Hi Dakkadakka. Here's a report that continues from a regular series of batreps found here:
http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=265264. I hope you all enjoy this one.
Battle 30: From the Depths
Darkness swirled around Xlantec like a live thing, tendrils of pure shadow coiling around him, like some dark serpent examining its prey. The Slann could feel the dark all around him—a swollen, immense blackness full of ancient, unfathomable power and an equally ancient malice. Alone, floating in the midst of this darkness, he was a speck that could be snuffed out instantly.
But he did not fear. Fear was something the Slann were incapable of, something that the Old Ones had deliberately excluded from their thought patterns. Fear was the mind-killer, the death of all rational thought. For a Slann, the loss of one’s ability to think rationally was the most crippling blow one could receive, more debilitating than even the death of the body or the sundering of the soul. And so, even as he floated alone in the empty, hungering blackness of this dark place, he allowed not a speck of fear to cross his mind. Instead, he simply folded his atrophied arms, and allowed himself to slip into the calming depths of meditation.
It was not long before the intelligence of this place took notice of him.
“INSIGNIFICANT CREATURE,” a rasping voice like the rustle of dead leaves said, the voice seemingly coming from everywhere at once. “WHAT ARE YOU, THAT COMES TO MY REALM? YOU DO NOT SCREAM, BEG AND WEEP LIKE THE OTHER WRETCHES THAT COME HERE. YOU DO NOT COME TO BARTER FOR POWER, LIKE THE WITCHES OF THE ELVES. WHAT ARE YOU?”
Feeling the words echo in the realm surrounding him, Xlantec allowed his own consciousness to expand outwards. His mind’s eye gazed into the deep, endless darkness of his host, and did not flinch.
”You know what I am, Xlanax. You have dealt with my kind before.”
A sound like a boulder tumbling through a distant cave reverberated through the darkness. To one more experienced in identifying emotional traits, this might have sounded vaguely like laughter.
“ONE OF THE SERVANTS OF THE OLD ONES,” the voice said, sounding vaguely amused. “YOUR TORMENT SHALL PLEASE ME.”
“If you intended to torment me, you would have done so already, Xlanax,” Xlantec calmly thought back. “You know what I am, and you know that in your own realm, I would be powerless to stop you. And yet you leave me unharmed.”
For a moment, there was silence—a terrible, lonely silence which seemed to permeate the soul itself.
“YES,” the voice finally said. “I HAVE A USE FOR YOU, SLANN. THOUGH YOU KNOW IT NOT, WE HAVE A COMMON GOAL.”
Xlantec closed his eyes. The temperature of this place was beginning to grow colder.
“I know that you are rival to the Shifting One,” he thought back, “that you wish to see it thwarted or even destroyed. It is for this reason that you are hoping that I succeed in my mission.”
“I DO NOT HOPE, XLANTEC OF UX-MAL,” the voice said, a new tone of harshness edging its voice. “I AM OF SHADOW AND DESPAIR. ARNZIPAL DOES NOT HOPE FOR YOUR SUCCESS. ARNZIPAL DEMANDS IT.”
“You do not make demands of a servant of the Old Ones,” Xlantec thought back calmly. “You know full well that the path I follow may lead to your own destruction as well. You only spare me because you have grown desperate, and you will let me leave for the exact same reason.”
There was a sharp hissing sound like boiling water, and a wave of malevolence surged through the darkness. Xlantec began to feel a strange sensation around him, like ripples in a pond. Slowly but surely, he felt the darkness begin to coalesce around him, drawing closer to him like some tainted shroud.
“LISTEN CAREFULLY, XLANTEC OF UX-MAL,” the voice rasped, “FOR IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT I GRANT THIS FAVOUR TO MY CAPTIVES...”
******
EXCERPT FROM THE JOURNAL OF HUINIXOTL, SKINK-PRIEST OF UX-MAL
In the aftermath of our terrible battle against the Dark Elves, the Council held an emergency meeting. With Lord Xlantec gone, we had no one to guide us on the path ahead, no wise voice to command us. Indeed, the entire host was wrought with despair, for Lord Xlantec, whom we had all toiled long and hard to revive, was gone. For all we knew, he may even have been dead. The Temple Guard, particularly, seemed badly affected by our lord’s absence, and their attitude became more overtly hostile to everyone around them. I feared that if the situation continued, there was no telling what the Temple Guard might do.
The Council argued long and hard over what needed to be done. Aqoyotl argued that the warhost should return to Ux-Mal, while Kaxuatl argued that we had a sacred duty to carry out, and that we should continue to track the Shifting One, even without Lord Xlantec’s guidance. I must confess that I stayed out of these arguments: I am but a humble acolyte, and none within the Council would have heeded any of my words. Indeed, I suspect that some are even resentful of the trust Lord Xlantec has placed upon me these past few weeks. It is for this reason that I resigned myself to merely recording the Council meeting, so that whatever was decided here could be weighed and examined in the future.
