“I just do not see the need for any sort of inspection, we are quite secure here.”

Master Holst, Black Templar, 6th Captain of the Order of the Clenched Fist did not particularly like negotiations, and had already decided the human dignitary was lying to him. Still, he knew well the methods of decorum and thus deferred to the commander of the investigation force, Librarian Teth Angelus of the Immortal Host. The Librarian’s eyes were hooded slightly in thought, his lips pursed and his fingers clasped in front of his face. The negotiator for House Clyth sat at the table in front of the two towering Space Marines, his honor guard behind him twenty strong and armed and armored in finely crafted tools of war. Holst alone could have slain hem all in moments, much less with the aid of the Librarian, but, again, decorum called for him to halt.

He and his company had been dispatched on this investigative tour of the planets in the Saios system by Marshall Melthas himself, and Holst would not fail his mentor and commander. He had formed up with a detachment of the Immortal Host and had been traveling from planet to planet to attempt to suss out any detectable Chaos taint or heretical influence. Here on Denaaria they had encountered nothing but complications, excuses, and repeated assurances that all was well. Holst was already fairly certain what that meant, and had it been left to him already every human in the room would be dead and he’d be calling his brothers to battle.

Still, Librarian Teth Angelus was the recognized head of the investigation, and therefore had to be respected. Holst waited for the blue armored Librarian to react. He was not a particular fan of Librarians, distrusting their connection to the powers of the witch, but begrudgingly accepted that they were usually wise and certainly capable when it came to sussing out their even more heretical kin.

“Does the name ‘Nyx’ mean anything to you?” Librarian Teth’s voice was dry, scratchy as paper over sand, but his sharp green eyes seemed to contain an unfathomable depth as he watched the human diplomat carefully.

The diplomat’s face held a look of demure unawareness. It was only through the heightened sense of a Space Marine that Holst had noticed the near microscopic tick of his eye, the slight swell of his nostrils as he drew a sharp intake of air, the scent of salty sweat fresh in the recycled air of the negotiation chamber on the Battle Barge.

“I don’t think it rings any bells, it sounds like an old word.”

“It is an old name, rather,” offered Teth softly, “it has many meanings, and a long history attached to it. Have you been to her mansion by the dark sea?”

The diplomat licked his lips slightly. His tongue was very dry. “My pardon, honored Astartes, I don’t know what you mean.”

“He’s lying,” offered Teth.

“I could have told you that hours ago,” snarled Holst as he drew his weapon, already spotting the motions as the guards had started to raise their lasrifles. Librarian Teth sat patiently at the table, his eerie green eyes still locked with the diplomat, as Holst proceeded to dismantle all twenty bodyguards in quick and economical motions. In moments it was over, Holst flicked the blood from his combat knife and loaded a fresh magazine into his bolt pistol. Even as he clicked it home the diplomat whimpered softly and collapsed in his chair, curling strands of smoke leaking from his ears.

“The Nyx cults have found a home here,” announced Teth as he rose to his feet. Holst noted that the psyker was ever so slightly unsteady as he did so, a hand reaching out to balance himself on a table as he rose. He did not mention it, despite his misgivings of how potent this ‘Nyx’ creature might be, partly out of simple battle respect for a fellow Astartes, and partly because he honestly didn’t wish to know if the threat was too dangerous, since he would assuredly enter battle regardless, he was Black Templar after all. “Prepare for planetary deployment, we must stop them.”

“We are always ready for planetary deployment,” assured Holst as he holstered his pistol, “we shall cleanse this taint with the fire of the Emperor, and wash the stains away in the blood of the fallen.”

------------------------------

Suo’luben, Lord of Change, Master of the 4th Mystery, The Burning Madness, watched as the humans pulled their tanks into position and readied their weapons, all the while singing praises to their dark goddess. He had never been much of a believer in the power of mortal servitors, but even he was forced to admit that it was an impressive display.

“Do you think they can actually win?”

“Does it matter?” Nyx giggled merrily, as was usual for the entity, she already seemed half bored by what she had created. “You wanted me to devise a distraction, I have done so.”

“I wanted a distraction. You have started a new war zone that will consume millions, perhaps billions of lives before it is all ended, and that could cause an entire planet to burn.”

“You are…disappointed?”

“No. Envious.”

The two laughed as they watched their various minions prepare. All was going according to plan, after all.

4,500 per side.
Dice off for board edge and play order as normal.
A central building and 6 surrounding buildings each count as an objective.
Escalation rules are not allowed.
Stronghold Assault rules are allowed.

Special Rules
The Center Objective will be a Bastion w. working Quad Gun – it is worth 3 points.
The six surrounding Ruins are each worth 1.
Burning Skies - Any Flyer in Zoom Mode (or FMC in…swoop? I forget the actual term) at the start of their turn must roll d6. On a 5+ they will take 1 Hull Point or Wound with no saves allowed.
Orbital Wreckage Strike – At the end of turns 2, 4, and 6 both sides roll off. Winner places a large blast, S 3+d6, AP d6, scatter 3d6 template. Flyers may also be hit by this blast.
Radioactive Fallout – Each turn roll d6. On a 5+ all ‘gets hot’ weapons trigger on 1-2 and any unit going to ground takes an auto Str 1 hit to each model.

