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2015/07/28 02:58:43
Subject: Comic Batrep: Campaign for Umbral Void - Azreal at the Acheron (Dark Angels v. Necron/mechanicus)
This is the penultimate batrep from my last campaign. It is part of a series of 7 batreps. Their are short intros to each of the previous battles posted below. most of these have been posted on dakka before in some form. the newest batrep "azreal at the acheron" took place in round 5 which is posted in completion below. If youd like to read the most recent batrep (round 5 - azreal at the acheron) appears first. if youd like to get caught up on the story rounds 1-4 (LISTED AFTER THE BATREP) will take you to the corresponding report. comment and criticism welcome. I hope you enjoy the campaign of Umbral Void...
Round 5
In the Northern Continent:
The Tau commander had sent one of his trusted leuitnents M'ka on a secret mission to Phobos hive. He and his carefully selected pathfinder group were to enter the underhive and meet with the human rebels warring against Lord Phobian and his eldar lackies who now patrolled the streets above. Contacts were made on the third night after their arrival. M'ka met with a shadowy leader deep in the temple as arranged but was suddenly attacked by swarms of bloodlusted cultists of chaos... a trap! Tortured and fed their own excrement for seven days, the Tau, in shackles, were brought once again before the Shadowy leader, he unhooded himself and spoke, encrusted boils and necrotic tissue falling from his face as he did so. "I know your darkest dreams Tau. You long to be free of your masters, but your sense of duty competes with your indivuality. You wish for the power to become the leader of the tau and cover yourself in glory at the destruction of your enemies. I can grant both your wishes, to fulfill your desire for power and help the tau cause on Umbral. Do you wish it to be so?"
M'ka weak with delirium and hunger nodded. Suddenly the man pulled forth a crude jagged dagger and plunged it into the heart of M'ka. Falling to the floor in pain he watched with dying eyes as his companions suffered the same fate. The disease ridden man turned skyward. "The martyrs have died for you lord nurgle give them the reward they so richly deserve bless this Hive with the warriors of the Fromunda Maximum! And with that the warp rift opened and attacked Phobos Hive!
In the Southern Continent:
Recieving a distress call from the Fury Capt Ranuk of the death marines told his brothers to hold and defend the planet with their lives. Help was coming in the form of the Tiger guard, a second founding using the crimson fist geneseed. The Commander of the Tiger Gaurd, using the captured sector of Hive Mellaj, as a staging point landed his troops and began the march towards the ork Forces and Ghazkhull Thraka.
The Forces of the Necrons and their mechanicus allies with the knowledge that controlling another of the Mines of Umbral held the key to unlock the Shard Heket assaulted the Dark Angel Promethium outpost at the Southern tip of the Ahklys Moutains.
The 325th ICG fended off determined attacks from Chaos rebels lurking in the coastal regions near the imperial mercy.
Meanwhile, under the shield generator in the Castellum Stronghold, Azreal calls a meeting of the inner circle...
Spoiler:
Azreal and his forces depart on the attack on the etherium mine and are able to sweep the unsuspecting defenders.
In the aftermath Azreal marshalls his defense and prepares for the Necron counterattack...
The orbiting necron craft blast their firestorm at the defenders
Turn 1
Spoiler:
As per planet strike rules the infantry rises from the ground deep striking in, while those with the deep strike rule are able to charge the turn they arrive.
The Necrons and mechanicus force the dark angels from their transports. the scarabs attack the bastion destroying it utterly. Azreal destroys the flayers charging the tacticals.
The the dark talon destroys the techthralls while the tacticals take on the cryptec and company.
though this picture shows the missles missing, i think the devs fired on the scarabs wiping them out.
the weight of attacks kills all the terminators! thats some bad saves... Only Aggripus remains.
the dark talon fires on the myrmidons.
The librarian uses his nova power, but rolls a strength of 2 damaging no tchthralls...
The storm eagle arrives with its cargo of deathwing knights.
The tech thralls finish off the librarian.
Turn 3
Spoiler:
the automata and tech priest arrive but fail their charge...
The night scythe fires on the dark talon.
ghost ark deep strikes and attempts to disable the the void shield.
The command barge is destroyed and the overlord looks pissed. the Archmagos and myrmidons continues their slow march across the board.
Turn 4
Spoiler:
The myrmidons fire on the dark talon and destroy it.
The tech-priest bravely or foolishly accepts azreals challenge, and is swiftly cut down.
Turn 5
Spoiler:
Fun game taking place before the new codex dropped, next up the final chapter in the series
And for those who want more...
Backstory
Spoiler:
The Doom of Umbral...