Eventually, it was Qoxitl’s argument that won out, especially since Ara-kor himself agreed with it. Qoxitl suggested that our Lord might not be dead, but might instead be imprisoned in some arcane realm that the spell had transported him to. He argued that, given the circumstances, we could potentially harness the power of the sorcerous portal to locate our lord and bring him back. Such a thing, he admitted, would be dangerous, given the unstable nature of the portal, but our Lord’s safety was worth the risk.
And so it was that made the necessary preparations for the spell were made. All Priests of the Council formed a geocentric circle, and the Engine of the Gods was brought up to act as a reciprocal for the magical energy. The rest of the host was made to stay as far away from the portal as possible, in order to limit casualties in case of a miscast. This did not sit well with many of the Saurus, particularly the Temple Guard, but at Ara-kor’s order, they obeyed. It did not take us long to complete the final preparations, though we all knew that, if just one element of this spell went wrong, the results could be catastrophic.
As one, the Council began to harness the power of the portal. At first, no progress was made. After an hour of scrying, however, Aqoyatl declared that he had felt the life-essence of Lord Xlantec, “submerged in a place of shadow.” Joining together, the Council began to harness the portal’s power further, trying to form a link to that place in order to pull Lord Xlantec back into the physical realm. The exertion of so much magical power was tremendous, and costly: the strain taxed the Priests of the Council, both physically and mentally, and the ground itself began to shake as magic travelled through the roots of the world.
At the spell’s height, a great, glowing rupture suddenly erupted in the air. Qoxitl, who had been standing closest to the portal, was ripped to shreds by the magical feedback, and many of the Council, along with several attendant Skinks, were all killed as well as a wave of displaced magic surged back at them. I was only saved due to the fact that I had been standing furthest from the portal. The remaining members of the Council retreated as a sphere of energy opened up in their midst, glowing blackly like the darkest of nights.
From out of this darkness, however, came light: slowly, a glowing shape emerged from the sphere, and we were all exhilarated to see that it was Lord Xlantec. Our Lord was seemingly unharmed by his ordeal, and indeed, seemed untroubled. As the sphere closed behind him, however, Lord Xlantec warned us that we were all in danger.
At that moment, the ground, which still shook from the fury of the spell, splintered and cracked. Hordes of brown-furred bodies poured out of the wounds in the earth, surging outward in a shrieking, snarling mass. Alarmed, the warhost prepared for battle as a tide of vermin poured out of the earth towards us...
My latest game with my Lizardmen was played against one of the Skaven players at my local store. I haven’t played against the new Skaven book yet, and I was quite worried about some of the nastier things that I could potentially face. (re: Hell Pit Abominations, Doomwheels, the Dreaded 13th spell, etc). Still, I wasn’t about to refuse a game, and so I prepared my Lizzies for battle against their rodentine arch-enemies.
For this game, I took my usual list:
The Wandering Host of Ux-Mal:
Xlantec (Slann)-
BSB, Cupped Hands of the Old Ones, Focused Rumination, Focus of Mystery, Lore of Light- 395
Ara-kor (Scar-Veteran)- Sword of Strife, light armour, shield, Potion of Foolhardiness- 153
Huinixotl the Acolyte (Skink Pries)t- Engine of the Gods, Cube of Darkness, Lore of the Heavens- 395
20 Saurus- spears, full command- 270
20 Saurus- spears, full command- 270
10 Skink Skirmishers- 70
10 Skink Skirmishers- 70
16 Temple Guard- full command, Banner of Eternal Flame- 301
6 Kroxigor- 330
4 Terradons- 120
Salamander Hunting Pack- 75
Salamander Hunting Pack- 75
Total: 2524
The only real changes to my list are my Scar-Veteran’s equipment, meant to give him as many attacks as possible, as well as switching my Slann’s Lore from Life to Light. I had tried the Lore of Light in a previous, abortive game, and had found it to be infinitely more enjoyable and flexible than the purely defensive Lore of Life. My hope is to cast as many long-range augments as possible to make my fighty units extra killy in close combat.
(Note: it was only after the game that I re-calculated my list and found that I was 24 points over. I have since made a mental note to apologize to the Skaven player the next time I see him).
The Skaven, meanwhile, took the following:
Redwall? Never heard of it.