The Immortal Host
Chapter Master on Bike
Librarian on Bike
Bike Squads
4x Tac squads in Drop Pods (maybe a Sternguard or two in there, honestly)
Devestator squad
Those little IA missile launchers that he loves.


When in doubt, hit it with a thunderhammer from a passing bike – that solves most problems.


The Black Templar

Marshall w. various upgrades
Termie squad
2x Spartan Landraiders
I dunno…some other squads.
Also 2 of those big gun emplacements

La Volta Nyx (Chaos Daemons – Slaanesh)



Keeper of Secrets
3x Winged Daemon Princesses
2x 15 Daemonettes


Sugar n’ spice and itichin’ to slice!

The 576th Saios Artillery (Traitor Guard)



I really forget his loadout.
1x Leman Russ
2x Medusa
Ogryn Squad
Piles of assorted plasma packing infantry.


The Thousand Sons

Ahriman w. Chosen Squad
2x 15 Pink Horrors
10 Cultists
25 Hounds of Khorne.


Sorcerous might is the byword of Tzeentch’s battle plan.

The Imperial right flank is held by their bike deathstar as well as anchored by one of their powerful batteries.


The center line will feature the Spartan landraiders pushing in for the objectives.


Across the way, Chaos Cultists stand ready to lead the charge into the Imperial Shrine.


The arrayed armies. The Chaos right is the Guard, and the Chaos left is the forces of Slaanesh, with Tzeentch’s agents scattered throughout.


The Slaanesh forces will attempt to secure this flank and use their princes on the center.


I actually lose track on who is bubblewrapping whom here – I’m pretty sure they wrapped my entire army for me.


The Sorcerous Balthazaar (Ahriman) makes the first move, appearing from hiding already in position to claim the central objective. Can the Imperials muster the force to defeat him in addition to the rest of the Chaotic agents here?

Bolstered at the arrival of the infiltrating sorcerer, the Hounds of Khorne rush forward to help claim the central objective.


Capering along in the wake of the Keeper of Secrets, the daemonettes lay claim to the gardens around the shrine.


The big gals do appreciate a nice piece of LoS blocking terrain.


The Warp Storm surges, and the bike Librarian is downed before he even had a chance, claimed by the powers of the Warp. The Immortal Host steels themselves, knowing this will be a deadly battle indeed now.


Hidden traitorous guardsmen fire their weapons at the bike squad, doing little damage but making their presence felt.


With a roar a drop pod falls upon the field, the grim visage Immortal Host emerging from their craft to wreck the Emperor’s Mercy upon the traitors, heretics, and abominations of this world.


They have little shortage of targets…


Another drop pod descends to counter the Thousand Sons at the central objective.


The bikes pause to attack the traitor guard in their back field.


That’s how you park a Land Raider!


Both armies are pushing inward, but besides the drop pods few lanes of fire are very easy to use, minimizing the damage being caused at this stage.


Meltas and flamers cause devastation in the ranks of the Rubric Marines, though the unflinching automatons seem unafraid.


Traitor Guard are gunned down by the handful.


Missiles are fired into the face of the approaching daemon princesses…who despite flying get the benefit of cover, because GW’s ruleset makes sense. Yes!


The Guardsmen’s paper shirts and flashlights are no match for genetically engineered supermen on bikes!


The daemonettes caper about playfully, eager to find some victims to dance with.


Delepitorae heads for the bikes, she has bad intentions for the Space Marines.


Messalina also advances, eyeing the nearby gun emplacement and the Space marines there.


She will be supported by this materializing band of Horrors.


Pink Horrors and a Soulgrinder batter the Immortal Host, but the Emperor’s finest stand firm.


Their Medusa is gone, but these traitor guard keep pressing forward.


Discretion is the better part of valor, the bikes move away from Delepitorae.


The Black Templar Terminators make short work of some pink horrors.


“Stand firm, brothers!” Teth Angelus rallies his battle brothers to him as they knock the Daemon Princess from the sky.


A squad of bikes make their advance to the upper levels of the shrine, seeking to protect the sacred grounds.


Finally closing the distance, the Soul Grinder tears apart one of the combat squads of Immortal Host.


Chaos Ogryn shuffle around, being a bit slow in getting through the rubble they are failing to engage the enemy, much to their annoyance.


Bathsheba engages the Terminators, tearing apart the mighty warriors.


Multiple forces of Imperial might attempt to overwhelm her by force of numbers.


On the far left flank, Black Templar tear apart Cultists, reclaiming an objective.


Winnowill, Keeper of Secrets, laughs in defiance of the Chapter Master as he and his squad rush into battle.