In the apocryphal days before the emperor’s great crusade the system of Umbral was a quiet, feudal society, dealing with occasional squabbles over goats and land but slow in its progress of technological advancement. Two noble houses eventually rose to great esteem House Phobos north of the Lethe Chasm and House Mellaj south of it. These rivals tried to gainsay and outdo each other in all things, and committed great atrocities upon each other, but each could never muster the power needed to destroy the other.
When the great crusade came to the planet the Emperor foresaw the great wealth of the planet in its material bounty of Etherium and Promethium. Etherium being the material used to power the warp drive of great imperium vessels, had been scarce during the expansion of the crusade. Being a psychic conduit material it is often noted that deposits of Etherium have frequently been found to be the haunts of demons and their kindred. Promethium, of course has long been known to be the materiel of choice for munitions and forge worlds. Finding such a large supply unguarded the emperor began to engage the people of the world. In his search for allies on the planet he was alerted to the greedy hearts of House Phobos and House Mellaj. The Emperor turned to a third weaker noble family, House Terrin, to be responsible for the mining operations of the precious resources and gave them the technology to do so.
Unshackled from the bitter rivalry of the ancient foes, which had so long held them in thrall, the people of Umbral began to benefit tremendously from their new found resources. Wealth began to move into the planet and the progress of technology and trade became possible with the new formed Imperium of Man.
Yet ever jealousy stirs in the hearts of men, for the Barons of Phobos and Mellaj, had lost their prestige and power and such a slight by the supposed, “Emperor of Man,” was too much for them, even in their guilded palaces atop their hives. Although they had benefitted tremendously from the newfound trade agreements the ancient grudge was replaced by a new hatred of the leader of the imperium and his cronies among the upstarts. Old hatreds were placed aside to find ways to topple the Governer of the newly minted Hive of Terringrad.
Using their influence with the lackeys of the administratum, the Barons of Phobos and Mellaj, began a secret defense project, undertaken as they would later recount “for the good of Umbral.” The Stylos interplanetary Laser defense system: a project with two main components. Mounted on Phobos Hive the Stylos laser itself capable of defending the planet from intergalatic threats and capital starships. Upon Mellaj Hive the Hercanthrex v7 targeting array, with its ability to coordinate laser strikes against any area of space within 0.5 parsecs of the planet. Due in no small part to the mirrored satellite control system installed with great generosity by the Terringrad government. Having grown soporific with their wealth and power on the planet, the lords of Terringrad did not realize their folly til it was too late.
At a secret meeting in the halls of their palaces a plan was formed and the technologies of the emperor and the dark age of humanity were put to terrible use. As the planetary defense laser system charged itself for its first test run, the people of Umbral experienced their moment of great hubris. Their crowning technological achievement, became their doom. With grinning faces the Lords of Phobos and Mellaj looked on as the inferno of 23 megakelvins was unleashed on the unsuspecting populace of Terringrad hive. The cloud of the explosion darkened the skies for six months but the true lords of Umbral had restored themselves to their “rightful places.” Oh there was a trial, oh yes, but when the entire government is executed it is the powerful who appoint the courts. Were they possessed by the ruinous powers, seeking the favor of some powerful xeno war leader or just trying to unshackle themselves from the imperial yolk?
The Imperium has noticed that trade ships never return from the planet and repeated psychic silence of ships coming to claim the imperial tithe from the planet. And so have decided send in reinforcements. As a myriad of forces have descended to claim its resources, who will emerge victorious? Umbral, a jewel of the imperium hanging in the balance, a Forgeworld of great renown, with two madmen as its leaders and the forces of war ready to descend upon it and bring a new season of malcontent...
Round 1
Spoiler:
The Northern Continent -
South of Phobos Hive the Tau, led by Farsight and Ovesa, launched a furious attack on the Eldar enclave defending the outskirts of the hive.
East of Phobos Hive the Deathwing, led by Belial, stormed the mountain stronghold held by the Night Lords and their Demon allies.
North of the ruins of Hive Terringrad, the battle raged between the forces of the Dark Eldar Kabal led by the nefarious Dr. Farnsworth and the metallic undead of the Nekthyst (or is it Sautek?) dynasty.
The Southern Continent -
West of the Imperial Mercy - The Imperium's finest unleashed their heavy guns and marine allies against the Sautek (or is it Nekthyst?) dynasty and wily schemes of Nemesor Zandrek.
North of Hive Mellaj a furious battle took place as Gazkull and his Ork attackers attempted to push through the hive city and overwhelm Capt. Ranuk and the Deathmarine defenders.
On the Northern Continent
South of Phobos Hive and west of the Golgotha Range, the Eldar Enclave unleased a furious assault on the Nekthyst dynasty and Nemesor Zandrek.