Grey Seer- level 4, Talisman of Endurance, Dispel Scroll, Lore of Ruin
Warlord- Warlock-Augmented Blade, heavy armour, Enchanted Shield
Chieftain-
BSB, heavy armour, shield
Plague Priest- Plague Furnace, plague censer, Warpstone Amulet, Lore of Plague
Warlock Engineer- level 2, warp-energy condenser, Lore of Ruin
Warlock Engineer- Doom Rocket
30 Clanrats- shields, full command, Warpfire Thrower
30 Clanrats- shields, full command, Poison Wind Mortar
30 Clanrats- shields, full command, Poison Wind Mortar
30 Clanrats- shields, full command, Poison Wind Mortar
40 Plague Monks- full command, Plague Banner
7 Rat Ogres
I was relieved to see no Abominations/Doomwheels in this list. On paper, it didn’t look that intimidating (aside from the Furnace-embellished Plague Monks and big pack of Rat Ogres, both of which scared the crap out of me). I know from experience, however, that appearances can be deceiving when it comes to army builds.
DEPLOYMENT
For the scenario, we picked Meeting Engagement. From left to right, I deployed a Salamander pack, my Terradons, a unit of Skinks, some Saurus, another Skink unit and the Temple Guard, Ara-kor’s Saurus, another Salamander and the Kroxigor. My opponent, meanwhile, deployed three Clanrat units on the left (one led by the Grey Seer, the other two led by Warlocks), the Plague Monks, another unit of Clanrats (led by the Warlord and
BSB) and the Rat Ogres.
For terrain, sadly, neither of us had the big red book handy, so we were forced to improvise with what terrain we had. We ruled the woods and hill as being normal, but was also had a giant pool of blood thingy which we ruled as counting as an Altar of Khaine (except not impassable). We also had a sorcerous portal (the blue circle), though since we didn’t have the Portal’s rules handy, I opted to instead use my magic card deck and assign the signiature spells a number according to the order in which I drew them.
For spells, Xlantec knew everything about Light, while Huinixotl rolled Thunderbolt. The Plague Priest got Wither, and, while I can’t quite remember which spells the Grey Seer and level 2 Warlock had between them, I do know that Warp-Lightning, Crack’s Call, Howling Warpgale, Scorch and Skitterleap were all in the mix. I was just glad that no one had rolled the Dreaded 13th.
Finally, before the game began, I scouted my Terradons up the left flank. The overall aim was to get into the Skaven backfield and start destroying weapon teams before they could inflict too much damage on my blocks.
TURN 1
The Skaven won the first turn and began scurrying all of their units forward as quickly as possible. The various weapon teams followed in the wake of this mass scurry, with the exception of the leftmost Poison Wind Mortar and the Warpfire Thrower, both of which angled to get a clear shot at my Terradons. On the right flank, the Rat Ogres outpaced the Warlord’s unit, advancing far enough that they would be a threat to me by turn 2.
In the magic phase, the Arcane Portal must have been offended in some way by the Rat Ogres, as it proceeded to fling a Fireball at them for two wounds. Inspired by this act of arcane arson, the Grey Seer cast Scorch on my leftmost Saurus. After much hemming and hawing, I decided to let it go, wanting instead to save my dice for the inevitable Warpgale and Withering, and four Saurus were instantly barbequed as a result. Next, the Grey Seer cast Skitterleap on one of the Warlocks, which, for some unknown reason, I decided to let go. It didn’t occur to me that Skitterleap can teleport a model anywhere on the board (which the Warlock did, materializing right next to my Kroxigor), and it further didn’t occur to me that this particular Warlock was carrying a Doom Rocket, which he was now pointing at my Lizards while cackling maniacally. The Skaven then cast Howling Warpgale and Withering on my Temple Guard, respectively, but this time I had the common sense to dispel both of those.
In the shooting phase, the leftmost Poison Wind Mortar lobbed a shot at the Terradons, only to scatter off target and poison a particularly innocent patch of grass. Unfortunately, the Warlock had better aim, unleashing a rocket which scattered onto Ara-kor’s Saurus and blew eight of them to kingdom come. Thankfully, they passed their panic test, though they were now looking dangerously reduced.
With the Skaven bearing down on me quickly, I decided to use the time-honoured Lizardmen tradition of sacrificial units. On the right flank, I rushed my rightmost Salamander into burninating range of the Rat Ogres, while Ara-kor’s Saurus and the Kroxigor advanced cautiously behind it in a semicircular shape, waiting to counter-charge if the Salamander got itself eaten. In the centre, my Skink screen ran into blowpipe and taunting range of the Plague Monks, while the Temple Guard moved up behind them, and, on either flank, the Engine of the Gods and Saurus prepared to countercharge. On the left, my other unit of Skinks stayed put in the woods, hoping to guard the flank of my Saurus, while the Terradons and Salamanders both moved up into plinking/burninating range of the enemy.