No one is even thinking about going down into the gardens to reclaim the daemonette’s objective…


“Creature of Chaos, I shall banish you to the Warp!”
“Mortal of Flesh, I shall toy with you till I grow bored!”
Teth Angelus and his squad do battle against the fearsome Daemon Princess, but her prowess prove too potent and the Librarian falls.


Messalina, meanwhile, rampages through the Black Templar guarding their gun emplacement, butchering them with glee.




Failing to overcome the Keeper, the Chapter Master and his bikes are now struck by a mass of squealing and laughing daemonettes as well.


Bathsheba finishes off the Terminators, and claims control of the piazza.


Cultists considering the battlefield.


The center is a hotbed of activity.


The Imperials strike once more into the piazza, trying to overcome Bathsheba, who appears nigh invulnerable to anything thrown at her.


Traitor Guard surge forward.


A small force of Black Templar holding them at bay.


The Apothecary is felled, and the Chapter Master stands alone against the forces of Slaanesh.


His squad lying dead around him, Master Holst readies his blade and motions for them to ‘come at him, heretic’.


The lay of the land at the end.
The forces of Slaanesh hold the garden, the Grinder and the Guard have cleared off and hold the bottom right objective. Messalina has cleared out the Imperial’s home objective and contests it. The center is still a mass of Khorne Hounds and Templar, but with more support pouring in for Chaos.

The Imperials tip their king.

Chaos wins!


We did dice this one out to the end, the Marshall came within five Hounds of winning it…

A pretty fun battle. It really wasn’t obvious during the batrep but the special rules were in effect, they just never seemed to accomplish much at any given point. I think they did a grand total of one wound to one of my Princesses (a worthwhile trade to getting to be airborne versus the amount of shooting the Imperium had waiting for me if I’d landed, that’s for sure)

Imperium MVP
Probably a few possibilities here. I guess I’ll go with the Chapter Master Master or the Marshall – both were a threat and both tied up an impressive amount of points in assault for multiple turns. If the rest of the Imperium had been on top of their jobs that well it probably would have been a different battle.

Imperium WTF
Oddly for a losing team, I don’t feel that there was a real standout for underperformance. I guess I’ll toss it to the Immortal Host Devestators…simply because I can’t recall a single thing they accomplished, so, ergo, they probably didn’t do that much…eh, for all I know they spent all their time shooting up the Thousand Sons or something. Whatever, they did nothing to Slaanesh

Chaos MVP
I think the post game consensus was ‘Thor’s dice’ but I’ll extend that out to ‘The daemon princesses’ who absorbed an inordinate amount of the enemy firepower, and did so while making it look almost easy. My invulnerables and FNP saves just didn’t seem able to go wrong,a nd I think I only whiffed one of their psychic tests the entire game.

Chaos WTF
The Pink Horror squad that dropped in, got shot, and then fled ranks up there on the useless meter. Though I think the grand winner is the Ogryns – for what they cost they spent the entire game sort of wandering around in circles. The only attacks they managed was an assault on a Drop Pod, and they didn’t do anything to it. Not that impressive, and I’m a guy who loves Ogryns.

“Teth Angelus is no longer with us.” Xerxes, Chief Librarian of the Immortal Host awoke from his meditations, already speaking what he knew to be true.

“His last report indicated suspicion of taint on Denaaria.” Chapter Master Azamerac considered the nearby star map, he frowned for a moment in thought and then removed the marker showing a deployment of Immortal host on Denaaria. “We should have seen this coming.”

“My lord?” Xerxes frowned as he considered the star map. Azamerac gestured to Lurelli and then to Denaaria. “We understood that the forces of Tzeentch had misled the Nurgle armies to Lurelli. But look, Denaaria is on the opposite end of the system, a clear feint.”

“The workings of Chaos are many sided, my lord,” answered Xerxes after some consideration of his own. “Might not Denaaria itself be yet another feint?”

“It might…it might…,” Azamerac frowned, “why are they not attacking Iunden or Pingtass?”

“I would presume their goal is to bleed off our forces, drawing us out in defense of lesser worlds before striking at the primary targets.”

“What about the artifact? Is there any word about the Xenos witch?”

“I had agents in place that seemed to believe she is currently upon Pingtass. However, I believe The Locust does not wish her to be found.”

“Has The Inquisitor taken exception to us protecting our secrets?”

“He may have suspicions about the death of Inquisitor Kabuck, but they were men from different Ordos, as much rivals as allies, and he certainly has no proof.”

“Find me the witch, Xerxes, she holds the artifact, and he who holds the artifact will hold the power.” Azamerac glanced over to his desk where an ornate and strange timepiece of xenos origin sat. Dozens of strange hued bulbs glimmered as they slowly rotated around the centerpiece, and trickling golden liquid bubbled through gleaming silver wires. “The time grows short.”

“I understand.” Xerxes bowed deeply and excused himself.

Azamerac stood staring at the star chart in silence. He knew that the next few moves would be of vital importance.

===========================