East of the Killjar Range the Sautek Dynasty was active as well. Thanks to their newly formed alliance with the Techmagos Therax, the two combined forces to attempt to drive the Dark Angels from their hold on the Void Shield.
On the Southern Continent
Capt. Ranuk unleashed his Deathmarine attackers on the Power station at the far southwestern tip of the continent. The Tau commander Ovesa lay in wait ready to repel the invaders.
Under cover of night, Dr. Farnsworth and his Coven of the Black Sun sent a stealth force to attempt to abudct the host of the GreenWaagh that had settled in Hive Mellaj. Yet Ghazkull was wise to the chicanery of the mad Doctor and prepared a stalwart defense...
In the absence of his Chaos masters the renegade Gardsmen of the Black legion faced off against the enlightented troops of humans of the 325th Cadian Division. The directive for the greater good was to take the eastern foothills of the Canis Gap, the source of the Cocytus River.
In the Northern Continent
The Dark Angels launched an attack on the undercity of Hive Phobos, where the Eldar waited and planned their counter strike.
In the Southern Continent
The Demon Prince Belitras came for the head of the his nemesis, the allied marine commander of the 325th Imperial Composite Group, airborne division.
Shifting Alliances - There has been a new development in the shifting alliances of forces on the planet. Intelligence reports a coup has been conducted by the Orks against their Chaos allies and Belitras. When the envoys of Ghazkull have been spotted by surveilence craft meeting with Necron forces. These developments can only mean that the Necrons and Orks have now joined forces and are planning to benefit from each other's strength, a dire development indeed...
Coordinated Strikes - With the radiation zones still hot from missle impacts the Armies of Umbral launched their strikes.
On the Northern Continent:
The Deathmarines still reeling from their lost brothers, decide on a strike against the forces of Ruin attempting to take the Promethium mine from the Clutches of Ghazkull and his Luitenant Krumpass.
The Craftworld Ji Zhan Tried to consolidate territory near the Golgotha mountains South of Phobos Hive, but a plucky band of warriors clad in cermite has mysteriously arrived...
On the Southern Continent:
The Deathwing led by Belial leads a desperate planet strike against the Etherium mine held by Tau forces of Farsight and Ripetide know as O'Vessa.
The 325th ICG launch a bold assault on the Defenders from the Necron dynasty, but which will win out the power from the legion of the damned or the cunning and arcane science of Anakyr the Traveler and his Mechanicus allies...
Sooo, i can't tell is this total crap or are no replies a good thing? I've done a couple of these in the past and they usually are pretty well recieved. I know there's a lot here and its not what we shall call JY2 style but what is peoples take, good/bad/uninspiring? I can take it give me feedback please
I have enjoyed your reports very much. Your style is novel and i find it quite refreshing. Thanks!
You shouldn't be worried about the one bullet with your name on it, Boldric. You should be worried about the ones labelled "to whom it may concern"-from Blackadder goes Forth!
2015/08/01 20:41:06
Subject: Comic Batrep: Campaign for Umbral Void - Azreal at the Acheron (Dark Angels v. Necron/mechanicus)
Yeah it's an awesome format. I like the campaign map you cooked up in the beginning as well. Any chance you'll roll a pure RW list in one of these? That mechanicum/necron list was crunchy enough that you can bring out the actually good parts of the codex I think.
Abadabadoobaddon wrote:
Phoenix wrote:Well I don't think the battle company would do much to bolster the ranks of my eldar army so no.
Nonsense. The Battle Company box is perfect for filling out your ranks of aspect warriors with a large contingent from the Screaming Baldies shrine.
2015/08/02 14:33:36
Subject: Comic Batrep: Campaign for Umbral Void - Azreal at the Acheron (Dark Angels v. Necron/mechanicus)
Hummel - thanks for the kind words. Really appreciate it.
Silverthorne - cheers man. The campaign map was a fun alternative to the standard planetary empires board. The next battle you may very we'll see some ravenwing. The mechanicum list was themed and fun, but a lttle lacking in effectiveness. Next up apocalyptic finale!
I like the format, the only complaint I have is two fold
army lists are needed to see what is what. I love a good conversion, but if I don't know what it represents, it spoils the pictures or story a bit.
Put all the pictures behind a spoiler or break things up. The report is very mobile unfriendly. It took me 20 mins to reply because your huge pictures are sucking up memory .
2015/08/04 02:30:48
Subject: Comic Batrep: Campaign for Umbral Void - Azreal at the Acheron (Dark Angels v. Necron/mechanicus)
army lists are certainly somthing that could help. as for part two i don't think I would spoiler every pic but I could make it specific for the armys involved.
Thanks for taking time out to provide your thoughts.
so no.