In the magic phase, the Portal had a change of heart and decided to give the Rat Ogres Earthblood, as well as some promises of grief counselling and cake. In the centre, Huinixotl cast the Portent of Warding over the bulk of my army, while Xlantec flexed his froggy digits and cast Net of Amyntok on the Grey Seer’s Clanrats, hoping to dissuade the Skaven from any movement or magic-related shenanigans. The spell went off with irresistible force, and after Xlantec pawned off his miscast with the Cupped Hands of the Old Ones, five of the Seer’s retinue were obliterated in a nice magical explosion (though the Seer himself was unharmed, and didn’t seem to notice the charred corpses lying around him). Next, His Frogginess cast Burning Gaze on the rightmost Poison Wind Mortar, but the Grey Seer dispelled it, not wanting to pay Clan Skryre’s exhorbitant replacement fees. Huinixotl, seeing a chance to make himself useful, cast Thunderbolt on the same target, and with a shrug, the Skaven player let the spell go, watching as the Mortar got nicely electrocuted. As an encore, Xlantec, fearing Crack’s Call, cast Speed of Light on his Temple Guard, boosting their Initiative to 10.
In the shooting phase, the leftmost Salamander was unable to shoot due to marching-related cramps, but the Terradons had no such problems and javelined the Poison Wind Mortar quite nicely. In the centre, the the Skinks only managed to kill one Plague Monk with their rapid-firing blowdarts, while on the right flank, the Salamander, in a fit of peckishness, turned ate all three of its handlers in one go. The stupid beast passed its Monster Reaction test, but seeing as it was about to become Rat Ogre food, that did little to please me.
So, turn 1, and I had lost a chunk of Saurus, was about to lose a Salamander, and had a horde of frothing, frenzied, disease-ridden vermin in charge range of me. All told, things were going quite well.
TURN 2
Having been spared an undue barbequing, the Rat Ogres charged the Salamander, which held, while the Plague Monks, filled with rage by the nearby Altar/Blood Pool/Whatever of Khaine, charged the Skinks, who killed one with stand and shoot. Further to the left, the other two units of Clanrats moved forward aggressively, while the Warlord and his own Clanrats did the same, eying the flank of Ara-kor’s Saurus. Further back, the Warpfire Thrower edged forward to deal with the Terradons. The Grey Seer’s rats, though, stayed where they were, obviously not wanting to tempt the big shiny net surrounding them.
The magic phase began with the Portal having another mood swing, unleashing a string of angry words at the Rat Ogres before dropping a point of their weapon skill with Miasma. Cackling, the Plague Priest tried to cast Wither on the Temple Guard, but Xlantec dispelled it. Unfortunately, the Slann was was unable to dispel a Warp-Lightning from the Warlock, which electrocuted three of the leftmost Saurus despite the Engine’s protection. In the shooting phase, the last Poison Wind Mortar dropped a canister of last year’s leftovers in the middle of the Temple Guard, and the smell alone was enough to knock out two of the stalwart Lizardmen. The Warpfire Thrower, meanwhile, fired on the Terradons, hitting one of them. Thankfully for me, some prankster from Clan Eshin had replaced the Thrower’s warpfire goo with strawberry jam, and it rolled a 1 to wound, leaving the Terradon quite messy but otherwise unharmed.
In close combat, my Salamander must still have been hungry after eating all of its handlers, as it nommed the final wound off of the badly-burned Rat Ogre before getting ripped to shreds. The Rat Ogres overran, but ended up just short of Ara-kor’s Saurus and in full view for a counter-charge. In the centre, the poor Skinks were unceremoniously steamrolled by the Plague Monks and their Furnace, who overran with frothing glee into my Temple Guard.
Happy that the Skaven had fallen for my little mousetrap, I charged both the Engine of the Gods and the leftmost Saurus into the Plague Monks, while Ara-kor’s Saurus and the Kroxigor both charged the Rat Ogres, with Ara-kor chugging down the Potion of Foolhardiness (re: Red Bull) as he did so. My remaining Skinks held their position, while my Terradons flew over the Warpfire Thrower and Poison Wind Mortar, dropping rocks on the Mortar and crushing it quite nicely. The remaining Salamander, meanwhile, moved onto the hill into burninating range of the closely-packed Clanrats on the left flank, the Skink crew anxiously hoping that their pet didn’t try to emulate the feeding habits of his late cousin.
In the magic phase, the Portal unleashed a Fireball, which we ruled as having no effect on units already engaged in close combat. Huinixotl unleashed the Burning Alignment, vaporizing a piddly two Plague Monks, and then Xlantec cast Speed of Light on the Temple Guard, which the Skaven dispelled. This, however, had merely been a clever ploy to reduce the Skaven’s dispel dice, and with great gusto, Xlantec cast the enhanced version of Birona’s Timewarp...and was met with a Dispel Scroll. Seeing as my plan had been to reduce the amount of damage the Skaven inflict by striking first, this was a bit of a setback for me. Still, I had enough dice left to cast Light of Battle on Ara-kor’s Saurus, to ensure that they held in case the Rat Ogres won combat or they got flanked by the Warlord’s Rats.
