turned to flee.

The Striking Scorpions Exarch led the charge against the Battlewagon, but managed only to immobilize the vehicle, leaving all of it's weapons intact. The Exarch had failed his mission , and feared for his allies. He opened comms with his Farseer to pass the ill tidings..

( I killed her last troops not on an objective, forcing the game to a draw at worst. I had to have my 11 avengers survive a round of loota fire and Zzap gun attacks.)



Turn 5

Orks

The Big Mekk directed all rokkits and fire towards the pesky Eldars with lots o' dakka. They may have lots o' dakka, but he had lots AND lots o' dakka. He an his Loota Boyz opened up on the Eldar. His Lootas killed lotz of the Eldar Boyz, but left 4 of them standin. His shoota's shot at some otha boyz, but could get no good killin done either.

( The crux of the game was her loota fire in this turn. My Da's survived it thanks to horrible ork ballistic skills and fortune. Out of her 30 shots, she took 6 DA's, including the Exarch. The 4 who remained passed leadership. Her shoota boyz couldnt leave their point, or she'd lose her objective. )



Eldar

Farseer Kenbae had sated his bloodlust, and surrendered his will again to Eldrad. The calmer Farseer quickly ordered troops into defensive formations, ushering the remaining Dire Avengers back into their wave serpent in the middle of the field. Holding their objective from within their armored tank, they were impervious to all fire other than the Battlewagon.

The Striking Scorpions attacked again. This time, the Exarch jumped nimbly up the hull of the immobilised wagon and swung his biting blade, cleaving through the Zzap gun. A yowl of Ork fury came from within the wagon, and the Exarch knew his time to join the Infinity Circuit was at hand.

Eldrad quickly scanned the Ork Shootas for one carrying weaponry large enough to hurt the wave serpent. Finding one, he assaulted the creatures mind with his own. The ork blinked twice, then fell over convulsing before it died, it's primitive brain leaking from it's ear.

A Wraithlord and Reaper Launchers all fell on the Battlewagon, but failed to pierce it's armor.

( My turn I fortuned my two DA squads. My Scorpions took the Zzap gun, thankfully. Eldrad Mind War'd one of the two orks with Bigga Shootas (?) and won by 6. Now there was Loota Fire and a single gun that could hurt it. )


Turn 6

Orks

The Mekk Boss again fired at tha Eldar Shooty Boyz. His rokkits and loota fire failed to 'splode the dodgy tank. His boyz with tha bigga shoota hurt'd it though, and made it's gunz fall off. Laughin', he decided they had betta go. Things waz lookin ruff.

( She shot the guns off my serpent with a bigga shoota after all her rokkits and loota's failed to glance. She rolled 1 shot per loota though, which helped, then she conceded the game. I won, 2 objectives to 1. )

Farseer Kenbae stood over the field, pondering the question of Lath'im.

"Did we win this day? More Eldar have died, unable to pass our flame to our next generations. Perhaps we defended this ground and our Craftworld will sing for another day, but at what cost?"

Silently mourning for his brave Eldar, who gave their lives this day, his thoughts fell to the Eldar who had given his very soul. The Wraithlord slain whos soul was irrecoverable.. it was a heavy cost indeed.

( I bought a camera, so hopefully I can start adding pics to these, since I kinda like doing them. Sorry for the wordiness and wall o' text. It was a good game that hinged on the survival of a wave serpent for two turns. )

Very nice BR there guy. I like the little cinematic change of pace and it's still enough to able to discern what exactly you did in the game itself. Congratulations!

Really well written report. I love how you manage to fuse story into the report almost seemlessly. Can't wait to read more and pictures will be a big plus. Thanks and keep up the good work.

I give this report 2 thumbs up and a whole load of dakka!

Awesome. I enjoy eldar fluff.

Very well written

First of all, warboss kittenmuncha! How epic can you get?
Secondly, very good BR it was worth reading

Thanks, I appreciate the support. That's the second one I've written that was fairly well recieved.

My opponent didn't name her Waaugh, so I named it for her. ^_^

it is called a WAAAGH. otherwise i love the BR 5thumbs up

Great Report! I love how you described the action and the story!