In the shooting phase, the Terradons targeted the Warpfire Thrower and plinked it off with javelins, effectively destroying the last of the Skaven weapon teams. Woot, go Terradons! The Salamander then belched flame, burninating an underwhelming four Clanrats from the middlemost unit, who passed their panic test. The Skinks in the forest fired on the same unit, only for the Skaven player to pass a ridiculous number of 5+ rolls and save them all.
In close combat, I found myself really, really wishing that I had cast Timewarp when I discovered how nasty the Plague Furnace really was. First, two Temple Guard died before they could swing as the fumes of the Furnace killed them off, while another was squished by the impact hits of the Furnace itself. Then the Plague Monks struck: bolstered by the Altar of Khaine and the Plague Banner, they tore apart another five Temple Guard and three of my Saurus in the blink of an eye, while the Plague Priest kaboinked a sixth Guard with his censer. At around the same time, my counter-charge hit home, with the Engine squishing eight Plague Monks between between its impact hits, attacks and Thunderstomp, and my Saurus hacking down three more. My Temple Guard, now reduced to a single rank, killed another Plague Monk, but failed to inflict any damage on Plague Furnace. My Revered Guardian, however, fuelled with hatred thanks to the Altar, singled out the Plague Priest and hacked him down from his pulpit, even as the oversized flail of the Furnace squashed two more of his buddies. After tallying the results of this bloody combat, the Lizardmen had barely won by two or three, but sadly, the Skaven were unbreakable thanks to the Furnace. Given that I was down to three of my Temple Guard, half of my Saurus and the Engine against a lot of rats and their Wrecking Ball of Doom, this was hardly comforting.
On the right flank, the frenzied Rat Ogres struck first, with two of them singling out Ara-kor and clobbering him down before he could attack. Argh, this is what he gets for doing drugs at the start of the turn. Another four Saurus were torn to shreds as well, and two unsaved wounds were scored on the Kroxigor. In exchange, the Saurus vengefully hacked down one Rat Ogre, and the Kroxigor crushed another two. Beaten, the Rat Ogres broke and ran despite the frantic yelling of the Warlord and the shiny flag of the
BSB, and the Saurus chased the Rat Ogres down and overran into the startled Warlord’s unit. The Kroxigor fell short in their pursuit, but ended up eying the flank of the Warlord’s Rats, leaving me overall in a pretty good position on the right flank.
TURN 3
Seeking to help out their slightly smellier brethren, the Warlock’s Clanrats charged in against my leftmost Saurus, while the unit to their left charged my Skinks in the woods, losing two to stand and shoot. The Grey Seer’s unit hung back, as the fearless leader of the Skaven army obviously felt that his leadership skills were best used from a safe distance.
In the magic phase, the Grey Seer cast Skitterleap again, teleporting the other Warlock out of combat and leaving him safely unengaged in the northeast part of the battlefield (which goes to show that it pays to bribe the Grey Seer at the start of a battle). The aforementioned Warlock then then attempted to cast Warp-Lightning on my Terradons, but I quickly dispelled both it and the following attempt at Howling Warpgale.
In the shooting phase, the Plague Furnace gushed its horrible flame template thingy, failing to hurt my Temple Guard but instead killing two of my Saurus. In the following close combat phase, though, the Plague Monks found that they weren’t as awesome without hatred or the Plague Banner boosting them, and they failed to kill, maim, or slightly aggravate any of my units. The Clanrats were similarly ineffective, bouncing off of my Saurus, and in exchange, three Clanrats and six Plague Monks fell to spears, stomps and stabbity death. My three remaining Temple Guard focused their attacks on the Plague Furnace and managed to hack two wounds off of it, before its giant flail swung again and squished another of them. Somehow, my Temple Guard were still alive, and once again the Lizardmen had held the line and won combat. Once again, though, the Plague Monks were unbreakable and the Clanrats were steadfast.
On the left flank, the Skinks killed two Clanrats in a surprising display of competence, but then lost three in return. Thanks to being skirmishers in woods, the Skinks were steadfast, and, in a decidedly un-Skinky display of bravery, held their ground. In the other combat, the Spawning-Champion of the Saurus called out a challenge, which was answered by the enemy Battle Standard Bearer. Before the Champ could strike, though, the
BSB used the old “Hey look, it’s the Old Ones!” trick and knifed him in the back when he wasn’t looking. The Warlord then cut down three Saurus with swings of his crazy electric blade, before the Saurus struck back and killed three Clanrats. Although they had lost combat by quite a lot, the last five Saurus automatically held thanks to Light of Battle, and with the Kroxigor ready to rush to their aid, there was still hope for them.
In my turn, the Kroxigor wasted no time charging the Warlord’s unit in the flank. The Salamander continued to angle to cover more Skaven with its flame template, and the Terradons flew around, angling for a rear-charge on the engaged Clanrats next turn. While Terradons aren’t exactly thr best close combat unit, I felt that the strength 4 attacks and stomps could help me break the annoying vermin.
In the magic phase, things suddenly turned crappy when the Portal belched a Miasma onto the Kroxigor, dropping them to Weapon Skill 1. On the up side, Huinixotl killed another two Plague Monks with Burning Alignment, and Xlantec cast an enhanced Birona’s Timewarp with Irresistable Force. The resulting magical backlash inflicted a strength 6 hit on all of my wizards, but while Huinixotl was left badly burned, Xlantec was protected by his handy ward save and sunblock. The Slann then tried to follow up with Speed of Light on the Temple Guard, but the Grey Seer managed to dispel it, and Xlantec’s follow-up attempt to cast Light of Battle on the Skinks failed utterly. In the shooting phase, though, things continued to look up as the Salamander burninated a whopping ten of the Grey Seer’s Clanrats, though the flames overshot slightly and wounded one of my Terradons. Both the Rats and the Terradons passed their panic tests, and the Terradons squawked angrily at the friendly fire (while the Salamander could be seen to grin ever so slightly).
In close combat, the Lizardmen, overjoyed to be striking first for once, hacked into the Skaven with a vengeance.The Saurus shishkebabed two Clanrats and two Plague Monks on their spears, while the Stegadon killed five Plague Monks with stomps and attacks, and the Skink crew, exclaiming “We’re High Elves!” as they rerolled misses, plinked off two more. In exchange, the Skaven once again found all of their attacks bouncing off scaly skin, and though another Temple Guard fell to the Plague Furnace’s fumes, the Revered Guardian managed to hack an impressive three wounds out of the Skaven contraption. Shrieking, the Furnace’s crew tried to swing the wrecking ball, but in their haste they tangled the chain, nearly snapping the Furnace in half as the wrecking ball got snagged among some of the wooden supports (or in game terms, misfired). The Lizardmen had won combat in a big way, but once again, the Skaven held thanks to a mixture of unbreakability and steadfastness.
In the fight in the woods, the Skinks killed one more Clanrat, but this time the Skaven fought back with surprising ferocity, stabbing down six of the dimunitive lizards in return. The last Skink, no longer feeling very steadfast, turned and ran for it, while the victorious Clanrats reformed to face my Salamander. On the right flank, what should have been a winning flank charge quickly turned into a disaster. The Warlord made way to the flank of his unit and struck out, killing my badly wounded Kroxigor and putting two wounds on the second, which was quickly swarmed and killed by the Clanrats. The
BSB stabbed down another Saurus while the Clanrats stabbed down a second. Striking back, the Saurus killed four Clanrats, but the Kroxigor, hitting on 5’s thanks to the Miasma, could only kill another four rats with their attacks and stomps. What should have been a glorious counter charge fizzled into a rout as the Skaven won combat by 1, and while the last three Saurus held, the Kroxigor turned and ran for it, leaving the Saurus to their doom.
TURN 4
With the Kroxigor now fleeing, the Skaven player made a fiendishly cunning move, charging his Skitterleaped Warlock in the lower right corner into the retreating lugs. Terrified of a solitary rat, the Kroxigor fled upwards, where they were then charged by the OTHER Skitterleaped Warlock in the northern right corner. The angle of the charge was enough to direct the Kroxigor towards the board edge, but thankfully, I rolled low enough on my flee roll that they stopped just short of running off the battlefield. On the left flank, the leftmost Clanrats charged the Salamander, which fled to safety, and the Grey Seer’s Clanrats turned to face the Terradons.
In the magic phase, the Grey Seer cast Scorch on my Terradons, which I failed to dispel. Two whole Terradons were crispified in midair, but the last two passed their panic test. The topmost Warlock tried to follow up with a nice Warp-Lightning, but this time I barely managed to dispel it, saving my Terradons from an untimely electrocution. In the shooting phase, the Plague Furnace once again unleashed its gas attack, failing to hurt any of my Temple Guard but killing one of the Skinks crewing the Engine.
In close combat, however, disaster struck as my last Temple Guard succumbed to the Plague Furnace’s fumes, leaving the Slann all on his own in front of a giant toxic wrecking ball. Thankfully, Birona’s Timewarp was still active, and the Saurus killed three Plague Monks and two Clanrats, before the Stegadon finished off the last six rodents in an impressive display of goring, stomping and crushing things underfoot. The Furnace, though, was still active, and swung its wrecking ball, thwacking two wounds off of my poor Slann. Once again, I won combat, but the unbreakable Furnace and steadfast Rats weren`t going anywhere.
In the other combat, the last three Saurus fought their last stand. As far as last stands go, however, it was fairly anticlimactic, as the Warlord cut them all down before they could even strike. Boo to that, I say.
In my turn, I managed to rally both the Salamanders and the Kroxigor, though the last, fleeing Skink failed to roll snake eyes and exited the board. Remembering this turn that there were two enemy mages to worry about, I flew the last two Terradons into javelin range of the northernmost Warlock.
In the magic phase, the Portal cast Mystifying Miasma on the Clanrats, halving their movement, while Huinixotl once again unleashed the Burning Alignment. Four hits were scored on the Furnace, and critically, a 6 was rolled, vaporizing the Furnace’s last wound and saving my Slann from a wrecking ball-related end. With the Furnace destroyed, the Slann and the Engine were both freed from combat, leaving the Saurus alone against the Clanrats. Xlantec tried to assist them by casting Birona’s Timewarp, but this time, the dice betrayed him and the spell failed. Huinixotl, on the other hand, had line of sight to the northernmost Warlock and unleashed an irresistible Thunderbolt at him, electrocuting the Warlock and, ironically, electrocuting himself in the ensuing miscast as well.
In close combat, the Clanrats failed to hurt the Saurus...who in exchange, failed to hurt the Clanrats as the Skaven rolled a ridiculous number of 6+ saves and parries. Thanks to ranks, the Skaven won combat, but the Saurus held thanks to their nearby general and
BSB.
TURN 5
Seeing a chance to win glory for himself and his clan (well alright, just himself), the Warlord led his Clanrats in a charge against the Stegadon. Unfortunately, thanks to the Miasma, his minions were less-than speedy, and they only ran a few paces before collapsing in exhaustion, the Warlord screeching curses at them all the while. Elsewhere, the Clanrats who had charged the Salamander moved close to the fiery beast again, while the Grey Seer’s rats angled to face the Slann, the Grey Seer licking his lips in anticipation of destroying the big frog.
In the magic phase, the portal bestowed Wyssan’s Wildform on the Kroxigor, even though they were too far away from the main fighting to make any use of it. Channelling his magic, the Grey Seer attempted to cast Crack’s Call, hoping to kill both the Slann and the Stegadon in one shot, but Xlantec promptly dispelled it. Enraged, the Grey Seer hurled Warp-Lightning at the Slann, only for it to bounce off of his ward save, leaving him unharmed.
In the ongoing melee, the Saurus, determined not to fail their lord, fought harder and slew five Clanrats for no loss. Shocked, the Clanrats momentarily forgot their advantage of numbers and fled, only for the Saurus to chase them down, hacking them down and scattering the survivors. To the Grey Seer’s horror, the pursuing Saurus ended up only a few paces from his own regiment, their blades and teeth spattered with Skaven blood.
Seeing the enemy leader in their sights, the Saurus charged into the Grey Seer’s Clanrats, while the Engine of the Gods, bereft of its attendant Skink Priest, charged headlong into the Warlord’s Clanrats. Xlantec hovered serenely towards the Altar of Khaine to keep both units in spell/
BSB range, while the Terradons swooped down the right side of the battlefield to get in javelin range of the last Warlock. Finally, the Kroxigor about-faced, ready to charge back into the fray against the Clanrats if they were needed.
In the magic phase, the Portal bestowed the blessing of Earthblood upon the Terradons. Gathering power to himself, Xlantec cast an Irresistable enhanced Timewarp, affecting both the Engine and the Saurus, though in the process he lost a magic level and all of his remaining power dice. The Terradons threw their javelins at the Warlock, doing only one wound to the lone rat, while the Salamander unleashed its burning spittle once more at the Clanrats, burning five of them to cinders.
In close combat, the Saurus and Clanrats crashed into each other, driven to hatred and frenzy by the Altar of Khaine. Grey Seer, in a moment of bravado, madness, or possibly both, issued a challenge, which the Spawning-Champion accepted. Despite his frenzy, the Grey Seer could not pierce his foe’s scaly hide, who hacked a deep wound into the Seer in return. The other Saurus fought with incredible speed, hacking apart seven Clanrats in the blink of an eye. In exchange, the Clanrats fought viciously, dragging down three Saurus with stabbing blades and biting teeth, but it was not enough. The beaten Skaven tried to flee, but were relentlessly pursued and cut down by the Saurus.
In the other combat, the Stegadon crashed into the Clanrats with tremendous force, crushing two of the vermin with its thunderous impact. Moving faster than the Skaven thought possible, the Stegadon closed its huge maw around the enemy Chieftain, crushing him to a mangled pulp and causing his tattered banner to fall to the ground, while its crew in the howdah stabbed down another Clanrat from their high vantage point. Enraged, the Skaven Warlord leapt into the howdah, whirling about and slaying all four Skinks with frenzied swings of his blade. The Stegadon, however, did not notice the loss of its crew as it continued to slay Clanrats left and right, crushin four under his thunderous stomps. Shocked, the Skaven fled, but were quickly scattered as the Stegadon rampaged after them, crushing the remaining vermin in its stampeding charge.
And with that, the store was closing, so we ended the game there. Though both our armies were pretty battered, there was no question that the Lizardmen had won this day.
Victory Points:
Lizardmen: 2200-ish
Skaven- 939
Result: Lizardmen Victory!
Thoughts: Even though I won by an excessive number of points, the game was much closer than the final score indicates. After some initial spellcasting and charges and counter-charges, the entire game ground down into a series of gruelling combats, with lots of models being removed on both sides and lots of tension. The combat in the centre, in particular, was pretty touch and go, with my Temple Guard initially suffering horrendous losses and my Slann himself eventually becoming endangered. All told, I was lucky to win the war of attrition in the centre, and luckier still for my Saurus to eventually break the Clanrats. In the final turn, my remaining units literally scored some last-minute victory points to secure a big win.
I have to say, despite how close this battle was, a lot of things went right for me. My use of bait, roadblocks and countercharges dealt with the Rat Ogres and (eventually) the Plague Monks, and my combination of spells and Terradons eliminated the Skaven weapon teams early on. More importantly, my Slann’s spells swung the battle more than once, with Light of Battle and repeated castings of Birona’s Timewarp giving me an advantage in close combat. This battle was a decider for me: from now on, the Lore of Light will be the default Lore for my Slann (occasional experimentations aside). All told, aside from some bad luck moments (such as the Kroxigor and their dismal countercharge), everything went according to plan for me.
So all in all, a tense, exciting game against a great opponent, who I look forward to playing again. As a bonus, I now know how to deal with some of the nasty things in the Skaven army book, so I’m a lot more confident about the next time I have to fight the ratmen.
MVP It’s hard to say who the MVP of this battle was, since almost every unit did their job perfectly. Aside from Xlantec and his crucial spells, I think I would give it to my Terradons (for so successfully eliminating the Skaven weapon teams), or my units of Saurus, who held the line at crucial moments, dealt lots of casualties to the Skaven, and eventually won the war of attrition they were engaged in. Truly, they are awesome Core troops.
LVP: Sadly, I’ll have to give it to the Kroxigor again, though this time it’s not entirely their fault (shakes fist at the effing Portal). They did help eliminate the Rat Ogres, though, so they weren’t completely useless this game.
Opponent’s MVP: I’ll have to give it to the Plague Monks and their Furnace. This unit scared the crap out of me all game, and given the amount of damage they did, my fear was justified.
Having cut through countless scores of the vermin opposing them, the warriors of Ux-Mal closed with the leaders of the Skaven horde, slaying all rat-men who stood in their path. The horned mage leading the warmbloods personally challenged Spawning-Champion Gor-Zlatl, but after the Champion cut off the Skaven’s right paw, the twisted rat-thing shrieked and disappeared in a puff of smoke. With the flight of their leader, the rest of the Skaven host dissolved as they fled screaming back into their holes. The tall creature who had bested Gor-Zlatl’s Saurus shrieked for his warriors to hold, continuing to fight, be he and his retinue were quickly killed by the rampage of Zloq. Before long, the last of the Skaven retreated back into the earth, leaving us bloodied but victorious.
Even as we collected our dead, Lord Xlantec turned towards the portal, which still jetted untapped magic up into the grey sky. As we all watched, Lord Xlantec raised his arms, which glowed with a white light. Slowly, the portal began to close, the earth seeming to knit together and seal, before it was finally shut altogether. The portal, and the unstable font of magic at its source, was gone.
Turning back to us, Lord Xlantec told us that he had been imparted new knowledge while he had been imprisoned. Our enemy, he told us, was trying to destabilize the natural order of the world, and these flawed portals were the Xlanax’s key to that goal. There were many more such portals scattered around the globe, he told us, and unless they were sealed, Chaos would be unleashed once more. This time, even the mightiest of wards could not stop it.
And so it was that we now have a new mission. We must traverse the planet, using all hidden means at our disposal, and seal all arcane portals we find in order to deny the Shifting One his victory. The Xlanax’s agents will be arrayed against us at every turn, and they are many, but we cannot allow ourselves to fail. This world, which the Old Ones created, is ours to defend and safeguard.
May Quetzl watch over us in our coming journies, for we shall need His protection now more than ever.
